Director Alex Holmes' documentary 'Maiden' tells the story of Tracy Edwards and her all-women sailing crew racing in the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989. Watch the trailer here

Maiden, a feature length documentary on Tracy Edwards, directed by Bafta award-winning director Alex Holmes, will be released nationwide on 8 March, International Women’s Day.

The film tells the story of 24 year-old Edwards, a cook on charter boats, who became the skipper of the first ever all-female crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989.

Tracy Edwards had her first Whitbread Round the World Race experience  as a cook on the boat Atlantic Privateer. She enjoyed the experience so much that she decided to take part as a skipper and three years later she bought the 58ft yacht Maiden. Edwards put together an all – and first – female crew and entered the race. The crew went on to win two of the Whitbread legs and came second in class overall.

Tracy Edwards and Maiden crew during the Whitbread Round the World Race

The crew of Maiden included: Sally Creaser from Scotland, Angella Farrell from Ireland, Jo Gooding from Wales, Nancy Hill and Claire Russell from England, Michelle Paret from France, Dawn Riley from the USA, Tanja Visser from Holland, Mikaela von Koskull from Finland and Mandi Swan from New Zealand.

Edwards went on to receive an MBE and became the first woman in its 34 year history to be awarded the Yachtsman of the Year Trophy.

Tracy retired from sailing in 2005 and worked for CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection) as Project Manager for their International Youth Advisory Conference. During 2009 – 2012 she studied at Roehampton University and graduated with a 2:1 Degree in Psychology.

Her yacht Maiden went through a full restoration which culminated in a ceremony in June 2018.   Last autumn Maiden set off for a three year project to promote girls’ education around the world and raise money to fund projects to empower young women. The project is backed by Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein of Jordan, who also helped restore the famous yacht.

Tracy Edwards on Maiden during the Whitbread Round the World Race

Director Alex Holmes comments: “Maiden is an inspirational story of guts and determination that deserves to be heard by the widest possible audience, so its great to know that (international film sales company) Dogwoof are on board to make that happen. Their passion for this project has been unstinting and New Black Films is excited to be deepening its relationship with such an inspiring group of professionals.”

Maiden premiered  at the 2018 Toronto Film Festival and will be released nationwide on 8 March. The date marks the annual International Women’s Day.
Nationwide previews and live Q+A with Tracy Edwards MBE will take place on 7th March.  For more information visit the Maiden Film website here. 

Tracy Edwards’ documentary Maiden premieres at the Toronto Film Festival

 

A feature length documentary recounting the story of Tracy Edwards and the first ever all-female crew taking part in the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989 is being screened at the Toronto Film Festival, taking place in the Canadian city 6 – 16 September.

‘Maiden”, named after Edwards’ yacht, is directed by Alex Holmes, whose previous work include Paula, starring Victoria‘s Tom Hughes, Le Mans: Racing is Everything, and House of Saddam.

Tracy Edwards’ story is certainly inspiring and fascinating, so it’s not surprising Holmes decided to film a documentary about it.
After leaving school at 15 with no qualifications, Edwards started working on charter yachts in Greece.

Her first experience of the Whitbread Round the World Race was as a cook on the boat Atlantic Privateer. She was so inspired by the experience, albeit behind the scenes, that three years later she bought the 58ft yacht Maiden, put together an all – and first – female crew and entered the race. The crew went on to win two of the Whitbread legs and came second in class overall.

The sailor received an MBE and became the first woman in its 34 year history to be awarded the Yachtsman of the Year Trophy.

Her yacht Maiden went through a full restoration which culminated in a ceremony last June. The vessel will now set off for a three year project to promote girls’ education around the world and raise money to fund projects to empower young women. The project is backed by Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein of Jordan, who also helped restore the famous yacht.

Yesterday, Wednesday 5 September, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall joined Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein of Jordan and Tracy Edwards at St Katharine Docks in London to visit the newly restored Maiden. The date also coincided with Tracy’s 56th birthday. The delighted sailor tweeted:

Tracy Edwards with Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall visit Maiden yacht in London

 

Kay Cottee

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