At Canada’s largest keel

At Canada’s largest keel-boat regatta, advocates hope to see more women ride the wind

About 450 women competed in this year's regatta, up 50 from last year

It's that time of the year again for sailors riding the wind on the south shore of Nova Scotia and participants say women coming on board is on the rise.

Known as Canada's largest keel-boat regatta, the Chester Race Week ran Aug. 12-15. It also played host to the Farr 30 Canadian National Championship this year on the waters of Mahone Bay.

This year had 137 boats and about 1,300 sailors compete in the regatta, said spokesperson Tara Wickwire.

Wickwire said women participating is also up, as last year there were about 400 women and nine women skippers competing. This year, there were about 450 women competing and 12 women skippers.

Pat Nelder, the on-water chair for the race between 2017 and 2024, told the CBC's Mainstreet that while women have a long history of participating as crew, systemic barriers have kept them from owning their own boats.

She said it's often men who have had the time and resources to maintain a boat, whereas women are often tied to other responsibilities.

“But we do see some wonderful sailors who are sailing on other people's boats and some that are finally buying their own boats," Nelder said, noting several women in the Bluenose fleet have owned their vessels. "They are my heroes."

Angela Chisholm, a late starter to sailing, co-founded the Wind, Women and Water initiative last year with Joanne Seviour, a veteran sailor.

They hope to improve access and boost confidence for female sailors through the program.

Chisholm said last year 70 women showed up for their first event, more than doubling their expectation. So far, they have developed an active local network of more than 275 women.

The women joining the initiative range from beginners to Olympic levels, she said, and they all wanted to learn more.

Partnering with clubs in the Halifax area, the initiative provides water and land experiences, hands-on technical training as well as helm opportunities while also matching boat owners with aspiring female sailors to help their advancement.

Seviour, who has raced at the Chester regatta for over 25 years and is a volunteer this year, said many clubs offer women sailing programs but their participation drops drastically when approaching senior levels. She believes it's necessary to try different methods to retain women.

"When women stay, they succeed," Seviour said, naming several female Nova Scotians who sailed at the Olympics, such as Lisa Ross and Judy Luger.

"I think we can make Nova Scotia world class-known for women sailing," she said.

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