What is Southport Yacht Club?

Southport Yacht Club is the Gold Coast's premier sailing club, based at Main Beach on the Broadwater. Founded in 1946, it has grown from modest beginnings into one of Queensland's largest and best-known boating clubs, running inshore racing on the sheltered Broadwater, offshore racing out through the Gold Coast Seaway, learn-to-sail programs and a full social calendar. It is the organiser of the Sail Paradise regatta and a hub of Gold Coast sailing.

When was Southport Yacht Club founded?

The club was founded on 5 April 1946, when the Mayor of Southport chaired a meeting of around seventy people at the Southport Council Chambers to establish it. Its roots trace to wartime, when local boat owners had taken injured returned servicemen sailing on the Broadwater as part of their rehabilitation, and those owners became foundation members. From there the club grew into a major Gold Coast institution.

Where is Southport Yacht Club and what waters does it sail on?

The club is based at Main Beach on the Gold Coast, on the Broadwater — the sheltered waterway behind the Southport Spit. The Broadwater offers protected, accessible racing close to shore, while the Gold Coast Seaway gives quick access to the open Pacific for offshore and coastal racing. The club also runs a sailing squadron on the Broadwater at Hollywell. This mix of calm inside water and ocean access defines Gold Coast sailing.

What racing does Southport Yacht Club run?

Southport Yacht Club runs inshore keelboat, trailer-yacht, sportsboat and off-the-beach racing on the Broadwater, offshore and coastal racing out through the Seaway, and twilight and club series through the season. Its signature event is Sail Paradise, an inshore and offshore regatta held early in the year, and the Broadwater is also the finish of the Sydney to Gold Coast Yacht Race. The club caters to everyone from beginners to offshore racers.

Queensland

Southport Yacht Club

Southport Yacht Club is the Gold Coast's premier sailing club, founded in 1946 on the Broadwater at Main Beach. It runs inshore and offshore racing and hosts Sail Paradise, and is one of Queensland's largest and best-known boating clubs.

Photo: Kgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

2 min read

Southport Yacht Club is the Gold Coast's premier sailing club — founded in 1946 on the Broadwater at Main Beach, and grown into one of Queensland's largest and best-known boating clubs. It runs inshore and offshore racing and hosts the Sail Paradise regatta, at the heart of Gold Coast sailing.

The club

Southport sits on the Main Beach precinct on the Broadwater, the sheltered waterway behind the Southport Spit. From protected club racing inside to offshore racing out through the Gold Coast Seaway, it covers the full range, with a sailing squadron on the Broadwater at Hollywell, learn-to-sail programs and a full social side. It has become, in local terms, a jewel of Queensland boating.

Moored boats at Southport Yacht Club on the Broadwater — The Broadwater, Main Beach — Photo: orderinchaos, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

History

The club was founded on 5 April 1946, at a meeting of around seventy people at the Southport Council Chambers. Its roots are older and rather moving: during the Second World War, local boat owners had taken injured returned servicemen sailing on the Broadwater as part of their rehabilitation, and those owners became the club's foundation members. From there it grew steadily into a major Gold Coast institution.

Where it sails

The Broadwater offers sheltered, accessible racing close to shore — ideal for learning, club and twilight racing — while the Seaway opens onto the Pacific for offshore and coastal events. That combination of calm water inside and ocean outside is the signature of Gold Coast sailing.

Racing

The club runs inshore keelboat, trailer-yacht, sportsboat and off-the-beach racing, offshore and coastal events, and full twilight and club series. Its marquee regatta is Sail Paradise, and the Broadwater is the finish of the Sydney to Gold Coast Yacht Race. For the setting, see our guide to sailing on the Gold Coast.

Following the club

Southport Yacht Club publishes its racing calendar, Sail Paradise details and results through its official website, and is a welcoming place to start — see getting into sailing in Australia. The sailing terms glossary covers the vocabulary.

Frequently asked questions

What is Southport Yacht Club?: Southport Yacht Club is the Gold Coast's premier sailing club, based at Main Beach on the Broadwater. Founded in 1946, it has grown from modest beginnings into one of Queensland's largest and best-known boating clubs, running inshore racing on the sheltered Broadwater, offshore racing out through the Gold Coast Seaway, learn-to-sail programs and a full social calendar. It is the organiser of the Sail Paradise regatta and a hub of Gold Coast sailing.
When was Southport Yacht Club founded?: The club was founded on 5 April 1946, when the Mayor of Southport chaired a meeting of around seventy people at the Southport Council Chambers to establish it. Its roots trace to wartime, when local boat owners had taken injured returned servicemen sailing on the Broadwater as part of their rehabilitation, and those owners became foundation members. From there the club grew into a major Gold Coast institution.
Where is Southport Yacht Club and what waters does it sail on?: The club is based at Main Beach on the Gold Coast, on the Broadwater — the sheltered waterway behind the Southport Spit. The Broadwater offers protected, accessible racing close to shore, while the Gold Coast Seaway gives quick access to the open Pacific for offshore and coastal racing. The club also runs a sailing squadron on the Broadwater at Hollywell. This mix of calm inside water and ocean access defines Gold Coast sailing.
What racing does Southport Yacht Club run?: Southport Yacht Club runs inshore keelboat, trailer-yacht, sportsboat and off-the-beach racing on the Broadwater, offshore and coastal racing out through the Seaway, and twilight and club series through the season. Its signature event is Sail Paradise, an inshore and offshore regatta held early in the year, and the Broadwater is also the finish of the Sydney to Gold Coast Yacht Race. The club caters to everyone from beginners to offshore racers.

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