LATEST NEWS
SYC FINALISTS – 2026 QUEENSLAND SAILING AWARDS
Southport Yacht Club is proud to have an outstanding number of members, staff, programs and events named as finalists in the 2026 Queensland Sailing Awards. The awards recognise achievements and contributions across all areas of sailing, from performance on the water to coaching, volunteering, participation, promotion and innovation. Congratulations to our SYC finalists: MALE SAILOR OF THE YEAR
Joel Turner PARA SAILOR OF THE YEAR
Naomi Ooue YOUTH SAILOR OF THE YEAR
Nathaniel McCarthy VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR
Finn Griffin
Lois Rowe INSTRUCTOR OF THE YEAR
Justin Wise COACH OF THE YEAR
Hugo Ralph SHESAILS AWARD
Tomoko Nakanishi SPORT PROFESSIONAL AWARD
Kayla Boothby SPORT PROMOTION AWARD
Ashlea Kernahan
Adrian Bold INNOVATION AWARD
Summer on the Lake – Southport Yacht Club
Gold Coast to Mackay Yacht Race – Southport Yacht Club CLUB OF THE YEAR – CATEGORY A
Southport Yacht Club Congratulations to all of our finalists on this well-deserved recognition. We look forward to celebrating with the Queensland sailing community when the winners are announced at the Queensland Sailing Awards on Friday 11 September at Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron. View all 2026 Queensland Sailing Awards finalists
HAMILTON ISLAND RACE WEEK 2026
Southport Yacht Club was well represented at Hamilton Island Race Week 2026, with SYC boats and crews taking on a week of racing in the Whitsundays and bringing home some fantastic results across the IRC, PHS and Multihull divisions. Congratulations to all of our SYC competitors, with several podium finishes and three overall division wins among the results. IRC – SUPER40 TOUCHE42 – Greg Watson SFR – 7th Overall ORC – 8th Overall IRC – 8th Overall
TREX – Robert Engwirda
IRC - 4th Overall
PHS WILD THING 100 – Grant Wharington Hamilton Island Blue – 1st Overall MARITIMO 100 – Bill Barry-Cotter Non-Spinnaker Grey – 1st Overall AIRBENDER – James Ward EHC – 22nd Overall MULTIHULL MIYU – Terry Robinson OMR – 1st Overall EHC – 7th Overall TAO – Mick Hodgins Hamilton Island White – 8th Overall HAPPENSTANCE – Gregory Tobin Hamilton Island White – 11th Overall Congratulations to all of our SYC sailors and crews on a fantastic week of racing at Hamilton Island!
SYC SAILORS ON GLOBAL STAGE
2026 O’PEN SKIFF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Congratulations to SYC Member Nate McCarthy for coming an impressive 3rd Male and 5th Overall in the U17 Silver Fleet at the 2026 O’PEN SKIFF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS in Calasetta, Sardinia, Italy
ILCA 4 UNITED KINGDOM NATIONALS
Congratulations to SYC Member Addison Greenwood competing in the ILCA 4 UK Nationals at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy. With a massive fleet of ILCA 4’s Addison finished 18th Female and 3rd Australian overall. An impressive result for her first overseas regatta in the ILCA 4.
Addison was using the ILCA 4 UK Nationals as a lead in event for the ILCA 4 Worlds starting today. Addison will join fellow SYC members Evie McGuire and Harry Hogan (also an SYC Coach) at this event. We wish them all the best and will do a post for that event once it’s complete.
2026 49er JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
SYC members Emerson Wheeler and Ross Beedle competing at their first Worlds onboard a 49er being an Olympic Class.
Finishing 45th overall and 3rd Australian boat in a very competitive fleet. The boys had some fantastic results over the 10 race series with a 6th and a 7th in the mix, two races they did not compete in which affected their overall result.
Great to see SYC members representing the club on the world stage, particularly in an Olympic Class. We wait in anticipation for the boys next move. Receiving coaching at SYC from 49er great Joel Turner and GC Sails co owner we are sure Emerson and Ross are just getting started.
ILCA 4 World Championships
From the Gold Coast to Aarhus, Denmark three Southport Yacht Club sailors have proudly represented Australia against the world’s best young ILCA talent at the 2026 ILCA 4 Youth World Championships.
A demanding championship tested the international fleet with strong winds, disrupted racing and challenging conditions on Aarhus Bay and our SYC sailors stepped up.
FEMALE DIVISION:
EVIE MCGUIRE
65th Overall | #2 AUSTRALIAN
ADDISON GREENWOOD
136th Overall | #5 AUSTRALIAN
MALE DIVISION:
HARRY HOGAN
52nd Overall | #1 AUSTRALIAN
For Harry, Evie and Addison, Denmark also marked their first-ever World Championships a major milestone as they begin making their mark on the international stage.
Congratulations Harry, Evie and Addison.
The future is bright. The next generation is coming!
UPCOMING EVENTS
80TH ANNUAL SAIL PAST & BLESSING OF THE FLEET
SATURDAY 5TH SEPTEMBER
Registrations are now open for the 80th Annual Sail Past & Blessing of the Fleet, taking place at Main Beach this September.
Get your crew together, theme your vessel, and join us on the Broadwater for one of Southport Yacht Club’s most iconic traditions.
REGISTER HERE
CASUAL ENTRY GPS TRAINING DAY & TRADITIONAL TRAINING DAYS
SATURDAY 12TH - SUNDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER
Entries are now open for the Casual Entry GPS Training Day & Traditional Training Days 2026, returning to Southport Yacht Club this September 12th–13th.
Two days of hands-on navigation training, great camaraderie, and full event prizes—casual entry is just $10 per vessel (or included with your season entry).
THE YACHT SALES CO. SAIL PARADISE REGATTA 2026
FRIDAY 2 – MONDAY 5 OCTOBER
Entries are now open for the 17th Sail Paradise Regatta, returning to the Gold Coast this October. Four days of racing, great competition and the Gold Coast as your backdrop – get your crew together and join us for one of Southport Yacht Club's signature regattas. ENTRIES ARE NOW OPEN – ENTER HERE
2026 DA$H FOR CA$H SUNDAY 6 SEPTEMBER | GOLD COAST BROADWATER Get ready for a fast and fun day of racing as Da$h for Ca$h returns to the Gold Coast Broadwater! Open to Dinghies, Multihulls and Keelboats, Da$h for Ca$h brings sailors together for some friendly competition with cash prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd Line Honours across the divisions. And the more boats that enter, the bigger the cash prize pool! EARLY ENTRY – $55 UNTIL 1 SEPTEMBER Late entry – $95 from 1 September Get your crew together, challenge your mates and get on the start line. ENTER DA$H FOR CA$H
2026 QLD PAPER TIGER CHAMPIONSHIPS SATURDAY 26 – SUNDAY 27 SEPTEMBER 2026 The 2026 Queensland Paper Tiger Championships are coming to Southport Yacht Club for two days of championship racing on the Gold Coast Broadwater. Paper Tiger sailors are invited to join the fleet for a great weekend of racing and competition. ENTRIES CLOSE: Friday 18 September 2026 at 5:00pm ENTER HERE
2027 AUSTRALIA SAIL GRAND PRIX | PERTH 20–21 FEBRUARY 2027 Planning a trip to Perth for SailGP? Limited VELA Beach Club and Waterfront Grandstand tickets remain for the 2027 Australia Sail Grand Prix. Queensland sailors heading west are encouraged to secure their tickets early to avoid missing out. SECURE YOUR TICKETS HERE
GCCM GOLD COAST MACKAY YACHT RACE A SUCCESSFUL 2026 RACE TO MACKAY The 2026 GCCM Gold Coast Mackay Yacht Race saw 25 boats take to the start line off Cavill Avenue, heading north on the 520 nautical mile race to Mackay. Fast conditions produced some impressive speeds across the fleet, with 21 boats completing the race and Wild Thing 100 leading the fleet into Mackay. Congratulations to all competitors and our 2026 podium finishers. LINE HONOURS 1st – WILD THING 100 – Grant Wharington Elapsed Time: 38:14:20 2nd – WILD OATS X – Phil Harmer Elapsed Time: 39:14:17 3rd – KOA – Andy Kearnan Elapsed Time: 45:42:53 IRC OVERALL 1st – MISTRAL – Rupert Henry 2nd – TOUCHE42 – Greg Watson 3rd – SALTWATER WINE – Thomas Woods PHS OVERALL 1st – MISTRAL – Rupert Henry 2nd – TOUCHE42 – Greg Watson 3rd – BALANCING ACT – Tony Craner ORC OVERALL 1st – TOUCHE42 – Greg Watson 2nd – BALANCING ACT – Tony Craner 3rd – SALTWATER WINE – Thomas Woods OMR 1st – MIYU – Drew Carruthers 2nd – OCEANS TRIBUTE – Guy Chester NAVIGATOR PRIZE WILD OATS X – Phil Harmer Just 4 minutes and 14 seconds from the original estimated finish time. HARBOUR MASTER AWARD The 2026 Harbour Master Award was presented by Regional Harbour Master Mackay, Craig Longmuir, to the crew of Marine Rescue Vessel 10 – Skipper Peter Mackedie and crew Ian Slattery, Mark Senyard, Ross Schulte and Thomas Clancy. The crew were recognised for their efforts in challenging conditions assisting KERB and her crew to safety in Mackay Harbour. VIEW FULL RESULTS Catch up on all race updates via the GCCM Gold Coast Mackay Yacht Race tracker, or rewatch the race start and commentary on the SYC YouTube channel.
NAVIGATION AND CRUISING EVENTS Next Cruising Event Next Navigation Event
RACING RESULTS 2025/26
CLUB RACING Latest Division Coverage:
ACADEMY NEWS
SAILOR OF THE WEEK:
This week’s Sailor of the Week is Josef Beck from our Kids Learn to Sail program. Josef only began sailing for the first time this term and has already made fantastic progress, completing his Learn to Sail levels and progressing into Fleet sailing. It has been great to see Josef build his skills and confidence on the water so quickly, and we look forward to watching him continue his sailing journey. Well done, Josef!
SAILING AT OXENFORD – by Ashlea Kernahan
That’s a wrap on Term 3 for our Kids and Teens Learn to Sail programs! It was fantastic to finish the term with our Pirate Themed End of Term Celebration, bringing our sailors, families and friends together for some fun on the water and a BBQ. Throughout the term, we’ve loved watching our sailors build their confidence, develop new skills and progress through their sailing levels, with a number now taking their next steps into Fleet sailing. Over at Hollywell Sailing Squadron, our September Adult Learn to Sail course is now underway, welcoming another group of beginner sailors for three Sundays of learning to sail on the beautiful Broadwater. Next up, School Holiday Sailing is just around the corner at Oxenford. Our September holiday program will welcome both new and returning sailors for plenty of time on the water across the school break.
We’re looking forward to another busy few weeks at the Academy!
SCHOOL HOLIDAY SAILING IS BACK! Our September School Holiday Sailing sessions are now open for bookings at Oxenford Watersports Centre! Dates: September 21st – October 2nd Days: Monday to Friday Half Day: $65 per sailor Full Day: $95 per sailor Whether they’re trying sailing for the first time or coming back for more fun on the lake, our School Holiday Sailing sessions are a great way to keep the kids active and out on the water these holidays. Book your session here: https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/southportyachtclub/items/575498/?full-items=yes
Father’s Day at Hollywell Celebrate Dad by the water this Father’s Day – Sunday, 6 September at Hollywell Bar & Dining. Enjoy a Hot & Cold Buffet Breakfast overlooking the Broadwater before making a day of it with a morning sail! Father’s Day Buffet Breakfast Adults – $39 per person Children 12 years & under – $19 per person Children 2 years & under – FREE Breakfast sittings: 7:30am | 8:00am | 8:30am | 9:00am | 9:30am Each sitting is limited to 30 guests, so bookings are essential. https://events.humanitix.com/hollywell-fathers-day-buffet-breakfast Take Dad Sailing ⛵ Add something a little different to Father’s Day and take Dad sailing on the Broadwater! $75 per hour Up to 4 people included Available from 9:00am Enjoy a sail before or after breakfast, then stick around for lunch at Hollywell Bar & Dining with our normal menu, daily specials and live music from 12pm–3pm. Book your Father’s Day sailing experience here: https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/southportyachtclub/items/753666/calendar/?full-items=yes
Upcoming Academy Programs School Holiday Sailing – Spring Oxenford Watersports Centre Monday to Friday – September 21st to October 2nd Half Day & Full Day sessions available https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/southportyachtclub/items/575498/?full-items=yes Adult Learn to Sail – Beginners Sundays Hollywell Sailing Squadron Sundays – August 30th, September 6th & 13th Three-day beginner course – no experience required https://www.oxenfordwatersportscentre.com.au/events/345202 Adult Learn to Sail – Beginners Saturdays Hollywell Sailing Squadron Saturdays – September 19th, 26th & October 3rd Three-day beginner course – no experience required https://www.oxenfordwatersportscentre.com.au/events/345204 Adult Learn to Sail – Level 2 Open Water Sundays: September 20th, 27th & October 4th Time: 9:00am – 3:00pm Location: Hollywell Sailing Squadron 1 Marina Crescent, Hollywell QLD 4216 Cost: $500 https://www.oxenfordwatersportscentre.com.au/events/357925