Daring to Dream becomes Living the Dream
With the 2025-2026 summer sailing season now midway, the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria is gearing up for the fourth running of the Keelboat Introduction to Sailing Savvy (KISS), a women’s training program, by women for women, to transition them from passengers to active, confident participants.
Launching on 15 April 2026, the 14-week program provides a mix of online webinars, on water skills training to build confidence and teamwork, and concludes on 1-2 August weekend, with women taking up lead roles of helm, navigator and radio operator for a rally from Brighton to Queenscliff Cruising Yacht Club as the program finale.
50 smiling graduates from the 2024 KISS program / Photo by KISS Media
Over 100 women have now graduated from the program and are continuing to explore the wide range of keelboat sailing opportunities, be it club events, racing or cruising.
Amongst the KISS alumni, Petrina Dorrington had never thought about sailing until 2019. When book club friend and passionate sailor Sal Balharrie first mooted her vision to build a team of women committed to training and contesting the Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta (AWKR), Petrina’s curiosity was sparked.
The call-out went to forty women about 10 committed to join the program with Sal, training and racing on her Sydney 38 “No Man’s Land” (previously Chutzpah owned by Bruce Taylor). Petrina’s response to the invitation:
“I need this! What an opportunity. What an experience. Challenged myself? - certainly did. I could have given up at times but this totally changed my life!”.
A fun sail training on the Bay during the KISS Program / Photo provided by Petrina Dorrington
Progressing through the training program, exposed her to a range of competitive events including Port Phillip Women’s Championship Series (PPWCS), South Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta (SAWKR) Festival of Sails and the Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta (AWKR). Her experiences stirred an interest in perhaps buying a small boat, a sentiment welcomed by her partner who as a long standing experienced dinghy sailor, was keen for them to sail together and go further.
The advent of COVID in 2020 disrupted sailing activities in Victoria. A visit to Petrina’s daughter in Darwin for a week ended up as a three month stay, joining the Darwin Sailing Club as an active sailing member. The friendships she made saw her return in 2022 to participate in the Northern Territory Women’s Keelboat Regatta (NTWKR) in its fourth year.
There was also a Whitsunday charter between Victorian lockdowns, extending their horizons and building confidence for further adventures.
"KISS taught me how to be a valuable crew member."-Petrina / Photo provided by Petrina Dorrington
Keen to learn more about running a keelboat, Petrina signed up for the inaugural KISS Program in 2022, and was assigned to Bolero, a Beneteau Oceanis 393 owned by Simon Murray for on-water training skills and opportunities for trialing all roles on the boat.
Further training followed with ORCV Training courses including Sea Survival & Safety course (SSSC), Foredeck Essentials and the Practical Radio Course.
There is nothing more wonderful than helming your own boat / Photo provided by Petrina Dorrington
In 2022, Petrina and her partner “dared to dream” and purchased a Beneteau Oceanis 40 “Juliet” with longer term plans for cruising.
With the encouragement of Mark Chew and partner Sal Balharrie from https://www.southernwoodenboatsailing.com/, they crossed the Bass Strait to cruise and explore Tasmania which led to signing up for the biennial Van Diemen’s Land Circumnavigation (VDLC) run by Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania (RYCT) departing Hobart in February 2026. Another steep learning curve for upgrading the boat and equipment to participate in an exciting adventure amongst a fleet of 45 boats.
So reflecting on her pathway from absolute novice in 2019 to passionate keelboat owner in 2022, gaining experience and confidence along the way, Petrina’s advice to women is -
- Join the KISS program!! Don’t wait to feel ready - confidence builds after you begin, not before
- Give racing a try - start with mid-week races which can be less stressful - there are always skippers looking for crew and many are happy to share their knowledge with newbies.
- Do extra courses - I am currently doing an online Dayskipper theory course
- Get out on the water - the more hours out, the more experience you get
Ella Fitzgerald has also got the vibe -
“Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you
But in your dreams whatever they be
Dream a little dream of me”
Petrina is now well on her way to living the dream! So start with your little dream and join the KISS 2026 Women’s Training Program to lead you to Pandora’s box of opportunity for dreaming bigger. Registration is open online now at ORCV KISS Women's Training Program.
Bring a friend, make a friend, meet a group of like-minded women inspired to give sailing a go. Only prerequisites are to be keen and committed to learning in a supported environment.
Places are limited so act now, register to join the program: https://www.orcv.org.au/training/kiss.
“Sweet dreams whatever they be………”
The KISS program is proudly supported by Australian Sailing, She Sails, and is a government initiative all powered by the ORCV.
