Club in Focus: Mounts Bay Sailing Club (MBSC)
Western Australia’s Mounts Bay Sailing Club (MBSC) affectionately called “The Bay” by its members is located on the banks of the beautiful Swan River in Crawley Perth.
Established in 1897 MBSC has just celebrated its 125th sailing season! The summer sailing season of 2022 marked 125 years of “Bringing people together on and off the water” at the club.
The club boasts a rich history in dinghy sailing and is dedicated to promoting the sport to people in all walks of life. With no regard for exclusivity or exclusion, MBSC welcomes new members all year round and loves to share their passion for sailing at every opportunity.
MBSC is an accredited Discover Sailing Centre that regularly runs learn to sail programs for juniors and adults as well as Learn to Windsurf courses. They are also actively pursuing school sailing initiatives brining sailing to the general public in a fun, relaxed and confident manner.
As a volunteer-based community, MBSC relies on its members support at every turn. They put particular focus on ensuring volunteers are kept engaged and up skilled as opportunities arise to progress their involvement and ultimately their skill set for both their own personal development and that of the sailing fraternity in WA.
MBSC are very much a family orientated club that embraces all skill levels of sailing. With a united love of the water and the sport of sailing and embrace the wonderful characters that make up the Club. MBSC commit to having fun, being inclusive and ensuring people are attracted and retained as part of their community.
Membership:
MBSC currently has 350 members. 150 of those are full ordinary members and the remaining 200 are made up of social, junior and intermediate membership status. The club has a gender balanced management team consisting of 3 females and 4 males. Their membership is impressively also female diverse with it currently sitting at a 40% female and 60% male ratio. A few notable past and current members include: Richard Court, Kevin Owens OM, Jack Mitchell, Jack Cassidy, Jack Norris, Peter Chappell, Denise Jones, David Mann, Steven Thomas, Tom Johnson, Luke Parkinson, Ash Gabrielson and John Illett (founder of the foiling moth technology).
Classes supported and types of sailing:
Sailing at all levels is the clubs primary focus with emphasis placed on dinghy sailing.
Active classes currently sailed from MBSC consist of Optimists, Mudlarks, O’pen Skiffs, Flying Ants, 420’s, Tasars, GP14’s, Moths, Sharpies and Windsurfers as part of their Sunday fleet racing series. This is complimented by their Cruiser division who enjoy their Friday night Twilight Series that runs throughout Summer.
MBSC’s junior Learning and Development program is enjoying a resurgence in numbers that can be wholly contributed to an incredibly passionate Learning and Development Co-Ordinator supported by all members and the management team of the Club. Investing in the Club’s future sailors is the mantra as a community.
In addition to their superb sailing facilities, MBSC are also privileged to host a jetty complex consisting of 62 Pens' that is home to Cruisers and Power Boats utilized for leisure on Perth’s wonderful Swan River.
MBSC prides itself on being a dinghy focused club that are experts in successfully hosting world class regattas for a wide range of classes.
Key club events for the upcoming season include:
• West Sail and Youth State Championships and Coaching Clinic – 24th – 29th September 2022
• Opening Day – Saturday 1st October 2022
• Past Champions Day – Sunday 4th December 2022
• Swan River Festival of Sailing – 30th December 2022 – 2nd January 2023
• Valentines Cup – Sunday 12th February 2023
• 3 of a Kind and Cock of the Swan – Sunday 19th March 2023
• Windsurfer Class World Championships – 27th December 2023 – 3rd January 2024
During its history MBSC has hosted an impressive 48 National Championships and 6 World Titles!
One of the clubs biggest recent success stories was hosting the Moth World Championships in December 2019, showcasing the Swan River and Perth City on the World Stage. The collaboration between clubs leading into the event ensured their humble volunteer-based Club had access to the mammoth on water infrastructure required to deliver a very memorable and successful regatta for competitors and volunteers on and off the water.
MBSC like many other clubs has had aging infrastructure issues providing challenges. MBSC’s jetty complex is at final stages of a $250,000 upgrade of walkways and pilons that were long overdue. The technicalities of the required works have been overwhelming at times to say the least. A dedicated Pen Renewal Committee was formed that allowed the club management team or Board of Directors the opportunity to be guided through the technicalities and funding needs of the project, without requiring them to be solely focused on this project. Key members were approached and supported the committee initiative and have collaborated very successfully to have MBSC looking forward to the final works in progress.
Accessibility for all is another key project that has MBSC’s attention and focus. They have recently engaged a builder and access consultant to guide the club through building upgrades that will ensure they are future proofing MBSC for many years to come.
Strategic direction and what MBSC looks like in 2050 and the paths to take to get there is also the 1st agenda item at their monthly meetings. A dedicated time for discussions and shaping of those outcomes will provide a very valuable Master Plan for the club for future years.
MBSC is more than just a sporting club – it’s been a cornerstone of the local community since the very beginning. Social members, families and guests are always welcome to enjoy Perth’s most spectacular river views and their award-winning hospitality.
Current Commodore: Fiona Davidson appointed 2021 who is also MBSC’s first female Commodore.
