Coming Up...

Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 September - DBSC Women’s Laser Regatta

Saturday, 5 October, 2pm Start – Sprints (due to the October Long Weekend)

Wednesday, 9 October, 5pm Splash – Twilight Sprints

Saturday, 12 October, 2pm Start – Sprints (due to Oceania and Coasts)

Sunday, 13 October, 2pm Start – Big Boat Race

Wednesday, 16 October, 5pm Splash – Twilight Sprints

Saturday, 19 October, 9am – Learn to Race

Saturday, 19 October, 2pm Start – Club Championship, Heats 3 & 4 AND Spring Pointscore, Heats 5 & 6.  Followed by a BBQ

Big Discount on Great Gear

Boat Crew Gear are generously supporting The Women’s Laser Regatta and would like to share the love to the whole DBSC membership - So – Jump on board – support our sponsors.

Order online now with BoatCrewGear.com for pickup at the Women's Laser Regatta and receive a 15% discount on your gear!

BoatCrewGear.com is an Australian small business servicing the sailing and paddling market online and at popup shops at regattas. BCG sells ALL brands – MUSTO, Zhik, Spinlock, Harken, ForwardWIP, Gill, Ronstan, wetsuits, boots, blocks, jackets for on and off shore, thermal hot sox, Performance knee pads, and more  – basically everything you need for sailing either on a dinghy OR a big boat!

When was the last time you bought a NEW Lifejacket? They don’t last forever – BCG have a variety of brands too!  

If you order online between now and the 26th September 2019 you can pick up your gear at their popup shop at the Women's Laser Regatta on the 28/29th September

Use code DBSCLaser at checkout for your 15% discount. Only valid for online orders with regatta pickup. Discount not valid on items already on special.

If you miss the online shop – come on down to DBSC as Andrew will have a pop up shop both days so you can come and try gear on, buy last minute things to get ready for the summer of sailing!

Sweet Spring Pointscore

What a difference a week makes. Instead of the near-gale force winds of two weekends ago, Saturday brought a much gentler 10 – 12 knot Southerly. The first heats of the Spring Pointscore were sailed by almost 40 boats. The fleet had to battle some major shifts and lulls, but all in all it was a much tamer day of sailing. 

The winners after handicapping were: Standard Rigs: Steve London (race 1), Campbell Patton (race 2); Radials & 4.7s (who race as one fleet in the Pointscore): Kate McHugh (race 1), Otto Henry (race 2). You can check out all the results HERE.

Thanks to last week’s race management volunteers for running a great day on the water: PRO Mark Bethwaite, assisted by Justin Davey; COTD Emily Ball, CoCOTD Kim Ketelbey, and Canteen Assistants David Huber and Alvaro Manzanares Bertran.

Join us this Saturday for heats 3 and 4 of the Pointscore. 

Photo by Emily Ball.

Brett Beyer Saturday Program

This Saturday is the first instalment of the Brett Beyer Saturday Program.  We have 15 participants signed up and paid.  This is your LAST CHANCE to sign up -- find out more and reserve your space HERE.  Dates are 21 Sep, 19 Oct, 26 Oct, 2 Nov, 16 Nov, 30 Nov, 7 Dec.; cost is $630 for “A” and $315 for “B” (plus merchant fees).

Weekly Top Tip

 We are looking for ideas for a Weekly Top Tip section in the newsletter.

It might be something clever you have discovered about rigging your boat, or how to prevent a capsize, or how to get your boat out of the racks, or how to dry your wet gear, or how the canteen honesty book works … anything you have discovered about the club or about sailing that you think other people might not know or might find interesting.  

It might be that you are a new member and you recently discovered something you wish you had been told – then tell us what it is, so we can let others know.  It might be that you are an “old hand”, and you have some wisdom to pass on – again, tell us what it is, so we can let others know.

We are looking for any and all ideas – can you please email Kirk Marcolina, the Newsletter editor HERE with your suggestions?

Safety Reminder

As we start the new season, we want to remind all members about DBSC’s safety policy.  Please read and understand the policy at dbsc.com.au/safety.  We have summarised it below:

DBSC takes safety very seriously.  Sailing is dangerous.  All sailors must be aware of the risks and mitigants. Each individual must determine if it is safe for them to sail having regard to conditions, experience and equipment.  

Every participant is responsible for their own safety and the safety of others.  The safety of people comes before the safety of property.

Two basic principles of safety are awareness and common sense. If you see a capsized boat, and are closest to it, you must establish its crew are safe, even if this means sailing out of your way.  This is an obligation of every boat that sequentially becomes the closest boat until its crew is back on board.  There is no guarantee that a response boat will see an incident or be able to attend to it either in time or at all. You cannot assume that someone else will take care of it. 

Note that the club provides no support for members or visitors sailing to or from DBSC events from or to other clubs. 

Thank you for your individual commitment to safety.  It is a condition of sailing with DBSC that you have read, understood and accepted the risk warning, release of liability and conditions and the incident management plan.

Women’s Regatta Countdown

Just 10 sleeps to go until DBSC’s second annual Women’s Laser Regatta kicks off. Check out all the awesome events that are happening over the weekend of 28/29 September by viewing the schedule HERE. 

Coming Up Next

Saturday, 21 September, 9am – Learn to Race. 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. Please email Martin White HERE if you are planning on attending.

Saturday, 21 September, 2pm Start – Spring Pointscore, Heats 3 & 4.  

Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 September - DBSC Women’s Laser Regatta.

Wild Winds for Start of Season

The first heats of the 2019/20 Club Championship were quite a challenge for the 20 sailors who were brave enough to compete on this chilly early Spring day. The forecast was for a very strong Westerly and Mother Nature didn’t let us down. In fact, the start of racing was postponed for 30 minutes to let the breeze die down a bit, and the course was set inside Clark Island to lessen the impact of the 25+ knot Westerly that was blowing. There were plenty of capsizes, a few broken parts and many sore muscles by the time racing was complete. 

A Rare Inside Clark Island Course.

In the Radials, Otto Henry was victorious both races.  In the Standards, it was Ian Alexander in Race 1 and in the second race Geoff Kirk crossed the finish line first. Emily Ball was the only courageous 4.7 sailor to brave the rodeo ride, and despite a broken mast, still had a smile on her face at the end of the day. Congrats to all the hearty competitors.  

Emily started the day with the smallest sail of the fleet… and by the end of the day it was smaller yet.

After the tough racing the fleet was happy to dig into a beautiful BBQ on the clubhouse deck. Thanks to Paul Adam, Shirley Roach and Clare Alexander for whipping up such a delicious feast. 

Thanks also to last week’s race management volunteers for doing a great job in some tough conditions: PRO Mark Bethwaite, assisted by David Devlin and Diana Valia Chen; COTD Kirk Marcolina assisted by Justin Davey, CoCOTD David Airey assisted by Mark Crowhurst, and Canteen Assistants Jules Hall and Geoff Boscoe.

Coaching Call Out

Time is running out to sign up for Brett Beyer’s Spring Program. Come get coached by one of the best -- find out more and reserve your space HERE.  Dates are 21 Sep, 19 Oct, 26 Oct, 2 Nov, 16 Nov, 30 Nov, 7 Dec.; cost is $630 for “A” and $315 for “B” (plus merchant fees).