Kaia Bint Savage shares her story about documenting The Maiden Factor

by Mark Jardine & Kaia Bint Savage 7 Feb 03:30 NZDT

Documenting The Maiden Factor © Kaia Bint Savage

Kaia Bint Savage won the Yachting Journalists' Association Young Journalist of the Year in 2024. She shares the impact of sharing her story with YJA members at a special event at the Royal Ocean Racing Club in London.

Kaia wrote after the event:

As I stepped through the front door, an oceanic wave of nostalgia hit me. This was the first place where I'd had a meeting for my job as the Social Media Manager of The Maiden Factor back in 2016, when I wasn't long out of university. Maiden had just returned to the UK - completely shipwrecked - with a huge restoration, two charity world tours and many adventures ahead. Little did I know then that Maiden was set to change the world again in 2024.

The Fastnet Room was the place where the Maiden crew and team congregated after visiting Clarence House and meeting HRH Queen Camilla, as part of the Ocean Globe Race-winning celebrations. I hold so much admiration for the amazing crew, and that specific day, as I watched the Queen shake their hands and ask questions about their multi-record-breaking achievement, I felt as if I could burst with pride like a parent (despite the fact a few crew members are actually older than me).

But this time, in 2025, I was in the Fastnet Room with a new cohort - members of the Yachting Journalists' Association. I was honoured to win the YJA Young Journalist of the Year award for my work covering The Maiden Factor over the OGR 2023/4, and can't thank the members who voted for me enough. Award finalist Jack Gore and I shared our stories, along with photos and videos, and had the opportunity to speak and ask questions with those who attended.

When I left, I immediately started writing notes as I walked, shielding my notepad from the raindrops hellbent on making my ink run, as I tried to write down all the advice everyone had kindly given to Jack and me. I wasn't roleplaying as a detective in the 70s - I just didn't want to walk around London with a phone in my hand. There was so much that I was a little annoyed at myself for not taking bullet points as inconspicuously as possible in my pocket when actually talking to everyone, to ensure I didn't miss anything. You rarely get so many good tips and recommendations from people who are genuinely supportive. I've been in situations with fellow photographers when I was still very new, asked for advice, to a sea of unhelpful, unwilling faces looking back at me. Here, when I asked a question, I had some of the best journalists and photographers replying to me and giving me pure pearls of wisdom, from dealing with imposter syndrome (I'm not sure if it's reassuring or not that it doesn't seem to go away!) to the titles of books that inspired them in turn.

To battle commuters at rush hour to travel to the middle of London on a drizzly, dreary January weekday evening, probably isn't an appealing choice for many, but Jack and I were so grateful to the members who attended, and to Katy and the YJA committee who set up the event. We left with pages of tips, an increased motivation, and the support of professionals who are not just wonderful role models, but very generous and kind people.