News
How She Sails: Sharon
Published Mon 25 May 2020
How long have you been in the sport of Sailing?17 years
What Club, Association or company are you involved with?
Dinah Beach Cruising Yacht Club & Darwin Sailing Club
What Part do you play in our sport?
Sailor; Club Volunteer
Tell us how you first got involved with Sailing.
When I met my husband he had an S80 yacht called Hakuna Matata (No worries!)
There are many pathways in sailing, where has your journey taken you?
My sailing journey has been amazing, I've been to Malaysia for the Raja Muda Regatta and Phuket for the Kings Cup. From Darwin I have raced to Dili 3 times and also been to Ambon. In 2019 had to opportunity to compete in the Magnetic Island Race Week, Townsville GaLS regatta. We have a 40ft Delphia called Red Knot which we use regularly both for cruising and racing.
Whatever part of sailing you belong to, tell us about what you enjoy about your sport?
I love the dynamic nature of sailing, every time we go out it's different. I have met some wonderful friends through sailing and had the opportunity to see places that not many people get to experience. It keeps me active and I'm always learning.
What would you say to someone thinking about getting into sailing?
Don't hesitate, just do it! If you're nervous the basic learn to sail program really helps. If you get seasick find the right remedy that suits you. It opens up such great opportunities to meet people and travel.
Tell us your favourite story ….
We bought our yacht in Brisbane in 2014 and cruised to Darwin over the next 30 months. We were still working so would leave her in a marina when we had to fly home and gradually moved up the Queensland coast. We were lucky enough to see a lot of the beautiful great barrier reef before the cyclones and coral bleaching caused such damage and I will always treasure the few days we had at Lady Musgrave Island. This is where I had my first of many'Gilligan" moments. We were snorkelling from our inflatable tender and I found a patch of sand to place the anchor so we didn't damage the coral. Over went the anchor and I then realised it wasn't attached to the tender line! Lucky for me the water was crystal clear and it was easy to retrieve it :)
We bought our yacht in Brisbane in 2014 and cruised to Darwin over the next 30 months. We were still working so would leave her in a marina when we had to fly home and gradually moved up the Queensland coast. We were lucky enough to see a lot of the beautiful great barrier reef before the cyclones and coral bleaching caused such damage and I will always treasure the few days we had at Lady Musgrave Island. This is where I had my first of many'Gilligan" moments. We were snorkelling from our inflatable tender and I found a patch of sand to place the anchor so we didn't damage the coral. Over went the anchor and I then realised it wasn't attached to the tender line! Lucky for me the water was crystal clear and it was easy to retrieve it :)
"It opens up such great opportunities to meet people and travel" |
