Sailing 

Dromana College Sailing Team: Season Wrap-Up

The Dromana College Sailing Team has concluded its season, demonstrating remarkable improvements and a commendable commitment to the team. Training at McCrae Yacht Club and racing at Daveys Bay every Wednesday afternoon after school, the team embraced the challenge of team racing, which required new tactics and strategies for many of our sailors who came from a fleet racing background. We proudly entered two teams in the series which consisted of the following students: Joshua Braukman, Oliver Bulka, Thomas Coles, Lilian Fenn, Jamieson Ferguson, Emily Hailes, Will Hailes, Bea Hasson, Kai Hasson, Ben Hunt, Henry Hutchinson, Amy Lewis, Cedric Mileham, Elwood Phillips, Charlie Ricciardello, Julia Sides and Fisher Sinclair. Throughout the season, our team competed against local schools including Toorak College, Peninsula Grammar, Balcombe Grammar and Woodleigh. Starting from the back of the fleet, they worked their way up to beat some of the most competitive teams by the season’s end. One of the most incredible aspects to witness was the team’s continuous improvement. Whether it was helming for the first time in 20-plus-knot winds, or confidently making strategic calls against other teams, or our new Year 7 crews eager to get out there and learn, our students showed tremendous growth. Despite having a relatively young team, they held their own against Year 12 students from other schools who had more experience and confidence in bluffing their opponents. As the season progressed, so did our team’s confidence. It was fantastic to see them making calls and protesting penalties against very experienced sailors. We must extend our heartfelt thanks to our dedicated coaches, Mark Bulka and Tash Kurzeme, who gave up their time to not only provide a wealth of knowledge and advice, but also to be supportive and encouraging to all our team members. Their guidance and support were instrumental in our achievements this season. Given the significant improvements this season and the youth of our team. We are eagerly anticipating what Dromana College can achieve next year. During the season the following students also achieved commendable results at various sailing regattas.

 They include:

 Emily Hailes: 6th in the Minnow States and 2nd at the Zhik Youths 

Oliver Bulka: 7th in the Tasar Worlds

Will Hailes: 1st in the Minnow States and 1st at the Zhik Youths.

These young sailors have competed against some of the best in the state and country, and their achievements are truly noteworthy.