Sailing Club

Tell Tales

Friday

Another sensationally gentle and consistent southerly graced the Harbour for Friday night Learn to Sail last week. With a focus on boat control and smooth direction changes 3 Optimiosts (8’ long training boats) & Pacer (13’ long training boat) did a sterling job of gliding around on the lovely clear, smooth water in gentle autumnal sunshine.

To celebrate the fabulous achievements of the young sailors a BBQ was cooked to further enjoy fine company, good stories and the glorious autumnal weather. Only a possible 2 more sessions to go for learn to sail this season so be sure to get along.

Saturday

On the weekend the Club ran the Les Kearney Cup; a sprint / multiple short course series a for dinghies only. The 10+1 crew were on duty to run the event; a complex back to back format of 5 races using different courses from the same start line. The duty crew were well appreciated for their significant effort and dedication.

Whilst the results don’t count toward season handicap championships, it is a great opportunity to playfully refine all the elements of sail racing. Les Kearney was a huge contributor to the joyful establishment of our significant and current fleet of flying fifteens. He was a champion sailor and was effective in bringing awareness and refinement to the whole fleet at Apollo Bay Sailing Club with good humour and conviction during the early 2000’s. The short course sprint series dinghy racing offers a high-intensity format that provides concentrated practice for key racing skills, such as starts, acceleration and mark roundings, within a fun and social atmosphere. Typically featuring multiple short (7-15min) windward/leeward races in a single day. The series allow sailors to gain significant experience in quick succession.

Key benefits of sprint series dinghy racing include:

• Intensive Skill Development: The high volume of races (often ~5 per day) provides accelerated experience in boat handling, rapid-fire hoists/drops, and crew coordination.
• Tactical Focus: With multiple, short, and often "hectic" races, sailors get to hone their starting techniques and mark-rounding manoeuvres more often than in traditional weekend long-distance races.
• Low-Stakes Learning & Fun: Sprint racing often emphasizes a relaxed, social atmosphere that encourages newcomers and provides a "bite-sized" format for casual competition.
• Close Competition: Short formats keep fleets compact, leading to tighter, more tactical racing.
• Rapid Improvement: The format allows for immediate testing of tactical changes and quick adaptation to changing conditions.
• Social and Community Focus: Many clubs follow up the racing with social events and presentations, encouraging camaraderie. Additionally sprint series often provide opportunities for coaching and mentoring.

So, on Saturday all of the above was real for our 6 local flying fifteens and a Laser. Light and lumpy conditions made for easy manoeuvring but the boats were tightly clustered, so sailing was much more consequential than usual. Feed back was positive all around. Everyone wanted to do better and it was apparent that Tim Cobb and Katie Ashby Koppens were the most consistent on the day. Well done everyone.

Results

This Saturday, the club is hosting an after sailing BBQ. All welcome, $5 /head.

Bon Voyage to sailors heading off for a lap of Bass Strait in their keel boats over the next fortnight.

Life is good. Come Sailing!

To find out more please see our Facebook group - Apollo Bay Sailing Club.

New Members Always Welcome!

Many thanks to Bendigo Bank for their support of Learn to Sail at ABSC.