Race Report - Saturday 26 April 2025

Anzac Weekend Sprints

The predicted rain held off and produced a fine final racing day of the season with a stable 8-12 knot north-easterly breeze kicking in just in time for the first start.  22 Lasers participated in five 25-minute races with a slowly building incoming tide.  We made two changes to help with congestion: ILCA 7's starting one minute ahead of 6's and 4's and an extended offset at the top mark which provided a short reach before the run.  All races were close affairs with tactical challenges of selecting the best upwind routes, balancing pressure, shifts and which end of the gate to round.  Ten starts and no general recalls (maybe the slight tide helped?).  In the ILCA 7's, Zander Bijkerk chalked up most of the wins, challenged closely by Healy Ryan and Rod Barnes.  Sara Bruce had a great day in the ILCA 6's with various close challengers including Charlie Byford, Katie Hugh and Peter Heywood.  Charlotte Jenkins and Raphael McLachlan in the LICA 4s had a sensational photo-finish in one race (we think Charlotte pipped it), before opting to sail off into the distance for a while.

All sailors safely ashore by 4:20pm with no capsizes, plenty of smiles and a few final beverages.  A short break now before the Winter series commences!

The team in the RIBs were Jason Wilkins and Ben Byford in the Bergman and Max Djura and Patrick Black in the new Paul Adam.  Thanks to the canteen team of Shirley, Paul assisted by Kerryn Smith and Tim Heath. 

-by Jason Wilkins PRO

2025 DBSC Winter Series Updated Start Time 8:00am

As one season ends another one begins at Double Bay Sailing Club!

After evaluating feedback from members, we have decided to tweak the winter racing schedule
Please read these important updates to the format:

• Sunday 11 May 2025 - The first race of the Winter Championship combined Point Score
  (No Club racing on 4 May)

• 8:00 am is the new start time and first warning signal (instead of 8.15)

• The new scheduled target racing time will be 25 minutes per race (instead of 30 minutes)

• The Sailing Instructions have been amended to reflect these changes.

Set your alarms 15 minutes earlier, and to make sure you are looking ship shape for Sunday lunch, iron your clothes the night before .
Winter race dates are updated on the DBSC Racing Calendar

Visitors (racing laser sailors that are not members) are welcome to join us on the course in winter, please notify the start boat before the start sequence, visitors should dip the finish line to avoid interfering with our Club Winter Championship scoring - Thank you.

-Rod Barnes
Vice-Commodore

Work-on-your-boat Day Sunday 4 May from 10am

Maxim Djura has organised another Work-on-your-boat day at the club this Sunday 4 May 2025 starting at 10am till whenever you finish

Typical repairs include:

• Repair gelcoat chips or gunnel cracks

• Restore hull color

• Polish your boat

• Reapply boat fittings

How long will it take? Below some are rough estimates:

• About 1 hour to prepare and apply gelcoat.

• 4 hours for the gel to cure.

• 2 hours to polish and finish off.

• 1 hour and half to polish the boat.

• 45 minutes to apply the gelcoat restorer.

• Time to repair gunnel cracks varies significantly.

Personal and environmental safety:
Gelcoat, hardener, acetone, Ronstan’s gelcoat restorer are dangerous substances.

Please, wear long-sleeve shirts. It’s a good idea to have a change of clothes for the day. There will be masks, safety glasses and PVC gloves.

There will be single use containers and a separate bin for the dangerous substances. Please, do not throw them into the general bin.

How about building a hiking bench with Stephen Reid

Stephen Reid “on the bench”

If you are interested upping (or just maintaining) your sailing fitness over winter, and don't have the skills or confidence to build yourself a hiking bench on your own, Stephen Reid is offering to help.  His bench is as shown in the picture (he is inviting "constructive" comments on his form, which can be used as a model, or happy to help with another design if you have details).  He can also help you source materials and build it.

Possible date for this is 25 May (after the morning racing). If you’re interested, please contact Stephen via WhatsApp on 0414 903 668.

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WHAT'S GOING ON

2025-26 Annual Membership Subscription Invoices have been sent

Each year in April invoices are sent out to all members, which are due for the next DBSC Sailing Year which begins on 1 May 2025. Reminders are automatically send out in May. If you have not received your invoice, please look in your Junk Mail folder for an email from:
Double Bay Sailing Club <no-reply@revolutionise.com.au>
If you have any questions about your invoice, need help, or still can’t find it please contact secretary@dbsc.com.au
(Note: Payment via credit card in RevSport attracts a service charge. Direct Bank Transfer BSB to the DBSC account does not)

Club Look-ahead Schedule

• Saturday 3 May: No racing

• Sunday 4 May:

  • Work-on-your-boat day:

    • Materials and tools will be available to help you spruce-up your boat. Please let Maxim know if you’re intending to join

  • DBSC Reach Youth Training Term 2 (for those who have signed up): 7:35am rigged and ready

• Sunday 11 May:

  • Racing switches to SUNDAY MORNINGS for the Winter Championship and Point Score series

  • 7:30am Race Briefing, new Start time: 8:00am First Warning

• Friday evening 23 May:

  • DBSC Annual General Party and AGM — save the date -- this is not-to-be-missed.
    All Members have been emailed the RSVP link - Please RSVP so that we can have numbers for catering.

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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.

Race Report: Around the Harbour Easter Egg Hunt, 19 April 2025

All sailors who remained in Sydney for Easter were treated to an adventure down at DBSC with our annual Around the Harbour Hunt Race with Easter Eggs! This pursuit race has a handicap start, with the rabbit starting on 0 min then the final harrier starting 27m10s later (each member receiving a start time based on their club handicap)

The race committee were challenged with setting a course through permanent Harbour marks - long enough for the rabbit to race for 90 minutes. The start line was set in front of Double Bay, the agreed course (reduced in length due to light winds) took the fleet around Shark Island to port, then over to Taylors Bay YA to Starboard, a long work up to the Eastern Wedding Cake in Watson’s Bay, before heading back to Shark Island and across the finish line off Double Bay.

The wind almost died mid race, which left the fleet bobbing up and down in the lumpy water between Taylors Bay and Watson’s Bay . Fortunately, with the arrival of Luke ‘That’s not a rib, This is a rib!’ Parker to say hello and egg on the drifters, a gentle Northerly breeze filled in across the Harbour which saw all 27 competitors make it around the Wedding Cake and back to the finish line bang on the 90 minute mark. ( …with the accuracy of the handicapping featuring in the results: where the First boat over the finish was the last boat to start, and the First boat to start was not too far behind! - thankyou Daryl Lawrence for running the numbers for us again this year.

Despite being Easter Saturday, the rabbit did not come away with the chocolates. Instead, Healy Ryan (who started some 27m behind) worked his way through the fleet to the finish and was first for the Standards, and we saw similar skills in the fickle wind displayed by Katie McHugh who took out the double winning both first Radial and first Woman.

Final results were:

• First: Healy Ryan

• First Radial: Katie McHugh

• First Woman: Katie McHugh

• Second Woman: Diana Chen

• Encouragement Award (the “Rockley Road”): Jasper Kinsman

Huge thank you to the on water team of: Campbell Patton, Anna McKeon, Tim Heath and Nick Pellow, and we hope all sailors had a similarly enjoyable Easter break.

-by Nick Pellow PRO
(Photos on the water by Anna McKeon and Tim Heath)

WHAT'S GOING ON

Annual Membership Subscription Invoices have been sent out for 2025-26

Each year in April invoices are sent out to all members, which are due for the next DBSC Sailing Year which begins on 1 May 2025. Please pay your subs on time, many of the clubs expenses like insurance, club repairs, and servicing of support RIBs are incurred over the winter period. If you have not received your invoice, please look in your Junk Mail folder for an email from Double Bay Sailing Club <no-reply@revolutionise.com.au>
If you have any questions about your invoice, need help, or still can’t find it please contact secretary@dbsc.com.au

(Note: the online “Pin payment” via credit card in RevSport attracts a significant service charge. It is cheaper to do a Direct Bank Transfer to the DBSC account shown on the invoice)

Club Look-ahead Schedule

• Saturday 26 April (ANZAC Day weekend): Sprints (2pm warning)

• Saturday 3 May: No racing

• Sunday 4 May: Work-on-your-boat day

  • Materials and tools will be available to help you spruce-up your boat

  • Please let Maxim know if you’re intending to join

• Sunday 4 May: DBSC Reach Youth Training Term 2 (for those who have signed up) 7:35am Rigged and ready

• Sunday 11 May: Racing switches to SUNDAY MORNINGS for the Winter Championship and Point Score series:

  • 7:30am Race Briefing, 8:15am First Warning

• Friday evening 23 May: DBSC Annual General Party and AGM — save the date -- this is not-to-be-missed.
  All Members have been emailed the RSVP link - Please RSVP so that we can have numbers for catering.

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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.

Race Report - Saturday 12 April 2025

All photos by Andrew Cox

Autumn Point Score Races 13 and 14

What a glorious day! You can't beat that balmy mid-Autumn sunshine. And there is no better place to enjoy it than DBSC. 50 sailors evidently agreed with this, lining up for some patient slo-mo racing in a fickle ~10kt breeze. 

With a morning southerly predicted to migrate to an afternoon easterly, the race set-up decision was left until as late as possible. The wind clocked decidedly left at about 1.30, so the course was set up in the Rose Bay channel and the first start sequence got underway at 2pm. But during the start sequence, the wind shifted decidedly back to the south, producing enormous boat bias and an entire fleet stranded over the line, requiring rescue by the AP. 

The shift seemed somewhat persistent, so the top mark and start line were rotated right as quickly as possible for the restart. Of course, the breeze shifted back to the left during the next sequence, but racing proceeded and, despite initial soldier's-work fears, ending up producing an acceptable first beat. The breeze then dropped somewhat as the first race progressed, leading to a shortened course with the finish at the final top mark. 

Meanwhile, the breeze finished its rotation to the east, albeit still flicking back and forth through the obligatory 30-degree angle. So, the course was reset much further round to the left and shortened, and the second race proceeded uneventfully. 

Congratulations to handicap-winners, Brendan Pollard in both ILCA 6 races, and Tim Heath and Jason Wilkins in the ILCA 7 races. These races marked the end of the Autumn Point Score, with the series winners being Jim Dounis (beating David Airey by a few points to take the Spring / Autumn double) and Stephen Reid (with a successful first season at the club, beating Tim Heath for the crown). Well done to all sailors for another well-sailed and competitive season. 

A big thanks to the COTD team of Rob Blum and Charlie Cameron for their excellent teamwork, good-cheer, and best-in-class efficiency throughout a hard afternoon of more-than-usual mark-laying work. And to Pat Levy for his excellent advice and camaraderie on the start boat. Special thanks to Ian Tudball, who yet again very generously lent his boat as the start boat while the Jazzman was out having some mechanical ailments sorted out.

And thanks to Paul Adam, Shirley Roach, Clare Alexander, and Kirk Marcolina for yet another round of great catering.

-Andrew Cox, PRO

Easter Saturday: Race Around the Harbour 2025

This weekend is the DBSC Easter Saturday Race Around the Harbour. It’s a great event and there may be some chocolates floating around on the day.

The intention is to run a handicap start (pursuit race) in a single combined fleet. Individual’s start times are based on your club handicap. These will be provided by the Race Team, so please ensure you make note of your individual start time PRIOR to leaving the beach.

The proposed course is as shown here, but this could change on the day, depending on wind direction and strength. Further details will be provided at the briefing on Saturday.

ANNUAL GENERAL PARTY Friday 23 May 2024

Who needs an AGM when you can have an AGP?

That’s right, our Annual General Party and Prizegiving has been scheduled for Friday 23 May. Sure, there will be some necessary formalities (AGM) at the start of the evening, but they’ll be over in no time, and the bulk of the night will be all about having fun. So bring along your partners (or parents) for dinner followed by singing and dancing. All Members will receive an official invite next week, so look out for it in your email, and please RSVP!

VOLUNTEERS: If you can help, with Setup (Friday 23 May 5pm-7pm) or Cleanup (Saturday 24 May 8am-9am) please email marketing@dbsc.com.au