One hundred women graced the River Derwent on Saturday, all part of the Club Marine Tasmanian Women’s Keelboat Regatta. The popular annual regatta, hosted by the Bellerive Yacht Club and supported by Australian Sailing-Tasmania, is always a highlight of the sailing calendar, offering women an opportunity to participate in sailing, in any capacity, simply for the enjoyment of the sport.
This year’s event was particularly special as it marked 100 women on the water during the BYC’s centenary year. Sandy McManus, a member of the regatta organising committee, expressed gratitude for the support from volunteers that made the event possible. “The goal was to get one hundred women on the water, and we did it! No volunteers, no event. We had a lot of women who were new to sailing involved this year; we hope we have ignited something in them and built their confidence to follow further sailing opportunities with the BYC or any sailing club in Tasmania,” said McManus.
Australian Sailing-Tasmania General Manager, Felicity Allison, sailing on the keelboat Saga, praised the regatta’s significance in providing opportunities for women in sailing. “We’ve got one hundred women on the water so that’s the big tick for making sure women get an opportunity to come out and be part of a regatta. It’s making an extra effort for those women who don’t often get on the water,” said Allison.
Laila Grafton, skipper of Saga, enjoyed her role during the regatta, reporting, “We had a great time, we were fast, and we went a lot better than I thought we were going to.” Her crew described her as “a bloody legend, cool, calm and collected, very skilled.”
Sailors competed across three divisions: Elliott 6-metre one design keelboats and two keelboat divisions. For many, it was their first regatta but all enjoyed the experience and camaraderie.
Nic Douglass, Australian Sailing She Sails ambassador, noted, “It’s fantastic to see around 100 women taking part in this year’s Tasmanian Women’s Keelboat Regatta, especially as Bellerive Yacht Club celebrates its 100th year. The role of women in the club has certainly evolved, and weekends like this show how far things have come.”
Bridget Hutton, the race officer, reported variable conditions on the River Derwent, with light breezes followed by stronger sea breezes that enhanced the experience for competitors.
In the one-design Elliott division, Charlotte Armstrong led to victory with a series score of seven points, followed by Jo-Anne Verrier and Addison Lester. On performance handicap, Verrier took first place, trailed by Armstrong and Lester. In Division One, Jodie Sullivan’s Plausible Alibi won on performance handicap, while Grafton’s Saga excelled in both IRC and ORC handicaps. Division Two saw Jane Mason’s Commbank win on performance handicap, edging out Centinela and Rotary.
The overall winner of the perpetual trophy was Saga, recognised as the best-performing boat on performance handicap overall. Full results are available at: https://www.topyacht.com.au/notice_brd/notice_brd.php?ev=107.107.107.1.1944
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