Dawn Riley Profile
By Sharael Feist
November 1999
Battling 30-foot waves, 60-knot winds, and icebergs may sound like a best-selling adventure story, but it’s all in a day’s work for Dawn Riley, the first woman to manage a team competing in the America’s Cup. This fall, she’s off to New Zealand for preliminaries in the prestigious event. Between now and the race this February, she’ll coordinate the work of sailors, technicians, craftspeople, and financiers. At press time, she was three-quarters of the way to raising the targeted $21 million. Her salary depends on her success. “If nothing else,” she says, “it’s like getting a great M.B.A.”
How did you get started?
When I was 13, I began working in a boatyard and then progressed to sailing boats to regattas, organizing housing, food, sails and maintenance. I basically put myself through college this way.
What does it take to excel in professional sailing?
Flexibility. It’s all project-based, so there is very little security. It’s stressful but never boring, and, boy, is it fun! There’s the competition, the beauty of sailing, and the challenge of fund-raising.
Ever been in danger?
During the 1993-94 Whitbread Round the World Race, we were in 60 knots of wind across 8 knots of current with only half a rudder. We survived, but everyone was battered and bruised, and most of the sails were thrashed from the Hawaii Five-O waves crashing on the deck.