The Female Leadership Development Programme (FLDP) – a collaboration between IMOCA and the trailblazing Magenta Project, with support from 11th Hour Racing – was launched in May 2024 to address a long-standing issue: too few women in technical and leadership roles in sailing. Its first year proved that change is possible. Four women were embedded inside IMOCA teams in mentoring placements, shadowing skippers, managers and boat captains. Among them was Cole Brauer, the American sailor who made history in 2024 as the first U.