Having received a Queensland Government grant, Australian Sailing Qld offered a package opportunity where, depending on current age and qualifications, young women could attend either an Instructor or Sailing Coach course, as well as a Race Management Day for a discounted price.

Options to only attend the Race Management Day were also put forward. The idea was to create a safe learning environment that provided a sense of belonging to a group of similar, like-minded people and the chance to upgrade their qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge.

The addition of the Race Management Day was to provide an opportunity to learn about the non-sailing roles available in the sailing community and to raise awareness that without race management there would be no competitive sailing. Australian Sailing has recently changed the entry level platform in this space making it easier for clubs to bring on board more volunteers into race management roles.

An invitation was sent to the targeted audience and was taken up by 9 participants as shown below:

Two have now become fully qualified Dinghy Sailing Instructors and three are almost qualified as Sailing Coaches, and of the six who completed the Race Management Day, two have put up their hands to experience more and take on roles at Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron’s club racing events.

“I enjoyed learning new information about what tasks have to be done on the start boat for races and actually being out on the water during the racing in the start boat,” says Teegan.

“Having the discount for the instructor course was a great bonus as well as being able to be with friends and I was sad that I was sick and couldn’t make it to the Race management day,” said Sarie.

Emily was excited to investigate the pathway to race management to supplement her instructing and better support her club.

Thank you to the participants, and to Louise Davis International Race Officer, Senior Instructors/Coaches and the clubs who provided the venues and on water opportunities - Humpybong Yacht Club, Southport Yacht Club & Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron.