Saturday 20 March, 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 20 April, 2pm – Easter Sprint Racing.Saturday 27 April, 2pm – Final Heats of the Club Championship followed by an end of season BBQ.
Category: Latest from Double Bay Sailing Club
Club Tidiness
We have had several articles over the past few weeks about taking pride of ownership in the club. It continues to be disappointing to find examples of people who don’t demonstrate this pride or sense of responsibility. For example, all the club’s lifejackets were carefully stacked neatly against the wall by one member after Community Day – and someone else has decided they look better strewn across the floor like this:
Someone else, who clearly has domestic problems, has decided to make the workshop their new bedroom, at least judging by the large pile of bedding left in there:
If you are responsible for either of these things, can you please take the time to clean them up before (a)
Winter Championships
So far we’ve have had 11 people sign up for the Winter Championship, which is down on the 20 or so we had last year. We know there are more winter warriors out there, so if you plan to sail some or all the winter championship, please respond ASAP here. The series will begin on Sunday 5 May and run every second Sunday morning from May through July. Splash is at 8 for an 8.30 start. In addition to the Championship races Brett Beyer will also be running a winter program (BBWP) that includes on-water coaching during the races and fleet level GPS analysis with individual statistics. Seven members have signed up for the BBWP – we need 10 to make it viable. If you are interested in the program, please sign up here.
Dance the Night Away at the AGP
Autumn’s biggest party is almost upon us. On Friday, 24 May, we’ll be having our Annual General Party (and Meeting). The formal meeting starts at 7pm, followed by dinner and dancing. We already have 50 RSVPs… but there are still 70 who haven’t responded! We know you don’t want to miss the social event of the season, so please submit your RSVP today here.
Learn to Run a Race
We are calling for volunteers who are willing to commit to learning how to run a race. We are offering an opportunity for two people to run the winter championship races each fortnight, under supervision from an experienced race officer. There are three races each fortnight, every second Sunday morning at 8.30am, starting 5 May. Trainee race officers should be at the club at 7.30am to set the course and get in position for starts at 8.30. You will be home, with much improved skills, by 11 (after free hot soup and bread from the canteen). If you are interested in this opportunity, please email commodore@dbsc.com.au.
COTD Responsibilities
We had a VERY NEAR engine-terminating incident on Saturday. Presumably someone the previous week had flushed the Bergman engine and left the water-cooling connector unattached. Fortunately, one very observant member saw it before the RIB was used. Had it been driven without the connector re-attached, the engine would have been caput! $15,000 later … PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE COTD GUIDE, LEAVE THINGS HOW YOU FIND THEM, AND IF IN DOUBT ASK FOR HELP!
Club Clean Out
There is an enormous pile of lost / unwanted / unloved clothing in the men’s change room – hanging up on the wall hooks, strewn across the benches, and half in and half out of plastic crates. If this is your gear, please collect it. We will be reminding people each week between now and the AGP – anything left in the changerooms after the AGP, whether hanging up or not, will be donated to charity via one of the neighbourhood “friendly bins”.
Time to Pay Up
Annual Dues are required to be paid by the end of the month. (You should have received an invoice from the Secretary a few weeks ago.) Most of our expenses occur during the winter months, when our maintenance program is in full swing, so we need everyone to pay up on time. Thanks to the 38% of members who have already done so. The other 62% of you, please hop online and pay your dues today. Thanks.
Laser Race Recap
What a difference a week makes. After last week’s harrowing 40-knoter, sunny skies and a gentle NE breeze greeted a fleet of 47 for Autumn Pointsocre Heats 11 and 12. First over the line after handicap were: Standards: Andrew Simpson (heat 11) and Maxim Jura (heat 12); Radials / 4.7s: Chistine Linhardt (heat 11) and Jim Dounis (heat 12). Thanks to last week’s volunteers: PRO David Murphy, assisted by Christine Patton, COTD Jules Hall, CoCOTD Jack Sywak, and Canteen Assistant Mark Lewkovitz.
Christine Linhardt shows off her winning form. Photo by Matt Knight.
Winter Championship Returns 5 May
Just because we’re heading into winter doesn’t mean that sailing is coming to a close. Our popular Winter Championship series is back starting on 5 May. It will run every second Sunday morning from May through July. Splash is at 8 for an 8.30 start. There will be three races each week (weather permitting), in a triangle sausage format with upwind finish (usual DBSC format, minus one leg). Details are in the SIs available on the website. We will be calling on race participants to volunteer as COTD and PRO. Brett Beyer will be running the Brett Beyer Winter Program (BBWP) again in conjunction with the Championship. The cost of this is $300 for five consecutive race days through May and June. The program involves on-water coaching during the races and fleet level GPS analysis with individual statistics. Please let us know if you’re planning on racing in the series,