deckhardware

Melissa Yeomans

Women Who Sail Australia Gathering 2026 – Talking Rope in Port Stephens

Once again, it was fantastic to head back up to Port Stephens for the Women Who Sail Australia Gathering on the Bay. This event has become a real highlight in the calendar — a few days packed with learning, shared experiences, and plenty of practical conversations about life on the water.

This year I was invited back to speak for the 10th Anniversary, and my session focused on: rope selection and the different types of rope we use on boats. It’s one of those topics that comes up constantly — What rope should I use here? Why does this one feel different? Do I really need Dyneema® for that? — and it was great to be able to break it down in a relaxed, and have the discussion with a great room full of Women keen to learn more. I try to do a different topic each year to mix it up a little.

The room was full of sailors with a huge range of experience, from those just starting to rig their own boats through to women who’ve spent years offshore both cruising and racing. That mix always leads to the best questions and discussions, and it’s exactly why these gatherings work so well.

I talked through:

  • common rope constructions and fibres
  • how to match rope choice to the job (rather than just what’s already onboard)
  • why stretch, cover grip, and handling matter just as much as strength
  • and a few real‑world examples of where the “wrong” rope can make life harder than it needs to be

There’s no single “best” rope — it’s about choosing the right construction and fibre for the job and the way you use your boat.

A resource I often point people to is the LIROS rope catalogue, which includes a really clear guide to rope types, constructions and typical onboard applications. It’s a great reference whether you’re refitting a whole boat or just trying to work out what to replace one line with, and it helps take a lot of the guesswork out of matching rope choice to purpose rather than habit.

As always, the conversation didn’t stop when the talk finished. There were plenty of follow‑up questions, hands‑on rope inspections thanks to the Boat Show Display I took up, and good chats over the time I was there — which is really what these events are all about.

I’m always grateful for the opportunity to share what I’ve learnt through DeckHardware and through time on the water, and even more grateful for the community that Women Who Sail Australia continues to build year after year.

10 Years, those that were at the very first Gathering
Melissa Yeomans

Nine Days on the Road (and a Few Unexpected Pit Stops)

After nine full days on the road, I finally found myself back in the DeckHardware warehouse on Monday morning — tired, a little dusty, but glad I’d made the trip.

This journey took me from the South Coast of NSW, through Victoria and across into South Australia, visiting trade customers along the way. While I’ve been involved in DeckHardware for years, spending this much uninterrupted time driving between regions really brings home just how spread out Australia’s marine trade network is.

The car was well and truly packed — new stock (including our newest brand, Sea Sure), boxes of catalogues, and a couple of special deliveries — and the days were full. Even so, I still found myself wishing I’d had more time to stop in with additional customers along the way. As well as a chance to stop on the longer drive days and split them up a little more so I could enjoy some of the small towns I travelled through.

Seeing the Distances for Myself

For many years, my dad Phil made trips like this regularly, driving from region to region to visit customers. Previously, I’d only ever driven as far as Goolwa before flying home, so completing the full return drive from Adelaide really highlighted how much ground these trips cover.

The Driving: Enjoyable… and Exhausting

I genuinely enjoyed a lot of the driving. There’s something satisfying about long stretches of open road and watching the landscape change as you cross state lines.

That said, the single‑lane sections were a different story. Long periods driving solo, sharing the road with a constant stream of trucks, took a lot of concentration and energy.

A Motorsport Surprise at The Bend

One unplanned stop turned into a real highlight. Dad had mentioned that The Bend Motorsport Park had cars on display, so I thought it would be worth a quick look.

As it turned out, there were cars on track while I was there. It was an unexpected but very welcome break from the drive — a reminder that sometimes the best moments on road trips are the ones you don’t schedule.

A Quick Visit to the Formula 1 Exhibition

While passing through Melbourne, I also stopped in at the Formula 1 Exhibition. I would have loved more time there — especially to properly read all the information on the displays — but even with a shorter visit, I really enjoyed what I saw.

It felt like a nice contrast to the marine world I’d been immersed in all week, while still very much tapping into my interest in engineering, design, and performance. After all a number of F1 teams work with Sailing Teams on design.

Unexpected Catch Up

Before heading out on the road, I was talking to a member of the team at Happen who are our Website, Accounting and Stock Program. When I mentioned where I was headed they asked if I could meet for coffee as they were based in Melbourne! Their new payment system is what we are using for invoices and it has been working great since we transitioned across. What an unexpected addition to the trip and well worth it as Happen programs play such a huge role in what we do.

Straight Back into Work

After arriving home on Sunday, there wasn’t much of a pause — Monday morning was straight back into the warehouse.

As tiring as the trip was, it reinforced why these visits matter. Being on the road, seeing our customers in person, and understanding the realities of their locations helps us do a better job supporting them with the products and service they rely on. Nine days, thousands of kilometres, a few unexpected stops — and a much deeper appreciation for the marine trade we support across Australia.

Melissa Yeomans

A Memorable Week in Europe: Boats and Music Adventures

I have just got back from a trip to Europe and England for just under a week.

Visiting the amazing Boot Düsseldorf, followed by our Supplier Barton Marine.  Boot Düsseldorf was just as amazing a boat show as I remembered. Attending mid week meant it was much quieter from what I heard from our suppliers who were exhibiting. See a wide range of dinghies and sports boats through to big yachts and super yachts out of the water is something else. Along with all the products on display.

As I had a weekend in between Boot Düsseldorf and visiting Barton Marine, I took the opportunity to see somewhere new. Looking at a map of Barton’s location I realised that Canterbury was on the way, somewhere we had of course heard of.

After a little research my Mum found a great place to stay that was actually on the grounds of the Cathedral. Looking into it even further we then found there was a musical performance that night at the Cathedral, so I would not only get to view it but also hear music inside. The muso inside of me was very happy about this.

The event was:

To mark the 50th anniversary of Benjamin Britten’s death, Canterbury Choral Society and Youth Choir will perform his popular cantata, St Nicolas. This inventive work features dramatic storms and shipwrecks alongside touching scenes from the saint’s life, with audience participation in two hymns.

Joining the choir are the world-renowned London Mozart Players, who will also perform two of the finest English works for string orchestra by Elgar and Vaughan Williams.

Together with Holst’s moving Psalm 86, this promises to be an evening of rich enchantment and powerful storytelling.

Benjamin Britten – St Nicolas

Gustav Holst – Psalm 86

Edward Elgar – Serenade for Strings

Ralph Vaughan Williams – Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

Canterbury Choral Society

CCS Youth Choir

London Mozart Players

Richard Cooke – conductor

Robert Murray – tenor

Read my work report on the DeckHardware website.

Melissa Yeomans

Heading back to Amsterdam

I have finally had the chance to head overseas again, back to Amsterdam a City I love to visit. This trip was work with a day on either side to allow for jet lag, and flight delays (which I experienced) and to give myself a minute of rest as well to cope with such a big schedule.

Flying such a long way for just a week is brutal, no other way to put it, especially as this time I was going via Heathrow due to what we had to book. This made the total travel time approx 60hrs including getting to Airports etc. Just ouch.

The day before METSTRADE started I decided to do something a little different. Being my I think 7th trip? I have been to a few places already. This time the sun was shining, which had proven rare on previous days off in Amsterdam so I decided to stay outdoors and head to the Zoo. Living in Sydney near Taronga Zoo I have been there a few times as well as others in Australia. It was interesting to see some different animals and learn some new things.

METSTRADE, what can I say as always it was epic. 3 days full of meetings with Existing Suppliers and Potential. Around that trying to ensure I walk around the entire area seeing all that I could to check out what else was happening in the industry. A BIG mission especially after a few years away and lots to catch up on.

What a week in Amsterdam seeing familiar faces and meeting new ones. A huge week of work but also personally. Reminiscing with the main three we have worked with at LIROS, they have done so much already to support us in growing our business and continue to do so. Lots of hugs later with Suppliers we have worked with long term, and lots of homework to do now I am back in Aus.

It is always tricky to make this work at our busiest time of year but just one of those things we have to do. METS gives us the opportunity to see our suppliers from around the world in one location.

Melissa Yeomans

January, the time of year I spend out of the office

Today is the last day of January 2022, as always this month goes fast. Starting the month with a few days off thanks to Christmas and New Year is always a nice break from work. As a small business owner I tend not to switch off very often, social media is always on.

Then it was back into our busiest time, supporting events that we were Sponsoring. Starting off with the Aussie Skiffs at Belmont, one of my favourite places was a great way to start the year. Although it felt like we had gone straight into Summer and hiding from the sun was a priority. Thanks to the Eric’s Storage trailer for having shade near the car! As well as being easy to find should any of the fleet need any of the stock I had with me.

Once again I was on the water every day driving our RIB as one of the Media boats for the regatta. Never an easy job and as anyone who has joined me in the past will likely agree, it can be exhausting! Having said that though the thanks we get from the sailors when the Media Team get their shots means we know it is appreciated.

Next up was the Flying 11’s which once again Allen was the Title Sponsor for. Walking in the Gosford boat park the first day it almost felt like being back at Belmont. So many familiar faces although the boats were smaller and so were the sailors haha.

Those first couple of weeks were epic, the heat did not help! I don’t think I have ever taken so few photos on land. Shade and keeping a bottle of water on me at all times was key.

If you want to check out any of the photos and stories from the event check out our Facebook or website.

I am incredibly lucky that I love what I do and love spending time near and on the water. I honestly can not believe tomorrow is February already.

Melissa Yeomans

Back on the water and excited for Summer

With the weather warming up again it was great to hit the water and check out some sailing action on the weekend. It was such a nice reminder of how lucky I am to live so close to Sydney Harbour.

A couple of photos from the weekend.

Normally at this time of year whilst getting ready for all the regattas, I am also getting ready to get on a plane and head to Europe. This year I once again won’t be catching up with suppliers at METS or heading to a country where one of them is based.

With everything changing here in Sydney, NSW and around the Country this is the focus for now. I can not wait however to get on a plane and head to Europe some day soon to catch up with suppliers in person about their future plans.

There is plenty happening here with DeckHardware and our Suppliers working together on some sponsorship this Summer.

For now, I will have to settle with looking back at all the side trips around METS. I can not wait to hear all about it and find out all that is new from afar.

Germany in Winter
Melissa Yeomans

Taking a step back

This year has been very different for us but at the same time given time to spend on ourselves a little more. As a small business owner I have always found it hard to focus on me rather than the Business. Especially as there has been so much time, money and energy put into the growth of DeckHardware and that has been very rewarding on a personal level. It was even harder when I was balancing other jobs to fund travel overseas to grow the company. It is nice to take a step back and look at what we have achieved with a lot of hard work.

With no travel it has meant a lot of time at home and time taken to do a big cleanup of sorts. It has also meant pulling out my old keyboards to see if they still work, which they do. The next step will be seeing if my fingers bruise when I play or if they have for some reason in the last few years suddenly become ok with it. Perhaps I should avoid any Ragtime style initially just in case haha always a favourite but the quick pace is likely not going to be popular with my finger joints. I think the bongos will have to stay in the bag a little while to see what happens.

It is incredible how much technology has changed with my old mixer setup compared to one I bought more recently. I may even try to get some of my old songs off the old mixer onto current technology. Why is it when testing the sound still works, I always use a chromatic scale?

Not travelling certainly has been strange. With Lake Macquarie being the furthest I have gone which for me does not count as it has always been a favourite of mine to visit and spend time on the water. On a recent visit during the Flying 11 Nationals I took the RIB down the channel a bit from the boat ramp and had a good look at how it looks at a slow pace. All those trips through on the Adams 10’s I never really had time to think about it or look around whilst trying to stay off the bottom. It was amazing to be able to do this now, such a beautiful place.

Whilst I miss my friends overseas and miss the chance to visit different regions Suppliers are located in around METS in Amsterdam, it is nice to know we have such strong relationships built leading into this strange time.

What I am looking forward to is my next trip to the other side of the world being epic to catch up with everyone in person. Whenever that may be.

The Allen Flying 11 Nationals
Many years ago coming into the Lake with my Dad steering the front boat and me steering my boat following
Title Sponsor support crew on the RIB had a big day
Melissa Yeomans

Where has this year gone

How did we get to December? I think I skipped Spring! I last mentioned my Winter Jobs list, well that is still a work in progress…

I have already been to METS which also included a visit to the LIROS Ropes factory. It was fantastic to visit having not been to their new factory. The comparison was amazing and this time I managed to get to see the region with blue sky and no snow. Thank you so much to the Team at LIROS for once again making me feel so welcome and for spending time showing me the new setup. There is always more to learn and new lines of LIROS Rope being announced some of which will be perfect for the 13ft and 16ft Skiff Nationals which we are sponsoring over Summer.

Whilst in Europe I managed a little escape to Nuremburg. What a place, I absolutely loved being a tourist for the weekend. I forgot to have a little rest having gone straight to LIROS when I arrived in Germany. Who needs rest right? Just fight through the jetlag and keep moving.

METS in Amsterdam was EPIC as always with so many of our Suppliers coming out with new products and catalogues. I had a fantastic time personally as well, it is so nice to call so many of our suppliers friends and to catch up on not only work but also how they are going over a drink or two at the end of the day.

As always it was tricky to catch up with everyone and there was so much to see. There were plenty of other Aussies that I knew were over there that I did not even see.

So much of what happens at METS I can often not talk about straight away and I know some of my friends are wondering what is to come. Me too! In the meantime enjoy the photos from the weekend in Nuremburg.

What next? there are new products to add to the website, catalogues to review and a Summer of action to come.

Melissa Yeomans

Putting in the hours and seeing the reward

The last few months I have been pretty quiet for a number of reasons.  Actually, it is really since November last year when we launched the new DeckHardware website.  We always knew this was going to be a lot of work but it seems the further we get the more we realise we can do and there is still to do!

As a distributor, it is important for us to get up as many of the products as possible with as much technical data as possible.  This takes time and research and I would like to take a moment to thank those who have visited the new website and understood it a work in progress.

I am loving the new look and hope you are all finding it easy to navigate. Trust me when I say there are plenty more features to come! It is actually pretty exciting what we will be able to do in the future. We have also installed a new Chat program which means all three of us can access it to talk to customers and share links or Tech Sheets which is fantastic.

On top of this, we have re-signed our contract as an Official Supplier of Australian Sailing with the support of LIROS in Germany.  We have worked with LIROS longer than we have owned DeckHardware and it is exciting to continue this partnership.

Whilst working hard I have switched up my Gym routine which has been very exciting! I have moved away from the Aqua classes and whilst still focusing on Pilates Reformer I am now able to do some weights and get back on the bike and even a rower! This has been a big step in managing the Hyper Mobility. It is still a lot of guessing as to how far I can push but it is nice to be able to change it up.

The last few weeks have involved just a few 3am wake-ups to watch the America’s Cup. Congratulations Emirates Team New Zealand. Firstly I am so excited that I won’t have to wake up at 3am.  It is going to be really interesting to follow what they do as no doubt there will be a few changes especially given where the boats will be sailing next time around. Waking up to watch so many Aussie’s participating was amazing. There were some incredible moments and some great racing in particular between Artemis and Team NZ.

It was so nice this morning to not have to wake up so early! What is next for Aussie Sailing Fans?

 

 

Melissa Yeomans

Excited about 2017

2016 was an interesting year for me both personally and professionally. DeckHardware celebrated 10 years of our family owning the Business which was a big milestone. We also organised the 2nd Sydney Sailboat Expo which had an incredible number of sailing boats on display. 2016 was once again a great time for our Aussie Sailors in Rio. Then there was the new Website for DeckHardware and a trip to METSTRADE followed by adding DrSails to our range of brands! Phew what a year!

It was certainly a testing one with a quiet winter followed up by a pretty epic start to summer, more so than normal.

We witnessed some of the young sailors we have supported for a number of years head to the Youth Worlds with Finn bringing home a Gold and John a Bronze. It is so nice to watch these youngs sailors grow up and continue to not only love our sport but also see the results. As a family and via our company we do love to support sailing as much as we can and it can be so rewarding personally.

To finish off 2016 we were once again on the MHYC Start Boat for Boxing Day on the middle line. Helicopter numbers seemed down on previous years but the spectator fleet certainly turned up with the good weather! Watching the boats in pre-start is always enjoyable.

From a personal perspective, my Hypermobility became my main priority. I have learnt over the past two years about the pain management side of things and trying to get my muscles to relax where required and stay strong where needed at the same time. This has not been easy and taken its toll, but it is nice to have tested the waters (hahaha) and now I have a better idea of how to move forward.

As a result, I feel stronger than I have in years. I am booked in at the gym to do some weights classes to gradually get the joints used to those movements again. In 2016 I was able to get back on a bike and not create major issues which was a HUGE breakthrough for me. Pilates Reformer will remain for the rest of my life something that I have to ensure I do as often as possible. The difference it has made has been fantastic even though sometimes it has felt like I was going backwards overall I was moving forwards.

2017, I am looking forward to you.