New YRA Women’s Series Challenges Experienced Racers
Competition has wrapped up for a new program geared to challenge the more experienced female racers: the YRA Women’s Championship Series, with fleets for PHRF Spinnaker, PHRF Non-Spinnaker and Open 5.70 One Design. A female must be at the helm, a woman must serve as tactician, and crew shall comprise at least 50 percent women. This series differs in that it sends sailors beyond San Francisco Bay to the ocean for a rounding at Point Bonita and back. Hosted on three days over the summer racing season, the series tallied points from the Sequoia Yacht Club’s “Rock the Boat” on May 17; Encinal Yacht Club’s “Shirley Temming” on June 28; and the championship, run on October 4.
Marking an outstanding season was the J/105 Chinook. Inspired by, and focused on, this new series for women, owner/skipper Elizabeth Henderson said newness prevailed: recruitment of brand-new crew, herself being a new skipper, and very recent acquisition of the boat (December 2024). “When I saw the advert for the YRA Women’s Championship Series it crystalized a vision and gave me a tangible goal to work toward. Since most of my sailing friends are women, we were able to form a 100-percent ladies crew. Chinook & Co. has come a long way in just six months,” says Henderson. “I hardly recognize the skipper: She didn’t dare hoist a kite in more than 16 knots of breeze. We made rookie mistakes, but we are better for each lesson learned.”
On October 4, with six series starts under their belt and moving up the leader board, the women primed for the hoist — even in eight feet of swell rounding Point Bonita and running back down through the Slot in 22 knots. “We kept the hammer down, even in adverse currents.” The clan tagged its first bullet in the last race and clinched the championship series. Henderson says she could not have asked for a better ending to the season, or a better start for her program.
Samantha Chiu on Altair took to the start on two of three sail days, earning honors in her fleet. “I race an Open 5.70, so we did not compete October 4 due to the offshore aspect, as we are not equipped to head out there in terms of safety.” Chiu was the sole competitor to score in the Open 5.70 division. The Non-Spinnaker division attracted Sarah Hudspeth aboard Santana 22 Albacore and Samee Swartz of Flying Green Dragon, a Tartan 3500. Separated by one point at final tally, Hudspeth landed eight; Swartz earned seven. Overseeing all starts and finishes was a duo of female race committee volunteers anchored on a 40-ft C&C. Present was YRA director Peggy Lidster, who sums up positive vibes for this new challenge: “Excitement at each boat’s finish was easily heard on the signal boat.”
For this competition, organizers used a high-point percentage system to build standings based on scores from races in the series. 2025 served as the event inauguration, with plans in the making for a 2026 return.