It was an absolutely sparkling afternoon; warm without being hot, a 10-15 knot sea breeze; an almost empty harbour (the 18s are finished for the season, the summers championships are done). But the DBSC big boats were racing!On shore, it was DBSC’s Community Day, with sausages and jumping castles and families; the wharf was crowded with young things headed for ’The Island’. Word was it was that strange site’s last day for the season. And this morning was the end of daylight saving, the turn of the seasons.6 boats presented, all competitive; what would happen today? John Vasey kindly provided the start – from the Paul Adam – starting the start sequence punctually at 1.00pm; and he provided also a well-placed mark at Point Piper.Corinna won the start, but proved uncharacteristically restrained upwind, rounding the first mark fourth behind Sanity, Chenonceau and T&T. She had to fight to stay in touch on the shy reach to Taylor’s
Category: Latest from Double Bay Sailing Club
The Week Ahead
Saturday 13 April, 2pm Start – Autumn Pointscore Heats 13 & 14.This is the last Pointscore of the season, and the competition is tight. This is especially true in the Standard Fleet, where only 6 points separate leaders Hadrien, Max and Steve London. So, make sure you come out and make the most of it.
The Week Ahead
Wednesday 3 April, 5pm – Final Twilight Sailing this season. It’s the last chance until October to enjoy a warm sunset sail on the best harbour in the world. In addition to the beautiful scenery, Brett Beyer will there to run us though our paces. Thanks to Brett for an outstanding twilight series that has seen large and regular fleets, as well as an excellent mix of drills and racing. As usual, everyone is welcome to join the racing, whether part of the program or not. Saturday 6 April, 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 if you are planning on attending.Saturday 6 April, 2pm Start – Autumn Pointscore Heats 10 & 11. Saturday 6 April, 4:30pm – Family Day BBQ. See details above.Saturday 7 April, 10am
Drastic solution to a simple, but intractable, problem
A special essay, by special invitation from our former Commodore, from our special former club secretary, Mr Peter P. Dobrijevic BE MBA DipLaw. Release the hound….PROBLEM:It is impossible to maintain DBSC’s position as the leading Laser club in the world when our National Trust recognised premises have the appearance, presentation and odour of a third rate Portuguese bordello. Unfortunately, a small but growing number of members treat the clubhouse like their girlfriend’s/boyfriend’s/non-binary partner’s flat in the week before they ditch them via a text message. Comrades, as of today, IT STOPS!SOLUTIONS CONSIDERED AND DISCARDEDThe number of solutions considered and evaluated by your club’s progressive politburo included:Scheduling regular 2 hour individual interviews with Dear Leader who will likely repeatedly stress over the time that you will not win even one world championship without committing to organisation norms of behaviour; and/orLaunching a reality TV show where a weekly viewer vote would see
Family and Community Weekend is Here
This weekend it’s time to share a bit of DBSC. On Saturday, after sailing, please invite your family and loved ones to join us for a special kid-friendly BBQ starting around 4:30pm. There will be a jumping castle in the park as well as family laser races and RIB rides. So please join us for this special evening that will allow us to introduce our families to one another and show them why we love spending so much time at the club. On Sunday, it’s Community Day from 10am to 2pm (remember Daylight Savings ends early on Sunday morning) – a fete complete with carnival games, a jumping castle, fairy floss, a sausage sizzle and much more. Share our Facebook event and invite everyone to come down to see what we’re all about. Thanks to all those who volunteered to help on the day. If you haven’t signed up and would
Wild Winds
A wild, windy afternoon was more than a challenge for the nearly 40 sailors who braved the tough conditions for Autumn Pointscore heats 9 and 10. The BOM issued a strong wind warning, but at 2pm there was a gentle 10 knot breeze blowing from the West, and the fleet sailed the first part of heat 9 in light to moderate conditions. But towards the end of the race the conditions changed abruptly; the BOM prediction proved correct with gusts of up to 40 knots blowing through the harbour. Several times more than half the fleet seemed to be capsized when a bullet shot out of the West. In a testament to the harsh conditions 15 sailors chose to retire from heat 9, and the race committee cancelled heat 10 due to the dangerous winds. Congratulations to the hardy competitors who came out on top after handicapping: Full Rigs: Nick Pellow,
Coming Up
Wednesday 27 March, 5pm – Twilight Sailing. Only two weeks to go before we lose daylight saving! Come and join our large fleet of Wednesday sailors, and make the most of the last of summer!Saturday 30 March, 2pm – Autumn Pointscore heats 9 – 10.
April 6-7: Family and Community Weekend
Family and Community Weekend is less than a week and half away. On Saturday, April 6th, after sailing, we encourage you to invite your loved ones to join us for a DBSC family BBQ and celebration – we’ll have a jumping castle for the kids, family laser races, RIB rides and a family friendly BBQ. It’s a great chance to get to know each other’s families and give them a glimpse into what we love about our club. The event is free, but to help with catering please RSVP here. On Sunday, April 7th, from 10am to 2pm we’re having a fete – where we’re inviting the wider community to see what we’re all about. Please help us spread the word about this event by sharing our Facebook Event Page. Thanks to everyone who has volunteered to help on these days. You should have already received an email detailing your assignment and
Keeping the Clubhouse Clean and Clear
As previously announced, we are storing boats on the floor temporarily until the end of the season, at which time we will be asking a number of inactive members to vacate.Please bear with us for the next few weeks, noting the inconvenience this no doubt causes.If you need to move boats to get to yours, can you please put them back in a row along the left hand side of the main clubhouse walkway, leaving a clear path to the right, all the way to the canteen.We found this to be the boat situation on Monday:
This was certainly not how we left it on Saturday, so someone on Sunday decided to leave the boats and dollies like this! Please be considerate of your fellow members and put things back where they are supposed to be. Also,
Private Function this Saturday Evening
Saturday after racing there is a private function being held in the clubhouse. We need to pack up and leave the club ASAP. Please assist this process by putting your boat and your gear away promptly and leaving the dressing rooms tidy. All dollies and boats that stay on the clubhouse floor should be left in the park, they will be brought in at the end of the function. Please note that the buoys and tackle will be stored in the workshop for this evening and that the BBSP debrief will be outside in front of the eastern boat ramp.Thanks for your help and understanding with this.