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.
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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.
…Every week Double Bay sailors head out midweek for a sailing fix on Wednesdays and Thursdays - 5pm Splash. Last week was no exception, on Thursday we had 14 on the water, and were joined by Mina Ferguson who gave coaching support and advice. Thankyou again James Tudball who organizes the Thursday course setting and coaches. All members are invited to join us.
Wednesday 24-Jan: Twilight Sailing (5PM splash)
Thursday 25-Jan: Twilight Racing (5PM splash)
Saturday 27-Jan: Sprint Racing - Australia Day Weekend (2PM warning signal)
Wednesday 31-Jan: Twilight Sailing (5PM splash)
Thursday 1-Feb: Twilight Racing (5PM splash)
Laser Open Men’s Worlds: January 24 - 31, Adelaide, SA
Laser Master’s Worlds: February 2 - 10, Adelaide, SA
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.
View all racing results here.
The club’s calendar can be viewed and subscribed to here.
Make a tax deductible donation to DBSC here.
Photo by Brad Cox
Last Saturday saw a glorious start to the 2024 Autumn Point Score series with magnificent sunshine, beautiful blue skies, and a ten to twelve knot east north easterly blowing, along with a strong run out tide. A fleet of thirty-six boats joined us on the harbour for the first race, along with a handful of visitors and perhaps one or two sailors that may have forgotten to sign on using the sailor app.
In the first race, the Radial fleet were a little too keen, not helped perhaps by the run out tide which led to a general recall before a black flag restored order at the restart. As as for the Standards, it was a clear start and so we were under way in both fleets in no time.
First over the line in the Radials was Cormac Johnston, with Daniel Costandi taking out the Standards. Noting the difficulty with the easterly slant in the north-easterly breeze making for a tame top reach, race management opted to make a slight tweak to the positioning of the wing mark before the second start to give a tighter bottom reach.
In the second race, the Radials got away to a clean start with the exception of Charlie Byford, who mistimed his start and was over by a good boat and a half. As for the Standards, it was another clear start and the sailors made their way towards the top mark off Shark Island. The slight change to the wing mark positioning looked to produce a much more exciting angle to the bottom mark and a great spectacle for the race crew. In the Radials, Alistair Sutherland got fastest time, with Rod Barnes taking out the Standards.
Note that work on the Double Bay wharf reconstruction is now complete, so it is much easier to navigate out and back. As well, the view from the deck is much improved.
A big thanks to PRO Murray Stone and John Vasey (Learn to run a race), and to Richard George and Brad Cox as Captain and Co-captain of the day, respectively. Thank you also to former DBSC member Gerard, who assisted the race crew in the Dene Bergman.
Also, thank you to all the sailors who signed on using the Sailor App. This is a great system for managing results and to have sailors signed on makes it so easy to get finish order and times accurately recorded.
Photos by Brad Cox
26 Double Bay Sailing Club members recently competed at the Nationals, held at Adelaide Sailing Club on January 2 - 8. We had the strongest representation of any club in the country and our on-water success across all three rig sizes is incredibly exciting. It is also testament to the depth and quality of Laser sailing at our club.
The majority of our sailors who travelled down to the regatta were our youth members, led by our Reach Youth coaches Josh Becker and Daniel Costandi. Josh and Dan did a superb job preparing our sailors in the lead up, and then assisting with the logistics and on-water coaching throughout the regatta. A big thanks to Josh and Dan for their expertise and efforts.
With any regatta, the goal is to have successful and enjoyable experiences both on and off the water. From all reports this was certainly achieved, so congratulations to all sailors (and parents and coaches) for their hard work and commitment.
A special mention to DBSC member Brooke Wilson, who won the ILCA 6 Nationals. The ILCA 6 fleet had incredibly close racing, and Brooke needed to win the last race to take out the regatta... which she did. Talk about nerves of steel. Congratulations, Brooke.
Matt Wearn (WA) continued his dominance to win the ILCA 7s. The 7s included a large contingent of top Olympic contenders as they prep for the worlds in Adelaide later this month. Aidan Simmons (VIC) won the ILCA 4s with some consistent and top-quality sailing.
Photos captured by Jack Fletcher from Down Under Sail
DBSC member results are as follows:
ILCA4 Gold Fleet
Miles Greenwood 9th
Ben Costandi 16th
Harriet McLachlan 32nd
ILCA4 Silver Fleet
Olivia Aitken 6th
Elouise Morgan 16th
Zoe Allen 19th
Charlotte Jenkins 25th
ILCA6 Gold Fleet
Brooke Wilson 1st
Healy Ryan 4th
Paige Caldecoat 6th
Connor Kellett 10th
Sara Bruce 12th
Edward Alexander 18th
Charlie Byford 23rd
Ali Braden 31st
Cormac Johnson 34th
Jack Restuccia 45th
ILCA6 Silver Fleet
Roberto Blum 22nd
Peter Heywood 23rd
Isobel Payne 30th
ILCA7 Gold Fleet
Finn Alexander 17th
ILCA7 Silver Fleet
Campbell Patton 8th
Julian Taylor 17th
Alexander Bijkerk 27th
Hamish Crabb 30th
Quentin Burns 35th
For full results CLICK HERE
Photos by Marion Traynor
We thought we would get some insights from our sailors (and parents!) who travelled down to participate at the Nationals. These shared experiences could be particularly useful for our contingent of masters sailors competing in Adelaide next month.
Interview with Brooke Wilson (Australian ILCA6 National Champion):
What was your best race, and why?
I was really happy with my strategy execution in Race 4 of the qualifying. The wind had shifted left and therefore was coming off the land. I made a plan to start at the pin and go hard left, I was able to get a good start and I stuck to my plan and won that race! Given that the left side of the course was advantageous throughout the regatta, the pin end was quite crowded, so I was happy with how I managed my gap on the start line and my acceleration!
What were some of the most challenging things (onshore and/or onwater) that you encountered during the regatta?
Throughout the duration of the week, we got some pretty strange weather which led to some uncertainty and postponements on shore and on the water. I found managing my mindset during these periods of waiting to be quite tricky at times. Especially on the last day of racing when we were delayed getting onto the water and then needed to complete two races (before the 3pm cut off time) to get our second drop of the regatta. I also have a small injury to my wrist so managing that and making sure I was doing everything possible for it not to get worse was a bit stressful.
What was an onshore highlight from the regatta?
Playing spikeball with friends!
What did you learn most from the regatta?
Given that Adelaide is a venue in which the left side of the course is typically favoured, my biggest learning was how disciplined you have to be to get to that left hand side. I did have one or two starts where I accelerated a second late and ended up having to sail in dirty air all the way left until I found a lane. In that sense I guess it was crucial to be patient and remain focused on the bigger picture of the race - that being; staying on the left hand side of the course, even if that means having to sail in dirty air for a few minutes!
Interview with parents Michelle Power (Elouise Morgan's mum), Marian Traynor (Jack Restuccia's mum) and Craig Ryan (Healy Ryan's dad - who also assisted with some coaching in Adelaide):
How did the travel logistics go?
Marian: 15 hrs. Each way. The Hay Plain. So, emus running beside us, a hull on the roof., all the spars in the Ryan rib - aka “Slim Dusty” (thank you!). Flappy straps, but no mishaps apart from a post-drive case of DVT and a trip to Adelaide Emergency for a dedicated sailing dad.
Michelle: Elouise and I flew, so we had it very easy! Josh Becker took several boats. Watching (and attempting to help) him load the trailer is always interesting and a little nerve-wracking, but he knows what he is doing so it's all good!
What was the regatta site like (on-shore and/or on-water)?
Marian: Adelaide Sailing Club might have had the best facilities to host a regatta that I have ever seen: grassy lawns for each ILCA fleet; beach launch from a small and safe harbour; boat ramp in the same harbour and plenty of room for all the support boats. Plus, great food and drinks on offer. and plenty of shade to get into. It was great.
Michelle: Adelaide Sailing Club was a great venue with enough space for the sailors to rig without too much trouble. Security was a slight issue with some locals taking Olivia's boat to use as a sled on the sand dunes. Thankfully the damage was minimal.
Craig: Patience is particularly important in long course formats found at States/Nationals/Worlds and Adelaide was no exception. A good position may become a great position if you work hard and have a small lane. A good position discarded in pursuit of a great position will often have you spat out the back of the front runners. Knowing the course (or in some cases, knowing what is your course and what is a bottom gate of another course), is crucial in consistently being able to get results without chewing through a drop due to not working it out in time.
What enjoyable activities did the group get up to other than watching the sailing?
Marian: When racing was delayed, the kids did a bit of couch surfing while playing virtual regatta ‘together’. Healy had a birthday down there and a great game of beach cricket happened. And lots of dinners out in Glenelg.
Michelle: We had a great team dinner out one night and many impromptu drinks at the sailing club bar.
What was your onshore highlight from the regatta?
Marian: A highlight for me is the interstate social interaction. I love how the friendships are there even though we don’t live in the same place but we do sail in the same place regularly. Also seeing DBSC youth sailors receiving awards in the medal ceremony was a highlight.
Craig: The squad was fantastic, everyone was working together, there for one another and the only thing that could have made it better was if the team all got to go sailing at the same time, but that’s big regatta sailing, separated classes over the same course.
Michelle: I think the highlight for a lot of sailing parents is the relationships that you build with the other families - including those from other teams/states.
Interview with one of our coaches, Dan Costandi:
What were the sailing conditions like across the regatta?
We saw a wide range of conditions over the event, from sub 5 knots to some days gusting over 20kts. It was a great test for the sailors and their abilities to see where they stacked up against others from around Australia. However the part that truly challenged the sailors was Adelaide’s wave state and how to navigate it well upwind and downwind.
What strengths and positives did you notice from the DBSC sailors?
I enjoyed watching the group adapt to the waves in Adelaide, as they are very different from anything you can find in Sydney. When we first arrived everyone seemed unfamiliar with how to manage them but by the end of the week I saw everyone sailing very comfortably and fast in the waves.
What key learnings came out of the regatta for the DBSC sailors?
One of the many key learnings that came out of the nationals was how crucial starts become in larger fleets. A good start in a big fleet can almost guarantee a top 10 rounding at the top mark whereas a poor start often limits you to a bottom half finish. I was really impressed by all of our DBSC sailors as each day I saw noticeable improvements from the sailors with their starts. The other main key learning was sailing fast downwind in waves. Unlike Double Bay, there are swell waves in Adelaide, which are more consistent over the course. So if you miss one wave that’s another wave a competitor is surfing. So sailors needed to learn how to effectively catch waves and minimise missed waves.
Photos courtesy Marian Traynor and Michelle Power
Thanks to Brooke, Marian, Craig, Michelle and Dan for sharing their experience and congratulations once more to all DBSC members for a job well done!
- James Tudball, Youth Engagement
Develop strength and flexibility, while soothing your nerves and calming your mind. Photo courtesy Peter Collie.
A new series of morning Yoga classes started this week. The one-hour classes are on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:30AM and finish in time to catch the ferry and get to work. These are listed in the club calendar including a booking link.
Members of DBSC can have 2 free trial classes.
Wednesday 17-Jan: Twilight Sailing (5PM splash)
Thursday 18-Jan: Twilight Racing (5PM splash) (including on-water coaching )
Saturday 20-Jan:
Learn-to-race (9AM start)
Autumn Point Score Races 3 & 4 (2PM warning signal)
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.
View all racing results here.
The club’s calendar can be viewed and subscribed to here.
Make a tax deductible donation to DBSC here.
Photo by the editor
A very respectable 18 Laser sailors rocked up to the start line for an afternoon of Sprint Racing, including a couple of overseas masters taking advantage of our lovely harbour to hone their racing skills in advance of next month’s Worlds in Adelaide. The weather gods were kind, turning a light and fickle easterly into a decent 16-knot nor-easter over the course of the afternoon. It was also nice to have the Clark-to-Shark racecourse area mostly uncontested and the harbour relatively traffic-free.
Our American visitor showed some impressive speed (once he sorted out the start timing), finishing three of the five short races with 100+ metre leads. The racing was close, with some of the mark roundings inspiring spirited discussions on topics such as how much room a Laser actually needs for a seaman-like rounding. All starts were clean (helped no doubt by the incoming tide).
Photos by Andrew Foote and the editor
Many thanks to the on-water team of Jim Dounis and Chris Tattersall (PRO & LTRaR, respectively), and Andrew Foote and Mike Morris (COTD & CCOTD) on mark-setting duty. Shirley and Paul assisted by James Tudball provided on-shore care and feeding.
Perhaps you have recently replaced some of you Laser bits, but the old ones are still serviceable. Just a reminder that our Learn-To-Race team are still needing spares, in particular:
Boom vangs
Downhauls
Radial (ILCA 6) mast bottom sections.
If you’d like to donate, please contact either Martin White or Scott Hunter.
Wednesday 10-Jan: Twilight Sailing (5PM splash)
Thursday 11-Jan: Twilight Racing (5PM splash)
Saturday 13-Jan:
Autumn Point Score Races 1 & 2 (2PM Warning)
Wednesday 17-Jan: Twilight Sailing (5PM splash)
Thursday 18-Jan: Twilight Racing (5PM splash) (including on-water coaching — see previous article)
A quick note from your editor on housekeeping at the club: our membership is quite full, so the facilities are getting a lot of use. This is starting to show, in terms of clutter and debris. If everyone both picks-up after themselves and also goes a bit out of their way to tidy up anything else they spot, our club will remain the sanctuary we all want it to be.
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.
View all racing results here.
The club’s calendar can be viewed and subscribed to here.
Make a tax deductible donation to DBSC here.
