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.
Saturday 1 September, 9am– Learn to Race. (see details below)
Saturday 1 September, 2pm start – Season Opening and Club Championship Heats 1 & 2
Saturday 1 September, 5pm – Season Opening BBQ
Sunday 2 September, 1pm start – Big Boat Race
Saturday 8 & Sunday 9 September – Women's Laser Regatta hosted by Double Bay Sailing Club. (see update below)
With the frigid past few days, it’s hard to believe that Spring starts this Saturday. But it’s true, and the turning of the calendar brings the start of a great new season of racing at DBSC. Saturday is packed with something for everyone – Learn to Race kicks off at 9am, then the competition begins in earnest with heats 1 and 2 of the Club Championship – there will be a briefing at 1pm and a 2pm race start, and to cap off the day there will be a post-race BBQ on the patio. It’s set to be a great day, and the wind and weather forecasts are looking positive.
This season there will be more competition than ever with several new members joining our ranks. Please welcome the following who joined DBSC at the end of last season or over the winter months: Katherine Sleeth, Will McMillian, Kevin Gilroy, Edwin Kirk, Finn Kirk, Morgan Au, Richard Au, Timothy Patton, Christine Patton, Ian Louis, Conor Roche, and Kim Ketelbey.
Here’s to a great season of racing and comradery. Looking forward to seeing everyone Saturday!
Here’s your chance. Learn to Race (LTR) begins again this Saturday Sept 1st at ‘the world’s best Laser club’. LTR is for prospective new members – a ‘try before you buy’ arrangement. Additionally, it’s for mid fleet club members wanting to improve their Laser sailing. Come along if you want to learn more about Laser boat handling, balance, boat posture, trim, starts, tacks, gybes, boat set-up and any other race management fundamentals.
We hold this training on the first & third Saturday of each month during the season (1st week of Sept - 3rd week of April). As people organising LTR will be away on September 15, the following LTR will be Oct 6.
Start time: meet at 9am at DBSC, on the water by 10.15am, return to club by 12.15pm approx. If the day is unpleasant (i.e. too much wind, storms etc) we’ll have a whiteboard talk about sailboat racing.
Please email Martin White at mwhite@umco.com.au if you would like to attend LTR this Saturday. Also, if you need to hire a club boat ($30 per hire), please let Martin know and fill out the hire form here.
Well done to everyone who ordered new sails from NB Sailsports for the upcoming season. With 50 brand-new, crisp sails on our fleet you can expect a whole new level of competition. Thanks to Rob at NB Sailsports and Chris at PSA for providing the discounted price. Details on delivery will follow.
DBSC Women’s Laser Regatta will kick off in less than two weeks – on Saturday September 8 and Sunday September 9. To pull off a world-class event we are still looking for YOUR help with the following:
Saturday September 8
8.30 am-9.30 am
Car Park attendant taking money for parking
2.00 pm- 5.00 pm
Derigging assistance -- this is needed so that we can derig boats quickly before we decorate the Club for a sit-down dinner
5.00 pm – 6.00 pm
Decorate and set up for dinner -- Cocktails start at 6 pm so we have a very tight window to make this happen
Sunday September 9
9 am – 11 am
Assistance with rigging -- this is to maximise the sailing time for the group
3 pm – 4.30 pm
Assistance with derigging -- this is to help derig boats, wash them down and put them away. We are targeting a 4 pm prize giving, so help from members would be appreciated. Come and join us for a beer!!
We are also still also looking to borrow 2 ribs for coaches and for Nic Douglas who is running our PR program. If you can assist with any of these jobs, or can lend a rib, please advise Christine Linhart at c.linhart@unsw.edu.au.
The last day of Winter Sprints was a bit of a bit of a trying affair for the 24 boats that raced. An unusual northerly 13-17 knots breeze shifted left when the skies opened. Once the deluge passed the breeze died, which saw the fleet drifting back to the clubhouse in 3 knots. Thanks to Andrew Simpson for running the races as PRO and for towing some of our guests back to their home clubs. Thanks also to Shirley and Paul in the canteen for some very welcome hot soup after racing.
Saturday 25 August, 12pm briefing, 1pm start – Pre-Season Sprints
Saturday 1 September, 2pm start – Season Opening and Club Championship Heats 1 & 2
Saturday 1 September, 5pm – Season Opening BBQ
Sunday 2 September, 1pm start – Big Boat Race
Saturday 8 & Sunday 9 September – Women's Laser Regatta hosted by Double Bay Sailing Club. (see update below)
We have received a very generous offer from NB Sailsports to provide our members with a significant discount on sails purchased in bulk by Friday, 24 August. Provided we get orders for at least 20 sails, we will be offered an 18% discount on all sails – and the sail numbers will be installed for us at no extra cost.
The price will be $685 (reduced from $840) for Hyde radials and 4.7s, and $872 (reduced from $1,060) for Mk2 standards (all prices include installed numbers and are inclusive of GST).
To secure your order, please deposit the relevant amount into DBSC’s bank account BY FRIDAY 24 AUGUST. In the transfer, please include your NAME and the SAIL NUMBER that you want put onto your sail. You can order as many as you want.
DBSC’s bank account details are BSB 062000, account 16143109. (If the order does not proceed due to insufficient interest or otherwise, you will be refunded).
Note, retail prices are going up 5% on 1 September. So, if you want any other gear before that, get into NB as soon as you can!
Thanks to Geoff Kirk for organising and coordinating our annual working bee last Saturday. Over 35 members attended, arriving bright and early at 8am. We got a tremendous amount of work done, including much needed patching and painting of the western facade, repairs and upgrades to club boats and their rigging, full sweep and wash down of the clubhouse floors, cleaning of the BBQ, removal of moss and weed build-up from the boat ramp and front steps, tidying the workshop and accessible bathroom, clean-up of the southern deck, preparation of the new club dollies for action, and maintenance of the Jazzman. Thank you all again for your tremendous volunteer spirit!
A raging August westerly greeted the 20 boats that sailed in our Pre-season Saturday Sprints. We had a delayed 1:30 start due to the working bee (apologies to our visitors from VYC and our members who sailed from RSYS). The winds averaged 20kts gusting 32kts W/WNW, except for a 13kt lull on one run, and a 30-44kt WSW squall late in the day. The strong wind proved a challenge with two de-mastings (good to get those out of the way pre-season!) and one rescue near the rocks off “Bethwaite Point”. Well done to Finn Alexander (PRO) and Daryl Lawrence on the Bergman, Rob McMillan on his RIB, and DB Marina for providing assistance. Thanks also to Martin White, Christine Linhart, Sara Brooks and Mike Dunne who were alert to the need for rescue and provided support in the very cold conditions. Sprints are on again this Saturday, with a 1pm start.