The latest update from Australian Sailing's WA General Manager – Kate Wearn.

Read all previous General Manager updates here.

Welcome to the August update from the Western Australian office, your team of Kate Wearn, Jade Lane and Tait Kunzli.

There continues to be plenty activity at our Clubs during the winter months, which has been great to see, despite the sometimes-challenging weather (too much, or too little wind).The promotion and delivery of courses and community events, Discover Sailing Centre reviews and Club engagement has also kept our team busy.

We have just enjoyed a successful 2026 WA Sailing Summit, where we saw 60 people in attendance, representing 18 Clubs, 6 Class Associations and one-standalone Discover Sailing Centre. It was also excellent to welcome CEO Malcolm Page back to Perth (for the third time in a month!), along with Head of Sport Development and Growth, Sarah Ogilvie and Australian Sailing President Shevaun Bruland. We thank everyone involved in the day, including all presenters and attendees. Please see below for a further report on the WA Sailing Summit, including links to resources.

In late-June, we welcomed CEO Malcolm Page and Sport Operations Director Ben Callard to Western Australia. During this time, a number of Club meetings were scheduled, culminating in the Yachting WA Members’ Information session on Tuesday 23 June, in order to discuss YWA’s future plans and gain member input. For further information on Yachting WA’s plan to de-register as an Incorporated Association, and become theWestern Australian Regional Advisory Committee for Australian Sailing, a sub-committee of the Australian Sailing Board, please refer to the communication shared in early May, and accompanying explanatory documentation here.

In response to the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, WA will see new child safeguarding legislation introduced in the next 18-24 months. As part of Australian Sailing's ongoing commitment to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people who are involved in our sport, ongoing education and support will be provided to all WA Clubs and DSCs, to ensure ongoing best practice, and compliance with the new legislation. Two education opportunities have been delivered, please see the resources linked in the Sailing Summit summary below, with future opportunities scheduled for the Training In Focus – Live event and Youth Sail WA.

In concluding this general update, we thought it worth highlighting some of the key statistics showcased in the WA Update at the Sailing Summit.

·WA represents 11% of the total Australian population, yet WA Club members represent 20% of the total Australian Sailing membership, making WA the third largest state behind NSW and VIC.

·There are 33 affiliated Clubs and four standalone DSCs in WA, located from Kununurra to Esperance.

·There are 23 Discover Sailing Centres currently accredited in WA, with this number looking to grow ahead of next season.

·WA locals represented 33% of the Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Team.

·WA locals represented 27% of the 2025 Youth Worlds Sailing Team, plus one Coach.

·WA locals represent 46% of the 2026 Youth Worlds Sailing team, plus one Coach.

We are proud to be part of the national network of over 330 affiliated Clubs across Australia, representing over 127,000 Club Members and 250,000 participants.

Thank you to all our Clubs for your engagement and support, we thoroughly enjoy working with you all and look forward to continuing the great work, as we deliver, grow and promote our sport

WA Sailing Summit

As noted, the WA Sailing Summit on Saturday 25 July was a great success and it was fantastic to see so many Clubs, Class Associations and Discover Sailing Centres represented and engaging throughout the day. Thank you to our event hosts Perth Flying Squadron Yacht Club, along with our presenters, panellists and all attendees.

All presentations delivered on the day are available to view on the website here.

Key takeaway messages of the day included the following:

·The power of the Participation Plan for Sailing in Australia – identification of the Focus Areas, why they matter, what success looks like and how to implement initiatives at your Club. Please see the Participation Strategypresentation.

·How local Clubs and Class Associations are collaborating, modifying their offerings to suit, and engaging people from all walks of life, in our Participation Growth Insights Panel. Thanks to Kylie Swallow from East Fremantle Yacht Club for showcasing their women’s program and community engagement, to Del Kilcullen from the University Sailing Club for sharing how young people are getting involved in the sport, via a collaboration with Royal Perth Yacht Club and to Cam Owen and Suzzi Ghent for sharing the success of the Hobie Cat Association of WA in a number of areas, from participant numbers, to regional engagement and volunteer recognition.

·We learnt more about the SailLAB Australian Sailing STEM Education Program. Although many were familiar with this WA-developed program, if was great to see the resources available to Clubs to assist in engaging schools and delivering SailLAB Experience Days.

·Australian Sailing Partner Mercury Marine detailed an offer and opportunities for Clubs, with more information available here.

·The Department of Cultural Industries, Tourism and Sport Child Safeguarding Implementation Unit delivered actionable and important information on how our organisations can ensure they are child safe. Further resources can be found as follows:

• National Principles for Child Safe Organisations
• Child Safe Self-Assessment Tool
• Australian Sailing – Child Safeguarding Law
• Australian Sailing – Integrity Policies
• Australian Sailing – Integrity Resources
• Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport
• Sport Integrity Australia
• True Sport

·The Australian Sailing local update and open forum with Malcolm Page and Shevaun Bruland provided insights into the current projects in WA and support available for all affiliated organisations.

As always this day provided ample networking and informal sharing opportunities too. Congratulations to the recipient of the registration prize, a Ronstan watch, Boyd Timler, representing Hillarys Yacht Club.

Training In Focus – LIVE

This ever-popular event for Instructors and Discover Sailing Centre Principals returns in 2026, to be held on Saturday 29 August at Royal Perth Yacht Club.

Registration is free, with all morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea provided. The final agenda is available to view here.

Please register to secure your attendance and be in the running to win a Ronstan watch here.

This practical, in-person workshop provides an opportunity to connect with other instructors and centre leaders, share ideas and explore ways to strengthen training programs and participation at your Club or DSC.

The day will include a mix of practical sessions, facilitated discussion and peer learning, with contributions from industry experts, Senior Instructors, Chief Instructors and Australian Sailing staff. Participants will gain practical ideas, coaching techniques and program insights that can be applied directly within their own training environments.

WA Sailing Awards

Nominations have now closed for the WA Sailing Awards, stay tuned to our Facebook page for finalist announcements later this month.

The WA Sailing Awards recognise the contributors and performers within our sport, and are a celebration of the WA sailing community. All WA winners are automatically nominated for the Australian Sailing national Awards.

This year’s Awards evening will take place at Fremantle Sailing Club, on Friday 11 September from 6:00PM. Tickets are free, however are also limited, so please register early to secure your place.

Further information and booking is via the event page here.

Zhik Youth Sail WA

Registrations are now open for Zhik Youth Sail WA to be held from Saturday 26 September to Thursday 1 October 2026, at Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club.

The Coaching Clinic will be held from Saturday 26 to Monday 28 September, and includes a dinner on Saturday evening with guest speakers, along with world class coaching. Please view the current coaches and fleet allocations here.

Within the Coaching Clinic, Green Fleet and Orange Fleet programs will also be hosted for sailors who have recently completed introductory courses. Thanks to the support of Yachting WA, both Green and Orange Fleet programs are subsidized by 50%, however numbers and boats available to loan are limited. Please see more information here.

The WA Youth Championships will be held from Tuesday 29 September to Thursday 1 October.

Late entry fees apply to all fleets from 14 September, please do not delay and register today here.

The Zhik Youth Sail WA website provides all information on this great event.

Instructor, Coach and Officials’ Courses

Our 2026 training calendars for Coaches, Instructors and Officials are in full swing, with 10 courses scheduled to the end of September in metro and regional locations, as follows:

Please view our Instructor and Coach Course Calendar here.

Please access Officials Courses, via our page here.

As always, please contact a member of the team for any further information or assistance in registering for a course.

WA Local Sporting Stars Volunteer Recognition Program

Volunteers are the heartbeat of any community sporting organisation.

The WA Local Sporting Stars Volunteer Recognition Program (Local Sporting Stars) is shining a light on the selfless contributions of volunteers across our sporting community.

The program recognises a broad range of volunteer contributions including youth leadership, inclusive participation, innovation, long-standing service, and all-round support within clubs and sporting communities.

Local Sporting Stars is all about helping our volunteers to thrive and be recognised. It celebrates the contribution of volunteers in community sport and encourages nominations from across Western Australia.

Every fortnight, 2 volunteers are recognised with a $400 voucher and are considered for the Local Sporting Star of the Year award.

For more information and to nominate your Club's Local Sporting Star, please visit the website HERE.

True Sport Powered by Sport West Employee Assistance Program and Volunteer Assistance Program

True Sport is committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of the Western Australian sporting community. The Employee and Volunteer Assistance Program (EAP & VAP) provides free, confidential support to eligible members across Western Australia. All affiliated WA Club members are entitled to this support, via our membership of Sport West.

Please view more information and access the support here.

If your Club 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.

You can find a full list of Australian Sailing Contacts – here.

We are grateful for the support of the WA Government in delivering events and initiatives. The State government is a major supporter of Australian Sailing in Western Australia. Sport and recreation builds stronger, healthier, happier and safer communities.