Sailing
Professional Sailor.
Boat Captain.
Racing Crew.
For the past 30 years, I’ve worked on high-performance racing yachts as both shore crew and racing crew. I’ve never been someone who just turns up to race. I’ve always been involved in the bigger picture too - the preparation, the maintenance, the problem-solving, and the work it takes to keep a boat functioning properly and performing at its best.
Over the years, I’ve taken part in four editions of the Volvo Ocean Race / The Ocean Race, completing three full round-the-world races and winning the VO65 Sprint Cup in 2023 with WindWhisper Racing Team. I’ve also worked as boat captain on multiple campaigns and logged nearly a million nautical miles across the world’s oceans.
What I bring is practical experience, technical knowledge, and a hands-on approach built over decades in the sport. I understand what it takes to keep a campaign moving, a boat race-ready, and a team performing under pressure.
If you want to know more about how I got started and my journey through sailing, you can read my full story here.
SAILING EXPERTISE
What I Do
I've always been a multitasker. I don't join racing teams just to race. I bring technical expertise, hands-on maintenance skills, and the ability to manage both the preparation and the racing.
My role typically involves:
Boat captain responsibilities
Pre-race preparation and post-race repairs
Hydraulics and engine systems
Boat maintenance and project management
Shore crew coordination
Racing crew member
Being involved from day one of a campaign, not just stepping on when everything's done
Technical & Personal skills:
RYA Ocean Yachtmaster, commercially endorsed
Master <24m, Australian commercial skipper
ENG Class 2, Australian marine engineering
Kitesurf and wing foil instructor
Qualified personal trainer
Professional Experience : Key Campaigns
SAILING
Skills & Expertise
Technical Skills:
Boat maintenance and systems management
Hydraulics and engine systems
Sail making (trained in New Zealand and France)
Navigation
Weather routing
Pre-race preparation and logistics
Project management
Specific certifications (RYA, MCA, STCW, etc.)
Specific systems you specialise in
Software/tools you use
Predict wind
Adrena
Expedition
Racing Experience:
Three round-the-world races (Volvo Ocean Race/The Ocean Race)
Southern Ocean racing
Offshore racing (Sydney to Hobart, Fastnet, offshore double-handed)
Inshore racing
Hobie catamaran racing (international competition)
Leadership & Management:
Boat captain
Skipper
Crew management
Shore crew coordination
Campaign logistics and planning
What I Bring to a Team
I've worked my way up from cleaning bilges to boat captain, and I've been on teams where I've done two jobs: maintaining the boat as shore crew, then racing as part of the crew.
I'm thorough. At sea, attention to detail isn't optional. It's the difference between a boat that performs at 100% and one that doesn't. I always have a spreadsheet on the go, always have a list, always making sure things are ticked off.
As a boat captain, I'm responsible for keeping the boat functioning. If something fails, people's safety is at risk and the boat can no longer race competitively. That's a responsibility I take seriously.
I don't just step onto a boat when everything's done. I'm there from the beginning, for the maintenance, the preparation, the problem-solving, and the racing.
Being a Woman in Professional Sailing
It's harder being a woman in sailing.
There's no doubt about that.
Sailing is a super physical sport, and the physical demands can be challenging, especially at five foot one. Early in my career, unless you took on a technical role like navigation, weather routing, or meteorology, it was difficult to find space on board because the equipment was so heavy and physically demanding.
Boats are getting less physical now. They're foiling, so there's less load on everything. Sails are on rollers. The gearing on the grinders has improved. Technology has advanced, making the sport more accessible.
But women are still the minority. There are rules in place now requiring females on boats.
What I've learned: Pre-planning and strategy. When you've got a big manoeuvre coming up in rough weather, you need the right people in the right places, the strength distributed properly and the right person driving. It's about working smarter.
TESTIMONIALS
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![Tracy Edwards MBE, British sailor and skipper of the first all-female crew in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race.]()
Tracy Edwards MBE - British Sailor
“Liz was Guest Skipper on Maiden twice during her World Tour 2018 to 2024, as we invited female legends to lead the crew for a few months at a time. I knew Liz by reputation obviously and so was not surprised that she was a fantastic addition to our team. Not only does Liz has phenomenal skills, experience and expertise but she is a natural leader and was an inspiration to the young women in the Maiden crew. Liz has boundless energy, endless enthusiasm for the task in hand and is not afraid to get down and dirty when needed! The feedback from the crew was that Liz had shown them what was possible for them to achieve and she played a significant role in preparing Heather Thomas to Skipper Maiden to victory in the OGR. Liz will always be an important part of Maiden’s story, and I am so glad she found the time to spend with us. We watch for her next adventure with anticipation!”
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![Carsten Heron Olsen, Race Director and CEO of The World’s Toughest Row.]()
Carsten Heron Olsen, Race director and CEO - The World’s Toughest Row.
"Liz Wardley is one of the most competent ocean athletes I’ve had the privilege of working with. Very few people prove themselves across both the Atlantic and Pacific, and Liz has done so at the highest level; from a record-breaking solo Atlantic crossing to an incredible Pacific campaign as part of a pair and now preparing to take on the Pacific once again. What sets her apart is her mindset: calm under pressure, highly experienced, and relentlessly determined. She consistently makes good decisions when it matters most, which is ultimately what defines success in ocean rowing. As both a competitor and a person, Liz brings professionalism, resilience, and a quiet strength that elevates any team or challenge she takes on."
