A few important things

Firstly, it is now just a week until the Paynesville Classic Rally, a really fantastic display of classic boats from dinghies to power boats, from dragon boats to square riggers. This year there is even dinghy racing out in front of the Gippsland Lakes Yacht Club.

Secondly, that means there are now only two weeks until the Wallagoot Lake Boat Club Regatta, a fabulous venue that is very reminiscent of Narrabeen Lagoon back in the day. The club is in the National Park just north of Merimbula with bonus jelly fish and the occasional seal.

And thirdly, the first of the photos from last weekends 2024 ICWDR are now up on the website under Gallery/Inverloch CWDR/ 2024 ICWDR – Photos. Check them out, and if you have any photos from last weekend, send them in so we can all enjoy them.

The 2024 ICWDR Report is up!

The report on this year’s Inverloch Classic Wooden Dinghy Regatta is up for your viewing pleasure under Events/Inverloch CWDR/2024 ICWDR Report.

Or you can just click on the link here:

2024 Inverloch Classic Wooden Dinghy Regatta Report

Photos are coming soon, so keep an eye out for that as well.

A few of our regulars were missing this year, so I hope we see them back on the water with us in 2025.

As usual, if you spot any errors or omissions let me know so I can correct it.

Four more sleeps!

Until the 2024 Inverloch Classic Wooden Dinghy Regatta. If you are arriving on the Friday of course, otherwise it is five more sleeps.

Either way it is very close now, so I hope the varnishing is done (Ian) and the accommodation is booked for another great weekend of sailing on Andersons Inlet.

Come to sail, come to look, or just come to enjoy a great venue, but be sure to introduce yourself and check out the Australian Sailfish as well as the other classic Australian dinghies that will be on display.

Of course, this is just the start of a very busy four weeks of sailing. Just a fortnight later in Victoria we have the Paynesville Classic Boat Rally where boats from Sailfish to square riggers will be on the water. In NSW the inaugural Pittwater Classic Dinghy & Yacht Regatta will be held, dinghies based out of BYRA and the yachts out of Avalon Sailing Club. So whether you are north or south of the Murray there is some great classic dinghy sailing coming up.

A week after that the Wallagoot Lake Boat Club Regatta is on and we are hoping for a good Sailfish turnout there as well. If you sailed at Narrabeen back in the day then Wallagoot Lake will feel very familiar, us old sailors love it. But watch out for the jelly fish (Tony).

See you out on the water soon.

It’s been a busy day!

First news of the days is that Alvacor has been sold to a happy new owner in Melbourne. For those of us old enough to remember Alex Cordukes and his boat, this is great news, a good boat, built by a good man, now with a new home and looking to be back out on the water soon.

Next news is that Bentley has finished the extensive restoration of Australian Sailfish 874, and I have to say it looks, if anything, better than new. As usual, click on any of the following images to have a closer look.

Hard work by Bentley, mast and rudder by Ralph Ballard and new sail by Brian Carroll of Unique Sails.

Bentley and 874 Lucy will be joining us at Inverloch, I hope you will be as well.

February 2024 Header Image

February! Good grief, how can it be February already? That means that as I post this the 2024 Inverloch Classic Wooden Dinghy Regatta is just over two weeks away.

So here to whet your appetite is a photo from the race start on Saturday afternoon at last year’s regatta.

From right to left, Warren Jones on 252 Goofy Footed leads Brian Carroll on 3461 Jack’s Toy and Ian Milton on 2188. Bentley Conn on 874 mid frame is  sailing his own race, Chris Cleary on 1918 Janus is behind the starters boat, then we have Duncan Blake on 3281 Krista with Dale Watson on 3365 Super Trooper and Brett Ramsdale on 3274 The Grub to right of frame.

This is a great venue at a great club, so if you haven’t already done so, get your entry in and we will see you there real soon!

Photo by Hayden Ramsdale, Anderson Inlet, 18 February 2023

Derrinallum Classic Regatta Cancelled!

Well that’s the news none of us wanted to hear.

Due to another outbreak of blue-green algae on the lake the Derrinallum Classic Regatta that had been rescheduled for the weekend of the 3rd and 4th of February has had to be cancelled. A great disappointment for the club and for all of us planning on a pre-Inverloch warmup.

That means that the first regatta of 2024 for many of us will be the Inverloch Classic Wooden Dinghy Regatta on the weekend of the 17th and 18th of February, looking forward to seeing you there.

Some new old photos!

With thanks to Warren Jones for finding these and scanning them in for us.

First up are a couple of the presentation photos from the National Titles hosted by Toronto Amateur Sailing Club on Lake Macquarie in December 1980/January 1981, those are here:

NSW Photo Gallery

And then there are three photos of the racing at the National Titles hosted by Ballarat Yacht Club on Lake Wendouree in December1979/January 1980, those are here:

Victoria Photo Gallery

Enjoy!

2024 Derrinallum Classic Regatta

Just one month to go until the first of our 2024 Regattas is upon us.

The Derrinallum Classic will be our first chance this year to get out on the water with other classic classes and have some fun. For those in the west of Victoria especially this is an excellent shakedown for the Inverloch Classic Wooden Dinghy Regatta just a fortnight later.

So if you are from the Western Districts, the north of the state, or even Greater Melbourne and fancy a bit of sailing practice this is your chance. I have it on good authority that Warren will be taking Goofy Footed along to show off the Australian Sailfish so you might like to join him.

All the details are on the flyer pictured below and I hope we see you there.

January 2024 Header Image

Just a sample of the fleet at the 2023 Wallagoot Lake Boat Club (WLBC) Regatta.

Brian Carroll on 3461 Jack’s Toy and Ian Milton on 252 Goofy Footed cross Tony Hastings on 2267 Malibu ahead of a gaggle of Sabres. Wallagoot Lake is a great sailing venue tucked away in a National Park and is well worth a visit to the south coast of NSW. The Regatta is held on the Canberra Holiday weekend which is usually in the first half of March each year and in 2024 will cap a very hectic six weeks of classic dinghy activity.

The first regatta of 2024 is the Derrinallum Classic Rally on the 3rd and 4th of February, followed a fortnight later by the 2024 Inverloch Classic Wooden Dinghy Regatta on the 17th and 18th of February. This is then followed a fortnight after that by the Paynesville Classic Classic Boat Rally on the 1st to the 3rd of March and that is then followed just a week later by the 2024 WLBC Regatta.

As well as all that activity, north of the Murray the Bayview Yacht Racing Association (BYRA) is holding their inaugural Classic Yacht and Dinghy Regatta on Pittwater on the same weekend as the Paynesville Rally (2nd and 3rd of March).

So there are plenty of opportunities to get your Australian Sailfish out on the water with other classic boats, I hope we see you at a one or more of them in the next few months.

Sailfish SOLD!

30 December 2023 – Well that didn’t take long, 3139 has been sold and is off to a new home on the south coast of NSW.

Not our usual For Sale advert which you can find in the Classifieds page, this one is currently advertised on Facebook Marketplace. The boat is currently located in East Gippsland, although the Albert Park Yacht Club sticker on the stern deck does indicate that it has been raced here in Melbourne at some stage.

As I don’t Facebook I can’t supply too many details, apart from saying that from the photos I have seen this is a boat in surprisingly good condition for it’s age. I am told that it comes with two masts and two sails as well. All that and a very reasonable price, as the elderly owner would like to see it in a new home. The plan was sold in April 1972 and it isn’t yet on the Register as this is the first time we knew it had been built!

Link to Facebook is below:

Facebook Marketplace

If that doesn’t work then have a look on Facebook Marketplace for it.

And let me know if you buy it! 🙂