E-NEWS April Ed II Rookie Skipper Wins Brisbane to Gladstone Mooloolaba Yacht Club skipper Michael Balkin completed a meteoric rise up the ranks of Queensland offshore yacht racing when he steered the former Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club sloop Corum to a popular win in the Brisbane to Gladstone race. Just 18 months ago Balkin was satisfied with sailing in fun race events on the Sunshine Coast before he decided to buy the champion sloop Corum. That became a career changing decision when skipper Balkin and his crew out sailed their rivals in a demanding test of tactical offshore racing over the 308 nautical mile course. Ian Grant www.brisbanetogladstone.com  Full Story: http://www.qld.yachting.org.au/default.asp?Page=22806 Queensland Olympic Contenders Build Confidence in Europe Queensland’s 470 Olympic sailing campaigners are set to travel to Europe this month to complete a critical stage in their preparations for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  The male 470 team of Mathew Belcher and Nick Behrens and the Female team of Lauren Jeffries and Rike Zaegelmayer will complete six major European sailing events in six separate countries over the next three months. Full Story: http://www.qld.yachting.org.au/default.asp?Page=22712 Queensland Secondary Schools Team Racing Championship The 2006 Secondary Schools Team Racing Championship was an outstanding success with Queensland’s best school sailors coming together to sail in perfect sailing conditions at host club Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron before Easter. The team at host club Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron should be congratulated on the exceptional quality of the event. In recognition of outstanding performances during the 2006 Queensland Secondary Schools Team Racing Championship Yachting Queensland President Dayle Smith presented 7 competitors with the Yachting Queensland Award for Excellence. The recipients of the Yachting Queensland Award for Excellence included: Victoria Brockhall, Renee McCall, Sam Kerr, Max Creedy, Michael Johns, Sean O'Rourke and Brent Pearson. Full results of the event including winners and placings will be published within the week. Sabot Sailor From Tin Can Bay Takes on the Navy The Royal Australian Navy is an exciting and financially rewarding career opportunity for the junior sailors of today with a passion for the ocean. Dan Berrell is a Leading Navy Seaman in Brisbane. At 24 years old, he has been serving on Australian Navy vessels all over the world since graduating from school.  Dan grew up sailing dinghies with the Tin Can Bay Sea Scouts.  After graduating from Gympie High School in 1999, Dan took the step to make his passion a career and joined the Royal Australian Navy. Full Story: http://www.qld.yachting.org.au/default.asp?Page=22781 Dent to Dunk Schedule Slightly Altered Due to Larry The Dent to Dunk Race and Rally Schedule has been slightly altered due to Cyclone Larry.  Dunk Island suffered significant damage and is consequently closed for a refit. The destination for the event has changed. The Dent to Dunk Race will still go to Dunk, but around the island, then on a short 20 mile leg to finish at Cardwell’s Port Hinchinbrook. The Coral Coast Rally will finish 1 day earlier than planned, at Port Hinchinbrook on Saturday 27th May. This will leave a couple of days free for any participant to explore Hinchenbrook Passage if they wish, before the 30 May presentation. Full Story: http://www.qld.yachting.org.au/default.asp?Page=22720 Changes for Airlie Beach Race Week 2006 As Bob Dylan once said 'times they are a changing' and this is true of the annual Airlie Beach Race Week. Earlier in the year, long time supporter of the event, Hogs Breath Cafés, signalled they would be ending their valued association with the regatta and pursuing other sponsorship avenues. Hogs Breath has supported the event for sixteen years and both the restaurant chain and the regatta have grown enormously over those sixteen years. Full Story: http://www.qld.yachting.org.au/default.asp?Page=22715 Yachting Australia Safety Boat Course - 14th May, Manly A Yachting Australia Safety Boat Course has been scheduled as follows: Date:   Sunday 14th May 2006 Time:  8.30am - 4.30pm Location:  Yachting Qld Office                  578 Royal Esplanade, Manly 4179                  (in the grounds of Royal Qld Yacht Squadron) Cost:         $120.00 (includes GST) Instructor: Mark Rickard The Yachting Australia Safety Boat Endorsement is a power boat course designed to prepare club employees and volunteers for safety boat vessel duties during a regatta and improve boat handling skills. Full Story: http://www.qld.yachting.org.au/default.asp?Page=22713 Help celebrate the Year of the Turtle We can all help celebrate and protect our marine turtles during the Indian Ocean – South-East Asian (IOSEA) ‘Year of the Turtle - 2006’. GBRMPA’s Species Conservation Manager Dr Kirstin Dobbs said the official ‘Year of the Turtle’ campaign was launched on 1 March 2006 and provided us all with an opportunity to celebrate marine turtles and to support their conservation in our local communities. Full Story: http://www.qld.yachting.org.au/default.asp?Page=22809 Maritime Safety Queensland Legislation Updates On 13 March 2006, the Honourable Paul Lucas, MP, Minister for Transport and Main Roads, announced the introduction of new compulsory lifejacket wearing requirements for children and in certain high risk situations. The new regulation for the compulsory wearing of lifejackets in certain situations became law from 1 April 2006.  It is now a requirement for all children under the age of twelve in open boats under 4.8m in length while underway, to wear lifejackets.  As well, everyone on open boats under 4.8m wil be required to wear lifejackets while crossing declared coastal bars.  Please visit www.msq.qld.gov.au for more information.  Full legislation update: http://www.qld.yachting.org.au/default.asp?Page=22812