DAWN RILEY

The 2019 sailing documentary Maiden received rave reviews as a human interest story that featured excellent racing footage and the heartfelt recollections of an all-female team led by then 25-year-old Briton Tracy Edwards. During the 1989-90 Whitbread Round the World race, Edwards and the crew of Maiden broke into the male-dominated enclave of professional offshore sailing, won two legs and proved the doubters wrong by showing that women could compete at the highest level of the sport.

The story of also includes the only American onboard, Dawn Riley. In 1989, Riley was a young Detroit, Michigan, native working as a boat captain when she joined the crew. She went on to lead a team in the 1993-94 Whitbread, participate in four America’s Cup campaigns and is now CEO of Oakcliff Sailing in Oyster Bay, New York (). spoke to her.