When Maria Ramires was growing up in Portugal, she admired her grandmother – one of the first women in the country to graduate college who eventually became a professor dedicated to helping others. Inspired by this example, Maria started ‘Vela Mais’ or ‘Sailing +’ which includes Seawoman, a programme that enables older persons to learn to sail for free. “When I’m in the boat, I’m feeling so happy,” said Seawoman member Rosária Lopes. “They smile from the beginning until the end,” said Maria. “And that makes my big smile even bigger.”

Seawoman, the Association for the Promotion of Women through Sports and Nautical Activities, is a non-profit association created in 2014 that aims to develop, publicize and promote the presence of women in sport through nautical activities, with an emphasis on sailing.

In 2014, the Seawoman project was transformed into a non-profit association, maintaining its mission and objectives, and focusing its activity in three core areas: training, competition and social intervention projects.