From time to time, sailing history benefits from a gentle revisit to ensure important contributions are accurately recorded.
There has been recent reference to Vanessa Dudley being the first skipper of an all-female 18ft skiff during the 1985–86 season. While Vanessa’s role in the class is widely recognised and respected, it’s worth noting that an all-female 18ft skiff crew sailed more than a decade earlier.
In the early 1970s, Victoria Willman sailed from the Sydney Flying Squadron at Kirribilli, the birthplace of 18ft skiff sailing. The boat, named Boobs, carried an “L” plate on both the mainsail and transom. The crew was entirely female: two of the sailors had never sailed before, while the third had experience on the foredeck of a Middle Harbour 26. Victoria herself had not previously sailed an 18ft skiff, though she had helmed yachts, crewed on larger boats overseas, and, like many skiff sailors of the era, started out in Moths.
For Victoria, sailing an 18ft skiff was a way to be active on Sydney Harbour independently, without being tied to an owner-funded campaign. The crew attracted considerable attention at the time, which ultimately led to sponsorship from Moygashel Irish Linen.
The experience proved formative. It later led Victoria to organise and skipper the first all-women yacht to compete in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race in 1975 — another milestone in Australian sailing history.
Now, some 50 years on, it’s understandable that early achievements such as these are not widely remembered. However, in the interest of historical accuracy, it’s important to acknowledge that an all-female 18ft skiff team was sailing more than ten years prior to the 1985–86 season.
Recognising these early pioneers adds depth to the story of women’s participation in skiff sailing and ensures their contributions are properly acknowledged.
18skiff #18footers #sydneyharbour
