In the past week, I got to see firsthand how one woman is bringing change to the male-dominated sport of sailing by encouraging women to take the helm.
By hosting a women's only sailing clinic Aug. 1 at Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit, Dawn Riley — a St. Clair Shores resident and world-renowned sailor — hopes that women will find confidence to brave the waves on their own, sans the men in their lives.
Riley began sailing with her family when she was a young girl. She said by the age of 13 she was "obsessed" with the sport and was ready to captain her own ship. Since then, she has manged to become the first woman to captain an America's Cup sailing team and race on three America's Cup teams and two Whitbread Round-the-Word Race teams.
While all that may seem daunting for a novice sea gal, Riley said sailing is not an exclusive sport. If you're interested in trying it out, Riley says there are always boats looking for crew. To get involved, she said just get to a local marina or club and ask around.
“All you have to do is show up,” Riley said. “Even if you don’t know ( how to sail), they’ll train you.”
Riley's clinic welcomes women of all skill levels to participate. By learning some basics — and a few tricks Riley has picked up during her travels — the next time you're out boating, you can surprise your friends (and yourself) by taking the helm.
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