59° North Sailingvideo
On The Wind #399 - McKayla Bower // Trans Around the World
30 May 2023 · 1h 14m · 875 views · San Juan Islands
What this video covers
McKayla Bower, a transgender outdoorswoman, is preparing to solo circumnavigate aboard Swirl, a San Juan 30, departing after July 29 following her last prior commitment.2:41 No trans person has completed a solo circumnavigation; only two openly queer sailors — a married couple who finished around 2018 — have done so, which became Bower's primary motivation.28:40 She came to sailing through Seattle's liveaboard community after years of mountaineering and trad climbing, and her risk-assessment habits from climbing — distinguishing perceived risk from actual danger — directly shape how she handles sailing emergencies, including a broken jib sheet in 20 knots with wind-over-tide chop.11:02 Swirl is an IOR canoe-stern boat with no inboard engine; the outboard mount and a refurbished 2009 Naviq wind vane both compete for stern space, and installing the wind vane is among the remaining tasks before departure.1:01:43 Bower defines success primarily as visibility for trans people afraid to come out, with circumnavigation the stated goal but not the sole measure.53:46 Host Emma Garshagan conducts the interview; Falcon, the channel's FAR 65, is on passage between Antigua and Bermuda during the recording.0:10
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