Tauranga Young Mariners Kat Chantler (left) and Caroline Olds, 16. Photo / John Borren
Girls who go sailing are on their way to creating big ripples in Tauranga's boating scene.
The club that goes by the name Tauranga Young Mariners was a spin-off from the days when Sea Scouts was for boys only.
Rather than grizzle about it, a group of parents decided their daughters deserved the same opportunities, and so Young Mariners was born.
Although Sea Scouts finally admitted girls, Young Mariners was holding true to the spirit of girls going sailing.
The unit formed in Tauranga 28 years ago had chugged away under a fairly low public profile, anchored by the 20-year involvement of Jillian and David Pilbrow.
When Katrina (Kat) Chantler decided to enrol her daughter two years ago, it did not take her long to wonder why on earth girls were not flocking to Young Mariners.
"Why don't more people know about this?"
Chantler said the big advantage of the girls-only club was they had to get on with the job of sailing, even although the little ones did not necessarily have a lot of strength.
Just having girls on board, rather than a mix of girls and boys, meant they had to step up and have a go at all the activities from operating the helm to sail work.
"It's a great introduction for girls who have never been on a boat before."
The unit's latest recruit three weeks ago was typical in having had no experience of boats. "But the grin on her face when she came back from her first sail was amazing."
"She had no idea what she was letting herself in for, and ended up realising she was braver than she thought she was."
Chantler said the girl was quite nervous when the boat started heeling over in the wind, but with the encouragement of the other girls, she had a lot of fun.
"Any girl can do it, no matter their ability. There is a supportive bunch of girls and great leaders and parents."
The welfare of the girls was at the forefront of club activities, with safety boats going out when the girls went sailing or kayaking.
She said the older girls encouraged the younger ones, giving them confidence. And seasickness had never been an issue. "They are too busy to get seasick."
Chantler said some of the girls did not want to be amazing sailors and were there for the experience and friendship. They did not necessarily want to take the helm or sail a boat by themselves, but they always went out.
Winter was spent off the water doing traditional scout-type activities, with the girls earning Young Mariner badges to put on their winter uniform that had a real naval flavour. But in the summer, out came the bright polo shirts.
Chantler said Young Mariners was in great spirit, enjoying a lot of support. "The parent involvement is awesome."
Dads took part in winter working bees to keep the boats in good condition. The sailing fleet consisted of the 17ft wooden boat Whio, Sunbursts and JJ Optimists.
She said Tauranga was lucky in having Shelley Olds as unit leader and her boat-building husband Phil leading the effort to keep the boats ship-shape.
"Everyone is welcome to Young Mariners. It is something the whole family can become involved in."
A highlight of the year was the annual pre-Christmas sail across Lake Tarawera to the DOC camp next to Hot Water Beach and the Easter National Regatta. Jillian Pilbrow was the camp mum.
Her husband David took new girls out to give them confidence on the water. "They are the reason the club has survived all these years - their contribution cannot be overstated."
Tauranga Young Mariners
Current membership: 20 girls aged 9-16.
Meetings: Every Thursday at Sulphur Point from 5.30pm.
Fleet: 11 sailboats, 2 safety boats, 13 kayaks.
Information: Tauranga Young Mariners Facebook page or email tauranga@youngmariners.org.nz