Three clubs, three very different corners of Australia, one shared statistic: each has grown its membership by roughly 30 per cent in the past year, and each is now a finalist for Club of the Year (Category B) at the 2026 Australian Sailing Awards.
Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club in South Australia, Lake Cootharaba Sailing Club in Queensland and Sandy Bay Sailing Club in Tasmania make up the shortlist, each arriving off the back of a standout season.
The award splits into Category A and Category B in every state bar Tasmania, a structure designed so smaller and larger clubs aren't competing head to head. Judges weigh each club against Australian Sailing's strategic pillars of Grow, Support and Win, alongside six foundations covering future focus, diversity and inclusion, environmental sustainability, innovation, safety and partnerships.
Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club grew from 410 to 535 members, a 30.5 per cent jump built on a Youth Teams Sailing Program run with local secondary schools. The club hosted the State, National and Interdominion Teams Sailing Championships, each drawing around 200 junior sailors, plus the Sailability State Championships and a Women's Short-Course Regatta. Its SheSails initiative, running since 2018, has shifted the club's culture, pairing newcomers with experienced female skippers and helping women progress right through to boat ownership and leadership roles.
Lake Cootharaba Sailing Club lifted membership 31 per cent to 366, while building a name for running slick regattas. Five open regattas and eight class events, including the MG14 and Sabre National Championships and a Paper Tiger NZ vs Australia series, pulled in more than 470 entries between them, a direct trans-Tasman contest on the water. Regatta income, about 30 per cent of the club's total revenue, gets ploughed straight back into learn-to-sail programmes and facilities.
Sandy Bay Sailing Club grew to 400 members, up 30 per cent and its highest total since 2018. A reworked Green Fleet programme doubled participation to 30 sailors, and the club hosted the largest-ever Australian Secondary Schools Teams Sailing Championships, with 26 teams including a record seven girls' teams. It will also run the 2026 International Cadet Australian Championship.
The winner of Club of the Year (Category B) will be announced at the Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour on Friday, October 30, capping a year in which all three finalists have shown that growth on the water starts with the work done on land.
