The backdrop was stunning, the action exhilarating and the atmosphere competitive, yet festive.
On April 16, 39 women from the Upper Keys Sailing Club hoisted their sails for the 4th annual Cris Sandifer Women’s Regatta. Sandifer was a local artist and an avid sailor who encouraged women to get out on the water and become comfortable at the helm. She was known for organizing sailing events for women during her 30 years as a member of the Upper Keys Sailing Club. Sandifer passed away in 2017 at the age of 83, but her legacy lives on through this women’s regatta named in her honor.
“It was amazing. Every year we have more women come out for this event,” said regatta chair Ginette Hughes.
“It’s very important because a lot of women on the boat are out with their husbands or their partner and they sometimes don’t even get a chance to put their hand on the wheel or on the tiller and when you’re out there with a bunch of women, and Cris was very strong about this, it’s all positive and encouragement and learning how to do it and gaining that confidence.”
The regatta day started with a skippers’ meeting at noon, laying out the two courses on Buttonwood Sound. Two classes competed, the Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) boats, which were the bigger boats, and the Portsmouth boats, the smaller ones. The sailors ranged in age from women in their early 20s to some in their 70s. A catamaran provided and operated by Paul Keever of the Key Lime Sailing Club and Cottages brought spectators close to the action. Some of the sailors were highly experienced, others were new to the sport, taking the opportunity to navigate outside their comfort zones.
After pushing off from the dock, it was race time for the female skippers and their crews. A few dozen men volunteered to help run the regatta.
After a long and challenging day on the water, Sandifer’s husband Bob, 93, proudly looked on as awards were handed out. Sailing requires stamina and a lot of strategy. “She loved to try to figure things out and she did. It’s not pushing the button and having the motor take you there. Cris loved it. What she loved was women’s participation and this is a women’s race. She would like that,” said Sandifer.
The regatta had been postponed twice because of excessive winds. But on this day, the winds cooperated and the women showed up in force and ready to compete. Regatta chair Ginette Hughes and her crew aboard a 26-foot Hunter named Jibsea took home top honors in the PHRF category. Hughes suspects she had a little help from up above.
“I think she was riding my shoulder today in the race, I really do. She’d love it, she’d love it.”
