I'm sorry,but I have never heard of any races that restrict participation based on age or gender. I'm female and old, and I have never heard of a race that would exclude me. That's the best thing about sailboat racing, that you can do it until you are ancient and it doesn't matter whether you are male or female, 13 years old or 90 years old.

And as far as people having extra "resources" because of being "professional" or "sponsored," how far do we go with that? If normal, amateur people have extra daggerboards and rudders and rigging, and an extra sail, in their boat box -- as many people do -- should they not be allowed to use them unless everybody at the regatta has the same stuff? Gimme a break!

Okay, I am just editing this to say that numerous times throughout our sailing life, we have either been in the borrowing end or the lending end of spare parts for other sailors in need, so that they can continue racing. It is wonderful that people DO carry spare parts and make them available to their competitors, as well as having them available for themselves.