Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club
Peppermint Grove, West Australia
This year will be RFBYC's second Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, following their first IC in 2013.
In 1896, a group involving distinguished Australian colonist, Edward Keane, and Collector of Customs, Aubrey Sherwood, formed a sailing club and built a jetty for their boats in Freshwater Bay, Peppermint Grove, Perth, Western Australia. Following two world wars, countless regattas, world, national, state and local club championships, Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club continues to thrive and bring together Club members and their families at this same picturesque location on the banks of the Swan River. RFBYC is recognized internationally as one of an elite group of yacht clubs and is proud to be a founding member of the International Council of Yacht Clubs.
Team Profile
The RFBYC team for this year's Rolex NYYC Invitational Cup was chosen from experienced sailors, mostly in the Etchells fleet and from the Club's youth academy. In preparation for the Invitational Cup, the team has been racing and training on a regular basis and plans to arrive in Newport early for an intense coaching program.
Leading RFBYC as their skipper in this year's Invitational Cup is Peter Ahern (left). Hailing from Perth, Western Australia, Ahern's credentials include Commodore of RFBYC from 2010 to 2012 and Director of the International Council of Yacht Clubs. Alongside his deep involvement in the yacht club world, Ahern's 50 years of racing has allowed him to achieve great success at the highest level of sailing as both a skipper and a tactician. He has excelled in some of the world's most prestigious sailing events, winning both the IRC WA State Championships and the Kings Cup Thailand as a skipper, and claiming first place in the Australian Etchells Championship as a tactician. He is also recognized as the Asian Yachting Grand Prix Champion.
Accompanying Ahern will be RFBYC's tactician and another Perth native, Dirk Van Der Struyf (right). With over 35 years of racing and a diverse array of sailing experiences to his name, Van Der Struyf will be a great asset to RFBYC's team in the Invitational Cup. As a trimmer, he is a two time winner of the Australian Match Racing Championships, an eight time competitor in the Australia Cup Match Racing Championships, a King’s Cup Thailand winner and at the helm, he placed first at the Etchells Australian Championships Corinthian Division and third at the Etchells Worlds Corinthian Division. His accomplishments in these world-renowned sailing competitions and considerable One-Design experience will complement the RFBYC team both on and off the water.
