Creating a culture of the 'Token Bloke' - Part two

by Kathy Macfarlane on 26 Sep 2014 ‘I enjoy the ethos of Children of Phoenix, the all-women crew, to get all these women out sailing – it is so wonderful.’ The penultimate final word in Part one of this article from Richard aka ‘Dickie’ the ‘token bloke’ on board the Elliott 10.5 Children of Phoenix (CoP). High praise indeed for owner skipper Kathy Macfarlane and her achievement in building a successful team of women sailors.

Here in Part two, Kathy returns to interview her team of girls to find out what the experience of sailing on Children of Phoenix has meant for each of them.

Kathy: Alex, you’re the longest-serving crew member on CoP, having been with me since the very beginning of my campaign in the women’s regattas. You have plenty of opportunities to sail on other boats - your beloved Diamonds or with your partner David - what makes you stick with Children of Phoenix?

Alex D: The rapport I have with my skipper - we have a similar approach to problem solving and the way we deal with people. Different personalities need different approaches. You are more conservative, I am more of a risk-taker. We meet in the middle and it is great when I can prompt you to have a go but I also recognise when your caution is warranted.

I learnt on a nice gentle X-yacht Duckmobile from Royal Yacht Club of Victoria (RYCV) and coming on board CoP has been like taming a wild horse. She feels like a big YW Diamond - an overgrown dinghy which gives you a good workout and I will probably go back to doing more sailing on them.

Sailing the Hobson’s Bay Yacht Club (HBYC) double-handed series on CoP has also pushed me to my limits. We had some wild weather in the early races but we did not panic. We might get a bit edgy when things go wrong but we tend to just calmly figure out how to solve it - neither of us lose our nerve. We have learnt so much on this boat and we are sailing her well now.

I like that you have stuck to your guns with having only women on board for the women’s events.

It is a different culture on your boat -the blokes do not get much to do!

After racing for four years I am still learning. As half of our crew are newbies each year, to achieving winning results shows how far we have come as a team.

Kathy: Sue, you have sailed some women’s series with other boats before joining me… what did you get out of this experience that was different?

Sue: When you are sailing with other teams who are already high-performing, it is hard to find a spot and belong - you are out of your comfort zone and there is a lot of pressure. To start sailing with a great mentor and a group of women keen to develop their skills ignited my passion for sailing. The overwhelming support of a strong mentor makes you want to commit 100% to the development of the team and this has created amazing friendships.

As the team progressed, I also needed to make a mental shift. We are not beginners anymore- we have learnt so much and are now high performing sailors getting results. Our kite hoists have gone from taking one third of the downwind leg to just two boat lengths now.

Our win in the Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta (AWKR) this year completely exceeded my own expectations. Without this experience I would have never thought of chartering a yacht in the Whitsundays with a group of female friends.

Kathy: Germany (another Alex D, so we had to find her another name), you were new to sailing when you joined me for the winery trip to Mt Martha at the end of 2013. I am not sure if it was the sailing or the wine tasting that initially attracted you but you have had lots of adventures since and seem to be getting keener and keener. What has it been like learning to sail on Children of Phoenix?

Germany: It has been fabulous of course! I did come for the winery tour initially but on the way back we were doing 15 knots boat speed with the wind on your face, the salty smell in your nose, the sun shining - I have never meditated but I think sailing must be like meditating!

Then we had some round ups with Mark playing too hard on the helm and I got a feeling for how dangerous sailing can be. But I was still keen to come back. I have been scared at times but am getting more confident now.

Developing the team has been great and I am really emotionally attached to this boat and the crew. It is sad that you are selling CoP and I am not sure what I will do then as I am not yet ready to skipper my own boat.

But look where we are today - what you have achieved with your crew is so amazing. We are all so different but somehow you have glued us all together to work as a team.

Kathy: Sam, you grew up sailing with your Dad so you are probably one of the most experienced crew members. You stepped on board off the jetty for a Wednesday twilight when another crew member was running late and you have been with me ever since. What has being part of the crew done for your sailing knowledge and confidence?

Sam: It has given me the confidence to hop onto other (male-owned) boats, knowing I can step in and help rather than sit back and hand up cans up from below. When I first mentioned to my male sailing friends that I wanted to get back into sailing, they responded ‘oh that’s nice’. Six months later, they have recognised how serious I am and what I have learnt – now they sit at the bar talking tactics with me! I feel they understand what I want to achieve and encourage me rather than patting me on the head saying ‘nice idea’. The more we improve, the more they want to support us.

Kathy: Paige, you turned up a week early for the girls’ night at RYCV and walked into my crew meeting instead. With your professional weather-routing knowledge and ex-navy skills I feel like I won the lottery that night – what has it been like for you on board?

Paige: I had never been on an all-girl boat before. Like you, I never knew there was a gender divide -in the navy I was just another one of the boys.

I came back to sailing after a break of twenty years. Moving to Melbourne, I was happy to be just one of the crew. But as we came together as a team, I needed to step up and share my knowledge. Building the team is the fun part - I have made a great bunch of friends who have bonded really well and respect everyone’s skills including the guys. This has made it very special for all of us.

Kathy: Silke, you joined us late in the season, stepping on for the Brighton Lady Skippers Series (BLiSS) regatta and then racing in AWKR with us. What was it like stepping into an established crew of girls? What do you get out of this that is different to sailing your own Sabre at Beaumaris?

Silke: The crew made it very easy for me. After the first race, everyone quickly stepped up to help me fit in. I never felt I was the newbie or did not ‘belong’ which was why I came back.

I like the challenge of sailing dinghies because it is very difficult as I have to do everything. Keelboat sailing is different with more specialized roles and on CoP I am on the bow. But the huge team aspect gives me a real sense of ‘kinsmanship’ - a sense of belonging which I enjoy.

It has also been a plus to be on a boat with only women. I work in a very male dominated environment, so it was great to be able to step out of that.

Kathy: Now because we are all a supportive bunch of girls with very small egos (!!) we are more than happy to give the last word to our token bloke. Richard, why are you so supportive of women in sailing in general and the all-girl strategy for Children of Phoenix in particular? How do you cope with being the ‘token bloke’?

Dickie: We [men] all want to go out there and have our partners and our children enjoying it with us. The more women we get into sailing, the more that can happen. It is so lovely on this boat having all these women who are so competent.
I do love being the ‘dish bitch’ but I don’t get to do any dishes!

Congratulations to Kathy Macfarlane for her passion and commitment in building and leading a strong team of capable enthusiastic women (and blokes) to be an awesome team. Not only a champion of women on the water, Kathy is also a board member of the foundation after which her boat is named. The Children of Phoenix foundation provides scholarships to survivors of child sexual assault providing educational pathways and fulfilling dreams.

Come along and meet the crew of the yacht Children of Phoenix and hear about their exploits sailing on Port Phillip in support of survivors at a film fundraising event on Thursday 30th October at the Sun Theatre Yarraville and view the film ‘Pride’.