About

Our History

Founded in 1949, the Palm Beach Sailing Club has a long-standing tradition of fostering a love for sailing. The Pittwater Catamaran Club was established in 1962, celebrating its 50th anniversary of "off the beach multihull" sailing in 2012.

Historical records even show that catamaran sailing, likely featuring a Mosquito, took place under the Palm Beach Sailing Club banner before the formation of the Pittwater Catamaran Club. Around the year 2000, the Pittwater Catamaran Club merged with the Palm Beach Sailing Club, continuing our rich heritage of "off the beach multihull" sailing.

Despite being a multihull club, we actively share our races with windsurfers and we warmly welcome dinghy boats, embracing the diverse sailing community. Our club has proudly produced numerous Olympic and world title champions, showcasing our commitment to excellence in sailing:

Olympic Champions:

  • David Forbes: Gold in Munich (1972) in Star, World Champion (1971), and OAM
  • Chris Cairns: Bronze in Los Angeles (1984) in Tornado
  • Mitch Booth: Bronze in Barcelona (1992, with John Forbes) and Silver in Savannah (1996)
  • John Forbes: Bronze in Barcelona (1992) in Tornado and Silver in Sydney (2000)
  • Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin: Silver in Rio (2016)

John Forbes

 

World Title Champions:

  • Rod and Kerry Waterhouse
  • Peter Martin
  • Martin Cross
  • Anthony Duchatel and Evelyn Harves
  • Don Wood
  • Ian Bashford
  • David Forbes
  • Chris Cairns
  • Mitch Booth
  • John Forbes
  • Jason Waterhouse
  • Lisa Darmanin
  • Susan Miller-Duchatel
  

Anthony Duchatel and Evelyn Harves

 

Additionally, we are proud to sail with Upu Kila, who was awarded an MBE for his sailing achievements in Papua New Guinea.

Upu with his legendary hat

Upu with his legendary hat