79 Bay St
Double Bay NSW 2028
Australia

The best ILCA / Laser sailing club in the world, located in Double Bay on Sydney Harbour.

News

2023 ILCA Oceania & Australian Championships

Guest User

Congratulations to all the DBSC sailors that competed in the ILCA Oceania & Australian Open & Youth Championships at Georges River Sailing Club over the last week. Conditions ranged from sunny skies with 15kn NE to wet & wild 25kn S with racing cancelled on 2 days.

There were 55 ILCA4, 83 ILCA6, and 40 ILCA7 including athletes from Australia, New Zealand, UK, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, Turkey, Hungary, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Fiji, Samoa, and Chile! It was such a privilege for weekend enthusiasts to be able to race against Olympic gold medallists and the rising stars of sailing.

Thanks to GRSC and NSW/ACT Laser Association for putting on a great show, and extra special thanks to all the DBSC volunteers that helped out on and off the water.

DBSC results:

ILCA4

Sara Bruce - 4th overall, 1st female, 3rd U18

Healy Ryan- 9th overall, 4th U16

Charles Byford - 11th overall, 5th U16

Cormac Johnson - 21st overall

Ben Costandi - 30th overall

Kevin Cai - 35th overall

Charlotte Gosling - 51st overall

Matilda Rowles - 52nd overall

ILCA6 Gold

Evie Saunders - 9th overall, 1st U19

Sylvie Stannage - 14th overall, 10th Open

Brooke Wilson - 18th overall, 2nd U21

ILCA6 Silver

Andrew Cox - 2nd overall, 1st Open

Coté Maria Jose Poncell - 4th overall, 3rd Open

Rob Blum - 25th overall

Ian Tudball - 33rd overall

James Gosling - 36th overall

ILCA7

Campbell Patton - 15th overall

Alexander Bijkerk- 26th overall

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Sail GP Team Canada!

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Double Bay Sailing Club is thrilled to be selected in the upcoming SailGP adopt a club program for the event in Sydney (18/19 February). We have been paired with Team Canada, skippered by Phil Robertson.

To kick start our connection with SailGP and our support of Team Canada, we will be having a WATCH PARTY for the SailGP Singapore event after our racing this Saturday, 5pm - 6:30pm. We invite you to hang around post-sailing to watch the event together on the big screen and enjoy some Canadian beers and burgers!  For catering purposes, please email james.tudball@dbsc.com.au if you plan to attend.  
Our U21 members are also encouraged to apply for the SailGP Inspire Racing Program, which is conducted in the WASZP and geared towards young competitive sailors with an interest in hydrofoiling and racing.  For more information on SailGP Inspire visit https://sailgp.com/general/inspire/racing/ and don’t forget to apply before 17 January 2023!

Sail GP also runs an Inspire Careers Program, offering students and young professionals a work experience opportunity within a SailGP event environment. During the careers program young professionals (18+ years) are introduced to a variety of roles during the SailGP Sydney event. Applications can be made online and also close on 17 January 2023.

In the upcoming weeks, we will be organising and announcing some further activities to maximise this opportunity for our club and members, as well as Team Canada.  If you are interested in volunteering with these impending events, please contact james.tudball@dbsc.com.au .

In the upcoming weeks, we will be organising some events to maximise this opportunity for our club and members, as well as Team Canada. Watch this space!

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Volly of the week

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Over the break there have been a number of club members attending the club and undertaking all kinds of chores big and small. The risk of calling one or two of you out, means we are going to miss some others that have snuck in under the radar.

So, this week, we’re saying a big thank you for those of you who have done many seen and unseen tasks over the break – whether you tidied up after the Christmas party, mowed our precarious patch of grass, volunteered at Georges River on the club’s behalf, or did some other job, your efforts are very much appreciated.

The club is full of people making wonderful contributions around the place, and sometimes behind the scenes. Let us know who deserves a mention!

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Race report 17 December 2022

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Our PRO and and Vice Commodore, Rod Barnes reports:

As PRO on the day, I must apologise for possibly, slightly, and sarcastically, misrepresenting on-course conditions (editor’s comment: not to mention the on-course refreshments!) in the briefing.  

When we laid the course, there was blue sky, a consistent breeze of around 15 knots, water temperature sitting at about 25 degrees and palm trees lapping at the water’s edge on Clarke Island. Not quite sure what happened between the briefing and the start, but conditions changed dramatically.  

We were forced to run the racing in Rushcutters Bay due the World Match Racing championships being held on our usual course in Double Bay - a special thanks to the CYCA for letting us know in advance!

As the Jazzman positioned itself on the start line there was barely a laser in sight at 1.50pm.  The slightly reluctant fleet soon arrived and the management team of Rod Barnes and John Verco on the Jazzman, Kim Ketelbey and Rob Blum on the Paul Adam and Jason Wilkins and David Devlin on the Dean Bergman got racing underway after a few mark adjustments.

 It was a great test of boat management in the gusty shifty southerly conditions which exceeded 25 knots at times.  It was also interesting to hear from sailors how patchy the wind was and that they preferred conditions in Double Bay. Maybe it had something to do with Christmas, but it was great to see so many smiles on faces. 

Being the last race of the calendar year, it was also the final heats of the Spring Point score.

Winners on the day were Steve London and Geoff Kirk in the Standards and Pat Levy and Andrew Cox in the Radials.

The winner of the Spring Point score in the standard rig was Steve London followed by Geoff Kirk and Nick Pellow. 

The Radials was won by Murray Stone, closely followed by Pat Levy and Charlie Byford.

It was great to see so many 4.7’s racing throughout the spring series. Kevin Cai won the point score followed by Tilly Rowles and Charlotte Gosling.   

Congratulations to all winners! Enjoy the break and we will see you in the new year.

Many thanks to Jules Hall and Jason Wilkins with Paul and Shirley in the canteen.

A special shout out also to all of the sailors who represented Sail Sydney over the weekend. Results can be viewed here.

View results all here.

Racing resume with sprint races on Saturday 7 January 2023. The club’s calendar can be subscribed to here (strongly recommended).

There will be no newsletter between now and then.

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10 December 2022 – The Tyrell and Russo Trophies

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From our PRO Alistair Sutherland.

Saturday 10th December 2022 saw the annual Christmas races at DBSC for the Tyrell and Russo trophies.  A festive fleet of about 30 boats gathered, many in Santa hats, all eager for that most important prize: to get their name on a DBSC honours board.

The race team of Tim Heath, Trev Pots, Scott Finlayson, and Ben Byford found an East/South Easterly at 8 to 10 knots and duly laid a course between Point Piper and Shark Island.  As the Cloud Cover burnt off and the land heated, the Sea Breeze tried its best to form from the North East, but it never really got going due to the SE gradient.  All of which left us with massive left shifts, large variations in pressure, and an equal chance of making both massive gains and massive losses on each leg.

The Tyrell race is unique at DBSC as it is run as a pursuit race.  Participants are assigned a starting time based on their performance over the season, with many openly questioning the sanity of the handicapper and his dodgy abacus/algorithm.  The 4.7s started at their allotted times shortly after the Race Officers start gun, with scratch boat Rob Vann waiting a very patient 13 and a half minutes before peeling off on port at the Pin End to chase down the fleet.  But it was definitely a day to start early as proved by Julien Van Aalst and Ian Tudball who got away from the pack and tussled for line honours.  Julien used every bit of his many decades of knowledge of the DBSC race track to stay in front, but Ian eventually ground him down to take his first major honours at Double Bay.  A son married, a grandkid born, and his name on the board at DBSC; what a great year!!  The rest of the fleet all condensed around the final leeward mark, proving just how accurate the handicapper’s bit of IP is, and left the Race Team scrambling to record sail numbers as 25 plus boats all approached the finish line together.

Ian Tudball was stoked with his win! Photo: Peter Collie

Competitors took a few minutes to compose themselves and reset while the Race Team squared the start line for the Russo race.  The Russo is a massed start with Full Rigs, Radials, and 4.7s all starting together, leaving the handicapper to apply a yardstick to figure out the best performer on the day.  A healthy outgoing tide, and a PRO already in full festive cheer, ensured the fleet got away cleanly with the Pin end being the place to be as another one of those huge left shifts swung in.  Rod Barnes dropped the hammer to take an early lead and despite several challenges at the top end of the fleet, managed to hold on to deservedly take the gun.  However, with Ian Tudball taking a gun for first Radial only a minute or so later, it looked like Ian was on for a very rare double name on board victory to set himself up for a wonderful Christmas.  But wait, what's this, a third gun?  That's right, the 4.7 fleet at Double Bay continues to go from strength to strength, and after an awesome piece of sailing Sara Bruce was quite rightly awarded the trophy once the 4.7 handicap yardstick was applied.  With excellent close racing between the three different fleets, it is great to note that there was a 4.7, Radial, and full rig all in the top 5 finishes demonstrating the strength in depth across DBSC sailors.  After the success of the Women's Regatta last week, it was great to see Sara flying the flag for both the girl and youth sailors.

Sara Bruce is the first 4.7 to win the Russo trophy.

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Member survey results - training

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Training plays an important role at Double Bay Sailing Club, and we continue to run programs that help new members enjoy the excitement of racing, as well as providing opportunities for existing members to participate in training squads, helping with fleet compression. In addition to that, the Annual Competency Training session that we run helps us manage safety, race management, and maintaining club equipment. It allows our membership to work together to provide quality racing.

Comments from the survey encouraged us to continue to guide members that are new to racing, and run clinics to improve sailing skills, strategy, and tactics. Also improving member knowledge of Sailing Rules like during mark rounding and race starts.

Our ongoing Learn to Race program run by Martin White was highly rated in the survey as being important for introducing new members to the club and then continuing to help them improve and build confidence. Our partnership with the Brett Beyer Sailing program has been successful in providing advanced skills and tactics to sailors of all levels.

During the year, member and trainer Sylvie Stannage ran The Women's Regatta Training Squads in the lead up to the regatta, which helped to fine tune skills and build confidence and increase participation. We intend to announce some new Youth Training initiatives early in the new year so watch this space. It continues to be a priority for the club to involve members in training programs to provide them with the opportunity to grow and improve.

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The Womens Regatta

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Unless you have been living under a rock, you will know the club hosted The Women’s Regatta over the weekend. The event was a phenomenal success (if we do say so ourselves) with glorious conditions. In the end, we had 35 women and girls line up for racing (after a few late drop outs with The Cabbage Tree Island and the latest Covid Wave taking out a few).

Organisation of the event was led by Diana Chen, supported by a committee of Tory Epworth, Steven London, James Tubdall and Kate McHugh. Assistance on race documentation was provided by Michael Osborne and Yves Stening. Our PRO, Mike Forbes was assisted on the Jazzman by Vic Whitby and Craig Sheers, while David Murphy, Simon Stone and Kirk Marcolina donated Smitten as the finishing boat with Steven London joining them for duties.

This event would not be possible without the volunteer support of the club members. Many of you donated boats and/or helped on the day.

We are also especially grateful for the sponsorship received – NSW Government, NSW & ACT Laser Association, Australian Sailing and She Sails, Boat Crew Gear, Boat Ropes, Different Drop, Scramble & Bean and The White Tree. We are also grateful to Blok Yoga, Future Athletic, Craig Sheers and Erica Kirby who ran yoga and workshops through the morning.

Award winning photographer, Andrea Francolini, was on hand with a videographer from The White Tree to capture footage for the club, driven by club stalwart, Mark Bethwaite. Andrea has recently won BOWNESS and Budapest photo awards for his contemporary and portrait photography. Keep an eye on our social media over the coming weeks to see more footage from the event.

Jon West was also in attendance taking photos for competitors, and his photos are available at please Jon West Photography - The Women's Laser Regatta 2022.

The club welcomed local member for Vaucluse, Gabrielle Upton, who awarded prizes at the prize giving ceremony.

Results
ILCA6 OVERALL
🥇Sylvie Stannage HHSC/DBSC
🥈Gina Johnstone RQYS/WSC
🥉Jacqui Bonnitcha

ILCA4 OVERALL
🥇Sara Bruce RSYS/DBSC
🥈Adela Rabasova CZE
🥉Ali Braden RSYS

ILCA6 OPEN
🥇Jacqui Bonnitcha
🥈Kate McHugh DBSC
🥉Jenny Danks RPAYC

ILCA6 U23
🥇Sylvie Stannage HHSC/DBSC
🥈Brooke Wilson RSYS/DBSC
🥉Ava Smith Connells Point SC

ILCA6 U17
🥇Gina Johnstone RQYS/WSC
🥈Lizzy Adams WSC
🥉Isabella Armitstead WSC/Ascham

ILCA4 OPEN
🥇Michelle Costandi GRSC
🥈Kim Ketelbey DBSC
🥉Ailbhe Stedmond DBSC

ILCA4 U21
🥇Adela Rabasova CZE
🥈Harriet McLachlan RSYS
🥉Alice Holstein WSC/DBSC

ILCA4 U15
🥇Sara Bruce RSYS/DBSC
🥈Ali Braden RSYS
🥉Matilda Rowles HHSC/DBSC

 

MASTERS (sponsored by Different Drop)
Apprentice Master - Jacqui Bonnitcha
Master - Kate McHugh DBSC
Grand Master - Jenny Danks RPAYC

DBSC Lyn Ley Trophy
Sylvie Stannage DBSC/HHSC

Encouragement Awards sponsored by Boat Ropes
Charlotte Gosling HHSC/DBSC
Anna Childs Connells Point SC
Charlotte Jenkins Ascham

Encouragement Award sponsored by PSA Sailing
Isabelle Wilkins DBSC

On a final note, we did a clean up of the club before the event. Any gear lying around is now in the workshop.

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Volly of the week

Guest User

Double Bay Sailing Club is managed and run entirely by volunteers. As the saying goes, “many hands make light work. There is always work to be done in the upkeep of our shed and the ongoing running of dinghy racing.

This week we’d like to thank Diana Chen. Diana has done a phenomenal job in coordinating The Women’s Regatta. From organising breakfasts and water bottles, to photography and sponsorship, there is nothing in the regatta that didn’t have Diana’s touch. The regatta has received an overwhelming positive response in execution, and over the days following, and it would not have happened without her enormous effort.

Photo credit: Andrea Francolini

The club is full of people making wonderful contributions around the place, and sometimes behind the scenes. Let us know who deserves a mention!

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