RQYS Mainsheet 2021

Mainsheet 2021 YEARBOOK

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Sponsors

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

SQUADRON SPONSOR

YOUTH SQUAD SPONSORS

Mainsheet 2021

rqys.com.au

Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Yearbook

Contents

ROYAL QUEENSLAND YACHT SQUADRON

MAINSHEET 2021

Editor It is a privilege, 10 years after I began contributing articles to Mainsheet, to have been entrusted with Lynne’s most tangible Squadron legacy: as others have remarked, trying to fill that pair of shoes reflects not on the size of her feet but on the magnitude of that legacy which has been decades in her conservatorship. In taking the helm, I have carefully built on previous years’ templates, introducing new design elements by way of evolution. Notably, the expanded 2021 edition is published both in print and for the first time as a fully searchable, interactive online magazine. Please enjoy both. Matt Tesch

Reports Flags, GC and Management

Features

3 4 6 8

Commodore

14 Volunteer ‘here-rows’ scrubbers 29

General Manager Marina Manager Sailing Manager Sailing Academy Hospitality Manager Sail Cruising Group Power Cruising Group Awards Junior Sailing Volunteers

10 11 12 13 33 37

Advertisers AWM Andrew Woodforth Marine

Squadron security matters

19 32 62 23 28 37 12 91 49 39 55 65 33 54 59 61 36 43 28 70 48 74 15 31

16 18 19 20 24 25 26 27 26

Club Marine De Martini

Australian Sailing Flying 11s States

Freezetec

39 Women onWater (WoW!) 46 Postcards from Tokyo

Gill

Senior Sailing

Gold Coast City Marina

Cruising and Navigation

Lion

Marine Auctions

Goodwill Cups

Maui Jim

Squadron

Moet & Chandon Moreton Bay Signs

Life Membership

Morgans

Other awards

Multihull Central Multihull Solutions

Yachtshare

North Sails

Listings Sailing calendar 2022/Q1

Robert Oatley

Sailing Adventures

Daunts’ Olympic dreams Moreton Bay Musings

49 52 55 59

Seairland

15 63 69 75 83 91

Southern Pacific

The Boutique Boat Company

Bistro sails: Look up, wonder no more

New members Crossed the bar

The Yacht Sales Co.

Missing theMed

60 CFCManly 2021

Trymax Marine Electronics

Wallace Bishop Windcraft Yachts

RQYS vessels register RQYS vessel owners

Yachtshare

2

Trades and services directory CHANDLERY, SUPPLIES, EQUIPMENT and APPLIANCES

Mainsheet is published by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron (RQYS) Limited. Post: PO Box 5021 Manly Q 4179 Phone: (07) 3396 8666 Email: publications@rqys.com.au Website: www.rqys.com.au Design: Masthead Design & Creative Printing: Harding Colour / AllClear Photography: all images in Mainsheet by Mike Middleton RQYS Media unless otherwise attributed. © Copyright 2021 Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron ACN 053 989 272 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the permission of RQYS and relevant authors, photographers and copyright holders. Articles reflect the personal opinion of the author and/or contributor, and are not necessarily those of the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Limited (RQYS), nor does RQYS guarantee the accuracy of statements made by contributors or advertisers or accept any responsibility for statements they may express in this publication. The Editor reserves the right to change or alter contributors’ articles submitted to RQYS for publication.

92

COVERS, FINISHING and TRIMMING

93

Olympic foils lifting off

61 67 68 71

DETAILING and CLEANING

94

Flying the Squadron Burgee

Valé, Ged Glancy

ELECTRICAL, NAVIGATION, COMMUNICATIONS and ENTERTAINMENT

95

30 years of RQYS Canaipa

72

ENGINEERING, MECHANICAL, PLUMBING and SYSTEMS PROPULSION, REPAIRS, DIVING and HULL CLEANING SURVEYS, SALES, SAFETY and TRAINING

96

97

98

Farewell to Taslander

SHIPWRIGHTS, REPAIRS, SAILS and RIG

99

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Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Yearbook

• Share the running costs with fellow owners • Professional training included • Easy to use online calendar system • Minimum of 33 day s boating per year • Standby days available for more boating • Yachts, catamarans and motor cruisers • Fully maintained and cleaned • Worry-free boat ownership • You own your share of the yacht • A capital return on exit from the syndicate

www.yachtshare.com.au Easy, affordable and fun! 2

General Committee Management Team

COMMODORE David Redfern

VICE-COMMODORE John Warlow

REAR-COMMODORE Curtis Skinner

HONORARY TREASURER Andrew Gibbs

SAILING COMMITTEE James Tapp

POWERBOAT COMMITTEE Philippa Fenwick

HOUSE & ENTERTAINMENT COMMITTEE Todd Anderson

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE Grant Somerville

FINANCE MANAGER Wendy Johnston finance@rqys.com.au

WORKS COMMITTEE Fraser Spencer

HOSPITALITY MANAGER Bethanney Kucks hospitalitymanager@rqys.com.au

GENERAL MANAGER Shawn Ket gm@rqys.com.au

MEMBERSHIP MANAGER Alicia Soszynski membership@rqys.com.au

MARINA MANAGER Glen Scott marinamanager@rqys.com.au

MEMBER SERVICES Lynne Jackson lynne@rqys.com.au

SAILING MANAGER Mark Dingley sailingmanager@rqys.com.au

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Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Yearbook

Commodore

REPORTS

COMMODORE

REPORTS

There is no doubt I echo the sentiments of many, observes David Redfern, in writing that it is difficult to look back over 2021 with any suggestion that it has been ‘normal’ (at least as we know it), but we in Queensland have been fortunate to date in our bid to outdistance COVID.

The event turned out to be a great success – so much so that we have now included it in our racing calendar for next year – and it will be called “The Bluebottle Regatta” after the boat owned by our member who suggested the idea. We have a packed sailing program this season including the reintroduction of the Wolf Rock Race, a 200 nautical mile event which will also be a qualifying race for the Sydney to Hobart. Our Off the Beach programjust keeps on growing as do our Junior Sailing and Tackers fleets. Our sail and power cruising members also organised a solid agenda for the season and kicked it off with the annual cruise north to the Whitsundays and all points between. Over 40 boats from RQYS headed north this year and, from all accounts, all had a great time. Abnormally windy conditions didn’t seem to faze the fleet with most now back safely in their berths at the Squadron. Enjoy reading the lavishly illustrated reports from page 33. The Goodwill Cup navigation event this year reached a very significant milestone, that being 60 years of the combined event with our friends at Southport Yacht Club. I am happy to report that the skills of our navigation teams saw the trophy returned to the Squadron for another year. Well done, team! There is one aspect of the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron that has surprised me greatly and that is the importance of the organisation within the community. I say this particularly in relation to the number of schools that come and use the Squadron’s facilities and the number of children that exercise brings with it.

With that in mind, I will concentrate on the wonderful accomplishments that have been achieved in an abnormal environment, as well as daring to look ahead into the not-too-distant future where some sense of normality seems to be on offer. Unlike our colleagues in NSW and Victoria in particular, the Squadron has, with certain understandable restrictions, been able to operate in a fairly normal manner, providing many of the services and benefits that members are used to. It is fair to say that the Squadron has perhaps enjoyed even heavier and more frequent use by our members given the restrictions on travel both interstate and of course overseas. Membership numbers at the Club have remained strong and boating in general has only increased during the pandemic, as has the use of the Squadron by our members, so I guess it’s no surprise our numbers are so good.

The occasion gave us the opportunity to express our thanks for the time and attention that His Excellency has given the Squadron in his seven years as our Patron.

Before talking about the season ahead, off-season activity is worth a mention. Youth Week in July saw 113 sailors and 96 boats participate on the Bay, the ‘Frostbite Regatta’ was held with 79 competitors, and we had hundreds of kids from surrounding schools using the Squadron facilities every week. We also hosted the State 18-footer Skiff championships and the State Finn class championships. Unfortunately, we had to cancel both the Brisbane to Hamilton Island and the Brisbane to Keppel offshore races. Hamilton Island Race Week was also cancelled at relatively short notice so, instead, one of our forward-thinking members suggested that, because there were so many boats that had already been prepared to race, why don’t we hold our own regatta … and so we did, it became affectionately called ‘the pop-up regatta’. Our Sailing Manager, Sailing Office and Sailing Committee all did great jobs in quickly organising permits, Notice of Race, et cetera.

We were able to hold the 137th Sailing Season Opening Day celebrations with our guest of Honour and Patron the Governor of Queensland, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey ac cvo. This was His Excellency’s last visit to the Squadron in his capacity as Governor, with his retirement on 31st October.

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Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Yearbook

Commodore

REPORTS

REPORTS

Sailing, and everything that goes with it from a life skills perspective, is undoubtedly a fantastic experience at any age, but particularly so for young people. The sport can be enjoyed for a lifetime but the skills developed while learning to sail can actually provide a solid foundation in so many ways at a critical time of a child’s development. The benefits and learnings that the skill of sailing brings to young children from a capability, confidence and knowledge perspective are priceless. Every member of RQYS can be very proud of the part that the Squadron plays in the important role of developing our kids and young adults. Who knows: our next Olympian could be sailing out of the harbour in an Opti on any given Saturday morning!

The Squadron is in a strong financial position with very little debt left to pay down and plenty of cash for operations. We have achieved much in the area of capital expenditure over the past 12 months with a number of projects completed, including: • resurfacing of all internal roads and carparks A full list of projects is contained in the General Manager’s and Marina Manager’s reports on the next pages. One of the highlights of the past year was marking the Squadron’s 30 years of ownership of our wonderful Canaipa outpost on Russell Island and several hundred people headed down to Canaipa for the day and shared in the celebrations that followed. Those that attended got to see the new Caretaker’s cottage under construction (which is now complete) and to view plans for the proposed ‘Long House’ member facility, yet to be started. When finished, our Canaipa ‘resort’ will provide significantly enhanced benefits for mem- bers, serving us well into the future. Our much talked about bar renovations fell victim to supply chain interruptions and labour shortages and, in the end, could not be completed prior to the opening of our sailing season, so the project was delayed until March 2022 in our off-season. Once complete, this will transform our Clubhouse and our member experience. Our Club would be nothing without our volunteers. Our ability to run our regular sailing fleets and our regattas would be non-existent and we simply would not be able to provide the programs that we do, without them. My special thanks and appreciation goes to each and every one of these special people without whom we would not function. • new floating dock • new storage sheds • expanded hardstand area.

Similarly, my thanks to our committee members, all of whom are volunteers, for the great work that you all do and the expertise you bring to the club.The importance of our committees has been highlighted during the exercise that is currently underway in relation to our system of governance. Our committees are at the coalface of our membership, and it is well noted that any proposed change to our system of governance incorporates a mechanism that involves the committees and the faces and voices of our membership. Thanks, and appreciation also needs to go to our General Manager, Shawn Ket, and his committed and dedicated staff, for all that they do to ensure the Squadron runs as smoothly as possible.

As you will most probably have seen, Shawn has announced his resignation from the Squadron to begin to enjoy semi-retirement and, on behalf of the Squadron membership, I would like to thank him for his dedication to the role of General Manager and for the contribution that he has made during his time in the chair. In closing, and as I said at the outset, after an extremely unusual passage of time, I think we can look ahead with confidence and enthusiasm. In so doing I would like to assure you that our Club is in very good shape and well positioned to take advantage of the significant opportunities that we have before us.

Speaking of Olympics, what a fantastic result for our RQYS Olympians at Tokyo 2020(21) – Mat Belcher and Will Ryan taking Gold in the 470s, Mara Stransky putting the world on notice for 2024 in the Women’s Laser Radial and Jake Lilley doing us proud in the Finn class for the last time. Mat and Mara attended a welcome home event at the Squadron and entertained and educated the crowd, remotely supported by Will and Jake who attended by video from Europe. What gracious champions they are and all expressed their gratitude to the Squadron and the support received and which they continue to receive from our members.

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Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Yearbook

General Manager

REPORTS

GENERAL MANAGER

REPORTS

Heading into my seventh year as General Manager, Shawn Ket writes, it is a great pleasure to report that the RQYS Group of Companies has emerged, as carefully planned, from the post-lockdown period with a strong balance sheet and in an excellent trading position.

10. A satisfying doubling of slipway business through the carefully planned introduction of “Ruby” and the ‘Slipway 2’ area, allowing us to address members multihull and longer-term storage requirements.

Year-to-date FY 2022, we are again trading ahead of budget with another strong year predicted through to 30 April. Importantly, this has enabled us to meet our commitment to members to return as soon as possible to a fully operational sporting facility; which was 100% ready to go for the Opening of the Sailing Season and with all sport, marina, slipway, hospitality, membership and storage services fully operational. Further, our progressively improving EBITDA has enabled a portfolio of member improvements, such as: 1. Full Bar and facilities renovation and expansion, scheduled to commence next winter in time for the 2022 Opening of the Sailing Season. 2. Waterfront people space improvements which have commenced on the Boardwalk with new shade structures, tree planting and resurfacing/grounds enhancements, which will extend progressively eastwards along the marina front, with a vision of having a shaded, green and attractive space for members and their guests to enjoy.This green strip is planned to span all the way from the Boardwalk to P Row in the coming years. 3. Irrigation and turf treatments for the three rigging lawns, the results of which are evident in the terrific appearance of our lawns. 4. New roadways from our entrance through to Marina 2 and new dinghy and vessel hardstand surfacing enabling more efficient and pleasant transport and use of space. 5. Improvements and repairs to the external cladding of our Clubhouse as well as new roofing to sustain the Cavill Building for decades to come. 6. A new Canaipa caretaker’s home is now in place with further Canaipa plans to create a superb member “longhouse” with breathtaking views across the Canaipa Passage. 7. A great new Canaipa fire pit and paved member seating area. 8. A new Marina Slipway Jetty to facilitate slipway vessel movements and progressively move vessel movements from the main sailing ramp. 9. Ramp repairs and improvements for Tackers and main ramps.

EBITDA Financial Years (FY) 2013 - 2022

$3,000,000

$2,500,000

$2,000,000

$1,500,000

$1,000,000

Our membership growth trend remains strong, demonstrating and underpinned by a value proposition which few Clubs nationally can match. In FY 2022 we expect to achieve best ever membership numbers across all categories.

Membership Numbers all Categories Years 2008 - 2022 (projected)

4000

3500

3000

4250

4225

4130

4078

4072

3613

3613

2500

3320

3304

3275

3268

3253

3213

3184

3168

2000

Membership Numbers (Full & Equivalent Categories) Years 2008 - 2022 (projected)

2200

2000

1800

2385

2279

1600

2105

2047

2017

1867

1854

1831

1400

1824

1817

1813

1744

1719

1718

1690

1200

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Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Yearbook

General Manager

REPORTS

REPORTS

An enhanced calendar of events, such as a Food and Wine festival, and the already proven RQYS boat show are planned, which will embrace our sport, enable ongoing member hospitality and recognition of our sponsors, and these will be announced progressively through our marketing channels. Please ensure you are subscribed to our weekly newsletter, ‘In the Wind’ so that you are kept informed of these terrific member events. SPONSORS A successful RQYS has attracted a suite of great sponsors. Space does not permit me to name all of our sponsors but our Club and Special Purpose Sponsors deserve special mention. Please view our sponsor pages and support them as they support our Club. Yachtshare , our Club Sponsor, is a key partner in providing pathways to boating for our members and each month new Full, Spouse, Crew and Junior members join because of our relationship with Yachtshare. Multihull Solutions / The Yacht Sales Company is the sponsor of our Youth Squad, supporting coaching, vessels and equipment to develop our talented sailors. RQYS TEAM I take this opportunity to thank the RQYS Leadership team for their ongoing commitment to the achievement of RQYS goals.Their ongoing willingness to go above and beyond on every occasion is a key contributing factor to executing the many and various projects and services members enjoy daily at the Squadron. Hospitality Beth Kucks Finance Wendy Johnston Marina Glen Scott Sailing Mark Dingley Member Services Lynne Jackson Membership Alicia Soszynski It is timely also to recognise Lynne Jackson, who has so capably and willingly offered her dedication to RQYS. Lynne is set to move to a well-earned retirement in 2022 and I know that all members and the team here at RQYS wish her the very best in this next chapter of her life. It is also time for your GM to pull up the anchor and introduce more flexibility and leisure time into the family. I’m honoured to have held the best Yacht Club Manager job in the country.

AWARD-WINNING CLUB This year has been a year of recognition for RQYS by a range of industry associations and peak bodies. Off the back of being the Australian Yacht Club of the Year in 2016, as awarded by Australian Sailing, for 2021 RQYS has received the following recognition: 1. Rated “Category 1” in the Australian Sailing Club rankings, RQYS being one of just four Clubs nationally to receive this top ranking. 2. Clubs Queensland “Sports Club of the Year” 2021. 3. “5 Gold Anchor” and “Clean Marina, Level 3” awards from the Marina Industries Association. These achievements and those before them embody the support we receive from our growing membership base generally and, further, have resulted in yearly growth in the key category of our sporting and boating members in 2021, bringing in the highest ever number of Full members in the RQYS history books, for each of the last five years. EVENTS Our goal in the coming year is to create at least one major member event every quarter. All categories of members will be invited. 1. Of course, we have our Opening Day, a tremendous example of history, tradition and celebration. 2. The inaugural Canaipa Birthday is now an official annual event for all categories of membership. Ferries again will be provided, allowing those who do not yet have a vessel to participate fully in the celebration and experience our amazing ‘Down the Bay’ property. 3. An End of Sailing Season event is contemplated as a celebration of what has been achieved in our sport in the year, of course, including a festival to mark the occasion. 4. A “Concert on the Lawn” is contemplated with big name artists.

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Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Yearbook

Marina Manager

REPORTS

MARINA MANAGER

REPORTS

2021 has been a great year of development and growth across all aspects of the marina and its operations, records Glen Scott, with a number of capital works improvements that have been completed throughout the Squadron’s grounds. 1. Roadwork improvements from the entry gate to the ‘Blue Loos’, dinghy hardstand snf trade shed road. 2. Eight new storage sheds. 3. Pontoon installed on slipway ramp. 4. Twelve new hardstand spaces.

5. Upgraded garden spaces for seating in shaded areas. 6. Upgraded dinghy hardstand to improve functionality and increase the number of spaces. 7. Building of a designated coaching area in the shed on Rigging Lawn 3. 8. Improvements to the garden spaces on the marina between C/D Row and J/K Row. 9. Repainted boardwalk umbrellas.

DINGHY HARDSTAND, GARDENS AND STORAGE AREAS The dinghy hardstand was resurfaced with asphalt this year. This has seen a significant increase in the number of spaces available as well as a great aesthetic improvement to this area. The area is 100 per cent occupied, which shows the growth in numbers of not only the junior sailors but also in the number of the mature adult sailors sailing out of the Squadron. We have also turned our underutilised garden area into a seating area in the shade of the trees for the use of the sailors to escape the heat before and after sailing. The VX One storage area has also been resurfaced to allow for the car and trailer to be parked in the one spot, with the additional benefit of reducing weekend demand on carparks. TRAILER BOAT HARDSTAND AND EXTRA SERVICES This area has seen one of the most significant increases in occupancy on the shores of the Squadron. As the Commodore and General Manager have indicated, among an enhanced focus on boating in general, COVID has seen a large increase in the number of trailer boats being purchased. We have found these owners prefer the benefit of not having to tow the boat home to store in a garage or on the road. All have experienced the benefit of leaving the boat here, and some have taken up the service of having their boats launched and retrieved by our RQ staff.This costs $100 for the launch and retrieval, and includes hosing the boat and flushing the engine, putting the cover back on and parking it back in its space. If this is of interest, please email marinaadmin@rqys.com.au or phone 3396 8666 or 3393 3554 to find out more.

The hardstand work area has seen a very strong 2021 – the 15 screened pens have been at capacity for most of the year – and, I am confident our contractors will agree, this side of the business has kept everyone busy during the pandemic. We have also experienced an increase on non-members utilising the RQYS facilities and this has been a benefit to the business revenue for both the Squadron and our onsite contractors. ‘Ruby’ has had another very strong year, with Slipway 2 running at capacity for most of 2021. Positive comments are being received from the catamaran owners, many of whom are now onto their second year being slipped here at RQ – they certainly appreciate the benefit of having a machine capable of lifting their boats here at Manly, rather than having to travel down to the Gold Coast.

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Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Yearbook

REPORTS

A pontoon has been installed on the Slipway to provide another option for trailer boats to be launched when the main ramp is being used for sailing events. STORAGE SHEDS The storage sheds are a growing business which provide benefit to members by having their equipment stored close to their boat.The sheds have been at almost 100 per cent occupancy through 2021 and eight new sheds have been built towards the end of the year to cater for the increase in demand for storage.They were all fully booked prior to being completed, showing demand is strong in this area of the business.

FACILITIES IN GENERAL 2021 has seen some improvements to the aesthetics of the grounds.The ‘Blue Loos’ have received a fresh coat of paint and the Bay Lookout has also been painted, along with new washing machines and driers being installed.These machines are both card- and coin-operated, and more of this newer equipment will be installed in the other facilities. The shed on Rigging Lawn 3 has been improved to allow for coaching and debriefing sessions, this work supported by RQYS Sponsor Multihull Solutions . Seating has been installed around the perimeter to allow for many people to participate in these sessions. The umbrellas on the boardwalk received a sand-blast and paint with thanks to GT Mac for completing this work. This has not only improved the outlook from the Bistro but also the ambience of the boardwalk experience. The area around the shoreside fuel bowser has been replaced with almost visually indistinguishable artificial grass, making this area safer for pedestrians and less maintenance-intensive. A small fence has been installed to reduce the noise of the fuel pump when it’s in operation. The rigging lawns now have irrigation installed to reduce water consumption needed in maintaining the grass throughout the year. Our ground staff Tony and Shane spent winter 2021 fertilising and coring the lawn to prepare for the summer rains (which have well begun!).The plan is to move on to Rigging Lawn 4 to bring this area up to the standard of the others. The Academy ramp has received repairs to improve the surface for the thousands of children using this throughout the year. Canaipa is undergoing a some major projects and the new caretaker’s cottage will give Kevin a fantastic new home with an amazing outlook.This has been enabled by the extreme generosity of the members of the Squadron, so a big ‘thank- you’ to all who have made this possible. Fraser Spencer is working to finalise the building of the Canaipa Long House.This will be a significant improvement to the grounds and for all our Full members’ use at Canaipa. Again, a huge thank-you to the generous members who have contributed to fund this project. It will provide many years of enjoyment indeed.

Pic: Matt Tesch

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Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Yearbook

Sailing Manager

REPORTS

SAILING MANAGER

REPORTS

It is gratifying to report an almost 65 per cent increase, year-on-COVID-afflicted-year, in the number of races, regattas and other on-water events succcessfully held so far in the 137th Sailing Season, writes Sailing Manager Mark Dingley.

Even bigger numbers have been tallied up by WAGS over the year, with no less than 1,219 entries in total over 44 Wednesdays to the end of November. The largest single afternoon saw a stellar 46 sails on the Bay, with five races peaking in the 40s. Throughout the year, the WAGS fleet size averaged 27 boats, with very few days called-off due to wind – but one cancelled in a drizzling flat calm!

Showing a renewed sense of optimism, no less than 100 boats entered the Envy Scooter Summer Regatta in January to get calendar 2021 off to a solid start on the water. Much of the program was largely unimpacted by coronavirus constraints, with notable exceptions being the Brisbane to Hamilton Island and Keppel races in August, with only a handful of entries prepared to take their chances with potential lockdowns. In March, Green Fleet and Metropolitan Laser Championship numbers were both in healthy double digits, as were the Term 4 School Racing GOLD and SILVER fleets in October. We are confident that the 19 entries in the March Multihull Regatta will be surpassed in 2022’s event and are looking forward to a resurgence in next year’s Brisbane Women’s Keelboat Cup in March. 2021 saw the Inaugural Champion of Champions, where Squadron champions from all fleets faced-off against one another to claim Squadron overall Champion.

Aggregating RQYS sailing operations across eleven months of 2021, more than 3,820 boats participated in more than 80 different events. To deliver a world-class achievement like this is due to the efforts of the small, professional team in the RQYS Sailing Office, Sailing Academy and, more importantly, made possible only by the generous gift of thousands of hours of time and the experience of our wonderful volunteers – thank you.

More impressive numbers have continued to be logged closer to home, with Queensland Youth Week’s 105 boats across three courses in July eclipsed by the more than 175 entrants across Sail Brisbane’s three courses in November. This year’s QLD Winter Laser Regatta attracted 49 entries. In the off-season towards the end of July, the annual ‘Frostbite Series’ of races drew 89 boats out on the northern and southern courses, braving the chilly conditions.

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Sailing Academy

REPORTS

REPORTS

Through another year of COVID in 2021, reports Sailing Academy Coordinator Karyn Ralph, a number of shutdowns affected courses and programs – some more than once – but the Academy has come out stronger at year’s end than the same time in 2020.

RQYS Youth Squad continues to grow with more than 120 sailors currently participating in training, including 27 Green Fleeters coming through in our Optimist class. Youth classes have put into practise what they have been learning in training and this was reflected really well at the Queensland Youth Camp and Championships in Yeppoon with placings in all classes. A number of our top coaches were part of the elite team which coached the three-day camp, sharing experiences with sailors from all over Queensland.

Sailing Academy is back in full operation and has been awarded the No.1 Tackers Centre in Australia more than two quarters this year. We are struggling to keep up with the demand and our Christmas holidays programs are at capacity. This year, 1,873 participants have come through our doors! We would like to thank our Volunteers who have been working tirelessly to ensure all our equipment is in top shape.

OurnewRSQuestdinghiesaremorethanpopular,with courses already booked out until the end of January. The Quests were introduced to our secondary school programs and have been well received. We currently have three of these training boats with another three arriving in the near future. The ‘Sail our Boats’ program has over 100 members and it is going forward in leaps and bounds and we are full every week. Sailors enjoy this program due to the flexibility it offers to members to learn to sail without being locked into a six-day program. Our Far East 28r has been a popular choice for our Sail our Boat members as the training boat to learn to race on a Wednesday afternoon for WAGS. Club Windsurfing is conducted every second week from September to April each year. Windsurfing instructors and coaches volunteer their time on a Sunday for participants who have completed their Start Windsurfing course to get time and confidence on the water in a safe environment. This has built our windsurfing fleet over this period. We would like to thank all our members, sailing instructors and coaches, sailors, Volunteers and administration for another great year!

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Hospitality Manager

REPORTS

HOSPITALITY MANAGER

REPORTS

The past 12 months have been “a transformational year,” notes Beth Kucks, after the brutal impacts of the pandemic’s first year—the ‘annus horribilis’ that was 2020—“the hospitality industry landscape, not just for RQYS, has changed so much, and at last for the better.”

“In a way, COVID took away our ‘pulse’ in 2020,” Beth recalls, “but we have really kick-started things as 2021 has matured and we’re not shying away any more: in our new COVID world we’re going to be brave, strong and make it work – because we have to.” With the repeated hammering of different lockdowns and social restrictions, Beth says that “it did feel like we had somehow ‘lost touch’ with some of our people” but the flip side of COVID – even if it took some months to manifest – is that RQYS is well on the way to making reconnections. “It has shown the strength of our local community, which really rallied around us to support the Squadron –almost a feeling of getting people to ‘come back home’ after what’s been a really difficult period for so many.” On Opening Day of the 137th Season, said Beth, “we started to feel ‘reborn’ with more than three times the number of members, guests and invited visitors than we had in 2020.” Among the many lingering operational and logistical impacts on the RQYS hospitality and entertainment program, foremost has been the miscellany of border closures and travel, testing and quarntine requirements and restrictions, making it nigh impossible to book any intra- and inter-state touring artists. “Our mindset for 2022 is ‘being brave’ and backing our club to recreate a lively space for our members,” says Beth, “and we have a solid calendar planned for the New Year, with lots of inbuilt flexibility, now we’ve had plenty of practise adapting at short notice to any COVID developments and tailor an agile response.”

It wouldn’t do to ‘tempt Murphy’ or jinx the program by revealing the full 12 months in advance; suffice to say that a sneak peek reveals plenty of new temptations beyond ‘default’ occasions such as Squadron sailing and powerboating events and public holidays, St Patrick’s Day and Melbourne Cup. “We’ve developed a range of monthly events on a different Sunday each month—planned to fit nicely around commitments like Easter and school holidays—with live music,” hints Beth, “and members and guests may be able to kick back and chill with some smooth R&B and jazz afernoons and evenings. “We’re also planning on powering-up our social media presence and connections even more—’Spikey Mike’ Middleton is doing a fantastic job of getting our Facebook numbers through the roof with events afloat and our Instagram account will be focusing on doing the same with our program ashore. Mike’s incredible videos on the big screens are holding visitors spellbound and are all the talk of the increased patronage in our bar and cafe,” Beth says. “Our intention is to replicate that achievement with our land-based events and activities via Instagram, and we’re integrating member communications even more tightly across the weekly ‘In The Wind’ eNews, our LED sign and other channels, including local Bayside promotional efforts and collaborations. Watch these spaces!”

/royal_qld_yacht_squadron

/RQYS.Manly

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Volunteers

FEATURES

CHEERS TO OUR VOLUNTEERS Integral to our safe operations By far the largest—numbering more than 100—and most visible group is our blue-jacketed ‘Team RQYS Volunteers’ which collectively gives more than 5,000 days to the Squadron each year across a range of indispensible roles afloat and ashore.

Nev Willis is the dedicated Volunteer Coordinator and his team is responsible for delivering the Squadron’s sailing program. Team RQYS fields around 30 volunteers on the water each Saturday of the year to run our many sailing events. The group trains all its own people in such tasks as: • Race Officers • Course Layers • Start and Course Boat crews • Judges and Umpires Among the diverse and interesting opportunities are: ON-WATER ROLES • Start Boats and Course Boat s crews; • Race Officers : manage racing on water, usually stationed on the Start Boat;

Boating experience helpful but not necessary, as full training is provided. Find out more on our website! rqys.com.au/volunteering

• Timers and Recorders : keeping time for starts and finshes and recording start and finish information; • Comms : learn to use flags and sounds to communicate with competitors on the water and monitor the Start Boat VHF radio; • Skippers : responsible for laying and changing courses, rescue and towing; • Crews: place and retrieve mark buoys, asssist skippers as required; • Judges and Umpires : are responsible for keeping racing fair and within the rules both on and off the water;

ROLES ASHORE • Ramp Marshall : help competitors launch their boats and manage trolleys; • Regatta Administration : assisting Scorers, the Race Committee and Jury with posting of notices, manning information desks (and much more!); • Radio Operator : monitoring radio and maintaining comms during an emergency. With an emphasis on fun and friendship, this important Squadron team continues to grow and is always on the lookout for new hands.

Volunteer Coordinator Nev Willis with Sailing Manager Mark Dingley.

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Volunteers

FEATURES

OUR ‘HERE–ROWS’ SCRUBBERS: Concrete cleaners par excellence! It’s been 18 months of hard yards—literally!—for volunteers Hugh Sheardown and Chris Reid as they brightened our pontoons and, after breaking for summer, they were astonished to learn that Marina 2’s total 3,000m 2 of concrete equates to Slipway 1’s hardstand work area!

Both retired, Hugh and Chris have been mates for 40 years and already had a track record of RQYS volunteer commitment – 17 and five years, respectively – when Marina Manager Glen Scott called for volunteers to lend a hand in early 2020 as the COVID-19 downturn disrupted business. “We both put our hands up,” said Hugh, “as I’m always one for giving back to the community, and Chris enjoys the company. It’s been ideal: working outdoors in the open air was good and social interactions are limited when you’re pressure-blasting.” Considerable experimentation was needed at the outset, when the equipment used to clean the ramps proved unworkable when Hugh and Chris tested their cleaning techniques on the fuel pontoon. “I get giddy thinking about a problem and coming up with a workable way to solve it,” Hugh says, “and there was no way that gear would get us around the whole marina, so we basically had to build our own. We built this contraption on a stack of palettes (so it could be moved with the forklift), mounted on castors and rigid wheels, with posts to hang the all hoses and places for the gear,” Hugh dryly noted that it was fortunate the resulting Frankensteinian contraption was fitted with brakes … as he and Chris found one low tide on the Marina 2 bridge ramp! “We never gave it – ‘the thing’ – a name,” recalled Chris, “but there might have been some language as we sorted things out. We were too busy to ever stop to think of getting a photo of it, too.” Starting in earnest with the Bill Kirby Jetty, followed by A/B row, “that alone probably took us two or three days,” said Hugh, “as we refined our techniques.” Weather interruptions notwithstanding, it was a solid effort before the pair took a break for the heat of summer 2020-21.

In autumn 2021, armed with a more powerful portable guerney and well practised with experience, Hugh and Chris resumed work on R/S row, followed by N/P and L/M rows. But, as their newfound mobility was increasingly put through its paces, new challenges emerged. “It was a pain in the arse on those longer rows at first,” Hugh states bluntly, with the voice of hard-won experience, “you had to walk miles to go to the dunny. After the first time one of us had to walk all the way back to the shed, we learned to carry all our spares – hoses, washers, tools – in a small trolley with us when we set out.” It thus became a polished (pun intended) two-person routine – one blasting, one rinsing, swapping roles from time to time – and the progressive leap-frogging of power cord and hose from one spare podium connection to the next offered a chance to chat with liveaboards, members and tradies in the blasting-free quiet interludes. “We’re both interested in cricket, and Chris is from across ‘the Dutch’ so we’ve also enjoyed a but of Trans-Tasman ribbing too,” said Hugh with a cheeky smile. “Chris and I started 18 months ago,” Hugh notes, “and there’s only C/D and E/F rows left to do, at the end of 2021, otherwise the whole of Marinas 1 and 2 concrete has now been scrubbed. We also did the end plates and replaced missing or damaged berth number tags as we went.” Hugh added: “It’s not just this Club, across the whole country organisations would not function without volunteers.” Hats off to you both, and thank-you! In 2022, Chris’s RQ volunteer efforts will be directed elsewhere around the Squadron, so Hugh will be looking for a new partner to finish off the final rows. Contact the Marina Office if you want to put your hand up.

LOCATION

UNITS AREA*

TOTAL

1 1 1 1 1 4 1 4 5 1 8 6 1 1 4 1 4 3 3 5

212.0m LOA

Marina 2 arm + R/S junction + ramp pontoon

390.85m 2 22.25m 2 31.50m 2 217.25m 2 88.80m 2 147.65m 2 61.20m 2 89.80m 2 203.60m 2 143.65m 2 111.75m 2 122.55m 2 336.80m 2 71.80m 2 24.60m 2 125.00m 2 127.70m 2 109.80m 2 79.80m 2 305.90m 2 156.30m 2

202.5m L x 1.93m W 9.5m L x 2.34m W 6.50m L x 4.0m W (shape) 3.20m L x 1.70m W (ends) 55.0m L x 3.95m W 11.5m L x 1.93m W 76.5m L x 1.93m W 11.5m L x 1.33m W 13.5m L x 1.33m W 105.5m L x 1.93m W 13.5m L x 1.33m W 14.0m L x 1.33m W 63.5m L x 1.93m W 174.5m L x 1.93m W 13.5m L x 1.33m W 18.5m L x 1.33m W 23.5m L x 1.33m W 32.0m L x 1.33m W 27.5m L x 1.33m W 12.0m L x 1.33m W

X row

X fingers (13m)

V-W row

W fingers (13m) V fingers (15m) U fingers (15m) T fingers (16m) T-U row

R-S row after elbow

S fingers (var.m)

R fingers (var.m)

10 23.0m L x 1.33m W 23.5m L x 1.33m W 5

MARINA 2 TOTAL AREA

2,968.55m 2

Drone’s-eye view of the equivalent 3,000m 2 Marina 2 pontoons area cleaned. Main pic: Matt Tesch

*Yes, the editor did crawl around with a tape measure one afternoon, to the bemusement of some members, and use Google satellite’s onscreen measuring tool as key research for this story; 0.8m was allowed for all finger end plates and some minor rounding has occurred. Any difference of opinion over the resulting maths is politely disavowed in advance.

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Sailing calendar

LISTINGS

SAILING CALENDAR 2022 / Q1 This event calendar for the second half of the 137th Sailing Season 2021–22 is compiled from the most recent information derived at the end of October 2021. Whilst every care has been taken in compiling this data, it should be noted that some events are yet to be confirmed (TBC) and, of course, all are subject to both weather and government COVID-management restrictions. Check the RQYS website and Facebook pages for updates or contact the Sailing Office direct by email or by telephone 07 3396 8666 > option 6.

Event

Host

Class

Time | Tide

Event

Host

Class

Time | Tide

JANUARY

MARCH

3 Qoin Sail Paradise sailparadise.com.au

OTB Day 17

Mon Thu

OTB

5

SYC Div Boats

Sat

1121h 2.39m

6

Brisbane Women’s Keelboat Cup

Div Boats

RQYS

22 Surf 2 City surftocity.com/home 8 2022 A-Class National Champs facebook.com/ausAcat

Sat Sat

QCYC Div Boats

1152h 2.24m

6

Sun

Schools Racing (Teams) Day 1 OTB Day 18 (Squadron Champs 6)

Schools

RQYS A-Class

14 19 25 20 24

Fri

RQYS OTB

1205h 0.98m

12

Sat

Wed Tue Thu Mon

12ft Inter-Dominions (TBC)

Julian Rocks Yacht Race

RQYS 12 ft Skiff

SYC Div Boats

13 Schools Racing (Teams) Day 2

Sun

RQYS Schools

VX One Nationals vxone.org.au

RQYS VX One

Fairway Challenge

MBBC Div Boats 1205h 0.98m

OTB Day 19

RQYS OTB

1016h 2.46m

FEBRUARY

19

Sat

OTB Day 13

Kingfisher Race 4

RQYS OTB

QCYC Div Boats

5

Sat

1230h 2.38m

20 Schools Racing (Teams) Day 3

Sun Thu Sun Sat

RQYS

Inshore regatta

WMYC Div Boats

24 27 26

1304h 2.20m

Multihull Div

6

Multihull regatta

Sun

Schools Racing (Fleet) Day 1

RQYS Schools

1231h 0.71m 1114h 0.83m 1231h 0.71m

12 OTB Day 14 (Squadron Champs 5)

Sat

OTB

1336h 0.86m

RQYS

Etchells Fleet Championships

RQYS

Etchells

Schools Racing (Fleet) Day 2 Div Race Day 9 (Squadron Champs 5) Passage Race 7

Schools

13

Schools Racing (Teams) Day 4 Div Race Day 10 (Squadron Champs 7) Passage Race 9

Sun

Schools

27

MCC Div Boats 1421h 0.71m

Sun

MCC Div Boats 1231h 0.71m

19 OTB Day 15

Sat

OTB

1118h 2.47m

RQYS

Schools Racing (Fleet) Day 3

Schools

APRIL–MAY

20

Sun

Kingfisher Race 3

QCYC Div Boats 1118h 2.47m

2 OTB Day 20 (Squadron Champs 7) END OF SEASON Celebration RQYS OTB

Sat

1015h 2.30m

26 OTB Day 16

Sat

OTB

1239h 0.79m

Schools Racing (Fleet) Day 4 Myora Cup (Sqadron Champs 6) Passage Race 8

Schools

RQYS

3 Div Race Day 11 (Squadron Champs 8) Passage Race 10

Sun

MCC Div Boats 1045h 2.19m

27

Sun

Div Boats 1349h 0.65m

9 OTB Backup sail

Sat

RQYS OTB

1514h 1.45m

Brisbane to Gladstone

QCYC Div Boats 0827h 2.37m

USEFUL EXTERNAL EVENT LINKS FEB • WMYC Inshore Regatta: revolutionise.com.au/wmyc MAR • SYC Julian Rocks: southportyachtclub.com.au/events/julian-rocks-yacht-race-2022

15

Fri

Hobie Easter regatta (TBC)

Hobie

18 30

Sun Sat Mon

APR • Brisbane-to-Gladstone: brisbanetogladstone.com APR • WMYC Hart Cup: revolutionise.com.au/wmyc

0907h 2.16m 1013h 1.96m

Hart Cup

WMYC Div Boats

2

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Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Yearbook

Junior Sailing

AWARDS

JUNIOR SAILING 2020–21 awards

• T E Passey Trophy • Most Improved Junior Skipper Blair Dodson

• Harold Dean Memorial Trophy • Most Consistent Skipper in a Junior Class Zane Taylor

AWARDS & RESULTS

LASER 4.7 Kate Baisden

OPTIMIST Green Fleet Spring Series

1st Squadron Championships 1st Season Points Scratch

Max Lewis 1st Toby McDougall 2nd Luca Murray 3rd Toby McDougall 1st Luca Orazlo 2nd William Tribe 3rd

Chase Taylor 2nd Squadron Championships 3rd Season Points Scratch 1st Season Points Handicap Daniel Innes 2nd Season Points Handicap

Green Fleet Summer Series

LASER RADIAL Frances Beebe 1st Squadron Championships

Intermediate Optimist

1st Squadron Championships 3rd Season Points Scratch 3rd Season Points Handicap 2nd Squadron Championships 1st Season Points Scratch 1st Season Points Handicap 3rd Squadron Championships 2nd Season Points Scratch 2nd Season Points Handicap 1st Squadron Championships 1st Season Points Scratch 2nd Season Points Handicap 2nd Squadron Championships 2nd Season Points Scratch 1st Season Points Handicap 3rd Squadron Championships 3rd Season Points Scratch 3rd Season Points Handicap

Montse Morse

Zachary Patrick

Kate Baisden

Frances Beebe

Jeremy Liu

Open Optimist

NACRA

1st Squadron Championships 1st Season Points Scratch 2nd Season Points Handicap

Oliver Davey & Niamh Meehan

Ayesha Albery

Luke Oakden & James Oakden 2nd Squadron Championships 2nd Season Points Scratch 1st Season Points Handicap Kristian Bliston & Molly Schotte 3rd Squadron Championships Bailey Lucock, Harry Wieland & Ella Coxley 3rd Season Points Scratch 3rd Season Points Handicap

Elysia Albery

Zane Taylor

Oliver Davey with Niamh Meehan

Lucas Orazlo

Ayesha Albery

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