Photo Of The Week
Along with the Flying Dutchies and Tasars, the 420 State Titles were held over the weekend. Victorian State Titles usually only have Victorians in them. No so with the 420 class! The camaraderie between the states is pretty wonderful, and is a testament to the accessibility of the class, the friendly nature that the class, and the parents of the class. Having competed against each other only 8 weeks ago in the Nationals at Woollahra Sailing Club NSW, some of these sailors couldn't wait to come to VIC to compete against their peers again, even though their results will not count for anything.
In this photo we have Fraser age 16 (SA), Will age 16 (SA), Claire age 17 (NSW), Paige age 16 (SA), Will age 17 (NSW), Darcy age 15 (SA). All of them know they cannot sail for a result at the State Titles, and all still prepared to travel to OUR club to compete against THEIR friends! Phenomenal effort guys!
Off The Beach News
Howdy Gang.
I wish I was writing with much happier news about a fantastic regatta result with loads of SBSC sailors up on the podium, but alas, it was not to be.
The weather for the whole weekend was perfect, except if you wanted to go sailing. We had a load of boats in the yard for the Tasar, 420 and Flying Dutchman State Titles , about 45 boats in total, all double handed. That's a lot of competitors checking out our Club. From All reports, they held no grudge for the lack of wind. On the contrary, they were all very impressed with SBSC; from the venue, the facilities, the organization and the friendly, helpful members on hand. I think the term ' Good Vibes' was tossed around quite a bit.
All those 'Good Vibes' don't come without a lot, and I mean A LOT of hard work behind the scenes. The various committees have been organizing this event for a long time. Geoff has put in an extraordinary effort with the NOR's , SI's and rosters etc, and then parked himself in the tower for the whole weekend. That's a tough gig at the best of times, there's only so many crosswords and sodukos you can do.
The weekend started late on Friday night with Fiona Lowe putting out her 'Regatta Parking Only' sign to block off the car park, then she stood there all morning, big stick in hand, to fend of the cyclists. In the yard there were people marshaling trailers and boats, helping with registrations and so forth. The race team was around the back early to load up the RHIBs and Start boat with everything necessary to run the show. On a side note there, a big thanks to all the Keelboat bods that willingly put up their hands to help out on the RHIBs. We had John Wemyss, Rob Rainsford, Nick Jones, Andy Clark and John Bacon (John filled in for Clarky when he had to leave for a plumbing emergency on Saturday. No worries Clarky, it happens to all of us at that age).
As well as those guys, we had the usual suspects on the water; Erik M driving Start with Super D and on water RO Lou Hutton, Simon H, Ben G, Jaida R, Mal W, Pete C and Neil and Lorraine W all cruising around in the RHIBs.
All this organizing comes to naught though if the weather Gods are favoring the picnickers instead of the far more important Sailors. I'm starting to think this Weather God owns a jet ski and has a nasty sense of humour! The Race Officers did their very best, sending the RHIBs hither and yon looking for wind but apparently it was all in Brisbane. In the end, the call was made each day, with great regret, to pull the pin. To the credit of the competitors, they accepted the outcome with the pragmatism that is essential if you are a sailor. And they left with the knowledge that a great weekend, in a beautiful spot, was had by all, and there's always next time.
On a brighter note, in other regattas recently, our SBSC A Class sailors did us proud last week at Elwood SC, with Stu S and Dave B taking out 3rd and 4th in the Flying division( I'll bet they were flying if you remember last week's wind) and Ewan C ended up 10th in the Classics in what I'm told was a very hot fleet.
Also competing this weekend were Mark B and Gingerbread Bill M in the Impulse Vic titles at Altona YC. In a fleet of 42 boats, Mark took out 1st place with five 1sts after two drops of 3rd and 5th ! Bill was in the mix at 16th. Well done guys. What I got out of that was that they sailed seven races!!! Ba#$*@ds!>
That's about all for this week folks, see you all on Sunday for round two of the Lions Club series.
Cheers, Pete Chippy
Geoffrey and friend in the tower waiting for some good news from mother nature, wind gods, and anyone who can help!!!!!
Yard Storage and Key Holders
There have been a few reports of boat parts going missing from boats stored in the yard. Just to remind you all, we are all a team and we all need to have our boats in working order when leaving the beach. If you have been in a position where you have broken something, or forgot to bring something to the yard, please DO NOT REMOVE PARTS FROM OTHER BOATS! And if you have removed something from another boat, please replace it as soon as you can. It is not fair to the owner of that boat, we all know how crappy that feels and we are better than this!
With regard to locking up the yard, please please please, if you are one of the last to leave and have a key, lock the gates, regardless of thinking someone else behind you will do it. Over the weekend we found the driveway gate closed, but not locked and the corridor to changerooms left open and the lights on. As key holders we are ALL responsible for making the yard safe. THIS IS NOT THE JOB OF SNOOKS STAFF!
Keelboat News
Results
Friday Twilight Pursuit Race
| 1st |
Just Cruisin’ |
Lorraine Whitaker |
| 2nd |
11:11 |
Till Brauckmann |
| 3rd |
Fransiska |
Peter Morrison |
Friday Twilight AMS Results
| 1st |
Maximum Limit |
Rick Rogers |
| 2nd |
2Xtreme |
Andrew Clark |
| 3rd |
Rawhide |
Cam Barwick & Graeme Sergeant |
Thank you very much to the Friday night tower crew of Elaine Nicholas and duty boat Ghost for their race management.
This Week's Racing
Friday 14 March
Friday Twilight Pursuit Series #2 – Race 8
& Junior Crews Night - Ciaran's Cup
| Race Start Time (AEDT) |
17:30H Pursuit Start |
| Race Officer |
Elaine Nicholas |
| Duty Boat |
Ninjo |
| Tower Assistant |
Elaine |
Sunday 16 March
Club Championship Series (Race 8) and
Long Distance Sub-series (Race 4)
|
Race Start Time (AEDT)
|
9:55H Tower Start |
|
Race Officer
|
Lynlee Coutts |
|
Duty Boat
|
Summer Breeze |
|
Tower Assistant
|
Lynlee
|
Friday 14th March
Friday Twilight Pursuit and Ciaran’s Cup (Junior Crews Night)
Thanks to the skippers who have been willing (and able) to take some juniors out on Friday night, to compete for Ciaran's Cup It's a very special night in the keelboat calendar and we look forward to seeing you all back at the club for post-race presentation of the cup. We have one boat left still with vacancies for juniors, please let Fiona know asap 0466 632 357.
All junior members (and parents) are welcome to sail on this night, even if you don't participate in the junior sail training you can still experience the joy of sailing on a big boat. If you would like your junior to participate, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Did you know that a junior member is classed as a member below the age of 21!!!!)
Geographe Bay Race Week
SBSC sailor John Nicholas has had some success recently over in WA. Below is the happy crew of Fortuosity, owned and skippered by Janet Hornbuckle, Commodore of Royal Perth Yacht Club (wearing the shades). They won the Premier Cruising division on countback from two other yachts. On the left is John Nicholas and on the right is his son Ben (tactician and past Tasar World and National Champion). From the Perth Annex to Busselton is a two-day passage with a stopover. Same on the way home.
John reports that the most 'exciting' bit was on the spinnaker run home for the finish of the last race. Three boats on equal points for 1st. A squall hit and they broached, leaving John to disappear underwater on the leeward rail. He eventually emerged with his PFD deployed. The other two boats also fared badly in the squall, so they won. Well done John - great to hear reports of SBSC sailors competing around the country!
ORCV News
Unprecedented wins race to King Island
Congratulations to Andrew McGrath and Ben Thompson on winning the Melbourne to King Island race - and double-handed at that! Unprecedented were 1st AMS, 2nd ORC and 1st Double-handed. Shimmer also had a great result; 3rd AMS and 4th ORC.
Read the full ORCV article
HEREand below is a pic of Andrew and Ben celebrating with their trophy and cray!
Beyond the Bay 2025
We are excited to announce that registration for the "Beyond the Bay" 2025 program is now open!
This program is tailored to enhance the skills and confidence of sailors preparing for offshore adventures, ensuring they are well-prepared for the challenges and joys of offshore sailing.
In your marina, you possibly have a yacht that has a dream of sailing the Whitsunday’s, heading to Flinders Island, and having more confidence to take that step. The ORCV’s Beyond the Bay complements many programs that run within your club as a program that focuses on ocean sailing with ORCV mentors onboard guiding with the ultimate and final event being a sailing exercise out and back through Port Phillip Heads.
Why "Beyond the Bay" is Ideal:
- Comprehensive training from seasoned ORCV instructors.
- Practical and theoretical sessions designed to build expertise.
- A great way to foster team confidence and camaraderie.
Rip Tour Port Phillip Heads (Sunday,16 March)
You can read a book, diagrams and marine charts, but seeing it from the water with expert guidance is different. The annual Rip Tour is a practical on-water training event where experienced offshore navigators share information on how and when to transit safely. Everyone gets a headset so they don’t miss any commentary on navigation aids, tides, lead lights, shipping channels and a copy of the ORCV’s Rip Guide. The 2025 tour departs Queenscliff at noon on Sunday, March 16. For your convenience, you’ll be able to catch the connecting Searoad Ferry from Sorrento at 11 am. Book your place for this unique learning experience:
https://www.orcv.org.au/training/rip-tour-of-port-phillip-heads 
Lake Boga Yacht Club Easter Regatta is just around the corner.
As you may already know, our club have a huge contingent that make the journey to this regatta each year. It is a fun weekend away and a very welcoming regatta. More details can be found
HERE.
And here is a photo of last years crew, if you have ever wondered who actually goes from our club.........
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