Women Who Sail Australia, is a group of women interested in
boats with a wide range of skills and interests and from all
parts of Australia.
Sheenagh (Photo: C Narkowicz)
Tas Maritime member Sheenagh Neill is the co-ordinator of the WWSA Tasmania and also
one of the administrators for the national group. WWSA Tas
held a presentation at the Australian Wooden Boats Festival
in Hobart during February this year. Four WWSA members
presented on various sailing topics, including a talk on sailing
to remote places around Tasmania, sailing a wooden boat solo,
the lasso berthing technique and basic rope techniques.
Notable members among the 6500 WWSA membership include
Lisa Blair, who is the first woman to sail solo around
Antarctica (2017), Jessica Watson OAM, who attempted a an
unassisted non-stop solo circumnavigation at the age of 16
(2009), Jeanne Socrates, who is the oldest female to
circumnavigate the world solo at the age of 71 (2017), and
Michelle Lee, who is the first woman to row solo across the
Pacific Ocean unassisted and without stopping (2022).
SV Rhona H (Photo: J Porter) Julie (Photo: C Porter)
In early April the WWSA held its annual Gathering on the Bay (GotB) at Port Stephens.
Various presentations and workshops were held over the 3 days including a presentation by
Lisa Blair (Antarctic Circumnavigation and Storm Management) and one by Tas Maritime
member Julie Porter (Rhona H – A Small Tall Ship) in which she talked not only about Rhona H,
but about Tasmania, and she encouraged mariners to join Tas Maritime Radio.
The GotB 2023 Group (Photo: J Porter)
During the event, the inaugural WWSA Birch and
Dorning Sands Environmental Award was awarded to
Sheenagh Neill. The award has been named in memory
of two WWSA members who passed away last year, both
passionate about environmental protection. Sheenagh
received this award for her work on marine
environmental protection, particularly plastic debris
from marine industry in Southern Tasmania and its
impact on our waterways and safety issues. Her work is
devoted to preventing and removing the marine environment of both macro and micro
plastics.
