RQYS Mainsheet 2021

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.

Mainsheet 2021

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