Weekly Sailing Summary

TRAGEDY AT FLINDERS ISLET

Owner/skipper Andrew Short and crew member Sally Gordon of the 80 footer PriceWaterhouseCoopers (formally Shockwave V) were swept overboard during a 92 nautical mile race from Sydney to Flinders Islet and back. The yacht ran aground on the islet early Saturday morning. Sixteen crew survived with minor injuries after swimming and walking ashore from the stricken yacht.

Short, 48, was located and pulled out of the water by crew on the yacht Quest also competing in the race. Gordon, 47, was located by the Ragamuffin crew but could not be revived. Both were members of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and were very experienced sailors. Short was the owner of Andrew Short Marine, a boat sales and marina business with facilities in Taren Point, The Spit and Yowie Bay. Police are investigating the tragedy. Go to the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia for more information.

WORLD MASTERS GAMES

Exclusion zones may be in force during the World Masters Games’ aquatic events on Sydney Harbour until Saturday 18 October. For more information on exclusion zones see Maritime NSW World Masters. For event information see the offical 2009 World Masters website.

NATIONAL TRAINING CENTRE

A National Dinghy Training Centre at Middle Harbour Yacht Club in Sydney will be provided for Australia’s leading Olympic and Paralympic class sailors. The new facility will be developed as a partnership between Yachting Australia, the Australian Institute of Sport, the Australian Sports Commission and Middle Harbour Yacht Club and be a vital tool for the Australian Sailing Team as the country’s athletes strive towards gold medals at London 2012, Rio de Janeiro 2016 and beyond. A final legal agreement between the parties will be developed over coming weeks.

The National Dinghy Training Centre will incorporate dedicated office space for coaches, a debriefing room including audiovisual equipment, dinghy storage, rigging and launching facilities, and coach boat storage and launching facilities. See the Yachting.org.au website for more.

18 FOOTERS

The 2009-2010 18ft Skiff racing season began on Sunday 11 October when the Australian 18 Footers League staged the traditional Alf Beashel Memorial Trophy race on Sydney Harbour. Smeg, skippered by Nick Press and crewed by Daniel Phillips and Jim Beck, led for most of the north east course, taking line honours by one minute, ten seconds from Bruce Savage’s Thurlow Fisher. 18 Footers.com.au.

KEEL BOAT RACING

The Wednesday Race Series conducted by the Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club on Sydney Harbour started on October 7, 2009 in four divisions. RPEYC.com.au.

MATCH RACING

British Olympic legend Ben Ainslie defeated New Zealand's latest match racing star, Adam Minoprio, in the final of the Argo Group Gold Cup for the 2009 King Edward VII Gold Cup in Bermuda. Australia’s Torvar Mirsky was defeated by Ben Ainslie in the quarter finals. See the World Match Racing Tour website for more details.

AROUND THE WORLD

Five of the ten crews in the Clipper Round the World Race are now in the southern hemisphere in Leg 2 to Rio de Janeiro. Team Finland leads the fleet and the Qingdao crew turned the Doldrums to their advantage. Spirit of Australia is in third place. Check out the Clipper Round the World website.

SAFETY CHECKS

NSW Maritime Boating Safety Officers carried out more than 1300 on-water safety checks state-wide over the long weekend as part of operation ‘Boat Safe.’ More than one hundred penalties and formal warnings were handed out with the most common offence being failure to comply with lifejacket requirements. Check out the Maritime NSW website.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Oct 17 – 18 -- Sydney Harbour Island Hopping on Saturdays and Sundays for all ages on four islands. Harbour Island Hopping.

Oct 17 – 18 – Darwin Boat Show, Darwin Convention Centre. Darwin Boat Show.

Oct 21 - 22 - Rodd Island Tea Dances, Sydney Harbour. Be transported to the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s with the New Trocadero Dance Orchestra. Harbour Island Hopping.

Oct 24  25 -- The Copper Cove Marina Festival in South Australia will combine the best products and produce from local boating, seafood and wine suppliers. Copper Cove Marina Festival.

Oct 25 - Perfect Picnic - DJ Lady Tre will set the ambient mood for an afternoon chilling on Clark Island, Sydney Harbour. Harbour Island Hopping.

Nov 1 – Try Sailing Day NSW - Sailing and yacht clubs around NSW devote their club, boats and instructors to give people of all ages, with little or no experience a chance to experience the joys of sailing for free. BIA: Try Sailing.

Nov 14 – 15 - Club Marine Sail Boat Show, Sandringham Yacht Club. Sail Boat Show.

Nov 21 – 23 -- Club Marine Boating Extravaganza, Goolwa, SA - 150 on-water sites, more than 200 hard stand sites and a number of hands-on exhibitions and demonstrations. Boating Extravaganza.

Dec 26 – Rolex Sydney Hobart Official website. 

Photograph by Andrea Francolini,