Confronting Sexism in Sailing
While perusing Sailing News from the weekend, I noticed a post titled “This girlfriend is wet and wild.” The video that followed was of a GF42 trimaran named ‘Girlfriend’ sailing off Long Beach, CA, on a near perfect day. 10–15 knot wind, a few clouds scattered on an otherwise clear blue sky, and a smiling crew. It’s the kind of video that makes Mondays unbearable for sailors everywhere.
But what stuck with me wasn’t their speed. It wasn’t the smiling crew. It wasn’t the beauty of the trimaran. It was the ugly title. Scuttlebutt had unnecessarily sexualized a beautiful boat, a capable crew, and a spectacular day with their title: “This girlfriend is wet and wild.” In a time when the number of women in sailing is on the rise in a historically male dominated sport, this seems like a step backwards.
So I decided to write to the editor of Scuttlebutt to tell him, from the perspective of a young woman who has been deeply immersed in the sailing community her whole life, that I thought the publication could do better than this. My request was simple: In the future, be mindful of the young girls who come to your site to learn about the wider world of sailing, as I have for many years. With sailing media using a tone like this, what will these budding sailors think about the sport and their respective place in it?
I thought it was a reasonable request, from sailor to sailor, both of us trying to advance the sport. I assumed we were on the same team. But as you will see below, my message was met with a response that shocked me and made clear that this was not an accidental misstep on a writer’s behalf, but a decision made by a publication that has no problem sexualizing the sport. Instead of engaging me as a peer, the editors at Scuttlebutt shot back, “Curious if you thought this crossed the line too,” with a link to another Scuttlebutt article featuring a cologne advertisement, titled “Sexy Men Sail Etchells.”
Well, thank you, Editor, for your prompt and substanceless reply.
My request has nothing to do with your poorly written article about a cologne advertisement. As a woman, I thought it fair to tell you that the “Girls Gone Wild”- like article title carries a negative and demeaning message to women sailors. Considering there wasn’t a single woman in the video, I thought that a woman’s opinion may have been valuable to you.
I wrote you openly and honestly, simply asking that you consider what a title like that does in perpetuating the institutionalized sexism in our sport. It would have been nice to receive a thoughtful reply instead of a misplaced “reverse sexism” cry that offers nothing productive other than silencing my request.
You know what, I’m sick of it. I’m proud that I sail like a girl. I practice with dedication and compete with intensity not because I think that I look sexy while doing it, but because I have a deep passion for sailing. I want to be confident that I am asked to sail on boats for my ability, not to serve as some skipper’s “bow babe,” and I want all women in sailing to be treated with respect.
I am opening up this dialogue beyond a private conversation with an editor because, as all sailors know, this is a bigger issue. This offense is minor compared to other content out there. I feel the need to take a stand now because it isn’t just one sexist editor: It’s an issue deeply ingrained in sailing culture.
This isn’t just my problem. It’s our problem. Women everywhere have been chipping away at the sexism that is accepted and perpetuated on sailing websites, at yacht clubs, and on boats around the world. It’s time to fully shake the lingering sexism of a formerly male dominated sport. The entire sailing community needs to help continue the forward motion of women’s representation in sailing. Sailing media should help, not hinder this movement.
Thankfully, this sexist view is one I rarely see in collegiate sailing. This generation of college sailors grew up sailing on coed teams and in coed youth programs. The abilities of my fellow competitors and teammates are not judged based on gender, but rather the attributes that make any sailor great. We judge each other based on our roll-tacks, the ability to perfectly trim a spinnaker, and accurately predict wind shifts.
So I want to inform the older members of the sailing community that this younger generation isn’t going to stand for crude sailing blog titles. The women — just as the men — of this generation want to be competitive and want to be evaluated based on our sailing abilities. Look at the Volvo Ocean Race’s Team SCA! They proved to the world that a group of fiercely competitive women could give the boys a run for their money in the world’s most grueling test of human endurance. Those women paved the way for women like me to take a stand and make a difference and I don’t plan to let them down. I believe that we stand together, united and ready to usher in a newer and better era of sailing. It’s time to say goodbye to the old boys club that once defined this sport.
So I want to encourage the women of sailing to share a photo of them getting #WetAndWild out on the water. Let’s show the world what it really looks like to #SailLikeAGirl!!
The wind and waves have no interest in gender, and hopefully others will be less concerned with it too.
Dee Caffari in an interview about the state of women’s sailing on www.scuttlebutt.com. You can view the article here.
Writier’s note: Since posting this, I have spoken in depth with the editors at Scuttlebutt Sailing News about their article and they have acknowledged the poor taste of their headline. I can only hope that in the future sailing media outlets will spend more time focusing on the accomplishments of women in sailing rather than objectifying them in headlines. Thank you to my teammates and friends for all your support and don’t forget: #SailLikeAGirl.
