More than 120 sailors, volunteers, coaches, officials and supporters gathered at Middle Harbour Yacht Club for Australian Sailing’s SheSails Pathways & Networking Event, celebrating the many different pathways available within the sport and the importance of connection, visibility and opportunity for women in sailing.

Hosted by Nic Douglass, the evening brought together a diverse panel of women from across the sailing community, spanning leadership, volunteering, high performance, participation and club development.

Australian Sailing NSW General Manager Niall Powers welcomed attendees and reinforced the importance of continuing to build opportunities for women throughout the sport.

“SheSails is more than just a brand. It is a commitment to seeing gender equity in the sport,” Powers said.

The event featured three panel discussions, each exploring different pathways within sailing and the experiences of women contributing to the sport at all levels.

The first panel focused on management, volunteering pathways and mentoring, featuring Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club Vice Commodore Julia Hornsby, Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron Vice Commodore and three-time Olympian Karen Gojnich, and Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Sailing Manager Tara Blanc-Ramos.

The conversation highlighted the importance of volunteering, visibility and leadership within clubs, as well as encouraging women to back themselves and step into opportunities.

“Sometimes women wait until they feel ready before putting themselves forward, whereas a lot of men will put themselves forward first and work it out later,” Blanc-Ramos said.

Hornsby encouraged attendees to trust themselves when opportunities arise.

“If somebody’s asked you to do a role and you think, ‘Well, I don’t think I’m really qualified,’ just say yes,” she said.

The second panel explored high performance pathways and mentoring, featuring Emma Rankin from the 18 Foot Skiff class, Sarah Lee from St. George Sailing Club, Molly Highfield from Australian Sailing and Katie Spithill from Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club.

The discussion reflected on confidence, visibility and the expanding opportunities now available for women in sailing beyond traditional Olympic pathways.

“There hadn’t been many female skippers before, so it didn’t really feel like something that existed as an option,” Rankin said while discussing her experiences entering skiff sailing.

Highfield’s research into women’s sailing pathways also resonated strongly with the audience.

“It was never about the technical stuff. It was always about people,” Highfield said.

The final panel focused on participation, events and grassroots pathways within sailing, featuring Lisa Callaghan from Manly Yacht Club, Peta Rose from Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club and Eleanor Cunningham from Lake Macquarie Yacht Club.

The discussion centred around accessibility, welcoming environments and the importance of creating spaces where women feel comfortable entering and remaining in the sport.

“Sometimes people don’t need a huge speech or technical explanation. They just need someone to say hello,” Cunningham said.

Rose reflected on the importance of consistency and connection in building participation.

“The more opportunities you provide, the more people trust that they actually belong there,” she said.

The panel also highlighted the role clubs and communities play in creating long-term engagement within sailing, with Callaghan emphasising the importance of confidence and encouragement.

“Watching women who started terrified suddenly become the people welcoming others in, that’s probably my favourite thing,” Callaghan said.

Australian Sailing thanked Middle Harbour Yacht Club for hosting the event, along with all panellists and attendees for contributing to a successful evening of discussion, networking and shared experiences.

Australian Sailing also acknowledged Nic Douglass for her role in coordinating and hosting the evening, which brought together sailors, volunteers, officials and club representatives from across New South Wales.

Throughout the evening, a consistent theme emerged around the importance of connection, mentorship and community in helping people find their place within the sport.

As attendees continued conversations long after the formal panels had concluded, the event reinforced the growing strength of the sailing community and the value of creating spaces where people feel welcomed, supported and encouraged to take the next step in their own pathway through sailing.

TOP QUOTES (full transcript below)

INTRO / OPENING

Niall Powers

“SheSails is more than just a brand. It is a commitment to seeing gender equity in the sport.”

Nic Douglass

“If you leave tonight and you’ve met somebody that you didn’t know and there’s a connection that you’ve formed, then I think we’ve done our job.”

“We can all achieve a lot more in this sport when we work with each other.”

“It’s not about the class that you sail or the club that you’re from or where you grew up. It’s about loving sailing and finding your own pathway through the sport.”

PANEL ONE – Management Pathways & Mentoring

Julia Hornsby

“If somebody’s asked you to do a role and you think, ‘Well, I don’t think I’m really qualified,’ just say yes.”

“Volunteering is absolutely priceless because you’re not paid to do it, you just do it because you enable others to do their very best.”

Karen Gojnich

“Having a female involved in those decisions obviously means that women will benefit from those decisions.”

“Adult learners are really keen, but clubs have got to work really hard to provide opportunities.”

Tara Blanc-Ramos

“Sometimes women wait until they feel ready before putting themselves forward, whereas a lot of men will put themselves forward first and work it out later.”

Nic Douglass

“There’s no one right way through the sport.”

“A lot of sailing is invitation-based. ‘Hey, do you want to come sailing Saturday?’ That’s how pathways start.”

“If you don’t see somebody who looks like you in a role, it can be hard to imagine yourself there.”

PANEL TWO – High Performance Pathways and Mentoring

Emma Rankin

“There hadn’t been many female skippers before, so it didn’t really feel like something that existed as an option.”

Sarah Lee

“The more you’re seen, the more you’re recognised, and then you get more opportunities.”

“Every time I said yes, something else opened up.”

Molly Highfield

“It was never about the technical stuff. It was always about people.”

“The biggest thing was: how do we communicate between ourselves and how do we bring each other in?”

Katie Spithill

“The doubt they had in us actually helped us strive as a team.”

“We knew we could do it and prove it.”

Nic Douglass

“That little gremlin on your shoulder going, ‘Oh maybe…’ and the women around you can say, ‘No, we can do this.’”

PANEL THREE – Participation, Events and Women’s Pathways

Lisa Callaghan

“Watching women who started terrified suddenly become the people welcoming others in.”

“You don’t have to know everything immediately.”

Peta Rose

“The more opportunities you provide, the more people trust that they actually belong there.”

“Don’t wait until you feel ready.”

Eleanor Cunningham

“Sometimes people don’t need a huge speech or technical explanation. They just need someone to say hello.”

“Sometimes people just need somebody else to believe in them first.”

“Find good people. The right people make hard things feel easier.”

Nic Douglass

“Sailing’s ultimately about people.”

“What keeps people in the sport is community and connection.”

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Good evening everybody.

It’s lovely to have everybody here this evening. Fantastic turnout. I think we’re all so impressed by how subscribed we are. There are a few seats at the front, but the reason why there’s not so much seating is because tonight’s goal is to have a lot of networking, so everyone will be forced to mingle. So just a little heads up.

Before we get underway, Australian Sailing acknowledges the Cammeraygal people of the Eora Nation and the Birri Birrigal people connected to the lands and waterways of The Spit and Middle Harbour. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and to all First Nations peoples and their Elders past, present and emerging, while acknowledging their continuing relationship with the rivers, lakes, waterways and oceans on which we sail.

My name’s Nic Douglass. It’s my pleasure to be your host this evening, but before we get underway, Niall Powers, the GM of Australian Sailing New South Wales, has a few words.

Niall Powers:

Thanks, Nic. Hi everybody and welcome along.

Just on behalf of Australian Sailing, I welcome you all here. As Nic said, it’s been an amazing turnout of people at this event and something which we really didn’t expect right from the get-go.

So for Australian Sailing, SheSails is very important to us, and it’s more than just a brand. It is a commitment to seeing gender equity in the sport.

So we hope that tonight you see a little bit of inspiration to go and participate further in your own club, but what we’d also love to see is more females in leadership roles in clubs as well. So hopefully there’ll be a bit of inspiration here.

We have some amazing speakers and panellists lined up that Nic has got interviewing, and even just looking around the room, so many wonderful female sailors and supporters of female sailing as well.

Before I hand back to Nic, I just do want to say a quick thank you to Nic for putting a lot of this together. I think every second message that Nic has sent me this week has had a “yay” or “so excited” in it. So I know she’s absolutely buzzing, and I’m certain the energy will rub off on the rest of the room tonight as well.

I’d also like to thank Middle Harbour Yacht Club for hosting us here, so to Andrew and your team, thank you very much.

And just to see so many people coming from clubs all around Sydney, but also as far as Newcastle and the South Coast as well, Lake Macquarie, just amazing support to come to an event like this.

I hope you all get to meet some fantastic people. Have a wonderful night, and I’ll hand over to Nic.

Nic Douglass:

Thank you so much, Niall.

And as you said, I have been buzzing just watching everybody and their responses online, and even having to reopen the tickets as well when a few people thought they’d missed out.

So I’ll just let you know first off, this won’t be the last of these, thankfully, because of your support. I think you’ve shown that there is a need for us all to connect, and that’s what’s really important for me this evening, is that it is about connecting and networking, which is why there aren’t so many seats in the room.

If you leave tonight and you’ve met somebody that you didn’t know and there’s a connection that you’ve formed, then I think we’ve done our job in that way, because we can all achieve a lot more in this sport when we work with each other.

That’s one of the coolest things ever when I was organising this event. It’s like, hey, hey, hey, hey, and the numbers that you have on your phone and the connections that you have from having been to different events or having spoken to somebody on the fly in a car park, walking down the dock, that’s usually where we make our connections.

But some of us haven’t had as many chances as the guys to do that, so we can do that in a space like this where we’re all together in one space.

And so I was super passionate about being in a space where we could invite a lot of different people from a lot of different places in New South Wales.

So I’m going to echo what Niall said, which is thank you to Andrew Forbes and his team here, because when I rang him and said, “Hey, we need to hold an event, it needs to be in a month, can you help us?” he went, “Absolutely, what do you need?” and they’ve been backwards ever since then to make it work. So that is really, I’m really, really grateful.

Now, the reason I love doing these events, and if you’ve been to a Women Sailors and Supporters event before, we’ve had four in Hobart, we’ve done a bunch in Geelong attached to different events, we’ve done some at Hamilton Island Race Week that I’ve been involved with.

It’s really important to me because it’s not about the class that you sail or the club that you’re from or where you grew up. It’s about loving sailing and finding people and finding your own pathway and your own way through the sport, no matter which boat you’re sailing, or if you want to volunteer or if you want to help out.

So before we do get started, Erica Kirby’s not here tonight, but I do want to mention her because she’s just achieved International Judge status, which is absolutely brilliant. I’m so proud of her. She’s been working really hard.

So there’s so many different pathways that you can take.

And before we get started, I do want to thank all of the panellists as well. They’ll be leaving and chopping and changing throughout the night, but for them to share their knowledge with us and their time, I’m really grateful for you all.

So we’ll give them all a round of applause.

[Applause]

PANEL ONE: LEADERSHIP PATHWAYS AND MENTORING

Nic Douglass:

So to kick it off, we’ll get Julia Hornsby up. She’s the Vice Commodore at Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club. We’ve also got Karen Gojnich from the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. And we also have Tara Blanc-Ramos, who is the Sailing Manager at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.

So we’ll kick it off with a fun question to start off with.

Julia, what’s the weirdest thing that you’ve had to do as a Vice Commodore that you never thought you’d see yourself doing?

Julia Hornsby:

I think I had to photocopy this ancient manuscript with unbelievably thin paper that was bound, and then I had to put bits of cardboard around it so it didn’t get all black.

It was unbelievably boring and tedious. And who’d have thought? That’s what Vice Commodores are there for.

Nic Douglass:

Any role that fits.

Karen, what about you?

Karen Gojnich:

As I’ve gone through actually getting onto the general committee, which is the board, then becoming the captain, then the Vice Commodore, and then you see what’s coming up ahead of you for Commodore, you just kind of keep taking big deep breaths because it’s a lot more responsibility.

Our club is just under 3,000 members and when I first joined the squadron I had no idea I would be involved at this level.

But it’s also been an exciting journey because I’ve met so many people along the way and so many fascinating people from all different walks of life.

So I would say to all of you, stand up, put your hand up, come forward and get involved with committees because clubs are about committees and clubs take direction from the membership.

Having a female involved in those decisions obviously means that women will benefit from those decisions, which is super important.

Nic Douglass:

That leads nicely into Tara, who is the Sailing Manager at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.

The difference is these two are volunteering their time, but Tara, how many hours a week do you think you work over the clock?

Tara Blanc-Ramos:

I think I’m on call pretty much every weekend of the year, so most of them.

Nic Douglass:

And your pathway into this role?

Tara Blanc-Ramos:

I started working casually at our youth academy while I was actually in the youth academy doing match racing. It was basically bar money while I was at uni.

Then I ended up working in the sailing office when they needed a little more help, went full-time about a month after I graduated and have been there ever since.

So I’ve worked my way up from literally being a casual coach on weekends to now being the Sailing Manager.

Nic Douglass:

So there are jobs in marine as well, and the Sailing Manager at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia under a female CEO, which is pretty cool.

Nic Douglass:

Yeah, she did your role before you as well, which is pretty special.

Tara Blanc-Ramos:

Yeah, she did my role for about twenty years before I did it, so I’ve had some pretty awesome managers and pretty awesome mentors at the club as well.

Nic Douglass:

And I think that’s really important too.

One of the hardest things putting together tonight was that we had ten women that came forward to say yes, they would speak, and I had to organise them into groups that made sense.

And sitting next to you is Karen, and she was one of our first female Olympians in sailing, so the next panel is about high performance.

And I did mention to everybody that most people that are on a panel could sit across a panel.

You’re sailing currently as well. What’s it like for you now, Karen, looking at the state of play from your leadership role in regards to the amount of women that we have coming through and that their expectation is that it’s 50-50?

Karen Gojnich:

I have for a long time felt that females in sailing are a low-hanging fruit.

We just need to provide the opportunities for them to come sailing. And the more we do it, I think the more they come.

And that’s really exciting and rewarding.

And we’ve got to continue to provide those pathways.

I think we’ve got to be clear about how do you get into sailing and then where does it take you next?

There’s quite a few of us in the room who were very fortunate to get thrown in boats when we were this high.

But there’s also a lot of people who kind of go through their career, they get towards the end of it, mid-40s and mid-50s, and they’re going, “Well, what can I do now?”

And the harbour’s looking pretty inviting.

And they’re taking up sailing from there.

And we need to be able to provide pathways, not just for women actually, for all genders, to get into the sport.

But remember, we’re not all fortunate enough to be thrown into boats when we’re really young.

Adult learners are really keen, but clubs have got to work really hard, I think, to provide opportunities for adult sailors to get involved.

Nic Douglass:

Agreed.

And that actually goes perfectly into Julia.

We’re not talking about just women or just men or just those who are able-bodied.

And you were awarded Australian Sailing Volunteer of the Year for all of the work that you did with the Hansa sailing world, which is pretty spectacular.

And another job on top of a job on top of a job on top of a job that these volunteers do.

Julia Hornsby:

Well, that’s what volunteers do.

And I think I’ve got this really terrible habit of saying yes.

But as one of the Hansa sailors said, Zarka from Chile said, “Trust yourself that you can do this.”

So if somebody’s asked you to do a role and you think, “Well, I don’t think I’m really qualified,” just say yes. You’ve got great support.

Trust yourself that you’ll manage that role.

But once you’ve said yes, I’ve always committed to the role and followed through.

And that means that you turn up, that you work with the team, and that you’re kind to people and that you’re open to change.

But I think that whole Hansa Worlds… the great thing about the Hansa Worlds was it was five organisations working together.

We had Australian Sailing, World Sailing, Sailability, Hansa Class and Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club.

And everybody worked together to the goal at the end.

But I will say it was a little bit like planning for the world’s biggest wedding.

It hadn’t happened. We had no idea how it would actually work on the day.

But once all the sailors, able-bodied and living with a disability, turned up in the clubhouse, and they were tip-top sailors, brave as anything, everybody just rose to the occasion.

So volunteering is a really special thing to do and it’s absolutely priceless because you’re not paid to do it, you just do it because you enable others to do their very best and get on their own sailing pathway.

So if there’s any opportunity to do any volunteering, I would say do it, but be kind and be committed.

And you just never know what will come your way.

Nic Douglass:

And that’s one of the things that’s really important.

Sometimes people think, “I’m not qualified enough,” or “I don’t know enough,” or “I haven’t sailed enough,” but actually a lot of us are learning as we go.

And sailing’s really unique because there are so many different pathways.

You can volunteer. You can race. You can coach. You can officiate. You can get into administration. You can work in marine.

And I think that’s one of the things that we need to keep talking about more because there’s no one right way through the sport.

Tara, from your perspective in a major club, what are some of the biggest barriers for women coming into sailing now?

Tara Blanc-Ramos:

I think confidence is definitely a big one.

Sometimes women wait until they feel ready before putting themselves forward, whereas a lot of men will put themselves forward first and work it out later.

And I think we need to encourage women to back themselves more.

I also think visibility matters. When people can actually see women in leadership positions or coaching or race management or sailing professionally, it helps them believe that pathway exists for them too.

Nic Douglass:

And there’s also that thing where if you don’t see somebody who looks like you in a role, it can be hard to imagine yourself there.

Karen Gojnich:

Absolutely.

And that’s why nights like tonight are so important.

Because if someone walks out of here and thinks, “Actually maybe I could join a committee,” or “Maybe I could volunteer,” or “Maybe I could go and try match racing,” then that’s a really good outcome.

Nic Douglass:

And also, some of the best opportunities in sailing happen because somebody simply asked someone else along.

A lot of sailing is invitation-based.

“Hey, do you want to come sailing Saturday?”

That’s how pathways start.

Julia Hornsby:

Absolutely.

And I think being welcoming is really important too.

Sometimes clubs can feel intimidating if you’re new.

So if you’re already in the sport, introducing yourself to somebody new or asking someone to join your crew can make a really big difference.

Nic Douglass:

And I think that’s the perfect place to wrap this first panel.

Because really what we’re talking about is people, pathways and making sure more people feel like they belong in the sport.

Can we please give our first panel a massive round of applause.

PANEL TWO: HIGH PERFORMANCE PATHWAYS AND MENTORING

Nic Douglass:

Our first panel focused on management, volunteering pathways and mentoring. As I mentioned earlier tonight, there’s a lot of crossover between all of these spaces and pathways through sailing.

Our next panel is all about High Performance Pathways and Mentoring, and we have a pretty special group of women joining us for this conversation.

Please welcome Emma Rankin, Sarah Lee, Molly Highfield and Katie Spithill.

[Applause]

I think you’ll learn pretty quickly that if you walk up first, you end up with the microphone first.

Alright, before we get going, we’re starting with a fun little activity.

Quick show of hands.

Who here was chaotic as a junior sailor?

Who prefers just going sailing rather than actually racing?

Who left gear behind constantly as a junior sailor? Water bottles, gloves, hiking pants…

Who pretended to understand tactics when they had absolutely no idea what was going on?

Who wanted to be a world champion?

And who thought they already were one at age eight?

Now, who at some point genuinely thought, “Maybe I’m not actually good enough for this?”

That’s the tough part, because we’ve got some incredible achievers sitting up here tonight, and every single one of them has probably had moments where they questioned whether they could really make it work.

Emma, you’ve achieved some amazing things in the sport. Tell us a little bit about what you’ve achieved, and also about someone who believed in you when maybe you didn’t fully believe in yourself yet.

Emma Rankin:

So I’ve won a few national titles across a few different classes, the NS14s and my F16 Catamarans, and I’ve won some internationals as well, and I’m a world champion in the F16.

Nic Douglass:

That’s all?

And who’s someone who believed in you when you didn’t?

Emma Rankin:

There’s probably a few people.

When I started sailing in the NS14s, I did that with a guy called Mark Thorpe, and he introduced me to nationals and states. I didn’t even know they were a thing when I was 15 or 16 years old.

I don’t know if he saw something, but his passion was something that I took on board and his love for the sport and everything he imparted to me.

Yeah, he was a big part of that.

Nic Douglass:

He’s done a lot for the sport. He’s been a boat builder for the Australian Sailing Team as well, built a lot of NS14s, made some really great spiral foils.

Really lovely human.

Sarah, your pathway is a little bit different because you’re in skiffs now, but how did that all start?

Sarah Lee:

I started in Sabots and then moved through 29ers and then into 16 Foot Skiffs.

And honestly, a lot of it came from saying yes to opportunities.

Sometimes I had no idea what I was doing, but somebody would ask me to come sailing and I’d just go.

And every time I said yes, something else opened up.

Nic Douglass:

And that’s actually really important.

A lot of sailing is invitation-based.

Someone says, “Do you want to come for a sail Saturday?” and suddenly you’re on a pathway you didn’t expect.

Katie, you’ve sailed all over the world and now you’re helping mentor younger sailors as well. What does that role look like now compared to when you were younger?

Katie Spithill:

It’s very different now.

When I was younger, there weren’t nearly as many visible female pathways.

Now there are women’s pathways in SailGP, the America’s Cup, offshore sailing, match racing and all sorts of different keelboat opportunities.

And I think that’s incredibly exciting because now girls can actually see futures for themselves in the sport.

Nic Douglass:

And Molly, your role in this panel is really interesting because you’re also researching this space academically.

Tell us a bit about that.

Molly Highfield:

It was really important to start by asking people questions.

So the way that I’ve taken it is I’ve taken a very, very inductive, very exploratory approach to start.

My first phase of the project was basically to interview women sailing athletes who had experience on the Olympic pathways, but across a range of experience levels, and ask them what they thought the barriers and enablers were.

What I ended up finding are things that I think many of us in this room talk about quite a lot, but they’re still incredibly relevant today.

One of the things that really came up out of that project, which I’m trying to write up now, is that whenever I tried to leave room for people to answer and bring me, as the interviewer, to where they thought mattered most, it could have been something technical. It could have been something like, “I keep breaking my legs on a skiff.”

But no. It was always about people.

It was always about the social environment they lived in. It was about who motivated them, when they felt alone, and the impact that had on motivation and wanting to stay in the sport and feel like they were part of this world.

That was so profound.

And it’s something I think a lot of us, in our own ways, can relate to as well.

Obviously there are technical issues and practical hurdles very specific to sailing and specific to Australia, but fundamentally the biggest thing was: how do we communicate between ourselves and how do we bring each other in?

Nic Douglass:

So two key words there: feeling alone and barriers.

I think most people in the room have probably experienced that in some form. Feeling alone like maybe I can’t make this work. Maybe I can’t achieve this. Maybe I can’t find crew. Maybe I’m not the best person for the job.

Or barriers, whether that’s confidence, money, time or access.

So what’s the most important thing, Katie?

Another hard question.

Is it confidence? Visibility? An invitation? What’s the best way for people in this room to actually get over those barriers and move forward and find their own pathway?

Katie Spithill:

I think all three of those definitely.

An example for us was when we had the opportunity to sail a McConaghy 38 and take a full female team. We had some sailors on other boats basically laugh and say we wouldn’t get around the course.

So for us, it was challenge accepted.

One of those boats actually lent us their training mainsail because we didn’t have one. The best part of the day was reversing back into the dock next to them after beating them with their own training sail.

And it was our first ever day at a national titles.

The best compliment we got was their mainsheet trimmer saying, “We might need that sail back now.”

I think the lesson there was confidence. The doubt they had in us actually helped us strive as a team.

We were surrounded by each other, and also by amazing men who supported us. We knew we could do it and prove it.

Nic Douglass:

And another clap for that.

But also, the women around you understand those little nitty-gritty things in the back of your mind. That little gremlin on your shoulder going, “Oh maybe…”

And you can egg each other on and say, “No, we can do this.”

Sarah, what do you reckon? Confidence? Invitation? What would have helped you?

Sarah Lee:

The invitation definitely helped to start with.

But I think opportunities are huge as well.

What brought my sailing up another level was saying yes to opportunities. Whether that was in 16s or filling in for a match racing regatta, it was just doing as much sailing as I could.

I’ve learned something every single time I’ve said yes to sailing with a different team or trying something different on a different boat with different people.

Even if I thought we weren’t going to go well or that the team wasn’t particularly skilled, I still learned something.

The more you’re seen, the more you’re recognised, and then you get more opportunities.

Nic Douglass:

And that’s what I was going to say.

Even if you say yes to a boat where you’re not sure you’ll learn something, you might meet somebody who then goes, “You’re alright, come with me.”

And then you stick to them like glue.

It’s super important to say yes, but also to know what you want to learn and what you want to develop.

Now, Sarah, your pathway may not necessarily be Olympic sailing, and that’s something really cool for this high-performance panel.

Traditionally, if we had a high-performance panel years ago, everybody up here would have said, “I want to go to the Olympics,” because that was basically the only pathway.

Then things started changing. We got offshore pathways, SailGP, the America’s Cup Women’s pathways, New York Yacht Club Invitationals, and now all of these different opportunities are opening up.

That’s pretty spectacular.

Katie, tell me about the New York Yacht Club Invitational coming up.

Katie Spithill:

It’s pretty exciting.

This year is the inaugural Women’s New York Yacht Club International Championship. They’re calling it the unofficial Keelboat Worlds.

There were fifty expressions of interest and they invited twenty teams. Myself and my team were lucky enough to get one of those invitations, and Karen Gojnich and the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron team also received one.

We’ll be racing IC37s, and we’ve just started training together.

We’ve got a team of ten amazing women. Honestly, the hardest part was choosing only ten because there are so many talented sailors.

Nic Douglass:

And you’ve got a squad of around twenty women that regularly rotate through regattas, plus Karen’s got a squad of about thirty.

So suddenly there are fifty women all looking for spots in these incredible regattas.

That’s pretty amazing.

To wrap up this panel, which interestingly isn’t Olympic-focused at all, how important is visibility?

How important is it that girls coming through the sport can actually see women in these roles?

Emma Rankin:

It’s huge.

When I first saw the opportunity to skipper an 18 Footer, they posted it online and I remember thinking, “Can I actually do that?”

I hadn’t really even thought about it because there wasn’t visibility around it.

There hadn’t been many female skippers before, so it didn’t really feel like something that existed as an option.

Nic Douglass:

Did you even dream it?

Emma Rankin:

No. Not really.

It was this exclusive space that I didn’t really see myself in.

And honestly, it’s a lonely change room.

But then we had the Women’s Day event and suddenly the whole room was full, and I realised how cool that actually was.

Molly Highfield:

Visibility is incredibly important.

It’s important to see people who’ve made it all the way through pathways, but it’s also important to see people who are just a little ahead of you.

And I think one of the best things my coach ever did when I was younger wasn’t actually technical coaching.

It was building a group of young people who genuinely loved the sport and loved each other and pushed each other in a healthy way.

If one person succeeded, everybody celebrated it.

Some of those people are still my closest friends today.

And that’s really important to remember. Those people could be sitting in this room tonight.

Nic Douglass:

That’s a really cool environment because everyone moves forward at their own pace, at their own level, while still helping each other and helping the team grow.

Katie, for you now with a daughter, how important is it for younger sailors to see women in these leadership roles?

Katie Spithill:

Those are actually my favourite days.

The centreboard days, giving back to younger kids and seeing how impressionable they are and how much they love it.

Even something small, like giving out old sailing gear or hats, makes a difference.

And not just for kids either. We’ve got the Women’s Development Regatta coming up at Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club and I love those events.

I love hearing people’s stories, hearing about their pathways and helping get more women onto the water.

Nic Douglass:

And Sarah, how many female skippers are there now in the 16 Foot Skiff class?

Sarah Lee:

It’s growing massively.

When I first started there were maybe five or six nationally, and that’s probably generous.

At the last nationals at Belmont we had eighteen boats with female sailors on board.

At St George Sailing Club now, about half the boats have female representation.

It’s such a different culture now too. There are far fewer comments like, “Oh, you beat the boys today.”

It’s just becoming normal, which is exactly how it should be.

Nic Douglass:

Remembering that these women have all been scared at one point or another, we’re now going to have another networking break and then come back for our final panel.

So please have a chat to each other and we’ll be back in about twenty minutes.

Thank you so much, ladies.

PANEL THREE: PARTICIPATION, EVENTS AND WOMEN’S PATHWAYS

Nic Douglass:

Okay ladies, and a scattering of gentlemen.

I just saw Forbsey couldn’t get to the gents toilet. It was hilarious. Nobody’s gone there all night.

We’re going to get ready for the next panel. Sorry to break up our awesome networking, but we’ll do our last panel and then you’ll have time to have more chats afterwards.

We have Lisa Callaghan from Manly Yacht Club, Peta Rose from Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club and Eleanor Cunningham from Lake Macquarie Yacht Club.

These ladies are all heavily involved with getting females into sailing, which is pretty special.

So we’ll do another little icebreaker.

Has anybody ever checked a weather app more than ten times in a day?

Have you ever been at an event and gone, “It’ll be fine,” knowing it’s definitely not fine?

Have you ever solved an event problem with gaffer tape, zip ties or pure optimism?

Who secretly judges an event based on the coffee situation?

Who at a women’s event recently has seen a moment and gone, “Yep, this is why we do this?”

Lisa Callaghan:

I think that moment happens all the time.

Especially when you see women who maybe didn’t think they belonged in sailing suddenly realise they absolutely do.

Sometimes it’s really small things. Somebody helming for the first time. Somebody speaking up in a briefing. Somebody deciding to sign up for another regatta because they finally feel comfortable.

And then suddenly they’re part of the community.

Nic Douglass:

And that’s really what tonight is about as well.

Peta, Newcastle’s built a pretty incredible women’s sailing scene over the last few years. What do you think has changed?

Peta Rose:

I think visibility and consistency.

The more opportunities you provide, the more people trust that they actually belong there.

If you run one event and then disappear for a year, it’s hard to build momentum.

But when women know there’s another event coming, another pathway, another invitation, they start to commit to the sport and to each other.

Nic Douglass:

And community matters so much in sailing.

Because sailing can also be intimidating.

There’s language, there’s systems, there’s traditions, and if you didn’t grow up in it, it can feel like everyone else knows what they’re doing except you.

Eleanor Cunningham:

Absolutely.

And I think one of the biggest things we can all do is remember what it felt like to be new.

Sometimes people don’t need a huge speech or technical explanation.

They just need someone to say hello.

Or explain where to rig.

Or introduce them to somebody else.

Or say, “Come down next Wednesday.”

That’s how people stay.

Nic Douglass:

And I think sailing people forget sometimes how confusing sailing is.

We just assume everyone knows what a Cunningham is, or where the start boat is, or what time they’re meant to be somewhere.

Lisa Callaghan:

Exactly.

And there’s also a lot of confidence building involved.

A lot of women will apologise before they even start.

Like, “Sorry, I’m not very good,” or “Sorry, I don’t know much.”

And actually they’re usually doing a great job.

Nic Douglass:

We do love apologising before we’ve even untied the boat.

Peta Rose:

And I think that’s where supportive environments matter.

If people feel safe asking questions, they improve so much faster.

Nic Douglass:

What’s one thing each of you wishes clubs did better when it comes to bringing women into the sport?

Eleanor Cunningham:

I think flexibility.

Understanding that not everybody can commit every weekend or every Wednesday night forever.

Especially women balancing work, caring responsibilities, children, travel, all of those things.

Sometimes they need pathways that allow them to step in and out without feeling guilty.

Lisa Callaghan:

I’d say communication.

Sometimes clubs are running amazing programs but nobody actually knows about them or understands who they’re for.

And if you’re brand new, it can feel very hard to know where to start.

Peta Rose:

And welcoming people properly.

It sounds simple, but it matters.

If someone walks into a club for the first time and nobody speaks to them, they probably won’t come back.

Nic Douglass:

That’s actually really important.

Because sailing is still one of those sports where relationships matter enormously.

A lot of pathways start with somebody saying, “Hey, do you want to come for a sail?”

And if no one asks, people don’t always know how to enter the sport.

Now, all three of you have worked really hard in women’s participation spaces.

What’s been the most rewarding moment?

Lisa Callaghan:

Watching women who started terrified suddenly become the people welcoming others in.

That’s probably my favourite thing.

Seeing confidence grow over time.

Peta Rose:

I love watching friendships form.

You suddenly realise people have found their people.

And then they start sailing together outside the programs and outside the organised events.

That’s when you know community has really formed.

Eleanor Cunningham:

I think for me it’s seeing women realise they’re capable of more than they thought.

Whether that’s racing, volunteering, driving rescue boats, joining committees or becoming instructors.

Sometimes people just need somebody else to believe in them first.

Nic Douglass:

And I think that’s probably a really beautiful theme for tonight overall.

Because almost every single panel has talked about somebody opening a door, offering an invitation or helping someone believe they belonged.

And that can completely change somebody’s pathway in the sport.

Before we wrap up, what advice would you give to somebody sitting in the room tonight who maybe wants to get more involved in sailing but feels nervous?

Lisa Callaghan:

Just say yes to something.

One thing.

One sail, one race, one volunteer shift, one introduction.

You don’t have to know everything immediately.

Peta Rose:

And don’t wait until you feel ready.

Most sailors are making it up as they go along more than you realise.

Eleanor Cunningham:

Find good people.

That’s probably the biggest thing.

The right people make hard things feel easier and make the sport much more enjoyable.

Nic Douglass:

And I think that’s honestly the perfect place to finish tonight.

Because sailing’s ultimately about people.

Boats are the best, racing is brilliant, events are amazing, but what keeps people in the sport is community and connection.

And I hope tonight everybody has made at least one new connection.

Thank you so much to our incredible panellists across all three sessions tonight.

Thank you to Australian Sailing, to Middle Harbour Yacht Club, to all of the volunteers, and to all of you for coming along and supporting women in sailing.

Please stick around, keep chatting, keep networking and enjoy the rest of the evening.

Thank you everybody.