RQYS MAINSHEET 2025

Sailing Office report

No such thing as a sailing ‘off season’… The Sailing Office has been busy in 2025 — too busy to list everything here! — so here is a brief wrap of highlights.

January is traditionally reserved for major events, and this year didn’t disappoint, notes Austin Sims (in Mark Dingley’s holiday absence) — we kicked off with three major national events back-to-back: the ILCA Open & Youth Championships, Musto Australian Optimist Championship, and the 18-ft Skiffs Australian Championship.

Mark your diaries — the 2026 edition of Brisbane Race Week runs 1–6 May!

Across these regattas, 492 sailors filled our rigging lawns and tooked to Moreton Bay in spectacular fashion. With January behind us, the familiar rhythm of the sailing season resumed: Saturday dinghy racing, Sunday Club yachts, interschool competitions, and our ever-growing Club foiling program. May marked the return of the increasingly popular Brisbane Race Week. Now in its third year, the regatta hosted 31 boats and over 200 sailors across six days of racing and social fun. Special credit goes to the dream team —Anton Prange and Race Officer Paul Bolton — whose leadership has helped shape this event into a calendar standout.

While May signals the beginning of the ‘off season,” RQYS doesn’t slow down.

In just the first three months of winter, we have hosted eight regattas and welcomed 869 sailors. None of this would be possible without our incredible Volunteers. Since January, they’ve logged more than 7,600 hours to support 2,257 competitors — a truly extraordinary effort. To every single Squadron Volunteer: thank you for not only helping but also making our Club thrive!

Our Sailing Manager Mark Dingley has returned from his jam-packed UK holiday just in time for our 141st Opening Day,

so I am pleased to hand the reins of the Sailing Office back to him! n

Mainsheet 2025

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Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Yearbook