It is all about getting on the water and having fun! SheSailsNZ events are being held all over New Zealand, catering to those new to sailing and our keen competitors. From female helm races to women or girls only regattas. There is sure to be something that you can get involved in.
This page highlights just some of the sailing opportunities provided by Yachting New Zealand affiliated yacht clubs or commercial members for women and girls to try sailing, improve their skills or learn something new.
👉Check out the new Yachting New Zealand programme for girls in the Starling class - Starling Girls Accelerator Squad
Updated December 2023
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Steering the Course Events 2024
End of May and early October
World Sailing Steering the Course Women's Festival
The World Sailing Steering the Course Women's Festival runs Friday 27 September – Sunday 6 October 2024.
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Annual Events
NZ Women’s Match Racing
The 2023 NZ Women’s Match Racing Championship hosted by the RNZYS includes three days of all female match racing in the Squadrons fleet of Elliott 7’s. Tough competition between the best female match racing teams NZ and the world has to offer in a quest to win the prestigious Leith Mossman Memorial Trophy.
More information here: https://www.rnzys.org.nz/rnzys-events/nzwmrc/
Predict Wind Girls Regatta
Annual girls-only dinghy regatta hosted by Kohimarama Yacht Club.
More information here: https://kyc.org.nz/
Gulf Harbour WoWW
Annual Women on the Water weekend hosted by Gulf Harbour Yacht Club.
More information here: https://www.ghyc.co.nz/event/woww-2024
Women's Keelboat Nationals
Hosted by TBC 2025.
More information to come.
Wellington Women's Regatta
Hosted by Lowry Bay Yacht Club, open to keelboats, trailer yachts, multihulls, and sports boats. Minimum requirement of 50% female crew which includes helm. Spinnaker and non-spinnaker divisions.
More information to come, updates at: https://www.lbyc.org.nz/ or email wwr@lbyc.org.nz
Steering the Course - Sept 27-Oct 6, 2024
This is a twice-annual festival held by World Sailing, where clubs are invited to hold their own Women's events. If your club is running an event, be sure to send it in to Raynor at raynor@yachtingnz.org.nz so we can put it up on our website and socials. To see the events being held this year, go here.
Olympics - Paris 2024
Cheer on the female athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympics! More information on this to come.
Women's Day Out - August 24, 2024
Hosted by the RNZYS, this is an annual event.
More information here: https://www.rnzys.org.nz/rnzys-events/womensdayout/
Women's Americas Cup - September
More information to come.
Waikawa Boating Club - September 2024
Evolution Sails Women's Regatta A two-day keelboat regatta for women held in the Marlborough Sounds.
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Weekly Events
Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
Sailing School - In 2015 the RNZYS launched its first adult beginner level 1 programme to establish a training ground for members and to introduce people to the sport of sailing at any age. https://www.learntosailnz.com/about/
Ladies Summer Racing Series https://www.rnzys.org.nz/rnzys-events/ladies-series/
Tauranga Yacht & Power Boat Club
Women on Water
Established in 2001, the concept of taking complete beginners out sailing on the Tauranga harbour now attracts 80-100 women each WOW night during the summer season.
The WOW Summer Series comprises 9 sails each summer. Registration Evening for the 2021/22 season. Find more information here.
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Events by region
Northland
Great Escape Sailing with the Opua Cruising Club
"Have a Go" Sailing Days or Learn to Sail programmes. We have awesome women instructors and Great Escape keelboats ready. Women can join us for a fun day on the water, have a go at helming, and all the different crew positions in a safe all-women environment.
You can find more information about Great Escape here and Opua Cruising Club here.
Women's Sailing Regatta with the Whangarei Cruising Club
18 - 19th November 2023 at Parua Bay
A weekend of sailing designed for women - all levels of experience (none-loads)
We want to encourage women with no experience to try it for themselves and for those who've been around yachts but haven't had the fun of racing with other women - to come and have a blast. Our club just wants people to see why we love sailing, and to this end, our yacht owners loan their yachts and time. Five fun races are planned. Women helm and crew - yachts may have a club rep aboard if tuition is requested. After racing - which is as competitive as you want to make it we relax back at the club with drinks and a barbeque each day
Contact Raewyn on 027 46 99412
email: raewynpilbrow@gmail.com
Include: Name, mobile and email contact plus level (if any) of experience
Auckland
NZ Women’s Match Racing
The 2023 NZ Women’s Match Racing Championship hosted by the RNZYS includes three days of all female match racing in the Squadrons fleet of Elliott 7’s. Tough competition between the best female match racing teams NZ and the world has to offer in a quest to win the prestigious Leith Mossman Memorial Trophy.
More information here: https://www.rnzys.org.nz/rnzys-events/nzwmrc/
Predict Wind Girls Regatta
Annual girls-only dinghy regatta hosted by Kohimarama Yacht Club.
More information here: https://kyc.org.nz/
Gulf Harbour WoW
Annual Women on the Water weekend hosted by Gulf Harbour Yacht Club.
More information here: https://www.ghyc.co.nz/event/woww-2024
Women's Keelboat Nationals
TBC for 2025.
More information to come.
Women's Day Out - August 24, 2024
Hosted by the RNZYS, this is an annual event.
More information here: https://www.rnzys.org.nz/rnzys-events/womensdayout/
Waikato / Bay of Plenty
Tauranga Yacht & Power Boat Club
Women on Water
Established in 2001, the concept of taking complete beginners out sailing on the Tauranga harbour now attracts 80-100 women each WOW night during the summer season.
The WOW Summer Series comprises 9 sails each summer. Registration Evening for the 2021/22 season. Find more information here.
Wellington / Taranaki / Hawkes Bay
Wellington Women's Regatta - 27&28th April
Hosted by Lowry Bay Yacht Club, open to keelboats, trailer yachts, multihulls, and sports boats. Minimum requirement of 50% female crew which includes helm. Spinnaker and non-spinnaker divisions.
More information to come, updates at: https://www.lbyc.org.nz/ or email wwr@lbyc.org.nz
Top of the South
Nelson Yacht Club
Learn to sail at Nelson Yacht Club and you will find a variety of options for women and girls.
Junior learn to sail programmes are run in holidays, evenings and weekends in term time in a variety of yachts from single-handed dinghies to double-handed dinghies to windsurfing. https://www.nelsonyachtclub.org.nz/learn-to-sail/
Adult learn to sail courses are run throughout the summer season and Mondays are wahine only. https://www.nelsonyachtclub.org.nz/learn-to-sail/learn-to-sail-adult/
Have a go days for girls and women are run from time to time, contact the club for details.
Waikawa Boating Club
Evolution Sails Women's Regatta A two-day keelboat regatta for women held in the Marlborough Sounds.
Canterbury
Southland
Wanaka Yacht Club - Women's Learn to Sail Weekend
More details coming soon, contact learn@wanakayachtclub.co.nz.
More information here: https://wanakayachtclub.co.nz/calendar/
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Past Events
Healthy Women in Sailing Online Series (online)
Tues 10th Oct – 7:30pm online - Introduction - Jenny Armstrong – Yachting New Zealand – Women's Sailing Manager
Brain Health & Performance for Life and Sport – presented by John Sullivan ( Clinical Sport Psychologist) who will explore how to sustain brain health to enhance both quality of life and high-performance in sailing.
Nutrition: presented by Kelsey Paterson (NZ Registered Dietician) who will present on fuelling to support growth, development, performance and life.
Injury Prevention in Sailing – presented by Mark Overington ( Physiotherapist ) – Tips and tricks to prevent injuries.
Tues 17th Oct – 7:30pm online
Introduction - Jenny Armstrong – Yachting New Zealand – Womens Sailing Manager
Balancing energy costs and having a healthy menstrual cycle’. – presented by Lucy Jacobs (Performance Physiologist) & Anna Schipper (Senior Performance Physiologist) who will explore the energy demands of sailing and other commitments and understanding your menstrual cycle & signs of a healthy cycle.
Journey of the High-Performance Athlete” – presented by Vicki Hudson ( Performance Life Coach ) – will explore what this means to be a high-performance athlete in sport and life.
There will be opportunities for questions throughout the session.
Email Jenny to RSVP and get the zoom links to the sessions at jenny@yachtingnz.org.nz
SheSails Leadership Conference (online)
Registrations are now open for the highly anticipated 2023 SheSails Leadership Conference, which is set to feature an incredible lineup of keynote speakers from the Australian Sailing Team (AST), America’s Cup 2024 Team Australia Challenge (TAC) and Emirates Team New Zealand – America’s Cup (ETNZ). Scheduled to coincide with World Sailing’s global women’s sailing festival, Steering the Course 2023, the third edition of the SheSails Leadership Conference will be delivered via webinar at 6pm (AEDT) on Tuesday 3rd October 2023.
For more information, click here.
Women's evening (Evans Bay Yacht & Motor Club)
On October 5th, 2023 at 7pm head down to Evans Bay for an evening where women can discuss their experiences and come up with ideas to make sailing more accessible to wahine. This is an initiative between Worser Bay, Evans Bay, and Port Nic to learn more about how we can better support and enable women in sailing in Wellington.
For more information, click here.
Evolution Sails Women's Regatta (Waikawa Boating Club)
A two-day regatta for women, this year's event takes place on September 16-17, 2023. Past editions have featured everyone from world and Olympic champions to beginners. With the success of the 2022 regatta and a record number of entries, a cap of 250 crew entries has been placed on this year's edition.
For more information, click here.
Women on Water Regatta (Gulf Harbour Yacht Club)
Sailed in the beautiful waters of Gulf Harbour, this event is designed for women of all sailing levels to enjoy a weekend on the water sailing and networking, with an emphasis on having fun. The next event will be held from March 15 to 17, 2024 and will again be hosted by Gulf Harbour Yacht Club, in association with Auckland Yacht & Boating Association (AYBA).
For more information, click here.
PredictWind Girls Championship Regatta (Kohimarama Yacht Club)
The PredictWind Girls Champs has been a fixture on the sailing calendar for more than 30 years and its success prompted the Kohimarama Yacht Club to look into turning it into a two-day regatta in 2022. Planning is well under way for the 2024 edition, following another successful event in March this year.
For more information, click here.
Women's Day Out (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron)
The latest addition to the diary, the Women'sDay Out is designed for females of all ages to participate on the water – from sailing novices to experienced yachties. The inaugural regatta was held on Saturday, August 12, 2023.
For more information, click here.
Other events
NZ Sailing Trust Hine Moana - All Female Sailing and Kayaking Adventure
The Hine Moana program offers a life-changing adventure for young women to boost their self-confidence, enhance communication skills, and form new, long-lasting friendships in a supportive environment. The program empowers young women to reflect on their journey with self-respect and respect for Kaitiakitanga.
Hine Moana is a female-specific youth development program that takes place over five days of sailing and kayaking. Designed for 13-18-year-old females, the program helps to build their confidence in the outdoors, and whenever possible, female kayak guides and skippers are brought in as role models to lead the program.
https://www.nzsailingtrust.com/hine-moana
UPCOMING AVAILABLE DATES
- 15th January to 19th January 2024
- 15th April to 19th April 2024
- 30th September to 4th October 2024
Pleasant Point Yacht Club - 1st & 2nd October 2022
Pleasant Point Yacht Club, Ōtautahi | Christchurch, is organizing their first 'Wāhine on the Water' (WOTW) event on 1 & 2 October 2022.
Day 1 (1st of October 2022) 'Have a go' day, where 40 women and girls will have a go at sailing in various dinghies. The majority of our coaches are women. This day is oversubscribed with a waiting list. Spectators are welcome.
Day 2 (2nd of October 2022) is an 'Open Trophy Race' for women and girls only. The race officer is one of our female club members. Spectators are welcome.
Feel free to click on the following links for more information: https://www.ppycsailing.nz/https://www.facebook.com/PleasantPointYachtClub/
Wakatere Boating Club - Thursday Social Sailing
Wakatere is inviting ladies to join the club's Women's Social Sailing group this season for regular sailing on Thursday afternoons. Sailing is followed by drinks and nibbles - all very social.
Great Escape Sailing with the Opua Cruising Club
"Have a Go" Sailing Days or Learn to Sail programmes. We have awesome women instructors and Great Escape keelboats ready. Women can join us for a fun day on the water, have a go at helming, and all the different crew positions in a safe all-women environment.
You can find more information about Great Escape here and Opua Cruising Club here.
Nelson Yacht Club
Learn to sail at Nelson Yacht Club and you will find a variety of options for women and girls.
Junior learn to sail programmes are run in holidays, evenings and weekends in term time in a variety of yachts from single-handed dinghies to double-handed dinghies to windsurfing. https://www.nelsonyachtclub.org.nz/learn-to-sail/
Adult learn to sail courses are run throughout the summer season and Mondays are wahine only. https://www.nelsonyachtclub.org.nz/learn-to-sail/learn-to-sail-adult/
Have a go days for girls and women are run from time to time, contact the club for details.
Hamilton Yacht Club
Waikato Women on Water Wednesdays
Experienced or novice women, come enjoy sailing with women on our gentle fun Quest yachts. Lots of laughter and learning with women coaches. Bring your daughters too (10yrs +).
5:30pm registration + 6pm Briefing/instructions for sailing.
Find more information and register here.
Tauranga Yacht & Power Boat Club
Women on Water
Established in 2001, the concept of taking complete beginners out sailing on the Tauranga harbour now attracts 80-100 women each WOW night during the summer season.
The WOW Summer Series comprises 9 sails each summer. Registration Evening for the 2021/22 season. Find more information here.
Royal Akarana Yacht Club - Learn to sail and Women's racing
The Akarana Sailing Academy was established in 2001 and since then has produced local, national and world champions through the comprehensive courses provided to sailors from the age of 8 to 80. The fun yet knowledgeable coaching approach encourages learning in an exciting and safe environment for all.https://rayc.co.nz/academy/
Graduates of adult learn to sail programmes are also invited to continue to hone their skills sailing with friends in some fun racing on the club's Quest yachts. Social get-together at the club after sailing. For more information contact Maria here.
Naval Point Club Lyttleton
Women's Sailing Experience
NPCL in Christchurch has sailing experiences available for women and girls to try sailing.
The club has a small fleet of Elliot 6m yachts which are sailed with 3-4 people.
For more information contact the club's Youth & Development Coordinator Amanda here
Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
Sailing School - In 2015 the RNZYS launched its first adult beginner level 1 programme to establish a training ground for members and to introduce people to the sport of sailing at any age. https://www.learntosailnz.com/about/
Ladies Summer Racing Series https://www.rnzys.org.nz/rnzys-events/ladies-series/
The club also hosts the New Zealand Women's Match Racing and Keelboat National Championships events each year.
Auckland Women's 50 50 regatta This is an open event sailing Elliot 7's, for members of any yacht club, the skipper/helm of each boat must be a woman. Mixed crews of 4 must have no more than two (2) males in the team, all-female crews may have 4 or 5 members.https://www.rnzys.org.nz/rnzys-events/5050-womens-regatta/
Manly Sailing Club - Dinner at the beach
Manly Sailing Club looked to run an event during the steering the course festival in 2021 that was targeted at all females who are engaged with the club. The plan was to do a beach clean-up/walk, followed by dinner and games. The evening was targeting female sailors, mums and any siblings or friends. The goal: to get the women and girls from the club excited about the season to come. If you would like to be involved in an event like this you can find more information here.
Bluff Yacht Club - Women's quiz night
Bluff Yacht Club held a quiz evening down at the clubrooms for all women in sailing in October 2021 (it was still too cold to go sailing!). It was a great get-together preseason catch-up, chance to explore the clubrooms, meet others interested in the sport and have a bit of a fun quiz and some snacks.
If you would be interested in meeting some Bluff Yacht Club members please get in touch via their Facebook page, Bluff Yacht Club, New Zealand.
Not sure what sailing opportunities there are near you?
You can find your local yacht club here
Or email raynor@yachtingnz.org.nz with any specific questions about getting into sailing in your local area.
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