Women sailing during SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week

Meet the women making waves in the male-dominated sport of sailing as they challenge stereotypes and age-old superstitions.

(From left to right) Pip, Jess Rubes, Bridie Lewis, Kaspa Blewett and Jill Becket aboard the Shazam for SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week.

It’s an age-old superstition that having a woman aboard a ship brings bad luck.

Ancient sailors believed it was a bad omen, angering the sea gods and inviting poor sailing conditions and storms. Others admitted it just distracted the crew.

But just like many ship’s female figureheads, cutting their course through the ocean, more women today are making the gentleman’s sport their own.

In 2011, Jill Beckett watched the last of her grown children leave the nest when she decided to step out of her comfort zone and do something for herself.

Living in the UK, she launched herself into sailing and learnt the ropes circumnavigating Britain for three months.

Jilli Beckett's all-female crew will compete in the Townsville Yacht Club Gals Regatta on September 8-10. Picture: Andrea Francolini SMIRW

When Jill moved to Australia she became a sailing instructor in 2016.

Her favourite students to teach were women who lacked the confidence to sail but really wanted to try.

Jana Com and James Permezel aboard Charm Offensive for the 2023 SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week.

“It was amazing to watch confidence grow and women take themselves out of their comfort zone, achieving skills they never thought were possible,” Jill said.

Now a midwife working in Mount Isa, Jill has returned to Magnetic Island for another race week.

She has also competed at Port Douglas, Airlie Beach, Hamilton, Melbourne and New Zealand but Magnetic Island has always been a favourite.

Aboard the Shazam, where the crew are mostly women, the atmosphere is very different to other race boats.

“There’s a lot of testosterone that can fly around the boat but having a woman on board changes the dynamics,” Jill said.

“It’s such a powerful thing having a group of women together supporting one another.”

“Obviously it’s competitive, but we’re absolutely supportive of one another and there’s so much teaching,” Jill said.

For James Permezel, developer and owner of Picnic Bay Arcade and Magnetic Island Brewery, having women on board is “fantastic”.

Racing Charm Offensive in the Magnetic Island Race Week, James has a rotating crew of 27 people, ranging from 21 to 75 years old, including his daughter Jilly, 21, who is competing in her first regatta and partner Jana Com.

He’s been in 34 Sydney to Hobart regattas, only interrupting his streak once for the birth of his daughter.

“Sailing is my great passion, but I see this [race week] as a way to share that passion with my family and friends,” Mr Permezel said.

“When I first started sailing there were very few women but I’d think now every boat in this regatta would have women on board, and I think that’s a fantastic thing for sailing,” Mr Permezel said.

But according to Jill, there is still plenty of room for improvement and even something as simple as shopping for women’s sailing clothes is still a struggle.

“It’s still very male-dominated. When you look at who the skippers are, it is a host of male names,” Jill said.

She speculates this could be because, traditionally, men have earned more money and have been the ones to buy boats. But as women are increasingly occupying higher-paying roles, they may be able to afford boats and head out to sea on their own.

“It is shifting, but there’s a long way to go,” Jill said.

Aboard Charm Offensive, Jana Com has been sailing with partner James for several years, who spends around four months a year on the boat.

The pair recently sailed across the Atlantic stopping in Portugal, Spain and the Azores.

Steering her crew to victory at Airlie Beach Race Week earlier this year, Jana agrees that women have a place on board every boat.

“Most jobs women can do just as well. With some of the heavier stuff you just need to have better skills and technique if you don’t have the muscles necessarily,” Jana said.

“We still give 100 per cent on the water and 120 per cent at the bar afterwards.”

Charm Offensive and Shazam will both be competing in the GaLS Regatta at Townsville Yacht Club.

Without the men around, Jill says the women “relax a lot more, particularly after sailing.”

“We absolutely let our hair down,” she said.

The 6th annual Townsville Yacht Club GaLS Regatta will take place the weekend after the SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week, on September 8-10.

Originally published as Women sailing during SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week