WA Para Sailing - Festival of SheSails 2021

To coincide with International Women’s Day 2021 Australian Para Sailing Champion Robert Crofts and Australian Para Sailing Coach Grant Alderson have launched the inaugural WA Para Sailing - Festival of SheSails hosted by the Royal Perth Yacht Club.

The Festival has been created as a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and showcase the incredible female Para sailors Genevieve Wickham (Captain), Natalie Alexander and Jodie Nikolic who #ChooseToChallenge and always race to win!

Genevieve, Natalie and Jodie are fabulous ambassadors for women and girls in the sport of sailing. Genevieve won a Silver Medal at the 2018 Para World Sailing Championships in Sheboygan, USA and as Captain of the WA Para Sailing Squad provides outstanding on-water leadership and mentoring to the squad.

The magnificent Gold Medal winning SKUD 18 - AUS 047 from the Rio Paralympics underwent a makeover and was launched and renamed #SheSails to mark the start of the month long festival. Helmed exclusively by Genevieve, Natalie and Jodie during March for the Hyatt Regency - Wednesday Summer Series at Royal Perth Yacht Club, as part of the WA Para Sailing Squad - Festival of SheSails 2021.

Natalie Alexander, kicked off week two of the Festival starting her day bright and early at 5:00 am. No time to waste for this high achiever; Natalie is in the Australian Paralympic Basketball Squad and she attended a final early morning training session at the Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) in preparation for flying to Canberra for a National training camp with other squad members, aspiring for selection in the AUS Team for the Tokyo 2021 Paralympics in August.

Natalie only started sailing eight months ago as a fun recreational activity ... in her spare time! She headed down to RPYC after her WAIS session, for some morning training drills of a different kind with AUS Para Sailing Coach  Grant Alderson and Connor Cridge in preparation for her first ever keelboat outing in the Hyatt Regency Wednesday Summer Series afternoon race.

Grant surprised Natalie during training with some magnificent spinnaker runs as a fun celebration and acknowledgment of Natalie’s elite AUS basketball representation, including winning a Silver Medal at the Paralympic Youth Games in 2009 and Gold Medal in 2013 followed by Bronze Medal in 2016 at the World Championships in Japan.

At precisely 15:30 ... with Natalie growing in confidence at the helm and supported by Grant’s expert coaching, #SheSails emerged from a congested start line with precision timing at the top of the fleet, with clear air and superior boat speed. Game on!

This perfect start set the scene for a brilliant race with Natalie and Grant combining well to lead from start to finish and win with a comfortable buffer of 1:39 ahead of a fast finishing fleet. What a fabulous effort ... well done Natalie!

The WA Para Sailing Festival of SheSails continues throughout March at the Royal Perth Yacht Club, where they will continue to showcase the inclusive and accessible Para sailing coaching, development and racing pathways.  For more information or to get involved contact AUS Para Sailing Coach Grant Alderson 0412 944 909 or Robert Crofts 0411 231 659.