SHE Sails is a nationally known brand nurtured by Australian Sailing but, over time, it has come to represent far more than just sailing.
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It's a community of women of all ages and backgrounds cultivating lifelong friendships and sharing a love of being on the water.
It is also a local success story, which few people know, that evolved from two Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club sailors, Mary Holley and Jan Howard, wanting to prove something to themselves in 2008.
Their story has just been featured in national boating magazine Club Marine and deserves further coverage.
"While Jan and I had both sailed for many years aboard fully crewed racing yachts, neither of us had been brave enough to sail on our own. That changed in 2008 when we took up the challenge of taking out our own boats, a Farr 40 and a Beneteau 40.7," the pair write.
"Initially, it was just the two of us and we mostly used the 40.7, which was easier to manage two-handed. As we gained confidence, we began sailing socially offshore with other women friends, before finally entering our club's offshore twilight series with an all-female crew."
With their fundamental value being "all learning together", there were apparently plenty of "Oh my God! Did we really do that?" moments.
As word spread, more women began enquiring about sailing with them. They'd meet for a coffee to talk about the person's sailing experience and motivation. If Jan and Mary thought the candidate would be comfortable offshore, they invited them to sail in a twilight race. If not, they'd introduce them to sailing through training sessions in the harbour.
"At the time, we had no qualifications to teach sailing and became increasingly conscious of the risks in taking novices offshore. So, in 2013, Jan and I undertook the Yachting Australia Keelboat Instructor Course at Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club," the pair continue.
"Through this, we acquired instructor qualifications and demonstrated to our club that we were serious about the need for a learn-to-sail program. To our joy, the club bought six second-hand Force 24 training boats in 2014, and a sailing school co-ordinator was appointed."
Jacqui Bell, a former world champion Laser sailor and administrator, was appointed as Sailing Academy Administrator and she has been very supportive of women's sailing at NCYC.
A Women's Sailing course was then introduced to provide an opportunity for women to learn to sail with others in a mutually supportive environment. Their 'all learning together' value continued as the more experienced Force 24 sailors assisted the beginners.
"We've always felt supported at NCYC, however the culture of the club has increasingly become one of enthusiasm, inclusiveness and encouragement. Before 2016, women sailors were endearingly known here as the 'Skirts'. However, we felt it was time for a more inclusive name and brand and decided on 'She Sails'," they write.
A logo was designed and launched by their all-female crew at the 2016 Sail Port Stephens Regatta.
The following year, the group held a She Sails Development Regatta, the first ever women's event at the club. It involved 30 women sailing on six boats and was an outstanding success.
It still runs every year in that same fleet of Force 24s, except participation has doubled. Each November, a She Sails Open Regatta is held in the NCYC's Elliot 6 fleet, which is an important event in Pathways in Sailing.
"To our delight, Australian Sailing approached us in 2018, seeking to adopt the She Sails logo and brand nationally. The organisation has since employed Club Support Officers representing She Sails in every state," they add.
Today, Jan and Mary's message to any sailing club wanting to increase participation at the local level is simple - start where you are, use what you have and do what you can.
DASH TO GLADSTONE
An ORMA 60 trimaran called Rex, with Lake Macquarie's Brett Van Munster aboard, set a blistering record time in this year's Brisbane to Gladstone Multihull Yacht Race, completing the 308 nautical mile course in slightly over 14 hours at an average of 21 knots.
It shaved over an hour off the previous record and, at times, the crew had to slow the tri to under 30 knots because of conditions. Skipper Dale Mitchell said they had no problems, apart from damaging two sails.
Supermaxi Black Jack also smashed its own fastest time in the 74th running of the Easter race. Crossing in 16 hours, 13 minutes, it was 50 minutes ahead of RP66 Alive and the Botin 80 Stefan Racing.
TP52 Ichi Ban was 4th over the line, eclipsing rival Celestial, which had Novocastrian Richard Howard aboard. It added another IRC title to Ichi Ban's cabinet.
Two yachts were forced to withdraw during the race - Not A Diamond due to a broken rudder and Ignition because of a broken forestay. A third yacht diverted to Caloundra to transfer an injured crew member.
Queensland Cruising Yacht Club commodore Ian Gidlow says it was easily the best race start in the race's recent history, topped off with a record at the finish.
"Yesterday's race start was truly spectacular and the finish equally as thrilling, with Black Jack beating its own race record," he said.
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