Upper Hawkesbury Power Boat Club

by Bob Wonders on 13 Jun 2007 Bob Wonders takes the meandering course along the Hawkesbury River to the Windsor Marine Stadium, home of the Upper Hawkesbury Power Boat Club.

There’s one word which constantly springs to mind when speaking with Upper Hawkesbury Power Boat Club Commodore, Geoff Bollins.

The word is competition; or, if you prefer, competitiveness.

For make no mistake, the UHPBC is no place for the faint-hearted, no place for the gentle recreational boater.

This is a club for powerboat racers, pure and simple!

Commodore Bollins, Rear Commodore David Lindsay, Purser Jamie Butler and club chairman Graham Hart head an organisation comprising more than 350 members.

Of those, an estimated 100-plus are boat owners who compete with the club on a regular basis.

Flag Officers are up for election every year.

The UHPBC is, of course, best-known for its annual staging of the 112 kilometre Bridge to Bridge powerboat race, not to be confused with the water ski race carrying the same name.

In addition to the Bridge to Bridge, the club also stages its annual Speedboat Spectacular every September, which attracts more than 100 boats spread over numerous classes.

There’s little in the way of powerboat racing the club does not support; its classes run from Juniors (with three divisions), Yamato, 550, Formula 2 Outboard, Unlimited Outboard, 5.2 and 6.0 litre in both carburettor and injected and Unlimited Inboard.

It also hosts monthly club events concentrating on circuit racing.

That this is one very powerful club can be seen in the fact that its members figure prominently in all classes at State and Australian championship level.

'I doubt a year ever goes by that we don’t have a few members holding Australian titles,' Commodore Bollins says.

The UHPBC is now approaching 80-years service to power boat racing.

Its excellent clubhouses, right on the banks of the Windsor Marine Stadium, only a few minutes from Windsor itself, one of Sydney’s five ‘Macquarie Towns’ established by early Governor Lachlan Macquarie, overlooks the finishing line for the Bridge to Bridge and other events.

It is within the parklands named after another of the state’s early administrators, Governor Phillip Park.

Built in the early 1980s, the club has only an 'events licence' and does not trade on a daily basis.

Essentially, it is open and trading only on days when competition is taking place.

'There’s been a lot of talk about people being interested in running the club as a licensed, daily concern, but frankly we like it just the way it is, we don’t want to spoil it,' Geoff Bollins explained.

Its former clubhouse, situated closer to the Windsor township, has long since been demolished.

Membership, for those interested, is open, and has been fairly constant around the 300-plus mark.

Somewhat surprisingly, members come from all over Australia, with many having home addresses thousands of kilometres from the club.

Many use it as a base for when they are racing here or at other Sydney venues,' Geoff Bollins said.

For those unfamiliar with the club’s programs, the best way to check out the scene is a visit to one of the monthly club days.

'Our club days are so busy, so competitive (that word again!) that it’s like a Speedboat Spectacular at another club,' Geoff said proudly.

An ideal day to drop in would be Sunday, July 15, when the club plays host to the 2007 NSW Speedboat Championships.

Entries don’t close until July 1, so at this stage it’s difficult to estimate the number of competitors.

But from what I’ve learnt chatting with Commodore Bollins, I’ll be extremely surprised if there’s anything less than 100-plus boats.

On top of that, fans will certainly see the sport’s ‘Top Guns’ in action.

'There’ll be NSW and Australian titleholders in virtually every event,' Geoff Bollins declared.

For further information, check out the club website, which directs visitors to club contacts and reveals forthcoming events on what appears a packed calendar.

Go to http://www.upperhawkesburypbc.com