OK, I'll bite...

I'll venture it's a personality thing. (awa gender/societally driven) The 'tomboy' girls, which are definitely in the minority of women, are the ones who would tend to be interested in sailing.

Now take that minority and divide it between ALL sports, and I'll bet your numbers will come out in proportion to the overall ratios of sports interest regardless of sex. (eg, there just ain't a whole buttload of interest in sailing as compared to other sports f'rinstance bicycling, skiing, soccer, drag racing, whatever). I mean, I arrived at boat racing via drag racing (used to have a '68 Dodge Dart w/383ci) and bicycle racing (pretty decent criterium/road racer at one time). The only thing I'd wished is that I could have been exposed to cat sailing earlier in life, but thass how it goes. I'd have fewer scars, I had a real nasty interaction with the macadam once...

Myself and the other few women I've met who do sail/skipper are to my best experience EXCLUSIVELY 'tomboy' types. Certainly the most competitive women are, well, rather butch ;-) (An' I won't EVEN go into those insinuations I've received)

Thass my story an' Ah'm-a stickin' tew h'it
sea ya
tami