About Us

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We are the Sea Bags Women’s Sailing Team. A group of strong, determined, experienced, and passionate racing champions who take the thrills and incredible challenges of J/24 sailboat racing to new heights. We are a close-knit group of women spanning generations who trust and support one another, especially when the going gets tough.

We know the disappointment of not crossing the finish line first, and we also know the extraordinary thrill of victory. In 2021, our team placed in the top 10 teams at the J/24 Downeast Regatta and finished 14th in the 2021 J/24 National Championship. Our skipper, Erica, received the 2021 J/24 National Championship Top Female Skipper Award.

 

Goal for the year:

Our primary goals for the 2023 season are to always be the top female team at every regatta, specifically at Nationals in Lake George, NY; at North Americans in Ohio;  and at the Corinthian Nationals East in Rochester, NY. We hope to finish in the top 20 at US Nationals and at North Americans, in the top 10 at J Daze, and we want to win the Lady Liberty Regatta at the Manhattan Yacht Club. We also look forward to a competitive season in a new boat to our team, an Etchells, which we will race in our home waters.

 

While these are some of our past accomplishments, every new racing season is a challenge to do better - to be the best racers we can be.

In the last few years, we accomplished:

  • 2021 Thistle Women’s Nationals Champions

  • 2021 J/24 Nationals Female Champions

  • 2019 J/24 Worlds Female Champions

  • 2019 Helly Hansen J24 Marblehead Champions

  • 2017 J/24 Worlds Top Female Skipper/ Female Champions

 
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Our Captain

Captain Erica has raced in numerous World, North American and National Championships in multiple types of sailboats and hopes to inspire other women to compete at the highest levels of the sport. With this team she has received the Top Female Skipper Award and Top Female Team Award at the majority of the championships the team has competed in over the last six years including winning the prestigious Jaeger Women’s Trophy in 2017 for finishing first among all female teams in the J/24 World Championship in Ontario, Canada and again at the World Championship in Miami in 2019. She was inducted into the New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association (NEISA) Hall of Fame in 2018.

In her words, “Every time we are on the water is an opportunity to learn, to improve, and to become the best racers we can be.”

 
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About Sea Bags

In 1999, Sea Bags made a bold commitment to build a trustworthy company with sustainability and US manufacturing at its core by recycling sails into nautically inspired totes and accessories on the working waterfront in Portland, Maine. Since its founding, Sea Bags has recycled over 1.5 million pounds of sailcloth and continues to be a world leader in recycling and repurposing sails that would otherwise end up in landfills. Additionally, Sea Bags deeply believes in giving back to its local community and sponsoring a women’s team of champion sailors who have deep appreciation and respect for our oceans and environment reaffirms this commitment.

 

Sailing for Sustainability

Sea Bags Women’s Sailing Team is among a growing number of sailors worldwide who are bringing greater attention to the importance of saving our oceans and protecting our environment. Wherever the Sea Bags Women’s Sailing Team races, we also raise awareness of Sea Bags’ Sail Trade Program. Through the program, individuals can donate their sails in exchange for a Sea Bags Women’s Sailing Team Tote to help support our team’s journey.

 

Support The Team

Help the team score more victories this year with your very own Regatta Racing Stripe collection tote bag, bucket bag, or wristlet, featuring bold primary colors and a mainsail design. Embellished with the signature sailing team logo and paired with hand-spliced hemp rope handles. 20% of sales of the tote and beverage bucket are donated to the Sea Bags Women’s Sailing Team.

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