Stawell Yacht Club

About Stawell Yacht Club

Inland sailing has a different rhythm to the coastal game, and few Victorian clubs illustrate that better than Stawell Yacht Club. The club sails on Lake Fyans, a shallow recreational lake lying between the towns of Stawell and Pomonal, beneath the foothills of the Grampian Ranges — Gariwerd — with mountain views framing both the clubhouse and the race course. It is a small, community-run organisation: the Australian Sailing affiliation-fee schedule places it in Category "B", and the office bearers named on the club website are Commodore Anthony Schellens, Secretary Tony Hillier, and Peter Knight, who combines the treasurer, rear commodore and publicity roles.

The club was founded in 1954, established by the local community so that boating enthusiasts would have a way to share the pastime, and it began life catering to sailors and powerboat owners alike. Water has not always been guaranteed: sailing was curtailed during the millennium drought years, but the club reports what it calls a "healthy resurgence" since then, and Sunday afternoon racing once again anchors the season.

For a small inland club, Stawell has produced some serious catamaran talent. It counts Noel Grellet, a noted competitor in Mosquito and Taipan catamarans, among its sailors, and it credits Jon Goodall with collecting three state titles and a national title within a single year in A Class Classic cats. Membership is charged annually alongside race and camping fees, and the club maintains a modest online presence with news, a gallery, a race calendar and acknowledgements of its sponsors and supporters.

Services

• Sailing club

Service area

Stawell, VIC