Sydney Sailboat Expo

Melissa Yeomans

Recovery and Reflection

It has now been a week since the 2016 Sydney Sailboat Expo wrapped up. I almost don’t know what to write, there is so much to say.

Firstly to my friends and DeckHardware Ambassadors – I am so proud of you as Ambassadors and so grateful to call you friends. You helped me get through the weekend with your support and willingness to do whatever was needed. Ensuring I ate and drank water especially on Saturday when we were stretched for volunteers. The Sydney Sailboat Expo would not have existed if it weren’t for you being our volunteers. To deliver such an event with just a small team shows the effort you all put in.

Thank you to Jordan Spencer who the week of the Expo stepped in to be the voice of the Expo doing Videos, announcements and more. Thank you to Melissa Williams-Brown Photography for the amazing photos you have taken so we can remember what can be done.

I saw online a number of posts where people asked why this didn’t happen in other states.  I guess the reason is my family decided it was needed after discussing it with a number of people in the sport and industry. We dedicated I would hate to think how many hours to ensuring it happened. Sydney as a location gives us access to so much of the Sailing Industry. We are just a family who love the sport of sailing and work in the Industry. All the posters you saw at clubs leading up to the event and the signs around the expo for instance, were all laminated by my Dad (Phil). We dedicated our time and money to the promotion of our sport and would like to thank in particular our DeckHardware competitors who supported what we were doing.

A huge thank you also to the high profile sailors who came to the Expo or shared that the Expo was on despite being overseas competing. Special thanks to Liesl Tesch and Tom Burton who took hours out of their weekend to come to the Sydney Sailboat Expo and were more than happy to talk to everyone.

The last week for us has been about unpacking, sorting out the DeckHardware Warehouse and getting back to normal work. I’ve looked back and wondered how we achieved it and wonder where we found the time and energy to do what needed doing. I am the first to admit the Sydney Sailboat Expo could be so much more than what it has been the first two years. Having said that I am proud of the fact that we have been able to bring so much of the industry together to work together in promoting and supporting sailing. The range of Associations this year was truly something I was excited and proud of.

As I recover I will do some thinking about where we go now. The effort involved was massive for this year and doing it within our little office whilst still running DeckHardware is difficult I will not lie.  I am exhausted but at the same time can see what the Sydney Sailboat Expo could be if we could continue to grow and for the entire community to get behind it. I look to the shows overseas and I have to admit I would love to achieve so much more.

To those who thanked me for the hours my Mum (Robyn) and I put in, Thank you. I was honestly shocked to receive the thank you gifts from a couple of the exhibitors. I received some wonderful messages of what some of our visitors experienced at the Expo, thank you. Hearing that we were mentioned on two commercial radio stations honestly was fantastic. An Expo about sailing got mentioned! Who would have thought sailing would be on the radio let alone this.

In a few weeks once I have given it some thought I will have a meeting with a few of the exhibitors to discuss what happens now.  The Sydney Sailboat Expo, all it was a few years ago was a dream concept of showcasing sailing after the success we had in London. To show that we are an accessible sport for everyone! I have dedicated so much of my time and energy to this project and still believe it could be so much more. To do it again in 2017 is a big ask of not only myself and my family but my amazing volunteers. So for now, I will rest, reflect and get back to work.

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Melissa Yeomans

Life has got a little hectic

Nocka and Iain Percy on hand at the Sydney Sailboat Expo to promote the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation in Australia.

The very first Sydney Sailboat Expo has been and gone.  Check out the news story on the very first Expo!  I still can not believe how fast this time has gone.  It is several weeks since the Expo and I am now looking toward next year!  The highlight for me was the support from friends and the industry for the event.  To have a surprise visit from Iain Percy to help spread the word of the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation in Australia was fantastic.  I am looking forward to the impact the Foundation will have not only on world wide sailing but Australian Sailing and am proud to be involved in this.

Now that the Expo has happened life has semi returned to normal! Well I am on catch up and recovery mode.  I managed to spend three days umpiring at the NSW Secondary Schools Teams Racing Championships this past week.  Always great to get out there and see the up and coming generation of sailors!  I love the tactics and rules in Teams Racing and Match Racing.  The thinking game of our sport is something I really enjoy.

Now don’t be too shocked.   I am actually thinking of taking a couple of days off to really recover from the hectic few months that have passed.  I am extremely lucky to have some amazing supporters behind the scenes.  Now it is time to recharge the batteries a little and stop to think about what has been achieved and is still yet to be achieved.

NSW Secondary Schools Teams Racing Championships

 

Women in Sailing talk at the Sydney Sailboat Expo

 

Melissa Yeomans

What an exciting time. 

10 days to go! Who would have thought this time would go so fast and that so much would happen!  There has been so much to do to make this what we had envisaged.  The seminars in particular are something we worked had on as we felt it a great benefit to all those who give back to the sport in particular!  We love all those volunteers! We see so many people at regattas and often it is familiar faces there each morning early and when the sun goes down.

Seminars at the Sydney Sailboat Expo:

Topics include: Yachting Australia Questions and Answers, Association Master Classes, School Sailing with Martin Pryor, Racing Rules with Jeremey Atkinson, Safety around Small Boats with Kingsley Forbes-Smith, Are you or your offspring Olympian Sailing Material with Ian Brown? Plus Using electronics / Internet / GPS / simulators to go the right way faster and learn on and off the water.

Saturday Timetable now available!

Sunday Timetable now available!

 Seminars by Sports Community

Social Media- Learn how to create effective social media strategies using the most appropriate social media tools to achieve club goals and objectives

Fundraising – Attendees will be introduced to the latest fundraising ideas for clubs, covering traditional fundraising favourites while looking at new and easy ways to raise significant funds for your club

The Importance of Goal Setting – In this session, participants will learn why planning and goal setting is important for clubs, how to assist clubs with simple goal setting processes and how to help clubs to ensure they deliver on their objectives

Club Culture – Learn about the power of a positive club culture and how to create the culture of volunteering at your club

Saturday

Sunday

Topic

10:30

10:00

Social Media

11:30

10:30

Fundraising

12:30

11:00

The Importance of Goal Setting

1:30

11:30

Club Culture

For more on Sports Community visit their website: sportscommunity.com.au

Workshops:

  • Visit the H2O Academy to get some feedback on your hiking style and wave technique. For the kids, jump in an Optimist and learn the basics of sailing on the H2O Optimist Sailing Simulator.
  • Splicing Workshop – brought to you byDeckHardware the Australian Distributor of Liros Ropes.
  • Middle Harbour Yacht Club Sailing Simulator will be in action throughout the Sydney Sailboat Expo.  Jump aboard and give it a go!
  • North Sails Clinic – Details coming soon!

I am so grateful to all those who have sent me messages of support and helped me out on this journey.  My mum Robyn and I have been working so hard to get to this point and we could not have done it without your encouragement particularly when it gets tough to balance the Sydney Sailboat Expo whilst still running DeckHardware.

Thank you to all those who have posed with the signs too!

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I have been trying hard to make sure despite being so busy that I still get out and go for a walk or do some pilates to recharge.  So important to keep the momentum going!  Views like this make it even better:

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Now let’s hope for some kind weather and a great time at the very first Sydney Sailboat Expo!  Don’t forget if you want to volunteer at the Sydney Sailboat Expo please let me know!

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Melissa Yeomans

Such exciting times

A HUGE thank you to Lisa for taking a moment out of her busy schedule to help promote the Sydney Sailboat Expo!

It certainly is becoming very real as we count down the days to the Sydney Sailboat Expo.  There is so much work to be done and it is amazing the support we are getting behind the scenes.

During the week for a little break I checked out the new trail at Narrabeen.  I did 10km walking around the entire lake, what a view! It was great to walk on the different surfaces as well for my joints. It was a great way to switch off the mind for a little and refresh to keep going with so much going on at the moment!

I managed to take a little time out yesterday to do some Umpiring.  It was so good to put the laptop, iPad, iPhone down for a few hours and play on the water! But now it is back to work as we look at the 30 day mark approaching to the very first Sydney Sailboat Expo.  I am so lucky to be able to spend my spare time having fun on Sydney Harbour.  It was a fantastic day with a great team of Volunteers who love our sport!

I have a MASSIVE week ahead with more meetings to do with the Sydney Sailboat Expo.  So watch this space!  I am so excited and yes a little exhausted but loving it!

Melissa Yeomans

Sail Sydney and Hail!

What a week! I wasn’t back in the office for long before I found myself at Sail Sydney supporting the sailors.  Making sure those we sponsor have stickers on their boats and catching up more importantly with the Moth Sailors to check where we are at leading up to the Worlds!

It was great to see Sail Sydney back on the Calendar.  The Finn Fleet in particular have been big supporters of DeckHardware and in particular Liros Rope.  Big thanks to them for being so friendly too!

Yesterday I manned the car park for a few hours to make sure everyone behaved and parked in the appropriate sections while trying to get people to park a certain way to optimize the space!  What a mission.  Thanks to those who stopped to chat and worked with us to make it happen.

Today I have spent the day working on the Sydney Sailboat Expo.  While busy working away I got more than a little distracted by yet another crazy storm.  This week has been all about storms here in Sydney.  I can only imagine the stress it added to the PRO and RO’s at Sail Sydney!  As I type this yet another one is about to come through… Amazing clouds all week as each storm has crossed over Sydney.  Today was different though as the Northern Beaches got hit with some serious Hail!  My Facebook feed is filled with Hail Shots and Video.  Just crazy weather.  Sydney is known for it’s afternoon Summer Storms but it isn’t normally every day and more than one!

Let’s Hope the weather plays nice for the Big Boat Challenge on Tuesday and the Extreme Sailing Series later in the week.  I can not wait to get out there and cheer on some friends of mine who are sailing.  #AussieSailorsRock

Melissa Yeomans

So busy and so excited

SSE_Logo-smallWhat a roller coaster the last few weeks have been.  It was never going to be easy launching a Sydney Sailboat Expo and I was well aware of this.  Wow have I been over whelmed with support I have received.  It was great to finish last week by announcing some Founding Sponsors.  They start with DeckHardware who of course have been in from the beginning as it is my families business.  boaTEC who do some fantastic work with Carbon and play on both big a little fun boats.  MacDiarmid Sails and Rigging which is run by a friend who I first met at MHYC when we were kids sailing MJ’s against each other.  As well as Ronstan who do a lot for the sport both in Australia and Overseas.  The fact that these companies believe in me and what we are trying to achieve is fantastic.

Sailing really is a small world as we all know.  It was no surprise though when I received a message of support from someone I met and became friends with when we were kids sailing Flying 11’s.  Suellen is the founder of LiveSailDie a fantastic website all about our support.  I am so excited to have them onboard as a media partner for the Sydney Sailboat Expo helping out with our website and media.  You can read more about their involvement here.

We are almost finished our application forms and you will start to see many more companies, classes and clubs being added to our website.  It is an exciting time and I can’t wait to start organising all the special activities we will have happening and what our MC Randy will be doing.  Watch this space!  I also will start working on what sort of sponsorship we will be looking for to make this the best Sailing Expo it can be.  Time to get out there and spread the word!

I really must thank my friends and team for all their support.  Without the occasional kick to get me motivated when it gets tricky or just to put me back on the right path when I am overwhelmed with the workload, I could not do it without you all. Special thanks also to my parents as we now cope with both mum and I balancing the work load of the Sydney Sailboat Expo and DeckHardware.  So thank you for helping me make this happen!

 

 

 

Melissa Yeomans

The Sydney Sailboat Expo

I did it!  I have started up my own company all about the promotion of sailing.  The new company is called Animus Productions Pty Ltd which is named after my Adams 10m “Animus”.   I have been asked often about the meaning to me behind the name Animus.  My grandfather was an amazing person living a simply HUGE life both at work and at play.  Those who knew him will laugh when I mention the at play because boy did he!  He was The Big Boss at Tip Top Australia when I was growing up and I spend a great deal of time running around his office, the board room and the factory.   He had the best work ethic I have seen and it is clearly something members of my family have inherited including my Mum and I.  He also played hard and when I was born owned a fantastic Ocean Racer called Defiance.  Defiance was the Original S&S 30, yes THE Original.  With a blue hull and fantastic looking spinnaker design she was a, hmmm well many in the family had different names for her hahaha.  Many of you may remember in the 80’s the Tip Top Australia Ads featuring Sailing the sport he loved.  Like my family now he did what he could to promote and support the sport of sailing, even having a secret bread made for those doing the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race made for the offshore conditions.

When the opportunity came for me to purchase a yacht at the age of 22 my grandfather gave me his full support and in return I decided to name my new boat as a reflection of this.  Animus was born after a lengthy search in thesaurus’ to find another word for Defiance.  In fact the meaning we found was Strength, Will and Defiance which we figured was a great fit being such a young female skipper in a class like the Adams 10m.  Now many years later I find myself once again stepping out of my comfort zone and doing what I believe in.  Promoting the sport of Sailing that I love.  The love I inherited from my family, I was lucky to be born into Sailing.

After well over a year of discussions with those who dropped by the DeckHardware warehouse it was decided to hold a meeting about putting together something like the RYA Dinghy Show.  A couple of meetings later and some lengthy research and discussions have taken place that have led me here.  Along with my Mum and good friend Locky Pryor we have launched the Sydney Sailboat Expo.

The Sydney Sailboat Expo will be held for the first time in 2015. Venue and Dates (2-3 May 2015) to be confirmed in the near future.

The Sydney Sailboat Expo is a meeting place for Sailors, those interested in becoming Sailors and the Sailing Trade Industry catch up with each other and learn more about the sport of sailing.

To be held over a weekend in 2015 showcasing the very best in Sailing. With the Latest Products for sailors on show, a wide range of classes on display and workshops on topics such as Splicing, Boat Maintenance, Sailing Fitness and more.

What an exciting time as well as being busy the next few months will be!

 

Thanks to the Tip Top Facebook Page for this great shot! We have this on the wall at home and it is a great reminder of what I believe in.