Wendy Tuck

Wendy Tuck (born c. 1965) is a yachtswoman and previous chief instructor and principal at the Clipper Race training base in Sydney, Australia.^[1] She was the first female skipper to win a round-the-world yacht race.^[2]

Wendy Tuck
Born	1965 (age 59–60)
Nationality	Australian

Sailing achievements

Tuck was born in Australia in 1965.^[3] Having begun sailing at the age of 24,^[4] she has competed in 13 Sydney Hobart Yacht races^[5] and was the first woman skipper to finish in 2017, earning the Jane Tate Memorial Trophy.^[6] She won her division in 2015 as Skipper of the Clipper Boat Danang Vietnam.

Clipper 70s setting out on the race on Lough Foyle.

Tuck first took part as a Skipper in the Clipper Round the World race in 2015–16, becoming the first Australian woman to do so.^[7][8] In 2017-2018 she became the only Australian to repeat the challenge skippering the 70-foot yacht, Sanya Serenity Coast, over 40,000 nautical miles and six oceans.^[9] The yachts are named after the tall ship clippers that raced tea to England. Tuck's crew was not constant and changed regularly throughout the race.^[2] On 27 July 2018 12.36 (UTC) she crossed the finish line becoming the first female skipper to win the Clipper Round the World race (or any Round the World yacht race).^[9] The second-placed yacht was also skippered by a woman, Nikki Henderson.^[2]

Interviewed after the race, she said, “If one little girl sees this, sees it can be done and has a go, that will be what matters to me.”^[9]

Tuck has spoken about how she has been inspired by other yachtswomen such as Ellen MacArthur and Kay Cottee.^[10]

She was a guest skipper on Maiden's global voyage in 2018 in support of The Maiden Factor Foundation.^[11] Captaining the boat from Sri Lanka to Los Angeles, stopping at Fremantle, Sydney, Auckland, Honolulu, Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles.