Q&A with Tracy Edwards – Published in the Debevoise Womens Review

By Brita Siepker / October 14, 2022

Published in the Debevoise Womens Review

Let me tell you about a little girl who dreamed about sailing around the world. Now what if I tell you it’s true? ~ Jo Gooding in Maiden

Tracy Edwards skippered the first all-female crew to sail around the world when she and her team raced Maiden in the 1989/1990 Whitbread Round the World Race. Despite overwhelming odds and the skepticism of the sailing world and the press, they won two legs of the race and came in second overall. Tracy was named a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) and became the first woman to win the Yachtsman of the Year Award in its 34-year history. She then went on to skipper the first all-female nonstop around-the-world record attempt and managed Maiden II, the first ever fully mixed-sex professional racing team.

More recently, Tracy founded the Maiden Factor Foundation, a not-for-profit whose mission is to support the 130 million girls worldwide who are currently without access to education by fundraising for, and supporting, community programs that enable girls to get an education and make it possible for them to remain in school through their teenage years. Maiden began her world tour in support of Maiden Factor in November 2018 and was recently in New York Harbor where Debevoise associate Brita Siepker caught up with Tracy for an interview. This interview has been edited for publication.

Read the interview at the Debevoise Womens Review.