Good to have the girls back on board today for the 3rd heat of the Port Phillip Women’s Championship Series; Day 2 of the Women in Sailing Challenge at Sandringham Yacht Club. A lot of me just wanted to go and be with Dad, to give the helm to Alex and let her and the crew take the boat without me. But I think he’d want me to sail; to honour the commitment to crew. It turned out that we would have been short without me anyway with two others not available, so I was needed. It’ll be OK; I’ll see Dad on Wednesday.
Alex helmed and I did bow; fun to get back up the front of a boat instead of being stuck holding the tiller for a change. Three short windward-leewards certainly gave me a workout. Our best result for the day was 5th in race 1 after a great start; I think we finished mid-fleet for the day overall. I enjoyed being competitive, and I still get a real buzz out of having the opportunity to bring a team of women together, teach them about sailing and watch everyone’s confidence and skills grow, including my own. But more and more I just want to enjoy being on the water without racing. I just want to enjoy sailing for the love of sailing.
