The Coast Championship

The Coast Championship is set to roll on the weekend of 21st and 22nd October at Gosford Sailing Club.

The Notice of Race for the event is HERE and you can place entries online HERE.

Gosford Sailing Club is a great social club with relatively uncrowded sailing waters and only a short drive up the freeway from Sydney.

There is good local accommodation around Gosford and out to the coast at places like Terrigal and Avoca. Alternatively, from Sydney you can drive in/drive out if you like to sleep at home.

Big Boats Race 8 October

Two important messages about the October Big Boat races:

• It will be on October 8, the second Sunday in October - to avoid the long weekend
• Because daylight saving begins October 1, the start will be at 2.00pm

As always, let Jonathan Stone know which boats to expect - email him at jonathan.stone@sydney.edu.au

Spring Point Score Continues Saturday

Heats 5 & 6 of the Spring Point Score are on this Saturday. Looks like it might be a light wind day... so a big change from the last two weeks. Briefing at 1pm, first warning signal at 2pm.

Thanks to Max Dzhura for capturing last Saturday's gusty competiton. 

Sailors' Dinner at Royal Prince Edward YC

The sailing social event of the season is almost upon us – The Season Opening Sailors’ Dinner on 27 October. Held at the prestigious Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club, this is an event not to be missed.

$90 per person includes a two-course dinner and a group-shared beer, champagne and wine tab of $30 per head.  Dress is smart casual. Please RSVP by 19 October via TryBooking by following this link. 
 
All DBSC sailors, volunteers and other members welcome. We hope to see you there.

New PRO / COTD Roster

We have updated the PRO/COTD roster to reflect changes in membership and to ensure that no participants in the Brett Beyer Saturday Coaching Program are rostered to be in a RIB on any of the days that program is running. The updated calendar is live here.

If you are scheduled in the coming weeks and have already had communication with Mark/Michael about your duty, then any changes should have been communicated to you directly. We encourage you to check to be sure. If you were scheduled at a future date, your date may have changed. Please check the calendar and use the form here to advise us if you cannot volunteer on  your scheduled day. The more notice you give us of your availability/unavailability the easier it is to re-schedule accordingly.

This Week’s Snapshot

1. It’s Heats 3 and 4 of the Spring Point Score this Saturday.  Looking like another tricky breeze!  Briefing at 1pm, first warning signal at 2pm.
2. Invitations are out for the Season Opening Sailors’ Dinner on 27 October. $90 per head. RSVP via TryBooking by following this link.
3. The third instalment of survey results focuses on the topics of training, rack positions and rigging.  More again next week.
4. There are still 28 members who have not updated their details – please do this here so we don’t have to chase you individually.
5. We have 21 participants signed up for the Brett Beyer Saturday program. TryBooking links will be emailed individually this week.

Saturday Sailing

The first Point Score heats of the season made for some interesting sailing, with a typically gusty shifty 18-25kt southerly breeze in Double Bay, complicated by a persistent shift to the left and decreasing pressure throughout the afternoon.  Get on the wrong side of the course at your peril, as many found out the hard way.
 
We had over 30 boats on the water, including welcome guest appearances from some of the top talent from both MHASC and VYC, which served to intensify the already-stiff competition. 
 
The winners on adjusted time were Fernando Gonzales and Gerry Donohoe in the Standards, and Robert Young and Alistair Sutherland in the Radials.  Brooke Wilson turned in an excellent performance in the 4.7s.
 
Resident sailors were very appreciative of the new concrete works that made getting in and out of the club a dream.  Thanks to Mike Gentry and another mystery volunteer for filling in around the edges of the concrete!
 
This coming Saturday is Heats 3 and 4 of the Spring Point Score.  Briefing at 1pm, first warning signal at 2pm.

Big thanks to our helpers - big and little - that assisted on Saturday.

Season Opening Sailors’ Dinner

Our Season Opening Sailors’ Dinner is a go!  Block out your calendars for 27 October, dry clean your cocktail gear, and polish up on your salsa.  Most importantly, please RSVP via TryBooking by following this link. 
 
It is priced at $90 per person, which includes a two-course dinner and a group-shared beer, champagne and wine tab of $30 per head (after which it will be pay as you go, so get there early).  Dress is smart casual.
 
We will be celebrating the start of our season as well as the return of our Worlds Masters sailors (more on the Worlds next week). We have planned an evening of fine dining and drinking up-to-but-not-including excess, with the prospect of a little billiards and a bit of a twist to keep things interesting.
 
All DBSC sailors, volunteers and other members are welcome. We hope to see you there.  (A family day will be held later in the season for those close to us to attend). 

Survey Instalment 3

This week’s survey instalment covers the topics of training, rack positions and rigging.  Next week, we will cover youth, social and volunteering.
 
(a)    Training
·         More training opportunities – Brett Beyer programs and twilight seminars
·         More coaching from “elite” sailors – “buddy” system to be implemented (details to come)
·         Peer mentoring for LTR transition – “buddy” system again
·         Morning mini-races for less experienced – club is open to this if someone volunteers
 
(b)   Rack positions
·         Rack allocation understanding – objective model already in operation (details to come)
·         Better rack positions – if you don’t think it’s fair, ask and we will explain
·         Boat hoist system – this is being investigated (difficult and no guarantees)
·         Temporary rack swaps (holidays / winter) – informal program exists (we will publicize)
 
(c)    Rigging
·         Lawn resurfacing – concrete works done, lawn now deferred until after sailing season
·         Second boat ramp repair – negotiations ongoing with RMS and WMC
·         Improved speed of rigging / de-rigging – new hoses and “buddy” system
·         Spare parts shop – this is being implemented (details to come)
·         Boat repair clinic – this will occur (details to come)
·         Boat protection on club dollies – this has been done
·         Improved security for personal dollies – recommendation is not to store personal dollies
·         Parking at DBSC Primary School – this is too hard (liability / indemnity / access issues)

Emergency Contact Details

We have now had 78 people provide their up to date details, including emergency contact details. Can we please ask the other 28 members to provide theirs too?  Here is the link.  Please don’t make us chase you individually.