Good Old Boat Issue 142: Jan/Feb 2022

Sailor Profile

BREAKING THE MOLD

Vivian Vuong is on a mission to make sailing more accessible to all. BY ERIN CAREY O ne of sailing’s great paradoxes is that while it offers an immense sense of freedom, in exchange you must accept the reality in, and her resilience has helped her carve out a career in an industry where she stands out. “I want to show people that sailing isn’t just a man’s industry. I’d like to be someone who empowers February 2020), who has mentored Vivian and her husband, Nathan Zahrt, in their fledgling sail training business aboard their 47-foot Compass, Ultima . “She’s the epitome of thrive at sea you need respect for the ocean and for your shipmates. To be able to admit your mistakes and realize that the pathway to experience is fraught with pitfalls while still

that you have little control over what the weather, the sea, and the boat may dish up. For some people, the self-reliance and mental fortitude this requires can be intimidating. But for Vivian Vuong, these challenges are part and parcel of a life that has been forged finding strength in precisely those qualities of adaptability, independence, and working around and through forces greater than oneself to move forward. In that sense, she’s uniquely suited to thrive as a professional sailor, though in an industry that is largely white and male-dominated, the 33-year-old—at barely 5 feet tall and of Filipino and Vietnamese descent—doesn’t fit the mold. But Vivian is used to not fitting

maintaining the ability to inspire is what allows you to be a great teacher.” The path that led Vivian to this point has been tough from the beginning. Her father, who

minorities to sail,” she says. “I want to show everyone that you don’t have to be affluent and wealthy, you don’t have to be part of a fancy club, and you don’t have

“I hadmultiple people tell me, ‘You’ll never make it in sailing.’ ’’

to own a pair of deck shoes to fit in. That there’s room for us all to work together with respect and understanding.” “Vivian has every right to be proud of herself,” says John Kretschmer, the offshore sailing coach and author (“Big Sea, Small World” January/

a self-made woman who made her way into the male-domi- nated sailing world the hard way… but she’s self-effacing and humble, her self-assurance is natural and genuine, she’s always ready to lend a hand and a smile. She and Nathan both understand that to survive and

escaped the VietnamWar as a refugee, worked in the casino business, regularly uprooting his family to go wherever the

Vivian smiles after flaking the sails on a delivery fromNewport to Annapolis, above. Photo courtesy Ocean Passages.

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