Hi everyone,
Well I have finally got myself organised and sent off sponsorship letters today. Hopefully I will hear something back really soon. We have a new GPS which I have been playing with it's all very fancy and came with a new hand held radio. Dad and I have started getting things fixed and working out how and where things are going to go, and the list continues to grow of what needs doing. That's all the updates I have for now. But Thursday 31st of march is the final DSS twilight race where we have a bit of fun, go in fancy dress and get the girls sailing. so get down to the club and join in the fun.
Cheers
Laura.
Natelle Two
under spinnaker
Sunday 20 March 2011
Thursday 3 March 2011
And it begins...
Hi all and welcome to the page. I have never done anything like this on the internet before so please bear with me as I find my way around.
So as you may have already heard or worked out I have my Dad's permission to take Natelle Two to Sydney this year. I am starting early as there is a lot to get organised. Dad has already organised a few little things and I'm beginning to try to get some companies to sponsor the boat to help me pay all the expenses. So there isn't really much to report at this stage so instead I will fill you in on how all of this came about.
Well being a female in the yacht racing world isn't the easiest task. You're often left to do nothing and contribute nothing as you are not seen to be as physically able as your male counterparts. As is often the case, as I know some women have experienced, you are left to get the beer for the boys while they do the "sailing". Luckily I have the support of my dad, Glenn and my eldest brother Ashley on board our family yacht which Mum and Dad have owned since I was 2. I am very lucky to have the opportunity to have pretty much grown up on Natelle and therefore show the crew that I am fully capable and in some cases more capable than the boys. This has allowed me to continue my competitive sailing career on yachts. I started out in sabots (once I could swim 50 meters on my own) at the age of 7. I continued in sabots until I was 14. From there, I sailed with Dad on Natelle whenever I could make it. I also started sailing J24s with Kaye Roberts, the owner of Kaos as the foredeckie for a number of years. When I moved to Launceston for uni sailing took a bit of a back seat. But at the end of my first year (2007) Ashley entered Natelle in the inaugural Launceston to Hobart race. We began preparing by doing as much racing as we could including the Maria Island race (this is where I learned my tendancy towards sea sickness had returned). As well as sailing in the race I also did the delivery trip to Launceston. The following year I did a delivery trip aboard Helsal 3 to Sydney for Boxing Day and also accomplished my first bass strait crossing.
Due to the difficulty getting aboard boats doing the Sydney to Hobart (partly because of the lack of Tasmanian boats entered) and due to the age restriction applied after the 1998 race I haven't had a chance to get a ride. So this year with my first year of nursing behind me and earning some money I have decided to take myself and pretty much whoever will come with me (experience pending). That's another thing - experience, you really need it to do the race but it's difficult to get it, and to get it, you really already need to have it. So in this complex world of rules and regulations I'm starting out to get my experience so perhaps next time it won't be so hard (and expensive).
So that's the story of me and a little bit about how I came to get my self in this situation.
I will post more information about what we are doing to the boat, hopefully sponsors that have come on board, crew developments and any other interesting information.
Over and out
Laura
So as you may have already heard or worked out I have my Dad's permission to take Natelle Two to Sydney this year. I am starting early as there is a lot to get organised. Dad has already organised a few little things and I'm beginning to try to get some companies to sponsor the boat to help me pay all the expenses. So there isn't really much to report at this stage so instead I will fill you in on how all of this came about.
Well being a female in the yacht racing world isn't the easiest task. You're often left to do nothing and contribute nothing as you are not seen to be as physically able as your male counterparts. As is often the case, as I know some women have experienced, you are left to get the beer for the boys while they do the "sailing". Luckily I have the support of my dad, Glenn and my eldest brother Ashley on board our family yacht which Mum and Dad have owned since I was 2. I am very lucky to have the opportunity to have pretty much grown up on Natelle and therefore show the crew that I am fully capable and in some cases more capable than the boys. This has allowed me to continue my competitive sailing career on yachts. I started out in sabots (once I could swim 50 meters on my own) at the age of 7. I continued in sabots until I was 14. From there, I sailed with Dad on Natelle whenever I could make it. I also started sailing J24s with Kaye Roberts, the owner of Kaos as the foredeckie for a number of years. When I moved to Launceston for uni sailing took a bit of a back seat. But at the end of my first year (2007) Ashley entered Natelle in the inaugural Launceston to Hobart race. We began preparing by doing as much racing as we could including the Maria Island race (this is where I learned my tendancy towards sea sickness had returned). As well as sailing in the race I also did the delivery trip to Launceston. The following year I did a delivery trip aboard Helsal 3 to Sydney for Boxing Day and also accomplished my first bass strait crossing.
Due to the difficulty getting aboard boats doing the Sydney to Hobart (partly because of the lack of Tasmanian boats entered) and due to the age restriction applied after the 1998 race I haven't had a chance to get a ride. So this year with my first year of nursing behind me and earning some money I have decided to take myself and pretty much whoever will come with me (experience pending). That's another thing - experience, you really need it to do the race but it's difficult to get it, and to get it, you really already need to have it. So in this complex world of rules and regulations I'm starting out to get my experience so perhaps next time it won't be so hard (and expensive).
So that's the story of me and a little bit about how I came to get my self in this situation.
I will post more information about what we are doing to the boat, hopefully sponsors that have come on board, crew developments and any other interesting information.
Over and out
Laura
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