Mooloolaba Yacht Club evicted from Mooloolah River premises

12:13 AM Fri 19 Jun 2009 GMT

'Mooloolaba Yacht Club - etchell leaving' .

Dispossessed but unbowed, the Mooloolaba Yacht Club will by order this morning vacate the clubhouse it has occupied just inside the entrance of the Mooloolah River on the Sunshine Coast for the past 42 years.

Locked out for more than a year by a dispute over tenure which was eventually decided after lengthy and expensive court action, the club will at 9am begin removing the memorabilia and equipment accumulated during a time that has seen the Sunshine Coast grow from a series of holiday towns to what it is today.

It will now be controlled by the Sunshine Coast Aquatic Club.

Commodore Bob Robertson said the club accepted the umpire's decision and that the past was gone.

'But we have a full tank of oxygen and we are going forward,'' he said.

Mooloolaba Yacht Club aerial - .. .

The club, which was renowned on the Australian east coast as 'the friendly club', has long filled an important role in the sport of yachting.

'I'm disappointed in the outcome of this,'' Mr Robertson said.

'The majority of members just want to further the sport of sailing and attached water sports. We've lost contact with the dinghy sailing club, which is the training ground for yachts.

'It's where you start if you want to sail a Sydney Hobart.''

Mr Robertson said today marked a new era for the club, which would look to other venues to foster the sport.

Mooloolaba Yacht Club location - .. .

It ran the recent Australian Etchell Championships from the Mooloolaba Wharf complex, recording the most successful year in that event's history after the entire fleet was towed upstream from its old base.

It has also formed ties with Maroochy Dinghy Sailing Club.

'We need to establish a base to sign on sailors for our Wednesday and Sunday sailing. It's a great sport for when you can no longer play rugby league or union,' said Mr Robertson.

'That used to be community land and now it's controlled by just a few people. It's now a commercial entity. Water sports and community participation in fishing, kayaking, dinghy sailing and ocean sailing should be able to have access to the water.''

Mr Robertson said he was in discussion to revive the old Sydney to Mooloolaba race, but that in its reincarnation it would be restricted to yachts under 60 feet that could negotiate the harbour entrance.

He praised the support the club had received from Rob Noble and the Beach Retreat, which had spent more than $2 million on legal fees

by Bill Hoffman, The Daily/Sail-World Cruising

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