You can also find out more about the Our yacht was in its element. With sunshine gleaming off the chestnut spars and a north-northeasterly fattening the sails, Windsong ripped across the mere, cocked at a jaunty angle, kicking up waves of joy. It was like a wild horse galloping through surf, ebullient, powerful and graceful. This “wild horse” could only be controlled by skipper Els and me, in a much, much lesser degree. When Els Robinson yelled “Come around!” When the cry of “Come about!” Oh, and enjoy the ride.
I had come to Norfolk Broads in order to take part in a weekend of women’s wellbeing on the water. I grew up in the Broads. Eastwood Whelpton sail holidays has its base in Upton Dyke. But I’ve never been sailing. Since I didn’t have anyone to ask, it never occurred to me that I might be able.
Suzy Stroeger, office manager at the company, explained that “our ethos is to make sailboarding accessible to everyone.” “Sailing is perceived to be elitist. It has been predominantly male-dominated. “Our women’s weekends aim to make sailing affordable and accessible for a demographic currently underrepresented.”
Suzy continued: “Sailing is more that just moving a boat. It’s also a form of wellbeing, which can benefit women in particular.” She often sees women in high-pressured jobs or full-time caregiver roles who want to improve their health.
We started the weekend off stress-free, when we met up in the boatyard over cake and prosecco. We were 15, some of us solos and some in pairs. Most were over 45 years old, with abilities ranging from competent, rusty or total beginner.
Katharine was looking forward to “a new experience” and “getting away from the everyday life”. Jo was on her third Eastwood Whelpton excursion: “I enjoy the peace and quiet of being out on the waters.” Helen was drawn to the idea “because too often men take the helm – and there’s something special about adventuring with other women, isn’t there?”
It is. Women-only travel – particularly active travel – is on the rise, and companies are cottoning on. According to the Adventure Travel Trade Association’s 2024 Industry Outlook, 38% of companies that are diversifying their target markets are women. “Women travelling alone over 50” was also flagged as an important trend. More large tour operators now offer women-only departures, while specialty companies see an increase in demand. For example, WalkingWomen, which launched its first programme in 2021 with 31 small-group hikes for women only, has increased the number of such holidays to more than 70.
A female-only environment encourages women to test their limits. This is especially true when the guides are also women. On this Norfolk weekend, our group was split across a flotilla of five boats, each one helmed by a female skipper – which is far more unusual than it should be in 2025. The skippers were just as excited as we.
Jo and myself were paired together and allocated Windsong. A traditional, 30-foot (9-metre), gaff-rigged boat, Windsong was constructed in the 1980s by an Norfolk boat builder. She is absolutely stunning. The interior is made of sleek wood, with an ingenious top that pops up and a multitude of drawers and cubbyholes. Suzy had even stuffed the latter with food. Jo and I talked about which of us was more likely to have to go to the toilet in the middle night. (She took the small bed at the bow near the hand-pump lavatory; I slept upstairs in the saloon.) When you live in close quarters, you have to form a bond very quickly.
Els, the skipper of our boat, was in charge of the entire fleet. She unrolled a plan and a map before we anchored. First, we’d motor to Thurne to moor the boat for the evening. Then we’d spend the next day sailing to Horsey where we’d see a windpump pumping water from the coastal marshland known as Devil’s Country. Finally, we’d head back home on Sunday. Mixed in would be boat breakfasts, picnic lunches and pub dinners, plus a few leisurely walks, some morning yoga, and an optional sea swim.
I immediately liked boat life. We drifted down mazy channels, looked across the vastness of reeds, spotted herons, marsh harriers on the hunt, even an osprey – one of the pair that arrived at nearby Ranworth Broad This spring. This was also a little bit of a moving mediation. Sometimes the speed limit is just 3mph. Els, who was steering us toward Thurne’s restored windmill, said: “Life is so fast-paced today.” We need to slow things down from time to time.
Els was a joy to watch at work. She was calm and intuitive, and in complete harmony with the boat. Els was happy to let us try, if we wished, but it was tempting to just let her do everything.
I took the wheel and concentrated on steering away from the banks, boathouses or other yachts. black-sailed Norfolk wherry That glided by. I learned how to reef and tie rudimentary ties, as well as hoist and lower sails. We also helped bring down the mast, so that we could almost scrape under Potter Heigham’s medieval bridge.
Eastwood Whelpton offers sailing courses that are approved by the Royal Yachting Association, but its wellbeing weekends are something else. Suzy said that some women came to refresh skills and others to drink gin, read books, or to refresh.
After a long day on the water with cheeks ruddened by the wind and sun, we stopped at Horsey, had “anchor cocktails” (cocktails), before walking over the marsh into the dunes. Last winter, 3,245 pups of grey seals were born in this area. A lone grey seal emerged from the grey-green waves to greet us on the beach.
Three of us stripped down to our swimwear to join the group. It was cold, choppy and frustratingly deep, but it made me realise I’ve never regretted a sea swim. After the dip, changing clothes was a challenge: The north wind blew my towel away and took my dignity. Was it important? All the girls were here.
We ended up in the Nelson Head, a proper old pub; a sign inside read “We don’t have wifi – talk to each other”. We shared stories of how women’s lives have changed or not in recent years. They spoke about mothers who believed that marriage and children were the only things women could achieve. Their daughters, however, think their mother’s are boring and don’t understand how far they have come. Johanna threw in her graduation story: she came top of her (mostly male) class at London Business School but “when the chairman gave me my certificate and shook my hand, said, ‘I love to see a smiling blonde!'”
Windsong lulled me to sleep, just as it had done the night before. I was lulled by its gurgles. slurps. creaks. and groans. I awoke early and crept outside to a chorus that included blackbirds. redstarts. warblers. and cuckoos. The yoga session would begin at 7.30am under a large tree. I was not sure how relaxed I could be. While I didn’t learn to sail, I did enjoy this maiden voyage.
The trip was organized by Eastwood Whelpton. Its next Women on the Water Wellbeing Weekends Startseite 12 Sept The following are some examples of how to get started: 15 May 2026, from £433pp. There are also places available on the women-only boat on its website. Norfolk Race Week (5-10 Oct, from £705pp)
