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The rAmblings and rantings of a petite sailor!

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Please find below a copy of a letter that I recently sent to the RYA on the subject of women in sailing and more specifically, the dinghies that are available for the petite adult sailor.  I have posted it here, as I hope that some of you may find it interesting to read and that it might  also encourage other petite sailors (and their friends and family!) to voice their own opinions to the RYA , boat manufactures, sailing clubs and classes (and anyone else who’ll listen!) so that maybe, in the long-term, some real change and progress can be encouraged. Fingers crossed!

In the meantime I will keep eating doughnuts and ice-cream and stand in a well-watered flowerpot in the hope that I will soon grow big enough to sail a ‘proper adult’ boat!!!

 [/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”985″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_outline” border_color=”peacoc”][vc_empty_space height=”75px”][vc_separator color=”peacoc”][vc_separator color=”peacoc”][vc_column_text]To whom it may concern,

After recently receiving an email from the World Sailing Trust regarding the ‘Women in Sailing, Strategic Review’ and having also visited the RYA Dinghy Show last weekend, I have been encouraged to put into words some of my thoughts on the subject of women in dinghy sailing.

I began sailing when I was 6 years old and have rarely been away from the sport since. I have been a qualified Dinghy Instructor for 5 years and regularly race at club level in my Splash dinghy, occasionally attending open meetings and other sailing events around the country.

I have recently been pleased to see a definite focus in the sailing arena on the development of women’s sailing, as well as an increased media coverage of the problems and resolutions in female sailing. The World Sailing Trust’s ‘Women in Sailing, Strategic Review’ made for some interesting, if a little demoralising reading. Whilst I feel that many efforts are being made to address the imbalance in the sport, I still think that at grassroots level, there remain huge issues to be resolved.  If anything, the upsurge of media interest and visibility of the subject has only highlighted the problems.

As I say, my interest and experience is mainly at club-level sailing. My expectations are not to compete in the next Olympics nor to spend my life savings on a new boat or to dedicate all my spare time to becoming an elite athlete.  Sailing is my hobby. I, like many others, simply want to enjoy my time on the water, expand my experiences, learn new things and give my body some much-needed exercise in the process.

I usually aim to be out racing every Sunday. The club that I sail at, though fairly small, has a strong and active racing scene, incorporating small fleet and handicap races. I would suggest that an average of 20 boats will be out racing regularly. However, of those twenty sailors fewer than four are likely to be female and I will frequently find myself to be the only female on the water… or even at the club. This is not to say that the club is not proactive in encouraging female sailors. Far from it; there is an excellent women’s sailing group who meet regularly on a Tuesday morning and there are many expert female instructors and youth sailors too.  But for regular Sunday racing, there remains a huge disparity.  At other clubs where I have sailed, I have seen a similar trend and whilst watching a national Solo event, I was disheartened to discover, that of the 50 or so boats out sailing, only one participant was female.

I understand that there are many factors that might influence the decision of a sailor not to race. Family commitments, a lack of confidence, or just an absence of interest in competitive sailing are but a few examples. However, I feel that for those women who do wish to race, a major factor of discouragement lies in the boats that are available for them to sail. Time and time again, I find myself having the same conversation with my fellow sailors: where is the sailing dinghy designed especially with the average female sailor in mind? Not an elite athlete, not a crew, not a small man, but an average independent adult woman who wants to race competitively.  Whilst I understand that ladies are of all shapes and sizes, I believe that statistically, the female body is significantly smaller, both in height and weight, than that of a man.* Therefore, it should follow that a smaller, lighter boat would logically be most suitable for many women. What then is available?

As far as I can tell from my own experiences and research, the options recommended to an average adult female sailor would probably be the Laser Radial/4.7, Byte CII,  Aero and Europe, with perhaps the addition of the Streaker, Lightning, British Moth and Comet, as well as newer boats such as the RS Neo and Fusion.

Of this list, both the Laser and Aero work on the theory that if you are a smaller/lighter sailor then you simply use a smaller rig. But to me, this does not seem to make sense; surely the proportions are likely to be wrong? There is such incongruity in the idea of having a huge hull and a tiny sail and anyway, a larger hull is not necessarily suited to an individual of a smaller stature, regardless of the sail area. Factor into this the higher price tag of the Aero and the necessity to rig the Laser by lifting the heavy mast into the hull, and I am even less convinced. I have seen many excellent female sailors regularly having to ask a taller, stronger man to lift their radial rig into their boat: not encouraging.

The newer Neo and Fusion both seem to be aimed at a smaller female sailor, but also appear to be targeted at the non-racer; the bikini-clad summer sailor looking for a ‘safe and stable’ boat to sail around in the sunshine. Apparently a woman cannot be a ‘serious’ racer.  Again, not encouraging.

The Byte CII, whilst appearing to be heading in the right direction, also seems to be marketed largely as a youth boat and I have heard from those owning them that there are some issues with the ease of rigging and the stability of downwind sailing, which doesn’t fill me with enthusiasm.  A quick glance at the results on the class websites and a chat with class representatives at the Dinghy Show for alternative dinghies such as the Streaker and Lightning, has shown me that there are at least some female racers in these classes. However, the percentage of female participants is still very small, which infers that once again, there is little in these boats to recommend them to the female sailor.

That leaves the Europe. This boat seems to be enjoying a bit of a revival and appears to be one of the most viable options: a strong and seemingly open class, encouraging sailors of many shapes and sizes to race to the best of their ability,  with scope to sail from club-level racing up to national and international events.

So there we are: one boat. One single boat amidst the entire field of dinghies, that appears to tick mostof the boxes for the average adult female sailor wishing to race competitively. And of course, this one boat will certainly not be suited to every woman wishing to sail, even if there were plenty on the market.

With all this in mind, is it any wonder that there are so few women keen to get out and race?

Where then, are the boats designed specifically for the adult female racer? Not a large boat designed for a man by a man that, almost as an afterthought, has been given a smaller rig. Not a boat that is too heavy to move around the boat park, or where rigging requires assistance. Not a youth boat or a training boat. A boat that is designed for women, by women, with a deep understanding of what a female sailor actually needs and wants; something smaller and more manageable, yes, but not dumbed-down.

I wonder therefore if the RYA is doing anything currently to support such boat design or even to support female boat designers? Are there in fact any women working in the design and development of dinghies?

I would be extremely interested to hear about your feelings on this matter and the possible steps that you might be taking to help to improve the issues that I believe exist. If there is any way in which I would be able to assist in such work, or if you wish me to clarify anything that I have mentioned, please do get in touch.

I very much look forward to hearing from you soon,

Hannah Hutchings

 

 

Please note: Whilst, as I have stated I own and sail a Splash dinghy, I have not included this as one of the boats that could be an option for an adult female sailor. Whilst I find that my Splash suits me well, I am very aware that it is really a youth class boat and that, at my size of around 40kgs and just scraping 5 foot, I fall below the average size of an adult woman.

*According to the Office of National Statistics in 2010,the average man in England was 5ft 9in (175.3cm) tall and weighed 13.16 stone (83.6kg).The average woman in England weighed 11 stone (70.2kg) and was 5ft 3in tall (161.6cm).[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”100px”][vc_single_image image=”851″ img_size=”full”][vc_empty_space height=”100px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]