Coast Championships Gosford Sailing Club Wrap
Always colourful – Sylvie Stannage in action at recent DBSC Regatta 2025 – Photo courtesy of DBSC
The NSW & ACT Coast Championships were held at Gosford Sailing Club over the weekend 18-19 October with 45 boats representing 15 sailing clubs competing. There were sailors from all the ILCA youth and masters age categories in the three fleets.
Conditions were very good with 8-10 knots SE on Saturday and a nice building 10-15 knots NNE breeze on Sunday.
In the small but very competitive ILCA 4 fleet Patrick McLachlan RSYS/DBSC won in a close tussle from Rory Miller RSYS/DBSC. Harper Spacey DBSC was third.
The ILCA 6s were dominated by Sylvie Stannage HHSC/DBSC/WSC who counted four wins and a second on her score to win from Sara Bruce DBSC. Sara won two of the lighter breeze races on Saturday and was first Under 19 winner. Third was very consistent GM sailor Bruce Savage. You can see the technique of these leading sailors on show in drone footage of Race 4 shot by local James Ellis approaching the top mark and the first reach.
The ILCA 7s were dominated by Alexander Bijkerk RPAYC/DBSC who won all six races to win from Tom Farley Belmont 16s who posted four seconds and a third. Under 21 sailor Quentin Burns WSC/DBSC was third on a countback from RPAYC GM sailor Stuart Holdsworth.
Gosford Sailing Club Etchells sailors (who stood down from their normal sailing) and volunteers who gave over their entire weekend did a great job working with ILCA Race Officer Andrew McLachlan to deliver a very well run event. Buoy Zone software was used to good effect to set accurate two lap trapezoidal courses of 45 minute duration in the somewhat confined Brisbane Water at Gosford.