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

What an exciting time we have had in Queensland over the past two months. New CEO Malcolm Page visited Queensland twice, once for meetings with RQ and SYC and the other to join with Commodores from around the state at Government House for a special reception to celebrate sailing. It was a lovely evening, and the Governor spent time with many people who attended.

The next Play Well Workshop at the Gabba, Australian Sailing was one of many sports and related organisations that got together and had input into Horizon 2 of the Australian Sports Commission strategy. It was great to see so much engagement and connection across the room and to hear everyone’s perspectives and input on how we can continue to move sport forward to ensure everyone has a place in sport. The unifying message from sport to government was very clear: empowerment in sport requires both structural investment (funding, resources, policies) and cultural renewal (training, mindset, inclusivity). The message from sport about lifelong participation is that we need a dual approach: Policy-level incentives (e.g., tax deductions, vouchers) that make ongoing participation financially accessible and socially valued; Program-level innovation (e.g., modified formats) that ensures sport is flexible, inclusive, and socially rewarding at every life stage.I always come away from these events buoyed by the leadership and excited for the future.

Once again, we had an absolutely wonderful Queensland Sailing Awards evening. Over 100 people celebrated the Queensland Sailing community while we crowned the winners of our awards. The two clubs of the year are: Southport Yacht Club and Cleveland Yacht Club. Congratulations to all our finalists and winners. You can read all about it here: https://www.sailing.org.au/news/queensland-celebrates-best-at-the-2025-sailing-awards-night

Congratulations to the six Sail Our Way Funding recipients: Brisbane Sailing Squadron, Mooloolaba Yacht Club, Keppel Bay Sailing Club, Lake Cootharaba Sailing Club, Wynnum Manly Sailing Club & Southport Yacht Club. The Sail Our Way Grant Program an Australian Sailing initiative funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care aims to Increase the participation of women and girls in sailing, and strengthen the leadership, coaching, and instructing capability of women and girls within clubs and class associations. We can’t wait to see your programs come to life.

Australian Sailing is pleased to announce the launch of a brand new course, Race Officer– Scorer& Handicapper, designed to teach the fundamental skills needed to score, handicap and manage ratings for sailing races. You can read all about it here: https://www.sailing.org.au/news/new-race-officer-scorer-handicapper-course-now-available

Registrations are now open for the 2025 SheSails International Conference as part of World Sailing’s Steering the Course festival for women in sailing, set to celebrate and elevate women in sailing with a powerful lineup of international and Australian speakers.

The virtual conference will be delivered via webinar at 7:00pm (AEDT) on Monday 20 October 2025, bringing together leaders, trailblazers, and changemakers from across the sport. Learn more here: https://www.sailing.org.au/news/registrations-open-for-2025-shesails-international-conference

Zhik Youth Sail Queensland 2025 

It was absolutely a glamour week of incredible sailing and learning, not only by the sailors, but coaches and officials. It was lovely to see so many volunteers from our clubs across Queensland and thank you clubs for all the support you have given to Keppel Bay Sailing Club with loans of ribs. This event is a reflection of our sailing community – I couldn’t be more proud! No record breaking numbers this year and NSW pipped us at the post for largest participation nationally, but having 215 boats and 230 sailors is beyond fantastic. The dates for next year are Monday 21st September to Saturday 26th September. Start talking to your green, junior and youth fleets to lock it into their calendar already. Help them be ready for the best week and for more fun in the holidays than ever before.

Officials Workshop at Capricornia Cruising Yacht Club

On the back of such a successful Officials workshop in SEQ, we have decided to do it again. It is being held at Capricornia Cruising Yacht Club on 6th December and is open to all officials and people who are interested in becoming an official. Presenter Ashley Ross will guide you to different ways of thinking about experience and learn more about coaching and mentoring. “You don’t learn from experience you learn from reflecting on your experience”. Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity. You can find all the information here: https://www.sailingresources.org.au/officiating/officials-workshops

Action Item/s for Club:

• Register today: https://www.sailing.org.au/events/312031

Female Only Guided Online Learning Sessions

Cairns Yacht Club is hosting a female only guided Protest Committee member and Race Officer online learning sessions next month. This is a government funded opportunity and is open to any females who are looking to volunteer in the Officials space.

Action Item/s for Club: 

• There are two sessions available, so please advertise this fantastic opportunity with your female members.
• Registration is here: https://www.sailing.org.au/events/311136

Instructor Development Day

Port Curtis Sailing Club is hosting our next Instructor Development Workshop on 29th & 30th November. This is a great opportunity for all our regional instructors to have some fun while learning new skills, getting better at what you do, and learning how a good experience at your club makes all the difference.

Action Item/s for Club:

• Please ensure your instructors and administrators attend this event.
• You can register your learn to sail team here: https://www.sailing.org.au/events/312236

If any of your members are looking to become an instructor, Coach or Official, they can register their interest here: https://www.sailing.org.au/events/271291. By registering, this helps us target the right areas in Queensland to hold courses.

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 is still underway with nothing to report at this time.

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.