Off The Beach News
Howdy Gang.
I'm sorry but this is becoming a bit of a habit, blaming the bad weather for not getting to sail. All the wind predictions pointed towards that howling easterly dropping down a bit by Sunday arvo, still strong, but sailable. Come the hour though and the truth was not so. Hence the call to cancel. This is not done lightly and follows many phone calls, eye witness accounts, checking the various weather apps and looking at as many options as practical. In the end though it boils down to safety for everyone, the race team as well as the sailors. We even tried to organise a deal with St Leonards Sailing Club to pick up any of our boats that might wash up on the other side of the bay. Well, maybe that was a stretch, but it's a fair chance that's what might have happened. So, there ya go, that's sailing. If it's any consolation, Monday was a beautiful day! To make up for it though, this week, Australia Day weekend, we have two sailing days! Sunday 25th is our regular 2pm start (1.57 FW) and Monday 26th public holiday is a 10.30 start (10.27 FW) followed by SBSC's 59th Birthday celebrations upstairs.
On a different note, we have three teams from SBSC up at Albury competing in the 420 Nationals. Finn M / Oscar F, Abbey E / Matt W and Nick M / Jess L. At the time of writing ( 2.00 Tuesday) they have completed 3 races ( lack of wind would you believe! ). In a field of 17 boats, Finn and Oscar are 6th, Abbey and Matt 7th with Nick and Jess in 13th. All doing a great job with a chance to sneak up a bit higher.
Still another thing to think about is the upcoming Sail Peninsula Weekend 20th, 21st and 22nd of Feb, less than a month away. This year for the first time we are including OTB on the Saturday and Sunday. We are inviting sailors from all clubs to enter and are hoping for as many SBSC boats as we can. As this is the first time for OTB, we would really like it to be a success for the Club, as is the Keelboat event. Entry will be $50, not bad for a two day regatta. But wait, there's more. You also get a T-shirt (sorry, no steak knives), so come on and join the fun. Of course, if you can't or don't want to sail, we will be chasing helpers for both on and off the water.
That's about it for this week, see you all on the water for more Lions Club Series action. Your RO for Sunday is Ewan C with Super D. On RHIBs are Erik M, Dave/Luke P, Simon H and Rob Campbell.
On Monday, RO is Glenno Lazzar (on his birthday no less!), Super D. On RHIBs are Wayne J, Rob C, Simon H and an as yet to be found person- hint hint.
Cheers Pete Chippy
This Week’s Racing - OTB
Sunday 25th January 2026
Lions Club Series - Race 2
| First Warning Signal | 13.57H |
| Race Officer | Ewan Campbell |
| Assistant | Deirdre Snooks |
| Duty Boat Woodsy - Driver | Erik Meijer |
| Duty Boat Woodsy - Swimmer | Dave & Luke |
| Duty Boat Sutherland - Driver | Rob Campbell |
| Duty Boat Sutherland - Swimmer | Simon Haslett |
Overdue Memberships – Final Friendly Reminder
A number of memberships are now more than six months overdue, and despite reminders from our Treasurer, we haven’t yet heard back from these members.
Statements have been sent to everyone’s email and will again after eNews. These have details of how to pay and how much to pay.
Under paragraph 17.2 of the club’s constitution, members that remain over six months in arrears are considered to have resigned from the club, meaning members would need to reapply if they wished to return to the club in the future.
To support our community and avoid anyone losing their membership unintentionally, the club is offering an additional 14‑day grace period until 11 February 2026.
During this time, members are warmly encouraged to either settle their outstanding fees or contact the club to discuss a payment plan or any concerns in confidence.
If no payment or contact is received by 11 February, the club will need to treat the membership as resigned, and all membership rights and benefits inc. boat storage in the SBSC yard will end moving forward.
OTB Boat Storage
A kind but firm reminder please that a new yard storage application is required every season. Storage cannot be assumed year on year.
This also allows contact and insurance information to be relevant and ensures boats in the yard are used regularly and have paid yard fees.
For a volunteer organisation chasing up owners for storage is exhausting. Please help us by emailing a new application to the yardmaster if you haven’t already done so for this season.
Demand for storage this season exceeds capacity and those not using boats regularly are asked to remove boats ASAP. In parallel there are discussions about how best we increase storage capacity, but that will likely involve stacking, and obviously has operational issues.
Upon submission of your storage application, a decision is made to accept or not, based mainly on availability. An invoice will be sent once accepted. Click this link: Yard Storage Application Form
Regards and Happy New Year
Yardmaster & House Committee
Keelboats
This Week’s Racing - Keelboats
Friday 23rd January 2026
Fun Friday Twilight Race with Optional Extras
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Race Start Time (AEDT)
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17.30H Pursuit Start
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Race Officer
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Dianne Jackson |
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Duty Boat
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Magnitude |
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Set Up/Results
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Di
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This Friday we have a Fun Pursuit Race with Optional Extras.
If you choose to run an ‘Extra Sail’ such as a spinnaker or code 0 then you will need to add 3-minutes to your nominated start time and notify the SBSC Tower on VHF 69 of your intentions.
Sunday 25th January No Racing
Monday 26th January
Schnapper Point Race (Course #29)
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Race Start Time (AEDT)
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09.55H Tower Start
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Race Officer
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Elaine
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Duty Boat
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Set Up/Results
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Dawn
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If you would like to participate in the Annual Schnapper Point Race on the morning of Australia Day please get your entry in via THIS LINK. After the race make sure you head back to the club for our traditional Australia Day Festivities and the Club’s Birthday Celebrations
Festival Of Sails
We wish the following SBSC boats and crews a wonderful regatta at this year’s Festival of Sails being held at Geelong this coming long weekend:
- E’toile
- L’espirit
- Ninjo
- Rawhide
- Unprecedented
- Vincitore
Australia Day - Happy Birthday SBSC
Sail Peninsula
Sail Peninsula will be held over the weekend of 20th to 22nd of February.
Save the date and get your crew, family and boats ready for a huge weekend on the water. With great racing across Keelboats, Trailables and now Off-The-Beach classes for the first time, this year’s event offers excitement for all levels. Add to that the famous SP vibe—food, music, entertainment, a relaxed summer atmosphere—and you’ve got a weekend everyone can enjoy.
“Join the action. Something for everyone”
The NoR is available on the SP website or can be FOUND HERE
Entries are now open for keelboats - ENTER HERE
Junior Sail Training
Our current training program resumes this Sunday 8.30am - 12, with another 2 more sessions scheduled on 18th Jan & 25th Jan. The next training program begins on Sunday 1st Feb 2026. So, if you have any juniors who would like to join the fun, please register on the following link, Junior Sail Training Feb - Apr 2026
ORCV
The Port Fairy Yacht Race on Friday 13 February is a much-loved offshore event sailed in favourable summer conditions. The 135 NM course delivers a mix of coastal scenery and classic offshore racing, finishing with warm hospitality, all-weather berthing, and great camaraderie at the Port Fairy Yacht Club.
For those focused on preparedness and safety, our Safety & Sea Survival Course returns on Sunday 1 March. Delivered by highly experienced offshore sailors and aligned with Australian Sailing standards, this course is ideal for sailors planning offshore races or coastal passages.
ORCV’s very popular annual Port Phillip Heads and Rip Tour will be held on Sunday 22 March, departing Queenscliff at 12 noon. During the tour, a highly experienced navigator provides expert commentary on navigating this gateway, where underwater reefs limit the navigable entrance to just 0.6 nautical miles.
Sail Peninsula 2026 Regatta Clothing – Pre-Orders Now Open!
We’re opening a short pre-purchase window for official SP26 polos and tees, giving sailors the chance to secure their preferred style and size ahead of the regatta. Perfect opportunity to outfit your crew in advance.
Orders close Sunday 11 January
Due to production timeframes, this is the only opportunity to guarantee your size. After this date, clothing will be whats available on the day only while stocks last.
Pricing
- SP26 Polos – $55
- SP26 Tees – $35
Important
Please take a moment to carefully check the measurement guides when ordering to ensure the best fit and correct size.
Order via the try-booking link below
Pre-orders are open for a limited time only — don’t miss out!
Club Merchandise
Thank you to Melissa Kelly who has kindly volunteered to run our club merchandise. Watch this space for all of your merch needs.
Help with Risk Management
Our Risk Management documentation provides an analysis of our risks as well as guidelines to manage those risks and keep our members, volunteers and visitors safe.
The Executive Committee is seeking expressions of interest from members to assist with bringing our Risk Management documentation up to date to satisfy new government policy and add necessary detail relating to our Sail Training program.
We appreciate the work done in recent years by the previously formed RM Committee and invite those volunteers to continue their work and invite others to join in.
Bruce Mansfield has great experience in this field and has started assessing our needs but needs a committee in support.
If you are willing to join this committee or would like more information, please email our secretary at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . You do not need any experience to help.
Thank you in anticipation.
SBSC Executive Committee.
Photo of the Week
The 2026 International 420 class Australian Championships were held on Lake Hume this week. Competing in the regatta were
Nick Miejer / Jess Lowe, Oscar Forbes (Metung) / Finn Meijer, Abbey Everett / Matt Whitaker, Gary Cameron / Liv Cameron. Well done to all on your efforts at what I'm told was a hot and light wind regatta. Congratulations to Abbey and Matt for receiving the Consistency Award.
Abbey Everett & Matt Whitaker
Nick Meijer & Jess Lowe
L to R back row: Liv Cameron, Matt Whitaker, Abbey Everett, Finn Meijer, Oscar Forbes, Jess Lowe
L to R front: Nick Meijer, Gary Cameron
The Age Article
The was club recently interviewed by Rachael Ward from The Age regarding jet ski behaviour on the bay. Here it is for those interested.
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