Yachting News
CAT WEEKEND
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.
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’
SURF TO CITY YACHT RACE
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:
- M52, skippered by Peter Hollis
- Aramex Shining Sea, skippered by Chris Noyes
- Touche42, skippered by Greg Watson,
- 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/
2026 TED ELKES MEMORIAL REGATTA & GOLD COAST IRC CHAMPIONSHIPS – WRAP UP
What an outstanding weekend of racing at the 2026 Ted Elkes Memorial Regatta & Gold Coast IRC Championships. Two excellent days on the water delivered competitive racing, great conditions, and fantastic camaraderie across the fleet.
A huge thank you to all volunteers for the time, effort, and commitment given over the weekend — these events simply do not happen without your dedication. Thank you also to all competitors for supporting the regatta and contributing to two high-quality days of racing.
Overall Results
Performance Division – PHS
- 1st – Blue Eagle – PHS Perpetual Trophy Winner
- 2nd – Cyclone
- 3rd – Renee
Performance Division – ORC
- 1st – Cool Change – ORC Perpetual Trophy Winner
- 2nd – Blue Eagle
Rating Division – PHS
- 1st – Aramex Shinning Sea
- 2nd – Black Diamond
- 3rd – M52
Rating Division – ORC
- 1st – Let’s Get It On – Ted Elkes Memorial Regatta Perpetual Trophy Winner
- 2nd – TREX
- 3rd – Aramex Shinning Sea
Rating Division – IRC
- 1st – Aramex Shinning Sea – Gold Coast IRC Championship Trophy Winner
- 2nd – Let’s Get It On
- 3rd – TREX
Congratulations to all winners and podium placegetters. We look forward to seeing everyone back on the start line again soon.
Full results available online:
Rating Division results:
http://files.southportyachtclub.com.au/…/series.htm…
Performance Division results:
http://files.southportyachtclub.com.au/…/series.htm…
AUSTRALIAN 18 FOOTERS LEAGUE SEASON POINTSCORE – SYDNEY
Well done to SYC Member Joel Turner and Team in an extremely competitive competition on Sydney Harbour this week! An outstanding victory by the Brisbane, Queensland GC Sails team of Scott Cunningham, Joel Turner and Dave Cunningham in the Australian 18 Footers League Season Point Score, Race 17 on Sydney Harbour today, produced an incredible record for the class as it is the first win by a Queensland team since at least the 1950s. With two of the three crew members based in Victoria, it is certainly the only time that has ever happened in the 134-year history of 18ft skiff racing.
words by Roderick West
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.
OPEN SKIFF – RESULTS
The Kitchen Maker 2026 Australian O’pen Skiff Championships were held at Manly Yacht Club, with two Cadet sailors representing Southport Yacht Club against a strong national fleet.
Nathaniel McCarthy, sailing Biccie, delivered an outstanding performance, finishing 4th overall and 3rd in the U17 division.
Travis Pinter, sailing Shore Thing, finished 35th overall, gaining valuable championship racing experience.
Congratulations to both sailors on their results and for representing the Club at a national championship.
ILCA NEW ZEALAND – RESULTS
The 2026 ILCA National Championships were held in the stunning Bay of Islands from Wednesday 14th to Sunday 18th January 2026, attracting a strong international fleet from across New Zealand and overseas.
Southport Yacht Club was represented by Jackson Black, who delivered an excellent performance against top-flight competition, finishing 9th overall and 4th in the Youth division.
Congratulations to Jackson on a strong international result and for representing the Club on the world stage.
Upcoming Events
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
Saturday 7th March 2026
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.
Enter before 2nd March for $40 entry.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!
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 QR Code Below:
- $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 official 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 recieved 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:
UPCOMING NAVIGATION AND CRUISING EVENTS
Academy News
Oxenford Sailing – by Ashlea Kernahan
We’re now approaching Week 3 of our Term 1 2026 Sailing Programs, and it’s been fantastic to see how well our sailors are settling in. Both our Kids Learn to Sail and Teens groups are showing true excitement for being out on the water, with confidence building each session.
It’s also been wonderful to see our sailing families getting right behind their young sailors. The parent support has been incredible — with a few even jumping onboard themselves to experience the fun firsthand!
Our Adult Learn to Sail participants have had two strong Sundays on the water and are set to wrap up their course this weekend. The group has progressed beautifully, developing solid boat handling skills and confidence throughout the program.
We’re excited to share that our March Adult Learn to Sail intake is now fully booked, and registrations are officially open for our April course. If you’ve been thinking about learning to sail, now is the time to secure your place!
Sailor of the Week – Amela Long (Tackers 2)
This week we’re celebrating Amela Long! Amela had an outstanding session last week, showing impressive speed during her solo sailing and confidently completing her solo capsize retrievals. Her determination and focus on the water have really stood out – fantastic work, Amela!
UPCOMING ACADEMY PROGRAM
Adult Learn to Sail April:
Hollywell Sailing Squadron
Saturday ‘s – April 11, 18 & May 2
https://www.oxenfordwatersportscentre.com.au/events/335068
Better Sailing Intermediate:
Hollywell Sailing Squadron
Sunday’s April 12, 19, 26
https://www.oxenfordwatersportscentre.com.au/events/336402
Racing Results 2025/26
SYC Special Events:
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