WOW! Large posse of female sailors spotted off Cramond Island!

Published 20:00 on 24 May 2026

What was going on? Why were hordes of women swarming over the water off Cramond Island all of a sudden? Quite simply, Friday marked the launch of Cramond Boat Club's new Women on the Water initiative which saw a dozen enthusiastic women of all ages take to the water in an assorted fleet of the club's training boats and members' own dinghies.

To help kick-start this initiative aimed at increasing female participation at the club, RYA Scotland kindly loaned CBC two crack female instructors for the evening. As well as providing expert coaching, the presence of the two Suzies was reassuring for the more apprehensive among us, especially those who were picking up sailing again after a gap of many years.

By the evening a worryingly gusty wind had dropped down to a gentle southerly F2-3 breeze, providing the perfect conditions for both newbies and somewhat rusty old hands alike. Great fun was had doing lots of tacking practice around buoys and avoiding other boats at close quarters (no collisions reported!), with even newbies taking a turn at the helm. After a couple of hours we even succeeded in sailing all the boats in a tight formation before the wind started to die away and we headed back to shore.

Afterwards in the clubhouse bar while enjoying a well-earned drink & pizza (thanks Annmarie!), everyone confirmed they had really enjoyed the evening and in particular that it had given their confidence a significant boost.

Many thanks to everyone (including the menfolk!) who assisted with rigging & putting away the dinghies and piloting the safety boat, but most especially to the two Suzies for making this first WoW session such a fun and enjoyable experience. We look forward to many more!*

*If any women reading this fancy joining us on the water, drop Kay a line on [email protected].