mornington yacht club boat names

Woman takes on Mornington Yacht Club over backdown on 'misogynistic' boat name ban

By Zilla Gordon

ABC Radio Melbourne

Topic: Outdoor Recreational Activities

Mornington Yacht Club has overturned its decision for a controversial name to be changed. ( www.sxc.hu: John Nyberg, file photo )

A Melbourne woman has taken a yacht club to task over its backflip on a ban on a lewd boat name.

Key points:

• Mornington Yacht Club initially said it would give an owner two weeks to change the name of a boat deemed offensive
• The order was revoked after verbal and written communication with a boat owner asked to change its name
• The club says it has implemented a policy to ensure names are appropriate and has identified several yachts that could be in breach

When Kitty O'Sullivan planned to move to the coast south of Melbourne in her retirement a few years ago, she and her husband set their sights on joining the Mornington Yacht Club.

While her and her husband both became members, Ms O'Sullivan said she had concerns about the names of some of the boats moored at the club's marina.

"I'm in the boat yard and my husband and with two of our daughters in their 20s and my husband points out this boat name Himalayan Women," she said.

Ms O'Sullivan said the boat name, with its double meaning, was "misogynistic". 

She said two other boats — Screaming Seamen and Big Black C*ck — also troubled her.

"I bumped into the commander and pointed [the boats] out and was told to write a letter of complaint to the board," she said.

The letter about Himalayan Women was tabled at a board meeting in September last year, where it was decided the owner had two weeks to rename the boat.

'Not enough evidence' for change 

However, Ms O'Sullivan said another meeting with more senior-ranked members was called, which overturned the push to rename the boat.

"I received a letter from the board saying thank you for your interest, and that it has been dealt with," she said.

Ms O'Sullivan complained about several boat names she believed were sexist. ( Supplied: Facebook )

In correspondence sighted by the ABC, the club's vice commodore, John Underwood, said there was not "enough evidence" for the boat name Himalayan Women to be changed.

It said the club had received a letter from the owner of the boat and "a number of both female and male club members were surveyed, and the boat name to them has been deemed not to be unduly offence (sic),"

Mr Underwood wrote that her complaint had however prompted the board to investigate its position on the appropriateness of boat names.

Unhappy with the response, Ms O'Sullivan contacted Sailing Australia who she said understood her concern.

"Sailing Australia spoke with the club's Commodore and reminded him of his responsibilities," she said.

"But nothing was done."

Speaking out sparks backlash

In March, Ms O'Sullivan reached out to The Mornington Peninsula News and The Age saying she hoped it would put pressure on the club.

Ms O'Sullivan wants boat names that degrade woman changed at Mornington Yacht Club. ( Supplied: Facebook/Mornington Yacht Club )

Instead, she was sent a letter saying she may have brought the club's name into disrepute and asking her to confirm that matter was resolved.

"Of immediate concern to the board is the prospect of your comments having causing (sic) reputation damage to MYC that could jeopardise important funding arrangements including sponsorship that enables us to provide important community programs and donates to the MYC Foundation which assist youth training programs," the letter said. "The board originally agreed that they would request that the boat owner change the name, however after verbal communications and a formal written response was received from the boat owner. "After assessing this feedback, along with the boat owner's response and bearing in mind that this boat has sailed extensively at many clubs on Port Phillip for approximately a decade without apparent complaint, the board resolved at the following meeting not to take any action in relation to the name."

The letter said the club had implemented a policy to "ensure the appropriateness of boat names going forward".

It said it had identified "several" boats that might contravene the policy and that those names would be changed.

Mornington Yacht Club has been contacted for comment.

Sailing Australia, a club sponsor, declined to comment.

• Entertainment
• Local History
• Advertise With Us
• Read the Latest Western Port News
• Read the Latest Mornington News
• Read the Latest Southern Peninsula News
• Read the Latest Frankston Times
• Read the Latest Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News
• Competition

Yacht club’s name rules rocked over ‘misogynistic’ claim

MORNINGTON Yacht Club is reviewing its boat name policies after being accused of having an “outdated” culture and receiving a complaint that some names emblazoned on members’ boats are “misogynistic”.

Club member Kitty O’Sullivan said she was shocked and disappointed that “inappropriate” boat names were allowed at the club, giving the club the appearance of being “behind the times” and at odds with public opinion.

She said she was particularly offended by names such as Himalayan Women, on a boat which is believed to be for sale, Screaming Seamen, and Big Black Cock, and described them as being loaded with misogyny and sexism.

“As a relatively new member, it seems there is a culture of just accepting this poor behaviour that is not in line with public thinking,” O’Sullivan said. “I really think that in the shadow of International Women’s Day and all that is being done to work on female inclusion is sport, this should not be acceptable.”

Club spokesman Peter Davey said the club had been made aware of the offense taken at some of the names and was currently revising its boat name policy to ensure it reflected public thinking.

Davey said Mornington Yacht Club was an inclusive, family-friendly club that was continually reviewing its policies.

He said the club valued its place as part of the community and, like society in general, “we continue to evolve with the times”. 

“We are proud of our women’s keelboat programs and our youth programs, as successful examples,” he said.

“There has been some recent discussion regarding inappropriate boat names and so the club has conducted an internal audit identifying a handful of boats with names that may cause some offense. Unfortunately, this is not new in the nautical world, nor are cheeky teenagers, who seem to be the main protagonists.

“The practice is not acceptable, and the club is taking measures to rectify the situation.

“MYC is developing a policy to ensure no boats can be named that degenerates anyone, particularly on the basis of gender or ethnicity.”

First published in the Mornington News – 14 March 2023

Related Posts

Police search for missing dromana man nassim, countdown for council candidates, dad of the year, stabbing investigated.

Comments are closed.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

Trivia Night (MYC+ ROCKS) OCTOBER

Trivia night (myc+ rocks) october.

Mornington Yacht Club 3 Schnapper Point Drive, Mornington VIC 3931

Contact Details

Contact Event Organiser

Join wait list

Sorry, there are no available tickets for this event. please sign up to the wait list (optional)., your name has been added to the wait list for this event. the event organiser will contact you through your email address once there are available seats / slots..

Sorry, there appears to have been an error. Please try again later.

Contact Form

Ask the event organiser a question, get your tickets resent to you or book to this event.

Use this form to message the event organiser if you have a question about the event.

Contact name:

Contact phone:

You can review the event organiser's terms and conditions here .

Your email has been sent.

The organiser will be sent the details of this message.

Resend recently purchased tickets to our events to your email.

Enter email to start search

• Europe 6634
• Austria 624
• Germany 1598
• Northern Ireland
• Poland 2724
• North America 431
• British Columbia
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland And Labrador
• Northwest Territories
• Nova Scotia
• Prince Edward Island
• Saskatchewan
• Connecticut
• District of Columbia
• Massachusetts
• Mississippi
• New Hampshire
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• West Virginia
• South America 483
• Australia & Oceania 744
• Random camera ?
• Animals 308
• Ski resorts 483

• Nearby cams
• Wikipedia articles

• HOT cameras

Australia Web camera

Can you guess where this camera is from?

• Diano Marina
• San Vito Lo Capo
• Piedicavallo
• Current weather

672 Wine Club

• Motorcycles
• Car of the Month
• Destinations
• Men’s Fashion
• Watch Collector
• Art & Collectibles
• Vacation Homes
• Celebrity Homes
• New Construction
• Home Design
• Electronics
• Fine Dining
• Benchmark Wines
• Brian Fox Art
• Chase United
• Disneyland Resort
• Sports & Leisure
• Health & Wellness
• Best of the Best
• The Ultimate Gift Guide
• Tiara’s Newest 56-Foot, 2400 HP Boat Is a Speed Demon in a Full-Feature Package

Tiara just joined a small club of builders that make center consoles over 55 feet. But this new boat distinguishes itself from competitors through luxurious details and smart design.

Michael verdon, michael verdon's most recent stories, kevin costner cruised on this luxe 75-footer last summer. now it’s debuting at cannes yacht fest..

• Why This Luxe Cruise Ship’s 3-Year World Tour Got Stuck in Belfast Before It Started
• Share This Article

Related Stories

• The Volkswagen ID. Buzz Is Already Being Turned Into a Camper Van
• Con Air? The U.S. Launches Investigation Into 4 Major Airline Loyalty Programs
• This 1932 Maybach Zeppelin DS8 Drips with Hand-Built Luxury, and We Drove It

These larger models have become status symbols, partly for their impressive speeds, but also for the luxurious details—at least insofar as sportfish boat makers view luxury—across the boats. But many don’t quite understand the definition of luxury on a boat, at least not the same level that brands from Italy understand and implement it, which explains the significant increase in imports over the last ten years.

Tiara is one of the few US boat brands that gets luxury is more than expensive looking gadgets, but about the whole package.

Its new 56 LS, standing for luxury sport, strikes a nice balance between the two words in its name, without going to extremes on either end. “We want to have the performance, but offer a true luxury experience,” Tom Slikkers, Tiara CEO told Robb Report , bristling a bit when his new boat is compared to competitors.  “We see luxury as not just being able to get from point a to point b in record time, but enjoying the whole day aboard. Our competitors aren’t necessarily thinking that way.”

The 56 LS also has some distinctive features from its smaller 48LS and 43LS siblings. “We realized it was time for the next generation,” says Andrew Bartlett, Tiara’s director of design. “We wanted to keep the DNA of our center console design, but provide more enclosure behind the helm station, so owners can seal it during bad weather.”

A disappearing bulkhead, a feature taken from its EX60 inboard model, proved a viable solution. “That let us keep the boat’s main characteristic of openness in good weather, but provides protection so owners don’t have to go below-decks in bad,” adds Bartlett.

The aft cockpit has a modular design that allows movement of the seating, inclusion of the dining table and connection to the outdoor galley for different social occasions. Both rear sides fold down to expand the cockpit size by about a third.

The cabin is a two-stateroom design, with two heads and a shower. The foredeck also has a settee and table, more in line with a cruiser than a center console. Fit and finish throughout promises to be as luxurious as Tiara’s other models.

The new 56 LS may not be able to claim the title for speed or size—Scout is building a new 67-foot center console for release later this year—but it could well be the most luxurious center console on the water when it debuts at the Miami International Boat Show next February.

Read More On:

• Large Center Consoles
• Mercury Marine
• Tiara Yachts

More Marine

This New 161-Foot Explorer Yacht Offers 6 Days of Autonomy at Sea

Luxury Riverboats Are Giving Superyacht Charters a Run for Your Money

The ‘Titanic”s Iconic Bow Deck Has Partially Fallen Off, an Expedition Finds

Meet the Wine Club That Thinks Differently.

Receive editor-curated reds from boutique California producers four times a year.

Give the Gift of Luxury

Latest Galleries in Marine

From Underwater Jetpacks to Personal Subs: 13 Ways to Stay Entertained on Your Yacht Cruise

Leapher Yachts Navix50 in Photos

More from our brands, cyndi lauper, tiffany haddish, lil’ kim, selma blair and darren criss in christian siriano’s front row, pegula’s run ends as sabalenka wins first u.s. open, creative arts emmy awards night 1: ‘saturday night live’ and ‘jim henson idea man’ dominate, angela bassett gets emotional, derek boshier, british pop artist who made work for david bowie and the clash, dies at 87, the best yoga mats for any practice, according to instructors.

• 125212, Moscow, Leningradskoye Highway, 39 p. 6 Royal Yacht Club
• Miami +1 786 233 7721 London +44 203 807 94 54 Moscow +7 495 215 19 11
• [email protected]