It's that time of the year again.  Victorian State Titles for all classes are being held in March.
See below for the details.

OPTIMISTS - Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron - 10-12 March, 2018.  Info and entry link via the VIODA Web Page:  http://vioda.org.au/ 

PACERS - Mt Martha Yacht Club - 10-12 March, 2018. Info and entry link via the Pacer Web Page:
 http://www.pacersailing.org.au/ 

420s - Sorrento Sailing Club (SSCBC) - 10-12 March, 2018. Info via the Victorian 420 Webpage:  http://www.aus420class.org.au/vic-regattas.html 

FLYING 15s - Cairn Curran Yacht Club (Castlemaine) - 24 & 25 March. Info via the FFIV Webpage: Click Here

DBYC's Contender fleet (...of one boat) was there competing at the recent National and World Championships at McRae.  The result was a pretty good one too. Read below to find out more.....

The Contender Worlds were held at McCrae Yacht Club from 21-25 January. There were 90 competitors from 8 countries including 6 past world champions making it the largest International Contender Championship ever held in the Southern Hemisphere.

Each day the yacht club ensured we left the beach to the blaring sounds of ACDC’s “Hells Bells” – which helped get everyone fired up focused for those exciting reaches! Race conditions were quite shifty so there was always “opportunity” to get back in the game if you had a bad leg.

Congratulations goes to Mark Bulka 1st(3 times world champion), Jason Bebe 2nd (immediate previous world champion) and Andre Bonezzi 3rd (5 times world champion) .

I managed a result of 7th overall and consider myself as fortunate as the competition was extremely fierce. I’d spent 3 months training with Mark Bulka at McCrae regularly after work with much of the focus on pure speed to ensure that we were on the pace.

Here’s a link to an article in Sail World
https://www.sail-world.com/news/201453/iSail-Whitsundays-Contender-Worlds-overall 

And there’s some great video thanks to VR Sports
https://vrsport.tv/vr-media/2018-isail-whitsundays-contender-world-champs-final-day/

The Contender class is going from strength to strength in Victoria and it’s a fantastic boat to sail that will put a huge SMILE on your face as you scream around the race course. It would be great to get a few more boats going at Davey’s Bay. The ideal sailor weight range is very broad and you can be competitive anywhere from 75kg – 100kg.

Regatta results: http://www.mccraeyc.com.au/index.php/regattas/2017-18regattaresults

DBYC Sailor Chloe Harper made the long trek over the Nullabor to compete at the recent Worlds & Nationals in Fremantle, WA

I have recently returned home from the 420 National and World Championships in Fremantle, Perth. My skipper (Lucy Gray) and I sailed for 12 days and it was very challenging. Most days were over 20 knots and the sea state was massive. We competed against 146 boats from 17 different countries. The experience proved to be a huge learning curve, and we can’t wait to use the knowledge we have accumulated on Port Phillip Bay and around the country in 2018. 

A report from Yeppoon, Queensland by our Junior Co-ordinator - Sally Radnell - who competed at the recent 2018 Sharpie Nationals

Sharpie nationals report – Sally Radnell
 
The 75th Sharpie Nationals started with a long 2,100km drive from Melbourne to Yeppoon in North Queensland. After 3 days in the car, FIGJAM Racing Team was ready to sail… except that the boat wasn’t in great condition and required a few repairs. These repairs took slightly longer than anticipated due to “Rad Robnell’s” chatty nature and meant Chloe, Dad and I left the beach only 10 minutes before racing started… 3 days in a row. Safe to say, tensions were running a little high, but nevertheless, we made it to the start line just in time.
 
The first few days of the regatta were met with windy conditions and a big swell, leaving lots of boats swimming rather than sailing. Despite a few scared remarks from Chloe as we flew (at times, literally) down the reaches, it was fantastic fun. I am proud to say that FIGJAM managed not to capsize during any of the races, however we did have a rather embarrassing one in the shallows that required lots of assistance from our fellow sailors.
 
By day 3, the wind had eased and trusty FIGJAM was holding together; no more repairs! We were finally getting on the water with plenty of time to spare. Lighter conditions also meant that the focus moved from survival sailing to race tactics. We had a few great starts and a few terrible ones, which were luckily all general recalls. There were good decisions and bad ones but overall we were getting results in the high teens and we were pretty happy sailors.
 
My highlight of the regatta was Race 6: we were in our usual position (about 20th) after the first lap but decided to go hard left (everyone else went right) and rounded the top mark in 2nd place!! We were soon overtaken by 2 other boats despite Dad waving frantically and yelling, “Harry! Harry! Look we’re coming SECOND!” We managed to hold our position down the reaches but were caught by two more boats while beating to the finish – 6th is still a record result for Team FIGJAM!
 
As well as the sailing, Sharpies are renowned for their social calendar and this National Carnival was no exception. With Welcome Night, States Night and Presentation being the official events for the regatta, New Years Eve and the two lay days were also enjoyed by sailors and families alike. Boats were auctioned off in the Calcutta at Welcome Night; matching team uniforms were displayed at States Night; everyone washed off the sunscreen and scrubbed up for Presentation; many beers were chugged and “Eagle Rock” was played on numerous occasions. Unfortunately, Chloe and I spent New Years Eve in bed with food poisoning… although I hear it was a fun night for everyone else.
 
Just when you thought we’d all be sick of boats, a group of us decided to charter a catamaran to sail out to North Keppel Island on the lay day. Our hosts were incredible, providing a full “surf and turf” lunch, snorkeling gear and a tiny RIB to take over to the island. We spent the day swimming, snorkeling, relaxing and eating and although it was an overcast day, there were some pretty impressive tan lines on display after.  
 
Going away to National Championships each year is special for any sailor. You get to learn new skills, visit exciting places and catch up with friends that are sometimes only seen once a year. The Yeppoon Nationals was an amazing experience that ticked all the boxes and was a trip down memory lane for many sailors who competed there 24 years ago. Bring on the 76th Sharpie Nationals in Adelaide!
 
 
Link to results: http://sailingresults.kbsc.com.au/results/2017_18/Events/sharpies/SharpieNats/series.htm

It's Back!  The beloved DBYC Friday Night Dinner has returned and its going to be Parmageddon!
Book now at www.trybooking.com/330855
Bookings must be in by 10:00pm on Thursday night (16/11)

Here's the deal....
A parma with beer batter chips and salad for $15. You get a million dollar sunset view and you can BYO all your drinks or bu them at Club Prices if you prefer.  Good luck getting that package at the local pub!
So come on down and enjoy your club.
As an added bonus, if enough boats enter there will also be the running of the first ever "Wooley's Dash" for Optis, starting off the pier at 6:30pm.

The 2017 iSail Lidgett trophy will be the last ever in its current format.  In a message to members, Commodore Peter Manger explained how the club has decided to hold one more iSail Lidgett Trophy in order to have this excellent event finish at the peak of it's success.  Demand for places will definitely be high and Junior sailors can access the entry page and links by CLICKING HERE.  The message sent to DBYC members is available for viewing HERE

Friday 27 January sees the return of the DBYC Junior Formal Dinner. Long table dinner followed by a movie. DBYC kids of all ages catered for. 5 - 13 year olds from 5:30 and 13+ years from 7:30pm. Only $10 per head.
RSVP by contacting Jeni on 0419 112 100 or on the Club's Kitchen whiteboard.

Bookings for the 2016/7 DBYC Tackers Program are now open.  Every level catered for from first-timers to advanced racers for Junior and Youth sailors from ages 8 upwards.  Get your kids into a great active sport out on our beautiful bay.
Pre-Christmas program over 7 Sundays from 6th November to 18th December plus a 4-Day Intensive program from 25-28 January 2017.  Special package discount is available for booking onto both programs.

Congratulations to all our junior sailors who have participated in the Learn to Race coaching over the last 4 weeks at DBYC. Many of these sailors have also competed in the iSail Lidgett Trophy and Schnapper Point Regatta. Some are also looking forward to the Optimist State Titles this weekend at Sandringham. Good luck to everyone who is participating this weekend and remember to have fun, learn lots and meet new people.

Find all the information about the Optimist State titles this long weekend here: http://www.vioda.org.au/vic-states.html