A new ladies' sailing initiative at East Antrim Boat Club on Larne Lough in Northern Ireland got underway at the end of January when Ladies that Launch dusted off the wetsuits and had a fun afternoon trying to find the wind.
The aim of the initiative is to engage with existing female club members and get them back to dinghy sailing. Members were invited to attend a new ladies' match racing programme where they race the club RS Quests and learn through an exciting race format. This low-cost option to get on the water has proved attractive to the seven members who attended the first session with more expected to join in the future.
About half of East Antrim's membership is female but mostly active in the keelboat series, and this new effort offers opportunities to get out all year round. Training manager Debbie Hanna said, "This initiative is targeted to offer members something different from traditional fleet racing. Team racing and match racing are exciting formats of the sport that will engage people's interest and give a social sport outlet to those attending".
A new ladies' match racing programme is run in East Antrim Boat Club's RS Quest dinghies
Commodore Lucy Whitford is excited about the progress; "This is a fantastic initiative, and I enjoyed the first session. We had a mix of beginners, experienced dinghy sailors and some of us more used to big boat racing. It's all about gaining new skills, getting on the water, and taking time out to have fun, and we certainly did that".
