Dear Members,

It has been good to see our activities, on and off the water, showing such success this year:

• After two years of Covid, social distancing and other restrictions we were finally able to welcome members and guests for Opening Day to celebrate the new sailing season, with homage paid to our traditions and acknowledgment of the traditional custodians, past and present.
• The Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Race, after two years of delays, was run with a high-quality field of thirty entrants, twelve being from our club.
• Our Yacht Race Committee worked tirelessly to reinvigorate and run a great Pittwater Regatta. They have plans to make it bigger and better for 2023.
• The Alfred’s Community Sailing (ACS) program has continued to provide sailing experiences, sail training programs and support to not-for-profit community groups, to become involved in the excitement and social benefits, well-being and health benefits that sailing can provide.

Our Activities Committee has worked hard to bring back our favourite events and add new items to the calendar. In conjunction with the ACS Committee, they organised and ran the ACS Gala Dinner, which was a great success, raising just shy of $49k to support ACS and enable us to grow and broaden the program scope. Another new event was the “White Garden Party” held in November, which was enjoyed by all those that attended, and no doubt will be back next year, bigger and better.

Whilst our on-water and social activities have bounced back well from Covid, we are still experiencing difficulties in finding and employing staff in both our F&B and Boatyard operations. This has impacted our trading hours and created a backlog of bookings in the Boatyard.

Rest assured we are working hard to find a solution for these issues, and we hope to be back to normal operations in the New Year.

I would like to thank our staff for their loyalty, perseverance, and dedication to our club during this period.

Boxing Day will soon be upon us and several RPAYC yachts and members will be competing in one of the world’s most difficult and prestigious yacht races, the Rolex Sydney to Hobart. To the owners and crews sailing on Hamilton Island Wild Oats XI, Insomnia, King Billy, Pekljus, Pretty Woman, Quantock, Sun Fast Racing, Trancendance Crento, and XS Moment BNMH, I wish you all “Fair Winds and Following Seas” for the race to Hobart and return to Pittwater.

A special gratitude goes to the Board Directors and Rear Commodores for their commitment and tireless work this year.

Christmas is just around the corner, and on behalf of the Board Directors and Rear Commodores, I wish members, staff, and families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year.

See you on the water,

Allen Stormon
Commodore