It's that time of year when we make our preparations to head to Pittwater for this year's instalment of the Don Deller Trophy.

The invitation, Notice of Race and entry form is attached. The Sailing Instructions are also attached.

The race will commence in Sydney Harbour on the morning of Saturday 18 February, with the finish line just inside Pittwater. (Full details are in the race documentation).

Yachts are welcome to either enter the race or 'cruise in company' up to Pittwater. We are arranging for overnight berths at the Royal Motor Yacht Club, which is also where we are having dinner and the presentation of race prizes. Members are very much encouraged to come to the dinner and presentation even if they are not racing.

If you have any questions about the event or anything associated with it, please contact me directly.

Best regards,

Bill

Bill Steenson

Commodore, Blues Point Yacht Club

Ph: 0478 617191

BPYC Christmas Lunch and Year End Celebration

It’s not over yet but the fat lady has begun to sing her Covid swan-song and we are returning to some degree of post-pandemic normality. Therefore, among much excitement, the traditional BPYC Christmas lunch took place once more in the clubhouse, aka Blues Point Hotel, on Saturday 10 December to be enjoyed by the skippers, crew, members, supporters and friends of the BPYC. This is a heavily subsidised event for members and therefore yet another reason to join up!

It was a glorious day outside with brilliant sunshine but sadly no wind - so the decision was taken to keep the boats on the mooring and proceed straight to the pub to get on with what we do second best. The next race on Sunday January 15 has been re-designated the Sue Heyder Christmas Race instead. If nothing else, the pandemic taught us to be agile.

Actually, if you have experienced a BPYC social event before then there is not much to be added here, you get the picture: it was another great social occasion, with yarn, laughter, delicious food and perhaps a glass of wine or two surplus to requirements for some of the punters. Here are some increasingly playful photos of this outstanding celebration.

The BPYC wishes you and your loved ones a fantastic summer, a great start to 2023, and, if you celebrate it, Merry Christmas!

See you on the water in 2023,
The BPYC Committee

Sheep Station Trophy Race 1 (BPYC Race 4)

Once more, the BPYC and our friends at the Sydney Amateurs are joining forces for the 2022 BPYC-SASC Sheep Station Trophy. This popular inter-club mini-series kicked off with Race 1 on Saturday 29 November 2022. This year the results of the Sheep Station Trophy races also count towards the BPYC season so our regular entries Blue Sky, G-Whizz, and Starfire all competed for glory in both series> Conquista meanwhile copped a DNS due an electrical fault in her engine.

Standard BPYC races get under way with a staggered handicap start, the Sheep Station races however use a high adrenaline fleet start, which together with the unfamiliar large number of competitors (10 in total) and a nearby CYCA start line caused some initial confusion. But not for long and the yachts soon beat their way upwind from Shark Island towards Kirribilli. The duel of the day was between Blue Sky and its SASC nemesis Clueless, a stripped Farr 30 race boat. The ever capricious Sydney wind gusted at 20kts in this early part of the race, leading Blue Sky to opt for their aptly named chicken chute, a smaller asymmetrical spinnaker, for the downwind leg. Unfortunately the direction of the dying down breeze handed an advantage to boats with large symmetrical spinnakers, so race Blue Sky now had to come from behind. With clever tactics and precisely executed manoeuvres she not only managed catch Clueless but in fact overtook the entire fleet to claim line honours on the day. G-Whizz equally sailed a superb race finishing only 7 minutes behind Blue Sky and deservedly won the race on handicap. The normally intrepid Starfire however sadly did not have the most successful of afternoons, finishing 8th over the line and 10th on handicap. The sail choices of a Nr 2 Genoa left her a little underpowered up-wind while the asymmetrical spinnaker forced her to take unfortunate angles on the downwind leg, flying the kite shy and causing some tricky situations for the crew.

In the end everyone agreed that it was yet another cracking day of racing on Sydney Harbour in the company of great boats from the SASC, and some post-race hospitality – we can’t wait for the next Sheep Station race.

The next BPYC race (Ladies Day and Spring Race 6) will be Sunday 13 November 2022 from 1pm.

Race 3 BPYC Spring Series - Spinnakers both ways

The BPYC Race 3 kicked off at midday on Sunday 25 September 2022, another glorious spring day in Sydney. The forecast was for light winds so some eyebrows were raised when the starter announced Course 3, Manly, our favourite but also one of longest courses. Would the fleet be bobbing in the water off Nielsen Park with limp sails while the beers got warm? Not so as it turned out. The fleet once more consisted of Starfire on scratch, followed by Conquista and G-Whizz (5 and 6 minutes behind) while Blue Sky was looking to roll up the field from behind.

At the start the wind was light south west around 4 to 6 knots from the start for about 45 minutes to an hour perhaps slightly favouring the boats starting earlier. In such conditions it wasn’t long before the colourful sails came out with all boats except G-Whizz enjoying a long spinnaker run heading up into Manly.  

Upon rounding the buoys at Manly West and East the fleet was still quite well spaced out in the order of the start. The BOM had predicted a wind shift, which duly occurred just as the leading boats started their return leg. The standard afternoon Sydney Nor-Easter sea breeze kicked in with wind building to 10-12 knots. Starfire and Conquista both quickly readied their kites again so Blue Sky, still flying a spinnaker in the south westerly was watching boats coming the other way from the north, also under spinnaker - pretty interesting conditions. The angle of the wind on the way to the East Channel marker favoured the asymmetrical spinnaker on Startfire on this leg and she began to pull away from the competition. Conquista flew its large symmetrical spinnaker very shy when suddenly, with a nasty ripping sound, the cloth tore all the way. The usual chaos ensued but thankfully the full complement of crew on board Conquista managed to take the shreds down with reasonable swiftness and only a modicum of (very) flowery language before she was on her way again.

The scene was set for another showdown between the two leading boats, who rounded the final mark at Shark Island at the same time. Once more the wind was straight behind, Starfire went for speed and popped the asymmetrical spinnaker again but had to take a longer course to stay with the wind whereas Conquista, deprived of the (now shredded) kite, chose to run before the wind with their large headsail poled out on the most direct route back to Clark Island. In the end Conquista made it over the finish line only a few boat lengths ahead of Starfire, with G-Whizz and Blue Sky following in due course.

In all the course only took two hours to complete so well done starters for sending us to Manly (and crews for getting back) – the beer certainly was still cold for the usual yarn and race post-mortem in the pub.

Race 4 – the Allan Rintoul Trophy – is scheduled for Sunday 9 October at 13:00 (the first race in daylight saving time) – we hope to see you there.

Race 2 BPYC Spring Series - a whiff of spring

And it was yet another glorious day to sail with the BPYC. Race 2 got underway at noon on Sunday 11 September. Four competitors entered: Blue Sky, G-Whizz, Starfire, and Conquista. The forecast was for light winds so the fleet was to complete one of our less used courses, #6 Short, which rounds Fort Denison, heads over to Nielsen Park and back to the start & finish line between Clark Island and the navy buoy.

Once on the water it turned out the BOM didn’t quite get it right as there was a mostly steady breeze to complement the sunshine, perfect sailing conditions and a whiff of spring in the air. After starting on handicap only minutes apart, Starfire, G-Whizz and Conquista chased each other to Fort Denison in close pursuit. Then their skippers decided to deploy different tactics. G-Whizz and Conquista left their spinnakers in the bag for the downwind run towards KFC (i.e. the safe-water mark of Bradley’s Head), while Starfire’s crew appeared intent on maximising their season tickets at Taronga Zoo. Though once she had their kite flying Starfire leapt forward and rounded the AS mark at Nielsen Park first. But where was Blue Sky? In their rear view mirrors, the crews on the three front running boats admired the artistic shapes of Blue Sky’s spinnaker, manoeuvres that were sure to maximise Blue Sky’s opportunity to play catch-up on the return leg. Beating back towards Clark Island the wind did provide some interesting shifts, forcing some competitors to throw in unexpected tacks. Overall G-Whizz sailed most consistently and crossed the finish line first. Conquista managed to sneak up on Starfire and inch ahead on the very last tack to claim second place. And after a solid second half of the race Blue Sky had made up a lot of lost ground to finish only minutes after Starfire. Well done and congratulations G-Whizz.

The next BPYC race is on 25 September at 12pm.

And while we have you, a big thank you to all our members who have already renewed for 2022-23. For those still on the fence, the club offers a grace period until the end of September, during which the sign-up fee for renewing members is waived. If you are contemplating whether to renew or not - now is a good time. Please remember, as per AS regulations, before you can race with us (or any other AS affiliated club) you need an active AS number, which is included in the BPYC membership. New members are of course always welcome, you can sign up or renew online on this website.

Race 1 BPYC Spring Series – Sydney Harbour at its best

What a show Sydney Harbour put on for us for Race 1 of the BPYC Spring Series. Sunshine, a reasonably steady breeze and special appearances from a pod of dolphins and a seal made for beautiful sailing on course 3 up to Manly and back. Lots of regular BPYC sailors & skippers were unable to join unfortunately (including GWhizz which was busy winning its Division of the West Harbour Winter Series) and the somewhat depleted fleet consisted only of the intrepid Starfire and Conquista. 

While Starfire, skippered by Hugh Babington, was fully crewed with a set of regulars, Conquista was skippered by co-owner Sue Cumbo and operated with a skeleton crew, some new to the boat (and yes, all current AS members, as is the requirement nowadays). 

Beating into the Nor’easter, Starfire defended her lead all the way to Manly, though when rounding the buoys Conquista was only seconds behind. On the downwind leg coming back, Starfire carried her asymmetrical spinnaker beautifully all the way to the finish line, gybing as she went along and handling the occasional hour glass in style. 

Conquista was in full pursuit all the way but given the unfamiliarity of many of the crew, the spinnaker stayed in the bag. In the end Starfire crossed the line several minutes ahead of Conquista, a compelling win on a beautiful day on the water.

Race 2 of the Spring Series is on Sunday 11 September and we look forward to seeing more boats on the water.

Spring Series Race Calendar & Sailing Instructions Published

28 August marks the start of the new season, kicking off with Race 1 of the 2022-23 Spring Series.

What’s new?

After a couple of seasons that were heavily disrupted by Covid-19 we are planning to return to our regular cadence of 2 series, Spring and Autumn, with 8 point scoring races each scheduled every 2-3 weeks on average. Find the calendar here. What is different this season is that we have incorporated the popular BPYC-SASC Interclub ‘Sheep Station Trophy’ as regular point scoring races (while still constituting a miniseries with our friends at SASC). This allows us to mix up race times a bit with regular BPYC races still scheduled for Sunday and the four interclub races on Saturday. Also new is a pre-planned make-up slot in case we have to abandon a race earlier in the season. During the autumn series we are planning a couple of offshore events, including the Don Deller Race to Pittwater - which is always a highlight - and another similar event out of the Heads. Of course we are planning our Sue Heyder Xmas cruise and lunch.

There have been a number of small updates to the Sailing Instructions, which we ask skippers and first mates to review. For crew the main point to remember is that for all races with the BPYC (and all other Australian Sailing affiliated clubs) an AS number is required. If you are not a member with us or another AS club yet, or if you haven’t renewed yet, we encourage you to become a current member now - membership is a very reasonable $80 (+$30 for new members) and will include your AS number for the whole membership year. If you just want to dip your toe in and join one race you can follow the link above and purchase a $15 SailPass (temporary membership) for one day/ race. Finally, if you have a yacht and want to race, or have a mate who wants to race their yacht - please let us know, we would love to welcome new boats to the fleet.

If you have any questions please send us a message bluespointyc@gmail.com or give Bill Steenson, our commodore a call on 0478 617 191. We are keen to get back on the water 28 August, see you there and in clubhouse afterwards!

Joerg Klug
Secretary BPYC

AGM & Long Lunch in the Pub - Celebrating our champions and looking forward to 2022/23

On Saturday 23 July, BPYC held its AGM lunch and annual prize-giving, with a great selection of food and drink provided by the Blues Point Hotel. Our thanks to the chef and all the staff for putting on such a great spread.

It was also a chance to see several faces that haven’t been at BPYC events for quite a while – including former Commodore Ross Heyder coming all the way from Perth for the event, as well as founding member and former Commodore Jim Lee.

As part of the AGM proceedings, the club elected the Committee for 2022/2023.

Ross presented the Sue Heyder Cup to the crew of G-Whizz (skippered by Ann Davey). Outgoing Commodore Michael Jansen presented the race prizes, assisted by Committee members, as well as prizes to the team having sold the most raffle tickets during the season.

The winner of the Club Championship, being the overall winner of the 2021/22 point score races was Conquista skippered by Alan Bull, with Starfire (Hugh Babington) in second, and Blue Sky (Carl Braden) third.

For more details on the club’s achievements for the year and the full list of prize winners, please see Michael’s Commodore’s Report.

The club also introduced the ’David Swain Cup’ to commemorate six-time Commodore, the late David Swain – which is awarded to the member who the committee considered had made the most significant contribution to the club for the year. Fittingly, the inaugural winner was one of David’s crew on Martela, Michael Jansen.

You can see photos from the event here.

The draft Race Calendar for 2022/23 was presented. It sees the welcome return of the separate ‘Spring’ series and ‘Autumn’ series, after a shortened (combined) series in 2021/22.

The first race of this new season will be on Sunday 28 August (UPDATED, previously 21 August) and the full race calendar will be posted on the BPYC website. If you’re interested in entering as either a series or casual entry, click here.

Safety Audits are due prior to the first race, so please contact the Committee via bluespointyc@gmail.com to arrange a mutually convenient opportunity to conduct the audit of your boat.

Bill Steenson
Commodore 2022/23

REPORT: June Long Weekend, Cruise-in-Company to RMYC Port Hacking

There were three yachts from BPYC and two from SASC who braved the chilly W-SW'ly winds and significant swells.

Departing Chowder Bay around 1100hrs in what seemed like a rather light breeze from the west, Blue Sky was keen to try an untested spinnaker from the sail wardrobe.  She was soon followed by Samphire and Le Mistral, Money Spinner III and G-Whizz heading towards Sydney Heads for the two to three hour sail south to Port Hacking.

This part of the trip, heading south along the Sydney beaches and Port Botany, was relatively smooth going for the travellers although some extra layers were required to keep the cold SW'ly at bay. Some of the skippers later mentioned they recorded as much as 28-30 kts!

Rounding Cape Baily Lighthouse to enter Bate Bay, we could see Cronulla in the distance.  Sadly the huge sand hills of Wanda and Greenhills are now long gone but a few of us on board recalled how we used to visit with our families to climb the hills, then slide down on a sheet of cardboard. I guess that is the cost of progress to build the city we now have.  I often wonder where the construction industry is mining their sand today...

The final run into Port Hacking was more of a work with the wind strengthening from the SW.  Fortunately it didn't take too long before we had to navigate down to Gunnamatta Bay where we turned to starboard making a beeline to the RMYC.  The marina assistant was most helpful directing us to pre-booked berths and made us feel very welcome.

Most of the crews headed to the bar for a debrief over a few beers and even some chips or salt'n'pepper squid.  Others took a shower before joining us on the terrace.

There was a pretty strong turnout for dinner with several loved ones and friends joining from Sydney by car.  
The bistro atmosphere was such that any rehearsed speech was not practical as there was significant noise with other guests dining and enjoying the company of their friends.

The feedback I received was very positive, with skippers and crew thanking the club for organising such a lovely destination over the Queen's Birthday long weekend.  A suggestion received was to extend the trip to Shell Cove (Shellharbour) with a stopover in Port Hacking then a stop in Shell Cove before returning to Sydney Harbour.  

.....A thought for the Committee.

Michael Jansen (Commodore)

Blues Point Yacht Club

AGM and Long Lunch for Members and Supporters

Dear BPYC members, supporters and friends,

 It's back, in person!!  

 Blues Point Yacht Club will be holding its Annual General Meeting and AGM Lunch at the Blues Point Hotel on Saturday 23 July 2022, from 12:30pm.

 To book for the lunch, please go to https://www.trybooking.com/CADMB and make your menu selections.

 The club is subsidising the lunch for anyone who is a current financial member of BPYC, as well as providing a (lesser) subsidy for other guests.  We will also be providing several bottles of wine for the lunch. 

 For the AGM itself, members have been emailed the Notice of Meeting, Committee Nomination Form and Proxy Voting Form. Other AGM-related documents, such as the Commodore's Report and Treasurer's Report will be provided closer to the meeting (e.g. once the financial year and race series finish).

 If you have any queries, or would like to add something to the agenda, please contact either myself or any other committee member.

 Bill Steenson

Secretary/Treasurer

Blues Point Yacht Club

Don Deller Weekend Report - great sailing and great camaraderie!

Dear Members and Friends,

Last Saturday was the annual BPYC Don Deller offshore race to Pittwater which was a very successful event. 

 At close to midnight Friday, the Vice Commodore and Commodore were on the phone pondering the likelihood of the Strong Wind Warning remaining current at the advertised start time. With four boats entered to start the race at 1030hrs, all were very keen for the warning to be cancelled.

The Commodore set up a Skippers Briefing (by phone conference) for 0730hrs and all skippers attended, glad to hear that the warning was indeed cancelled for both Sydney Enclosed Waters and Sydney Coastal Waters.

The Starter had a minor mishap (distracted, I believe) such that the 10 minute warning was "botched" although correctly called the 5 minute warning and 1030hrs start signal.  Starfire crossed the line approximately 10 seconds after the signal followed by Blue Sky, Samphire (SASC) and G-Whizz.

Strangely, as is often the way, after a Strong Wind Warning which was current all Friday and Friday night, the breeze was rather light offshore and from the SE.  All boats did a great job in the conditions to complete the race in less than 3hrs 40mins.  

Coming around Barrenjoey Head, there was some spinnaker work that was both "beautiful" and "challenging" as the boats headed towards the finish line of Lion Island / Barrenjoey "transit".  The starter was not able to get down to water level on the western edge of Barrenjoey so a vantage point was found on a rock shelf, approx 70m due North of the Lighthouse was used to line up Lion Island to take the finish times.

The delta between first and last on scratch were within 12m 30s after nearly 4 hours.

The crews had a pleasant sail down Pittwater to the RMYC marina followed by a beer and shower before socialising in the bar.  A jovial dinner began around 1900hrs in the Brasserie with a great selection from the menu.

At the end of the main course, the Commodore made the presentation to the boats with the following results:

On Scratch:

1st G-Whizz

2nd Samphire

3rd Blue Sky

4th Starfire

On Corrected Time:

1st: G-Whizz

2nd Starfire

3rd Samphire

4th Blue Sky

There was one prize that is loathed.  The paddle which goes to the boat most in need of some extra energy (it may come in handy one day). Carl (Blue Sky) was able to delegate the receipt of the "paddle" to his daughter Ali.  I later heard that she was going to treasure it, even frame it, but there may be conflicting versions of this one...

It was a great event with the crews overnighting at RMYC before heading back to Sydney the following morning, in similar conditions although the wind freshened later in the afternoon and was from the NE rather than the prior day's SW.

In the spirit of camaraderie between clubs we warmly welcomed Chris and his crew on Samphire (SASC) join us - it was fantastic to have you with us! We hope to see more boats next year from SASC, GFS and other clubs so tell your friends to check our 2022-2023 Calendar which will be published on this after the July AGM and plan for the Don Deller 2023.

Finally, check out some more pictures from this amazing sail in our Gallery.

Regards,
Michael Jansen (Commodore)
Blues Point Yacht Club

Don Deller Race Weekend coming up 19-20 February - all yachts welcome

A real highlight of the BPYC calendar is coming up on 19-20 February - the Don Deller Race Weekend to Pittwater. What is it? On Saturday we will be racing up to Pittwater, followed by a social evening & overnighter at the Royal Motor Yacht Club in Newport. On Sunday we will leisurely cruise back to Sydney in our own time or in company.

All yachts are welcome! We specifically invite boats from other clubs to join us for this event - it is a cracking sail, great company, and there are attractive prizes for the podium finishers. You can find more information in the race entry form (LINK) and the sailing instructions (LINK). Please note, all race entries have to demonstrate compliance with Cat 4 regulations before the race. Yachts that are not Cat 4 certified are welcome to cruise in company.

If you are interested, and have any more questions, please call our Commodore Michael Jansen on 0411-100-093.

See you on the water for this highlight!

Sue Heyder Christmas Race & Lunch report (and some logistics looking forward to 2022)

Dear Members and Friends -  MERRY CHRISTMAS to all!

 Last Saturday we held the last race of this COVID ridden calendar year.

While it was a short race, the participants enjoyed racing west of the Harbour Bridge for a circuit around the islands, finishing between Blues Point Tower and Goat Island.  The Committee selected a relatively short race with an early start to give all competitors adequate time to return to moorings, clean up and attend the Christmas Lunch in plenty of time.

The handicapping system calculated rather well resulting in a 3min 7sec difference between first and fourth. I thought that had there been a little less wind, it may have been even closer.  First home was G-Whizz (Graeme Davey) followed by Blue Sky (Carl Braden), Conquista (Alan Bull) and Starfire (Hugh Babington).

During the lunch we took the opportunity to award the 2020-2021 annual Trophies in lieu of July's AGM which had to be 'virtual' due to COVID.  The trophies awarded are:

·      Club Champion: Blue Sky - Carl Braden        

·      Spring Series: Blue Sky (Carl Braden)

·      Autumn series: Conquista (Alan Bull)

·      Sheep Station Trophy (with SASC) - 1st place Blue Sky (Carl Braden) - this was presented at SASC on 5th Dec. However the "Club" point score trophy was awarded to SASC with Bill Hogan (Hotspur) accepting the trophy on behalf of SASC.

·      Alan Rintoul Trophy - Tied result Blue Sky (Carl Braden) & Martela (Michael Jansen)

·      Errol Hazelwood Handicap - Race abandoned in 2021 (wind warning)

·      Trevor & Finn Memorial - Conquista (Alan Bull)

·      Ladies’ Day Race - Conquista (Cad Currie)

·      Sue Heyder Trophy (2020) - Blue Sky (Glen Ormerod)

 ·      Don Deller Trophy - Blue Sky (Carl Braden)      

As we are looking forward to 2022, here are some logistics I would like to share

• Memberships are always welcome.  Renewal of non financial Membership will attract a pro-rata reduction (contact the Secretary by email) and we are always looking for new members. Why not speak to your friends and even people at other clubs who may find BPYC membership attractive. New Membership form and Renewing Membership form

•  Fleet: Having more boats join our races will make it economic to resume a startboat and make our races more exciting and competitive.  If you know someone with a boat, encourage them to join us racing.  It is not compulsory they are members of BPYC although it is welcomed.  They will need a current Cat 7 safety certificate and insurance.  This is a great segway to...

• Safety Audits - annual Cat 7 and Cat 4 .  At the end of last season, due to COVID, most clubs extended the validity of the 2020-2021 safety inspections but we do need to get these done in January.  Your club has a few auditors ready to volunteer their time to assist you completing your inspection.  Email or phone the Commodore to arrange an inspection.  

• Upcoming races:

  • BPYC's Race 3 is our next race, on Sunday 16th January

  • The next BPYC-SASC Sheep Station Challenge is Race 3 on Saturday 22nd January

  • BPYC's Race 4 on Sunday 30th January

• The last item is THE RAFFLE IS BACK!!! Carl and crew reinitiated the raffle on Thursday 9th December with a creditable $530.  Ann and Graeme Davey conducted the raffle last week and the Commodore will run it this Thursday, the last before Christmas break. The raffle will resume on Thursday 13th January and volunteers are welcomed.  Remember for every two times you run the raffle you are entitled to a $25 voucher to use at Blues Point Hotel and you can earn a $25 voucher more than once per season.

 Have a very Merry Christmas one and all.  Stay safe and COVID free. Enjoy your families and see you next year.

Michael Jansen
Commodore - Blues Point Yacht Club

Special Invite from the BPYC for Yacht Owners wishing to race on Sydney Harbour

The Blues Point Yacht Club is looking to expand its fleet with both regular starters and casual entries wishing to race on our spectacular Sydney Harbour. Our friendly club doesn’t race every weekend, but has sufficient races and other social events to satisfy those for whom sailing is part of a busy life. We offer the unusual combination of probably the lowest fees in Sydney for yacht club membership with an Australian Sailing Number, combined with some of the lowest racing fees and best prizes to be won in every race. And you don’t have to be a BPYC member to race with us!

There is more information on this website. Here is a link to some details. Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions, contact info below.

You are welcome at the BPYC and we hope to see you soon!

Michael Jansen
Commodore
Blues Point Yacht Club
www.bpyc.com.au
0411 100 093

BPYC Season 2021-2022 gets underway

Dear Members and Friends,

 After so much of being locked down and restricted to your LGA or 5km from home (whichever was the greater) those people who are double vaccinated are free to travel throughout the state of NSW including into the regions (from 1st Nov.).  More importantly for us, the new racing season is now announced, with our first race on this Sunday.

 The next race on the Calendar is Race 1 of BPYC on Sunday 7th November with the daylight saving start time of 1300hrs.

 With this in mind, skippers and crew are reminded that an Australian Sailing number is required to race, so it is the perfect time to ensure you and your crew's BPYC membership is renewed to gain or retain your Australian Sailing number.

 As mentioned in previous correspondence, the Cat 7 Safety Certification and Additional BPYC Safety items are valid until 31st December, however new Cat 7 certification is required so please book your Safety Audit inspections for the 2021-2022 season. These can be booked by sending an email to bluespointyc@gmail.com or phoning the Commodore.

• With the interruptions of Covid-19, your committee has planned 12 races for the Overall Point Score Series. (the committee determined that two series of six races each would not allow any drops)

• There will also be the Sue Heyder Race and Christmas Lunch on 11th December in the Blues Point Hotel dining room. Also on the agenda the Christmas (long) lunch) is the presentation of trophies won in season 2020-2021.

• The Don Deller race returns in February 2022 and a race south to Port Hacking is also planned.

• A number of social events are planned to allow those who may not be able to travel by boat the ability to participate.

Your Committee has updated the Sailing Instructions and the Season Calendar, both are here on the BPYC website.

 As mentioned above, our first race is this coming Sunday with the start time of 1300hrs. Handicaps are being calculated and will be advised later this week.

 I'd like to see as many members return to the club house, Blues Point Hotel after Sunday's race for the prize giving and we can all say hello.

 A note that COVID-19 health orders are still in place where you must be double vaccinated to participate in Club events.  In the Sailing Instructions (and attached here) is a form to register your crew's details prior to a race/event start.  The form is to be emailed to bluespointyc@gmail.com one hour prior to race start.  

Note: All Personal details will remain confidential unless NSW Health needs to investigate any suspected Covid infections.

Looking forward to a great season 2021-2022 where I hope to see you on the water and back at the club.

Michael Jansen (Commodore)
Blues Point Yacht Club

Finally! We are getting ready to sail again. Download the race calendar.

In line with current public health orders we are planning to finally get back on the water. The interclub series with our friends at Sydney Amateurs will see us compete in the first race of the ‘Sheep Station Trophy’ on Saturday 30 October, followed by the point scoring Race 1 of the regular BPYC series on Sunday 7 November (please note that the club decided to consolidate the Spring and Autumn series into one series for 2021/22, 12 races in total). Please book your Cat 7 or 4 audits by contacting the commodore or one of the auditors. Also look out for an invite to our annual Sue Heyder Christmas cruise followed by a long lunch in the clubhouse/ Blues Point Hotel.

Please download the updated 2021-2022 race calendar (button on the right of this page). Of course the Covid-19 situation remains volatile and the club will continue to comply with all public health order - but for now, we are looking forward to racing again!

UPDATE - Covid restrictions remain in place and BPYC activities remain suspended

Sydney remains in lockdown and all activities of the BPYC are on hold. Cat 7 safety audits as a prerequisite ahead of the new season were originally scheduled for September but will now be delayed. Currently there is not much point in speculating when activities will resume but it is very likely that it will be quite some time yet. The committee is monitoring the situation closely and will communicate the new race & events calendar along with any updates to all members. As always, safety first and the club will continue to comply with all government regulations.

Obviously we are all keen to get back on the water but these are extraordinary circumstances. Stay safe, get the vaccine, we will enjoy our beautiful harbour even more once the pandemic subsides!

AGM report Season 20/21

The BPYC AGM was held virtually via Zoom on 25 July 2021. Here is a short summary of the key discussion points and decisions:

• The minutes of the 2020 AGM were adopted

• Judith Rintoul was granted Life Membership of Blues Point Yacht Club Incorporated for her outstanding service to the club over the years.

• The treasurer’s report was adopted. The club is in a good financial position in spite of COVID-related challenges such as the raffle not being run for almost half of the financial year.

• The Commodore’s report was adopted. This had been circulated to members ahead of the AGM. Key points presented by Michael Jansen included the adoption of the SailSys handicapping system, and acknowledging the contribution of the late David Swain to the club. The commodore also announced the winners of the various series and trophies (see separate news article).

• The Race Calendar for 21/22 had been circulated but due to the uncertainties relating to Covid this will need to be revisited in due course, members will be informed asap.

• The 2021/22 Committee was declared:

  • Commodore: Michael Jansen

  • Vice-Commodore: Carl Braden

  • Treasurer & Secretary: Bill Steenson

  • Ordinary member: Glen Ormerod

  • Ordinary member: Joerg Klug

  • Ordinary member: Hugh Babington

• In other business it was decided to postpone the traditional long AGM lunch at the Blues Point Hotel to a time as soon as the Covid restrictions are lifted.

Season 20-21 Champions

At the AGM the winners of the various series and trophies were announced. Congratulations to all and especially to Blue Sky - Carl Braden for taking home both the Club Championship and the Sheep Station Trophy interclub series with the SASC.

Club Championship (Blues Point Classic): Blue Sky - Carl Braden

Spring Series: Blue Sky - Carl Braden

Autumn series: Conquista - Alan Bull

Sheep Station Trophy (with SASC): Blue Sky - Carl Braden

Alan Rintoul Trophy: Tied result:  Blue Sky - Carl Braden &                                                              Martela - Michael Jansen

Errol Hazelwood Handicap: Race abandoned in 2021 (wind warning)

Trevor & Finn Memorial: Conquista - Alan Bull

Ladies’ Day Race: Conquista - Cad Currie

Sue Heyder Trophy (Christmas Race): Blue Sky - Glen Ormerod

Don Deller Trophy: Blue Sky - Carl Braden

Top raffle team: Hugh Babington and Sam Bujega

Covid Guidance from Australian Sailing

Unfortunately the Covid situation continues to impact the activities of the BPYC on and off the water. Please find below guidance from Australian Sailing that the BPYC endorses. Please note however, the BPYC does not provide legally binding advice and all members and friends of the club should follow official government guidelines, keeping in mind that this changes frequently.

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Unfortunately Covid restrictions have not changed and we all need to batten down the hatches and wait this out.

What these restrictions mean for sailing in Greater Sydney, Wollongong, Shellharbour, The Central Coast and The Blue Mountains:

·         The rules allow two people to exercise together, or more if they are from the same household.

·         Sailing is considered as exercise.

·         People must stay in their Local Government Area or within 10km of home for exercise.

·         This means you can go sailing with one other person, or more if they are all from your household. Social distancing must be observed.

·         If you do go sailing, please get in, go sailing, go home; keep your distance from others at your club, marina or boat ramp.

·         Do not carpool with anyone outside your family.

·         All crew must reside within 10km of the boat.

·         The boat must remain within 10km of everyone's residential address.

The NSW Office of Sport site has detailed advice for Sporting Organisations https://www.sport.nsw.gov.au/covid-19-information

NSW Maritime have updated their advice - https://roads-waterways.transport.nsw.gov.au/maritime/covid-19-update.html

We are also keeping our Information page updated with any new advice we receive - https://www.sailingresources.org.au/covid-19/nsw/

For those clubs in the locked down areas, we are putting together some ideas and resources for keeping you engaged with your members, as well as some ideas for sailors of all ages to pass the time at home. These will be sent out and posted on the NSW News page.