Seattle Singles Yacht Club’s NW Harvest Benefit Race is coming up September 21st. It’s another great way NW sailors can have a little fun while helping the community. For all of us Elliott Bay Thursday Nighters, Duck Dodgers, Friday Take-your-timers etc., this is a great chance for a fun race when all the evening racing has been “blacked out.”
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
It turns out the Pacific Northwest can claim one of the spots on the original Maiden crew! The recent Maiden movie and renewed interest in the first all-woman crew in the Whitbread Round the World Race raised the question of our connections to that crew.
Images from the original Maiden crew gathering last year. Amanda is second from right in this photo, next to skipper Tracy Edwards.
The boat is currently going around the world with stops to fund raise via The Maiden Factor Foundation for girls’ education internationally.
If you look closely at the closing credits you can see “Mandi Swan” listed as one of the crew. Amanda Swan-Neal, now of Roche Harbor when she isn’t off sailing, wasn’t featured during the documentary, but she was certainly a big part of the project. Amanda (originally from New Zealand) is known to Northwest Sailors for the seminars in our region and the cruising events she offers with husband John Neal at Mahina Expeditions. She’s also known as the Galley Essentials contributor at 48 North.
Amanda took time during a stopover in Fiji to answer a few general questions I had about the race and movie:
“I was on the Maiden Project for 3 years as rigger and was one of the original crew.
“Yes, I’ve just seen Maiden. I was flown to London last year for a screening of the documentary by Black Dog Films but we were told it was not finished. It was the first time we’d been together since the end of the race. Michele was the only crew member not present as she was attempting to sail the NW passage from Greenland on her own boat.
“I was on the Maiden Project for 3 years as rigger and was one of the original crew. One our our recent crew has Hollywood connections so he has just given me a screener’s copy of the SONY version. SONY picked up the film after it was shown at the Toronto Film Festival.
“On a personal note it saddens me that the entire crew were not introduced in this Documentary.
Maiden was here in Seattle for a few days, at both Bell Street and Shilshole, and the crew taking her around the world on its fundraising mission gave a presentation at CYC. I spoke to Belle, one of the crew, about Maiden after her extensive refit. The old IOR warhorse is a much more user friendly and safe boat than during her Whitbread days. A new carbon rig, with shrouds led to the rail and non-overlapping headsails, is a lot better than back in the day. An sprit is designed for asymmetrical flying sails. The coffee grinders are still there, and during the tours plenty of kids (and a few of us adults) took turns.
I saw the movie in the theater, and it was great. If you missed the movie – it’ll surely be in theaters for a while and then live forever online. If you haven’t seen it, you should.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
Go see the movie “Maiden.” Take your daughters. Just as importantly, take your sons.
The movie shows just what it took for Tracy Edwards, impressive and flawed as she was, to get the first female round the world crewed boat to both the start and finish lines of the Whibread Round the World Race in 1989-90. By the end of the movie, it’s pretty clear how much force of will it took for Edwards to overcome the inertia, and, yes, resistance to fielding an all-woman entry.
I’m lucky. I grew up sailing where a woman (my mom) was an
indispensible part of the crew. When a rock star was signed up on the crew and
suggested they dump my mom, the crew said, “No Enid, no us.” When we couldn’t
get our C&C 27 out of its own way, my dad asked for help from Judy Nye (yes
that Nye, and if you don’t know the name, Google Murphy and Nye) The best
helmsmen I’ve ever sailed with were women. And yes, I’m aware of the irony of
that statement.
Basically, those women were sailors, just as men onboard were sailors. As were the women on Tracy Edwards’ crew. But they were taking on the professional men on the water and jaded journalists on shore. They had to overcome a lot of preconceptions.
I wasn’t there, but I doubt there was a lot of intentional “hold the women down” Neanderthals among the male sailors. I’m guessing those male sailors felt they were the best, and didn’t give much credence to anyone crashing into their world. And it seems some of them, notably and not surprisingly Steinlager II skipper Peter Blake, did more than their share to help them along.
Back to the movie. It does a great job painting the picture
of Tracy Edwards, an overwhelmed 20-something year old that grabbed on to the
Whitbread like a lioness, and wouldn’t let go. She’d be the first to admit lack
of experience going into the race. But that didn’t stop her. It showed the
thrill of victory and agony of defeat, as the saying goes. But as Maiden crossed the finish line, the
footage shows just what it meant to the world. You’d be a fool not to feel it
too sitting in the audience.
No sailing movie is perfect, and few even rate OK in my
book. But “Maiden” is very good. I wanted to hear more about the actual sailing
and more backstories of the crew, but there simply wasn’t the time. Also,
sailing an old IOR warhorse around the world was a lot more physically
demanding than the movie showed. One of the things that could have easily been
pointed out, was that the staggering performance of Steinlager II was the main show of the Whitbread that year. Had it
not been for that, no doubt the Maiden
team would have gotten even more notoriety.
Tracy Edward, with binocs, during the Whitbread.
My wife was amazed that after that performance by the women, more women aren’t sailing at the top level. It is surprising, in a way. In fact, the organizing authorities had to allow extra crew (an advantage) to encourage racers to include women on the crew in the last round the world race. Unfortunately, there are few boats racing at that level, and more qualified male racers all the time. The pickings are slim for anyone to crack into the top echelon.
Hey, the US women’s soccer team has won the World Cup four
times and is still seeking the appropriate level of respect.
The actual boat Maiden will be in Seattle in a couple of days, and the boat will be open for tours on the 13th. Maiden is the centerpiece of a the fundraising project “The Maiden Factor” which is raising fund for girls’ education. There will be a program at Corinthian Yacht Club that night, though tickets are sold out. Schelleen Rathkopf (Whidbey/Pt. Roberts Race Week Poo-bah) is on the Vancouver BC-Seattle WA delivery.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
It may be a little late to compete this weekend (I don’t really know) but I have to say this looks like the most fun you can have on a hot, light-wind weekend. The second most fun would be watching. I wonder if there are going to be any bets on which boats might sink…..
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
Once again, Tacoma will make its waters the center of the PNW maritime world by hosting the Tacoma Maritime Fest this weekend. The Foss Waterway Seaport has figured all sorts of ways to keep sailors, and particularly prospective young sailors, busy. Besides, who doesn’t want a story read to them by a mermaid?
Maritime Garage Sale – Saturday 10am – 4pm in partnership with neighboring Foss Harbor Marina
Sunday, July 28, 10 am to 5 pm
Seaport Museum Exhibits and Activities
Dockside tours and viewing, day sails and on-board tours, food, beverage and entertainment
Port of Tacoma tours: The FREE Port of Tacoma boat tours are only available on Sunday, July 28th. While all tickets have been reserved, there will be a Standby line for each boat (9am, 10:30am, Noon, 1:30pm, 3pm, and 4:30pm) tour
All weekend long enjoy:
Seaport Museum Exhibits and Activities
Dockside tours and viewing, day sail and on board tours
Food Trucks and Entertainment
Activities for Kids:
Connect with Roving Pirates;
Build a model toy boat at the Toy-Boat Building booth
Sit with a storytelling Mermaid while she tells sea tales
Bounce in the Pirate Ship Bounce House
Ships in a Bottle Model & Ship Makers
Boats! Our docks will be filled with historical and industrial vessels including motor, sail and specialty boats – some are free for boarding
Get out on the water!
Maritime Art – Find the Urban Sketchers and various artists sketching throughout the museum
A Maritime Garage Sale – Saturday 10am – 4pm in partnership with Foss Harbor Marina
Enjoy live music both days
FREE water shuttles – On Saturday there will be a FREE boat shuttle from the 16th Street Pier. On Sunday there will bea FREE boat shuttle from the Museum of Glass during their Glass Festival.
Make That Boat Float
Cash Prizes of $80, $50 and $30 for 1st, 2nd and 3rd
Adult Single Passenger: 1st, 2nd & 3rd place fastest race times (races start on 7/27 at noon)
Adult Multi-Passenger: 1st, 2nd & 3rd place fastest race times (races start on 7/27 at noon)
Youth: 1st, 2nd & 3rd place fastest race times (races start on 7/28 at noon)
Best Sinking: (or closest to sinking) – 1 award
Interested?: Contact Wesley Wenhardt at 253-272-2750 ext. 101 or wesley.wenhardt@fosswaterwayseaport.org
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
Here’s a chance for the sailing community to pull together and provide some needed help. Kerry Sherwin, who many of us know as the ever helpful service manager at North Sails Seattle, needs that help.
According to the GoFundMe site set up for Kerry, as he was riding his Vespa scooter to work, he was victim of a hit and run. The result includes a broken arm, a broken leg, 5 broken ribs, several crushed vertebrae, and a broken collarbone. He was in the Harborview intensive care unit for 6 days.
Fortunately he has insurance, but as we all know that will hardly cover his needs, both immediate and in the coming months.
Kerry on the Vespa
Visit Kerry’s GoFundMe site and give what you can.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
Community sailing programs are booming, and not just on the salty Salish Sea. The Southern Idaho Sailing Outreach program is going full blast, taking delivery of RS Zests from sailish sponsor West Coast Sailing.
It’s easy to get caught up in things like the R2AK, Transpac and other renowned events, but it’s at the local level that fleet captains, moms and that guy who can fix anything on a boat really promote the sport.
SISO’s web site lays out a well designed and ambitious plan to “emphasize youth education, safety, and accessibility of this great sport to all.” If the Lucky Peak Spring Shores Marina in the Lucky Peak State Park ends up looking like the plans, there’s going to be some good sailing.
RS Zest
SISO is taking delivery of ten 12′ RS Zests, a great 1-2 person learn to sail kind of boat
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
The Leukemia Cup is on Saturday! This event has generated a lot of money, and hence progress, in the fight against leukemia and lymphoma, two of the most heinous diseases.
The event is being hosted by Elliott Bay, and that’s where the sailing will start and end. There’s still time to enter. Supposing you already have plans for the weekend, you can go to the website and make a donation.
It’d be great to see a large fleet out there. Racing on the water is casual and will leave a feeling of camaraderie and the satisfaction of having done good as well.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
I’m still hoping to get some inside stories from the Seventy48. For those of you unaware, last weekend’s race was a non-sailing (all human powered) prelude to the R2AK. Seventy miles in 48 hours. The course, simply from Tacoma to Port Townsend. The winners Greg Spooner and Thiago Silva did it in about 11 hours in the two person shell Imua.
Jan Anderson stepped up once again with some great shots. Like the R2AK, this event is much more about participation than it is the winning and losing. Check these pix out, the check out the full gallery.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
