This is a final call to female sailors who would like to race Australia’s premier all-female regatta, the 2025 Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta (AWKR), where you will join the 25 already entered in Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron’s (RMYS) annual event.
Sailed over the Kings Holiday weekend on Port Phillip, racing starts on Saturday 7 June and concludes on Monday 10 June. Entrant to-date represent Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland, NSW and Victoria.
“We’re looking forward to receiving the final entries and remember, if you don’t have your own boat, or team, but would like to sail, you can go online to the official event website and fill out the form. You are all welcome and we will endeavour to find you a suitable ride,” said event Chairwoman, Monica Jones.
“This event is open to women of all ages and levels of sailing, from the experienced to novice sailors, which is reflected in the trophies that are awarded each year,” Jones said of the following trophies:
Rohan Brownlee Leadership and Endeavour; Novice Skipper; Most Improved Performance over the event; Sportsmanship; Best Performed Owner/Skipper; Team or teams that most embodied the spirit of the regatta.
A regular competitor, Jones always has a couple of new and newer sailors aboard her Adams 10, Salamander III “Otherwise how do they get the opportunity to go racing in a great environment,” she says.
Returning to the event this year is world-renowned yachtswoman, Wendy Tuck (NSW), the first of only two woman to ever skipper a boat to a round the world win, which she did as skipper of Sanya Serenity Coast in the 2017-2018 Clipper Round the World Race. Tuck has also competed in 17 Sydney Hobarts and was a guest skipper on Maiden’s global voyage in 2018 in support of The Maiden Factor Foundation.
Tuck will again skipper the Beneteau First 34.7, Spartan, supported by her crew.
South Australia is also well-represented by Mary Ann Harvey, who has again entered Clockwork, the Sydney 38 she co-owns with Andrew Lloyd. Harvey has contested three Sydney Hobarts among other events in Australia and has widely travelled with Clockwork to sailing races and regattas around Australia in the past two years, including racing at this event last year.
Tasmania has field entries in recent years and this time Alice Buchanan. She will skipper Ambition, a J70 owned by high profile sailor Chris Dare, who earlier this year won the J70 Australian Championship with Ambition.
In 2024, Buchanan was recognised in the Tasmania Sailing Awards, winning the Female Sailor of the Year. She has won a Girl’s 29er divisions of the Open National Championship, Australian Sailing Youth Championship in Brisbane and skippered the Victorian team crowned 2023 VIC Sailing League Champions among a plethora of other top results.
These women and their crews will sail alongside club racers, those new to sailing and women who will take charge of their boats for the first time in the open fleet and in divisions, such as the S80 and Adams 10.
The event is not confined to shoreside either. Jones and volunteers from RMYS are again ensuring a fun time for all ashore. Breakfast is available on site every race day. And post sailing is a free sausage sizzle with a drink. Both are a lot of fun with the banter running freely between teams and old friends meeting up again.
Dinner is available at RMYS on the Friday evening when the AWKR briefing is held. Saturday 7 June marks the official crew dinner at RMYS and bookings are essential – so don’t miss out! Sunday is the Boat Buoy Yard Party and guarantees music, fun, a sausage sizzle and drinks. Monday is farewell, with the Presentation and a celebration of the regatta.
If you are looking for crew or would like to crew, please go to: www.awkr.com.au/crew-noticeboard or email: awkr@rmys.com.au or phone (03) 9534-0227.
There is a place for everyone from novices up to professionals at the AWKR, so don’t wait, enter online now at: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1355039
List of entries: https://www.topyacht.com.au/db/kb2/1858
Notice of Race and all other information: https://www.awkr.com.au/
By Di Pearson/AWKR media
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Twitter: @awkr1 https://twitter.com/awkr1
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