Melbourne was at her autumnal best on Sunday the 18th of May delivering ideal conditions for the 2025 Ocean Racing Club of Victoria’s (ORCV) Double-Handed Yacht Race around Port Phillip.

In one of sailing’s more demanding formats, 66 sailors on 33 boats (ranging in size from 30 to 60 feet) across three divisions, took on the uniquely challenging double-handed race that tested endurance, strategy and teamwork, with this year’s fleet including two all-female crews and mixed-gender teams.

Divisions 1 and 2 sailed a 28 nautical mile course, while Division 3 took on a 20 nautical mile course.

Race Director Simon Dryden was thrilled with the race and the conditions on Port Phillip.

“While conditions were relatively consistent with a 14-knot breeze, wind gusts to 20 knots throughout the day created some exhilarating conditions, with downwind runs, upwind slogs, and tight reaching legs putting every crew’s skill and communication to the test,” said Dryden.

Will Sheers and Ben Frecheville sailed Executive Decision to a line honours victory in Division 1 with an elapsed time (after protest) ahead of MRV, Damien King and Grant Allen, followed by Ikon, sailed by Rodney Muller and Ryan Grieves.

But the day belonged to Tony Hammond and Rod Smallman who sailed Maverick to a line honours win in Division 2.

And in what was icing on the cake for the Maverick skippers, Hammond and Smallman took out the coveted Port Phillip Double-Handed Perpetual Cup awarded to first on overall AMS handicap (Divisions 1 and 2), sailing the Jeanneau Sunfast 3600 to victory in the increasingly popular short-handed event.

Zac Edwards-Simes and Joel Matthews were first across the line on Orlan in Division 3.

The ORCV Double-Handed Race is unique in that it offers an opportunity to sail as an individual or a team entry with the 2025 Perpetual Teams Trophy awarded to the Adams Family Team.

For Dark and Stormy sailor Tobias Swanson, it was his first foray into double-handed sailing.

“It was good to be a bit more hands on rather than just sitting on the helm… I have more short-handed and solo sailing aspirations, so it was about getting more hands on so that I’m 100 per cent confident with myself and the boat,” said Swanson.

The race was a significant step forward for Lema, a graduate of the ORCV supported KISS™ (Keelboat Introduction to Sailing Savvy) Women’s Training Program, who was thankful to KISS mentor and Cyan Moon skipper, Wayne Seaward, for lending Lema his Farr 1104 for the double-handed event.

“We were introduced to Wayne through the KISS program, and he said to a group of us, I’ll give you use of a boat [Pace Maker] for a year and I’ll train you up, we couldn’t believe it,” said Lema.

So, did Lema and Ruskin have the rhythm right in their race?

“While we didn’t quite get our timing right up to the start of the race, the start itself was so exciting – we found ourselves on the line with boats above us and below us, thinking, oh my goodness, look at us – we couldn’t believe we were in there!

“The race was such an amazing experience, we learnt so much… we did find ourselves fighting the boat on the upwind legs as we were a bit overpowered, so we had to remember how to handle that.

“Everything that we had been exposed to during the KISS program including VHF radio and navigation, these may seem like small things to some but for us it was really an empowering experience knowing what to do, and having Wayne to debrief with after the race ensured we came away just a little bit wiser,” said Lema.

Lema was delighted to sail in the same event as the iconic and groundbreaking Lee Renfree, founder of the KISS™ program, who joined with Rosie Colahan to race Encore, a Northshore 340, in Division 3.

“We had to pinch ourselves, here’s Lee who has ‘given birth’ to a sailing program like KISS and here we are sailing alongside her – it was really something special – Lee, Rosie and Wayne have just been so supportive.

“KISS has given us the confidence and the connections, it’s opened pathways and doors to us and other female sailors… we realised there was lots that we knew and there was still a lot to learn,” said Lema.

Lema and Ruskin will be sailing together in this weekend’s Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta (AWKR) on Cyan Moon, Seaward’s other boat, alongside other 2024 KISS™ graduates and female sailors.

Katrina Hartman will skipper Cyan Moon while Ruskin will take on helming duties. Other crew members are:

• Louise Cotter / Maud Demazure (tacticians)
• Mary Sutherland, Catherine Dawson and Dilara Camlibel (trimmers)
• Heidi Middleton (main)
• Vanessa Brotto (pit)
• Nadine Clode (mast)
• Valeria Lema (bow)

Overall and divisional race results can be found here.

Follow the AWKR here.

by Jane Austin / ORCV media