Please select your home edition
Edition
Savvy Navvy 2024

Chelsea Williams: an Aussie sailor girl with high talent & big dreams!

by Jenny Sorensen 6 Apr 2018 23:52 UTC
Chelsea Williams at the Belmont 16ft SC presentation night © Jenny Sorensen

Chelsea Williams is one inspiring young sailor dedicated to her love & passion for the sport. At age 14, she is accomplishing what others only dream to achieve, jumping from Class to Class, and collecting a host of Championship Titles & awards, coaching kids and being trained by some of the best sailors in the country.

Chelsea is a member of the Belmont 16ft Skiff Club on Lake Macquarie NSW Australia, where she began sailing at 8 years of age. At her club's presentation night recently, she was presented Trophies for being the Pelican Club Champion and Flying 11 Yearly Point score Winner. Chelsea started her sailing career as a crew on a Pelican. By the age of nine, Chelsea was crewing on a Flying 11 with a 15-year-old local sailor (Tom Grimes). Over the season, the pair won Club, Youth, State, and R/U National Championships. A great introduction to Flying 11 racing.

Her father, Dean Williams himself plays an inspirational role. He holds titles for Australian Champion on VJs and 16ft Skiffs, Elliot 5.9s, and Melges 24s. Dean also sailed 18ft Skiffs and is a Worlds & Nationals competitor in 505s. In addition, he competes in off shore racing, with a number of top 3 places in Sydney to Southport Yacht Races, and IRC National Titles. Dean has also sailed on super maxis including 5 Sydney-Hobarts with Lahana, and numerous sails on Wild Oats IX.

During this Easter long weekend, Chelsea skippered a Tasar with her Dad as forward hand, at the NSW State Titles north of Sydney. Her only experience on a Tasar was two practice sails in the week leading up to the 3 day / 9 race event. Racing in amongst a fiercely competitive 27-boat fleet of ex-World, National & State Title holders, Chelsea secured the Divisional Trophies of Junior & Female Helm, finishing 11th overall. The Class looks forward to Chelsea entering again next year to defend her titles.

Juggling Year 9 high school work, Chelsea takes time out to teach kids in 'Tackers' learn to sail groups, and attends Australian Sailing Accredited coaching clinics. She is an amazingly motivated girl with an immense talent and spirit to undertake the skills of sailing and racing. Another class Chelsea is very familiar with is the Open BIC, which saw her compete in Sail Melbourne's World Cup Final in 2016, and last winter's NZ Open BIC Cup which was coached by America's Cup legend Sir Russell Coutts. According to Dean, Pelicans, Flying 11's and Open BIC racing, is not enough; there are now 3 more boats on her Santa's wish list this year, including a 29er, which she had the opportunity in skippering through March. Match racing is also on the agenda, providing another opportunity to attend fleet and match racing competitions nationally and internationally.

Chelsea's goal is to compete at an Olympic Games on a 49er. The goal to sail at the Olympics was influenced a few years back when Lake Macquarie Olympic and America's Cup sailors Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen took Chelsea 49er sailing, letting her steer the boys around the waters of Wangi for a few hours.

Her father's close friend from 505 and skiff days, twice Olympic 470 Gold Medallist Malcolm Page is her idol. Chelsea has the luxury of receiving personal mentoring and inspiration from Malcolm and a number of professional sailors. Next season Chelsea will be racing the Pelican and Flying 11 with two local brothers, Tully and Banjo. They are the sons of Chris Nicholson, Watch Captain currently on board VOR yacht 'AkzoNobel', who in combination shall be adding another influence and coach for her on his return to Australia.

There's no doubt that Chelsea Williams is a very talented & determined young sailor girl, who shares her love of sailing with family, sailing mates, fellow competitors and children learning to sail. At 14 years old, the excitement & adventures of sailing have just begun. She may however, have to wait just a little bit longer for Santa to deliver those must 'wish list items'!

Related Articles

Zhik Combined High Schools Championships Day 2
Two races held after a 2 hour delay waiting for the wind Day 2 of the Zhik Combined High Schools Sailing Championship saw competitors stranded on the shore as the forecast for breeze failed to materialise. After a two hour postponement, race officials were able to set a course in the light and variable breeze. Posted on 17 Apr
Zhik Combined High Schools Championships Day 1
Beashel makes a solid start to defend his title Beashel makes a solid start to defend his title on the opening day of the Zhik Combined High Schools (CHS) Sailing Championships. Posted on 16 Apr
Oldest videos of sailing in 16ft Skiffs
A look back into our video archive We delve into the past, and round-up all videos which show sailing in the 16ft Skiff class of dinghy. Posted on 1 Dec 2023
Zhik Combined High Schools Championships overall
The final day was full of drama... The final day of the Zhik Combined High Schools Sailing Championships was full of drama. The breeze was predicted to be fresh from the South but it had not materialise and sailors were greeted with a 12knt SW. Posted on 17 Apr 2023
Zhik Combined High Schools Championships day 3
Marshall Day managed to reverse the result taking the win on corrected time Day 3 of the event saw a grey skies and a moderate 14-18knt Southerly breeze. The conditions proved to be difficult for some competitors to handle with several boats finding themselves in the water during the day. Posted on 13 Apr 2023
Zhik Combined High Schools Championships Day 2
Local sailors Radford and Palmer lead the Championship in 'Helter Skelter' Local sailors Connor Radford and his crew Jayden Palmer (Merewether High School) sailing their Flying 11 'Helter Skelter' have kept their form streak going with another two solid results in today's races to be outright leaders at the halfway point. Posted on 12 Apr 2023
Zhik Combined High Schools Championships Day 1
Belmont 16ft SC is hosting the event which sees students from across NSW and QLD compete If the opening day is any indication, the iconic Zhik Combined High Schools (CHS) Sailing Championships is set to be an absolute cracking event. Posted on 11 Apr 2023
Australian 16ft Skiff Sprint Series final
They say lightning doesn't strike twice... They say lightning doesn't strike twice. But try telling that to the Australian 16ft skiff fraternity. Posted on 7 Feb 2023
Belmont 16s celebrating a century of sailing
Centenary Regatta to be held this weekend A century of sailboat racing on Belmont Bay, Lake Macquarie, will be celebrated on October 8-9, with Belmont 16s staging a major two-day regatta for its dinghy classes and 16-Foot skiff fleet. Posted on 4 Oct 2022
16ft Skiffs: Wild race of survival
The opening heat of Manly's 2022/23 club championship developed into a wild race of survival The winning skipper felt more like Daniel Ricciardo than Daniel Turner as the opening heat of Manly's 2022/23 club championship developed into a wild race of survival last Saturday. Posted on 23 Sep 2022
Savvy Navvy 2024Maritimo 2023 M600 FOOTER