It with much sadness that I report that Steve Kiely passed way on Christmas Eve after a long and courageous battle with illness.

I met Steve 30 years ago when he was first dating Lesley. He was a quiet and unassuming man and even then he had a wealth of knowledge of boats and the sea. He was clearly respected by all who knew him not only for this knowledge but for the values he had and lived.

Steve was a great mate and gave freely of his time on and off the water. While he loved sailing and was a tremendous sailor he was also very happy to donate his time, helping others to have a great time on the water. This is when I met Steve and Lesley again after almost 25 years, when they had volunteered their time to help our Club run a very significant regatta. It was clear that nothing had changed, Steve was still that man so respected by all, the only difference being that he and Lesley had formed a most enduring and loving bond, clear to all around them.

His many friends will miss him dearly. On behalf of these friends and the Palm Beach Sailing Club I wish to pass on our most sincere and heartfelt condolences to Lesley and Steve’s family.

Anthony Duchatel

Commodore PBSC

2011 NSW Hobie State Titles

Amazing photos from Sunday 4 December 2011 CLICK HERE

For photos taken by your mates (and available if you want any of them) CLICK HERE

For all the results CLICK HERE

Palm Beach Sailing Club has built an incredible sailing legacy over 60 years and is arguably the largest and most successful “off the beach” catamaran club in Australia This success could not have come without the club’s members and its Committees. It is those people that have established and maintained the foundation for the club’s sailing success and who put on such a great event last weekend for the 2011 NSW Hobie State Titles.

Special thanks to Peter Salter who led the Committee and members in pulling together the State Titles. Thanks also to John McCormick our Principle Racing Officer for managing the sailing, Dick Clarke for the great trophies and Jacqui Salter for managing our catering. We had many members assisting us especially Leanne, Regina, Robyn, Ainslie, Michelle, Charmaine, Sally and Ed Darmanin, Dave Fisher, John Goldsmith, Trevor Gourlay, Richard Lacey, Pete Gregg, Chris Hansor, Damien Miller and so many more.

We had great support from Pittwater Council who made sure that Woorak Reserve was ready for the regatta and that we had access to boat and trailer storage for the event.

We had the use of some excellent support boats. In addition to our Webster we had boats from Boat Mate (thanks to Pete Gregg and his Dad), Britton Marine (thanks to Ed Darmanin), Sydney Power Boat Centre (thanks to Upu Kila) and Traks Gordon on the Acuity boat.

We also had fantastic support from sponsors:

· David O’Toole and his team (thanks Taylor and Barnsey) of Sailing Scene provided much needed cash sponsorship as well as a fantastic “on the beach” presence that was really appreciated by all competitors.

· Marc Sier of Bigfoot provided the “goody” bags for each boat, hats, t-shirts, sun screen, sailing bag and custom made trapeze harnesses.

· Patrick Langley of Zhik provided vouches for their fantastic range of gear.

What makes a sailing event special though are the sailors. While we had some of the best sailors from around Australia - I counted 4 multiple World champs, 6 national champs and I gave up counting the number of State champs – it was the spirit of competition from all sailors that gave our States that special Hobie spirit.

It is a real honour to be the Commodore of such a great club and I thank again everyone who helped make the 2011 NSW Hobie State Titles the great event that it was.

Anthony Duchatel

Commodore PBSC