Sailing Summit Success in Queensland

There was something for everyone at this year's Sailing Summit, with Australian Sailing President Alistair Murray AM and CEO Ben Houston in attendance on day one, providing a full update on Australian Sailing's plan to continue supporting clubs and growing the sport of Sailing.

Yachting Queensland President Kerry Noyes and four board members also attended. Being part of the Sailing Summit was a fantastic opportunity for clubs and class associations to have a face-to-face conversation with the leaders of our sport.  

Australian Sailing and stakeholders spoke about a variety of topics, including: 

• Zhik Sustainability and Club Range  

• Network Marine Insurance for clubs  

• revSPORT system update  

• Participation Planning workshop  

• 2023 Club Survey Review and Workshop  

• Fundraising for your club or class  

We were excited to hear an introduction to the participation plan from Sarah Ogilvie, Head of Sport Development and Growth. We also enjoyed an entire afternoon of workshopping the participation programs on day two. This planning tool is a great way to encourage clubs to think about what they can achieve and showcase the resources available to support them in their journey. 

Ben Callard, National Support Manager, ran through the recent Australian Sailing Club Survey responses highlighting the feedback and priorities moving forward. 

The second day provided a more Queensland focus with topics drawn from the feedback received from the last Conference. We thank the fantastic local presenters who contributed their knowledge and stories and were open to questions. These topics were: 

• Building Capacity  

• Growing Keelboat & Offshore Racing  

• Incident Management  

• Officials add value to your club  

• Growing Participation  

• Participation Programs Workshop  

Natalie Landini, the HR Whisperer, shared some valuable insights on when it might be time to employ people at your volunteer club and more Human Resources information.  

Tim McCall from Capricornia Cruising Yacht Club delivered a Keelboat presentation highlighting ideas to help build your fleet. 

The incident management session shared two serious accidents (the concussion of a Finn sailor at Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron & heart attack of a yacht sailor during Sail Paradise at Southport Yacht Club) and how the effective speed and efficiency of the volunteers and support teams were essential in the outcome of each incident. It highlights the importance of having emergency procedures set in place and that the club continually lives and breathes them so that everyone knows what to do when it comes to the crunch. Thank you to Karen Baldwin, CEO of RQYS and Simon Turpin, Sailing Operations Manager, Southport Yacht Club, for sharing their insights. 

The Official's Panelists covered the disciplines of Race Officers, Judges and Equipment Auditors and provided us with some useful updated information. 

Finally, we heard from Michael Wiley on how Richmond River Sailing Club built a successful women's skiff program, and Simone Dougherty from South Brisbane Sailing Club explained why they finally decided to become a Discover Sailing Centre and how they plan to move forward and make the learn to sail programs successful.    

We want to thank all who attended and the presenters who generously gave their time to contribute to the Sailing Summit 2023. If your club didn't have someone in the room this year, please ensure you plan to attend next year. You will certainly take something away to help your club thrive.  

You can find all the presentations here: https://www.sailingresources.org.au/2023-summit-archive/