Here's what we sail on Lake Wendouree

Lake Wendouree is a shallow lake and therefore the classes of yachts sailed are restricted by the depth of the water.

These classes are sailed at Ballaarat Yacht Club;
Jubilee  •  ILCA (Laser)  •  Lightweight Sharpie  •  Paper Tiger Catamaran  •  Opti  •  Pacers  •  Hansa •  Liberty

The club conducts competition with class line honours and both yardstick and individual handicapping to promote fair and even competition. 

JUBILEE
The Jubilee Design has proved itself under all conditions, and even the most experienced yachtsmen are unanimous in their praise of the complete seaworthiness. ease of handling and safety margin of these yachts.
They are comparatively small boats, but nevertheless will tackle with utmost safety the worst conditions. On the other hand, they "ghost" along most satisfactorily, even when there is no perceptible breeze at all.

ILCA (International Laser Class Association)
Originally known as the Laser, the ILCA dinghy is a single-handed racing dinghy. The biggest attraction of the ILCA dinghy is that it is protected by strict one-design class rules, which means that no changes are allowed to the boat unless they are specifically permitted in the rules. The result is that all ILCA boats are virtually identical, whether they are brand-new or 10 years old, making it the sailor that wins the race – not the boat. The ILCA dinghy is a challenging boat that rewards athleticism, subtle steering, and trimming techniques, as well as tactical excellence. It is a single-handed Olympic-class boat for both men and women and is sailed at club, national, and international levels. With over 225,000 boats in 140 countries, it is the world’s most popular adult and youth racing sailboat.

LIGHTWEIGHT SHARPIE
The Australian Lightweight Sharpie are a national one-design class with a long history of evolution. The class is quite unusual in comparison to the majority f other dinghies, due to its distinctive shape, size, and complement of crew (three: including skipper, main hand and forward hand on trapeze).

PAPER TIGER CATAMARAN
The Paper TigerCatamaran is a 4.3m (14ft) single handed racing catamaran that provides exciting and close racing.Designed in 1967 as a training catamaran Ron Given,  the designer, did not anticipate the competative ability of those sailors who were attracted to the class. The Pper Tiger has been turned into a smooth racing craft.

PACER
The Pacer is a 3.8m one design sloop rigged family dinghy, complete with spinnaker. The Pacer  is the ideal performance family yacht , for two creww. With a lightweight hull, capable of planing spped, wide beam and not excessive amount of sail these boats can provide responsive and relatively high performance. It is a safe and stable boat and one of the most attractive and affordanle yachts on the water.

OPTI
The Opti, designed for juniour sailors, safe and simple enough for an 8-year old, exciting and technivcal enough for a 15-yer old. The Opti is not only the biggest dinghy class in the world, it is the fastest growing. Over 150,000 kids in over 100 contries cannot be wrong.
The BYC Tackers fleet sail in the Opti.

Hansa 2.3 is an ideal training and recreational craft but can be used as a sporty little racer by a single sailor.
With its simple rig and steering, the security of a ballasted centre-board and roller reefing, the Hansa 2.3 is an ideal entry level craft for club participation and racing programs that include sailors from a broad range of ages and abilities.

Hansa 303 is ideal for those sailors who wish to take their sailing more seriously. Compared to the Hansa 2.3, this boat has a taller rig with the addition of a jib so there are two extra control lines to handle.  A heavier centreboard along with the same steering and similar hull characteristics to the smaller 2.3 ensures these boats are also extremely safe and easy to sail.
The Hansa 303 will balance perfectly when sailed single-handed, but is still fun and responsive when sailed by two adults. The 303 is an inexpensive, very versatile, exciting, yet very comfortable boat to sail.

Liberty is a very fast and high pointing compact keelboat. The Liberty is indeed a totally accessible performance craft which anyone can sail, regardless of ability.
The high coamings and wide side decks keep the boat dry even at extreme angles of heel whilst the two high aspect rudder blades ensure directional stability.