Hannah Golton, Queen Mary’s Chief Dinghy Instructor writes:
We had an amazing day on the water with 16 women attending and four female instructors assisting.
Warming up
We started our day with a group welcome briefing discussing the importance of a safe environment to practice our sailing. This led into us splitting into our groups with one instructor for each boat. We discussed what each student wanted to get from the day. As it was a mixed ability day, it was the first time sailing for some women but with others having significant experience. This created a fun friendly environment for all.
On the water each boat learnt the basics of the different roles including having a go at helming the boat. The all-female crews created a supportive environment for all to learn with some women commenting how they’d finally had the confidence to helm.
Friendly racing
After a delicious lunch back on shore we discussed our afternoon plan – some friendly racing! We headed back out on the water and raced around a windward/leeward course. After three more competitive races than initially thought, we moved into a follow the leader, with the four RS21’s headed off in a victory lap around the reservoir.
After returning to shore, we had a final debrief followed by a group photo. It was an amazing day to run and received excellent feedback from all the women who attended.
From the RYA
RYA Regional Development Office Steve Mitchell says: “This Queen Mary initiative is a fantastic opportunity to encourage and support women on to the water, while also providing further opportunities through the club’s membership for participants to return to the club and continue their keelboat sailing.”
Get involved
………..on the next women’s keelboat day on Saturday 4 November 2023 – book now
Queen Mary Sailing Club is an RYA Recognised Training Centre and offers a range of courses for juniors and adults.