I am finishing off 2025 with a very important guest who leads an incredibly inspirational project that is dear to my heart in my continuous goal to have more women join me in the boating industry and boating generally.

Victoria Low and I met in 2023 at the ICOMIA Congress in La Rochelle. I interviewed her then but she's since changed to lead an incredibly important project she was actually part of the creation of 10 years ago.

A meeting after a sailing event which illustrated that the guys were being given opportunities for employment but women were not....inspired some incredible women to create a group which had an aspiration to "Create a group to change the world".

The Magenta Project has this on it's website:

Mission & Objectives

Sailing is a unique sport—a test of skill, endurance, and the interplay

between humans, technology, and nature. It is one of few professional

sports where men and women compete together. Yet, despite this,

only 5% of professional sailors are women, and a mere 3%

represented across the entire marine industry.

Across the marine industry, from the intense environment onboard

race boats to the practical settings of boatyards and the wider marine

industry, women navigate a complex landscape of challenges that

mirror those of the corporate boardroom.

These hurdles extend beyond simple discrimination, encompassing

limited access to opportunities, support, difficulties in obtaining

certifications, and the pervasive impact of systemic bias.

Recognising these inequities, The Magenta Project, an

award-winning global charity, is dedicated to building a

sustainable network and implementing impactful programmes.

Our mission is simple: to ensure greater equity and inclusion

for women in the sport and the wider marine industry,

by working to dismantle the barriers that hinder their full

participation and advancement.

You can see more about them here:

https://themagentaproject.org/

Big thanks to Sunseeker International and Sunseeker London group

for hosting us on their beautiful Sunseeker 74 at Southampton Boat Show.

https://www.sunseekerlondon.com/

https://www.southamptonboatshow.com/