Story and photo by Edwin Gifford
Antiguan sailor Junella King, of Herberts Estate, has spent the last year sailing aboard the 58-foot ocean racer Maiden, with its all-female crew, taking in visits to the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Spain, the US and Canada.
Maiden won notoriety for competing in the 1989-1990 Whitbread race as the first all-female crew to sail around the world, skippered by acclaimed British sailor Tracy Edwards. The vessel is currently on a 20-country world tour promoting educational opportunities for girls and women.
After departing Dubai on January 15, with King aboard, Maiden transited the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, ending up in Port Ghalib in Egypt on January 28.
It was while sailing across the Red Sea that King experienced what she describes as the highlight of the trip.
“The moon was gorgeous and there was a bioluminescence coming off the creatures in the water. It was a quiet and amazing night,” she said.
Accompanying Maiden as she transited the pirate and war-torn waters between Dubai and Port Ghalib were three heavily armed security officers. King smiled as she recalled that they seemed “a bit at loose ends” aboard a cramped and uncomfortable racing boat with an all-female crew.
She added, “They didn’t complain much and were very helpful with the washing up; actually they were wonderful.”
It was in the Mediterranean Sea after transiting the Suez Canal and on the way to Palma De Mallorca, Spain, that King experienced the journey’s low point.
“We got hit by the cold north-westerly Mistral with 70-plus knots of wind and very large seas. We were sailing into it and it was pretty rough, pretty nasty,” she said.
Maiden sailed from Palma to Miami, USA, arriving on April 23. Ports of call on the North American summer cruise have included Charleston in South Carolina, Annapolis in Maryland, New York, Stonington in Connecticut, Saint John in New Brunswick, Sag Harbour in New York, and Newport, Rhode Island.
King said she is enjoying meeting the schoolchildren, particularly the girls who have visited Maiden at the various ports where she has been berthed. She has also enjoyed seeing the Antiguan ex-pats and others who make up the worldwide diaspora that is the Antiguan sailing community.
Maiden’s voyage is being sponsored by Dubai-based logistics company DP World.
King will return to Antigua at the end of the month to begin training as part of Antiguan team, the Rum Runners, for the Star Sailors League Gold Cup world championship finals.
The competition begins in Bahrain on October 28. Antigua will be competing against teams from 63 other nations. Maiden departs for Cape Town, South Africa, at the end of the month with stops in the Azores and Senegal before returning to Antigua in December 2023.