Chelsea Yacht Club (CYC) is an off the beach sailing club, located about 40 minutes southeast of Melbourne on the beautiful white sands of Chelsea beach.  The club building opens directly onto the beach, one of the best kept secrets of Port Philip Bay, ideal for off the beach sailing, stand up paddling, windsurfing, kite surfing, kayaking and swimming. 

In addition to the family friendly beach location, club members and visitors enjoy the benefits of the club’s uninterrupted bay and sunset views, immediate beach access from the large car park and large multi-story clubhouse, easy access from nearby public transport and good road network linking the club to local communities plus Melbourne’s eastern and south-eastern suburbs.

The CYC clubhouse, already known for its warm and inviting feel, is currently undergoing major refurbishment works to install lift access and accessible toilet facilities plus upgrades to the spacious function room, members area, commercial kitchen, licensed bar and beach front deck. 

There are few better ways to wind down after a busy week than to enjoy a drink with friends on Chelsea Yacht Club’s beach deck, watching the glorious sunset and more than likely a dolphin visit.

The club has a long history as a family club and takes pride in being an integral part of the local community, where people can enjoy social connection regardless of whether they are active on the water or not.  The club facilities are open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night plus weekend sailing and regular community dinners.

The CYC was formed in March 1938 with the clubs first officers and committee being elected at a meeting held 24th March 1938.  At that meeting ten yachts were placed on the register including Vyres (V.J.), San Loo (18 Foot punt), Tom Thumb, (18 footer), Sea Chal (10 Footer) and two canvas canoes fitted with sails.

Programs on offer:

The club offers extensive Discover Sailing program including Tackers, Start Sailing, Better Sailing, Better Racing as well as She Sails, OutThere program and Power Boat Handling. 

The club is currently finalising plans to expand its Discover Sailing Centre capability toward a year round operation, with increased flexibility and resourcing to cope with increasing demand and the clubs vision of being accessible and at the forefront of teaching practices for sailing/windsurfing/paddling and foiling.

During the coming season the club will be offering more opportunities than ever before for women and girls with a major program specifically designed to make it easier for women, girls and families to try sailing, learn to sail, or be provided with support to develop as active independent sailors. The club will also be supporting  the development of  women instructors and race officials.

The club also runs programs for primary and secondary schools, specialist schools and community groups.

Classes supported and types of sailing:

The club race season runs from October to April, with Saturday being the traditional race day.  Although impacted by COVID and current building refurbishment works, the club plans to expand it’s sailing calendar to include more social sailing events, winter racing and weekday sailing.  Classes sailed at the club include:

Javelin, Sabre, Impulse, Laser, RS Aero, RS100, Pacer, Windsurfer, Optimist

The club is keen to grow its regular racing fleet and is looking forward to a number of recently joined members to be out on the course this coming season

Next season will see the opening of the Chelsea Yacht Club “Boat Hub”. Located in an industrial property a few minutes’ drive from the club, the Boat Hub will offer under cover storage and maintenance facilities for club members.

Key club events:

CYC Chelsea Classic

An annual event bringing to life the excitement of sailing from the clubs formation and Australia’s post war boom in sailing through the 1950’s, to 1970’s. A great event for participants and spectators alike.  The next event is Saturday 19th March 2022.

An event for enthusiasts of vintage and veteran dinghies and catamarans, spectators and anyone who loves sailing.  The event draws sailors and sailing enthusiasts from across Victoria with dozens of classic off the beach boats or reproductions from the 1970’s or older on display and sailing, guest speakers, great social atmosphere and lunch.

CYC Four Of A Kind Regatta

An annual event.  Next event is 19th February 2022. The Chelsea Yacht Club Four of a Kind (FOAK) Regatta has a proud history going back nearly 30 years, and is one of the premier inter-class events on the Victorian sailing calendar.  The CYC FOAK Regatta supports and promotes the diversity of classes of off-the-beach sailing dinghies, catamarans and boards that are an integral part of Victorian sailing activities each year. It is a unique multi-class sailing event that attracts sailors from all across Victoria, featuring class versus class races for a full spectrum of off-the-beach classes.

CYC International Women’s Day Regatta

An annual event.  Next event is March 2022.  This is an event for all women and girls regardless of sailing experience and attracts participants who have never sailed, novice sailors, experienced sailors and spectators.  It is an on-water celebration of International Women's Day 2021. Men are welcome to attend but all boats being sailed in the races must have at least one female aboard.  The club provides its fleet of Pacer dinghies for people without boats as well as opportunities to try windsurfing and stand up paddling.  A fun filled day with morning tea, short races, lunch and guest speaker.

Membership:

Chelsea Yacht Club is enjoying a period of invigoration with steady membership growth for each of the last few years and increasing participation across all club activities, particularly its Discover Sailing Centre programs.  To address challenges common to many yacht clubs, the club appointed a paid part time Club Manager in 2019 and adopted a strategic direction encompassing priorities of revitalizing and growing club membership; increasing active on water and off water participation; providing pathways for newcomers, broadening the opportunities offered on and off the water; being more open and accessible; and ensuring the club is a great place to be.

The last few years has seen consecutive years of strong membership growth, increased demand for its Discover Sailing Programs and a steady flow of new families and individuals coming to the club to participate in ‘come and try’ sailing, windsurfing and paddling experiences. The club currently has 289 ongoing members, a 42% increase on membership numbers of three years ago.

The club has a very strong family focus and places a high priority on being the club for families, being a great place for families to be and creating a strong family bond amongst all club members. More than a third of the club’s membership comes from its Family Memberships. Along with growth in family memberships, the club is experiencing growth in its junior and intermediate member numbers with just under 60 members under the age of 18. 

The club has long been a proud ambassador for the SheSails Program and the culture of the club is evident by the number of women members and women in leadership roles.  The club has a female Vice Commodore and the percentage of women members is increasing and is now 48%. Look out for Chelsea Yacht Club’s ‘Sail Like a Girl’ Program, the March 2022 CYC International Women’s Day Regatta.

The club has expanded its membership categories to embrace windsurfing, kite surfing, stand up paddling and kayaking.  Regular ‘come and try’ sessions introduced in early 2020 have been a key feature of the club’s effort to welcome and introduce more newcomers to sailing, windsurfing and stand-up paddling.  The clubs ‘come and try’ approach and welcoming culture breaks down barriers and provides easy pathways for people to get started.

The club’s approach is about helping people share the club’s passion for the sea and active fun on or off the water.  This is being achieved through a collective club effort with experienced members supporting, embracing, and encouraging newcomers and helping make the Discover Sailing program run smoothly.  Head down to Chelsea beach and the club culture is palpable with long serving club members getting just as much enjoyment from sharing their experience as the newcomers get from finding a new joy.  The club is alive, and energy brings energy.  It feels like a great place to be, a safe place to be, and a welcoming place to be – this gives people the encouragement and confidence to try new things and has been a common remark from many recently signed members and new budding sailors.  Above all it makes it fun.

The club also opens its facility for Yoga, Tai Chi, Dance, Meditation, Irish Music sessions, community dinners, meetings, training and presentation sessions for local clubs (eg. football, netball, CFA, Life Saving) and a range of private functions.  The club facility is frequently used for multiple concurrent separate events on top of normal member usage/activity.

Member Achievements:

The club has produced many State and National champions and is also particularly proud to have been a part of the sailing careers of a number of World and Olympic champions including Peter Gale, OK Dinghy and Flying 15 World Champion; current CYC Committee member and well known sailmaker Mark Rimington Flying 15 World Champion (crew);  John Bertrand, America’s Cup and Olympic Champion in Finns; Lex Bertrand Olympic Coach and active current CYC member continuing to pass on his knowledge and enthusiasm as a core part of CYC’s Discover Sailing Centre and sailor development; David Silvester, World Champion Hobie 16; Jon Newman twice world champion in the Musto Skiff

Current President: Stephen Fankhauser. Stephen began sailing Skates as a teenager at Chelsea Yacht Club. For the last 20 years he has sailed Lightweight Sharpies and recently started sailing a Sabre and a RS Aero. He has been President since 2019.

Current Commodore: Paul O’Connor.  Paul also started his sailing career as a young child, learning to sail at Chelsea Yacht Club.  Having been a member of several clubs over the years Paul returned to the club almost five years ago to race his Sabre and be part of the club revival.  He has been Commodore since early 2020.

For any information about the club, becoming a member or participating in any of the clubs programs contact Club Manager Andrew Ford: manager@chelseayachtclub.com.au