Young Quebec sailor, 17, aims to challenge gender stereotypes in sailing

Jasmine Pernot, 17, is set to become Quebec’s youngest skipper and one of only three women leading crews in the inaugural St-Laurent 400 offshore race. The 400-nautical-mile event starts Aug. 6 in Tadoussac at the mouth of the Saguenay River and finishes in the Magdalen Islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Pernot will helm a seven-person crew, with 24-plus consecutive hours at sea, unlike shorter races where teams return nightly. From Thurso in western Quebec, she got her start through Femina Jeunesse, a program offering free sailing training for girls aged 15 to 17. Her second-in-command and tactician is Daniel Bérubé, the only man aboard. She hopes the race challenges lingering gender stereotypes.