Category: Execute/Manage

Rising Tide Leadership Institute would like to announce that two of our sailing friends, and competitors, Raiya Al Habsi (Oman) and Deneen Demourkas (USA) have been nominated by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) and Rolex, for the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards 2013. Having sailed with each of them, Rising Tide Ambassadors Katie Pettibone, and Linda Lindquist-Bishop, offer their congratulations!

ISAF received nominations for the 2013 Award from across the world, for sailors representing all aspects of the sport. The nominees are put forward based on achievements made during the qualifying period from September 1, 2012 to August 31, 2013. Only one nominee wins in each of the male and female categories.

Raiya Al Habsi (Oman)
“Seeing Raiya get nominated is inspiring and exciting for women in sailing. It is a budding sport in Oman. As her coach, I have been deeply impressed with her hard work, perseverance and spirit. She is helping to bring this sport to a whole new generation and region,” shared Katie Pettibone. Read more about Raiya.

Deneen Demourkas (USA)
“I’m thrilled to see Deneen nominated for the 2013 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year! I’ve raced against Deneen for almost a decade on the Farr 40 and Farr 30. She is a formidable competitor (3-time World Championship winning), and a great leader. As president of the Farr 30 global class association she has built communication, a sustainable event schedule, and kept the Farr 30 an internationally competitive class. Way to go Deneen!” -Linda Lindquist-Bishop. Read more about Deneen.

The ISAF Member National Authorities (MNAs), the national governing bodies for sailing around the world, will be selecting the winners. The MNAs may vote for only one nominee in both the male and female categories, whom they believe most deserves the award. The winners will then be announced at the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award presentation and dinner, taking place on Tuesday, November 12, 2013. The venue for the event will be at the El Bander Hotel, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.

Good Luck Raiya and Deneen!!!

http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1

This morning I drove to my friend Kerry’s house to watch Katie, Raya and RTLI on The Jeff Probst Show! Near the end of the interview I was struck by a powerful, important statement Jeff made. When summing up Katie’s amazing life trajectory he remarked, “You are a hero! Katie, you said to yourself, ‘There’s not a path here, but I think I found one,’ and then you said, ‘Come on guys (gals!) – Let’s all go in’!”

That’s a very concise summation of the Rising Tide Leadership Institute.

As we build Rising Tide we will be able to inspire, engage, educate and equip thousands of women like Raya, and her Omani teammates, and HUNDREDS of thousands like the studio audience and viewership of the Jeff Probst Show. There is no lasting impact in Trail Blazing – unless you have opened up the path for many others to follow.

We invite you ALL to come on this Trail Blazing journey of equipping girls and women to be leaders who make a difference in their communities, countries and throughout the world. You can start by sharing this show segment with others!

A very special thank you to Amy Coleman, Executive Producer, and the entire team at The Jeff Probst Show, for helping us inspire women to lead lives of great impact.

Omani women sailors thrived…

The 2013 EFG Sailing Arabia The Tour has come to a close. February 25 was the final leg from Mussanah to Muscat. It was a whirlwind, as the leg from Dibba to Mussanah had us floating around with no wind during the night for hours, arriving into Mussanah Sunday at 5:00 pm only to have a skipper’s meeting at 7:00 pm, prize giving, quick dinner and bed. The next morning start had us down at the boats at 6:00 am. The leg was very frustrating as one cannot control the wind – or in our case – lack thereof. Keeping attention and enthusiasm as the sails thwack, thwack, and the waves toss the boat around like a toy is difficult. The worst part was that we had crossed tacks with what turned out to be the winning boat, but didn’t go into the shore with them. Ahhhh, hindsight.

We started the final leg by heading down the coast under motor, as there wasn’t enough wind. All the boats were in high spirits, and we motored alongside our good friends and Farr 30 mentors, Team BAE, sharing jokes and stories. All of the boats in the fleet have been filled with good sailors, and simply good people. It’s difficult after spending everyday with these people to know that in a day it will be over, and you won’t see them for quite some time. Usually, one can expect to run into other sailors on the sailing circuit, but in this case with many who are here in the Gulf and not competing in the U.S. or European circuits, it may be a year (and doing the SATT) before I will get to see my friends again.

The starting line was dropped just after the restricted area that is the waters before the Sultan’s home. (four miles of beach included!) The final race was going to determine the 2nd/3rd place between BAE and EFG Bank. Both teams skippered by renowned and experienced french skippers Cédric Pouligny and Sidney Gavignet would be a match race. The rest of the fleet was sailing for pride. We had an intense battle with Delf and Renaissance for 3rd, 4th and 5th, but kept getting forced to avoid Abu Dhabi and sail not ideal courses. The final placing was going to be determined by some gybing and crew work. Unfortunately, the last critical gybe was not executed flawlessly. Pressure and a lot happening was the undoing. It was really, really hard. The girls were devastated. Two cried. Oh, did I feel for them. It brought back memories of when our women’s team was eliminated in 1995 in the finals of the America’s Cup Challenger Series. Although a much grander/bigger scale, the importance and loss of a race is not lost on me. And like Dawn Riley told me back then, I told them, “There will always be another race or regatta.”

There is so much to say in reflection over the SATT 2013 tour, and the leaps and bounds made by the Omani girls! They were true contributing members on the team. It was their boat, and them doing the work. We went from having two Omani women sailors last year, to having 50% this year. The final position of the team does not reflect the amazing leaps and bounds of personal growth or sailing skills that the girls experienced. They had to start taking on jobs, responsibility for their time management, and sailing. Sailing is a true team sport, and they thrived.

There is much to be done as the ladies continue to grow, and it is fantastic that Oman Sail is invested in their growth, and the growth of this amazing sport. This tour was very difficult – more difficult than last year, because of the lack of recovery time between races. We had a number of legs where we had to be up at 5:00 am, waited around, finally raced, and then got in at night – only to get up again early in the morning. The added pit stop at Dubai took away a needed day off, and the points allotted the in-port racing meant that certain girls could not be given a break from sailing on those days as well. On the way in to Mussanah we talked to the girls about what they liked about the tour, and most said that they preferred in-port racing as opposed to the offshore. They struggled mightily with the lack of sleep, and the need for ongoing concentration even when there were no competitors around. The demanding weather didn’t faze them, as they all said their favorite leg was the sleigh ride across to Abu Dhabi – which involved 2 of them getting sea sick!

Next, the Omani girls will head to France to race J80s in Brest. It will be a huge fleet, a different boat, and very cold compared to the warm waters and temps of the Gulf. It will be interesting to see how they fare! I unfortunately cannot make it, because I have a job that will be demanding my attention during that time – but I will be watching and encouraging them from afar.

~Katie

Photos by Lloyd Images

We had in-port racing today, inside the harbor at Abu Dhabi. It was a beautiful day with three races set in sunny, 8-10 knots. Our first race was a bit of a warm-up, as we got off the line slow, and didn’t get a lane to go to the favored side. The next two races we ended up in fourth, and fifth place. The girls were on fire! They have really taken to heart the coaching, and the debrief we had from our previous legs, and in-port race. They did a great job today, and it was really heartening to see their progress. This year both Intisar and Tahira are trimming, and are completely responsible, with just oversight from us coaches – but it is them doing the job. The same with Raiya, who is on bow. Bow is a tough job – tons of lines and maneuvers to manage, and she is taking it on. Eptisam was in the pit today, and was so attentive to all the voices making demands on adjustments of the controls she was in charge of… And Tahira, who is normally a trimmer, got moved to a floater position. She was tasked with making sure the spinnaker was down in the boat when we had to round the leeward mark, and head back upwind. This had been an issue from the previous in port race… She was terrific – and worked her tail off!

These girls are taking it on, and are improving all the time. Some of the remaining challenges include continuing to get them to eat, and even more difficult – to drink water. It is noticeable when they don’t, as concentration ebbs… But we have changed the sandwiches to rolls with cucumber and hummus, or chicken, cheese and hummus – so that appears to be more desirable. Still have to work on the water…

Tomorrow we’re off the dock at 6 am, with a 6:30 am start. The goal is to be in Dubai by dark. With the current forecast we should be there by 6 pm, which means hurrying to the hotel, eat, debrief and then up the next morning to race to Ras Al Khaimah. A whirlwind! It is a shame as I would have liked to have seen Dubai, but never mind – another time!

~Katie

Photos by Lloyd Images