New podcast episode: How women are taking the lead – with Annette Kilch
Antonia von Lamezan
· 02.10.2026
Annette Kilch has developed a successful concept based on this dynamic: With Oceans Eleven, a sailing school and platform focused on women, she organises training courses for female skippers, women’s flotillas and courses for mixed crews. Her aim is not to turn women into ‘compulsory skippers’, but to show them how much joy, freedom and self-confidence this role offers.
Ability isn’t the problem
Anyone who observes women on board will rarely find them lacking in technical skill. What is missing is something quite different: the confidence to truly take the helm, make decisions and lead the crew with authority.
In the podcast, Annette Kilch explains why this often has less to do with sailing itself than with ingrained behavioural patterns from life on land, which carry over seamlessly onto the yacht. She also explains why so little has changed in these entrenched structures to this day.
How women are taking the helm
In her training sessions, Annette Kilch uses very practical tools: these include clear communication, joint manoeuvre briefings and strategies for dealing effectively with the fear of heeling or bad weather.
She gives a compelling account of a group of women on the Schlei who, in strong winds, collectively decided to sail into Sønderborg; what effect this voyage had on the sailors’ minds; and why such real-life, formative experiences often bring about greater change than any textbook.
Sharing responsibility, strengthening teams
Female skippers don’t just appear out of thin air. Annette Kilch explores the role that partners, crew members and the tone of conversation on board play in the development of female sailors.
She also explains why mixed-gender teams benefit in unexpected ways when women take on more responsibility. And who actually has more to learn in the end: women or men?
Greater confidence behind the wheel
In the YACHT webinar on 17 November, Annette Kilch will demonstrate how women can sail yachts with composure and confidence. Register now & secure your place!
You can listen to YACHT’s sailing podcast with Annette Kilch here
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Antonia von Lamezan
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