The latest update from Australian Sailing's General Manager - Rod Austin.

Please click this link to find a copy of all past Victoria General Manager's Updates.

Vale Lindsay Cunningham AM 

Lindsay, a visionary yacht designer whose creativity and passion changed Australian sailing. From the early days with his father Charles, designing the iconic Yvonne catamaran, to the beloved Quest B2, Elwood Jnr, Dolphin classes plus more, Lindsay’s boats brought joy and innovation to countless sailors. 

His groundbreaking wing-sailed C-Class catamarans made waves in the Little America’s Cup, while his work on Yellow Pages Endeavour and Macquarie Innovation pushed the boundaries of speed, inspiring sailors around the world. 

Lindsay was recognised with a Member of the Order of Australia in 1999 and inducted into the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame in 2024 — honours that reflect his lasting impact on the sport he loved. He is a great Victorian. 

Our sincere condolences to his family.

Mark Bulka - 2025 World Contender Champion

Congratulations to Victorian and McCrae Yacht Club member Mark Bulka on your outstanding achievement in a super-competitive fleet of 170 boats!

AS Courses in Victoria

2025 Victorian Officials Workshop Saturday 23^rd August at Royal Brighton Yacht Club, 9am – 4pm

This workshop is a fantastic opportunity to connect and support our race officials. Any club involved in running racing or regattas will benefit, and all are welcome. This year’s focus is on mentoring and developing the next generation of officials, with sessions facilitated by internationally recognised mentor and coach developer, Ashley Ross. 

This is a FREE event and part of the new Officials Workshop series under Australian Sailing’s Instructor, Coach and Official Development Strategy. Please encourage someone from your club to attend - you can register here: https://www.sailingresources.org.au/officiating/officials-workshops 

Are you interested in taking part in an instructor, coach or official course?  

Now is the perfect time to take part in a course and upskill ahead of the next season. 

For all AS courses go to https://www.sailing.org.au/australian-sailing-courses/ 

2025 Training in Focus Webinar Series

Attention Instructors! The 2025 Australian Sailing Training in Focus Webinar Series kicks off on 5th August 2025. The first session “Leading By Example” is with Grant Wilmott and Emily Vivian. Register here: https://www.sailingresources.org.au/training/traininginfocus-live

The webinar series aims to bring in all Dinghy, Keelboat, Powerboat and Windsurfing instructors together over four great sessions, covering a wide range of content.  

These webinars are designed to support accredited instructors who are working or volunteering in club programs. The sessions are a chance to connect with instructors from around the country, exchange experiences, and take away useful approaches back to your own participants.  

Sailing Resources

A reminder AS have a fantastic wealth of resources for clubs: https://www.sailingresources.org.au/ 

One of these great resources is the Training Hub and e – learning course in the AS Learning Centre 

To access the training hub Australian Sailing members and participants need to access the Australian Sailing Learning Centre directly by logging on to your Australian Sailing online profile:  https://www.sailing.org.au/login 

One such course on the e Learning online profile is Safeguarding Children and Young People in Sport Induction e-learning course. 

This course is designed to help you understand Safeguarding Children and Young People in your sport, including the Children and Young people Safe Practices, and how to recognise and respond to possible breaches. A must course for every committee staff, volunteers, and instructors! Visit your AS online profile and go to e-Learning training.  

2025 Victoria Sailing Awards

Friday September 12 at Sandringham Yacht Club 

Thank You everyone who took the time to complete and submit a nomination for the Australian Sailing VIC Awards. It is a time to celebrate our sailing community to recognise our sailors, volunteers, clubs and classes. It is sure to be a wonderful evening and a great opportunity to socialise, celebrate great sailing. Book early to avoid disappointment. https://www.sailing.org.au/events/302592 

Victorian Sailing Calendar

https://www.sailing.org.au/vic/ 

Have you put your important Club/Class events on the VIC Sailing Calendar so that everyone knows they are on? If you require support for adding an event, please email vic@sailing.org.au  

Also if you like to share your  events on the AS VIC website and or AS VIC FB plage please submit this through the Event News Survey link.   https://www.sailing.org.au/surveys/787/ 

• 2025 – Wintersail July 25, Congratulations APYC and all the great volunteers, coaches and participants with delivering another great Winer Coaching Regatta.
• 2025 Sail Melbourne 27-30 November Home - Australian Sailing - Sail Melbourne
• 2025 Australian Open and Youth Match Racing Championships Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania 22-26 October 2025. EOI – MATCH RACING 2025 

Keep in Touch!

Australian Sailing this month announced the appointment of Rod Austin as its new Victorian General Manager. Rod looks forward to joining the Victorian team — Alexandra Starkova, Meg Goodfellow and Liam Whitehouse and working with the 80+ clubs across Victoria — sharing the latest developments from Australian Sailing, and listening, learning, and understanding the latest achievements, opportunities, and challenges at each of your clubs. 

The office staff in the past month have been working with Clubs on topics such as RevSport, Discover Sailing Centres, E-Learning, Club visits and Strengthening Regional Community Sport Program -Western Victoria. 

Please do not hesitate to contact the VIC team!

Rod Austin – AS Vic Manager – Club Support rod.austin@sailing.org.au 0477522750 

Club Support Officers:

• Meg Goodfellow, Meg.goodfellow@sailing.org.au 
• Alexandra Starkova, Alexandra.starkova@sailing.org.au    
• Liam Whitehouse (Regional Western Victoria) - Liam.whitehouse@sailing.org.au