Erica Lush

From Rhode Island, USA, Erica Lush pursues offshore sailing with determination. Family trips in her childhood sparked her love for life at sea, teaching her early on about the magic and adventure of leaving shore behind. Those memories continue to fuel her dreams of ocean racing.

A haven for young sailors, Rhode Island provided excellent opportunities for dinghy racing development. But after university, that track disappeared. Lacking a clear professional pathway, and facing many false starts and obstacles, Erica forged her own career without a road map–finding “lucky breaks” in programs designed to advance women in sailing.

She first joined an affirmative action initiative The Maiden Factor, then later benefited from a structured mentorship with Sharon Ferris-Choat through The Magenta Project. She continues to carry those lessons in her own offshore solo and shorthanded campaign, giving back to the sport she loves.

Today Erica has sailed over 75,000 nautical miles offshore. That’s equivalent to more than two laps of the planet.

Her highlights include racing through the Southern Ocean, rounding Cape Horn, completing a circumnavigation, crossing the Atlantic in IMOCA 60s, and competing in double-handed races in Class 40s and Figaro 3s.

In 2019 Erica first heard about a grueling series of solo races on the Atlantic coasts of Europe: La Solitaire du Figaro. This single-handed marathon is regarded as one of the world’s most demanding training grounds for elite offshore racing. The idea hooked her, but the event is decidedly French–and being American, she didn’t think she’d be able to enter. Undeterred, she formed a plan to begin racing double-handed back in the US and then internationally.

After six years of development in short-handed racing, re-locating to France and learning a new language, fundraising relentlessly, training in the French system and completing her first solo races, this year all the hard work is coming to fruition in the biggest challenge of her career.

In 2025 with the support of the American Sailboat Racing Foundation, she became the third American ever to compete in the Solitaire. She is currently seeking funds to enter a second time, aiming for a record US result in the race.