SAWKR
The 2024 South Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta (SAWKR) will be held over three days from 5-7 October 2024. The Regatta is hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia (CYCSA) in partnership with Port Adelaide Sailing Club (PASC) and the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron (RSAYS).
SAWKR aims to build women’s participation, skills and pathways into sailing; and to build our leadership, spirit of competition and camaraderie. We are a unique addition to the growing national women’s sailing community.
Now is the time to get involved in this exciting event. Courses will be set in two locations, the stunning waters of Gulf St Vincent and also in the protected waters of the Port River.
SAWKR is made possible in large part by the City of Port Adelaide Enfield, our major sponsor, and with cash and in kind contributions from our many other sponsors and supporters.
Enquiries can be made with the CYCSA Racing Administrator, Inese Lainis 08 8248 4222 or by email [email protected] | follow us on social media @SAWKR2024
THE REGATTA
SAWKR warmly welcomes all women sailors in South Australia and beyond to come and enjoy this wonderful event.
Regatta Itinerary
| Date | Number of races | First warning signal |
| Sat 5 October | 2 | 10.55am |
| Sun 6 October | 2 | 10.55am |
| Mon 7 October | 2 | 10.55am |
Schedule of Events
| Date | Events |
| Fri 4 October | 1200 to 1800 Skipper registration. All Skippers to see Inese Lainis in the Boating Operations Office at CYCSA to confirm registration details. 1800 to 1830 Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony 1830 Welcome and Regatta overview and briefing |
| Sat 5 October | 0800 Breakfast available at the CYCSA 0900 Race and weather briefing 1055 First warning 1600 Daily presentations 1830 Curry Night at RSAYS |
| Sun 6 October | 0800 Breakfast available at the CYCSA 0900 Race and weather briefing 1055 First warning 1600 Daily presentations 1800 for 1830 – Regatta Dinner CYCSA |
| Mon 7 October | 0800 Breakfast available at the CYCSA 0900 Race and weather briefing 1055 First warning 1700 Regatta presentations |
| Tues 8 October | 0800 to 1630 – Oprtional McLaren Vale Wine Tour and lunch. |
Each day after the end of racing and before presentations, there will be a free BBQ for competitors and volunteers.
ENTRY
Eligibility
Boats are to be crewed exclusively by women and girls 14 years and older. Australian crew should be affiliated with Australian Sailing (AS) and provide their AS number with entry. Overseas crews must be affiliated with World Sailing through their National Authority. If you do not have an AS number, a Regatta SailPass membership is available (free of charge) through the CYCSA.
Divisions
The following divisions will be available:
| Division | Handicap System |
| 1 | PHS |
| 1 | AMS |
| 2 | PHS |
| 2 | AMS |
| 3 | PHS |
| Elliott 7s | PHS |
| Elliott 7s | OD |
Divisions 1 and 2 keelboats and Elliot 7s will be run in Course Area A in Gulf St Vincent adjacent the CYCSA.
Division 3 consisting of trailerables and small keelboats will be run in Course Area B out of the Port Adelaide Sailing Club. Boats competing in Division 3 also need to secure their berthing, and if applicable trailer storage at Port Adelaide Sailing Club. This is only seven-minute drive to the CYCSA, so crews participating in this division will not be disconnected from the Regatta. For more information about trailerables and small keelboats, [click here]
Note: Trailerables and small keelboats can nominate to race in Division 2 in Course Area A. However, once nominated for this division they will be required to complete the Regatta in this division.
Individual Entry
Each participant must register personally. We need details of all Regatta participants.
$75 Early Bird price till Friday 30 August 2024 – CLOSED
$85 From Saturday 31 August 2024
$55 Full time secondary and tertiary students
As part of the Regatta, you will be able to book for the Regatta Dinner, RSAYS Event and an optional post-regatta wine tour to one of Adelaide’s stunning wine regions. Details to follow.
All eligible boats (including Elliot 7s and trailerables) need to register on the SAWKR website.
Entries for boats have no associated entry fee and will be accepted up until 22 September 2024. After this time, late boat entries may be accepted at the discretion of the SAWKR Organising Authority. A late entry fee may apply.
RACE DOCUMENTS & RACE RESULTS
SAWKR Area A Emergency Management Plan [click here]
SAWKR Area B Emergency Management Plan [click here]
SAWKR Best Novice Skipper Award nomination form [click here]
SAWKR Spirit of Sailing Award nomination form [click here]
Incident Report [click here]
BOAT LEASE & BERTHING
Book an Elliott
There are a fleet of Elliots for lease from CYCSA that book out early>
Plans going forward for 2025 may be a ballot system after early expressions of interest. Details will be announced at SAWKR 2024.
The CYCSA Farr 7500 trailable, Tingara is available for lease on the Port River. Sporting a fast new spinnaker and updated working sails, she will be one to reckon with this year.
Borrowing a boat
There may be the possibility of borrowing a boat from local owners. For enquiries, contact Mary Ann Harvey on 0416 099 384 / [email protected]
Berthing
For boats competing in Course Area A, berthing at the CYCSA is available free of charge for visiting Regatta entrants. Contact the CYCSA Berthing, Eryn Wyithe 08 8248 4222 or [email protected]
For boats competing in Course Area B, berthing and trailer storage is available free of charge at the Port Adelaide Sailing Club. Contact PASC on [email protected] to register your interest in securing a berth and complete the booking form.
NOTICEBOARD & OFF-WATER EVENTS
Watch the racing
On the Gulf – Jump on a spectator boat and watch the competition up close and personal. A number of boats have offered to take spectators out at no cost. Ring the CYCSA on 8248 4222 to book in.
On the river – watch the river racing from Snowden’s Beach and drop into the Port River Sailing Club for refreshments.
Crew Noticeboard
If you are crew looking for a boat, or a boat looking for crew, please register your interest by emailing [email protected]. Please let us know if you are no longer looking for a position, so we can remove your details.
Boats still required for keen sailors entered into Regatta. Contact Mary Ann Harvey on 0416 099 384 / [email protected]
Regatta Merchandise
A great range of Regatta merchandise will be available. Keep an eye on this space.
SOCIAL EVENTS
Event: Regatta Dinner
Sunday 6 October – 6pm for 6.30pm
at the Cruising Yacht Club of SA, Horizons Function Room
Come celebrate with us! The Regatta Dinner welcomes all regatta participants – their partners and friends and all club members.
Enjoy a delicious two-course dinner (main & dessert) and evening of fun and camaraderie.
Price $63pp. For more information and to book, click below. Bookings are essential by COB 1 October 2024.
BOOK HERE
Event: To Protest or Not!
Friday 20 September, 6.30-7.30pm
Dinghy Shed, Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron
Knowing your Racing Rules can help improve your position on the race course. With SAWKR coming up, and the start of a new sailing season looming, it might be worth becoming more familiar for that edge.
Lisa Bettcher, RSAYS member and National Judge, will get you thinking about the rules, avoiding being protested, actions to be taken if you do and whether or not to protest. The Racing Rules of Sailing can sometimes be pretty overwhelming, so Lisa will discuss some of the more relevant areas. Everyone on board your yacht is important, so this is a session for crew as well as skippers.
Dinner service available from 5.30-8.30pm and meals can be served throughout the talk in the Dinghy Shed.
Free event, register your interest here.
Presented by SheSails@RSAYS – Something on Friday
Event: RSAYS Event – Curry in a Hurry
Saturday 5 October, 5.30pm – 8.30pm at the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron
After a big day of racing, relax with a drink on the deck at RSAYS. Delicious Indian fare will be dished up, accompanied by the fun and games in the Dinghy Shed, and this year, without daylight savings, it will be a bowline relay by torchlight. Price: $25 per person. Bookings close 28 Sept at noon.
BOOK HERE FOR THE RSAYS CURRY NIGHT EVENT
Event: Tour to Adelaide Wine Regions
On Tuesday 8 October, after the completion of the Regatta, you will have the opportunity to celebrate your achievements on a bus tour to the beautiful McLaren Vale wine district. We will be visiting three spectacular wineries: Richard Hamilton, Chapel Hill and Bec Hardy Winery, where we will be having a very yummy long lunch.
Please meet us at the CYCSA car park at 8:00am on Tuesday morning, there will be coffee available. The bus will be departing promptly at 8:30am, so please ensure you arrive on time.
The cost for the tour and lunch is $90. *Please note that wine tastings and individual purchases are not included in this package.
BOOK HERE
SPONSORS & SUPPORTERS
Many people are involved in the promotion, organisation and running of the South Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta. We would like to thank them all for their wonderful support.
The Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron, the Port Adelaide Sailing Club and the Port River Sailing Club will be offering assistance and support with racing, on water activity, volunteers and events.
Committee
Jacqueline Heffernan, Chair
Kirsty Hammet, Mary Ann Harvey, Helen Kearney (RSAYS), Sue Kitto (PASC), Desiree Le Francois, Dianne Schwerdt, Adrian Wotton, Heather McIntyre (RSAYS ex officio)
OTHER INFORMATION / ACCOMMODATION
Logo Designer
The SAWKR logo represents our journey as women sailors traveling along the river and seas of Kaurna country and pays respect to the Kaurna custodians of this land.
Artist: Jardi Welch | Born: 1994, Adelaide, Kaurna Country ~ “I am a proud Kaurna, Narungga, Ngarrindjeri woman living and creating on Kaurna land.”
The logo was made possible through a generous grant from the City of Port Adelaide Enfield Council.
Accommodation
Accommodation near the CYCSA is available locally at The Peninsula Hotel Motel, just 2.6kms away and through local Airbnb offerings in the North Haven area. The nearest large centre is Port Adelaide, with many accommodation options, and a host of pubs, clubs and great places to eat. It is about a 10 min Uber ride away.
Limited unpowered camping for entrants can be booked at the CYCSA on 08 8248 4222 or [email protected]
There is also the option to be billeted with Club members. For more information, please contact the CYCSA Racing Administrator, Inese Lainis 08 8248 4222 or [email protected]
Things to do
If you want to explore outside of the sailing weekend, Port Adelaide, with its extensive maritime history, is a hip area with many pubs, clubs and great places to eat. There are plenty of things to do in Adelaide and its beautiful surrounds. More information [here].
For those interested in wine, you have come to the right place, with the Barossa and Clare Valleys, Adelaide Hills and McLaren Vale no more than an hour away
VOLUNTEER REGISTER
Volunteers Required
The CYCSA and SAWKR Committee would be interested in hearing from you if you are in a position to volunteer for any of the days over the October long weekend. Please contact Greg Allison on 8248 4222 or email [email protected]
