Race Report Sunday 03 May 2026

All photos by Tim Heath

Winter Championship / Point Score Races 1, 2 & 3

The first day of the winter season was unseasonably warm, in fact a typical summer day. Light breeze from the north when we arrived with a 20 knot NE promised later. The 35 or so sailors were treated to a range of conditions from 5 to 15 knots, but luckily for the race management the wind direction remained fairly steady throughout. We started the first race promptly at 8am which unfortunately left many in the fleet still struggling to get out of Double Bay, and then the wind dropped so a slow race to start the series. We then shortened the course and the 4’s and 6’s were over-excited to get started with almost everyone over the line, which kept the flag raisers busy. The second race after this was uneventful, but now the wind started to pick up. We continued with the shorter course for the final race which finished in a challenging 15 knot breeze and all back to the club by 10am.

Many thanks to the race management team of David Airey, Stephen Reid, Tim Heath and Andrew Stigter for getting there on time at 6.15am and for a well-run day.

- David Airey, PRO

NOTE: For Winter Series racing the briefing has been brought forward to 07:15am. It is strongly suggested that sailors launch immediately after this briefing in order to make the 08:00am first Warning signal.

Winners (ILCA-4 / ILCA-6 / ILCA-7):

What's Going On

Club Look-ahead Schedule

• Sunday 10 May: Winter Championship & Point Score Races 4, 5 & 6: 7:15 Briefing, 8:00am Warning

• Sunday 17 May: Winter Championship & Point Score Races 7, 8 & 9: 7:15 Briefing, 8:00am Warning

• Sunday 24 May: Winter Championship & Point Score Races 10, 11 & 12: 7:15 Briefing, 8:00am Warning

Other Events

• Friday 22 May: Annual General Party & AGM: 6:30pm to 11:30pm

  • Please RSVP to your invitation (emailed separately)

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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 18 April 2026

Photo by Andrew Cox

Autumn Point Score Races 13 & 14

Who doesn’t love a Double Bay southerly!

The forecast due southerly – unusual in direction but simple in execution – was consistent right up to the start time. And then it wasn’t. Just as the orange “on station” went up, a massive left shift saw the top mark fully overlaid!  But it then corrected long and strong.  Right to the end of the start sequence.

And then not. A horrified race committee watched as the ILCA 6 / ILCA 4 fleet laid on port. The ILCA 7 start was postponed while a snappy course change was executed at the top mark with F1 pits-team precision by the on-RIB COTD team. And then, once the on-course fleet had cleared the start area, the ILCA 7s were finally off.

The monster shifts continued. Dave Newman reported that one minute he was on port heading 190° and the next minute he was on starboard – have a guess – heading 190°. Positions were won and lost on the whims of the shifts but, as ever, the pointy end just got pointier.

Instead of the forecast late-afternoon drift to the right, there was a persistent trend to the left, which saw a late-sequence AP in the second race to allow a further top mark adjustment, followed by another opportunity for the COTD to show off their skills – this time with a mid-race bottom mark rotation. Who doesn’t love pulling up marks a thousand times?

With not a cloud in the sky, it was a photographer’s dream – especially at the finish with the low afternoon sun back-lighting the sails of 40-odd boats against the city-bridge panorama. Thanks to Kirk Marcoline for the following photos:

And so the Autumn Point Score series was a wrap. The handicap winners on the day were Scott Finlayson and Charlotte Jenkins in the 6s, and Kerryn Smith backing up two firsts last week with two more again in the 7s … I’ll have what he’s having!

More importantly – drum roll please – the series winners were Martin White over Scott Finlayson taking out the “Jim Dounis” trophy in the 6s, and newby Sam Slattery over Mike Dunne in a close match for the “main event”.

Thanks to the on-water team – Andrew Cox, Wendell Wait, Kirk Marcolina (assisted by Rob), and Quentin Burns – backed up by handicapper, Scott Finlayson. Huge thanks to Paul and Shirley, as well as BBQ-chef, Peter Collie, for another class-of-its-own post-race spread.  And to Ryan Aldrich and Max Djura supporting in the canteen.

Winter series, here we come!

- Andrew Cox, PRO

A very happy looking Race Committee. Photo by Tim Heath.

Final BBQ feast of the season. Photo by Tim Heath.

What's Going On

Club Look-ahead Schedule

• Saturday 25 April: NO RACING (ANZAC Day Holiday)

• Sunday 3 May: Winter Championship & Point Score Races 1 & 2: 7:30 Briefing, 8:00am Warning

• Sunday 10 May: Winter Championship & Point Score Races 3 & 4: 7:30 Briefing, 8:00am Warnin

• Sunday 17 May: Winter Championship & Point Score Races 5 & 6: 7:30 Briefing, 8:00am Warning

• Sunday 24 May: Winter Championship & Point Score Races 7 & 8: 7:30 Briefing, 8:00am Warnin

Other Events

• If you’re looking for a weekend away, Sail Port Stephens “Week 3 Super Series” is on the weekend of 2-3 May and includes off-the-beach classes.

  • Same venue as the Aussie Masters last February.

  • For information, use this link.

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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 11 April 2026

Autumn Point Score Races 11 & 12

Ladies and gentlemen, another tremendous day—absolutely tremendous. Sunny skies, beautiful, and a gusty westerly breeze, 5 to 15 knots. Very dynamic. Sometimes it went south-westerly, sometimes nor-westerly—kept everybody on their toes. About 35 sailors turned up. Strong numbers. Very impressive.

The race officers—top people, really top—chose a westerly course. And it delivered. Fair racing, very fair, nobody can complain about that.

Starts were prompt—like clockwork. Clean, disciplined, very professional. Only one sailor called back across four starts. That’s what we call efficiency. That’s how you run an operation.

This was a day for the smart sailors. The ones looking up the course, reading the water, spotting those shifts, those beautiful ribbons of wind. If you picked it right—big rewards, fantastic results. If you didn’t… not so good. That’s the game.

Results — ILCA 6, Race 11

1. Martin White – great performance

2. Elouise Morgan – very strong

3. Alistair Sutherland – solid, very solid

Results — ILCA 6, Race 12

1. Kate McHugh – outstanding, really outstanding

2. Scott Finlayson – terrific effort

3. Martin White – back again, very consistent

Results — ILCA 7, Race 11

1. Kerryn Smith – dominant, absolutely dominant

2. Ryan Healy – strong showing

3. Samuel Slattery – very good

Results — ILCA 7, Race 12

1. Kerryn Smith – again! incredible, people are talking about it

2. Samuel Slattery – moving up, very nice

3. Geoff Boscoe – great to see

Now, I’m hearing—just hearing—that ASADA might be stopping by Kerryn Smith’s house. Maybe 5am. Maybe three times. We’ll see what happens. A lot of people are curious. Very curious.

And we have to thank the volunteers—because without them, none of this works, believe me.

Race Crew:

• Luke Parker – fantastic job

• Andrew Craker – tremendous

• Pia Hattersley – really great

• Megan Ross – outstanding

Canteen Crew—and I’ve got to say, these sandwiches? World class. People are saying they’re the best.

• Paul Adam

• Shirley Roach

• Richard George – great to have him back, really great

• John Chesterman

Thank you very much for your attention. Nobody does sailing reports like this—we know it.

Donald J. Trump

An Evening with Tom Slingsby

Tom with interviewer Martin White. Photo by Diana Chen.

Around 50 of us enjoyed the evening with Tom Slingsby last month.  I, for one, learned a lot about Sail GP, America's Cup, Moths and TP52s and Tom's winning mindset. And I am now trying to win one inch from each of you on every wave from now on.  If you missed out or want to rehear Tom's insights it is now on our YouTube channel here.  See also this article in Sail-World.

Many thanks to Martin White for arranging for Tom to visit us as well as running a stellar interview, and to Diana Chen for recording and producing a great video. Thanks also to Rod, Stephen Reid, Steve London, Kirk, Pat and Pete Collie for setting things up.

 -            Stephen Reid, Secretary

Photo by Diana Chen

What's Going On

Club Look-ahead Schedule

• Saturday 18 April: Autumn Point Score Races 13 & 14: 1pm Briefing, 2pm Warning

• Saturday 25 April: NO RACING (ANZAC Day Holiday)

• Sunday 3 May: Winter Championship & Point Score Races 1 & 2: 7:15 Briefing, 8:15am Warning

• Sunday 10 May: Winter Championship & Point Score Races 3 & 4: 7:15 Briefing, 8:15am Warning

• Sunday 17 May: Winter Championship & Point Score Races 5 & 6: 7:15 Briefing, 8:15am Warning

• Sunday 24 May: Winter Championship & Point Score Races 7 & 8 7:15 Briefing, 8:15am Warning

Other Events

• If you’re looking for a weekend away, Sail Port Stephens “Week 3 Super Series” is on the weekend of 2-3 May and includes off-the-beach classes.

  • Same venue as the Aussie Masters last February.

  • For information, use this link.

• DBSC’s Annual General Party is on Friday 22 May.

  • Please keep that date

  • We will be looking for volunteers to help with the organisation. More to follow.

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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 4 April 2026

DBSC’s Annual Easter “Round the Harbour” Race

A harbour to ourselves… Photos by Kerryn Smith.

Changing Breezes, Changing Courses, and No Sheep Stations Lost

Saturday’s race started with all the best intentions and a southeasterly… which promptly went the other way. The overcast and somewhat threatening-looking weather ensured the harbour was very quiet. The briefing reflected a plan to use the Navy “White” can north of Clark Island, but once the breeze swung SW, we reverted to the original course (and WhatsApp wisdom) to try and give everyone an honest beat.

Original (and actual) course

Boats were stationed at every mark and instructions were issued loud and clear… mostly. Some boats got the message, some sailed the briefing, and some appeared to sail their own personal version of the course. Classic harbour racing.

The handicap system on the day was both brilliant and not. A couple of our new sailors, Benjamin Phillips and Megan Taylor, without a race history but clearly plenty of talent, enjoyed a 20-minute plus head start and absolutely made the most of it, coming in first and second, respectively. Congratulations to both and to Steve London, coming in third. Behind them, the rest of the fleet finished tightly packed, proving the system worked, well… for most.

There was some post-race discussion around results, but no sheep stations changed hands. Throughout, spirits remained high and it was hard to argue with good racing and having the harbour largely to ourselves.

Thanks to the on-water team (Mike Dunne, Scott Finlayson, Kerryn Smith and Van Allen), and to Shirley and Michelle Power for producing toasties.

Michael Dunne, PRO

Annual Membership Subscription Renewals

As another Sailing Year comes to an end, another one is about to begin! From early April we will be sending out invoices via email to all members for the next sailing year: 1 May 2026 - 30 April 2027.

We do our best to get this right, but please contact secretary@dbsc.com.au if you have any questions about your membership renewal.

The Club relies on these membership subscriptions to keep the club going, and most of our costs are incurred through the winter months, so please make an effort to pay by the due date of 1 May 2024.

Regards
Steven London
Commodore

What's Going On

Club Look-ahead Schedule

• Saturday 11 April

  • Learn to Race: 9:00am

  • Autumn Point Score Races 11 & 12: 1pm Briefing, 2pm Warning

• Saturday 18 April: Autumn Point Score Races 13 & 14: 1pm Briefing, 2pm Warning

• Saturday 25 April: NO RACING (ANZAC Day Holiday)

• Sunday 3 May: Winter Championship & Point Score Races 1 & 2: 7:15 Briefing, 8:15am Warning

Other Events

• If you’re looking for a weekend away, Sail Port Stephens “Week 3 Super Series” is on the weekend of 2-3 May and includes off-the-beach classes.

  • Same venue as the Aussie Masters last February.

  • For information, use this link.

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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.