Women Sailors - the Merlin Rocket Class Needs You
by Lou Johnson 7 Sep 04:29 NZST
14-15 September 2024
All to play for - Merlin Rocket Women's Championships 2023 at Lymington Town © Pat Blake
The Merlin Rocket Class is renowned for its technical development and the high standard of its sailors, and now it is developing in other ways; the Merlin Rocket Class Association is running its second Women's Championships at Parkstone Yacht Club on the weekend of September 14/15th 2025 and you are invited to join us.
Are you a competent female helm used to fleet racing and that is looking for a new challenge? If this is you, please read on.
Following the event, there will be articles written about the sailing, the racing and the competitors. September's event will be special in many ways, but how many sailing events can boast an all-female race team and all female helms? It's a beautiful thing, a sailing event conceived by women, run by women, enabling women to have their own thing that they do, and something as yet not done.
When the idea of hosting the 2024 Women's Championship was put before the PYC Sailing Committee, there was only widespread support, in particular from Christina Moncur, Parkstone's first Female Flag officer in 22 years. Christina is so up for it she suggested, and volunteered at once, to lead the all women race team.
Christina is MD of her own accountancy practice in Poole, which is mainly focussed on Charity clients, as if that didn't keep her busy enough, she competes regularly in Offshore racing, an XOD and a Flying Fifteen, as well as working tirelessly in her current role of Rear Commodore Sailing at Parkstone Yacht Club.
As with so many sailors, Christina started sailing young, at the age of Seven when her parents sent her on a beginners course at Rockley point, she then started crewing dad in a Flying Fifteen at 10 years old, soon migrating to yacht racing out of Poole Harbour. Christina met her husband on board a classic yacht, and classic yacht racing has been a big part of her life ever since. She became a PRO in 2009, building on her childhood experience of helping the RO when her dad was racing.
She sees running the race side of the MR Women's Championships as a wonderful opportunity to be part of the ethos driving the event, and to showcase women's skills in all areas of racing sailing. Indeed, when we spoke to Christina, she made the point that all five of her team on the committee boat could quite happily run the racing on the big day.
She is also particularly keen on the event because it chimes with philosophy of Parkstone YC, the ladies fleet there has grown to be one of the largest and keenest classes racing at the club, and a national event of this type links grassroots and cutting edge sailing beautifully.
Entries are rolling in and the Merlin Rocket Class, and we have some crews with boats looking for helm, could it be you?
The event starts on Saturday 14th with a day of training, a chance to get a feel for the boat. Sailors will be in the cable hands of National Champion helms and crews, ready to impart their knowledge.
Saturday evening is a meal and a talk by the inspirational Sarah Ayton OBE.
Sunday is when the racing starts and where our Women's Champion 2024 will be crowned after a day of racing in Poole Bay.
We might be biased but we really are a lovely bunch of people, this is not sales pitch to buy a boat or join the fleet, we are inviting you to come and give the boat a try and embrace the event for what it is.
You may win, but if you don't we are pretty sure you will have a lovely time, you will meet new people and you get to try one of the best two handed dinghies around. You might even take home a Baltic Lifejackets Extreme Buoyancy Aid, a bottle of In the Welsh Wind Distillery Gin or some goodies from Box PR and Creation Covers if you are lucky!
Please get in touch with to join us.