On International Women’s Day, March 8th 2025, the Royal Southern Yacht Club in Hamble hosted an event to celebrate the achievements of women sailors.
In front of an audience of 150 members and guests, five exceptional women sailors took to the stage to discuss and reminisce about their opportunities, experiences, setbacks and successes. It was an unforgettable evening with incredible stories of resilience and achievement.
Matthew Richardson, Commodore of the Royal Southern Yacht Club, said:
“We are so proud to have hosted this event. The speakers were exceptional and provided inspiration to the many members of our Junior Academy who were present.”
The host for the evening was Annie O’Sullivan, who interviewed, quizzed and cajoled Lucy Davis, Miranda Merron, Emma Westmacott and Hannah Diamond who between them represent four decades of women in sailing. Their stories of perseverance, adventure and success had the audience enthralled, with many moments of laughter and admiration throughout the night.
Annie O’Sullivan
Founder & Principal Girls for Sail; 2 RYA sailing schools UK/Caribbean for 15 years. Annie is an experienced ocean racer & supported >100 women to sail across the Atlantic Ocean. Annie has won races (with novice crews) in Antigua ‘03, Grenada ’09 & Cork ‘11. Awarded Cowes Week ladies day trophy & ARC Marez prize ’09. She is honoured to have helped Tracy & Maiden as guest skipper. Now her focus is on creating opportunities for other women including her first apprentice, Nikki Henderson, who became the youngest Clipper skipper and Vikki Eilis with whom she set up the Magenta Project Mentoring scheme helping 100+ young sailors to success. Her last mentee was Ellie Driver who won BYA sailor of the year.
Lucy Davis
Lucy’s love for sailing started as a ‘Shrimp’ at RSrnYC’s ‘Splash’ Week, progressing up through to the Academy. Lucy was third U21 female at the Laser Nationals two years running – 2023 & 2024. She has completed two transatlantic crossing before the age of 21 and worked her way up from 4.7 Nationals to be selected in the GBR Radial Youth Squad 2020 – only the top 6 boys & girls in the UK are selected. Lucy has secured a spot on a very fast boat for this year’s Fastnet Race and is aiming to become a professional sailor.
Hannah Diamond
Hannah has competed across the breadth of the sport, starting out in Olympic classes with a World Championship Silver Medal in the Nacra 17 Class before taking on the Volvo Ocean Race, joining Emirates GBR SailGP team for 3 seasons and finishing Runner-up at the inaugural Women’s America’s Cup in Barcelona last October.
Emma Westmacott
Emma grew up in Hertfordshire and sailed dinghies for fun on the Norfolk Broads from her grandmother’s house. She has raced around the world 3 times in all-female crews on the Whitbread, Volvo Ocean race and non-stop Jules Verne Trophy, she has broken a number of records as well as several masts and has mostly been in a position of leadership or responsibility in most of her campaigns.
She has continued to pioneer women’s sailing by having been the only female sailor in an all- male crew for the last 20 years, racing on Magic Carpet in the Maxi Fleet in the Mediterranean, where she was a member of the winning crew at 7 Rolex Maxi World Championships. She constantly works on trying to introduce change and create opportunities for more female sailors, to create equality and join this male-dominated space.
Miranda Merron
Has been competing in solo, double-handed and fully-crewed ocean races for the past 28 years, including the Route du Rhum, the Transat, and the Volvo Ocean Race as navigator. She has won the Transat Jacques Vabre, the Quebec – Saint Malo Race, the RORC Transatlantic Race, the Fastnet Race and the Round Britain & Ireland Race, plus she was part of the Royal SunAlliance/ Jules Verne record attempt.
She raced in the Class40 class for over a decade, mostly with Halvard Mabire on boats that they built in large part themselves, and then entered the IMOCA class in 2019, successfully completing the 2020-2021 Vendée Globe in one of the oldest boats in the fleet. While still racing onshore from time to time, Miranda is also a freelance translator in the world of offshore racing and has embarked on a new career path in race direction.
A particular highlight was the presence in the audience of Tracy Edwards and The Maiden Factor Team. Tracy shared a few words about her own journey, offering valuable insights into the challenges and triumphs she has faced in the industry.
The room was filled with expertise and experience, from those who have conquered some of the world’s most formidable seas to aspiring young sailors eager to follow in their footsteps. The event certainly left a lasting impression, inspiring not only those in attendance but also future generations of sailors.
The event was organised by the Fundraising Team (FT) at the Royal Southern Yacht Club Debera Clark, Chair of the FT and organiser of the event, commented:
“It was an unforgettable evening filled with inspiration, laughter, and incredible stories of resilience and achievement. We are delighted that it contributed to our fundraising efforts on behalf of our chosen charities”.
Photography by Ian Roman