In this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, we're joined by Pamela Lee, a professional offshore sailor from Ireland who's breaking records and barriers in one of the most extreme, male-dominated sports on the planet. Now based in Brittany, France—the heart of short-handed offshore racing—Pamela has carved out her path with grit, determination, and a clear vision for empowering women through sailing.
Pam shares her journey from growing up beside the sea in Ireland to becoming the first Irish woman to skipper the Transat Jacques Vabre Race, setting three world records sailing around Ireland, and now training for the 2026 Route du Rhum, one of the toughest solo ocean races in the world.
We dive deep into her early influences, the realities of offshore racing, learning French to break into the French sailing scene, and the financial, emotional, and physical challenges of pursuing elite-level sailing. From boat borrowing to breaking glass ceilings, Pamela opens up about the power of visibility, representation, and believing in your own potential—no matter how big the dream.
Whether you're interested in sailing, women in sport, or chasing bold goals, this is an empowering and eye-opening conversation not to miss.
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Show notes
- Who is Pamela
- Living and working in Brittany, France
- Professional Off-shore Sailor
- Living in the mecca of off-shore sailing
- What short-handed sailing is
- Speaking French and sailing in French
- Studying French at school and doing a French exchange
- The challenge of learning French
- The power of emersion when learning a language
- Growing up in Ireland (south of Dublin, on the South East Coast) beside the sea
- Having a dad who is a sailing fanatic
- Family holidays camping and sailing
- Opportunities to become a professional sailor?
- Adapting her mentality on how she wanted to live her life
- Knowing that a 9-5 job was not for her
- Living in Sydney, Australia and wanting to sail
- Sydney Hobart offshore sailing race
- Finding a boat to sail on
- Wanting to travel and to sail more
- Wanting to make a change
- Considering the possibility of becoming a professional sailor
- Getting her Yacht Master Qualification
- Getting the opportunity to move to France
- Wanting to learn more skills and not getting to do those positions
- Reaching a glass ceiling and not seeing how to get to the next level
- Looking for the next opportunity and heading back to Ireland to figure it out
- Discussion around the Olympics and sailing (double handed offshore racing)
- Being part of a mixed sex duo
- Being invited to train for the Irish team for this potential event
- Heading to France to trail for this type of racing
- Being exposed to the French offshore racing world
- Deciding to stay in France 2019 - 2020
- Setting 3 world records by sailing around Ireland and how the goal came about
- Fastest sailing around Ireland in a boat of 40ft or under
- Setting the record for double handed and the women's record for racing around Ireland
- The covid years and going back and forth between France and Ireland
- Personal inner ambition and wanting to know what she could do
- Needing to get a boat
- Borrowing a boat and starting to train with it for racing around Ireland
- Spending several days at seas and racing 700 nautical miles in approx 3-4 days
- Funding for sailing
- Making a big media splash and getting your name out there with the record
- Getting women's stories in main stream press
- Women's voices and the progress being made in women's sports and how they are represented
- The push towards progress
- The Route du Rhum a transatlantic single-handed yacht race, which takes place every four years in November.
- Racing from France to the Caribbean solo - the longest and toughest trans-atlantic race
- Being the first Irish female to do the race
- Needing to qualify for the race (based on miles raced)
- Needed to race and train before
- Starting the project and finding their founding sponsor - DFDS
- Funding costs via sponsorship
- The dream budget and costs involved
- The stress of getting sponsorship and maintaining the relationship
- Filming a documentary with Musto (Sailing clothing brand)
- The importance of visibility and representation
- Being inspired by the sporting women in the Olympics
- The importance of PERSONAL challenges
- How to connect with Pam
- Words of advice for other women who want to go after their own goals
- Encouraging women to go after big goals and building a step by step progression plan
- Lisa - Life & Business Mindset Coach
- Building your confidence along the way
- Giving yourself credit and the belief to tackle big things
Social Media
Website www.pamelaleesailing.com
Instagram @pamybefree