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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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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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Race report 18 February 2023

From our PRO Mark Lewkovitz:A very pleasant day for sprint racing with champagne sailing conditions, clear blue skies, a 15 knot nor’easter and an ultra-low tide. Sail GP in the afternoon meant an early start just before 1pm and the course was setup deep in Double Bay to avoid the exclusion zone which brought Point Piper into play.6 punchy races were completed by 2:15pm to allow the Sail GP viewers to get away by 3pm.Early races favoured a windward end start and a left turn at the gate, but a tweak to the course for the later races then favoured the pin end and drove boats to the left side of the beat.Some performances of note include Luke Parker with multiple wins in the Standard, Diana Chen leading the way with two 4.7s and multiple wins from Sylvie Stannage as well as Scott Hunter grabbing a win.Lots of smiles out

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Important safety information when using the davits

Following the completion of repairs to the Western Davit (where the Paul Adam RIB is hoisted), there are new blocks and winch Lines that have a different requirement. Members operating the Davits are required to leave the blocks and winch line under tension at all times while the RIB is connected to the Davit. This means that after the RIB has been hoisted to the upper position, the Safety Chain (which we require to be attached) does not ever need to be in tension – only attached (as a safety/backup). Also notice in the Photo the distance between the two blocks (they should not be so close as to be touching, only high enough to attach the safety chain).

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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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Race report 28 January 2023

From our PRO Geoff Kirk with Geoff BoscoeSailors were greeted by a hot day and a building North-Easterly breeze for Heats 5 & 6 of the 2023 Autumn point score.  The breeze lived up to the forecast by getting into the low 20 knot range.  There was chop from the wind, outgoing tide and boat traffic which made boat handling challenging.  It was busy in the boat park with competition for space from 18’ skiffs while room on the harbour was also at a premium.  The on-water race management team needed to fit the course into a compressed footprint because of the Etchells and 18’ skiff race courses.  A big fleet of 20+ ILCA6 sailors joined for the first race of the day.  This included a couple of defectors from the ILCA7 fleet and a couple of new visiting sailors who were warmly welcomed.  The first race was won on

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