KISS comes ALIVE in 2025

An exciting new chapter for all female keelboat sailors in Victoria is now ALIVE! We welcome you to this central hub, which aims to provide a comprehensive calendar for all female focussed keelboat events for women across Victoria and beyond. Whether training, racing, cruising, volunteering or just chilling, we want to make sure you never miss out on an opportunity to participate.

From Passenger to Participant

In 2022, QCYC's first female commodore, Lee Renfree, had a vision to provide a program "for women by women". Deemed the "Keelboat Introduction to Sailing Savvy" (KISS) program, partnering with the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria supporting technical training and Queenscliff Cruising Yacht Club providing on water passage rallies to "Paradise". The KISS class of 2022 graduated 25 women, bringing them from "passengers" to active, confident and competent "participants". Fast forward to 2024, numbers doubled to 50 enrolled women supported by 17 female mentors and 13 boat owners bringing the KISS family to 80 sailors and a Wait list in the wings for the next program.

"Leave no woman or girl behind..."
(From International Womens Day 2018)

The friendships that have rapidly developed across three years of the KISS program has provided connection amongst all our 105 graduates, the generous boat owners providing boats, our female mentors leading the training and our all female KISS committee. Seeing is believing - "you cannot be, what you cannot see" KISS has provided role models and ongoing mentorship to empower women to discover and pursue their own sailing dreams

Changing Up

The KISS 2024 program was a sellout with an overwhelming number of women continuing to register on the wait list. Demand now exceeds resources, requiring a major "change up". The committee has trebled, training is to be overhauled with self paced online learning, coaching upskilling for more mentors, recruitment of more boats and boat owners to increase on water training activities and opportunities. The support of the ORCV since Day 1 has been pivotal in establishing the KISS success and ensured its longevity adding it to their diverse training programs in 2024. KISS ALIVE is also building stronger relationships with keelboat clubs to enhance their existing female focussed events and devise new activities, both sailing and social. Sadly, the Committee are very sorry that we cannot run the full KISS program in 2025, but we will be contacting all on the wait list to meet up with our KISS family of graduates, boat owners, mentors and supporters to keep the dream "ALIVE" with a series of new interactive events. Our investment in a "GapYear" will enable us to provide a robust blockbuster program in 2026 resourced to be readily upscaled for the future.

"From little things, big things grow"

We want all women in Victoria interested in sailing keelboats, all our KISS connections and all keelboat clubs to get onboard to enliven opportunities and increase female participation. The KISS Committee need connections with clubs to access boats and identify female mentors for training. We want to see all existing female focussed keelboat events grow and encourage development of new innovative activities to attract more women to participate and become valued regular crew and club members. The KISS Committee under the auspices of the ORCV will provide marketing support to all participating keelboat clubs to promote their signature women's events.

Being Alive 

From a training progam, to building a community, KISS is now "ALIVE" with a holistic focus on providing ongoing support, accessability and more diverse pathways for all women to shine.

Get in Touch -  If you are keen to be involved but unsure as to how to connect, contact us (insert email) and we will endeavour to assist you. 

For clubs - we are keen to promote your female focussed events to our keen and passionate KISS network of sailors. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your dates and we will get in touch

2025 FEMALE SAILING EVENTS IN VICTORIA

Register for KISS 2026

Join the waitlist and be the first to know about the next time we run this program in 2026.

We look forward to having you aboard!

For further information, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

KISS - is powered by the ORCV and has the support of QCYC.