Good Jibes #128: Marie Rogers on the DEI Gap in Sailing
This week’s host, John Arndt, is joined by award-winning sailor Marie Rogers to chat about diversity in sailing. Marie is a US Sailing board member, the staff commodore of the Los Angeles Yacht Club (LAYC), and the founder of the nonprofit Offshore Racing Outreach (ORO).
Hear how she learned to sail as an adult, what changed the trajectory of her sailing career, when she realized the lack of diversity in the sport, her mission to introduce sailing to people from all backgrounds, and her best advice for fellow sailors.
This episode covers everything from diversity to sailing school. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear:
- How did Marie overcome standing on the sidelines as a parent?
- What is Offshore Racing Outreach?
- How do we empower more women to sail?
- What’s next for Marie’s boat?
- How do we inspire people from diverse backgrounds to sail?
- Port vs. starboard
- How has Marie’s experience been at US Sailing?
- Short Tacks: What’s her longest voyage?
Learn more at SailORO.org.
We also wrote about Marie Rogers, her nonprofit Offshore Racing Outreach, and her boat Good Trouble to highlight Black History Month, in February’s Sightings. ORO’s Andrews 56 Good Trouble completed the 2023 Transpac, finishing fifth in its class and without injuries or major breakdowns in 11 days between L.A. and Hawaii.
Good Trouble’s crew comprised mostly people of color, including five women in a nine-person crew. ORO’s core mission is to recruit and train individuals in the sport of big-boat offshore sailboat racing. It’s a program that’s one of a kind, not only on the West Coast but probably across the country. (Good Trouble is an homage to the late congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis: “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and redeem the soul of America.”)
Marie Rogers, the boat’s skipper and a former commodore of the Los Angeles Yacht Club, described herself as “ecstatic” over the results. Read the full story at Latitude 38.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and your other favorite podcast spots — follow and leave a 5-star review if you’re feeling the Good Jibes!
I AM A BIG FAN OF Marie Rogers and what’s she is doing for all of us in Sailing.
And so am I!!!…
Me too. Marie is a gem.
Marie is just great! That coming from a San Franciscan to a Southern Californian. She never stops or even stalls in how she stimulates our interest in sailing. I started my fanaticism on San Francisco Bay when we only counted four other Bloods out under sail. So, that aspect of sailing has come a long way. I left to go to the Caribbean to document our heritage and contributions to sailing which produced one published book and a lot of local articles as well as three maritime heritage sailing organisations. We have a long history under sail that still remains basically invisible.