Ladies of the Sea Coaching Regatta 2024

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Over 100 participants were involved in the 5th RSYS Ladies of the Sea Coaching Regatta that was sailed over the weekend.

Thirty different clubs were represented including Balmain Sailing Club, Balmoral Sailing Club, Blues Point Yacht Club, Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Drummoyne Sailing Club, Fremantle Sailing Club, Georges River Sailing Club, Gosford Sailing Club, Greenwich Flying Squadron, Kogarah Bay Sailing Club, Lake Macquarie Yacht Club, Lane Cove 12FT Sailing Skiff Club, Manly Yacht Club, McCrae Yacht Club, Middle Harbour Amateur Sailing Club, Middle Harbour Yacht Club, Navy Sailing, Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club, Ocean Racing Club of Victoria, RANSA, Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, Royal Motor Yacht Club Toronto, Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Serco Defence Sailing Centre, Sorrento Couta Boat Club, Sydney Amateur Sailing Club, Sydney Amateur Sailing Club, Sydney Flying Squadron, Woollahra Sailing Club.

It was a busy weekend with a welcome briefing on Friday night. Then both Saturday and Sunday morning kicked off with Harbourside Pilates before a 9am briefing ahead of a few morning drills. Racing was in the afternoon from 1pm with 6 races making up the series.

The LOTS regatta is a very special experience for a skipper and crew to refine their tactics under expert tutelage. Off water concepts were put practice with special drills which developed capability. These ideas were then tested under real divisional racing conditions. Wonderful improvements made and celebrated. The collective happiness palpable back in the clubhouse on both nights but particularly during at the final celebratory diner.

Coach Nickie Jones led the 10 mixed division boats and was helped by coaches Bridget Canham, Julie Clarke, Lindy Hardcastle, Peta Noris, Wendy Tuck and Kathy Veel.

RSYS’s Brooke Wilson was the lead in the One Design Division with 7 boats (3 x Elliott’s, 3 x J/70’s and 1 x Yngling). Also coaching the One Design group was Annabelle Connery, Vanessa Dudley, Karyn Gojnich, Marike Koppenol and Kristen Kosmala OLY.

Nicole Balstro, who was onboard Xena for her first LOTS Regatta experience, commented:

“My experience in the LOTS Regatta at RSYS was the best sailing coaching experience I’ve had in almost a decade of yacht training. I’d highly recommend the weekend to women of all levels of sailing experience.

Being coached by women at the elite level of sailing here in Australia was fantastic, inspiring and empowering, and widened the network for development of women’s sailing.

We all learnt new skills and consolidated strengths, the camaraderie amongst the group was high and we all came away with new friends. If you’re a woman sailor in Australia, you need to be at the LOTS Regatta!”

The weekend was possible thanks to a number of generous boat owners who made their boats available for the ladies. A huge thanks to Greg Scragg (Free Rein), Jeff Jarrett and Chris Pearson (HansOff), Kym Evans (Whistling Kite), Steven Proud (Swish), Natasha Miller, Daniel Gerace and Rhian Hughes (Jabiru), Adam Tran (Soria). Thank you also to Paul Bradley (Cool Runnings) who stepped in to help on Free Rein when his own boat was no longer available.

The afternoon racing was challenging both days with the breeze settling into the west, north west. Thanks to our race committee Jackie Sapir (Principal Race Officer), Peter Lawson (Coxswain), Alice O'Connor (Timing), Kari Svensen (Flags) and Joanna Love (recording). Thanks also to our honorary handicapper John Maclurcan who oversaw the pre-event handicaps taking into consideration the change in experience onboard some of the boats.

A huge shout out also to Margaret Fraser Martin (Marg’s Yacht Photos) who was out on the water and around the club taking some great photos and Joshua Hung, a photographer/videographer, who was also gathering footage onshore.

The event major sponsor was Club Marine who contributed to the costs of bringing our coaches from around Australia. Sail Racing provided shirts for all of our coaches and volunteers. Neutrogena provided skin care and sun cream products for all participants and Mezzacorona provided bubbles for our Saturday afternoon debrief as well as table wines for the Sunday night ‘Women Celebrate Sailing’ dinner.

Thanks to the RSYS staff who helped also bring the weekend together. In particular Marg in the Sailing Office, Frances in Functions, Eleanor on Reception, Ingrid overseeing House and our staff down in the CCA and on the Waterfront.

The event would not be possible without the help of the Ladies of the Sea Coaching Regatta organising committee: Alexia Biggs, Karyn Gojnich, Amanda Hicks, Sara Ladd, Kylie Lloyd, Jonathan McCray, Jane McCulloch and Angela Morrison.