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.
How do I subscribe to your Pulitzer Prize winning newsletter?
How to make a tax-deductible donation to the club (using the internet)?
How to make a tax-deductible donation to the club (using paper forms)?
Want to book a seat at the restaurant?
Want to become a social member?
Can I rent/hire your clubhouse?
How do I get to crew on a yacht?
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.
On his never-ending quest to find new and exciting courses for DBSC sailors Peter Collie has travelled to Antarctica. He reports good potential for starting a new laser regatta there and has planted the DBSC burgee to stake our claim. Thanks Peter for extending our reach to yet another continent!
What a difference a week makes. Sunny skies and a perfect NE breeze greeted the fleet of 30+ for Autumn Pointsocre Heats 3 and 4. First over the line after handicap were: Standards: Murray Stone (heat 3) and Richard Lees (heat 4); Radials / 4.7s: Daryl Lawrence (heat 3) and David Huber (heat 4). Thanks to all of last week’s volunteers for putting on a great day of racing.
Wednesday 24 January, 5pm – Twilight Sailing. Brett Beyer is back to coach those who are part of BBWP. Sign up here if you’re coming.
Saturday 27 January, 2pm Start – Club Championship Heats 9 & 10 followed by a BBQ on the deck after racing.
The club is hired out for a fashion parade on Tuesday 30th of January. The event will mean that all boats North of the entrance to the changerooms will not be accessible from 2:30pm to 5:15pm. (This includes boats equal to and opposite the change room entrance.)
If you wish to access your boat between these times on Tuesday January 30th, please organise a temporary rack swap with someone who is positioned South of the changerooms. In addition, the changerooms may not be available during this time. If you wish to get changed, please do so in the centre of engineering excellence or in the 18footers bathrooms
Thanks in advance for your understanding.
Richard Lees has to make an emergency trip to New Zealand but was rostered to be Co-COTD this Saturday. If you are available to cover him and have not done your duty yet, please email Mark Crowhurst at treasurer@dbsc.com.au.
The current Brett Beyer Saturday Program (BBSP) has had 8 instalments. It will recommence for its final two instalments on 27 Jan and 17 Feb. After that, there will be a 5-week program, commencing 24 February. Excluded dates for the new series are 17 Mar (Metros), 31 Mar (Easter). The series will end on 7 April as Brett is away after that. There will be two program options: "A" = $450, "B" = $225 (plus Try Booking fees) for the 5-week series. "A" and "B" both get a video of the start and the fleet's GPS tracks, plus fleet race commentary on a leg-by-leg basis. "A" also gets an individual report on their race. There will be no Option "C" this time. Those who are interested, please email training@dbsc.com.au.
The current Brett Beyer Wednesday Program (BBWP) has two instalments remaining: 24 Jan and 31 Jan. The new series will commence 14 April, and will run for 7 weeks, with the last date being 28 March (end of daylight saving). The cost will be $210 (plus try booking fees). Limited to 10 participants, first in best dressed. Email training@dbsc.com.au ASAP to secure your place.
The wind gods kept their promise, and this race was sailed in ideal conditions - warm, sunny, a 10-15knot sea-breeze. It was a little more variable in pace and direction than some sea-breezes but - really - ideal.
Alas, after successive postponements of this race, caused by extreme weather the previous two Sundays, only three boats were there to take advantage. Still, Team DBSC swung into action for the start. Gerry (Umbakumba) gave us a timed start, from the Jazzman; it was the first time we had been started from the Arvor 21, and it was great. John Vasey, from the RIB Paul Adam, laid a brand new buoy at Point Piper. This was great service - thank you both.
The start wasn’t our greatest; only T&T was on time; Corinna was held up with a rigging problem, and was 2 minutes late to the start; and Smitten - was just late. On T&T, with a full crew, we were working smoothly through the fresh conditions; only a few errors. The Harbour was empty for a high summer’s day, and we had a good lead.
Still, Corinna is fast upwind, and closing the gap is something her skipper enjoys; it’s instinctive in a veteran racer. T&T was still well ahead at the Point Piper mark, again at the Taylors Bay mark; but as we approached the top mark - all three of these legs were upwind - we had choices to make. A huge tanker moored in the East Channel, and a series of ferries forced T&T to the right hand side of the course; we tacked for the top mark near Neilsen Park. Corinna was forced to the left side of the course, and tacked back somewhere off Clontarf. As we crossed, Corinna passed just behind our transom; he had made up those 2 minutes. We had a few more tacks to do before reaching the mark and Sown’n Pigs, and we traded gains and losses as we crossed and recrossed. Impressively - Corinna rounded the mark just ahead; he had caught us.
But T&T is often the faster boat downwind; we quickly poled the jib to port and surfed, goose-winged, downhill to Shark island, reaching it 100m ahead of Corinna. Smitten sail well upwind and down but, though she is bigger and intrinsically faster, she is also heavier, and needs careful management and a clean hull to keep her moving against the Endeavour 24 and Hood 23. She had kept up with Corinna to Point Piper, but by Shark Island she was cruising well but out of contention.
On the last leg, a reach from Shark Island to Clark Island, Corinna again made time, but could only halve the gap to Time & Tide.
Across the line:
We pulled down our headsails, sailed to our moorings with the wind in our mainsails, derigged and repaired to the Clubhouse to rehydrate, now following the 18s, who were racing in these very fresh conditions. The radio told us that on one the centreboard had snapped; she wobbled back downwind, with only her jib up. Another was against Clarke Island after losing her tiller pin. John V in the Paul Adam was attending. In the Clubhouse the radio crackled, binoculars were trained on the Harbour. The 18s were flying.
Another great afternoon’s sailing.
Big boaters - we sail again (after the postponements) in just weeks - on February 4
Australian Youth Championships have been run and won!
The Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron has hosted the Summer of Sailing with multiple regattas, hundreds of boats and even more Youth sailors! Team DBSC Youth have had a successful summer at RQYS and we are very excited to share the exciting news of the results of our youth fleet in both the 4.7 and Radial fleets – Boys AND girls!
4.7 (46 competitors)
Radials (38 competitors)
Maddie O’Shea sailed like a super star during both regattas and has secured her place in the Australian Youth Sailing Team and will be off to Corpus Christie, Texas, USA during the year to compete in the Youth Worlds. Congratulations Maddie – we look forward to following your sailing throughout the year!
Here's an idea for next time there isn't any wind blowing in the harbour:
Instagram Post by Eurilca
A very strong south-westerly breeze greeted a small post-holiday fleet of sailors for the first two heats of the Autumn 2018 Pontscore. After handicaps, in the Full Rigs Mark Bethwaite won both races and in the Radials / 4.7s, Pat Levy did the same. Please note that The Autumn Pointscore competition for Radials will also include 4.7s as a trial. Either rig can be used by any competitor. Handicaps will equalise to allow 4.7s to compete against the rest of the fleet with a chance for the "Gold Ink" at the end of the season. This applies to POINTSCORE ONLY to allow the small 4.7 fleet to try for the trophy. Championship events are still separated by class.
