Welcome to Nautical News, the e-news service distributed to Yachting Australia members and clubs whose e-mail details have been provided either by the individual or their sailing club. Articles are sourced with the help of the State and Territory MYAs - their logos are located at the end of this page, with links to the respective home pages.

Whilst we obviously share the delight of all Australians in the performance of the Olympic Team at the 2004 Olympic Games, Yachting Australia also share the great disappointment felt by the majority of our sailing team over their results in Athens. This disappointment is heightened by the fact that the sailors, coaches and support team worked so hard for so long and their excellent performances in the lead up to the event gave us great cause for optimism. 

It is much too early to say how our results could have been improved. As is normal after any major event, we will be carrying out a full analysis and looking closely at every aspect of our preparation and performance. Reflecting after the event, our Head Coach Victor Kovalenko, sums up his thoughts 'This is not the finish, this is the new start. We will learn the lessons and move forward.' 

If you haven't done I would urge you to read Victor's comments - click here.

Phil Jones
CEO, Yachting Australia.

No Sailing Medals This Time

 

Although no medals came our way the Australian Sailing Team were still tough competitors in the trying Athens conditions. Aussie’s finished in the top 10 in seven of 11 classes at the 2004 Olympic regatta. Congratulations to Colin Beashel for proudly leading the Aussie contingency into the Olympic stadium and to Yachting Australia coach Mike Fletcher for making his 8th Olympic coaching appearance. At the conclusion of the Olympic Sailing Regatta in Athens, Australia's Head Coach reflects on the performance of the Australian sailors: 'Our expectations, of the Australian community and our Olympic team, were very high. These were based not on titles and results of our team or our sailors, but on their talent and extraordinary skills.  We set extremely high standards for our team and everyone put in their all at this event but unfortunately we did not come away with the results that we had hoped for. Click here to read Victor's full statement.

Yachting Australia produced daily reports and e-newsletters during the Athens Olympic Games. They have been archived on our website for your convenience. At this link you will also find a daily photo gallery with pics of all Australia's sailors in Athens.

Nominations for the 
Yachting Australia Board

Nominations for the Yachting Australia Board closed on 31 August. Nominations were received from Yachting Western Australia, Yachting South Australia, Yachting New South Wales and Yachting Victoria. Three places are available. 

The election is by postal ballot amongst the State and Territory Yachting Associations. The successful candidates will be endorsed at the AGM on 31 October. 

After two years as President, four years as a director of Yachting Australia and many more years involved in the administration of the the sport, which saw him as Commodore of Sandringham Yacht Club and President of Yachting Victoria, Graeme Ainley is standing down at the AGM. The details of the new Board and President will be featured in the November newsletter. 

New Blue Book Underway

Production of the Blue Book for 2005-2008, containing the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS), Yachting Australia Prescriptions and the Special Regulations, is now well underway. 

A reminder that the 2005-2008 RRS will be effective world-wide from 1 January 2005. This is change for Australia where the RRS normally come into effect from 1 July. We would advise that if you are organising a race or series that will run over the changeover, the Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions should specify which version of the RRS it is being sailed under so that competitors are clear. 

Please note that consistent with previous editions the Special Regulations do not come into effect until 1 July 2005.

Whilst production is underway, it is not too late to advertise!! Please email Michael Brierley for details.

HIGH PERFORMANCE NEWS

Subscribe to Yachting Australia Paralympic Daily E-News

How will you keep up to date with all the latest breaking news and results from the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens?

During the 2004 Paralympic Sailing Regatta we are pleased to be able to provide a special daily e-news service to those Yachting Australia members that subscribe. We will provide the latest news, results photos and insight into the performances of the Australian sailors direct to your desktop.

Subscribing is easy - click here.

Introducing Yachting Australia's Newest Staff Member

Yachting Australia has appointed a new Administration Assistant - High Performance. Natalie Francis started work with Yachting Australia on Monday 16th August. Natalie will be responsible for assisting with the administration of the High Performance programs. Natalie's e-mail address is Natalie.Francis@yachting.org.au.  Welcome Natalie!

Crew Lists for Upcoming National Championships

The Open Team Racing Championship will be hosted by Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club on 9-11 September. Seven crews have entered - three entries from Western Australia, and one from Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria. 

The Youth Match Racing Championship will be hosted by the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria from the 18-21 September. 

Twelve crews have entered - three from NSW, three from Western Australia and Victoria, and one from Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania. A list of crews will be available on the Yachting Australia website after the 6th September. 

The following have been selected for the Australian Women's Match Racing Championship to be hosted by Royal Perth on 23-26th September.

The following have been selected for the Australian Match Racing Championship to be hosted by Royal Perth from the 26-29th September.

National Match Racing Umpires Seminar

A National Match Racing Umpire Seminar will be conducted from the 16-18 September at the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown, in conjunction with the 2004 Australian Youth Match Racing Championship (AYMRC).

The Chief Instructor is to be David Tallis. David is an International Judge and an International Umpire. He is a member of Yachting Australia's Umpires Sub-Committee, and also on the Yachting NSW Racing Rules Committee and Umpires Sub-Committee. He is actively involved in umpiring and judging at all levels in local and international teams, match and fleet racing events and served on various juries covering dinghy, sportsboats and keelboat racing.

For dates and venue information click here.

OnBoard Goes to Brisbane

Yachting Australia's national participation program OnBoard will be represented at the Brisbane Boat Show (Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre).

Yachting Australia and Yachting Queensland staff will be on hand at stand 619 on the Concourse to provide information and details about OnBoard and how to get into sailing. 

You can also join OnBoard while you are there. So bring the family, bring your friends and get OnBoard! The show starts at 10.00am Wednesday 1st September and concludes 5.00pm Monday 6th September.

Yachting Queensland, with the assistance of Yachting Australia, is in the process of rolling out the OnBoard in Queensland. Clubs such as Bribie Island, Southport and Townsville are already 'OnBoard.' If you belong to a club which is not yet an OnBoard partner and you are looking to increase participation and club membership then contact Yachting Queensland on 07 3393 6788 or Yachting Australia's National Development Officer at chris.mamo@yachting.org.au

Child Protection Courses Available Online

Every Club and Training Centre knows the importance of Child Protection, and the value of training employees and volunteers in these issues. Unfortunately, most Club volunteers do not have time to attend courses and pay enough from their own pocket already, without the burden of undertaking a training course. 

Therefore the NSW Department of Sport and Recreation has compiled online, free-of-charge courses which take only a couple of hours to complete in full, to address Child Protection and other club issues which results in a certificate upon completion. Visit this site - www.playbytherules.net.au.  

Read the full story here. 

Get into a Yachting Australia 
Training Course

Have you thought about doing a Yachting Australia Training Course? With almost 200 Training Centres around the country, there is bound to be one near you. 

Yachting Australia Training Courses can help a beginner gain confidence, or improve a more experienced sailor's skills. Sailing is a sport that you can start at any age, regardless of disability or prior experience. 

Yachting Australia Training Courses can be a great school holiday program, clubs and training centres around Australia run programs to teach kids to sail and race during the school holidays. Use the Yachting Australia website to find a club or training centre close to you.

AROUND THE STATES Information provided by MYAs

2004 Resourceco Port Line Cup

 

Pictures and story by Dennis Walter, PASC

The narrow confines and shallow banks of South Australia’s Port Adelaide River presented a challenging course for the 50 entrants in the 2004 Resourceco Port Line Cup. Just a moment’s lapse of concentration by the helmsmen and navigators, particularly those on the larger yachts, would be enough to steer their boat out of the 300 metre wide dredged shipping channel and firmly aground on a mud-bank to await the next rising tide. Crews needed to be on watch at all times, particularly during the starting sequence when boats with boats were in very close proximity and concentrating on getting the best start. Full report and results are available here.

High Achieving Sailors Honoured - Victorian Yachting Awards 

At a gala function held beside the bay at the Mordialloc Sailing Club, Victoria’s outstanding yachtsmen and women were lauded for their achievements over the past year.

Winners of the 2004 Victorian Yachting Awards:

Victorian Yacht Club of the Year Somers Yacht Club	Victorian Male Sailor of the Year  Glenn Ashby	Victorian Female Sailor of the Year  Sarah Blanck
Victorian Disabled Sailor of the Year Michael McLean	Victorian Youth Sailor of the Year (joint winners) Krystal Weir Ricky Ironmonger	Victorian Junior Sailor of the Year Michael Farthing
Victorian Motor Yachtsperson of the Year John Holland	Services to Yachting Awards Jim Close  Rob Cook  Doug King  David LeRoy	Victorian Match Racing Champions  Scott Walton, Jean-Pierre Macquet and Alison Ryan
Recreational Boating Nav Rally Teams Event Winners   Beaumaris Motor Yacht Squadron	Read more about the event and the winners	Media & Publicity Award Lee Shaddock from Geelong Trailable Yacht Club

Yachting ACT Announces 
40^th Anniversary Regatta 
Of Lake Burley Griffin

Yachting ACT will hold an Anniversary Regatta on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 October 2004 to mark the 40th Anniversary of the first combined sailing clubs regatta held on Lake Burley Griffin following its filling. The Lake was formed by the construction of Scrivener Dam on the Molonglo River and was part of Walter Burley Griffin’s design for the Nation’s Capital.

Details of the Regatta will be available shortly, including the Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions, from the Canberra Yacht Club (Tel 02-6273 7177) or from the YMCA Sailing Club (Tel 02-6281 1396) or Yachting ACT (Tel 02-6295 1436).

More information is available here. 

NSW Youth Championships

Entries close for the 2004 NSW Youth Championships at 5pm on the 17th September. The Championships will take place at Gosford Sailing Club from the 2nd to the 4th of October. A unique regatta, it is open to all popular youth classes and levels. 

Entries forms are available on the Yachting NSW website  with the Notice of Race and should be sent to Lee McCourt at the Yachting NSW Office: PO Box 357, Glebe, NSW 2037.
 

South Australia Yachting Awards Presentation 

Yachting South Australia’s Annual Dinner and 2003/2004 Awards Presentation was held at the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia in August. Nearly one hundred sailors and club/class officials attended to recognise the achievements and voluntary contributions of South Australian sailors and club members.

The winners were :

• Thomas G. Flint Memorial Trophy - Sailor of the Year
  Brett Young Adelaide Sailing Club & Cruising Yacht Club of SA
  
  

• Youth Sailor of the Year
  Chris Martin Adelaide Sailing Club
  
  

• James H. P. Boucaut Award - Volunteer of the Year
  Jointly Awarded to:
  Ian Porteous Victor Harbor Yacht Club
  Dennis Walter Port Adelaide Sailing Club
  
  

• President’s Award for Services to Yachting in South Australia
  Jointly Awarded to:
  Maggie Patterson Kangaroo Island Yacht Club
  Jack Wasley Port River Sailing Club
  

Profiles of the winners and nominees can be found on the YSA website.

Medallions were also presented to sixty three South Australian sailors to recognise their achievements in their respective 2003/2004 Class Australian/World Championship regattas. A full listing of Champion Medallion recipients is on the YSA website.