Off The Beach News
Well blow me down Gang, quite literally! What a difference from last week to this week. From a nice sunny day with 8 to 10 knots and flat-water last week, to a grey, squally mess with 15 to over 20 knots and some waves that Mick Fanning would think twice about. This week was a complete turnaround. Which one was better/more fun sailing? That's a question only you can answer, although I reckon, I can guess which way Di J would lean. It was a pretty gutsy effort to even rig up, but to sail out, tip in before the start, climb back in and complete race one and most of race two showed the great tenacity that we know Di for. I wonder if she felt like asking Wayne J and Glenn L if she could jump over to the Quest as they went past with their extra 150 or so extra kilos keeping them flat. Maybe grab the tiller for old times' sake- please?!
The rest of the fleet weren't having a particularly easy time of it either, with the Laser gang unanimously saying that three laps was a bit much on a day like that. Greg L and James E in the sole Tasar were absolutely in their element, as was Katrina M in her Sabre. Always a strong wind specialist, she was right up near the front for both races, just behind Rick P and James T, who claimed 1,2 then 2,1 respectively. Great work guys.
Ross M and Bill M in the Impulses really felt that extra sail area, with Ross having a swim and Bill opting for a granny tack at one of the gybes. Keith managed to hold it upright this week, but at least last week he waited until he was over the line before tipping in, unlike moi, who got all around both races, battling monster waves, screaming reaches and runs, surfing like the afore mentioned M Fanning - only to fall in 50 metres from the finish-Doh! And let Keith slip past- Doh, Doh!!
Although I didn't see him, I heard Luke M was out there belting along on his Moth, having a great time flying over waves, crashing full bore into said waves, and generally showing some exceptional skill in a boat not really made for those conditions. The apple didn't fall far from that tree for sure.
Race two done and not even I was sad when we didn't get a third race! But the fun wasn't over yet, we still had to get back to the beach, and that seemed a loooong way. Most people jumped out in deep water to avoid coming to grief on the shore, Bill even had pod of dolphins escorting him home. With plenty of willing hands, every one made it back up to the yard to pack up and collapse in an exhausted heap with no casualties and plenty of tales of derring do at the bar. Yes, it was wild, but what a great day everyone had. If you weren't there, well, you know, STBY!
Thanks, heaps to the race team of Geoff, Super D, Doc T, Paul M, Joe V and James A who all did an awesome job, pulling up anchors in those conditions ain't easy. Paul, Joe and James were all last minute ring ins as well to fill gaps that appeared in the roster. Perhaps if you aren't intending to sail, or decide on the day not to, you could put up your hand to swap out and let someone else sail. Doc is a ripper for this, he often rings mid-week to offer his services on a rhib and it's greatly appreciated.
Now for something completely different. Good luck to Stu Scott and Ewan Campbell over in NZ for the A Class Cat Worlds. Stu said He is hoping for a podium finish in the Foilers but not sure with such a strong international fleet. Ewan said He expects to bring home the silverware in the Classics, and if they don't let him, he's going to poison all their grapevines!
Keep an eye on their progress via the usual channels and perhaps stock up on some Marlborough Sav Blanc too.
Next week is an on water start for the keelboats and the Race Crew is RO Glenn L, Asst Super D on Start, Grace L and Luke Marcasani on Woodsy and Simon H and an as yet un-named volunteer from KB Summer Breeze in Sutherland. Meeting at the boat dock about 11.00.
That's more than enough for this week, see you on Sunday. Cheers, Pete Chippy.
This Week’s Racing - OTB
Sunday 9th November 2025
Club Championship Series - Race 2
| First Warning Signal | 13.57H |
| Race Officer | Glenn L |
| Assistant | Deirdre Snooks |
| Duty Boat Woodsy - Driver | Grace L |
| Duty Boat Woodsy - Swimmer | Luke Marcasani |
| Duty Boat Sutherland - Driver | Simon H |
| Duty Boat Sutherland - Swimmer | See above |
A Class World Titles
Kia Ora from Auckland Brew!
We have two SBSC boats here at the A Class world titles with Stuart Scott in the foiling division and me in the classic division.
We unpacked the container last Friday and got a few days practice in the warm waters off the Milford Cruising Yacht Club. Everyone at this volunteer club is as friendly and enthusiastic as those at our own club , which is a high bar to reach!
Tuesday was day one of six for the regatta and it was a few tantalising knots short of perfect conditions. On the foiling course if you found a gust strong enough to fly you had a big advantage. Ravi Parent from USA won the first race by ten minutes and local Dave Shaw won the second race by nearly as much!
Similar conditions on the classic course but much tighter racing; I dropped about 8 places on the last leg of race 2 for reasons I'm still not sure about!
Day 2 was blown out so 10 more races possible in four days. Stu and I are sitting mid fleet so hopefully we can gain a few spots or at least hold steady. There'll be a few updates on the SBSC Facebook page.
Ewan
Stuart Scott at Worlds
Junior Sailing Program
What a Fantastic Start!
Our Junior Sailing Program kicked off on Sunday with a fabulous turnout! Eighteen juniors arrived at the club — all knowing it would be too windy to sail — yet turned up full of enthusiasm and ready to learn. Our instructors pulled out all the tricks to keep everyone engaged, and we wrapped up the morning with a fun game of tug-of-war and a well-earned sausage sizzle.
Keelboats
The Friday Twilight was interesting. Light breeze and the challenge of keeping the boat moving. All the way to R1 Little Ninjo was connected to Perception by invisible threads, with some jolly banter between the two boats. Then lo! No R1 (again). So eyes down to the Navionix. We reached the virtual R1 just ahead of Perception. Looking at my phone, I was concerned we may have actually run over the mark, but we decided against taking a penalty turn. Then Perception took some height early on the leg to SB1. They weren’t necessarily overtaking us, but as we neared the mark their early work paid off as they were able to smoke down to the mark ahead of us. Then goodbye! But fun!
I was in Nambour on the Sunshine Coast for the Blairgowrie race (not that there was any sunshine). But the wind behaved as forecast for a change and I gather a beautiful windward return of sorts eventuated. I’ll be back in time for this Sunday’s race so the Friday Twilight may inspire some copy from someone else.
I am getting a little bored with basing my reports on the feats of Little Ninjo, but it is the boat I’m on. If any boat has some juicy snippets that might make the read more varied and interesting, please email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Even a couple of sentences would suffice.
Results
Friday Twilight Pursuit Series - Race 4 PHS
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1st
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Seaclusion
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Mark McAuliffe
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2nd
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LeTardis
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Warwick Pearson
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3rd
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Anthea
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John Wemyss
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Friday Twilight Pursuit Series - Race 4 AMS
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1st
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Perception |
Fiona Jones
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2nd
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Ninjo
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Warwick Pearson
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3rd
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Unprecedented | Andrew McGrath |
Blairgowrie Passage Race PHS
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1st
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Happy Days | Paul Copeland |
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2nd
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Perception |
Fiona Jones
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3rd
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Shimmer
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J&S Twentyman
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Blairgowrie Passage Race AMS
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1st
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Shimmer
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J&S Twentyman |
| 2nd | Ninjo | David Phillips |
| 3rd | Perception | Fiona Jones |
Blairgowrie Passage Race ORCc
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1st
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Shimmer
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J&S Twentyman |
| 2nd | Vincitore | Peter Russell |
| 3rd | Perception | Fiona Lowe |
This Week’s Racing - Keelboats
Friday 14th November 2025
Friday Twilight Pursuit Series 1 Series – Race 5
| Race Start Time (AEDT) | 17:30H Pursuit Start |
| Race Officer | Lynlee Coutts |
| Duty Boat | Mr Bojangles |
| Set Up/Results | Lynlee |
Sunday 16th November 2025
Sunday Summer Series – Race 2
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Race Start Time (AEDT)
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9.55H Tower Start
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Race Officer
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Amanda Malin
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Duty Boat
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Amity
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Set Up/Results
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Amanda
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MOB Drills are now OVERDUE so please get them in ASAP. The online MOB declaration form is available HERE
Change to the Keelboat SI’s
Please note that there is a Change to the Keelboat SI’s which pertains to a change to Course #32 – SBSC Navigational Challenge.
Links to both the Change to SI’s and the Updated SI’s are below:
Lipton Cup
Best of luck to Rawhide who will be participating in he Lipton Cup regatta being held at RYCV this weekend. Have a great weekend!
Petersville Regatta, 27–30 December
Celebrate the end of the year with four unforgettable days of sailing, sunshine and summer fun at the 2025 Petersville Regatta. Hosted by Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron, the event brings together competitive sportsboats, cruising yachts and plenty of good times both on and off the water. With scenic passage races, lively twilight sails, and nightly entertainment, it’s the perfect way to wrap up the sailing year.
Enter now: www.petersvilleregatta.com.au
ORCV
Full calendar of events can be found here: www.orcv.org.au/calendar
West Offshore Products Coastal Sprints (22 November 2025)
Join us for this popular trio of short sprints out Port Phillip Heads and home in time for dinner. Designed as short-distance ocean sprints to provide a crew development pathway for longer ocean races, and as a stand-alone coastal racing program, each Coastal Sprint race is 15-35 NM.
Click here for race information. Entries close on Wednesday 19 November for Race 2.
Safety & Sea Survival Course (30 November 2025)
Confidently support your skipper and other crew members by gaining a deeper understanding of safety and survival. Slots are quickly filling up, so reserve your place for the Full Course or the Refresher Course today.
Refueling Tip
Did you know that it is illegal to refuel your boat with passengers onboard in Victoria? The Marine Safety Regulations prohibit fuelling when passengers are on board, and also prohibit restarting vessels with passengers on board after refuelling. An exception exists for places other than a wharf, jetty and pier if it is not practical or possible to disembark passengers before fuelling or restarting the vessel. Penalties apply for fuelling vessels while passengers are on board and for restarting vessels with passengers on board after fuelling.
Green Thumbs Required
Calling all green thumbs to donate any cuttings of coastal plants or drought tolerant plants for this garden bed. It is sitting ready for your thumbs. Please help yourself to planting whatever you have spare from your garden. We would greatly appreciate anything more than dirt.
Yard Storage
Just to clarify a few things....
ALL boats that are stored in the yard must have submitted an application for storage AND be a fully paid member of Season 2025/26. Even if your boat or craft has stayed in the club since arriving many years ago, you are still required to submit an application for yard storage every season and be APPROVED. There are still many boats and kayaks / canoes / SUP's in the yard without an application, some are owned by unpaid members. This is not acceptable. Please get in contact with Andrew Taylor, Yardmaster ASAP to sort this out This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Yard Storage Applications HERE
Once Andrew has confirmed with Duncan - the treasurer - that your fees have been paid, you will be given an allocation as per the map on the website and in the corridor. It is imperative that we have your details of ownership, for many reasons, but most importantly for prompt action should a storm blow your boat into the tunnel.
Junior Sail Training
Places are filling for our first sessions, CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!
Community Bank Southern Peninsula
The Dromana Branch will be temporarily closed for refurbishment on Thursday, November 20, 2025, at 1 PM and will reopen on Monday, December 8, 2025, at 9:30 AM. We invite you to join us for a street party on Monday, the 8th, starting at 8:15 AM, featuring a sausage sizzle, cake, balloons, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and the chance to explore the beautiful new Dromana Branch. Karen and her team apologise for any inconvenience caused during this time but look forward to welcoming you back to the new branch.
During the closure, for all your banking needs, you can visit Renae and her team at the Rosebud Branch, located at 1087 Point Nepean Road, Rosebud, or Vannessa and her team at the Rye Branch, located at 2271 Point Nepean Road, Dromana.
Stay tuned to our social media platforms for updates on the renovation and the reopening party!
Committee Structure Season 2025 / 2026
Please find this table below as a general reference for the committee structure.
If there is no email address against a member's name, please forward your enquiry to our secretary Veronica Psaila This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Executive Committee |
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Commodore
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Tony Christmas
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| Vice Commodore | John Weymss | |
| Rear Commodore | Tim Bardon | |
| Secretary | Veronica Psaila | |
| Treasurer | Duncan McColl | |
| Memberships | John Di Martino | |
| General Members | James Anderson | |
| John Bacon | ||
| Fiona Lowe | ||
| Bill Manning | ||
| Neil Whitaker | ||
Sailing Committee |
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| Rear Commodore | Tim Bardon | |
| Keelboat Captain | John Nicholas | |
| Off the Beach Captain | Peter Chipperfield | |
| Discover Sailing Principal | Fiona Lowe | |
| Bosun / Patrol Boats | Neil Whitaker | |
| Junior Club Captain | Zac Lowe | |
| Sail Peninsula Chair | John Di Martino | |
| General | Bill Manning | |
Keelboat Committee |
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| Keelboat Captain | John Nicholas | |
| Tower Admin | Elaine Nicholas | |
| Amanda Malin | ||
| Race Management / RO | Geoff Eldridge | |
Off The Beach Committee |
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| Peter Chipperfield | ||
| Bill Manning | ||
| Race Management / RO | Geoff Eldridge | |
Junior Sailing Committee |
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| Fiona Lowe | ||
| James Anderson | ||
| Bill Manning | ||
| Nick Meijer | ||
Sail Peninsula Committee |
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| John Di Martino (Chair) | ||
| James Anderson | ||
| Tim Bardon | ||
| Tony Christmas | ||
| Geoff Eldridge | ||
| John Nicholas | ||
| Chris Parks | ||
| Veronica Psaila | ||
| Deirdre Snooks | ||
| John Weymss | ||
| Linda Wooley | ||
House Committee |
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| Vice Commodore | John Weymss | |
| Yardmaster | Andrew Taylor | |
| Building Security | James Anderson | |
| IT | Neil Whitaker | |
| General | Bill Manning | |
Marketing & Sponsorship |
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| Tony Christmas | ||
| Amy Larson | ||
| Christina Chandler | ||
Newsletter & Socials |
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| Fiona Lowe | ||
Social Committee |
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| Gwen McAuliffe (Chair) | ||
| Veronica Psaila | ||
| Deirdre Snooks | ||
| Jill Knight | ||
| Melissa Kelly | ||
| Pamela Gilbert | ||
| Robyn Weymss | ||
| Sallylou Hamilton | ||
| Sheryl Schumacher | ||
Risk Management |
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| Vacant | ||
For Sale
Rick Potter has been diligently preparing "El Toro" for sale. This Sabre was built by long time SBSC member Drew Mattingley, who recently passed away. Drew was very generous in donating both of the Sabres to the club to help pay for our Junior Sailing Program. This boat still has a lot of adventures in it. It would be great if it stayed at the club.
Photo of the Week
Thanks, Rick Potter, for this shot of the first keelboats crossing the line on Sunday after their Blairgowrie race.
Laser focus in the yard - taken by Greg Lowe
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