Ep 7 - Leslie Egnot

Last week marked the 25th anniversary of Team New Zealand's victory at the 1995 America’s Cup but that was only one of a number of major storylines during a dramatic event. Leslie Egnot was skipper and helm of America3, a women’s team who came agonisingly close to beating Dennis Conner and Stars and Stripes for the right to defend the Cup against Team New Zealand. In many ways, that team became a symbol for feminism, not only in sailing, yet they encountered so many obstacles along the way, whether it was gender stereotypes or some pretty unkind jibes from Dennis Conner himself. Leslie tells her story from the '95 campaign, how she became involved, the challenge of putting a competitive team together, her interactions with Dennis Conner, the controversy of a man being substituted onto the boat from the semifinals series and the backroom deal that saw Conner’s team survive to make it to the final and ultimately take on Team New Zealand. She also delves into her Olympic sailing and the injury that ended her career.