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Keelboat News
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2026 Melbourne to Devonport Yacht Race - an adventure!
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Well done to RBYC Yachts BlueWater Tracks and Another Chapter for completing the tricky 2026 Melbourne to Devonport Yacht Race. If you were watching the Tracker you would have seen some extremely slow progress at times, especially after the start, and some better progress later on.
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The yachts started just inside the heads at 1645 on Friday 30 Oct.
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Posted on the ORCV Facebook page…
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Another brilliant finish! BLUE WATER TRACKS (B1) skippered by Grant Dunoon with crew of Neville Rose, Paul Jenkins and Brian Mills completed the 2026 Melbourne to Devonport Rudder Cup at 00:10:51 on Sunday. Teamwork and endurance are at their best, well done!
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ANOTHER CHAPTER (B71) skippered by Greg Clinnick with crew of Neil Sargeant, Leigh Imbesi, Josh Stuchbery, Ty Dobie, Mark Bayles, Phil Alkemade, Julie Mckay, Lachlan Hardy and Christopher Wellman successfully completed the 2026 Melbourne to Devonport Rudder Cup at 01:00:28 Sunday. Congratulations!
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The full article about the race can be read at the link below.
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Wednesday: Hearnes Heroes, Keelboat Twilight | Thursday: OTB Twilight
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Saturday: Brighton Championship & One Design | Sunday: OTB Pre- Christmas Series
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Congratulations to Wayward for another win in the Hearne’s Heroes last week, and to Caledonia for winning the Twilight Race. We were all treated to a spectacular sunset afterwards.
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Congratulations to the new RBYC Committee
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On 14 Oct, members were informed that, following a review of the 2026 General Committee election results, an error was identified in the tallying of votes produced by the Club's electronic voting platform. As a result, Cath Hurley stepped down as Commodore and Grant Dow stepped in as Acting Commodore while an audit was conducted. At the Special General Meeting held Thursday 29th October the membership voted unanimously to accept the audited election results.
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Thanks to those who were declared at the AGM as part of the Committee, as well as the new Committee for their patience and understanding.
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The New Committee is as follows;
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Vice Commodore – Grant Dow
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Rear Commodore – Andy Holmes
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Club Captain – Paul Jackson
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Honorary Treasurer – Ross Melville
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Committee – Keith Badger, Marnie Irving, Steve Reynolds, Neil Sargeant, Josh Stuchbery, Mark Woodland
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This has been a difficult time for all involved and we look forward to moving forward together as a club.
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Training News
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December/January School Holidays
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Get your kids into sailing or keep them going on their path. RBYC popular school holiday programs are now avaiable for booking. Places are limited and fill fast. Tackers for the 6-12's and Outthere for the 12-18's. Not sure where to start? Click on the images below for more information and bookings.
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The off-the-beach fleets, including a large number of ILCAs and Optis enjoyed varied conditions through the week. Conditions were perfect on Thursday evening. Then the weekend brought a bit of everything including "whiteout" on Saturday for the VIODA camp, and better conditions on Sunday for both the Optis and the ILCAs. Terrific to see so many boats on the water - a great time for young and old and lots to learn. There was still time for Halloween as well!
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Sail Melbourne is Coming!
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We are all getting excited about Sail Melbourne which is just around the corner (26-29 November). There are 195 entries so far across 16 OTB classes,with a target of 300 sailors overall. This is always such a great opportunity for sailors and volunteers from a variety of clubs to get together and enjoy the great racing.
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Cruising News 4/11
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Friday November 20th, 7pm - Guest Speaker Dinner The Loss of Tai Tam – Key ingredients for a successful mid-ocean rescue Most of you will have seen news items regarding the recent sinking of Tai Tam in the South Pacific Ocean. Tai Tam, which departed RBYC in early 2026 to cruise to NZ and then on to the South Pacific, …
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2.4 Victorian State Titles at Paynesville
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21 boats (13 from RBYC) enjoyed the terrific hospitality of the Gippsland Lakes Yacht Club over the weekend with some challenging racing. Day 1 saw only one race with 7 boats needing to pull out due to being swamped or experiencing damage as the winds reached 30 knots. This didn’t deter the top boats, and the rest of the fleet learned a few lessons in the debrief about handling the strong winds and choppy water. There were 3 races on Day 2 with winds reaching 20 knots, while the two races on Day 3 were sailed in a more pleasant 5- 8 knots.
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RBYC boats ruled the podium with Neil Patter (Digger) clearly in front, Michael Bunyard (Tina) in second place and 2.4 mR National President Peter Coleman (Australia ii.iv) in third. The winners were awarded beautiful wooden bowls hand crafted by Ray Smith – we at RBYC are well familiar with Ray’s beautiful workmanship.
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Other sailors had some terrific finishes in individual races, Glenn Ferguson (Vim) was 2nd in Races 5 and 6, Mark Woodland (One Man Band) was 2nd in Race 3, and Steve Thompson (Bob) was 3rd in Race 4.
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The regatta saw much sharing of technical and sailing knowledge, and new members to the fleet were made to feel very welcome.
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The banner for the 30th anniversary 2.4mR Nationals flew proudly on the flagstaff and everyone is now looking forward to Sail Melbourne, before the big one in January.
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Acquire your own piece of RBYC
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As mentioned in previous newsletters, as part of the refurbishment of the club, much of the club furniture in the restaurant and members bar will be replaced. This coming week we are removing the upstairs outdoor tables and chairs, which can be collected by interested club members this coming weekend. If you are interested in acquiring some of this furniture, please contact General Manager Phil Hall ([email protected] or 0437 454 998) before the weekend.
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Member’s Lounge kitchen
Friday nights have been extremely busy. A ‘greatest hits menu’ will be available for ordering in the Member’s Lounge.
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Bookings Essential. For your convenience reservations can now be make online here:
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Last Draw
Friday 30rd Oct
$100
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Next Draw
Friday 6th Nov
$150
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Social News
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Around the Bay
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West Offshore Products Coastal Sprint Race 2
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West Offshore Products Coastal Sprint Race 2 runs on Saturday 5 December. The Sprints are short coastal races conducted in daylight hours and are now classified as Category 4 races with some additional ORCV requirements. These races are a perfect crew development pathway toward ocean races like the Rudder Cup and Westcoaster, or a great stand-alone coastal race, and you'll be home Saturday evening. Click here to enter.
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Entries are open for Cock of the Bay, ORCV's iconic Boxing Day race on Port Phillip. Starting near Station Pier and running roughly 21nm past Port Melbourne, St Kilda Pier, Brighton Pier, Sandringham and Hampton, it's the perfect way to blow off the Christmas excess. With over 100 yachts on the water in past years, it's shaping up to be another huge fleet. It's also a well-worn stepping stone toward the Melbourne to Hobart for those looking further ahead. Click here to enter.
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Melbourne to Hobart ‘Westcoaster’
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Entries are still open for the 2026 Melbourne to Hobart Westcoaster, a blue-water ocean classic with more than 50 years of history and the highest-ranking race in the ORCV Offshore Championship. The 435NM course takes the fleet across Bass Strait, south along Tasmania's rugged and remote West Coast—a true test of strategy and seamanship for full crew, 4+ autohelm, and double handed boats alike. Join the legacy of more than 900 yachts and 7,000 crew members who've made this passage. Click here to enter.
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