On Sunday, 1 February 2026, the Greenwich Sailing Club gathered to honour Celia May as she celebrated 40 years of sailing in the Mirror Dinghy Class.
Every summer, you will see Celia out on the water on Sunday afternoons in all conditions.
She will likely be introducing a new young sailor to the sport as her crew for afternoon races.
Read the full article below or watch the video
Celia has helped hundreds of young people over the years by sharing her knowledge and expertise. Some of these young people have become trainers at Greenwich Sailing Club and other clubs and continue to pass on this valuable knowledge.
Celia sails a Mirror Dinghy and has been an active participant in national races staged by
The International Mirror Class Association of Australia.
She often hauls her boat on a trailer and travels interstate to Mirror-class races, where she is well known.
To celebrate her 40th Anniversary of sailing Mirrors, Greenwich Sailing Club ran a special racing event for the Mirror Dinghy Class on Sunday, 1st February, followed by a dinner.
Celia’s story is inspiring and demonstrates that sailing is a sport for all ages, keeping people active and engaged in their later years.
Celia was also, for a few years, the President of the International Mirror Class Association.
The International Mirror Class website describes the Mirror as:
“The world’s most popular double-handed sailing dinghy. Low in price, light, seaworthy and easy to sail, the Mirror quickly achieved its objectives.
Probably responsible for introducing more people to the delights of sailing than any other design, it has even seen some go on to win Olympic medals.
The Mirror is a real proper little boat, with its deep ‘sit-in’ cockpit, that inspires confidence for sailors of all ages and abilities, easy to sail but a challenge to sail well.”
They are also known for having red sails.
In the Cove caught up with Celia just before she was ready to start sailing in the special Mirror Dinghy Race.
Celia told us:
I’ve been sailing a Mirror Dinghy for 40 years.
I got a Mirror Dinghy for my 40th birthday.
I messed around on my own for quite a while, and then I was upside down in Wallace Lake, and somebody told me that I should take my boat to the Hunters Hill Sailing club, as they will teach me how to sail properly.
And so that’s what I did. I turned up at the Hunters Hill Sailing Club. They were immensely welcoming. And for 25 years, I sailed there, learnt to sail, learnt to work with juniors.
After 25 years at Hunters Hill, having served on many committees and held organising and training roles, I decided it was time to retire.
I joined Greenwich Sailing Club and announced I would attend every working bee, but I wasn’t joining any committees and preferred to sail with juniors, helping those who needed a little extra support after their training finished to become independent sailors.
Since that time, I have enjoyed training many young sailors.
Celebrations
On 1 February 2026, the Greenwich Sailing Club held a Mirrorversary for Celia. There was a special race in her honour.
Celia finished race one but retired after capsizing in heat two, making it to shore safely with a smile.
After the racing was over, a dinner was held in Celia’s honour with many of the crews she had raced with over the years attending.
Celia says it does not matter what age you are; anyone can sail a Mirror Dinghy. But if you pop down to the Greenwich Sailing Club and sail with Celia, you will learn to sail it well.
Learn to Sail at the Greenwich Sailing Club
If you like to learn more about sailing, contact Greenwich Sailing Club. Each Summer, they hold learn-to-sail classes for children ages 8 and older.
Address: Greenwich Sailing Club, Manns Place, Greenwich
Phone: 0468 655 228
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.gsc.org.aud
Facebook: facebook.com/GreenwichSailing
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