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Newsletter, 11th December 2024
Published Wed 11 Dec 2024
Hunters Hill Sailing Club Newsletter 11 December 2024
The club has been buzzing with activity both on and off the water. From thrilling races and school sailing wrap-ups to community advocacy and upcoming events, there’s plenty to celebrate and look forward to. Whether you’re polishing your boat for the next regatta, signing up for holiday programs, or supporting our efforts to protect public waterways, there’s a way for everyone to get involved. Dive in to catch up on all the latest happenings at the club!
Club racing
Sunday’s club racing took on a slightly reduced format, with many members away competing in regattas across the country and abroad. Nevertheless, we saw an impressive turnout with nine boats on the start line, including two visitors from Concord-Ryde sailing Spirals—one of whom was former HHSC President Graham Tindall. Adding to the fun, three members of the Saturday Teens & Tweens squad joined the action. Jono, Alastair, and Axel raced the fourth Quest—20kg kids trapezing gleefully!
With a crack on-water support crew of Richard and his son, Kieran and his son, and Lee, Race Officer Chris set up a long windward-leeward course for the first race. However, a challenging 60-degree southerly wind shift necessitated a course reset for race two, which resulted in much closer racing.
The Spirals dominated race one, charging ahead to the front, but the ILCAs fought back in race two. German sailor Randi clinched the chequered flag, narrowly ahead of Alex, the Spirals, and Milly. In the Quest fleet, the competition was tight—race two saw all boats finishing within 24 seconds of each other after 40 minutes of racing! The final downwind leg was particularly thrilling, with the lead changing hands three or four times under spinnaker, much to the delight of onshore spectators.
A strong team spirit prevailed during pack-up, with everyone pitching in to wrap up another terrific day of sailing. Senior racing returns next Sunday, with Quests and Zests available for those keen to sneak in a pre-Christmas sail. Helpers are always welcome!
We missed a BBQ this week—let’s make sure to fire it up next time!
Results - Hunters Hill Sailing Club
Learn2Sail
Last Monday, we welcomed 30 sailors to the club for our Teens and Tweens camp! After a great first day orienting sailors with each role in the boat, we look forward to a week with favourable forecasts!
Day one camp snaps 📸 Belle Parker
It's not too late! Registration for next week's camp is still open on our events page: https://www.huntershillsailingclub.org.au/events
Last weekend, we also wrapped up the Learn2Sail and Teens and Tweens programs for Term 4. On Sunday, all our Learn2Sail classes finished the term with sessions in the Quests, sailing with their coaches for the final class of the year!
William, Victor, Jesse - Learn2Sail Pro 📸 Belle Parker
William, Victor and Belle 📸 Belle Parker
Upcoming Try Sailing and Learn2Sail events
Register on the club website’s events page for upcoming events and please promote our Try Sailing and Learn2Sail programs to your community networks!
Learn2Sail holiday camps:
16-20 December:
- Rookie
- Momentum (3-day camp option available)
- Pro (3 day-camp option available)
- Teens and Tweens (3-day camp option available)
NB: With the last day of the public school term on 18 December, we are offering three-day versions of this camp on 18-20 December for $460!
13-17 January:
20-24 January:
Camps run 9am-5pm, with free RIB transportation to and from Balmain (Eliot St) and Birchgrove (Cove St).
Try Sailing:
Optimist Fleet
The weekend saw Sail Sydney hosted at Woollahra Sailing Club, with a strong turnout of seven Intermediates and eight Opens competing.
Day One: Patience was the theme as sailors spent hours waiting on the water for racing to begin. Unfortunately, the race committee was forced to abandon the day’s racing—only for the sea breeze to arrive moments later!
Day Two: The action finally got underway with an early start and a steady south-easterly breeze, just as Julian had predicted during his on-water briefings. Sijia excelled in the Open fleet, achieving first female, while Alex secured second place in the Intermediate fleet, tied on points with the winner—a fantastic effort!
Meanwhile, in Brisbane, Titouan, Luca, Vicki, Marin, and Emma represented the club at Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, getting a feel for the venue ahead of the Nationals in January. The team navigated challenging water conditions, with Vicki taking home first female honours and Emma claiming third female.
Special mention goes to Zac, who is proudly representing both Australia and the club at the Worlds, facing extreme conditions with grit and determination.
Now, it’s time to prepare for the NSWIODA Summer Optimist Regatta Sydney this weekend and look ahead to the Nationals! Be sure to buy your NSW T-shirts and caps.
Best of luck to all sailors—bring on the racing!
Sijia Deng, 1st female at Sail Sydney 📸 NSWIODA
Alex Mirceski, 2nd Intermediate at Sail Sydney 📸 Sean Maguire
Victoria Lin, 1st female, and Emma Tomkins, 3rd female at Queensland State Championship 📸 Alessio De Giosa
Optimist regattas open for registration
- 10th-17th January
- Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron
- 14th-15th December
- Georges River
ILCA Fleet
Last weekend, three Hunters Hills sailors competed at Sail Sydney: Mikko Sun in ILCA 6 open, Sophie Borner Harrison in ILCA 4, and Sylvie Stannage who only raced for two out of the four days because of other commitments but still managed to place in the top half! Conditions were difficult, with day one having moderate wind and fog until the sun came out later in the day. There were choppy waves, which made it tricky to navigate and maintain boat speed.
Day two saw rain all day, with very light conditions and only one of the three scheduled races completed. Challenging to try and make the best of a light breeze when your tell-tales are stuck to the sail! The harbour was busy, with the maxi yachts heading to the Cabbage Island race and Saturday yacht racing.
Day three had mixed conditions, with more wind but also rain. The course was moved inside Rose Bay and made for some interesting choices on the upwind leg, with the fleets splitting evenly between the right side of the course near Point Piper and the left by Shark Island. In the end, paying close attention to the shifts paid off. It is an incredibly busy venue, with party boats, seaplanes, ferries, and yachts all passing though the course!
The final day, two races were completed with the first in very light winds and the second in a better 10-12 knot breeze. Strong current pushed a number of boats over the start line early so most races were under black flag. Overall, it was a great learning experience and showed that as sailors, we need to train for all conditions and be ready for whatever mother nature and course designers throw at us!
ILCA regattas open for registration
2025 ILCA Open & Youth Championships
- 1st-8th January
- Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron
School programs
Final Week of School Sailing - 2024 Wrap-Up
As we approach the end of the 2024 school sailing program, we’re celebrating an incredible year of growth, adventure, and achievement on the water.
Year 8 Sailing to Excellence
Last Thursday, the Year 8 "Sailing to Excellence" group concluded their program with a spectacular sail to Blues Point Tower, Barangaroo, and back home under kite! It was a fitting finale to their journey, showcasing their skills and teamwork. Check out the club’s socials for some fantastic photos capturing the day’s excitement.
Tuesday Afternoon Sport
This week, our Year 7 and 8 afternoon sport sailors will enjoy their final session. Over 20 dedicated sailors have shown unwavering commitment, attending every session this semester. Their hard work has paid off with impressive improvements in their sailing—vigorous, confident, and increasingly skilful! We’re hopeful many of these young sailors will join the club as members in the coming weeks to continue their sailing adventures.
Ready Set Sail: A Unique Teacher-Student Experience
On Thursday morning, we’ll host a truly special event, described by senior teacher and award-winning innovator Mike Neild as “the best day of his teaching year.” This session sees teachers who nominated students for the Ready Set Sail program step into a new role as students themselves, taking to the water with their charges at the helm.
It is one of the rare times in schooling where the teacher becomes the student in a challenging situation, and yes, there have been some capsizes in the past! After the sailing session, students and teachers will come together for a reflective debrief, sharing lessons learned, fears faced, and how the resilience and teamwork developed through sailing can be applied to other areas of life.
Our instructors are excited to guide this transformative session and celebrate the end of an exceptional year of school sailing.
Great sailing to finish the school year 📸 Chris Stannage
Woolwich Marina Extension
The Land & Environment Court trial has been scheduled for a two-week hearing in September 2026. In the lead-up, the Save Our Shores action group held a successful public rally on Sunday afternoon, drawing strong support from our club community.
The club was proudly represented by former Presidents Chris and Maria, along with Dereck, Guy, Jay, Sophie, and a vibrant group from our Learn2Sail and Optimist squads. Leading the march, the squad carried placards and banners opposing the proposed massive takeover of public waterways.
Adding to the day’s impact, Belle led the Learn2Sail team in a perfectly timed joint Quest sail through the channel, accompanied by the Sea Scouts in their Quests. This on-water demonstration highlighted the importance of preserving these waterways for community use.
Chris delivered a compelling speech to the assembled crowd, which included Federal Member for Bennelong Jerome Laxale, Independent Councillors Ross and Mark, and many concerned citizens. The rally was a resounding success, raising over $1,500 in donations and collecting more than 300 signatures for the petition opposing the takeover.
You can find more information about the rally and sign the petition here: https://www.sossaveourshores.com.au/
Well done to everyone involved in making the day such a success—let’s keep up the momentum!
Community activism last Sunday 8 December 📸 Contributed
Newsletter
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