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General Manager - Victoria Update April 2026

Published Wed 01 Apr 2026

It has been an incredibly busy and exciting couple of months in sailing, with too much to capture in the Victorian news report but I hope following cross section of news stories in the last couple of months exemplifies the energy and spirit of Sailing across Victoria.  

REMINDER– I would like to remind all clubs of the following items that need a response from clubs.   

  1. Club Membership transfer application to Australian Sailing (AS) form. – With confirmation received on the 23rd of January 2026 of the cancellation of Yachting Victoria as an incorporated association we now need to transfer your club membership to be direct to Australian Sailing. Under the Corporations Act each Victorian Club is required to apply for transfer to Australian Sailing. All the information and the transfer request is on the online application Click Here that the appointed club official need to complete. It is essentially a formality to move from Yachting Victoria to Australian Sailing. Once clubs have signed the transfer, nominations will be sought in May for the Victorian Regional Area Committee to be formed soon after.  

  1. 2026 Club Survey The purpose of this survey is to seek direct insights from clubs on your level of satisfaction and engagement with Australian Sailing. It also 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. There is to be only one completed survey per club and to be completed by 30 April 2026. 2026 AS Club Survey    

  1. Grants - I highly recommend all clubs apply for both grants below. AS is happy to provide a letter of support.   

    • Vic Govt Sporting Club Grant. Closes 7 April 2026 Click Here  The Program provides grants of up to $1,000 for uniforms and equipment; up to $1,500 for resources that improve governance and engagement; up to $5,000 for projects to strengthen volunteering and officiating; up to $5,000 to deliver a new sport or recreation program and up to $750 to support athlete travel. Closes 7 April 2026 Click Here 
    • AS Sail Our Way Participation Grant – Round 2 Now Open. Funded through the Australian Government’s Department of Health and Aged Care, the program aims to help break down barriers and create more inclusive opportunities for women and girls in sailing. Affiliated clubs and class associations can apply for grants of up to $1,500 (ex GST) to support initiatives that increase participation, encourage women and girls into leadership, coaching, and officiating roles, and build positive and welcoming club environments. Successful projects must be delivered between 1 May and 31 December 2026. Applications close: 20 April at 11:59pm. Click Here  

Thank You to the clubs that have already completed these tasks.  

News highlights  

2026 Vicsport Victorian Sport Awards Finalists – Click Here   

Vicsport are the peak body for sport and active recreation in the state and work closely with the Victorian Government to promote the many benefits sports has to offer. I am pleased to announce the following sailing finalists:  

  • Frank Wilkes Award for outstanding results in Male category– Mark Bulka   
  • AFL Sports ready young team of the year – Henri and Miles Levenspiel  
  • Love the Game Community Sporting Club of the year – Davey’s Bay Yacht Club  
  • Volunteer of the Year – Huw Provis (Making Waves Foundation)  
  • Leah Keh (VIODA) – Outstanding Media Coverage of Sport    

Blairgowrie YS celebrated Laura Harding’s Women’s America’s Cup campaign and supporting her 49erfx journey to LA 2028. Hosted by Commodore Georgina Plumridge, Laura shared her journey from BYS to the world stage. It was a brilliant night and Laura - BYS and the whole of Victoria are right behind you. Click here   

Loch Sport Boat Club Mads Gillard (Torquay SC) at the 2026 Hobie 
States wrote “Volunteers are the lifeblood of Hobie racing. The Loch Sport Boat Club volunteers raised the bar SO high. Their warmth, welcoming spirit, hospitality, food (oh my GOSH the food, Sharon you’re an exceptional chef!) and organisation made the 2026 states unforgettable”. Well, done LSBC!   

2026 Marley Point Race Gippsland Lakes YC
The event attracted 114 trailable and sports boat entrants from across Victoria, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, and South Australia. Congratulations to Di Floyd (GLYC) and the volunteer organisers for hosting such a spectacle.  

Australian Sailing SailLab Victoria
Hosted the first Victorian SailLAB Information Evening, attended by representatives from over fifteen clubs. SailLab is opening new doors to school in the STEM curriculum  field for primary and secondary schools For more information, click here. This is another way to introduce Youth to sailing.  

Sailing Celebrates Women Across Victoria and Beyond This March 
March delivered a fantastic celebration of women in sailing across Victoria and beyond, marking International Women’s Day with a series of inspiring and inclusive events. Australian Sailing’s SheSails “Balance the Scales” online seminar set the tone nationally, while clubs including Sandringham Yacht Club, Mornington Yacht Club, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Chelsea Yacht Club, Cairn Curran Sailing Club and Albury Wodonga Sailing Club led the way with regattas, panel discussions and community sailing opportunities. Together with many other clubs, these initiatives highlighted the growing momentum of women’s participation in sailing—highlighting strong pathways, supportive communities and a bright future for women and girls in the sport.  

New Discover Sailing Centres (DSC)
Congratulations to Apollo Bay SC, Cairn Curran SC, Portland YC and Flinders YC who have all recently been approved as Discover Sailing Centres. Please note clubs do not need to be a big club to become a DSC.  

Kate Hyde AS Staff Member
A huge congratulations to Kate on the arrival of her healthy little new sailor son – Riley Hudson Hyde  

2026 AS Events   

Youth Sail 9-12 April at Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club (SSCBC) – Australian Sailing’s Premier Youth Event. Click Here 
Over 120 boats will be participating in 2 days of quality coaching and then 2 days of racing.  The special guests this year at Youth Sail are ex-Olympians and Local Heroes – Tess Lloyd, SSCBC & PYC (49erfx - Tokyo) and Sam and Will Phillips, SSCBC, (49er - Tokyo).  

Wednesday 8th April – Coach Development Day
Thanks to the Sail Our Way Grant, SSCBC is hosting a coach development day led by coaches Mark Tonner Joyce with David White and Amelia Catt. Over 20 Victorian Coaches are gathering to upskill and gain valuable experience prior to the commencement of Youth Sail.  The aim of the day is to lift the quality and consistency of coaching across Victoria, with practical outcomes that flow directly into club and class association programs.  

Friday 10 April – “The Year Ahead” Stakeholder Workshop 10:15am – 11:15am 
This will be a roundtable discussion with Class Associations, Club reps, and key stakeholders, focusing on upcoming events leading into the 2026/27 season, including World, Nationals, State Championships, Sail Melbourne and Youth Sail. We will also cover coaching and coach development, calendar alignment, resource sharing, and participation across single and double-handed classes. The aim is to collaborate, align and strengthen sailing across Victoria.  

13-15 April – Para Foiling SSCBC Camp with coaches Grant Alderson and David White 
Para-foil sailing is now an exciting and accessible form of sailing. Its adaptability makes it ideal for people of all abilities, including those active and new to sailing. Please click here for the Expression of Interest form for anyone interested in attending the Para Wing foiling coaching camp at Sorrento - 13-15 April   

I would like to thank the SSCBC staff and volunteers for all their efforts thus far to make 2026 Youth Sail a success!  

Saturday 13 June Annual Sailing Summit (Parkdale YC) 9.30am – 4.30pm
Click Here this is our biggest annual gathering of Club and Class Association leaders.  

Saturday 29 August Training in Focus - Live for Instructors and Coaches (RBYC) 9am – 4pm    
Hear from the experts to develop skills  and further enhance your club participation. Click Here 

Friday 11 September 2026 VIC Sailing Awards (SYC)
Our pinnacle celebratory event of the year.  

Victorian AS Sailing Club Network Meetings  
All interested Sailors are Welcome Click Here   

This is an opportune time to meet other sailors from neighbouring clubs to share and plan for the year ahead and ask AS questions.  

  • Sunday 19th April Yarrawonga Yacht Club, 1pm – 4pm 
  • Saturday 9th May Queenscliff Cruising Yacht Club, 1pm – 4pm   
  • Saturday 22nd August Black Rock Yacht Club, 1pm – 4pm  
  • Saturday 19th September Lake Wellington Yacht Club, 1pm – 4pm

AS NEWS  

Participation Plan for sailing in Australia
Australian Sailing launched the Participation Plan for Sailing in Australia, a whole-of-sport roadmap designed to make sailing more accessible, welcoming, and flexible, and to grow participation through to 2032 and beyond. The Plan outlines how Australian Sailing, Clubs, Class Associations and Discover Sailing Centres will work together to grow participation by getting more people on the water, in more ways, more often. To read the Plan Click Here  

Access the FREE e-learning courses
Clubs and volunteer are still discovering the fantastic new e-learning resources.  

I would encourage clubs and all volunteers to do as many of the AS E-learning modules that are of interest to you or get together as a group to watch and complete the tasks.  

To access you will need to sign in to your Australian Sailing Profile. Visit www.sailing.org.au/login If you have forgotten your details, this can be recovered when clicking “forgot login details.” Once Logged in you can view and update the information linked to your profile. Click on Australian Sailing Learning Centre for access to the “free e learning” courses.  

AS Governance Hub
In the competitive world of sports, strong governance is not optional, it is essential. Recognising this, Australian Sailing has rolled out a comprehensive Governance stream under its “Running your club & class” suite, offering targeted tools, templates, and learning modules designed to empower club and class administrators across Australia. Click Here  

Access other news
Australian Sailing National news – Click Here  
Australian Sailing Victoria news – Click Here  
Australian Sailing Team news – Click Here   
Sailing Resources News – Click here  

Upcoming Courses  

Dinghy/Assistant Dinghy Instructor  

  • 18 - 19 April Dinghy Instructor WYC Click Here 
  • 16 - 17 May Dinghy Instructor RMYS Click here 
  • 27-28 June Dinghy Instructor The Boatshed Click Here  
  • 27 June Assistant Instructor The Boatshed Click Here 
  • 18-19 July Dinghy Instructor SYC Click Here 
  • 17 April Assistant Dinghy Instructor WYC Click Here  
  • 16 May Assistant Dinghy Instructor RMYS Click Here  
  • 18 July Assistant Instructor SYC Click Here 
  • 29 -30 August Dinghy Instructor DBYC Click Here 
  • 29 August Assistant Instructor DBYC Click Here 
  • 10-11 October Dinghy Instructor Course RBYC Click Here 
  • 10 October Assistant Dinghy Instructor RBYC Click Here  

Powerboat Handling  

  • 29 March Powerboat Handling, The Boatshed Click Here 
  • 31 May Powerboat Handling, The Boatshed Click Here 
  • 4-5 July Powerboat Handling RBYC Click Here   

Coach  

  • 8 April Coach Development Day (Free for all sailing coaches) SSCBC Click Here  
  • 14-15 November Coach Course RBYC Click Here  

Safety and Sea Survival Course  

  • 13 September Safety and Sea Survival Course full and refresher, Click Here

EOI for other courses - Race Officer, Windsurfer, Foillab, Judge etc. Click Here

For any of the above courses to be hosted at your club please register your interest. Click Here 

Please do not hesitate to contact Vic Club Support team of Meg Goodfellow, Alex Starkova, Liam Whiteside or myself with any query. Wishing everyone a Happy and Safe Easter and Autumn period.
 
Best regards,
Rod  
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