Volly of the week

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 administration and management of racing.This week, we’re saying a big thank you to Paul Adam.Paul has shown incredible dedication to the club over his 37 years as a member. Since 1993, Paul has tirelessly run the club’s canteen week in week out. This is a huge job that has great significance for the club. The canteen is a major cultural hub for the club. It makes the club feel homely and inviting. It gives it heart and soul. Paul is the central and continuous figure (along with dedicated canteen-partner, Shirley) of our canteen offering. The canteen is also a profit centre for the club, contributing >$10,000 to the club’s revenue each year. Paul keeps

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Rubbish bins

The rubbish collection services at the club are not council services, yet commercial collection paid for by the club. We aim to minimise waste to landfill and maximise recycling.Members are reminded there are three bins for waste disposal.The red top bin is for non-recyclable waste (to landfill).The blue top bin is for refundable container deposit items. Refundable items in the blue top bin must have readable barcodes. Please do not crush cans and bottles as this renders the barcode unreadable and we do not get the container deposits returned to us.  Coffee cups, milk cartons should not go in the blue top. However Up and Go paper contains now attract the deposit refund, so can go in the blue top. Do not contaminate cans and bottles in the blue top by putting paper towels in them. The yellow top bin is for other recyclable waste such as paper/cardboard, hard plastic

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Jason and Isabelle Wilkins donation

From Commodore, Steven London:Members of the Club and Committee would like to thank long time members Jason and Isabelle Wilkins for their generous donation of the ILCA Laser “Phinester” for use in the clubs Learn to Race program. The program allows prospective members to “try-out” racing with the club, and this helps us to keep an inflow of new active members out there on the start line every week!Phinester is a Laser with a history, having started life in the UK and making the journey to Australia with Jason when he immigrated here (hey, it’s what Laser sailors do!). It has served him very well over the years and was passed on to Isabel when she joined the club 5 years ago. To Isabelle’s relief, Jason recently upgraded to the famous ILCA 50th Anniversary “Golden Fleece”, allowing Isabelle to upgrade also, and so the club is now honoured to look

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JJ Giltinan trophy begins this Friday

The competition for the 2023 JJ Giltinan Trophy – the 18s world championship – starts on Friday 3 March and runs to Sunday 12 March. Monday 5th and Friday 10 are lay days, which may become race days if earlier races had been abandoned. You may have noticed the two German boats which have been here for some time, and an increase in number of boats practicing during the week. In the run up this week there are likely to be more 18s in the park, training or dealing with repair and maintenance issues.  Starting from 2 March there will be additional, special event garbage bins in the rigging area, and there will also be security in attendance at night (if you come down late at night you might be asked who you are). During the competition each 18 will have an allocated position in the rigging area. The 18s

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Race report 25 February 2023

From COTD, Kate McHugh…On Saturday 30 of our Double Bay racers sailed up the harbour to participate in the 91st Vaucluse Regatta in a fresh 15 knot North Easterly breeze. The race committee at Vaucluse conducted two (rather long) windward return races laid just to the south of Sow and Pigs. Following racing, the team at Vaucluse held a delicious barbecue and drinks in their clubhouse. The results:ILCA 71. Finn Alexander (DBSC)2. Campbell Patton (DBSC)3. Rod Barnes (DBSC)ILCA 61. Cote Poncell (DBSC)2. Ian Alexander (DBSC)3. Anthony Scali (VYC)ILCA 41. Healy Ryan (DBSC)2. Cormac Johnson (DBSC)3. Caroline Kemp (VYC)Thank you to Ben Byford who provided on water assistance, and Scott Hunter and David Huber for helping Paul and Shirley in the canteen.Many thanks also to Vaucluse Yacht Club who hosted a magnificent day on the water.

View

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ILCA Masters Worlds by Ian Tudball

DBSC was represented by Martin White, Pat Levy and Ian Tudball in the ‘Great Grand Master’ (65-75yo) category.The trio had all copped health issues just before departure, but Pat was king hit  the worst, with a bout of Aussie food poisoning, just hours before take off. Martin nursed him for the marathon journey, as Pat trimmed his 82kg down to a more competitive racing weight. It took Pat 3 days to purge his system and crack a few ‘plumber jokes’.The Royal Varuna Yacht Club was a stunning venue, and all 120 charter boats were brand new.  Conditions were perfect for racing with consistent 12-15 knot breezes and rolling waves for downhill rides. Race 1 was a disaster for the DBSC trio as they were all black flagged in a strong tide, along with 9 other boats in the fleet of 32. Race 2 was a big improvement with Martin coming back

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The thrill of the SailGP! By James Tudball

Last week Double Bay Sailing Club members were invited to participate in a number of activities as part of the SailGP Adopt A Club program.  Our club was partnered with Team Canada, which saw nearly 30 members visit Team Canada’s base in the lead up to the regatta.  On Wednesday we were lucky to see the (safe!) launch of Team Canada’s brand new boat and we were taken on an in depth tour to see the boats and wings up close and learn about the physics of the F50s.  Phil Robertson, driver of Team Canada, also facilitated a Q&A with us and Alistair Sutherland asked the burning question of whether Phil would be as aggressive as always on the start line!  Phil didn’t really answer the question, but judging by his laughter we assumed the answer to be ‘yes’.

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Rule 18.3 by Luke Parker

There’s frequently “lively on water debate” (aka yelling) within our fleets at the top mark when port tackers try to navigate a parade of boats on starboard tack. Here is a very good video on rule 18.3 which concerns entering the 3 boat length zone from port at the top mark.  It’s worth a viewing. Summary: A boat that was on port as it entered the 3 boat length zone at a windward mark must always, including AFTER it tacks onto starboard, stay clear.  The port entry boat (no matter if it’s subsequently tacks to starboard) must not inconvenience any boat that was already on starboard when it entered the zone.

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Clean Up Australia Day 4 March

Calling all volunteers who enjoy a clean environment! I’ve spent the past few weeks driving around the pristine Tasmanian Countryside enjoying the ‘freshest air’ on the planet, and so I’m inspired to clean up the environment surrounding our club. On Saturday 4th March from 10am to 12pm, members (and guests) of Double Bay Sailing Club will be conducting a clean-up of the foreshore, park lands and local roadways near our club in Double Bay. Trevor Potts (member) will be at the club house at 10am with all the CUAD materials, sign-on sheet, and a short safety briefing. Please arrive by 10am.  We are also asking volunteers to download the EyeSea app and use it to upload photos of rubbish on the day. It’s simple to use. Take a photo and upload it to the app.Download for android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mariapps.eyesea.eye_seaDownload for iOS: https://apps.apple.com/es/app/eyesea/id1667239428We recommend you wear sun protective clothing, and bring protective gloves

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