The MPONR Committee are thrilled to receive their first entry for the new category of All Female Crew.
The All Female crewed boat is Swallow – an Explorer 16. Skipper Sue Burke said, “It is great to see women being encouraged to be more active and prominent in sailing. Really pleased that the MPONR is trying to promote more women to step up by having a trophy to award this year to the first all female crew.”
It wasn’t acknowledged at the time but Swallow came 5th in the 50th anniversary race 2018 with an all female crew (Sue Burke, Tammy Ballard, Helen McMahon) out of 80 entrants in division A that year.
Swallow sails regularly at Williamstown Sailing Club and in Explorer champs. She has also competed in the Port Phillip Women’s Championship series in 2022. They have been female only crew now for many years and don’t do too badly.
Nearly two years ago Sue and her husband bought a Defiance 30 which they sail from Hobsons Bay Yacht Club. Sue is currently the She Sails rep for HBYC. A group of women got together and sail the female helm races and Wednesday afternoon pursuits in a mixed gender fleet. “We are currently the only all female crew on Wednesday afternoons and we are doing OK.” Two of these women will crew this MPONR – Susan Morwood and Sacha Koltun. Susan comes from a dinghy background and Sacha is a relative newbie to sailing but throwing herself into it with great zest.
Sue says, “We really enjoy sailing together as women, there is a great sense of achievement if we do well and we know we have done it on our own merits.”
Left 3 women are MPONR crew L to R Sue, Sacha, Susan. The other two amazing ladies are Jude and Marg.
Swallow is in the middle of this photo of that race, with the blue and yellow spinnaker. Tammy was a whizz on the spinnaker.
