Letter from Malta

October 27, 2025

I’m writing from Malta as a DBSC member to let you know that I crewed on the J/122 Noisy Oyster that won first place in IRC Class 5 of the Rolex Middle Sea Race last week. 

It was a great race, over a truly magnificent course, with two active volcanoes along the way. The first night on the leg to Sicily was brutal, with heavy rain that soaked everyone and everything on board. We made good progress up the Straits of Messina, and then rounded Stromboli in the dark, trimming a spinnaker as the volcano's belching lit up the sky. There were plenty of wind holes, which required a lot of focus to get through, especially as we rounded Lampedusa. But once we hooked into some breeze on the homeward leg to Valletta, we made a steady 10 knots, up to 15 knots off the waves. It was a great victory, certainly one that we really did not expect when we set off.

- Derek Hand

Crew of 2025 Rolex Middle Sea Race IRC Class 5 winner Noisy Oyster. Derek is 4th from the left. Photo by Andrea Azzopardi.

"This race was unpredictable from start to finish -- the kind where you think you've lost it ten times before you realise you might actually win," commented Henderson. "At dusk last night, the entire fleet parked up off Lampedusa. You could see every boat around you, motionless, and it all came down to who would catch the first puff of breeze. It felt almost cruel, watching the lead come and go, but that's the Rolex Middle Seas Race -- you have to stay mentally strong and believe it's never over." - Nikki Henderson, Skipper of Noisy Oyster

What's Going On

Club Look-ahead Schedule

• Thursday 13 November: Twilight Racing (5pm splash)

• Saturday 15 November: Sprint Racing (1pm briefing for 2pm start)

• Saturday & Sunday 15-16 November: 2025 NSW & ACT Open, Youth, Masters State Titles, Wangi ASC

  • NOR

• Thursday 20 November: Twilight Racing (5pm splash)

• Saturday 22 November:

  • Learn to Race: 9:00am

  • Spring Point Score Races 9 & 10: 1pm Briefing, 2pm First warning

• Thursday 27 November: Twilight Racing (5pm splash)

• Saturday 29 November:

  • Spring Point Score Races 11 & 12: 1pm Briefing, 2pm First warning

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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 Monday evening.

View all racing results here.
The club’s calendar can be viewed and subscribed to here.
Make a tax deductible donation to DBSC here.

Race Report - Saturday 1 November 2025

Photos by Diana Chen and Ian Tudball

Club Championship Races 5 & 6

With a BOM forecast of Light Easterly winds, the race team set out after the morning of Competency Training, and set up the course as per the forecast. It was going to be a difficult day for the RIB team - shifting the course to follow the wind. By the time we were out on the water, we had 21 Radials and 21 Standards ready to start, and what little wind there was had swung around north to and then to the north west. Race 5 was started as it shifted back and forth from the NWW to NW, and still very light - so the race was shortened at the leeward mark. Well done to those that prevailed, the winners in Race 5:

ILCA 6: 1st Sara Bruce, 2nd Juliun Doumit, 3rd Andrew Cox
ILCA 7: 1st Campbell Patton, 2nd Healy Ryan, 3rd Grant Lovelady

Race 6 was delayed as the wind had completely gone, and we prayed for any new wind direction to arrive. Eventually for those that waited, the breeze came in from south west, and after initially setting a course in the bay, it then shifted more firmly to south east, and the course was moved into the “Dardanelles” - the narrow straight between Point Piper and Shark Island. But that breeze also started to die off, and the course was again shorted. The winners in Race 6:

ILCA 6: 1st Sara Bruce, 2nd Andrew Cox, 3rd Martin White
ILCA 7: 1st Campbell Patton, 2nd Healy Ryan, 3rd Rodney Barnes

Thanks to the on water race team for persevering in the difficult 360 degree wind: PRO Dr Martin Gill and Gaye Rosen with LTRaR Diana Chen on the Jazzman, and Andrew Foote with Sam Slattery on the Paul Adam, Craig Ryan with Robert Bruce on the Bergman. Thanks also to Paul and Shirley in the canteen making toasties, assisted by Rod Barnes and Luke Parker, and for preparing the BBQ afterwards which was very welcome after the long day on the water.

2025 Competency Training Day

Photo by David Murphy

Our annual competency day was held last Saturday with about 40 members attending. Pat Levy showed us some excellent tricks with laying marks and anchors, with Andrew Cox giving us the low-down on flags and course setting, and some great questions as always in the incident response section.

More content to follow in coming weeks, and we hope to get some vids up, too.

Photo by Diana Chen

- David Murphy, Safety Officer

Healy Ryan to represent Australia at Youth Worlds

The World Sailing Youth Worlds is the pinnacle of youth sailing across the planet. Many describe it as the junior Olympics. Only one sailor from each of the 11 classes represents their country. After a close fought battle held recently at Toronto, Lake Macquarie, our very own Healy Ryan clinched a narrow victory over a talented West Australian.

World Sailing’s Youth World Championship attracts the best youth sailors around the world and follows a similar format to Olympic sailing. The event has been a stepping stone for many Olympic champions.

This year’s event will be held in December in Vilamoura, Portugal. Our last Double Bay SC representative in the Laser class at the Youth Worlds was Finn Alexander in 2016. Finn went on to become World Youth Champion.

We are all very proud of Healy’s achievement and wish him the very best at the Youth Worlds.

- Martin White

What's Going On

Club Look-ahead Schedule

• Thursday 6 November: Twilight Racing (5pm splash)

• Saturday 8 November:

  • Learn to Race: 9:00am

  • 1pm Visit from our Local Member for Vaucluse: Ms Kellie Anne SLOANE, MP

  • Spring Point Score Races 7 & 8: 1pm Briefing, 2pm First warning

• Thursday 13 November: Twilight Racing (5pm splash)

• Saturday 15 November: Sprint Racing (1pm briefing for 2pm start)

• Saturday & Sunday 15-16 November: 2025 NSW & ACT Open, Youth, Masters State Titles, Wangi ASC

  • NOR

• Thursday 20 November: Twilight Racing (5pm splash)

• Saturday 22 November:

  • Learn to Race: 9:00am

  • Spring Point Score Races 9 & 10: 1pm Briefing, 2pm First warning

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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 Monday evening.

View all racing results here.
The club’s calendar can be viewed and subscribed to here.
Make a tax deductible donation to DBSC here.

Race Report - Saturday 25 October 2025

All photos by Jason Wilkins

Spring Point Score Races 5 & 6

A very pleasant 8 knot nor’easter greeted a fleet of 45 or so boats on Saturday for spring Pointscores 5&6, albeit there was about 25% attrition rate between the races.

The seas were a little choppy, but this made the downwinds prime for surfing.  An eager fleet and runout tide made for some aggressive starts.  The Radials were lucky to get away in Race 1, and one boat was OCS’ed in Race 2.  The standards were recalled for Race 1 and thereafter were well behaved under the black flag. 

It was a day for the “mature” sailors.  Alistair crossed the line first in both ILCA 6 races, although he did Retire-At-Finish in Race 1 following a port / starboard “issue” just metres from the finish line, which promoted Sarah Bruce for the scratch win.  In the full rigs, Dave Newman took the horn twice. 

Pointscore results:

ILCA 6, Heat 5

1. Jim Dounis

2. Jasper Kinsman

3. David Airey

ILCA 6, Heat 6

1. David Murphy

2. David Airey

3. Alistair Sutherland

ILCA 7, Heat 5

1. Tim Heath *

2. Hadrien Bourely

3. Peter D'Arcy-King

ILCA 7, Heat 6

1. Tim Heath *

2. Quentin Burns

3. Rodney Barnes

*Stewards have been called in to investigate if Tim and the handicapper have been in cahoots

It’s great to see so many of our former ILCA 4 sailors have stepped into the 6’s, and they are doing great.  Finally, a number of sailors appear to require reminding that ILCAs perform better whilst the mast is facing upwards and the daggerboard downwards.    

Thanks to the on-water team of Scott Finlayson, Jason Wilkins, Chalie Cameron and Murray Stone, who were all a great help for your correspondent.

- Luke Parker, PRO

Regatta Report - Coast Championships

Gosford Sailing Club. Photo by Stephen Reid

Stephen Reid reports from Gosford, NSW:

On the weekend of 18-19 October The Coast Championships were held at Gosford Sailing Club, with 45 boats from 15 sailing clubs competing. Conditions were very good with 8-10 knots SE on Saturday and a nice building 10-15 knots NNE breeze on Sunday.

Gosford Sailing Club were excellent hosts for the weekend and the committee and volunteers did an excellent of providing great racing over 6 races.  Well done to everyone who participated from DBSC: 

ILCA 4

1st - Patrick McLachlan

1st female, 3rd overall - Harper Spacey

ILCA 6

1st - Sylvie Stannage

2nd, 1st U19 - Sara Bruce

6th - Charlotte Jenkins

ILCA 7

1st - Alexander Bijkerk (with 6 bullets!)

3rd, 1st U21 - Quentin Burns

6th - Stephen Reid

7th - Mike Dunne

DBSC Members Competency Training

An important reminder from the club’s Safety Officer:

Dear DBSC members,

9am this Saturday is our annual competency day. Andrew Cox, our ex-commodore, will review how to run a race. Pat Levy will demonstrate and update us on how to use RIBs, davits and other club equipment safely on rostered volunteer days. I will brief on how to respond to on-water incidents (plus refresh some basic resuscitation knowledge).

There are changes every year, and all members are expected to attend, as well as anyone who may be on-water in a support capacity during the year, even if not in a formally designated role. The briefings should be wrapped up by 11am allowing everyone time to either to do some boat work, enjoy a toastie or go for a coffee prior to our race briefing at 1pm. It's also a good opportunity for members to discuss issues they've experienced and ideas for the future.

All the best,

David Murphy

What's Going On

Club Look-ahead Schedule

• Thursday 30 October: Twilight Racing (5pm splash)

• Saturday 1 November:

  • Members’ Competency Training: 9am start (please see preceding article)

  • Club Championships Races 5 & 6: 1pm Briefing, 2:00pm First warning

  • BBQ after racing

• Thursday 6 November: Twilight Racing (5pm splash)

• Saturday 8 November:

  • Learn to Race: 9:00am

  • Spring Point Score Races 7 & 8: 1pm Briefing, 2pm First warning

• Thursday 13 November: Twilight Racing (5pm splash)

• Saturday 15 November: Sprint Racing (1pm briefing for 2pm start)

• Saturday & Sunday 15-16 November: 2025 NSW & ACT Open, Youth, Masters State Titles, Wangi ASC

  • NOR

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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 Monday evening.

View all racing results here.
The club’s calendar can be viewed and subscribed to here.
Make a tax deductible donation to DBSC here.