Three outstanding sailing professionals have been recognised as finalists in the Australian Sailing Sports Professional category, with the winner to be announced at the national awards in Sydney on November 4.

Michael Robinson joined Keppel Bay sailing Club (KBSC) in June 2020 as Sailing Manager and absolutely loves his job, the Club, its members, staff, and the sailing team that helps provide outstanding Australian Sailing courses for the region.

The first finalist in the Sports Professional category, Michael has brought a professionalism to the club that has fine-tuned the existing good work of previous management.

Having previously acted as Vice Commodore of Oxley Sailing Club, he has been instrumental in establishing a Tackers program which has helped boost membership of juniors and youth at KBSC.

Tackers and the other junior courses are of paramount importance to Mike, with his main focus being to fill them up and run them successfully.

Participation in Tackers One has increased this year by 22 percent, whilst Tackers Two and Three have both increased by seven percent. Mike says that retention during this time is so, so important!

Michael’s role sees him either volunteering or racing his Impulse at every opportunity he has.

The second finalist is Madeline Salter from Adelaide Sailing Club (ASC). Since joining ASC as a senior sailing member in the 2020-21 season, Madeline has taken on the role of both Sailing School Manager and Membership Manager.

Madeline has made an instant and positive impact on the club, its members and particularly its growing junior members and their families.

She has been ASC’s sailing school and membership manager since September 2021, a role that covers everything from staff recruitment, management, budgeting, risk management, mentoring junior instructors, resource management and maintenance, business development and liaison with schools, corporate groups and individual course participants.

As the club’s Membership Manager, she is integral to the club’s weekly sailing calendar of events which incorporates the planning and delivery of club social events throughout the year.

Madeline also maintains strong working and social relationships with ASC’s volunteer group and adds energy to the older demographic while recruiting new volunteers. She has actively promoted an inclusive and engaging club environment, making members feel safe and supported on and off water.

The last finalist in the Sports Professional category, Hayley Clark from Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club (RFBYC) is an Australian Sailing qualified Sailing Coach and Foil- Lab coach and is Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club (RFBYC) and WA’s State 29er lead coach.

Over the past year, Hayley has made a significant contribution to RFBYC’s junior and youth coaching programs, preparing and executing training programs and competition schedules for the club’s 29er teams and Youth Development fleets.

The Club’s 29er and Youth development fleets have experienced a significant increase in participation at Club training, Club competition, local regattas and State events, under Hayley’s guidance.

Hayley took the Club’s 29 team to the World Championships in Barcelona in July, and her drive, commitment, successes, and passion saw her rewarded with a coaching job to support the Australian Sailing Youth Team at the Youth World Championships at The Hauge.

From 2021-22, Hayley worked at WAIS as an Athlete Wellbeing and Engagement advisor across multiple sports, whilst also balancing a master’s degree in Ocean Leadership.

Hayley was awarded an Elevate Athlete2Coach scholarship with WAIS. This program provides opportunities for coaching professionals to develop skills to work with high-performance athletes.

Australian Sailing congratulates all of the finalists on their selection. The winner will be announced at the Australian Sailing Awards at the National Maritime Museum on Friday November 4.