LATEST NEWS
NSW OPTIMIST CHAMPIONSHIPS 2026 – SYC Academy Representation
Congratulations to our two SYC Academy sailors, Lyla Greenwood and Jack McGuire, who travelled to compete in the NSW Optimist Championships 2026 at Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club.
The regatta brought together a strong interstate fleet on Pittwater, with a full schedule of racing across the weekend. Sailors were tested across a range of conditions, requiring consistency, adaptability, and strong decision-making throughout the series.
A standout performance came from Lyla Greenwood, who placed 1st Overall Female and an impressive 4th in the Open Fleet, while Jack McGuire also delivered a strong result, finishing 11th in the Open Fleet.
A fantastic effort from both sailors, representing the Academy at a high level — we are incredibly proud!
SYC MEMBER JOEL TURNER & GC SAILS TEAM EARN TITLE AS “3RD BEST IN THE WORLD” AT 18FOOT SKIFF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
A massive congratulations to Joel Turner and his GC Sails team (including Scott and David Cunningham) for earning 3rd place out of 27 competitors from around the world this past week on Sydney Harbour! Joel scored an overall 41 across 9 races, well ahead of 4th place on a score of 52. In the final race 9, the spectacle of the entire fleet finishing at high speed under spinnaker towards Clark Island was not only a brilliant way to finish the regatta, it was one of the best spectacles of the entire season of the 18ft Skiff class.
Joel says “This regatta was a great success for me and my team. We had amazing weather conditions all week which made for fast and tactical racing. The quality of the fleet and the fun of racing with our GC Sails makes it so attractive to compete and I plan to be back there again next season!”
For more coverage of Joel’s achievement, see:
ILCA METROPOLITAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Hollywell hosted the ILCA Metros this past weekend! Whilst conditions were too rough to head offshore, the maxed out fleet of 40 ILCA 4, 6 and 7’s were thoroughly tested inshore on the Broadwater over 5 races across two days of racing, with participants ranging from Under 16 to Great Grand Masters. Congratulations to the following overall division winners:
ILCA 4:
1st: Morgan Grieve (U18) – SUNRISE
2nd: Sebastian Behrens (U18) – UPWIND OVERDRIVE
3rd: Joshua Dale (U16) – GET SALTY
ILCA 6:
1st: Frances Beebe (WU21) – FULLY FRANKED
2nd: Ellen Sampson (WU21) – SCAR
3rd: Zane Taylor (YU19) – WRECKLESS
ILCA 7:
1st: Andrew Stransky (GM) – QI
2nd: Tony Shighen (AM) – CONTRABAND
3rd: Michael Wilson (GGM) – LAST RESORT
Full Results, all photos and videos are available via the event page.
Content downloads available for 30 days only.
DINGHY TROPHY MARATHON
The 2026 Dinghy Marathon over the weekend saw 20 entries across the Junior and Senior fleets battle it out in very wet conditions. The senior course set sailors from Hollywell down to the Elkes beacon, up the east channel to the Sovereign Mark, down the west channel to A mark near Elkes, up to Ephraim mark, down to A mark again before a finish at Hollywell. The Juniors stayed on the west channel in case of a shortened course call due to the weather conditions.
Congratulations to the following division winners!
SENIOR DIVISION:
1st: Evie Mcguire – RIPPLE
2nd: Matthew Sinnamon – SLIPPERY TOO
3rd: Addison Greenwood – TANLINES
JUNIOR DIVISION:
1st: Owen Davies – AXOLOTL
2nd: Flynn Hammel – OCEAN SPIRIT
3rd: Jack McGuire – HIJACKED
Full Results, photos and videos are available via the event page.
GC SAILS TWO HANDED YACHT RACE
The GC Sails Two Handed Race on Saturday 7th March saw 17 entries scoop in solid sailing conditions ahead of the heavy rain, with a course that sent the fleet from Hollywell down to the Seaway cardinal, up the Broadwater east channel to the mouth of the Coomera River, back down the west channel to the Ted Elkes beacon before a finish at Hollywell. Congratulations to the following podium winners!
Full Results, video and photos are available via the event page.
CAT WEEKEND 2026
Catch up on the highlights from our annual Cat Weekend in the video below!
Full Results are available via the event page.
UPCOMING EVENTS
SAILING SPECIAL EVENTS
The Julian Rocks Yacht Race has been rescheduled for Saturday 9th May!
This Saturday, our Ladies Day event ‘Sail our Way‘, includes special guest coaching and prizes thanks to generous support from Australian Sailing, the SYC Associates and Pacific Fair Shopping Centre. Perfect for Twilight, Inshore & Dinghy divisions, crew finder registrations for individuals are now closed (sold out). See below event poster and page for further details!
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:
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 women opportunities to develop sailing skills on dinghies and keelboats, help build confidence and explore sailing in a supportive environment. Suitable for twilight, inshore and dinghy fleet, a female helm is required for the Ladies Day Race. 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:
JULIAN ROCKS YACHT RACE
SATURDAY 9th MAY
Our final Offshore special event race of the season, 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!
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 21 eoi’s and entries so far, including over half of last year’s fleet, 2026 is already seeing brand new names enter, including ‘VIXEN RACING’ from New Zealand!
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:
NAVIGATION AND CRUISING EVENTS
Tue, 31-Mar-26 Tue 14-Apr-26 – Cruise Maritimo 15 Day Clarence River Cruise
Sat, 18-Apr-26 – Power Boat 2026 SYC Poker Run
Sun, 19-Apr-26 Fri, 24-Apr-26 – Cruise 5-Day Cruise
Sat, 25-Apr-26 – Power Boat ANZAC Day Honour Guard Raft-up
CLUB RACING
Latest Division Coverage:
ACADEMY NEWS
ON THE LAKE AT OXENFORD
– by Ashlea Kernahan
We’ve just wrapped up Week 6 of our Term 1 sailing programs, with our End of Term Celebrations right around the corner — and what a fantastic term it has been!
Our Kids Learn to Sail group will be celebrating with a fun-filled Pirate Day at Oxenford, including best dressed prizes, a BBQ, and one of the highlights of the term — Parents Hobie Sailing. It’s always a special moment seeing our young sailors take the helm and confidently skipper their parents out on the water.
Our Teens sailors will be heading to Hollywell Sailing Squadron for their first introduction to Broadwater sailing. This is an exciting step in their sailing journey, and we’re looking forward to seeing them take on new conditions and continue to build their confidence in open water.
It has truly been a great term — despite some challenging wet weather along the way. We couldn’t be prouder of all our sailors for their resilience, enthusiasm, and the incredible progress they’ve made over the past weeks. Each session has shown just how far they’ve come, and we’re excited to see what’s next for them.
The Team at Oxenford are actively gearing up for our Easter School Holiday Sailing with all our fun session kick starting from April 7th and finishes up April 17th. We are super excited to have some new and returning faces!!
UPCOMING ACADEMY PROGRAM:
School Holiday Sailing – April
Dates: April 7th – 17th
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
Easter School Holiday Sailing ONLY 2 WEEKS AWAY!
Our Easter School Holiday Sailing Program is just 2 weeks away, and we’d love to see our SYC members back out on the water.
Whether your child is continuing their sailing journey or looking to try something new these holidays, this program is a fun and active way to get involved.
Program Dates
7th April – 17th April
Daily sailing sessions available
Who Can Join
Kids & Teens aged 7–16 years
What to Expect
• Fun, structured sailing sessions on the lake
• A supportive environment for both new and returning sailors
• On-water games and challenges
• A great way to stay active and social during the holidays
Spots Are Limited
Our School Holiday sessions fill quickly each break, so we recommend booking early to secure your preferred days.
👉 Secure your spot here:
https://southportyachtclub.com.au/kids-holiday-sailing/
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!
SAILOR OF THE WEEK:
This week’s Sailor of the Week is Raiden Tonin from our Tackers 1 group. Raiden has done an amazing job throughout the term, confidently solo sailing and showing excellent progression in his skills each week.
His confidence and independence on the water have stood out, and we’re excited to share that he will be moving into our Tackers 3 course next term — a fantastic achievement! We can’t wait to see his skills continue to develop. Well done, Raiden!
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.
