The sailing community is reminded that the change to Rule 46 in the Racing Rules of Sailing is scheduled to be implemented from 1 January 2022, which will now require all competitors in any race to be a member of a club. To help clubs and members prepare for the change, we have collated some case studies on how some clubs are already implementing the update.  

Why is the rule changing?

The change to Rule 46 centres around duty of care, safety and insurance, but also offers clubs the opportunity to grow their membership base and create clearer lines of communication with potential members. The change was scheduled to be implemented from 1 January 2021, but was postponed for a year allowing affiliated clubs extra time to focus on restarting sailing and club house operations after the impacts of the COVID pandemic.

You can find more information about the rule change here:

• FAQ - Changes to Rule 46
• Safety and Liability Risks under Rule 46

How does this affect me?

Hoping to bring a friend sailing? You’ll need to make sure that they sign up as a casual/ introductory member at your club. Being a member of a club and registered with Australian Sailing gives clubs information about who is racing which is an important part of their approach to safety. Being registered with Australian Sailing also provides a basic personal injury insurance which serves as a safety net to people who, through injury or accident, incur financial loss. 

This article will highlight some of the ways in which clubs are implementing the changes, including the use of SailPass to help process flexible memberships.

SailPass memberships

To assist the sailing community to comply with the rule change, Australian Sailing has developed SailPass which is a tool available for clubs to provide short term, introductory or other flexible membership arrangements for non-member competitors. SailPass is being used by many clubs around Australia. 
Registration with SailPass provides sailors with an Australian Sailing number and basic insurance, which serves as a safety net for sailors. 

Pricing Structure

The pricing structure of SailPass is entirely dictated by each respective club. Some clubs have chosen to charge a flat fee for a SailPass, others charge nothing for the first few SailPasses and then have tiered charges as more SailPasses are purchased. Some clubs set a maximum number of uses before the SailPass holder is required to become a full club member. 
It is important to note that Australian Sailing does not receive any of the funds; your club will entirely benefit from any charges that they implement with SailPass. 

Below are a few examples of clubs that are using SailPass. Use this link to find a club near you that offers SailPass.

Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron (South Australia)

The Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron charges $25 for a SailPass for a weekend race or $100 for 15 weekend races. They also offer unlimited free SailPasses for their Wednesday and Thursday Twilight races.

Mornington Yacht Club (Victoria) 

Mornington Yacht Club has structured their SailPass offerings as 4 sails free of charge and the following four SailPasses cost $15 per sail. Following use of the SailPass system, members are required to become a crew member with all SailPass payments deducted from the membership cost.

Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (New South Wales) 

Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club offer free SailPasses for use in weekday and weekend racing. This includes Women’s Twilight as well as weeknight and weekend racing. SailPass users can select to purchase a one off SailPass or select all races in the series.

Southport Yacht Club (Queensland)

Southport Yacht Club charges $20 per SailPass for use in their Wednesday and Thursday Twilight races as well as Offshore races. Non-members can purchase up to three SailPasses and are then credited the initial cost and provided with the option of using it towards the $20, $40 or $60 towards the bar or future membership cost.