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

Race report 05 March 2022

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And on the fourteenth day of rain, the clouds parted long enough for our keen racers to get out on the harbour, albeit a rather brown one.

PRO Mike Forbes reports, 

“The morning was a drifter for the Learn to Race crew, which was ultimately cancelled. The breeze didn't build until 12.30 from the northeast, which remained very light & patchy at 6 knots with slight gusts to 8knots for sprint racing. The harbour was very busy harbour with the Sydney Harbour Regatta being held and the 18’ skiff J.J.s starting to the East of Clark Island, limiting the choice of course area. To avoid conflict with the large fleets converging the course was set close to Point Piper. After the third race, the breeze shifted to the left a little, but the general consensus was to keep rolling on with racing rather than waste time resetting the course.

21 boats including 2 from the learn to race program completed 6 races in relatively quick succession with first finishing boats completing the two lap windward leeward course in 16 to 17 minutes. A great time was had by all with smiles on faces the whole time.”

Many thanks to our volunteers on the day – Mike Forbes (PRO), Vic Whitby (LTRAR), Richard George (COTD) and Steven Boukatos (Co-COTD). Paul and Shirley were assisted in the canteen by David Airey and Scott Finlayson.

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Congratulations to our metro sailors

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Over the weekend several of our sailors ventured to RPAYC for the NSW Laser Metropolitan Championships. Congratulations to all our competitors who raced, and represented the club, with merit:

4.7 results:

1. James Hayhoe

3. Harriet McLachlan

4. Ali Braden

Radial rig results:

1. Sylvie Stannage

2. Evie Saunders

4. Brooke Wilson

18. Nathan Deng

24. Oliver Mann

Standard rig results:

1. Daniel Costandi

2. Alexander Bijkerk

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Volly of the week!

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Double Bay Sailing Club is managed and run entirely by volunteers. As the saying goes, “many hands make light work. There is always work to be done in the upkeep of our shed and the ongoing running of dinghy racing.

This week we’d like to thank Andrew Cox (he doesn’t know this is being written).

Andrew and his rack allocation spreadsheet

Andrew is a dedicated leader for our club and is (on occasion) relentless in his pursuit to make DBSC a laser sailing club par excellence. The hours Andrew dedicates to the club behind the scenes, not including those he spends training on the water, make the club the well-oiled machine it is today. Thank you, Andrew!

The club is full of people making wonderful contributions around the place, and sometimes behind the scenes. Let us know who deserves a mention!

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Wednesday twilight sailing

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The wind is due to abate to a mere 20 knots by Wednesday at 1700. For those brave enough to enter the harbour, we strongly recommend you confer on the WhatsApp group to coordinate HAZMAT suits. Never say never!

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This weekend

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This weekend we return to Club Championship heats 7 & 8. The club will be hosting a bbq after racing and family, friends and learn to race attendees are invited to join us after racing for the festivities.

Partners and family are also welcome to come out on our support boats (RIBs and Jazzman) during racing. If you would like to come along, please email Mark Crowhurst to ensure there is adequate space. 

The 18’ skiffs continue racing the J.J. Giltinan Regatta at the club (racing continues to 13 March). There are likely to be 18s in the park all week. There are likely to be boats and their respective crews doing repairs in the evening, and overnight security, so if you’re dropping in the club out of hours, you might find more company than usual.

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No RSVP, no pizza

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The club will be continuing our sailing stories events for members, this time with Malcolm Page on Wednesday 16th March after twilight sailing. More details about Malcolm can be found here.

We will be serving pizzas at 7.30pm for everyone to be seated at 7.45pm.  If you intend on attending this event, please RSVP so that you are appropriately catered for with Pizza AND SEATING. 

RSVP
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Winter sailing and BBWP

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Winter sailing will be returning this year. The winter series will be 30 races held over 10 Sundays from 1 May 2022 to 24 July 2022 (that is, 3 races each Sunday). There will be no racing during the school holidays. (3 Jul, 10 Jul, 17 Jul). The calendar is on the website.

This year there will be a handicapped pointscore held in conjunction with the championship for every race. We encourage everyone to participate as there are trophies and honour boards at stake!

In conjunction with the winter series, Brett Beyer will offer a Brett Beyer Winter Program (BBWP) for 6 weeks (18 races) on 8 May, 15 May, 12 Jun, 19 Jun, 26 Jun, 24 Jul.  The cost of the program is $360 for all 6 weeks. 

BBWP subscribers will carry a GPS during each race and will later receive a report and animation showing their GPS tracks vs the fleet, together with fleet-level commentary on each leg. Subscribers will also have access to Brett to ask questions on the water (not during the races) and can later ask questions on the weekly report. The terms of the program are available on our website.

The BBWP needs at least 15 subscribers to go ahead. Please subscribe early so we can confirm the BBWP will proceed.

Sign up for BBWP
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New member - David Evenden

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David Evenden has joined the club after purchasing James Johnson’s laser. If you see him around the club, please be sure to give him a warm welcome. In the meantime, here is a little about David to help you get to know him.

How old were you when you first stepped on a boat? 
My family came back to Australia from Europe on P & O’s Arcadia when I was 5 years old. I must have been 7 or 8 when I went on my first sailboat, with a school mate and his dad on Pittwater.

If money (and sailing ability) were no limit, what boat would you buy? 
A Pogo 40, because this makes me excited: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osFEjGyXMZI

What is your ultimate sailing goal? 
Cruising the Pacific. And doing a few offshore races with my own crew.

Tell us the story behind the name of your Laser? 
I bought “Question of Balance” from barrister James Johnson, who I came to know recently. Knowing how hard it is to keep a work/life balance in the legal profession, I thought it was a reference to maintaining sanity in a busy world. It only just dawned on me that it may also relate to keep the boat upright! 

If you could add any ingredient to DBSC's world’s best toasties – what would it be? 
Olives and sun-dried tomatoes! They are one ingredient, aren’t they?

What are your second/third favourite hobbies (assuming sailing is #1)? 
Cycling and ocean swimming.

Describe what you do for work in less than five words? 
I represent families at coronial inquests.

What is the first international destination you will travel to (once we're allowed) and why? 
Bali, because it has so much to offer.

What is your favourite TV show, movie, and/or book? 
The move Sideways because I love wine and am intrigued by failed characters and renewal.

Tell us something interesting about yourself that members of the club don’t know? 
I sea kayaked to Papua New Guinea in my early 20s, before the crocodile population in northern Queensland exploded.

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Notes from afar

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Mark Bethwaite has reported in from dinner in Villenfranche with good company, former DBSC member Hadrien Bourley. Hadrien returned to Monaco last year where he and Elle finally married after two years of COVID-postponement.

Hadrien is well but missing the crew at DBSC. And we’re missing him. On the upside, there’s been more space at the pin end of the start line for the standard fleet since he returned to Monaco!

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