Dolly The Lionheart

What Windsurfing is all about…

The highlight of the 2025 Vaikobi Australian Windsurfer Class Regatta.

It is not the Marathon winner, or the guy with a picket fence score line, it was the moment Andrew Dolly Divola came ashore after securing third place in the slalom in his division. 

He did it the hard way, fighting through the double elimination rounds to the final. He was racing fresh guys into the last race when Dolly had already sailed multiple rounds. If you know anything about Dolly you know he is a living legend of the Australian Sailing Community. Despite his health limitations Dolly loves his racing and today managed the fantastic third place in slalom. 

He can’t really pump, he can’t really hydrate like everyone else, but his sailing smarts kept him in the race. The exhaustion, pain, emotion and elation we saw as Dolly came ashore was priceless. This is what Windsurfer Class racing is all about..

Words, Sarah Kenny.

❤️