MHYC Race Series

To all MHYC Members, Yacht Owners and Crew

Because of the disruption caused by the COVID-19 Virus, the Sailing Committee have reviewed the sailing calendar and the unlikely early resumption of competitive club sanctioned racing.

Current Series 

All current series (Ocean, Inshore, Sprints, Saturday Social, Wednesday Pursuit Series 3 and Thursday Twilight) are declared completed as of the last race conducted and the standings at that time are the results for the 2019-2020 series.  The series scores are as published and the winners will be celebrated, however the Annual Prizegiving will be postponed for several months at least.

Winter Series

Neither the Wednesday Series 4, Winter Sprints nor Winter Pursuit Series will commence as planned.  The Leading Edge Series in August may be abandoned or rescheduled.  Feature Events will not be conducted until further notice.

Watching Brief

Given the current forecasts that the impact of the Virus will peak in the next 60 - 75 days and then tail off, there might be an opportunity to resume club sanctioned sailing activities in July or August. To that end, we may attempt a short Winter Series in that timeframe if conditions allow.  At this stage we are planning to commence the Club’s 2020-2021 Season on Saturday 5^th September, as usual.

Social Sailing 

While the club cannot conduct any sailing events in these high-risk times, individuals may choose to sail recreationally.  Whilst not recommended, it is essential that anyone choosing to sail makes their own risk assessments, takes adequate safety precautions and adheres to social distancing protocols.

Sailing Office

For the time being, the Sailing Office will only be staffed on Tuesdays and Fridays, with David (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and Catherine (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) mainly working from home.  Please use email as the preferred method of contact.

We wish everybody well during this crisis and look forward to resuming the MHYC Sailing Program at the earliest safe opportunity.

Geoff Charters

Vice-Commodore Racing

Read more: MHYC Race Series

Easter Colouring Competition

Get your Pencils and Crayons ready!

Middle Harbour Yacht Club's Easter Holiday Colouring Competition is in full swing.

WE HAVE 2 CATEGORIES: Tackers - Tackers 1, Tackers 2 and any MHYC children and siblings ages 10 and below. Win a Tackers pack containing: Tackers branded Carry bag, Spandex top, Cap and Drink bottle.

Fleet - Tackers 3, Opti Green, Opti Race, and Opti Open Fleet. Win your very own MHYC’s Race Fleet bib.

TO ENTER: Download colouring sheet here

Take a photo of your completed colouring sheet and email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. before midday on Friday 24th April 2020 for a chance to win remember to let us know what category you are entering in.

The winning entries will be posted to MHYC Junior & Youth Discover Sailing Facebook page and announced on at 4 pm on Friday 24th April.

Read more: Easter Colouring Competition

COVID-19 Update

We would like to extend our appreciation to members and staff for the co-operation, support and understanding you are showing during the situation that we find ourselves in with COVID-19.

As previously advised the Club is closed, including the Sandbar Cafe and Harborview Bar & Bistro, until the government advises otherwise. Currently the MHYC marina is and will remain open.

Current staff movements at the Club as in place 25th March 2020, subject to change:

•         The Marina is open and the Club will ensure it is fully staffed for our members.
•         The Accounts department will be attending the club with reduced hours Monday to Friday.
•         The Sailing department will be at the club on Tuesday and Friday, they will also be working from home and regularly checking emails.
•         Reception hours will be reduced at the Club and kept to a minimum.
•         The Junior Sailing department will be alternating days at the club and working from home, they will regularly check emails.

Please be advised our plan is to ensure that once restrictions are lifted the Club can quickly be back in service to our members and guests.
We wish you and your families continued good health in these challenging times.

MHYC Management

Read more: COVID-19 Update

Centreboard Race Series 2019/2020 Season

The 2019/2020 Season Centreboard Race Series has sadly come to end but what a great summer for youth sailing participation at MHYC!

We have seen some fantastic racing across three separate classes in a range of conditions! With COVID-19 putting a pause on any end of seasons awards or presentations we wanted to wrap up the season and look back at the progress that has been made.

This year saw some extreme weather resulting in two abandoned race days, along with one race day lost to COVID-19, meant we completed a total of 12 out of 21 scheduled races. All races went smoothly with thanks to the host of Parent volunteers and the Race Management of MHYC Sailing Manager David Staley. We could not have done it without the support of our volunteers, so they have our upmost gratitude! If you are interested in getting involved, please keep an eye out for information about learning the skills to become a race management volunteer.

Now let’s look back at how the season unfolded…

20th October 2019

The first round of the 2019-2020 MHYC Centreboard Club Championship was sunny and mild with a moderate and consistent south-easterly – a perfect way to start racing for the new season.

Ten Optimists, three Club 420s and a 29er were on the water for three races commencing at 2pm.  Ben Crafoord took the lead in the Division 3 Optimist fleet with a 4-1-1 scoreline, only ahead of Jakob Marks on tie-break and with Miles Greenwood in 3rd.

Thank you to the parents and coaches who assisted with race management and safety.

3rd November 2019

Centreboard Racing Round 2 - races 4, 5 & 6.

Some interesting racing conditions for the 15 strong Optis, 420’s and 29er’s which saw only one race completed before the RO Dion abandoned the remaining races. Well done to all competitors and volunteers for getting out there and competing.

17th November 2019

A moderate to fresh and shifty south-easterly provided some challenges for the Optimist and 29er fleets, the final session of MHYC Centreboard Club Championship before Christmas.  There were some fast downhill rides on the Balmoral racetrack, but there was quite a bit of swimming and bailing going on too.

Jake Barnabas claimed two wins in the 29er, with Archie Cropley taking the final race.  In the Optimists, Zara Marks was first home in race 7 and Sebastian Wegner claimed the race 8 win.  After 9 scheduled races, Jake Barnabas currently leads the 29er point score and Zara Marks is on top in the Optimists. Many thanks to Mark McLeay, Matt Marks and Michael Giffney for race management.

9th February 2020

With a gale forecast and lots of rain, the Centreboard Club Championship Racing has been abandoned.

23rd February 2020

After the races in early February were abandoned due to the severe weather, the MHYC Centreboard Club Championship series continued today. 

Three races were completed for the Optimist and 29er divisions and two for the 420s.  The breeze was a gentle North Easterly of 8 knots building to 12 knots during the afternoon. 

15th March 2020

A great day of moderate to fresh breezes for the centreboard club championship series today. Three more races completed for Optimist, 420 and 29er. Thanks to everyone who helped out.

5th April 2020

Abandoned due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Check out some of the highlights from the season

Race Series Results – click here          Overall Race Results - click here           For more information about Centreboard Racing at MHYC - click here

Read more: Centreboard Race Series 2019/2020 Season

MHYC Covid 19 Response - Sailing Events Cancelled

 
To all Skippers and Crew.
  
Further to the Club’s recent response to the COVID-19 virus impact, while the Club will remain open for business as usual, we have spoken with a number of skippers and due to continuing concerns over possible exposure to the virus, we have decided to cancel all sailing events until further notice. We have also decided to suspend our junior sailing program and schools program.
 
This  decision is in line with other Sydney Harbour Sailing Clubs. The club will continue to monitor the situation. Sailing will be reinstated as soon as possible. This is not an easy decision but the board and flags are in agreement that this is necessary to protect staff , volunteers and our members.
                   
Please be advised the marina remains open and will be operating as normal.
 
Please note we have been notified that Sailfest Newcastle and Sail Port Stephens have been cancelled.
 
Peter Lewis
Commodore
  

Read more: MHYC Covid 19 Response - Sailing Events Cancelled

Celebrating Thursday Twilights at Middle Harbour

After 22 of the 25 races scheduled for the 2019-2020 season, the Thursday Twilight Non-Spinnaker Pursuit Series has been cut short by Covid-19.  While we look forward to the restrictions being lifted and resuming Twilight Sailing again in October, here is an overview of a Twilight Season that provided a lot of fun over the past six months……….

Entry numbers were very strong this year, with the fleet peaking at 45 boats on January 30.

The weather was generally kind this season.  Racing in the Post-Christmas Series was abandoned on February 13 and March 5 due to strong and gusty winds, but every race was completed in the Pre-Christmas Series.

Sydney Beach Homes came on board this year as sponsor of our Twilight Theme Nights.  It was wonderful to see so many of the crews getting into the spirit of the occasion with some outstanding outfits.  Following on from a great Christmas Twilight on December 19, we had an Australia Day theme on January 23 and Valentines theme on February 13. 

Here are a few photos of the fun…

The theme nights certainly boosted the numbers enjoying a meal at the club after racing, but every Thursday Twilight provides an enjoyable social atmosphere.

SailPass was introduced in September to enable all crews to comply with the World Sailing eligibility rules and ensure all participants had personal accident insurance cover.  While there were a few teething problems with the new procedures and it took a little while for regular Twilighters to get accustomed to the online registration, most people found it was very easy to register with their smart phone or PC.  Overall, including the Charity Regattas, MHYC had almost 1,200 SailPass registrations for the season with about half being Twilight participants.

Twilight Pre-Christmas Series

Walter Carpenter’s Dovell 50 Samarkand scored two wins in the first three races of the new season, setting the pace for the Division 1 fleet.  With no other wins but consistently low scores throughout the series, Samarkand claimed the Pre-Christmas title with 38 points, just beating Tempo (Michael Smith) on 39.  Toy Box 2 (Ian Box) was third on 43 points.

Eliza, David West’s nimble Barrett 10, kept the scores low in the early part of the Division 2 series to build a buffer and finish on top with 36 points, six ahead of Equinox (Todd Trenear).  Both Equinox and Gusto (Angus Grinham) finished on equal points, but Equinox took second place on a tie-break.

Richard Royle and Gil Burton’s Jeanneau 36 St Elmo’s Flyer claimed the Division 3 Pre-Christmas title without scoring a single win.  Consistent sailing delivered 35 points at the end of 11 races, with St Elmo’s Flyer finishing ahead of Bula (David Lavings) on 38 points and Freedom (Stephen Smith) on 43.

Thiseldo, Kevin Bloor’s Adams 8, notched up four race wins in the middle of the series to finish eight points ahead of Single Malt (Peter Gilliland) on 27 at the conclusion of the Division 4 series.  Chowringhee (Harry Brigden) finished in third on 28 points.

For Twilight Pre-Christmas Results – click here

Twilight Post-Christmas Series

Division 1 was closely contested after the Christmas break, with Andrew Hurt’s Sydney 36 Onya claiming the series win by one point from Wailea (Neil Padden).  With a single win in Race 4, Wailea was on the right side of an equal points tie-break with The Gambler (Stewart McGeady) who finished third.

Garth Riley’s Sirius and Geoff Charters’ No Friends were neck and neck throughout the Division 2 races, with neither scoring a race win.  At the conclusion of the series, Sirius claimed the win on a tie-break from No Friends, with Rumba (Kerry Burke, Rob Carr & Stephanie Cook) in third just one point behind.

Wirrajurnd, the Sydney 32 of Gerry O’Connor and Murray Smith, was the clear winner in Division 3 after 11 races.  White Pointer (Keith LeCompte) finished in second place – eight points astern of Wirrajurnd and one point ahead of French Connection (Neil Simpson).

Peter Gilliland’s J/24 Single Malt included two bullets in a nett score of 18 points, two ahead of Cutting Loose (Tim Kaill) in the Division 4 post-Christmas pointscore.  Thiseldo (Kevin Bloor) finished third on 21 points.

Twilight Post-Christmas Results – click here

Twilight Overall Series

Consistency is all-important in the Annual Pointscore which combines the Pre and Post-Christmas results.  The final scores were extremely close in most divisions and only one of the divisional winners in the Pre and Post series claimed the overall title.

Division 1

• 1^st Tempo (Michael Smith) 69pts
• 2^nd Samarkand (Walter Carpenter) 71pts
• 3^rd Onya (Andrew Hurt) 71pts

Division 2

• 1^st  No Friends (Geoff Charters) 64pts
• 2^nd Gusto (Angus Grinham) 67pts
• 3^rd Sirius (Garth Riley) 69pts

Division 3

• 1^st Freedom (Stephen Smith) 66pts
• 2^nd French Connection (Neil Simpson) 67pts
• 3^rd St Elmo's Flyer (Richard Royle & Gil Burton) 73pts

Division 4

• 1^st Thiseldo (Kevin Bloor)
• 2^nd Single Malt (Peter Gilliland)
• 3^rd Cutting Loose (Tim Kaill)

Twilight Annual Results – click here

Women’s Twilight Series

Five of the six scheduled races were completed for the Women's Helm Twilight Pointscore with a variety of wind strengths.

Liz Charles steered Kayimai to the Division 1 win, finishing on 7 points ahead of Pauline Henderson at the helm of Tempo (8 points) and Onya (9 points) with Mel Godfrey at the wheel.

Tracey Richardson took three race wins on the Adams 10 No Friends to claim Division 2 with 5 points from Deborah Dalziel on Shibumi (8 points) and Samantha Gallagher helming Galan (10 points).

Nicky Bethwaite took White Pointer to a one point victory in Division 3 with three boats on equal points close behind.  The tie-break came down to the result of the last race with Gillian Ruckreigel claiming a win to secure second overall on Moonshadow V.  Amanda Hicks’ Peach-Teats Velocity held on to third place while Jackie Morgan and French Connection dropped off the podium.

There were only two boats in the Division 4 series won by Catherine Rofe on the J/24 Kaotic from Kelly Nunn-Clarke at the helm of Nashira.

Women's Helm Twilight Results – click here

MHYC’s Annual Prizegiving, originally scheduled to be held on May 16, has been postponed until the social distancing restrictions have been lifted.  Until we have the opportunity to come together and celebrate the achievements of all our sailors, congratulations to all the series winners and placegetters.

Read more: Celebrating Thursday Twilights at Middle Harbour

MHYC Covid 19 Response

In response to the COVID-19 health emergency and in line with guidelines issued by the Australian Government and the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and advice of Clubs NSW, MHYC has implemented a number of actions to protect the health and wellbeing of its staff, members and guests.

These actions are as follows:

MHYC remains open for business as usual, however the following applies:

• If you have travelled internationally in the last 14 days you are not permitted to attend the Club.
• If you have any flu-like symptoms, a temperature, a cough, are sneezing or have any other symptoms of a cold, regardless of whether you have travelled overseas, you are not permitted to attend the Club.
• If persons within your family, workplace or friendship group display flu-like symptoms or are diagnosed with COVID-19 you must not attend the Club for 14 days.
• If you feel unwell within 14 days after visiting MHYC please advise the Club immediately.
• We ask you to follow the personal hygiene advice issued by the Government with regard to hand washing and ask you to avoid physical contact as best possible. Refer the following site for more detailed information: https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert
• Current advice on “social distancing” provides significant challenges to hospitality businesses such as MHYC and we are constantly looking to follow best practice whilst ensuring we can operate as a Club. While MHYC will undertake actions to protect the health of our staff, members and guests, the Club but can only do so much – the responsibility to act sensibly sits with those who enter the Club for work, business, to sail or relax

As such, at this time:

• All sailing events have been cancelled as of this announcement made today 18.3.2020
• The Sandbar will remain open and provide normal service. Habourview services will be limited and members and guests encouraged to use the Sandbar facilities.
• A number of social functions and gatherings are likely to be cancelled consistent with the health guidelines. Refer to eNews and our website regularly for details.

We ask all members and guests to observe the guidelines issued by the health authorities to minimise the possible impact of COVID-19. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep members advised.

Read more: MHYC Covid 19 Response

COVID-19 restrictions for the boating sector

Attention all MHYC Boat Owners

Transport NSW have been working with key stakeholders to understand how                                                                                            the updated Government COVID-19 restrictions apply to the boating sector.

From 31 March 2020 NSW Government Public health directions have been updated requiring people to stay at home unless they have a ‘reasonable excuse’. However, as there is on land, there are exceptions that apply on water. If you go out social distancing rules always apply – at the boat ramp and on your boat.

You should only be on your boat alone, or with no more than one other person; or with family who ordinarily live in the same household as you.

A ‘reasonable excuse’ to use your boat could be to:

• exercise (e.g. kayaking/sailing/paddling etc);
• fish;
• get to and from work, where the work cannot reasonably be performed from home;
• get groceries; and
• provide assistance, care or support to an immediate member of the person’s family.

Unless you have an essential need to be out - stay ashore.

If you do need to go out, stick to your local waters, and do not gather with more than 2 people unless with members of the same household.

It is important to remember that the self-isolation rules apply at all times.

Packing up your boat for a road trip and a half day fishing expedition is also not in the spirit of the restrictions.

Skippers are always responsible, generally this is applied to safety equipment, keeping proper look out and proceeding at a safe speed.

For the latest information on coronavirus and current restrictions, members of the community are encouraged to check the NSW Government website (http://nsw.gov.au) for regular updates.

To view the official announcement - click here

Transport NSW Maritime Website - click here

Read more: COVID-19 restrictions for the boating sector

First Australian MC38 title for Lazy Dog

By Lisa Ratcliff

Shaun Lane and Quentin Stewart’s MC38 Lazy Dog from Middle Harbour out-ran the pack at the class’ 2020 reduced national title on Sydney Harbour, posting a low-scoring 13 points that included five wins from eight starts.

The hours Lazy Dog’s crew has banked in their campaign translated to top-notch boat work and handling, which in turn delivered the worthy winners their first Australian Championship. “The same guys have been sailing with us for a long time, the same team did the Sydney to Hobart Race on Maverick (Stewart’s Infiniti 46r keelboat), and last weekend we used the Sydney Harbour Regatta as training. We put the hours in,” Lane said.

The combination of Stewart/Lane and Co. have also put time into identifying any areas that might let them down. “This regatta we went downhill better than we normally do, that was a weak part of our sailing,” Lane added.

Full results for the national title.

Video by Tilly Lock https://www.facebook.com/MC38Class/videos/191400285611741/ includes plenty of screaming downwinders in gusty southerlies on the final day of racing.

Next on the MC38 Australian Championship scoresheet was John Bacon’s Dark Star from the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, with 26 points. Dark Star also finished bridesmaid in 2019.

Sarah Parker, who looks after the runners on the Pittwater MC38, said at the conclusion: “We had a mixed day, but we were also consistent at times. There are a few things we need to clean up, especially around the corners. It was really good racing, really close and lots of lead changes. My shoes are definitely wet!” she added, referring to the chop and regular showers that dampened the seven challengers on Sunday March 15.

Third overall was Steve Barlow’s Lightspeed, the 2018 Australian champion.

With Saturday March 14 blown out due to a high-pressure system extending a ridge along the New South Wales coastline and creating S-SSW winds 30 knots plus on closed waters, the MC38 Australian Championship finished up an eight-race, two-day series.

Middle Harbour Yacht Club ran the pinnacle class title for the MC38 group and race officer Steve Tucker summed up the long weekend perfectly: “Friday was nice and balmy with nor’easters, Saturday was written off, and today it blew solidly from the south, 15-20 knots, showers and grey skies. The umpires were pretty busy at both the top and bottom marks,” he added.

Lane is also the MC38 Australian class president and keen to tighten up the one-design fleet’s processes. Two on-water umpires and a recap of the rules, plus boat inspections prior to racing at the nationals are all part of a general class tidy up, he says. 

After six acts and no drops, Lazy Dog was declared the 2019 MC38 season champion.

The next event on the 2020 MC38 calendar is Act 2, May 16-17.

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MC38Class/

MHYC Event Page with results and more photos - click here

Final day photos by Tilly Lock Media....

Read more: First Australian MC38 title for Lazy Dog