As of the year 2024, a great number of female sailors are creating huge waves in the sport. They are demonstrating excellent performance across a variety of disciplines, ranging from Olympic competitions to ground-breaking performances in high-profile international tournaments. Listed below are some of the most accomplished female sailors who have been acknowledged for their achievements.
List Of Top 10 Best Female Sailors In The World 2024
1. Laura Dekker
The name Laura Dekker connotes bravery, self-reliance, and an enthusiasm for exploration. As the youngest person to sail solo around the world, she garnered international attention and enthralled both sailing enthusiasts and the general public with her incredible accomplishment. She is one of the most well-known individuals in contemporary sailing because of her journey and her subsequent achievements, which have inspired many.
2. Jeanne Socrates
Renowned British sailor Jeanne Socrates made history as the first person to sail solo, nonstop, and unassisted worldwide. At 77 years old, she accomplished this amazing feat traveling 388 days around the world on her sailboat Nereida. Her path was full with difficulties—navigating through major storms, overcoming equipment breakdowns, and handling sail repairs—but she surmounted each one with amazing inventiveness and fortitude.
3. Naomi James
New Zealand sailor Naomi James made history by being the first woman to round the globe on her own by way of Cape Horn. She traveled for 272 days, starting in September 1977 and ending in June 1978. This outstanding accomplishment not only established her as a pioneer in the field of solo sailing but also broke the previous circumnavigation speed record held by Sir Francis Chichester by two days.
4. Shirley Robertson
Renowned British sailor Shirley Robertson most famously for her exceptional Olympic sailing performance. Having obtained two Olympic gold medals in separate sailing events, she is among the most accomplished female sailors in history. Her first gold came from triumphing in the Europe class at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Given a string of setbacks, including almost missing a medal in 1996, this triumph was very meaningful.
5. Clare Francis
Clare Francis is a pathfinder for women in offshore sailing and a pioneer in the field. She was raised on the Isle of Wight, where she learnt to sail, after being born in Thames Ditton, England, in 1946. After receiving training as a ballerina, she went on to University College London to earn a degree in economics. She briefly worked in marketing before deciding to make sailing her full-time career and setting off on solo Atlantic cruises. During the 1976 Observer Singlehanded Transatlantic Race, she made history by breaking the women’s transatlantic record.
6. Ellen MacArthur
Celebrated among the most famous sailors worldwide, Ellen MacArthur is well-known for her innovative solo long-distance sailing accomplishments. Originally born in England in 1976, she started sailing early and soon became well-known in competitive sailing. Her main claim to glory came in 2005 when she completed the 71-day, 14-hour, 18-minute expedition setting the world record for the quickest solo round of the earth. She was named a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the same year and received other honours for this amazing performance.
7. Galia Moss
The first Latin American woman to sail alone across the Atlantic Ocean is Galia Moss, a pioneering Mexican sailor. She created records in 2006 when she traveled alone for 41 days, covering 9,000 miles from Vigo, Spain, to Cancun, Mexico. She became a role model for women in the marine industry and was inducted into the Guinness World Records for her incredible accomplishment. In addition to her achievements in sailing, Moss has advocated for social change through her position.
8. Kay Cottee
Renowned Australian sailor Kay Cottee is the first woman to sail non-stop and alone around the globe. Starting on November 29, 1987, and ending on June 5, 1988, her path was an incredible 189 days. First Lady, Cottee traveled around the five main capes while navigating the dangerous Southern Ocean in her 11-meter yacht, therefore accomplishing a big historical record in solo sailing.
9. Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewic
Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz was a trailblazing Polish shipbuilding engineer and yachtswoman who became the first woman to round the world on her own. Krystyna was born in Warsaw in 1938 and showed an early interest in sailing. She became a famous sailing instructor after earning a skipper’s license by 1966. Additionally, she was well-versed in shipbuilding, having attended Gdańsk University of Technology.
10. Skipper Thuridur
Foreman Thuridur, also known as Thuridur Einarsdottir, was a well-known Icelandic fisherwoman who was also considered to be one of the most significant historical personalities in the maritime construction industry in Iceland. Thuridur, who was born in the latter half of the 18th century, rejected the typical gender norms that were prevalent at that era. She began her career by working on fishing boats and finally worked her way up to the post of foreman, which was traditionally occupied by men.
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