Port Jackson Championship Handicap Race at Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club
by Adam Lucius 24 Oct 07:18 BST
18 October 2025
If we ever needed reminding mums are super-human, Amy Mulkearns delivered living proof with a special win in last Saturday's Port Jackson Championships.
The St George Sailing Club skipper piloted Noakes to a handicap victory before racing from Manly to Thornleigh to relieve the babysitter looking after her two young daughters.
Mulkearns had walked out the door at 9.30am that morning, returning nine hours later after combining with James Slee and Joss Dal Vera to take handicap honours in the 16s, along with the $2500 in prizemoney.
With husband and accomplished sailor Jason Mulkearns in Malta for the Middle Sea Race, Amy sacrificed time at home to compete in one of the season's highlight events.
"It's a real juggle getting back into sailing with young kids, especially when my husband sails too," she said. "But it's totally worth it to be able to get out there and racing again. "We picked a good one to win. It was my first time in the Port Jackson and it's certainly a marathon. "We just stayed patient with the wind and slowly worked our way through the top pack of the fleet. "Unfortunately, there was no time for big celebrations. I rushed straight out of there after the race to get back to the babysitter."
Mulkearns' win was another one for the girls on a red-letter day for females. Manly 16-year-old Lily Klijn combined with Joe Corbell to claim handicap honours in the 13s on BigFoot Sailing after Heidi Bates and Orlando Sadlik had wrapped up the scratch title on Harken. And Red Pumps Reds' Zoe Dransfield won the 16s on scratch, becoming the first female Manly skipper to do so.
"It's super exciting to see so many female skippers and crews in the fleet," she said. "We had three female skippers in the top 10 and wins for the girls in the 13s, so it was a great day all round."
The Manly Skiff Club-hosted Port Jackson Championship handed out $35,000 in prizemoney - and left commodore Michael Childs literally speechless, less than a week out from his wedding, after a long afternoon of awards presentations and congratulations. Sixty-three 16s and twenty-four 13s faced the starter's gun in a massive day for both classes.
Overall Handicap Results: