One year on and Mooloolaba Yacht Club is powering ahead

by Tracey Johnstone on 11 May 2009
One year on and the Mooloolaba Yacht Club is powering ahead in securing a solid and viable future for the club’s members and friends.

It is just over 42 years since the club was formed. During its history, driven by the passion, energy and sheer enthusiasm of its sailing members, the club has played host to a range of sailing events including world championships, national titles, youth and dinghy events.

In April 2008 club members met at the Kawana Community Centre to discuss the future of the club. With the old clubhouse on Parkyn Parade shut and potentially no opportunity in the future for the MYC members to return to the venue, the members faced the reality of a considerably different future.

Over 100 existing and past members, when asked to determine what future they wanted, overwhelming voted to retain the MYC brand and work towards to establishing a viable future for keel-boat sailing from Mooloolaba. The executive of the club were charged with the responsibility of re-building the club’s identity within the local community and protecting the future of competitive keel-boat sailing on the Sunshine Coast. The club’s new motto, Sailing, Fun and Friendship was born.

With the support of several local businesses, the club has moved forward during the last year meeting each of challenge with a positive approach. Key to the success of the club’s future has been the support of The Wharf Tavern and the Mooloolaba Wharf. Within The Tavern the club has established its meeting area with members meeting there at least three times a week. What memorabilia the club has been able to collect from among the members now has a place at The Tavern in the MYC Bar.

Membership both in competitive and social categories is growing as local sailors recognise the MYC as an active and viable sailing club. The club’s website has greatly enhanced the profile of the club providing an effective communication tool to reach out to both the local and greater sailing community.

On the water the club conducts fun and serious racing every Wednesday and Sunday afternoon providing a stunning back-drop to the beach front from Caloundra through to Coolum as the fleet with their coloured spinnakers enjoy the stunning waters off the Sunshine Coast. Scattered through the season are blue water races to challenge the die-hard offshore sailors within the club. Fleet numbers, while smaller than the club has seen in previous years due to the many changes in the nature and cost of big boat sailing, have gradually been growing.

The next big event for the club will be the 30 Foot Regatta on the 30 and 31 May. Entries for the two-day event are expected from sailors north and south of the Sunshine Coast plus a few inter-state Etchells sailors looking for a chance to practice their racing skills in preparation for the following weekend’s Musto Etchells Australian Winter Championship.

When not racing on local waters members have been found competing in national and international events including the Etchells World Championships, the Melbourne to Osaka and Volvo Ocean races, the Brisbane to Gladstone and Sydney to Hobart races, and the Airlie Beach, Magnetic Island and Hamilton Island regattas.

On land the club’s social program is very active. Under the new program the club kicked off the season with a fabulous floating flotilla on the season Opening Day in September last year. Since then there have been monthly social activities based out of The Wharf Tavern including dinners, special presentations, BBQs and sailing parties.

The club is currently primarily focused on growing the number of boats and sailors competing in keel-boat racing. This does not mean the members are ignoring other areas of sailing. Several of the club members support disabled sailing through their volunteer work each Friday with Sailability Sunshine Coast. Other members are working closely with Maroochy Sailing Club and the University of the Sunshine Coast in the delivery of youth and dinghy sailing activities.

The annual Etchells Winter Championship, now in its 13th year, is heavily support by MYC members. Some are competitors in the event while there is a whole host of event volunteers drawn from the MYC member ranks.

Teaming up with Sunshine Sailing Australia has helped to swell the club’s sailor ranks with the sailing school encouraging past and current students to practice their skills on board MYC member boats.

With only a few months to go in this year’s sailing season planning is already underway for the 2009/10 season. Such is the energy of the members that they do not see barriers to their survival, only challenges to how they can continue to grow sport of sailing on the Sunshine Coast.

Thiers’s is a story of commitment to defending and protecting a Sunshine Coast institution that has bought in previous times and will well into the future, bring active sport, national and international tourist profile, local business income and pride to the Sunshine Coast community