2014 Women Skippers and Navigators Race-Custom Yacht Covers comes onboard.

The Ocean Racing Club of Victoria and their Ocean Girls group are eagerly gearing up for their second Women Skippers and Navigators Race (WSNR) to be held on Sunday 14 September 2014. Established in 2013 with 27 entrants, the now annual race provides the opportunity for female sailors to step up and take on roles as helm, navigator and radio operator for a passage race ‘beyond the sticks’ on Port Phillip from Geelong to Melbourne. This forms part of a great weekend of racing activities which combines the final race of the ORCV Winter Series, the Melbourne to Geelong Passage race on Saturday 13 September with a great destination party at Royal Geelong Yacht Club  on Saturday evening and then the race home to Melbourne on Sunday with the female sailors stepping up to run the boats.
This year we are delighted to have Custom Yacht Covers (CYC) come on board as our major sponsor. Owner operator Sue Bumstead established CYC in 2013 providing marine trimming solutions for all external and internal applications.
Sue came to the sport of keelboat sailing as a self-confessed ‘mature beginner’ social sailor in Far North Queensland, which lead to a sailmaking apprenticeship as a mother of four children, a stint working in sail lofts in Valencia, Spain and a return to Melbourne to take advantage of the women’s sailing and ocean racing opportunities whilst changing tack to a career in marine trimming. Sue will be known to many as a passionate accomplished sailor and regular ‘ace’ foredeckie on Beneteau 40 Dry White. Over the last summer sailing season Sue has taken up the helm, recruited and trained an all female crew with predominantly ‘newbies’ and a couple of experienced women sailors and taken the team to compete in all the major women’s keelboat events on Port Phillip. And to cap off the season, Sue took out the Novice Skipper Award at the 24th Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta (AWKR) raced at Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron (RMYS) in June 2014.
So follow Sue’s lead and come and join us for the second WSNR - a not-to-be-missed opportunity for all female sailors to progress their racing skills. The Notice of Race is now available on the ORCV website under the Winter Series.

Sue receives the Novice Skipper Award at the 2014 AWKR

To qualify for entry, the helm and navigator positions are both to be occupied by females. Roles can be shared amongst several female crew, or on smaller boats, the female helm may also be the navigator.
Navigators are requested to perform and/or share the role of Radio Operator for the mandatory sign-on and radio schedules. We also encourage Navigators to submit a log of their passage to qualify for the Navigator’s prize.
Race entry is $35 per boat. Enter online by midday Wednesday 3 September 2014. 

Keen to be involved but do not have a boat to sail on? Register your interest with Sally Williams This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Lynda Brayton This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will find you a berth.
We look forward to having you on board to mark the 2014 Women Skippers & Navigator’s Race as a double celebration - the ORCV and Ocean Girls running their second annual passage event for women sailors and our new sponsor Custom Yacht Covers celebrating their second year in business.

You can read more about Sue Bumstead’s pathway in ‘The Business of Sailing’.