Australia Page Archive

A record fleet for a Tassie championship with 61 entrants ! The race area off Bellerive is fantastic, with the stunning backdrop of central Hobart and Mt Wellington. Two Invitation races were held in a strong WNW breeze on 28 Dec, and Heats 1 & 2 on 29 Dec in equally strong SE winds. Long day on 29 Dec with over 5 hours on the water including 2 hours of waiting for the sea breeze to replace the norwester. More moderate SE sea breeze on 30 Dec. Callum Burns from Vic has won the first 3 heats, with Chris Dance winning the 4th. Full results Click here

Victorian State Titles at BRYC

The Vic states titles will be held at BRYC on the 13th and 14th February. NOR and entry form are available on Vic home page.

Morris Finance - Masters Regatta 21-25 Feb 2010

Sabre sailors are encouraged to participate as we had had the largest class representation at last year's Masters Games at RGYC.

Big Vic Newsletter - lots of photos!

Tasmanian Nationals Notice of Race

Here we go folks - the NOR for the Bellerive nationals starting 28 December 2009. Click Here for NOR .

Change to Vic Winter Series

Please note a change has been made to the 2009 Victorian winter series calendar. Please refer to the Victorian page for more details.

Numbers hit 1800

New Sabres are still arriving in strong numbers, with sail number 1806 the most recent to be issued. The newest at the recent Safety Beach nationals was 1778.

Tassie Nationals 09/10

For all the details of the nationals - head over to the Tasmania page Click here

The Switchblade Sail

The Vic committee has been monitoring the number of entry level Junior
sailors in Sabres for some time. Talking to the target group (14-15 year olds leaving
Minnows/Sabots) the reason numbers are not higher are; (1) the Sabre is a
bit too powerful and (2) the 'cool' factor is not there - the look of the
Moth (ie clear fully battened fat head sail) is often mentioned as being
something they think looks really good. Looking at other classes that have
successfully attracted the youths the Laser is the stand out with the
smaller 4.7 rig.

Therefore the Committee has backed an idea of testing the concept of a smaller
"cool" looking sail- the idea being that if it was successful we could set up
a youth division -as the Laser 4.7 is to the full Laser rig. A sail has been made by Qantum Sails in February, and a number of people have tested the sail so far.

It must be stressed this is no more than a concept at this stage and that there is
absolutely no intention to ever change the Sabre sail - this is solely a
youth recruitment initiative. We have a short video which shows the concept,
termed the (Sabre) 'Switchblade' in action - here is the link .

Many thanks to Andy McIntyre for putting the video together and to Wayne Bates and Callum Burns for getting the sail made and tested and generally bringing the project to reality.

2010 Nationals Bellerive - Hobart, Tasmania

Here is advance notice of next summer's nationals to be hosted at the Bellerive Yacht Club on the Derwent River in Hobart. First Day is 28 December and last race incl Presentation night will be 3 Jan. Expectation is for all races to be afternoon. Bellerive is just across the Tasman Bridge in a delightful Bay. Yes - it's where the cricket ground is.

For mainlanders - critical first step is booking the ferry. Here is the link www.spiritof tasmania .com.au . If you haven't done it before - it costs $65 each way for a car with a boat on the roof, or $436 each way if you take a trailer. On top of that it costs $151 per person each way (assuming you don't take a cabin). Ferries leave at both 9am and 9pm

WA Sabre Fleet

A group of Sabre's has emerged in WA sailing on the Swan river. They are more than keen to here from any other Sabre sailors in the area who want to get involved. Future plans are to setup and association and of course spread the word. To join in with the growing fleet Please contact <sabreswa1@iprimus.com.au> for more info.

Victorian State Championships

The Vic states will be hosted by Gippsland Lakes Yacht Club at Paynesville over the Moomba long weekend in March (7 to 9th). Refer to the attached Notice of Race for details and associated entry form. NOR

Safety Beach Nationals results

The Nationals at Safety beach saw the 2nd biggest Sabre fleet since 1992 with 80 entrants taking part. It was a very succesful regatta both on the water as well as off the water. Whilst most of the racing was in stonger breezes we still completed all 9 races plus an Invitation race without having to use a single resail session. Competitors were treated to the brand new Safety Beach club house and rigging area, and these equal or better those anywhere else on the bay. The Association also put on 4 social functions during the week, and the great food and live music was a real highlight of the week.

Racing at all levels of the fleet was superb, and no less so than amongst the top 5 place-getters who put on a fantastic display of sailing. The result was not decided until the last beat of the last race, with only a point separating the first two boats, and the next 3 just a handful of points behind that. Elsewhere in the fleet saw a surge in jnior numbers, with 10 entries - a really stong indicator of the health of the class.

The Association would like to thank all the sponsors who gave generously and helped make for a fantastic event via supplying cash and prizes for the competitors. Sponsors include:

Well done to all competitors, and we look forward to seeing all competitors when we next assemble in Bellerive in Hobart.

Nationals Notice of AGM 2008

The Annual General Meeting for the Sabre association will be held on the 2nd January 2009 (Friday) from 9 am at Safety Beach Sailing Club. All members are actively encourage to attend and participate in the event.

Nationals Social Program and Sailing Instructions

Here is the Social program for the nationals - as you can see - lots of activities planned. Note that the start time for teh welcome dinner will be closer to 6pm not 7pm. Social Program and SI's

We've reached 80 entries and the organisers are breathing a sigh of relief ! We've also wrapping up the sponsorship side of the regatta - and what a wonderful week awaits competitors on that front ! Sails from Irwin & Quantum, foils bag by Hooper, masts & booms from John Dixon at Iecon Boats, a wide range of sailing gear from Zhik, Wilderness Wear and Burke, fittings & gear from Ronstan, wines from premium local winery Tuck's Ridge; foil & gear bags from South Eastern Sails, a rudder blade from Frecheville/Heaney Boats and a huge helping hand from Brett Young at YMS and the Bonee Doon Hotel to fund our 2 party nights - and a rudder and centreboard from YMS for good measure !We'll give some away as door prizes, some as prizes to category winners, and some we'll auction. Let's just say you need to be there to share in the goodies !

Australian Masters Games

20th Feb - 1st March includes Sabre sailing and will be held at Geelong this year. Age to enter is 35 plus and fleet of 44 + are expected. Entries close early December so act now to enter.

Vic Newsletter Oct08 out now

Sabre Nationals Video 0809

Below is a promotional video put together to get the blood going and to remind us what sailing is all about. Hopefully it will inspire you to book your accomodation and head across to Victoria this year for the Nationals.Special thanks to Andy McIntyre for putting together such a great clip.

Record your races with a GPS Tracker

With low cost GPS recorders now available, you can now record your races and replay them on your computer. If your fellow competitors also join in, you can play the race as it happended, and compare distances travelled up wind, beairngs and speeds, to find out what really happened!

Geoff Smith (Aquila 1510), has developed a software package for playing and analysing GPS tracks for yacht racing. The software is launching in November, but attendees at this years Sabre training at Black Rock had an early preview. You can find out more about it at www.tacktracker.com

To get people started, Geoff is organising a bulk purchase in ealry November of GPS tracking devices at $140 each, and is offering a Beta trial program for the tack tracker software. If your interested in participating, please contact Geoff at geoff@tacktracker.com or 04258 03752.

Sabres at Balmain SC in Sydney

The first Sabre at Balmain SC arrived early Sept and there are hopes of developing a fleet there. Storage space is available at the club and new members will be warmly welcomed.

Victorian Training weekend 4 & 5 Oct

Safety Beach Nationals Notice of Race

You'll find entry prices (note the fee is inclusive of the welcome & presentation nights); details of the choce of regatta shirt or rugby top; the program (no morning races weather permitting) and so on. Note that a late entry fee applies for entries after 28 November NOR July 30

For those keen to head to this years nationals but don't know where to start the following links may be of interest:-

The event will offer two fully catered meals as part of entry, secure mast up storage, lots of racing with 10 races planned to be held, and all in a great holiday location. Whether a seasoned competitor or someone trying there first nationals, it should be a great event.

Photos of Vic State Titles

To obtain a copy of the great State Titles photos for the 2008 states, please refer to the Victoria Page. 2008/2009 Nationals to be held at Safety Beach Sailing Club on Victoria's Pt Phillip Bay

At last - the waiting is over. We are pleased to announce that the 2008/09 nationals will be hosted by the Safety Beach Sailing Club.

Safety Beach is on the Mornington Peninsula, about 60 minutes south of Melbourne. The club has an all-new clubhouse, and is positioned next to the major new Martha Cove development. The club successfully hosted a 79 boat fleet for the national 29er class championships, and is a recent host of the Victorian state Sabre championships.

The series will run between 27 Dec and 3 Jan, and we are planning on an 'afternoon racing only' schedule (mother nature permitting).

A list of accommodation in Safety Beach & surrounds is available here Click here . A map of the Morninton Peninsula is available here

Victorian Championships

Winds were in the 18 - 25 kt range in the four races completed, with large swells thrown in for good measure. (Check out the photos.....)

Russell was busy with the digital camera during the Vic champs at Elwood in Vic. Enjoy some of his shots down the right hand side....

Victorian Association advises GLYC that 08/09 titles will not be held on Gippsland Lakes

The Victorian Association has unfortunately had to advise the Gippsland Lakes Yacht Club that we were unable to accept their offer to host the 2008/09 titles. It's been a dificult couple of months, and sadly it brings to an end a large amount of planning and promotional work done by both the Gippsland folk as well as the Sabre committee. We'd really like to acknowledge the passion that the Gippsland Sabre sailors have displayed for their club and the region generally, and we look forward to the day when we next hold a championship down on the Lakes.

Adelaide Results

Congratulations to John Gratton and Fiona McCulloch for winning the Overall and Ladies National titles respectively. Yet another fantastic regatta for the sabres - with over 70 entries, a great venue and fantastic support from sponsors which saw numerous great prizes from competitors. For full results please refer to the SA Sabre page

An article has also been posted on Sail world, click the following link for details:-

The National Association received advice from the NSW Sabre Association that they would not be in a position to host the 2009/10 Sabre nationals (being when it would next be their turn). As a consequence, the Tasmanian Associationn has confirmed that they will be in a position to hos the 09/10 titles in Hobart. Several clubs are under consideration, with a likely move to a club downstream of the Tasman bridge.

This updated program of future regattas was confirmed at the Sabre national AGM in Adelaide in Jan08.

Latest State Association newsletters

The SA Association are hosts for our next nationals in Adelaide, and thet have announced preliminary dates for the titles - see the SA sub-site : SA nationals .

Seasoned vistors to past nationals will know that there is one thing you need to act on fast once the dates are known - book your accommodation !!

A long-time favourite of visitors to the Brighton & SeacliffeYacht Club is the Brighton (Kingston Park) Caravan Park. Why a favourite ? Well firstly, it's basically right next door; and secondly it provides bot camping style accommodation as well as a variety of cabins. As of mid February though, we understand that the cabins are booked out . For more info though-

Now 7 ways to buy a new Sabre

It's probably been one of the best kept secrets in the Sabre class - these days we have 7 different professional builders of Sabres in Australia ! Victoria and SA both have 2 builders who can supply fibreglass boats, with 2 more Victorian and a NSW builder offering plywood boats. Options range from say a bare plywood hull - all the way up to a complete fitted out boat on a trailer ready to race. This provides a range of options covering those wanting to say do their own painting and fitting out, up to those who just want to have over the cheque and be done with it !

We have compliled an extensive range of information regarding all of the builders over the past 2 years, and it's all on our boats & equipment page: Boat builders

Winning 6 of the 7 races, Wayne Bates retained his Sabre National crown at Cleveland Yacht Club on Brisbane's Moreton Bay over the Xmas / New Year Period. It was great however to see strong performances from South Australians, with the other podium positions going to John Gratton and Sean Hackett.

39 competitors took part in the series, which was sailed in breezes in the 10 - 15 knot range. Refer to the Queensland link on the left for all the details.

Spam Prevention

Due to Website Spam the following changes have been made. When registering, only fill out the following fields:-

Username , Email Address , Password, Confirm Password, Confirmation Code & Location.

Note location must be 'Australia'. After registration is complete you can go back in and change/add details if you wish.

Also , you can still use the guest log in to post messages:- (Username) GuestMember (Password) Password1

September Victorian Newsletter

The September edition of the Victorian Association newsletter has been emailed to Victorian members. Click Sept newsletter for the full version. (Lots of photos too)

Farewell Tassie's Jack Thompson

News came through last week of death of Tasmanian Sabre sailor, Jack Thompson in a car accident in Northern Tasmania. Jack sailed out of the Midway Point Yacht Club near Hobart and competed in the last two National Championships and in the Vicorian state championships at Black Rock in his boat 'Possum'. He was a true sailor who knew the Sabre spirit. His friendship and competitiveness will be sadly missed by all those who knew him .

May Victorian Newsletter

The May edition of the Victorian Association newsletter has been emailed toVictorian members. Click here for the full version. (Lots of photos too)

Forgotten your Discussion Forum logon password ?

We've probably all noticed that there has been quite a drop-off in postings on the Discussion Forum over the past few months. We're not really sure why, although we do notice that it coincides with the compulsory use of logons and passwords that we had to introduce to cut-out the 'bombardment' of illicit postings that we were suffereing.

We thought we'd trial an alternative approach.... If you've forgotten your logon or password, or maybe you'd prefer to actually make an anonymous posting - the we invite you to use this generic logon:

We go through phases in the Sabre class where we find there is a bit of a shortage of second hand Sabres on the market. Now seems to be one of those times !

If you have a Sabre that is for sale - any state - then let us know by email here Sabre for sale . We'll see how we go at maintaining a table of boats for sale on this website.

New Victorian Sabre builder announced
The Victorian Association is pleased to announce that MartinSly of JL Sly Boatbuilders will be the new Victorian builder of fibreglass Sabres using the mould owned by the Victorian Association. (This is the mould that Botterill & Sons have been using since 1997). Martin is a sailor at Mordialloc Sailing Club, and the Sabre will add to the range of dinghy classes for which he is an official builder. These include the Minnow class (also taken over from Botterill), the 125 and the Sabot.

Martin will be taking over the mould at the end of June, and will be making a prototype boat before commencing roduction of boats ordered by customers. Pricing will be released after that prototype is completed. We will post further details of the new boats as they become available from Martin. In the meantime though, feel free to contact him on 9580 2446 if you want to make preliminary inquiries.

We are delighted to have Martin on board as a builder given his enthusiasm and reputation as a boat builder, and hope for a long and mutually successful partnership as we grow the Sabre class.

Sail Sabre polo shirts now available
The Victorian Association has had a batch of polo shirts made up. They are a white shirt with navy tipping on the collar, sleave ang button area. They have the red Sabre sail emblem on the front together with the words 'Sail Sabre'. They're a great smart way to show you're a proud Sabre sailor, and to promote the class. Cost is $20 each if you collect it from a member of the Vic committee, or $25 posted. Available in M and L sizes. Contact Andrew Graham for orders.

Victoria lanches the 'e-Newsletter'
It has been 2 years sice the last version of the Rattle newsletter was produced, and in the period since then we've been using this site to keep members up to date. It's time now though to expand our communication with members. The Victorian committee has therefore lanched a new newsletter - but one which will only be distributed by email. The first edition went out in early March. If you are a Victorian member and you did not receive it - can we please ask you to send your email address to barry.eastgate@bigpond.com Meanwhile, a copy of the newsletter is available here : The Victorian eSabre news Mar06

See our updated photos April 2006

We've taken the opportunity to update some of the photos on our site - see the home page, Victorian page, and the Photo Gallery. Photo Gallery

Some tips from our Tassie friends on improving reaching speed

A great little article posted by Matt from Lindisfarne on the Tasmanian state site

Sail numbers have passed 1700

And in case you need proof, here is a photo of number 1701 up in Queensland. Queensland's state website This is Anne Mussett's new boat - a Haselgrove from Adelaide.

2005 Australian Championship report by Wayne Bates

Wayne has provided his thoughts on his Australian championship win...it is an enlightening and excellent read, particularly for those of us who didn't have a clue what was going on.

Read Wayne's report.

Discussion Forum - Urgent Notice 2 Mar 06
The discussion forum is being bombarded by illicit links that are being lodged by the generic "Guest" member. The "Guest" username has been banned from submitting comments on the discussion forum until further notice. For those of you who legitimately want to contribute to the Sabre discussion forum, please register as a forum member.

2006 Victorian State Titles
National champion Wayne Bates added the Victorian championship to his trophy cabinet after winning 3 heats and dropping a 3rd. See the Victorian site for all details and results.

Retirement of Rob Botterill - new Vic Builder 13/2/06

Many of you will sad to hear that long-time Victorian Sabre builder Robert Botterill has retired recently thereby ending a 20 year plus relationship with the Sabre class. Many of the fibreglass Sabres that we see in our fleets today were built by Botterill at his premises in Highett in Melbourne. His first mould produced substantial numbers of all-fibreglass boats in the 1100 to 1400 range in the 80's and 90's, and the more recent mould in 1997 produced boats that included our national champion boat of 2004/05.

The Victorian Association believes that it is important that we retain a builder of fibreglass Sabres in Victoria, and we are therefore keen to ensure that the mould gets back into use as soon as possible. We are currently seeking expressions of interest from a selection of Melbourne boat builders re use of the mould, and will provide details of the outcome once everything is finalised. With some good marketing, this is a great opportunity for us to give the class a real lift.

If there are any people out there who are in the market for a new Sabre for season 2006/07 - then we encourage you to consult the 'Boats & Equipmemt' tab on this site which lists 5 suppliers of fibreglass or plywood Sabres in Vic, SA and NSW. If on the other hand what you are after is a fibreglass Sabre from the "Botterill" mould - then we would be more than happy to take your details so that these can be forwarded to the new Victorian builder in the coming months. Feel free to email barry.eastgate@bigpond.com with your details.

AGM 2006 minutes

Notice of Race - 2005 Australian Championship

Please print from NOR 2005 Australian Championship and get your entry in by 30 November 05. A late entry fee applies after 30 Nov.

Vic Training and Coaching weekend 8-9 Oct 05

The coaching weekend is open to all Sabre sailors and is pitched at all levels of competency. Interstate sailors are also welcome. The weekend is free and lunch is provided both days courtesy of SSAV. Sailors intending to participate on either or both days need to submit their details to Barry Eastgate by 30 Sept.

An entry form will be mailed with Vic 2006 membership renewal notices shortly or can printed from this website.... Coaching & Training weekend entry form

Urgent Notice - illegal Sabre Construction.

It has come to my attention that a timber Sabre is being built with the floor battens being deleted and closed cell foam glued to the whole of the cockpit floor. The finished laminate is to be fibre glassed -at least in the cockpit area.

This form of construction is NOT permitted under the Sabre Construction and Fitting Out notes.

Composite construction comprises a fibreglass hull built in accordance with the class rules and finished with a timber deck.

The method of construction outlined above does not comply with any rules of the Sabre Class and I have never given approval for this technique.

2005 Nationals Lindisfarne SC, Hobart

The Tassie boys have put together some information on the location, accommodation etc and 10

Secret Sabre Business

Alan Riley has kindly written an excellent article on how he achieved his well-deserved success at the Eden Australian Championship. This article is a must for Sabre sailors and we thank Alan for the time spent putting pen to paper and sharing his thoughts with us. It is in acrobat pdf format to facilitate printing. Secret Sabre Business by Alan Riley

Alan refers to a website from which he downloaded Sailing Simulator software that he used for both enjoyment and to sharpen his sailing strategy skills. Fairly limited demonstrator downloads are available. Link to Posey Sailing Simulator

2004 Australian Championship - Alan Riley is the new Australian Champion

Alan Riley sailing The Sea Drift Social Club from Blairgowrie YS has won the 2004 Australian championship. Alan sailed a very consistent series to defeat Wayne Bates, the defending champion from 2003 and 2004. John Atkins NSW was third. The serie was notable for a wide range of weather but always with frequent 30 - 45 degree shifts with an occasional 90 degree shift.

Australia Archive Page

Tassie Nationals up & running