MHYC Melges 20 Program

Middle Harbour Yacht Club has three Melges 20 sportsboats that are available for members use.

The 6.1 metre Melges 20 is a nimble racing keelboat that handles like a dinghy and is suitable for 3-4 crew. The fiberglass hull has a self-draining cockpit and is fitted with a fractional rig, roller furling jib and asymmetrical spinnaker flown from a retractable bowsprit. It is an ideal platform to develop helming and crewing skills and build teamwork.

Who can use the MHYC Melges 20s?

Club Full and Club Crew category members 18+ are eligible to skipper and be the person in charge of Club Melges 20s provided they have:

successfully completed an Australian Sailing Start Skippering Keelboat Course or can demonstrate equivalent skill and experience skippering a similar craft
signed an agreement to the Terms & Conditions of Use and provided a credit card authority in lieu of a damage deposit
paid the MHYC race entry fee or training fee

In certain circumstances, Club Youth category members may also be eligible to skipper one of the Club Melges 20s.

For MHYC Membership Information – click here

Who can crew on the MHYC Melges 20s?

Eligible crew members include:

MHYC Club Full, Club Crew and Club Youth category members
Current financial sailing category members of another World Sailing affiliated club
Non-members who have a valid MHYC SailPass for the day of the activity

What activities can the MHYC Melges 20s be used for?

The primary aim of the MHYC Melges 20 Program is to foster involvement in club and interclub racing, both midweek and on weekends. Suitable Series include:

Pacific Rigging Wednesday Non-Spinnaker Series
Thursday Twilight Non-Spinnaker Series
Friday Twilight Spinnaker Series
Sydney Harbour Sprint Series (Saturdays)
MHYC Feature Event Series (Saturdays and ANZAC Day)
Combined Clubs Sunday Series - MHYC & Manly YC (Sundays)

Suitable Regattas include:

MHYC Womens Regatta (Sunday 19 October 2025)
Melges 20 Open & Womens Sprints (15 November 2025 & 7 February 2026)
Sydney Harbour Regatta (Sat & Sun 7 & 8 March 2026)
Helly Hansen Womens Challenge (Sunday 22 March 2026)

Eligible skippers may enter an entire series to secure availability of a boat but are required to start more than 50% of races in that series. Alternatively, skippers may enter races on a casual per day basis.

The Melges 20 can also be used for training activities with or without a coach on a casual per day basis, however applications for racing activities will take priority.

What are the costs?

Series entry fees vary depending on the event details, number of racing days and races.

Casual race fees are $60 per day (online) or $65 (at the counter).

Training session fees are $150 per day.

A signed credit card authority for $1000 is required in lieu of a damage deposit.

Coaching (on-board or RHIB based) is available at additional charge – POA.

How do I book?

Step 1 – Complete the Melges 20 Booking Form, online, complete Terms & Conditions of Use and Damage Deposit Form and present to the MHYC Marina Office.

Step 2 – Once your application to skipper has been approved and a Melges 20 allocated, enter the race or series or training day via the MHYC SailSys Entry Portal using the personalised boat profile provided to you by the Sailing Office.

More Information?

For information about the equipment, contact the Marina Office - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 0451 466 157 (Monday – Friday)

For information about racing, contact the Sailing Office This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 8969 3103 (Wednesday – Saturday)

MHYC Keelboat Perpetual Trophies

MHYC has a number of Perpetual Trophies awarded each year for success in a varierty of races and series.

Cock of the Club Teams Trophy List

Combined Clubs Sunday Series

Notice of Race & Sailing Instructions | Online Entry | Entrants & Results

Manly Yacht Club and Middle Harbour Yacht have collaborated to establish the Combined Clubs Sunday Series. Ten races are scheduled over six race days for the 2025-2026 season with a combination of passage races and sprints. Races will be scored on ORC, IRC and PHS for Division 1 and on ORC and PHS for Division 2.

Keelboat Handicapping at MHYC

Middle Harbour Yacht Club uses a number of different handicapping systems to provide enjoyable and competitive racing for its members who sail a variety of different boats.

IRC

The International Rating Certificate is a measurement rating rule to handicap different designs of keelboats allowing them to race together. A rating is not altered between races according to the individual boat’s performance but is based on the physical measurements of the boat.

IRC handicapping is used for the premier classes in MHYC’s major regattas, the Sydney Short Offshore Racing Championship and Sydney Harbour Regatta. It is also used for the MHYC Ocean Series and Inshore Series.

IRC requires measurements of the hull, appendages, rig and sails being undertaken by an accredited measurer, including weighing.

Annual fees are calculated on boat length.

ORC Club

ORC Club (ORCc) is a simplified and less expensive version of the Offshore Racing Congress International rating system (ORCi) which is based on a complete boat measurement. It is designed for club level racing up to national championship level. Both systems have the same rating and can be scored together in any races. Measurements are self-declared by the owner.

ORCc uses the International Measurement System (IMS) as a measurement platform and the same Velocity Prediction Program (VPP) of ORCi to rate boats of different characteristics. With ORC Club, a boat’s handicap remains constant from week to week.

ORC Club handicapping is used for the Sydney Harbour Regatta Performance Spinnaker Divisions, Sydney Harbour Combined Clubs Inshore Series, the MHYC Inshore Annual Pointscore and Sydney Harbour Sprint Series. From 2025-2026, there will be an ORC pointscore in conjunction with the PHS Pursuit results for the Pacific Rigging Wedfnesday Non-Spinnaker Series.

Current fees are $115.00 for an ORC Club New Application and Revalidation. ORC Club Amendments and Additional Certificates (Two-Handed, Non-Spinnaker) are 50.00

For more detailed information about ORC Club at MHYC - click here

One Design Racing is where all boats are identical or similar in design. Class-legal boats race each other without any handicap calculations, start at the same time, and the winner is the first to cross the finish line. One Design results are used for the Adams 10, J/24, Farr 40 and other identified classes in the Sydney Harbour Regatta, and for class sanctioned regattas.

PHS

The Performance Handicap System adjusts a boat’s handicap after each race based on the performance of that boat relative to other boats in that fleet.

Entrants in each initial race in a series have a Time Correction Factor (TCF) allocated based upon the boat’s performance in a previous or similar series. When the results are calculated for the initial race, a new TCF is generated for each boat for the next race.

PHS rewards consistent performance improvements and levels the playing field for older boats and less experienced crews. PHS is used for the Sydney Harbour Combined Clubs Inshore Series and for the MHYC Inshore and Sprint Series.

PurHC

Pursuit Handicaps are generated through the Performance Handicap System and provide a time (in whole minutes) after the race start at which a boat is permitted to start.

Pursuit start times are calculated by using:

• the handicap (TCF) allocated to your boat

• the estimated or average course length

• the start time of the slowest boat in your division, and

• a speed factor which is proprietary to SailSys

At the end of the race the TCF will be recalculated based on the boat’s elapsed time to sail the course and performance relative to the boats in its division. The new TCF that will be used to recalculate the boat’s start time for the next race.

Start times are rounded to whole minutes achieved by rounding up when the calculated time is greater than or equal to 30 seconds.

Pursuit Handicaps are used for the Pacific Rigging Wednesday Non-Spinnaker Series and the Flagstaff Marine Thursday Twilight Non-Spinnaker Series. Pursuit Handicaps are allocated on a race-by-race basis for MHYC Feature Events and Charity and Corporate Regattas.

For more information….

Australian Sailing Ratings Page (IRC, ORCi, ORCc) - click here

SailSys Help Centre (PHS) – click here

Sydney Harbour Women's Keelboat Series

2025-2026

Notice of Race | Sailing Instructions | Online Entry | Entrants & Results

The Sydney Harbour Women’s Keelboat Series returns in 2025-2026, and we are excited to announce the additional of two races hosted by Sydney Amateur Sailing Club and Balmain Sailing Club.

One race will be hosted by each of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA), Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron (RSYS), Manly Yacht Club (MYC), Royal Australian Naval Sailing Association (RANSA), Sydney Amateur Sailing Club, Balmain Sailing Club and Middle Harbour Yacht Club (MHYC).

Crews will be able to compete in full female crew or female helm divisions with 30% female crew, as well as nominate spinnaker or non-spinnaker racing.

Entries are available in a block, or on a per-race basis by 1200hrs the Thursday prior to each race. For more information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We also encourage MHYC sailors to participate in the Sydney Harbour Women's Keelboat Series, now in its fifth year.

2025/26 RACE SCHEDULE