LATEST NEWS
SAIL OUR WAY – LADIES DAY!
This past Saturday 28th March saw an amazing day at Hollywell with our expanded Ladies Day Special Event incorporating Sailing Australia’s new ‘Sail Our Way’ program! A fleet of 19 Inshore and Offshore boats and 9 dinghies came together to race in the deep hole. We had some 100 female sailors both within the SYC sailing communities and broader communities come together to take a part in the racing followed by the skills development seminar lead by Stacey Jackson!
More coverage via the SYC inshore FB Group here:
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.
UPCOMING EVENTS
SAILING SPECIAL EVENTS
The Julian Rocks Yacht Race has been rescheduled for Saturday 9th May!
SAIL PARADISE ENTRIES OPENING NOW!
NEW SEASON CALENDAR OF EVENTS OUT SOON!
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
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!
THE YACHT SALES CO. SAIL PARADISE REGATTA 2026
FRIDAY 2nd – MONDAY 5th OCTOBER
Entries are now open for the 17th Sail Paradise Regatta! 2026 incorporates the Australian Yachting Championships. Get your entry in 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:
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.
DINGHY TROPHY MARATHON
The 2026 Dinghy Marathon was held on March 8th, and 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.
ACADEMY NEWS
ON THE LAKE AT OXENFORD
– by Ashlea Kernahan
Last Saturday, we celebrated the end of term with our Academy Kids and Teens sailors, wrapping up what has been a fantastic few weeks on the water.
Our Kids Learn to Sail groups across all levels joined us at Oxenford Watersports Centre for a fun-filled Pirate-themed final session. One of the highlights of the day was seeing our young sailors take their parents out on the water, confidently skippering and showing off the skills they’ve developed throughout the term. It’s always a proud moment for both families and instructors.
Our Teens sailors headed to Hollywell Sailing Squadron for their end-of-term session, giving them a great introduction to sailing on the Broadwater and a taste of the next step in their sailing pathway. It was fantastic to see them take on the new environment with confidence.
With the term now complete, our team is shifting focus to our upcoming School Holiday Sailing Program, which will kick off straight after the Easter break. We’re looking forward to welcoming both new and returning sailors for another exciting period on the water.
School Holiday Sailing – April
April 7th – 17th
Daily sessions available
Half Day & Full Day options available
🔗Register here: https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/southportyachtclub/items/575498/calendar/2026/04/?full-items=yes
UPCOMING ACADEMY PROGRAM:
Upcoming Academy Program
Adult Learn to Sail – May
Oxenford Watersports Centre
Sundays – May 10, 17 & 24th
https://www.oxenfordwatersportscentre.com.au/events/326259
Better Sailing – Intermediate
Hollywell Sailing Squadron
Sundays – April 12, 19, 26
https://www.oxenfordwatersportscentre.com.au/events/336402
Kids Learn to Sail – Term 2
Oxenford Watersports Centre
Saturdays 8:30am-11:30am– Start May 2nd (7 Week Program)
https://southportyachtclub.com.au/kids-learn-to-sail/
Teens Learn to Sail – Term 2
Oxenford Watersports Centre
Saturdays 8:30am-11:30am or 12pm-3pm – Start May 2nd (7 Week Program)
https://southportyachtclub.com.au/teens-learn-to-sail/
SAILOR OF THE WEEK:
This week we’re celebrating Cameron Harris from our Tackers 2 group. Cameron has shown tremendous growth throughout the term, building confidence and consistently improving his skills each week.
He finished the term strong, really showing off everything he has learnt, and is now ready to take the next step into Tackers 3. We’re excited to see his continued progression on the water — well done, Cameron!
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.
