Saturday 8March is International Women’s Day, celebrating all manner of achievements by women from all walks of life who are making waves around the world – and here at the Nautilus Marine Insurance Sydney Harbour Regatta, hosted by Middle Harbour Yacht Club (MHYC), we pay tribute to the many women involved this weekend.
In the J/70 class there are three high-profile sailors competing. Aboard Stephen Ellis’ Jouet and racing for the first time at this regatta, is a Chinese double Olympic medallist. Xu ‘Lily’ Lijia, who won Bronze in the Laser Radial at the 2008 Beijing Games and backed up to win Gold in the class at the 2012 London Games, where she was appointed flag bearer for China at the Closing Ceremony.
The Shanghai sailor was subsequently named 2012 Rolex ISAF World Sailor of the Year. She faced hurdles on the road to success, born nearly deaf in one ear and nearly blind in one eye. Attending a sports school in Shanghai at 10, she was chosen by a coach for the sailing squad and a year later, won the 1998 Chinese National Championship.
In 1999 at 12, Lily escaped death in a sudden storm while training with team mates on the open sea off Fujian Province. Then, leading into the 2004 Athens Games, following a physical examination, a giant-cell tumour of bone was found near her left knee, so Lily sacrificed the Games, as doctors warned the tumor could spread quickly and result in amputation of her leg.
Xu Lijia is a global role model and since retiring from Olympic competition, she has become a sports journalist and is one of three sailing lives explored in the yet to be released movie, ‘Storm School’, as she continues the sailing journey here in Australia.
“Lily is sussing out options to potentially spend the European winter in Sydney, Australia, while also gaining experience sailing a range of different yachts. She’s enjoying the J/70, racing at this regatta,” says Karyn Gojnich, who is also at the regatta as co-owner of the J/70, Jabiru.
Gojnich continues, “The J/70 is a great class for a diverse range of sailors – old, young, male and female. It’s like a big dinghy and the loads in the mainsheet and spinnaker sheets are manageable. As a one design class there is great racing and the boat lights up downwind in anything over 12-14 knots.
“A number of Australian teams are heading to Lake Garda in late June for the inaugural J/70 Mixed Plus World Championship. Mixed Plus is defined as ‘a crew shall consist of four or more persons and contain no more than two males over 18 years of age’.”
“The Rule was introduced to encourage more participation for women in sailing, and this is still an overall goal of the J/70 and I’m planning on going,” Gojnich says.
The treble Olympian says, “Three RSYS mothers of children in the Club’s Youth sailing program now share ownership of Jabiru with me. For the Sydney Harbour Regatta, mum and Jabiru co- owner, Natasha Miller is on board. There is also Alice Kidd who recently moved to Sydney and is looking to continue her love of sailing. Will Thomas, a RSYS intermediate member and my daughter’s fiancé is with us too.
“I’m trying to provide opportunities for females in particular, to learn more, grow their skills and meet other like-minded sailors. This is certainly the main aim connected with our Ladies of the Sea Coaching Regatta over the October Long Weekend,” Gojnich said.
Kim Ketelbey, who was on Roger Hickman’s winning 2014 Sydney Hobart Wild Rose crew is the owner skipper of J/70, Anemology. She has been doing twilight racing with women from the Squadron and other racing on her boat.
Japanese sailor, Arisa Moriya, came to Australia alone in October 2023, “Because there are more opportunities to sail and race offshore here,” she said. “When I first arrived, I didn’t know anyone, but I showed up at yacht clubs every day and kept sailing.
“Over time, many people have supported my goal and I’ve met so many great sailors whom I deeply respect and I am working hard to improve my skills in high performance sailing. Ultimately, I want to become a world-class navigator and sailor,” Moriya states.
Moriya, who found a job at North Sails, is self-motivated and it’s paying dividends. She is racing regularly on Master Lock Comanche with Matt Allen and will be sailing on Robert Kelly’s Virago at Sailfest in Newcastle later this month.
Moriya has also raced on Lisa Callaghan’s Mondo. At the Sydney Harbour Regatta she is aboard Keiran Mulcahy’s competitive King 40, Soozal, in the Open IRC fleet.
“Thankfully, Mitch White (a MHYC member) put me on Soozal. I want to do my best this weekend,” ended Moriya, who turns 29 in mid-March.
Gojnich is familiar with Moriya: “I am a mentor with the Magenta Project (set up by four high-profile international women sailors it supports and help women get to the elite level) and that’s how I met Arisa. She’s wonderful. She’s prepared to do anything on a boat, just to be out racing. She’s quiet but determined.”
Sue Crafer, another well-credentialled yachtie who is sailing with Moriya on Soozal, agrees: “She’ll do anything, from packing spinnakers, you name it, she’ll do it – and she does her jobs quietly – no fuss.”
Veteran of 32 Hobarts, inclusive of two race records, six line honours and two overall wins, Adrienne Cahalan is navigating Wild Oats X, while Alice Parker, another navigator making a name for herself, is on the Super 50s leader, Matador. Parker navigated URM Group to second overall in the 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart.
Katie Spithill, a former match racing champion, Olympic campaigner and allrounder, is one of the helms on Hooligan, Mara Stranksy, the Laser Radial Australian 2020 Olympian from Queensland is sailing on a Melges 32, Crazy Diamond, current leader of Open Division 2.
On Daguet 2 in the Open class, you will find veteran yachtswoman, Bridget Canham, Margot Van der Poel and Claire Woods.
In the Performance class divisions, Julie Clarke is here with her Dufour 40e, Arcturus 3, Julie Ford is at the helm of Akiki, Ruth Lawrence is sailing her modified S80, Alcamy and Felicity Nelson, a veteran of 28 Sydney Hobarts, is sailing the Farr 1020, Sequel, that she co-owns.
“I sail three times a week out of Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. The Sydney Harbour Regatta is in our pointscore and we enjoy it. I am the only female helm across Divisions 1, 2 and 3 in our pointscore and that surprises me,” Clarke says.
Clarke, who sails with an all-female crew on Tuesdays, says, “My husband (Terry) and I have had several boats over 25 years. I’m well into my 70s now and I still love it. Karyn (Gojnich) is very good in bringing women into sailing later in life through Ladies of the Sea at our Club.
“I’m lucky to have a husband who is also passionate about sailing and he is among our eight crew this weekend that also includes three women.”
There are many other women boat owners and sailors spread through the fleet, just as there are in regatta management ashore and on the water, many of them regular volunteers. We celebrate you all.
All information and photos from the Nautilus Marine Insurance Sydney Harbour Regatta, including full results, can be found at: https://www.shr.mhyc.com.au
Di Pearson/MHYC media
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