Sail an 18 Footer...

Simon Nearn, dad of Max (who just quietly is unbeaten in this year’s club champs!) is Commodore of the 18 Footers League and has kindly offered the kids of VA12SC a chance to have a go on an 18 footer this weekend after the last race of their season.

The 18 footers are fast, powerful skiffs so this one is only open to kids 11 yrs + and we only have 8 spots available. A RIB will be leaving VA12SC at 3.15pm, returning at approximately 5pm. Kids will need their own lifejacket, hat sunscreen etc.

If you’re interested, please complete this form. First 8 to reply will get the places.

Last weekend’s race on the 18’s…

A tale of two Sundays

Another magic day at the club last Sunday. A little grey at the outset, but the cloud soon burned off and the Sailing School flotillas dominated Watsons Bay in the light southerly breeze and bright sunshine.

With the kids having so much fun a few of the Dads saw the opportunity to sneak in some ‘skills development’ of their own. Enter Matt’s wing foil board. One RIB. And five middle aged blokes acting like teenagers. Needless to say, fun was had!

Admittedly we were on step 1 of the wing foil journey, towing behind the RIB, but as Matt Smith has shown us, the below is what we will be graduating to…can’t be that hard?!

RIBs needed this Sunday

This Sunday our Flying 11 sailors are heading to Port Kembla. As a result we are short of a RIB. If there are any parents who have a private RIB they would be able to bring to the club on Sunday for one of our instructors to use that would be greatly appreciated. Please could you email sailingschool@va12sc.org.au to let us know so we can plan ahead.

Easter Holiday Camps

Bookings are open for our Easter School Holiday Camps. We sold out over Christmas so please book early to avoid disappointment.

All details here

Save the Date - Kutti Cocktails

The annual Kutti Cocktails is scheduled for 1st May. For the newer members of the club, this is the end of season party for the parents - because we deserve it! It’s always a fantastic evening. Lock it into the diaries and details will follow over the coming weeks.

Sailing School

Last Sunday was a beautiful morning for the sailing school. This photo of Rupert McEvoy’s Pacer for Start Sailing 1 sums up the spirit of the day!

The forecast for this week is a solid 20 knot southerly. The coaches will monitor the conditions and if it’s too windy for the beginner fleet they will run shore based activities.

Canteen this Sunday

Round 2 of the Sabot States are being held at Drummoyne Sailing Club this Sunday. That means a few families are away. As a result the Canteen will be in action for breakfast rolls, but there won’t be lunch this week. The usual soft drinks etc will be available.

Sabot States - Change of Venue

The Sabot States Rnd 2 (13 - 14 Feb) will be held at Drummoyne Sailing Club.

Club Championship Racing this Sunday 7th February.

Round 2 of the Sabot State Titles has been moved back a week to the 13-14th of February.

We will be hosting Club Championship Race 5 this Sunday the 7th of February.

We’ve had to rejig our calendar to accommodate this and other changes on the dinghy sailing calendar.

Click here for the revised VA12SC Club Calendar 2021

Sailing School

The sell-out theme of the holiday camps continues - we are officially at capacity for Term 1 Sailing School and the ‘sold out’ sign has been hoisted on the website. If you were at the club last Sunday but haven’t yet paid - all good, you’re in! Please email sailingschool@va12sc.org.au to arrange payment (to save our volunteer Treasurer from chasing!)

Best of all we have 100% of the families from Term 4 back at the club this term. So good to see!

Look forward to seeing you all back at the club this week for more nautical adventures. Please remember to ensure your kids sign on as soon as they arrive, and sign off as soon as they are back off the water.

A busy beach for the Start Sailing session at 8.30am last Sunday

NSW Sabot State Titles - Round 2

The second leg of the Sabot State Titles is taking place 13-14 February at Drummoyne Sailing Club.

Notice of Race

Regatta Registration

Team Vaucluse will be there in force! Any questions please contact our Sabot Fleet rep, Sally Badger.

Term 1 - Sunday 31 January

10 days until life returns to normal and Sunday sailing resumes at VA12SC. Bring it on!

If you haven’t yet signed up for term 1, please do ASAP - we’re very near to capacity. Book here.

To everyone that has signed up - we’re looking forward to seeing you down at the club. Timings will be the same as Term 4:

8.15am - 10.30am - Discover Sailing, Start Sailing 1 & 2

10.30am - 12.30pm - Adventure Sailing & Adult Learn to Sail

11am - Sabot races

2pm - Flying 11 & Cherub races

The canteen will be open from 8.30am serving bacon & egg rolls. Lunch will be served from 12pm. Tea, coffee and snacks will be available throughout the day.

Rigging and launching the sailing school fleet last November

Term 1 sailing - starts 31 Janaury

Term 1 sailing starts on Sunday 31 January.

The race fleet have their first summer sprint series. Sabots starting at 11am (10.15am briefing). Flying 11’s and Cherubs a 2pm start.

Sailing School kicks off at 8.30am for Discover Sailing, Start Sailing 1 & 2 (please arrive by 8.15am to allow time for sign in etc). Adventure Sailing (for kids who can sail but don’t want to race) runs from 10.30am - 12.30pm. Adult Learn to Sail also runs from 10.30am - 12.30pm.

We’ve already got lots of people signed up and again we’re nearing capacity. If you’re keen to participate, please book here.

If you have any questions on the Sailing School, please email sailingschool@va12sc.org.au

Don’t forget to check the Club Calendar so you know what’s happening, when.

Look forward to seeing you all back at the club!

Holiday Camps

It’s been a huge summer for our camps with 110+ kids participating. For the first time in recent memory all of our camps sold out. We will open bookings for the Easter camps in a couple of weeks. Definitely worth getting in early to secure a place.

A big thank you to all of our coaches and parent volunteers who’ve helped to run and coordinate this important part of our sailing program. And to all the kids for being so good at having fun!

Holiday Camps - SOLD OUT!

We have four holiday camps scheduled this school holidays and they’ve all sold out!

Why are they sold out? Very simply - we’ve run out of boats for beginners and intermediates. All of our Pacers and PJs are working hard to entertain the 100+ children we have going through our camps.

As one of our main pathways for new members we expect a good number of the families attending holiday camps to join as members as we head into Term 4. This means the Sailing School is also likely to sell out. If you’re keen to have your kids involved in Term 1, please register now to secure places.

Term 1 Sailing School

If you read the last article then you know you need to book ASAP!

We already have a lot of people registered for Term 1. With 100+ kids going through the holiday camps it’s likely Term 1 sailing school will be a sell out. If you’re planning on enrolling your kids, please sign them up ASAP.

If your child sailed last term and you’re not sure which course, register for the course you think is correct. Adele and Jules will be going through the lists ensuring we put people into the right courses to match their skills and experience. If we think your child should be on a different course we’ll let you know.

If you have any other questions, please email Jules on sailingschool@va12sc.org.au

Term 1 Sailing School - Registrations Open

Term 1 Sailing School kicks off again on Sunday 31st January. We recommend that you register early if you’re keen to participate. We had 41 kids in Term 4, and with nearly 100 children registered for the Xmas Holiday Camps we are expecting a very busy Term 1. We are limited by the number of boats we have in the club so it will be a case of first in, best dressed.

A seperate email will go out to Sailing School families detailing the pathway for this term’s graduates. For now, choose the course you think is best fit and we can always move kids around afterwards, ensuring they are on the right course.

Register here

Head of the Harbour - this Sunday!

This Sunday is the annual Head of the Harbour regatta hosted at Vaucluse 12 foot Sailing Club.

Always a fun day, this is one of the main Sabot regattas for our region. As well as our own fleet of intrepid Sabot sailors we will be welcoming visitors from other clubs around Sydney.

Sailing School will be running as normal, including Sailing School and Adult LTS, but it will be busier in the club than usual.

A big thank you to the many members who are volunteering their time to help on the day. We recognise it’s a big time commitment and we’re very grateful for your support.

Details of the day, race documents and results can all be accessed here

Xmas Holiday Camps

We’re reaching capacity for all of our holiday camps. If you want to register kids please do so ASAP (click here). We will be closing registrations for individual camps as they get full.

For those that expressed interest in the advanced skills camp (14 - 18 Dec) - we’ve received sufficient interest to confirm this is going ahead. Please book here

Sunday 29 November - Report

Autumn closed with a very hot and very windy bang last Sunday!

Just as the Learn to Sail fleet were launching the first big gust came through with a 40 degree blast of 25 knot wind! Needless to say most of the PJ fleet found themselves blown back ashore rather quickly!

Some fast action from the coaches and parents ensured everyone stayed safe - and for the most part happy!

Back onshore we changed the focus to relay races with some rope tying cunningly tucked in to make sure the kids kept learning. A short day on the water, but another good day at the club!

The Sabot fleet were rigged and ready to race. A few of the kids were getting quite excited about a blast in the breeze. Race Officer, Adrian Paul, hoisted the AP to see if the wind would abate. It didn’t so thecorrect decision was made to abandon racing. The afternoon fleet followed suit.