The best way to find out about the club is to visit us and meet some members.
The club is open on Sundays during terms 4 and 1 from 8.30am until about 4pm.
Our club is run by volunteers, so if your query cannot answered by the frequently asked questions (FAQs) and you’ve had a good look through the website, then send us a message and we will get back to you, hopefully within a couple of days.
0410510420
Last Sunday was a beautiful morning for the sailing school. This photo of Rupert McEvoy’s Pacer for Start Sailing 1 sums up the spirit of the day!
The forecast for this week is a solid 20 knot southerly. The coaches will monitor the conditions and if it’s too windy for the beginner fleet they will run shore based activities.
Round 2 of the Sabot States are being held at Drummoyne Sailing Club this Sunday. That means a few families are away. As a result the Canteen will be in action for breakfast rolls, but there won’t be lunch this week. The usual soft drinks etc will be available.
The Sabot States Rnd 2 (13 - 14 Feb) will be held at Drummoyne Sailing Club.
Round 2 of the Sabot State Titles has been moved back a week to the 13-14th of February.
We will be hosting Club Championship Race 5 this Sunday the 7th of February.
We’ve had to rejig our calendar to accommodate this and other changes on the dinghy sailing calendar.
The sell-out theme of the holiday camps continues - we are officially at capacity for Term 1 Sailing School and the ‘sold out’ sign has been hoisted on the website. If you were at the club last Sunday but haven’t yet paid - all good, you’re in! Please email sailingschool@va12sc.org.au to arrange payment (to save our volunteer Treasurer from chasing!)
Best of all we have 100% of the families from Term 4 back at the club this term. So good to see!
Look forward to seeing you all back at the club this week for more nautical adventures. Please remember to ensure your kids sign on as soon as they arrive, and sign off as soon as they are back off the water.
A busy beach for the Start Sailing session at 8.30am last Sunday
We’ve gathered a massive amount of lost property at the club. It’s upstairs in the main hall on the western side (most of it in someone’s Sabot that has been left upstairs - is that lost property too?!).
Please could you have a look this Sunday and collect anything that’s yours. Next week we’ll take what’s left down to the Salvos.
It would be great if the Sabot could be put back in its rack too.
The second leg of the Sabot State Titles is taking place 13-14 February at Drummoyne Sailing Club.
Team Vaucluse will be there in force! Any questions please contact our Sabot Fleet rep, Sally Badger.
Our Sailing School and Sunday Racing return this Sunday and so I would like to welcome you all to Term 1 of 2021 @ VA12SC. I hope you have enjoyed some restful time over the festive season and that you and your families are all safe and well.
We have seen over 100 kids through our sailing camps these school holidays. They’ve had a great time and we hope many are keen to continue along their sailing passage! There are plenty of boats in the clubhouse just waiting to get wet each Sunday. If you think your child would prefer to sail with a friend, then why not combine a captain and a crew in our 2 up class. If your child is small and social then they have already ticked 2 boxes! It’s a great next step from a holiday camp or learn to sail so if you think that might be the way to go then please just let us know.
Learn to Sail launches again this Sunday at 0800 hours sharp! We will have the full armada on the water and the forecast light conditions will suit the transition for most of the participants. Please head on down early and get involved. The peak hour for boat rigging starts at 8am and many hands make light work.
The racing fleets start the year with the Summer Sprint Series Week 1 with up to 3 races for each class.
The Team Vaucluse Sabot Fleet will be focused on some healthy competition to lead them into the zones and the states which are to be held in February and March. The road to the Sabot Nationals in Townsville also starts now. There is no better time to be in Townsville than in July and any regatta is fun for all the family so Let’s Go Team. How many boats can we get on the road to FNQ?
The Team Vaucluse Flying 11 Fleet has even less time to prepare for the Flying !! Nationals with the regatta being postponed till April 10 to 17 on beautiful Lake Macquarie. The Team have enjoyed some great training days over the summer and are keen to take it to the next level over the coming months.
For the Team Vaucluse Cherub Fleet it will be all about home as most of their championship events have been cancelled for the season. But, don’t think that will hold them back. The competition for the Club Championship in this class is nothing short of scintillating. Watch This Space.
So, there is plenty of action planned down at the club for the next few months. Let’s all make the most of it. Get involved and have a go ‘cause the sailing club is not for show.
See you all down there.
Robert Ugarte
Commodore
10 days until life returns to normal and Sunday sailing resumes at VA12SC. Bring it on!
If you haven’t yet signed up for term 1, please do ASAP - we’re very near to capacity. Book here.
To everyone that has signed up - we’re looking forward to seeing you down at the club. Timings will be the same as Term 4:
8.15am - 10.30am - Discover Sailing, Start Sailing 1 & 2
10.30am - 12.30pm - Adventure Sailing & Adult Learn to Sail
11am - Sabot races
2pm - Flying 11 & Cherub races
The canteen will be open from 8.30am serving bacon & egg rolls. Lunch will be served from 12pm. Tea, coffee and snacks will be available throughout the day.
Rigging and launching the sailing school fleet last November
Term 1 sailing starts on Sunday 31 January.
The race fleet have their first summer sprint series. Sabots starting at 11am (10.15am briefing). Flying 11’s and Cherubs a 2pm start.
Sailing School kicks off at 8.30am for Discover Sailing, Start Sailing 1 & 2 (please arrive by 8.15am to allow time for sign in etc). Adventure Sailing (for kids who can sail but don’t want to race) runs from 10.30am - 12.30pm. Adult Learn to Sail also runs from 10.30am - 12.30pm.
We’ve already got lots of people signed up and again we’re nearing capacity. If you’re keen to participate, please book here.
If you have any questions on the Sailing School, please email sailingschool@va12sc.org.au
Don’t forget to check the Club Calendar so you know what’s happening, when.
Look forward to seeing you all back at the club!
It’s been a huge summer for our camps with 110+ kids participating. For the first time in recent memory all of our camps sold out. We will open bookings for the Easter camps in a couple of weeks. Definitely worth getting in early to secure a place.
A big thank you to all of our coaches and parent volunteers who’ve helped to run and coordinate this important part of our sailing program. And to all the kids for being so good at having fun!
We have four holiday camps scheduled this school holidays and they’ve all sold out!
Why are they sold out? Very simply - we’ve run out of boats for beginners and intermediates. All of our Pacers and PJs are working hard to entertain the 100+ children we have going through our camps.
As one of our main pathways for new members we expect a good number of the families attending holiday camps to join as members as we head into Term 4. This means the Sailing School is also likely to sell out. If you’re keen to have your kids involved in Term 1, please register now to secure places.
If you read the last article then you know you need to book ASAP!
We already have a lot of people registered for Term 1. With 100+ kids going through the holiday camps it’s likely Term 1 sailing school will be a sell out. If you’re planning on enrolling your kids, please sign them up ASAP.
If your child sailed last term and you’re not sure which course, register for the course you think is correct. Adele and Jules will be going through the lists ensuring we put people into the right courses to match their skills and experience. If we think your child should be on a different course we’ll let you know.
If you have any other questions, please email Jules on sailingschool@va12sc.org.au
Last Sunday was the annual Dick Winning Fun Day. And it delivered on the promise.
The weather was calm, the sun even shone (despite the awful forecast). And we had a huge turn out of members and their families.
The slippery pole kept the kids busy for the first hour. Then it was the beach treasure hunt and tug of war. It was particularly good to see the girls beat the boys in the latter! The swimming races and beach run got the parents active. Genevieve Taubman-Campbell took out the mother’s race, and Ben Pollitt won the Dad’s race. Commodore Rob was hot on Ben’s feet as they exited the water, but a little bit of mid fleet jostling saw him down on the sand!
The lunch was sensational. An awesome effort from Sasha and Fiona and the many people supporting the canteen team.
Santa arrived as lunch was ending. The kids went nuts. Santa is still recovering.
And then it was prize giving, with special guest and past commodore Glenda Nixon handing out the prizes.
A very big thank you to everyone who helped make the day such a success.
As mentioned last week, the silent auction for the key dates for exclusive club use this summer is on now.
With a minimum bid as low as $1000 you could have the best spot on the harbour for up to 40 of your family and closest friends. So make a plan and lodge your bid stating the date, proposed usage and bid amount to sailing@va12sc.org.au
The remaining dates for auction and minimum bids are as follows;
Boxing Day for the Sydney to Hobart start - Min bid $2000
New Years Day - Min bid $1500
Australia Day - Min bid $1000
Bids for Boxing Day and New Years Day close next Thursday at midnight so there is not much time.
Folks, tell your family and friends,, start planning, and make us an offer we can’t refuse!
DICK WINNING FUN DAY
COMBINED WITH THE
2019/20 SEASON PRIZE GIVING
AT VA12SC
When: Sunday, 13th December
Time: From 10am
The final, and funnest, event of Term 4 is this Sunday - the Dick Winning Fun Day! Named in honour of (Uncle) Dick Winning, a long time friend and supporter of the club, this is one of the marquee events in our calendar - with a firm focus on socialising and fun!
Due to COVID restrictions, we haven’t been able to hold the 2019/20 Season Prize Giving so we are combining both events this year.
Our canteen rock stars are preparing a special lunch for $10/head. They need to know numbers for the catering so please RSVP here (or below) by midday Friday 11th Dec. Cold drinks will be available for sale at the canteen. Tea & Coffee will be served in the morning, but we won’t be doing the breakfast BBQ due to the later start time.
Program For The Day
10.00 am: Beach Games (Tug of War & Treasure Hunt)
Greasy Pole
Swimming Races (kids & parent categories)
Pacer sailing
12.00 pm: Lunch. Kids$5, Adults $10 RSVP
12.45 pm Santa arrives!
1.15pm: 2019/20 Season Prize Giving
2.00 pm: Pacer Races for kids and parents. Start line from clubhouse.
3.00pm: Afternoon Tea and drinks.
Please bring a modest gift, wrapped & labelled, to put under the tree for your child - For afternoon tea we request that guests bring a plate.
It is going to be a great day so we hope you can join us for fun, food and fantastic company.
See you all on Sunday.
Term 1 Sailing School kicks off again on Sunday 31st January. We recommend that you register early if you’re keen to participate. We had 41 kids in Term 4, and with nearly 100 children registered for the Xmas Holiday Camps we are expecting a very busy Term 1. We are limited by the number of boats we have in the club so it will be a case of first in, best dressed.
A seperate email will go out to Sailing School families detailing the pathway for this term’s graduates. For now, choose the course you think is best fit and we can always move kids around afterwards, ensuring they are on the right course.
Register here
Last Sunday we hosted our annual Head of the Harbour Regatta for Sabots. It was another windy weekend. But the sun shone and the AP was lowered early afternoon to get two races away. With regular gusts over 20 knots it was tough going. A big well done to the five finishers in race 1, and the seven finishers in Race 2.
Simon Clayton-Adam from Drummoyne Sailing Club was the overall winner. Zac Golovsky in 3rd place was the top sailor from VA12SC, Isabelle Badger was 4th, Max Nearn 6th, Charlie Paul 7th and Ben Richards 9th.
Regatta results available here. There will be a few videos posted on our Facebook page.
Finally, a very big thank you to our many volunteers who made this event possible. We had some lovely thank you notes from our visiting competitors. Overall we did our club proud. Well done all.
What a year it has been! So, let’s see it out with a bang.
This weekend, 6th December, we host our annual “Head of the Harbour Regatta” when VA12SC hosts sabots from our zone and further to race on our beautiful waters. See the post below for the info and get involved in what promises to be a great day. The forecast is for gusty westerlies so the elements may have a bit in store!
Sunday the 13th of December we have our annual Dick Winning Fun Day where we play lots of games have lots of fun and get a visit by water from Santa Claus himself! There will be sailing relays, greasy pole pillow fights, a tug of war, and treasure hunts on the beach, followed by fantastic food, music, drinks and a BBQ for one and all. Don’t miss out!
This year the Dick Winning Fun Day will also include the presentation and prize giving for the 2019-2020 season. Special guest passed members will be presenting our kids with trophies and medals and inspirational stories of just how far a well-trimmed sail can take you! The programme for the day will be published in Kutti News next Thursday so keep the date free and watch this space.
We then take a well-earned break (except if you are training for the Flying 11 Nationals on the 10th of January), where we are all encouraged to make the most of our most beautiful and privileged location and the hot summer weather.
On behalf of our committee, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our members and their families a most enjoyable festive season and a fabulous end to a challenging year. We hope you find time to spend on the important things in life like family, books, and boats!
So……Live Slow and Sail Fast!
See you down at the club!
The clubs 2020 fund raiser “Kutti Cocktails” was nothing less than pandemically impaired and so we still have not auctioned off our key dates for club use over the 2020-2021 summer.
Dates for auction include.
Boxing Day
New Years Eve
New Years Day
Australia Day
Easter
And any other special day for you
The most financially beneficial, club-friendly, water activity-based, proposals will win the pleasure of club use on your preferred day.
Submit your proposal to sailing@va12sc.org.au stating the date, function brief and amount to be donated. Of course, all proposals will need to be covid friendly and within the club usage policy. If you have any questions or queries please do not hesitate to double your donation amount!!