The latest updates from Australian Sailing NSW/ACT General Manager - Niall Powers

Please click this click to find all past NSW/ACT General Managers Updates. 

General Update

Welcome to our second update of 2025. Our NSW & ACT Club Support team has been very busy over the past couple of months, visiting clubs and Discover Sailing Centres, getting familiar with the new Instructor, Coach and Officials training enhancements, and preparing for upcoming events, workshops and training courses.  

In February, I had the opportunity to visit some of our regional clubs along the south coast of NSW, all the way to Eden, as well as a visit to the Australian Capital Territory. Craig and Jess have also been actively visiting clubs and DSCs in the Sydney Metropolitan, Newcastle and Lake Macquarie areas.

We have also had the privilege of attending and supporting the Hansa Worlds, which recently took place in Newport, NSW. The Hansa Worlds included the Hansa class World and International Championships, Australian and NSW Championships, and the Para World Championships. Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club delivered an outstanding event, which will be long remembered for its vibrance, inclusivity, great camaraderie, dedicated volunteers, and spectacular racing on Pittwater. Competitors from over 17 nations will be returning to their home countries with fond memories and appreciation of the sailing community in Australia, thanks to the huge impact of this wonderful event. View more here > 

There have been several other sailing events across NSW and ACT since our last update – simply too many to mention! Make sure to view regatta reports via our News page on our website, and don’t forget to send in your own event reports to Australian Sailing!  

As the end of the 2024-25 season approaches, I encourage key representatives of clubs and class associations, including staff and committee members, to register for one of our upcoming Sailing Summits. We are excited to be taking to the road in 2025 to deliver the ‘Sailing Summit Roadshows’. Sailing Summits are a great opportunity for clubs and classes to share information and ideas and to learn the latest from Australian Sailing on new initiatives, resources, and projects. 

Sailing Summits

The 2025 Sailing Summits are fast approaching – REGISTER NOW and share with your club officials and representatives! 

Hear from our team as well as those within Clubs, Class Associations and Discover Sailing Centres who have a great idea, resource or success story to share. This year’s events will focus on Participation, Funding and Volunteering. Additionally, Australian Sailing will present findings from the latest GEMBA Report, due for completion in May 2025. This research delves into public perceptions of barriers to sailing and provides actionable recommendations for clubs and classes to boost participation and membership. 

The Sailing Summits are free to attend and open to all committee members of Clubs, Class Associations and Discover Sailing Centres, Club General Managers, Sailing Managers, Discover Sailing Centre Principal’s, and Head Instructors/Coaches.  

• Sat 10 May: Canberra Yacht Club
• Sat 17 May: Port Kembla Sailing Club
• Sat 14 June: Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron
• Sat 21 June: Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club
• Sat 28 June: Coffs Harbour Yacht Club

Please register your attendance here as soon as possible. We look forward to seeing you at one of our Sailing Summits soon!

Regional Advisory Committee Updates

Yachting ACT recently held a General Meeting and resolved to wind up the Yachting ACT association and subsequently form an ACT Regional Advisory Committee. We look forward to working with the ACT Regional Advisory Committee, led by Peter Ottesen (Chair).  

The NSW Regional Advisory Committee will be meeting once again in April, to discuss the upcoming Sailing Summits, further opportunities for club engagement with Australian Sailing, and providing feedback on increasing participation and membership within clubs.   

Upcoming Official, Instructor & Coach Courses

We thank everyone for their patience as we continually add new face to face Instructor, Coach and Officials courses to the calendar. We now have several Instructor and Officials courses available to join, with more Sailing Coach courses to be announced soon. Spaces on courses are limited, and we recommend registering early to avoid disappointment.  

Please click on the links below to learn how to become accredited as an Official, Coach and/or Instructor, and to view upcoming course dates: 

• Visit the Training Hub to become an Instructor or Coach
• Visit the Officials Hub to become a Race Officer, Judge, Umpire or Measurer

We are taking expressions of interest for upcoming courses. Please email nsw@sailing.org.au to express your interest in Instructor, Coach or Officials courses.  

Australian Sailing releases second Annual Participation Report

Australian Sailing has released our second Annual Participation Report, which details the results of our work partnering with Sailing Clubs, Class Associations and Discover Sailing Centres to meet the participation targets outlined in our 10-year Strategy, “SAILING 2032”. We would like to give a special mention to Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club as the top Keelboat Centre in Australia.  

ACTION ITEM FOR CLUBS: Add your club participation programs to revSPORT by creating an event, linking it to the relevant program (green, intermediate or advanced fleet), and adding your participating sailors – don’t forget to mark them off as complete! There is no cost to add members to your Participation Program events in RevSPORT. Capturing data is a must-do for clubs, as it will assist you to report membership and participation data in grant applications, understand workforce development requirements, and to budget for future sailing programs. 

Sailing Event Notification System (SENS) Reminder

Transport for NSW is reminding sailing clubs of the need to notify NSW Maritime of upcoming events, via the Sailing Event Notification System (SENS). Please ensure that your club is complying with the exemptions and conditions of sailing events from NSW Maritime.  

Under the Sailing Event Notification System, event organisers can notify Transport for NSW about sailing events, so they don't need an aquatic event licence. This gives Transport and other waterway users notice of anticipated activity levels on NSW waterways. Event organisers must notify Transport at least 6 weeks before any sailing event and can also notify up to 12 months in advance.  

Powerboat Courses no longer recognised for NSW Boat Licence

Following a review by Transport for NSW in 2024, Australian Sailing Powerboat program certificates, issued from 1^st July 2025, will no longer be recognised by Transport for NSW as meeting the requirements for obtaining a NSW General Boat Licence.  

We encourage Discover Sailing Centres to continue delivering the Powerboat Program, as these courses provide excellent boat handling and safety boat operator training that is beneficial for people wanting to assist in club events or desire to be an instructor, coach or official.  

Events Calendar

Upcoming Australian Sailing events…. 

• Australian Sailing Officials Workshop / Sun 20 July / Drummoyne SC 
• NSW & ACT Sailing Awards / Sat 20 September / St George SC 
• Youth Sail NSW / Wed 1 – Mon 6 October / Toronto Amateur SC 

Upcoming club & class events: 

• Sail Port Stephens Commodores Cup / Mon 31 March – Sat 5 April 
• NSW Optimist Championship / Sat 5 – Sun 6 April / Toronto Amateur SC 
• J70 Lake Macquarie Regatta / Sat 5 – Mon 7 Apr / Lake Macquarie YC 
• Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race / Fri 11 April / RPAYC 
• Australian Secondary Schools Regatta / Mon 14 – Thu 17 April / Belmont 16’s 
• Jervis Bay Classic / Fri 25 – Sun 27 April / Vincentia SC 
• Batemans Bay Regatta / Sat 26 – Sun 27 Apr 2025 / Batemans Bay SC 
• Sail Port Stephens Performance Racing / Fri 25 – Sun 27 April  
• Sail Port Stephens Bay Series / Fri 2 – Sun 4 May 
• Ponant Sydney to Noumea Race / Sat 31 May / CYCA 

You can view all upcoming sailing events via our NSW/ACT Event Calendar. View the full calendar here. 

ACTION ITEMS FOR CLUBS: Add your events to the calendar! Contact nsw@sailing.org.au for information on how to add your events to the calendar. 

Updating Club Contacts

Not Receiving Official AS Communications? When Flag Officers, committee members and management or administration staff change roles, your club account details need to be updated. Without key contact details, Australian Sailing cannot contact the right people! 

ACTION ITEM FOR CLUBS: Check your club’s contact details in the account details section of revSPORT and add your Organisation Officials.