An iconic yacht has moored at Coal Harbour in Vancouver, bringing with it a special message of equality and the importance of education for women and girls around the globe. The vessel called 'Maiden' is on a world tour, arriving from Hawaii on Saturday.
"It's a great place to start and then go all the way along the west coast," said Wendy Tuck, skipper of the all-female crew.
The vessel initially gained acclaim as the first yacht to sail globally with a crew of only women, when they raced in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race in 1989-90, now called the Ocean Race. The yacht and crew paved the way for women, and are currently the focus of a documentary called “Maiden,” on general release on July 26.
"The documentary coming out now is so poignant -- and the story it was an all-female crew doing something that no other female crew had ever done before and continually being told you can't do this, you'll all die,” said Tuck.
“You should be home knitting jumpers. Just ludicrous stuff like that, I think that all resonates now."
Local sailor Theresa Riedl applied last year for a chance to join this most recent voyage from Honolulu to Vancouver. She was selected, and received a special welcome home when she got back to Vancouver on Saturday morning. She said this isn't just a feminist journey -- it's one that inspires everyone to achieve their dreams.
"It's also great for any young kids, even guys, you know young boys, to see they can also do whatever they sent their mind to," Riedl contends.
The vessel has experienced several challenges along the way. The ‘Maiden’ left the United Kingdom last November. It was slightly delayed, after experiencing some severe weather, including navigation around a tropical cyclone along the Western Australia coast, along with problems in the engine bay. It arrived in Fremantle, Australia, in March at its first stopover, and continued on to Sydney, Auckland and then stopped in Honolulu, on the Maiden Factor World Tour.
The vessel will be moored in Vancouver for a week, and will later carry on to Seattle. It will then continue to Los Angeles as part of its publicity tour for the documentary.
