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CLUB INDUCTION HANDBOOK
A warm welcome to Queenscliff Cruising Yacht Club.
We hope that this Club Induction Handbook will be helpful. A variety of other useful information can be found on the Club website, qcyc.org.au.
The Club QCYC is run entirely by the membership who volunteer their time. This applies to both the day-to-day operation of the Club and to its broader management. Whatever the scope or level of your expertise, your contribution is encouraged.
Your participation will help to maintain, grow and secure the future of our wonderful facilities.
The Environment
The Club is situated on beautiful Sand Island, adjoining Swan Island Swan Island is administered by the Department of Defence and Sand Island is administered by Parks Victoria.
The Department of Defence allows access to the Club only by boat or car. Access by foot or bicycle is not allowed.
The Port Phillip beach is accessed via the path alongside the Cut.
The Department of Defence has security cameras viewing the whole island, making it a very secure location please obey all Departments signage .
In the event that you are the last member to leave, please ensure that all clubhouse doors are closed and locked.
No pets of any kind are permitted on land leased by the Club or on boats moored to the Club wharf.
Camping is not allowed at QCYC and sleeping in the Clubhouse is strictly prohibited.
Entitlements
1. Members are entitled to have their boat on the wharf for up to 60 nights per annum.
2. All Club facilities are available for Member use including the kitchen, refrigerators, wood heater, BBQ’s, pizza oven, laundry, dinghy storage and workshop.
Planning your Visit
1. Whether visiting by boat or car, an online booking form must be completed, via the QCYC website, at least two days prior to your planned arrival.
2. An email will be sent to confirm the booking.
3. Pay for your booking via TryBooking on the QCYC website. Http://cruisingyachtclub.org
4. There are only a few communal items available at the Club, ie. tea, coffee, and sugar, and access to Queenscliff is only by car or dinghy.
5. It is compulsory that your boat has comprehensive insurance including $10m legal liability cover. You will be asked to leave the wharf if you do not have adequate insurance.
Arriving at QCYC by Boat
1. An Officer of the Day (OOD) or Berthing Manager will be present at the Club during the peak periods of the Christmas holidays and Easter and at other times during the year .
2. Please fly the Club burgee from your starboard spreader to indicate to the OOD that you are a Club member. If you are flying more than one burgee, the Club burgee should be uppermost.
3. Take care as you leave the Queenscliff Cut to enter the mooring area, as a flood tide can swing your stern quite quickly.
4. Proceed parallel to the wharf and make sure that fenders are deployed. Boats should continue to at least level with the north end of the Clubhouse, then swing out (west) towards the moorings before turning to starboard and proceeding south to the berth location indicated by the OOD
5. Berth with your bow facing south, that is, towards the Cut.
6. It is recommended that you have your own fender board which can be stored at the Club if desired. The board length should span 3 wharf vertical fenders and be of sufficient strength for the boat. It must be secured to the boat (not the wharf) and be positioned so that the bow will not hit the wharf in the event of a SW blow (position the fender board slightly forward of amidships).
7. Size and number of fenders is important - a minimum of 4 large fenders in good condition is recommended for a boat up to 10 m, with a fender for every additional 2 m.
8. You may be required to raft up to another vessel – please make sure that you have deployed an adequate number of fenders in advance. 9. Always moor and prepare your boat as though a strong SW blow were imminent.
Mooring on the wharf
1. The Club has 2 wharves (North wharf and South wharf) with a dinghy ramp between. The two wharves cater for approximately 35 boats rafted to a maximum of 3 boats deep.
2. Generally larger, deeper draft boats are accommodated on the South wharf with smaller boats and motorboats on the North wharf. Catamarans should also berth along the North wharf but should not raft up.
3. Under the Club’s lease, boats exceeding 18m cannot be berthed and any boat over 15m requires prior permission from the Committee.
4. Members’ boats have priority. Although we endeavour to accommodate everyone, a berth cannot be guaranteed and there are no reserved spots. Members must complete a booking form prior to arrival to ensure there will be space on the wharf and must expect to be rafted up. Christmas and Easter are especially busy.
5. Depending on bookings, it may not be possible to accommodate catamarans during peak periods.
6. Water depth is fairly constant along the wharves and is approximately 2.3 metres at low tide. The bottom is generally soft.
7. High and low water at the wharf are approximately 3 hours after high and low water at Port Philip Heads respectively. Slack water in the Cut is 10-20 minutes before slack at the Heads. The current in the Queenscliff Cut can run up to 5 knots. The Queenscliff-Sorento ferry berths at the head of the Cut. Time your arrival and departure by checking their timetable.
8. Boat speed should be considered when entering the Cut and skippers of deep draft boats should be mindful of the tide and depth at the wharf. There is minimal current along the wharf and in the swinging mooring area though is open to any westerly wind.
9. Moveable ladders are available on both south and north wharves.
10. If rafted and when going ashore or re-boarding, crew must walk across the bow of the adjoining boat (i.e.. stay forward of the mast) and be as quiet as possible.
Arriving by car
The Club can be accessed via road through the Department of Defence security gate, Checkpoint 1, at the end of Bridge Street, Queenscliff.
The gate opening hours are listed at the gate entrance but as they do vary during the year contact the gate on 5254 9468 as the only access to Queenscliff, once Checkpoint 1 has closed, is by boat.
NOTE all cars must be registered at least 24 hours before
The Wharfage Book : Please note, it is essential that check-in manually detailing crew numbers is repeated each day of your stay.
Wharf fees Daily wharfage fees are payable for your boat and crew whilst you are moored at the wharf. The charge will depend on whether your boat is on the Club Register (as below).
As soon as you have moored safely, please enter your details
Boat name, Skippers name Contact phone number and date of arrival
in the Wharfage Book in the Club foyer.
Please remember to complete your stay details in the Wharfage Book when departing.
Payment should be made here.
Please pay before departure from the wharf.
• Member’s boat on Club Register: $25 per night for up to 60 nights per annum. After 60 nights, only with Committee approval and at a rate agreed per night but a maximum of period of 6 months in any financial year.
• Member’s boat not on Club Register: $45 per night for up to 60 nights per annum. After 60 nights, only with Committee approval and at a rate agreed per night but a maximum of period of 6 months in any financial year.
• Non members: $55 per boat per night. Non-member vessels cannot be left unattended overnight and their stay at the wharf is limited to 3 visits per year.Commercial Boats:$75 per boat per night
+$5 per crew
Group visits by boats from other clubs pre-arranged with and approved by QCYC: $25 per night per boat.
All Crew-members ( Non members) on board boats.
$5 per person per night .
Visitors sign in book
Our liquor licence requires all non-members, including non-member crew on any boat or in a car, must enter their name and phone number in the visitor sign-in book which is kept on the foyer table with the Wharfage Book.Please note, it is essential that this is done each day of your stay.
Cleaning and General
Duties The Clubhouse runs on a voluntary basis so please help in the cleaning and general maintenance of the Clubhouse and grounds.
Each day a task can be selected from the Voluntary Tasks board in the recreation room.
Enter your boat’s name on the board and perform the duty during the morning. There is a check list of tasks required for each of the communal areas in a folder below the board. Vacuum cleaners, brooms, etc. are kept in a cupboard in the recreation room.
All other cleaning supplies and dry goods are kept in the cupboard under the bar stairs, adjacent to the entry to the ladies bathroom.
Working Bees
An annual working bee is held in October which includes painting, cleaning inside and out, building maintenance, gardening and preparing the Clubhouse for the summer season.
All Members are encouraged to volunteer their time. It is also a great way to meet and get to know other Club Members. The AGM is traditionally held in the afternoon. Clubhouse Facilities
Cooking Facilities
The kitchen, barbecues, pizza oven and other facilities are available for use by all members. Please follow any instructions, clean up after use and keep everything as clean and tidy as you would wish to find it.
The kitchen is well stocked with crockery, cutlery, glasses, pans, toasters, etc. The stoves and commercial oven are run on bottled gas.
The bottles are interconnected to ensure supply. There are also 2 electric ovens.
Dish Steriliser
There is a commercial dish steriliser in the kitchen with trays provided for all crockery, pans, cutlery, etc. The sterilisation cycle is 3 minutes.
It is vitally important that any item put into the steriliser is thoroughly cleaned before it is stacked in a tray and washed.
Do not overload the trays. Please wait for your dishes to be washed and then pull the tray out and put everything away wet.
Do not use a tea towel to dry dishes. At the end of the day, the steriliser must be cleaned and drained. Instructions are on the wall by the dishwasher.
Refrigerators and Freezers
Refrigerators are available to store food and belongings.
Each refrigerator is divided into 10 compartments (ie. 10 half shelves).
Each member or visitor boat is entitled to one compartment only. Please write your boat name on the refrigerator door.
When leaving, please clean the fridge shelf and wipe off the boat name.
No additional electric refrigerators are permitted on the Club premises. Meat, fish and items that could leak must be stored in a plastic container.
Items may be left in the refrigerators after your departure only if you plan to return within 3 days.
No other items can be stored within the clubhouse: they must stay on your boat. There is 1 chest freezer available for Members to store frozen foods and 1 chest freezer that has bags of ice for purchase at $5 per bag. This is an honour system so please put $5 in the container in the freezer to help cover the cost of the ice and electricity.
Food Lockers
There are a number of open food lockers on the eastern wall of the recreation room which are available for use by all members. Each member or visitor boat is entitled to one locker only. Write your boat name on the area below the locker with a non-permanent marker. When leaving please clean the locker and wipe off the boat name.
The Bar
The Members’ Bar is situated upstairs in the clubhouse and is a great place to relax and mingle.
Opening times depend on the season and on demand but the appearance of the yellow flag and the sound of the horn both indicate that the bar is open. When the bar is open, please only consume alcohol that has been purchased from the bar when drinking upstairs or on the balconies.
The bar is run by volunteer Members who have current Responsible Service of Alcohol certificates.
Bathrooms
There are male and female toilets and showers within the clubhouse. Disabled bathroom facilities are located on the northern side of the clubhouse. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, please ensure that there is one boat group in the bathroom at any one time. • Laundry The laundry can be accessed via an external door on the eastern side of the Clubhouse. Laundry detergent is provided for the washing machine. Two hills hoist clothes lines are positioned on the grassy area south of the northern carpark.
Outdoors areas
Umbrellas are available for the tables on the bar balconies and the BBQ area. Please ensure umbrellas are closed at the end of the day and put in the clubhouse or storage areas . All chairs must be folded and stacked.
Workshop
The workshop is situated in the northern carpark area and is set up as a workspace for maintenance tasks.
Dinghy Storage
There are racks at the Club for storing dinghies. Members who have a boat on the Club register can store a dinghy at no cost.
A charge of $50 is for any additional dinghy or for a dinghy stored by a Member without a boat.
General Information
First aid, fire and other emergencies
A first aid kit, defibrillator and resuscitation equipment are located on the east wall of the recreation room in the clubhouse. Please familiarise yourself with their location, as well as those of the fire extinguishers in the clubhouse and the location and operation of the club’s water-pump trolley.
Response plans for a variety of potential emergencies can be found on the clubhouse notice board. They are also accessible on the Club website under Member Services/Club Documents.
Child Safety
QCYC takes the safety of all members very seriously, and especially that of children who are welcome as family members of the Club. QCYC complies with the Child Safe Standards required by the Commission for Children and Young People of all Victorian organisations providing services to children. Associated documentation can be found on the website under Member Services/Club Documents.
Rubbish
There is a large bank of bins for rubbish outside and to the north of the Clubhouse. Please ensure that the bins within the clubhouse are emptied on a regular basis and that a new bin liner is fitted, especially if you are the last to leave.
QCYC is currently unable to recycle rubbish.
Fuel and oil
A commercial 24-hour fuel pump is conveniently situated at Queenscliff Harbour. The refuelling of vessels whilst moored alongside the wharf is absolutely prohibited. Apart from the nuisance of fumes to neighbouring boats, Swan Bay is an environmentally sensitive area and even the most cautious person runs the risk of spillage. Members and visitors are also requested not to handle oil on the wharf. There are no facilities for dealing with a fuel or oil spill at the Club.
Power Boat engines and/or on-board generators may be used for recharging batteries between 9am and noon.
There is no facility for shore to boat power supply.
Do not connect your boat to any electrical supply in the Clubhouse. On-shore generators are not permitted.
Island natives
Please be aware that there are a variety of native animals on Swan Island. You will almost certainly see kangaroos after dusk but also remember that there are a many possums, rats and mice around the clubhouse. These are all attracted to food. Do not leave any food scraps in the bins in the clubhouse when you leave. Please place all rubbish in the large bins outside the kitchen door or in the bin corral located in the northern carpark. It is advisable to close your hatches at night and when not on board as possums are known to come aboard. It is also highly recommended that sail covers are opened prior to leaving the wharf in order to avoid transporting possums on your next passage.
Visiting QCYC
1. Access to QCYC is only by boat or car. No pedestrian or bicycle traffic is permitted on the Department of Defence bridge or causeway at any time – signs must be observed.
2. Take great care if crossing the Cut in a tender, especially on the outgoing tide as it is essential to keep well to the west and close to the bridge and causeway to avoid being dragged down the Cut.
3. It is essential that crew using a tender carry a torch and a bailer, and wear life jackets. Do not overload a dinghy.
4. The Club does not guarantee the availability of a club tender and members are advised to make their own arrangements.
Cottage by the Sea
Cottage by the Sea is a Queenscliff charity established in 1890 providing short term care in a holiday environment for children need through tailored programmes. The programmes receive no government funding and rely solely on donations. QCYC is a regular supporter of Cottage by the Sea.
Guidelines for Berthing at QCYC (and also in general)
It is a requirement to berth with bow facing south which will mean a port-side tie up so prepare for this before entering the cut with fenders and lines ready on the port side.
If you have a fender board with you, this should be ready to drop over onto the fenders if it becomes apparent that you will be against the wharf. The fender board will not normally be required if you are directed to raft alongside another boat.
The location you are directed to, either against the wharf or rafted up to another boat, will depend upon:
1. size: generally the larger vessels will be against the wharf with the smaller to the outside
2. time of year: summer is always a challenge and skippers will be directed by the Officer of the Day
The following may be of assistance when preparing to berth.
1. Make a Long Spring Line Make up a long docking line 1 to 1½ times the length of your boat. Find a cleat somewhere between the bow and midships (maximum beam point). Spring lines work best when attached to a cleat closer to midships. You have a winch on your cabin top amidships which will do the job also. Attach one end of the spring line to the boat cleat. Coil the other end. Pass the coil under and back over the lifelines or bow pulpit so that it stays clear of obstructions.
2. Assign a Roving Fender This will depend on whether you are on the wharf or rafting up and the existence of a fender board on board. Appoint one member of your crew to walk (rove) the boat with a fender to cushion any point of contact between your hull and the wharf or other boat. Use a roving fender in addition to any other fenders you hang alongside. This technique will save your hull from scratches, dings, and dents.
3. Approach Into the Wind and Current This is always desirable but only sometimes be possible at QCYC as boats are required to berth facing south so a port side tie up is the norm for QCYC. When berthing elsewhere, choose the docking side based on the direction of wind or current. If possible, always approach a pier with your bow facing the wind and/or current. This gives you the most boat control and also helps slow the boat as you get near to the pier.
4. Loop the Spring Line and Tie It Off Slow the boat in good time but retain some forward motion. Standing as far forward as possible, loop the spring line over a cleat or bollard as close to the estimated stern resting position as possible ( this is ideal but a short spring can be just as effective in initial tie up) and tie the end back to the boat cleat.
5. Use Wheel or Tiller to Come Alongside Turn your wheel away from the wharf the moment you have the spring line attached. If you use a tiller or outboard, push the tiller handle toward the wharf. Both of these actions position the boat rudder so that it helps the boat come alongside the pier.
6. Shift Your Engine to Idle Ahead Place the shifter ahead at minimum throttle. This places tension onto the spring line and works in concert with the rudder to bring the boat alongside the pier. Keep the shifter ahead with minimum throttle, and the rudder turned so that your boat maintains this position. Position your fenders so that they protect your hull. If you have to fetch a fender board from shore, placing the fenders horizontally will work best.
7. Attach the Rest of Your Docking Lines Tie off the rest of your docking lines at your leisure. As long as you maintain the combination of throttle and rudder position described above, your boat will stay flush next to the wharf unless there is a strong wind or tide taking you away from the wharf. When you finish tying up, ease the throttle back to neutral. Secure your engine. Place your wheel or tiller amidships (centred) and you're done!
Use these seven simple steps to to dock your boat smoothly and easily with a single spring line. You will boost your docking skills sky high and gain the confidence to bring your boat in under power wherever in the world you choose to cruise.