Every year, we have a shortage of people we can roster on as PRO for our races. We have now developed a “learn to run a race” program to address this.This program, which follows on from our club-wide competency training, is intended to provide the practical experience needed to act as PRO for our main competition races (i.e. Club Championships, Point Scores and Winter Championships). For those who have acted as a PRO before, it will be a refresher course; and for those who have not, it will be an opportunity to learn. The program will run in conjunction with Learn to Race, which is generally held on every first and third Saturday of the month from September to April. We will initially be asking selected club members to “volunteer” to participate in this program, and be rostered on for training, where you will revise / learn how to run races
Category: Latest from Double Bay Sailing Club
Marlena Berzins Pathway Program
One of the club’s strategic objectives is to get more members to the start line each weekend. We know that our start lines can be quite intimidating for new-ish sailors (and even some experienced sailors), as boats jostle for position, rules are yelled back and forth, and the occasional bump or scrape occurs!We have consulted with some of our LTR participants, and have developed a new pathway program to transition our sailors from the Learn to Race program onto the start line each week. Marlena Berzins has agreed to coach this program, and we are inviting six of our female sailors to trial the program in three sessions that will be held during the remainder of this season.Our plan is to run this program in small groups on an ongoing basis starting next season, with all our “pathway” sailors being provided an opportunity to participate over time. We will communicate
Stellar Sprints
Over thirty boats sailed in Sprint Racing last Saturday. It was a unique course set close to the mouth of Double Bay and in the shadow of the F50 Catamaran races. A moderate NE breeze and warm sunny skies set a beautiful backdrop to over two hours of sprints. Thanks to Mark Crowhurst, Richard George, and Diana Chen for running a great day on the water and to the Canteen Crew who were supported by Murray Stone this week.
A Crowded Rounding. Photo by Diana Chen.
RIB Drivers Needed
As mentioned in last week’s newsletter, we need volunteers to assist to drive a response boat for the 18 Footers’ championship event, the JJ Giltinan. There has been limited response and we need to provide this support to the A18s, who contribute a significant amount to the club financially. We are still in need of drivers from 1pm to 5pm on the following days: March 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9 and 17. If you can assist, please let Mark Crowhurst (treasurer@dbsc.com.au) know.
Clean Up Australia Day
Thanks to the leadership of Jonathan Stone, every year DBSC commits to Clean Up Australia Day by removing litter from the beaches around the club. This year Clean Up Australia Day is on Sunday, March 3, and DBSC will be cleaning the beaches from 11.00am to 2.00pm (during low tide). Please mark the date in your calendar and plan to attend to do your part. Jonathan will come set up and pack up after, but the big boat race will prohibit him from managing the event itself. So, we’re looking for a volunteer to help manage the day, from 12.30pm to 2.00pm. If you’re available and interested, please email Jonathan Stone at jonathanston@gmail.com.
Thriving Twilights
There were 18 boats last Wednesday for Twilight Sailing. It was a great evening on the water. The BBTP continues tonight so come on down for some close racing and training!
Coming Up
Wednesday 13 February, 5pm – Twilight Sailing. Looks like it will be a wonderful 15-knot SE breeze under warm sunny skies… so join us!Saturday 16 February, 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 at mwhite@universalmagazines.com.auif you are planning on attending.Saturday 16 February, 12pm Briefing / 1pm Start – Sprints (see above for important details).
Early Start on Saturday – Briefing 12pm for 1pm SPRINTS
The harbour will be a bit busier than normal this Saturday with F50 Catamarans taking up our normal racecourse for the inaugural SailGP event. Here’s the spin from their website: “SailGP is sailing redefined, combining awe-inspiring athleticism with top-flight tech. Bringing you the thrilling sight of supercharged F50 catamarans charging down Sydney Harbour, battling it out on the water for their countries in an all-new nation vs nation international competition.”They are racing on Saturday from 3pm to 5pm, with a huge exclusion zone starting at 2pm. The exclusion zone and the forecast Easterly breeze will make it very difficult (if not impossible) to sail between Vaucluse and Double Bay between 2 and 5pm. Because of this, VYC and DBSC have decided to cancel the second leg of this season’s Vaucluse Challenge which was scheduled for this Saturday. The scores of the first leg will stand and serve as the final result
Sailing Backward at the Vaucluse Regatta
It was a trying day on the water last Saturday at the Vaucluse Regatta. The day was looking promising. A decent N/NE breeze was building and the forecast thunderstorms looked like they would say away. But as race time approached it was clear our luck wouldn’t last; storms were building in all directions. On top of that, a strong outgoing tide and a short starting line forced 5 general recalls and a few postponements. By the time the first race started, it was clear the wind was dying, and before the end of the race the wind completely stopped. Much of the fleet began moving backward with the tide as we struggled to reach the finish line. Nick Pellow posted Brett Beyer’s GPS annimation of the final moments of the race on the Top Mark. It’s both painful and hilarious to watch. Steven Bradbury eat your heart out. Luckily, soon after the
State Masters Sign-Up
We have brilliant 23 members signed up to go to the Laser NSW/ACT Sate Masters Championship in Lake Macquarie the first weekend in March. If you’re one of them, please make sure you’ve officially registered for the event here. Also, make sure you’ve coordinated transportation and accommodation. You can check out the trailer assignments here.