[Cherie]

A British female sailor has criticised a musical based on her life story after the cast members used their platform to stage a pro-trans fundraiser.

Tracy Edwards made history in 1989 when she captained the Maiden, leading the first all-female yacht crew in the Whitbread Round the World Race.

But she has criticised the musical based on the race, called Maiden Voyage, after cast members used a curtain call to fundraise for a charity that supports transgender inclusion in women’s sports on the night she attended.

Ms Edwards has been public with her opposition to the inclusion of transgender women – biological males – in women’s competitions and changing rooms.

They allegedly chose the night Ms Edwards was in the audience for the show, running at the Southwark Playhouse, to make a public plea for funds.

Footage from the night showed one performer urging the audience on Aug 12 to give to Pride Sports, the “LGBTIQ+ inclusion charity working to make sports a welcoming place for everyone”.

This charity publicly opposed moves to ban transgender women from female competitions, including the FA’s new rules barring trans players from women’s and girls’ football leagues.

Some members of the cast were said to be uncomfortable with Ms Edwards’ positions on women’s rights, sport and her opposition to gender ideology – the belief that self-identification rather than biological sex defines womanhood.

This led to some trouble behind the scenes in the days before a group of cast members made their on-stage appeal, and there were concerns about a potential protest or “nastiness”.

Ms Edwards said: “They had not done it before, or on other dates. It was for my benefit.”

She added: “They are in a little bubble, and I don’t think they think for themselves. They are not activists; they are sheep.

“The irony of spending 90 minutes singing and dancing in celebration of women fighting for their rights in sport, only to trample all over those rights at the end, is off the scale.”

Ms Edwards is concerned that, because it took place after a show about her life, her name has effectively been used to fundraise for a cause without her permission.

She had no official affiliation with the musical and played no part in its production, but was invited to advise on some factual points about her voyage, work she called “a favour”.

It is understood that producers have assured Ms Edwards that, should any future fundraising occur, all proceeds will be given to her charity, The Maiden Factor Foundation, which funds girls’ educational programmes around the world.

This also seeks to inspire young girls, in the spirit of the all-female Maiden voyage of 1989, which came second in its class overall. The voyage was encouraged by King Hussein I of Jordan, who had met Ms Edwards during a chance encounter on a yacht.

Heather Binning, the founder of the gender-critical Women’s Rights Network, said: “Tracy Edwards is an icon for women who proved her mettle in the male-dominated world of sailing with an all-woman crew, astonishing many, and celebrated by many more.

“To use and exploit that achievement is an insult to women everywhere, and particularly to Tracy herself.

“To try to score woke points by making a statement in support of a so-called ‘trans’ project is quite beyond belief.”

Representatives of the production have been contacted for comment.