Olympic double gold medal-winning sailor Hannah Mills was in Cowes this morning for the official launch of the Athena Pathway Programme at Women's Day during Cowes Week.
This is a new pathway for female and youth athletes to fast-track development in professional sailing, on and off the water, including into both the America's Cup and SailGP.
Founded by Hannah Mills and Sir Ben Ainslie, the most successful female and male Olympic sailors of all time, the Athena Pathway Programme will aim to level the playing field in high-performance foiling sailing and bring diversity into the professional sport, with sustainability embedded in its core.
The first female athletes signed to the programme include Hannah Mills, Hannah Diamond, Nikki Boniface and Hattie Rogers.
Hannah Mills is expecting a baby in ten weeks time, so is not currently racing, but Hannah Diamond, Nikki, Hattie and Penny Clark took to the water to perform a fly-by the Royal Yacht Squadron in the programme's new ETF 26 foiling catamaran - ahead of the start of the Women's Day racing.
Many of the first sailors on the programme hail from The Solent area and are familiar faces in our waters, including Hannah Diamond, who is from Warsash; Hattie Rogers, who is from Lymington, and Penny Clark, who is based in Lee-On-Solent.
In addition, the programme aims to broaden opportunities for women in the boatbuilding industry and one of the people on the programme is Sophie Heritage, who hails from the Isle of Wight.
Hannah Mills said: "Traditionally the world of America's Cup and SailGP racing has been male-dominated, but we are aiming to get more women into this area of sailing and also into the design and development of these world-class yachts.
"With the Lionesses' historic football win on Sunday, there is probably no better time to promote the Athena Pathway Programme and show that women are being encouraged to get into the top levels."
"Sailing has made great strides forward in gender equality in recent decades, led by the Olympic side of the sport where gender equality has now been reached on the water, but the professional side, particularly in high-performance foiling sailing, is far behind where it needs to be.
"We as a sport are uniquely placed to drive huge global change when it comes to gender equality. High-performance sailing has no major barriers to physical entry and through the Athena Pathway we will create a gender equal pathway for all, with sustainability at its heart."
Hannah Diamond added: "The America's Cup and SailGP both have a strong connection with Cowes, so it seemed fitting that the programme should be launched at Cowes Week - and in front of the Royal Yacht Squadron just before the racing is the most iconic place to do it."
The first opportunity to see the team race will be in the Grand Pavois Foiling Event on September 27, in La Rochelle, France.
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