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Celebrating Charlie Nichol - and our Handicapper

He’s some cool dude, and is like “the little engine that could”. Seldom praised, but an integral part of the glue that holds the yacht club together, club handicapper Ken McDonald took the spotlight after the first leg of last weekend’s Port Macquarie Yacht Club’s Charles Nichol trophy event, which was run in the pursuit format.
Wed 10 Sep 2025

The Sunday Philosophy School

Was it Proust, or was it Dennis Connor, who said, once we renounce the truths, we will never understand sailing? It has been similarly expressed by many. A pessimist scrawled on a changing room’s wall, “The wages of sin is death with a curse, but with sailing, of course, it can always get worse.” written perhaps by a sailor feeling the inequities of an unfavourable wind shift. Of course in sailing if you’re an optimist, your truth is “Luck is a Fortune”.
Sat 06 Sep 2025

Folie à deux

Folie à deux,  translates loosely as a condition where two closely associated individuals share similar delusional beliefs. One can only wonder why every sail boat jointly owned does not carry this name. Perhaps this became apparent when the Cygnet 20 of that name, the tiniest boat in the fleet, and sailed by its co-owners,  showed a clean pair of heels to the Port Macquarie Yacht Club fleet in last Sunday’s scheduled river race from Settlement Point to Dennis Bridge and return.
Tue 01 Jul 2025

Wouldn't have missed the day for quids

Sunday June 22nd saw the final race in the current ocean sailing season. After a disrupted season which saw numerous abandonments, skippers’ hopes were high when the seven day forecast was for an 8 – 14  knot wind range on  a lazy half meter swell. Those checking the forecast would have seen little change in the forecast swell, but a progressive falling away of wind strength.
Mon 23 Jun 2025

How many legs make a long river?

With the Mercury dipping and Instagram videos of snow falling on the adjacent range, Port Macquarie sailors presented in multi layered sailing apparel for last Sunday’s scheduled PMYC long river event from Settlement Point to the Dennis Bridge mark and return.
Wed 18 Jun 2025

King's Birthday long weekend sail

While sailors were well rugged up at the start of last Sunday’s PMYC offshore event, some skippers thoughts were further south where Port Macquarie Sailors Fiona MacManus, Hannah Walmsley and Alison Woolstenholme were experiencing gale force conditions while competing in the Australian Women’s Keelboat regatta
Thu 12 Jun 2025

The savvy mastery of light airs sailing was on full display

A sharp eye for picking wind lines and the savvy mastery of light airs sailing were on full display in Sunday’s Port Macquarie Yacht Club “river A” event. The event which the Officer of the Day, wisely changed the course from “river B” was run in breezes ranging from zero to five knots, and an initially surprisingly strong run in tide.
Mon 02 Jun 2025

After we crossed it didn’t seem that bad after all

“We were surprised how easy it was” was the comment from one of the newer skippers after PMYC’s ocean buoy event last Sunday. With a major runout after heavy rain on top of the usual tidal outflow, the Port Macquarie bar, muddied and angry appeared somewhere between menacing and hazardous when viewed from onshore or in the channel. Fortunately wise heads on the first boats to venture out radioed to the fleet, that a course well to the north provided a safe crossing.
Tue 06 May 2025

A Handicapper’s Lot

“Our feelings we with difficulty smother When the handicapper’s duty’s to be done– Taking one consideration with another– The handicapper’s lot is not a happy one.” With apologies to Messrs Gilbert & Sullivan, this was the predicament facing Port Macquarie Yacht Club’s handicapper when after the abandonment of last Sunday’s scheduled ocean buoy event due to atrocious bar conditions, a replacement river course was sailed.
Thu 24 Apr 2025

An anything but average sail

“…Day after day, day after day We stuck, nor breath nor motion; As idle as a painted ship Upon a painted ocean" The widely known verse from Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner was beginning to be the experience of yachts competing in Port Macquarie Yacht Club’s Long Ocean Triangle event last Sunday 6 April 2025.
Tue 08 Apr 2025

Ra Ra Raz

Members of the local sailing community with long memories would remember Razzamatazz 2’s arrival in Port Macquarie in the early 1980’s. Owned jointly by PMYC life member Les Boaden, and Kevin Brown, the modified Farr 1104 “Raz” contested numerous Pittwater to Coffs series, and Pittwater to Lord Howe series, while dominating local yacht racing scene for many years.
Tue 25 Feb 2025

A river race with the full gamut of conditions, and optimism rewarded

The meaning of sailing as a sport has been debated ad nauseam over the years. A refuge, an emotional escape, a cold analytical exercise to name but a few. Or perhaps as on show last Sunday, when four yachts only fronted up for the scheduled “long” river event from Settlement Point to the Dennis Bridge and return when the great choreographer (weather conditions), optimism rewarded.
Tue 18 Feb 2025

They did it to themselves

“I’ve never seen anyone do it to themselves like Kookaburra just did” one skipper was heard to say after the cause of Kookaburra 2’s retirement from last Sunday’s Port Macquarie Yacht Club’s regatta became known post race. “Did they really did try to sink themselves?”, was the question after it was revealed that a seawater anchor chain washer pump had been (inadvertently) activated, overwhelming the anchor locker drains, and pumping several thousand litres of river water into Kookaburra 2’s forw
Tue 04 Feb 2025

Not Third Any Longer - Australia Day Regatta

The allure of Port Macquarie lies in its sub-tropical climate and all that it brings in terms of wildlife beaches and the general positive energy it exudes. Visitors and locals received a treat on Australia Day as yachts in PMYC’s Australia Day regatta made practice starts and jockeyed for position in the regatta start area in front of the Town Green, with the extended unofficial prestart of around 30 minutes between the on water race briefing, and the 11.00am start time, drawing a substantial c
Tue 28 Jan 2025

On a day with a dying breeze, every yacht was still a winner!

There was a joyous mood apparent across the fleet that turned out for last Sunday’s (12/01/2025) Port Macquarie Yacht Club river race when after one yacht voiced, “well at least we’re going to podium” there were peals of raucous, almost riotous laughter on adjacent yachts during a surprisingly eventful pre-start.
Tue 14 Jan 2025

Third Man continues to sail it’s socks off in Port Macquarie Yacht Club’s river series

The old saying that “One swallow doesn’t make a summer” has been thrown out the window with the performance of Frank Lagudi’s Third Man as that yacht continues to sail it’s socks off in both Port Macquarie Yacht Club’s river and ocean series. After unlocking several additional knots per hour extra performance during the 2024 sailing season Third Man took the honours in last Sunday’s River “B” sailed between the Settlement Point and Hibbard ferries.
Tue 07 Jan 2025