The Yachtsman 2017-2018 The Yachtsman 2017-2018 | Page 8

CLUB REPORTS
CLUB REPORTS
REAR COMMODORE
W
hat a great start to the
Royal Prince Alfred Yacht
Club sailing season with
our opening day having a
great turn out, plus we are
already seeing Club members having success
in national and international regattas as well.
We would like to acknowledge and
congratulate these Club members’ results:
At the World Cup event at Enoshima, the
site of the 2020 Olympics, Jason Waterhouse
and Lisa Darmanin won the Gold medal in
the Nacra 17 class, and Natasha Byrant and
Annie Wilmot made the medal race, finishing
9th overall, in the 49er FX Women’s class.
Juliet Costanzo and her team of elder sister
Clare, Jess Angus, Annie Scholten and Emma
Rankin became Australia’s newest Women’s
Match Racing National Champions.
The Easy Tiger team of Chris Way,
Murray Gordon, Rachel Bower, Steve
McConaghy and Tom Spithill took out
the silver medal at the Platu 25 World
Championships in Riga, Latvia in a fleet of
37 boats. Well done to all. We are very proud
of you!
One of your Yacht Race Committee’s
(YRC) key objectives is to grow the levels of
participation in yacht racing, especially in
the 30-40 year old age bracket. This year the
YRC has adopted a race program that allows
less conflict between racing events, more One
Design and Bluewater Offshore racing, a new
‘Estuary’ series to attract the cruising boats,
and allowing spinnakers for the first time in
the Thursday Twilight series.
Changes to the Commodore’s Cup
series will now consist of races from the
Saturday Inshore Series, the Estuary/SOPS
Series, Feature events, Wednesday Spring
and Summer Series and Thursday Twilight
Spring and Summer Series, giving everyone
a chance at this new Championship.
• Two best results from the Inshore Series
• Two best results from the Estuary/
SOPS Series
• Two best results from the following
Feature Races – Pittwater Dash
(Opening Day), Whisper Mug, Dicko
10
YA C H T S M A N R PAY C
YA C H T R A C I N G

Well done to all.
We are very proud of you!
Allen Stormon
Cup Marathon Series and Friends of
David Booth Trophy Race
• Two best results from the Wednesday
Spring Series, Wednesday Summer
Series, Thursday Twilight Spring
Series or Thursday Twilight Summer
Series.
For those that do not compete in the
Wednesday or Thursday Series, your third
best score in the Inshore and Saturday
Estuary/SOPS Series will be used. The
winner in each division will be crowned the
Club Keelboat Champion.
We have found a good balance of
events between our racing member’s
current interests, attracting new members
and providing new pathways for current
members to return to yacht racing. Part
of the reason behind the changes was
to alleviate the number of resources we
require each weekend to run our racing;
both race officers and vessels. We need
more volunteers to run yacht racing so,
YRC invite those not involved in racing
on weekends to offer their time and help
our sport from the other side, providing
assistance and race experiences to our
dedicated race teams.
YRC plan to continue to run regattas
to showcase our Club and our beautiful
Pittwater to competitors and friends, but
without denigrating member’s events. In
conjunction with the Australian 5.5 Metre
Association, the RPAYC has been awarded
the World 5.5 Metre championships to be
held in January 2020. To all our members
whom participated in putting together
the winning Australian project proposal,
your Club thanks you and looks forward
to working with you to make this event a
huge success.
I cannot thank enough the YRC
members and the Sailing Office staff for
all the efforts made to get this season up
and running. It was a team effort with
several last minute changes, due to outside
influences, but we got there.
REAR COMMODORE
I
am happy and excited to be given the
opportunity to take on the role of Rear
Commodore Activities and would like
to thank former Rear Commodore Sal
Ridulfo for the excellent and generous
work he did in the role.
The Activities Committee aims to
create an environment of comradeship at
the RPAYC through solid engagement in
activities amongst its members, in achieving
the outcomes identified in the Club’s 2016-
2020 Strategic Plan.
The Club’s 2017 sesquicentenary was
celebrated with events throughout the year,
starting with the unveiling of the beautiful
sculpture at the entrance to the Club.
Culminating in the Sesquicentenary Gala
Dinner and Garden Party, with fireworks on
15th October which was the day, 150 years
ago, that the Club was formed.
2017 was capped off with the Commodore’s
New Year’s Eve Masquerade Ball organised
by Sally Lockley.
During the year the Committee was
pleased to able to work with Club staff and
member volunteers to offer members a
variety of interesting and enjoyable activities
including those from the Speaker’s Corner
and Lunch and Bubbles programs.
Some notable Speaker’s Corner lunches
included Peter Shipway giving members a
very entertaining history of the Admiral’s
Cup; Sir James Hardy’s “Tales of wine,
sailing and high jinks” and John Bacon on his
Melbourne to Osaka race experience.
The Lunch and Bubbles committee
organised many lunch time talks including
an inspiring talk from IdS member Linda
Buchan, as well as one from Sarah Garnett,
founder of the Footpath Library, a mobile
library for homeless people. Other talks
included style consultant Jane Liddelow from
Style Makeover HQ , and Helen Maguire
from Clarity Matters giving us tips we all need
to live without clutter.
The Opening of the Sailing Season day
for 2017-2018 was a gorgeous sunny day with
over 300 guests who enjoyed the Opening
ceremonies, the Opening Day Dash, and
ACTIVITIES
lunch accompanied by live music.
On the 25 May, the annual Lighting of
the Fire had an Olympic theme with MC, Nic
Douglass from Adventures of a Sailor Girl.
Nic chaired a Pathways Panel with special
Olympic guest, Lisa Darmanin; Coaches
Tom Spithill and Traks Gordon and Olympic
campaigners, Tash Bryant and Annie Wilmot.
The Pathways Panel helped light the fire in
more ways than one by sharing their Olympic
sailing journeys through a Q&A. The highly
prized coaching skills of Tom Spithill were
auctioned off as part of the night’s fundraising
for Tash and Annie.
Other activities included the Life and
Senior Member’s lunch, Jack Gale’s memorial
service, the Volunteer’s Cocktail Party, Zonta
International Women’s Day Breakfast, the
Old Timer’s lunch, and a Vintage Car Rally
and lunch.
The Club was privileged to have a visit
from a Round the World Clipper yacht with
a presentation by the skipper, and renowned
sailor Colonel Richard Matthews.
The final Thursday Twilight race for 2017
saw the Flag Officers cooking up a storm for
the competitors and their families.
New ventures for 2018 include a family
night in Halyards on the third Friday each
month, and the Moet Melbourne Cup in
November. The committee will also focus
on IdS, the Integrated disAbled program
to promote and highlight to Club members
the great work being done now and into
the future.
The Activities Committee looks forward to
working with all areas of the Club to continue
creating an environment of comradeship as
part of the experience of being a RPAYC
Club member.
The committee would like to give special
thanks to volunteer and former committee
member Scott Dunstan who designed the
beautiful posters for each Activities event.

Excited about the
new role.
The Activities Committee
aims to create an
environment of
comradeship at the
RPAYC through solid
engagement in activities
amongst its members
across all sectors.
Julia Hornsby
R PAY C YA C H T S M A N
11