The best way to find out about the club is to visit us, and meet some members.
Apart from the week of Christmas, the clubhouse is open from at least noon every Saturday from 1 August to 30 April. Our telephone number is: +61 2 9363 5577.
We are run by volunteers, so if your query cannot answered by the frequently asked questions (FAQs) below or the rest of the website, we will get back to you by Wednesday, 10pm.
How do I subscribe to your Pulitzer Prize winning newsletter?
How to make a tax-deductible donation to the club (using the internet)?
How to make a tax-deductible donation to the club (using paper forms)?
Want to book a seat at the restaurant?
Want to become a social member?
Can I rent/hire your clubhouse?
How do I get to crew on a yacht?
Can you teach me to race a Laser?
What is the deal between your club and the 18 footers and Sydney High School?
Can I store my kayak (or similar) in the clubhouse?
Can you help me buy, or sell, a Laser?
How many times can a visitor race at DBSC?
79 Bay St
Double Bay NSW 2028
Australia
The best ILCA / Laser sailing club in the world, located in Double Bay on Sydney Harbour.
This week we farewell our resident Chileans Coté and José, who return to home for several months before heading to London to further their studies. We have loved having both of them in our sailing community and our twilight and Saturday fleets.
We wish them all the best and hope to see them return to the club in the future.
If you did not attend the rules clinic on Monday evening, a second, repeat even is being held on Monday 3rd April from 7:00pm – 8:30pm.
The training clinics on the Racing Rules of Sailing are part of our commitment to better and fairer racing. Each session has identical content and will be run by Erica Kirby, national umpire and judge. The expectation is all sailors will attend one of the clinics.
Register your attendance here: https://www.dbsc.com.au/club-events/2023-3-rules-clinic
DBSC is hosting the 2023 ILCA NSW & ACT Metropolitan Championships this weekend! If you are not intending to sail but would like to assist with on-water support over the weekend, please send an email to rodbarnes@dbsc.com.au.
ENTRIES
Enter online or at the club until 11:30am on Saturday 25th March. You must be entered to race!
There will be an option to sign on/off via SMS so that sailors who have pre-entered online can deploy from other harbour clubs for the event.
SCHEDULE
Saturday 25th March
09.30 - Registration
11.30 - Briefing
13.30 - First warning signal
Subsequent starts shall be made ASAP after the preceding race.
Drinks & BBQ on the deck after racing.
Sunday 26th March
Breakfast available Sunday morning
12.00 - First warning signal
Subsequent starts shall be made ASAP after the preceding race.
No warning signal after 16.00.
Prize giving on the deck after racing.
BOAT & TRAILER PARKING
Boats and trailers can be left overnight outside the clubhouse. However, security will not be available.
FOOD & BEVERAGE
The DBSC canteen will be open to offer our famous toasties on both days and breakfast on Sunday. Be sure to stick around after sailing on Saturday for a casual drink and BBQ on the deck.
Thank you to the members who are sending through information for the newsletter. If you have content for the newsletter, please email it to newsletter@dbsc.com.au by Monday evening.
Your correspondent has considered himself a “functional” rope splicer for some time. My splices look crappy but hold ok. The issue is the bumpy splices cause unwanted snagging at the most inopportune moments.
So, with this background, I was completely humbled this week on the deck by a jaw dropping display of quality splicing from both Steve London and Tim Heath. Smooth, tapered, tidy and quick. Seriously great splices that don’t snag.
What’s more, Steve and Tim were extremely generous with quality advice and assistance.
Craig Shears is also very skilled in the dark art of splicing.
This week’s tip is if you’re about to embark on some splicing, grab one of the above and prepare to be schooled. It will be both informative and productive.
From PRO, David Huber
The day started in a breeze of between eight and 10 knots and slowly increased over the afternoon. Six races were run on a windward leeward course of approximately 250 m. The course was laid on the southern point of Point Piper. The intention was to lay it further out however, there was competition with the 18s and four fleets from the Yacht Squadron.
The races were run with the standards and radials starting together. There were approximately 18 boats. The standards were dominated by Otto and Xander with the radial results being shared across four boats.
With thanks to Tim Heath, Campbell, Patton, Jim Dounis, and David Huber for setting and running the afternoon sailing. They were perhaps responsible for the gorgeous weather as well.
Results are available in the Sailor app and online.
The club’s calendar can be viewed and subscribed to here (highly recommended).
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 administration and management of racing.
This week, we’re saying a big thank you to David Newman. This season David has taken on the responsibility of coordinating Double Bay’s “away team”. David chorales sailors into transport and accommodation teams, books wonderful digs for us to stay at while away, organises dinner, chases us all on WhatsApp and answers a bunch of silly and not-so-silly questions along the way. He does all of this with good grace, and this makes the Double Bay away events a wonderful experience. It’s no wonder our club has such great representation at the ILCA events, and in particular the masters’ events! Thanks David!
David’s efforts featured on Jon West’s social media feed over the weekend!
The club is full of people making wonderful contributions around the place, and sometimes behind the scenes. Let us know who deserves a mention!
The ILCA Oceania & Australia Masters 2023 finished on Monday. The regatta offered testing conditions to 154 participants through four days of sailing in Port Stephens.
The regatta kicked-off on Friday with strong 22-29 knot ENE “breeze” with many sailors surprised to be sent out in those conditions. A former Olympian stated, “I’ve sailed for 40 years and never been sent out in that”. Sailors rallied to assist each other launch in the breaking beach swell and those who raced had to hold on tight to complete the first two races in survival mode. A special mention goes out to Chris Tattersall who ultimately chose not to race and assisted all of the boats in the park in launching – such a wonderful display of our DBSC spirit for everyone to see!
Conditions improved somewhat for the second day with a “moderate” 15-18 knots, again from ENE with an outgoing tide, and tired legs for all who had sailed the day before. On the third day the wind shifted to the south, with once again, moderate to fresh conditions for the final two days.
All around it was a tough regatta with conditions requiring full hiking for most of us, throughout the entire ten races.
It was fantastic to see a large team of 18 sailors from DBSC who were still smiling at the end! Well done to our DBSC sailors who performed well under difficult conditions.
ILCA 7
Apprentice
David Newman 3rd
Master
Rod Barnes, 4th
Geoff Kirk, 7th
Nick Pellow, 8th
Craig Sheers, 11th
Mike Dunne, 15th
Steven London, 18th
Grand master
Yves Stening 16th
ILCA 6
Apprentice
Roberto Blum 1st
Master
Ian Alexander 3rd
Andrew Cox 4th
Alistair Sutherland 6th
Murray Stone 8th
Kate McHugh 10th, 1st female
Grand Master
Christopher Tattersall 24th
Great Grand Master
Martin White 4th
Patrick Levy 8th
David Airey 16th
Steven London was once again the winner of a combined encouragement and good Samaritan award, this time for rescuing a sailor mid race on the first day, plucking him from the treacherous conditions and sailing him back to his overturned boat, before continuing his race.
If you haven’t booked a place in one of the two rules clinics, it is time to do so.
As part of our commitment to better and fairer racing, we are holding two training clinics on the Racing Rules of Sailing. The expectation is all sailors will attend one of the clinics.
Sessions will be held at DBSC on Monday 20th March from 6:00pm - 7:30pm and on Monday 3rd April from 7:00pm – 8:30pm.
Each session has identical content and will be run by Erica Kirby, national umpire and judge.
All members are encouraged to attend.
Register your attendance here: https://www.dbsc.com.au/club-events/2023-3-rules-clinic
DBSC is hosting the 2023 ILCA NSW & ACT Metropolitan Championships on the 25th and 26th March.
If you are not intending to sail but would like to assist with on-water support over the weekend, please send an email to rodbarnes@dbsc.com.au.
If you are sailing, the Notice of Race and Entry links are below.
SCHEDULE
Saturday 25th March
09.30 - Registration
11.30 - Briefing
13.30 - First warning signal
Subsequent starts shall be made ASAP after the preceding race.
Drinks & BBQ on the deck after racing.
Sunday 26th March
Breakfast available Sunday morning
12.00 - First warning signal
Subsequent starts shall be made ASAP after the preceding race.
No warning signal after 16.00.
Prize giving on the deck after racing.
ENTRIES
Enter online or at the club until 11:30am on Saturday 25th March. There will be an option to sign on/off via SMS so that sailors who have pre-entered online can deploy from other harbour clubs for the event.
Sailing Instructions will be issued shortly.
BOAT & TRAILER PARKING
Boats and trailers can be left overnight outside the clubhouse. However, security will not be available.
FOOD & BEVERAGE
The DBSC canteen will be open to offer our famous toasties on both days and breakfast on Sunday. Be sure to stick around after sailing on Saturday for a casual drink and BBQ on the deck.
