We get a lot of Joy out of Skiff Sailing!
by Adam Lucius 17 Mar 01:36 PDT
Australian Sailing Team © Michael Chittenden & SailMedia
The Australian Sailing Team this season entered a boat in the Manly 16ft Skiff Club fleet with three clear goals - give participants regular racing against tough competition, promote mixed gender sailing and build connections with the local fraternity.
After an historic first win in Saturday's 15th short course race of the season, it's safe to say all three objectives have been well and truly reached.
Olympic Pathway athletes - 49erFX female skipper Seisia Mair and Keizo Tomishima (49er crew) and Molly Highfield (retired 49erFX) - saluted in the light conditions.
The trio is among 19 AST sailors to have competed at Manly this year in what has been a win-win outcome for both competitor and club.
Highfield is currently doing a PhD on female athletes in the Olympic sailing pathways program and said having a boat in the water at Manly has been invaluable.
"The AST boat was organised primarily with the double-handed development pathway athletes in mind," she explained.
"However, we've also had pre-emerging through to elite sailors onboard some weeks, especially those who do not already participate or have not the connections into the fleet on their own.
"Being a part of the Manly fleet is one accessible way to maintain a connection to the local scene and community amongst some pretty high sport and life demands.
"It also allows them to fleet race through the summertime at a good standard without needing to fly to another continent and ships boats out to do so."
And as far as making history with a breakthrough win, Highfield said: "I'm chuffed for the team to have a win in the bag this season against such a solid fleet and I'm grateful to have played a part in it.
"It was very much a stay-in-pressure race for us; it was a bit tricky to spot the breeze even from the bow due to the swell.
"We had great open comms onboard and just focussed on boat handling, being a bit dynamic on the wire, and getting in and out of the troughs with power as much as possible and avoiding windward heel.
"I had the best time out there and always appreciate getting the opportunity to sail and slowly getting to know the people in this space.
"We all get a lot of joy out of skiff sailing and we were all super keen to get on the water and sail the boat as best as we could and have some fun doing it."
It was also another victory for mixed gender sailing, which continues to grow in popularity.
Highfield said: "I think it's very positive that mixed gender racing is being increasingly normalised from the ground up by the sailing community, or in some cases systematised from the top down through policy change.
"Sailing as a whole has the amazing capacity to be a sport for development, and mixed gender racing is but one way it can do that.
"It is important to ensure that mixed spaces across the sport consistently and sincerely break down historical barriers and establish women to contribute, belong and develop themselves."
IMEI (Joel Beashel/Flynn Twomey/Rob Napper) were next in behind AST, with Red Pumps Red (Zoe Dransfield/ Hugh Stodart and Jamie Stodart) third.
In the 13s, there were a number of new combination but a familiar boat - Harken (Meg Bates/ Joe Corbel) - coming out on top from Red Pumps (Zara Wyatt/ Harvey Windust) andImagine Signage (Beau Dransfield/David Tulk).
Attention now turns to the final heat of the Manly club championship next Saturday.