Save the date....3 June 2016.

DBSC was founded in 12 July 1956.  Wonderful article about the origins of the club here. 

We'll be celebrating the 60th anniversary on 3 June 2016 (note the change from original date) at our Gala AGM/prize giving/birthday party.

Plans, details, invites etc all to follow, but at this time you should block out Friday night 3 June.  Formalities will be de minimis, but food, dance music and beverage opportunities will be de maximis.  Council approval is in place for the party to rock between 7pm and 4am.

Wise folk/ seasoned campaigners will also pencil in a later start on the 4th.

2016 Masters World Championships entries open

Masters Sailors,

Following is the ILCA invitation to enter the World Masters in Mexico. The arrangements for the championships are described and details and entry links are on the web site.

The entries have just opened.

Cheers

Kevin Phillips 
Chair NSW/ACT Laser Association
...........…

From: International Laser Class [mailto:entry@laserinternational.org] 
Sent: Monday, 26 October 2015 3:03 PM
To: IL CA <entry@laserinternational.org>
Subject: 2016 Laser Masters World Championships Announcement

Dear Laser Masters Sailor,

The ILCA will begin accepting applications to compete at the 2016 Laser Masters World Championships on 26 October 2015.

For information about the Championships and to fill out an application, please Click Here to access the ILCA events page.

The Venue:
The 2016 Laser Masters World Championships will take place on the Pacific Coast of Mexico on the waters of Banderas Bay. Sailing will be less than one kilometer off the beaches and will be based out of the Vallarta Yacht Club (VYC). VYC offers a full bar and dining facilities as well as a hot tub, bathrooms, shower and locker rooms and a private swimming pool. 

Accommodations: Paradise Village Beach Resort and Spa in Nuevo Vallarta.
Paradise Village occupies a 12-acre private peninsula amidst a 440-acre beachfront community with a world-class marina, a European-style spa, a conference center, a tropical gardens, championship golf and beautiful white-sand beaches.

Each suite accommodation includes a fully equipped kitchen, marble bath and designer decor. 

With nine casual to formal restaurants to choose from, Paradise Village guests can dine somewhere new each day, whether it is lunch at Kaybal Ocean Terrace, with seafood specialties in a beach setting, or Mayapan Garden Restaurant, serving fine Mexican cuisine each evening in the garden.

Paradise Plaza shopping center includes over 100 different stores.

Within the Paradise Village Beach Resort, you can easily walk between the Vallarta Yacht Club, local restaurants, the shopping center and your accommodations, avoiding the need for a car.

Local Transportation
Vallarta Yacht Club and Paradise Village is a short 14 minute trip by road from the airport in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Before and after the event, travel to VYC and Paradise Village is available by taxi, bus and in some cases a Paradise Village shuttle. During the event, special Laser World Championships shuttles will be available for travel to and from the venue.

Why are there TWO Masters Championships?

Because there are limits to the number of charter boats that can be made available, a combined Standard and Radial Masters would mean that we could accommodate half as many sailors than if we made them separate events. Our goal is to give as many sailors as possible an opportunity to compete on the water and enjoy the venue.

Why are the two Masters Championships not scheduled back to back?

ILCA needed to schedule the Olympic class World Championships around various ISAF events. The host also has scheduling issues that needed to be addressed, and this was the best schedule that could accommodate all the needs and constraints we were having to consider. In the future, if we choose to have separate Masters regattas for Standard and Radial classes, we would aim to schedule them back to back when possible.

Can I compete at both the Radial and Standard Championship events?

Yes, you may submit application to each of the events and if there is space available you may compete at both events.

We hope to see you in Mexico!

The ILCA Team

Sail Sydney 17-19 December

Thursday to Saturday, at WSC

Details here 

Coasties Success

With large numbers of DBSCers buying or borrowing flannelette shirts and ugg boots and making their way towards Wollongong (not much grass, but they do have Bulli Pass), it was a successful brand building exercise for DBSC.

Highlight of the weekend was having a DBSCer on the podium in every type of Laser:

• Jack - 1st - 4.7 (four bullets in six races)
• Blake - 2nd - Radial (behind the Australian Champion)
• Zoolander - 2nd - Standard (another new member this season)

The commercial reporting is a bit scratchy, but we know who our members are: click here for a report.

Photos can be found here. 

Super Saturday Spring Shots

DBSC has a proud history of attracting great photographers. Last week's special guest was Beth Morley of Sportsailingphotography.com.  She was with Trish at the top mark while the sprints were on. 

Tight racing in front of The People's Democratic Republic of Point Piper

Beth got some great shots more of which can be found here .  If you would like a giant print for the bedroom ceiling, or a more modest print for the poolroom, contact Beth at beth@sportsailingphotography.com.  She will even photoshop you into the lead. 

Nothing better than a sunny NorEaster on our Harbour

This is week is Pointscore. Usual time and course.  

Go the Wallabies

 

Coast Championship 17th & 18th October, Port Kembla

The coast championships are on this weekend at Port Kembla, marking the start of the open regatta circuit for the 2015/16 season.

There is camping available in the club grounds, or if you really want to spoil yourself - you'll be allowed to sleep in your swag inside the clubhouse. There will be meals available at the club including dinner on Saturday night.

Links to the important stuff:

Notice of Race

Venue information

Online entry

So far it looks like Teams Alexander, Dunne and Whitley are heading south to fly the flag for the club.  

NEXT EVENT

14th/15th November is the NSW Open & Master State Titles.  Always a great event, DBSC will be fielding a big turnout for this one.  Block your diaries, and book your accommodation!

Big Boat Race Report

Jonathan reports: 

It was a splendid afternoon. lt was the first Sunday of the 18 footers season, and the rigging area was full again of their skiffs, laid on their side, or standing into the wind. A north-easter was in and blew all afternoon, the signature wind of those who race on Sydney Harbour. It is the wind in which the 18 footers evolved last century, from heavy whale boats into the high-tech, quick-to-plane boats of this century; it is of course the local seabreeze, and it has done much to shape the history of high-performance sailing.

John Vasey gave us a start, and a Point Piper buoy, and the wind took us from there into Taylor’s Bay and up the Harbour, our usual course. As we approached Shark Island under spinnaker, the 18 footers swept around us, doing two or three times our speed. For a moment it seemed like bedlam, but we gybed safely for our finish line and it was all over.

Except that a pod of dolphins greeted us in Double Bay, surfacing and even leaping, briefly playing around the boat; for me it was only the second sighting in the Bay, in 30 years of sailing. And, as we relaxed on the clubhouse deck, the 18s came in, swooping and rattling in the wind; a less rare sight but always worth watching.

And the young things heading for an afternoon of loud music somewhere on the Harbour, fluttered on the Double Bay wharf, waiting for transport. Overdressed and underdressed all at the same time. Also now a regular part of the Harbour sights, on a weekend afternoon.

Only two disappointments: Only Corinna and Time & Tide presented (Umbakumba withdrew at the last  minute); and the wind faded after we turned downwind, so that it took much patience, even under spinnaker, to complete the race. Corinna led upwind, rounding the top mark at Sow’n Pigs a couple of minutes clear; she was pointing better. But a new-idea-for-a-spinnaker-on-an-old-boat didn’t work - I think Chris tried to rig an asymmetric on a makeshift bow prod. Our spinnaker set well, we went to the lead as Chris struggled, and the fading of the wind exaggerated our lead, which eased out to 10 minutes at the finish.

Over the line:

Time & Tide

Corinna

We race next on November 1…….. these afternoons should not be missed.

So be there!

Jonathan

Championship racing last weekend

A strong fleet of 23 full rigs and 18 Radials fronted last Saturday for heats 3&4 of the club championships. 

Skies were sunny, breeze light and variable. Frustrating many, unforgivable for the fatties.  We've yet to have a race this season with a decent blow, but it's only a matter of time.  

Yet again a few full rigs were OCS'ed. While it's hard to teach old dogs new tricks, it might be time to send a few to obedience school. 

Next weekend is the NSWLA Coast Championships at Port Kembla. For those not travelling, DBSC will be holding sprint races. Again probably 6 to 8 @ 20 minute races.  

What a hoot!

DBSC parents done good......

There is always the nature v. nature argument, but given the performance of our younger members at the NSW "Yoof" Championships, our DBSC parents have done good.  No wasted hours in-front of the X-Box, or hanging out with the "do nothing" crowd at shopping centres - just a well moderated dose of UV and the excitement of sailing organised by the parents.

The younger folk who brought glorious benefit to DBSC's global reputation were:

• Grasshopper 2.0 (1st in radials)
• Jack (2nd in the 4.7)
• Blake (4th in the radials)
• Marlena (4th in the girls' radial)

This bonza effort has drawn international attention to our club, with a flood of enquiries gushing through our new Google mail servers from the northern hemisphere, particularly from ex-pats.

Typical of the correspondence:

"Dear DBSC,

I'm an ex-pat who married a Dane.  He is a keen sailor, and now with four sprogs we need to stop procreating and start thinking about where the kiddies should grow up, and learn to sail.  He is from Copenhagen and I'm from Tassie, so in my view Sydney would be a reasonable compromise.  Would you have room for five boats?  A few will be Optimists, but the rest will be Lasers.

Mary

PS: Happy to help in the canteen on some Sundays when the 18s race."

Sorry, Mary, but we only do Lasers, and even though we are ALWAYS looking for Canteen Crew for Saturdays and Sundays.  Just wait a bit longer and Sydney property prices will fall and you all can sail from DBSC.

Note: the NSW Yoof detail can be seen from this commercial media report of the event. .

Racing at DBSC taught the coach everything he knows.