​The new yearbook and keytags are ready for collection - please come along to the office and see Sarah & on Thursday night Di Lynch will be up in the function room ready to hand them out.

We have a new posting for a couple of boats for sale -
​420 & Minnow.  Click here for more information

This Thursday is our first scheduled GOSS session for the season.
The weather is looking great with the temperature in the low 20’s and the breeze lovely and light, so if you have an hour or so free come along and join us for a sail.
You can come down anytime between 10am and 2pm and enjoy a great cup of coffee and a sail, just make sure you register your attendance on the day. 
If you are planning to head our way may I ask that you complete the registration form via this link.  http://www.morningtonyc.net.au/girls-out-social-sailing.html so we know to expect you.
 
We will also be doing some other sessions on days other than Thursdays, so there will be opportunity to come along.
 
Don’t forget to ‘like us’ on Facebook too.  https://www.facebook.com/gossgroup/
 
Michelle
Training & Development
Mornington Yacht Club
Sailing at Mornington for 70 years
​

Come out for a short sail with an experienced sailor, have a look around the Club facilities and discover just how fun, safe, accessible and affordable sailing really is – there is something for the whole family, even kids as young as five years old can sail when accompanied by a parent or guardian.  No prior sailing experience required just loads of enthusiasm!
Our Discover Sailing Day is free for all to attend and all the boats and safety equipment is provided by the Club. All you need to bring is clothes and shoes you don’t mind getting wet, sun screen and a hat. Shoes with non-marking soles are preferred.
Our friendly Discover Sailing Hosts will welcome you to our Club upon arrival and are ready to answer any questions and explain the activities taking place during the Discover Sailing Day.
When it comes to selecting a sporting and social opportunity for yourself and your family, you can’t go past MYC. The Club offers excellent facilities, very active year round boating and social programs and all of this in a wonderful location complimented by resources to ensure that your needs are met both on water and on land.   Sunday 13 November from 10.00am – 4.00pm is your chance to visit Mornington Yacht Club, get out on the water and see how much fun sailing is!
MYC’s Discover Sailing Day is offered for FREE and is a fantastic way to have a great day out with your partner, friends, work colleagues or family. We look forward to showing you just how fun, safe, accessible, and affordable sailing is.  To secure your space for this fun day, it is recommended that you register with the Club beforehand.  We invite you to use the menu bar to the right to DISCOVER what Mornington Yacht Club has offer you, however you can also just turn up on the day!

All Moorings must be surveyed each year and all should speak with their contractor to know what lies beneath them.

Here are some pics of  how important this is​

1. Worn Chain - at the end of its life
2. Worn Shackle - at the end of its life
3. Old Boat Anchor - not adequate for moorings at MYC
4. New replacement chain and anchor base.

In terms of securing the  mooring the 3 greatest errors are:
1.  Wrong type of mooring strops/rope.   Many Ropes chaff and break upon jolts including old main sheets etc.  Use rope specific for moorings. i.e. silver rope etc..
2. Cleats - Often cleats on the bow need reinforcing and are not coping with the load.
3. Not securing the bridle loop properly when it jumps  over the bollard /cleat holding it.

We suggest also an additional line to another strong point on the hull be attached  just in case any of the above points break.

Barry Mills and Julia Barker are pleased that their new boat Sirocco, a Starlight 30 is safe.
Barry wrote " Heartfelt thanks to the crew sho got Sirocco off the beach with no damage. Great effort in cold and windy conditions. Thanks Jacko, David E, Reece, Bolts, GT and Steve.

​An IMPORTANT  reminder to all members jumping into the tender taxi boats and own tenders

• You must abide by Law and wear a PFD. 
• Boats are regulated by the maximum no. of persons as per what is shown in the boat. The maximum is 8 in Wally and 7 in Racer X. Please do not jump on if they have already reached this number and do not have a PFD.
• Our young drivers Micheal and Tom are volunteers and we ask each crew  donate gold coin for their work. Also please RESPECT when our young drivers say the boat is full.

         Thank you very much for your co operation!    MYC Sailing Committee

A reminder to ALL boat owners to get your forms in to the race office please........ This includes OTB, Trailables, Keelboats, FF's and Etchells.

The Boat Registration Form / Insurance Declaration form is required for all boats stored in the yard or harbour even if you do not intend to participate in club racing.

The Safety declaration along with the Boat Reg/Insurance Dec is required for all boats, including Opti's and OTB's wishing to take part in club racing.​

Article in the Mornington Peninsula Leader 10 October by Allison Harding.

ANGER is building over further damage to Mornington Pier in yesterday’s storms.
Parts of the pier are off limits for the second time in three months after damage to wave panels, railings and the deck caused by 100km/h winds whipping up wild seas.
A $15.3 million upgrade of the pier completed last year was intended to provide greater protection for boats in Mornington Harbour.
Stuart Maconachie, who owns charter fishing company Bay Fish’n’Trips, said people were horrified and disgusted the pier had again been damaged.
He said the fury of the weekend weather was not surprising — and the pier should be able to handle the conditions.
“I don’t think it has been designed to handle what we get at Mornington,” he said.
“When we get a big northerly like that, it’s colossal.
“We’ve always had big storms like this and we’ll continue to get them.
“The new pier will never be able to hold on — it’s going to fall apart. I’m quite sure this structure will never hold up.”
In July, parts of the pier were closed after a storm damaged some of the wave panels underneath.
Parks Victoria spokesman Lachlan Quick said unstable conditions since then had hampered repair work to those panels.
“The wave panels removed in July have not been able to be replaced, which meant reduced protection during yesterday’s storm,” he said.
“As a result further panels have been lost.
“The outer section and the lower landing are closed to protect visitor safety and allow engineering inspections.”
Mr Quick said Parks Victoria was very keen to get in and assess the situation as soon as it was safe to do so.
New timber decking, a lower landing, handrails, and seating and lighting were installed, as well as the wave screens along the 123-metre long pier, to provide increased protection for berthed and moored boats in Mornington Harbour.
At the time of the pier’s reopening a year ago, Ports Minister Luke Donnellan said the upgrade would “ensure the safety and comfort of all visitors, as well as local boaters and fishers for years to come”.
A flood of comments on social media sites are questioning the engineering of the redesign and whether the pier will ever stand up to the increasing number of severe storms.

Article by [email protected] and in Herald Sun October 7
​ROBERT De Santis was cold and starting to panic. A 1.5m churning swell splashed spray over the Mornington Pier.  Fully clothed, Mr De Santis kept a firm grip on a complete stranger — dive instructor Leonie Hanson. He clung to a ladder leading from the surging sea to safety just metres above.
Miss Hanson, 41, had her arm through a life ring, but was struggling. Although she was wearing a divers’ buoyancy control device (BCD), it wasn’t inflated. Then people on the pier began shouting: “Not much longer. They’re coming. They’re coming.” The CFA crew arrived just as Mr De Santis, 47, was questioning what he was doing there. His morning had begun like any other, but at 11.30am he abandoned coffee at his restaurant, The Rocks, after a teenage boy came in yelling: “Someone’s drowning off the pier.”  On that rough Friday in June, the only other people around were a fisherman and the boy’s friend.  And two divers in full scuba gear about 15m off the pier’s rough western side, one screaming: “Help me! Help me! We need to get him out quickly.”  
Rob De Santis ended up in the water in a 1.5m swell trying to save two divers. Picture: Jason Sammon
Malaysian-born Melbourne resident Logan Saminathan, 39, floated unconscious face up while Miss Hanson held him by the back of his neck.  She told Mr De Santis she wanted him to help get Mr Saminathan’s gear off.  As he climbed down the ladder the swell rose up and hit him, and suddenly he was submerged.  He pushed off and reached them just a metre away now. Once unbuckled, Mr Saminathan’s jacket sank like a stone.  Someone ripped a life ring off a fishing boat, but the unconscious student on his first day diving in the ocean slipped straight through it.  They pulled him back to the ladder and grabbed on.

“Just hold him, hold him, don’t let him go,” said Miss Hanson.  She was behind Mr De Santis also gripping the ladder.

With every wave Mr Saminathan floated up while they went under.  “What are we going to do? What am I doing here?” thought Mr De Santis. He assumed they were husband and wife but thought Mr Saminathan was already dead. Then he heard her “gargling and gagging”. He turned and saw her looking straight at him. “I let him go and I grabbed her,” says Mr De Santis, choking with emotion.
He tried to put the life ring on Miss Hanson but her bulky gear meant she only got an arm through.

He couldn’t find her oxygen line to help her breathe. Then the CFA arrived.
Three fireys stood on the pier talking and watching him.  “What are you doing?” he yelled.
It was a bombshell: the firefighters deemed it unsafe to come down.

“They were yelling at me to get back on the ladder and climb up,” he said.  If only they could have thrown a rope or harness to pull Miss Hanson up to perform CPR, he now thinks.

Instead they told him to let her go.

“That’s my demon. I’m dealing with the decision to let her go. I don’t know how long I was in the water, I was cold and I was starting to panic. When the fire department instructs you, you question what you’re doing there.”

Mr De Santis has been nominated for a Pride of Australia award, but says Miss Hanson was the true hero that terrible day.

“Never at any point did she ask for assistance. Her only thought was for Logan. She put his life first. She gave the ultimate sacrifice,” Mr De Santis says.

Miss Hanson’s sister, Nardia Hanson, 37, isn’t surprised by her sister’s actions.

“She would never leave the water without her student. And in this case I really think she should have,” she says, emotionally.

“She would have always put him first. By the sound of it she just fought that hard she didn’t have the strength left to hang on.”

She is full of admiration for Mr De Santis.

“Leonie and her student were wearing what you’re meant to wear in the water, he jumped in with nothing — to help her. She would have been so scared, and tired and angry.

“Nothing can express the amount of gratitude we feel. “He was the last person to ever speak to her.”

Diving was Leonie’s great passion, having learned in 2013 at Harbour Dive School, later becoming an instructor there, says Nardia, who lives in their native New South Wales.

She can picture the “hideous” conditions that day, the sea churning like a washing machine, but says her family are in the dark over why Leonie died and why her BCD wasn’t inflated.

Like Mr De Santis, she wants safety equipment installed on the pier.

“People were aware they were in trouble, but nothing could be done,” she says.

Miss Hanson left behind her parents, brother, sister, partner and three stepdaughters.

Logan Saminathan’s brother-in-law, Puvan Ganesan, also paid tribute to Mr De Santis.

“Many thanks from the bottom of our hearts to the great man, Robert, for his selfless heroic act,” he said.

Mr Ganesan says Mr Saminathan was a “wonderful guy” and his loss is “beyond explanation”, especially for his parents who visited Mornington this month to meet Mr De Santis.

Mr Saminathan was a bachelor and the youngest of four siblings who grew up in the Malaysian state of Perak.  He studied IT in Australia then found work and settled in Melbourne.

“Logan was an awesome guy who was fun to be with, meant no harm to anyone and was loved by all who crossed his brief life.

“We all will miss him forever,” Mr Ganesan says.

This fund raising event may interest some members as it is the other side of what we do at Sailability!

Click here for flyer

Friday 21 October from 7pm
Opening of the season  - The Italian Job.
$50 pp includes Italian inspired Finger Food, Some Drinks  and Live Music Duo Neil and Tanina Osborne.
Tanina is Italian!!!
Dress to impress or Italian Style. 
Book Now and it will be great value. 

The Good News!
The Geelong Destination Race is on again......
The Bad News!.....
​The race starts at 08:00hours
​Click Here for SI's
 Click Here for Berth Booking Form and Breakfast

South Westerly 10 - 15 Knots STUNNING CONDITIONS:
A really busy day

• Slipping 7 Boats - Thank You Alan Clark, Keith Ross and all those that helped.
• Quartermaster Store Fit Out - Thank You Greg Martin
• BBQ Sold out - Thank You Kerry Larder and Jan Alexander
• Race Volunteers - Stephen Bardsley, Sue Redman, Noel Lane, Sundara Crew
• Boats Scrubbed and moved,
• A new 420 launch, new members, sunshine!

Race 1 FIIG Securities Aggregate Series Div. 1, 2 and 3. Click here for results
Race 1 and 2 Audi Mornington Championship Series Etchells and Flying Fifteens. Click Here for Results

For more pics click here for the gallery

How good was it to be back on the water for Season 2016-2017 and beautiful conditions given yesterday was 12 degrees and blowing 30 knots.

1st Quantum Leap - Chris Jackson
2nd Javelin - Mark Nicholson
3rd Smile n Wave - Graeme Alexander
Closest to the Pin First Light - Andrew Weber -9 Sec.
Click here for results
Click here for picture gallery

On the 1st of January 2017, the new World Sailing (ISAF) RRS kick in to action. This new edition of the Rule Book ('The Blue Book') evolves mid-season for us but it does mean the Rules will change and will be in immediate effect on January 1.

Our Notice of Race an Sailing Instructions do not declare that we race our Season's events under the 2013-2016 RRS, they declare we race under 'The RRS' (sometimes worded as 'current RRS').

Therefore, your obligations, among others, are to:

• Always carry the current RRS ('The Blue Book') which of course will change editions on 1st January 2017 and needs to be purchased and on your boat whilst racing.
  
• Understand the changes to the Rules.
  
• Conform to all rule changes from the 1st of January 2017.
  

There is actually a study version of the new RRS available for download from World Sailing. We have a link to it for you on our links page under Cool Stuff .This version is excellent to help you ascertain what has changed in the new edition as the changes are all marked in red.

Please ensure you obligations are met - you certainly don't want to be disqualified for not conforming!

Race Committee

This year, MYC has redeveloped a mobile app version of the Members Yearbook. It contains our calendar of events, a searchable directory of members, and the ability to send messages or photos to other members – perfect for using on board your boat.  
 
This app is now available and can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store for iPhones and iPads, and the Google Play store for Android phones and tablets. Search for Mornington Yacht Club to find the app. For Apple devices, you will need iOS 8 or later for the app to work.
 
Here are the direct links to the app:

You can also tell people to search the stores for "mornington yacht club"
The app is only available for use by current financial MYC members. When you have downloaded the app, you will be required to validate your email address. This email address will need to be the same one that we have on file for you at MYC for the validation to be successful. If you have any trouble installing this app, please contact Sarah in the office or email our app tech team