This Queen’s birthday long weekend saw the Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta (AWKR) held on the waters of Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron (RMYS) in St Kilda. For those of you unfamiliar with the event, the AWKR is the only all female keelboat regatta in Australia.
This year, 26 keelboats entered the completion along with 171 female sailors from all over Australia and I was lucky enough to be one of them.
Having joined MYC in February as a volunteer I quickly discovered how much I enjoyed sailing and was eager to learn and experience as much as I could. After a conversation with Rod (Austin) the AWKR seed was planted and with the encouragement and help from Kellie Knowles I was asked to crew on ‘Up n Go’ with skipper Britta Baade out of RYCV.
The preparation started a few months out with weekend training sessions and the AWKR lecture series at RMYS… with entrance fees paid and commitments made there was no backing out.
The regatta got off to a blustery start with 20-30kts and gusts up to 40kts at times, I guess we should be grateful that the hail stones were only small!! The conditions over the three days were as varied as the tactics employed by the competitors but the one constant that remained true was that even though we were there to compete, we were also there to have fun…. and have fun we did.
Today as I examine the impressive bruises I have collected over the last three days I have reflected over the lessons learned. Yes, flying the kite successfully can give you the edge… but knowing when to’ leave it in the bag’ is just as important. It takes a crew to win a race not an individual.
But by far the best lesson I have learnt is that it’s never too late to start sailing. I have been fortunate enough to be surrounded and supported by members of MYC who have encouraged me, shared their experiences, offered their time, invited me on their boats and patiently answered my questions and explained things a hundred times over. I am looking forward to the many more sailing adventures that lay ahead.
Christine Cooper
Quotes from Kellie yesterday:
"Great first race today with spinnaker broach and two girls overboard, Amanda and Sue from Safety Beach ! Now we know what to do next broach ..."
" And Spinnaker sprout smashed my motor! And I suck upwind!"
Up n Go - Christine Cooper 1st
Take One - Kellie Knowles , Amanda Malin 5th
Click Here for results
Congratulations and I hope Mornington continue to grow our Women's Keelboat Fleet.
This year, 26 keelboats entered the completion along with 171 female sailors from all over Australia and I was lucky enough to be one of them.
Having joined MYC in February as a volunteer I quickly discovered how much I enjoyed sailing and was eager to learn and experience as much as I could. After a conversation with Rod (Austin) the AWKR seed was planted and with the encouragement and help from Kellie Knowles I was asked to crew on ‘Up n Go’ with skipper Britta Baade out of RYCV.
The preparation started a few months out with weekend training sessions and the AWKR lecture series at RMYS… with entrance fees paid and commitments made there was no backing out.
The regatta got off to a blustery start with 20-30kts and gusts up to 40kts at times, I guess we should be grateful that the hail stones were only small!! The conditions over the three days were as varied as the tactics employed by the competitors but the one constant that remained true was that even though we were there to compete, we were also there to have fun…. and have fun we did.
Today as I examine the impressive bruises I have collected over the last three days I have reflected over the lessons learned. Yes, flying the kite successfully can give you the edge… but knowing when to’ leave it in the bag’ is just as important. It takes a crew to win a race not an individual.
But by far the best lesson I have learnt is that it’s never too late to start sailing. I have been fortunate enough to be surrounded and supported by members of MYC who have encouraged me, shared their experiences, offered their time, invited me on their boats and patiently answered my questions and explained things a hundred times over. I am looking forward to the many more sailing adventures that lay ahead.
Christine Cooper
Quotes from Kellie yesterday:
"Great first race today with spinnaker broach and two girls overboard, Amanda and Sue from Safety Beach ! Now we know what to do next broach ..."
" And Spinnaker sprout smashed my motor! And I suck upwind!"
Up n Go - Christine Cooper 1st
Take One - Kellie Knowles , Amanda Malin 5th
Click Here for results
Congratulations and I hope Mornington continue to grow our Women's Keelboat Fleet.
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