Member survey results - racing

From our Commodore, Steven London…

This will be the first of 6 weekly instalments playing back the findings and insights of the Membership survey we ran earlier this year.

Unsurprisingly, 96% of members rated ‘racing’ as very or extremely important. 

We also asked you about more specific elements of racing - including race management, fleet competitiveness, fleet size, twilight sailing, winter racing series, and a potential ‘green fleet’... And this is what you told us:

• ·The introduction of a ‘green fleet’ was generally not supported, with the majority saying they had no strong feeling either way.

• There was good interest in twilight sailing, and to a lesser extent, the winter racing series… with the majority of respondents saying they were ‘interested’ or ‘very interested’.

• Race Management, Fleet Competitiveness and Fleet Size - are what really matters to our members - and where our focus should be.

• With regard to race management, volunteers found it difficult and sometimes stressful getting all the finishing times and numbers recorded. It’s also quite a task each week for our handicapper Daryl, who had to interpret numbers recorded against members to create accurate results sheets.

So one of the first actions committee has taken is in regard to race management, with the trial of the ‘sailor’ app for sign on which we introduced in the last few weeks.

By introducing sign-on via the app, we’ve already begun to streamline race reporting, allowing us to record all sailors entering a race. Our intention is to continue using the app and introduce its use as an on-water tool for the PRO to record race finishes in real time - which will eventually allow for results to be published soon after racing is complete. We will be providing demos to PROs and the race management team over the coming months.

Keep the clubhouse tidy

There will be many events at the club over the next few weeks including The Women's Regatta and the DBSC Christmas Party.

We ask that all members remove any personal belongings from the changerooms and any common areas at your earliest convenience in order to maintain a tidy clubhouse for all to enjoy.

Anything left by 27 November will either be recycled or donated.

Christmas Party - 10 December

The club Christmas Party will be held on Saturday 10 December from 5:30pm, after the Tyrrell and Rousso races. Please RSVP here if you will be attending, to help with catering and preparations. More details to come.

Upcoming events and more information

19/20 November: Open and Masters State Championships, Wangi Wangi

Saturday 26 November – Women’s Regatta Training: Race Starts

Saturday 3 December 2022: The Women’s Regatta. Sign up for more information here.

Saturday 10 December 2022: Tyrell and Rousso races; Christmas Party. RSVP and information here.

The club’s calendar can be viewed and subscribed to here.

Thank you to the members who are sending through information for the newsletter. If you have content for the newsletter, please email it to newsletter@dbsc.com.au by midnight Monday.

View results here.

Make a tax deductible donation to DBSC here.

Race report 5 November 2022

From our PRO Peter Collie:

It may have been Guy Fawkes night but the parliament is still standing. Some sailors may not be standing however after sailing conditions what we heard were challenging conditions at the top mark. From the committee boat, we noticed each lap brought the sailors around in a different sequence which seems to back this up.

Our day started with an ENE breeze which was rumoured to shift northerly. Instead, it chose to oscillate starting at about 10 knots and gradually creeping up to 15.

We had two other fleets starting in the same area so had some challenges setting the course. Our well-behaved fleets had almost all clear starts except the final full rig start which needed a black flag to calm down.

Peter Collie was PRO assisted by Christine Patton who sadly is returning to Bermuda today. Captian of the day was Derek Hand, assisted by Andrea Kraus. 

Winners in race 5 were:

4.7 - Ben Costandi
Radial - Sylvie Stannage
Standard - Zander Bijkirk

Winners in race 6 were:

4.7 – Healey Ryan
Radial - Sylvie Stannage
Standard - Daniel Costandi

Thanks to Paul and Shirley for a well-deserved feast at the end of the day. And to Tim Heath and Murray Stone for assisting with the toasties.

View results all here.

The club’s calendar can be subscribed to here (strongly recommended).

Important: updates to the Emergency Rescue Management Plan

As a follow-up to our recent competency day, we have made some minor tweaks to the Emergency Rescue Management Plan. This is considered essential reading for all club members.

The main changes provide some clarity about getting an injured sailor back to the beach at Double Bay and contacting emergency services as well as simplify some of the resuscitation suggestions.

We have also upgraded our first aid kit/safety bag to include a Surf Lifesaving bleeding kit – it is a sealed bag which includes a really good compressive bandage and a tourniquet. The bandage is easy to use, but the tourniquet needs some familiarity to use safely. This video is a great guide on its use.

Please let David Murphy know if the tourniquet bag is opened – it is is intended for major injuries and the goal is to keep the pack intact until really needed.

Reminder to sign on

Double Bay Sailing Club will now use the Sailor app for race sign on and sign off.

We encourage all members - remote and local to the club - to download the app and use it for sign on this Saturday 12 November. Sign on provides us with up to the minute information on members sail numbers for scoring and helps identify who is out on the water for each race.

This replaces our previous "remote sign on" web page process for remote members.

We had a successful run of the sign on process last week, with 98% of local and remote members signing on OK. Thank you to all members for participating and continuing to support this initiative.

More information and brief instructions can be found on the DBSC web site HERE. If you have any problems or need to update your sail number, please email results@dbsc.com.au

Download the app and give it a go! Sailor is available as a free download from the iTunes and Google Play Stores.

Volunteers for The Women's Regatta

Thanks to everyone who has volunteered so far but we need MORE volunteers for The Women’s Regatta!

As a club we are committed to increasing female participation in sailing, and events like The Women's Regatta encourage female sailors from Sydney and beyond to come together and celebrate their ability, resilience, and love of sailing. 

In order for this to be a standout event, we need all the help we can get from members who aren’t sailing. Please let us know if you are available on Saturday 3rd December for tasks on and off the water. These include, but are not limited to race management, course setting, RIB driving & race support, boat prep & rigging, boat launch & retrieval, parking, and canteen.

Please ensure you email womensregatta@dbsc.com.au by this Friday 11 Nov to let us know your availability so that we can schedule in the tasks. Events like this are important initiatives for the club and your support is much appreciated 🙏🏼

Upcoming regattas - don't miss out!

We're invited to join the Battle of the Sound hosted by Manly coming up this Sunday 13th Nov. Please email Dave here if you intend on sailing up, or if you're available to drive a RIB in support. You can enter here.

Final call for the NSW Open & Masters States at Wangi on 19-20th Nov. Great place to sail and a great opportunity to sharpen your tactics, skills and fleet management! Please email Dave here this week if you would like any help getting your boat to the regatta or a place to stay!

Congratulations Evie!

Photo: Australian Sailing

Congratulations to Evie Saunders who has won Australian Sailing’s Youth Sailor of the Year award. In presenting her this award, Australian Sailing says,

“Evie Saunders is an up-and-coming ILCA6 sailor with a proven track record amongst world class fleets. She set herself apart this season by securing the silver medal at the ISAF Youth World Championships at The Hague, making her the first Australian girl in 14 years to medal in the Laser class at the Youth World Championships.”