Julie Hodder has been an Australian Yachtswoman for over 50 years and has competed competitively in most major Australian events, including 13 Sydney Hobart races as navigator. As well as owning her own boats, she has competed and been on the winning team in many other international events around the world, including Australia, Asia, the Caribbean and Europe. She started sailing dinghies in her younger years, then progressed to racing JOGs offshore with her dad and brother David Thomas in her teens, out of Lake Macquarie Yacht Club. After going to University in Sydney she started sailing the JOG boat (Outlaw) with Ian Thomas winning lots of JOG races including the National JOG Championships. Her first serious long offshore racing (and first Hobart) was on Diamond Cutter out of Middle Harbour Yacht Club with Alan Sweeney in the late 1970s. She progressed from the runners to navigation as that was her passion. There were not a lot of females sailing in those days and Alan and crew were very supportive after their initial doubts about females sailing offshore! She has enjoyed racing and navigation competitively on well-known yachts such as Apocalypse (Barclay Wade), Wild Oats (now Wild Rose) & Hauspie (Roger Hickman), Condor (Bob Bell), Heaven Can Wait (Warren Johns), Austmark (Gunther Schmidt-Lindner), Zen & Fujin (Gordon Ketelbey), Toy Box (Ian Box), Hollywood Boulevard (Ray Roberts), Margaret Rintoul (syndicate), Pla Loma & Exile (Rob Reynolds), and recently on About Time (Julian Farren-Price) in the 2019 Hobart Race. Whilst she does not currently own a yacht, for many years she previously owned yachts with Peter Sorensen and (shock jock) Stan Zemanek, including the Farr 50, Morning Mist (or Foxtel Titan Ford) in the 1998 Hobart, and the Volvo 60 Magnavox. She is very grateful for all the support of all these owners and great tacticians such as Bob Frazer, Jamie Wilmot and Steve McConaghy have provided. She is passionate about not only ocean racing, but also in developing the sport of sailing. As an enthusiastic member of both MHYC since 1977 and a 20+ members of the CYCA, she has taken on various roles and responsibilities including the distinction of being the first female Commodore of Middle Harbour Yacht Club (2011 – 2013) and is now a Life Member of MHYC. She is chairperson of the Frank Likely Trust supporting youth sailing at MHYC and was the volunteer chairperson of the 2012 Access Worlds in April 2012. The special feature of this regatta was that whilst 80 % of the sailors had some form of disability, the competition was open to all. There were over 120 competitors from 9 different nations and 200+ volunteers needed to run the regatta. Julie describes this period in her life as one of the most enjoyable and rewarding, ever. At age 65, she says that sailing must be the best sport in the world. You can take it up cruising non-competitively, or racing competitively. Sailing is a team sport that you can do and any age, any gender and any ability. You don’t need a lot of money, especially if you want to crew. And when you are sitting on that rail in 20+ knots, it is very often hard to tell what age, what gender and how well off the person sitting next to you is.

Our next Guest in the Women in Sailing Podcast series has skippered 3 of her 13 Sydney to Hobart Races, she has skippered 2 round the world Clipper Races winning a division and then overall Line honors. Participated in 10 Sydney to Gold Coast races and much more.

I talk to Wendy Tuck about her recent time as skippering on Maiden from Sri Lanka to LA via Sydney.

She also shares with us her experience and achievements, as skipper, on the Clippers around the world race. And we touch on her Sydney to Hobart races and the Jane Tate Trophy.

Wendy Started sailing with her ex husband in her 20’s, they bought a boat and lived in Spain for a number of years, after taking a break and returning to Sydney she discovered sailing again, and so began the next leg of her sailing career.

She got her first commercial ticket in 2002 and is a RYA Yacht master instructor and examiner. Holding a Master 5, Med 3 ticket.  She is studying MED 2 with a goal of studying Master 4, to enable her to driving bigger boats hopefully on the harbour.

I’d like to welcome Wendy Tuck

I'm very excited to talk with our first Women in Sailing podcast guest  Lisa Darmanin

Lisa will compete with teammate Jason Waterhouse on the foiling Nacra17’s at the Tokyo Olympics.

After sailing together for a number of years the team of Lisa and Jason got their first taste of gold at the ISAF Youth Worlds in Braiel 2009.

Then in 2016 they made their Olympic debut in RIO and proudly bring home the silver.

Lisa was also named the Australian Female sailor for both 2015 and 2016.

And these are just a few of her achievements during sailing career.

The Covid19 virus has changed everything for everyone including our Olympians, and they now have  12 months to go until the Tokyo games.

I talk with Lisa about various aspects of her sailing career, past experience, challenges and the lead up

Tokyo Olympics next year.