Famous Vessel Maiden is Coming to Kingston!

Famous Vessel Maiden is Coming to Kingston!

​Kingston N.Y.- Maiden is the 58 foot sloop captained by Tracy Edwards, MBE, which earned fame in 1990 when she competed with the first all-female crew in the Whitbread Around the World Race. The male-dominated worlds of sailing and media all doubted the crew would survive the first leg of the 45,000 nautical mile race, but not only did the boat and crew survive, they earned 2nd place overall in their class, the best result for a British boat in 17 years and unbeaten to this day. 

After many sailing achievements and awards, in 2017 Tracy Edwards set up The Maiden Factor Foundation to raise funds for and support efforts towards educating girls around the world. An extensive restoration project of the boat began, in the same yard in Hamble where she was refitted 30 years previously. The boat set sail in 2018, this time battling against the barriers that keep girls and other disenfranchised people out of education.

The poorest girls in the poorest countries get just three years of schooling. Over the past 15 years the international community has worked to get them six, then nine. But this is still not enough.The Maiden Factor Foundation is working toward universal access to 12 years of fee-free, quality primary and secondary education for girls. For more information about how you can support the foundation’s efforts, please visit 

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Maiden Factor Website

Today, the famous vessel has resumed its world tour, which was interrupted in 2020 by Covid, and the boat is traveling to 40 destinations in 20 countries. The boat is stopping in ports such as Annapolis, Maryland and Newport, Rhode Island that are well-loved by American sailors. Guess what? Kingston is on the list! 
The vessel will leave New York Harbor early in the morning on June 8, 2022, and she will be escorted to Kingston by a flotilla of boats from the lower Hudson north to our location in the mid-Hudson region. Kingston Sailing Club’s Women on the Water fleet of sailboats will meet Maiden by the Esopus Meadows Lighthouse, along with HRMM’s Solaris solar-powered boat and other local vessels, and she will be welcomed to the Hudson River Maritime Museum dock.

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On June 9 & 10, the Maiden crew will partner with the Hudson River Maritime Museum, Sloop Clearwater, and the Sloop Apollonia to provide field trips for local schoolchildren to come to the Kingston waterfront, many for the first time, meet the crew, tour the boat, and participate in workshops in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) learning opportunities related to sailing. These field trips will inspire and encourage children from our local community to pursue education and excel in their own learning journeys.

The wider community will also be welcomed to meet the crew and tour the vessel. For information on how to support the Maiden’s visit to Kingston, join the flotilla, participate in youth field trips, or visit the boat and her crew, please go to: ​

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Maiden information

The Hudson River Maritime Museum is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the maritime history of the Hudson River, its tributaries and related communities. In addition to extensive collections documenting maritime transportation, industry, recreation, and natural science, the museum offers classes and programs at its Wooden Boat School, Sailing and Rowing School, and aboard its floating classroom, Solaris. The museum is located along the historic Rondout waterfront in downtown Kingston. Visit www.hrmm.org for more information.