Joy Adams: From Fired Sailmaker to America's Cup Legend

Joy Adams got fired from her dream job at North Sails in the 1980s simply for being a woman, but she didn't let that sink her sailing career. Instead, the Auckland native went on to become one of New Zealand's most important figures in competitive sailing, working on America's Cup campaigns and Olympic victories that put Kiwi sailors on the world map.

Growing up in Howick with a famous navigator father and accomplished sailor mother, Adams seemed destined for the water. Her father Jack Allen navigated successful Sydney to Hobart races, and her brother Joe Allen won match racing world championships and several America's Cup competitions as a bowman.

After a brief stint as a dressmaking apprentice and working in central Australia, Adams realized she was miserable away from the sea. She rushed to Tonga to help crew the family yacht home and decided right there to become a sailmaker.

Adams landed a job at North Sails, a new company in New Zealand, where she excelled building sails for top racing boats. But then came the setback: management fired her and all the other female employees.

Instead of giving up, Adams moved to Los Angeles and worked the 1984 Olympic Games as an onsite sailmaker. She gave special attention to the New Zealand team, who rewarded her efforts with gold medals from Russell Coutts in the Finn class and Rex Sellers and Chris Timms in the Tornado class, plus Bruce Kendall's bronze in boardsailing.

Adams joined the Canadian America's Cup team in 1986, calling it almost the fulfillment of her dreams. When funding issues forced Canada to withdraw midway through the campaign, she jumped at the chance to join Team New Zealand, describing it as a dream come true.

Why This Inspires

Adams managed the sail wardrobe for Steinlager 2's around-the-world race, the largest sail order North Sails NZ had ever received. The team won every leg without a single sail breakage.

She then tackled another unprecedented challenge: building sails for the big boat KZ1 that were larger than anyone had ever attempted. The team figured it out, pushing boundaries that many thought impossible.

Adams spent her early twenties working long hours alongside other young sailors who ate, worked, and played together as a family. Even getting chained to a dock by teammates became a happy memory because it meant a break from the intense work schedule.

Her career helped establish New Zealand's reputation for high-standard sailors on the international stage. Through multiple America's Cup campaigns and Olympic successes, Adams proved that getting fired for being female was just the beginning of her story, not the end.