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.
Wednesday, 20 November, 5pm Splash – Twilight Sailing / BBTP
Saturday, 23 November, 8:45am SHARP – Competency Training
Saturday, 23 November, 2pm Start – Spring Pointscore
Wednesday, 27 November, 4:30pm Splash – Twilight Sailing / BBTP
Saturday, 30 November, 2pm Start – Vaucluse Challenge
Sunday, 1 December, 2pm Start – Big Boat Race
SAVE THE DATE - SATURDAY 14 DECEMBER - DBSC CHRISTMAS PARTY. DETAILS COMING SOON!
19 sailors turned up to last week’s Twilights and were greeted by a nice NE sea breeze. We’re looking to crack 20 this week, so join us tonight around 5pm for a 5:30 start with Brett on the water. It will be a beautiful way to cool down after such a hot Tuesday. Please also note that twilight sailing in two week’s time (27 November) will run from 5-7pm (half an hour earlier than usual) due to a function in the club.
In the past few newsletters we’ve been writing about the importance of the upcoming Competency Training that’s taking place in just a bit over a week, on Saturday morning, 23 November. It’s a critical component in making sure we offer the safest and best Laser racing on the planet. Yet only 29 have RSVPed. That’s a paltry 22% of our membership. If you haven’t done so already, please let us know HERE that you’re planning on attending. Thanks!
This Saturday is your final opportunity to try on sizes of t-shirts, bibs and jackets and to place your order for our new DBSC branded kit. Thanks to a special delivery by Diana Valia Chen, the new gear was unveiled to the public last Saturday at the State Championships. As you can see, it makes even this motley crew look good:
HERE is a link to all the designs. Place your order HERE. ORDERS WILL CLOSE THIS SATURDAY NIGHT.
Please note, prices are updated as follows: T-shirts $25, Bibs $40, Caps $15, Jackets $220. The T-shirts are $5 cheaper than previously publicised, Bibs $5 more expensive, Caps unchanged, and Jackets $100 cheaper!
As you might have noticed, there are quite a few new members at our club this season. Our newest DBSCers have quite interesting and diverse backgrounds. Here’s a bit about some of the new faces:
Gavin Blake – Gavin moved to Sydney (Bronte) about a year ago from the UK. He is a keen surfer and kitesurfs a lot too. He works for the Toll Rescue Helicopter as a pilot. Gain is married with a 2-year-old boy named Charles and is looking forward to being able to teach him how to sail! It’s been 15 years since he last sailed and when he heard about DBSC he knew he had to get involved. He explains, “I’ve been bowled over by how friendly and welcoming everyone has been and the standard of sailing is excellent. It truly is the best laser sailing club in the world!”
James Johnson – James grew up in the bush, but by a stroke of luck when he was in primary school his dad bought a home-made sailing dinghy from a neighbour and he taught himself to sail on annual holidays to the coast. He’s had a Soling for 25 years but gave it to a good home last year. Julian Van Aalst is a work colleague and friend. He persuaded James to come down and have a look at the club. It’s been about 35 years since James has sailed dinghies but he’s busting to get back into it.
James Johnson
John Verco – After a short attempted retirement, long-time member, John Verco, has decided he missed us too much, and has returned to the club, with plans to get another boat and join us for racing in the new year.
Anthea Michael – Anthea was invited to the 2019 AGM by her friend Candice Cushway. She was so impressed by the good spirit, the presentations at the meeting, as well as the range of members that she decided to join. Importantly, she wanted to volunteer to contribute to a community organisation that had an excellent committee, a strong history of promoting health and fitness for both men and women, and a social and friendly vibe. Anthea has done more social sailing and got her boat licence in 2018. She is super keen to build her skills and experience on the RIBs while learning about sailing and race management. Anthea’s professional background is in risk with a strong background in health and safety, investigation and training. Plus, she is a carpenter by trade – a skill certain to come in handy during our annual Working Bee.
Anthea Michael
Quinn Pearson – Quinn recently purchased his first laser (and first boat of any kind), with the goal to become race ready. DBSC was the no brainer, between the size of the fleet, the Learn to Race on Saturday mornings, and proximity to his place of residence (Surry Hills).
David Foley – In the past Dave has owned motor and ski boats, and is still a keen SUPer and Kayaker. He’s a novice sailor who’s completed the competent crew course and bought an entry level cruising yacht to spend time on with his children and friends while he learns more about sailing, with the intention to upgrade in years to come. He joined DBSC for the networking, facilities and just to be a part of the club. He promises that as soon as soon and he gets more time on his hands we will all be seeing more of him.
David Foley
Peter Heywood – Peter is a highly accomplished radial sailor and previous World Champion. He has joined us from VYC and is a welcome addition to our fleet.
Nick Alexander – Nick quips that he is “pretty standard for a Masters sailor.” He has waited 25 years to get back into sailing after career and family life took priority. He is really enjoying Lasers in his third season but admits that he has a lot to learn and finds them very challenging. Nick joined DBSC to increase his racing as his Sunday’s are at MHASC. His goal is to keep improving and not stagnate, so with Brett coaching and the high quality of the fleet he hopes to be pushed and learn. He is really excited about the summer ahead.
Nick Alexander
It is time for one of our mid-season rack reshuffles. The new rack plan is displayed on the noticeboard with people whose boats have moved highlighted in yellow. We have also moved the name tags next to the racks to reflect the new positions.
On Saturday, could you please check the noticeboard and the name tag next to your rack spot? We would like everyone’s assistance with lifting boats after sailing to make the reshuffle as easy as possible. Please make sure all gear that is on a rack is moved with the boat to the new rack.
If you are unable to be at the club on Saturday, can you please ensure that all your gear is labelled with your name to avoid loss!
A reminder that our rack allocation policy is based on sailing and volunteering – the more you do both of these, the lower your boat will be. It is that simple. If you are interested in volunteering more, please let Andrew Cox know – we have plenty of jobs available!
DBSC had an impressive showing at the State Championships at Georges River Sailing Club last weekend. Of the 94 sailors that competed, 26 (28%) were DBSC members! It was a tricky regatta with the wind clocking left both days, steadily decreasing to almost nothing the first day and steadily increasing from almost nothing the second day!
Despite the challenging conditions, our members did us proud: Xavier McLachlan placed 2nd in the 4.7s. In the Radials DBSCers took out 1st (Jack Littlechild), 2nd (Daniel Costandi), 4th (Otto Henry), and 5th (Marlena Berzins). And in the Standards Campbell Patton was victorious and Gavin Blake took second.
Well done all!
Campbell Patton was Victorious at States. Photo by Jon West.
Whilst many of our members were doing battle at Georges River, 25 others took the chance to hone their skills in a series of sprints on the harbour on Saturday afternoon. A beautiful 12-15 knot South Easterly was blowing though Rose Bay, creating perfect conditions for 6 short races. Thanks to Kirk Marcolina and Kevin Gilroy for running the afternoon of sprints.
A Classic Spring Day on the Harbour.
Last week a member asked for tips on avoiding mainsheet mayhem. Thanks to our Champion Martin White who has come through with these ideas:
No rope is perfect, but selecting the right rope and giving it the right care helps.
A) The right rope: I use Rooster Polilite 7mm (blue coloured). For myself, and most Masters sailors, the Polilite 6mm (yellow) is only good for less than 10knots only - you'd need great grip strength to play it effectively in medium to strong breezes. Don't simply copy the full time young Laser professionals who sail every day - they usually use the 6mm.
Rooster mainsheet rope is designed with a load bearing heavier outer to reduce the problems of twist. There is plenty written about this online. It's made of polypropylene which is light and absorbs little water.
B) Care: With the mainsheet tied off in the boat, take it for a walk before sailing. This purpose is to stretch out the twists. Mainsheets appear to have 'memory'. After sailing, some people run the mainsheet up to the bow then back to the stern and up again so it's put away without a lot of twists.
Also, many people buy a fresh mainsheet ahead of major regattas.
Our Commodore also chimed in with these tips:
Before you rig your boat, stretch the entire length of the sheet out under tension and then release it completely to remove any twists. Repeat this a few times
Be careful not to introduce any twists while rigging
Tie the tail end to the rear of the footstrap ropes
Be alert after each tack as to any twists or knots that look menacing and deal with them IMMEDIATELY! Don’t wait for a potential knot to become an actual knot
Perform witchcraft to cast out the sheet rope demons
Hope these tips help solve your mainsheet mayhem.
Wednesday, 13 November, 5pm Splash – Twilight Sailing / BBTP
Saturday, 16 November, 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, 16 November, 2pm Start – Spring Pointscore
Wednesday, 20 November, 5pm Splash – Twilight Sailing / BBTP
Saturday, 23 November, 8:45am SHARP – Competency Training
Saturday, 23 November, 2pm Start – Spring Pointscore
