General Manager – Queensland Monthly Update October 2023

Please click this link to find a copy of all past Queensland General Managers Updates. 

General Update

This month, CEO Ben Houston visited the Queensland office and had great meetings with Clubs and various Queensland Government agencies. We said farewell to Bek Thornton from the Marketing Department. Bek was a welcome addition to the Queensland team, and we will miss her contribution for the Awards and Youth Sail events.  

Alison has been working on the QSport Award nominations, organising the next round of instructor and coach courses and planning our trip to the Fraser Coast next month to see Bundaberg Sailing Club, Maryborough Sailing Club, Hervey Bay Sailing Club and Hervey Boat Boat Club and Tin Can Bay. We look forward to getting to this region to see how the clubs are going.  

Grant was with me at Zhik Youth Sail Queensland and then did a quick turnaround to head to Townsville to do the Discover Sailing Centre Reviews and help with the Sprints. He will be in the Solomon Islands this week, helping with their sailing program. He will be collecting a lot of frequent flyer points! 

I attended the Unisport Nationals held at Southport Yacht Club, where, unfortunately, there were no Queensland uni teams. However, catching up with the Queensland and NSW Officials team was led to a great conversation about the official's space. I also attended the Qsport Leaders networking session, where we covered club development and legacy for 2032. It is always interesting to get other sports viewpoints and work together with them to find solutions for all. 

The Fixed Marks have finally been installed in Moreton Bay and Wynnum Manly Sailing Clubs’s St Helena Cup was the first event to use the new marks.  It’s been a long journey to put these in the water with many contributing to the project.  Congratulations to all! 

Queensland Yachting Championships 

The Queensland Yachting Championships were held as part of Southport Yacht Clubs Bartercard Sail Paradise 2023 at the end of September. Three days of excellent yacht racing finished with Maritimo Racing's "Maritimo 52", skippered by Michael Spies, clinching the "IRC and PHS Overall - Queensland Championships" title, edging out tough competition from the likes of Stratacare Racing Flyaway, Let's Get It On, Aramex Racing, Maritimo 54, Wedgetail, Black Diamond, GCCM Arctic Blonde, and Kerisma. 

CEO Ben Houston and I got out on the water on the last day of racing, and Ben awarded the perpetual trophies at the presentation. Thank you to SYC for your hospitality. 

You can see all the results here: https://www.topyacht.net.au/results/2023/sailparadise/  

Discover Sailing Month 

November is coming quickly, but the benefits to your club to hold a DSD are many, and the event itself can be as straightforward or festival-like as you need. You should have seen an email with links to all the marketing materials you will need. But please reach out to the team if you need any help at all. We are here to support you. 

Action Item/s for Club: 

• Commit to holding a Discover Sailing Day in November 

• Reach out to your Club Support Officer for any assistance you need 

National Optimist Championships 

In 2025, the Nationals are coming to Qld, and we couldn't be more excited. The EOI process is open for Clubs to express their interest to AIODA. Ideally, these national championships would suit clubs with Opti Fleets. If you are interested, please check out the details here: 

https://www.optimist.org.au/news/expressions-of-interest-2025-musto-australian-championship/  

Dinghy Club Support/Rescue/Coach Boats 

Thank you to all the clubs that supported Zhik Youth Sail Queensland at Keppel Bay. This truly is a Queensland event, and we could not logistically make this the biggest youth regatta nationally without coach ribs, support boats, and start boats.   

Next year's dates are 16th to 21st September. Please also consider if your club can help with volunteers, officials and coaches (must be AS Qualified). 

Thank you again to all the Keppel Bay Sailing Club crew for everything you do for this event.   

Action Item/s for Club: 

• Dinghy Clubs - commit to donating one of your ribs to this event and supporting your youth sailors to attend. 

• Yacht Clubs – Discuss with your committee and members to see if anyone can help with a Start boat (could be power or yacht). 

Game Plan for Clubs 

Game Plan is self-assessment tool for clubs and class associations to review all aspects of your organisation and provide an improvement plan with links to resources and templates. 

Game Plan is provided in partnership with the Australian Sports Commission. 

This is a great place to start if your club is looking forward to new opportunities.  It is neatly set out in areas so that one person doesn’t have to complete the whole program.   Start today: https://www.sailingresources.org.au/clubresources/governance/  

Australian Sailing Pulse Survey

Your opinion matters. The Pulse Survey is your opportunity to provide live feedback as and when you desire. The responses will be checked regularly and a summary provided direct to the AS Senior Leadership Team and Board of Directors - Complete the Survey

 

Contact

Any questions on the above topics please contact the General Manager - QLD, Annie Watson at  annie.watson@sailing.org.au 

You can find a fill list of Australian Sailing Contacts – here.