SAIL RACING FOR ALL
about us
SPASC is a community service, charitable, non-profit-making organisation with strong ties to the local community and businesses, fellow organisations and the Lake Macquarie City Council.
With over 100 members, the club encourages junior participation and has a good proportion of non-sailing members who assist with race operations. In addition to its own regattas, SPASC hosts regular State and National regattas for its classes and associations.
Speers Point Amateur Sailing Club Inc. operates a management system through an Executive Committee, supported by General Committee Members appointed annually at SPASC's Annual General Meeting. The Executive Committee are responsible for overseeing the governance of the club, managing business relations and club finance.
In addition to Optimist training dinghies and O'pen skiffs, SPASC has a broad range of racing dinghies (including Tasars and Lasers), catamarans (including Nacra 5.8s, A Classes & Arrows) and trailer-sailers (Hartley TS16s) participating in both Saturday and Friday afternoon races.
We have ample parking, a large, grassed rigging area and two wide ramps for launching and retrieving dinghies and catamarans using beach-trolleys and larger boats using trailers.
The SPASC clubhouse is magnificently situated at the northern end of the lake, surrounded by the green spaces of Speers Point Park. With sweeping views from the upper deck, it provides an ideal vantage for relaxing after races and enjoying the sunset.
Our History
Club life member, Jane Klein’s excellent work: Sailing Speers Point, 1880 Onwards, is recommended to all who seek an in-depth appreciation of the history of the Speers Point Amateur Sailing Club (SPASC).
SPASC is one of the oldest sailing clubs on Lake Macquarie. It was founded around 1905 on the point now know as 'Shipbuilders', and by the 1920s hosted a large fleet of 16-foot skiffs.
By the 1950s, SPASC had become a stronghold for Vaucluse Juniors (VJs). In the decades since, mixed fleets of VJs, Skates, NS14s, Moths and Sabots raced at the club. Catamarans first joined the SPASC fleet in 1969 and Tasars in 1983.
Construction of the current clubhouse commenced in the early 1950s when members relocated the original building plank by plank to its current location on the edge of Speers Point Park for better water access. With several extensions added as fund-raising allowed, the current clubhouse was finally completed and officially opened in 1974.
SAFETY
SPASC’s Operating Procedures Manual and Safety Management Plan objectives are to:
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Ensure the health and safety of SPASC members, participants in sailing regattas, junior sail training programs, support boat drivers and crew, volunteers and the general public who may be at SPASC’s clubhouse and/or on Lake Macquarie participating in SPASC sailing regattas and races, as far as reasonably practicable,
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Comply with any Acts, Regulations, local laws and by-laws, Codes of Practice, Australian Standards and RMS NSW policy and procedures that are in any way applicable,
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Ensure SPASC’s Safety Management Plan is developed and implemented in accordance with any other Acts, regulations, local laws and by-laws, Codes of Practice, Australian Standards, NSW COVID-19 Regulations and RMS’s policy, practice and procedures,
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Maintain trust, good faith and cooperation between SPASC and Maritime NSW.
SPASC’s objectives will be met through good leadership, commitment and continual training.