Sara Stone (USA), who has been selected by UpWind by MerConcept as crew on their Ocean Fifty trimaran, shares her story in this interview:
What path led you to ocean racing?
I actually started out as a competitive rower, which is an asset for ocean racing, where the sails are heavy to handle, and for the embraque. I then went on to study and work in emergency response to epidemics. I was also into sailing, and during this period I saw Team SCA in the Volvo Ocean Race, and that gave me the motivation I needed.
Before that, I’d never thought of sailing as a job. I gave myself five years to learn as much as I could while remaining employed. I passed my certificates, learned by racing, and in 2018 I quit my job. I’ve done a lot of offshore sailing, a Nacra campaign, TP52s, M32s, RC44s…all types of inshore and offshore boats. Today I’m training for the America’s Cup with the American Magic women’s team. – Full report
Source: scuttlebutt – https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2024/04/19/sara-stone-we-can-have-these-roles/