Celebrating 100 years of sailing at Bellerive Yacht Club
by Jane Austin 12 Feb 06:29 GMT
Division One in the Performance Cruising Keelboat Division © Shane Rollins
The River Derwent has been overflowing with yachts and yachties over summer with even more action ahead at the Bellerive Yacht Club in what is a year of celebration for the club. The popular sailing club, located on the foreshore of Bellerive village, has notched up a major milestone with the club celebrating its centenary this year.
From humble beginnings in 1926 when a 'huge shed was converted into a well-furnished club house' and the early days of the Bellerive Regatta, the club now has over 1,000 members and the recent marina upgrade has propelled the iconic waterfront venue to one of Tasmania's premier locations for boating.
The BYC Centenary Committee is putting together a program of events for members and the community which will be released later in the year and will include publication of a book commemorating the club's 100-year history along with some exciting sailing re-enactments.
Commodore and well-known Tasmanian sailing identity, Hughie Lewis, is honoured to be leading the Club in its 100th year and is excited about the celebrations ahead.
"It's an absolute privilege to be Commodore of the Bellerive Yacht Club during the centenary year.
"Our Centenary Committee is doing lots of hard work behind the scenes to create a fantastic series of celebratory events, and in doing so, we are uncovering lots of really interesting historical information about the club and its members.
"We are also excited to be hosting the 2026 Banjo's Shoreline Crown Series Bellerive Regatta, which will be a highlight of the Bellerive Yacht Club's centenary year, and also the 2026 Tasmanian Women's Keelboat Regatta, with support from Australian Sailing-Tasmania and our partner clubs on the River Derwent," said Lewis.
The BYC will host these two major sailing events over February and March this year.
The first is the Banjo's Shoreline Crown Series Bellerive three-day regatta, Tasmania's biggest combined keelboat and off-the-beach (OTB) sailing regatta open to sailors of all ages and Classes.
This year's event will include the Tasmanian Yachting Championship for keelboats, which the BYC is hosting on behalf of Australian Sailing-Tasmania until 2028, and the Tasmanian Championship for the Sabre Class.
Racing runs from Friday the 20th of February until Sunday 22nd February along with a full program of onshore entertainment available over the weekend.
To enter go to: byc.org.au/racing/banjos-shoreline-crown-series
The second major event that the BYC is hosting is the Tasmanian Women's Keelboat Regatta (TWKR) on Saturday the 14th of March 2026.
The TWKR is an event focused on fun and community in sailing and focuses on promoting female roles in the sailing community. It provides an opportunity to shine a spotlight on women's involvement in all aspects of sailing, to encourage women of all ages, whether that's as a sailor on the water, or in a volunteer-role, to participate, and to build the belief that there is a place for all women in sailing.
The fun-filled event attracts women from all parts of Tasmania and interstate who will sail a schedule of short and long races using a performance handicap system to ensure new and experienced skippers remain competitive throughout the day.
The first race starts at 9.30 am with sailors expected to finishing racing late afternoon in time to enjoy onshore family friendly festivities at the club including food, bands and prize-giving.
To join the TWKR, go to: www.revolutionise.com.au/belleriveyc/events/341776
To encourage newcomers to participate, the TWKR is proceeded by a 'Come and Try Sailing' event, sponsored by Australian Sailing through the 'Sail Our Way' program, and run in partnership with the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania (RYCT).
This event will be run from the RYCT on Friday the 13th of February between 4:30 pm and 7 pm and is designed to provide young female sailors with an opportunity to skipper an Elliott 6-metre keelboat.
Join 'Come and Try Sailing' at: www.revolutionise.com.au/belleriveyc/events/341639
Experienced instructors and sailors will mentor and coach attendees in all facets of sailing including preparing the boat for racing, learning about the different roles on the boat, general boat safety and tips for top performance.