Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club Championship Heats 1 & 2 - Women on the Move
by Adam Lucius 2 Oct 09:50 BST
27 September 2025
Manly 16 Club Championship Heats 1 & 2 - Georgia and Alanna inspiring the juniors © SailMedia Manly Skiffs
On and off the water, September 27, 2025, is not a date Georgia Clancy will easily forget.
It's the day she became the first female elected to Manly 16ft Skiff Club's board of directors and then, hours later, parlayed it into a podium finish in the second heat of the 2025/26 club championship.
A qualified chartered accountant and senior executive, Clancy believes her experience in governance, management and strategic planning - along with 25 years of sailing across a variety of classes - makes her a strong addition to the club's hierarchy.
"I feel very proud and supported throughout the club," she said. "I am looking forward to supporting the strategic direction at both Manly and St George clubs and like to see both clubs continue to grow. "I'm committed to expanding the club's junior development and mentorship programs to cultivate the next generation of sailors and foster a lifelong passion for sailing.
"A key focus will be on facilitating clear progression pathways for sailors as they advance through the club's classes, with particular emphasis on encouraging and sustaining female participation at every level.
"I will work to ensure the club creates and maintains an environment that is accessible and inclusive, where members of all backgrounds and experience levels feel supported and empowered."
Clancy barely had time to celebrate her historic appointment before throwing on the harness and jumping aboard as skipper of Shebang for the first two heats of the club championship.
Teaming with sister Alanna and former national champion Anthony King, Clancy was unable to break into the top 10 in the first race.
Red Pumps Red (Zoe Dransfield), Sutech Building (Michael Koerner) and Buckingham Marine Services (Daniel Turner) were the first three boats across the line. But second time around, Shebang clicked into gear to claim runner-up honours behind Turner with Modern Concept Construction (Spencer McKay) third.
Clancy said: "Everything came together in the second race and it was great to be back on the water with my sister Alanna after nearly a season off injured, and good to sail with Ant King for the first time. "All in all, it was a good day. I'm just filling in this season, so it was nice to get out there and do well and have fun."
Meanwhile, Dransfield followed up her race one heroics with an eighth in the second heat, learning an invaluable lesson along the way.
"Unfortunately, we accidentally had the number two spinnaker up on Saturday, which worked well in the first race but was awful in the second race," she explained. "We were first to the top mark in the second race like we were in the first but the breeze had dropped out and the lack of sail area in the little chute really slowed us down. "We'd gain a few boats upwind and then lose a bunch downwind.
"Overall, we're happy with our results but a bit disappointed with using the wrong kite! I'm sure that's something we'll never do again."
The two top 10 finishes have Red Pumps Red placed second on the overall club championship pointscore, with Buckingham Marine enjoying a comfortable lead at the head of the table. Modern Concept Construction and Shebang round out the top four.
In the 13s, Buckingham Marine (Ash Napper/Theo Franklin) were first across the line in heat one before Harken (Heidi Bates/Zara Marks) struck back with victory in race two.
The two boats are tied at the top of the leaderboard in an early indication of the rivalry they will enjoy this summer.