New Sailors Earn Their Stripes

To our way of thinking, one of the best things about the sport of sailing is that it is enjoyed by people of all ages, and there’s no reason that newcomers can’t begin their sailing careers in middle age. This point was well-illustrated recently by Cindy Warner, 51, and Marie Idiart (who is 40-something), when they became Junior Skippers, a designation of competency within the Cal Sailing Club’s instructional heirarcy. As you can tell by the photo, they’re both thrilled with their achievement, as well they should be.

Cindy had never sailed before last October, when she was introduced to the club. Marie, who is a native of France, has been around boats much longer, but the way we understand it, she’d never before taken on the role of skipper. Our hats are off to both of them, and we wish them many happy days out on the water.

The fact that more and more women seem to be getting into both cruising and racing in recent years is a very healthy thing for our sport. If you’re a recent female inductee, we’d love to hear about how you got into it, and in what ways you’re currently enjoying the sport. So shoot us an email and a couple of photos. We’ll see you out there.