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Lee Renfree Commodore of Queenscliff Cruising Yacht Club (QCYC) had a vision to inspire more women to become
active sailors. Lee set about establishing the QCYC KISS Program with a strong committee of competent female
sailors including Linda Carr, Rose Colahan, Laura Macolino, Alison Roberts-Wray and Bel Edmondson. KISS soon
became an exciting new new collaboration between QCYC, the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria and Australian Sailing
She Sails Victoria with the key aim of swinging the focus for both novice and more experienced female keelboaters
from “passengers” to “participants”. The program aimed to support and encourage females to confidently and
competently step up to lead roles on keelboats and expand their sailing horizons. The inaugural KISS program has
had a full complement of 25 participants completing the training with another five on a waitlist for our next
program.
Lee and the KISS Committee also raised funds for the program from sponsorships and grants along with a
reasonable participant fee. The successful grant from the Office for Women In Sport, "Change the Game" was a clear
indication of the importance of this program.
The KISS program compromised webinars, one in-person workshop, culminating with an on-water passage/race. The
KISS Passage Race/Rally on Saturday 30 July will aim to ensure all KISS participants take lead roles such as Skipper,
Navigator and Radio Operator. Boats will start near Altona to sail to Queenscliff.
The Webinars were designed for Women by Women, with the key outcome being the development of confidence
and competencies to successfully sail a keelboat, leave and reenter a marina and to feel empowered in the the sport
of sailing, be it racing, cruising or just enjoying the camaraderie of their sailing colleagues. The webinars in the
program included topics on Getting the Most out of Sailing, Boat Preparation prior to take off, Getting there
(navigation), Weather and Tides in Port Phillip Bay, Passage Planning and Race/Passage Briefings. This was followed
by a face to face Radio Workshop, the Passage Race and an awards evening/dinner.
The program has ensured all participants were provided with a range of support documentation including
- Maritime Safety Victoria (MSV) Safety Knowledge Pack in a waterproof satchel, containing Victorian Recreational Boating Safety Handbook, Buoyage System, Expiry Date Reminder, VHF Marine Radio Channels stickers and other safety guides.
- Cheat sheets - Crew Roles and Responsibilities Checklist, every day Safety Checklist, Marine Radio Protocols
- Cat 5 Audit forms - All crew are required to attend an on boat session well prior to the race to carry out the Audit as a team. They are to be encouraged to be involved in rectification of any items that need fixing and in the absence of a current Boat Operations manual, to embark upon this as a learning experience and an ongoing document
- KISS Logbooks - All participants were issued with a KISS Log Book prior to the race /rally and were assigned an experience mentor on the day to increase their individual confidence by having a person to ask questions, perfect technique and foremost safety on the water.
What drives Lee to introduce a new female focused keelboat event? “I’m passionate about sailing and as a woman I
want other women to be able to experience the same joy. It is so important to get the most out of it. I have no
choice – sailing is my passion!” Lee said.
Lee has been involved with several clubs, actively in a variety of roles and had noticed, especially in her role as a
committee member on the joint (Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania/RGYC) Van Diemen's Land Circumnavigation (VDLC)
for some years, that women often felt 'all at sea' when 'at sea' so she created the First Mates club to connect women
in the fleet at anchoring destinations, to share their experiences, create new friendships and find their joy in the
cruising life.
Lee has had an extensive sailing career of some 20 plus years, which really has only started. Lee commenced sailing
a 20ft Sunmaid trailer sailer but soon progressed to a 37ft Duncanson Ketch. Lee and her husband currently own
and sail a beautiful Peterson 44, Pipe Dream. As mentioned earlier Lee would love to pass her passion and love for
the sport of sailing onto other Women so that they may join her on many of the wonderful adventures that sailing
Australian waters may offer or in some cases what doors may open up with overseas passage races that may
commence in the near future.
Lee has and will always be an inspiration for female sailing as she loves her sport, is committed to club life and
ensuring that sailing is not just for one member of the family.
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