Presentation Night - 30th May - Save the Date
VOTE NOW! VOTE NOW! VOTE NOW!
After a busy season, we are getting close to Presentation Night and now is the time to nominate your choice for:
- Club Person of the Year
- Junior Club Person of the Year
Recognition from your peers doesn’t get any more special than being voted Club Person of the Year.
If you’ve ever thought about acknowledging someone who truly makes a difference around the club, now is the perfect time. This award is presented on Presentation Night, and the recipient(s) are chosen by your votes.
There are many deserving individuals—most of them working quietly behind the scenes—so take a moment to recognise the people who help make our club what it is.
Send your nominations and a short reason why you nominated that member to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
A volunteer is needed to clean the trophy cabinet at the club before presentation night. It can be done any time before 30th May. Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you can help.
Perpetual Trophies
If you were awarded a perpetual trophy at last year's presentation night, congratulations. It is now time to bring it back to the club in preparation for its new recipient.
Off The Beach News
Howdy Gang,
Well there we go, done and dusted for the official, final session of the 25/26 summer season. I'll talk later about the possibility of a fun sail next Sunday a bit later, but for now, let's focus on the season that was, starting with last Sunday. As promised, the weather was perfect-ish. About time I got one right, I didn't have a great strike rate. I reckon it was about -Pete 4, BOM 4, let's call it a tie.
So, with the weather gods on our side and four or five visiting Impulses, the yard was humming. It was also the final session for the juniors so it was great that they all got a chance to venture out a bit further than they had been and experienced some stronger wind and waves. From all reports they handled it well and all returned to the beach with grins only associated with fearless youth. The junior program has been a great success this season thanks to the dedication and tireless efforts of a lot of people, seniors and youth alike. The Club has made a firm commitment to back this group with funding and equipment, including several new boats, so it's really heartwarming to see this paying off for all involved.
Back to Sunday. With the kids done, and a free sausage sizzle that carried over for the afternoon sailors ( thanks Fi, I think that extra ballast contributed to my poor showing in the results ), it was a happy bunch that rigged up and hit the water. And with the temperature above the 20 degree mark, it was a case of rig up not rug up as a few of us figured out after heading out a bit over dressed, phew!
Eighteen SBSC boats from all divisions, plus four or five visiting Impulses from various clubs as part of their Traveler series, made for a great spectacle especially for the Dromana residents! Not really, it looked a lot further down than it actually was, and it was nice and close to shore. The race team of Geoff, Super D, Simon H and Vince P as well as Keelboaters Brett and Adrian were out early to set a start for the keelboats before resetting for us. All four rhib crew were volunteers not rostered on and it was my bad for not letting the actual rostered crew know earlier, apologies there.
A dead Northerly of about 15 knots, had raised a reasonable swell that had a few of the less experienced feeling a bit timid to start with but once they were on the course things settled down to the serious business of racing and all nerves were cast aside. With Divs 3,5 and 6 all starting together, I was glad to be in the second start as it looked pretty hectic on the line! A bit like the traffic in Italy, from an outside observer it looks crazy, but to those involved it just works and there were no incidents. I think I did hear a bit of a bump with some arm waving and cries of "Bastardo!", up at the top mark at one stage, so perhaps there was some Italian influence out there.
Everyone made it around the in good time, around the 35-40 minute mark, perfect course length, and those waves ended up not so big after all (I couldn't catch one to save myself). James 'Can't touch that' T cleaned up big time in Div 1 followed by Glenno and Wayne in the Quest, with the 'Maestro', Rick P not far behind with Katrina M and Joe V. The rest of us, not so close (too many sausages). Ross M took out Div 3, although I didn't see how he got on against the visitors. Mark L continued his dominance in Div 5 like he's the only one there,(come on back Rob F, Mark needs you!). Stu S and Ewan C battled the waves in Div 6 for a good result ( I'm sure I saw Ewan heeled past 45 degrees at one point and wondered how the hell he saved it! I reckon 'A' Class Anthony would have been in his element!
After a brief stop to shift the top and wing marks we were off again in somewhat lighter wind with very similar results across the board ( although I did finally catch a wave 100 m from the finish to sneak past Joe for a last and second last result for the day, sorry Joe). Even though the wind was easing, Geoff did his best to give us a third race, but as the last boats were finishing race two, the wind shifted big time and dropped way down, so nobody was too upset when the old head to shore flag went up. A very pleasant sail back to the Club followed by more sausages, just what I needed, pack up, say Hooroo to the visitors ( sorry you missed them Bill) and up to the bar to say farewell to everyone until presentation night 30th May.
Don't forget to vote for Club Person and Junior Club Person of the Year, it's very important !!!
Now, as mentioned earlier, there are a few of us who just can't seem to get enough sailing and don't want to miss an opportunity. So with that in mind we're going to have a fun day this Sunday , weather permitting, run on the same format as the week after Christmas, with short, single lap races on a simple course. Last time we got about 8 races in so lots of start practice. We'll only need one person in Start and one rhib with two crew if you're interested. We will make the call by Thursday afternoon and I'll send out a group text to let everyone know either way. Be there or be square folks.
That's all for now Gang, see you in the soup. Cheers, Pete Chippy
Sausages and sails, sailing sausages, sail with your sausage, eat a sausage after you sail!
Last Drinks: Geoff, Tim, Luke, Ross, Deirdre and Mark enjoying a final drink at seasons end.
Junior Sailing Program
Our Junior Sailing Program has wrapped up for the season, and what a fantastic six months it has been.
From November 2025 through to April 2026, we welcomed around 25 juniors to SBSC to learn and develop their sailing skills. The weather, for the most part, was on our side, and the kids were outstanding—arriving each morning at 8:30am with big smiles and leaving a few hours later (often wet, soggy, and shivering!) still smiling.
Throughout the season, our juniors had the opportunity to learn in Optis, RS Teras, Pacers, and RS Quests. This variety has been invaluable. A special thank you to Community Bank Southern Peninsula—without their support, our training fleet would not be what it is today. The effort put into securing sponsorships and grants has truly paid off, and along with the generosity of a couple of silent benefactors, we’ve been able to offer more opportunities than ever before.
The addition of Pacers has been particularly important, allowing younger juniors (5 & 6 year olds) to feel comfortable, supported, and confident on the water. Beyond sailing skills, the program has also fostered the beginning of lifelong friendships—one of the great benefits of being part of a club. We have also been able to introduce our older juniors to opportunities they may not have otherwise considered, such as boat licence training courses, giving participants an insight into future pathways and the chance to contribute as volunteers on duty boat crews.
Our instructors have been exceptional. Their commitment, energy, and passion made this program what it is. Thank you to Nick, Finn, James, Clem, Zac, Erik, and Greg for everything you’ve contributed over the past six months. If you would like to join our team of instructor's next season, please reach out and we can discuss pathways to become an accredited instructor.
And finally, thank you to all the families who chose to be part of our program. It’s been a pleasure getting to know you and working with your kids. We hope to see you all back on the water next season.
Fiona and the team
Keelboats
This Week’s Racing - Keelboats
Sunday 3rd May 2026
Sunday Summer Series Race #9
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Race Start Time
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09.55H Tower start
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Race Officer
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Mark McAuliffe |
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Duty Boat
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Seaclusion
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Set Up/Results
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Gwen McAuliffe |
Winter Series
The Winter Program has now been published onto the club website and can be viewed
Here. The Roster is still a work in progress so if you know of anyone that is keen to get involved, please ask them to send us an email at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
ORCV News
AN EVENING WITH TRISTAN GOURLAY
Tristan recently made history by setting a new Australian record for a solo, unassisted, and non-stop circumnavigation of the globe aboard Blue Moon II through challenging conditions, mechanical failures and even an onboard fire. His voyage is a remarkable story of skill, resilience and determination.
Join us on Wednesday 20 May 2026 as Tristan Gourlay, Australia’s fastest solo around the world sailor, shares his story, from breaking his Dad Ken's original record-setting journey set back in 2007, to their 2025 Melbourne to Osaka race, and the challenges and highlights of his incredible solo circumnavigation. Seating is limited, so we encourage you to secure your place early to avoid missing out.
Click here to book your seat.
DOUBLE HANDED BAY RACE
Entries are still open for the Double Handed Bay Race that returns on Sunday 17 May 2026, a 22–24NM bay course starting near Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron. You can form a team of 3-4 boats and compete for the Entire Perpetual Teams Trophy. In 2026, it also counts as Race 2 of the RMYS Two Handed Winter Series.
Click here to enter now.
APOLLO BAY RACE
Sail in company on the Apollo Bay Race on Saturday 23 May 2026. The perfect race to come and try ocean sailing. This 52NM Category 3 race features a 6am start and daylight run along the Great Ocean Road, finishing at Apollo Bay. Perfect for sailors building offshore experience or stepping beyond the bay.
Click here to enter the race.
Photo of the Week
Patriot SM133 (skippered by owner Peter Russell) racing under spinnaker in the Community Bank Southern Peninsula Club Championship Race 9 on Sunday 26/04/26 - Thanks Lori
Submissions
If you wish to contribute anything to the Enews, please submit your content to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by Tuesday 8pm each week to make the deadline. Please note submissions may need to pass through Executive Committee for approval from time to time. Love photography? Submit your Photo Of The Week to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. in high res, (and it does not have to be about sailing). Follow us on our socials: Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok
