SheHelms Sailingvideo
Episode 2 - Katrien Vangheluwe
1 July 2026 · 19 min · 10 views · Benalmadena
What this video covers
Katrien Vangheluwe, now a yachtmaster instructor based aboard her boat Butterfly in Benalmadena near Malaga, Spain, describes a sailing journey that began with a childhood dream suppressed after traumatic experiences on the North Sea with her motorboating father, who dismissed wind and tide.2:02 A competent crew course taken during Covid reawakened that buried ambition and triggered a cascade of qualifications: Day Skipper theory and practical training in Croatia with instructor Eddie, a failed first Yachtmaster exam that sharpened her resolve, and eventual success in both Yachtmaster theory and assessment.10:06 She credits supportive instructors and sailing partners — particularly a coach named Diego, with whom she trained two weeks a month for three years — as the decisive factor in building confidence.14:21 She describes the decision to become a cruising instructor as instinctive rather than planned.14:56 On sailing culture, she argues that women-only sailing environments remove the pressure to prove competence; she cites an 18-woman CPD course on two boats as the moment she felt she had found her community.17:27 Her practical advice for new sailors: accumulate miles beyond the certificate, because the qualification is only the starting point.18:29
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