Women in Sailing Challenge continues Port Phillip Championship Series

by Yachting Victoria Media on 28 Feb 2017 Sandringham Yacht Club played host to the Women in Sailing Challenge (WISC) on Sunday the 26 February. The WISC Regatta is also the second race day of the Port Phillip Women’s Championship Series.

Four races were scheduled on Sunday but racing was postponed for an hour due to lack of wind, a good call by WISC Race Officer, Steven Aulich. It was nothing but high quality race management with Steve, traits well known by local Sandringham member and most recently Race Official of the Year at the 2016 Australian Sailing Awards.

A seabreeze built slowly over the day and in so brought slightly different conditions for each race keeping all 14 boats on their toes. Crews who kept their eyes out of the boat to find and stay in the pressure did well in the first two races. Once the seabreeze stepped up a level it turned into a drag race to ‘bang the corners.’

With so many different classes of yachts on the course, fleet management played a large factor in overall strategy. Being rolled at the start by a 40 footer was a legitimate concern for the short course windward leeward racing so the smaller boats made sure they started in a tactically sound position.

Not only was there high class racing but a couple special guests took to the Port Phillip Bay waters including dual Olympian, Krystal Weir sailing on Wicked, and Volvo Ocean Race sailor and 2016 Female Victorian Sailor of the Year, Sophie Cisek sailing on Scarlet Runner.

After a successful four races and some great camaraderie on the water winners for the regatta were decided. Madeleine Linton skippering ‘Bruschetta VI’ took the win overall in AMS, Celia Dymond skippering ‘Jungle Juice’ won the Performance Handicapping division (PHS) and Kirsty Harris took out IRC. Kirsty recapped her team’s racing,

“We had a great time sailing out there; we just focused on the breeze and adjusting the rig and settings accordingly. We also wanted to sail a clean race and to just enjoy sailing together. We had a great group of girls on board. We wanted to say a big thank you to the boat owner, Rob for letting us train and compete in his boat!”

The Port Phillip Women’s Championship Series has seen two races and in so now has current leaders of the series.

The Port Phillip Women’s Championship Series continues with the Jennifer Goldsmith Trophy hosted by the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron on Sunday March 19.