SDYC’s Annie Gardner joined us on the Sailcast this week to talk about her decades of success in sailing and windsurfing, growing up as a woman in the sport, her most recent cruises around the world and her upcoming adventures.
The conversation kicks off with a short recap on the Vixen Cruise, which she attended this fall with host Alli Bell. Recently, Annie and her husband have been cruising around the whole, visiting a multitude of locations including France, Caribbean, Bahamas, East Coast, and more. Annie talks about her recent adventures around the Atlantic including one stop in particular, Cuba.
From there, she tells stories of meeting the local fishermen, her travels around Nicaragua, dodging pirates, and making new friends along the way. In February, Annie and Eric will be heading to the Panama Canal where they will continue to sail to New Zealand. Annie explains how complicated it can be trying to meet up with friends, especially those who work, and jokes about how convenient her retirement age is.
The episode shifts to Annie’s experiences sailing while she was a child and growing up, diving back several decades, reviewing some of her crucial regatta moments including her most recent win at Worlds.
Alli and Annie discuss women in sailing and some of the struggles that women have conquered through the years. “Skills are skills,” she says, whether it’s women or men. “It has to do with how your attitude is and how you show up.”
Concluding the conversation, Annie talks about her next cruising adventure to New Zealand.