The latest update from Australian Sailing's General Manager - Queensland - Annie Watson

Please click this link to find all past Queensland General Manager Updates.

General Update 

Happy New Year and Happy Australia Day!  Can you believe we are in February already!   

As always, we have a fun packed year of events and it would be great to see all our clubs take advantage of the networking and information sharing opportunities.  The dates and venues are listed below with registrations opening soon.  

Congratulations to Whitsunday Sailing Club, Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron and Lake Cootharaba Sailing Club for hosting National Championships this summer. It is a huge undertaking to run one of these events; the organisation, the volunteers, the race management, but the benefits to clubs are huge. If your club is wanting to host a national event for the first time next summer reach out and have a chat to one of the clubs who do it well. 

I’m sure you have been watching closely like I have, Queensland’s Female Sailor of the Year Stacey Jackson has been sailing her way around the globe with the Famous Project.  We are looking forward to her return from France so we can hear all about the record breaking journey.  You can read more about it here.

The Radio-Controlled Sailing Program has now given Mackay Sailing Club, Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, Port Douglas Yacht Club, Humpybong Yacht Club, Noosa Yacht & Rowing Club and Douglas Sailing Club the opportunity to discover the exciting and fast-growing world of RC sailing. Using small, user-friendly DF65 radio-controlled yachts, the clubs are delivering Come Try Days and other engaging activities that offer inclusive, high-quality sailing experiences in a fun, social, and safe setting. All our available spots for this program have been taken for this year, and we hope to continue next financial year.  

For any of your members who have started down the officials pathway but may not have got qualified, we may be able to help get you to the right events or get you assessed so that you can apply for the accreditation thanks to some Queensland Government funding.  Please reach out to Alison Turner alison.turner@sailing.org.au if you are interested.  

The Yachting Queensland Limited Liquidation has now been completed and the application to ASIC for deregistration been submitted.  There is approximately three months wait until their process is complete and as that nears, we will send information around the formation of the Queensland Regional Advisory Committee and Clubs becoming direct members of Australian Sailing. 

We are just finalizing gathering the Queensland club racing and regatta fleet numbers. This will help us see trends and areas of focus for 2026.  The initial off the beach trends show that regattas are thriving with Youth Sail Queensland, Tinaroo’s May Day Regatta and RQ’s Youth Week being the most popular.

2026 Events – Date Savers 

Sailing Summit – Queensland Cruising Yacht Club – 30th May 2026 

A must do for all club committee members and those interested in helping our sport.

Training in Focus Live – Southport Yacht Club Oxenford – 6th June 2026 

A must do for all instructors and Discover Sailing Principals. 

Queensland Sailing Awards – Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron – Friday 11th September 2026 

Nominate the people who make your club tick and then come and celebrate our community. 

Youth Sail Queensland – Keppel Bay Sailing Club – Monday 21st September to Saturday 26th September 2026 

The best youth regatta on the calendar caters for all sailors from starting out in Green Fleet to youth who want to compete at Nationals or World Championships.  Parents love it, kids love it.   

Action Item/s for Club: 

• Bring these events up in your next committee meeting and confirm who will be attending. 

Game Plan  

We now have half our Queensland clubs started with Game Plan.  While not compulsory it is becoming increasingly important that clubs build this Australian Sports Commission self-assessment for clubs and class associations into their annual review process.  We are here to help you get started, help with changes based on your results or answer any questions. Don’t leave it too late to get registered before it becomes compulsory. 

Action Item/s for Club: 

Get started today - https://www.ausport.gov.au/gameplan  

Keep in Touch

If you have any questions on the above topics, please contact the General Manager - QLD, Annie Watson at annie.watson@sailing.org.au. You can find a complete list of Australian Sailing Contacts – here.