Magenta Project Gets Women Foiling
Mar 20, 2024
Canadian sailor Phoebe Chalmers is a member of the Magenta Foiling Team. Phoebe grew up sailing with her family on the Okanagan Lake in BC, taking the helm from her mother whenever she could. Phoebe raced in the 420 class and then transitioned to foiling. In 2022-23, she was a part of the Magenta Project Mentoring Program with mentor Helena Scutt, Moth world champion and America’s Cup engineer. Currently, Phoebe sails WASZPs and keelboats whilst studying engineering at Queen’s University in Kingston, ON.
In June 2023, The Magenta Project collaborated with Foiling Week, a 10-day special event for foiling boats, to promote women in foiling. During this event, Magenta Project alumni from nine nations traveled to Lake Garda, Italy to sail a range of foiling boats. The highlight of the event was trialing the 69F, a three-person foiling boat which can reach speeds of 35 knots. Following this event, the international group decided to create their own foiling team. In December 2023, the team held their first training camp in Barcelona.
The Magenta Project is a UK-based charity which aims to promote women in sailing by developing pathways and generating opportunities for women both on the water and onshore. Every year, the Magenta Project runs a nine-month mentoring programme pairing female sailing talent with experienced sailors and professionals in the industry to provide one-on-one mentoring.
The Magenta Foiling Team aims to increase female participation in foiling and develop a sustainable and long-lasting foiling pathway to the elite end of the sport. This pathway involves learn-to-foil Waszp clinics, annual try-foiling camps at Foiling Week, and racing events in crewed boats such as the 69F and ETF26. These boats introduce sailors to the dynamics of larger foiling boats, increased speeds, and faster decision-making, with the view to develop female talent for professional sailing leagues such as SailGP and the America’s Cup. Phoebe hopes to inspire other female Canadian sailors to apply to the Magenta Project Mentoring Program to get involved with these inclusive sailing programs and global initiatives.
The Magenta Foiling Team aims to make this pathway available to its alumni through funding partnerships, offering cost-friendly clinics at various locations around the world led by high-level coaches. The success of the Magenta Foiling Team’s goal is entirely reliant on sponsorship from companies and generous donors seeking to support women’s sailing development. If you or anyone you may know may be interested in coming on board, please reach out to learn more about partnership opportunities. Contact Phoebe Chalmers at foiling@themagentaproject.org.
