Hunters Hill Sailing Club Newsletter 18 November 2024

Welcome back to the Hunters Hill Sailing Club newsletter! We’re thrilled to see so many of you diving into the season with enthusiasm and making the most of the exciting activities and opportunities at the club. In this edition, we’ll share updates from recent events and highlight upcoming adventures you won’t want to miss. Whether you’re honing your skills, lending a hand behind the scenes, or simply enjoying the camaraderie of our club, there’s something for everyone here.

Sailing should foster environmental awareness, so please help pick up the plastic pollution littering our club grounds and ramp whenever you have nothing else to do – everything disposed of responsibly is one small step towards preserving a waterway we want to be on. 

From the President 

Sailing at Hunters Hill shapes character, independence, and resilience in young sailors. They learn to adapt to nature’s shifts, fostering confidence and critical thinking.

Respect for nature is intrinsic, as sailors learn to work with the wind and sea, nurturing a deep environmental awareness. 

The challenges faced on the water are real, and can seem daunting. Growth comes in spurts – it’s not linear. Setbacks are part of this growth, teaching resilience on the water and throughout life.

The club emphasises sportsmanship and community, sharing advice, and celebrating each other's achievements.

See you at Round 2 of Club Champs on 24th November.

Last weekend’s racing

Results - Hunters Hill Sailing Club

Woolwich Marina news

Save Our Shores (SOS) is a community-led initiative dedicated to preserving public access, natural beauty, and recreational space along Sydney Harbour. SOS aims to prevent the privatisation and exclusive commercialisation of these public areas. SOS opposes the proposed expansion of Woolwich Marina. 

Join other community members, leaders, artists and local organisations at the SOS protest picnic to save our shores for public access and use for all on Sunday 8 December 2024, 12pm-2pm at the Horse Paddock. Grab a baguette at the French Market and come along to join the fun!

Sign the Woolwich Marina Petition to stop public waterways and waterfront being taken for the benefit of a few.

Club members who live locally may also be interested in attending the council meeting on 25 November at 6pm to oppose the proposed sale of the Vernon Street public beach and boat house. This is treasured public land enjoyed by families, kayakers, picnickers, walkers, tourists, and locals. Selling this land will eliminate continuous public access to the foreshore from Mornington Reserve to Serpentine Road. 

Learn2Sail

Last weekend, we hosted our fifth Try-Sailing event for the 24/25 season, welcoming new families by providing their prospective sailors with an opportunity to sail our RS Quests, helmed by our Assistant Instructors. We aim to provide a sailing taster and introduce our Learn2Sail program, upcoming camps, and membership offering. 

Above and below: ‘You’re gonna love it’, promise our young assistant instructors! 📸 Belle Parker

If you have family or friends interested in an introduction to sailing, share our upcoming Try-Sailing events: 

• Saturday 30 November (9-11am) 
• Saturday 8 February (9-11am) 
• Saturday 22 February (9-11am) 

Last Saturday, Teens and Tweens Learn2Sail went to goat island, hiking hard with a building breeze and blasting home with kites up! 

Lucas, Tomas, Eli 📸 Belle Parker

Ava, Asha, Ali 📸 Belle Parker

Teens and Tweens Learn2Race familiarised themselves with sailing instructions for the first race of the four-week quest series, but unfortunately, strong wind warnings forced a postponement. Sailors instead studied flags and rules before practice races on the senior courses. 

Last Sunday, Rookies practised tacking and capsize recovery in warm conditions while Momentum went adventure sailing with Coach Tom. Forecasted strong winds kept Pro stayed ashore completing theory syllabus requirements including racing rules, flags, sail settings, and knot tying. 

Upcoming camps 

Please help spread the word! You can download this flyer to share with friends and put on school and community noticeboards. All upcoming holiday Learn2Sail camps are now available for registration on the club website’s events page. Camps run over five days from 9am-5pm with ‘Balmain bus’ transportation to and from Balmain (Eliot St) and Birchgrove (Cove St).

16-20 December: 

• Rookie
• Momentum
• Pro
• Teens and Tweens

13-17 January: 

• Rookie
• Momentum
• Pro
• Teens and Tweens

20-24 January: 

• Rookie
• Momentum
• Pro
• Teens and Tweens

Optimist Green Fleet

On Sunday, three gutsy green fleet sailors raced in their own competition before enjoying an ‘adventure sail’ with Coach Tom. 

Go go greenies! 📸 Alessio de Giosa

Optimist Intermediate & Open Fleets 

The open fleet have been fortunate to have some focused training sessions with Commodore Ben while Coach Matt is overseas. Some of the fleet will compete in the Queensland State Championships in early December while others will be at Sail Sydney. 

Sail measurement 101 when the wind wasn’t obliging recently 📸 Alessio de Giosa

Last Sunday’s pointscore racing promised a gentle start building to strong winds, and proved to be great sailing conditions. A club house start saw three races and a fourth ‘practice’ for the keen. Lessons for training this week included awareness of where to cross the finish line, and properly executing individual recalls. 

Sunday snaps 📸 Alessio de Giosa

Optimist regattas open for registration

• Optimist Nationals 2025
  • 10th-17th January
  • Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron
  • Register now to enable finalisation of the state teams.
• Sail Sydney
  • 6th-9th December
  • Woollahra Sailing Club
• Summer Optimist Regatta
  • 14th-15th December
  • Georges River

Please join the relevant Whatsapp group if you are coming to a regatta so we can coordinate logistics.

ILCA Fleet

A big congratulations to our sailors! We’re incredibly proud of all the sailors who represented our club at the ILCA NSW & ACT Open & Youth State Championships at Georges River Sailing Club last weekend! The regatta featured strong winds and challenging conditions, making it a thrilling event for competitors and spectators alike.

Day 1 kicked off with three races in a building breeze, with plenty of upwind legs and some fantastic waves for surfing. Our sailors showed incredible determination, working hard to keep their boats flat and upright. By the end of the day, everyone was feeling the effects of the demanding conditions but left the water with a sense of accomplishment.

Day 2 started early, with the first race moved up to 9am to stay ahead of the forecasted 30-knot winds. This decision paid off, allowing three races to be completed in exhilarating conditions. The final race of the day featured a solid 20+-knot breeze and lively seas, creating perfect conditions for some spectacular surfing during the long reach leg. Watching our sailors fly across the water was truly impressive! The downwind return to the club in rolling waves made for an exciting and memorable finish.

A big thank you to Nathan for his coaching, to the parents for their rib support, and to everyone who helped get our sailors to the regatta. Most of all, congratulations to our amazing sailors for their hard work, skill, and resilience throughout the event.

Results included:

• Zac Howell, second in the ILCA 4 class overall, and first in the under 16 division
• Sophie Borner Harrison, fifth in ILCA 4 class overall, second female overall, and fourth under 16 division
• Healy Ryan, second in the ILCA 6 class overall and first in the under 17 division 
• Sylvie Stannage, fifth in ILCA 6 class overall
• Alex Parker took home the encouragement award for finishing all the races in tough conditions and not giving up!

Presentation snaps 📸 Contributed

ILCA regattas open for registration

• 2025 ILCA Open & Youth Championships
  • 1st-8th January 
  • Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron
• Sail Sydney
  • 6th-9th December
  • Woollahra Sailing Club
• Sail Melbourne
  • 28th November-1st December
  • Royal Brighton Yacht Club 

29er Fleet

The novice 9ers continue to progress while having a ball, experiencing their first taste of pairs sailing. Experienced sailors Harper and Henry will race at Sail Sydney early next month.

Teamwork to retrieve the big boats under Coach Connor’s watchful eye 📸 Newsletter

High School Sailing

Last week, 20 high school sailors in ten boats raced over a two-lap triangle course during Tuesday sailing, while on Thursday morning, the Ready, Set, Sail team continued their trailblazing season with all five Quests making it all the way up the Lane Cove River to Figtree Bridge, being just off the High School itself when the recess bell rang! A great achievement in very tricky sailing waters!

High School racing 📸 Chris Stannage

Ready, Set, Sail team 📸 Chris Stannage

Spotlight on safety

Stay sun smart!

Sailing is all about fun in the sun, but don’t let UV rays catch you off guard! Make sure you’re protected by wearing a wide-brimmed hat or cap, UV-blocking sunglasses, and lightweight, long-sleeved clothing. Apply sunscreen with at least SPF 30 before heading out, and remember to reapply every two hours – especially after getting wet. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated in the heat. Staying sun smart keeps you safe and ready to enjoy every moment on the water!

Volunteering

Learn2Sail and Opti parents are needed to staff the canteen and BBQ from 9:30am-1pm each Sunday.

Club store 

Check out our new season rashies and get summer ready!

Or for the savvy shopper looking for a Christmas stocking filler, nab a bargain with last season’s rashie – heavily discounted but equally functional – an added dash of seasoned club ‘cred’ for free!

From the archives

Members ventured down memory lane last week, sharing some moments from back in the day.

Angus White in Spain, circa 1977 📸 Contributed

Rich Oz in the UK, late 70s 📸 Contributed

Spot Alessio de Giosa in Italy, 1995 📸 Contributed

Newsletter

We welcome feedback and contributions via: newsletter@huntershillsailingclub.org.au 

Have a great photo you’d like to share for use in the newsletter or on the HHSC social media accounts? Send to photos@huntershillsailingclub.org.au or ask to join the HHSC Photos Whatsapp group and we'll get you added.