About

Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club (SSCBC) is located at the southern end of the Mornington Peninsula, easily accessible from Melbourne. Home to the largest fleet of Couta Boats in Australia, we enjoy racing every weekend from November to June.

Our Clubhouse enjoys spectacular panoramic views of Port Phillip Bay, with expansive decks and lawn areas enjoyed by Members and their guests.

 

SSCBC is also home to a very large and active Sailing Centre, providing family friendly learn to sail and coaching programs tailored to every age, from 5 years to adults. We support and encourage inclusive participation from all ages through a variety of accredited programs. Whether that is providing the very first on-water experience to a 5 year old through our Cara na Mara program, engaging our teens through our Out There programs, or engaging adults who would like to learn to sail, our Sailing Centre has something for everyone.

 

SSCBC has successfully hosted many national and international regattas in recent years. Our prevailing offshore sea breezes, flat water and perfect sailing conditions provide ideal sailing for all dinghies, sailboards and off the beach boats.

Our large membership base provides us with a generous group of skilled volunteers who help SSCBC to host national and international regattas. They take pride in making visiting sailors feel welcome. Some of the major national and international regattas recently held at SSCBC include:

2020 Australian Youth Championships 10-14 January 2020

RSX 2020 World Windsurfing Championships 23-29 February 2020

2019 International B14s National Championships

2018 Waszp National Championships

World Foiling Moth Championships in 2015 with 18 countries represented

The Australian Youth Championships in 2014

420 and 470 National Championships in 2013/14

49er/29er World Championships in 2008

 

 

 

 

Club History
First Briefing 1948

2011-11-history

SSCBC as it is now known, had its origins in November 1948 when the inaugural race was held featuring seven diverse craft, some quite primitive by today’s standards. From these humble beginnings, Sorrento Sailing Club was formed and began the voyage to its present day strength. The emphasis has always been on creating a friendly family environment and providing opportunities for juniors and youth; a focus that continues today.

Faced with a diminishing membership in 1997, Sorrento Sailing Club entered into a memorandum of understanding to share facilities with the Couta Boat Club (CBC). The CBC was formed in the 1982/83 season by a group of enthusiasts and had grown into a large organisation that had no permanent base. The success of this arrangement led to a formal union in 2001 and the creation of Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club.

Over the years the Club has conducted many State, National and International events, including Cat Weeks and The Little America’s Cup, generating much positive publicity for the Club. More recently, the Club has conducted the World Titles for the 49ers (an Olympic class), the 29ers and the World Moth Championships, among others, extremely successfully.

The classes of boats sailed have changed over the years. At various times, Sharpies, Gwen 12, Moths, Mirrors, Northbridge Juniors, Deltas, Quickcats, Tornadoes, Paper Tigers, Trailable Yachts and others have been popular.

Juniors and training have always been important and today the Club is at the forefront of junior & youth development, with many young sailors winning awards and representing Australia in International regattas.

In August 2005, recognition of the Club’s leading role in yachting in general and the Club’s revitalisation led to the Club being awarded the prestigious award of “Club of the Year” by Yachting Victoria. More recently, SSCBC was awarded Victorian Yacht Club of the Year 2015-2106 as well as Australian Yacht Club of the Year 2015-2106 by Australian Sailing.

The culmination of efforts was the professional construction of a new state of the art Clubhouse, ready for the 2006/07 season. This replaced the control box originally built in 1952 and altered over the years and the Clubhouse built by Members in 1959, both funded in part by the proceeds of regular dances run by the Club. Society has changed along with Members’ expectations and the new Clubhouse was designed with this in mind.

More recently, the Club has commenced the process of another Clubhouse redevelopment project, to overcome the shortfalls of the current Clubhouse in meeting the growing demands of the training centre, kitchen, bar and dining areas and the Members’ lounge.

More information on the first 50 years of the Club can be found in the informative history of Sorrento Sailing Club “Briefing at the Coloured Wall”, written by the late David Haskins, to commemorate the Club’s 50th anniversary in 1998.