“For the fostering, encouragement, promotion, teaching and above all enjoyment of sailing on the waters of Pittwater.”

From the Tiller:

October and November were busy months for regattas with one F11, two Open Skiff and the Spiral regatta hosted at Avalon Sailing Club last weekend. The Couta fleet also had a very successful three-day series of regattas on Sydney harbour.

The weekends have been very windy at times with Gold Centreboard racing having to be cancelled, while some of our yacht racing fleet have challenged themselves to race in 25+ knot winds. 

The Cruising division have just completed their Hallets Beach Xmas cruise.

Our learn to sail/racing program has a break from 16 December to January 5 (for the Yachts) and to January 26 (Australia day regatta) for Centreboard.

We will have a sailing camp on 20/21/22 January which is a great opportunity for kids already sailing to improve their skills, but also for their friends to give sailing a try at Avalon. The course will have a stream for absolute beginners and one for those improving their skills. Absolute beginners who enjoy the camp can normally join our Sunday program for the 2nd half of the year. Register via our events page.

We look forward to seeing everyone on the rigging deck at our Christmas party on Saturday 21 December from 4pm, bar open, BYO food.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy and take care of our beautiful facilities on Pittwater.

Helena van de Linde

Commodore

Dates for your diary

21 Dec Xmas deck party

27 Dec to 10 Jan – 11 Day cruise Newcastle/Port Stephens

 5 January Two Island Race series WPYC 12pm

12 January Quartet Bowl 4

19 January Blue Water Shield 2

20-22 January Sailing Camp

26 January Australia Day Regatta

 2 February – regular sailing program (Blue/Red/Gold) + Avalon Series 5

8-9 February - Challenger Head Cruise

Other events

7-8 December Open Skiff Manly Cup

27-30 December MJ Nationals BYRA

8-11 January Open Skiff Nationals  Mordialloc Sailing Club, Aspendale, Victoria

11 January Spiral Travellers Trophy Nowra Marathon

14-19 January F11 Nationals St George Sailing Club

22-23 February F11 NSW State Round 2 Belmont 16ft Skiff Club

25-27 January Spirals Nationals Saratoga Sailing Club

Centreboard Regattas

Flying 11

F11 Emma T and Freddie A sailed amongst 40 starters in R1 of the F11 NSW titles at Middle Harbour Yacht club in very strong winds on 9-10 November. (Zephyr 1388)

Open Skiff

Speers Point regatta 26 October was attended by Emma T (3rd place), Seb C, Neve Q, Charlie Q ,Oliver L. 

Mannering Park Dolphin Chaser 16-17 November was attended by Freddie A, Emma T (2nd place), Charlie Q, Oliver L, Seb C, Louisa J  and Neve Q

Both the Open Skiff and F11 fleets have had training on Saturday afternoons to get them race ready.

Spiral NSW State titles

Avalon Sailing Club proudly hosted the 2024 Spiral State Championships over the weekend of 23/34 November. Spirals have been sailed continuously at ASC for 33 years making it one of our most successful classes. Backed by a very active class association, Spirals continue to grow, being sailed in large numbers, mainly at Concord/Ryde Sailing Club and on Lake Illawarra.

Thirty competitors registered for the ASC regatta with nine being from ASC, including two of our Open Skiff juniors that had not sailed a Spiral before. Six races were held over a range of conditions from 5 knots at the start of the Sunday morning session to 20 Knots+ on Saturday.

Racing was expertly managed by Kingsley and his team of helpers. In fact, the amount of members that turned up to help this regatta run, from boat carrying through to catering and on water support, was astounding and illustrates what is so special about Avalon. Regattas in a club like ours cannot run without this support and it was greatly appreciated by all sailors.

Racing achieved a couple of firsts for Spirals, notwithstanding that they have always been a family class. Jeff Conly led around all marks on the high wind race 2 only to be pipped at the last mark by his son, Shane, leading to a 1-2 family finish.  This achievement only lasted a day however with the Franklin family from Concord Ryde making it a 1-2-3 on the Sunday morning!  Of interest, the age range for this regatta ranged from 12 through to 77 showcasing the enduring nature of the never ending Spiral.

Avalon sailors had a very successful regatta;

Commodore Helena - 3rd Ladies division.

Oliver L 1st Juniors division

Markus C 2nd Juniors division

Jeff C 3rd Masters division and 2nd on handicap

Aran W 3rd on Handicap

Shane C 1st in the Senior division and the overall regatta winner.

A highlight of this regatta was a professional video being produced by member Bruce Walters which showcases the racing and the beautiful area that we sail in. 

Kingsley captured all the starts, which are on the club’s youTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@ascadmin/videos

Thank you so much to all the volunteers that stepped up to make this regatta a success. Also our amazing Response Crew who tirelessly carried boats up and down stairs all weekend. The feedback received from visiting sailors is that we are so very lucky to have such an engaged membership. 

Don't miss Bruce's timelapse of the rigging deck: SPIRALS_TL.mp4 - SPIRALS_TL - Frame.io

Yacht Racing

The month of November has seen some great racing in strong winds, with the fleet experiencing 20kts on most Sundays with gusts in the high twenties on a couple of occasions.

Pirihi took the honours from Papillon in the retriever, and is leading Papillon and then Heaven in the series.

It was Papillon taking the win in the two Island race, sailed with Woody Point, from Kookaburra and Just Magic II. With only 2 points separating the top 4 it’s anybody’s to win from here with Beau Soleil leading Kookaburra, Just Magic II and Papillon.

The Blue Water Shield was moved inshore due to a gale warning offshore with an outgoing tide. Only the one race has been completed so far with Pirihi leading Addiction and Kookaburra.

November has been a purple patch for Papillon also winning the Avalon Series from Pirihi and Kookaburra. With 3 races completed Kookaburra leads the series from Pirihi and Papillon.  

And finally last Sunday’s Quartet Bowl was even more eventful than usual. It all started with the forecast 5-10 Knot NNEer, but with big storm cells offshore and around Sydney, it went East, and kept rotating such that most boats finished in a dying Southerly. Panchax read the shifts better than anyone and won the race ahead of the two Etchells; Wimmera and Resurgent. The breeze died off so much that the last 3 boats finished 1.5 hours behind Panchax ! After 3 races it’s Kookaburra & Pirihi tied on 11 points, followed by Panchax & Resurgent tied on 15.  

We are seeing really good participation and tight racing this season in the yacht fleet with up to 14 boats registered for some of the races. All the results are on our website: https://www.revolutionise.com.au/avalonsailingclub/yachts/yacht-racing-results

NEW: Crew & Boat finder

Our website now has a Crew and Boat finder under the Yachts tab. https://www.revolutionise.com.au/avalonsailingclub/yachts/crew-boat-finder

We recommend using the MySail application to create your crew or boat profile. Once you've created a profile and signed up for a fee, you will appear in one of the searches above. Skippers can also use the App to manage crew, schedule races and various other functions.

Create a profile via the MySail website: https://app.mysail.team/account/register

Cruising

On 23/24 November our Cruising division made the most of a stellar weekend to head up to Hallets Beach, near Cowan Creek. There were two boats: Bellamy and Myuna. Saturday was a relaxing and lovely evening and we spent most of Sunday on the beach and having a swim.  

We are looking forward to the Cruise North, departing on 27 December. We return on 10 January. Itinerary is flexible and weather dependent as these things always are. Newcastle is on the agenda and Pt Stephens is a possibility.  David B will be sending out an email soon. 

ASC Boats Dominate Sydney Harbour Couta Series

·       18 October Thistle Cup

·       19 October Muriel Trophy

·       20 October Sun Gaffers day

Three ASC Couta Boats (Cariad, Sylvia and Tenacity) set sail from Avalon Sailing Club early in the morning of Thursday 17 October. We were treated to the sight and sounds of whales and playful dolphins on our journey to Sydney Harbour. Around 1pm we arrived at our moorings at the Green Shed near the Mosman Rowers ready for a weekend of racing.

Friday, the Thistle cup regatta, hosted by Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club (RPEYC) Point Piper, consisted of three short windward / leeward races on the harbour in varying conditions. Cariad was awarded the Thistle Cup at the RPEYC race presentation that afternoon.

Saturday, the Muriel Trophy, hosted by the Sydney Amateur Sailing  Club at Kirribilli consisted of one long race around the harbour. Cariad won this two hour race by over a minute.

Sunday, Gaffers Day, also hosted by Sydney Amateur Sailing Club, saw a strong wind warning for enclosed waters. All six Coutas finished the race with Sylvia 2nd and Cariad 3rd.

Cariad won both the scratch and PHS for the five races overall. Sylvia was placed 2nd and Tenacity 4th on scratch.

This three-day Couta regatta was an amazing experience for all sailors. We had light wind, a strong wind warning, sunshine and rain as well as whales and dolphins. We were grateful for the warm welcome offered by RPEYC and SASC and are looking forward to defending the trophies won by ASC in a rematch in 2025.

Rack building and Audits, Motor Audit

Ian C, Ralf M and Garry O managed to build a few more racks, just in the nick of time for moving some of our outside boats inside for the Spiral regatta. There has been some rearranging of the boats to make them fit. We will finalise our rack audit this month.

We’ll also have an outboard motor audit to make sure we are not storing outboards for non-financial members. If you have an outboard please label it with your name. Any outboards that are not labelled will be moved to a good home in early 2025.

Keeping the club clean

When we were preparing for the Spiral regatta we had to clear a lot of dumped sailing equipment which should never be left at the club. This includes bulky hardware such as batteries, EPIRB, used sump oil and fire extinguishers, most of which needs to be disposed of properly. It is never OK to leave any equipment or rubbish at the club, and particularly disrespectful to dump used oil, fire extinguishers and rubbish expecting our volunteers to dispose of this on your behalf !

If you have equipment that you’d like to give away or donate to the club or members - please contact the commodore. Do not assume that leaving it at the club with a note is OK - mostly this stuff ends up at the tip.

All boats (dinghies, centreboards and tenders) and sailing equipment must be stored in a rack (inside or out the back) which will be approved and allocated by the rack manager. Generally speaking we only accept the centreboard classes sailed at Avalon to be stored in internal racks. Deck storage is only given to a limited number of boats.

Tenders and other equipment must never be left on the deck or on the floor of the club. Tenders, kayaks, paddle boards and the like often wash up on our beach. Sometimes they are placed on the deck for the owner to claim. After a while they’ll be classified as abandoned. So don’t leave your stuff lying around if you don’t want others to assume it’s abandoned. 

Rack and storage policies are listed on our website: https://www.revolutionise.com.au/avalonsailingclub/members/code-of-conduct 

Marine Life around the Club

Wednesday 30 October some of our Woody Point yacht participants spotted a very ill looking Sea Turtle at the Beach next to the club. We called WIRES and Tom Borg McGee (an Avalon Wires volunteer) took it to Taronga Zoo vet clinic. He commented that sea turtles are often emaciated and they fill up with plastic garbage or fishing related garbage which can puncture their intestines. He said it was a beautiful larger turtle and hopes it survives.

Replica Rudder boat returned to Rudder family

Some time ago the Rudder family donated a replica of the original Rudder boat which used to support sailors in the early days of the club’s history.

We had this replica suspended from the rafters. Last year the Maritime Museum asked the club if we wanted the original Rudder dinghy. Garry O and Ian C picked that up, so we ended up with two very similar row boats, with the replica taking up room on our balcony.

We contacted the Rudder family to see if they wanted their replica back, and recently (16 November), Astrid Rudder came to pick it up so it has gone back to a good home. Here are some photos of Astrid rowing the boat when she was young and more recently picking it up from the club with the assistance of Garry O, Jeff C, James G, Jim F.

Coaching & learning at Avalon Sailing Club  

The learn to sail program is key to our club. We have always been able to source our junior instructors from our own learn to sail groups. We’ve got a fresh crop of young budding instructors (Ollie L, Marcus C, Charlie Q, Dylan Z) supporting our Senior instructors Rose C and Sabine W with Byron T. Our senior instructors have also been having some great adventures overseas.

Sabine W is now working in the UK after participating in the 70s regatta in Vilamoura Portugal in September: https://konzeptwerft.smugmug.com/SAILINGChampionsLeague/2024/04-Finale-Vilamoura-26-29-September/SCL-CLUBS/Low-Res-

Rose C came first in Hobie 18s in the USA https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=Hobie18catamaran&set=a.944988187667921

Kingsley FS has been coaching our Open Skiff and F11s on Saturday afternoons throughout October and early November to make them match fit for regattas. He has also been leading our adult learn to sail programs throughout October and November. 

Thanks also to Chris Z, Hugh S, response crew, parents & other members for stepping in and helping with the programs, it really does feel like an extended family.

We have a summer sailing camp planned on 20-22 January. https://www.revolutionise.com.au/avalonsailingclub/events/267145

Adventures on the Southern Cloud

Most members would have seen the 45m, 3 masted sailing vessel, “Southern Cloud” in and around Pittwater over the last few summers. A number of former Avalon youth sailors have been working on her, and sister ship “Feldor” including Harry Parker (now Feldor’s Skipper), Finn Moller and Remmy Howell. All three were part of the crew on a 6 month journey that started with a trip up to Brisbane where the boat was lifted out of the water for a major overhaul, before sailing her up to the Whitsundays, and then across the Pacific via Vanuatu for a couple of months cruising around Fiji. A fabulous experience for all three showing where learning to sail as kids at Avalon can take you in the world !

Avalon Sailing Club’s Attrill family took over in Fiji to bring the boat back to Sydney, whilst the three youngsters opted to fly home. The Atrills were very fortunate to enjoy some champagne sailing on the journey home under full sail on a magical ocean.

Glenn provides the following “Captain’s Log”:

From Fiji to Pittwater (via paTonga)

In November Anja and I were asked if we would be able to assist with delivering the 45m three masted motor sailer ‘Southern Cloud’ from Fiji back to Pittwater. It was a particularly interesting assignment for Anja as the vessel was, somewhat unbelievably, built and launched as ‘Animos’ in her seaside home village of Skaerbeak on the Kolding Fjord in southern Denmark between 1986 and 1990. Even more curiously, Anja’s boss of some fifteen years in Sydney had worked on the fit out of Animos during that period before emigrating to Australia and after some considerable business success became one of the part owners of the now renamed and restored ‘Southern Cloud’. (She no longer has a holding in the vessel). 

Anja’s parents were somewhat incredulous and no doubt very proud to show off photos and details around the Skaerbeak waterfront community of their beautiful daughter on board the now 35 year old sailing ship crossing the Coral and Tasman Seas. 

Southern Cloud has a considerable Pittwater connection as some of the younger crew members such as Finn, Harry & Remy have passed through the junior ranks of the Avalon Sailing Club. She spends quite a proportion of her time on her summer base at Sandy Point where many of you will have no doubt seen her moored. 

The boat was in Fiji for a period of around three months for her owner’s family and friends to do some holidaying and exploring around the outer islands. She had delivered out to Fiji following an intensive three month refit period in Brisbane. By all accounts the delivery from Brisbane to Fiji was a good one to miss as they were beset with a combination of bad weather, engineering issues and a tight delivery deadline all whilst towing a large Grady White ‘Tender’ on a long line astern of the mother ship. 

Anja and I joined the boat in Port Denarau Marina not far from Nadi airport after a relaxing few days in a beach hotel on the main island of Viti Levu. The yacht’s crew were utterly exhausted having only just offloaded the last parcel of ‘owner’s guests’ before needing to get their ship turned around and ready for sea in a two day window. Full bunkers were taken on, charter toys and ancillary equipment stowed or offloaded and, thankfully, the decision was made to leave the very large ‘tender’ shrink wrapped and preserved in Port Denarau (rather than towing it back to Sydney). 

Eventually we cleared Fijian Customs and departed around mid-day on the 30th October. We made a brief “swim stop” off the islands of Tavarua and Namotu (not far from the famed ‘Cloudbreak’ surfing location) before heading offshore with a waypoint at Lord Howe Island. 

A good lesson in passage planning and watchkeeping for some of the less experienced navigators on board when we passed some volcanic islands at the southern end of the subsea ridge that connects Vanuatu to the Fijian Islands. The course line plotted on the electronic chart plotter went straight over an active volcano!! (Matthew Island) which, although reasonably large (177m above MSL) in reality, barely shows as a feature on the zoomed out ENC. Always – check your plotted course corridors on the largest scale chart available. Some of you may recall a Volvo Ocean Racer ‘Vestas Wind’ in 2014 that was lost on a sizeable reef in the Indian Ocean that didn’t appear on the zoomed out ENC – despite a fully professional crew on board. Watch this youTube clip for a summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyVFWwRsV2s

For insurance reasons the Captain needed to get as far south as possible as quickly as possible as cyclone season commences on the 1st November and the vessel was effectively uninsured until she reached a latitude of 26 degrees south.

We were extremely fortunate to have a ‘milk run’ with either light or moderate winds abaft the beam for the run down to Lord Howe Island easy passage making miles. Southern Cloud is a motor sailer – not a sailing boat. We motored all the way and put sails up during the day to provide a little extra push.

It was so calm one day that we made a mid ocean swim stop. Always pretty amazing to jump in the ocean in pelagic depths, in this case ~3500m! It’s also always noticeable how nobody ever swims very far away from the mothership when swimming in the ocean 😉

After five easy days at sea we made landfall at Lord Howe Island but, just as we were planning a dinner ashore and a dive at Ball’s Pyramid the following morning, our friends at Customs (ABF) decided to renege on our approval to make a ‘technical stop’ so we turned right and headed for the last 410nm to Sydney Harbour.

Flying the Q flag we berthed at the ABF clearing dock at Neutral Bay (the boat’s three masts being too high to get under the ANZAC bridge and into Blackwattle Bay). Anja stepped off and thumbed a ride on the B’Line to get home to see our boys whilst I stayed on board for a pleasant afternoon motor up to Broken Bay. 

As the tide was insufficient for us to get into Pittwater until the following day we anchored off the Patonga Beach Hotel and launched the crew tender to go ashore for much appreciated cold beer or three and a slap up meal. 

We waited until 11:00 the following day for the tide and got the good ship into Pittwater sneaking along the ‘gutter’ off Mackerel Beach with less than 0.1m beneath the keel. Docked at RMYC at Newport where I was lucky to be able to bum a lift home to Avalon with Finn Moller who had come down with two of the girls who had worked on board in Fiji as a welcoming party – complete with Maccas and Oliver’s Pies. 

A great trip!

Glenn Atrill

Oyster scraper 

One of our response crew Ned M designed an oyster scraper to remove oysters from our piers. He used this to clean the borders of our floating pontoon early in the season and protect our red rib and yachts who use the pontoon. Perhaps if you are fortunate to live on the water you might commission him to make one for you.

Pontoon bridge maintenance and deck hoist maintenance

The two piers that held the bridge to our pontoon in place were in danger of collapsing, having worn through to a very thin diameter. Larry E organised Estuary Constructions to remove them and fix the bridge to the rigging deck via galvanised L-shaped brackets. The crane we use to lower our tenders and support boats has been fitted with a new motor, arranged by Jeff C.