Club leaders can be trophy winners too

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
I was recently asked about the difference of a sailing club and a yacht club, which I see as pretty similar. It is about creating a community of like-minded people, though yacht clubs can stretch ‘like-minded’ to infer boating in all forms. But since all clubs are vital for sailing competition, it is reassuring when club leadership are sailors too.

However, people involved in ‘giving back’ aren’t typically the trophy winners, so the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia deserves recognition for leadership achievement in its Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

Current Commodore Sam Haynes and his crew of the Volvo Open 70 Celestial V70 won the 2024 Overall title, which he also won on his TP52 Celestial in 2022 while rising in the club chairs.

In its 79 year history, only three CYCA Commodores have won the Sydney Hobart whilst holding office – Merv Davey on Tradewinds in 1949, Robert Crichton-Brown (later knighted) on Pacha in 1970, and now Haynes in 2024.

Only five Past Commodores have won Overall honors as skippers or crew members at any time outside of their tenure – Ron Hobson (Ripple 1953), Matt Allen (Lou Abraham’s Challenge, 1983; Ichi Ban, 2017, 2019, 2021), Leigh Minehan (Garry Appleby’s Sagacious, 1985, 1990), David Kellett and John Brooks (Bernard Lewis’ Sovereign, 1987). Haynes will become the sixth (Celestial 2022) along with his 2024 win whilst Commodore.

Source: https://cyca.com.au/celestial-v70-making-history/