This weekend marked the start of the winter sailing season with the always popular Women’s Winter Series.

Sunday’s weather eased the crews in to what can be potentially be experienced through the winter season with the day boasting clear blue skies and light breezes for what is the first of three races in the series which opens, punctuates and closes the CYCA Winter Series.

Thirty-six female skippers and their crews headed to the start line off Point Piper where they were met with light and variable conditions. With the previous evenings westerly softening, the sunny conditions contributed to a big wind shift which created some challenging conditions as the breeze swung around to the east causing large holes in the breeze which caught some teams and allowed others to make large gains

One crew which was racing and has been involved with the Winter Series for many consecutive years is Past Commodore Geoff Lavis’ yacht UBS Wild Thing, which this week saw three generations jump on for the season opener. The skipper for the weekend was Geoff’s grand-daughter Maddi who has been making her mark skippering her Cherub Between the Sheets, recently taking first place at the Combined High Schools Regatta with eight wins from eight races. Maddi is now looking to yachts during the cooler months where she will sail with her family during the Winter Series culminating in her first Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race later this year.

The Breakfast Club were ready for the weekends racing with their annual morning hot breakfasts returning to the Clubhouse deck after the recent refurbishments. With the CYCA Winter Series starting this coming Sunday they will once again be braving all weather conditions to be setup bright and early for members and their guests to purchase hot breakfasts before racing.

This week’s divisional winners include; Lisa Wilkinson’s Foreign Affair in PHS non-spinnaker Div1, Beth Morley’s Salona in PHS non-spinnaker Div2, Justine Anson’s Smuggler in PHS spinnaker Div1 and Beth Abbott’s Rapid Transit in PHS spinnaker Div2.

For full results CLICK HERE.