Looking for a little bit of magic in your life? Queenscliff Cruising Yacht Club may have just the thing to spice up your life with final preparations being made for the KISS 2023 Program Launch. Commencing Tuesday 16 May the opening session will be led by QCYC Commodore Lee Renfree moderating a panel of four “class of 2022” KISS graduates discussing “Facing Your Fears”.
Amongst the panellists, meet Deborah Cristofaro, who signed up for KISS 2022, then went out and bought her own boat. Now with the helm firmly in her hands, she is returning for KISS 2023 to further plumb the depths, this time to step up to the responsibilities of boat ownership and being skipper and sailing master.
Deborah takes up her story -
“Only a few years back, I took up sailing courses at Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron on the club’s J70 sports yachts. I completed Start Crewing and Start Helming courses and also obtained my Marine Radio Operator certificate, occasionally volunteering as Radio Operator for keelboat racing at BYS.
After two years participating in keelboat racing at BYS most weekends and all seasons, spending more time as a spectator due to limited opportunity to actively crew, I was excited to be offered a regular crew spot. Whilst most crew members were very supportive and happy to teach me, others were dismissive and unwilling to share their knowledge and skills.
Discouraged by my variable experiences, I was elated when KISS was announced in May 2022. I jumped at the opportunity to gain more knowledge and skills about sailing safety, preparation, weather and navigation, to try out new roles such as Helming and Navigation and expand my knowledge and experience of Marine Radio operation. Along with other aspiring female sailors from BYS, we signed up and were lucky to be assigned to QCYC’s Commodore Lee Renfree and husband Stephen’s boat PipeDream with Lee as our KISS Mentor!
My participation in the KISS program assured me there are generous sailors, women and men out there, willing to provide opportunities and support and encourage me in my sailing journey. It also made me believe that given the opportunity, I could expand my knowledge, skills and understanding to become a competent and confident sailor.
KISS motivated me to step up and gain my Recreational Marine Boating Licence.
And I fell in love with Helming - now my preferred role!”
Post KISS, Deborah has been a busy woman.
“I’ve taken on the roles of Facilitator for the BYS SheSails Working Group and recently that of SheSails Club Representative at BYS.
Realising the best way for me to learn to helm was to get my own boat, I recently took the plunge and purchased my first yacht, a 26-foot Seaway Elite named “AquaMagic” and am currently navigating the joys and challenges of yacht ownership.
Once I’ve mastered Aquamagic, I’m committed to providing female novice sailors with the opportunity to practice their sailing on my boat in a safe, relaxed and fun environment. I plan to have an all-female crew and race in 2024.
In the meantime we’ll go dolphin watching with a picnic and champagne!”
And on her return for KISS 2023 -
“I’m really looking forward to participating in the KISS program again this year and practising new skills such as navigation and helming, as well as networking and having fun with like-minded women.
I am humbled and honoured to be invited to share my experiences of participating in the first KISS course and now sharing my experiences with participants of this year’s course.
What a fabulous journey it has been!”
Time is running short, but there are still a few places remaining in the program. To register and for further information go to the QCYC KISS webpage. Keep up to date by following us on QCYC facebook.
We look forward to having you onboard!
Last Modified on 10/05/2023 22:26