Trinity Sailing Club successfully hosted its inaugural ‘Women at the Helm’ event on February 22nd, 2025, at the Royal Saint George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire. The event was organised to empower female sailors and promote inclusivity within the sport, saw university and adult teams competing in a competitive yet encouraging environment.
Reflecting on the event, Trinity Sailing Club Treasurer and participant Natacha Byrne expressed her pride in seeing the initiative come to life. “It’s special to be a part of this event. Our committee put in a lot of work to make it happen, and it really paid off. Increasing the number of women at the helm has been a priority for me over the past three years on the committee. Our women-at-the-helm training sessions have already made an impact, helping to grow our number of female helms and spreading the initiative across universities. However, more change is still needed across all levels of the sport, so I am thrilled we are taking this initiative even further with our inaugural event,” Byrne said.
The event was met with ideal sailing conditions, featuring good wind and bright sunshine - an unusual treat for February. “The weather was perfect, and we managed to complete our entire round robin, semi-finals, and finals as planned which, when it comes to sailing, is actually very rare! The warm and bright conditions lifted spirits and kept everyone engaged, making the day even more special,” Byrne added.
Byrne highlighted the balanced competition throughout the races, which provided an encouraging atmosphere for female sailors to test their skills and build confidence. “The races were competitive, but the standard was very even across the board. When we race with men, they often have more experience and confidence, but this event allowed us to really race, experiment with tactics, and grow in a positive environment. It’s important to have spaces like this to build confidence so that we can compete at the highest levels alongside our male counterparts.”
Events like Women at the Helm are crucial in fostering female participation and leadership in sailing. “Sailing is a unique sport because men and women compete together in most events. However, that makes it even more important for women to feel comfortable stepping into leadership roles like helming. Change happens slowly, and initiatives like this are necessary to inspire women at all levels to take the helm. Whether it’s younger sailors choosing a university that values female helms or senior sailors moving into keelboat racing, these moments matter,” Byrne explained.
Trinity Sailing Club hopes this event will continue to grow and contribute to the broader movement for gender equity in sailing. “For ourselves, we hope this event is just a small part of the larger movement for empowering women in sport. We will keep running this event until there is no more gender disparity in helming and hopefully, that day comes soon!”
While Byrne noted that women are well represented in leadership roles within sailing, the confidence gap in helming remains a challenge. “There are already a lot of women in leadership roles within Trinity Sailing. I’ve been on the committee for three years, and we’ve always had a 50/50 gender split, with an equal number of male and female captains. The difference is that women feel very comfortable in leadership positions, but they may feel they lack the training and confidence to take on helming roles. Hopefully, initiatives like this event help close that gap.”
Byrne’s message to women considering competitive sailing is simple: go for it and enjoy the experience. “Have fun with it! The whole point of this event is to help people feel confident and enjoy the sport rather than worry about their skill level. Even if it’s been a few years, give helming another try - you might rediscover your love for it.”
With the success of its inaugural Women at the Helm event, Trinity Sailing Club has set a strong foundation for the future, inspiring more women to take control of the tiller and chart their own course in competitive sailing.