Women Take the Helm: Caribbean Regattas Led by Female Powerhouse Directors
There’s been a changing of the guard in Caribbean regatta directors over the last decade plus. What were once sailing events run by men, have now seen women take the helm. This is true of small club-run events and major regattas too such as Grenada Sailing Week (GSW), the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta (SMHR), St. Croix International Regatta (SCIR), BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival (BVISR), and the granddaddy of them all, Antigua Sailing Week (ASW). Plus, these regatta event management roles have not been a ‘one and done’ for any of these women.
“Looking back over the 13 years I’ve been involved, it’s been a majority of women who have organized the Caribbean Regattas,” says Michele Korteweg, SMHR director and president of the Caribbean Sailing Association (CSA), who first interned, then became Regatta Assistant followed by Regatta Director. “I fell in love with the SMHR for its sheer size, challenges, the people involved, learning curve, and volunteers. I was leading the event through challenging times, like after Hurricane Irma, and through COVID. We have kept the event alive, good in size, and still very well-known worldwide. What I think I’ve brought is changing the ways of working, and trying to be more productive and innovative. We focus storytelling, sponsorships, and overall strategy on our key values, making it easier for people to relate to the event and see opportunities to be part of it.”
Starting & Making their Mark
While competitive sailing has long been a male-dominated world, it’s women who take the lead in event management. According to 2022-released research by ITBM and based on a global sample of 2000 people working in the event management industry, 76.9% were women.
Beyond Trade Winds and Beautiful Scenery: How Caribbean Yacht Racing is Evolving
“I think some women are just natural organizers,” says Carol Gorvett, who became regatta manager for GSW in 2022, a natural outcome of having sailed to the Caribbean with her husband in 2013 and newly retired from setting up and running a successful company. “With regattas, there are many facets that are often unrelated. For example, organizing racing committees, trying to get sponsorship, preparing racing documents, etc. Women often cope easily with switching between tasks. The role also calls for patience, good communication, a calm approach, flexibility, and a thick skin!”
In three years, Gorvett has established a successful dual-location regatta in both Grenada and Carriacou.
Julie San Martin, who has directed the SCIR for many years along with Karen Stanton and is planning for the St. Croix Yacht Club’s hosting of the Sunfish Worlds in 2026, began her role in regatta management in the mid-1990s.
“A favorite International Judge got on my case about the poorly written Notice of Race (NOR). Since I was already doing scoring and results, I started writing the NOR, and then the Sailing Instructions. By the early 2000s, I was responsible for the racing portion of the event,” she says. “My biggest accomplishment is keeping it going year after year. Like all the Caribbean regattas, SCIR started much larger with 72 boats. Attendance dwindled to 12 in 2022 but was up 33% to 17 entries last year. Caribbean Regattas are changing. There will always be keelboats and multihull racers, just fewer of them. One design classes is the trend. We are always looking at fresh ideas.”
Twenty years ago, Judy Petz became the Executive Director of the Royal BVI Yacht Club, in Tortola. One of her responsibilities was to organize BVISR. “As the event grew to a full week of sailing, more time was needed to focus on the event and my background in public relations and marketing fit perfectly with my passion for sailing,” says Petz who has handed her regatta director reins over to Cayley Smit for 2024.
During her two-decade tenure, Petz created events within the event. She’s most proud of recognition by Sailors for the Sea as hosting one of their first Gold Level Clean Regattas, and the BVISR receiving recognition as the first Carbon Neutral regatta in the world.
Alison Sly-Adams started as a volunteer in 2008 helping with local marketing and updating the website for ASW. Two years later, she stepped up to take on international marketing, then added sponsorship and over the years the responsibilities grew. Sly-Adams has served as ASW President for a decade.
“My background involved retail leadership roles in the UK so when the opportunity presented itself initially it felt like a natural move,” she says. “ASW was well past its biggest days when I got involved and entered what was a nearly 20-year repositioning of yacht racing worldwide that meant we had to reimagine our event along the way. With the trend in racing moved away from destination racing and the logistical challenges for competitors and the organization it created, I was part of the team that decided to move the racing to be based out of Antigua Yacht Club. A challenging decision for the island and some people, but necessary to gain back the focus on the event run by sailors for sailors. It’s remained that way since and we have phenomenal after-race prize-giving daily where the sailors can gather and meet each other and discuss the day’s racing. It’s the business heart of the event.”
All At Sea Profile: Antigua’s Regatta Stalwart Kathy Lammers Says Good-Bye to the Caribbean
The creation of Reggae in the Park, SWAT (Sailing Week Antigua Team) to recruit young Antiguans into the event, the Youth to Keel program, a Women’s Race Day, and the addition of a Wingfoil event, are a few of Sly-Adams accomplishments.
Looking Ahead
“I believe that it is very strong to see so many women involved in the organization of regattas, but it’s about the team effort and there are certainly men involved as well in getting the regattas organized,” says SMHR’s Korteweg. “There is still lots of ground to cover, especially in race management where you still see very few women take on roles of international judges or race officers. However, this is growing and we at the SMHR always try to have females in these positions.”
For women who’d like to become involved with Caribbean Regatta event management, ASW’s Sly-Adams says, “Just do it! It’s challenging, fun, and very rewarding. Many of the skills needed to run these events are core skills women have – organizational, balancing budgets, and negotiating win-win partnerships. So much of it is about relationships, listening, being perceptive, and not being scared to reach out to people for assistance. Most people want to help but you must be able to ask.”
The post Women Take the Helm: Caribbean Regattas Led by Female Powerhouse Directors appeared first on ALL AT SEA.