Yachting News
FIRST TWILIGHT OF THE SEASON
Last Thursday offered up some spectacular champagne sailing conditions for the first twilight race of the season. Many familiar faces were ripping it around the race course in quintessential Gold Coast style. Welcome back Thursday twilight racing! If you haven’t already entered the season, get onto it now and enter here.
JEFF THORPE MEMORIAL CUP – SEASON OPENER JaM RACE!
Sailing into the Season: Remembering Jeff ThorpeThe first JAM race of the new sailing season carries a special meaning for Inshore fleet sailors. It was dedicated to the memory of our much-loved sailor, Mr. Jeff Thorpe, who brought his Scarlett O’Hara, a Noelex 30, all the way from New Zealand in the late ’80s. Jeff remained an active and passionate sailor at SYC for decades.
Over the years, Scarlett O’Hara passed through the hands of several club members, and today she sails under a new name—Cool Change—owned and helmed by Col Metcher.
To honour Jeff’s contribution to our sailing community, his wife Maree, along with her son and grandson Oden, joined us at the club. Together, they presented the beautiful memorial trophy for the season’s opening JAM race. Congratulations to Brad and Bobbet, the double-handed team on Sophie (Elliot 5.9), who took home the honours. Second place went to Darren on Ocean Racer Chaser, while Peter and Graham on Argo took third.
20 Boats on the Line! We had a fantastic turnout with 20 boats competing. Mystique was the first boat to across the starting line at 16:35, followed by Argo. The Etchells fleet, as tradition has it, started last, with the final boat starting at 16:54.
The course set off from the SYC tower, heading upwind towards Ephraim Island and around the Sovereign mark, with all marks taken to starboard. From there, it was a long, slow downwind leg with the headsails mostly on goosewing, sailing south along the eastern side of Crab Island, around John Elks, and then back to the finish.
The fastest elapsed time was 1 hour 30 minutes, by Sneaky Ninja helmed by Michael. At the other end of the fleet, the final boat enjoyed 2 hours 13 minutes and 45 sec on the water—plenty of time to soak up the conditions.
JAM (Jib and Main) remains the most popular race for our Inshore fleet, and this race reminded us why. The evening wrapped up with a glorious sunset, shared laughter, and more than a few drinks. Some crews had their ‘bars’ open before the start, while others—like us—waited until rounding Sovereign Island before settling in with a sip, watching the colours fade across the water. It was a perfect start to the season: competitive, social, and full of the spirit Jeff Thorpe loved about sailing.
VOLUNTEERS TRAINING DAY
Last week, our Sailing Volunteers took advantage of the series break with an on-water training day at Hollywell. The morning started with presentations from our Race Officials and Powerboat Fleet Volunteers, who outlined the different roles and responsibilities involved in running sailing events.
The afternoon was spent on the water, where volunteers rotated through a series of rescue drills. These included towing boats, righting capsized dinghies, and recovering a man overboard. The hands-on training provided everyone with an opportunity to build confidence, practice teamwork, and refresh important safety skills. Days like these play a vital role in keeping our volunteer team prepared and connected, ensuring SYC events run smoothly for our sailor’s both on and off the water.
LAKE COOTHARABA ALLBOATS REGATTA
Last weekend our Southport Yacht Club sailors put in a strong showing at the Lake Cootharaba Allboats Regatta, with great results across both junior and senior fleets. Racing was held in fresh conditions on Saturday, with gusts up to 28 knots making for challenging starts and testing boat handling, before easing on Sunday to allow for closer, more tactical racing.
In the Optimist fleet, SYC juniors Jozee Fowler (Barracuda) sailed consistently to take out 1st overall, Mariella Brady (Sea Biscuit) secured 2nd place, and Adam Hardy (Raptor) claimed 3rd place. Division 4 also saw success for the club, with Michael Spies and Teegan Mitchell finishing 2nd overall in their Heron Maritimo in the nine-boat fleet. Ella Ware represented SYC in the ILCA 6 class with Riptide, taking on the big fleet and challenging winds to further her regatta experience.
The event was well run by Lake Cootharaba Sailing Club, who provided excellent race management and hospitality. For SYC sailors, the regatta proved to be a valuable stepping stone in gaining experience at away events and building confidence on the water.
JUNIOR COMMODORE TO SET SAIL ON WINDEWARD BOUND
Jnr Commodore Teegan Mitchell has been nominated to sail aboard the ‘tall ship’ from Hobart, the STV Windeward Bound, on a 10 day voyage from Southport to Newcastle. Her participation includes fundraising towards her cost and the Windeward Bound Trust and Rotary. Please click on this link if you would like to support her – it is much appreciated and she will be delighted!
GCCM GOLD COAST MACKAY YACHT RACE 2025
Replay all the action, atmosphere and results from our signature ocean race here!
UPCOMING SYC SPECIAL EVENTS
SYC’s annual offshore shenanigan race is on again in late October! Open to all keelboats and Off The Beach Cats, come join in this frenetic game of strategy or tactic, and choose between a raft of objective wins as well as the famous race to score the first crew member back to the Main Beach bar… however you choose to achieve this!
SYC’s annual offshore shenanigan race is on again in late October! Open to all keelboats and Off The Beach Cats, come join in this frenetic game of strategy or tactic, and choose between a raft of objective wins as well as the famous race to score the first crew member back to the Main Beach bar… however you choose to achieve this!
CORAL SEA BLUE WATER POINTSCORE SERIES
Next u
p in our Blue Water Pointscore Series is the Cook Island Race on November 2! Entry link and details below!
Combining four of our special events into an overall annual series! Earning a fantastic perpetual trophy, the Coral Sea Pointscore Series Winner will be determined by the lowest IRC points score result over the series, with scores accumulated over the four races with one race drop. The four races included in the 2025/2026 season are:
Flat Rock Yacht Race, 66nm, – May 24, 2025 GCCM Gold Coast Mackay Yacht Race, 520nm, Aug 1 2025 Julian Rocks Yacht Race, 85nm, – Mar 14 2026
SYC ACADEMY
Sailing at Oxenford – by Ashlea Kernahan
We’ve wrapped up another fantastic School Holiday Sailing Program, with over 120 kids across the two weeks enjoying time on the water, learning new skills, and making friends. The second week brought warm sunny days with light to moderate breezes – perfect conditions to build confidence and keep the fun going. Thank you to our incredible team of instructors for creating such a welcoming and supportive environment, and to all the parents for getting their sailors involved these holidays. We loved seeing so many smiling faces each day.
This Sunday, our July Adult Learn to Sail course continued, with participants progressing well and starting to master the basics of sailing with confidence.
Sailor of the Week – Jerome Bae (Teens)
This week, we’re celebrating Jerome Bae from our Teens group! Jerome has shown excellent focus and determination on the water these holidays, tackling every challenge with a positive attitude. Well done, Jerome!
Upcoming Programs
Adult Learn to Sail – August Intake
Starts Sunday, August 3
Perfect for beginners — 3 Sundays, no experience needed.
Register here: https://www.oxenfordwatersportscentre.com.au/events/273241
Term 3 Kids & Teens Learn to Sail
Starting this weekend – limited spots remaining.
Book Now: https://southportyachtclub.com.au/sailing/sailing-academy/
RACING RESULTS 2025/2026
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