Women and Girls ILCA training at Draycote funded by RYA Evolution, Sport England and Sailingfast
by Christine Statham 7 Oct 12:43 BST
19 September 2026
Women and Girls ILCA training at Draycote funded by the RYA Evolution Fund, Sport England and Sailingfast © Iris Singleton
With the wind howling, the females ventured to Draycote for female-only training provided by ILCA UK on Saturday 19th September.
Led by Senior Coach, Iris Singleton, the day started by getting to know each other and talking about our experiences as female sailors. We then quickly went into looking at techniques for high winds, including controls and hike positions, before launching into the water.
We started with a windward-leeward course, which in the wind was very challenging and we had some fun capsizing. Iris was very supportive and I quickly learnt some new techniques to help right the boat. We then moved on to follow my leader exercises for both upwind and downwind releases.
After lunch and a quick debrief, we headed back out on the water to put our feedback into practice, finishing the day with a quick race.
The feedback from the day was fantastic. Maria and Eve even stayed and raced for the following day at Draycote, with Eve entering the Junior and Youth Championships and achieving second ILCA 4.
A massive thank you to Dave Rowe and his team at Draycote who thoroughly supported us throughout the day.
The next session is at Grafham on the 10th October which can be booked at ILCA UK Events: portal.ilca.uk/booking/type/Women
If you or your club is interested in hosting a session please contact or .