Woodstock Vermont Film Series: Maiden

Maiden is the story of how Tracy Edwards, a 24-year-old charter boat cook, became the skipper of the first ever all-female crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World in 1989. Tracy’s inspirational dream was opposed on all sides: her male competitors thought an all-women crew would never make it, the chauvinistic yachting press took bets on her failure, and potential sponsors rejected her, fearing she and her crew would die at sea and generate bad publicity. But Tracy refused to give up: she remortgaged her home and bought a secondhand boat, putting everything on the line to ensure the team made it to the start line. Although blessed with tremendous self-belief, Tracy was also beset by crippling doubts and was only able to make it through with the support of her remarkable crew. With their help she went on to shock the sports world and prove that women are very much the equal of men.

“One of the year’s best docs, Maiden plays like a motivational action thriller. Puts us all in the ship right there with them.” – Toronto Star