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A perfect day for our Learn to Sail crew. With lighter winds we were able to start moving the kids out of Pacers and into the PJs - skippering their own boats without instructors aboard! There were a few swimmers, but with the self draining cockpits the kids can quickly right the boats and carry on - making capsizing fun not frightening!
Photos courtesy of Scott Denton
22 November - Sprint Racing & Sailing School
29 November - Club Champs Race 4 & Sailing School
6 December - Head of the Harbour Regatta & Sailing School
13 December - Dick Winning Fun Day
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.
Two important diary dates for everyone:
Sunday 6th December - Head of the Harbour Regatta
This is a Sabot regatta with competitors from around the region. The club will be full and fun will be had.
Sunday 13th December - Dick Winning Fun Day
Arguably the most important date this side of Chrissy…it’s all about beach games, greasy pole and (a very nautical) Santa. Check out the details here, along with photos of previous years.
After two weeks of rain and wind, the sun finally shone on Watsons Bay last weekend, and the winds were perfect. The race fleets were largely out of town, but the Learn to Sail fleets (young and old!) had a cracking time back at base.
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.
Another cool, rainy day. This week the wind held off for the Learn to Sail fleet so we were able to get more of the kids into the PJs, with the beginners in the Pacers, helmed by our fearless coaches.
New member Matt Smith gave us a glimpse into the future last week when he launched his Wing Foiler off the deck. This week there wasn’t enough wind to fly the foil, but that wasn’t going to stop Matt getting wet.
Meanwhile, the rest of us focussed on keeping the coffee pot busy
The final, and arguably main event of the day, was the adult Learn to Sail. Seven parents jumped into the Pacers at 10.30am, perfectly timed for the rising wind and rain. Far from ideal conditions, but lots of smiles and laughter. Well done to all who participated.
What wild weather! Well done to all those that braved the conditions and made it to the club last Sunday.
The Sailing School opted for Pacers for most kids apart from the hardy foursome who took to PJs. A few swims by the latter. And some great speeds from the former! Everyone returned to shore safely, if a little chilly. Best of all was the overwhelming positivity of the kids and the parent support crews. A huge well done to everyone for getting stuck in despite the conditions. And a special mention to James Campbell in the Adventure Sailing session for some awesome PJ sailing out on the main harbour! We have lighter winds forecast for this weekend!
Sabot Fleet
( words courtesy of Adrian Paul)
With breeze ranging from fresh to scary we had 5 champions take to the water. Coco had a great ride but the southerly sent her back to the beach early. Hugo pushed on and got plenty of miles up - definitely one to watch. The race start itself was incredibly tight with Max, Zac and Charlie crossing the line together, staying engaged until the top mark. Boat speed was high for all of them as they managed the gusty southerly. No one in the fleet capsized (legends!). First place went to Max, well earned with consistently solid boat handling. Smiles all over the course, despite the rain and breeze. Bring on the state championships at Gosford this weekend!
Check out this video from the start boat
Fiying 11 & Cherub Fleet
(words courtesy of David O’Loughlin)
The Sailing exhibited today can be best described by the huge smiles when everyone made it back to the beach.
It was certainly a day of building resilience. Getting around the course in the challenging 20-25 knot breeze was a feat, one squall came through in the afternoon (lap 3) resulting in a white out and 28kn gusts. Thankfully that only lasted a few mins. It took out a large number on the 18fters – it was carnage out there.
Mostly our fleet stayed up, the cherubs had a major battle on their hands coping with the bullets and they ended up in the drink quite a few times.
In the Flying 11’s JackO and Hugo in Shotgun faced with a lost rudder on the second beat, managed to get it back on the pintels with some great team work – Hugo jumped over the front and held the boat in the fierce gusts. Their determination was rewarded by regaining the lead at the top of the 3rd beat (overcoming a massive 6 min deficit at the top of the second beat) to win the day. JJ in Bandit had his own breakages to deal with and got around the course well (without any boom vang) and finished in great spirits.
The F11’s both had new crews and they had a ball in the wind, the reaching was amazing at times.
In the Cherubs Well done to Chris Dixon who survived the conditions and finished the race to win. Gear breakages cost the other cherub dearly and they returned to shore. Retired, but not beaten.
A Big thank you to Jeremy Dixon who loaned his boat as the start boat and helped out on course with flags, wisdoms and stories of the good old days, Sabots, F11’s and Cherubs. Its great to see him back. And to Simon Bando and Ashleigh Minnett who bravely set the marks and supported the F11’s and Cherubs on their own. At times it was raining cats and dogs and blowing like a demon had been let out of the cage.
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.
Adult Learn to Sail starts this Sunday. It will be a 6 week program running from 10.30am - 12.30pm. Using the Pacers the aim will be for all participants to complete Australian Sailing’s Start Sailing 1 course.
The cost for the course is $300. To participate please register and pay here by COB Thursday 29th October.
A nifty invention from our friends over at Middle Harbour is the Booma Protective Sailing Hat. If you or your kids are concerned about a knock from the boom these are great solution.
There is a sample at the club (in the Canteen) if anyone wants to check it for size on Sunday.
It was really great to see so many keen sailors down at the club on Sunday. The first day of season is always a challenge and so it was probably just as well that the winds started so light before kicking in for the racing fleets. Club Championship Race 1 saw some close racing and lots of fun was had by all in the race fleets as well as in the sailing school and adventure sailing.
Thanks to all of you who helped out in preparation and on the day! Without you none of this would be possible. Please let us know of all of your hidden talents. Our club runs on the kind assistance of our volunteers and as we all know….Many hands make light work.
See you all at the club!
Sue Hammermaster has done a great job of preparing the volunteer roster. This will be sent around on Thursday by email with allocations for the rest of this term.
Our entire club is dependent on volunteers so we really appreciate your enthusiastic contribution to the allocated roles. If you can’t do the requested dates, please find a replacement and let Sue know.
We had a fantastic day at the club last Sunday. Lots of new families joining the Sailing School, followed by good racing.
This Sunday Sailing School continues at the same time - 8.30am for the beginners, 10.30am for Adventure Sailing. NB Race Fleet coaching starts after the 10am Sabot Briefing (apologies for the error in last week’s newsletter!).
This week it is Round 2 of the Club Championship for the race fleet. Sabots starting at 11am, Flying 11s and Cherubs at 2pm.
Sailing School flotilla sets sail last Sunday!
Sailing School briefing to kick off the new term
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.
Sunday 18th October was the season opening day, and the first round of the Club Championships.
Congratulations to the winners:
Max Nearn - Sabot
Max Nearn & Zac Golovsky - Flying 11
Chriso Dixon and Oliver Bingemann - Cherubs
Full results available here
Sabot Race Report
(courtesy of Adrian Paul & Sally Badger)
Our first club championship, kicked off with a little pre race on water dance party. Despite very little breeze, the fleet had a great start. Max Nearn had boat speed and led the fleet out into the outgoing tide (yikes)! Georgia Silverton and Oscar Paul spotted the opportunity and hooked back into the bay. Ultimately the lack of wind won out and the course was shortened. Rising ⭐️ of the day award went to Hugo Minnet. Max Nearn took 1st place in the end, focus and passion paid off. A really fun day.
Max Nearn & Zac Golovsky heading out right
Georgia Silverton in ‘Havoc’
Max Nearn (1599) and Zac Golovsky (7046)
It’s happening! The 2020/21 season starts this Sunday!
The world famous breakfast BBQ will be fired up, pumping out bacon and eggs. The usual tasty lunch will be served from 12pm.
We kick off with round 1 of the Club Championships for all classes.
Sabot race briefing will be at 10am ahead of the 11am race start.
Flying 11 and Cherub briefing is at 1pm ahead of 2pm race start.
Sailing School starts at 8.30am - 10.30am with our beginner programs (Discover Sailing, Start Sailing 1 & 2).
The new Adventure Sailing program kicks off at 10.30am - 12pm. Adventure Sailing is open to kids who can already sail but who don’t want to join the race fleet. Instead they’ll be doing treasure hunts, playing games and having a lot of FUN!
Race Coaching for Sabot sailors runs from 8.30am - 10am
After a very successful series of October holiday camps we’re delighted to have a number of new families joining the club this season. Please make them feel welcome and show them the way around (remember, it’s a bit complicated when you’re new!)