News
General Manager - Tasmania Update August 2026
Published Wed 07 Oct 2026
The latest update from Australian Sailing's TAS General Manager – Felicity Allison.
Read all previous General Manager updates here.
Our TAS Sailing Awards evening was again a great success with the Maritime Museum full to the brim with people from all different parts of our sailing community. Thank you to all who attended and for the people who took the time to nominate. Congratulations to all who were recognised and to our award recipients.
Special mention must go to our Lifetime Achievement Award recipients who have given so much to sailing over many years;
Stephen Miller- Midway Point Yacht Club
Don McIndoe- RYCT, SBSC (posthumously awarded).
To read more about the evening and see who was successful please click HERE.
At the Australian Sailing Awards in Sydney on October 30th, Tasmania will be very well represented with the following voted as finalists:
Emma Hooper – Volunteer of the Year
Greg Rowlings – Sport Professional Award
Chris Symonds – Para Sailor of the Year
Olive Hooper – Female Youth Sailor of the Year
Sandy Bay Sailing Club – Category B Club of the Year
We wish them all the best and are excited to see Tasmania standing out in so many areas of our sport.
Felicity Allison
This Month’s Update:
- Discover Sailing Month
- Good News Story- New TAS Club Support Officer
- New Discover Sailing Centre
- AS courses
- Sailing Safely in TAS
- TAS Events
- TAS Workshop and Funding Opportunities
- TAS Events calendar
Discover Sailing Month – November!
With less than two months to go until Discover Sailing Month, now is the time to start putting your plans into action and spreading the word about your event.
Here are some tips to ensure your Discover Sailing Day gets the promotion it deserves:
1. Make sure your event is listed on the Australian Sailing website
To make the process as easy as possible, we've developed a step-by-step guide that walks you through creating and publishing your event in revSPORTHERE.
Events listed through revSPORT will be promoted across Australian Sailing’s website and social media channels in the lead-up to Discover Sailing Month.
2. Use our Discover Sailing Day marketing resources
Make the most of the Discover Sailing Month marketing resources, including customisable Canva social media tiles, posters and flyers, plus physical promotional materials such as teardrop banners.
Clubs hosting SheSails and Sail Our Way activities can also access dedicated SheSails resources and merchandise.
3. Start your local promotion
Share the event across your club’s social media pages, website and newsletters, and encourage members to share it with friends, family and colleagues who might be interested in giving sailing a go.
Action Item: Set a Discover Sailing Day in your club’s calendar. Every day can be a Discover Sailing Day, but we are making November a very big month!
New TAS Club Support Officer:
Samantha Dobie has joined Australian Sailing TAS as our new Club Support Officer. Sam is a passionate keelboat sailor who is actively involved in the Hobart sailing community. Alongside her enthusiasm for the sport, she is a dedicated volunteer at the Derwent Sailing Squadron, an advocate for making sailing accessible to everyone, and encouraging greater participation in keelboat sailing.
Sam brings not only a strong sailing background, but also a wealth of experience in marketing and communication. Through her business, Inclusive Creatives, she has worked across graphic design, digital and traditional, advertising, social media, and a range of creative consulting services.
I am delighted to welcome Sam to the Australian Sailing Tasmania team and look forward to working with her as she supports our clubs and the broader Tasmanian sailing community.
Samantha can be contacted via email at samantha.dobie@sailing.org.au or by phone on 0411798530.
New Discover Sailing Centre:Port Esperance Sailing Club
We are excited to celebrate our newest accredited Discover Sailing Centre in Tasmania, Port Esperance Sailing Club. Set on the picturesque waterfront at Dover, PESC will be holding Australian Sailing learn to sail courses for dinghy and keelboat and are looking forward to building and deliveringa strong trainingcentre for their local community. Congratulations PESC!
if you would like to be a DSC, contact your state GM and CSO.
TAS AS Courses: extra Sailing Coach course!
Due to demand, we have organised another Sailing Coach course on Friday, November 27th4-8pm and Saturday 28thNovember 9am-4pm at the RYCT. If your club needs a coach and you have someone who is 18 years+, has a deep understanding of sailing and alove of teaching, then this is the course for them. Snr Sailing Coach Amelia Catt will be presenting the course, and it is sure to fill up quickly. So don’t miss out as this is the last course for 2026!
Action Item:Register for the course
Sailing Safely in Tasmania: A document for Tasmanian Sailing Clubs
MAST and Australian Sailing have updated the Sailing Safely in Tasmania document for you. An email has been sent to all clubs with a PDF copy, as well as a hardcopy given or sent to all AS affiliated clubs for you to refer to during all on water activities. This is the perfect ‘go to safety booklet’ for all Race Officers and Safety Management personal to ensure that you know what is happening in your area and who to contact. There is also information about compulsory safety requirements, maps of major waterways and recommendations for sailors, coaches and rescue boat operators. Keep this on your start boat for quick reference and in available for your shore patrol. It would also be valuable to add to your website for all members to see.
Action Item:Share the Sailing Safely in TAS document with Committee and Sailing Management and Officials
TAS Events:
The 2027 Australian Women’s Match Racing Championshipis being held March 17 – 21, 2027 at the RYCT in Elliott6’s. There is no age limit and the perfect opportunity to be part of a great team and event.
Amelia Catt is happy to arrange training and some coaching, once EOI's are in, so our Tasmanian teams could be competitive. “My dream is for a team from Tasmania to be on the podium and mixing up with the top teams.”
Michael Denney, RYCT Sailing Manager, is the contact for the event and EOI's close December 18th 2026.
https://ryct.org.au/2027-australian-womens-match-racing-championship/
EOI's close December 18th, 2026
Action Item: Share information with your members and enter a team!
TAS Workshop and Funding Opportunities:
Thank you to the Clubs who have been using the TAS Events calendar. This is very useful for everyone and is making communication key to our sailing community.
If you require support for adding an event, please email felicity.allison@sailing.org.au
Action Item: Add your events and contact AS if you require help. TAS Calendar
f your Club or Class is looking for guidance – whether in planning, participation growth, training delivery, governance, or event support – please reach out to our team. We are here to assist and are always happy to discuss how we can best support your Club and Class.
Felicity Allison – felicity.allison@sailing.org.au
Samantha Dobie – sam.dobie@sailing.org.au
