159TH OPEN DAY
The 159th Opening Day of the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club was blessed with glorious weather. Members and guests filled the Club grounds to enjoy a day that celebrated both tradition and the season ahead.
The morning Sail Past was led by Alfred’ s One, relaunched after her major refurbishment both inside and out. The Pittwater Dash followed in sparkling conditions, giving sailors a lively race and setting the tone for the day.
The day also included important moments of recognition. Commodore’ s Medals were presented to David West and David Kennedy in acknowledgement of their decades of volunteer service, particularly on the Heritage Committee. A special presentation was also made to Vice Commodore Julia Hornsby by Jackie Scruby MP, recognising her trailblazing leadership and commitment to accessibility and inclusion.
Prizes on the day included Best Dressed Crew, awarded to Banter, and Best Dressed Boat, awarded to Bullwinkle. The winners of the Pittwater Dash were Wings 12, skippered by Billy Davis, in the PHS, and for the ORC Fleet Matt Visser in Finn Aus 5.
OLD TIMERS LUNCHEON & RACE
The Old Timers Race Luncheon was a wonderful celebration of sailing, experience, and community at RPAYC.
The Old Timers Race was first sailed in 1994 in honour of Bill Hedley Wiseman, who spent an extraordinary 54 years at RPAYC. That spirit of continuity and participation was clearly alive during this year’ s race, with 27 boats taking to the water. When the skippers’ experience was added up, it came to nearly 2,000 years, an incredible testament to the depth of knowledge and passion in the fleet.
ALFRED’ S MAGAZINE 2025-26 9