79 Bay St
Double Bay NSW 2028
Australia

The best ILCA / Laser sailing club in the world, located in Double Bay on Sydney Harbour.

News

Action-packed Weekend

Diana Chen

The following activities will be happening around the clubhouse this weekend:

Saturday 6 March

8:30am  DBSC’s Clean-up Australia Day (low tide)

9:00am  Learn To Race

12:00pm  Competitors depart for Laser Metropolitan Championship Day 1 at HHSC

2:00pm  DBSC Sprints

All day - 18 Footers JJ Giltinan Trophy

Sunday 7 March

9:30am  Competitors depart for Laser Metropolitan Championship Day 2 at HHSC

All day - 18 Footers JJ Giltinan Trophy

We will be sharing the park with the 18 Footers on both days, so allow additional time for rigging and launching. Ensure you give way to the 18 Footers as their boats are a lot more difficult to manoeuvre than Lasers.

Metros - this weekend

Diana Chen

The NSW/ACT Laser Metropolitan Championship will be held this weekend at Hunters Hill Sailing Club, on the other side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The forecast on Saturday is for a moderate southerly so it’ll be a quick blast straight out of the bay, then a nice reach all the way to the start line. A tow is also available for those who want to preserve their energy. The breeze will be much lighter on Sunday so most of us will be catching a ride. If you haven’t already done so, enter online via the link below and email Rod Barnes to let him know that you’ll be attending. Departure from DBSC is 12:00pm on Saturday and 9:45am on Sunday.

The Notice of Race, Online Entry, Sailing Instructions, Venue Information & Logistics, Electronic Sign On/Off, and Results are all available via the NSW/ACT Laser Association website and Australian Laser App [HERE].

HHSC is a great club with a large rigging area. It has one of the best vantage points for watching the racing at Clarkes Point. There is a canteen at the club and the Deckhouse at Woolwich Dock and Woolwich Pier Hotel are nearby for more substantial fare. Two of the HHSC sponsors www.boatropes.com.au and www.boatcrewgear.com will have pop up stores at the club on Saturday.

Race Report – Sat 27 February

Diana Chen

A light wind day with the threat of rain only allowed one Club Championship race to be completed. Winners of the day were Sylvie Stannage in the Radial and Nick Alexander in the Standard fleets. We were once again joined by the Australian Sailing Team / Australian Sailing Squad exhibiting their skill in the light breeze and some impressive roll tacks.

Thanks to the volunteers Michael Osborne, Kate McHugh, John Conroy, and Derek Hand on the water; Paul Adam, Shirley Roach, Mark Gray, Diana Chen, and Steve London in the Canteen.

Important pre-race discussions

Important pre-race discussions

House Rules

Diana Chen

DBSC is proud to be a 100% volunteer-run facility. Members give up their spare time to ensure that we have boats for racing/rescue, hoses for washing, a tidy clubhouse, cold drinks in the fridge, empty bins etc. etc. There are no magic fairies that come in after we've all left to fix all the broken things and pick things off the floor. Until someone volunteers to be that magic fairy, we all have to do our part in keeping the club in tip-top shape for the benefit of all members. Here are some simple steps to achieve this:

If something breaks or stops working, report it.
Things break/fail all the time and we don't care how or by whom, but we do care if it is not reported. This could be a hose fitting, a dolly, an engine, or even a lightbulb. If we know about it, then we can arrange for a volunteer to fix/replace it. If we don't know about it, then it will still be broken the following week. To report a breakage or register a repair, talk to a committee member on the day or email repairs@dbsc.com.au. You could also offer to fix it and get reimbursed for the parts.

When leaving the club, check if anything needs to be put away, closed, or switched off.
It is never the responsibility of just one person to make sure that all the dollies are put away, windows/doors closed, or lights switched off. Make it a habit to check everything before you leave, as you would in your own home. We're all here with a common dedication to the enjoyment of sailing and improvement of our club, so please lend a hand whenever possible.

Lasers for Sale

Diana Chen

There are currently 4 boats for sale at DBSC if you’re looking for an upgrade or know of someone who is looking to join our club.

216155 (2018) Standard Rig

Complete and race-ready with 100% dry hull / carbon top section / new carbon tiller and extension / new ropes / 2 sails / aluminium dolly / top and bottom covers.

$6,750 - Contact Luke Parker: 0419 224 795

206377 (2013) Standard Rig

Excellent condition. Includes: aluminium bottom section / 2 aluminium top sections / boom / turbo vang / centreboard and rudder / tiller and tiller extension / Ronstan ratchet block / mainsheet and control lines / Standard sail (202725). No dolly.

$5,200 - Contact Wade McDonough: 0417 124 494

202602 (2011) Standard Rig

Extremely competitive, ready to race and 100% dry boat. Includes: near-new carbon top section / 2 x Mk 2 sails (1 x 1 season old, 1 x good for training), 2 x Mk 1 sails / Standard bottom section, alloy top section & boom / carbon tiller and alloy extension / rudder, centreboard and foil cover / ZhikGrip 2 hiking strap / new control lines also supplied. Does not include a dolly.

$4,500 - Contact Dave Newman 0419 506 949

181941 (2004) Standard & Radial Rigs

Includes: Standard aluminium bottom section / Radial aluminium bottom section / 2 aluminium top sections / boom / turbo vang / centreboard and rudder / tiller and tiller extension / Ronstan ratchet block / mainsheet and control lines / Standard sail (numbers do not match hull) / Radial sail (numbers do not match hull). No dolly.

$1,800 - Contact Commodore, Andrew Cox: 0412 445 667


More info and photos on our website: www.dbsc.com.au/lasers-for-sale

Canteen Update

Diana Chen

There’s now an easier way to buy yourself or fellow sailors a tasty beverage after midweek sailing. You may have noticed that there are now QR codes on the fridges so that you are able to pay for your beverage and/or snack via our website when the canteen is closed. If you use an iPhone and have Apple Pay set up, open the site using Safari for a simple check-out. Android users will have to enter a few more details for the purchase.

History Corner

Diana Chen

DidYouKnow.jpg

At a Special General Meeting on Sunday 5th February 1984 it was agreed that the official race day for Lasers at DBSC would be on Saturdays. The other classes then racing at DBSC, namely Herons, Leaders and Manly Juniors continued racing on Sundays.

60 seconds with Christine Linhart

Diana Chen

1. How old were you when you first stepped on a boat? I was ten when I first stepped onto a keel boat called Flyaway which my family owned. I was 33 when I stepped onto my first dingy (at DBSC), and have never looked back!

2. If money (and sailing ability) were no limit, what boat would you buy? Something I could cruise around the world on.

3. What is your ultimate sailing goal? To always love being on the water in my Laser as much as I do now. I have zero competitive aspirations.

4. Tell us the story behind the name of your Laser? It was called PEBDAT when I bought it (problems exist between deck and tiller). The letters DAT subsequently fell off, so I used a permanent marker to fill in the letter to call her PEBBLES. As in Pebbles and Bam-Bam.

5. If you could add any ingredient to DBSC's world’s best toasties – what would it be? Fresh chilli.

6. What are your second/third favourite hobbies (assuming sailing is #1)? Swimming in the ocean, bush walking.

7. Describe what you do for work in less than five words? Improve the health of populations.

8. What is the first international destination you will travel to (once we're allowed) and why? United Kingdom, to introduce my son to his grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and all the people who are dying to meet him for the first time.

9. What is your favourite TV show, movie, and/or book? The unbearable lightness of being by Milan Kundera.

10. Tell us something interesting about yourself that members of the club don’t know? When I was 24 and between finishing university and getting a job, a friend called and asked if I was free to help him deliver a boat from Sydney to the Caribbean. I said yes and we left a few days later. We ended up living on the boat for 10 months doing the delivery as we slowly meandered through the Pacific, Asia, Africa and South America. We covered 15,000 miles at sea and stopped in 14 countries. Without doubt one of the happiest years of my life, and the best impulsive ‘yes’ responses I’ve ever given (there have been many!).

2010 – my first equator crossing, and all the initiation rituals (fish tales around my neck, buckets of rancid fish guts water thrown on me) that King Neptune and his offsiders Poseidon & Davey Jones could conjure up.

2010 – my first equator crossing, and all the initiation rituals (fish tales around my neck, buckets of rancid fish guts water thrown on me) that King Neptune and his offsiders Poseidon & Davey Jones could conjure up.

Coming Up

Diana Chen

Wednesday 3 Mar - Twilight Sprints, Brett Beyer Twilight Program 6/10

Friday 5 Mar to Sunday 14 Mar - 18 Footers JJ Giltinan Championship at DBSC

Saturday 6 Mar - DBSC Clean Up Australia Day, Learn To Race, Metropolitan Championships at HHSC 1/2, DBSC Sprints

Sunday 7 Mar - Metropolitan Championships at HHSC 2/2

Wednesday 10 Mar - Twilight Sprints, Brett Beyer Twilight Program 7/10

Saturday 13 Mar - Autumn Point Score 9 & 10