LATEST NEWS
CLUB RACING
OFFSHORE AND TWILIGHT SKIPPERS AND CREW MEETING:
Tuesday 24th March in the Compass Room at Main Beach.
If any Skippers (only) have items they would like to add to the agenda, please email offshore division rep Barry Berg at barry.wildstyle@gmail.com, and Mark Sanders mark@excellaundrys.com.au (the new twilight rep) for anything twilight related. Agenda submissions closing date is the 20th March.
Latest Division Coverage:
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’
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:
- 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.
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 at the start of February! 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
UPCOMING EVENTS
NAVIGATION AND CRUISING EVENTS
Maritimo 9 Day Bribie Island Cruise 9th- 17th March 2026
Maritimo 15 Day Clarence River Cruise 31st March to 14th April 2026
Casual ‘Round Crab Island Trophy – 28th February 2026
SAILING SPECIAL EVENTS
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
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 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:
ACADEMY NEWS
ON THE LAKE AT OXENFORD
– by Ashlea Kernahan
We were excited to return for Week 3 of our sailing sessions last weekend after some unexpected rain the week prior saw our originally scheduled session postponed. It was fantastic to have everyone back on the water and back into routine.
Although we experienced light winds throughout the day, it created the perfect learning environment for our newer sailors. The calmer conditions allowed them to focus on refining the skills they’ve learnt so far, practise new rope ties, and confidently pop up their sails with greater independence. It’s always rewarding to see those breakthrough moments when everything starts to come together.
Our March Adult Learn to Sail course is set to kick off this weekend, with 20 adults joining us for three weeks at the lake. This intake has been sold out for over a month, and we’re incredibly excited to welcome such a full group onto the water.Looking ahead, our April Adult Learn to Sail course at Hollywell Sailing Squadron now has limited spots remaining. This is a fantastic opportunity for those wanting to experience sailing on the Broadwater and build confidence in open water conditions.
This week we’ll also begin welcoming several school groups to both Oxenford and Hollywell for their sailing sessions. Students will learn to sail our RS Quests and Hobie Catamarans, with some schools bringing over 70 students for a full day of hands-on learning and teamwork on the water. We love seeing so many young people experience sailing for the first time.
SAILOR OF THE WEEK:
This week’s Sailor of the Week is John Lowe. John first joined us during Summer on the Lake, sailing alongside his parents and instantly falling in love with the sport. He signed up for our Kids Learn to Sail course shortly after and has been a fantastic addition to the group.
In just three short weeks, we’ve already seen tremendous growth in his confidence and boat handling skills. His enthusiasm and willingness to learn make him a standout on the water, and we’re very excited to see his continued progress over the next four weeks. Well done, John!
UPCOMING ACADEMY PROGRAM:
Adult Learn to Sail – April
Hollywell Sailing Squadron
Saturdays – April 11, 18 & May 2
https://www.oxenfordwatersportscentre.com.au/events/335068
Better Sailing – Intermediate
Hollywell Sailing Squadron
Sundays – April 12, 19, 26
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.
