Off the Wind 2019

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2019 EDITION


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CONTENTS

SERVICE DIRECTORY GUEST RELATIONS DESK Sunday Monday to Thursday Friday & Saturday

09:00 – 14:00 09:00 – 17:00 09:00 – 20:00

BOATING & MARINA OFFICE Monday to Friday Saturday & Sunday (race days only)

09:00 – 17:00 09:00 – 13:00

MEMBERS’ BAR Bar Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri Wednesday Saturday to Sunday

12:00 till approx 21:00 11:30 till approx 21:00 11:00 till approx 21:00

Meals Lunch Monday to Friday 12:00 – 14:30 Saturday & Sunday 12:00 – 15:00 Dinner Monday to Thursday & Sunday 18:00 – 20:30 Friday & Saturday 18:00 – 21:00 A snack menu will be available on race days: Wednesday 16:00 – 18:00, Saturday & Sunday 15:00 – 18:00

KEN KING CENTRE (KKC) Saturday (race days) Sunday (race days) Saturday & Sundays (non race days)

08:00 – 13:00 08:00 – 11:00 Closed

HARBOUR VIEW RESTAURANT Monday & Tuesday Wednesday to Friday Saturday Sunday

Closed lunch from 12:00 dinner from 18:00 dinner only from 18:00 lunch only from 12:00

Please note: Winter trading hours are listed. Trading times will depend on the level of patronage and may vary from the time of printing. Seasonal trading hours can be found at syc.com.au

IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE Membership: Andrea Seignior – membership@syc.com.au Admin/Finance: Helen Tetlow – helen.tetlow@syc.com.au Boating Academy: Juliet Schilling – juliet.schilling@syc.com.au Sailing: James Sly – james.sly@syc.com.au CEO: Richard Hewett – ceo@syc.com.au Events/Functions: Ashlee Patten & Sarah Rees – events@syc.com.au Club Events: Naomi Smith – naomi.smith@syc.com.au Operations: Paul Corfield – paul.corfield@syc.com.au Marina and Yard Operations: Paul Gascoigne – waterfront@syc.com.au Marina and Yard Admin: Karen Crowley – karen.crowley@syc.com.au Executive Chef: Kol Gemmell – kol.gemmell@syc.com.au

SANDRINGHAM YACHT CLUB Jetty Road, Sandringham, Victoria, 3191 (PO Box 66) Phone: +61 3 9599 0999 Fax: +61 3 9598 8109 Email: office@syc.com.au Website: syc.com.au

PUBLISHED BY Naomi Smith, Di Tyndall, Kate Mitchell & Gill Stubbs

CONCEPT, DESIGN & LAYOUT Nick Richards, Privaro Design www.privaro.com.au

2 3 Commodore’s Report 4 Sail Report 6 Club Champions 2018-2019 7 State & National Champions 2018-2019 8 Recreational Boating Report 10 Off The Beach Report 12 Sunday Sailors Report 16 Wednesday Wonders Report 18 Thursday Twilights Report 19 J24 Report 20 Women in Sailing Challenge 22 Race Management Report 23 Melbourne Osaka Cup 24 SYC Picks Up Trifecta of Major Awards 25 SYC Membership Offer Evolves 26 SYC Long Term Members Recognised and Rewarded 28 SYC Marina 30 Social Report 32 Opening Day 2018 34 2019 Mercedes-Benz Brighton Port Phillip Challenge 35 Club Marine SYC Boating Academy 36 Reciprocal Club Program 38 Member Awards 40 Member Boat News 44 Member Snapshots 48 Off Water Activities 50 Club Charity Events 55 Clubhouse 10 Anniversary 56 Members’ Bar Specials COVER IMAGE SYC Club Champions 2018-2019 57 Function Catering at SYC Front: Jeff Sloan (Archie), Mark Welsh (Wicked), Mike Welsh (Wicked), Steve Copley (Primo) with Geoff Quirk, 58 Events at SYC Dealer Principal Mercedes-Benz Brighton. Back: Frank Hammond (Horizon Sprint), Robert Green (Dream), Rod 60 Kol’s Kitchen Warren (Joust), Marcus Sill (INSX) with Ashley Trebilcock, Commodore. Absent: Simon Bell (Archie), David Suda and 64 New Members and SYC Vale Herschel Landes (Watermark II). Photo credit: Chris Furey. General Committee

th

DISCLAIMER Opinions expressed in Off the Wind are not necessarily those of the Sandringham Yacht Club. The Club does not guarantee the accuracy or accept any responsibility for the statements or comments made by the contributors in articles submitted. The Club reserves the right to amend, alter or delete any items, statements or articles which it feels is not in the best interest of the Club or its members. Please note: Sandringham Yacht Club is referred to as SYC throughout this publication.


S A N D R I N G H A M YA C H T C LU B

General Committee 2018-2019 Commodore-in-Chief His Royal Highness Prince Philip K.G.K.T Duke of Edinburgh

Ashley Trebilcock Commodore

Garry Anderson Vice Commodore

Scott Sampson

Daniel Edwards

Treasurer

Club Captain, Sail

Paul Commins

Committee Member

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2019 EDITION

Club Captain, Recreational Boating

Committee Member

Committee Member

Rear Commodore

Simon Hemingway

Michael Kostos

Phil Simpfendorfer

Sue Bowes

Bill Stubbs

David Suda Club Captain, Off The Beach

Kevin Hibberson Committee Member

Committee Member


Commodore’s Report C

an you believe that it has been 10 years since the opening of the Sandringham Yacht Club clubhouse? Ten years on and our members continue to enjoy the facilities and atmosphere that our Clubhouse provides. Within that time we have run many very successful regattas and concurrently have secured several prestigious external awards. The latest bestowed on SYC was the 2018 Australian Yacht Club of the Year, presented to us by Australian Sailing. To deliver year on year, the high level of quality services both on and off-water is a credit to our members, volunteers and staff.

We should all be very proud of being a member of this great Club. In this edition of Off the Wind, you will read a comprehensive update on the marina. It is imperative that we position ourselves to be the Club and marina of choice by offering the best services and facilities within Port Phillip. This is our objective and the marina maintenance which has recently been completed demonstrates our ongoing commitment in this regard. The marina is looking great, but we have lots more important work to do and we are committed to doing it sooner rather than later. For those who were unable to attend the March General Meeting, the members overwhelmingly supported a range of proposed membership changes. These exciting changes were complemented by several loyalty initiatives which reward our long-term Members. These were fully supported with great feedback, as they are set to benefit all members either directly, or indirectly. The changes will be phased in over the coming months and will be fully implemented by the start of our new membership year in September. Please refer to the separate articles within this magazine for all the exciting detail. As we all know the secret to this Club is the ability to create a long-term plan that is adhered to, regularly updated and one that challenges us. Our Plan for the Future is readily available in the members section of the website, is updated annually and I encourage you to read it. We continue to make very good progress across the plan’s key pillars; On-water Activities and Programs – We are receiving very good feedback from our membership regarding the type of events on offer. Similarly we are getting positive feedback about the professional way those events are run by our volunteers and staff. Membership – In 2018 we conducted a full review of our membership offer and the members have fully supported the recommendations which flowed from this review. Many of the changes challenge the status quo, make things more affordable, remove barriers and make our Club more accessible than ever. In coming up with these changes we benchmarked ourselves against a wide range of clubs including some very successful in other sectors, eg. the AFL. We believe all motions which were put to the vote will provide a significant difference to our current members, whilst also providing compelling ways to attract new members. But we are not finished, we have only just begun and are committed to ongoing changes and improvements. Community and the Environment – SYC remains committed to supporting both Challenge – Kids with Cancer and the Sandringham Hospital. This support was recently demonstrated by a great number of volunteers who offered their time and boats to show the kids from Challenge a fantastic day out on the water on a wide range of boats ending in a raft-up. This year will also see another 24-hour bike ride supporting Sandringham Hospital and with many members playing a part, it will be great to host the thank you event thereafter at SYC. Marketing & Communications – With a broad demographic, communicating to all membership sectors is challenging, but we continue to push out as much information on as many different formats as we feel is appropriate. This magazine is one example, as is the Club’s popular app,

our online presence, our socials and all of our face-to-face efforts. To ensure you stay continually up-to-date, one great way is by receiving our weekly enewsletter – please visit our website to subscribe. Facilities and Asset Management – A big focus in recent years is our SYC Asset and Maintenance Plan (SAMP). It sets out our facility goals and plans for all Club assets. These are discussed extensively at General Committee heading into the annual budget phase. One small example of the important work set out in this document, is our objective of removing the black sludge in the harbour which detracts from our OTB sailors’ experience. We were successful in lobbying the authorities to have a feasibility study done on the quantum of the issue including disposal options. We are now working with them on this information with a view to getting the sludge removed. It is complex, sensitive and expensive – but it has our full attention. Governance, Risk and Financial Management – As we have come to expect the Club is tracking to the financial model set out to members back in 2008 and annually, our budget objectives are consistently met. Our finances are being well led by Scott Sampson and his team. Since the Association Cup tragedy that occurred in April 2018, combined with a significant change in government legislation in July 2018, our General Committee felt it prudent and appropriate to conduct a review of all SYC on-water activities. The review provided us with 17 recommendations, many of which have now been fully implemented. Some of these are; • A far more rigorous approach to risk management and general safety measures – in both policy and decision-making including the setting up of an on-water safety committee. • Compulsory crew sign-on via the Member Point app – so now we should know who is onboard which boat for every race. • More liberal use of Code Flag Y. • The purchase of a second dummy for the man overboard drills. • To improve our rescue capability, the purchase of a 7 metre RHIB, the fitting of a diver’s door on Club boat Boonoorong and making a defibrillator available for the Club boats. These are a small handful of the initiatives but generally speaking, we have adopted a more rigorous risk management approach to the planning, preparation and operation of boating events. I thank all members for your ongoing support with all the changes which we will need to continually make in the way we run our events. Our focus on safety and our on-water rescue capabilities have changed dramatically and, with SYC being a leading club around the bay, I believe we are taking the correct approach. Although I am biased, I believe the way the staff at the Club conduct themselves and provide us with the high quality of service, is exceptional. Please accept my thanks from all members for both the time and effort that you continue to provide. Finally, I mentioned earlier that the Clubhouse turns 10 in 2019. We have lots in store for members this year including Club events, food and beverage specials, some exciting partner offers tied into the 2019/20 membership offer and of course, a big name act to kick in the Opening of the season – stay tuned. See you around the Club.

Ashley Trebilcock Commodore

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S A N D R I N G H A M YA C H T C LU B

Sail Report I

t has been another great year of keelboat racing at Sandringham Yacht Club with great participation and fantastic competition.

It is very pleasing that there continues to be strong participation across all Mercedes-Benz Brighton Series being Wednesday Wonders, Thursday Twilights, Saturday Aggregate, Saturday Round the Stix and Sunday Sailors and the Monjon One-Design Sprint Series.

With detailed race reports elsewhere in this edition of Off the Wind, set out here are information and results for our Saturday racing over the last 12 months, which again has had strong fleets, with:

The winners of our 2019 Summer Round the Stix are:

IRC Division A – Alibi (Dennis Hambleton) Division B – Alchemist (Michael Manson)

AMS Division A – Alibi (Dennis Hambleton) Division B – Rhiannon (Lowa Paszko)

PHS Division A – Alibi (Dennis Hambleton) Division B – Fun & Games (Alan Edwards) The winners of our 2018 Winter Round the Stix are:

• 54 yachts participating across 3 divisions in the 2019 Summer Aggregate, • 46 yachts participating across 2 divisions in the 2019 Summer Round the Stix and • 37 yachts participating across 2 divisions in the 2018 Winter Round the Stix. The winners of our 2019 Summer Club Aggregate and Club Champions are:

IRC

IRC

PHS

Division 1 – Wicked (Mike and Mark Welsh) Division 2 – INSX (Marcus Sill) Division 3 – Watermark II (David Suda and Herschel Landes)

AMS Division 1 – Joust (Rod Warren) Division 2 – Horizon Sprint (Frank Hammond) Division 3 – Watermark II (David Suda and Herschel Landes) Division 1 – Dream (Robert Green) Division 2 – Archie (Simon Bell and Jeff Sloan) Division 3 – Primo (Steve Copley)

Fleet sailing down wind

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Division B – Watermark II (David Suda and Herschel Landes)

AMS Division A – Scarlet Runner 11 (Rob Date) Division B – Rhiannon (Lowa Paszko) Division A – Scarlet Runner 11 (Rob Date) Division B – Primo (Steve Copley) The Association Cup was run on Sunday 7 April and it was pleasing that SYC was successful in defence of this Cup against a team from Royal Brighton Yacht Club. The testing conditions kept not only the sailors on their toes but also SYC’s Race Management Team. We acknowledge the following successful SYC yacht owners and their crews who made up the SYC Association Cup team:

IRC

PHS

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Division A – Wicked (Mike and Mark Welsh)

Wicked, Doesn’t Matter and Watermark II

AMS Joust, Scarlet Runner 11 and Horizon Sprint.

Alibi Part of the Association Cup is the R J Green Memorial Trophy, which is presented to the best performing yacht in IRC and was won by Wicked. The Max Green Memorial Trophy, which is presented to the best performing yacht in AMS, was won by Scarlet Runner 11. Organising racing at our Club involves many volunteers both on and off the water. This includes Sail Committee, which is made up of a great group of passionate members who work extremely well together and who each take on key portfolios in order to organise keelboat racing. The contribution of each member is amazing and we thank each of them for their efforts. The focus of Sail Committee is to plan, organise and promote keelboat racing programs and events which: • benefit our members, • maintain or improve racing standards and • encourage growth and enjoyment in keelboat racing.

Rhiannon 2019 EDITION


Association Cup Team

Our overriding objective is to provide members with great keelboat racing. To deliver this, there are two groups which Sail Committee would like to acknowledge and thank, as their efforts and contribution are critical to the success of keelboat racing at SYC. Firstly, there is our fantastic Race Management, who are just so critical to the success of every race day. As a Club we are very lucky to have such a large group of volunteers across all spectrums from experienced to just learning, who all contribute to the success of our keelboat racing program. This includes International, National, State and Club qualified persons, as well as a host of volunteers willing to do a broad range of things. The other group is our team in the Boating Office, who do such a great job over so many areas of our keelboat racing program and who provide so much help to our members. Led by our Sailing Manager, James Sly, there is Maddie Commins, Julia Hendrickson and new to the team, Juliet Schilling, who are also supported by Michael Reinehr, Russell Tyson (Tug) and Ricky Deghi, who each undertake a range of roles. I would also like to acknowledge the

In terms of ongoing challenges, on-water safety remains to be a key issue for all within SYC, but one key safety measure that we wish to thank all members for successfully implementing, is the crew sign-on requirement within the MemberPoint App. Not only do we now know who is on the water, but we are also able to access critical contact information for each person, should it be needed. This is a significant improvement from a safety perspective. Although we may not get everything right, we can assure members that Sail Committee, Race Management and the Boating Office are all trying very hard to deliver the best keelboat racing on Port Phillip.

Primo

As we are constantly striving for improvement, Sail Committee is really keen to receive SYC member feedback and suggestions as to where improvements can be made or where change could be considered. Accordingly, we look forward to receiving your feedback and suggestions.

Daniel Edwards

Doesn’t Matter

Scarlet Runner 11

A J McKinnon Photography

Sail Club Captain

Bruce Parry

Fun & Games

tremendous support we receive from our keelboat naming rights sponsor, Mercedes-Benz Brighton. Thank you to Geoff Quirk and his passionate team whose ongoing support is instrumental and invaluable.

A J McKinnon Photography

We see all race days, whether it be Wednesday afternoon, Thursday evening, Saturday or Sunday, to be of equal importance and we aim to improve the quality and racing standard for all our race days.

Watermark II

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Division 1 AMS Joust Rod Warren

A J McKinnon Photography

A J McKinnon Photography

Club Champions 2018 – 2019

Division 1 IRC Wicked Mark and Mike Welsh

Division 3 AMS Watermark II David Suda and Herschel Landes

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Division 2 IRC INSX Marcus Sill

Division 2 PHS Archie Simon Bell and Jeff Sloan

Bruce Parry

Division 2 AMS Horizon Sprint Frank Hammond

ORCV

A J McKinnon Photography

Division 1 PHS Dream Robert Green

Division 3 PHS Primo Steve Copley

Division 3 IRC Watermark II David Suda and Herschel Landes


Craig Wiley

Roger Byrne

State and National Champions 2018 – 2019

2019 J24 National Champion By The Lee Brendan Lee

©fireball-ycarnac-2018

A J McKinnon Photography

2019 S80 State Champion Intrusion Luke Reinehr

Kate Goss

Michah Shuwalow

2019 J111 National Champion Joust Rod Warren

Australian Fireball Champions Not Your Average Rockstars Heather Macfarlane and Chris Payne

2019 Optimist State Champion Open Fleet Matty Goss

2019 Optimist State Champion Green Fleet Lottie Griffith

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Recreational Boating Report R

ecreational Boating – where fun, social and boating intersect.

Our Guest Speaker Nights had great variety. April 2018 featured the Gordon and Franklin Rivers with Peter Turrell sharing his trip there. June saw Ian MacWilliams and George Shaw talk about the Melbourne to Osaka double-handed race. Then Andrew Allan talked about the Victoria Police motorboat fleet and his experiences as a MICA flight paramedic. In October David Kramer spoke about all things fishing and also shared some views on the future and politics of Victorian fishing. At this night we handed out the complimentary fishing ‘show bags’ to all entrants in the Fishing Competition. This was closely followed in November by Club member Hugh Pilsworth, who spoke about his world circumnavigation, including traversing the Panama Canal and exotic destinations. Then Ken Gayler gave us an ‘Evening with Alma’ in February – a talk about the history of the Alma Doepel and Ken’s eight year involvement with the Alma’s rebuilding. The Fishing Competition was held at the end of October 2018, again in slightly windy conditions. Peter Turrell took out the Wayne Read Trophy with a 5.4 kg snapper, with honourable mentions to Andrew Read, Paul Liddiatt and Dean Weissbacher. Kate McCutcheon caught a starfish and Andy Lynch a banjo shark. Thirty-three boats with 70 odd members attended with a lunchtime fish cooking lesson from Kol Gemmell. The 2018 Presentation Breakfast was more than sold out with 113 guests and another quiz run by Ross Cunningham. The major prizes in the raffle were a Procaffe coffee machine, an HVR voucher plus great hampers. Recreational Boating Person of the Year was awarded to Ian MacWilliams to great acclaim. This was announced whilst he was filming the presentation, so he documented his own victory. Ian has helped film and record many events and is generally a huge help in the Recreational Boating and the wider Sandringham Yacht Club community.

and Saturday we had planned to go. Instead we had a dinner in the Members’ Bar on the Saturday night. The next CIC on the 2018 November Cup weekend, was to Balmoral Marina in Geelong and then to Wyndham Harbour near Werribee River. The Saturday leg to Geelong was cancelled due to a stiff on-the-nose breeze and naturally, this led to an enthusiastic debate about the relative merits of powerboats versus yachts. Pontoon D saw a very enthusiastic get together at Wyndham Harbour and the next day 32 thirsty members had lunch and wine tasting at Shadowfax Winery. The annual ‘Boat Name Contest’, which is a short story or poem containing all CIC participating boat names, had entries from most boats. Several entertaining efforts were disqualified with material unsuitable for distribution. Lauraine McDonald, from Mark Sutherland’s Vive La Vie, was judged the winner. George Shaw announced to the fleet he was going to bed by playing his trumpet. Most of us were drenched in the return to SYC on Cup Day.

Wyndham Harbour

The Christmas party was run in the OTB area for the first time in years – many thanks OTB. A very strong turnout was treated to Christmas carols from the Box Hill Salvation Army – thank you George Shaw and we had a great barbeque, although we did forget to cook some of the hamburgers. Many thanks to the huge support from the SYC staff. The raffle was well supported with hampers, wine glasses and decanter, wine and cheese wheels among the prizes. Unfortunately our next event, the Summer Raft-Up and Picnic had to be cancelled due to 15 to 20 knot winds. The April 2018 Cruise in Company (CIC) to Docklands also got the chop due to gale-force winds that blew across the city for the Friday 8 |

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Cruise in Company Sunset

Kate and Dave McCutcheon – Winners SYC Cup


In March 2019 we cruised down to Martha Cove in a long line. For those who were sailing, the second half of the trip was a joy. During the short jaunt across to Queenscliff Cruising Yacht Club on the Sunday, we saw a chaotic berthing as most of the fleet arrived in an un-forecast 30 knot westerly. This disappeared as quickly as it arrived leaving a beautiful twilight for a great dinner. The cruise director managed to fall off his berthed boat, luckily there were no cameras around. After some debate we cancelled the Westernport leg due to the forecast strong winds for Tuesday. Monday was a great sail or motor back to SYC after a leisurely breakfast. Our final CIC was to Docklands. On Friday 5 April 2019 and in the face of a strong wind warning, seven boats both power and yacht, headed into a 25 to 30 knot northerly to Docklands. Just after we arrived a gale warning was issued for Friday and Saturday and did it blow on Friday night. Given we were already there and the gale was due to abate early Saturday, we could only cautiously encourage the rest to venture forth. In all 22 boats turned up making 65 for dinner. The brewery tour was well attended. Marshalled by the marvellous duo of Dawn and Garry Cleaver, a small army of helpers prepared and cooked a great dinner, great desserts, decorations, dancing and great company. Sunday late morning was a sedate motor or sail back to SYC with the Association Cup boats out to starboard.

February saw the SYC Cup and CUB cup contested in the annual Nav Rally. An initially gloomy day improved as it progressed. David and Kate McCutcheon, in IV by VIII, were the individual winners on the day. This was their third victory in a row and we believe that no-one has previously won the SYC Cup three years running. Mighty congratulations to David and Kate. The strong contingent of boats from Royal Victorian Motor Yacht Club ensured they won the CUB cup back from SYC. Hopefully we will have revenge next year. Two of our Recreational Boating folks picked up Victorian awards for their efforts in working in and assisting Victorian Boating, as judged by Australian Sailing Victoria: • George Shaw’s award was the Service to Yachting award and • David McCutcheon won Motor Yacht Person on the Year. To finish, I must say none of the events held over the last year would have happened without the hard-working and dedicated committee members: Kate McCutcheon, Dawn Cleaver, Peter Hickey, George Shaw, Bruce Saunders, Michael Kostos and Maddie Commins (Boating Department). It is a privilege to work alongside members who have a love for boating, having fun and SYC.

Simon Hemingway Recreational Boating Club Captain

Fishing Competition: Peter Turrell wins the Wayne Read Trophy

SYC at Queenscliff Cruising Yacht Club

Committee in Action - Christmas Party

2020 Laser events 2020 Laser events coming to SYC coming to SYC

Australian National Laser Championship 1 - 8 January 2020

00 entries across the three Laser classes, with male and female competitors of all ages 1-8 January 2020

9-16 February 2020

19-26 February 2020

CA Standard Championship 9 - 16 February 2020 ILCA Standard AustralianMen's World ILCA Radial

ass maleNational sailors are expected for this event, all aspirants Men’s World Laser Women’sfor andthe 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games

Championships

Championship

Men’s World Championships 19 - 26 February 2020 Up to 300 entries across 160 world class male dial Women’s and Men’s World Championships the three Laser classes, sailors are expected for Up to 130 andlocal talent Up to 130 female & 120 male sailors including a female host of with male and female this event, all aspirants competitors of all ages.

for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Victorian Laser

120 male sailors including a host of local talent.

n, SYC are also hosting the State Championships on 23-24 November 2019 formation please visit http://laser2020.com/ or get in touch via email at info@laser2020.com As a lead in, SYC are also hosting the Victorian Laser State Championships on 23-24 November 2019.

e interested in volunteering (all sorts of jobs) please register your interest more information please visit: laser2020.com or get in touch via email at: with For SYC by taking a photo of the QR code on the right! info@laser2020.com

If you are interested in volunteering (all sorts of jobs) please register your interest with SYC by taking a photo of the QR code on the right!

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S A N D R I N G H A M YA C H T C LU B

Off The Beach Report T

he Off The Beach area at Sandringham Yacht Club is going through a resurgence at the moment, as we rebuild after a period of sustained strength and success. Luckily for us SYC is like a great AFL team such as Geelong or Hawthorn and we are never down for long, if ever. It is with great pleasure that I took over the reins as OTB Club Captain in 2018, after serving on the OTB Committee under previous Club Captain, Terry George. The role has given me a much better appreciation of our great Club, all that it has to offer and most importantly, the fantastic people that make it such a special place to belong. A few years ago both my daughters started sailing at age eight and my whole family became involved in the OTB area, as I had done as a child many years ago. When I rejoined the OTB area it was riding an amazing wave, thanks to some very special SYC families such as the Sassons, Raes, Disneys, Sampsons, Shephards, Fureys, Robsons, Distefanos, Cavanaghs and the Davis family, to mention just a few. SYC OTB Royalty. Over the past few years the OTB family has changed as we welcome so many new families to our great Club. I am really enjoying meeting everyone and making them feel welcome. Our Club is only as good as its members and for that reason I feel we are in a very good place right now and it only seems to get better every time another great family becomes involved. In the past few seasons we have seen the development of some excellent young sailors and the new brigade of members are now starting to shine when they travel to represent SYC locally or interstate. The recent successes this season from our very young group gives me confidence that our focus on providing members with excellent Club racing and a quality junior coaching program, is helping develop our young sailors. Congratulations to all the young sailors who have achieved their goals on the water. The 2018-19 season has also been busy for our youth and senior OTB sailors, with many travelling far and wide to represent SYC. The Tasar fleet continues to excel and we have so many amazing sailors in this very social and fiercely competitive class. This great group has achieved some amazing results including finishing very highly at both the Nationals in Largs Bay and the Victorian Championships more recently. Congratulations to Paul and Bronwyn Ridgway on another fantastic season, finishing 3rd at the Australian Championships. Well done also to James Sly and Ella Disney finishing 5th, followed closely by Heather Macfarlane and Chris Payne 6th overall in 10 |

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Opening Day Sail Past a very tough fleet of 49 boats. Heather and Chris also found time to jump back in their beloved Fireball and take out the Australian Championships, impressive stuff and good to see they like sailing in Geelong since that club is hosting the World Championships in 2022. Elsewhere we had Jon Holroyd finishing 3rd overall at the Waszp Australia Championships in Western Australia, an amazing result in such a popular and fast-growing class. We now have four Waszps at the Club as the old ‘Bic boys’ (Jack Challands, Patrick Distefano and Lachie Hughes) decided it is time to join this spectacular One-Design foiling class. I expect to see some fireworks on the water watching these young men master their new boats. Jon Holroyd is putting his Waszp in the garage and jumping back in the Laser class where he featured prominently in his younger days. The Laser fleet is experiencing a growth spurt at the moment and we now have close to 10 on the water regularly and I have no doubt they will benefit from racing against each other. I look forward to seeing a few more Laser legends getting itchy feet and jumping back into the class in time for the 2020 Worlds which we are hosting. Stuart Wallace, what do you think? Andrew Crawshaw and Andrew Robinson and others can be seen heading out regularly to train in less than perfect conditions or coming in at dusk wearing a satisfied grin. They will need navigation lights on their boats now so they can keep training. By now I can already hear the 29er and 49er sailors saying what about us? But do not worry guys and girls, I have not forgotten you and how could I possibly? It has been great to see

the effort that James and Harrison Sly have made to help build our 9er fleet, which is now starting to dominate the lawn area. Have I mentioned that we need more room to store OTB boats yet? It is a great problem to have and I love watching the skiffs fly around the race track on Sunday afternoons. Well done to those who have made the transition to a skiff. They are difficult, tipsy, overpowered beasts, but from the committee boat you can see that it has not taken very long to get these boats under control. So by now you start to see that we have quite a lot of great stuff happening over in your OTB area and it is not all monohull action. Tayla Reitman and Lachie White are in the middle of a very serious Nacra 17 campaign, that will place them in Europe by the time you are reading this. Later in 2019 they will head to Auckland to contest the World Championships. The whole Club wishes the team success in their travels this year as they represent SYC and hope they achieve their goals. The Nacra 17 is a highperformance one-design class catamaran that has been converted to a foiling cat for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games. In terms of weather, the 2018-19 season has been a good one for sailors and the OTB racing program has gone on relatively uninterrupted. Opening Day had great weather and the Ronstan Challenge, post Sail Past, set the tone for much of the season, fair winds and sunshine. Sail Sandy the following week had some of its best weather and SYC opened the doors to showcase our race management and volunteer muscles. Over 100 volunteers, nearly 200 boats, four courses and I cannot count how many races. Luckily TopYacht did not crash that weekend.


Cadet State Titles under tow

Waiting for wind Suda and Lilly Anne Johnston finished 9th overall and are selected to travel to Poland as the reserve boat. The girls will compete in the very tough Worlds Promotional Regatta if the entire Aussie team makes it to Poland. SYC’s Matty Goss finished 9th overall in the Optimist National Championships and more recently won the Victorian Optimist Championships to add to his trophy cabinet.

Old mates at Metung The pre-Christmas Kingston Sprint Series had more great weather, although the wind went from not enough to too much pretty quickly on the Saturday. The Christmas party that night was one of the best, although they are always heaps of fun and a big thank you must go to the Coman family for organising. Junior Captain, Natalie Coman and her brothers Lachie and Jonno, did well controlling the crowd during their hilarious and clever trivia quiz. All of sudden it was Christmas and almost everyone packed up the trailers and headed to Hobart for either the Cadets, Optimist, 420s, 29ers, 49ers, even the Lasers went to Tasmania. The sailing was tough, very tough, but we all learnt why the Derwent River produces very good sailors. It reminded me that it is so important to get your head out of the boat when you are racing. On the Derwent River things change very quickly and you can be famous one minute and last the next if you do not concentrate. What works one leg means nothing on the next, but thankfully we all survived. The cadets also had two boats in the top 10 overall and Thomas Johnston and Kylan Thompson finished 6th to qualify for the World Championships in Poland late in 2019. Mischa

In February 2019 we had our annual Pie Night and Henry Johnston shared his experiences on the Young Endeavour, a great trip which was organised by George Shaw through our affiliation with the Melbourne to Osaka Yacht Race. We also had the OTB Live-In weekend and unfortunately a gale warning kept everyone on the beach, but that did not stop the fun. Natalie Coman and her family did a fantastic job organising this event as well. It was the usual antics of jumping off the pier at 22:00, sitting around the fire on the beach well past midnight, then trying to work out what time the kids actually went to sleep, if at all. I am already looking forward to Arlene Silvas’ blueberry pancakes for breakfast again next year, YUM. Each year on the long weekend in March, most OTB classes hold their Victorian Championships and the cadets went to Royal Yacht Club of Victoria. SYC had three cadets in the top 10, but more importantly we started to see a lot more new faces towards the front of the fleet. Special mention must go to Daniel Conacher and Liam Richardson, placed 12th and to Angelica Woodroffe and Tayla Newman who showed glimpses of a very bright future. SYC Club Coach, Ricciardo Deghi (Ricky), who has guided our youngest OTB members, some through their first season on the water, has done a fantastic job teaching the Optimist fleet about sailing and racing. We now have a large group of Optimists travelling to all the major

events around Victoria and it is awesome to see our fleet already bringing home some podium finishes. Watch out for the always smiling Lottie Griffiths, who took out the Green Fleet division at the recent Victorian Championships. There were lots of other great results at this regatta from Ellen Sampson (1st Victorian girl), Scarlett Zerbe (2nd Victorian girl), Will Fearn, Liam Stevens and Dmitry Sorokin to name just a few. In April many of our OTB families travelled to Metung for our 58th Easter Regatta, which is always a highlight of the season and a great chance for our members to get away together. The weather was fantastic, which allowed the program to go as planned and everyone who made it along had a memorable time, including the Easter Bunny (thanks Ash). The regatta is a great part of our clubs history and is one that celebrates good sportsmanship, friendship and fun. The main prize is the coveted Handicap Trophy which dates back to 1964 and this year it was won by Rohan and Lavanya Subbarayala on Coldplay. Our Winter Series will finish off a busy sailing program in June and we celebrate another great year at SYC OTB on Presentation Night. Special thanks to all our volunteers who give up their time to make OTB such a great and happening place, we cannot do it without you and we really appreciate your support. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the efforts of the OTB Committee members Terry George, Alex Newman, Dean Robson, Andrew Crawshaw, Jonathan Fearn, Rowland Richardson and Sarah McCully. We are working together to provide the very best outcomes for the SYC members and families of OTB.

David Suda Off The Beach Club Captain

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S A N D R I N G H A M YA C H T C LU B

Sunday Sailors Report

Nearing the finish

38 Degrees South

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t is easy for local sailors to take sailing on Port Phillip for granted. It sometimes takes the keen eye and mind of a visitor to point out the real benefits of being out on the water. Paul Henderson, a Canadian sailor, ISAF Past President and former member of the International Olympic Committee is quoted as saying “Anyone who has sailed on Port Phillip will tell you that it is among the best open waterways for yacht racing anywhere in the world. With exciting wind and wave conditions, the bay is an exhilarating sail for even the most experienced sailor and sees many of the best sailors and their international campaigns based on its waters.”

The 12 months from May 2018 offered Mercedes-Benz Brighton Sunday Sailors 24 chances to test the ‘exciting wind and wave conditions’ out on the bay. There were 11 races in the Winter Series with another 13 making up the Summer Series. The Winter Series got underway right on time when the Salar 40 Panache IV (Egils Stokans) led a fleet of 25 yachts around a 9.9 nautical mile (nm) course with the help of a steady northerly breeze. Unfortunately the breeze eased as the morning progressed

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What was not obvious at the time was just how much impact the weather was to have on the remainder of the series. Five races are required to constitute a series, by no means an improbable target, but it seemed to be less likely as it progressed. Race 2 went ahead according to schedule and was won by Perfect Sense (Peter Sutton) with Cassandra of Melbourne again second with Foggy Dew (Joe O’Grady) third. Two races down nine to go. Race 3 got underway with 22 yachts crossing the start line but the breeze proved too light, so it was abandoned. There were three new podium finishers in the fourth race which took the 22 yacht fleet around an 8 nm course. Giselle (Robert Freeman) was the winner with Phoenix (Alex Tseberg) second, followed by Kismet (Doug Jackson) third. Three races complete with only two more needed to constitute the series. A westerly breeze gusting 25 knots accompanied by messy seas caused Race 5 to be abandoned.

Sailing on glass

White Onyx 12 |

resulting in one yacht retiring and five others failing to finish within the time limit. Panache IV won the first race with Cassandra of Melbourne (Bob Reeves) second and Vive La Vie (Mark Sutherland) third.

2019 EDITION

The breeze shifted to the north for Race 6 and averaged 19 knots for the morning. This was enough to drive 18 yachts around the longest course of the winter, a 10.2 nm course. Perfect Sense was on the podium for the second time with Oasis (David Keyes-Tilley) second and Hi Jac (John Gledhill) third. The ‘exciting wind and wave conditions’ proved too much for Races 7 and 8. Squalls of up to 45 knots were forecast for Race 7 and there was a gale warning issued for Race 8. Only four races complete, one more needed to constitute a series with three to go. At the start of Race 9 it looked as though the magic number of five races would be easily made. But within an hour of 09:00 the breeze eased from 14 down to 6 knots and the chances of a result fell accordingly. The race was shortened with only five of the 15 starters finished, but a series had been constituted. Another three yachts graced the podium for Race 9 with 38 Degrees South (John Chatham and Kate Mitchell) the winner followed by White Onyx (Ben and Katherine Solly) and Debonnaire (Phil Gomez). Fourteen knot winds and 1.5 metre seas greeted the 18 yacht fleet on what became the last race of the winter. Giselle won with Dilli Gaff (Paul


MacBain) second and Kismet third. The six-race Winter Series aggregate was won by Debonnaire with Winsome (Simon Hemingway) second and Cassandra of Melbourne third. The Summer Series began three weeks later on 7 October 2018. This series makes up the second half of the Sunday Plate and when combined with the Wednesday Wonders Summer Series it becomes the basis of the Noelle Coram Trophy. Thirty yachts entered the series with 26 contesting the Sunday Plate and nine contesting the Noelle Coram Trophy. An amendment to the Sailing Instructions introduced a 30 minute extension to the 12:30 time limit. It came into play almost immediately when five yachts crossed the finish line after 12:30 in the first race. This series did not share as many interruptions as the Winter Series with only one abandoned and four shortened races. Once again the series was led off by Panache IV but she was unable to repeat her winning performance of the Winter Series. With what was to be the slowest winning start, Dilli Gaff won the Start of the Day with a time of 18 seconds. The Secretary (George Shaw) won the race with White Onyx second and Debonnaire third. Following her win of the Winter Series aggregate, Debonnaire led the contest for the Sunday Plate – a position she would hold for the remainder of the series. Race 2 started with Foggy Dew recording the first perfect start, however the race was abandoned as a result of light winds. There were only 7 knots recorded at Fawkner Beacon at the start of the race and by 12:30 conditions were calm – no wind. With the help of her familiar red spinnaker Debonnaire won Race 3 by a margin of 2 minutes 34 seconds with White Onyx second and Scallywag (Bill Hutchison) third. Race 4 brought something of a change to the fortunes of Debonnaire in the longest race so far, 10.8 nm. Dolphin Play (John Brennan) recorded a perfect start whilst Lawless (Boyd Coulson) made this the first of three wins. It was in Race 5 that Lawless had her second win. As a result she held on to second place in the aggregate but her handicap went from 18 to 25 minutes for Race 6. Nineteen yachts assembled on 23 December 2018 for the last race of the year. The start was won by Debonnaire with Vive La Vie taking the hooter, Foggy Dew second and Cassandra of Melbourne third. At what was almost the halfway point, White Onyx led the series aggregate followed by Lawless and Lebrok (Theo Korbel). The contest for the Sunday Plate was led by Debonnaire with Dilli Gaff second and Cassandra of Melbourne third. Meanwhile, Cassandra of Melbourne led the challenge for the Noelle Coram Trophy with Razzle Dazzle (Andrew Stopp) and Lebrok second and third respectively. Race 7 was won by Young Bears (Graeme Matthews), a casual entry, with Amicus II (Warwick Stenford) second and Upbeat (Peter Dunne) third. It did however; bring a change at the top of the aggregate with Lawless moving

Perfect Sense and Copyright to the top for the first time. The largest fleet of 28 yachts contested Race 8 won by Winsome (Simon Hemingway) who held off challenges from six yachts each with spinnakers. Debonnaire had her second win in Race 9 around a shortened course with Razzle Dazzle in second place and White Onyx third. With a breeze that averaged less than 4 knots, race 10 became the fourth race to be shortened but still produced a result. Lebrok recorded her only podium finish, with First Passion (Simon Lipman) runner-up and Imaginer (Chris Byrne) third. Race 11 saw three yachts make the podium for the first and only time. Panache IV crossed the line in first place with Kismet second and Alegria (Simon May) third. Race 12 became the fifth race to be shortened when the breeze failed to average 4 knots for the morning. Nevertheless the race was completed with Lawless having her third win, with Imaginer and Dilli Gaff following her across the line. By way of contrast, the breeze averaged 18 knots for the last race. It was the quickest race and Cassandra of Melbourne revelled in the conditions for her first win. Recording their best results of the summer were Foggy Dew and Hi Jac which finished second and third respectively.

Razzle Dazzle

An average of over 22 yachts contested each of the 12 races throughout the summer which produced nine different winners and a total of 22 different yachts making their way onto the podium. Seven yachts completed all twelve races. Debonnaire, Lawless, Lebrok and White Onyx led the aggregate at one time or another, but it was Lawless which was there at the finish. The Sunday Plate requires yachts to compete in both winter and summer series and was won by Debonnaire on 6 points followed by Dilli Gaff and Lebrok both on 10 points. Of the nine yachts contesting the Noelle Coram Trophy, Lebrok came out on top with a third place in the Wednesday Wonders aggregate and second in the Sunday Sailors aggregate.

Graham Furness

Dilli Gaff

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S A N D R I N G H A M YA C H T C LU B

Wednesday Wonders Report

Willarie

Pippa

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n the past 12 months the Mercedes-Benz Brighton Wednesday Wonders Series re-affirmed its popularity as a keelboat racing event. To some it is the best racing on the calendar. The two presentation nights which were sell-out events were testament to its success. Wednesday Wonders has been compared to baking. There are four main ingredients: yachts, weather, courses and handicaps. They are mixed together, heated up and hey presto you have winners. But like baking it is always difficult to come up with the right result. If at first you do not succeed there is always next Wednesday.

Over 2018-19 there were races scheduled for 51 of the 52 weeks, the only break being the week after Christmas. As usual the Winter Series consisted of 26 races and the Summer Series of 25. The weather made sure that not all races went ahead with five races abandoned in each series. The abandoned races proved no deterrent to the enthusiastic Wednesday Wonders participants, with an average of 36 yachts contesting each race. Only two yachts tried to get it right every time and contested all 41 races, being Pippa (Jeffrey Woolhouse) and White Noise (Daniel Edwards). It was very heartening indeed to see 45 yachts cross the start line in the very first race of the Winter Series. This was a record number of yachts for a single race – a record that was equalled later in this series and in the Summer Series. All yachts were competing for the prizes for first, second and third places as well as the Start of the Day. The Misty Blue Trophy (best starter in the series) of the Winter Series forms the first part of the Shebessa Shield, being the boat having the lowest combined score based on their positions in the Winter and Summer Series. For those fortunate few who have a skipper and yacht whose combined age totals 100 or more years, there was the six-race Century Class Series. The Winter Series had 11 entrants and it was not until the last of the six races that the winner was known. Pippa, White Noise and Willarie (Graeme Kaufman) sailed all 21 races in the Winter 16 |

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Series, but between them collected only four podium finishes. It was Vindaloo (John Taylor) who plundered the inscribed glassware with five podium finishes in 14 races. She was well backed up by Summer Wind (Martyn Sly) with four podium finishes from 17 races and then there were seven yachts with three each. In all, 35 yachts were rewarded with glasses which meant 14 yachts in the aggregate had to resort to past successes or Start of the Day for a glass. Winning Start of the Day is essentially about judgement and arriving at the start line on time. Every yacht in the race has an opportunity to win but there is no second chance. Throughout the 21 race series, eight yachts recorded a perfect start. Stampede (Christopher Gendala), Summer Wind and Upbeat (Peter Dunne) judged the start line well enough to each have two perfect starts. The average winning time for Start of the Day was 1.2 seconds sending out a challenge for competitors in the Summer Series. After perusing 778 start times accumulated by 57, the winner of the Misty Blue Trophy for the 2018 Winter Series was determined. The winner was Upbeat.

Arch de Triomphe her worst start of the series. Cassandra of Melbourne (Bob Reeves) finished second with Andante 1 (Keith Woodruff) in third place. These yachts were among the 50 competing not only for the aggregate but the Shebessa Shield, Jaffa Trophy, Misty Blue Trophy, and the Noelle Coram Trophy. In addition 12 yachts, one more than in winter vied for the Century Class Trophy. Five of the 25 scheduled races were abandoned – four due to strong wind and one when there was very little wind. Seven yachts completed the remaining 20 races. These were Arch de Triomphe, Esprit, Foggy Dew, Pippa, The Secretary, White Noise and Windspeed. The average winning time for Start of the Day of 1.2 seconds set in the Winter Series was surpassed by the Summer Series yachts that beat it by 0.1 seconds. There were 19 different winners of the start which included a three-way tie in Race 7. Arch de Triomphe, Barnstormer (Brian Barnes), Foggy Dew, Luscious, Phoenix and Upbeat

Throughout the 26 weeks of the Winter Series, eight yachts rose to the top of the aggregate. These eight were Arch de Triomphe (Alistair Murray/Rob Davis/James Taylor), Café Racer (Alan Clapham), Phoenix (Alex Tseberg), Pippa, Vantage (Darren Hunter), Vindaloo, Willarie and Windspeed (Les Browne). It was the final weeks of the series that drew attention to the aggregate. During the last seven weeks the leader changed four times and Willarie finished as the worthy winner. The 11 individual race results that made up her final score of 76.5 points included nine top-ten finishes. That was not her only success because she won the last race to become the Century Class Trophy Winter Series winner. Fifty yachts entered the aggregate for the Summer Series. Race 1 got away to a good start when Esprit (Garry Anderson) started right on her handicap time had Start of the Day. Luscious (Michael Butler) won the first race after

Summer Wind


each won the start twice. There were 816 starts in the Summer Series and the best belonged to Arch de Triomphe which collected the Misty Blue Trophy for 2108-19 Summer Series with an average start time of just 1.7 seconds. During the first 17 races of the summer there were seven different leaders of the series aggregate. Race 17 was won by The Secretary which flew the Wednesday Wonders yellow flag until the last race. She did not have it all her own way and in the latter stages of the series was challenged by Second Nature (Paul Mentiplay) and Saltshaker (Ken Gayler) who whittled away her lead. It was the last race that produced an unexpected result. Pippa finished fourth in the race and won the aggregate with a three point margin. The annual Grand Prix Yacht Race came with a twist this summer. It started with Race 20 but was not decided until Race 21. Although there was enough breeze to start race 20 it eased to such an extent that the race was abandoned. The winner of 2019 Annual Grand Prix Yacht race was Lebrok (Theo Korbel). The Jaffa Trophy was presented to the winner of Race 24, being the race closest to Saint Patrick’s Day. There was a half-hour delay to the start to give the 3 knot breeze time to increase. It did and 40 yachts both started and finished the race. The 2019 winner was Andante 1 which started from fourth place, was third at SYC 4 and finished the race more than three minutes ahead of the rest of the fleet. By the end of Race 20 Alibi (Dennis Hambleton), Pippa and White Noise were all equal on 17 points, leading the contest for the Shebessa Shield. After races 21 and 22 Windspeed took the lead. Pippa was in the lead after Race 23 then it was the turn of Alibi to establish a three point lead going into the final race. The last race of the summer saw Pippa finish fourth, move to the top of the aggregate and win the Shebessa Shield. A good result in both the Wednesday Wonders and Sunday Sailors Summer Aggregates is needed to win the Noelle Coram Trophy. Finishing third in Wednesday Wonders and second in Sunday Sailors saw Lebrok receive the trophy. The tussle for the Century Class Trophy continued until the last race of that series. It became all about the number six. The winner would be decided in the sixth race with the six most likely winners separated by six points. The result of the final race created a tie in the series aggregate between Fun & Games (Alan Edwards) and Bon Vivant (Russell Keays). Fun & Games was declared the winner on a count-back. Winner of the 2018-19 Tower Choice Award was Esprit. The end of the Wednesday Wonders 2018-19 Summer Series was celebrated by a sell-out crowd at another well-planned presentation night.

Graham Furness

Stampede

Before the start

Lebrok

Vindaloo

Hold on

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S A N D R I N G H A M YA C H T C LU B

INSX

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t has been another great Mercedes-Benz Brighton Thursday Twilight Summer Series, which again has proved to be the most popular of all our series within the Club, having 68 participating entries across two divisions.

There were 21 races sailed out of the scheduled 24, plus the last blast. These included a vast range of conditions including some nights where the dying breeze beat some competitors. This is one of the races where in part, the challenge is not only to finish ahead of other yachts, but to also beat the clock.

Jet

We also thank our great team of Race Management volunteers who aid in making this series such a great success, as well as our Club Handicapper, Lowa Paszko and our Sail Committee representatives, John Neville and Jack Fullerton.

Daniel Edwards Sail Club Captain

Designed to be a race where Club members are encouraged to bring friends and family for a taste of yacht racing, as well as to be a great social evening at SYC, this winning formula makes for great Thursday nights during the daylight saving months at our Club. The 2018-2019 Mercedes-Benz Brighton Thursday Twilight Series winners were:

Division A 1st INSX (Marcus Sill) 2nd Watermark II (David Suda and Herschel Landes) 3rd Young Ones (Ian Miller)

Division B 1st Jet (Simon Grain) 2nd Second Nature (Paul Mentiplay) 3rd Summer Wind (Martyn Sly)

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2019 EDITION

Luis Ferreiro

Bruce Parry

Thursday Twilights Report

Some of the fleet


J24 Report T

he past year has seen a very hectic regatta and club sailing schedule, with our boats competing across three states, travelling to Italy for World Titles along with our Winter and Summer Series of One-Design racing. August 2018 saw four Sandringham Yacht Club crews head to Italy for the Worlds. Lake Garda was the scene and Brendan Lee and his crew on By the Lee came home in 19th place. Brendan was joined by the crews from Bruschetta VI (Hugo Ottoway), Jet (Simon Grain) and Hyperactive (Kirsty Harris and Robyn Coombs). All up 21 on those boats as well as another handful who crewed for two boats from Sydney. A great effort all round and from all reports, a fantastic time was had by all.

Finally, our Victorian titles were held in March 2019 with some very trying conditions at SYC. Day one was a blow out, with racing cancelled across the bay, unless of course you were at the School’s Team Sailing which went ahead at the very sheltered Hobsons Bay. Day two saw us target and achieve five races and at the end, 85 exhausted sailors climbed off the boats with By the Lee again showing us the way home. This time the podium was filled by Tinto (Steve Wright) and Convicts Revenge (Stephen Girdis) from Sydney. Well done again Brendan.

One-Design Association Management © Christopher Howell

The Australian regatta scene got underway in November at Cronulla, with By the Lee just missing out on the win in a countback. We then sent seven boats across the border to Adelaide for the Nationals in January and brought back the silverware. Brendan was rewarded for his hard work with his first National title, followed in 4th place by the resurgent Ron Thomson on Wildfire, Jack Fullerton on Two Dogs 5th, John

Neville on Vice Versa 6th and Warren Campbell on J Force 7th. Adam Keyes-Tilley on Baile de Luna rounded out our team in 11th, a great result from his first Nationals in some difficult conditions.

Bill Stubbs civil celebrant

Our 2018-19 Summer Series has been a very tight affair. With one race day to go at the time of writing, we have completed 28 races across 10 days and just three points separate the first two places. By the Lee is in first with Bruschetta VI breathing down her neck. Two Dogs is just twelve points back in third with possibly three boats in striking distance should the Dogs not have their day.

We have also introduced a Performance Handicap result this year which is being comfortably led by Warren Slater on JAB. The minor placings are up for grabs however, with Two Dogs, J Force and Baile de Luna separated by less than six points. With all that good fun One-Design stuff out of the way, there was only the Twilight Series left and once again the J24s got on the water in numbers. Eleven of our fleet entered the series, with regular numbers of eight or nine on the start line – no wonder all the big boats think the Js get in the way – they are everywhere. Our special thanks go to the handicappers for their continued attempts to handicap us out of contention (to no avail) and congratulations to Simon Grain and the crew on Jet for their series win. A big thanks from all our fleet to the staff and volunteers at SYC who have once again made our year very enjoyable, with great sailing, food and even a couple of beers every now and then. Last but not least, we again thank MONJON, our major sponsor for the past six years. They have been magnificent in their support and we look towards a continued relationship with them.

John Neville President J24 Association Victoria

0417 507 563

• Marriage Ceremonies • Commitment Ceremonies • Naming Ceremonies • Renewal of Vows Ceremonies

www.billstubbscivilcelebrant.com.au

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S A N D R I N G H A M YA C H T C LU B

Women In Sailing Challenge

WI

Megan Aulich

S

C

Commodore’s Challenge 2018 - Team SYC

Bruno Cocozza

WISC 2019 20 |

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arrived at a very interesting time for women’s sailing where the legacy from people like Doris Little is so important to maintain, yet the demand for events like WISC have been decreasing. A relatively new event that has been showcasing the very talented female sailors around Port Phillip is the Commodore’s Challenge which commenced in 2016 under the watchful eye of our then Commodore, Kate Mitchell. Every year in Off The Wind we get the opportunity to wind back time to the Commodore’s Challenge of the previous year. In 2018 the third Commodore’s Challenge was held at SYC in variable winds ranging from 8 to 24 knots. We were represented by a mix of Off The Beach and Keelboat sailors, skippered by Heather Macfarlane and crewed by Cath Furey, Kate Goss, Maddy Linton and Freya Vickery.

Carpe Diem at WISC 2019

Competing teams travelled from around the bay to join the event including: • Hobsons Bay Yacht Club • Royal Brighton Yacht Club • Royal Geelong Yacht Club • Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron • Sorrento Sailing and Couta Boat Club. As with every year, racing was tight on the SYC Beneteau 7.5s with just 33 seconds separating the fleet for the Race 3 finish. At the end of the day just two points separated the top three places. SYC managed to take out first place followed very closely by Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron and Royal Geelong Yacht Club. In 2019 we are added another event to the Women In Sailing program at SYC. We approached local sailor Jade Cole and her

Bruno Cocozza

I

t has been an interesting year for women’s sailing at Sandringham Yacht Club in 2018-19. There has been a very noticeable shift in our collective attitudes to women’s sailing events, which has been growing since I stepped into the role of organising the Women In Sailing Challenge (WISC) in 2015. One of my favourite things about sailing at Sandringham is that almost all the boats are crewed by a mix of males and females but at the end of the day, the most important thing is that we are a team of sailors. As Tim Little very aptly pointed out at the 2019 WISC presentation, “Nowadays we don’t really talk about being women and men anymore, do we? We are just people. And I don’t know what is going to happen with women’s sailing in the future. This might be very politically incorrect one day.” Together we have


Following the blustery Women In Sailing Challenge of 2018, it was almost a relief to see some lighter winds forecast for 2019. WISC was held in mid-February with 17 entrants of predominately all-female boats as a result of the regatta requiring females to maintain positions of skipper, trimmer and bow. It was a slow start to the day with competitors drifting under an AP waiting for the breeze to pick up. The two boats in the cruising division, Salt Whistle and Giselle, were lucky enough to be sent off early in search of a kinder breeze at the northern end of the bay. Just before midday the wind returned and it was a test of each team’s skill and ability to chase whatever breeze there was that determined the winners of the day. The winning teams were: Jet (Madeleine Linton) Salamander III (Monica Jones) Vertigo (Clare Olding).

Salt Whistle at WISC 2019 do. We would like to thank the following people and organisations for their contribution: • Sandringham Yacht Club which is our number one supporter for both WISC and the Commodore’s Challenge every year • Blair Shipwrights (Michael Blair) which has continued their support since 2016 by providing customised WISC stubby holders (purple this year) • She Sails (formerly Women and Girls in Sailing, Australian Sailing – Victoria) who helped to get Stacey Jackson to the event and oversee the Port Phillip Women’s Championship Series • The Race Management volunteers, without whom we would not have a regatta • Tim Little for his ongoing support of WISC • The SYC Boating Office which helps to make every event a success.

Every year, all the Women In Sailing events are supported by a number of volunteers and sponsors who enable us to do what we

Race Officials at WISC 2019

Bruno Cocozza

Slow start to the day for WISC 2019

Bruno Cocozza

Megan Aulich

Guest Speakers - Sophie Ciszek, Stacey Jackson and Jade Cole with Megan Aulich

Bruno Cocozza

AMS IRC PHS

Bruno Cocozza

teammates from Ocean Respect Racing, who sailed in the 2018 Sydney to Hobart. Luckily for us, her teammates were Volvo Ocean Race veterans, Stacey Jackson and Sophie Ciszek who competed in the previous two editions of the race. On a stormy night in February in front of 100 guests, these three sailors shared their tales of the Sydney to Hobart, the Volvo Ocean Race, teamwork, ocean health and what each of us can do to make a difference. Together and alongside many other women in our sport, these three sailors are helping to change the dialogue from women participating in sailing, to talking about getting on the racecourse to win with a team of professional sailors who happen to be female. Thank you again to Jade, Stacey and Sophie for your time. Your tales made for an inspiring evening for all members of the Club.

WISC 2019 Fleet

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S A N D R I N G H A M YA C H T C LU B

The last 12 months has seen the usual Sail Sandy regatta kick off the season the weekend after Opening Day. On top of this, SYC hosted the 2018-2019 Australian Sabot Nationals welcoming 60 young juniors and their families from around the country, the 2019 S80 State Championships and the 2019 SYC Regatta. All of these events required a large number of volunteers so many thanks to our key volunteers who assisted in showcasing our Club.

Whilst it has been a great past 12 months, it would be remiss of me to not mention the upcoming summer of 2020, which is looking to be one of the busiest in a long time with the Laser class coming to play over a range of events. There are several events ranging from state, national and world-level events with some of these regattas requiring two racing courses. To give you an idea of what it takes to run one of these regattas from a volunteer perspective, each regatta will require up to 80 to 100 volunteers per day for numerous roles both on and off the water. These roles vary from assisting with sign on and off, trolley assistance for launching and retrieving, tower volunteers etc. On the other hand, the on-water roles vary from mark laying, scribing, rescue boat etc. Some of these roles require some skill and previous knowledge, but there are many roles which can be filled by volunteers with little to no race management experience. These regattas are bound to bring the Club to life as we welcome many interstate and overseas competitors, teams, families and friends. The atmosphere is going to be terrific and the Club is definitely going to be the place to be. With both the Men’s and Women’s Laser World Championships in February 2020, only months out from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, this will see an extremely high calibre of sailors heading down under.

Luis Ferreiro

As mentioned above, these regattas are going to require many hands to ensure a smooth and successful event. Consequently, SYC is calling for your help. If you might be interested in assisting with one or more of these regattas, head to the Club website and check out all of the dates under the regatta tab. On each page, there is a link to register your interest to volunteer for one or more of these events. 22 |

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Luis Ferreiro

W

hat a year it has been again on the race management front and the next 12 months are only going to be bigger and better. With over 200 scheduled race sessions being hosted at Sandringham Yacht Club for regular club racing across OTB and keelboat, I think it is definitely worth starting this article with a massive thank you to our many volunteers. The valued hours that they give to our Club to ensure that the many hundreds of members who race with us get to enjoy their Club is tremendous and without them, we could not provide the high quality and quantity of racing that we do.

Luis Ferreiro

Luis Ferreiro

Luis Ferreiro

Race Management Report

If you are reading this and would like to assist but have no prior experience, why not contact the SYC Boating Office and we can help guide you down this pathway. Throughout winter each year, the SYC Race Management and Rules Committee delivers a range of race management training courses. These offer inexperienced volunteers the opportunity to gain a good understanding of how it all comes together, whilst on the other hand allows current volunteers to brush up on their existing skills. Race management is a great way to get involved and witness the racing from a different perspective. There is always room to welcome new volunteers, whether that be in the tower for a Wednesday Wonders, Thursday Twilight or Sunday Sailors race, or on the water for our Saturday Aggregate or Sunday J24 One-Design Sprint series, do not worry, we will happily find you a home.

James Sly Sailing Manager


Melbourne Osaka Cup T

he 2023 Melbourne Osaka Cup is shaping up to be an exciting event as there are now over 40 entries on the list since expressions of interest in the race were opened late last year. Expressions of interest have been extraordinary with teams from France, Germany, Romania, Japan, New Zealand, Canada and from every State in Australia. Amongst them are a number of competitors from the 2018 race along with some who competed up to 30 years ago. Sandringham Yacht Club hosts the start of the 5,500 nm race which has been held every four or five years since 1987 and the 2023 race will be the ninth time that two-handed crews will race non-stop to Osaka. In the 2018 race there were a broad range of vessels competing, with 32-foot Morning Star at one end and 62-foot Chinese Whisper at the other. 2023 will again have a similar range of boats from 34 foot and will include several fast 40-footers and at least two extremely fast 60-footers. Two boats from Sandringham set out for Osaka in 2018 with Rod and Tyson Smallman on Maverick taking out the SYC trophy and we are keen to have more of our boats line up in 2023.

Our marina was a hive of activity

With now just on four years to go until the start, it seems like there is still plenty of time. However if you ask anyone who has competed, they will tell you that preparation for such a gruelling event is utmost in making sure that both the crew and boat even make it to the start line. Like all ocean racing events, each Melbourne Osaka Cup has its challenges but all competitors having made it to Osaka can surely look back and be proud of their achievements. Their stories and experiences from this race have now challenged a new group of hopeful competitors for the next Melbourne Osaka Cup, set for 2023.

Ian MacWilliams

Wadaiko Rindo Drummers at the Opening Ceremony

Rod and Tyson Smallman

Osaka Cup flags created colour around the Club

Off the Wind

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S A N D R I N G H A M YA C H T C LU B

SYC picks up trifecta of major awards – the perfect reason to thank members

I

n 2018 Sandringham Yacht Club picked up a trifecta of industry awards and we used the opportunity to say thank you to you, our very loyal SYC members.

The awards included: 1. The 2018 Community Clubs Victoria ‘Victorian Club of the Year’,

2. The 2018 Australian Sailing ‘Australian Yacht Club of the Year’ and 3. The 2018 Australian Sailing ‘Victorian Yacht Club of the Year’. So with this wonderful recognition we decided to put on two memorable events for SYC members. Firstly on 31 August 2018 the Screamin’ Eagles performed in the Port Phillip Room to 300 members. Then on 21 December, Joe Camilleri and the Black Sorrows performed to just under 500 members. They were both great nights and were well attended with lots of positive feedback. We felt it was a perfect way to celebrate our little trifecta and if you went, we hope you had fun.

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2019 EDITION

22/05/201722/05/2017 2:58 PM 2:58 PM

22/05/2017 2:58 PM


SYC Membership offer evolves Some explanatory notes:

F

irst launched at the 2016 AGM, the Sandringham Yacht Club strategic plan is called a ‘Plan for the Future’. It sets out our strategic goals, how we will achieve them and our progress to date. Updates on key progress are also regularly reported to members at General Meetings. The plan is updated annually and is available in the Members Area on the website.

It will come as no surprise that most clubs, SYC included, have difficulty in retaining youth and hence why regenerating membership is a big focus in the plan. The SYC plan sets out that we need to be ‘attracting, embracing and supporting young members in the form of membership options’. Acting on this, your General Committee set up, oversaw and ultimately accepted the recommendations of a membership review in 2018. This work resulted in a wide range of proposed membership improvements and changes. These were presented in their entirety at the OGM on 19 March 2019 and were unanimously supported by members. Some of the changes were within the delegation of General Committee and they were similarly unanimously approved by the Membership Review, Finance and General Committee.

So what is changing: • Junior Members have been rebranded Youth Members, the fee reduced to $99 per annum and the age cut-off increased from 18 to 24 years.

• In the last two years, our Intermediate membership has decreased 15%. One of the core issues is affordability and the changes make membership significantly more affordable for all of our youth, especially for those aged between 18 to 24. This in turn significantly benefits family members with youth aged 18 to 24. • In terms of membership definitions and benefits, please note existing Intermediate members do not have to transition to the new Youth category, though they can if they wish to save $250pa. 18 to 24-year-old members now have three options for membership – Youth, Intermediate or Full Membership. All offer different benefits and naturally at different pricing levels. • Those members aged 18 to 24 who take up the Youth membership offer, are welcome to do so but they will lose two benefits – car parking privileges and voting rights. For all existing members the membership changes will commence on 1 September 2019. The exception is the SailPass offer which has already commenced. For all new members, the new offerings are now available. In very good news for existing members aged 61+ with 10 years or more continuous membership (full and associate), the aged discount scheme will be fully retained. With these changes being rolled out in 2019, we have already set our focus on the next wave of membership improvements and we will be in touch with you as these progress.

Richard Hewett Chief Executive Officer

• Existing Intermediates aged 18 to 24 may opt to transition to Youth category, saving $250+ pa. • Intermediate nomination fees have been completely removed, saving $210. • Family Memberships now include the new Youth category to age 24, saving $355 per member aged 18 to 24. • The successful introductory Day Pass membership has been rebranded SailPass to align with a national rollout by Australian Sailing. The existing limit of 12 sails per member has been increased to a limit of 30, all at a flat fee of $15 and in more good news, the Twilight Series will remain free of charge. The 30 sails are to be used within a two-year window. • The Senior Membership category has been rebranded Full Membership. • Provision for the increasingly popular SYC Monthly pay with automatic membership rollover. • Provision for those holding Family Membership to transition following changes to their family eg, death or divorce. • Members under duress now have the ability to suspend their membership upon application to the Executive. • The introduction of on-line membership applications. • New members are now required to provide photo ID and will receive credit only upon application. • Our popular annual member promotions will continue to be offered to new or past members in the lead up to the season (Aug/Sep) and these include: –– Member-get-member incentives –– Waiving reinstatement fees for past members and –– Sign up to SYC monthly-pay-get-one-month-free.

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SYC Long Term Members Recognised and Rewarded T

he membership review which was undertaken in 2018 had a second and very important objective – to reward long-standing, loyal members with a focus on boatowners and in doing so, adding value to Full membership. So a range of initiatives were recommended to General Committee and these were presented in their entirety at the OGM on 19 March 2019. Similar to the membership changes, these loyalty initiatives were well received and in summary they include: • Boat-owners with 10+ years of Full membership will no longer pay race entry fees as of October 2019. • Boat-owners with 20+ years of Full membership will be entitled to one free gerni per annum in the boatyard. • Boat-owners with 30+ years of Full membership and marina occupancy will now receive 10% off their marina fees as of July 2019. • All 20+ year members will receive an exclusively embroidered Gant polo shirt on the decade anniversary of their membership and a new one for each decade milestone. So from June 2019, you will see more than 450 members wearing their loyalty commemorative polos around the Club. In addition

• • •

to this 2019 initiative, there will be annual top ups thereafter as members hit new decade milestones. SYC member thank you events will continue to be staged similar to the Joe Camilleri and the Black Sorrows event we hosted for 500 members in December 2018. Full Members will receive two tickets to these events and other members will receive one ticket. In the lead up to their birthday, Full Members will receive a redeemable bottle of wine offer during their birthday month. All 20+ year members will be recognised in a designated membership section of the website which is now live. In very good news for existing members aged 61+ with 10 years or more continuous membership (Full and Associate), the aged discount scheme will be fully retained.

I suspect you may know the following members already but let me introduce four members who have all hit significant membership milestones. We asked them the following questions: • What has kept you as a member at Sandringham for so long? • Are there any memorable boats you have been on or owned?

Alan Wright-Smith (70+ years Member) Alan Wright-Smith is Sandringham Yacht Club’s longest-standing member having joined in 1940 and has sailed in most classes including Sharpies, Sabres, Salars, 21 and 42 footers. He fondly remembers sailing with David Cockburn on Top Hat in many Club races and a trip to Tasmania. When the Wright-Smith brothers first joined SYC they had a boat Dorothy, which was named after their mum. Dorothy Wright-Smith donated a trophy to the Club in 1944-45. The Dorothy Cup is still competed for today by Division 2 AMS, PHS and IRC winners. Alan, who is now 91, last sailed competitively with David Cockburn on Chetwynd until the boat was sold in 2000. He has fond memories of his 90th birthday when Paul Commins took him for a sail on Carpe Diem. Alan says the reason he has remained a member for so long is for the sailing and social aspects of the Club. He enjoys the facilities and frequently has lunch at the Club. He has also celebrated many family occasions at the Club, including the weddings of his daughters, Jenny and Alison.

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Graeme Kaufman (60+ years Member) I have sailed on many different boats but a I do not think any could be called memorable. My father’s boat Willarie One was a 32 ft carvel gaff rigger that was later turned into a motor boat. At SYC I sailed Sabots, Cadet dinghies and at Portsea, Gwen 12, VJs and SYC yachts Phantom and Bikini. From Hobsons Bay Yacht Club I crewed on a flying fifteen for about five years including Australian championships. At SYC later, Triton 24s Willarie 2, Innocence with Tye Power, Pippa with Peter Bolton and later Jeff Woolhouse and Dolphin Play with John Brennan, Moama with Stan Rankin. I have also crewed on Midnight Magic with Bernie Moore and Misty Blue with Bruce Coram. I have stayed a member of SYC for 68 years because it is a friendly Club with an activity for everyone. There is also a family association with my father, three brothers, two nieces and my sister-in-law being members at various times.

Ian Kaufman (60+ years Member) At an early age I commenced sailing off the beach at Portsea and racing at Sorrento. I sailed on VJ, VS and a Lightweight Sharpie. In 1951 my father and my three brothers joined Sandringham Yacht Club. The family 32 foot gaff-rigged yacht, Willarie, was moved to the Club and later converted to a power boat. After joining SYC I sailed a sabot and on the Club’s 12 foot clinker gaff-rigged cadet dinghy, Phantom a 32 foot racing yacht, H28, Warana a 42 foot double-ender and Sorroco, a 45 foot Yawl. Since 2006 I have sailed at SYC with my brother in the Wednesday Wonders on his Triton 24, Willarie and various yachts in Queensland. The most memorable was Sorroco which is now in Hobart fully restored but with the mizzen mast removed. As a member for 68 years the Sandringham Yacht Club has been a great part of my life. In my younger years I would spend most weekends at the Club. Three generations of my family have been members of SYC. My father served on the committee and my niece, Felicity was Off The Beach Captain. Commodore A D Mackenzie’s favourite saying was “this Club is for all with a love of the sea, be they yachtsmen or power boaters”. Sandringham Yacht Club is the finest yacht club in Australia.

Stewart Vickery (50+ years Member) My father Jim and mother Hazel came to the Club around 1965. Jim had Falkyrie and then other yachts. We three boys Alan, Robert and I joined the Club when we each turned 12, but we were hanging around the Off The Beach (OTB) area for years before. We all sailed International Cadets, then moved through to Cherubs and then International 14 foot skiffs. I still sail these skiffs today and enjoy Club and international competition. My first Cadet was called Argo and all of my OTB boats have been Argo. My current skiff is called Argo 18. At 20, I did Sydney to Suva on Bill Rockliffe’s Swanson 36, Jisuma. In 1985 I purchased Triad, a Farr45, with my brother Robert and Phil Coombs. We did two Sydney to Hobarts and numerous east coast races. Whilst we had some exceptional times and great results with a very young group on this boat, my first passion has always been my 14 ft skiff. I am proud to be a member of SYC today and have met a lot of good peopIe. It has been tremendous that my wife and daughter have also been so involved. I intend to always be a member and I will sail a 14 for as long as my body will allow.

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S A N D R I N G H A M YA C H T C LU B

SYC Marina

I

n 2018 our marina turned 25 and she continues to underpin the overall performance of our Club. Here is an update on a few of the key elements related to this wonderful floating asset that houses in excess of 350 vessels. In terms of the Club rental pool and the licenced-to-members ratio the image sets out the current status. The rental pool tenants pay a monthly fee whereas those under licence prepaid their rental fee some time ago and they did so, for a set period of time. When that time concludes, the pen transitions back into the rental pool. In August 2018, 120 pens underwent this transition and 95% of those tenants stayed at the Club. In 2023, a further 75 marina pens will transition and thereafter, over time, all pens will transition back to the rental pool. The performance of our Club as a whole is inextricably linked to the occupancy of the marina and ideally that occupancy is at a comfortable yacht-to-powerboat ratio. Just as important is that those tenants are active in Club life. At the moment our occupancy is high (98%), the ratio is 67% yachts to 33% power boats, but at any given time we have a few vacancies; predominantly they seem to be the larger 15 metre pens. Overlayed on these vacancies, there are always a number of boats for sale. Currently there are 12 (but I am often

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corrected on this point and reliably told every boat is for sale). With this in mind, we are never far away from an imminent vacancy, so I encourage you to spread the word with fellow or aspiring boat-owners that there is always opportunity for new boat-owners to join our Club and house their boats. Whilst attracting new tenants is important, a major focus should be on our existing boat-owners. In 2019, boat-owners who have been Club members for 10+ years will no longer pay race entry fees. Those with 20+ years membership will receive one free gerni per annum in the boat yard and for those with 30+ years boat occupancy at SYC, a 10% discount off their marina fees. It is imperative we give members compelling reasons to stay and these initiatives were presented to members recently and will commence from mid-2019. As it is 25 years old now the upkeep of the marina is also pivotal. In recent years we have significantly stepped up our maintenance program. Our immediate focus was to get some work done on the assets that protect the marina – so the breakwater was renourished and we are now focussed and underway with wavescreen maintenance. Over the last two winters we have completed significant re-whaling works on the marina and we are

pressing on with these major works with the next major phase of maintenance. This has seen us recently tackle re-whaling, new cleats and through-rods on D East, D West and the finger pontoons on C East. F Row will follow soon. Other maintenance works include pontoon replacements, pedestal replacement program, which is now 40% complete, improvements to the marina entrance including the new sliding doors, the new fuel kiosk, safety improvements with the fuel jetty handrails recently installed, re-treads on gangways and so forth. Seabed depths are a further consideration. In early 2019 a hydrographic survey was completed with a view to working our next dredging requirement. Again with a priority and focus on the boat-owners, we recently spent a significant amount of money on the travel-lift replacing hoists, motors and chain. Our hardstand tenants would also have also recently noted the maintenance works to the eastern crane. SYC works closely with some of Victoria’s best marine engineers, consultants and contractors who assist us with these works. Our maintenance program on the marina and related boat-owner services is extensive and is progressing well.

Richard Hewett Chief Executive Officer


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S A N D R I N G H A M YA C H T C LU B

Social Report

I

am once again, happy to report on another successful year of events SYC Social put on for our members. I thank all the people who work so hard to put these events together, Robyn Coombs, Peta Davis, Noreen Maher, Tommy Raft, Susan Tuma, Di Tyndall, Margaret Whitbread and returned member, Cheryl Renouf. Here is a snap shot of the events for 2018 and to date for 2019. May 2018... Due to popular demand our winery bus trip returned to Oakdene Vineyards. We had all enjoyed the visit so much in 2017, we just had to go again. It was a perfect day with Keith driving a bus full of happy members and friends. We had delicious tastings in the Upside-down House then onto a very pleasant lunch with great food and more wine, what could be better? Keith got us all back to the Club safely, the majority of us having had a nap on the way back...it is a long drive after all. During June, July and August we ran our very popular Trivia nights. One night we had over 70 players which is a huge crowd to accommodate in the Olympic Room. David Webb kindly offered his services as Quiz Master and did a fantastic job. If you have not been before mark the dates for this year in your diary, 28 June, 26 July and 30 August. Our questions are not too difficult and you can eat a meal while you play and enjoy a wine from the Bar. Split Gin, made up of team members from previous year’s winners Status Gin, won the Jaffa Trophy – well done George and team.

Our 2018 Ball in July was a very grand, classy affair and themed on High Society the room looked spectacular. The band obliged with some Frank Sinatra-type crooning, then slipped

SYC Social at the High Society Ball into our regulation demand of dance music. The dance floor was full with glamorous members strutting their stuff and enjoying the evening.

Flemington for Stakes Day. This is a much sort-after prize and greatly enjoyed by the winners each year.

Cup Day... Once again, a massive crowd. It has become one of the most popular functions at the Club, with lots of families taking part, kids enjoying colouring competitions and face painting, ladies competing for best hat/outfit prizes. Raffles and sweeps were available all day thanks to our Committee and fellow members and families who work hard to make this day successful. Food was available all afternoon and the Mumm Champagne was flowing. Tommy Raft did a fantastic job once again and the Bar, Restaurant and Members’ Lounge were decorated with flowers and hats. Thanks again to World Wide Ticketing (Noreen Maher) for the generous donation for our 1st prize for the raffle being two tickets to the Members at

24 March 2019… We had a wonderful Just Cruisin’ Auto Show with 40+ cars of various ages and style, a cracking good day weatherwise and the East Side Jazz Band playing on the balcony, the atmosphere was just perfect. Our thanks to Susan Tuma and her crew, Steve Harper, George Shaw, Sam Mancuso and Tim Little for putting the show together. Check out Ian MacWilliams’ video on the website showing some of the cars and our member John Deeks doing interviews on the day.

Trivia Winners - Split Gin; Julie Stevens, Steve Schander, Elizabeth Bernand, Tony Bernard, Joanne Harpur, Elizabeth Burgess, George Shaw 30 |

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Make sure you keep checking E-news, posters, facebook, flyers and the website for information of our future events.

Eryl Harris

Steve Schander as King Neptune for the Trivia challenge ‘create a Legend of the Sea’


The old and the new at the Just Cruisin’ Auto Show

East Side Jazz Band at the Just Cruisin’ Auto Show

High Society Ball

Eyes up to the screen for the Melbourne Cup

Face painting was hit at Cup Day

The ladies (and Tommy) looked very smart for Cup Day

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S A N D R I N G H A M YA C H T C LU B

Opening Day 2018

W

hat a fantastic day we had for Opening Day on Saturday 6 October. It was great to see so many of our members down at the Club getting into the spirit of the theme, Legends of the Sea. With perfect weather conditions, we could not have asked for a better day. The Paddock was abuzz early on with the inflatable obstacle course, jumping castle and Myuna Farm petting-animals. Haley and Steve entertained from the stage and performed a wonderful rendition of our National Anthem during the official ceremony. The Sail-Past looked amazing both on and off the water. Vice Commodore, Garry Anderson, did a rough count and apparently in round figures there were 150 boats participating in the Sail-Past. The effort that went into decorating boats to the theme was amazing. Free sausages were available from the Northern Podium where the Peter Chapman Trio were entertaining the crowd, whilst the kids were occupied with the face-painter and magician in the Olympic Room.

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The awards for the best dressed boats went to: • Keelboat – The Secretary (George Shaw) decorated as Gilligan’s Island, • Recreational Boating – Estella Grace (Stephan Morrison Jack) nicely decorated and with a number of legends on board and • OTB – Ellen Sampson who dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow and named her boat Black Pearl for the day. Happy Hour in the Port Phillip Room was well received and I could not believe the energy in the room when the dance floor was filled as soon as Andy Healey and the Higher Functions took to the stage. All in all, we had a wonderful celebration of the Opening of the 2018-2019 Sailing Season at our Club. It was filled with great entertainment from start to finish and I hope you all enjoyed the day.

Ashley Trebilcock Commodore

The Opening Ceremony


Estella Grace

The Secetary as S.S. Minnow

Ellen Sampson as Jack Sparrow on the Black Pearl

The petting zoo was a hit

Sea Word

Here come the keelboats

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S A N D R I N G H A M YA C H T C LU B

T

he Mercedes-Benz Brighton Port Phillip Challenge was held at Sandringham Yacht Club on Friday 22 February 2019 and over 270 participants had a great day in a fleet of 22 keelboats taking part in a pursuit race.

team for their contribution to and support of this fabulous event.

Thank you to our corporates who took part in the day including Mercedes-Benz Brighton, C.H. Robinson, Hunter Industrials, Agility MercedesBenz Financial, Holey Spirits, A.G. Coombs, Bank of Melbourne, Port Finance, Harris HMC (Construction, Electrics, Interiors and Maintenance), Kings Group, hmh ADVISORY, Dean World Cargo, Intracon and Evolution Business Systems.

A J McKinnon Photography

We are excited to announce that the date for the next Mercedes-Benz Brighton Port Phillip Challenge is Friday 20 March 2020. Along with the date announcement, we are thrilled to have Mercedes-Benz Brighton return as our event sponsor. We have already had some 2019 participants register their interest for the 2020 event, so if you would like to get onboard simply register now with Naomi at naomi.smith@syc.com.au

Our congratulations to those who took home the silverware

A J McKinnon Photography

A J McKinnon Photography

(Holey Spirits) (Mercedes-Benz Brighton 1) (Evolution Business Systems 2) (Agility Mercedes-Benz Financial) (Hunter Industrials) (Evolution Business Systems 1)

A J McKinnon Photography

A J McKinnon Photography

A J McKinnon Photography

1st place Sierra Chainsaw 2nd place Veloce 3rd place Playlist Commodore’s Award Conquest Nautical Incident of the Day 38 Degrees South Start of the Day Winsome

A J McKinnon Photography

We would like to thank all boat owners and skippers who donated their yachts as well as their crews who kindly donated their expertise and time. A special mention also to our wonderful Race Management team and of course our MC, Leon Wiegard, who was in fine form once again. A huge thank you to our friends at Mercedes-Benz Brighton, Geoff Quirk, Anni Hinze, Russell Morris, Harry Calder and the

Thank you to our generous event sponsors:

Naming Rights Sponsor

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2019 EDITION

Merchandise Partner

Product Sponsors


I

t is fair to say that the last 12 months for the Club Marine Sandringham Yacht Club Boating Academy have been incredible. Several courses of every category were run in the last year ranging from dinghy and keelboat on-water courses, through to powerboat courses which offer a combination of practical and theory components and also the diesel engine and navigation courses offered on land. The on-water courses are many and varied and cover all age and ability levels. Tackers is for young sailors aged between 7 and 12 and youth dinghy courses for the 13 to 17 year-old participants. Adults typically participate in the keelboat courses which were in full flight with multiple-start sailing, better sailing and start racing courses being offered most weekends, in addition to numerous Discover Sailing experiences. Another alternative for adults is the adult dinghy courses which has proved to be extremely popular. In November 2018, the Club Marine Sandringham Yacht Club Discover Sailing Day was held again with over 1,000 participants welcomed through the doors of our amazing clubhouse. With a range of activities on offer from powerboat rides to dinghy and keelboat rides, this proved to be a great success with many choosing to transition to one of our many courses on offer. The Season Pass, which is a 12-month training membership, continued to thrive with up to 72 participants on this membership category in the last year. For those who are not aware, the Season Pass is an extremely affordable option that allows a holder to undertake any of our Academy courses on offer. This has proved to be extremely successful with many of our Season Pass members finding regular crewing spots on our keelboats on any given race day, allowing them to further develop their skills. Numbers have been quite healthy over the last 12 months with the standout being the

weekend programs running in early 2019. With a combination of adults and juniors in either dinghies or keelboats, the Academy was putting through 70 to 80 participants every Saturday. The key goals of the Academy have remained unchanged, with the aim of providing a fun, enjoyable and affordable entry level option into our fabulous sport of sailing. Similarly, the Club is aiming to see as many Academy participants converting to SYC membership in the long term. Assisting with this is our fabulous team of instructors who professionally deliver the various courses to a standard which could not be done without their tireless efforts. With most courses reaching maximum capacity of late, the next 12 months is shaping up to be another busy year for the Academy. If you would like to hone your sailing or boating skills but are not sure how to, we encourage you to chat with our friendly Boating Office staff who can assist with starting you on the right pathway. Thank you to all who participated in one of our many courses over the last 12 months and we look forward to delivering more top-notch courses.

James Sly Sailing Manager

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Reciprocal Club Program T

he Sandringham Yacht Club Reciprocal Club Program is going from strength to strength, emerging as a major benefit to SYC members who travel the world.

We have reciprocal arrangements with many prestigious yacht clubs around the world, enabling our members to visit and enjoy clubhouse access and a warm welcome from host clubs. Most importantly our Reciprocal Program also welcomes many wonderful visitors to Sandringham. Above the SYC clubhouse stairway is a fabulous display of the clubs with which we have formal relationships and we are continually adding to the list. We request that all SYC members who enjoy reciprocal visits provide us with a story and photos of their visits and also of visits to SYC by members from other clubs. A few recent stories: • Mani Thompson was fortunate to be travelling in Hawaii with his sister Lou when he visited Waikiki Yacht Club to celebrate his big 60. He reports that this is the club the SS Minnow sailed from at the beginning of ‘Gilligan’s Island’. • John Brennan visited The Royal Irish Yacht Club, founded in 1831 and featuring the first purpose-built yacht clubhouse in the world, one redolent of a more tranquil era. John needed to arrange a birthday celebration for his wife and a grand-aunt. “Following receipt of the letter of introduction sent by the ever-helpful Eimear at SYC, I was connected with the club CEO, Padraig McCarthy, who with a few emails and a couple of phone calls, helped me organise a wonderful celebratory lunch for over 40 people.” • Closer to home, new member David Wale and his partner Suzi, who have purchased a Grand Soleil 43, have worked on their reciprocal rights at Woodlands Golf Club in Parkdale, Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club and Eildon Boat Club. They have been treated like royalty on each visit, including a recent long weekend at Eildon when the club restaurant was booked out, but the friendly staff made space for David and Suzi to enjoy a fabulous meal at very little notice. • Robert Lane and his wife Victoria have been playing on both sides of the world, with two great club visits, both of which they utilised for accommodation. The Republic of Singapore Yacht Club provided a welcome sanctuary away from the rush of Singapore. Next to the busy working harbour, with a constantly moving ferry service, there is plenty to see. “The club facilities are very good, with several dining options

Ronstan meets Ron Stan in Bermuda 36 |

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Brennan brothers reunite at Royal Irish Yacht Club, Dublin and a swimming pool. The accommodation is also very good with a separate four-level hotel block of 60 rooms, all at very reasonable rates”. So good in fact that Robert cheekily booked the Commodore Suite. At the end of the visit Jackson Lim, Sales and Membership Manager, escorted Robert and Victoria to the limo, after giving them a magnificent coffee table book on the club’s history. • The accommodation at the Royal Southern Yacht Club on the Hamble in the UK was not quite as flash as that in Singapore and in fact, Robert warns against booking the very noisy room above the front door. It was a great visit though … “Rising to a beautiful day I went to the excellent breakfast restaurant and enjoyed a ‘full English’. Walking around the marina one can see that the location on the river is picture-perfect, with a vast array of yachts and cruisers capable of handling the challenges of the local weather and venturing further afield.” • Your scribe recently realised the long-held ambition of meeting his pen pal Ron Stan (yes, that really is his name), a passionate sailor out of Bermuda. We sailed together on his boat in a Royal Bermuda Yacht Club race and enjoyed a fabulous meal there. And Ron Stan’s hospitality was the stuff of legend too. For information on any details of our Reciprocal Program or to arrange a letter of introduction check in with Eimear at the front desk of SYC. (Thanks Eimear, you have been a real champion at arranging these introductions.) You can also email Andrea at membership@syc.com.au so we can assist you in being welcomed to an exotic location. Visiting sailors always welcome here too.

Alistair Murray AM

Mani Thompson’s sister Lou, at Waikiki Yacht Club

David Wale zooming around Eildon


Some people are made to sail. Like you, we wear our sun, wind and rope burn with pride. Sure, there’s bad weather, bad luck, even bad tempers to contend with. But there’s no such thing as a bad day on the water. We know making the best sailing equipment isn’t just about building parts, it’s about building confidence. That’s why we engineer, build and test our gear to make sure you’ll never have to come in early on our account. Because the best feeling about being on the water, is having the confidence to never look back.

SAIL ON


M E M B E R AW A R D S

Recreational Boating Club Person of the Year It was with great pleasure that Ian MacWilliams was awarded the prestigious prize of 2018 Recreational Boating Club Person of the year. While filming the presentation of this award, Ian had to turn the camera on himself and accept the award. Ian is very much a behind the scenes member. He is always there to help anyone who seeks assistance, whether for filming and writing about an event around the Club or just hands-on helping anyone in need. Ian utilises his boat as much as possible and is constantly on the water enjoying our local bay and surroundings. He also puts his hand up to assist in various other activities which the Club has including, Melbourne to Osaka race and Opening Day. Ian is vibrant, knowledgeable and a great asset to our Club. Congratulations Ian

Young Member of the Year Throughout 2018-2019 we had one standout young member who contributed on many fronts. Not only was this member an active J24 sailor and owner, he was regularly contributing off the water also. As an active member of the Sandringham Yacht Club Sail Committee, Jack Fullerton was awarded the Lou Abrahams Young Member of the Year Award. This was a well-deserved achievement for Jack who regularly assisted with the SYC Match Racing Program, protest hearings and many other miscellaneous tasks. Jack was a great contributor in all of these elements with countless hours generously given to help improve the Club’s on-water offerings. Jack has been a key mover in the SYC Match Racing Program over the last couple of years, which has allowed many of your young intermediate members to experience a different element of sailing, as well as the privilege of travelling interstate to represent SYC at varying match racing regattas throughout Sydney and Queensland. Congratulations Jack, for winning the Lou Abrahams Young Member of the Year Award. From all at SYC, we thank you for the time and effort you provide to help showcase SYC on the big stage.

Stirrer of the Year The 2018 Stirrer Award was announced at the Annual Ball on Saturday 21 July. Commodore Rob Davis’ description of the winner was: • He has been a member for nearly 18 years and has owned several keelboats in that time. • He loves his boat, races it extensively and has provided opportunities for many people, young and old, to experience sailing on a high performance, fun and sporty boat. He is a true advocate of the sport of yachting. • In recent times, this passion for the sport has led him to take action in challenging the decisions and requirements of our club committees and administrators. But this has been with the best of intention and has indeed provided a different and valid perspective for the Club to re-assess its position. • He has been known to use social media as his particular ‘vocal’ platform, which I might say in this day and age is a perfectly acceptable reality of how we communicate. • Overall, he is an enthusiastic and cheerful person who just passionately enjoys his sailing and his club. The sort of member we encourage. And with that Rob announced the winner of the Club Stirrers award as Don Cameron. Don was chuffed to receive the award and the main thing that stood out in his acceptance speech was how much he loves SYC. Congratulations Don 38 |

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Chris Carlile Awarded Life Membership Past Commodore and 45-year member Chris Carlile, was awarded Life Membership at our Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 18 September 2018, with Immediate Past Commodore, Rob Davis presenting Chris with his pin and members Dean Robson and David Lynch speaking of Chris’ time at SYC. Chris joined the Club in June 1973 and has been an active Senior member during this time. He has a well-earned reputation as a competitive and successful yachtsman, having participated in Club, Victorian, National and International events. He has also provided strong leadership as a Flag Officer for six years and a member of the General Committee for several terms. Chris has a long and successful yachting record. He became a prominent competitor at this Club in 1982 after his return from London where he competed in events on the Solent, sailing out of Lymington. The record books testify to his many successes, initially in his Boomaroo 22, Elbereth, then in his Farr 740 Sport, Farr Better and then his 11-Metre One-Design Blue Chip. Beyond the bay, Chris has 13 Sydney-Hobart races and many other coastal ocean races to his credit and has competed in three 11-Metre world championships. Chris has also made a very significant contribution to the governance and leadership of the Club. He served as a member of the Sail Committee for multiple terms, including one term as Sail Captain and as a member of the General Committee, again over multiple terms. He has drawn on his personal, professional and business networks for the benefit of the Club, has introduced many people to the sport and continues to be an advocate for the Club and the sport in general. In particular, Chris successfully advocated for the Club to be invited to join the International Committee of Yacht Clubs (ICOYC), which has elevated the Club to an elite group of clubs from around the world. His

Club Person of the Year George Shaw was the well-deserving winner of the 2018 Club Person of the Year Award, presented at the Annual Ball on Saturday 21 July. However, he unfortunately could not be there as he was away assisting a fellow member on a boat delivery trip and this in itself starts to paint the picture of the man he is. Commodore Rob Davis’ preamble prior to the announcement was:

“By way of background, tonight’s winner has been a member of SYC for just under 23 years and in that time has served on General Committee, the Recreational Boating Committee, as well as being a trustee of the SYC Foundation. He has owned at least three keelboats in that time and campaigns actively in both ocean racing and club racing. Whatever he does, he is always working tirelessly organising something for the benefit of the Club and its members. He is another absolute enthusiast for the sport and for the Club and is someone who just wants to share the joys of our sport with other people. He’s a ‘wheeler and dealer’, highly persuasive and some might even say the consummate salesman, but he gets things done which is the sort of person all clubs need. He is always happy to take people out on his boat whether novice or experienced and assists each year taking the Sea Scouts sailing, as well as kids with cancer as part of the Challenge program.

enthusiasm for the ICOYC continues. He has been a member of the ICOYC committee since 2012 and is currently Vice President, Asia/Pacific. A highly visible Club asset which came from Chris’ term as Commodore is the start and safety boat Endeavour IV. Chris’ long-lasting legacy and most significant contribution to date can be traced to his years as a Flag Officer and the preceding and following years as a member of the Finance and Audit Committee. From 2006 to 2017, in consultation with successive General Committees, Chris refined the capital funding strategy and financial parameters which underlie the oft-referred ‘financial model’. Over the years, this model has guided the Club’s long-term strategy and annual plans and budgets. It has equipped successive committees with strategic, responsible and practical financial information and is a primary reason for our current sound financial position. When it comes to sailing and socialising, Chris is every members’ friend, always willing to lend a hand, you know when he is around. We have all been hailed with a “G’day mate” and know that his assessment of every situation is that it is “just bloody terrific”. We hope that all SYC members share in Dean and David’s thoughts and think that it is just bloody terrific that the Club has awarded Life Membership to Chris. Congratulations Chris

I’ve had the privilege of working closely with this gentleman over the past year and I say gentleman because he is indeed, genuinely that. My involvement with him came through the Melbourne to Osaka Yacht Race this year and I was astounded by his commitment and passion for this race and for its competitors. I mentioned he was a great organiser earlier, and in relation to the Osaka race he was responsible for such things as: • Securing the race sponsorship and getting the Melbourne City Council to be involved • Engaging with the Osaka Yacht Club • Having the Tallship, STS Young Endeavour, as the start vessel • Having a Navy band at the start of the race and getting the Roulettes to do a fly-over • And assisting many of the competitors with their race preparations. The list goes on, but by now I’m sure you get the theme and most likely know the winner. It gives me great pleasure to announce the 2018 Club Person of the Year is George Shaw.” Recreational Boating Club Captain, Michael Kostos accepted the award on George’s behalf and could not add much to how Rob had portrayed George and said that there was not a more worthy winner. Congratulations George

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M E M B E R B O AT N E W S

Maid of Martha at the Wooden Boat Festival – Hobart 2019 “We are in” was the phone call I had been waiting on for two months since submitting the application for Maid of Martha to be included to the 2019 Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart. The Wooden Boat Festival runs over four days and is widely acknowledged to be the largest event of its kind in the southern hemisphere and second in the world to the Fête Maritime held every four years in Brittany, France. This also was the beginning of a flurry of sandpaper, paint pots and polishing cloths as this is the ultimate show and shine bi-annual event for wooden boat owners. Maid of Martha is a Ketch-rigged motorsailer powered by a Gardner 6LW engine with a Yanmar generator designed by Ken Lacco and built by Alec Lacco in 1970 with Huon pine carvel planks over steam-bent celery top pine frames and finished internally with African mahogany. It was commissioned for the Bowen family as a live-aboard cruiser and apart from extensive coastal and South Pacific cruising, has spent most of its life at Sandringham. Andrew (Mitch) Mitchell purchased Maid of Martha in 2003. On Friday 1 February Andrew, Chris Thomson, David Roberts and Dave Richardson began the first part of a month-long cruise via the many beautiful bays and quite stunning vistas of the east coast of Tasmania. With overnight stops in Skeleton Bay, Wineglass Bay, Shoal Bay on Maria Island and Opossum Bay in the Derwent, they arrived at Constitution Dock as scheduled on Thursday 7 February, in time to prepare for the arrival of new crew for the sail past which marks the opening of the festival weekend.

For those who have not ventured to the festival or had the great privilege of sailing or motoring on the Hobart waterways, this opening event is not to be missed. The bay came alive with wooden boats of all descriptions, from canoes and kayaks, through to small fishing boats and tenders, steam boats, fishing trawlers, yachts of all sizes and descriptions, motor sailors and tall ships. Arriving at Constitution Dock after sail past The festivities continued onshore as it was lined with thousands of spectators enjoying the view and waiting on the return of the vessels to enable closer inspection. Once back at the dock the weekend truly commenced. It is estimated that approximately 250,000 people visit the festival over the four-day weekend. Many of the tall ships offered cruises on the harbour and tours of the vessels when docked, but a chat with any onboard owner was likely to elicit an invitation to come aboard to visit their pride and joy. For an event of this magnitude, the atmosphere was laid back and friendly. The festivities did not stop at the wharf. There were extensive pop-up and established dining options, the Maritime Museum of Tasmania and the Dechaineux Theatre which hosts the National Maritime Museum International Wooden Boat Symposium featuring an array of both Australian and international presenters. There was also Blundstone Shipwright’s Village, the Wooden Boat Film Festival, various boating accessory franchises in the Maritime Marketplace, demonstrations of wooden boat building and of course, the famous Salamanca Market and the experience of exploring Salamanca Place. Likely more miles were covered by foot over the four days than sailed on the voyage to Hobart.

In good company at the Wooden Boat Show

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Departing SYC Admittedly one of the greatest pleasures for us were the members of SYC together with friends and relatives who visited us during the festival. Unfortunately, all great events must end and a slightly revamped crew consisting of a suitably exhausted Andrew, Chris, Ian (Tech) Richards and Greg Holmes departed on the Tuesday for a Cruise in Company with the Cruising Yacht Club of Tasmania (CYCT), starting with a welcome barbeque in Quarantine Bay, Bruny Island, south of Hobart. The cruise proceeded further south, then upriver on the Huon over the next few days to Huonville, which was no small feat given the occasional submerged log along the way. The next major stop was Kettering where we hosted an onboard dinner for Quentin and Fiona Tuxen, former SYC members who retired to Kettering some 15+ years ago. Fiona is now on the committee of CYCT and the editor of their magazine ‘Albatross’ and was surprised to see the curtains on Maid of Martha are the original ones she made for the boat, longer ago than she cares to remember. Greg had to part company with us at Kettering and we proceeded back to Hobart where Chris also departed and was replaced with Glenda Hart and Mark Sayer for the return trip to Melbourne.

Studying Our last night was at the northern tip of Flinders Island in Killiecrankie Bay, where we had the privilege of meeting the ‘Mayor’ of Killiecrankie, who was rather adept at poaching our crew to help lift his craypots. Unfortunately no crays were found which certainly justifies a return voyage sooner rather than later. Our 30-hour direct passage to Queenscliff reminded us that Bass Strait can test us all, as we spent a good percentage of our night trying to avoid multiple storms with spectacular lightning bolts hitting the water – too close for comfort. Outrunning these is a mission at 7 knots. Nevertheless we arrived at Queenscliff unscathed on 1 March for a very welcome hot shower at Queenscliff Cruising Yacht Club and our final leg to Sandringham the following day. Many thanks to our wonderful crew.

Andrew Mitchell and Glenda Hart

We again departed Hobart on 22 February travelling back up the east coast for our first night at Fortescue Bay. The next day we had a stop-over in Wineglass Bay in preparation for catching the tide through Banks Strait on our way to Thunder and Lightning Bay on Cape Barren Island. As the weather was extremely kind, snorkelling revealed truly beautiful reefs and extensive fish life, as was also the case for the next night at Prime Seal Island. The islands and reefs of Bass Strait easily rival and even surpass more widely known tourist destinations in Queensland with the added benefit of very few visitors.

Part of the wharf

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M E M B E R B O AT N E W S

SYC Wins Spinnaker Division 2 at the 2018 Maggie Island Race Week

Cape Upstart barbeque

Lunacy leads the fleet

T

here is a well-kept secret that follows from the hype and excitement of Airlie Beach Race Week and Hamilton Island Race Week and that is the Magnetic Island Race Week which is growing in popularity every year. This is a regatta about the sailors, for the sailors. 2018 was the 12th Magnetic Island Race Week with some 75 boats competing across seven divisions. Our adventure started with a handful of Sandringham Yacht Club members flying into Hamilton Island to pick up the Hanse 445, Lunacy, which had already competed in Airlie Beach and Hamilton Island Race Weeks. Lunacy is owned by Chris McSorley and we had chartered the boat. We sailed over to Airlie Beach to set up for the cruise up to Magnetic Island, make a few repairs and provision the boat before heading off on Monday 27 August for Magnetic Island. We would sail via the Gloucester Passage and looked forward to the Cape Upstart barbeque which is always a tremendous night, run by volunteers with everything brought in by barge as there are no roads. Arriving at Nelly Bay, Magnetic Island two days later after light breezes all the way and with multiple sightings of whales including the albino whale, Migaloo, at Gloucester Passage, we were ready to lighten the boat and get back into race mode. The crew was Garry Anderson (skipper), Chris Carlile, Dennis Jeffries, Michael Spencer, Tully Mulder, Stephen (Harpo) Harper, Charles Pukallus and Sue Bowes along with Chris McSorley who sailed with us for the first couple of races and Chris Carlile’s brother, Rob. A very special mention to our shore crew Kay, Cheryl and Gilly who prepared the best freshly made sandwiches every day for lunch. We had a battle song, The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum by the Fun Boy Three which was 42 |

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Winners are grinners!

played every morning pre-race start to focus the crew. We enjoyed five great days of racing on good courses set by Dennis and the Race Management team with light breezes in the morning, boosted by a bit of sea breeze in the afternoons, although unfortunately not on the day of the round-the-island race which was cut short. Lay Day, Fathers’ Day, was at Picnic Point with the traditional Beer Can Regatta, but we chose a leisurely long lunch followed by some good sounds from the band. Every evening after racing, prize giving took place at race headquarters along with a debrief of the day, followed by live entertainment. The crew wined and dined at various restaurants around the island boosting the local economy as well as team barbeques in the gardens. Although we started the Regatta with a generous handicap that did not last long after a couple of podium places, but we managed to hold on to our lead to win the Sealink Spinnaker Division 2. A great time was had by all both on and off the water, boosted somewhat with the win.

Sue Bowes


Tasmanian Circumnavigation trip T

his February 2019 trip around Tasmania by pleasure boat evolved around the middle of 2018. Most of our Club members know Rob Ungar is an adventurer who loves trips outside Port Phillip on his lovely Princess 88, 7th Heaven, so he put out a call to see who wanted to join him. Plans were made by Rob’s professional skipper Mike Percy. Gary Axton gathered all interested parties and took care of the necessary correspondence. Interest came from Sandringham Yacht Club, Royal Victorian Motor Yacht Club and Blairgowrie Yacht Club. Stuart Jackson from RMarine Jacksons spread the word as well and an old friend from Yarra’s Edge joined the fleet. SYC boats included Allure Riviera 45ft, Keeper 2 Riviera 52ft, Marlyn Riviera 47ft, Perfect Mix Maritimo 48ft, Razaway Riviera 60ft SUV, 7th Heaven Princess 88ft and Ti Amo Maritimo 48ft. The others were L/V 3 Ocean Alexander 78 ft from Blairgowrie Yacht Club and Sublime Clipper 45ft from Port Stephens. Princess1 Princess 64 ft from Yarra’s Edge. Starting at Queenscliff Harbour on Friday 1 February 2019, most boats were ready to leave at 08:00. We were warned that Bass Straight would be lumpy for our destination, Coulomb Bay at Three Hummock Island, some 120 nautical miles away. We all settled at anchor safe and sound, barbeques going, a wine or two and an early night for most and were ready for the next day. 10 boats were in the fleet which left early next morning into the vast expanse of the Southern Ocean. Bushfires were a significant problem in Tasmania and quite evident when we reached Cape Grim. Grey skies and a blanket of smoke came over with the strong easterly wind. The seas were calmer once past Cape Grim, so we made Macquarie Harbour a little after 13:00. Safely in, we headed to the Heritage Landing and anchored in the Gordon River. Next day we moved to Sir John Falls ready for the investigation of the Franklin River junction, then day after day, back down to the jetty at Strahan to refuel and purchase supplies for the 43 human cruisers.

We stayed in Strahan for two days waiting for the weather to clear for the dash down to Port Davey 100 miles away. Teams Allure and Keeper 2 were up early and headed out wide for a spot of trawling. Sadly we missed any fish, so made our way to catch up with the rest of the fleet at Bramble Cove, just inside Port Davey. The weather turned for the worse, so we were in Port Davey for the next five nights. There were 40 knot wind squalls and the boats hid behind the mountains trying to hold anchor. There was a window of escape to make it to Recherche Bay, but a bruising 3m swell with a 1m chop and 30 knots of wind from behind made us think it is now or never. On Monday, we harnessed the crews and literally set sail into seas I have never experienced. Propellers became brakes as the big boats surfed down these huge waves. After about three hours of pounding and plenty of white water, we finally rounded South West Cape and into calmer seas, making our way to Recherche Bay for safe anchorage that night. The westerly wind was still pumping hard, so plans for the next day were to go into Dover. Out into the heavy water and heading in a northerly direction, Dover proved no good as the gusts were increasing, so we made our way to the more protected Gourlays Bay. At one point the wind gauge hit just over 54 knots as we headed straight into the front. Next morning Allure decided to break away and head further up the Huon River for the night. The morning after, we caught up to the rest of the fleet and gathered at Quarantine Bay that night. Special Valentine’s Day birthdays were shared with Jenny Haddrell, Rob Ungar and Gary Finemore. The weather was now clearing as the main fleet was looking forward to the next stop. 15 February and seven of our boats were scheduled to enter Constitution Dock at 14:00. The two Princesses set the scene tied up at Elizabeth Street Pier while L/V 3 was safely back in Melbourne. Hobart was our home for the next five nights. At least three boats were staying in Hobart including Keeper 2. The next

All the fleet North Beach Bramble Cove days were spent exploring Hobart including pubs and Salamanca Market. Our next stop was Stewarts Bay at Port Arthur and we visited the famous penitentiary at Port Arthur. Time to go south to Tasman Island, Cape Pillar and Cathedral Rock. The plan was to enjoy the rugged coast but head north to Triabunna, which can be a little tricky to get into, but we managed safe moorings for the night. Saturday 23 February and it was a short trip to anchor in Schouten Passage, where we had at least 15 other boats side-by-side at anchor. Next day we made our way to Coles Bay but were careful with the anchoring as the bottom was very loose. It blew up to 40 knots during the night, so some of the fleet skippers slept with one eye open and had to reset the anchor. We returned to Schouten Passage for the night and bid farewell to Perfect Mix and Ti Amo. Now down to five boats and as Allure was having a few engine problems the other four made their way around to Wineglass Bay. Allure went onto Bicheno alone. Wednesday 27 and after a very unsettled night at the Gulch jetty, we sailed to catch the others in the Tasman Sea. Today was around 100 miles to Lady Barron on Flinders Island and as the sea was quite flat we were able to make about 22 knots. The pub turned it on for a healthy get-together with the locals, even the police turned up. Our tanks were topped up next morning and we took it easy finding a mooring at Trouser Point, on the south-west side of Flinders Island. We were up in the dark as we knew 7th Heaven was away at 03:00 and we set sail for the heads at around 06:00, some 220 miles away. It was very bumpy once outside of the Flinders Island influence on the northeast wind. The sea settled down and became better as the day wore on and we breezed through the heads doing 20 knots. Allure pulled up to her pen at SYC around 17:15. The log from 7th Heaven revealed 1205 nautical miles, 29 days travel with 90 engine hours.

Peter Turrell Bryans Beach, Freycinet Peninsula

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MEMBER SNAPSHOTS

Hugh Halliburton I joined Sandringham Yacht Club as a junior around 1955. Graduating from dinghies, I then sailed a variety of small boats. I began my big boat career on a 30 foot Van der Stat Black Soo called Oberon and raced extensively on the bay and did a couple of Bass Strait races. No motor, no life raft, an old army surplus valve radio and the only instrument was a compass illuminated by a candle. I was lucky enough to join the crew of Sarda of Burnham, on which I did my first Sydney to Hobart in 1967. This was followed by a number of years on Chelinda. Then came the original Cole 43, Bacardi and later the Peterson 44, Bacardi. I had a stint on Apollo II, then Challenge, the highlight of which was winning the 1983 Sydney to Hobart and

two Clipper Cup series in Hawaii. I did a few other Hobarts on a variety of boats – Suraya, Sunburst, Turkey Shoot and Madeline’s Daughter. I also sailed the first Melbourne to Vanuatu race with Mike and Mark Welsh on Alien and later with them on Wicked. I was crewing on Georgia when she sank in the 2008 Hobart. Calm followed and I did my 21st Hobart on her. Later I joined Goldfinger. I have now retired from ocean racing have joined the Wednesday Wonders on Arch de Triumph. I have been exceptionally fortunate to sail on many great and successful boats with terrific people and have derived a huge amount of enjoyment and satisfaction from my life at SYC, one of the world’s foremost yacht clubs.

Bernie Moore My first introduction to ‘life on the ocean wave’ was in a Currach, rowing from Inis Thair to Inis Mean, one small island to another off the west coast of Ireland, on the Atlantic. I was but a teenager and it was invigorating. When my son Niall was seven, we joined Daveys Bay Yacht Club where we both fell in love with the sport of sailing – he was in a Sabot and I was in a 420. Four years later we were invited to do bay cruising on Yoko. Robin and Val Hewitt were great role models and we learned a lot. After a Melbourne to Osaka race Robin left Yoko at Hamilton Island for six months. Various crew enjoyed breaks on board in the Whitsunday Islands and I was part of the delivery crew home. We were one day into our voyage when we were hit by a storm, which blew the mast head instrument off. Undaunted, Robin et al steered Yoko at night with black cotton streamers as wind vanes. I was also part of the delivery crew from Hobart the same year. Sailing into Port Davey was a highlight. The year was 1988 and after the Bicentennial Sydney Harbour parade, Alma Doepel sailed to Melbourne. I was amazed to see an advertisement for position of Deck Officer/Cook aboard her and

applied. I loved this job and managed to squeeze it in between my dietitian work for a few years. I catered for eight crew and 36 trainees. It was a 14hr day for 11 days for me. It was busy but great. Meanwhile I was invited to crew on Vanquish by Phil Spry-Bailey and Gordan McNeily. I enjoyed five years being part of the Saturday racing crew and did lots of Bass Strait crossings – bashing to Devonport, Stanley and Strahan. Again I learned a lot. In 1995 I bought Midnight Magic from Kevin Wood and became a senior member of Sandringham Yacht Club. I have been blessed with amazing crew, who all found me. We have competed in Wednesday Wonders for 24 years. We love sailing to Queenscliff and enjoying the contrast of the clubs. I have sailed with Jacquie Hope on her J40 Soulmate, around Tasmania, the coast of New Zealand, in the Greek islands and in Fiji. Jacquie is currently circumnavigating the world solo on Shanti – what a hero. I am fortunate to have enjoyed sailing on Blue Flyer with Hugh Pilsworth in SYC events and sailed to Mackay when he was circumnavigating the world recently. It is great to belong to SYC – the camaraderie amongst the members has no bounds.

Jan Schmoeger – Landlubber Pilgrim I grew up in land-locked Prague, where the rowboat hire on the river was the big water adventure. I dreamed of sail ships, knew how they were rigged and how they worked. When I was 14, I was invited for a day sail on a Star keelboat on Lipno lake and a life-long yearning was lit. When I eloped to Australia with the daughter of the skipper many years later, we always lived close by the sea. When I finally got my first boat in 2000, I was over 50. My boat here was a twenty-foot Gilcraft motorsailer, called Bad Habits. Some unkind people thought it was very aptly named. Despite carrying a big two-cylinder 20hp Bukh diesel, it was remarkably economical requiring only 44 |

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about a stubby of light beer a mile, so the roundtrip to Fawkner Beacon was a six pack. Having no centreboard or deep keel, it pointed at 45° to wind but sailed more like 75° over ground. Only once did I enter a race, tried to lay the start line in three tacks, then withdrew. But I loved the thing. I would set out on a reach and go out, then halfway through my time allowance, tack and come back. Most winters I would be out on it about two to three times a week and in summer almost every day for weeks on end, for a very happy 12 years. Joining Sandringham Yacht Club was one of the best things in my life. Happy Sailing.


Simon Grain I first sailed when six years old and was hooked. I joined Sea Scouts and immediately became the bailer boy, sitting on the leeward side of the 18ft cutters and bailing like hell. I progressed to a scout cutter skipper and have loved helming ever since. In my early teens my dad helped me buy an R Class and at 18 I built and raced my first Paper Tiger, Molotov Cocktail. The Tornado Class was next and I was NZ National Tornado Champion and represented NZ in many overseas regattas including unsuccessfully trying out for the Olympics. Moving to Australia I sailed with Chris Wilson. We returned to NZ as part of the Australian Tornado team for the 1980 Worlds. My ocean racing began on a 3/4 tonner Pirra on which we won our division in the 1982 Sydney to Hobart. I have sailed in many Sydney or Melbourne to Hobarts, Southern Cross Cups and Bass Strait races and in 1995 was on the winning boat Tower, a Lidgard 45, in the Hobart to Wellington as co-helmsman to the incredible John Lidgard. In the late 90s I started racing with Phil Coombs

and did many Hobart and Port Lincoln races on First Priority, Full as a Bull, Farr too Much Fun, No Fearr and Dekadence. More Hobarts followed on Rush and Veloce. In 2004 I bought the J24 Kicking Bottom with my partner Lisa and we have raced a series of J24s since. We have an amazing fleet, a great group of people involved and our one-design racing is the best. We do it so well at SYC. We sailed in the 2006 World J24 Championships at Sandringham, came last, but won the Victorian States in 2007. We have been to most interstate J24 Championships and National titles around Australia, slowly creeping up the National Championship score cards with 4th, 3rd and 2nd. A highlight last year was competing in the J24 Worlds in one of those bucket-list destinations – Riva del Garda, northern Italy. An amazing place and an amazing regatta with 89 J24s from all over the world on one of the most scenic lake settings in the world.

Phil Burke I was lucky to spend my early years growing up at Airlie Beach when there was no beach, bar or marina, but competitive sailing started when my family moved to Mackay and I crewed on a sabot and then on 18 ft skiffs in Brisbane. I acquired my first keel boat in Singapore, a Holland quarter tonner called Tear Drop. In the mid 80s I sailed out of Sydney on a boat called King Billy skippered by Andy Moncrieff, boat builder and Admirals Cup Skipper. We achieved a divisional 4th in the 1994 Sydney to Hobart. Under spinnaker, in 20+ knots in Bass Strait with an ominous front approaching someone asked, “Andy when will we take the kite down?” Andy’s response, “God takes kites down!” The words were hardly spoken, when it did come down and was left shredded in the rigging. In the early 90s I crewed at Sandringham Yacht Club and have vivid memories of the warm welcome. This experience was enough to convince me that SYC would be my spiritual home. I went on to become a part-owner of Le Cascadeur and Bali Dancer. I have had the good fortune to sail with several great skippers on fantastic club boats and have crossed Bass Strait numerous times. Doing 25+ knots on Kontrol on a broad reach with the hull resonating and Peter Blake standing calmly at the helm while the rest of the crew hung on for the ride, stands out in my mind.

Not everyone gets to sail with a beautiful nurse. I did. His name is Ian Miller and his boat is Young Ones. I sailed with Ian from Auckland to Noumea and then on to Australia. Ian campaigned Young Ones in the 2012 Sydney to Hobart. We were half way across Bass Strait at 02:00 when the helmsman lost concentration and jibed the boat not once, but twice in quick succession and I was an unfortunate casualty. Knocked unconscious for several minutes and waking below deck confused and covered in blood, I can tell you looking into the eyes of that beautiful nurse was very comforting. I have also had the privilege to race with Jon Evans, Phil Strong and crew on Frenzy. The boat and crew are a perfect example of a bunch of seasoned dingy sailors having a go and achieving amazing results for comparatively little money. In 2015 I acquired Markeeta, an 11 metre Halverson motor cruiser. She does 8 knots up wind, 8 knots down wind and points really well. She is the perfect partner as I can share a lazy day on the bay on my own, with grandkids, family or friends. I still consider myself a new member, particularly when surrounded by those who have been loyal to the Club for 50 or 60 years, but always think how lucky we are to be a part of this great SYC community.

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MEMBER SNAPSHOTS

Mark (FOXY) Fox I joined Sandringham Yacht Club in 1972, sailed in Cadets and had a boat called Lancelot. In 1977 I joined the Navy and served for 10 years keeping ties with my Cadet friends and the SYC community. Returning to SYC I sailed International 14s for 16 years. I gained four state titles, three runners-up in National Titles and 7th in the Worlds at SYC in 1999, being the third Australian boat home. Moving to keelboats, I had a Y.W. Diamond called Irish Logic and we won the 2000 National title. Then some great years on Starfire as a trimmer and later to one-design on Livewire. When asked to crew for the 2007 Sydney to Hobart on Goldfinger, I took the opportunity and we finished 17th. I also sailed 2014 Sydney Hobart on Bacardi. I decided to have a sea change and moved to Townsville, where I worked on the ferries running

between Townsville, Magnetic Island and surrounding Islands. Then came 60 to 90 ft power boats, as I had my Master 5 and MED 1 qualifications, keeping up my keelboat sailing when I could. My ties to SYC were still strong and I came back for the season openings and other functions. It was a great lifestyle up north, but the summers were too hot and I decided to come back south. That was the best decision I have ever made as I met my lovely wife, Christine, who was crewing on Esprit and was also a Race Officer for the Club. We were married on the start boat one Sunday after we had finished racing. Sailing is a whole other way of life. It stays with you always. We who acknowledge this and are able to embrace the life, can only wish the same for others.

SYC branded 10 Birthday Grant Burge Wine th

Our wine partners at Accolade Wines are helping us celebrate our 10th Clubhouse birthday by badging up our very own SYC Grant Burge Wine! From mid-July, you can purchase a bottle of SYC 10th Birthday Grant Burge 2018 Adelaide Hills SAUVIGNON BLANC and 2017 Barossa SHIRAZ. Both will be available in the Members’ Bar and Harbour View Restaurant. We are delighted to have our very own Sandy wine on offer to celebrate both our 10th birthday, and the 2 year extension of our wine partnership with our great friends at Accolade Wines.

SYC 10th Birthday Grant Burge! 2018 Adelaide Hills SAUVIGNON BLANC and 2017 Barossa SHIRAZ $25 per bottle

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Highfield Aluminium Ribs land in Victoria.

H

ighfield Boats are really building a name for themselves – and fast. Founded in 2011, the Highfield line of aluminium rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) is a direct descendant of the tried and tested Swift range of RIBs. Swift is a brand synonymous with high quality, durable RIBs that have been trusted by many of Australia’s Government Agencies (including the Water Police) for over 20 years. A big tick for pedigree, then.

They’re big shoes to fill, but Highfield has hit the ground running and in just 8 short years has become the world’s number one aluminium RIB manufacturer, with distributors in over 38 countries around the world and over 15,000 boats sold to a wide range of customers, both domestic and commercial. When it comes to RIB design, the most important factors to consider are weight, all-water performance and durability. Highfield Boats have these covered in spades, with their powder coated aluminium hull designs providing tough, durable and lightweight platforms that deliver high levels of performance right throughout the range, while retaining the comfort, versatility and safety for which RIBs are renowned. They’re also easy to repair, require less power to propel and won’t soak up water over time, meaning they’ll weigh the same in ten years as they did when they rolled off the production line. Highfield’s range is broad, with models available to cover a wide array of applications, including small, medium

and luxury tenders, club & coaching boats, rescue craft, commercial operations and high-performance offshore patrols. With over 40 models in the range, there’s a Highfield RIB for every boatie. Of particular interest on the club scene is Highfield’s ability to provide safe, stable and versatile all-weather craft for coaching, rescue and general club duties. All important factors when operating in a marine environment that can change very quickly. Former Sandringham Yacht Club Training and Development Manager and now Sundance Marine Service Centre Manager, Michah Shuwalow recounts his experience with Highfield RIBs.

“In my 20 plus years of instructing and coaching from RIBs, I haven’t come across a better performing vessel than the Highfield Boats.

The deep V bow section and the large diameter tubes mean that I can confidently handle any sea state with ease, while the overall lightness of the vessel enables the boat to plane sooner than its fibreglass counterparts.” Best of all, Highfield RIBs are available in Victoria for the first time, following a new distribution deal recently inked with Sandringham’s own Sundance Marine. Adding to their impressive line up of quality boat brands, chandlery and marine services, Sundance Marine now offers Victorian boaties the complete range of Highfield aluminium RIBs, many of which are available to view at their new Powerboat Display Centre in Braeside. In the market for a new RIB? Contact the Sundance team for an appointment.

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O F F W AT E R A C T I V I T I E S

Twilight Entertainment The fabulous Lisa Edwards and Michael Cristiano

Fabian, Kate and Joey being hijacked by Dick Ford

O

ur 2018-2019 twilight season began with many of our beloved, regular musos returning to grace our Sandringham shores.

We began the season with solo artist Rob Gaston, a quiet unassuming talented musician, the perfect accompaniment for the not-so-perfect cold spring weather that graced us with a quiet evening in the Members’ Bar. Next on the line-up in our schedule were Peter Chapman, Jason Vorherr with Gary Young plus Dean and Caruthers. The unpredictable cold and windy weather gave us a few race abandonments and quiet Thursday nights and those members who braved the cold were warmed by the open fire and soothing music. Jason Vorherr and Gary Young, who also play with many well recognised artists, Glenn Shorrock and Daryl Braithwaite just to mention a couple, once again mesmerised the members with their melodious voices and harmonising. We chilled out with the highly talented acoustic soloist Peter Chapman, his beautiful voice and west coast sounds could have brought a tear to your eye. Well known Dean and Caruthers took us back to the 70s with the psychedelic sounds of Pink Floyd. Summer turned up the heat with the acoustic Brightside duo, playing Crowded House, Beatles and other popular covers. Michael Paynter, a previous finalist from The Voice, certainly captured the room with his silvery tones. The phenomenal Lisa Edwards and producer, singer-songwriter Michael Cristiano, are in a league of their own. Lisa is famously known for Michael Paynter 48 |

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supporting John Farnham and Michael has played with too many famous bands to mention and once again brought the house down for our Christmas break-up night. Behind the scenes in the Members’ Bar, I noticed our wonderful staff bopping away while they worked. It was so funny and nice to see, I tried to get a few sneaky pics but to no avail. The famous Field, See and Mason unfortunately had to cancel due to illness, but I have since heard that all is good now on the health front, so we hope to see them back on the circuit for next season. Alas, our own Sandringham Yacht Club members’ band The Black Flags and the Premature Starters, saved the day as their replacement and revved up the twilighters with their Country and Blues. Tim Watson from the band Taxi Ride (who have now since reformed), also had to cancel due to other commitments but we hope to see him back next season as he is another of our favourite regulars. Andy Healey our very talented favourite youngster endeared us once again with his one-man-band show and his vast repertoire of songs. He certainly knows how to make the members feel special by engaging with everyone and taking requests and the banter and stirring that went on was hilarious. Oh and the very cool Andy Wilson, Larissa Al and Steve Ely brought some good old rock’n’roll classics into the mix with hits from The Rolling Stones, The Doors, David Bowie, INSX and many more. No Baggage Trio, Fabian, Kate and Joey did it both ways, starting off the first set of background dinner music, to ramping it up for the

Matt Powell joining in with Gary Eastwood and Jeremy Watt

Smithy and those famous fluro shorts full-on party night on the deck. Cheeky Fabian got everyone dancing and laughing as usual. Dick (Fordie) Ford joined in for the obligatory few songs blasting away on the harmonica. After a few encores and confiscated tambourines it was time to call it a night and/or a taxi. The Last Blast certainly went off with a blast, with the high energy of Gary Eastwood and Jeremy Watt. After experiencing the most beautiful sunset of the season Gary a true entertainer and Jeremy on the drums, continued to light up the dance floor all night. Known for their extensive repertoire of songs and their amazing 26 minutes of nonstop medley of hits, only the fittest dancers survived till the end. Our own Matt Powell from Playlist and fellow muso Steve Ely joined in for a jam session along with many of our regular members, not to mention Graeme (Smithy) Smith and his fluorescent boardies. I reckon there will be a hit song written about him next time Gary performs. Gary and Jeremy were so enjoyable and comical, the warm night air was filled with a combination of exhaustion and exhilaration. What a fabulous way to end the season. Sailing, music and mates, the ultimate mix.

Robyn Coombs


2018 Victory Cup

P

atterson River Golf Club hosted a great day for the Victory Cup – Annual Combined Yacht Clubs Golf Day on Friday 19 October 2018.

Although Sandringham Yacht Club did not win back the Cup, it was a friendly competition on a day with a great turn-out and representation of clubs

Overall Club Results: 1st Mornington YC 2nd Sandringham YC 3rd Blairgowrie YS

226 pts 212 pts 208 pts

4th Royal Brighton YC 194 pts 5th Royal Melbourne YS 179 pts

SYC Member top scorers: Robert Kerr Jim Mitchell Andy Allsep Frank Weir Garry Anderson Greg Willcock

37 pts 37 pts 35 pts 35 pts 34 pts 34 pts

The 2019 event will be held on Friday 18 October.

logo design + collateral + brochures + print management + apparel application design

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C LU B C H A R I T Y E V E N T S

SYC Events for Charity SYC’s primary charities are Challenge – supporting kids with cancer & the Sandringham Hospital Keeping Cancer at Bay

T

he 2019 annual Keeping Cancer at Bay Race saw Sandringham Yacht Club donate, in round figures, $2,000 to Challenge supporting kids with cancer from the after-race barbeque and the collection tins in the Members’ Bar throughout February. Thank you to all who donated to this worthy cause and for your continued support of our long-standing relationship with Challenge.

Commodore Ashley Trebilcock with Challenge CEO, David Rogers

Annual Challenge Kids on the Bay Day

S

unday 24 February 2019 saw a gloomy forecast of a strong wind warning and no option for a re-sail. The weather gods certainly heard our prayers and blessed us with the most perfect day, giving us 10 knots of breeze and a sunny 32 degrees. Nothing could be more perfect.

The day began with our Sandringham Yacht Club volunteers setting up the barbeque awaiting arrival of the 170 Challenge kids and their families. SYC and the Ken King centre were a hive of activity with over 100 volunteers in full force, preparing a scrumptious barbeque, rigging boats, dishing out life jackets and allocating families to suitable sail and power boats. Once everyone was fed, watered and donned with a PFD (life jacket), we set sail for a three-hour cruise. Boats sailed off in all directions including Cerberus, Fawkner Beacon, Brighton beach bathing boxes and Docklands, followed by a raft-up off the breakwater. The flotilla raft-up was quite a gathering, the largest we have had in 20 years with a total of 25 boats consisting of 12 sail and 13 power. The kids had an absolute ball jumping off boats, swimming,

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floating around on inflatable toys and going for thrilling rides on the jet ski and the fast RHIBs. All-in-all everyone enjoyed themselves immensely. The happiness and the smiles on their faces said it all. SYC along with John Chatham, began an association with Challenge over 20 years ago with the Keeping Cancer at Bay days. In many ways since then we have continued to support Challenge, this wonderful charity supporting kids living with cancer and their families. This day in particular is one of our annual highlights. It is not about fundraising, it is about putting yourself out there to offer these families an opportunity that they may never otherwise get to experience. It is a privilege and our pleasure to do so. The heart-warming stories that have been shared amongst the crews about their experiences are memories we will always treasure. I would like to thank all the wonderful SYC members and staff who generously volunteered their time, effort and boats that made this day once again, another wonderful success.

Robyn Coombs


Oaks Day

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hursday 8 November 2018 saw the beverages flowing, the sun shining and the ladies looking stunning in their race-wear and fascinating fascinators at Sandringham Yacht Club’s annual Oaks Day Luncheon. The Port Phillip Room was filled with just over 300 ladies who enjoyed a fun day out with scrumptious food, a Pimm’s cocktail on arrival, beverages, auction items, spot prizes and gorgeous views all whilst raising some money for our friends at the Sandringham Hospital. Our MC, former Bayside City Council Mayor, Felicity Frederico, kept formalities to a minimum to allow maximum catching up and chatter amongst the guests. Director of Nursing, Judy Reeves spoke of how in previous years, the funds raised from this day had gone to the now operational Day Procedure Unit and thanked the ladies for their generosity and continued support of the Sandringham Hospital. The ladies then continued in the Harbour View Restaurant and danced on the deck in the afternoon sun to Gary and Jeremy who entertained until early evening. Collectively, all were extremely generous on the day and the luncheon raised just under $14,500 which went to the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment for the Maternity Ward.

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S A N D R I N G H A M YA C H T C LU B

SYC and MONJON join forces to keep Sandy secure

Bryan Goudsblom, CEO Monjon, John Moncrieff, MD Monjon and Richard Hewett, SYC CEO

S

YC has joined forces with Monjon, a specialist security company to keep Sandringham Yacht Club secure for the next two years. Based in Bayside, Monjon has an excellent reputation for securing many of Melbourne and Victoria’s iconic businesses. Monjon will provide SYC with a range of very important services including:

• mobile patrol services after hours seven days per week, with overnight marina and venue patrols • electronic surveillance including alarm monitoring services • event security requirements for our busy hospitality operations, and • emergency incident management security services.

“Monjon is excited and proud to partner with SYC and we look forward to providing world class security services to this World Class Club” said John Moncrief, MD of Monjon. You may already be familiar with the Monjon brand around SYC as they have been a great supporter of the J24 One-Design fleet for many years – providing important funding for regattas and the successful one design racing on Sundays. And in terrific news for the J24s, this support will continue. Additionally, if SYC Members use Monjon for personal or business reasons, Monjon will rebate 2% of the fee back to SYC - and any rebates that come our way will go towards further CCTV upgrades at SYC. If you bump into one of the friendly Monjon team around the Club in the coming months, please make them welcome - they are here to keep SYC safe and secure. If you have any general security concerns, please drop me a line: ceo@syc.com.au.

Richard Hewett 
 Chief Executive

SYC and Club Marine extend partnership into 25th Year

S

ince 1997 SYC and Club Marine Insurance have had a very loyal partnership and it is set to continue as the agreement was recently extended till 2022. This will see the loyal partnership celebrate an impressive 25 year milestone. Club Marine have, and continue to generously support wide ranging SYC initiatives including our boating academy, Discover Sailing days, past boat shows, regattas and our all-important youth development/Beneteau program. “We have been truly fortunate to forge a very strong partnership with the Club Marine team and it has proved invaluable for SYC. Whilst over time the individual agreements have evolved, the relationship has always been based on loyalty and mutual benefit” said SYC CEO Richard Hewett. For many SYC boat owners, Club Marine is the preferred insurer with a large number of SYC boat owners choosing Club Marine. SYC encourages all Members to use those organisations who strongly support our Club, and Club Marine Insurance is a long standing loyal partner that has supported us over an extended period. Visit www.clubmarine.com.au for more information. 52 |

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front lift

front lift

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CS ALUNBDHR OI NUGS HE A10 M T HYAACNHNTI VCELU R SBA R Y

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Clubhouse 10 Anniversary Partner Offers th

W

2019-2020 SYC Members get exclusive access to the following offers from 10 of SYC partners - all in the spirit of helping us celebrate the Clubhouse 10th Anniversary!

hether its 10% off select cars at Mercedes-Benz Brighton, a five week personal group training offer, a round of golf at Woodlands, a hit of tennis at Kooyong, getting great coffee into your workplace, or getting a comprehensive skin check, there are ten exclusive offers in all – all available to 2019-2020 SYC Members.

So when your membership renewals come through in late July, renew without delay and start redeeming these offers. Whilst most offers are valid till the end of the year, some are on offer for the first 10 members and some for a two month period – so get in quick. Visit www.syc.com.au/10partners to see the offers in detail and how you go about redeeming them.

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Skin C h ecks $ 15 0 $ 30

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S A N D R I N G H A M YA C H T C LU B

Members’ Bar Specials

Monday

Tuesday

Fish of the Day $20

Steak Night

Members’ Bar from 12 noon & 6pm

Members’ Bar from 6pm

$20

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Curry in a hurry $18

Local Black Mussels $ 20

Pork Knuckle

Members’ Bar from 12 noon & 6pm

Members’ Bar from 12 noon & 6pm

Members’ Bar from 6pm

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Saturday

Sunday

Kids Day $10

Roast of the day $20

Members’ Bar from 12 noon & 6pm

Members’ Bar from 12 noon & 6pm

2019 EDITION

$35


Function catering at SYC A taste of the 2019-2020 function menu items as constructed by Executive Chef, Kol Gemmell.

EntrĂŠe

Hiramasa kingfish ceviche, mango puree, edamame, chilli, coconut and lime dressing

Mains

Pan fried salmon fillet, green papaya salad, fried rice paper vermicelli, tamarind dressing (GF, DF)

Desserts

Tiramisu, chocolate ganache, vanilla bean cream, chocolate soil

Panko crumbed croquettes, chorizo, Swiss gruyere cheese, shaved parmesan, tomato emulsion

Salt + pepper calamari, taramasalata, beetroot, radish, balsamic reduction (GF)

Pan fried barramundi, dauphinois potato, cauliflower purĂŠe, broccolini, edamame, gremolata (GF)

Eye fillet, potato rosti, pumpkin puree, purple cauliflower, baby carrots, fried kale, jus (GF)

Lemon pot, pistachio crumb, honeycomb, vanilla bean ice cream

Chocolate fondant, berry coulis, pocky sticks, praline, raspberry sorbet

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E V E N T S AT S Y C

Weddings, Conferences and Private Celebrations

ATEIA Photography

Anthony Mestres

Located on the foreshore of Port Phillip, our Clubhouse boasts three dynamic, flexible event rooms to suit any need. Whether for work or play, let our dedicated Event Managers create the perfect setting for your next special occasion.

Port Phillip Room

Book your Christmas event! • Cocktail packages from only $68 per person [based on a 3 hour duration]*

• Seated packages from $93 per person [based on a 4 hour duration]* *member prices quoted

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Anthony Mestres

When you step into the Port Phillip Room you are immediately captivated by the magnificent bay views and sleek design of our modern Clubhouse. With such a stunning backdrop, this flexible space can host your next conference, cocktail party, lunch, dinner or wedding. Whatever you desire, events of any style are effortlessly accommodated in our spectacular Port Phillip Room.

Olympic Room Elegantly designed with views over the boatyard, the Olympic Room is a special setting for an intimate gathering. Adorned with invaluable Olympic Games memorabilia from years gone by, this is an event room favoured by guests looking to engage in a friendly atmosphere. It is perfect for meetings, lunches, dinners or cocktail parties.


Harbour View Restaurant

Sailor’s Lunch Special

Whether you are looking for a peaceful place to enjoy a wine over lunch or a romantic setting to indulge in a more traditional dining experience, our premium restaurant is the perfect destination. At Harbour View, guests enjoy a relaxed, stylish dining room setting with views of the bay, the SYC marina and the Sandringham harbour.

Harbour View Restaurant Available Wednesday to Friday from noon • 2 Courses with a complimentary glass of Beaumont wine - $40 • 3 Courses with a complimentary glass of Beaumont wine - $50

Do not forget that as a member of SYC, you receive a 10% discount on food and beverage. Contact the Events Team for a quote on 03 9599 0940 or events@syc.com.au

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S A N D R I N G H A M YA C H T C LU B

Kol’s Kitchen

Sandringham Yacht Club’s Executive Chef, Kol Gemmell shares an easy, healthy dish which is very popular with today’s health and fitness conscious.

Okonomiyaki Ingredients Batter • 225 grams okonomiyaki flour • 225 grams self-raising flour • 4 eggs • 560 mls water

Method

1. Mix the okonomiyaki flour with the sifted self-raising flour.

8. To ensure they are cooked through, use a pair of tongs and gently push in the centre of the pancake – it springs back when cooked.

2. Mix in the eggs and gradually add the water until it becomes a smooth consistency.

• 1 cube chicken stock

3. Stir the cabbage, carrot and spring onions into the batter.

Vegetables to add to the batter (plus any of your choice)

4. Carefully pour the batter flat into a heated flat pan.

• Shredded cabbage

5. The self-raising flour will make it rise so try not to over-fill the pan.

• Matchstick carrot • Spring onion

Sauce • Okonomiyaki or barbeque sauce (purchased) • Japanese mayonnaise (purchased)

Makes approximately 10 portions. Cut into quarters and place on the plate. Swiftly squeeze mayonnaise diagonally across the pancake in lots of thin strands. Repeat with okonomiyaki sauce on the other diagonal and garnish with chives.

6. Cook on a low to medium heat. Turn over the pancakes with a metal spatula when the surface of the pancake starts to bubble. 7. Cook until crisp and light golden brown.

‘Off the Wind’ is proudly designed by Privaro Design. For all your visual communication needs, call 0408 159 355 or visit privaro.com.au

PRINT & ONLINE DESIGN

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Commodore’s Gems F

or those of you who subscribe to the Club’s weekly E-news you would have seen Commodore Ashley’s words of wisdom he includes in every edition. For those of you who do not, E-news is a great source of information and you are missing out on these weekly gems Ashley provides and much more… 12 April

“To some it’s just water, to me it’s where I regain my sanity.”

22 February “Life is like sailing. You can use any wind to go in any direction.”

15 February “You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

8 February “Not all those that wander the sea are lost.”

1 February

5 April “The good seaman weathers the storm he cannot avoid and avoids the storm he cannot weather.”

29 March “It’s scary to have a 30-foot wave chasing you. If you are steering, you don’t look back. The crew looks back for you and you watch their faces. When they look straight up, then get ready!”

“Home is where your anchor drops.”

25 January “Only two sailors, in my experience, never ran aground. One never left port and the other an atrocious liar.”

18 January “Friends are the sailors who guide your rickety boat safely across the dangerous water of Life.”

11 January

22 March “To be successful at sea we must keep things simple.”

“A sailor is an ‘Artist’ whose medium is the wind.”

21 December

15 March “The pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change, the realist adjusts the sails.”

8 March “Land was created to provide a place for boats to visit.”

1 March “Sailing – The fine art of slowly going nowhere at great expense while being cold, wet and miserable.”

“Definition of a Sailor: One who does precision guesswork based on unreliable data provided by those of questionable knowledge.”

14 December “Life’s roughest storms prove the strength of our anchors.”

30 November “You cannot buy happiness, but you can buy sailing gear and that’s kind of the same thing.”

23 November “If one does not know to which port one is sailing, then no wind is favourable.”

16 November “A rough day at sea is better than any day in the office.”

9 November “Stay the course, for horizons are chased but never caught.”

2 November “He that will not sail till all dangers are over must never put to sea.”

26 October “Sailing: The most expensive way to get somewhere for free.” 19 October “Work like a Captain, Play like a Pirate.” 12 October “A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor.” 5 October “A boat at harbour is safe, but that’s not what boats are for.”

7 December “Trust anyone whose boat shoes are more worn than yours.”

To subscribe to E-news, go to; syc.com.au/ membership/subscribe-to-electronic-updates/

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CRAFTSMANSHIP. With 20 years experience in the maritime industry, Andrew Watson has created a business that offers skilled, professional shipwright and boat building services. Watson Shipwrights specialise in marine carpentry, painting and Gelcoating, as well as fibreglass and composite work.

Telephone: 0439 745 551 | www.watsonshipwrights.com.au Off the Wind

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The benchmark in boat repair! ‘Sandringham Marine’ is based on site at the Sandringham Yacht Club. We are a professional boat building company that specialises in the repairs and maintenance of both yachts and motor boats. OUR SERVICES INCLUDE: • Spray painting • Antifouling • Collision repair • Modifications • Full rebuilds • Project management • Teak decks • New vessel commissioning • All insurance work

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Nautical Nonsense Crossword 1 2

3

4

5 6

8

9

7

10 11

12

13 14 15 16

17 18

19

20 21

22

23 24

CLUES

3. Antonym of ‘out’? (2 letters)

17. What else is needed at the beach for children playing with a bucket and spade? (4 letters)

4. What yachting name is given to each category of sailboat in events for: Lasers, Moths, J24s, 49ers, Tasars, etc? (7 letters)

18. What did Wicked become after finishing the 2018-2019 SYC Summer Series IRC Division 1? The Club ________? (8 letters)

6. Name the situation that occurred in 2007-2008 involving global finance. (6 letters)

21. Name the late wife of a major SYC benefactor, whose largesse has been recognised with a covered walkway joining the Clubhouse to the Marina entrance. (2 words; 7 and 4 letters)

9. What annual competition held in October at SYC is a family favourite requiring an early start to the day? (7 letters) 12. In the Members’ Bar, if you request a Gin and Tonic, what can the friendly Bar staff offer you to accompany your drink? (4 letters) 13. What is the original Austrian dish that SYC’s Chef Kol has ‘livened up’ as Chicken Parmigiana? (9 letters) 14. Describe the action of one vessel being pulled or dragged by another. (2 words; 2 and 3 letters) 16. What do WillyWeather, BayWind.com.au and the BOM predict? (2 words; 3 and 4 letters)

23. In a wetsuit, what is the synthetic thick layer that neoprene replaces? (6 letters) 24. Are you trying to _____ this puzzle? (5 letters) 25. A failure of ‘what’ is the nightmare of all boat operators? (7 letters)

DOWN 1. First part of the word that describes a regular boat cleaning procedure. (4 letters) 2. A nick-name for a person who sails yachts. (7 letters)

5. What is the international urgency signal that is used as a preface to a VHF transmission when the safety of a person or the boat is in serious jeopardy but no immediate danger exists? This could escalate into a mayday situation. (2 words; 3 and 3 letters) 7. The condition one feels when one spends time on a couch? (7 letters) 8. What well-being name is given to the breakfast cocktail ‘Bloody Mary’ often popular the morning after Opening Day? (3 words; 4, 2 and 2 letters) 10. Name an entrant in the Century Class Wednesday Wonders 2018 – 2019 Summer Series. (10 letters) 11. State the last name of the 2018-2020 SYC Rear Commodore. (5 letters) 15. What are wooden boats made from? (6 letters) 19. In the suburb of Elwood, what genre are the predominant street names? (5 letters)

20. What is the prefix of the name of the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel? (6 letters) 22. On the Roman calendar what signifies the 15th of March? The ____ of March. (4 letters) 26. What do you do to the motor when retrieving your boat at the ‘launch’ ramp? (4 letters)

ANSWERS

ACROSS

Down 1. Anti 2. Yachtie 5. Pan-Pan 7. Relaxed 8. Pick-me-up 10. Saltshaker 11. Bowes 15. Timber 19. Poets 20. Thromb 22. Ides 26. Tilt

26

Across 3. In 4. Classes 6. Crisis 9. Fishing 12. Lime 13. Schnitzel 14. In tow 16. The Wind 17. Sand 18. Champion 21. Noeleen King 23. Rubber 24. Solve 25. Battery

25

Off the Wind

| 2019 EDITION | 63


S A N D R I N G H A M YA C H T C LU B

New Members

June 2018 to May 2019 SURNAME NAME Allan Phillip Allan Darren Allanson Peter Allen Benjamin Allen Cameron Allen Joshua Allen Henry Almond Alexandra Alphonsus Dennis Amira Roy Anderson Sue Andrews Geoffrey Antoniou James Arthur Graeme Ashton Bruce Atkinson-Wall Jaimee Aucamp Andrew Austin Stanley Baker Donna Barbour Anthony Barton Harrison Beeson Ian Bell Maria Belsher Jeannette Belsher Robb Bereau Brett Bignell Karen Blair Kieran Bleakley Jessica Bleakley John Bleakley Michelle Blunsom Gillian Bohmer Gary Bolger Grace Brand Rex Briggs Michael Brink Anton Bush Riley Buxton Thomas Buzza David Byrnes Lynda Canner Signe Cantwell Gerard Cardfelt Viktor Carter Michael Cartledge Kellie Chartraw Raymond

Chen Michael Clayton Samuel Cohen Oliver Coker Helen Cole Fiona Christopher Corcoran Cornwell Kathryn Cozens Sandra Cronin Stuart Crooks Renee Lee Cubitt Carl Daloia Agostinho d’Alquen Hardy d’Alquen Kim Davis Kirsty Dawson Catherine De Kort Susan Jackie De Santis Demange Marc Dillee Guillaume Dillon-Shallard Maxton Dillon-Shallard Sienna Dissegna Ella-Rose Dissegna Gianni Dissegna Isabella Dissegna Rachel Dryburgh Ben Duffy Noel Dunne Alex Eakins Donna Ekberg Richard Epstein Michael Escobar Karen Evans Laura-Jane Evans Ryan Evans Presley Evans Gareth Field Hadley Field Paul Fischer Andrea Fitzgerald Peter Fitzgibbon Peter Fothergill Martin Francis Brenton Francis Selena Fu Sophie Galloway Stephen Gautreaux Jason

Gibbons Ted Gomez Karen Gooden Paul Goodfellow Anne Goodman Penny Goring Georgia Gorman Andrew Gorman Fiona Gottliebsen Tracey Gourlay Andrew Grenda Harry Grenda Jack Grenda Scott Griffith Daniel Griffith Joshua Gruby Andrew Hade Sharon Hall Jaimie Shu Mei Hall Harding Hayden Harrington Sam Harrison Matthew Hart Clover Harvey Ava Harvey Phillip Heikamp Seppe Henderson Mark Henderson Oscar Henderson Samuel Hesterman Margaret Hibbins Sean Hoeks Arlene Howard-Osmond Patricia Howarth Alexandra Zhuo Sheng Huang Hurle Spencer Imbesi Benjamin Ingram Ryan Isaacs Dean Ivanov Nik Jackson Zoe Jackson Thomas Johnston Ian Kabak Nikolai Kanat Simon Kemeny Michael Keretzidis Thomas Klingberg Joanne

Knott Alexander Konidaris Jim Korbel Valerie Koutsimpiris Stephanie Kravtsov Kostya La Torre Anastasia La Torre Giuseppe La Torre Salvatore Lambert David Lang Broderick Lang Philippa Languiller Julio Lawson Peter Lee Graham Leishman Nigel Lemmens Jacobus Lindsay Matthew Lonski Krzysztof Lowe Abigail Lowe Charlotte Lowe Edward Lowe Olivia Lowe Sarah Lowe Julie Lu Shan MacFarlane Heather Maloney Claire Manley Cliff Manley Elizabeth Mason Jonty Mason Sienna Mason Byron Mason Leah McAlister Kenneth McDonald Conor McGrath Peter McNamara Aneeka Miller Stephen Miller Craig Miralles Laia Christopher Mollard Morgan Christopher Munro Sandra Murray Thomas Needham Tara Neil William Nikolaeff Vladimir Niven Joseph

June 2018 - 31 May 2019 Membership Years

Terry Allsep Craig Beaver Wolf Brennfleck Peter Burns Grahame Chapman Gus Dobson James Flood Margaret George 64 |

Off the Wind |

2019 EDITION

63 12 40 15 60 31 58 40

George Gray Ted Kaine John Lake Peter McBride Denise Seeley Norm Taylor Colin White

Sonneveld Louise Spokes Jonathan Steele Francesca Steele Theodore Stevens Liam Stewart Gavin Stone Mark Stoten Philip Strickland William Suda Monika Suszko Christopher Sweeney Jessica Sweep Berend Szalc Jan Tait Julie Telford David Thomas Oliver Thompson Kylan Thomson Alison Thomson Kevin Thunig Colette Thurston-Chartraw Maureen Toogood Robson Trebilcock Emma Tripidakis Ioannis Turnbull Peter Van Essen Liam Vestergaard Kristian Vuat Luca Wale David Wallace Stuart Walsh Veronica Warren Joseph Watkinson Tim Weston Helen Weston Matthew Whelan Mark Willett Janine Williams Sandra Williams Emilia Williams Sheldon Williams Antony Williams Nicholas Youl Stephen

Almoner

SYC VALE SYC Member Name

Nuttall Sabian O Connell Christian O Connell Sarah O’Brien Patrick O’Connell Lois O’Connell Ruby Old Christine Olson Phillip Ongarello Mark Ornig David Ozard Peter Parsons Catherine Pemberton Rodney Petersen Bradley Pollard Rowan Pontikis Harry Prunty Peter Purcell Martin Raiter Paul Ravesi John Rayner Gregory Rayward Oliver Redgrove Matthew Reynolds Keren Ridgway Clare Righetti James Royle Kelly Rycroft Cassandra Sammons John Sanders Camilla Sanders Julian Sanders Laurel Sato Kokichi Savin Keith Schiesser Emma Scholtz Keith Seaman Kevin Shaw Lawson Shen Elizabeth Shulin Oleg Shulina Nataliya Silverman Leslie Slater Georgina Slater Warren Smith Elizabeth Sobelski Santos Eduardo Soderstrom Ian Song Richard

17 60 34 47 16 19 72

It is a very difficult and sad time when a Member is extremely unwell and or has passed away. In a bid to assist our Members and their families and friends, the Club has appointed an Almoner who may assist. SYC Almoner is Gill Stubbs and her contact details are available in the Club handbook or via the office on 9599 0999. www.syc.com.au/almoner/


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