On Tuesday of this week, American singlehanded offshore sailor Erica Lush arrived in Bermuda from Newport in four days and 18 hours to finish third in her class in the Bermuda 1-2 regatta. The event covers 635 miles and a crossing of the Gulf Stream. Erica, 33, is the only woman skipper in the fleet.
After a few days of R & R in Bermuda, Erica and her teammate David Southwell will race doubled handed with the fleet back to Newport.
While finishing well in the Bermuda 1-2 is a significant achievement, for Erica it is a training event for a much bigger regatta that she will enter in August and September in France called the Solitaire du Figaro.
Since January, Erica has been training in France and has sailed in two preliminary training races. She did well, particularly in the Guy Cotton regatta which covers 400 miles. This qualified her to sail in the Soilitaire as the only American woman to make the grade.
The Solitaire is one of France’s top solo racing events. It is comprised of three 600-mile races in one-design, Beneteau-built Figaro 32s, with foils much like the IMOCA 60s. Almost all of the skippers who go on to race in the Vendee Globe and the other IMOCA 60 events cut their teeth in the Solitaire.
Erica, who grew up in Jamestown, Rhode Island, is the daughter of Tony and Nancy Lush. Both are sailors but it may come as no surprise to learn that Tony is a solo offshore racer who raced singlehanded transatlantic twice in the OSTAR. This earned him a sponsor so he could enter the first BOC singlehanded round the world race.
That did not go well for him. After the start of the second leg from Cape Town to Sydney, his 54-foot sloop Lady Pepperell pitchpoled and was seriously damaged. He was rescued by fellow racer Francis Stokes who delivered Tony to Sydney in one piece.
So, Erica is walking down the same path but has put in over 75,000 offshore miles before getting to the Solitaire. She was the captain of the Boston University sailing team and has raced extensively in short-handed events since. And, she sailed the two Southern Ocean legs of the Ocean Globe Race aboard the eventual winner Maiden.
Erica has chartered a boat for the Solitaire and is actively raising money to help her fund the challenge. As an inspiration to all American sailors and to young girls coming up through junior programs, she is diligently making her dreams come true.
Visit her website Lushsailing.com and read more about this remarkable young sailor.
