Please remember to sign your non-member friends in at the top of the staircase for this event.
Off The Beach News
Tasar & 420 Victorian Championship Report
Hi all.
Last weekend SBSC had several members venture to Somers Yacht Club to compete in the Tasar and 420 State Titles. It was an awesome weekend with great weather and all sorts of wind ranging from 0 knots to 20 knots! Greg and James had an interesting start standing on the beach with no rudder or centreboard realising they were in the SBSC spa locker with 50 minutes before the start! Fiona came to the rescue and they made the start, just! They also snapped a trolley axel and broke a rudder rope causing several capsizes. Maybe winter maintenance is important! Mono did great job and came in the top 7 with several top 3 positions and even leading several races. Also, a special shout out to Erik who volunteered on the rescue boats and found himself sailing a Tasar single handed during rescues on several occasions!
We had several 420’s racing and having a blast. Nick and Aurelia had a great start with a few top 3 finishes and Zac and Finn not far behind. We even had a cameo appearance on Monday from Jess who made the ferry trip across from Queenscliff due to Aurelia’s Uni commitments. Nick and Jess are now planning AS Youth States and possibly Sail Bellarine in a Tasar. The overall winner was Gary & Liv Cameron from DBYC who SBSC members are also. Well done.
Somers Yacht Club did a great job hosting the regatta and the complimentary cheese & biscuits and larger afternoon teas/lunches were certainly appreciated by all the hungry sailors!
Nick & Aurelia making final touches before leaving the beach
Greg after collecting all of his bits
A Class State Titles
Wow, what a big weekend of racing at our very own Safety Beach! With Glenn Lazzar and Diedre Snooks in command of the start boat and a plethora of other talented volunteers manning the course boats the event ran very smoothly. Saturday was a day you were happy not to be an RO as the Southerly and Easterly had an arm wrestle for most of the afternoon and the shifts had us all guessing. Happily as a cat sailor you can just bang the corner near the beach and hope for the best. A challenging fours races in the bag nonetheless. Sunday was supposed to be 10-15 knots offshore but by first race at 11am it was 15 plus and a few boats retired. By the time the fourth and last race of the day started it was a solid 18 knots with the odd 25 knot bullet heading down the course. Offshore and flat water though so if your body and/or boat didn’t break it was great fun. Unfortunately Dave Brewer broke his body (left elbow) and Stuart Scott broke his boat (mainsheet). Luckily I stayed upright and managed a couple of fourth places to lift my average. Stevie Brewin won all the foiling races and recorded a top speed of 30.5 knots at one stage; epic! With only one more race to sail in the series Monday was a lot quieter with a gentle Northerly just enough to get us around before pack up and presso. The Classic (non-foiling) division was won by Dave McKenzie who last won a Vic states title 21 years ago; a great lesson in persistence. I came 6th/12 in the classics and Stu came 3rd in the foilers. Zoe Kershaw from ACT won the female and junior division and also “Best On Ground” on epic Sunday for being the only classic sailor to trapeze downwind every leg, great to see such talent on International Woman’s Day. If any females at the club want a go of an A Class let us know. A huge thanks to the club and all the volunteers who ran an excellent regatta, if you missed out on a bottle of wine as a thank you come and see me next Sunday!
Thanks Ewan
Glenn and the team having a breifing before leaving the shed for Day 1 of A Class Titles
Zoe Kershaw on trapezing downwind
Lake Boga Easter Regatta 3-6th April
Help Needed.
It’s nearly that time of year when SBSC OTB sailors migrate north to Lake Boga for the Easter regatta. Anyone who has sailed at this amazing location know how accommodating and friendly the club is. This year Lake Boga Yacht Club are asking for our help.
LBYC would like to use our two red safety RHIBS as they are expecting a high turnout of boats for this year’s regatta.
If anyone is planning to head up to lake Boga who can help out by towing a RHIB please get in touch. Extra fuel expenses will be covered by LBYC.
Contact: Ross Martin 0467 000 442
Keelboats
Oscar Piastri didn’t make the start line, crashing out during the warm-up lap. The Matildas struggled to a three-all draw against a better Korea, failing to make first place in their Group in the Women’s Asian Cup. I had thought Little Ninjo’s victory in Friday’s Twilight Pursuit race would lead to triumphs in Formula 1 and Soccer but it wasn’t to be. The weekend belonged to Ninjo.
And to the other sixteen yachts who turned out for the race. Not bad for a long weekend. And the BOM got it right. 10 knots building to 12+ over the duration of the race! These were Ninjo’s conditions. We had a new member on board, Alison Polglase. She has limited racing experience but boy, she did well! She’s keen and wants to come back for more punishment even though on one crucial tack I picked her up by the scruff of the neck and threw her aside to reach and release the jib sheet. (I remember my son doing that to me once.)
The Tower, Amanda and The Office, did a great job, undermanned and staring into the setting sun as the boats finished, only getting Happy Days and Balance round the wrong way. And Tumi were a little surprised to find they had come 4th. After revision they came 12th. Second was Marrakesh and 3rd L’esprit, who continues to be up there. Anyone who uses our Skipper and Crew WhatsApp will know we are woefully short on Tower volunteers with SailSys skills. Particularly for the Friday Twilights, when our biggest fleets combine with blazing sunsets and close finishes.
When I look at the remaining Summer program I get a bit depressed. Where did it all go? Luckily the Keelboat Committee is working on the Winter program.
This weekend is a Friday Twilight followed by Heat 7 of the COMMUNITY BANK SOUTHERN PENINSULA Keelboat Club Championships. If you’ve entered the series, get out there. The Championship is currently a shoot-out between Unprecedented and Rawhide with three races to go. We should sell tickets.
WE NEED MORE ENTRIES FOR THE SBSC NAVIGATIONAL CHALLENGE, A SUPER-FUN EVENT, BRING YOUR OWN LUNCH. A notice is attached.
This Week’s Results - Keelboats
Friday 8th March 2026 - Twilight Series 2 - Race 5 PMS
| 1st |
Ninjo |
David Phillips |
| 2nd |
Marrakesh |
Neil Hawker |
| 3rd |
L'espirt |
Rick Rogers |
Friday 8th March 2026 - Twilight Series 2 - Race 5 AMS
| 1st |
Perception |
Fiona Jones |
| 2nd |
Rawhide |
Cameron Barwick & Graeme Sergeant |
| 3rd |
Ninjo |
David Phillips |
Full weekend results available HERE.
This Week’s Racing - Keelboats
Friday 13th March 2026 (yikes)
Friday Twilight Pursuit Series 1 - PHS and AMS – Race 6
| Race Start Time |
17.50H Pursuit & Tower start |
| Race Officer |
Di |
| Duty Boat |
Rawhide |
| Set Up/Results |
Di |
Sunday 15th March 2026
COMMUNITY BANK Club Championship Race 7 – PHS AMS ORC - Boat Start
|
Race Start Time
|
12.55H Boat start
|
|
Race Officer
|
John Weymss
|
|
Duty Boat
|
Anthea
|
|
Set Up/Results
|
Amanda
|
SBSC Navigational Challenge 2026
Ahoy Skippers,
With the inaugural SBSC Navigational Challenge 2026 less than 3 weeks away, it’s time to register for this highlight in the SBSC’s racing calendar. Get your crew onboard, brush up on your navigational skills, stock up on provisions and be ready to release the dock lines. The SBSC Navigational Challenge is an all-day on-water sailing regatta in the southern parts of Port Phillip Bay through the West Channel. Competitors have the option to sail the course clockwise or anticlockwise taking wind and tide into account. Winners will be determined for PHS, ORC and AMS handicap.
Boats are required to meet AS Cat. 5 standards.
Date: Sunday, 29th March 2026
Start Time: 10:00h (first warning signal at 09:55h)
Please note clause 23.3 of the SI’s specific to the Navigational Challenge Race.
We have invited boats from MYC and BYS to join us for good company and camaraderie on
the water. Don’t leave registration to the last minute!
A Message from Martha Cove Re; Fuel Dock
Dear Captains,
We regret to inform you that the Marina Martha Cove Fuel dock will be closed until further notice. Current events in the Middle East have imposed challenging supply chain issues for independent fuel suppliers. We had placed a fuel order prior to recent events; however, the delivery has since been delayed, we are actively trying to reach a solution, and we’ll inform you once we have a delivery date. Please don’t hesitate to contact the Marina Centre on 1800 440 255 for updates.
Best regards, Marina Martha Cove
Ciaran's Cup
The club will be running the “Ciaran’s Cup” Annual Race on 27th March 2026, in conjunction with the Friday Twilight Pursuit Series 2 - Race 8. All boats participating in the twilight race must have junior crew onboard to be in contention for this award, which has been named in honour of the event creator Ciaran Snooks.
Ciaran’s Cup is a perpetual award and will be presented to the winning skippers and their junior crew by Ciaran on the Friday night after racing. Fiona Lowe will be organising junior crew and would like to start a list of all interested skippers wanting to host juniors and their families. If you have space on your boat, please contact Fiona by email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ORCV
King Island Race
Congratulations to all onboard SHIMMER (SB5005) skippered by Steve Twentyman with crew of John Bacon, Scott Pimlott, Justin Hickey, Terry Kourtis, Andrew Rentoul, and Martin Vaughan who completed the King Island course at on 7 March.
Shimmer: Photo by Al Dillon
ORCV’s popular annual Rip Tour of Port Phillip Heads 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. Held only once a year, the Rip Tour aims to increase local water knowledge.
Sail in company on the 73rd Apollo Bay Race. The perfect race to come and try ocean sailing. This 52nm Category 3 race features a 6am start and daylight run along the Great Ocean Road, finishing at Apollo Bay, perfect for sailors building offshore experience or stepping beyond the bay. The race often decides the ORCV Coastal Championship and is an ideal race for those new to ocean racing with its shorter length and proximity to the coast.
The West Offshore Coastal Sprint 3 the last in the series, a race which has been designed as short-distance ocean sprints to provide a crew development pathway for longer ocean races and as a stand-alone coastal racing program. This Category 3 race is roughly 15-35nm and aims to have skippers and crew home Saturday evening.
Photo of the Week
Supplied by Rick Potter: Taken by my friend Greg Burkhalter in 1984 at the Inter-Club Regatta at SBSC in, he thinks, 1984. Greg and his family were SBSC members and contemporaries of mine. He now sails an Aero at Mt Martha. (Hence how I learned about the photo). You can't even see the grey, "Besser brick" Clubhouse for boats! It is interesting to note that Catamarans ruled the day (particularly Hobie's and Paper Tigers) but Sabres were (and still are) still well represented. This shows just how popular OTB was in the 1980's before kids were "overwhelmed" with a choice of activities and screen-time. Sailing was, and still is, one of the only outdoor physical activities in which the whole family can participate. First in the same boat when the kids are learning, where they learn confidence and self-reliance, and then "competing against the parents" when the kids are older and have their own boat. Lifelong skills and friendships develop.
Submissions
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