Nominations Open for Ladies Day Trophy at AAM Cowes Week

Libby Greenhalgh with the Cowes Week Ladies Day Trophy © Cowes Week

Cowes Week Ltd announces nominations are now open for the coveted Ladies Day Trophy and plans to turn Cowes navy-and-white in a fabulous celebration of women in sailing, this year sponsored by artisan gin brand, Slingsby.

Ladies Day will return to Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week on Tuesday 9th August with a number of celebrations culminating in the presentation of the Ladies Day Trophy at an exclusive evening reception. Ladies Day was introduced for the first time in 2006 to champion the role of women in sailing and the sheer number of female competitors racing at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week.

There are some 8,000 competitors taking part in the regatta and around a third of them are female. Sailing is one of the few mainstream sports where men and women can compete on equal terms and the strength of female competitors has grown with a 150% increase in female skippers over the last decade.

On Slingsby Ladies Day, event organisers, Cowes Week Ltd are encouraging all ladies to enter into the spirit of the day, both on the water and shoreside with a nautical dresscode. Kate Johnson, CWL's Commercial & Marketing Director commented "The traditional seafaring navy-and-white striped shirt was declared part of the French Navy's standard issue in 1858 and introduced to the fashion world by Coco Chanel in 1927. Since then nautical stripes have been worn by some of the world's most glamorous women including Brigitte Bardot, Audrey Hepburn and Kate Moss. The design is now synonymous with chic summer style and Slingsby Ladies Day at Cowes Week is the perfect time to encourage ladies to join in the fun and provide some glamour for the week!"

There will be a range of activities on Slingsby Ladies Day, including a Q&A with the Magenta Project, which aims to advance women in professional sailing and Slingsby giveaways for ladies dressed in navy-and-white.

In 2015 British Yachtswoman Libby Greenhalgh was the tenth deserving winner of the Ladies Day Trophy in recognition of her phenomenal achievements, including as navigator for Team SCA during the Volvo Ocean Race and as meteorologist for the British Sailing Team Commenting on receiving the award Libby said: "I'm really proud to have received this award, following my good friend Dee Caffari last year and a long line of inspirational women who have won this trophy. Ladies Day at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week really helps in providing a fantastic platform for celebrating women in sailing, and by doing so, helps promote a sport which we all love. "

Nominations for the 2016 winner are now requested, and anyone can nominate via the event website at aamcw.co/ladiesday/nomination. Kate Johnson commented "With many notable female achievements in sailing this year, we are hoping for a wide range of nominations"

Nominations close at midnight on Monday 25th July 2016. The judging panel will include last year's winner Libby Greenhalgh and representatives from Cowes Week Ltd, Aberdeen Asset Management, Slingsby Gin and Yachting World. Nominees will be asked to attend the Ladies Day reception and prizegiving on Tuesday 9th August.

This year's Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week takes place between August 6 and 13. For more information about the event visit the official website, www.aamcowesweek.co.uk