A higher percentage of females in any field, also in sailing. The ongoing fight to support gender equality moves to the water, thanks to the ‘Helga Cup’, the world’s largest women’s regatta. This project, initiated by the German association ‘Inclusion in Sailing eV’ will be held for the seventh time on the Alster in Hamburg from June 6 to 9, 2024, and will have a very special sponsor.
Torqeedo, global leader in electric mobility on water, supports for the fifth time the women’s regatta which aims to open an important parenthesis on the world of women who are passionate about sailing. Also trying to attract all those women who are not yet so familiar with the world of sailing. Overall, there are already 360 female sailors on cutting-edge 7-meter racing boats, ready to promote this activity and everything that revolves around it.
#thinkHelga, an all-female motto
A sport still considered niche, which can offer great excitement: the event aims to increase the visibility of women, ready to gather around the motto #thinkHelga. And in part this initiative has already brought a number of important achievements. In past years, the number of participants in international regattas has increased dramatically. Female sailors joining the longest sailing race around the world, the 2022-23 Ocean Race, increased from 21% to 28%. Not to mention the Vendee Globe and the America’s Cup, two symbols of the sport’s strong change in terms of openness and female participation.
But obviously there is still a lot of work to do. Precisely for this reason all the events following the Helga Cup are an important aid in supporting sailing and the topic of gender equality.
“In our company, it is extremely important to us that all employees, regardless of gender, religion, or sexuality, work hand-in-hand on land as well as on the water. We want to continue to encourage this through the sport of sailing in the future” commented Fabian Bez, CEO of Torqeedo.
Torqeedo for Helga Cup, between diversity and sustainability
And as the participants prepare to race for 10-12 minutes on ultra-modern 7-metre racing boats, loudly shouting a message of inclusiveness, Torqeedo proudly affirms its participation.
“In addition to the big regatta, the Helga Cup offers an extensive program around the Alster under the motto #thinkHelga. This will be followed throughout the year by activities that pick up on the spirit of the event but go far beyond the event in June. We think this is great and are proud to support this fantastic event and the association behind it as a sponsor,” continued Bez.
But why is Helga Cup such an important symbol? It represents a key step in the decarbonization of sailing competitions. In fact, it should be noted that the boats that take turns on the Alster are powered by electric motors, therefore strictly silent, innovative and ecological.
The year of the foundation of “Helga Cup” is 2018, thanks to a project signed by Sven Jürgensen, Norddeutscher Regatta Verein and the first team of the “Helga Cup”. Today the entire program and initiative is led by an all-female board of directors supported by prominent figures. Let’s think for example of Silke Basedow, the 3-time winner of the Helga Cup.
Every year, the same board works to implement a series of strategies and conditions for the development of the ‘Helga Cup’. Let’s not forget that the women-only regatta also sets new standards of sustainability. And finally, it provides electric, emission-free racing boats that make sailing an enjoyable and, above all, accessible sport for everyone. And for every woman indeed!