Big fleet expected for Predictwind Girls Championship at Kohi
by Yachting New Zealand 21 Mar 2019 02:31 UTC
21 March 2019
Olivia Christie gybes for the leeward mark - 2016 Youth Worlds © Richard Gladwell
As many as 100 sailors are expected to compete at Saturday's Predictwind Girls Championship Regatta at the Kohimarama Yacht Club when they will also hear from renowned ocean sailor Bianca Cook.
The emphasis will be on participation, and all manner of classes are welcome including the Optimist, O'pen Bic, P-Class, Starling, RS Feva, Laser Radial, 420s and 29ers.
The Kohimarama Women’s Laser Championship will run alongside the event and is open to females sailing Laser 4.7, Radial and Standard boats.
The Kohimarama girls regatta has been running for many years and regularly attracts 80-100 competitors.
"We're aiming to encourage girls to participate in racing and form a life-long love of sailing," Kohimarama Yacht Club commodore Dan Alderson said. "Kohimarama is committed to encouraging girls in sailing which is why we host this event every year."
This year's regatta will feature a talk from Bianca Cook on the options available in the sport of sailing.
Cook, who is also a Yachting New Zealand environmental ambassador, recently became the first Kiwi woman to sail in the Volvo Ocean Race since Keryn McMaster, Bridget Suckling and Sharon Ferris in 2001/02 and the first New Zealand woman ever on a mixed boat.
Anyone is interested in competing on Saturday is encouraged to enter online. Registrations will be accepted on the morning but might incur a late fee.
Briefing will take place at 10am on Saturday morning and will be followed by as many as four races and then prizegiving. The notice of race can be found here.
Yachting New Zealand representatives will also be on hand. The national body have been working on an initiative over the last few months looking at how to attract and then keep more females in the sport of sailing.
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