Meet the Cork woman who became the first female admiral in the oldest yacht club in the world

Annamarie Fegan broke through the glass ceiling to become the first female admiral in the oldest yacht club in the world. Now she is on a mission to make sailing accessible to all. Marjorie Brennan meets her ahead of the Cork Week regatta

Admiral Annamarie Fegan at the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Crosshaven, recognised as the oldest yacht club in the world. Pictures: Chani Anderson

I’M learning a lot from my conversation with Annamarie Fegan — from Oppies to toppers to lasers, the sailing lingo is flowing. Then she is explaining the concept of ‘rail meat’.

“There’s only one owner of the boat and they need eight, nine, 10 crew but, if they’re just rail meat, that is where you just hang over the side of the boat and your weight is used to keep the boat flat.”