BSYC Sailing Classes

BSYC is home to a mix of dinghies suitable for sailors of all ages and standards. Members are sailing high performance international classes such as the two man 505 and the single hander Contender.  Less frenetic classes include the NS14 (two person dinghy that gives a lot of excitement) or the single hander Sabre (extremely popular and sailed by all ages). Check out boats for sale within the club at our 'Boats for Sale' page below.

Click here to view 2018/19 Sailing Program (PDF)

Boats for Sale

2018/19 RACE RESULTS

My Sailor Results

2019 Contender Results

Contender Nationals - Andrew Chisholm Interview 

Contender Nationals - Andrew Barrett Interview

Contender Highlights - Day 3

Contender Highlights - Day 5

International Contender

Nationals at BSYC in Jan 2019

The International Contender is a single-handed high performance sailing dinghy, designed by Bob Miller(Australia) in 1967 as a possible successor to the Finn dinghy for Olympic competition.

The boat has a trapeze which allows the sailor to use body weight more effectively and the best weight for a contender sailor is 70 – 90 kgs so sailors wishing to master the Contender must learn how to trapeze and steer the boat at the same time, and how to move about the boat while keeping it level. 

The Contender is making a reappearance at BSYC and is an excellent choice for someone wishing high performance, trapeze sailing on an international dinghy.

If you are interested in sailing a Contender at BSYC ... Please contact Ian Kirkwood on 0422 241858

Contenders for Sale: Interested in joining an awesome, growing class?

Sample of top level boats for sale after the recent Melbourne worlds is here ... https://www.revolutionise.com.au/ICAA/for-sale/

For more info call Sam Reid 0414266108

International Optimist

The International Optimist is a small, single-handed sailing dinghy intended for use by children up to the age of 15. Nowadays boats are usually made of fiber reinforced plastic, although wooden boats are still built.

It is one of the most popular sailing dinghies in the world, with over 130,000 boats officially registered with the class and many more built but never registered. 

The International Optimist is sailed in over 100 countries by over 160,000 skippers and it is the only yacht approved by the International Sailing Federation exclusively for sailors under 16. At the Beijing Olympics, 85% of medal winning skippers were former Optimist dinghy sailors. 

Optis cost around $3,500 new and maintain their value quite well.  They have only recently been introduced in SA and BSYC has the largest fleet of Optis in SA with currently 32 registered sailors.

If you are interested in sailing an Optimist at BSYC ... Please contact Brett Yardley 0438 800501

Sabre

The Sabre is a single-handed dinghy that is light with good handling performance, even in 20 knots plus and lumpy seas.  The performance of a Sabre suits the average sailor rather than the super athletic skipper and it has a comfortable cockpit and close class racing suitable for both male and female sailors who weigh between 50 to 80 kg although the ideal weight is claimed to be 65 Kg - 72 Kg.

The Sabre fits neatly into a position between junior and family sailing dinghies, and the high performance more expensive international classes.  

It is maintained as a strict one-design class by an Australian Association and supported by strong, active State Associations with sufficient flexibility to move with the times and technological development without detriment to earlier boats.

The boat is readily transported by car-topping or light trailer and is easily carried by two people. Many skippers have beach-trolleys for easy single-handed launching which also fit onto their trailers. 
The Sabre is BSYC’s largest class with over 20 regular sailors age ranging from early 20s to over 60s.

If you are interested in sailing a Sabre at BSYC ... Please contact Ron Rickards on 8298 2890

Laser

The Laser is a single-handed racing dinghy used by both adults and juniors and is an Olympic class boat. The Laser rewards athleticism, subtle steering and trimming techniques, as well as tactical excellence. With nearly 200,000 boats in 140 countries, it is clearly the world’s most popular adult and youth racing sailboat. 

One of the reasons the Laser is so popular is the boat’s sheer simplicity. The two-part free-standing mast and sleeved sail make the boat easy to rig and its lightweight hull make it easy to carry and cartop. 

The Laser Formula combines 1 hull with three different rigs: Standard, Radial and 4.7. Young sailors starting out in the 4.7 can move up in rigs as they grow physically and develop tactically, without the need to splash out on a completely new boat. The one-design protection also means that your Laser will never be outdated, which explains why Lasers have such a high resale value. 

Pacer

The Pacer is a 3.8m one design sloop rigged family dinghy. The Pacer is the ideal performance family yacht... it has a lightweight hull capable of high planing speed.  Its wide beam and not excessive amount of sail allows this performance to be had by husband/wife or parent/child. It is safe and stable as well as being one of the most attractive yachts on the water.

Pacers are easily built using the stitch and glue method, assisted by a jig to create an accurate hull shape. It can also be purchased in low maintenance fibreglass. The Pacer is light enough for two people to lift and may be car-topped for transportation.

We use Pacers as our main coaching dinghy and the Club has access to 6 and recent sailing school graduates are encouraged to rack up some post course hours in the Pacer...hopefully during racing on a Saturday afternoon.

If you are interested in sailing a Pacer at BSYC ... Please contact the BSYC Office on 8296 7935

Impulse

Impulses are sailed and raced in many off-the-beach sailing clubs in all states of Australia.  South Australia is currently seeing a surge in numbers of Impulses being sailed in particular at Brighton and Seacliff YC where numbers have grown steadily for the last three years.

National Championships are sailed in South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland which are held yearly on a rotating basis. Impulse sailors from around Australia meet in one of these four states to race the Impulse dinghy National Championships.

The Impulse is a 4 metre singlehanded dinghy capable of carrying helm weights of 90kg+. This is able to be achieved as the sail is a fully battened 7.8m2 delivering adequate power this gives the Impulse the capability of being sailed competitively across all wind conditions. The flexible rig means the Impulse can be seen sailing competitively in winds of 30knts, the relatively lightweight hull of only 47kgs helps achieve this. The Impulse can be made from either fibreglass or wood with self-build kits available for both, if you’re a keen DIY enthusiast. The class adopts a strict one design policy meaning that everyone sails on an even level. The Impulse has a competitive yardstick too of 118.5 which means sailing in mixed fleets can keep you competitive. New and Second-hand Impulses are available, please check the Impulse association website for more details: www.ausimpulse.com.au/for-sale.

International 420

The 420 is an established worldwide performance two person trapeze and spinnaker racing dinghy. There are 56,000 worldwide and this popular dinghy is sailed at school, club, open, national and international levels. 

Built in buoyancy tanks make the boat very safe even when inverted. The 420 is the youth development boat in 43 countries around the world and is the ISAF Youth World Championship boat. Despite the emergence of newer commercial driven classes and asymmetrics, the 420 is still the world's top youth training boat. 

The ideal competitive combined crew weight is 17 to 23 stone (110-145Kg).  At BSYC youth sailors graduate to a 420, having probably kicked off their sailing career in an Optimist.

If you are interested in sailing a 420 at BSYC ... Please contact Sandy Higgins on 8294 6211

NS14

The NS14 is an Australian designed sailing dinghy intended for competitive family sailing. It has a simple rig, is light enough to be lifted from a trailer into the water by three people of average strength.   It is ideal for two adults or an adult and a child and while it does not have a spinnaker or trapeze it is a high performance boat ideal for parent/parent or parent/child combinations of skipper and forward hand. 

The NS14 is a ‘restricted development class’, which allows variations within its simple restrictions. Experimentation with proportions of the 9.3 square metres (100 square foot) of sail has produced a highly efficient combination of jib and main sail, which contributes much of this boats amazing performance. The minimum hull weight of 64kg (150 pounds) is light enough for easy on shore sailing, whilst the ample buoyancy allows the boat to be righted and sailed on after a capsize. The crew can be completely independent of the boat on and off (and in) the water. This is a big plus for family sailing, where novice crews are common.

The NS14 class is one of BSYC’s most proactive and have an excellent development strategy and we recently hosted the national championships.  Definitely a boat to consider if you’re looking for a good family sail.

If you are interested in sailing a NS14 at BSYC please contact Lisa Brock 0415 170 053

Payne Mortlock Sailing Canoe

The Payne–Mortlock Sailing Canoe is a 5.8m, two person, senior racing dinghy, rigged with a mainsail, jib and spinnaker. Designed in the mid-late 1940s by Alan Payne, (also known for designing the Australian America's Cup Challengers, Gretel and Gretel II), Bill Payne and Bryce Mortlock, the class has been sailed in Australia for over 50 years.

The designers started work on designing a two man sailing boat in 1938, completing the first vessel, "Willy's Canoe", in 1946. From there they increased the size of the hull, and the new class was introduced into Victoria through the Hobsons Bay Yacht Club. Subsequently the class traveled to South Australia in the 1950s and introduced at the Brighton & Seacliff Yacht Club.

If you are interested in sailing an Payne Mortlock Canoe at BSYC ... Please contact John Whitrow on 8298 4377

International 505

The 5O5 is a double-handed boat that incorporates a light weight, high performance hull design with a powerful sail plan and one trapeze. The boat is unique in that it has outstanding performance in all conditions. In light air it is quick and responsive, and in breeze it just goes faster. Planing begins in 10 knots of wind. 

The ideal sailing weight varies with the prevailing local conditions, but most successful racers have a combined weight near 155 kg. The boat is difficult to sail in breeze with under 140 kg and few teams are over 180 kg.  BSYC’s 505 sailors are some of Australia’s best with Sandy Higgins winning the Nationals 4 times in the past 10 years.

If you are interested in sailing an International 505 at BSYC  Please contact Martin Pike 0407 711 660

Australian Sharpie

The Australian Sharpie is a 3-person sailing dinghy which has evolved from the 12-square-metre class sailed in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. Australian Sharpies are 19 feet long, with a planing hull and a single mast. Sharpies race with a fully battened mainsail, a jib and a spinnaker.  Sharpie sailors enjoy an exhilerating sail followed by an equally exhilerating evening in the bar. This season the national titles will be held nearby at Adelaide Sailing Club at West Beach and local BSYC sailors will be aiming to bring home another title.

If you are interested in sailing an Australian Sharpie at BSYC ... Please contact Jim Lelliott 0418 853 518

Trailer Yachts

Trailer Yacht are larger boats that are commonly launched and recovered after sailing rather than moored over a period of time.  Trailer Yachts are raced at BSYC every Saturday afternoon and results depend on handicap.​

If you are interested in sailing a Trailer Yacht at BSYC ... Please contact Tony Colliver on 0415 319973

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