Victorian Minnow Sailing Association

A Night to Remember...

The Minnow 50th bash was awesome.
Great fun with great friends mixing the generations of blue sail fans.

The effort behind the scenes by so many was amazing.

Thank you, thank you , thank you to:

* the Decorating team – Annabell O’Brien, Sally Murphy & Nelly Kudnig

* Photo and tech collaboration – big thanks to Fred O’Brien, Michelle Battenburg – NT minnows, Russel Bates and all those that sent memories and memorabilia

And to our generous supporters and sponsors - take a bow:

Backwell family – wine
Clarke family – platters & wine
Tommy Bahama
Kollab https://kollab.com.au
Oxygn8 https://www.instagram.com/oxygn8/
Ronstan https://www.ronstan.com/au
WASZP https://waszp.com

All hail the Blue Sail

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19oiuYYetP/

https://www.facebook.com/share/1APt7jidGr/

What a weekend at the Victorian Minnow State Championship!

Let us recap and congratulate all our sailors and winners over what was a fantastic weekend at Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron. We had 38 sailors travel from as far as Darwin and Gippsland!

*** OVERALL RESULTS ***

Open
1st place- Leo Batenburg
2nd place- William Rose
3rd place- Lucas Hailes

Open- Female
1st place- Daisy Cunningham

Open- Junior
1st place- William Rose
2nd place- Louis Davis
3rd place- Irida Bladon

Intermediate
1st place- Jasper Bez
2nd place- Charlotte D'Amore
3rd place- Sam de Neef

Novice
1st place- Raphy Anderson- Llewellyn
2nd place- Arabella Brenan
3rd place- Emily Beveridge

Novice- Female
1st place- Arabella Brenan

President's Award
Oscar Brenan

Most Improved (Open)
Neave Murphy

A massive thank you to Russel Bates for capturing the special moments from the weekend on the water. To take a look head over to the Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron page: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1bPcrJ9mV4/
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Avg6Ycekq/

A huge shout-out and thank you to our host club Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron and our 2026 Sponsors- we could not do this without you!

🔹 Sly Boat Building & Repair Centre
Supporting ILCA/Laser, Tasar, 29er, 49er, 49erFX, Opti & Sabre
👉 https://www.slyboat.com.au
🔹 Ronstan
World-class sailboat hardware, proudly Australian
👉 https://www.ronstan.com
🔹 EcoSail Bags
Sustainable sailing bags supporting our Minnow sailors
👉 https://ecosailbags.com.au
🔹 WASZP
The first step to Foiling
👉 https://waszp.com

CONGRATULATIONS Leo Battenburg - Our 50th Victorian Minnow Champion Darwin Sailing Club

https://sailingresults.net/sa/results/Overall.aspx?ID=82260.6

Thankyou to the following people who made this regatta.
- host BYS, Georgina, Michele & Maddie
- race officers Steve Cowell & Ed Warner
- media Russle Bates & Stu & Kerryn Rose
- home made trophies Charlie Clarke
- sponsors - Ronstan Sailing Sly Boat Building and Repair Centre Ecosail bags - Top Opie https://www.minnow.org.au/shop
- Victorian Minnow Sailing Association Committee
- nt minnow NT Minnow Sailing Association
- Parkdale Yacht Club
- Gippsland Lakes Yacht Club

This story began in 1968 with Rex Fettell.

For so many people, the Minnow was the beginning of your sailing journey. It was your first taste of independence on the water — a place where confidence is built, friendships are formed, and resilience quietly takes hold. The beginning of salty hair, stinky wetsuits, and some of the best memories many of us will ever have.

The Minnow teaches far more than just sailing. It teaches young sailors how to rig their own boat, how to capsize and get back up, how to look after their mates, and how to keep going when things don’t go perfectly — which, as we know, is most days on the water.

The Minnow was designed to be simple, affordable, and accessible — and that philosophy is exactly why it has endured. While boats and classes have come and gone, the Minnow has remained a constant, because it does what it was always meant to do: get kids sailing — and keep them loving it.

Celebrating 50+ years of the minnow. So much fun and the Minnow stories were flowing.

To everyone who has given their time and energy — you have created something that lasts far beyond a single season or trophy.

We continue to see new families joining, new sailors learning the ropes, and a community that genuinely supports one another — on and off the water. That sense of belonging is something very special, and something truly worth celebrating.
All hail the blue sail ⛵️ 🙌 💙

50th Victorian State minnow Champs.
Saturday winners.
Open Div
Intermediate Div
Novice Div

It was a Bluetiful Day…

Day one of the 50th Victorian Minno championships was epic!

With 40 sailors competing in three divisions it was a day to remember.

The novice and intermediate racers battled it out on the inner course and everyone sailed fantastic in some very challenging conditions that built through the day.

On the outer course it was even windier where the best boys and girls in the class battled it out.

Well done to everyone - true determination.

Provisional results are here:
Novice:

Minnow Victorian Championships 2026

Intermediate:

Minnow Victorian Championships 2026

Open:

Minnow Victorian Championships 2026

Tomorrow Sunday….

📢 0900 Competitor Briefing, Race Day One Presentation and Minnow Muster
⛵ 1030 (First warning signal)
🌭 Post Racing Sausage Sizzle
🏆 Presentation to follow

A huge shout-out and thank you to our host club Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron and our 2026 Sponsors- we could not do this without you!

🔹 Sly Boat Building & Repair Centre
Supporting ILCA/Laser, Tasar, 29er, 49er, 49erFX, Opti & Sabre
👉 https://www.slyboat.com.au
🔹 Ronstan
World-class sailboat hardware, proudly Australian
👉 https://www.ronstan.com
🔹 EcoSail Bags
Sustainable sailing bags supporting our Minnow sailors
👉 https://ecosailbags.com.au

🔹 WASZP
The first step to Foiling
👉 https://waszp.com

4 days until GO TIME!

Victorian Minnow State Championships
14-15 February 2026
Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron

We have an incredible 38 Minnow sailors ready and raring to battle it out across three fleets this weekend! And for the first time we have an Intermediate Fleet to help bridge the gap between the Novice and Open Fleets! Can learning to sail and racing in a Minnow get any better?!

Who will be crowned the Victorian State Champion for 2026? Come on down to Blairgowrie on the weekend to find out!

A huge shoutout and thank you to our key sponsors below! We are so grateful for your commitment to supporting our junior sailors and growing our sport. Make sure to head to their websites and show them your support!

🔹 Sly Boat Building & Repair Centre
Supporting ILCA/Laser, Tasar, 29er, 49er, 49erFX, Opti & Sabre
👉 https://www.slyboat.com.au
🔹 Ronstan
World-class sailboat hardware, proudly Australian
👉 https://www.ronstan.com
🔹 EcoSail Bags
Sustainable sailing bags supporting our Minnow sailors
👉 https://ecosailbags.com.au