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We’ve gathered a massive amount of lost property at the club. It’s upstairs in the main hall on the western side (most of it in someone’s Sabot that has been left upstairs - is that lost property too?!).
Please could you have a look this Sunday and collect anything that’s yours. Next week we’ll take what’s left down to the Salvos.
It would be great if the Sabot could be put back in its rack too.
Last Sunday was the annual Dick Winning Fun Day. And it delivered on the promise.
The weather was calm, the sun even shone (despite the awful forecast). And we had a huge turn out of members and their families.
The slippery pole kept the kids busy for the first hour. Then it was the beach treasure hunt and tug of war. It was particularly good to see the girls beat the boys in the latter! The swimming races and beach run got the parents active. Genevieve Taubman-Campbell took out the mother’s race, and Ben Pollitt won the Dad’s race. Commodore Rob was hot on Ben’s feet as they exited the water, but a little bit of mid fleet jostling saw him down on the sand!
The lunch was sensational. An awesome effort from Sasha and Fiona and the many people supporting the canteen team.
Santa arrived as lunch was ending. The kids went nuts. Santa is still recovering.
And then it was prize giving, with special guest and past commodore Glenda Nixon handing out the prizes.
A very big thank you to everyone who helped make the day such a success.
Last Sunday we hosted our annual Head of the Harbour Regatta for Sabots. It was another windy weekend. But the sun shone and the AP was lowered early afternoon to get two races away. With regular gusts over 20 knots it was tough going. A big well done to the five finishers in race 1, and the seven finishers in Race 2.
Simon Clayton-Adam from Drummoyne Sailing Club was the overall winner. Zac Golovsky in 3rd place was the top sailor from VA12SC, Isabelle Badger was 4th, Max Nearn 6th, Charlie Paul 7th and Ben Richards 9th.
Regatta results available here. There will be a few videos posted on our Facebook page.
Finally, a very big thank you to our many volunteers who made this event possible. We had some lovely thank you notes from our visiting competitors. Overall we did our club proud. Well done all.
There are a couple of regattas coming up for the Sabot class:
$10 per Sabot and a presentation after sailing on Saturday for juniors. Saturday 2.30pm start. Sunday 2.00m start. SI’s issued on the day. Enter here
Vaucluse is delighted to once again host the annual Head of the Harbour Sabot regatta on 6th December. This year promises to be a great day out on the water.
This regatta has a long tradition and is an invitational for all our clubs.
The details of the event including COVID plan, NoR and SI are included below, together with the booking details.
https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing?eid=682213&bof=1
I encourage early entry, to assist us in planning for a smooth day.
If you have any question please do not hesitate to contact Scott Day (0421626092) or our regatta Director Kate O Loughlin
This is a re-run because it was called off in September when a dog flew high from a chain before the start. For those that don’t know, Speers Point is the same waters as Teralba on Lake Macquarie, so another good reccy opportunity at this event too.
For those considering a weekend on the lake, Sundays are extremely busy at Wangi for sabots too. There are 2 sessions of LTS (8-10am)/Intermediates(10-midday) and then junior club racing, mostly 3 races, starting after midday with 10-15 boats.
Any questions on Speers Point or Teralba events, please contact Scott Day by email
Our sailing instructions (SI’s) have been recently amended in order to improve scoring accuracy and reporting through ScoreIT. The revised sailing instructions are located here. You can access the Racing Rules of Sailing is located here.
Summary of amendments
Changes have been made to clauses 15.3 and 20.1 ii. of our Sailing Instructions as follows:
> 15.3 Boats still racing after the time limit has expired will be allocated a point score equal to the number of boats that have started the race + 1 (ie SRS). This changes Rules 35 and A4.
> 20.1 ii. Each race in each event will be scored as provided in RRS 90.3 but applying A9 Race Scores in a Series Longer than a Regatta.
These changes have been approved by the Race Committee for application to this seasons' Club Championship race results. Race results are now updated and published after each Club Championship race. Club Championship provisional results are located here for each class.
Please feel free to reach out to Alex Badger (Rear Commodore) or another member of our Race Committee if you wish to discuss any aspect of these changes or scoring in general.
On Sunday, our little sailing club was powered 100% by solar energy, we had the smallest bag of food waste which went into organics recycling, all cans were recycled, bottled water is not sold anymore and a very small amount of rubbish went into the red bin. Previously we used to put at least two full bin liners in the landfill bin every week!!
Thanks to your support, we are kicking our sustainability goals! It just goes to show how small changes, make a big impact.
This Sunday O’pen Skiff will be hosting a ‘Have-a-go-day’ on Kutti Beach from 10.30am to 1.00pm for kids to try out this exciting new boat.
O’pen Skiffs are one of the classes of dinghy redefining kids’ sailing. There will be a number of O'pen Skiffs rigged and ready for kids to have a go, with specialist instructors to show how to sail the boats. This event is free of charge and open to all members & friends of the club.
If you’re kids are interested in having a go please register here so they know how many boats & coaches to bring along.
If you’re not familiar with the O’pen Skiff, check out this video and the pic below.
Four VA12SC teams made their way to the Flying11 states on the Pittwater last weekend, hosted by Bayview Yacht Racing Association.
Despite the challenging conditions, with races in 25 knot winds to 5 knot winds, the results were very commendable:
25th overall for Protagonist 1366 (Skipper Max Nearn Crew Zac Golovsky)
28th Shotgun 1403 (Skipper Jack O'loughlin Crew Sol Golovsky)
36 Bandit 1394 (skipper Jamie Bando Crew Isabella Badger)
37 Marvellous (skipper Sophia Ugarte and Emma Badger).
Some highlights:
For most of Race 2 on Day 2 Sophia Ugarte was coming in the top 10 after sailing her own race on the margins in clear air.
Jack O sailing into a hole and seeing his crew Solly Golly paddling on the leeward side.
The most capsized boat award is a tie between Marvellous and Protagonist.
Man Over Board - this was close with Jack O losing his crew and needing a support boat to bring him back. Slightly more exceptional was Simon Bando on Kutti (yep Kutti the inflatable rib) who was able to loose Sally Badger his crew over the side.
And no regatta is complete with out the Mr Fix it award to David O, making emergency repairs on the go, that almost held a boom vang together in 25knots.
Well done Team Vaucluse. Looking forward to Round 2 at Port Kembla Sailing club in February.
From Ashleigh Minnett:
I just wanted reach out to other families as I am very interested in getting together a group of interested parents and kids who would like to participate in a weekly one up Sabot twilight sailing on an
afternoon after school on a weekly basis .
It would be fantastic to be able to provide the kids more time on the water sailing on top of their regular Sundays. A lot of other clubs do this and it really benefits the kids and and it works really well, especially now the days are long and we can make the most of the summer conditions and our idyllic location. It really doesn’t get much better than our harbour views blue waters and north facing club house!
We will need enough interested families to make it work .
Please contact me if interested and we can discuss a mutually agreeable afternoon that works for as many of us as possible.
I can be contacted on
Email ash.minnett@gmail.com or
ph : 0419266145
8 sailors made the trip to Gosford. First time for some and familiar territory for others, they all got a taste of what is like to be part of the SNSW squad and the whole team were very friendly and supportive. Our squad of Zac Golovsky, Max Nearn, Hugo Minnett, Georgia Silverton, Charlie & Oscar Paul, Izzy & Emma Badger all had their moments to shine. 5 races over two days 44 entries, winds from the North and the South with races in 8 knots and 20+ knots testing the sailors all weekend.
Emma made it out each day. Oscar showed a gutsy performance finishing races both days. Oscar took home a recognition prize along with Hugo. It was Hugo’s first regatta toughing it out with the big boys in the big breeze, his head never went down, the smile never left his face. If you think Russell Coutts is a cool customer wait until you see this chap on the race course! Talking of cool customers does anything phase Georgia?! She gunned into the top ten by day two only to be nailed by the gust of the day and still came home smiling.
Izzy, Charlie, Zac and Max were right in amongst it and all in the top 20 after the 5 races. Zac was straight out of the blocks fourth at the first mark in race one, Max best scored with a 6th. Charlie was nipping at their heals with some great starts but with a penalty turn holding up for hitting the odd mark. Izzy was loving the windy races and picking places up all day with great boat handling.
State Champs is in two parts with next round at Drummoyne 13/14 February so plenty of time to build our squad numbers.
(Author: Simon Nearn)
Max Nearn on ‘Thunderstruck’
Rising star, Adrian Paul, having a well earned rest between races….
On Sunday 15th November O’pen Skiff will be hosting a ‘Have-a-go-day’ on Kutti Beach from 10.30am to 1.30pm for kids to try out this exciting new boat.
O’pen Skiffs are one of the classes of dinghy redefining kids’ sailing. There will be a number of O'pen Skiffs rigged and ready for kids to have a go, with specialist instructors to show how to sail the boats. This event is free of charge and open to all members of the club.
If you’re kids are interested in having a go please register here
If you’re not familiar with the O’pen Skiff, check out the video below.
A reminder to check your email for your roster allocations. As a volunteer club it’s really important we take accountability for these commitments. If you can’t make your allotted session please ensure you line up a replacement.
If you haven’t received the email from Sue, that doesn’t mean you aren’t on the roster (every family in the club has been allocated a duty) it just means the email hasn’t got to you for some reason! If that’s the case, please email Sue (suehammermaster@gmail.com) and she will let you know when you are on duty.
Round 1 of the Sabot NSW State Titles takes place on 31 October & 1 November at Gosford Sailing Club.
VA12SC has a number of sailors heading along. If you are entering, please read the below:
Register here
Notice of Race available here
In addition, if not already done, boats must be registered for 2020/21 with SNSWSSA to attend the State titles (https://www.trybooking.com/641819)
A few key points:
- registration will close on Thursday 29th October. There are no late or beach entries for Round 1.
- a full refund will be available for anyone unable to attend due to adherence to NSW Covid restrictions
- the Gosford Sailing Club Covid19 Plan will cover the Get in, Sail, Get out guidelines. There will be no social gathering.
- boats can be stored overnight at the GSC (outside)
- we have limited the expenses for round 1 to only the costs to run the regatta - eg no t-shirts, no prizes. This is in case of any new Covid19 restrictions which would lead to the event being cancelled.
- the trybooking only covers the fees for Round 1
- SNSW blue bibs will be available to any first time State entrants who hasn't previously received a bib. Otherwise these may be purchased if anyone has lost their bib.
As SNSW are the organising committee this year they run the registration (2-3 people), safety check (2 people), scoring (1 person on the start boat) and some other processes at GSC. Measurement will be at our discretion. They will need volunteers for these roles please. Please Sally Badger know if you will able to assist.
We’ve had interest from parents wanting to learn to sail down at the club.
“Why should the kids have all the fun?!” was one parent’s comment. We totally agree!
The club can certainly put together a Learn to Sail program for parents using the club’s fleet of Pacers. If you’re potentially interested, please email Jules Hall (sailingschool@va12sc.org.au). We need a few people to sign up to make this is a viable program so we are initially asking for expressions of interest.
The health and safety of members, participants, coaches, officials, volunteers, visitors, families and the broader community is our number one priority. To ensure we manage risks associated with COVID-19 we have developed the following Safety Plan and continue to maintain, rigorous compliance with all Public Health Orders.
Before attending the clubhouse please read the below and then complete the form at the bottom of the page to acknowledge your adherence to our COVID-19 Safety Plan. This information & form is also available on our website: www.va12sc.org.au/covid19
The requirements are clearly sign posted in the clubhouse. Please ensure you sign in on arrival, follow the instructions and maintain good hygiene at all times.
You may not attend the clubhouse if;
you have any of flu like symptoms, however mild: fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath,
you have been overseas or interstate to Victoria, unless you have received a negative COVID-19 test result after waiting at least 14 days since returning
you have been in contact with anyone with COVID-19, unless you have received a negative COVID-19 test result after waiting at least 14 days since your contact
We request you to avoid the use of public transport to and from the club, where possible
You must maintain social distancing of 1.5m both inside the club and on the beach
No more than 10 people are allowed in the clubhouse at any one time and no more than 20 people are allowed in a single broad grouping on the beach at any one time.
You may not get changed inside the clubhouse or socialise inside the clubhouse or on the deck.
The clubhouse is to be used only for boat retrieval or race management purposes and you must remain inside for as short a period as possible – “get in, get out”
If the canteen is operational, no one (other than canteen volunteers) are permitted to access the canteen.
We encourage all members to download the COVIDSafe App and to make sure it is active when you come to the club.
(if you are having difficulty completing this form please go to this page on our website and complete the online version)
Further to the Treasurer’s recent communications, membership renewals are now due for the 2020/21 season:
Welcome to the 2020/21 sailing season in 7 steps.
It is that time of year again to pay the membership fees for the sailing club before the season commences. The fees have not increased since last year. There is an additional benefit that all members can book the club for a Friday or Saturday once a year without charge. Please pay your fees now. All fees must be paid by Sunday 4 October at the latest. If you have not paid by this date you will be unable to race and if you have a boat in the shed, it will be removed and sold. If you do not want to renew membership please email Ian Manovel ( and h will remove your details from our member database. If you are a Kambala Sailing School Junior Member, Ian will contact you separately. If you want to rent or buy a boat please email Ian Manovel.
Step 1
To pay your fees click here. First select your membership category e.g. Family, Individual or Associate. Note that Associate Membership is for non-sailing members who want to be social members. If you have a child sailing you must pay 'Family Membership'. Make sure to include the names of all family members who will access the club. We require this for insurance and for Covid safety.
Step 2
Select boat storage type if you keep a boat at the club, if not skip this step.
Step 3
Select coaching fees for the course each of your children are attending e.g. 'Sunday' for beginners (who are not racing) or 'Race Fleet' (for more experienced sabot sailors who have their race fee included in their course fee) click here
Step 4
If you skipped Step 3 select 'Race Fee' now. All sailors racing must pay the race fee. This includes uncoached Sabots, Flying 11 and Cherubs.
Step 5
Select 'Holiday Camps' if you would like to book a camp during the holidays, if not skip this step.
Step 6
Enter your payment details.
Step 7
Once your payment lands in the sailing club bank account I will update the membership database. If you have paid the incorrect amount I will call you to fix the payment. Your membership is now paid until 31 May 2021. Well done.
If you have any questions regarding the payment or the sailing program please contact Ian Manovel (Treasurer) on 0415 848 430.
We are pleased to be holding our 2nd Zone sabot training in the winter series at VA12SC.
We have organised experienced coaches to train all levels of sailors attending.
The day is scheduled to start at 9am. Please be rigged and dressed by 9.30am ready for a briefing. There will be a morning and afternoon training session and a lunch break. We expect to be finished at around 4 – 4.30pm.
Due to Covid19 restrictions we will be training in smaller groups and need to limit the number of people at the VA12SC clubhouse.
Please bring your own lunch and drinks. Due to Covid19 restrictions we will not be supplying morning/afternoon tea or lunch.
Public Bathrooms and showers are available at Gibson Beach kiosk. Numbers are very limited at the VA12SC changing rooms. We recommend all sailors come to the training already dressed.
Cost of the Training is $40 per boat.
If entering more than 1 boat, PLEASE complete a seperate booking request for each boat.
Any attendees and parents will be required to abide by Public Health Orders in place at the time and the Covid19 plan of the SNSWSSA and VASC. You will receive a copy of the Covid19 Plan for this training beforehand.
Please note this is SNSWSSA hosted event and registration of the boat with the Zone for the 2020/21 season is required prior to attending. Click here to register.
Looking forward to seeing you all there.
Sabot Sailing – Serious Fun!
A couple of important dates for the diaries as we head into the back half of the season:
This is the evening that all the hardworking parents get to come down to the club and relax over some well earned drinks. For those that haven’t been before, this is a fun night!
To mark the end of the season we load the kids onto their sailing boats, rally the fleet of support boats and head off in a flotilla for Clifton Gardens where we have a picnic before sailing back. Winds are normally light this time of year and it’s a great day out.
The last day of Sailing School and racing for Term 1 will be Sunday 29th March.
A reminder that most families will need to re-register their kids for Term 1 coaching (unless they’re in the race fleet).
If you have any questions about the Sailing School courses please contact Jules Hall on sailingschool@va12sc.org.au.
Otherwise, please book here
The last summer holiday camp is running next week.
If you want to get your kids involved, you’ll need to sign them up by 5pm this Friday.