Boating New Zealand - May 2018

98 Boating New Zealand

t can be hard keeping a sailing team together.

Work commitments, babies, other sailing and

that complicated thing called ‘life’ all get in

the way. But late last year, a few of us ladies

who used to sail together in the early 2000s,

under Sally Garrett, decided it was time to

‘get the band together’ and get back out on the water.

We last did the women’s keelboat nationals in 2007, when

it was sailed in the Platu 25, but also did a couple of series on

the MRX back in the event’s heyday, when there were so many

crews wanting to compete that the format required a boat-

swapping round-robin.

In the last few years, the number of women signing up for

the event has dropped – but this year it all changed, with 11

crews on the start-line.

Discussion among women sailors revealed that, as well as

the life factors mentioned above, one of the biggest barriers to

entering the nationals was cost: both of entering the event and

the charter fee to use the MRX leet for training.

his season, in response to this issue, the MRX leet

management put together a special package, where female

crews could charter a boat for the summer series in preparation

for the nationals, and compete in the event itself, for $1,000 all

up. Too good an opportunity to miss.

After a build-up disrupted by bad weather (why does

it always blow so hard on Tuesday nights?), our skipper

disappearing to the sub-Antarctic, and the last-minute

withdrawal of our mainsheet hand (more ‘life’), we showed up at

the Line 7 Women’s Keelboat National Championships, run by

the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron on April 7 and 8, ready

as we’d ever be.

Sally Garrett was on the helm, with Kate Ellingham on main,

myself trimming, Alison Howitt tailing, Christine Weston on

keyboards, Jenny Price on mast and a new addition, 20-year-old

Emma Stenhouse, on the bow.

Fortunately, Auckland wasn’t having a cyclone event that

weekend, and we had two days of near-perfect 15-18 knot

conditions in which to complete 10 windward-leeward races.

For us, the highlight of the event was our lead-from-start-

to-inish win in Race 3, where we showed both ourselves and

the other competitors our mettle. A close third in the inal

race wasn’t quite enough, however, for us to catch either the

Tauranga crew led by Holly Farmer, or the on-form Sarah

Reynolds (Kif) of Constellation Crew, to get onto the podium.

We had to be satisied with ifth overall.

Duking it out at the top of the leet, as has been the case

for the past four years, were Karleen Dixon and Melinda

Henshaw. his year it was Dixon’s turn to come out on top,

with a nearly unbroken run of irst and second placings (she

discarded her only third).

he 2018 event showed what can be done with a bit of

organisation and enthusiasm, and the inancial incentive of the

charter package. At the prizegiving MRX leet manager Gary

Sugden said even more teams are expected to compete next

year, with a potential second team from Tauranga and invited

teams from overseas a possibility.

It was great to be back playing with the band, and we’ll be

out there next season, too. Watch this space. BNZ

A ladies crew rediscovers its mojo, reconvening to participate in one

of the most hotly-contested MRX nationals in years.

I

Duking Ladies