Hi all,

I recently picked up a clunky old Skipper 14 and have been trying to get better at handling it. I did the Yachting Australia dinghy sailing courses with capsize drills etc a few years ago so I don't think I'm a danger to myself and others but I'm still pretty rusty and trying to get more time on the water to practice.

I've tried Lysterfield Lake and the Barwon River but the Barwon was deceptively narrow and was a bit of a hassle to launch at. The Barwon was also a bit limited as it's long and skinny, I wanted a bit more room to try different points of sail. Can anyone recommend any nice spots for relative beginners to launch sailing dinghies off the beach (or a ramp navigable for non-motorised craft) and potter about in Port Philip, Corio Bay and/or Western Port? Totally up for driving around places like the Bellarine and Mornington Peninsulas in search of fun places to go for a day's sailing.

Quite a big question I guess but I couldn't find many similar topics apart from in the windsurfing forum and those discussions were mostly about nice lakes around Melbourne. In the sailing forum someone suggested Somers/Balnarring in Western Port in a topic from about 3 years ago but there don't seem to be any public ramps there.

Thanks for your time! Here's a pic of the boat at Lysterfield for anyone who's idly curious. It does have a jib but I was going without for the maiden voyage.

Many Years Ago I used to use the boat ramp at the Lagoon boat club on Foreshore Rd, Behind Geelong Grammar School, I have no idea if this is still possible to use if you are not a member of the club, but you could give them a call and ask them, phone (03) 5275 5583 , or alternatively you could use the Geelong boat ramp on Hearne Parade at the end of Eastern Park, in Geelong. hope this helps some.

Nice one, thanks for your reply. I've checked out these places as it happens and I'd wondered about the ramp at the Lagoon because it looks ideal for a small boat, sort of like launching from a beach. Did you used to potter around in the area between the ramp and the refinery jetty or did you go further afield?

The Geelong boat ramp near Eastern Beach is nice and new but I'd be a bit nervous launching from there without having the control afforded by a motor on account of the rock groynes surrounding and sheltering the ramp itself.

I used to pretty much just go where ever the winds took me, out along the Avalon Coastal reserve, around to Point Wilson, then sometimes over to Portarlington or Clifton Springs, then back via Geelong, I seem to remember there was some sort of exclusion zone around the refinery piers that I had to skirt to get back to Lineburners creek, not sure if it is still there, haven't been in the area for quite some time

Where are you based? Your welcome to come and try mordialloc sailing club. It's an excellent dinghy sailing club. We have a private carpark, excellent grassed rigging area, a gentle ramp to firm sand launch. We race on Saturday afternoons and there's usually a bunch of sailers in dinghys that sail from mordialloc to eidethvale for a coffee cruise in the morning. I started sailing 2 years ago and couldn't be happier with the club and it's members.

Hi echunda, that could be quite convenient as I'm in the well-treed East. Only thing is the venerable Skipper 14 isn't a particularly popular boat, I don't know if anyone races them anywhere in Australia. I don't think there's even a class association any more. How eclectic is the racing fleet? Naturally that wouldn't matter for cruising of course, which is a fairly grand term for the kind of pottering around that I had in mind when I got the boat. What do you sail at the club?

Electric you can still sail at the Lagoon.
There is a small concrete ramp that the fisho's use, but as Bruski suggested, go further up behind the Grammar school.

You will be able to launch jut from the beach, and there's normally guys from the sailing club out each weekend.

The lagoon will give you a bit of space, and you will still be protected whilst learning.
As the wind is often from the south/south-east, you will be onshore also.

Select to expand quote

electricmonk said..
Hi echunda, that could be quite convenient as I'm in the well-treed East. Only thing is the venerable Skipper 14 isn't a particularly popular boat, I don't know if anyone races them anywhere in Australia. I don't think there's even a class association any more. How eclectic is the racing fleet? Naturally that wouldn't matter for cruising of course, which is a fairly grand term for the kind of pottering around that I had in mind when I got the boat. What do you sail at the club?

I sail an RS400 of which there are 3 others in Australia! There's quite a mix of boats at the club.







Doesn't matter what dinghy you have, the club's stoke is about sailing, regardless of class. We generally just sail around and until we've gotten used to this beast, we'll start racing (handicap). The club's been great to us, very welcoming even though we don't class race. It's assuring to know there's at least one rescue boat in the water that keeps an eye on the fleet (morning session and afternoon racing) so if you need help, they're there. You also have all the other sailors watching out.

I think you'd love the Saturday morning coffee cruise. PM me if you want to come down. I can introduce you to the club and we can go for a sail together!

BTW, I'm not part of the committee, just a normal club member.

Page 4 they talk about one of the coffee cruises
www.mordiallocsc.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Mordy-Newsletter-Issue-2.pdf

Couple more of the 400!

Select to expand quote

echunda said..
Where are you based? Your welcome to come and try mordialloc sailing club. It's an excellent dinghy sailing club. We have a private carpark, excellent grassed rigging area, a gentle ramp to firm sand launch. We race on Saturday afternoons and there's usually a bunch of sailers in dinghys that sail from mordialloc to eidethvale for a coffee cruise in the morning. I started sailing 2 years ago and couldn't be happier with the club and it's members.

While not sailing at the time, I had a boat moored "up the creek" for a few years and loved the ambience of mordialloc. Going for a stroll passed Pompei's shed to buy a beer and chips, or returning from a morning fishing trip, then stay for the Mordy blues/music frstival, etc etc. It's a lovely place to hang about.