General Manager - Queensland Monthly Update October/November 2024
The latest updates from Australian Sailing's General Manager – Queensland – Annie Watson
Please click this link to find a copy of all past Queensland General Managers Updates.
General Update
The Yachting Queensland Board has now completed its due diligence and is in favour of Yachting Queensland Limited transitioning to an RAC and will be asking Yachting Queensland Members to vote on this important decision at a Special General Meeting on Tuesday 19th November. The Annual General Meeting will follow the SGM on the same evening. All members should have received the documents for both meetings. Please ensure you complete any forms that your club requires by the deadline dates. We look forward to seeing you in person at the meeting.
What a great night we all had at the Queensland Sailing Awards and a huge congratulations to all our winners. You can read all about it here: https://www.sailing.org.au/news/queensland-award-winners-for-2024 Queensland also had a good showing in the finalist list for the Australian Sailing Awards https://www.sailing.org.au/news/national-finalists-announced-for-2024-australian-sailing-awards with winners to be announced on the 1st November in Sydney. Congratulations to our national finalists and we wish them all the best: Brei Whitehead – Female Sailor of the Year, Emily Vivian – Instructor of the Year, Sophie Baynton – She Sails Award, Roger & Annette Wadley – Volunteer of the Year, David Brookes – Official of the Year, Rafael Trujillo – Coach of the Year.
The Queensland Yachting Championships were held on the Kings Birthday long weekend at Southport Yacht Club as part of Sail Paradise. It was a great weekend of racing (and whale and dolphin watching) with the winners crowned. Congratulations to skipper Glenn Burrell and his crew on Black Diamond for the IRC win and to skipper Steve Curtis and his crew on Aramax for the PHS Win. You can see all the results here: https://sailparadise.com.au/race-results/
During this period, I have been working with MSQ regarding Aquatic Permits and how we can move forward with easier processes and earlier this month I attended the ASC Play Well roadshow that was all about creating and implementing Australia’s first National Participation Strategy. My key takeaways from the workshop was how critical data is and that the ASC Game Plan will be the preferred platform; that the changing face of Australia is a an opportunity for all our clubs: There are more Aussies over 55 years old than under 25 years old and finally offering more options to play their way eg sign up for a season and come when you can or adding e-sailing or radio controlled sailing options that will appeal to different people. We are all in this together and if your club is doing something different and it is having an impact on retention or participant experience I would love to hear about it.
In July, Australian Sailing announced the “Host an Olympian Competition” and how awesome for Queensland, Townsville Sailing Club was the winner of the Grand Prize! We are working with them to organise the visit next month. I’m sure you will see all the action on their social channels.
We are pleased to announce that Paradise Point Sailing Club is now a Discover Sailing Centre and will be running the Powerboat Programs, so if you have members who need to do the Powerboat Handling or Safety Boat Operator Courses, please reach out to John or Charlie at PPSC.
Grant and Alison have been busy over the past two months. Alison is working on the Officials Development project and we have started to get our identified officials at the right events to get them assessed and with the right amount of experience to get qualified. If you have any officials interested in continuing their education to a higher level, please contact Alison for more information.
Grant was at Youth Sail Queensland and has just come back from a trip to North Queensland to help Cairns Yacht Club finalise moving all their club activities into RevSport, deliver the Wadley’s Queensland Sailing Award Trophy, visit with the new committee at Port Douglas Yacht Club and to support Mission Beach Sailing Club with their Annual Regatta. It was lovely to get feedback about how much they appreciated his visit.
Queensland Event Calendar
I’ve noticed that there aren’t many events in the Queensland Event Calendar for 2025 and I’m sure you will still be running them. So, just a little reminder to check that your upcoming special events are in the Queensland Event Calendar for the new season.
This calendar is driven by you, and for you, so please take the time to check the calendar and make any adjustments as necessary. By adding your event to the calendar it will also stop the possibility of events clashing in your region.
If you have misplaced the calendar link so that you can add your events, please get in touch.
Action Item/s for Club: Add your special events to the Queensland Event Calendar https://www.sailing.org.au/qld/qld-events-calendar/
Zhik Youth Sail 2024
Another successful and record-breaking year! 283 juniors and youth participated in the three-day coaching clinic and 3 day championships. Looking at the stats from the event, 1 in every 18 Queensland junior in youth sailors attended the event. AS and Keppel Bay Sailing Club must be doing something right! We love an Olympic Year and this time did not disappoint. We had Olympic Silver Medalist Grae Morris and Olympian Brei Whitehead attend the event with their coaches Arthur Brett and Shane Smith. The Q & A Session on Tuesday night was just brilliant with 350 sailors and parents attending. The Olympians and Olympic Coaches, signed posters, shirts and hats and one lucky green fleeter got to wear Grae’s medal on stage! From our feedback, the pineapple shirts and fresh pineapples at presentation were a huge hit.
Enormous gratitude goes to all the clubs and class associations that help support the event with Race Management personnel, ribs, volunteers, charter boats and supporting your juniors and youth to attend. In particular we would like to thank:
Townsville Sailing Club, Port Denison Sailing Club, Whitsunday Sailing Club, Port Curtis Sailing Club, Hervey Bay Sailing Club, Humpybong Yacht Club, Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, Southport Yacht Club, Paradise Point Sailing Club and Capricornia Cruising Yacht Club. South Queensland Sabot Association, QIODA and the Open Skiff Association.
If your club would like to help grow this event by supporting Youth Sail Queensland, please either give me a call or Conrad Byrt from Keppel Bay Sailing Club at conrad.byrt@kbsc.com.au
Becoming a Discover Sailing Centre
Being a Discover Sailing Centre is not just about Tackers. The Australian Sailing training programs cover all types and levels of boating, ranging from learning to sail a dinghy, through to cruising, top level racing, windsurfing and power boating. DSC’s adhere to standards that ensure safety and customer satisfaction. You can set your own prices and we help you every step of the way and support you when you need it.
There is a new Discover Sailing Centre Hub with loads of information https://www.sailingresources.org.au/discover-sailing-centres/dsc-hub/
The Standards and Guidelines will give you the nuts and bolts of what you need to be a DSC – have a read and see what you need. Join the 21 other Queensland clubs in delivering a high-quality consistent programs.
Action Item/s for Club: If you are interested in hearing more, contact Grant or Alison for a chat or they would be happy to come to a committee meeting.
Game Plan
We have now started getting our Queensland Clubs on board with Game Plan. Sessions have been insightful and have provided key insights for clubs in a number of areas. Game Plan is a self-assessment for clubs and class associations to review all aspects of your organisation and provide an improvement plan with links to resources and templates. It is provided in partnership with the Australian Sports Commission and is a key tool for Government. While not compulsory in Queensland yet, it is already in the Northern Territory. Get ahead of the game and get in touch with Grant or Alison to organise a time for support. You will need all your committee to attend, and the process will take approximately 2-3 hours.
Action Item/s for Club: Register your club for an account with Sport Connect https://www.sportaus.gov.au/club-development/for-clubs and fill in the basic account information.
Office Closure
Christmas and National Championships are on the horizon and fast approaching so here are the office closure dates for this year. Thursday 19th December to Sunday 5th January 2025.
If you have any questions on the above topics, please contact the General Manager - QLD, Annie Watson at annie.watson@sailing.org.au . You can find a complete list of Australian Sailing Contacts – here.
Keep in touchGrant, Alison, and I are available to answer your queries by phone, face to face or to meet via Teams online.
You can find a full list of Australian Sailing Contacts – here. |
