This Rhode Island-Born Sailor is Trying to Change the Game for U.S. Offshore Sailing

Erica Lush is training to compete in the prestigious Solitaire du Figaro in the fall, starting with a qualifier race in France this week. Her journey could elevate women in solo racing.

March 25, 2025

Lauren Clem,

A woman wearing a headlamp looks out from the cabin of a sailboat at dusk.

Erica Lush is preparing to compete in the prestigious Solitaire du Figaro in Europe this fall. (Photo by Cate Brown Photography)

It all started in Jamestown.

That’s where Erica Lush, an American sailor pursuing a career in offshore racing, first got out on the water with a local youth program. Both her parents sailed, and they frequently took her and her brother on weeklong trips in the family boat.

“My parents both knew how to sail, so that was a big part of my childhood,” she recalls during a phone interview from Europe, where she’s training to participate in the prestigious Solitaire du Figaro later this year.

La Solitaire, as the event is known, is a rite of passage for many sailors, a must-complete event for those looking to compete at the highest levels of offshore racing. The race plays out in three back-to-back legs in August and September on the Atlantic coast of Europe. For Lush, it’s a chance to prove her sailing worth to the scores of sponsors and fans who’ll be watching the race with eager anticipation.

“Shorthanded offshore sailing is very good for development because you have to become a strong sailor in every aspect of the race,” she says.

In the meantime, she’s relocated to France to train, including participating in the Solo Guy Cotten race in Concarneau, France, this week. The 250-nautical mile race is considered an important training ground and qualifier for La Solitaire in the fall.

“For my career, it makes the most sense to be in France,” she says.

Along with youth programs, the Jamestown native got her first taste of competitive sailing in high school, when she served as co-captain and co-MVP of the racing team at North Kingstown High School her senior year. She went on to sail at Boston University, studying Arabic language and linguistics and graduating in 2014. She originally hoped to pursue a career working with refugees, but ended up back in Newport working on boats.

Though she’d benefitted from competitive training programs through college, Lush says she was disappointed in the lack of formal development programs once she was out of school in the United States. In France, she says, it’s common for young sailors to pursue sponsorships or complete training opportunities as they begin their careers. In the U.S., she says, these chances are more limited.

“As soon as you get into offshore sailing, the U.S. lacks any real pathway for training camps or any merit-based development. You need to have a boat that you can race, which requires a certain amount of money that most young sailors don’t have access to,” she says.

She was also frustrated with the barriers she encountered as a woman in the sport. Those barriers, she says, became more evident when she decided to turn pro.

“Once I entered the sailing industry, it was much more overt. I just became quite frustrated with the different opportunities I was being offered based on my male peers,” she says.

Through a series of lucky breaks and programs geared toward supporting female athletes, Lush was able to build her resume. She sailed with The Maiden Factor and The Magenta Project, both dedicated to empowering women sailors. She was also part of the all-female crew that won the Ocean Globe Race in 2024, the first all-female crew to win an around-the-world yacht race.

Now, with her sights set on a solo title, Lush is determined to use her platform to advocate for women and other underrepresented groups in sailing. Her campaign has already provided opportunities for other female sailors to assist with training. She’s hoping that by embarking on a campaign for sponsorship and recognition, she can provide a playbook to other U.S. athletes looking to do the same.

“It took all of those lucky things to get me where I’ve gone so far,” she says. “I know I would not have made it here without those lucky breaks, and I know it’s not hard to give those breaks to other people.”

Follow along with her journey on lushsailing.com or on Instagram at @lushsailing.