Tweed Valley Sailing Club

This Sunday 22 Oct ’23 Juniors Fun Sailing will be starting later, at 10:30, so those doing Nippers can join in later. Register under ‘JUNIORS’, ‘CURRENT EVENTS’ (above). Parents can also register to sail if they are members or hold a Sail Pass.

Last Sunday 15 Oct ’23 we had excellent weather and tide conditions so sailed down the River to Tweed Heads and back. Thanks to Kate B for the photos!

September School Holiday Course. Conditions were great for a dozen new Juniors to complete this course over three days. Thanks to the club members and Juniors who donated their time to make this event a huge success. These birds-eye photos are thanks to Ari !!

Our AGM is this coming Sunday, with a venue change to the Fingal Surf Club, starting at 9 a.m. All are encouraged to attend and get involved in keeping the club running.

Juniors are on from Midday on Sunday. Please register at the event on the website.

Our AGM will now be held at the Fingal Rovers Surf Club, at 9 a.m. on the 15th of October, rather than at the TVSC club container.

Race 1 of our Summer Season is this coming Sunday.

Skippers, we have a new registration system; please register via the calendar event on our website.

Junior’s fun sailing is on from 8:30 in the morning. Please register here for that.

Briefing at Midday, Racing not before 1pm.

Daylight Savings has begun. Please note that all times are NSW time.

This coming Sunday’s race format is a Championship day for single-handers and a pointscore day for multi-crewed and green fleet boats. We intend to have the championships for multi-crewed classes on opposite race days to the single-handers. You’re welcome to race different classes on different days.

Our summer roster is here. (We need people to put their hands up for roles; please fill in spots you can take.)

Please fill in this form for Sunday if you’d be interested in crewing (no experience necessary). 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.

John is running a school holiday sailing program from the 25th to 27th of September. Please see here for more details and registration.

Shout out to any experienced sailing members willing to help out with a 3-day Junior Learn to Sail Course during the week when the NSW and Qld children are both on holidays, commencing Monday 25 September to Wednesday 27 September, hours between 9 am and 3:30 pm.    We require someone qualified to drive the safety boat, and other help on a sailing dinghy giving instructions to the children.  A Working with Children card is necessary for anyone over the age of 18 years. Some of our current junior members may also be “helping”. 

If you can help on any or all of these days please text John Hayward on 0431 025 497 within the next 2 days, as a matter of urgency, so I can set a  limit of how many participants for the course, before I advertise it on the TVSC website.   

Kind regards
John Hayward
Ph: 0431 025 497
AS Dinghy Instructor

Day 8 of our winter racing is this coming Sunday! Briefing at Midday. Skippers registration is here.

We also have a working bee on Saturday, from 9 am.

John is running Juniors Sunday morning, starting at 8.30 am. He’ll also support any juniors or learning adults with their racing in the Juniors and Green Fleet in the afternoon. (Please select Green Fleet on skippers registration if you want to be included.)The winter season roster is here (Everyone, please help out the day if you have time). Please check it to see when you’re rostered!

Please fill in this form for Sunday if you’d be interested in crewing (no experience necessary). 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.

Tweed Valley Sailing Club held their annual Tumbulgum to Fingal passage race on Sunday, the 13th of August, timed to coincide with an outgoing ebb tide to make the passage slightly easier considering the traditional lack of wind in the early morning and upper reaches of the Tweed River.

The early morning held the promise of a glorious day in the northern rivers as sailors arrived early at the Tumbulgum launching place, rigging and then gently placing their boats on the grass or launching and tying up to a pontoon before driving their empty trailers to Fingal. The sailors were then dropped back at Tumbulgum for a welcome bacon and egg burger and hot beverage before the race briefing commenced. 

The start was a short upwind leg before rounding a marker buoy and heading off down the river in a light and fluky breeze.

As the fleet sailed past the sleepy village of Tumbulgum and then under the road bridge, colourful spinnakers and gennakers made an appearance, and the faster RS100s and Lasers started to break from the rest of the field of corsairs, sabres and modified Hartley.

The fleet leaders were going through the narrows of Stotts Island when a sudden strong wind change came in, causing the highly strung RS100s carrying gennakers to capsize and the lasers to hold on for dear life. The step up in wind speed and direction eventually filtered through to the whole fleet, making for many arduous tacks in the restricted channel as they made their way past Chinderah and under the M1 bridge before finishing in front of Fingal Boat Harbour.

The RS100s were first across the line, but it had been noted that a few (5) of the leading boats had missed a small part of the navigation channel in the confusion of the wind change and could not be deemed to have done the proper course. Of those that sailed the proper course, first on handicap was visitor Hariet Woodrow in a Sabre, followed by local John Hayward and crew Ari and Finn in a Corsair, then Michael Grace and crew in another Corsair. The handicap results for those that sailed the improper course was Lex Branch first in a laser radial, followed by Wayne Culph and Guy Forester in laser full rigs, their handicap trumping the speedy RS100s.

Full results can be found here https://halsail-1e484.kxcdn.com/Result/Public/75022.

All enjoyed a great day after missing the last few years due to Covid restrictions, and we hope to make it a regular race in our calendar again.
Many thanks to all our volunteers and helpers who made the complicated logistics work and kept the competitors safe on the water.

Words by Peter Fell