Leading charge for diversity in sailing

by Carol Lin Vieira, US Sailing
Marie Rogers never set out to be a trailblazer – but that’s exactly what she has become.

When Rogers first stepped into the world of sailing, it wasn’t because it was a lifelong dream. She was a newcomer, eager to learn but quickly realized that sailing had few spaces for people like her a Black woman. Most of the sailors around her didn’t look like her and the sport had not historically been open to people from her community. But that didn’t stop her.

Instead, Rogers dove in headfirst, gaining expertise and eventually launching her own program to bring people from underrepresented communities onto the water.

She became the first Black woman to hold the Commodoreship at Los Angeles Yacht Club (LAYC), became a 50-T Master Captain and a certified sailing instructor, participating in major regattas like the Transpac. – Full report