It’s been a packed few weeks at Hunters Hill Sailing Club, with back-to-back regattas, standout performances from our sailors, and strong support from our volunteers on and off the water. This edition brings you highlights from the Traveller’s Trophy and Winter Interclub Series, important dates for Learn2Sail and Teens & Tweens, upcoming fleet training and racing plans, and an important community update on the Save Our Shores campaign. There’s plenty ahead too, with OptiChicks, school holiday camps, and Youth Sail NSW just around the corner.

From the President
What a couple of weekends we’ve had! Hosting two back-to-back regattas that ran so smoothly is a testament to the passion and spirit of our club. It was fantastic to see so many happy sailors on the water—and just as importantly, so many of you volunteering your time. These events simply don’t happen without your hard work and generosity, so thank you.

We’re also incredibly proud to share that our Commodore, Ben Howell, has been nominated for Volunteer of the Year by Australian Sailing. This is a highly competitive award, and Ben is truly deserving. We’re all grateful for the immense time and effort he puts into the club—his leadership is invaluable. Good luck on 20 September, Ben!

Urgent: Save Our Shores Petition
We need your help with an urgent and important task. To stop the Woolwich Marina development, we’re aiming for 1,000 signatures on our Save Our Shores petition before it is presented to the Land and Environment Court Judge this Thursday, 4 September, onsite.

We’re currently about 300 signatures short—please share this link widely and encourage friends and family to add their names: www.sossaveourshores.com.au/woolwich-marina-petition

Every signature counts. Let’s get this done together.

From the Commodore
Over the past two Sundays, the club hosted two major regattas—both huge successes thanks to the outstanding support of our volunteers. While a big thank you goes to all Optimist parents who stepped up both on and off the water, I’d also like to make special mention of those outside the class who gave their time and energy: Bill Vouden (Learn2Sail grandparent), Cooper, Sophie, Zac and Jason (ILCA fleet), and David Oxnam (former club treasurer).

Full regatta results feature in the Optimist report below, but congratulations to the whole fleet, who for the second year running came first in the Interclub Winter Series!

Optimist fleet at the Interclub Regatta 📸 James Hill (www.mainsheet.in)

Competitors with the Interclub Regatta flag 📸 James Hill (www.mainsheet.in)

Looking ahead, our next major events are Optichicks on 20–21 September and our school holiday camps running Monday 29 September to Friday 3 October 2025. See details below and please sign up early if you’d like to take part.

Club Racing
The 2025–2026 Season Notice of Race, Sailing Instructions, and Calendar are now available here:
www.huntershillsailingclub.org.au/sailing/clubracing

The season kicks off on Sunday 28 September with our season opening non-competitive race. After a short break for school holidays (and the NSW Youth Championships), we’ll return on Sunday 12 October to begin Pointscore racing.

Please ensure your club membership is renewed and boat storage paid—both are required to participate in the race series.

Learn2Sail
The September/October Learn2Sail holiday camps are less than a month away! Don’t miss out—register now to secure your spot. Club members receive over $100 off camp fees. Register here: https://www.huntershillsailingclub.org.au/events

Our Learn2Sail and Teens & Tweens sailors have been braving the wild winter weather—and shining!

Teens & Tweens sailors: Irelen, Ella, Evie and Ava 📸 Belle

Congratulations to Edith Jarvie and Jasper Ryves, who both competed in their very first regattas this weekend! We were especially proud to watch Edith round the wing mark in first place during her second race—showing the Green Fleet how it’s done. Amazing work, Edith and Jasper!

Edith Jarvie leading Greenfleet round the wing mark! 📸 Belle

Edith Jarvie 📸 Belle

Jasper Ryves looking far too comfy in a fiberglass opti for a Rookie kid! 📸 Belle

Upcoming Learn2Sail camps 

All holiday camps and Try Sailing sessions are now open for registration via the events page.

Camp Schedule:

• Monday 29 September-Friday 3 October 2025

• Monday 8-Friday 12 December 2025 (Teens & Tweens only)

• Saturday 20-Tuesday 23 December 2025

• Monday 12-Friday 16 January 2026

• Monday 19-Friday 23 January 2026

Please help us promote our Learn2Sail and Teens & Tweens programs by circulating this flyer through your school, sports, and community networks:

Have family or friends who would like to try sailing? They can register for one of our free Try Sailing sessions being held on Saturdays at 9:00-11:00am on these dates:

• 13 September

• 25 October

• 8 November

• 6 December

• 31 January

• 7 February

• 14 March

The links above are ‘Facebook Events’, so please ‘like’ and ‘share’ with your family, friends, and community groups.

Optimist Fleet

Traveller’s Trophy

On 2 August, the club proudly hosted the Traveller’s Trophy, welcoming 71 boats across Opens, Intermediates, and Green Fleet. Three races were completed in good conditions, producing some fantastic results.

• Open Fleet: Walter Heeley, Woollahra Sailing Club took first place, with Luca Giosa,Hunters Hill Sailing Club in second, and William Harris, Woollahra Sailing Club in third

Luca Giosa – 2nd Overall Traveller’s Trophy 📸 James Hill (www.mainsheet.in)

• First Female in Open Fleet: Kirra Howell, Hunters Hill Sailing Club

Kirra Howell 📸 James Hill (www.mainsheet.in)

• Intermediate Fleet: Sheldon Zhuang, Woollahra Sailing Club, came first, Edward Payne, Hunters Hill Sailing Club, second, and Charles Ball, Woollahra Sailing Club, third

Edward Payne 📸 James Hill (www.mainsheet.in)

A huge thank you to all the volunteers and bakers who made the day so special. Visitors commented on how impressed they were with  the club’s community spirit—especially how our kids helped visiting sailors launch their boats.

Full results: Sailwave results for NSWIODA Traveller's Trophy 2025 at Hunters Hill Sailing Club 2025

Winter Interclub Series Finale

Racing was ultimately abandoned due to lack of wind for the final round of the Winter Interclub Series, but there were still plenty of celebrations, with a fantastic prize haul thanks to our sponsors.

Across nine races and 111 boats, Hunters Hill Sailing Club sailors dominated:

• Overall Series (Open): Luca (1st) and Sijia (2nd)

Sijia Deng – 2nd Overall Interclub Championship 📸 James Hill (www.mainsheet.in)

• Intermediate: Axel Ryves (1st)

Axel Ryves📸 James Hill (www.mainsheet.in)

Green Fleeters Jasper and William 📸 Jason Chai

Thank you to Alessio and Ben, who worked closely with other clubs to deliver such a successful series.

Full results: Overall Pointscore Standings - SailSys

What’s Next?
After OptiChicks, the next big event is NSW Youth Sail at Toronto (4–6 October). Be sure to:

• Register online: Youth Sail NSW - Australian Sailing - Youth

• Organise accommodation early

• Join the WhatsApp group for coordination

Stay connected—follow NSWIODA on Instagram and Facebook for the latest updates.

OptiChicks Returns!
In September, we’re excited to host the OptiChicks Weekend—two action-packed days of fun, racing, and the legendary sleepover! Registrations are open—don't miss it! Registration numbers are strong, but please share the Facebook Event to help spread the word.

ILCA Fleet

After the school holidays, training will run on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Please aim to be at the club by 4:00 pm, with sessions finishing around 6:00 pm.

For our more advanced sailors, we’ll also be doing occasional Saturday racing at Double Bay, in addition to Sunday Pointscore racing at HHSC.

Applications are open for the 2026 ILCA 4 Solidarity Program, for female sailors aged 13-16 on January 1, 2026: ILCA 4 Solidarity Program

Regattas

• Youth Sail Queensland, 22-27 September 2025: https://www.sailingyouth.org.au/youth-sail-qld/

• Youth Sail NSW, 1-6 October 2025: https://www.sailingyouth.org.au/youth-sail-sa/

• Inaugural Double Bay Regatta, 11 October 2025: Inaugural Double Bay Regatta 11th October

• NSW & ACT Coast Championships, 18-19 October 2025: https://laser.asn.au/

• NSW & ACT Open, Youth & Masters States, 15-16 November 2025:https://laser.asn.au/

• Oceania & Australian Open & Youth, 1-8 January 2026:https://www.auslasernationals.com.au/

Newsletter

Have a great photo from recent events? Share it with us via the club’s Photos WhatsApp group.

Contributions and feedback for the newsletter are always welcome via: newsletter@huntershillsailingclub.org.au