The Sarah Blanck Regatta, was a weekend of celebration for women and girls in the sport of sailing. Coaches, instructors, sailors, on-water race management team, photographer, safety boat drivers were all female, where a learning environment was offered for the women and girls to dust of the cobwebs for the season ahead, or dip their toe into sailing and be coached around a race course for the first time.
As one of our lead coaches and Olympian Karyn Gojnich said: "The regatta was for all ages and skill levels; to encourage the involvement of women and girls in all aspects in the sport of sailing: participating, coaching or as an official. In every role a female who had expressed an interest was shadowing another female with experience. Every aspect of the regatta was about building confidence, growing skills and empowering the women and girls to go back to their own clubs and make a difference".
Many thanks to Westernport Yacht Club, volunteers, families and the males behind the scenes; supporting the regatta office, making the lunches, serving the drinks, manning the tractor and ferrying the coaches to their boats. The regatta would not have been possible without the passion which Sarah Blanck has for female participation in sport, without Peta and her daughter Pip for their determination to promote the knowledge and experience of the Olympians and females in the sport who have incredible experiences to share.
Members, if you have some feedback on the event, (what went surprisingly well? what should we change for next year?) please e-mail the club.
We've already had some unsolicited endorsement from competitors:
I just wanted to write to express my thanks to you all for creating such a fun and valuable sailing weekend. I can't stop thinking about all the moments that made me laugh and I'm looking forward to putting everything I learnt into play at my club this weekend. You all created an incredibly fun, informative, supportive and empowering environment in which to learn, make mistakes and ultimately grow. I'm so grateful for this.
Because I am quite new to sailing, I haven't been game enough to contest the starts at the few club races I've skippered; I've tended to hang back and wait for everyone else to go before rounding the course. I now feel I have a better understanding of what I should be doing and so look forward to contesting the start at this coming weekend!
Thanks again for such a brilliant event. I'm already looking forward to next year's regatta"
... and from Janette Connard (Beaumaris Yacht Club)
To All the Volunteers from Westernport Yacht Club,
I and several members of Beaumaris Yacht Club participanted in the Sarah Blanck Regatta this weekend.
From beginning to end, the regatta was a great success. We were warmly welcomed from the moment of our arrival. Whenever we needed assistance, there was a friendly member offering help, whether it was parking our boat or moving it on and off the beach. The catering was excellent; the facilities clean. I and the other sailors had a wonderful time and gained enormously from participating in the regatta. All your organisation and hard work contributed greatly to our positive experience and were very much appreciated.
Well done WYC!
Last Modified on 11/11/2015 11:27