Despite the forecast light winds and rain, the day began with a spectacular dawn and a warm sunny morning. A light fog burned off and the fleet was gifted a 10’ish knot westerly (champagne sailing as Mark Bethwaite would say) as we had the whole harbour to ourselves. About 10 standards and a very big radial fleet turned out. The radials contested all three starts with millimetric precision and timing with only one individual recall. A westerly never shifted left like many predicted. So it became a case of chasing pressure on the right hand side of the course and trying to hold a long starboard tack to the top mark with clean air. Some great tactical angles were sailed on the downwind legs by both rigs, to determine the top three in every race. Podium finishes for all races were often separated by seconds illustrating the tight racing. Congratulations to the winners: Standards:
Category: Latest from Double Bay Sailing Club
The Women's Regatta NEEDS YOU!
In 2019 it took a community of over 60 volunteers to deliver The Women’s Regatta hosted by DBSC. The help included every job under the sun: car park attendants, beach support, on-water support, start and finish boat teams, photographers, rescue boat drivers, toastie makers, rego desk attendants, yoga teachers, waiters, and even washer up-ers! This year, as we plan for the 2020 regatta, we need these jobs filled and more – including a social distancing monitor!This is what some of the sailors said in the post-event feedback: ”The onshore support for this event is second to none!” ”Absolutely loved the weekend. The camaraderie, organisation, and opportunities were amazing. The welcome and assistance from the club members was fantastic.” Want to lend a hand for this year’s Women’s Regatta on 26-27 September? We would love your help – sign up HERE to volunteer!
Input Needed from Masters
The WA Laser Association is surveying Masters sailors who are keen to attend the Australian Laser Nationals in Fremantle WA, 1 – 8 January 2021. They are enquiring if the Masters want a separate start from the “young guns”, and if there is sufficient support for a separate course.If you are Master who is going to be attending Nationals in WA please email Robo HERE with the following information:• Standard or Radial• Age group• Separate start or all in together
Youth Local Sporting Champions Grants Now Open
Round 2 of the 2020-21 Local Sporting Champions Grants are now open. The Local Sporting Champions program provides financial assistance for coaches, officials and competitors aged 12-18 years participating in state, national or international championships.If successful, applicants will receive $500-$750 towards the cost of attending their championships.To apply and for further information regarding eligibility criteria, please go HERE.Applications are currently open until 11:59pm (AEDT) on 30 September 2020.
August Sprints Start This Saturday
In a sign that spring is just around the corner, Saturday afternoon sailing is back this week with our August Sprints. The sprints are a perfect way to get back in shape for the upcoming season of sailing, and will be on every Saturday in August. Because of on-going restrictions due to COVID-19, the series will be a bit different this year, so please read the following carefully. The key regulation we have to work around is that no more than 10 people can be in the clubhouse or 20 in the outdoor rigging area at one time. To avoid this, Radials and Standards will rig and launch separately (just as they did in the Winter Championship). Radials need to launch no later than 12:25pm for a 1pm start. Standards will arrive at 12:25pm for a 12:55pm splash and a 1:30pm start. It is important to avoid inter-mingling of the groups on land. Each
Working Bee – RSVP Now
We will be running our annual working bee on Saturday 29 August from 8am – 12pm. This is an important event that gets our club ready for the new season of sailing. There is a lot to do, and we would appreciate participation from all members to make this a success. We are working on plans now to ensure that the day will be COVID Safe. Could you please RSVP HERE to confirm your attendance?
Grant Success – New Boat Ramps
The club has received the wonderful news that we have been successful in obtaining a grant of $136,300 from the NSW Government’s Boating Now program to build two improved access ramps.This funding, along with co-funding commitments from Woollahra Municipal Council, The Australian 18 Footers League and DBSC will allow us to upgrade both of the boat ramps to the west of the clubhouse. Over the next 12 months a volunteer team will liaise with stakeholders to refine the plan, get approvals and implement the project. Thanks to the many members who have worked diligently to obtain this funding, including: Emily Ball, Rod Barnes, John Chesterman, Andrew Cox, Mark Crowhurst, Geoff Kirk, and Andrew Simpson.As none of us are getting any younger, and the boat ramp seems to get steeper at the end of every race, we look forward to the completion of this much needed upgrade.
Winter Championships Come to an End
Sunday dawned with a grey, windless morning. The clouds overnight caused warmer temperatures that prevented the typical winter westerly from blowing, and hopes of a gradient breeze didn’t eventuate. The lack of wind forced the race management team of PRO Rod Barnes, COTD David Huber, and CCO Candice Cushway to make the difficult decision to abandon racing for the day. It was a disappointing ending to a great Winter Championship Series. Thanks to the many members who participated in the Series. Despite the chilly temps and COVID restrictions we had an impressive fleet of over 20+ boats every weekend (and over 30 on several occasions). There was some brilliant sailing on the Harbour this winter, with Luke Parker winning the Championship in the Standards, and Sylvie Stannage victorious in the Radials. A big congratulations to both our champions! Thanks to all our race management teams, especially to our CCOs who took on
CYCA Closed Due to COVID
On Tuesday the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) was advised that two of their active members tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, CYCA has closed its clubhouse until further notice. The closure serves as a good reminder of why we need to strictly adhere to our COVIDSafe plan at DBSC. We wish all of our friends at CYCA well and hope for a speedy recovery for the members and a quick reopening of their club. If you have been at or sailed from CYCA, or interacted with people who have, within the relevant times on the 23rd, 24th or 26th of July, please notify our Commodore and refrain from coming to DBSC for 14 days. We request that all members ensure that you stick to all relevant guidelines and procedures to remove the risk to our club and its members.
Check Out DBSC’s New Promo Video
We know that we’re the best laser club in the world and now we have a great promo video that proves it. Check it out on our home page HERE. A massive thank you to James Tudball and his company, The White Tree, for producing a video that captures the DBSC spirit perfectly.
A frame grab of the new DBSC Promo video produced by The White Tree.