Club in Focus – Port Dalrymple Yacht Club
Founded in 1952 in Northern Tasmania, located on the banks of ‘Kanamaluka’, the beautiful Tamar River, is the Port Dalrymple Yacht Club (PDYC). Club facilities include one of the few haul out facilities on the Tamar estuary where you can sail a wide range of yachts, boats and dinghies.
PDYC is a predominantly volunteer run club with a strong all hands-on deck approach from its members. Built from the ground up, the hard work and dedication of their volunteers has led them to where they are today. Through the use of their volunteers’ skills and knowledge, close to 90% of their onshore and over-water facilities were created and have continued to grow.
The professionalism of their race administration team is well respected around Tasmania as they are often selected to host State and National Championships. PDYC was the 1st Tasmanian Club to host a World Championship (for the B14 Class) outside of Metropolitan Hobart and has also been the foundation and host club for the Australian Three Peaks Race for the first 25 years.
Club House during B14 World Championship
Club Membership
PDYC has 282 members with a strong volunteer culture where their volunteers work very hard to deliver a full program of events. The Club has started to invest heavily in their youth and are seeing a steady rise in their junior members with a number competing in various races and championships. The quality of their instructors are second to none, with both Greg Rowsell and Magnus McIndoe winning ‘Instructor of the Year’ in 2019 and 2022, suggesting with their guidance the youth base has a bright future ahead with significant room for further growth and success.
The club was once home to Olympic Gold Medallist Mark Turnbull OAM, who was inducted into Australian Sailing’s Hall of Fame last year for his achievements in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and is also home to Tasmania’s Hall of Fame member and PDYC Life Member Nick Edmunds. Nick is a regular offshore competitor and has competed in over 10 West Coasters and has been involved in 21 Australian Three Peaks Races, both as a competitor and administrator.
Club House
Classes supported and types of Sailing
OTB including:
- Sabots
- Sabre
- NS14
- B14
Keelboats & Trailerables including:
- SB20’s
- E5.9s
Events including:
- Club championships
- Offshore
- Twilights
- Short-handed
- Long trophy races
Inshore Championship
Programs offered
PDYC has started investing in their youth and junior training with strong Tackers programs, start racing, power boat handling training and ‘new sailors’ events. Over the past three years the club has rebuilt their Discover Sailing Centre (DSC) program, with a new focus on the youth leading the youth. They are very proud of the program for the development of their youth with 8 new sailors progressing to compete in their first National Sabot Championship at the club just last year.
Developments for a Keelboat program are also underway as they are currently taking steps to provide start crewing and start helming for Keelboat’s in the coming season. This aids in their mission to include more women in sailing but also helps facilitate a return to sailing for previous sailors. The annual ‘Women on Water’ day is always a great success where sailors celebrate female athletes and encourage women to take part in the sport. It concludes with an informal ‘Sailors Cocktail Party’ where all participants share their reflections and aspirations and hear about all of the up-and-coming opportunities that are available.
Additionally, in 2022, the launch of their series of races ‘Try Sailing’ was successful in engaging the local community with over 50 first time sailors taking part.
Key Club Events
The club hosts four signature events including:
- The Shakedown Passage Race Series – The pre-season warm up for Keelboats and Trailables
- The Midweek Series – Wednesday Twilight racing which attracts the largest regular fleet of Keelboats and Trailables in the north of the state
- The Northern Inshore Championship Regatta – A 2-day regatta usually in November providing up to 7 races on windward return or triangle championship courses for Keelboats and Trailables
- The Annual Blockbuster Regatta – Tasmania’s oldest and largest 2-day annual regatta for OTB classes. This regatta regularly hosts fleets of 60+ boats and was born from the Club arranging for Mark Turnbull and Nick Partridge’s return to Tasmania at the start of their 49er Olympic campaign
Annual Blockbuster Regatta
Recent Challenges & Successes
PDYC is no stranger to the elements having experienced devastating storm damage, forcing them to completely rebuild their over-water infrastructure. However, with 3 years of dedication and hard work their volunteers tackled this issue and, with financial assistance from the local Council and Government, the big task was completed and their infrastructure was restored.
This willingness and commitment of the volunteers at the club also made the total replacement of their main jetty and four pontoons possible, with over 1,800 volunteered hours given from the members. The club believed this project to be an impossible dream, having dealt with their previous 60-year-old jetty burdening their finances for over 20 years, but with the hard work of its members along with the support of their community, local businesses, Council and Government the project was successfully accomplished.
The jetty and pontoon works are some of the largest infrastructure projects the Club has ever undertaken. These huge volunteer driven projects partly led to PDYC deservedly winning Tasmanian Club of the Year in 2018. It is clear to see that with strong community ties alongside the dedication of its members will continue to carry the PDYC through any obstacles they may face.
Club Jetty
Commodore – Barrie McIndoe
