Celebrating 50 Years of Sailing Fun!

What a weekend it was! The Batemans Bay Sailing Club’s 50th Anniversary celebrations were nothing short of spectacular. From thrilling races to heartwarming speeches, we had it all.

Friday, 25th October 2024 – River Wranglers Series The weekend kicked off with the River Wranglers Series. Although Moonmist was the only boat out, the spirit of competition was alive and well. Cheers from supporters made it a memorable start.

Saturday, 26th October 2024 – Bay Cup Race Saturday saw the Bay Cup races with enthusiastic turnout by skippers and crews at JJ’s. Fast paced sprint races and tight turnarounds made it a great day on the water.

50th Anniversary Dinner The highlight of the weekend was undoubtedly the 50th Anniversary Dinner. The evening began with the some wonderfull reconnecting of club members old and new. The day’s provisional race results were announced, with Moonmist and Accolade tying for first place. The turnout was incredible, with more people than ever before at a BBSC event.

The evenings proceedings were hosted by Simon Byrne, who did an eloquent deep dive on the origins and news clippings about the club.

We heard from many past and present members, including heartfelt messages from John Mackintosh and John Hearn, who shared their fond memories and congratulated the club on its milestone. Bev Dunne shared a written submission from Mike Foskett about the club’s journey and the dedicated sailors who kept the dream alive.

The evening also featured a photo competition with over 1,000 photos contributed (mostly by Peter Smith), making it a visual feast of the club’s rich history as the food was served. Congratulations to Jim Levy’s winning shot, entitled “Off to Nelligen for Father’s Day” – a lovely nostalgic view of the BBSC past fleet, and the famous iron bridge which is now long gone. You can view all of the (non Peter Smith) images submitted here.

“Off to Nelligen for Father’s Day” – the winning photo competition image by Jim Levy

Looking Back and Moving Forward The speeches from past Commodores like Ian Riley, Peter Walsh, Andrew Bain and Lachlan Brown took us on a nostalgic journey through the club’s history, filled with good laughter from the audience. From the early days of sailing at Casey’s Beach to the construction (and reconstruction!) of the clubhouse, their stories highlighted the camaraderie and passion that have defined the ‘can do’ attitude of the BBSC.

Then, the cutting of the cake!

Sunday, 27th October 2024 – Off the Beach sailing at Lake Coila A good fleet of catamarans and dinghies met a light breeze on arrival at Lake Coila. While sailors rigged their craft, guests and spectators enjoyed a hearty breakfast put together by Francesca Harmey, Richard and Bev Dunne. Allan Rees and Terry Paton officiated the racing under blue skies and fair winds.

Rob Nash told of the ‘Black Bog’ Trophy – a peanut butter jar full of black mud from Lake Coila, symbolising the friendly competition between Batemans Bay Sailing Club and Tuross.

Current club Commodore Simon Dunlop shared his history with the club and, endorsed by some additional context from Andrew Bain, explained some of the challenges that sailing clubs are facing in gaining the attention and participation of younger audiences. On that note, some exciting plans were shared to potentially see a few schools in the area start to engage with sailing. We look forward to seeing how this evolves.

Join in to relive the weekend If you weren’t there you can set your FOMO (fear of missing out) aside. If you were there, you can relive the memories! Here are some assets to help you continue celebrating 50 years of the club – wherever you are!

Here’s to another 50 years of sailing adventures!