Final Racing Day of the Winter Season

Racing is on this coming Sunday with a briefing at midday. (Skippers registration link)  This is our last race day of the season.  We have a sausage sizzle after the race.

There is no juniors in the morning, as instead, we’ll be running our introductory sailing course.  Sorry, but the course is already full.  (There’ll be another in September)

However, experienced juniors are encouraged to join our racing in the afternoon.  We’ll have a special course just for them.  (Or they may be able to crew on other boats)

The Summer Season will begin after the NSW school holidays along with a new membership season.

Roster is here

On Sunday, if you’d be interested in crewing (no experience necessary) then please fill in this form. A skipper may get in touch with you. Or come along on the day (the earlier the better) to see if you can find a ride. Details on what to bring are here. Skippers, your list of the available crew is here.

We have a lot of events coming up, so please take a look at the Calendar.

See you Sunday!

Racing this Sunday

Racing is on this coming Sunday with a briefing at midday. (Skippers registration link)  

There is no juniors in the morning, as instead, we’ll be running our introductory sailing course.  Sorry, but the course is already full.  (There’ll be another in September)

However, experienced juniors are encouraged to join our racing in the afternoon.  We’ll have a special course just for them.  (Or they may be able to crew on other boats)

Roster is here

On Sunday, if you’d be interested in crewing (no experience necessary) then please fill in this form. A skipper may get in touch with you. Or come along on the day (the earlier the better) to see if you can find a ride. Details on what to bring are here. Skippers, your list of the available crew is here.

We have a lot of events coming up, so please take a look at the Calendar.

See you Sunday!

Racing this Sunday

Racing is on this coming Sunday with a briefing at midday. (Skippers registration link)  

There is no juniors in the morning, as instead, we’ll be running our introductory sailing course.  Sorry, but the course is already full.  (There’ll be another in September)

However, experienced juniors are encouraged to join our racing in the afternoon.  We’ll have a special course just for them.  (Or they may be able to crew on other boats)

Roster is here

On Sunday, if you’d be interested in crewing (no experience necessary) then please fill in this form. A skipper may get in touch with you. Or come along on the day (the earlier the better) to see if you can find a ride. Details on what to bring are here. Skippers, your list of the available crew is here.

We have a lot of events coming up, so please take a look at the Calendar.

See you Sunday!

Saturday SheSails Race Day 30 July 2022

With a Southerly of 15 knots, 4 pacers and a laser headed out, sailing a triangle course.

Brennan and Murielle’s daughter, Erica, supported us all on the safety boat, setting the course, and doing an excellent job with 5 minute starts.

Two races were held with 4 pacer teams and Pancho on the club laser.

Participants were club members Julie, Murielle, Debbie and first timer Kody, with club members John, Lex, Maddie and Monique, giving assistance.

The last two SheSails Saturdays have been provided for participants of our SheSails courses, to give them the opportunity to learn the rules of racing so they can participate in this year’s Summer series.

What happens on the water, stays on the water …. that’s all we are saying! Lots of laughs, and Pancho practicing capsizing on his second time on the laser.

Thanks for volunteers – Brennan, Lex, John and Monique for their continued assistance in sharing their passion of sailing.

Racing This Sunday

Racing is on this coming Sunday with a briefing at midday. (Skippers registration link)  

Juniors are also on in the morning, please register here

The roster is here

On Sunday, if you’d be interested in crewing (no experience necessary) then please fill in this form. A skipper may get in touch with you. Or come along on the day (the earlier the better) to see if you can find a ride. Details on what to bring are here. Skippers, your list of the available crew is here.

We have a lot of events coming up, so please take a look at the Calendar.

See you Sunday!

Introductory Sailing Course – Aug, Sept

Sunday mornings 8.30-11.30 am
For 6 weeks, 14 Aug – 18 Sept 2022

Open to all Adults and Juniors 7-17yrs.

The course includes:
Safety while sailing,
Steering and crewing on all points of sailing,
Tacking and Gybing,
Boat handling ashore and afloat,
Rigging and basic knots,
Capsize and Man Overboard Drills.

The Course will be run by our experienced and qualified Instructors in a friendly and fun environment.  Those who complete this course should be confident to cruise or race in sheltered waters with their own or our club boats.

Participants should have reasonable fitness and be able to swim 25 metres. Also, have their own sailing attire of wetsuit or woollen or thermal top with spray jacket, shorts, wading shoes, hat and sunscreen (sunglasses with tie optional). Club life jackets are available.  (More details are on our Try Sailing page.)

Cost for the six-week course: Adults $225, Juniors $155.

(NB Juniors can use their NSW ActiveKids Voucher to assist with this.)
Cost includes 2022-23 Club Membership, use of club sailing dinghies during the Course and rescue boats, and club life jackets.

For more details, contact John on 0431025497 or Adam on 0407738337

Places are limited, so book here now.

Junior Sailing

For our current Juniors, Juniors will resume as usual 8.30-11.30 am on Sunday 24/7/22 and 31/7/22. Book here

Racing this Weekend

Racing is on this coming Sunday with a briefing at midday. (Skippers registration link)  

There are no Juniors this Sunday morning, as we do not have enough volunteers to run the morning, but Junior with experience are very welcome to race in the afternoon.  

The roster is here

On Sunday, if you’d be interested in crewing (no experience necessary) then please fill in this form. A skipper may get in touch with you. Or come along on the day (the earlier the better) to see if you can find a ride. Details on what to bring are here. Skippers, your list of the available crew is here.

See you Sunday!

The Art of Sailing with no Wind

Race 6 of the winter series required a mixed group of boats, including corsairs, NS14s, Lasers, Pacers and a catamaran, to challenge the notion that sailing requires wind. A fitful breeze coupled with an adverse ebbing tide made even getting across the start line hard
work at times, with one intrepid sailor advising that they had downgraded their original goal of completing the race to a new goal of simply crossing the starting line.

Michael Grace and crew on Exhale managed to find some breeze and got off well in the pursuit start, but getting to the windward mark proved challenging for many of the fleet, with the mangrove region on the Northern bank becoming a Bermuda triangle for some.

Craig Foley on his new paper tiger catamaran, Soggy Frog, and Guy Forrester and crew on their corsair, Squirtle, proved to be the exceptions to the rule, with Soggy Frog first around the windward mark on lap 1 , closely followed by Squirtle. Adam Hurt and Kate Yeomans on Flight 24, also negotiated the conditions well, being the next boat to round the windward mark.

Can you see the wind?

The current helped to pick up the pace on the downward leg with Squirtle overtaking Soggy Frog, before the lead changed again on the northern bank leg, followed by Flight 24. Flying Dragon, Dreadnought, No Sweat, Rolling Stone and Exhale made up the next group to round the green buoy.

The northern bank leg then provided some interesting sights with boats locked at 45 degree plus angles to the white marker buoy, as they attempted to compensate for little wind and an ebbing tide pushing them down river – two hulls must have helped here as Craig seemed to negotiate this leg better than most.

However, with the breeze dropping further during the second lap it became difficult for boats to get to the final mark. The race to the finish line then became a slow motion battle between Soggy Frog and Squirtle. Craig rounded the last mark first closely followed by Guy, before both became becalmed on the last leg. The water police then decided to join the contest by stopping their boat nearby, but it was hard to tell whether their wake was helping or hindering proceedings. With Squirtle closing in, Soggy Frog crossed the line first, with Squirtle second and Flight 24 coming through a few minutes later for third.

Soggy Frog enjoys some company (and cake!) after finishing.

With Brennan increasingly busy on the safety boat helping becalmed boats back to the harbour it was decided to then stop the race. Congratulations to all who competed in difficult conditions. A special mention for Pancho for showing great perseverance and resolve in one of his first races.

Words by Peter Ross

Racing this Sunday

Racing is on this coming Sunday with a briefing at midday. (Skippers registration link)  

There are no Juniors this Sunday morning, as we do not have enough volunteers to run the morning, but Junior with experience are very welcome to race in the afternoon.  

Roster is here

On Sunday, if you’d be interested in crewing (no experience necessary) then please fill in this form. A skipper may get in touch with you. Or come along on the day (the earlier the better) to see if you can find a ride. Details on what to bring are here. Skippers, your list of the available crew is here.

Mon did the write-up for the prior race day, which you can read about here.

See you Sunday!

“Ladies Race Day” – Saturday 25 June 2022

Today was planned to give those members who have not raced before, the experience of sailing in a race. Little wind was forecast, but by the time we set sail, it was 9 knots, excellent conditions for beginners!

A course, similar to the course the club sails on, only smaller, was set, with 4 pacers and 3 X3s racing. The first race was skippered by our volunteers, Lex, Peter Fell and Maddie, and club sailor Tara. Race 2 was then handed over to the first time racing sailors, under the guidance of the volunteers, to race themselves. Result of Race 2 were:

1st: Kate Stock, Lex and Tarquin

2nd: Pancho and Tara

3rd: Celia and Peter

4th: Gail and Maddie (pipped at the post)!

We were able to get Race 3 in:

1st: Celia and Peter

2nd: Kate, Lex and Tarquin

3rd: Pancho and Tara

4th: Gail and Maddie

These days are planned in the hope that they will be “race ready” for our Summer Season in October.

Also thanks to Brennan for overseeing on the safety boat.

Next SheSails Day is on Saturday 23rd July.