News
General Manager - Tasmania Update April 2026
Published Wed 01 Apr 2026
Are you sharing this information with your Sailing Committee and Community?
With our summer sailing season coming to an end, it’s now time to head into our Australian Sailing courses, complete the Club Survey and register for the Sailing Summit to be held at Kingston Beach Sailing Club on Sunday 31st May. In this month’s GM Update, there is more information about what is going on and how to register.
March saw our new time for the Zhik Youth Sail TAS that was held at the RYCT over the long weekend. Our new format of coaching in the morning and racing in the afternoon proved to be a hit, with 92 sailors from 11 clubs involved in the three days. The weather gods presented beautiful days for sailing and there was a buzz of activity around the RYCT for the weekend. I believe it was by far the best Youth Sail that I have been part of as GM and I saw many happy faces and lots of fun happening. There are always things that we can do better and learn from, but overall, the supportive environment helped sailors develop their sailing skills during coaching and then put them into action when racing. Thank you to the RYCT, volunteers and Race Officer Emma Hooper for the running of a very smooth event and we are looking forward to next year’s Youth Sail with excitement!
For a full overview of Youth Sail and results click HERE.
Felicity Allison
This Month’s Update:
- Good News Story – Solo circumnavigation sailor, Tristan Gourlay, returns!
- AS Club Survey
- Regional Advisory Committee Nominations open May 1st
- AS Events for 2026 – Save the Dates
- TAS 2026 AS Courses
- TAS Workshop and Funding Opportunities
- TAS Events Calendar
- Spirit of Sailing Award
- Update your Contacts and Keep in Touch
Solo Circumnavigation completed
Congratulations to Tamar Yacht Club sailor, Tristan Gourlay, who has just completed his solo, non-stop, unassisted circumnavigation of the globe on Saturday 28th March. An epic 138 day journey and he now holds the title of fastest Australian to complete the adventure. I know that many people were following Blue Moon 2 and would be interested in reading the following article by the ABC – TRISTAN GOURLAY
Australian Sailing invites you to participate in the 2026 Club Survey
The Club Survey provides an opportunity for clubs to provide feedback on what support they value from Australian Sailing and what areas they would like more support with. An email was sent to all key club contacts at each affiliated club (as registered in the revSPORT national database). You are encouraged to consult with your committee members to form a single response for your club. The survey should take no more than 15-20 minutes to complete.
Your club's individual response to the survey will remain confidential. Feedback will be aggregated and results will be communicated back to the sailing community. Your voice strengthens sailing’s future, as we work together to get more people on the water, in more ways, more often. The survey will be open until 30th April 2026.
CLUB ACTION: Check your emails for the link to the AS Club Survey and add to the agenda for next Committee Meeting. One response per club!
Regional Advisory Committee Nominations open May 1st
Are you interested in representing our Tasmanian Sailing Community? We meet several times a year to discuss sailing in Tasmania and how we can better support them. Let your Commodore know that you are keen to join the RAC as there are three elected positions open. For more information about the RAC CLICK HERE.
AS TAS Events 2026 - Save the dates and add to your Club Calendar
Join us at our 2026 venue the Kingston Beach Sailing Club for the TAS Sailing Summit.
Sailing Summits provide an annual opportunity for the decision makers of the sailing community to get together with Australian Sailing senior management and Board Members.
All Club and Class Association Flag officers, Presidents, key officials and management are encouraged to attend the Sailing Summit, which will be held at Kingston Beach Sailing Club on Sunday May 31st. Make sure that your Club and Class are represented and come and be part of our sailing community.
Training in Focus LIVE (Instructor Conference) – 1st August at RYCT - Training in Focus LIVE
TAS Sailing Awards – 12th Sept at Maritime Museum
CLUB ACTION: Add to Club Calendar and register for the Sailing Summit
TAS 2026 AS Courses – Do you have members wanting to upskill? Our courses are open and ready for registrations. There are limited places so get in early!
Keelboat Instructor:
16 & 17 May at DSS REGISTER HERE
Dinghy Instructor:
23 & 24 May at Deviot Sailing Club REGISTER HERE
27 & 28 June at RYCT REGISTER HERE
Dinghy Assistant Instructor:
27 June at RYCT REGISTER HERE
Sailing Coach:
19 & 20 June at RYCT REGISTER HERE
Race Officer – Regional and National:
18 & 19 July at RYCT REGISTER HERE
Powerboat Handling and Safety Boat Courses TBC – To be held prior to Instructor and Coach courses
Judge, Umpire and Measurer courses can be organised on request.
Regional courses are on demand, so please contact us to discuss a course.
Use the Course Finder to track courses: Australian Sailing Course Finder
CLUB ACTION: Share with your members and register for the courses.
TAS Workshop Opportunities and Grants
Keeping Children Safe – Webinar about Standard 4 Tuesday 14 April,2-3pm online
What will this session include?
- A detailed explanation of Child and Youth Safe Standard 4: Equity is upheld and diverse needs respected in policy and practice
- A fictional case study designed to prompt thoughtful group discussion
- Valuable insights drawn from current research
- Access to newly released implementation guidance.
Child Safeguarding in Sport Child Safeguarding in Sport (SISCIP) Session
Wednesday 15 April |11:00am – 12:30pm at Domain Athletic Centre, Hobart
Hosted by Sport Integrity Australia, Active Tasmania and the Office of the Independent Regulator, this session will cover:
- success stories from the SISCIP program
- managing reporting and complaints
- the National Integrity Framework and Tasmanian Reportable Conduct Scheme
Best Practice Volunteering for Safe & Inclusive Clubs
Thursday 9 April | 12:00 – 1:00pm (online)
Delivered by Volunteering Tasmania and Sexual Assault Support Services, this session supports clubs to build safe and inclusive environments.
Governance Workshops
Monday 13th April - Devonport Strikers Soccer Club - 6pm
Tuesday 14th April - East Launceston Bowls Club - 6pm
Thursday 16th April - Hobart Athletics Centre - 6pm
Friday 17th April - Ninja Stadium – 10am
Topics to be covered:
- What is your organisation’s legal status and what are the obligations that follow
- The role of the committee and the committee members
- Engaging with your organisation members (or stakeholders)
- Looking up- planning to succeed (operations, goals, budgets)
- Knowing your risks (and managing them)
- Conflicts and how to respond
The workshops will be facilitated by Committee members (all graduate lawyers or recently admitted practicing lawyers) in the company of Dr Rachel Baird, the Governance Hub founder. REGISTER HERE
GRANTS
Several Grants have recently closed so I’m hoping that you didn’t miss the opportunity to apply. You can find more information about current and future grant rounds at the following link; Active Tasmania
CLUB ACTION: Visit links and get Grant ready!
Thank you to the Clubs who have been using the TAS Events calendar. This is very useful for everyone, and communication is the key to supporting our sailing community. If you require support for adding an event, please email felicity.allison@sailing.org.au
CLUB ACTION:Add your events and contact AS if you require help.TAS Calendar
Spirit of Sailing Award
Australian Sailing is proud to announce the launch of the new Spirit of S.A.I.L.I.N.G. Award, a values-based recognition program that will be presented at all Zhik Youth Sail events.
The Spirit of S.A.I.L.I.N.G. Award celebrates youth sailors who demonstrate outstanding character both on and off the water, recognising not just how they race, but how they treat others, respond to challenges, and contribute to the sailing community. READ MORE HERE
CLUB ACTION: Share with your members
Please ensure that your Club/Class contact details are kept up to date in revSPORT as this helps us keep in touch with you!
With AGM’s coming up soon we need to know who is on your committee.
Are you using the AS templates for your courses and Discover Sailing Days? It is simple and easy to use and will help promote your event. We need you to use these to help us collect data for our sport and ensure that your members are getting up to date information.
We are available to answer your queries by phone, face to face or via Teams online.
Felicity Allison - General Manager, TAS
Mb. 0438 279761
felicity.allison@sailing.org.au
