RANSA Regatta for Sir David Martin Foundation

by Peter Edwards on 18 Feb 2008 There is now less than one week till the annual RAN Sailing Association Regatta so get your entries in now.

The regatta which will be held on Sunday 24 February 2008 will once again see the RAN Sailing Association (RANSA) at Rushcutters Bay raising money for the Sir David Martin Foundation which is a charity administered by Sydney City Mission. Entrants also compete on behalf of their yacht club for the Admiral’s Trophy. All Sydney yacht clubs are invited to compete.

The Sir David Martin Foundation was named after the extremely well regarded Rear Admiral and former Governor of New South Wales. It was established according to instructions given by Sir David in the final days of his life. At the time there was growing concern about the marginalisation of young people, the paucity of specialised youth services and the increasing problem of youth homelessness in our cities. The Foundation’s vision is to create an environment where young people can grow up in safety, with hope and opportunity.

Its mission is to provide all the resources necessary to enable young people to achieve their full, thereby influencing our community to do all they can to eliminate issues facing young people in crisis. They aim to encourage young people by instilling in them a new sense of self belief so that they can face the community at large without the need for drugs, crime and homelessness.

All proceeds of the RANSA Regatta are donated to the Sir David Martin Foundation.

Entrants will also compete on behalf of their club the Admiral’s Trophy. The Admiral’s Trophy was first presented in 1987 and is won by the Sydney yacht club that performs best in four of the six pointscore divisions. All Sydney yacht clubs are invited to compete. Since its inception the Admiral’s Trophy has only been won by three different Sydney yacht clubs – Royal Prince Edwards Yacht Club, Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron and the RAN Sailing Association. The trophy is currently held by RANSA.

This year RANSA expects to face strong competition to retain the trophy with well organised campaigns emerging from many Sydney yacht clubs including those west of the bridge. Indeed this year the Board of Directors at Drummoyne Sailing Club have agreed to reimburse the race entry fee for up to six DSC yachts entering the regatta. Bill Fletcher, President of Drummoyne Sailing Club, said “The Board agreed that it is an extremely worthy cause and would like to see Drummoyne Sailing Club represented in the Regatta.”

Post race activities include jazz band entertainment, special regatta refreshments, and the prize giving. There will also be both divisional and additional lucky-draw prizes back at the clubhouse for competitors and crew. There’s a full day of activities for competitors and a special opportunity for to help support youth in our community.

The Notice of Race, Entry Form and Sailing Instructions can be downloaded from RANSA’s website www.ransa.com.au or are available from the RANSA Office (telephone: 02 9363 9939).

Race Website: http://www.ransa.com.au/
Sir David Martin Foundation website: http://www.sdmf.org.au