2026 SKUD 18 International Match Race Challenge – AUCKLAND

Over this weekend, a few SYC Members have been competing for glory at the Burnsco 2026 SKUD 18 International Match Race Challenge in Auckland! A shout out to Naomi Ooue, Joe Thomson, Neil Rowsthorn, Jack Wallace, Ross Manning, William Pringle, Brent Geritz and Stirling Kelly who have taken their fierce competitive energy across the ditch!

Congratulations to Naomi and Joe for securing 2nd Overall, and Neil and Jack for achieving 3rd Overall from a line up of 10 teams from across Australia and New Zealand.

CAT WEEKEND

Our most recent Special Event for the Off The Beach Cat Division, Cat Weekend over Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th February was a blast! Blessed with sparkling conditions and unusually clear waters on the Broadwater, the two day event saw contestants enjoy 6 races to determine the weekend winners.The action was captured by drone and on-water, with download links and presentation photos made available on the SYC Off The Beach Multihull Division Facebook Group. Video Highlights are here on our YouTube channel.

Congratulations to the place winners:

Division 1:

1st – Daniel Thompson, ‘Hot n Spicy’

2nd – Zen Mohr, ‘Rafiki’

3rd – Max Latter, ‘Max’

Paper Tigers:

1st – Phil Kellond-Knight, ‘Rumpleteaser’

2nd – Rodney Bonner, ‘Check M8′

3rd – Kelvin Holdt, Gotanuddawoody’

For full results click here:

33rd SURF TO CITY YACHT RACE 2026

The iconic Surf to City Yacht Race was held on Saturday, 7th February 2026, celebrating its 33rd anniversary. SYC was well represented, and whilst there were a few retirements we give special mentions to the following finishing achievements:

Offshore Fleet:

SYC dominated the Line Honours podium:

1. M52, skippered by Peter Hollis
2. Aramex Shining Sea, skippered by Chris Noyes
3. Touche42, skippered by Greg Watson,
4. Black Diamond, skippered by Glenn Burrell,

as well as:

• M52 achieved 2nd on IRC and 9th in PHS,
• Aramex Shining Sea, placed 3rd on IRC and 6th in PHS
• Black Diamond, placed 5th on IRC and 8th in PHS,
• Wedgetail placed 6th on IRC and 10th in PHS,
• Touche42 placed 8th on IRC and 11th in PHS,
• Alpha Tauri placed 12th on IRC and 15th in PHS,
• XVitesse placed 18th in PHS,

Inshore Fleet:

• Mister Bojangles placed 7th in PHS,
• Still Crazy placed 13th in PHS,
• Trex placed 3rd on Line Honours and 15th in PHS,

Southport Yacht Club is proud to support this event alongside the Queensland Cruising Yacht Club and the Multihull Yacht Club of Queensland. Featuring both inshore and offshore fleets, the race brings together monohull and multihull yachts and remains a qualifying race for the Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race.

Find the full results here.
https://surftocity.com/

SAILING SPECIAL EVENTS

Bumper weekends coming up! There are solid entry numbers flowing in for our upcoming Special Events, with 14 in for this Saturday’s Two Handed Race, another 14 for Sunday’s Dinghy Marathon, 12 for the offshore Julian Rocks Race, and we’re tracking for 40+ entries for the ILCA Championships the following weekend!  Entries are capped by our aquatic permits so make sure you don’t miss out! See event details below for further information.

Southport Yacht Club holds annual and biennial special racing events across our 5 divisions, with Perpetual Trophies dating back many decades! Special Events feature our dedicated media team, offering footage of all the on-water action to watch on the day after racing as well as to download and share on your socials. These events are open to both SYC members and racers from other yacht clubs, keeping the competition fresh and welcoming sailors to our Gold Coast waterways. Check out what’s coming up here:

JULIAN ROCKS YACHT RACE

Our final Offshore special event race of the season, Julian Rocks is on next month 14th March! Julian Rocks is Race 2 of the new combined club Queensland Offshore Sailing Championships, and Race 4 of our own Coral Sea Pointscore Series. Entries are now open here. Don’t miss it!

GC SAILS TWO HANDED YACHT RACE

The GC Sails Two Handed Race is just under a month away, and we’re gearing up for another fantastic day of close, competitive racing at Southport Yacht Club.

Saturday 7th March 2026

Lock in your crew of two, fine-tune your boat, and get your entry sorted for a great day on the water.

Prizes: Awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in each Division.

GC Sails Two Handed Cup Perpetual Trophy: awarded to the overall winner in each division.

Race documents are available on the event page.

Enter before 2nd March for $40 entry.

Entry Link: https://topyacht.com.au/db/kb2/series_select.php…

Looking foward to seeing you all out in the water!

DINGHY TROPHY MARATHON

The 2026 Dinghy Marathon is on the same weekend as the Two Handed Yacht Race, Sunday 8th March. Check out the event page full details and to enter!

SAIL OUR WAY – LADIES DAY!

Earn some fantastic prizes and enjoy a great day out on the Gold Coast Broadwater at our inclusive on-water coaching and sailing skills seminar, empowering female youth and adult sailors. This special event is dedicated to giving you opportunities to develop your sailing skills on dinghies and keelboats, help build confidence and explore sailing in a supportive environment. Hosted at Southport Yacht Club’s venue at Hollywell, your day includes boat allocation, coaching and catered grazing platters following the day’s events at our fully licensed waterfront bar.

Event Includes:

• Coaching
• Racing
• Skills seminar
• Nibbles and presentation

Entry via the event page here:

• $40 entry per boat for over 18s – Boat owner registrations due by 7th March
• No Boat? Register to join a crew at no cost!

GCCM GOLD COAST MACKAY YACHT RACE

ENTRIES are now officially open to Southport Yacht Clubs’ flagship event, the 3rd 520nm GCCM Gold Coast Mackay Yacht Race! This year’s event starts on Thursday 30th July, with our welcome party on Tuesday 28th July in conjunction with the finish of the 40th anniversary of the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race.

With over 17 expressions of interest received from last year’s fleet, indulge yourself for 2 minutes with this promotional film kicking off official entries for 2026. You may even see a few familiar faces!

For all the details visit www.goldcoastmackay.com, and click the picture to view the Launch Film:

SAILOR OF THE WEEK:

This week’s Sailor of the Week is Jack Reid. Jack has been a frequent School Holiday sailor with us, and this term he joined our Teens Learn to Sail course for the first time.

He has been a fantastic addition to the group, bringing great energy and enthusiasm to every session. Jack often lends a hand to our instructors when needed, showing maturity and leadership beyond his years. His experience from previous School Holiday programs has clearly translated into strong teen sailing skills, and we’re excited to see his continued progress throughout the rest of the term. Well done, Jack!

UPCOMING ACADEMY PROGRAM:

School Holiday Sailing – April
Dates: April 7th – 17^th
Session Types:
Half Day – $65
Full Day – $95
Book here: https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/southportyachtclub/items/575498/calendar/2026/04/?full-items=yes

Adult Learn to Sail – April
Location: Hollywell Sailing Squadron
Dates: Saturdays – April 11, 18 & May 2
Book Here: https://www.oxenfordwatersportscentre.com.au/events/335068

Better Sailing – Intermediate
Location: Hollywell Sailing Squadron
Dates: Sundays – April 12, 19, 26
Book Here: https://www.oxenfordwatersportscentre.com.au/events/336402

Better Sailing Hollywell Wrap Up

Thirteen of our Adult Learn to Sail sailors from Oxenford stepped up to join our new Better Sailing Intermediate course at Hollywell Sailing Squadron. During the program, they gained valuable racing experience by participating in our club racing events, including the iconic Cock of the Broadwater.

The event was a roaring success, with strong performances across the fleet and incredible enthusiasm from our sailors. The demand for another course was immediate, and we’re excited to see this pathway continue to grow.

We’re looking forward to our next Better Sailing course kicking off in April.

Better Sailing – Intermediate
Hollywell Sailing Squadron
Sundays – April 12, 19, 26
https://www.oxenfordwatersportscentre.com.au/events/336402

Check out the Better Sailing program footage from January!

SUMMER ON THE LAKE – EVENT WRAP UP

Summer on the Lake was another outstanding success, with over 760 participants joining us at the Oxenford Watersports Centre for our annual Discover Sailing Day.

Families enjoyed a full day of free sailing, free SUP and family-friendly fun, creating a vibrant atmosphere on and off the water. It was fantastic to see so many people on the water experiencing sailing and enjoying a great day at the Club.

SYC Special Events:

• Keel Boat Special Event Results
• Off The Beach Special Event Results

Club Division Results:

• Offshore Division Results
• Thursday Twilight Offshore Series Results
• Thursday Twilight Results
• Inshore Division Results
• Off the Beach Catamarans Division
• Off the Beach Dinghies Results