Battle Of Sexes Hits High Seas

In what is being billed as a battle of the sexes, a Swedish company is sponsoring two identical yachts - one for the men and one for the women - in the Whitbread Round The World Race.

Given that EF Education’s work force is 65 percent female, it didn’t seem right to sponsor a yacht for men only, said Fred Andersson, who is heading EF’s project.

“The females have a goal to beat the males … and we will see how it all ends up,” Andersson said Thursday.

Crew member Katherine Pettibone views the competition a bit differently. “We are out there to win, not to prove a point,” she said.