Sydney Amateur Sailing Club

The Sydney Amateur Sailing Club is one of the oldest yacht clubs in Australia, founded in 1872 and based on the western edge of Mosman Bay at Cremorne Point on Sydney Harbour. It is an amateur keelboat club with a long history of harbour and offshore racing, a distinctive classic fleet, and a famous Friday twilight series. For context on the water it sails, see our guide to sailing in Sydney and Sydney Harbour.

The club

The Sydney Amateur Sailing Club, universally shortened to SASC, is a member-run keelboat club that describes itself as welcoming yachts of almost every age, type and size. The word "amateur" in the name is a historic one and reflects the club's origins rather than the standard of its sailing. It refers to the tradition of owner-sailors racing their own boats for the sport of it, and that ethos still runs through the club today.

The clubhouse is small and unpretentious by the standards of the harbour's larger yacht clubs, but it is one of the most characterful, tucked into the trees at the head of Mosman Bay with pontoons and a fleet of moorings out front. The membership spans everything from serious offshore racers to owners of restored timber classics, and the social calendar — twilight barbecues, prize-givings, solstice celebrations and trivia nights — is a genuine part of the club's identity.

The club's headquarters is at 1 Green Street, Cremorne Point, on Sydney's Lower North Shore.

History

SASC was founded on 1 October 1872, starting with four boats and twelve members. It was formed by owners whose boats were considered too small — under 22 feet, or about 6.7 metres — to be admitted to the established yacht clubs of the day. That origin as a home for smaller owner-sailed boats set the tone for the club's amateur, egalitarian character, which has carried through more than 150 years.

The club's early meetings were held ashore before it settled into a series of harbourside homes. Its original clubhouse stood at Bennelong Point, the site now occupied by the Sydney Opera House. The club acquired its present clubhouse at Cremorne Point, on the western side of Mosman Bay, in August 1962, and it has been based there since.

Over its long history the club has been associated with a number of notable Australian yachts, including classic vessels such as Maluka (built 1933) and Anitra V, a handicap winner of the Sydney to Hobart in 1957. That heritage of well-sailed classic boats remains one of the things the club is best known for.

Where it sails

SASC races on Sydney Harbour, one of the finest natural sailing arenas in the world. Racing takes place across the main harbour reaches, with courses set from the club's Mosman Bay base out towards the harbour proper. It is a demanding place to sail well: the harbour's headlands, coves and high foreshores create shifting, gusty winds, strong tidal currents around the points, and heavy commercial and ferry traffic to be managed.

The prevailing summer sea breeze — the nor'easter that fills in through the afternoon — is the defining wind for twilight racing, while winter brings colder, more variable conditions. Our Sydney and Sydney Harbour venue guide covers the wind patterns, tides and local knowledge that make racing here so rewarding and so difficult to master. SASC shares these waters with the harbour's other major clubs, including the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron at Kirribilli and Middle Harbour Yacht Club at The Spit.

Racing

The club runs a full season of keelboat racing. Its best-known fixture is the Friday twilight series, a summer institution that draws a large and varied fleet onto the harbour after work, followed by a barbecue and prize-giving back at the club. Alongside the twilights, SASC runs regular weekend racing through the season and competes offshore in association with other clubs.

The club has a particular reputation for its classic and gaff-rigged fleet. Since 1972 it has hosted Gaffers Day, a gathering of gaff-rigged sailing boats that has attracted large fleets, and its regular racing divisions accommodate the older timber yachts that give the club much of its character. SASC has also long supported women's sailing, with women's racing at the club documented as far back as 1928 and continuing today through its on-water programs.

For a club of its size, SASC punches above its weight in the breadth of sailing it offers — grand-prix offshore campaigns, competitive twilight racing and a living fleet of classic yachts all sit comfortably under the same modest roof.

Following the club

The club publishes its racing calendar, results and news through its official website at sasc.com.au, which is the best source for current sailing programs, membership information and event details. As an independent technical publication, Invicta Labs profiles clubs like SASC to help sailors understand the venues and communities that make up Australian keelboat racing; we are not affiliated with the club, and details such as race schedules should always be confirmed directly with SASC. Our apparel partner is Sail Racing; the club profiles here are editorially independent of that relationship.