SGYC hosts women’s sailing day
By Trent Westaway
A FREE day on the water aimed at increasing female sailing participation took place at the South Gippsland Yacht Club’s home on Inverloch’s Esplanade on Saturday April 18.
The event was open to women and girls of all experience levels and was made possible through Australian Sailing’s ‘Sail Our Way’ program.
It was run entirely by female members of the club.
Coordinator Tanith Ryan said the day was designed as a welcoming and relaxing entry point to sailing, particularly for those who have never tried it before.
“It’s a bit of an introduction to sailing,” she said.
“We were able to offer it free of charge, and today we’ve actually got 18 women registered, a lot of whom haven’t been to our club before, to come and have a go and see if they even like it.”
The Inverloch Yacht Club secured a $1200 grant through the ‘SheSails Sail Our Way Participation Grant Program’, with club secretary Henry Meuller being the one to identify and apply for the funding opportunity on behalf of the club.
The grant was able to completely cover the event’s costs.
Australian Sailing was one of 290 organisations in the country selected for support under the broader ‘Play Our Way’ program, which aims to make all sport in
Australia more inclusive and accessible for everyone.
The funding received for the ‘Sail Our Way’ program also directly supports Australian Sailing’s strategic plan, which has committed to achieving 50 per cent female participation across all aspects of the sport by 2032, including membership, coaching, volunteering, courses and the workforce.
For the South Gippsland Yacht Club, furthering female participation has been identified as an important priority.
“I think there’s a push in a lot of sports for female participation,” Ms Ryan said.
“The club on its own, like many sailing clubs, has an ageing male demographic.”
She said making the event free of charge was an important factor, giving women and girls the chance to try sailing without worrying about costs or commitment.
“If anybody had a limiting factor financially, or there are membership fees they weren’t sure of, they can come and try with no strings attached and see what they think of it,” she said.
Rather than risking overwhelming newcomers with technical language and sailing jargon, the focus was instead placed on having a go, getting out on the water and enjoying the experience.
Many of the boats were rigged in advance and participants took part in sailing sessions both before and after lunch.
For participant Jenny McCormack, the day offered a unique opportunity that she’d been searching for.
“I just love sailing,” she said.
“I’ve been looking for an opportunity to try and sail little sailboats, because I’ve got friends with big sailboats, and I’ve had a go on those. I can do all that, but it’s not quite the same.”
Ms McCormack said she only recently started sailing in the last few years, and was eager to build her confidence in a smaller boat.
“Sailing in a smaller boat was something I was really looking forward to, and just sailing in general. I love sailing. I just love it,” she said with a grin.
Ms Ryan said she hoped participants left the club on Saturday having sparked a new interest in the sport, and would consider returning in the future.
“At a participant level, I just hope that they enjoy it, that there’s some sort of interest spark,” she said.
“And as a club, it would be lovely to have more female participants who turn up regularly.”
As the sailing season nears its close, ending around April each year, she said the club hopes to hold a similar event early next season, giving participants the chance to return and get involved again as soon as possible.
