Sail GP this Saturday

That leads us to what’s happening this Saturday …

The harbour will be a bit busier than normal this Saturday with F50 Catamarans taking up our normal racecourse for the 2nd annual SailGP event. Here’s the spin from their website: “National pride will be on the line as world class teams take part in dramatic, adrenaline-filled racing on the iconic Sydney Harbour.”

They are racing on Saturday from 4pm to 6pm, with a huge exclusion zone starting at 3pm. The exclusion zone will make it very difficult (if not impossible) to sail between Vaucluse and Double Bay. Because of this, we will be running Sprint Racing this Saturday on a course that avoids this exclusion zone.  

After the Sprints, some DBSC members are planning on heading out to watch and support SailGP.  The boats (RIBs plus Jazzman) will be leaving the deck promptly at 4.10 to maximise the amount of racing we get to watch. 

Please RSVP to Emily Ball HERE by midday Friday. This is for members only and will work on a first come, first served basis. 

Also, we are looking for 1 x RIB and 1x Jazzman driver. Please let Emily know if you can help.

Australia SailGP Team helmed by Tom Slingsby in action during a practice session ahead of Sydney SailGP. Photo by: Sam Greenfield for SailGP

New Paul Adam (and Bergman) Critical Operating Instructions

As flagged in last week’s newsletter, there are six important notes in relation to use of the RIBs – these will be added to all the other instructions in the COTD Guide.  PLEASE READ THESE CAREFULLY:

1. No Propeller Guard 

The new Paul Adam has no propeller guard at this stage, due to availability.  One will be installed in due course, but in the meantime please exercise EXTREME CAUTION when operating the boat around people in the water, or when in the water around the boat.  This is a CRITICAL SAFETY WARNING

There is NO prop guard on the Paul Adam.

2. Insert and Remove Bung

The Paul Adam has a bung at the back that MUST BE REINSERTED BEFORE LAUNCH or the boat will flood and sink!  And it must be REMOVED AFTER RETRIEVAL otherwise the boat will fill with rain water and the davits will break.  THIS IS A CRITICAL SAFETY ISSUE – don’t forget it!

Location of bung hole on the Paul Adam.

Bung for the Paul Adam.

3. Reconnect After Flushing

When returning the RIBs to the davits, it is important to flush the motors.  For those that have been around long time, please note that we no longer use “ears” to do this.  You remove the tube “B” from its connector “A”, then connect the hose on the deck to “B”.  Then, with the engine OFF, you flush the motor for three minutes (make sure water is coming out of the holes around the propeller cowling).  IT IS CRITICAL THAT “B” is connected back to “A” when you finish – and make sure not to lose the washer that sits inside “B”.  If you do not do this, the ENGINE WILL BE A WRITE OFF! A concerning number of people forget this critical reconnection step, despite frequent reminders – don’t forget it!

Location of the Paul Adam Flushing Connection.

Detail of the Paul Adam Flushing Connection.

Location of the Bergman Flushing Connection.

Detail of the Bergman Flushing Connection.

4. Protect Tubes From Anchors

Both the new Paul Adam and the Bergman have been fitted with new tube covers, including an excellent innovation by Pat, namely a protective panel over each side of each RIB to protect the tubes and covers from anchor lines and chains. When you are dropping or retrieving marks, please ensure that any lines and chains only feed over this panel, not anywhere else on the RIB.

Make sure you are dropping / retrieving chains and anchors over this panel.

5. Switch On / Off Isolator Switch 

The isolator switch in the new Paul Adam is a bit hard to find. It is located behind a hatch on the starboard side of the transom (the back of the boat just in front of the engine).

You need to open this hatch to gain access to the isolator switch.

The isolator switch is in the back right hand side.

Please ensure it is switched on before attempting to start the engine. 

Isolator switch in the on position.

Importantly, to prevent a flat battery, make sure you switch it to the off position at the end of the day.

Isolator switch in the off position.

6. Report Any Problems

If you damage anything on the boats or anywhere else around the club (or you notice any issues at all), PLEASE TELL SOMEONE!  There was an incident at the metros where people operating the Bergman caused severe damage to the prop guard and did not tell anyone about it.  You won’t be “in trouble”, because accidents happen.  But telling someone will allow us to fix it and ensure ongoing safe operation.  We want to encourage a culture of ownership and open communication!

The damage to this prop guard was not reported and the next crew out had to deal with the issue.

Clean Up Australia Day – This Sunday

Thanks to the leadership of Jonathan Stone, DBSC is once again participating in Clean Up Australia Day this Sunday, 1 March. There is a low tide at 7.30am and so we’ll be cleaning the beaches and parks near our club from 7.00 - 10.00 am on Sunday morning. 

Jonathan encourages members to “Please keep up the strong tradition of club-member support: Clean Up Australia Day is an important part of the Club’s contribution to the community at large. We have a great site on the Harbour, but our continuing presence there requires long-term acceptance by the community.

Just come to the Clubhouse on the day, ready to spend 30 minutes clearing rubbish from Steyne Park and the beaches to east and west. The beaches are particularly littered after the recent rains.”

A big thanks to Jonathan Stone for running this initiative for many years. Jonathan, who has overseen this event at DBSC for many years, will be retiring from this capacity after this year. Luckily for us, going forward, Kate McHugh has generously offered to continue this great tradition at our club. A big thanks to both Jonathan and Kate. 

Save the Date

Here are two save the dates for you calendar:

Family & Friends Day – 4 April. A jumping castle, family Laser sprint races, RIB rides and a kiddie friendly BBQ will round out DBSC’s Annual Family & Friends Day from 5pm on Saturday 4 April (after that day’s racing). It’s the chance to show off the DBSC spirit to your loved ones.

Annual General Party – 22 May.  This is a not-to-be-missed event which includes our annual prizegiving, a great feed and dancing until dawn with a new and even better band courtesy of the one and only James Tudball.  Note, the date is 22 May, not 29 May as previously shown in the calendar.  Apologies to anyone who planned their schedule around the 29th.

Up Next at DBSC

Wednesday 26 February, 5pm splash – Twilight Sailing.

Saturday 29 February, 2pm Start – Sprints (See info above). 

Sunday 1 March, 7am – 10am – Clean up Australia Day. (See info above).

Wednesday 4 March, 5pm splash – Twilight Sailing.

Saturday 7 March, 9am Start – Learn to Race.

Saturday 7 March, 2pm Start – Club Champs heats 11 & 12 AND Autumn Point Score heats 7 & 8. Followed by a BBQ.

Early Start This Saturday for Vaucluse Regatta

Instead of our usual club racing, this Saturday we’ll be participating in The Vaucluse Regatta. It’s the 88th running of this grand regatta, and is a great opportunity for racing in a big fleet. VYC intends to run three short races for the Laser fleets. 

The Laser racing is scheduled to start at Vaucluse at 1:05pm which means they day will start earlier than normal for us. We’ll have a briefing at DBSC at 11:15am (and a splash around 12, depending on winds).  At the briefing, we will review the format of the racing. It should be a good day on the water with Laser sailors from around the harbour.  There is no cost to participate and all are encouraged to attend (as there will be no sailing at DBSC) – think of it as a normal Saturday on the water for us, just at the other end of the harbour.

Finish Boat Needed for Saturday

We need a couple of volunteers to staff the VYC finish boat and record the finishers at the Vaucluse Regatta on Saturday. This is a request from VYC as one of their people has had to pull out at the last minute due to health issues. 

It would be really appreciated if anyone not sailing would be willing to assist our sister club with this! If you are keen, please email Andrew Cox HERE ASAP.

RIB Upgrade Arrives at DBSC

We are excited to announce that the club has purchased a much newer second-hand RIB to replace the existing Paul Adam. 

The new RIB, which is scheduled to arrive this week, is a 2005-year Gemini Elite 630 (about the same size as the Bergman) with a 115hp Yamaha outboard. 

Our new beauty.

With Paul’s permission, the new RIB will also be named the Paul Adam, continuing our recognition of Paul’s tremendous contribution to the club over such a long period of time.  

We are grateful to Dave Sharma MP, Member for Wentworth, who represents our electorate in the Commonwealth Government, and has been very active in the community since his election in 2019. Dave championed the award to us of a $10,000 Commonwealth Government Stronger Communities Program grant to assist with purchase of this much-needed safety and response boat upgrade. 

Member for Wentworth, Dave Sharma, presents Commodore Cox the award.

We are also grateful to the Australian 18 Footers League and Jonathan Stone, who each made a further $10,000 contribution towards this purchase. 

The Australian 18 Footers League is our long-time close affiliate, contributing to the club’s financial position each year and conducting their racing from our club with the assistance of our RIBs each Sunday in season. 

Jonathan Stone is a life member, who has been a great contributor to the club over a very long time. His contributions included an astonishing 33 consecutive years on the management committee, during which time, among other things, he served as President, Commodore and Club Patron, coordinating the big boat fleet and acting as PRO for Club Championship races, as well as organizing our annual participation in Clean Up Australia Day. His donation towards the purchase of our new RIB, which he made upon his retirement from sailing last year (see previous article HERE), represented yet another of his continuing contributions to the club. 

Thanks to the three generous contributions we received, we have been able to purchase the new RIB, and also add much needed improvements to both it and the Bergman, including new tube covers, nav lights, upgraded radios, and also improvements and extensions to the davits to reduce wear and tear on the RIBs and improve operating safety.

Thanks are also due to Pat Levy for his extraordinary commitment of time and energy in sourcing the new RIB, negotiating its purchase, arranging all the upgrades to both it and the Bergman, and collecting and delivering it and the Bergman to multiple service providers all over Sydney! Thanks also to Luke Parker for donating the steel davit extensions and thanks to Andrew Simpson for their design and certification. 

There will be an article next week with some important operational notes about the RIBs. 

Transportation to Nationals and Worlds

If you are attending either The Masters Nationals or Worlds, it’s imperative that you attend the whiteboard session taking place after sailing on Saturday. At the session, we’ll work out transport for these events.  

If you can’t make it on Saturday, can you please email Ian Alexander HERE in advance and let him know:

• Are you planning to tow your own trailer?

• If so, have you already agreed to take anyone else’s boat on your trailer (and, if so, who)?

• If you are towing your own trailer, how many spaces (if any) do you have available for others (in addition to your own boat and in addition to any other boat you have already agreed to take)?

• Does your trailer require stackable dollies and (if so) how many do you need (including your own boat and any others you have agreed to take or are willing to take)?

• Do you have a towbar and are you willing to tow a club trailer?

• Are you planning to go, but do not have a towbar or trailer (and have not already agreed a spot on someone else’s trailer)?

Laser Race Report

Last Saturday an impressive fleet of 48 boats took on another challenging light and shifty southeasterly breeze. The day served as both Heats 5 – 6 of the Autumn Pointscore and Heats 9 – 10 of the Club Championship. It was tough sailing as the competitors had to avoid the holes and be on a constant lookout for shifts.    

At the end of the day, the winners were: Championship – Standards: Matt Wenke (Championship Heat 9) and Luke Parker (Championship Heat 10); Radials: Daniel Costandi (Championship Heats 9 and 10); Pointscore (after handicap): Standards: Murray Stone (Pointscore Heat 5) and Ashley Deacon (Pointscore Heat 6); Radials / 4.7s: Daryl Lawrence (Pointscore Heat 5) and Sara Brooks (Pointscore Heat 6). 

Thanks to this week’s race volunteers — Andrew Cox (PRO) and Kevin Gilroy on the Jazzman, Pippa Batchelor (COTD), and Peter Speed (CoCOTD) on a RIB, and Julian Van Aalst and Jen Wells in the canteen. After competing on the water, the sailors were also very thankful to the team that put together the delicious meal upon their return!