The Mornington Yacht Club Team Racing Team would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported our recent Trivia Night fundraiser as we prepare to represent Australia at the Team Racing World Championships in Sweden.

The evening was an incredible success, with over 100 members, friends and supporters coming together to get behind the team. It was a great reminder of the strength of the MYC community and how lucky we are to have a club that supports its sailors from junior programs right through to international competition.

The team earned this opportunity after competing at the National Championships in September 2025. Following this event, Australian Sailing nominated MYC to the World Sailing Selection Committee, who accepted the nomination and offered the team a place at the World Championships. With the support of Mornington Yacht Club, including covering the team’s entry fee, we proudly accepted the invitation to represent Australia on the world stage.

Since then, the campaign has become about much more than just a sailing event. Organising the fundraising efforts, coordinating the Trivia Night, reaching out to local businesses, engaging with supporters and bringing the community together has provided a fantastic opportunity for the younger members of the team to develop skills beyond the water. It has helped build confidence, communication, teamwork, leadership and planning skills that will continue to benefit them well beyond this campaign.
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We are incredibly grateful to Mornington Yacht Club for providing a platform that not only develops sailors, but supports young people to grow, take on responsibility and contribute positively within the wider community.

The funds raised through the Trivia Night, raffles, silent auction and donations will make a significant difference in assisting with training expenses and the increased costs associated with international competition and travel.

A massive thank you must go to everyone who donated prizes and supported the fundraising efforts, including Ronstan, Graham Jones, Andrew Young, DCON Enterprises Building Constructions and Project Services, Aquarius Swimming Pools, Fernwood Gym, and all the other generous businesses and individuals who contributed.

A special mention goes to Da Sas Wines for their exceptional generosity and support of the Premium Wine Raffle, which was a huge success. Thank you also to The Rocks for their continued support, and to everyone who purchased tickets, placed bids in the auction, bought raffle tickets or simply came along to support the team.

Following the fundraiser, the team returned straight into training mode. Unfortunately, our planned session at Sandringham on the 27th of June wasn’t to be due to lack of wind, but we followed this with several solid days of training at Sandringham and Mornington as we continue building towards Sweden. Our next major training day will be on the 25th of July at Sandringham as final preparations continue.

For many members of the team, this campaign represents years spent progressing through MYC’s junior programs and sailing pathways. To now have the opportunity to represent our club and country overseas is something we are incredibly proud of.
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Thank you again to the entire MYC community for believing in the team, creating opportunities for young sailors, and helping us take the next step. We look forward to representing Mornington Yacht Club and Australia proudly in Sweden.

As people get older and their lives change, they often leave their favourite sport behind. They’re too busy, too old, or not fit enough anymore. This sad reality particularly applies to women.
Sailing is not one of these sports. And for women, it’s a long-term pastime.

Women may learn to sail with family from an early age. Their love of the water and the satisfaction of learning sailing skills, being in the fresh air, getting wet and windblown, is a childhood love and cherished memory.
But then they follow the well-worn path of meeting a boy, falling in love, gaining a career, getting married, launching babies into the world and, eventually, sitting in their empty nest. Then the old love affair with sailing starts knocking on the door waking them up at night.

For Jo McKenzie, a 20-year member and volunteer at Mornington Yacht Club, who has shepherded her two fantastic kids through the Club, it’s now her time. Time to rinse and repeat, dust off the old sailing skills and start crewing with husband Cam on their beautiful ocean racer, the JIII yacht, Ginan.
After many years away from offshore sailing, returning to the sport has been both familiar and refreshing. “It’s been a long time between drinks, so to say,” she reflects. “I’m now more confident in myself and at a different stage of life.

Both she and her husband Cam had sailing backgrounds from earlier years. “Cam and I both sailed early on, but we were on different boats,” she explains. Her own offshore experience included a number of deliveries alongside Nigel Jones during his Cadibarra days, including races to King Island and Apollo Bay.
Now sailing together brings a new appreciation. “It’s good to see Cam in a different light. I have huge respect for that different side of both Cam and his co skipper and long time friend Nigel, it’s lovely experiencing it and I’m just soaking it all up.” reflected Jo.
“As I step onto the boat, it’s reassuring that I know the terminology. I may not always contribute, but I do understand it all.” which is quite reassuring explained Jo.
More than anything, it’s the feeling of being offshore that has drawn her back in. “I really enjoy the feeling of being on the ocean, you get into a rhythm and there’s so much more to see than when I’m racing around the sticks.”
Among the practical discoveries of returning to racing “Knee pads,” she laughs. “They’re like pillows on my knees and wow, they make all the difference.”
Jo’s story illustrates that it’s possible to pick up sailing long after the kids graduate and you’ve earned a few more laughter lines. Just give it a go.


Photos provided by Jo McKenzie
Written by Lee Renfree
​Through ORCV

Melbourne to Hobart Westcoaster

Entries are now open for the 2026 Melbourne to Hobart Westcoaster, a blue-water ocean classic with more than 50 years of history and the highest-ranking race in the ORCV Offshore Championship. The 435NM course takes the fleet across Bass Strait, south along Tasmania's rugged and remote West Coast — a true test of strategy and seamanship for full crew, 4+ autohelm, and double handed boats alike. Join the legacy of more than 900 yachts and 7,000 crew members who've made this passage. Click here for more details and to enter the race.

DYSC Marine Supplies Winter Series (Saturday 4 & 18 July 2026)

Entries are still open for the 2026 DYSC Marine Supplies Winter Series & Novice Return Series. Race 2 is a destination race to Blairgowrie on 4 July with the Novice Return Race on 5 July. Race 3 is a race around Fixed Marks on 18 July starting off in Sandringham Yacht Club. 

Special thanks to DYSC Marine Supplies for proudly supporting the ORCV and the sailors who make offshore racing in Victoria a strong and growing community.

Winter Training Courses 

The ORCV Winter Training Courses are still open for bookings. Winter is a great time to top up knowledge and get ready for the next season.

• Fundamental Navigator (in-person, starts 14 July 2026) 
• Prepare your Yacht for Cat 2 & 3 (in-person, starts 22 July 2026) 
• Foredeck Essentials (eLearning + practical on 9 August 2026) 
• Tactical Navigator (in-person, starts 1 September 2026) 

​Gather your family and friends and join us for a delicious Sunday Roast on Sunday, 12 July 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Enjoy a hearty roast lunch in a relaxed waterfront setting, perfect for catching up with loved ones and making the most of your Sunday afternoon.

The 10th Melbourne Osaka Cup is set to start in March 2030, with expressions of interest now officially open. Often described as the equivalent of eight Sydney to Hobart or Fastnet Yacht Races back-to-back, it is widely regarded as the most challenging ocean race starting in Australian waters, sailed by only two crew, non-stop and unassisted. 

Since its inception in 1987, the race has stood as a powerful symbol of friendship between Australia and Japan. Competitors arriving in Osaka are welcomed not just as sailors, but as honoured guests. The warmth of the Japanese people, the depth of culture, and the sense of achievement after weeks at sea combine to create one of the most emotional finishes in world sailing. 

Spanning 5,000 nautical miles, the Melbourne Osaka Cup is the longest north–south ocean race in the world. Open to monohull yachts up to 23 metres and conducted under Category 1+ safety requirements, the race is sailed double-handed and unassisted, placing complete reliance on skill, endurance, and the strength of your sailing partnership. 

Competitors will traverse the Pacific Ocean from south to north, crossing the notorious Bass Strait, through the Tasman Sea, Coral Sea and Solomon Sea, before navigating the unpredictable Intertropical Convergence Zone, known to sailors as the Doldrums.  

The race challenges and requires knowledge of multiple weather systems, from the stronger conditions of southern waters to the complex light-air tactics of the tropics and transition zone for the approach to Osaka. The course threads international waters, including Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the United States territories of Guam and Saipan, before passing Japan’s remote Ogasawara Islands enroute to the final finish in Osaka. 

The race is organised through a long-standing partnership between the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria and the Osaka Hokko Yacht Club, a collaboration spanning all ten editions. 

A staggered start format is designed to bring the fleet together for a dramatic finish in Osaka. While yachts may arrive within sight of one another, final placings are determined by elapsed time and handicaps. The current race record stands at an extraordinary 21 days, 12 hours, 41 minutes and 13 seconds, set in 2018 by Rupert Henry and Greg O'Shea aboard Chinese Whisper. The average crossing time is approximately 35 days. 

This event provides a unique opportunity for sailors, many of whom are Corinthian (non-professional and self-funded), to embark on the challenge of a lifetime. 

With limited entries available and the immense logistical effort required to stage the race, opportunities to compete are rare.  Sailors ready to take on one of offshore racing’s greatest challenges are encouraged to submit their expression of interest and review the preliminary Notice of Race via the official event website, www.melbourneosakacup.com 

This is your moment. Commit early. Prepare well. Be part of the 10th edition and make history in 2030. 

Add your name to the Expressions of Interest https://melbourneosakacup.com/en/home/
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Melbourne Osaka Media 

​<Embarking on a passage of a lifetime, the start of the 2025 Melbourne Osaka Cup Photo Al Dillon .jpg>

VIODA's primary coaching and safety RHIB recently suffered a catastrophic engine failure due to a faulty oil pump. Unfortunately, the outboard motor is beyond economical repair and must be replaced.

This support boat is a vital asset used by our coaches during training camps, regattas, development programs and state squad activities. It provides on-water coaching, safety supervision, emergency response capability, and support for sailors aged 7 to 15 as they learn and develop their sailing skills.

Without a functioning support boat, our ability to safely conduct training and support junior sailors is significantly impacted.

VIODA exists to provide opportunities for all Optimist sailors in Victoria to achieve their aspirations in a fun, fair and healthy environment. We support sailors from their first experiences in Green Fleet through to State, National and International competition, helping develop not only sailing skills but also responsibility, resilience, sportsmanship and respect.

We are seeking financial assistance from the Victorian sailing community to help fund the replacement of the outboard motor and ensure continuity of our youth sailing programs.

Any contribution, large or small, will directly assist in keeping young sailors safe on the water and maintaining an important pathway for junior sailing in Victoria.

If your club is able to support this appeal, or circulate this request through your membership, newsletter or social media channels, we would be extremely grateful.

Together, we can ensure that Victoria's next generation of sailors continues to have access to safe, high-quality coaching and development opportunities.

Thank you for your consideration and ongoing support of junior sailing.
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Kind regards,
On behalf of Rob Altson, President
Victorian International Optimist Dinghy Association (VIODA)
Donation Link & Information:
https://asf.org.au/campaigns/victorian-international-optimist-dinghy-assocation-inc/rhib-1--urgent-replacement-of-motor
https://asf.org.au/faq

Supporting young sailors today, building Victoria's sailing champions of tomorrow.

Morning Splice – An Introduction to Dyneema Splicing
Curious about Dyneema splicing but not sure where to start? Join us at Mornington Yacht Club for Morning Splice, a hands-on beginner session designed to introduce sailors to the fundamentals of modern rope splicing.
Over the morning, participants will learn how to splice Dyneema rope, make their own soft shackle, understand modern onboard rope applications, and build confidence with practical splicing techniques. No prior experience is needed — just curiosity and a willingness to learn.
🕙 10:00am – 1:00pm
📍 Mornington Yacht Club
Pricing:
MYC Members $100 (contact office for discount code)
Non-Members $150
Optional discounted Ronstan Splicing Kits are available for $29.25 (normally $49.50), with pre-orders closing 12 July 2026.
Morning tea included. Limited places available.
Book here:Introduction to splicing - Mornington Yacht Club - revolutioniseSPORT

Over the June long weekend, Mornington Yacht Club competed in the Australian Women's Keelboat Regatta (AWKR), hosted by Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron. We sailed the club boat Jensminc, an S80, represented by Immi Weber (skipper), Rose Carlson (main trimmer, tactician and spinnaker sheets), Dianna Cohen (starboard jib trimmer and office), Kim Beauchamp (port jib trimmer) and Nes Seijumnong (foredeck).
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Our team brought a real range of experience. Rose and I came in with backgrounds primarily in dinghy racing, while Dianna was in her second season of sailing, Nes in her first, and Kim only a few months into the sport. Our lead-up training focused on getting the crew comfortable and confident in their new positions, building familiarity and teamwork across the boat. Heading into the regatta, we'd only sailed one Saturday race together beforehand with 80% of our crew, so much of the event was about putting that training into practice and finding our rhythm as a team.
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Conditions over the weekend were extremely light. Saturday and Sunday each delivered only a single race, with long stretches spent floating in near-zero knots under main alone, passing the time swapping life stories. The breeze came from the north each day and shifted left through the afternoon; sitting at the northern end of the bay, that meant plenty of shifts to read and manage. A challenge through the regatta was our small kite, which meant whatever we gained on the upwind legs we'd then be fighting to hold onto downwind.
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As my first keelboat regatta, it was a markedly different experience to the youth regattas I'm used to — no wet feet from launching, a full crew aboard, the race committee's course updates coming through clearly over the radio, and no coach boat shadowing us.
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Despite the light air, every race brought improvement, whether in our tacks, communication, body positioning, spinnaker launches, mark roundings or starts. Watching each area sharpen race by race is something I'm genuinely proud of.
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A special highlight was hearing from Kim, who grew up around boats but only began learning to sail with us after completing our Girls Out Sailing course in February. Reflecting on her first AWKR, she shared:
"Our crew showed how their training and dedication to perfecting their sailing skills all came together on the day. MYC offered the perfect training mentors, facilities and support for the crew in order to put those skills to the test and achieve our own personal goals in a team environment."

​​It all came together in Race 5, the final race of Monday and of the regatta. After two days of barely any wind — at one point just 1.5 knots, as called over the radio from the course boat at the top mark — we finally had a steady 5–8 knots to work with, and the extra breeze let the team show how far they'd come. It was our best start of the regatta, third off the line, and our strongest race overall, finishing 3rd on event handicap in Division 2.

​I couldn't be prouder of this team. Our teamwork, communication and boat handling all lifted across the weekend, and Race 5 was the clearest sign of everything we've built together since March.​
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Our thanks go to Scott Colquhoun and Andrew Weber for helping us on our training days, and to Shaun Miles, Scott and Andrew for the various maintenance jobs that got Jensminc regatta-ready. Thank you to Melissa Warren for putting the team together and being our constant cheerleader, and to the club and the Sail Our Way grant, which covered our regatta entry. We couldn't have done this without you.​
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​~ Immi