Woman takes on Mornington Yacht Club over backdown on 'misogynistic' boat name ban
A Melbourne woman has taken a yacht club to task over its backflip on a ban on a lewd boat name.
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". 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.
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 "
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."
"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."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-21/mornington-yacht-club-backs-down-on-misog...