History of the Brighton & Seacliff Yacht Club
The Start
After the first World War, in 1918 a group of Seacliff enthusiasts formed an embryo Seacliff Sailing Club, their headquarters being a modest hut built of aloes. At the same time a small group of boat owners, who moored off the Brighton Jetty, planned to form their own club. However at a meeting in Southcott's Rooms, Jetty Road, Brighton, in October 1919, attended by twenty residents of the district, the two groups came together and founded the Brighton & Seacliff Yacht Club. Benjamin Benny was elected Commodore and T.M. Bennett Secretary.
Thus the Brighton & Seacliff Yacht Club was born and it is unlikely that those early members could have visualised the fleet as it is today, let alone the type of boat the members would be sailing. The boats that raced that first season were a far cry from today's sleek craft but they must have been an impressive sight with huge sail area, long overhanging booms and projecting bowsprits. In that first season of 1919 seven boats raced; two eighteen footers, Fife (L.T. Bennett) and Bonney Rig (Cecil Gregory and Gil Vaughton) which were moored at the Brighton Jetty; four fourteen footers, Weeona (H.G. Collyer), Swallow (W. Ashdown), Kangaroo (M. Somerville) and Nimrod (H. Hustler)and one hard chined thirteen footer, Fizzy Lizzy (C.B. Norton).
In 1920 the club fleet grew from seven boats to eleven with four more eighteen footers sailing from the club, Shamrock (H. Hancock) which was moored at Somerton, and two Glenelg eighteens, Adele (Lew Cottrell) and Lavendo (C.H. Deckert) joined the fleet. Cliff Norton had sold Fizzy Lizzy to Colin Haselgrove who headed a syndicate which built the eighteen foot Unity, a remarkable boat which sailed with great success until she was caught in a severe storm in 1924. Unity was washed through the jetty and was severely damaged, never to race again. 1921 saw further additions to the fourteen foot fleet creating a diversity which would have tested the handicapper in obtaining fair results.
The Twenties
In the early days a number of regattas provided the highlights of the season. The popular ones were Brighton Regatta on New Year's Day and the Glenelg Commemorative Day Regatta on January 28 which saw boats sailing from Henley and Grange to compete. The club existed without a clubhouse until 1925 when difference of opinion as to location were resolved and T.M. Hardy as Commodore successfully negotiated with the Minister of National Pleasure Resorts the lease which the club now stands on. The registration fee and stamp duty amounted to the equivalent of $1.25.
Having acquired the land in June 1926 it became necessary to raise money to build 'a clubhouse capable of providing accommodation for small craft equipped with dressing rooms, showers, lockers etc.' The estimated cost was four hundred and fifty pounds. The official opening of the building was on Saturday January 29 at which time membership had reached seventy five including ten life members and eight cadet members.
Cadet Dinghies: In 1925 particulars of the cadet class dinghy were obtained by T.M. Hardy from Mr Paul Ross, a great friend of Mr Hardy's. This proved an event of great significance to the club as the eventual adoption of this class laid the foundation for class racing of future years. The introduction of this class was probably the first positive step in Australia to cater for youth sailing. Many of today's top Australian yachtsmen and women started sailing in these fine boats.
The 12 foot cadet dinghy continued to develop and was the dominant class in the club from the mid thirties to the mid forties. The seagoing capabilities of these small craft was well demonstrated in the 'Ocean Race' which was held annually over a fifty mile course, leaving Brighton on Saturday afternoon to Outer Harbour, round Torrens Island and back to B&SYC on the Sunday evening. Crews were permitted a fifteen minute rest at Outer Harbour before the all night passage home. The racing was surprisingly close, in March 1936 Heather won by a boat length to Tom Thumb.
Another seagoing effort recorded is the Christmas cruise to Port Noarlunga from the Sunday to the Tuesday with two dinghies escorted by two eighteen footers and a motor launch. Crews camped at Noarlunga, held sailing and rowing races with the highlight being the community campfire. As lifejackets were not commonly used, crews in 1936 - 37 had to undergo a 400 yard swimming test before being permitted to compete in club events.
The Thirties
The depression in the thirties saw the club go through difficult times and the scant records available indicate a drop in membership though subscriptions were reduced from one guinea to ten shillings. Fortunately this was not to last with the late thirties seeing the fleet grow once again and improvements made to the club rooms and surrounding grounds. With the regular breezes experienced a fixed triangular course was set starting with a south westerly mark to a northerly off Brighton then twice around an easterly and finishing off the club.
The Forties
Whilst membership had been fairly static during the war years, there was an increase in both members and boats after the war and in 1947 - 48 membership had reached one hundred and sixteen which included seventeen female members. Further upgrades were made to the club with extra facilities created for boat storage. While the twelve square metre Sharpie was first introduced to Brighton in the thirties, this international class sailed in England, Holland and Germany strengthened after the war continuing to provide competitive racing until 1963 with the introduction of the Lightweight Sharpie.
The Fifties
The fifties saw the introduction of two more classes, the Payne-Mortlock Sailing Canoe and the Rainbow giving the club four recognised classes which competed in weekly racing. Jim Hardy, Fred Neill and Bob Lanyon were among the more successful sailors of this time to name a few. As a measure of the successes, state championships went to Fred Neill, Jim Hardy and Neil Crowley who also took out the Australian National Championships in the Payne-Mortlock Canoe which were hosted at the club.
Additions to the club and its racing facilities included the first rescue boat, a fifteen foot six H.P. petrol motor launch and separate starts were introduced for each class. The first floor of the new clubhouse was built from 1956 - 57, designed and organised by club members.
The Sixties
1960 - 65 saw further significant changes in all areas firstly with the introduction of junior training and the Holdfast Trainer. Two new senior classes also made their debut, the Lightweight Sharpie and the International 505. Membership was to almost double and a full time caretaker was appointed. The major undertaking was the completion of club extensions and Australian yachting history was made when the club hosted the 505 World series which was the first world series ever held in Australia.
In 1960 - 61 junior membership stood at sixty five and interest was being shown by many others. A sub-committee led by Harvie Haselgrove was appointed to consider the establishment of a junior training scheme. Nine club Holdfast Trainers were built by the end of 1961. By 1968 there were ninety three Herons also registered at the club - by far the largest fleet in the eleven classes at the club. A new rescue boat was also commissioned. Championship highlights of the sixties were significant including a national championship in the international 505s to Fred Neill and world championships to Brian Price and Chris Hough in 1963, John Parrington and Chris Hough again in 1964 and Jim Hardy and Max Whitnall in 1966 which were hosted at the club and fielded seventy competitors. Further achievements included a national championship to Robin Haselgrove and national junior championship to Sue Haselgrove in the Rainbow class. Sue later married Bob Perkins who became one of the most successful helmsmen in the now flourishing Lightweight Sharpie.
The Seventies
By the onset of the seventies the club register had grown significantly, now containing more than three hundred and thirty boats with more than twelve hundred and thirty members including juniors and thirteen regularly sailed classes. National championships went to Geoff and Des Schramm in the 505s, John Gilder in the 420s and David Haselgrove in the Gwen 12s.
A further class was given a boost with the increased popularity of family sailing, the Mirror class numbered over fifty boats although from 1974 both the Mirrors and the Herons began a gradual decline. The most notable class emergence was the 303 which, based on the English 505 Moth Trainer and first designed in the sixties by Harvie Haselgrove and John Winwood began to grow in popularity. This was possibly inspired by the hosting by the club of the 1972 World Championships for the International 420 in which Anders Wangel and Doug Giles took first place and John Gilder and David Moncrief were runners up. The following year Anders also won the 420 single handed World Championships. John Gilder and Doug Giles had won the previous two World Championships.
Testifying to the seaworthiness of the 303, in 1977 Don Haselgrove and his son Paul sailed a 303 from Outer Harbour to Port Vincent. The class peaked in 1978 - 79 when the club register included twenty five boats. Youth was further boosted by the introduction of the South Australian Inter-schools Regatta by member Bill Leckie and held on West Lakes. Youthsail training for Australian and World championships was also introduced. A stronger world presence was testified by growing numbers of the international classes such as 505s, the newly introduced 470s and the 420s in which Clive Arnold was Australian Champion in 74/75, 75/76 and 76/77. Max and John Haselgrove also became National Champions in the Rainbows in 1973/74 hosted at the club in conjunction with the Flying Dutchman Nationals. The late seventies also saw a broadening of emphasis to include trailer sailors with the TS 16 and the locally designed and built Austral 20. This had a great effect on introducing a new breed of sailor as well as retaining those who felt dinghies may now be beyond them.
The Eighties
Of primary importance in the eighties was the excellent reputation gained by the club in hosting championship events with national titles being held at the club every season and the 505 World Championships in 1983. Further upgrades to facilities helped make these events even more comfortable. The initiatives from Brighton & Seacliff Yacht Club continued to flow with the founding in 1980 - 81 season of the Interschool sailing Regatta by Bill Leckie. This is a unique event using borrowed boats and has been so successful it has continued as a feature on the sailing calendar for 20 years and is still very well supported. The club was then in good shape in 1981 to hold the hugely successful Australian Youth Championships. Each state entered a team in the Championship comprising three 420 and three Laser youth skippers and crews. Beds were appropriated from the Largs Bay Police Academy and all the teams were housed in the club premises, together with their coaches and a live in cook. This ensured the event was affordable and encouraged National youth participation. Craig Ferris and Brian McKay won the 420 Championship from NSW with our club's Malcolm Higgins and Roger Pridham coming a close second. Larry Kliest from NSW won the Laser class championship. The following year the event was held in Geelong, but was not run on such an affordable basis. The club was now recognised as being Australia's World Championship Club' having extensive experience at running prestige small boat sailing events. The Brighton & Seacliff Yacht Club was also referred to in The Advertiser as the largest off the beach dinghy sailing club in the Southern Hemisphere. The next major event at the club was the second 505 World Championship in 1983. Neil Harrison and Nick Patterson of South Australia won the National Championship in strong gusting conditions. The World Championship was run in more settled conditions and was won in a clean sweep by 4 Toronto Club boats from Lake Macquarie NSW.
The Nineties
The club membership declined during "the recession we had to have" between the mid 1980s and early 1990s, when by 1996 membership stabilised around 450 and again started to grow. In 1998 the club formed The Future Directions Committee that was directed to investigate the options and recommend a course of action the club should take to ensure its well being in the new millennium. The committee delivered its findings in 3 options: 1) to reduce functions and services 2) maintain current membership as the optimum club size 3) to invest in and grow the club activities and membership. A new committee, charged with developing the 3rd option of Sustainable Future Development was formed and commenced preparing a business plan. The plan was to include funding considerations for investment in redevelopment of the club to lift its long-term viability and community relevance. Many of the club's youth sailors of the 1970's and 80's had progressed to gain senior class titles in the late 1980's and 1990's including Sandy and Malcolm Higgins and Brett Young as National 420 Champions. Peter Higgins won 2 Flying Dutchman championships and Malcolm Higgins featured again in National titles in the Sharpie class, as did Peter Woolman and Tony Turton. Brett Young gained both a National and World title in the Tasar class and Andy Dwyer sailed in the America's Cup on Kookaburra in Perth.
In the 1999 - 2000 season the National 505 titles were won by our Sandy Higgins. Realising the importance of supporting youth development in the early 1990's, to the sustainable future of dinghy sailing, Bob Perkins and "Macca" Hazelgrove organised a 303 boat-building scheme. Superior all fibre glass, light weight fully rigged vessels were designed and built with the purpose of being sold at very low prices to encourage youth from junior Holdfast trainers into an Intermediate sailing development vessel.
The 1980's Interschool initiative was further driven by the re-development of the 420 class in 1997 by Peter Marshall. Peter also arranged the financing for the building of Puffin Pacers for the Southern Schools Team sailing and racing. In 1998 a youth development committee was formed under the name of Shoot the Breeze. This committee aimed at growing club membership by refocussing sailing development and training on youth programs. The program targeted and obtained endorsements and financial support from prominent South Australians, such as The State Governor Sir Eric Neal, State Government Ministers Hon Iain Evans and Hon Wayne Matthew, YSA President Wally Rantenan and yachting icon Sir James Hardy. By October 2000 over $6000 in funding was secured from sponsors and State Government and the support of SA Yacht Clubs was obtained when a new committee was formed. The program initiative was unanimously supported by the SA Yacht clubs to incorporate "Shoot the Breeze" as a state body. During the 1999 and 2000 seasons a tractor and two new Stahl Rescue boats, the Sir James and Haselgrove II were purchased by the club to improve the effectiveness and reliability of sailing support and rescue functions. The 2000 season represented a time of cooperation and strategic alliances with excellent communications and relations between the adjoining Brighton & Seacliff Surf Lifesaver Club and our Yacht Club. Dialogue between the clubs, commenced by the Future Development sub-committee, considered the advantages of utilising joint resources to expand the amenities for the mutual benefit of LifeSavers and Yacht club members. At the same time the Club Management Committee prepared a plan to undertake urgently required major maintenance work on the forty-year-old main club building.
The 2000's
The 2000's were in many ways a difficult period for B&SYC with overall fleet sizes continuing to decline and numbers racing in long established classes no longer being sustainable. For many years the club had been able to boast 4 senior dinghy classes, being the Australian Sharpie, Payne Mortlock Sailing Canoe, International Flying Dutchman and International 505. By the end of the decade the senior fleet consisted of fourteen odd Sharpies, about six 505's and 1 Canoe, and the trailable yacht fleet stood at six boats.
With declining membership, the revenue from subscriptions and sailing fees was no longer the main income stream for the club and it became increasingly difficult to maintain cash flow and fund our core sailing and building maintenance activities.
The introduction of Friday night meals at the club proved successful but unfortunately led to under-utilization of the upper deck on Saturday nights. The decision to hire out the Upper deck of the club for Saturday functions was a difficult one for the Management Committee and disappointing for our members who had faithfully supported it over many years, but with careful management our function centre business began to grow and create a new income stream that was badly needed to improve aging club facilities and equipment. This marked the beginning of a controlled sharing of facilities which has placed the club in a financially stable position, but has still retained the overall management and direction of the club firmly in the hands of our members.
The Saturday after sailing activity has continued on the lower deck Mariners Bar and with the introduction of a sausage sizzle has become a more relaxed bbq event and race presentation, which is much enjoyed by our members and visitors.
Increased income from the function centre allowed funding for a substantial refurbishment of the Upper Deck including new aluminium/glass western façade and balustrade, enlarged balcony area and stairs, kitchen renovation, carpeting and a covered paved barbecue area below. The following year the refurbishment was extended to a new western facade to the Mariners bar and office, creating an increasingly popular area at ground level right on the beach. Further upgrade of the rescue boat fleet continued with ongoing motor and equipment upgrades.
The successful hosting of numerous national championship regattas continued through the decade, the most significant being the International 505 Class Nationals and Worlds Regatta in 2007 where our own Sandy Higgins managed a creditable third place in world class company. The hugely successful 505 Worlds, planned and managed by club volunteers, was seen as a major turning point in the decade, and indeed drove the deadlines for the major refurbishment work undertaken.
Towards the end of the decade the increased business activity of the club was proving difficult and unsustainable for our volunteers in the long term, and this led to the appointment of a part time club manager with defined roles heavily into increasing business activity and enlarging our membership base. This was intended to reduce the volunteer hours of key committee members and hopefully encourage others to serve on committees and share the load. The club now has a full time manager, a new strategic plan which we are working to implement and benefit from. Also membership is on the rise, particularly in the youth area which had experienced considerable decline in this decade.
On the water, the Australian Sharpie and Sabre classes remain the backbone of our club, with numbers of sailors in other classes quietly on the increase. Even with reduced numbers our members continued to be successful in State and National Championships with Malcolm Higgins being successful on two occasions in the Australian Sharpies and Sandy Higgins on four occasions in the 505's. After many attempts John Gratton became Australian Champion in the Sabre Class, and in the 2009/10 season our members were state champions in the Sharpie, 505, NS14, Sabre and Holdfast trainer classes. The International Optimist class has been introduced to the club as an alternative junior class to the Holdfast Trainer, and the junior fleet is beginning to increase and provide valuable new blood into the youth group. Increased attention to both junior and senior learn to sail programs and coaching opportunities is seen as essential to club success.
Even with the considerable refurbishment of the main clubhouse, other club facilities remain in need of attention to ensure our function centre and sailing facilities remain viable. To ensure any future works carried out on the club site will proceed towards an overall master plan, a subcommittee has produced a list of prioritised functional requirements essential to the club's future direction. It is expected that a master plan will assist should any external funding opportunities arise, and the project is ongoing with the engagement of architects to draw up concept plans for club land and buildings.
