News
How She Sails: Margaret
Published Wed 13 May 2020
How long have you been in the sport of Sailing?60 years
What Club, Association or company are you involved with?
MTYC, RYCV, ORCV, NYAA
What Part do you play in our sport?
Sailor; Race Official; Club Volunteer; on water volunteer; Club administrator; Committee Member; Parent
Tell us how you first got involved with Sailing.
Learnt to sail with my cousins. Always interested in outdoors and boats. Involved in youth camps particularly associated with water activities/sailing.
There are many pathways in sailing, where has your journey taken you?
As a wife, mother and breadwinner, sailing has been limited to social and club level due to coming low down in the list of things needing to be done. But have introduced the family, and many others through camps, to sailing. A few have gone on to State, National and World sailing.
Worked for a time with the Maritime Museum in Melbourne (Polly Woodside) which led to an opportunity to crew on the James Craig... Also crewed on Enterprize for a while.
Starting in dinghies, moving to trailable yachts and more recently to keelboats, have been trying to get a women's team together for Port Phillip Women's events. Again have had a number of very new crew on this journey, but we have had fun, and haven't scared anyone off...
Whatever part of sailing you belong to, tell us about what you enjoy about your sport?
Being on the water - messing about in boats. Even maintenance is enjoyable. When sailing, making the boat go by using the wind. Getting the most out of the sails. Beating another boat... wherever in the fleet we happen to be.
What would you say to someone thinking about getting into sailing?
Give it a go. Find a boat/crew you are happy with and learn as much as you can.
Tell us your favourite story ….
My first Marlay Point Overnight Race was in a Hartley TS16. Started on the back of a 20 knot change so Lake Wellington was choppy with waves around a metre. Crew was a cousin, and my teenage son and daughter. We had a full main and jib up - no reefs available. We crossed the Lake sailing by the seat of the pants... and making sure we didn't broach. Daughter was below deck - later found out she was seasick, not surprisingly - while cousin, son and I sailed the boat. We were so pleased to reach the other side and the shelter of McLennan Straits for a while, especially as the wind built on the eastern end of the lake and a change of course before entering the strait required a gybe. We chickened out and grannied around!
My first Marlay Point Overnight Race was in a Hartley TS16. Started on the back of a 20 knot change so Lake Wellington was choppy with waves around a metre. Crew was a cousin, and my teenage son and daughter. We had a full main and jib up - no reefs available. We crossed the Lake sailing by the seat of the pants... and making sure we didn't broach. Daughter was below deck - later found out she was seasick, not surprisingly - while cousin, son and I sailed the boat. We were so pleased to reach the other side and the shelter of McLennan Straits for a while, especially as the wind built on the eastern end of the lake and a change of course before entering the strait required a gybe. We chickened out and grannied around!
The rest of the race was uneventful by comparison as the wind continued to moderate. It was a great sense of accomplishment to finish in the early hours of the morning.
"Getting the most out of the sails. Beating another boat... wherever in the fleet we happen to be." |
