Race Report - Saturday 4 October 2025

All photos by Geoff Boscoe

SPrint Racing

Twenty-six members wisely chose to spend the Saturday of their October long-weekend at DBSC, resisting the allure of the NSW ski fields and the temptation to visit Perth to watch the Wallabies play the All Blacks (it was raining and the Wallabies lost).  They were rewarded with an afternoon of sprint races on a sparkling Sydney Harbour and a shifty 8-12 knot ESE breeze.

Our youth sailors were missed while they competed up at Toronto, but we welcomed back Scott Finlayson from his World Masters campaign in Italy.  Competitors were powered up by the superb pre-race fuel provided by Kate and Michelle, who filled the large void in the canteen left by Paul and Shirley—a huge thank you!

Five short, sharp sprint races were run.  The tricky breeze and short course kept the racing close, demanding that skippers kept their heads (and brains) out of the boat.

In the ILCA 6 fleet, Sylvie Stannage left everyone else to fight for second place when she was competing. Her excellent performances kept her enthusiastic, on-water fan club entertained, while Alistair Sutherland and David Airey battled hard for the minor placings. Juliun Doumit snatched the final race win, closely followed by Kate McHugh.

The ILCA 7 races were very evenly contested with Murray Stone, Quentin Burns, Conor Kellett and Luke Parker taking turns in claiming line honours.

Thanks to our on-water team of Daryl Lawrence, Patrick Black and Omer Konakci, assisted by your Correspondent, for making it all happen pretty smoothly.

- Geoff Boscoe, PRO

The Double Bay Regatta - This Weekend!

This Saturday! - REgister Now!

This year DBSC will be hosting the inaugural Double Bay Regatta. A day to celebrate Laser racing in Double Bay, it is open to all Laser ILCA sailors.

Three races will be held on this single day event on Saturday, 11th October 2025 in the waters off Double Bay in Sydney Harbour.
Cash Prizes will be awarded to winners in ILCA 4, ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 divisions, and the winner of each class will get their name engraved on the Mark Bethwaite Trophy, named after our club legend.

The Notice of Race and Registration are now available on the Web site

Our partner boatcrewgear.com will have a pop-up shop at the club from 9:30am.
Order online for pick-up or contact Andrew directly at boatcrewgear@gmail.com / 0457 152 168.

Thursday Twilights This Week! - 9 October 2025

This Thursday 9 October we will kick off Twilight Racing with on-water coaching support for the 2025/26 season. The coaching and race management will be undertaken by one of our Reach coaches.

• Usual splash of 5PM. The coach and course will be ready for racing by 5:30PM

• The course will be typically windward - leeward (like our sprint racing), however the coach may communicate variations out on the water...to keep us on our toes.

• Racing will run until sundown (approx 7:30PM).

• Regular Thursday night dinner and drinks at The Oak following sailing, for anyone who fancies a social outing.

The Cost is $150 per sailor for the 10 week program (plus merchant fees). This covers the overhead of paying the coach each week to set the course and provide the coaching (dinner not included).

Proposed Dates: October 9, 16, 23, 30 November 6, 13, 20, 27 December 4, 11

We hope that Members who plan to race regularly on Thursdays will support the program by signing up.
(Members who sail occasionally are still very welcome to join us for Thursday Racing free of charge.)

What's Going On

Club Look-ahead Schedule

• Thursday 9 October: Start of Twilight Racing (5pm splash) Subscribe HERE

• Saturday 11 October - The Double Bay Regatta

  • NOR is HERE

  • Register NOW! HERE

  • Regatta Web page HERE

  • REMINDER: Regatta briefing is at 11:30am, First warning is at 1:00pm

• Thursday 16 October: Twilight Racing (5pm splash)

• Saturday & Sunday 18-19 October: 2025 NSW & ACT Coast Champs, Gosford SC

  • NOR

  • Entry

• Saturday 18 October: Sprint Races

  • 1pm Briefing, 2:00pm First warning

• Thursday 23 October: Twilight Racing (5pm splash)

• Saturday 25 October:

  • Learn to Race: 9:00am

  • Spring Point Score Races 5 & 6: 1pm Briefing, 2:00pm First warning

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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 27 September 2025

Spring Point Score, Races 3 & 4

All photos by Craig Sheers

Saturday’s racing kicked off in a light (building to moderate) north-north-westerly. This being one of the least common wind directions on Sydney Harbour, the race management team had to get creative with a leeward mark a stones throw off a point piper palace and weather mark to the north of Clark island, flirting with the busy channel. 

Race 3 of the Spring Point Score series was underway with clean starts for both fleets. Scott Hunter led the ILCA6’s most of the race until Sara Bruce overtook him in the last lap to win line honours. Healy Ryan and Julian Taylor tussled for the lead in the 7’s the whole race, with Healy coming out on top at the end. On the jazzman, we had plenty entertainment, providing AFL Grand Final score updates to finishers, whilst parrying the ever-present opinions on how the racecourse should be changed. 

Change the course we did. The now moderate breeze had shifted to the North, demanding a course shuffle that had the weather mark further right, just South and East of Bradley’s Head. The 4’s and 6’s were keen, too keen, to get on with it. Assisted by an ebbing current pushing them over the line, general recall! Straight to black flag. That showed them. They got away clean this time, as did the 7’s. After close racing in shifty conditions, the same young guns from the previous race took line honours. The back of the fleet saw close racing too, with position changes even on the final beat to the finish. It seems everyone was keen to get in for what would be a crazy second half of a grand final game… except Tim Heath who enjoyed an extra hour of training after racing- an example to us all.

Thanks to our race team Craig Sheers PRO assisted by yours truly, and Ryan Aldrich with Conor Kellett on the RIB. Thanks also to Van Allen for organizing the canteen in Paul’s absence, with Shirley and Massa Kume.

- Campbell Patton, LtRaR

The Double Bay Regatta - Register NOW

Less than Two Weeks - REgister Now

This year DBSC will be hosting the inaugural Double Bay Regatta. A day to celebrate Laser racing in Double Bay, it is open to all Laser ILCA sailors.

Three races will be held on this single day event on Saturday, 11th October 2025 in the waters off Double Bay in Sydney Harbour.
Cash Prizes will be awarded to winners in ILCA 4, ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 divisions, and the winner of each class will get their name engraved on the Mark Bethwaite Trophy, named after our club legend.

The Notice of Race and Registration are now available

What's Going On

Club Look-ahead Schedule

• Saturday 4 October (October Long Weekend): Sprint Races

  • 1pm Briefing, 2:00pm First warning

• Thursday 9 October: Twilight Racing (5pm splash)

• Saturday 11 October - The Double Bay Regatta

  • NOR is HERE

  • Register NOW! HERE

  • Regatta Web page HERE

• Thursday 16 October: Twilight Racing (5pm splash)

• Saturday & Sunday 18-19 October: 2025 NSW & ACT Coast Champs, Gosford SC

  • NOR

  • Entry

• Saturday 18 October: Sprint Races

  • 1pm Briefing, 2:00pm First warning

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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 20 September 2025

Busy afternoon off Point Piper. Photo by Chris Tattersall.

Club Championships, Races 3 & 4

Saturday’s racing took place under sunny skies and with a strong, unsteady westerly. The weather mark was set just east of the Navy Buoy (off Clark Island), the leeward mark close to Shark Island. Gybe mark was set close to Point Piper, maximising the course length within our established racing area. While the Bergman was doing the initial mark-setting, the wind was gusting to 28 kts, so the Paul Adam was launched to provide additional rescue capacity and support to the race committee.

Race 3 got off on time, with clean starts for both fleets. The wind had abated somewhat with gust strength down to about 22 kts, and significant lulls to contend with. Par for the course with westerlies. The racing was close and exciting to watch. Before we could retrieve it, the finish line mark managed to drift and fetch up off Shark Island just north of the leeward mark (the lead pack of Radial sailors assumed it was some sort of leeward offset mark and rounded it to port). It was quickly returned to its proper station and secured with an additional length of anchor line.

By Race 4 the wind had shifted south by about 20-degrees, but was still “within the margin”, and so the RC elected not to fiddle with mark locations. Breeze strength was still up-and-down. The Radials (and our lone 4.7) got off cleanly. The Standards had two boats over early, but both returned and correctly restarted. The first tack was complicated by a couple of cruising yachts trying (not very successfully) get away from the wall of starboard tack Lasers, but then again that’s standard fare for Saturday afternoon racing.

DBSC sailors welcomed a small number of Australian Sailing Squad members to the day’s racing. Although they courteously did not cross the finish line (which would have confused yours truly), they showed they belonged on the squad and provided welcome competition in the leading pack.

Race 3 winners were Charles Byford (Radials) and Campbell Patton (Standards)

Race 4 winners were Scott hunter (Radials), Healy Ryan (Standards) and Isabelle Wilkins (4.7)

Thanks to the Race Committee (Martin Gill, PRO, assisted by Gaye Gill and Chris Tattersall, LTRAR) and the support crews (Rob Bruce & Ian Tudball in the Bergman, Ben Byford and Daryl Lawrence in the Paul Adam). Also, a special shout out to Kate McHugh who tracked retiring boats as they came ashore and radioed back to the RC to ensure we didn’t lose anyone (we didn’t). Pre-race toasties provided by Shirley and Andrew Cox.

There was a BBQ on the deck following the racing for which we need to thank Michelle Powers for making the salads, Kate McHugh for assisting with the preparation, and Daryl Lawrence and Jim Dounis for manning the grill and cleaning up.

-Chris Tattersall, LTRAR

Photos by Chris Tattersall & Ian Tudball

Vale Jim Ley - Friend and Life Member of DBSC

It is with deep sadness that we farewell James Ley who passed away on Wednesday 17 September 2025, surrounded by family.

Please see the information below on his celebration of life which will be held at Cronulla Surf Club
Today 24 September 2025 at 11am.

Jim Ley was one of the earliest of our sailors in 1954, and at age 11 joined the “Pioneer Boating Club” even before the clubhouse was built, which later became Double Bay Sailing Club. Jim and his sister Lyn went on to win the first two consecutive Club Championships in his VJ dinghy named “Star”. His parents Patricia and Dr. Charles Ley were among the Club’s founders. Jim went on to be win many trophies in many classes in many other clubs over the years. Our thoughts are with Jim’s family and friends in this sad time.  He will be remembered and he will be missed.
Our Club Historian has put together more detailed recollections HERE

Volly of the Week!

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 Laser racing each week.

This week we’d like to thank Ian Tudball who has been busy de-sliming our ramps. Keeping the ramps free of algae and moss is an ongoing task - but by the look on Ian’s face - a happy one!

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