- Courses will be decided at around 4.30pm based on on current and forecast conditions.
- Courses will be notified by:
- The board at the GFS Clubhouse
- The board on the port side of the GFS start boat
- By text message to GFS boat owners after 4.30. If the owner is not on board the owner/crew will need to make other arrangements
- The course for each division will be announced soon after its start sequence begins
- Etchells, Gold and Black Divisions sail the Black Course
- Red Division sails the Red Course
- White, Green and Blue Divisions sail the White Course
- Given the number of divisions and courses, with only one start/finishing boat (and no finishing boat when races start at the clubhouse) it is not possible to shorten courses.
- Please do not call the starters on Channel 72 during the start sequence. They are busy making sure the start sequence is underway. Any questions please call on Channel 71 and they will call you back when they have a chance to do so.
- Retiring boats must call on Channel 72 to let the starters know.
GFS Twilight Race Committee
Leigh McLauchlan
John Veale
Steve Bradley
The following amendment has been made to the GFS Sailing Instructions
The course number for Orange Division will be displayed on a red board, the course for Green Division, White Division and Blue Division on a white board and the course for the Etchells Class, Gold Division, Black Division and X Division will be on a black board.
Please note there is no X Division in the 2024 – 2025 Season.
The roster and responsibilities of rostered persons at the clubhouse after Twilight racing can be found on the Sailing – Twilight Duty Rosters page of this website or here – Roster and Responsibilities
Greenwich Flying Squadron is holding a yacht racing rules event on Tuesday October 15 from 7.30pm to 9.00pm at the clubhouse.
We have been fortunate to secure the services of Erica Kirby, a well respected national judge and national umpire for the evening.
All members are encouraged to attend to refresh your understanding of the racing rules and ask questions about areas you are unclear about. Understanding and obeying the rules is an important element of keeping our racing safe and enjoyable and we hope to see all skippers and many crew there on the evening.
Please be aware the safe water mark off Bradley’s Head has moved. The mark is currently a yellow buoy and is located in a different position (more East). NSW Maritime are trialling different positions to relocate the buoy. Details can be found here.
Ships will navigate inbound and outbound between Bradleys Head and the new Special Mark.
Ferries and other commercial vessels will pass the Special Mark on their port side.
Boaters are reminded to keep clear of large ships and their escorts, keep a proper lookout at all times and travel at a safe speed.
Please make sure that you lock the fridge securely after use.
There is a slight revision to the 2024-2025 Sailing Instructions to correct the starting order for Twilights on page 5 to line up with the correct order on page 9. There is also a statement that – ‘There is no Division X in Twilights this season’. Section 3 – Rules has also been revised to update terminology and specify that the current RRS 2021 – 2024 will remain in force for the 2024 -2025 GFS sailing season (despite RRS 2025 – 2028 prescribed by World Sailing from December 31, 2024).
It is with sadness that we note the passing of long standing GFS club member John Moffat.
John campaigned his Cole 23 ‘Scopio’ for many seasons and more recently the Young 88, ‘Speedwell’ in partnership with David Quail.
John was a strong supporter of the Longueville Sports club (Diddy).
John (Moffo) Moffat passed away on Friday 13 Sept.
The service for Moffo will be at 2:45pm, Tues 24 Sep (next Tues) Camellia Chapel, Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium Cnr Delhi and Plassey Roads, North Ryde. There is plenty of parking, if not in designated parking spots, then along the edges of the internal roadways. Please note: at the family’s wishes, the service will not be recorded, webcast or live-streamed, and the family requests that guests please do not film or photograph the proceedings.
GFS Twilight Races start on October 9 and we are keen to get the administration correct so that all who wish to race are correctly registered. At present 47 boats have registered whereas last year 86 boats registered.
If you are planning to race twilights at GFS, and you have not yet entered, can you please enter your boat in TopYacht by clicking on the link below and completing the registration.
Also a friendly reminder that it is the skippers responsibility to ensure that all regular crew are members of the club or another sailing club. Please encourage all your crew to join GFS as this is a requirement of the racing rules and it is also important to the financial viability of the club.
Following the unfortunate accident to Peter Hamilton, Tracey Perkins has accepted the role of Acting Safety Officer.
There is one last opportunity to complete a safety audit prior to the commencement of Twilight racing.
Sunday September 29 from 9.00am to 12 noon. If you require an audit please email Tracey at tracey.l.perkins@gmail.com
To make sure the audits proceed smoothly please do the following preparation:
- Print the 2024 – 2025 safety form at –
https://gfs.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Cat7_Form_2024_pH.pdf
- Check all safety items on board and complete the form
- Ensure that all items in the medical kit will be in date for the season
- Ensure that all lifejackets have been serviced and records kept
On the day of your audit:
- Lay out all safety equipment so that it is ready for inspection
- Call the GFS auditors on channel 72 to confirm availability
- Pick the auditor up from the GFS pontoon and drop them back afterwards
There is a summary of the information delivered at the compulsory skippers briefing on the Sailing – Racing Information page of this website. Or here – Safety Briefing 2024
Twilight Series course sheets have been updated are now available on the Sailing – Yacht Racing Information page of this website.
Michael De Dutton York, OAM
It is with much sadness that we note the passing of sailing legend Mick York.
Mick York competed in hundreds of ocean races, sailed thousands of cruising miles and represented Australia in the America’s Cup, Admiral’s Cup, various world championships and Olympics.
He served an apprenticeship at Cockatoo Island and studied as a marine engineer, ran York’s Marine Service in Rushcutters Bay and became one of the original 3 directors of Barlow Winches.
Notably Mick was part of the Gretel campaign for the America’s Cup in 1962 as forward hand.
Gretel on Sydney Harbour
Also sailing on other ‘famous’ yachts, namely Caprice of Huon in the Admirals Cup and the 5.5 metre Barrenjoey in the 1968 Olympics.
He retired from competitive ocean racing after crewing aboard Kialoa III in her then record breaking Sydney to Hobart line honours win in 1975.
Kialoa III 1975 Sydney to Hobart
Mick then cruised extensively with his wife Jeanette in their steel yawl Rockhopper.
Mick became deeply involved in the preservation work of the Sydney Maritime Museum and Heritage Fleet. For many years was the skipper of the schooner Boomerang and was instrumental in the restorations of the James Craig and more recently John Oxley. He was a Life Governor of the museum.
At GFS we will remember Mick as a wily sailor on his Etchells ‘Rob Roy’, a regular attendee at dinners with Jeanette after Twilight racing and with the Mick York Trophy which he made in the image of a vintage skiff.
He will be a huge loss to the sailing community.
The compulsory Skipper’s Briefing for season 2024 – 2025 will be held at the GFS Clubhouse.
Wednesday, September 11 from 7.30pm.
More details will follow in the near future.
- Sunday 1 September
- Print the 2024 – 2025 audit form https://gfs.org.au/wp-
content/uploads/2024/08/Cat7_ Form_2024_pH.pdf - Check all safety items on board and complete the form
- Ensure that all items in the medical kit will be in date for the season
- Ensure that all lifejackets have been serviced and records kept – Inflatable Lifejackets – self testing procedure –https://www.facebook.com/nswmaritime/videos/312667803187042/
On the day of your audit:
- Lay out all the required equipment ready for inspection
- Call the GFS auditors on channel 72 to confirm availability
- Pick the auditor up from the GFS pontoon and drop them back afterwards
