The Castle Yacht Owners Association of Victoria (CYOAV) was stop/start over its existence, believed to date back to the 90’s. It is understood that no other states have ever had a formal Castle Yacht association. With a recent revival in the interest of Castle sailing in Victoria and further afield a group of Victorian Castle Sailors discussed the options for a class association going forward.
In 2016 the governance of sailing in Australia shifted from state-based Member Yachting Authorities to a “One Sailing” model with the formation of what we now know as Australian Sailing (AS).
Given the shift in sailing governance, and the spread of Castle Yachts across the country it was decided that a national association would be a more appropriate way to represent Castle Yachts in 2024 and beyond.
Whilst garnering interest in the ACT, the Castle Yacht Association of Australia was formed.
The association was then incorporated with Consumer Affairs Victoria*, and the model rules for associations was adopted, meaning CYAA is a formally incorporated association. This level of governance provides assurance to members.
The founding members believed that affiliation with Australian Sailing was essential to the legitimacy of a robust class association, and as such the CYAA is affiliated with AS for the 2024/25 season.
The next step is to generate membership in as many states as possible and establish state and territory association representatives on committee, and in turn plan state and national title events. Members can join at any time via the link on the website here: https://www.castleyacht.com.au/registration
To welcome members from all states and get representation at committee level the CYAA will be hosting an Annual General Meeting on the 7th of October 2024. The format of this meeting will be online (Zoom) and all financial members will be invited. A formal Notice of AGM will be published at least 14 days prior.
*There is no national body through which to affiliate an association, so Victoria was the logical location for incorporation given location of founding members.