Presentation 26 July 2023

‘The History of Flying Boats' with Noel Phelan
Read David Grundy's report here

Presentation 26 July 2023

‘The Voyage of SV Cuttlefish up the Murray River' with Tony Cousins 
Read Stephen Thomas' report here

Presentation 28 June 2023

‘Clipper Racing' with Wendy Tuck
Read Stephen Thomas' report here

Presentation 24 May 2023

'Circumnavigation of Australia in Manutai' with Jeremy Gormly 
Read Stephen Thomas' report here 

Presentation 22 March 2023

‘A history of the Australia- Pacifc' with Ian Hoskins
Read David Henry's report here

Presentation 26 February 2023

‘The Collision of the HMAS Melbourne - HMAS Voyager' with Noel Phelan
Read Stephen Thomas' report here

Presentation 23 November 2022

‘Cruising the Chesapeake’ with Richard Lawson
Read Stephen Thomas’ report here

Presentation 26 October 2022

‘Adventure in the Spice Islands’ with Richard Orr
Read Stephen Thomas’ report here

Presentation 28 September 2022

‘The Bombing of Darwin’ with Noel Phelan
Read David Grundy’s report here

Presentation 24 August 2022

‘Don’t give up the ship: Claralan’ with Bruce Stannard AM
Read Stephen Thomas’ report here

Presentation 22 June 2022

‘The Sydney to Hobart Race’ with David Kellett AM
Read Stephen Thomas’ report here

Cruising Excursion 11-13 June 2022

Cruise in Company to Echo Point
Read Jill Henry’s report here

Presentation 25 May 2022

‘Sydney Heritage Fleet’ with Alan Edenborough
Read Rowan Mitchell’s report here

Presentation 23 February 2022

‘Knotty problems’ with David Salter
Read David Salter’s transcript here

Cruising Excursion 13 February 2022

Cruise in Company to Quarantine Beach
Read Genevieve Slattery’s report here

Presentation 2 February 2022

‘The Tasman Map’ with Ian Burnet
Read Richard Orr’s report here

Presentation 24 November 2021

‘Wrecked on the Endeavour II’ with David Salt
Read David Salt’s report here

Presentation 27 October 2021

‘Australia’s relationship with the Pacific’ with Dr Ian Hoskins
Watch the video here

Presentation 22 September 2021

‘The untold story of Japanese midget subs’
with Noel Phelan
Watch the video here

Presentation 25 August 2021

‘Flag Etiquette Afloat’ with Vexillographer John Vaughan
Read Richard Lawson’s report

Presentation 28 July 2021

‘Eastern Australian Current’ with Iain Suthers, SIMS
Watch the video here

Presentation 26 May 2021

‘Captain Cook, the World’s Greatest Navigator’ with Andrew Phippen, ANMM
Read John Hancox’s report

Presentation 24 February 2021

‘Transition from Racing to Cruising’ with Paul Clitheroe
Read John Hancox’s report

Presentation 27 January 2021

‘Arctic Cruising’ with Hugo van Kretschmar
Watch the speaker event recording here

Presentation 25 November 2020

‘The magic of European Waterways’ with Rob & Rosemary Peterswald
Watch the webinar recording here

Presentation 28 October 2020

‘Organising Sydney Harbour Events’ with Drew Jones
Watch the webinar recording here

Cruising Excursion 3-4 October 2020

October Long Weekend Cruise in Company to Pittwater
Read the report here

Presentation 23 September 2020

‘Anaconda II, racing from Sydney to Dover, UK’ with John Taylor
Watch the webinar recording here

Presentation 26 August 2020

‘Women Sailors’ with Noel Phelan of the Australian National Maritime Museum.
Watch the webinar recording here

Presentation 22 July 2020

‘Piloting in Sydney Harbour’ with Captain Luke Nye, Marine Pilot, NSW Port Authority
Watch the webinar recording here

Presentation 24 June 2020

‘The Sinking and Salvage of the Costa Concordia’ with Noel Phelan of the Australian National Maritime Museum.
Watch the webinar recording here

Excursion June Long Weekend 2020

The ‘Escape from Lockdown’ mini-cruise to Upper Middle Harbour, Bantry Bay
Click here for full report

Presentation 27 May 2020

‘The 1919 Torres Strait Island Cruise of Stormy Petrel’ by John Maclurcan
Watch the webinar recording here
Read John’s updated paper here

Presentation 25 March 2020

‘Living Seawalls’ with the team at SIMS
Watch the webinar recording here
Click here for full report

Presentation 26 February 2020

‘Latest cruising sail technology’ with North Sails
Click here for full report

Excursion 7 December 2019

‘A night on the Waratah’ Christmas drinks
Click here for full report

Presentation 27 November 2019

‘The early French maritime explorers of Nouvelle Hollande’ with Andrew Phippen
Click here for full report

Cruising Excursion 24 November 2019

Abbotsford
Click here for full report

Presentation 23 October 2019

‘The next generation of mast and sail systems’ with Bret Perry
Click here for full report

Cruising Excursion 27 October 2019
Quarantine Beach

Cruising Excursion 5 – 7 October 2019
Port Hacking
Read the report

Presentation 25 September 2019

‘The work of a Yacht Surveyor’ by Don Buckley aka ‘The Admiral’
Click here for full report

Presentation 22 August 2019

‘The Life of Gordon Ingate aka ‘Wingnut’
Click here for full report
View the video of the evening here (password ‘Dragon’)

Presentation 24 July 2019

‘The Halvorsen Story’ by Noel Phelan
Click here for full report

Presentation 26 June 2019

‘The Origin and Evolution of the Australian 18 footer’ by Ian Smith
Click here for full report

Cruising Excursion 30 June 2019

Quarantine Beach
Click here for full report

Presentation 22 May 2019

‘Lord Howe Island’
Robert Dickson and Cmdr Jim Dunstan recalled their voyages in late 2018.
Click here for full report

50th Squadron Annual Cruise 12-18 April 2019
to Pittwater and environs
Captain John Taylor’s report
Galley Gourmet Challenge report by Trish Stanley and Sue Swanson

Presentation 27 March 2019

‘Thailand to the Maldives’
The ocean is full of surprises: Sail meets science crossing the Indian Ocean on a Swan 61, by Members Ruth McCance and Trent Goldsack
Talk slides available here

Presentation 27 February 2019

‘The wreck of the Dunbar and a North Shore connection’ with Historian John Lanser
Click here for full report

Presentation 23 January 2019

‘Cruising in Europe’ Neil Driscoll from Above and Beyond Boating spoke about what’s required to obtain the ICC.
Click here for full report

Presentation 28 November 2018

‘Melbourne to Osaka race’ a talk by Rupert Henry and Greg O’Shea.
Read about the race in the Logbook

Presentation 24 October 2018
‘Cruising Helmsman Future of Cruising Forum’
hosted by Phil Ross.
Click here for full report

Presentation 26 September 2018
‘Practical use of VHF and AIS radios’
a talk by Peter Lowndes.
Click here for presentation

Presentation 22 August 2018
‘The Incredible Life of Captain Bligh’
a talk by Dr Nigel Erskine, Curator of the Maritime Museum.
Click here for full report

Presentation 25 July 2018
Young couple Hugh and Kate Macready who have written a book ‘Under the Arms of the Sky: A Sailing Adventure’ related the story of their two year voyage through Indonesia.
Click here for full report

Presentation 27 June 2018
‘Sweet Chariot’s circumnavigation of the world’ David and Jill Henry recounted the highlights.
Click here for full report

Presentation 23 May 2018
‘Sydney to Darwin and back on Wine-Dark Sea’ with Sarah Goddard-Jones and Pete Lowndes.
Click here for full report

Annual Squadron Cruise 21-28 April 2018
More than 40 boats assembled for the 49th Annual Cruise to Broken Bay, Cowan Creek, Coal and Candle Creek and Pittwater.
View photos here

Presentation 28 March 2018
‘Anchorages & Destinations on Sydney Harbour’ hosted by Greer Leonard and Anthony Bell from The Count.
Click here for full report

Presentation 28 February 2018
‘Bass & Flinders’
Andrew Phippen, a volunteer with the Australian National Maritime Museum, gave a talk.
Click here for full report

Presentation 15 February 2018
‘SY Ena & other Maritime Adventures’
John Mullen described three exciting projects.
Australia Day Raft-up 26-28 January 2018
Hen & Chicken Bay.
Click here for full report

Presentation 24 January 2018
Sir James Hardy OBE reminisced about the Admiral’s Cup which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2017.
Click here for full report

Christmas Drinks 11 December 2017
We celebrated the end of the year with ‘An Evening on the James Craig’ – a unique opportunity to get together in a beautiful situation alongside the Heritage Fleet Wharf overlooking Barangaroo.
Click here for full report

Presentation 22 November 2017
‘Are animals the new Oceanographers?’ with Prof. Rob Harcourt and Kate Parsons of the Sydney Institute of Marine Science.
Click here for full report Download SIMS flyer

Presentation 12 October 2017
‘Sail the World – Everything you need to know to circumnavigate the Globe’ with Erick Reikert.
Click here for full report

Cruising Excursion 30 Sep – 2 Oct 2017
Long Weekend Raft Up
Destination Pittwater
Presentation 27 September 2017
‘Wartime story of the Krait’
by Noel Phelan of the National Maritime Museum
Click here for full report

Presentation 23 August 2017
‘North Sydney Maritime and Local History’
With North Shore Council Librarian Dr Ian Hoskins
Click here for full report

Presentation 10 August 2017
‘2018 Tahiti Yacht Rally’
with Trevor Joyce, Mariner Boating Holidays Further information here
Presentation 26 July 2017
‘So you want to race around the World?’
Tales from the Clipper Challenge for Corinthian sailors with Michael Molesworth
Presentation 28 June 2017
‘Whales, their sounds and conservation’
With Doug Cato.
Click here for full report

Wine-Dark Sea Voyage 2017
Where are they now? Read their blog here
Presentation 24 May 2017
‘Coastal Navigation’
Barry Cuneo discussed cruising the Barrier Reef, covering route and weather planning.
Click here for full report

Squadron Annual Cruise 17-24 April 2017
Over 40 boats enjoyed a magnificent week of racing, cruising, beach gatherings and social times, accompanied by sunshine and fair breezes.
Click here for photos

Presentation 22 March 2017
‘Weather Prediction’
With weather guru Roger ‘Clouds’ Badham.
Presentation 22 February 2017
‘Sailing to the Antarctic aboard the Barque Europa’
John Taylor and Rhod Cook recall their voyages exploring the Antarctic.
Click here for full report

Presentation Wednesday 25 January 2017
‘Cruising Preparation from Ocean Racing’
Sean Langman’s renovation of Maluka of Kermandie to make her fit for the Sydney-Hobart.
Click here for full report

Cruising Excursion 26 – 29 January 2017
Australia Day raft-up at Hen and Chicken Bay
Click here for full report

Christmas Party Wednesday 14 December 2016
Drinks and dinner in the CCA. Lots of stories about past and future cruises and events.
Presentation Wednesday 23 November 2016
‘From Sydney to Suez’
Jill and David Henry recounted the first part of their decade-long circumnavigation of the world aboard Sweet Chariot.
Click here for full report

Wednesday 26 October 2016
‘Cruising Holidays’
Trevor and Maggie Joyce discussed chartering and cruising in rallies in many exotic locations.
Click here for full report

Presentation Wednesday 28 September 2016
‘Rescuing the James Craig’
Alan Edenborough gave a presentation on his experiences identifying, patching up, towing and restoring this iconic ship.
Click here for full report

Presentation September 2016
Mariner Boating Holidays Sweden Rally 2016 The Stockholm Archipelago comprises 25,000 islands in an area of only 65 nautical miles from north to south and 15 miles from east to west. Trevor Joyce has written a report for you to enjoy.
Click here for full report

Presentation Wednesday 24 August 2016
‘Piloting Big Boats’
Squadron Member John Biffen made the serious sacrifice of leaving Hamilton Island with its glorious 26C to fly back to a wet and cold Sydney to talk to us about his experiences as Chief Pilot for Sydney Harbour.
Click here for full report

Cruising Excursion 13-14 August 2016
Late Winter Raft Up in Bantry Bay.
Presentation Wednesday 27 July 2016
‘Marine Rescue Sydney’
Deputy Unit Commander NSW Marine Rescue, Matthew King explained that there are 45 coastal units which take over 364,000 radio contacts a year!
Click here for full report

Presentation Wednesday 22 June 2016
‘North West Passage Transit’
We were treated to a fascinating talk by Paul Kerrigan. Organised by the Cruising committee, and attended by a full house of over 100 members and guests, Paul related his experience of a North West Passage transit on the yacht Drina. Drina is owned and skippered by member Michael Thurston, who has over 40 years of extensive cruising experience.
Click here for full report

Cruising Excursion 11-13 June 2016
Long Weekend Raft Up
Seven Member boats participated in the June long weekend cruise to Echo Point. A spanking westerly took them to the Spit, the sun shone and a wonderful time was enjoyed by all. You can read Sarah Goddard-Jones’ report
Click here for full report

Presentation Wednesday 25 May 2016
‘Sea Safety’
Neil Driscoll from Above and Beyond Boating gave an enlightening and informative talk. He discussed the different types of Life Jackets and their fitness for purpose plus new and helpful tips on current safety equipment now available. With the help of ‘Bob’ his fully kitted dummy and various pieces of equipment he explained the problems of recovery at sea and why we should be prepared for all types of emergency.
Click here to see presentation

Presentation Wednesday 27 April 2016
‘Tales from the Sydney Hobart’
Renowned navigator Lindsay May recounted his experiences competing in over 40 Sydney to Hobart yacht races.
Annual Cruise 16-23 April 2016
Over 40 boats enjoyed a magnificent week of racing, cruising, beach gatherings and social times, accompanied by sunshine and fair breezes.
Read the Cruise Captain’s report
The Galley Gourmet Challenge
Cruising in Company report

Cruising Excursion 24-28 March 2016
Easter Cruising in Company.
Participants were Wine-Dark Sea, Limelight and Anitra V with Vibe joining on Sunday. We departed Sydney on Good Friday, arrived at Broken Bay throughout the day and rafted up for evening drinks. The Saturday waterfall drinks at Castle Lagoon featured the new WDS inflatable lounge! On Sunday we motored round to Mushroom Bay, dropped anchor and headed into Akuna Bay Marina for lunch at the new Pilu. We enjoyed a gentle sail back to Sydney on Monday, with fine, warm weather.
Click here to see photos on Facebook

Presentation 23 March 2016
‘Voyage around Cape Horn’
David and Sarah Salt regaled us with fabulous photos, fascinating charts and thrilling narration of their adventures in the Atacama Dessert, crossing the Andes, to Argentinian frontier towns on the edge of the southern ocean. Amazing bird life and wildlife, cascading glaciers, the majesty of Cape Horn itself.

Presentation 24 February 2016
‘Rafting Up & Anchoring’
James Merrington and David Salt discussed the finer techniques of rafting up and anchoring etiquette, shared videos and stories of anchoring antics. Their recommendations on chain size, length and weight, anchor types and weight, how to anchor for swing, fore and aft and how to raft up, all triggered good discussion around the room.

Presentation 27 January 2016
‘Lord Howe island’
Nigel Stoke spoke to a large crowd (80 people!) of RSYS cruising enthusiasts about sailing his beautiful yacht Fidelis to Lord Howe Island.
He was well qualified, having sailed the route for more than 13 years. He spoke wonderfully, supported by charts, videos, photos and stories. We all got a real feel for what it was like to sail to LHI and go to the famous Ned’s Beach Barbecue. There was very funny film of Nigel’s happy working crews and of their daily activities for the three to four days of the trip. There were dolphins playing around the bow and film of all forms of weather from sparkling days to heavy conditions. He told us about planning, safety, navigation, the sailing itself and the arrival at the lagoon at LHI. He made the roughly 400 nautical trip sound like something we could all do on a well-planned, well prepared Cat 1 boat.

At the back of the room he had generously laid out for viewing an array of his on-board documents, including pre-trip preparation lists, safety and communication procedures, charts of the layout of the boat, a map of through hull fittings and valves and numerous other useful documents. On the walls were the famous LHI Barbecue posters that are forming part of Sydney sailing history.
It was an amusing, informative and very well attended night. Impossible to hear it and not think about doing it!

Cruising Excursion 23-24 January 2016
Raft up at Old Animal Quarantine Station, Abbotsford
Four boats participated: Rapunzel, Matang, Saliere and Magnificat, and with eight people, we had an enjoyable 24 hours.
This anchorage was a real surprise, as we thought we knew Sydney Harbour reasonably well. The anchorage was in relatively shallow water which was beautifully protected from the prevailing Sou’easter and Nor’easters which prevailed throughout the weekend.
We went ashore at the old quarantine station site and enjoyed a barbecue at the excellent public facilities which included electric BBQs and a large pavilion area with good tables and seating. It also had the attraction, for those of who stayed on, of a very pleasant walking area around the waterfront and through the streets of Abottsford.

Newsletter December 2015
As the Cruising Division celebrates 12 months of the Cruising Experience, we publish here a selection of articles, written by Members, describing a number of activities which have taken place around the Division. We hope you find these informative and inspiring!
Click here to read

Cruising Excursion 5-6 December 2015
Raft up at Collins Beach
Our pre-Christmas weekend raft up was very well attended by eight boats: Saliere, David and Sarah Salt; Rapunzel, Richard and Sandy Lawson; Matang, Rob and Fran Hardy; Wine Dark Sea, Pete Lowndes and Sarah Goddard Jones; Hot Chilli, Alan and Linda Cox; Brian and Muffy McKean with their new (for them) Beneteau 36.7. We also warmly welcomed newcomers Avanti, Chris and Maggie Bolton and Felixette, Michael and Jane Leslie.

The Saturday afternoon get together was the highlight of the weekend, with Sandy’s icebreaker over drinks which included the question ‘where did you originate and how did you meet you partner?’ a terrific success in bringing everyone together very quickly in a very funny and enjoyable exchange.
The planned Sunday lunch had to be abandoned as the Q Station restaurant had no available seating for us. The chosen alternative was to meet on Store Beach at 11am to enjoy a picnic together … and as often is the case, plan B was a great alternative. Another highly successful raft up.
Presentation October 23 2015
‘Catering and Provisioning’

Paul and Clair Ley of Pilgrim Yachting gave an excellent presentation on ‘Catering and Provisioning’. Topics covered included: food selection, quantity estimation, smart stowage and some valuable tips on extending the life of fresh food. The subject proved very popular with the near-capacity audience asking many questions before adjourning to dinner.
Click to view their presentation slides
Click to view some helpful recipes

Presentation September 23 2015
‘The History of the Australian Flag’
A well-attended meeting enjoyed a presentation entitled The History of the Australian Flag by John Vaughan of Australiana Flags, learning about the origins of the Australian Flag and associated flag flying protocol. John’s fascinating talk included a display of his valuable historic collection dating back to the early 1900’s. Of interest to Members was the popularity of his custom designed “wine pennant” hoisted on vessels to invite fellow sailors aboard for drinks – essential for all cruising yachts.

Presentation August 26 2015
‘Rigging Maintenance’
Jason Neuhaus of Diverse Rigging and Yachting gave a talk in the Clubhouse explaining the important elements of rigging maintenance. With the aid of his own photos and samples of rigging hardware, Jason explained what can happen if your rigging is not properly maintained and offered a wealth of handy hints and tips that could potentially save the expense and embarrassment of a rig failure.
Annual Cruise 11-18 April 2015
Click here to read Richard Lawson’s report

The new Shellharbour marina

Description and photos
Read report here

Tying up in the Pond

Online meeting
read notes here

Flag Etiquette Afloat

By John Vaughan OAM (Vexillographer)
read here

Cruising Marinas

An article by Sarah Goddard-Jones describing the marinas and their facilities between Newcastle and Hamilton Island.
click here

Cruising Guides

An article by Sarah Goddard-Jones listing cruising guides and references to assist those cruising north.
click here

Broken Bay Moorings

The club has moorings available for members’ use in Broken Bay area. Please see the chart below;

To distinguish Squadron moorings, please see the photo below;

Guide to the practical use of Radios

view Pete Lowndes presentation here

Whitsundays: marina special offer

Are you considering a passage north and looking for marina options?
Here’s a special offer from the Abell Point Marina in the Whitsundays.
view offer here

‘Under the Arms of the Sky: A Sailing Adventure’

This is the journey that saw Kate and Hugh Macready step outside their comfort zone in every respect. Ditching jobs, saying goodbye to family in Sydney, and reducing their worldly belongings to what fit on a 13m sailing boat. It was a huge leap of faith for a new couple in their 30s. Throwing off the dock-lines to sail to…well, they really didn’t know where at the time.
While they enjoyed hundreds of beautiful sunsets, making new friends and rare encounters with the wild in nine countries, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Dodging pirated waters and fierce storms, spending weeks at a time crossing lonely oceans. Let’s just say, it challenged them.
So, what does two years at sea do to a relationship? read their book here

Wine-Dark Sea Circumnavigation of Australia

Follow Peter Lowndes and Sarah Goddard-Jones’ log here
Or their facebook page here

Technical Advice

From Neil Driscoll at Above and Beyond Boating
Helpful videos, diagrams and templates on the website here