The Sydney Amateur Sailing Club (SASC), founded in 1872, has a proud history that remains strong today. Tucked away in Mosman Bay with direct access to the water, the club offers a welcoming environment for all sailors. With dedicated volunteers and a lively social calendar, SASC continues to connect people who share a passion for the sea. Whether you’re a seasoned sailor or just beginning, the club offers opportunities to learn, race, and be part of a dynamic community.
The Archive Project (AP) is a work in progress, aimed at preserving the rich history of our club and its members.
“Our archives are more than just a collection of documents. They are a gateway to deepening our connection with the Club. Start exploring and discover the stories that unite us.”
The digital SASC Archives, hosted on this website, have been developed over several years. Primary sources include the two books “The Amateurs” (1972) and “The Second Century Begins” (1997), Annual Reports dating back to the 1950s, and SASC News issues for more than 30 years. These documents have been scanned and are presented in a searchable format.
Those primary sources are supplemented by details found using the Australian National Library’s Trove search engine. It provides access to digital collections of newspapers and published articles from 1803 to 1954. Many details in our Archives have come from research on Trove. The use of AI has helped identify details about boats, owners, and other information.
This is the main vault of information to help you understand the Club’s history. It contains details of members’ names, their boats, sailing achievements, photos, and stories, and indicates whether Reflection Podcasts exist.
The MAF also contains details of significant property acquisitions, the Club’s boats, and competitors in the Gaffers Day rallies.
The key to drawing the various sources together and enriching the MAF with photos and stories is the hyperlinks to the primary documents, made possible by having comprehensive indices for the two SASC books and SASC News.
The MAF has six different versions. Each version holds the same information, but the data is sorted differently (by member, boat name, sail number, etc.).
Gaffer Day contains details of each year’s program and, if produced, the Poster. It also contains a listing, in boat-name order, by year, for each entrant.
Scrapbooks provide a digital space to store information not covered in primary source documents. Members can contribute items of historical significance for consideration for inclusion in the Scrapbook. After a review, accepted items may have hyperlinks created in the MAF to the Scrapbook.
The “Life and Times” covers notable events and milestones during each Commodore’s tenure, beginning with the first Commodore, Captain Amora, in 1872. It is currently a WIP, but should be available in mid-2026.
The creation of the Club’s archives has only been possible with the support and work of many people:
Archive File (AF) Contains around 4900 records of members, their boats, and much more from 1872 to now. It is, however, not a complete list of all members and further research is required. The primary sources of information are Annual Reports, SASC Books, SASC News and Newspaper articles.
The AF has four sort versions – Member, Boat, Sail Number and Membership years. All versions contain the same data. The file has multiple columns of information. The content of each is explained in Column Headings, along with the use of Bold type face to indicate the accuracy of the joining year and last year of Club membership.
Where Trove found newspaper articles are the only source of a member or boat detail, the year joined or last year are thus uncertain, so will not be in bold type. The AF has Hyperlinks to SASC books, SASC News, Annual Reports and Podcasts. These Links take you directly to the page in the publication or Reflection interview. The link might be a photo, story or the podcast relating to the Member or boat.
Your help would be appreciated to add or correct AF records. Please send details using the email address achives@sasc.com.au. If you have a document that might help expand the earlier years’ details, make a copy and attach it to an email using the Archive Maintenance Form.
The files and a description of the column headings can be viewed or downloaded below :
Search Function: The Archive File, Annual Reports, Books, and SASC News are all on the website in searchable files that can be explored.
To search any of the files, press the “Ctrl” and “F” key together, or if available, the magnifying symbol.
A dialogue box appears – then enter in to it, your search criteria (such as Boat name or Sail # etc.,) and the “enter” key.
Any instances found, will be highlighted and, if multiple, can be scrolled through.
“The Early Years” contains details recorded in ‘The Amateurs” book (page # ref. in black) and Trove articles (ref. in Red). both sources cover 1872-1881 the first three commodores. It is in date order (YYYYMMDD).
Indexes to The Early Years by date or by event can be viewed or downloaded on the links below. The indexes provide details of the sources of the article, “The Amateurs”, “Trove” and the Volume and page number in “The Early Years”.
Click to view Index The Early Years by date – 30 March 2022
Click to view Index The Early Years by event – 30 March 2022
Additional information on SASC can be found in our newsletters which date back to 1960. Click here to view
“The Amateurs“, “The Second Contrary Begins” and “Ranges” are also significant sources of covering the past 125 years. “The Early Years” covers the period of the first three Commodores. It expands on the details contained in “The Amateurs” by using Trove found newspaper articles of races, meetings, disputes etc.
These articles are inserted, chronologically, into the same layout as the first book “The Amateurs”. Because of file sizes, books are held on the website in sections. A Sections can be viewed by either turning the page or scrolling. Indexes for each Book, and a combined Index of the 100th and 125th books, is available.
The Combined Index file contains hyperlinks which link to “The Amateurs” and “The Second Century Begins” books. You can open the Combined Index PDF then use the “search” function to find the name of a member, boat or topic and select the hyperlink (last column) to take you directly to the book section then “search” it for the text of your interest.
Click to view the Combined Book Index with Hyperlinks – Updated 13th September 2021
Click to view the individual Sections within Book 1
The Amateurs Book 1 Part 1 (cover to page 31)
The Amateurs Book 1 Part 2 (pages 32 to 55)
The Amateurs Book 1 Part 3 (pages 56 to 83)
The Amateurs Book 1 Part 4 (pages 84 to 108)
The Amateurs Book 1 Part 5 (pages 109 to 137)
The Amateurs Book 1 Part 6 (pages 138 to 166)
The Amateurs Book 1 Part 7 (pages 167 to 1960
The Amateurs Book 1 Part 8 (pages 197 to cover)
The Amateurs Book 1 Supplement 1973
Any queries, contact Fred Bevis archives@sasc.com
Click to view the individual Sections within Book 2
The Amateurs Book 2 Part 1 (cover to page 10)
The Amateurs Book 2 Part 2 (Pages 11 to 22)
The Amateurs Book 2 Part 3 (Pages 23 to 31)
The Amateurs Book 2 Part 4 (Pages 32 to 52)
The Amateurs Book 2 Part 5 (Pages 53 to 77)
The Amateurs Book 2 Part 6 (Pages 78 to 94)
Is a more detailed listing of Club events (with Hyperlinks to Photos and stories in SASC Books, SASC News and Annual Reports).
The Life and Times File (Full Listing) cover notable events and milestones during the Club’s history. It begins a little before the first Commodore, Captain Amora, in 1872, and moves through each subsequent Commodore’s term of office.
The Life and Times versions include hyperlinks to SASC books, Newsletters, Annual Reports, Scrapbooks, and other external sources, and are sorted chronologically. It is a searchable PDF.
The Subset versions detailed below, which are subsets of the “All Records” version, focus on specific event categories.
Annual Meetings & Commodore elections – all years
Members – Hon. Life and other notable members.
Premises – Clubhouses, wharves, slipways, moorings, etc.
Racing Rules – changes over the years
Sailing Events – SASC and jointly with or for others.
Boats – SASC owned
Social Events
Club Staff
A short outline of the significant SASC events from 1872 to 2026. The file does not have hyperlinks but is a searchable PDF.
Whether you’re a seasoned sailor or a beginner, SASC offers a welcoming community, expert guidance, and thrilling adventures on the water!
We look forward to welcoming you to Sydney Amateurs Sailing Club to enjoy sailing seasons, regattas, social events, and the camaraderie of fellow enthusiasts!
Members are requested to have their vessel name clearly identified.
All items left in the lockers are left at the owner’s risk.
To cancel your booked locker space, you will need to provide 4 weeks’ notice by email to office@sasc.com.au.
Members are requested to have their boat name clearly identified on their dinghy.
To cancel your booked dinghy space, you will need to provide 4 weeks’ notice by email to office@sasc.com.au.
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All items and dinghies left in the space are left at the owners risk.