The Williamstown Sailing Club (WSC) held a special Saturday race which put women at the helm to order to encourage more women to take up sailing.
WSC Commodore Maree Fitzpatrick said the day, held on April 20, received a fantastic response.
“The program itself was dedicated to the women’s helm which means that women held and steered the boat and had men and boys and girls as the crew,” she said.
“The aim was to further develop and encourage women in sailing and to do that by showing our commitment.
“One of the objectives of Australian sailing is to increase the participation of women in sailing because sailing does still tend to be male dominated.”
Despite this being the first event of this kind, Ms Fitzpatrick said that the WSC has a strong female presence compared to many clubs.
“We have the strongest representation of women compared to a lot of clubs so we have been putting a lot of material on the doors to encourage women to take part as well as girls,” she said.
“We want to get the word out to come and enjoy it although it might not be a traditional sport for women there is a place for sailing and racing as well as base management, which requires another set of skills like rescue driving as well as administration support.”
A commodore herself, Ms Fitzpatrick said “we want to ensure we as women empower other women”.
“The women of WSC wish to thank all of the men at the club and local clubs Hobsons Bay and the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria who have been such great advocates and supporters of women sailing and racing,” she added.
