International Canoe Worlds 2020
Lake Macquarie Yacht Club
Advanced info for the 21st International Canoe World Championship
Introducing the Worlds organisation committee
Geoffrey Carne
Brett Holly
Dates/program
We have confirmed the location, Lake Macquarie Yacht Cub and the sailing program (30th Dec 2020 to 8th Jan 2021), though this is subject to change, we don’t anticipate any.
- 30 December, registration & measuring
- 31 December, measuring, invitation race, opening ceremony
- 1 January, Lay day
- 2nd January, Heats 1 & 2
- 3rd of January, Heats 3 & 4
- 4th of January, Reserve day
- 5th of January, Heats 5 & 6
- 6th of January, Heats 7 & 8
- 7th January, reserve morning, Heat 9
- 8th January New York Challenge Cup, awards & closing ceremony, championship dinner
We are in the process of getting a few ancillary items/costs sorted out but will have a pre registration opening shortly, with the NOR coming out in June 2020.
Social
We will be having a formal Opening Ceremony, awards ceremony and a Championship Dinner which is included in your entry fee, with additional tickets being available for non competitors. A social programme is currently being put together with more details to follow, suggestions are welcome.
Venue
Lake Macquarie City - Explore
Water is central to the identity of Lake Macquarie. We are a big city of more than 204,000 people, but we are also unique blend of about 100 distinct communities dispersed around our namesake lake. The Aborigines of the Awabakal nation have lived in the Lake Macquarie area for more than 8000 years, and the name Awabakal is derived from the lake, meaning people of the calm surface.
Lake Macquarie is a magnificent body of water twice the size of Sydney Harbour, with hundreds of bays and quiet inlets to be explored. It has 174 kilometres of foreshore, parts of which are lined with scenic footpaths and cycleways, including the Red Bluff Shared Pathway, a stunning over-water boardwalk. If you are visiting, you can hire a kayak or paddle board from JetBuzz Watersports to discover the delights of the lake for yourself. Or, relax onboard Lake Macquarie Cruises, the new cruise service taking the lake by storm. Take a walk along the newly upgraded Warners Bay Foreshore and follow the winding path around the lake to Speers Point Park, home of our spectacular award-winning all-abilities children’s playground. The City is even more spectacular from the air, and you can capture an aerial view via a skydive, helicopter ride or microlight flight from Lake Macquarie Airport at Marks Point. If adrenaline is your thing, take a high-speed, stomach-turning aerobatic ride with Red Bull pilot Matt Hall’s joy flight company, also based at the airport. There are plenty of things to see and do while you are in Lake Macquarie, many of them within easy distance of the XXI IC World Championships venue. You may want to visit Catherine Hill Bay and discover why the stretch of sand along this traditional mining village is one of the Australia’s favourite beaches. Or you could explore the famous sea caves that give nearby Caves Beach its name. The Wallarah Peninsula offers scenic walks with stunning bush and water views, while the Watagan Mountains, to the west, encompassing lush forest with waterfalls, walking trails and picnic areas. Visitors will find a cosmopolitan main-street vibe at Warners Bay, with a range of great boutiques and waterfront eateries, or relaxed waterfront dining in the Swansea and Belmont town centres. And if you have a chance to squeeze in a few hours of retail therapy, Charlestown Square and Stockland Glendale offer hours of browsing in department and specialty stores, along with plenty of eating and entertainment options. Tourism website, visitlakemac.com.au, has lots of other great suggestions. Lake Macquarie is the perfect place to escape the fast pace of modern life and reconnect with nature – be it on the beach, by the lake or in the mountains.
The Sailing
The XXI IC World Championship will be held from the Lake Macquarie Yacht Club pictured above showing the patch of water we shall be sailing on. With the course’s to be set within close proximity to the club, the last-minute dash to the start line will never be too far away (unless you really don’t time it well). The sailing pedigree of Lake Macquarie has been cemented over the years being selected worlds location for Moth’s, Contenders, OK’s, Flying fifteens, VX ones and it is a highly sort after stretch of water for nationals.
Lake Macquarie Yacht Club, home to LMYC Bar and Crusoe’s on the Lake Restaurant is the perfect venue to dine and catch up with friends while admiring the beautifully unique view across Belmont Bay. Is pretty good for the sailing too, with launching ramps both sides of the clubhouse, ample parking and rigging area. The weather for January at Belmont is a daytime average High of 27 °C and Low of 19 °C.
Winds, well we are going to say it is never like this at this time of year! Typical for January is the seabreeze from the east to north east ranging from 10 to 20 knots. The water conditions are as good as they get anywhere in the world with only a wind chop to play against with little to no tide noticeable in Belmont Bay.
Food available the club restaurant/bistro. Coles, Woolworths, bakery’s etc are in walking distance of the club.
Closest Chandlery is Bob Fussells at Warners Bay (15mins drive) from the club which has a large range of fittings, ropes etc and sail repair services.
We have a few loan/charter boats available and these will go quick, so be sure to register your interest early with Geoff early! (priority going to countries that don’t have a container going and then it will be first come first serve).
Getting to Belmont/getting around
We would recommend car pooling/rental cars, it is possible to use public transport but not recommended apart from perhaps the trip north from Sydney.
By Road
Arriving at Lake Macquarie is easy. If you are approaching Lake Macquarie from the south, the F3 freeway from Sydney will have you arriving in 90 minutes. For east Lake Macquarie (Swansea, Belmont, Charlestown) take the Budgewoi Swansea Charlestown exit and use the brown and white signage. For west Lake Macquarie, take the Morisset, Toronto or Cardiff exits and use the brown and white signage. Alternatively, if you are entering the city from the North, follow the Pacific Highway into Belmont.
By Air
From Europe and America, Sydney will be your first port of call into Australia. Unless you are adventurous and planning a journey around this vast brown land prior in which case use google maps! Direct flights are available to/from Newcastle Airport on a daily basis from Sydney. You can contact Newcastle Airport on +61 2 4928 9800. From here you can hire a car or take a shuttle bus to take you into Lake Macquarie. Call Thrifty car rental on +61 2 4942 2266 or visit thrifty.com.au for more details.
By Rail
Trains depart regularly from Newcastle, Sydney and the Central Coast. Key train stations in Lake Macquarie include Wyee, Morisset, Fassifern and Cardiff. Country Link Express trains stop at Fassifern.
Accommodation
For those who are wanting to be organised there are a range of accommodation options, don’t forget this is the peak holiday season in Australia so book early. The most economical probably going to be at the local caravan park camping/in a cabin, or renting a holiday house close by and sharing with other sailors /freinds with the more expensive options being hotels and motels.
Caravan Parks
There are 2 close by for camping, cabins and motor homes.
https://lakemacholidayparks.com.au
https://www.belmontbayview.com
Holiday houses
If you are considering doing this I would urge everyone to book soon
to secure a suitable house (some of us have already booked a house).
Everyone knows about Airbnb, but there is a local site Stayz (part of
the HomeAway group) which has properties listed that are not on
Airbnb so check it out, as well as the local tourism site.
Stayz.com.au
visitlakemac.com.au
Motels & hotels
An internet search is the best way to bring up the available options as there are too many to list.
Useful references:
Our hosts
NSW tourism
Local area tourism body
Further Info
We will post updates on the IC forum and on the Facebook sites with dedicated pages appearing shortly on the new AussiIC website early next year.
If you have any questions or need any help in the meantime feel free to contact Geoff Carne on gdcarne at gmail com.
