The tide is turning for female sailors.
That is according to British Olympian Annie Lush, who has been campaigning for more opportunities for women in the sport.
Organisers of the round-the-world Volvo Ocean Race have changed the rules, external for the 2017-18 event to encourage more female competitors.
All-male teams will be restricted to seven members, mixed crews can have up to 10, while female-only teams can be made up of 11 sailors.
Previously, an all-male crew could be made up of eight members.
“For sure there are physical differences between men and women, but then not all women are the same size,” said Lush.
“What we need to do is create opportunities so to that we can close that gap. We don’t want to be given it. We need to work for it, but we need the opportunity.”
Lush, 37, has been racing full-time on the Olympic circuit since 2002 and competed on the World Match Racing Tour as well as the professional circuits. She competed in London 2012 and has been Women’s Match Race champion three times.
She was part of Team SCA who became the first all-female crew in 25 years to win a leg of the Volvo Ocean Race in 2015.
Following the team’s success, members of the crew launched the Magenta Project, external to offer support, training and guidance for women in sailing.
“It is a sport that rewards experience, a lot, and there are obviously very physical elements to the sport as well,” Magenta Project director Lush told BBC Sport.
“In the past few years the kind of boats that have been developed are incredible, they are very fast but they are also very physical so I think some of the arguments have been that they require a certain level of strength that maybe girls don’t have.
“I think with Team SCA going round the world in the Volvo Ocean Race, that was something we set out to do to see if that was really true.
“We ended up winning a leg of the race and coming third overall so I think we showed it is possible.”