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Erica Dawson's 2021 calendar is suddenly looking more complicated and the NZL Sailing Team member couldn't be happier.
The 27-year-old was this morning named with Liv Mackay in the New Zealand SailGP Team led by Peter Burling and Blair Tuke to compete at the first event of the series in Bermuda in April.
Dawson and Mackay were included as part of the female development programme initiated by SailGP for all eight teams and, following the Bermuda event, one will go on to join the team for the rest of SailGP season 2.
Dawson's also busily preparing for July's Olympics, having already been named in the New Zealand team to compete in Tokyo where she will team up with Micah Wilkinson in the Nacra 17. That buildup is already complicated, given the impact Covid-19 is having on international events, but Dawson is buzzing about being involved in a professional circuit.
"I’m super, super excited," she said. "It’s such an amazing opportunity and I really can’t wait to join the team in Bermuda.
"Sailing at the Olympics has been a big dream for a long time and I'm really looking forward to Tokyo. When SailGP came along I thought, 'wow, that would be pretty cool to be involved in'. These female development roles were announced last year and it was something I really wanted to go for. Sailing in that circuit and on those boats is the dream because it’s such fast and intense racing."
There are scheduled to be eight stops on the SailGP tour in season 2, including the penultimate round in Lyttelton at the end of January, 2022 when Cantabrians will get to see the identical F50 boats reach speeds of up to 50 knots.
It will be a big learning curve for Dawson and the rest of the New Zealand SailGP Team but Dawson and Mackay will be in good company alongside Josh Junior, Andy Maloney, Marcus Hansen and Louis Sinclair who were also named in the team today by co CEOs Burling and Tuke.
Gender and event equity will occur in sailing at the 2024 Paris Olympics and Tuke applauded the move by SailGP to include female sailors in the league.
"While this is a small step in working towards gender equality in sailing, we are committed to creating more opportunities for women in professional sailing," he said.
It was also something Dawson commended, especially as she helped Yachting New Zealand put together their Women and Girls in Sailing Strategy, which aims to attract, retain and advance opportunities for female sailors in this country.
"This is a really great step in the right direction for females in sailing to be involved in one of the world's best circuits," she said. "They see this as a development role and have a real long-term view of getting us up to speed.
"It's also great for young girls to see us racing in such a high-quality circuit and racing with and against the likes of Jimmy Spithill, Pete and Blair and Ben Ainslie. I feel very lucky to be involved but a lot of hard work has gone into where I am today."
- Pic: Erica Dawson, crew, is heading to the Tokyo Olympics in the Nacra 17 with Micah Wilkinson. Photo: Sailing Energy.
