ANU Sailing Club

The Australian National University Sailing Club (ANUSC) sails on Lake Burley Griffin from its boatshed in Yarralumla Bay, which has showers, toilets and a clubroom. Membership is open to ANU undergraduate and postgraduate students, and to associates including alumni, graduates of other tertiary institutions and university staff.

The fleet is one of the club's big drawcards. It includes Lasers, Tasars, Lightweight Sharpies, Pacers, windsurfers, a 470 and a Contender, as well as kayaks and stand-up paddleboards, so members can try many kinds of sailing without buying a boat.

Members are graded Red, Amber or Green by sailing competency, which determines which boats they can take out. Introduction to Sailing Days run at least once a semester, members race in Tuesday twilights and on Saturdays, and the club represents ANU at the annual Unisport championships.

For students, it's hard to find a cheaper or friendlier way into sailing. The boatshed is within bike-riding distance of campus, and the club is run by students for students. Contact the commodore at commodore.anusc@gmail.com. See our Yarralumla sailing clubs page for more.

ANUSC is set up for beginners. Introduction to Sailing Days run at least once a semester, and new members can arrange one-on-one instruction to build their skills. Members progress through Red, Amber and Green competency grades, which unlock more boats and skippering; racing boats and Sharpies need separate approval.

Once you're confident, Tuesday twilight racing and Saturday races give plenty of practice. Saturday racing runs alongside the nearby Y Canberra Region Sailing Club. The club also sends teams to the annual Unisport championships and to other regattas around Australia. Updates about boatshed availability are shared through the members' Facebook group.

The grading system is a smart, safe way to learn. You start in the most forgiving boats in the gentlest conditions, and step up to faster singlehanders and two-person boats like the Tasar and 470 as your skills grow. Want a formal qualification as well? Browse sailing courses on YouSail.

The club's boatshed is in Yarralumla Bay on the southern shore of Lake Burley Griffin, within bike-riding distance of the ANU campus in Canberra. The boatshed has showers, toilets and a clubroom. The lake is sheltered and tide-free, which makes it a great place to learn, and it's shared with Canberra Yacht Club and the Y Canberra Region Sailing Club, both nearby at Yarralumla.

Being an inland lake in the middle of a city, Lake Burley Griffin has its own character. Breezes funnel and bend around the surrounding hills and buildings, so gusts and shifts come often. That's great practice for reading the wind. The lake has also hosted university championship sailing, including the 2003 Australian University Games.

ANU Sailing Club has long given students and staff an affordable way onto the water, sailing from Yarralumla Bay alongside Canberra's other lake clubs. The link between the university and sailing on the lake runs deep: the Y Canberra Region Sailing Club was founded in 1963 by two ANU colleagues, Val Paral and Ralph Weston.

The university has also brought national student sailing to Canberra. In 2003 ANU hosted the sailing competition of the Australian University Games on Lake Burley Griffin, and sailing has featured again at later UniSport Nationals held on the lake.

Today the club carries on that tradition. Each year new students learn to sail on the club's fleet, climb the Red, Amber and Green grades, and represent the university at Unisport.