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2:57 AM Sun 15 Mar 2009 GMT
.jpg) | | 'The winning Asylum crew (soaked by a rain squall) Photo: Roy Barkas'
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For the first time in the history of yacht racing on Hobart's Derwent River, an all-women crew has won the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania's Division 1 PHS Summer Pennant series, with Dianne Barkas steering the Sydney 38 Asylum to victory in Saturday's final race of the season to clinch victory.
According to some local yacht racing historians, this is first time that an all women crew has won a Division 1 pennant race, let alone take out a Division 1 pennant series in Tasmania.
The winning team comprises owner/skipper Dianne Barkas, Heather McCallum, Colleen Darcy, Lauren Davison, Danielle McKay, Louise Jackson, Noni Walter, Gemma Mencke and
Caroline Walker.
The Pennant series has been highly very competitive throughout the summer with Asylum racing against Hobart's best boats, including former Admiral's Cup yacht Intrigue, Rolex Sydney Hobart Race competitors Pisces, Valheru and Dr. Who, along with Auch, Marineline/Focal, Liberte Express and OneSteel taking part.
Dianne and the all-women Asylum team will contest the Australian Women's Keelboat Regatta in Melbourne this June. The team was competitive in last year's event and hopes to bring a trophy home to Hobart this year.
Saturday's race today started in light winds but near the end of the race a cold front arrived with very heavy rain and winds that reached 38 knots, according to some competitors. Visibility in the squalls was significantly reduced.
One of the Division 1 boats was knocked flat, lost a crewmember overboard and was nearly capsized by the galeforce winds, while another had to be towed in after getting a line around their prop shaft in the weather-induced confusion.
Asylum's 'other' crew crew that has contested Tasmania's offshore events such as the Launceston to Hobart, Bruny Island and Maria Island races, is also doing well in the Derwent Sailing Squadron Summer Pennant going into the last race next Saturday with a lead of four points.
'Not all of us on that crew are girls, but we do our best!' quipped one of the crew(men).
by Peter Campbell
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Sailing
