VC Sail - Report

Hi to all Members and Supporters of Southport Yacht Club.

I am honoured to be appointed your Vice Commodore of Sail. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Glenn Burrell. I am the owner and skipper of Black Diamond. Black Diamond is a Reichel Pugh 42 racing yacht that I have owned since August 2019.

As this is my first iNSYnC News article, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to those Members and Supporters that I haven’t met yet. Briefly, I grew up in Sydney where I started sailing at the age of 5 on my Mum and Dad’s 35 feet sloop, Ozone. At the age of 7, I sailed Manly Juniors and progressed into Flying Elevens. After a “short” break of 8 years from sailing, I went on to racing Keel Boats out of Middle Harbour Yacht Club until I moved to QLD at the age of 29. I didn’t do a lot of sailing while priorities changed to raising a family on the Gold Coast. In 2013, I brought my Father’s boat up from Sydney and have been sailing out of Southport Yacht Club in the Offshore and Twilight Divisions ever since.

I am writing this article from my hotel room in the beautiful Whitsunday Islands. Black Diamond, along with three other SYC boats, Negotiator, skippered by Cameron Boogaerdt, Yeah Baby, skippered by Andy Lamont and She, skippered by Phil Bell have just finished racing in the Brisbane to Hamilton Island Race hosted by our friends at Royal Queensland Yacht Club. Unfortunately. Yeah Baby were forced to retire with rudder issues and safely sailed her to Gladstone Harbour where Andy and the crew are racing the clock to have her repaired in time to make Hamilton Island Race Week. We wish them well.

SYC was strongly represented with 20 boats competing at Hamilton Island Race Week and approximately 6 SYC boats competing at Airlie Beach Race Week. They all did us proud and raced hard and fair, and of course, fast in each of their categories and divisions.

Allowing time for our fleet who are competing in the northern regattas, our Summer Offshore series will commence on Sunday September 25th with a “Round the Cans” day, which I am sure will be well attendedasourfleetcontinuestogrow.The Inshore Summer series kicks off on September 3rd. I look forward to getting to know more of the Inshore Fleet as my VC role progresses into the future.

Our annual Sail Past and blessing of the fleet was scheduled for Saturday September 10th. The day, being held every year, is always one of the more popular events in the SYC Calendar. A flotilla of vessels sail past the Flag officers, Father Don, as well as Members and guests all dressed up in their finest party and parade decorations. Karen, my wife, and I loved meeting all of you that attended this year.

As our Club continues to grow its’ fleet and many more Members are joining boats as crew, our dedicated team of staff and Volunteers in the sailing office continue to provide more racing opportunities. While the races conducted by SYC are for the benefit of Members and guests, we also encourage visiting boats from all sailing clubs to join our races as much as possible. With this in mind, SYC has joined forces with RQYS and QCYC to invite competing yachts to enter the Qoin Sail Paradise 2023 and The Summer of Sailing Series Australia. This series is a six-race event which includes a 220nm race that also stands as a qualifying race for crews intending to sail in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race starting on Boxing Day. The series also incorporates, the annual Ted Elkes Regatta, the inaugural Brisbane to Paradise Yacht race, Qoin Sail Paradise, Julian Rocks Yacht Race as well as the Surf to City Offshore Yacht Race.

Again it was great to see you all at the 2022 Sail Past and Blessing of the Fleet, if you couldn’t make it on the day, come visit us sooner rather than later.

Glenn Burrell

VC Sail

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