Safety Beach Sailing Club NEWS 5th March 2025
Photo Of The Week
Another great morning of junior sailing on Sunday 2nd March.
Lewis, Iona and Henry enjoyed their time on a Quest with Lewis & Iona's dad, Clem, at the helm.
Off The Beach News
Howdy Cowdies,
How has your week been? I hope you spent it anticipating the epic sailing you were going to enjoy against Mt Martha on Sunday, as they were coming around the hill for our annual challenge. Unfortunately for us, we had a lot of sailors unavailable for various reasons (as did MM), so the fleet numbers were down for both clubs. A shame really, as the weather was great -to start with. Nick and the gang had a bunch of Juniors out zooming around in all the boats available having an absolute ball. Around 11.00 the Mt Martha fleet started arriving on the beach, and unfortunately so did the strong wind. During the briefing (thanks Tim), one of their Lasers took off from the beach sans driver, and was heading for the rock wall at great speed. Disaster was only averted by the swift action of Jamie F, our 'Man on The Sand', who with no thought of personal safety, leapt into the water and with seconds to spare, wrestled the wayward beast back to shore to the roaring applause of; practically no-one. He was only thanked later by the owner, who said " It probably sails faster without me anyway".
With the high wind out on the course area, the old postponement flag went up and at that point a fair few of the MM sailors decided to pull the pin and head for home under the watchful gaze of one their RHIBs. Now was our chance! With boat numbers pretty even for a change and the postponement coming down fairly quickly, it was time to make use of our home ground advantage. We even had a secret weapon in Finn M and Zack L entering in BICs so they could be in Div one, the only entries left. I reckon they were the only competitors who were actually longer than their boats!
Also in our camp was Keelboat Captain, Nick Jones and his lovely wife Fiona( so many Fionas in our Club) who took out one of Quests, as did another keelboater, John Wemyss (like dreams) accompanied by Mika and Jaidah Robinson. I sailed past them a few times and the girls were grinning like mad, loving every minute, John not so much! Once we were out on the course it was easy to see why the race was delayed, it was still honking out around the mussel farm at about 18 knots with gusts over 25. Perfect Sabre weather! Began
Race one started with Divs 3,4,5,and 6 followed by Divs 1 and 2. One of their boats, a Hobbie 16 missed his start so badly that he started with the Div 1,2 boats and when there was a recall hooter, he actually ducked back thinking it was him! Unfortunately, it was in reality Nick and Fiona, so no chockies for them in that race.
The upwind slog was pretty gruesome, with some big swings and gusts to keep us on our toes, but once around the top mark the fun really began. The offshore wind meant for flat-ish water. And the reaches were screaming- literally! Well, I know I was! And after the first reach, there was a second one, and that was just as much fun, and I don't think anyone tipped in at the gybe mark. It was all over pretty quick, then we just had to wait for their Viper Cat to finish. It's a seriously big boat, and they had the whole family on board. It reminded me of one of those sea going boats the Polynesians used. I was looking to see if they had a goat and a couple of chooks as well.
Race two got away with no incidents and went in a fairly similar way, albeit in slightly lighter wind, phew! The Div 2 fleet was much more bunched up in race 2 , which gave me the opportunity to observe some of the goings on from my regular position near the back( for safety reasons, of course). I saw MM's Barry Eastgate, an excellent sailor, get lifted almost clean out of the water and sent hurtling sideways at great speed by a massive gust. I asked him about it later and he said ," yeah, it gained me a couple of places". It would have gained me a new pair of undies!
What I did see up the front of the fleet was Gingerbread Bill M and The Maestro, Rick P sitting in first and second with James ,The Wonder Boy, Thorne in fourth. Also of great note was Jameson F belting around in his Laser Radial like a champion. He tipped in a few times, but just got it upright and kept on going. Nice work guys. Really though, there were too many good things to mention, and everyone there heard about them up on the deck afterwards.
I suppose you want to know what the upshot of all this was? Wellllll, unfortunately we fell tantalizingy short. Our lack of boats in some divisions gave them a lot of points owing to the weird arse scoring system, in the end all we needed was one or two more in some Divs and it was ours. Having said that, it was a great day. Enjoyed by all and our visitors were impressed by our systems and race crews. It was stated at the briefing that it was meant as a fun day out and all sheep stations were off the table. That was how it went down and here's looking forward to next year at their place
Thanks again to every body that turned up and a huge thanks to the on water race team. Geoff and super D on Start, assisted by Greg Weston and Steve Daniels. On the RHIBs laying the marks we had Rob C and David Arundale in Woodsy and Rob W with Ben Griffith in Sutherland. Also roaring around was Fi Lowe in Bluey, taking a bunch of shots. Back on the beach we had Judy Champion, by name and nature, sorting out all the registration and signing on, while Chris Parkes was doing his thing with his drone buzzing around taking aerial shots, check out the Club Facebook page.
This weekend we are hosting the Tasar, 420 and Flying Dutchman titles so there is no OTB sailing unfortunately, but come down anyway, we can always do with some help. Speaking of which, a good number of the Keelboat sailors have put up their hands to help out on the RHIBs for this regatta, so thanks to them also.
That's about all for this week. Cheers, Pete Chippy
Keelboat News
Results
Friday Twilight Pursuit Race
| 1st | Christela | Glenys Hitchen |
| 2nd | Cirrus | Tim Bardon |
| 3rd | Just Cruisin’ | Lorraine Whitaker |
Friday Twilight AMS Results
| 1st | Vamonos | Glenys Hitchen |
| 2nd | Shimmer | Steve Twentyman |
| 3rd | Rawhide | Cam Barwick & Graeme Sergeant |
Margaret Hollamby Female Helm Race
| 1st | Christela | Glenys Hitchen |
| 2nd | Cirrus | Tim Bardon |
| 3rd | Just Cruisin’ | Lorraine Whitaker |
This was the last of the female helm races for the 2024-25 summer season and would like to congratulate Lorraine Whitaker for this season’s winner of the Margaret Hollamby Perpetual Trophy that will be presented at this year’s end of season dinner.
Margaret Hollamby Female Helm Race
| 1st PHS | Unprecedented | Andrew McGrath |
| 1st AMS | Unprecedented | Andrew McGrath |
| 1st ORC | Unprecedented | Andrew McGrath |
Big thankyou to this week’s tower crews with Elaine Nicholas and Vincitore manning the tower on Friday and Empara for the Sunday Race.
This Week's Racing
Friday 7th March
Friday Twilight Pursuit Series #2 – Race 7
| Race Start Time (AEDT) | 17:30H Pursuit Start |
| Race Officer | Elaine Nicholas |
| Duty Boat | Vincitore |
| Tower Assistant | Elaine |
Please note that there is NO SAILING on Sunday as the club is hosting the 420, Tasar and Flying Dutchman Victorian State Titles
Friday 14th March
Friday Twilight Pursuit and Ciaran’s Cup (Junior Crews Night)
We have the Ciaran’s Cup (Junior Crews Night) on Friday 14th March.
This is a very special night in the keelboat calendar - If you would be interested in taking out some of our Juniors for this wonderful event please send through an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and advise how many extras you are able to host.
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!!!!)
ORCV News
Melbourne to King Island Race
The ORCV ocean yacht race to Grassy, King Island, is conducted on the Labour Day weekend in March every year.
While the race to King Island is one of the shorter ocean races at a mere 114 miles, it presents some unique navigational challenges. Far from being a pushover, this race is one of the hardest to get right, given the currents around King Island. This year the race will be starting at Queenscliff at 14:30 on Friday 7th March. The Grassy Harbour offers a safe anchorage in all weather and the legendary hospitality of the King Island Boat Club. The steak sandwiches alone are worth the trip.
We would like to wish Shimmer and Unprecedented a safe and speedy passage down to King Island and also our Rear Commodore, Tim Bardon, who will be sailing down on Faster Forward.
Melbourne Osaka Double-Handed Yacht Race: The World’s Longest South-to-North Sailing Event, is about to kick off, attracting both international and local sailing talent.
Competitors sail non-stop and unassisted on their own boats with just two people onboard, navigating four weather systems over 32 to 35 days.
This event provides a unique opportunity for sailors, many of whom are Corinthian (non-professional and self-funded), to embark on the challenge of a lifetime. While major shorthanded races like the Vendée Globe and Transat Jacques Vabre feature professional teams, large shore crews, and significant budgets, the Melbourne Osaka Race stands apart by offering accessibility to sailors who do not rely on extensive support teams.
This race is a dream come true for many, with some competitors joining forces with family, partners, or longtime friends to take part in what is often years in the making. For many, simply reaching the start line is one of the biggest challenges.
The race is organized by a team in Melbourne, with support from host yacht clubs in both Melbourne and Osaka and managed by the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria and celebrates the sister city relationship between Melbourne and Osaka. The event is organized by the Melbourne Osaka Organizing Authority in partnership with the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria, Sandringham Yacht Club, and Osaka Hokko Yacht Club.
The Melbourne Osaka Cup begins at Portsea with a staggered start, with slower yachts departing on March 2nd and 9th, the main start on March 16th, and the faster models starting last on March 30th.
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.
Register Today: https://www.orcv.org.au/training/beyond-the-bay
Safety & Sea Survival Course – (Sunday, 2 March)
The next in-person day is March 2nd. Participants complete an interactive online component of the course before attending the in-person day. If this date doesn’t work for your diary, reserve your place now for June 1, September 7 or November 30.
Confidently support your skipper and other crew members by gaining a deeper understanding of safety and survival. Reserve your place here:
Refresher Course: https://www.orcv.org.au/training/sss-refresher-course
King Island Race (Friday, 7 March)
Registrations are open for the 114nm race to King Island. It’s tactical sailing that brings us to this unique island whose hospitality and steaks are absolutely worth the trip. Berthing is limited, enter or find out more here:
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.........
Save The Date
Submission's
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