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Three days of light wind sailing certainly tested the patience of the nearly 200 women competing in this year’s Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta (AWKR). Port Phillip Bay at times, looked more like a mill pond than its usual windy self, however that did help keep the temperature civilised for those of us that travelled south to contest the event.

Hosted by Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron and celebrating its 32nd Anniversary, the AWKR is Australia’s longest running keelboat competition for women. This year the event attracted teams from South Australia, Northern Territory, New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. The racing is possible primarily due to the generous boat owners that make their boats available for the event. The AWKR committee collect resumes from skippers and connect interstate sailors with local boat owners.

It is a 3-day weekend packed with activity from the Friday night event briefing, daily 8am weather updates from the Principal Race Officer Louise Hutton, racing from 10am, after racing Boat Buoy Yard Parties including sausage sizzle as well as wine, beer, gin and rum tastings from generous regatta partners. Saturday night was the crew dinner and Monday night wrapped up with an event presentation.



Across the fleet there is a range of experience including Sydney to Hobart veterans through to others taking on their first regatta. Competing at the AWKR for the first time this year was Wendy Tuck, the first woman to win an around the world race. She has 16 Sydney Hobarts under her belt and was a skipper on Maiden, which sailed around the world to raise the awareness of the 130 million girls globally who do not have access to an education.

Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron was represented by Karyn Gojnich, Rhian Hughes, Michelle McGrath, Lindy Hardcastle and Alex Murray sailing a J/70 in Division 2.

Michelle commented ‘It was a lot of fun on and off the water. Scary starts but luckily, I’m not driving just yelling starboard or up. There was a lot of support on the dock from 'boat bouys' and club members and a very funny MC, Dee Mason. You don’t want to miss her one liners’.

While the event does have multiple series pointscores across Event Handicap (EHC), AMS and ORC, the celebration is really the special awards that include Novice skipper (a skipper helming her first regatta), Leadership, Most Improved, Boat Buoys Best Parking Award, Best Performed Owner / Skipper and Sportsmanship awards.



Scored under EHC, Division 1 was won by Clare Olding, who skippered her dad Tim's Summit 35, Vertigo. The 23-year-old from Melbourne scored second and fifth places on the last day to reclaim the lead and win the title.

‘It's very cool to win. We've been trying for about three years now and we finally got here,’ Olding said. Crew member Allison Wetzels added, ‘We sailed our own races today; we didn't think about what others were doing. We had good clean crew work as a results of lots of training.’

Olding, on the day's first race: ‘It was a good 6 knots at the start, then it got so light (1.5 to 2 knots) and very tactical. While we were waiting for the second race we followed some dolphins,’ she said of the hour-long delay.

‘The second race was better and worth waiting for (8-10 knots), but very up and down’, said Olding, adding that most of the crew had sailed with her and her father on Vertigo at some point.

Seventh and second places lifted Spartan, skippered by Wendy Tuck up to second place from Justine Ella's Jungle Juice (NSW), winner of Race 4.



Division 2 went to the J/70, Auretta, with Emma Maertens (VIC) skippering. They started the regatta with ninth place and ended it with 11th, with three wins between clinching the deal. ‘The first race was a bit of a luck of the draw. We had a good start and then dropped down. Then we won a few after that,’ Maertens said. ‘This is our first time at the regatta. I found it quite challenging because of the conditions. I was a bit reluctant because of the all-female thing too, but we found it really good, and we'll definitely do it again.' On the J/70 she said, ‘Auretta is a club training boat and I normally sail with the crew I have here with me. The J/70 is the best boat I've ever sailed.’

Two Dogs, skippered by Megan Aulich (VIC), placed second overall, with Karyn Gojnich's J/70, The Jackal (NSW) in third.

Overall results

Photos by Andrea Francolini