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Last Chance to Order Regatta Kit

This Saturday is your final opportunity to try on sizes of t-shirts, bibs and jackets and to place your order for our new DBSC branded kit. Thanks to a special delivery by Diana Valia Chen, the new gear was unveiled to the public last Saturday at the State Championships. As you can see, it makes even this motley crew look good:

HERE is a link to all the designs. Place your order HERE. ORDERS WILL CLOSE THIS SATURDAY NIGHT.Please note, prices are updated as follows: T-shirts $25, Bibs $40, Caps $15, Jackets $220. The T-shirts are $5 cheaper than previously publicised, Bibs $5 more expensive, Caps unchanged, and Jackets $100 cheaper!

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Welcome New Members

As you might have noticed, there are quite a few new members at our club this season. Our newest DBSCers have quite interesting and diverse backgrounds. Here’s a bit about some of the new faces:Gavin Blake – Gavin moved to Sydney (Bronte) about a year ago from the UK. He is a keen surfer and kitesurfs a lot too. He works for the Toll Rescue Helicopter as a pilot. Gain is married with a 2-year-old boy named Charles and is looking forward to being able to teach him how to sail! It’s been 15 years since he last sailed and when he heard about DBSC he knew he had to get involved. He explains, “I’ve been bowled over by how friendly and welcoming everyone has been and the standard of sailing is excellent. It truly is the best laser sailing club in the world!”James Johnson – James grew up in the bush, but by a

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Rack Reshuffle

It is time for one of our mid-season rack reshuffles.  The new rack plan is displayed on the noticeboard with people whose boats have moved highlighted in yellow.  We have also moved the name tags next to the racks to reflect the new positions. On Saturday, could you please check the noticeboard and the name tag next to your rack spot?  We would like everyone’s assistance with lifting boats after sailing to make the reshuffle as easy as possible.  Please make sure all gear that is on a rack is moved with the boat to the new rack. If you are unable to be at the club on Saturday, can you please ensure that all your gear is labelled with your name to avoid loss!A reminder that our rack allocation policy is based on sailing and volunteering – the more you do both of these, the lower your boat will be.  It is that simple.  If you are

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DBSC Shines at States

DBSC had an impressive showing at the State Championships at Georges River Sailing Club last weekend. Of the 94 sailors that competed, 26 (28%) were DBSC members! It was a tricky regatta with the wind clocking left both days, steadily decreasing to almost nothing the first day and steadily increasing from almost nothing the second day!Despite the challenging conditions, our members did us proud: Xavier McLachlan placed 2nd in the 4.7s. In the Radials DBSCers took out 1st (Jack Littlechild), 2nd (Daniel Costandi), 4th (Otto Henry), and 5th (Marlena Berzins).  And in the Standards Campbell Patton was victorious and Gavin Blake took second.Well done all!

Campbell Patton was Victorious at States. Photo by Jon West.

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Sprightly Sprints

Whilst many of our members were doing battle at Georges River, 25 others took the chance to hone their skills in a series of sprints on the harbour on Saturday afternoon. A beautiful 12-15 knot South Easterly was blowing though Rose Bay, creating perfect conditions for 6 short races. Thanks to Kirk Marcolina and Kevin Gilroy for running the afternoon of sprints.

A Classic Spring Day on the Harbour.

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Top Tip – Mainsheet Management

Last week a member asked for tips on avoiding mainsheet mayhem. Thanks to our Champion Martin White who has come through with these ideas:No rope is perfect, but selecting the right rope and giving it the right care helps.A) The right rope: I use Rooster Polilite 7mm (blue coloured).  For myself, and most Masters sailors, the Polilite 6mm (yellow) is only good for less than 10knots only – you’d need great grip strength to play it effectively in medium to strong breezes.  Don’t simply copy the full time young Laser professionals who sail every day – they usually use the 6mm.Rooster mainsheet rope is designed with a load bearing heavier outer to reduce the problems of twist.  There is plenty written about this online.  It’s made of polypropylene which is light and absorbs little water.B) Care: With the mainsheet tied off in the boat, take it for a walk before sailing. This purpose is

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Up Next at DBSC

Wednesday, 13 November, 5pm Splash – Twilight Sailing / BBTPSaturday, 16 November, 9am – Learn to Race. Come along if you want to learn more about Laser boat handling, balance, boat posture, trim, starts, tacks, gybes, boat set-up and any other race management fundamentals. Please email Martin White HERE if you are planning on attending.Saturday, 16 November, 2pm Start – Spring PointscoreWednesday, 20 November, 5pm Splash – Twilight Sailing / BBTPSaturday, 23 November, 8:45am SHARP – Competency TrainingSaturday, 23 November, 2pm Start – Spring Pointscore

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Twilights Twinkle

19 sailors turned up to last week’s Twilights and were greeted by a nice NE sea breeze. We’re looking to crack 20 this week, so join us tonight around 5pm for a 5:30 start with Brett on the water. It will be a beautiful way to cool down after such a hot Tuesday. Please also note that twilight sailing in two week’s time (27 November) will run from 5-7pm (half an hour earlier than usual) due to a function in the club.

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We Can do Better

In the past few newsletters we’ve been writing about the importance of the upcoming Competency Training that’s taking place in just a bit over a week, on Saturday morning, 23 November. It’s a critical component in making sure we offer the safest and best Laser racing on the planet. Yet only 29 have RSVPed. That’s a paltry 22% of our membership. If you haven’t done so already, please let us know HERE that you’re planning on attending. Thanks!   

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