Race Report - 2025 Vaucluse Regatta

93rd Vaucluse Regatta report by Chris Rodowicz, Photos from VYC

The 93rd Vaucluse Regatta was sailed on Saturday, 1 March 2025, with 86 boats—ILCAs, OK Dinghies, and yachts—entered for a day of close racing (or at least attempting to, given the conditions).

The day was perfect, except the winds were… well, let’s just say “politely absent”, and the strong run-out current turned the start line into a game of “Who Can Stay Behind the Line?” (Spoiler: Not everyone). OCS calls were flying, and the bottom mark rounding demanded maximum concentration.

Despite the light breeze, the dinghies managed to squeeze in two of the three scheduled races (except the 4s), and back at the VYC clubhouse there were plenty of stories to tell and smiles all around.

A massive thank you to our VYC volunteers, PRO Greg Dixon, and the DBSC team for their help—especially for showing off their shiny new Gemini RIB! And, of course, to all the sailors, particularly those who made the trek from interstate. Thank you to the major sponsors, Zhik and Performance Sailcraft.

Congrats to the winners, and for those who didn’t quite get the results they wanted—there’s always next year! Mark your calendars for the first Saturday of March 2026. See you then!

Full results can be found HERE

Link to the photo gallery is HERE

Please note if you want printable versions of any of these photos please email vaucluseyachtclub@gmail.com with photo numbers.

Podium Results:

ILCA 4 Open
1. Harper Spacey DBSC
2. Isabella Taylor WSC
3. Harrison Rudham WSC

ILCA 4 Women
1. Harper Spacey DBSC
2. Isabella Taylor WSC
3. Charlotte Jenkins DBSC

ILCA 6 Open
1. Jon Emmett DBSC on countback from
2. Elliot Scali VYC
3. Sylvie Stannage

ILCA 6 Women
1. Sylvie Stannage
2. Michelle Lefevre MHASC
3. Lyndall Patterson RPAYC

ILCA 7 Open
1. Zander Bijkerk DBSC HHSC RPAYC
2. Quentin Burns DBSC
3. Michael Stackpool VYC

OK Dinghy
1. Peter Robinson DSC on countback from
2. Mark Phillips DSC
3. Jim Dwyer DSC

Yachts
1. Crest - Haydn Skelton VYC
2. Margot - Byron Georgouras VYC
3. Kite Runner - Matt Goodall VYC

ILCA 2025 Oceania & Australian Masters

Ian Tudball reports from Westernport Yacht Club (all photos by Ian):

There was an interesting grouping of fleets with 27 ILCA 7's sharing the same start with 6 ILCA 4's, followed by 39 ILCA 6 Grand Masters and Masters combined in the second group, and 41 ILCA 6 GGM's and Legends in the 3rd group.

The first day of racing was a wipe out with no wind and no racing for the 113 boat event.

Day 2 saw a complete reversal with a nasty off-shore breeze gusting 25+ knots to test the fleet with the added variable of a 2-knot tide. It was a tough day on the water and weary sailors were suitably rejuvenated at the Club that night with a top-flight jazz band and liquid refreshment.

Day 3 saw a few of the Legends electing not to sail as the wind was now onshore with steep rolling seas coming in from the ocean, and healthy gusts of 25 knots. But the challenge was there for the adventurous sailors and the downwind rides were exhilarating.

Day 4 was the final day, and the Club decided to run 3 races in a building 15 knot on-shore breeze. It was the perfect end to a brilliantly run regatta , and the 9 completed races allowed for 2 discards.

The winning sailors comfortably handled all conditions, but everyone agreed it was a tough regatta on the body, Some new faces appeared in the winners circle, and DBSC attire was worn with pride by our English recruit, Jon Emmet who won the Masters Division and did a wonderful interview on U YouTube at the end of each day’s racing. 

Western Port Yacht Club and Nick Ede ran a truly wonderful regatta, both on and off the water. Their Club members formed a big contingent of volunteers that involved manning boats and tractors, to dragging boats up the soft sand, and preparing food every day for hungry and thirsty competitors. A lot of planning had gone into the event, and every sailor appreciated what a great regatta it was.

DBSC was well represented. Tim Heath, Kerryn Smith, Scott Finlayson and Michael (never quit) Morris made their Nationals debuts with good performances. Rod Barnes, David Newman, and Martin White had outstanding performances, with Pat Levy always knocking on the door. Here are the final results:

Fleet 1 (ILCA 7 & ILCA 4):

Winners: ILCA 7 Master: M. Blakey & ILCA 7 Grand Master: Brett Beyer. ILCA 4: M. Lefevre.

ILCA 7 DBSC sailors: 6th o/a Rod Barnes (4th GM); 10th o/a Dave Newman (2nd Master); 21st o/a Tim Heath (11th GM)

Fleet 2 (ILCA 6 Masters & Grand Masters):

Winners: ILCA 6 Master: Jon Emmett & ILCA 6 Grand Master: B.Savage

DBSC ILCA 6 sailors: 24th o/a Kerryn Smith (18th GM); 25th o/a Scott Findlayson (19th GM);

Fleet 3 (ILCA 6 Great Grand Masters & Legends):

Winners: ILCA 6 GGM: J. Mitchell & ILCA 6 Legend: T.Alexander

DBSC ILCA 6 sailors: 5th o/a Martin White (5th GGM); 13th o/a Pat Levy (11th GGM); 23rd o/a Ian Tudball (18th GGM); 27th o/a Peter Heywood (8th Legend); 32nd o/a Michael Morris (21st GGM)

This event is a qualifier for the next Worlds in Italy in September.

Final Reminder: 2025 Metros - this Saturday & Sunday at HHSC

This Saturday and Sunday the Metropolitan Championships will be hosted by Hunters Hill Sailing Club. This event is for all ILCA classes and has prizes for Open, Youth and Masters age categories. HHSC is a great venue with copious rigging area, good sailing water right in front of the club and terrific viewing from Clarkes Point Park.

DBSC Sailors traveling by water will splash about 12pm to make the journey up the river by water, with a RIB for support (towing if required) back and forth each day.
(We suggest that members wanting to go by road trailer organise themselves).

• Notice of Race is HERE.

• Sailing Instructions are Here.

• Competitor Information Document is Here.

• Sign On/Off for each day is HERE

You can Enter online HERE any time up to 11.30 on 8 March at the club. (Entry fee applies)

There will be no DBSC club racing this weekend.

WHAT'S GOING ON

CLub Look-ahead Schedule

• Wednesday 5 March: Twilight Sailing (5pm splash, sailing ‘til 7:00pm)

• Thursday 6 March: Twilight Racing (5pm splash, Racing 5:30pm to 7:30pm)

• Saturday 8 March:

  • No club racing due to Metro’s at HHSC (see previous piece)

  • For boats sailing to HHSC: 12:00 splash for 1:30pm start

• Wednesday 12 March: Twilight Sailing (5pm splash, sailing ‘til 7:00pm)

• Thursday 13 March: Twilight Racing (5pm splash, Racing 5:30pm to 7:30pm)

• Saturday 15 March: Autumn Point Score Races 7 & 8

Note: The 2025 JJ Giltinan 18-Footer World Championships

The JJ Giltinan 18-Footer World Championships will be running out of Double Bay SC from Friday 7 March through to Sunday 16 March. The foreshore rigging area and clubhouse are being used for this event, so please be prepared for this, and give yourself extra time to get your boat out and rig, we will leave a passage to the park and ramp from the clubhouse, but for short periods it may be blocked by masts or rigging, we will all be patient and polite and aim to get out on the water early.

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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 22 February 2025

Sprint Racing

It was the stuff of sailing dreams: sunshine, 14-16 knots NE right down the harbour, some nice wave action, and the exotic challenge of an Outrigger regatta crossing our course!

Thrills and spills on the racecourse (photo by David Murphy)

The sprint course for the day was set right in the mouth of Double Bay, taking full advantage of the breeze and conditions, with a lovely wind and wave compression right at the base of our windward-leeward course. The on-water team comprised COTD Connor Roche, Co-COTD/ new member Dan Leupen, LTRaR Richard Holstein and myself David Murphy. Ashore many thanks to Paul, Shirley, John Chesterman and Joshua Dorey.

A strong finish (photo by David Murphy)

While we didn’t take formal results, there were some distinguished performances: Alistair Sutherland started and finished very assertively on a number of sprints in the 6s, as did visiting sailor Mattia Santostefano from Italy in the 7s!, and we had some great course-setting tips from our very own Luke Parker, who predicted the gradual course shift from Manly to Shark Island. There was good clean racing, with just one general recall for the day, and we were back to the club around 4 for refreshments on the deck.

- David Murphy, PRO

The Women's Regatta - Saturday 22 March 2025 - Hosted by VYC

This year the Women’s Regatta is being hosted by Vaucluse Yacht Club for ILCA 4 and ILCA 6 sailors off Watsons Bay, The Green Fleet will race as a part of the Helly Hansen Women’s Challenge (HHWC) with Manly Yacht Club (MYC) in the North of the Harbour.

For DBSC members that want to attend, we suggest registering for the ILCA 4 and ILCA 6 Fleets that will be held in the vicinity of Watson Bay, with activities starting at VYC from 8:30am with Yoga, Breakfast, Workshops, and racing at 13:00 and Cocktail reception from 18:00 at VYC.

Notice of Race HERE

Registration (with fee) is required HERE

Quick note from the canteen

We try to keep the cost of consumables as low as possible for the members, and Paul Adam has been doing a superb job shopping around for the best prices, but alas, inflation is creeping and the price of Up & Go has been increased to $2 for members. This is the first price rise of anything for many years, but unfortunately necessary.

WHAT'S GOING ON

CLub BiWeekly Look-ahead Schedule

• Wednesday 26 February: Twilight Sailing (5pm splash, sailing ‘til 7:00pm)

• Thursday 27 February: Twilight Racing (5pm splash, Racing 5:30pm to 7:30pm)

• Saturday 1 March: Vaucluse Regatta

  • Members should target a 12:30 splash at DBSC for approx. 1:30pm start off VYC

  • Do not forget to register (it’s free): register here

• Tuesday 4 March: Reach Youth Training from 4pm

• Wednesday 5 March: Twilight Sailing (5pm splash, sailing ‘til 7:00pm)

• Thursday 6 March: Twilight Racing (5pm splash, Racing 5:30pm to 7:30pm)

• Saturday 8 March: no racing (Metros at Hunters Hill SC)

• Sunday 9 March: Metros at Hunters Hill SC

2025 Metros - 8-9 March - Hunters Hill Sailing Club

• Notice of Race

• Online entry

• Please contact David Newman to coordinate logistics

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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 15 February 2025

All sailing photos by Kerryn Smith

Club Championships R11 &12 / Autumn Point Score R5 & 6

PRO Peter Collie reports:

A challenging day for all. The wind was indecisive and did not follow the forecast; there was a strong outgoing tide, and fast traffic in the Dardanelles with the WASZP state champs. Also, not an easy place to accommodate a southerly shift which is what was predicted.

Many thanks to Yves Stening and Ben Byford for their assistance on the Jazzman and Kerryn Smith and Alban Delpey in the Bergman for valiantly moving marks as things changed.

That said, we set a course for the average breeze and got everyone off. Each fleet earned one black flag start aided and abetted no doubt by the outgoing tide. Nonetheless, many figured out the changing conditions and finished well.

Winners in the Club Championships Races 11+12:

In the ILCA 7:
Race 11 - Quentin Burns
Race 12 - Healy Ryan

In the ILCA 6
Race 11 - Sara Bruce
Race 12 - Sara Bruce

In the ILCA 4
Race 11 - Charlotte Jenkins
Race 12 - Patrick McLachlan

And in the Point Score Races 5+6

In the ILCA 7
Race 5 - Chris Berg
Race 6 - Nick Pellow

In the ILCA 6
Race 5 - James Gosling
Race 6 - Martin White

In the ILCA 4
Race 5 - Charlotte Jenkins
Race 6 - Charlotte Jenkins

After racing …BBQ on the deck - Many thanks to Paul and Shirley for assembling the feast, and to Kate McHugh for working the grill.

2025 Metros - 8-9 March - Hunters Hill Sailing Club

The Metropolitan Championships hosted by Hunters Hill Sailing Club are coming up: 8-9 March 2025. This event is for all ILCA classes and has prizes for Open, Youth and Masters age categories. HHSC is a great venue with copious rigging area, good sailing water right in front of the club and terrific viewing from Clarkes Point park.

The Notice of Race is HERE. You can Enter online HERE any time up to 11.30 on 8 March at the club. (Entry fee applies)

A group of members from DBSC will be making our way up the river to compete. Please contact David Newman HERE if you are planning to attend, and let him know your intentions regarding transport logistics:

• Trailering your Laser (and/or others) to the event

• Sailing (or being towed by a RIB) to the regatta and back each day

• Taking a dolly up ahead of time so you can leave your boat at HHSC overnight.