The first quarter of 2020 promises a very busy one for the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron. The RQYS will host 60 sailing events from January to March.
January 2020 will be a big Summer of Sailing for RQYS, with five national championships being run back-to- back over the course of a month. RQYS will welcome over 250 sailors from the Contenders, Flying 11s, Flying Fifteens, Raceboards and Formula Board Windsurfers, and Windfoilers, to the club to compete for Australian Titles on the waters of Moreton Bay.
Australian Contender Championships (6-9 Jan)
The International Contender class will be back again in January for the International Contender Australian Titles, and for the 10-year anniversary of the Nationals and Worlds at RQYS. With four days of Championship Racing scheduled, sailors are looking forward to quality racing on the waters of Waterloo Bay.
Australian Flying 11 Championships (12-18 Jan)
The 2020 Flying 11 Nationals will be held at the Royal Qld Yacht Squadron from 12-18 January. The Regatta starts on Sunday 12 January with registration and an invitation race. Two formal races are scheduled each day from Monday to Wednesday with a lay day on Thursday 16th, followed by two more days of racing. The presentation ceremony will take place at RQYS on Saturday 18th after the final two races.
Australian Flying Fifteen Championships (12-18 Jan)
A Flying Fifteen is the original sports boat, as it is a planing keelboat. There are more than 4,000 Flying Fifteen’s around the world, and are suitable for racing on a variety of sea, estuaries, lakes and rivers. The Australian Championship is open to all boats of the International Flying Fifteen Class, which hold a valid Flying Fifteen International (FFI) Measurement Certificate and are entered on the FFI Australia (FFIA) Register of Boats or are registered with an association established outside Australia affiliated with FFI.
Australian Formula and Raceboard Windsurfing Championships (20-24 Jan)
The regatta will be governed by the current Racing Rules of Sailing. The participating classes shall be Formula and Raceboard. A minimum of 5 competitors is required to constitute a division. The participating divisions shall be: for Raceboard Class – Men, Women, Youth, U23, Senior, Master, Grand Master, Veteran, 7.8m2 , Sprint; for Formula Class – Men, Women, Junior, Youth, Grand Master, Veteran, Legend, Free Formula; for Glide – Men, Women, Youth. Entry is open to all boards of the Raceboard and Formula Board classes.
Downunder Pro 2020: Australian Windfoil Championships (31 Jan-2 Feb)
The regatta will be governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing – Appendix B, Windsurfing Competition Rules (WCR). Competitors shall be financial members of the Australian Windsurfing Association or a national Class Association which is a valid member of the relevant international class association, or of the IWA.
The RQYS is also the host of the Schools Racing Competition which runs annually over terms 1 and 4 of the school year. Racing will recommence 2 February with a series of fleet racing (30 – 40 pacers) and a series of team racing (15 – 20 teams) from a number of schools in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
In March, more events fill up the RQYS calendar. 70+ Laser 4.7 Radial and Full Rig sailors of all ages travel to RQYS to compete in the 8-9 March QLD Laser Metropolitan Championships, run by RQYS annually. RQYS will also see 20+ Etchells on the water over the weekend of 21-22 March for the 2020 Brisbane Etchells Fleet Championships. The 33rd Moreton Bay Multihull Regatta will run over 4 days on 26-29 March, at RQYS in conjunction with Multihull Yacht Club Queensland.
Compiled by Roselle Tenefrancia
Published in the Jan-Mar 2020 edition.
