This is the page for 2016.
Keep your eyes open as we tell all the stories that happen on the water with the H28 fleet
Keep your eyes open as we tell all the stories that happen on the water with the H28 fleet
Tuesday the 27th of December The Cockburn Sound Regatta luncheon
A blowy day.
To be quite frank, I didn't expect to see anyone sailing today as the breeze was whipping through at 40 knots last night in Safety Bay and as it's just around the corner from the yacht club, the chances were good that it wasn't going to be a sailing day.
Wandering into the club house I bumped into Jay, Graeme, Les and Steve who were just getting ready to go out to have a look at Jay's yacht Seasalter.
Also parked on the water was Karoleeya, the sole representative H28 for the race and she was riding forlornly on the water in the area reserved for the H28 fleet. I declined the kind offer to visit Seasalter, knowing that I'd be seeing her in Hobart eventually and I was the advance guard for the H28 group meeting at the club for lunch. So off they went and I sat with Trevor the RO for the regatta and he gave the reasoning for the cancellation of sailing for the day. "Too much chance of breaking something today", he said. "Not such a problem at the end of the regatta, but ruin a weeks sailing for two or three boats.... not a good idea."
A stroll down the jetty gave me a chance to meet one or two bods as the cheerful taxi service organiser sent people off to their boats and caught them on the way back. Yes it's a service they provide and with 40+ boats on the water and the 3/400 people that will be in, on or around them this week they were still busy.
Back to the bar and meet up with the bods that were arriving. At least fourteen of us (John W., Alex M., Craig B., John P., Peter S. and partners, myself along with Jay, Graeme and Steve gathered for a drink and then the food was put down for us. Darned if we weren't the only people in the place getting fed. Everyone else had gone home... just a few bar flies and the constant hammering from the TV in the corner.
A phone call prevented me from taking the obligitory crowd photo, ( but you know who you are ) and we will undoubtedly be back again next year. However it was a lonely looking H28 out on the water.
A blowy day.
To be quite frank, I didn't expect to see anyone sailing today as the breeze was whipping through at 40 knots last night in Safety Bay and as it's just around the corner from the yacht club, the chances were good that it wasn't going to be a sailing day.
Wandering into the club house I bumped into Jay, Graeme, Les and Steve who were just getting ready to go out to have a look at Jay's yacht Seasalter.
Also parked on the water was Karoleeya, the sole representative H28 for the race and she was riding forlornly on the water in the area reserved for the H28 fleet. I declined the kind offer to visit Seasalter, knowing that I'd be seeing her in Hobart eventually and I was the advance guard for the H28 group meeting at the club for lunch. So off they went and I sat with Trevor the RO for the regatta and he gave the reasoning for the cancellation of sailing for the day. "Too much chance of breaking something today", he said. "Not such a problem at the end of the regatta, but ruin a weeks sailing for two or three boats.... not a good idea."
A stroll down the jetty gave me a chance to meet one or two bods as the cheerful taxi service organiser sent people off to their boats and caught them on the way back. Yes it's a service they provide and with 40+ boats on the water and the 3/400 people that will be in, on or around them this week they were still busy.
Back to the bar and meet up with the bods that were arriving. At least fourteen of us (John W., Alex M., Craig B., John P., Peter S. and partners, myself along with Jay, Graeme and Steve gathered for a drink and then the food was put down for us. Darned if we weren't the only people in the place getting fed. Everyone else had gone home... just a few bar flies and the constant hammering from the TV in the corner.
A phone call prevented me from taking the obligitory crowd photo, ( but you know who you are ) and we will undoubtedly be back again next year. However it was a lonely looking H28 out on the water.
Wednesday the 21st of December The Christmas race
Sailing in 42 degrees. & A puff of breeze was all it took.
"Fill up the esky", the skipper murmered as he stacked it full of beers and then put the overflow into Vernes esky. We were five up and we needed to spread the crew onto the foredeck as it was a little crowded in the cockpit. The H28's had turned up with 9 boats out of the 34 boats on the water today and a light winds course 4 was offered.
The breeze was a fitful nor easter that was dropping as the start time approached. We watched the first two fleets away and saw as they hit the calm patch before Sampson and the plan was simple. Go down to the freeway and run along the edge taking the puffs as they came.
A good start had us away to Heathcote Dolphin with one or two boats electing to go low right from the start. We'd followed the breeze and found ourselves in very light air, wondering whether to make the first tack down to the freeway. So we went, but not far, as we found a patch of breeze that seemed fruitful, so back again to the other tack. Meanwhile the freeway dwellers were parked up. And then a little patch of breeze appeared in front of Lockie. He latched on to it and stayed in it, depowering the boat to stop from sailing out of it. Vic, 6 boat lengths way couldn't get into it, but shortly after managed to get a whisper that took him up to Sampson and he challenged two Cole 32's at the mark. Meawhile we were sitting there in bugger all, with the skipper slowly cooking with the enforced inaction. Then a little waft out of the west arrived and we started to move. Great. Make the mark in front of the rest and watch Vic tack away on the ( I guess) hope that the breeze would begin to fill in from the sw. Not so-- and we drove up toward the midpoint between Foam and Print watching the renaments of the RP div 2 fleet streaming around Foam in the building westerly We found the gap and pointed toward the ley line for Robins watching Lockie make his way around Robins and head back for Print. We were on a good line to Robins and we met the rest of the fleet coming out of the bay. We were well above them with the first two boats being Glen on Wynella who was having a good day and Les Brooker ( two up with Jay Lawry). Vic for his troubles ended up having knocked himself out of the race. Might have been better if he'd tacked again and gone up the middle where the pressure was.
The trip back to Print/Como and the outer startline was a pleasure with the skipper ordering up the first round of beers that evaporated in our mouths. Few problems down wind and we had a good run to Como from Print with the RP boats being dealt with by rounding the mark wide and letting them make their turns at their own pace. A tight reach had us hitting 7 knots on the way to the Outer startline and the gybe at the O/S line was quick and easy. Then watch Lockie about to hit Foam. OMG the man is ahead by ten minutes or better.
Around the devils triangle making it look easy for once and hit Thelma looking for the perfect lift and got it. Straight to the finish line.
But Dave got his first and fastest, we were second over the line and third on handicap. John Wright had sailed very well to pick up third over the line, but Wynella had snuck in to pick up a second on handicap. Thus ended the pre Christmas sailing.
Going out on a twilight... seen on the water! Napier of Carrick was seen heading out with a crew on board. Jim had a good collection on board and the motor was going. Ummm! We expect to see you helming shortly Jim. And Andy Bell decided to take his two daughters over to Rotto for the day and while he was there, he was picking up his pots and the Chrissie Crays. Smart man.
Sailing in 42 degrees. & A puff of breeze was all it took.
"Fill up the esky", the skipper murmered as he stacked it full of beers and then put the overflow into Vernes esky. We were five up and we needed to spread the crew onto the foredeck as it was a little crowded in the cockpit. The H28's had turned up with 9 boats out of the 34 boats on the water today and a light winds course 4 was offered.
The breeze was a fitful nor easter that was dropping as the start time approached. We watched the first two fleets away and saw as they hit the calm patch before Sampson and the plan was simple. Go down to the freeway and run along the edge taking the puffs as they came.
A good start had us away to Heathcote Dolphin with one or two boats electing to go low right from the start. We'd followed the breeze and found ourselves in very light air, wondering whether to make the first tack down to the freeway. So we went, but not far, as we found a patch of breeze that seemed fruitful, so back again to the other tack. Meanwhile the freeway dwellers were parked up. And then a little patch of breeze appeared in front of Lockie. He latched on to it and stayed in it, depowering the boat to stop from sailing out of it. Vic, 6 boat lengths way couldn't get into it, but shortly after managed to get a whisper that took him up to Sampson and he challenged two Cole 32's at the mark. Meawhile we were sitting there in bugger all, with the skipper slowly cooking with the enforced inaction. Then a little waft out of the west arrived and we started to move. Great. Make the mark in front of the rest and watch Vic tack away on the ( I guess) hope that the breeze would begin to fill in from the sw. Not so-- and we drove up toward the midpoint between Foam and Print watching the renaments of the RP div 2 fleet streaming around Foam in the building westerly We found the gap and pointed toward the ley line for Robins watching Lockie make his way around Robins and head back for Print. We were on a good line to Robins and we met the rest of the fleet coming out of the bay. We were well above them with the first two boats being Glen on Wynella who was having a good day and Les Brooker ( two up with Jay Lawry). Vic for his troubles ended up having knocked himself out of the race. Might have been better if he'd tacked again and gone up the middle where the pressure was.
The trip back to Print/Como and the outer startline was a pleasure with the skipper ordering up the first round of beers that evaporated in our mouths. Few problems down wind and we had a good run to Como from Print with the RP boats being dealt with by rounding the mark wide and letting them make their turns at their own pace. A tight reach had us hitting 7 knots on the way to the Outer startline and the gybe at the O/S line was quick and easy. Then watch Lockie about to hit Foam. OMG the man is ahead by ten minutes or better.
Around the devils triangle making it look easy for once and hit Thelma looking for the perfect lift and got it. Straight to the finish line.
But Dave got his first and fastest, we were second over the line and third on handicap. John Wright had sailed very well to pick up third over the line, but Wynella had snuck in to pick up a second on handicap. Thus ended the pre Christmas sailing.
Going out on a twilight... seen on the water! Napier of Carrick was seen heading out with a crew on board. Jim had a good collection on board and the motor was going. Ummm! We expect to see you helming shortly Jim. And Andy Bell decided to take his two daughters over to Rotto for the day and while he was there, he was picking up his pots and the Chrissie Crays. Smart man.
Saturday the 17th of December The Frank Sampson Memorial Race
Victorious.
Can't say I didnt warn you! Vic took off today with a new headsail ( courtesy of Andrew Bell ) and was not headed all day. Sure it was a pursuit race with Vic one minute in front of us, but he didnt have a problem and kept in front of the fleet all day. Mind you he passed a few of the other H28s who had more generous time starts and there was some discusion on our boat as to the slowness of Corella and Soraya in their starts, but as far as the crew on Swiftsure Saga was concerned it wasn't a problem to us.
We started on a good sou wester with the obligatory course 4 on offer. Great sailing wind with 18 to 24 knots on offer and the run up to Deepwater and across to Hallmark had everyone on their toes as the fleet closed up a little and we started to battle with each other, trying to get past the boats that had started earlier. A little bit of fun was had by Aloha when an S80 on port ducked one boat and found themselves looking at Aloha on starboard. Oops. So a quick tack off...... and the crew of Aloha breathed a collective sigh of relief.
A Royal start boat had been operating near Hallmark and were on their way home past Armstrong, which not suprisingly was the next mark for us after Hallmark. The start boat graciously stopped to let Nerrima through only to be given a big hurry up by the following H28's of which we were one. The last we saw of them was a bunch of starters dressed as Santa's elves. Can't protest Santa at this time of the year, so we worried about getting around Armstrong and setting a pole.
Then the first run down to Print had us looking for starboard tackers and we were happy to get to Print and try to get past Nerrima who had been sailing really well. We were still looking at Vic on Carina, but with both Bruce and Geoff on board, he was going to be hard to catch anyway. So keep Lockie off our tail and deal with the next trip up to Deepwater. This was the long one as we then had to go down to Addison via Dolphin East and then back up to Deepwater again for another run back down to DE and Addison. Chase Vic and keep Les and Lockie off our tails. One of Les's crew had a moment of madness while setting a pole and found herself dangling over the water. "Just hang on", was the call and she found her way back on board to be photographed still working on the pole.
In the mean time, Glen on Wynella was having a moment of his own when an inner shroud decided to go. He smartly threw onto the other side and retired with his mast intact. Apparently it was a nut that decided to come loose and the shroud is intact, but it does call for all to check over their boats and listen to the crew when they report a problem.
The wind is still rotating into the south sou west and it's hard work getting the big foresails in, but the two speed winches make the last 6 inches easy to do. Lockie and Les have swapped places and Lockie on board Corella has tried his best to get to us, but our speed over the course today has been exemplary and we managed to get a boat from another fleet in between us and him. Beauty ! Then the final dash down wind to Addison with a screaming reach to Thelma had us over 7 knots and a tighten up along the freeway looking for shallow water. A little past Vic's tacking point and then toss for the line, lifting as we did so. Flop across the line and drop everything in a minute or two while heading for the pens.
Well done Vic, you'd better buy that jib, it's a winner. Over the line Carina, Swiftsure Saga and Corella. Fastest boat was Swiftsure Saga.
Just a brief note. It appears that Eun Na Mara is not going to do the Cockburn Sound Regatta. Sorry.
Victorious.
Can't say I didnt warn you! Vic took off today with a new headsail ( courtesy of Andrew Bell ) and was not headed all day. Sure it was a pursuit race with Vic one minute in front of us, but he didnt have a problem and kept in front of the fleet all day. Mind you he passed a few of the other H28s who had more generous time starts and there was some discusion on our boat as to the slowness of Corella and Soraya in their starts, but as far as the crew on Swiftsure Saga was concerned it wasn't a problem to us.
We started on a good sou wester with the obligatory course 4 on offer. Great sailing wind with 18 to 24 knots on offer and the run up to Deepwater and across to Hallmark had everyone on their toes as the fleet closed up a little and we started to battle with each other, trying to get past the boats that had started earlier. A little bit of fun was had by Aloha when an S80 on port ducked one boat and found themselves looking at Aloha on starboard. Oops. So a quick tack off...... and the crew of Aloha breathed a collective sigh of relief.
A Royal start boat had been operating near Hallmark and were on their way home past Armstrong, which not suprisingly was the next mark for us after Hallmark. The start boat graciously stopped to let Nerrima through only to be given a big hurry up by the following H28's of which we were one. The last we saw of them was a bunch of starters dressed as Santa's elves. Can't protest Santa at this time of the year, so we worried about getting around Armstrong and setting a pole.
Then the first run down to Print had us looking for starboard tackers and we were happy to get to Print and try to get past Nerrima who had been sailing really well. We were still looking at Vic on Carina, but with both Bruce and Geoff on board, he was going to be hard to catch anyway. So keep Lockie off our tail and deal with the next trip up to Deepwater. This was the long one as we then had to go down to Addison via Dolphin East and then back up to Deepwater again for another run back down to DE and Addison. Chase Vic and keep Les and Lockie off our tails. One of Les's crew had a moment of madness while setting a pole and found herself dangling over the water. "Just hang on", was the call and she found her way back on board to be photographed still working on the pole.
In the mean time, Glen on Wynella was having a moment of his own when an inner shroud decided to go. He smartly threw onto the other side and retired with his mast intact. Apparently it was a nut that decided to come loose and the shroud is intact, but it does call for all to check over their boats and listen to the crew when they report a problem.
The wind is still rotating into the south sou west and it's hard work getting the big foresails in, but the two speed winches make the last 6 inches easy to do. Lockie and Les have swapped places and Lockie on board Corella has tried his best to get to us, but our speed over the course today has been exemplary and we managed to get a boat from another fleet in between us and him. Beauty ! Then the final dash down wind to Addison with a screaming reach to Thelma had us over 7 knots and a tighten up along the freeway looking for shallow water. A little past Vic's tacking point and then toss for the line, lifting as we did so. Flop across the line and drop everything in a minute or two while heading for the pens.
Well done Vic, you'd better buy that jib, it's a winner. Over the line Carina, Swiftsure Saga and Corella. Fastest boat was Swiftsure Saga.
Just a brief note. It appears that Eun Na Mara is not going to do the Cockburn Sound Regatta. Sorry.
Wednesday the 14th of December
A cast of thousands and a little karma
Nine boats on the start line. Almost 25% of the entire Wednesday afternoon sailing fleet. Every boat had at least three crew and Lockie had at least 7 on board. Dave's nephew Steelo and his school mate; Debs, David and Chloe with Annie and Rita to boot! Andy Bell was seen running round trying to muster his crew and managed to get two and Bill of Swiftsure Saga and Glen on Wynella decided to swap boats, not crew, just the helms. Interesting. The day was a course one with 12 to 15 knots on offer with the breeze starting in the wsw and moving into the sou west.
Aloha joined us for a sail as well and managed to explore the area just to the west of the channel markers. Fortunatley the rescue boat was at hand and they were able to join us for the race. Vic was having a great time and had a two Geoff day happening on the boat. And he was close despite the age of his sails etc. Imagine what he'd be like if he invested in some new dacron. After last week, Kate had all the girls on board and was gunning for another win. John Wright was thinking of a good day and with Craig and Peter he was going to be competitive.
A strong start had Mariner and The First Jindarra neck to neck and the skipper watched in horror as AB just drove up from underneath us and took the lead. Again.... never headed all day and Lockie with the cast of thousands was on our tail by Sampson and with a good run up the middle on the way to Deepwater, he was in a good place to take second from us by Deepwater. But on the way there a little karma was happening. We all know the feeling when a royal boat pushes you into the bank near Applecross spit and there in front of our eyes were three RP boats firmly implanted on the mud. Mind you I think that they did it themselves as the two boats closer to the spit had clearly been in a battle and they both lost, but the one further to the east must have just missed his way.
We were commenting on the boat as to the lack of challenge by Swiftsure Saga, but as both Bill and Glen wear similar broad rim hats and were well back, we couldn't really see who was driving. Only afterwards did we find out of the swap. Another comment was that John Wright was a little below par for the day as he handles the 12 to 15 knots we had extremely well normally. It turned out that he'd had a brush with Kate earlier on and he had a crack in his rudder and some hard work would have to be done to get the rudder repaired.
The last triangle was the game changer for a number of boats as the run to Foam, across to Print and thence down to Thelma was always going to make things interesting and the 5 boats in battle weren't far apart. Vic rounded Foam a bit behind us and then followed a stream of yachts with Kate towards the back, just before Bill and Glen. However both Vic and John must have not picked the right lift as Kate managed to get in front of them and take a very good fourth on the line. Then the stream of boats with John W seven seconds behind and Vic one second behind him. Glen on Swiftsure took a seventh 16 seconds later, while BIll managed to get in behind Glen some 50 seconds on. 5 boats over the line in just a few seconds over a minute. Great sailing and the luck of the lifts toward the line.
Over the line and on handicap. Andrew Bell on Jindarra, David Locke with Corella and Brian Cross helming Mariner.
John Wright has decided not to go to the Cockburn Sound Regatta this year ( and the busted rudder won't help ) therefore all H28 sailors are encouraged to have a chat to either Steve Hill on Karoleeya or Ralph and Lynne with Eun Na Mara and have some fun down there. I'll certainly be going. There are other SoPYC boats going down Stellar Leap ( Clint Hayes) and Wild fire ( Bruce Uren ) at this present time... there may be more.
A cast of thousands and a little karma
Nine boats on the start line. Almost 25% of the entire Wednesday afternoon sailing fleet. Every boat had at least three crew and Lockie had at least 7 on board. Dave's nephew Steelo and his school mate; Debs, David and Chloe with Annie and Rita to boot! Andy Bell was seen running round trying to muster his crew and managed to get two and Bill of Swiftsure Saga and Glen on Wynella decided to swap boats, not crew, just the helms. Interesting. The day was a course one with 12 to 15 knots on offer with the breeze starting in the wsw and moving into the sou west.
Aloha joined us for a sail as well and managed to explore the area just to the west of the channel markers. Fortunatley the rescue boat was at hand and they were able to join us for the race. Vic was having a great time and had a two Geoff day happening on the boat. And he was close despite the age of his sails etc. Imagine what he'd be like if he invested in some new dacron. After last week, Kate had all the girls on board and was gunning for another win. John Wright was thinking of a good day and with Craig and Peter he was going to be competitive.
A strong start had Mariner and The First Jindarra neck to neck and the skipper watched in horror as AB just drove up from underneath us and took the lead. Again.... never headed all day and Lockie with the cast of thousands was on our tail by Sampson and with a good run up the middle on the way to Deepwater, he was in a good place to take second from us by Deepwater. But on the way there a little karma was happening. We all know the feeling when a royal boat pushes you into the bank near Applecross spit and there in front of our eyes were three RP boats firmly implanted on the mud. Mind you I think that they did it themselves as the two boats closer to the spit had clearly been in a battle and they both lost, but the one further to the east must have just missed his way.
We were commenting on the boat as to the lack of challenge by Swiftsure Saga, but as both Bill and Glen wear similar broad rim hats and were well back, we couldn't really see who was driving. Only afterwards did we find out of the swap. Another comment was that John Wright was a little below par for the day as he handles the 12 to 15 knots we had extremely well normally. It turned out that he'd had a brush with Kate earlier on and he had a crack in his rudder and some hard work would have to be done to get the rudder repaired.
The last triangle was the game changer for a number of boats as the run to Foam, across to Print and thence down to Thelma was always going to make things interesting and the 5 boats in battle weren't far apart. Vic rounded Foam a bit behind us and then followed a stream of yachts with Kate towards the back, just before Bill and Glen. However both Vic and John must have not picked the right lift as Kate managed to get in front of them and take a very good fourth on the line. Then the stream of boats with John W seven seconds behind and Vic one second behind him. Glen on Swiftsure took a seventh 16 seconds later, while BIll managed to get in behind Glen some 50 seconds on. 5 boats over the line in just a few seconds over a minute. Great sailing and the luck of the lifts toward the line.
Over the line and on handicap. Andrew Bell on Jindarra, David Locke with Corella and Brian Cross helming Mariner.
John Wright has decided not to go to the Cockburn Sound Regatta this year ( and the busted rudder won't help ) therefore all H28 sailors are encouraged to have a chat to either Steve Hill on Karoleeya or Ralph and Lynne with Eun Na Mara and have some fun down there. I'll certainly be going. There are other SoPYC boats going down Stellar Leap ( Clint Hayes) and Wild fire ( Bruce Uren ) at this present time... there may be more.
Saturday the 10th of December
Can't stop that man.
Sailing on Swiftsure Saga, there's no doubt that we'll give it a try if we have a foredeckie. And Andy was on board. Fresh from taking the Don Bourne Memorial last week, the boat was 5 up with the addition of Glen, whose crew were in hospital or otherwise unavailable. Six boats hit the line with a 13 to 15 knot sou westerly blowing. Guess what, we got a course 2. Same as last week. And another H28 addition to the start line team as Vic stepped onto Coffee Pointers to look at how the start team works.
Several attempts to get the right start time had us 5 minutes short, but the concept was good and we had SSS aimed at the start line and running down the line a little. Several boats came in over the top and we found ourselves about three deep on the line. Two hoots had John Wright and Andy Bell swinging back around the line to play catch up. Well John did, but Andy took off like a rocket and had regained the lead before we got half way to Hallmark. So chase Lockie down from then on. And he had Geoff (Carina) and Brian (Mariner) on board. Hard to keep up with. However, we could do better down the wind with a kite up and it was going to be a long chase scene. Nerrima was close behind as was John Wright and the Minto tribe were sailing on Aloha a little further back.
Apart from altercations with one or two commercial vessels, our run up to Deepwater was unremarkable and we rounded with Andy and David in front. The down wind run to Dolphin East was again a good one and we gained on Lockie and coped with the gybe, floating the kite in between. The next run was to Robins and we kept close to Corella and were prepared to get to him on the down wind to Addison via D.E. Just didn't make it. So back up to Print again and set the kite ready to chase him down. Just didn't think to hold the kite on the run from Addison to Thelma. If we'd kept the speed up, we could have got inside him with a three boat length call. Goodbye Corella.
So chase Lockie and keep the rest behind us. In handicap order and over the line. The First Jindarra, Corella and Swiftsure Saga.
As an addendum to the day.
We were parked up and sharing the beers and the munchies when a very irate man moored up on jetty 4 and walked around to have a chat to Les Brooker. It appears that he had been pulling crab pots in the main channel along which the boats were sailing and not watching what was going on around him. Les had sung out to warn him and the chap had take offence. Les was holding his ground and the poor fellow hadn't realised that he was surrounded by some 30 or 40 H28 sailors taking a deep interest in what was being said. As Les explained afterwards. " I tried to warn him and he decided that he was offended and came in to remonstrate with me". It's a pity that these fellows aren't more aware that we share the river and while he's perfectly at liberty to pull for crabs throughout the week and on Saturday/Sunday mornings, he really should be carefull if he wishes to do the same on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. At least, time his crab net drops and pulls outside the finish time of the fleets and certainly have an observer on board to warn him of the approach of on coming yachts.
Can't stop that man.
Sailing on Swiftsure Saga, there's no doubt that we'll give it a try if we have a foredeckie. And Andy was on board. Fresh from taking the Don Bourne Memorial last week, the boat was 5 up with the addition of Glen, whose crew were in hospital or otherwise unavailable. Six boats hit the line with a 13 to 15 knot sou westerly blowing. Guess what, we got a course 2. Same as last week. And another H28 addition to the start line team as Vic stepped onto Coffee Pointers to look at how the start team works.
Several attempts to get the right start time had us 5 minutes short, but the concept was good and we had SSS aimed at the start line and running down the line a little. Several boats came in over the top and we found ourselves about three deep on the line. Two hoots had John Wright and Andy Bell swinging back around the line to play catch up. Well John did, but Andy took off like a rocket and had regained the lead before we got half way to Hallmark. So chase Lockie down from then on. And he had Geoff (Carina) and Brian (Mariner) on board. Hard to keep up with. However, we could do better down the wind with a kite up and it was going to be a long chase scene. Nerrima was close behind as was John Wright and the Minto tribe were sailing on Aloha a little further back.
Apart from altercations with one or two commercial vessels, our run up to Deepwater was unremarkable and we rounded with Andy and David in front. The down wind run to Dolphin East was again a good one and we gained on Lockie and coped with the gybe, floating the kite in between. The next run was to Robins and we kept close to Corella and were prepared to get to him on the down wind to Addison via D.E. Just didn't make it. So back up to Print again and set the kite ready to chase him down. Just didn't think to hold the kite on the run from Addison to Thelma. If we'd kept the speed up, we could have got inside him with a three boat length call. Goodbye Corella.
So chase Lockie and keep the rest behind us. In handicap order and over the line. The First Jindarra, Corella and Swiftsure Saga.
As an addendum to the day.
We were parked up and sharing the beers and the munchies when a very irate man moored up on jetty 4 and walked around to have a chat to Les Brooker. It appears that he had been pulling crab pots in the main channel along which the boats were sailing and not watching what was going on around him. Les had sung out to warn him and the chap had take offence. Les was holding his ground and the poor fellow hadn't realised that he was surrounded by some 30 or 40 H28 sailors taking a deep interest in what was being said. As Les explained afterwards. " I tried to warn him and he decided that he was offended and came in to remonstrate with me". It's a pity that these fellows aren't more aware that we share the river and while he's perfectly at liberty to pull for crabs throughout the week and on Saturday/Sunday mornings, he really should be carefull if he wishes to do the same on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. At least, time his crab net drops and pulls outside the finish time of the fleets and certainly have an observer on board to warn him of the approach of on coming yachts.
Wednesday the 6th of December
A perfect day almost.
The S80's had a memorial race for the recently deceased Alan Tough OAM and it was a pleasure to watch the S80's get away in a pumping seabreeze that never got below 18 knots and routinely got up to 23 knots in the gusts. But what they did was push our start back 5 minutes and guess what..... no clashes with the Royal fleet. Yes it was shaping up to be a perfect day.
We got away from the startline on a course one, holding a slender lead from Corella and Swiftsure Saga and essentially kept that lead right through out the race. Sure we could have hung on for that extra 30 meters and avoided the double tack to make the mark on at least two occasions, but essentially the skipper was humming in my ear ( a sure sign that he was happy ) and the boat felt good. Even throwing a winch handle over board didn't phase him. "I've got lots more at home" he said. I'm sure we'll have at least one and a spare on board by next week.
But the battle was behind us as four boats were on our tail and were not going to let up. Corella and Swiftsure Saga were in fine form with the lead swapping between them on the up hill and down hill runs and it was only at the end of the small triangle that we looked back and thought we had our competitor behind us, Lockie and Corella. Just cover him and everything will be ok. We had passed Thelma and were preparing to run along the freeway looking for the lift and he tacked off. So we went to cover him. Next boat was Bill on Swiftsure Saga and they also took the freeway as did Anna and John Wright. Both of them got the lift from heaven and Bill soared over the line in front of us. We had sailed into the knock from hell and both we and Corella found ourselves tacking to make the line and we just scraped over in front of Anna. A salutary lesson was learnt. Trust your gut feeling and never, ever think that the breeze is in your favour. It's going to throw a curly one at you.
But more to come..... The first five boats hit the line in under 100 seconds and Kate Lammonby and her crew went from 5th on the line to 1st on handicap. John Wright picked up a third over the line and a second on handicap with Bill RIchard's first over the line was rewarded with a third on handicap. As for us, well we got a second over the line and a fourth. Lockie took a fourth on the line and 5th on handicap with Glen admitting freely that Wynella is more a light winds boat. Maybe.
We would have had Andy Bell sailing, but he was involved in the S80 racing and took a second for his troubles, only to be beaten by another H28 sailor ( amongst other things ) Skid Robins.
As for the Saturday racing, well I was away on assignment at RFBYC, but from a chat to Bill Richards who won the Don Bourne Memorial race, he had a kite up and stayed in front of the fleet of 6 boats. Lockie was predictably amazed, but lets face it, if you can put the spinnaker up, you are in a better position to dictate from the front rather than in struggle street mid way through the fleet. Well sailed Bill.
A perfect day almost.
The S80's had a memorial race for the recently deceased Alan Tough OAM and it was a pleasure to watch the S80's get away in a pumping seabreeze that never got below 18 knots and routinely got up to 23 knots in the gusts. But what they did was push our start back 5 minutes and guess what..... no clashes with the Royal fleet. Yes it was shaping up to be a perfect day.
We got away from the startline on a course one, holding a slender lead from Corella and Swiftsure Saga and essentially kept that lead right through out the race. Sure we could have hung on for that extra 30 meters and avoided the double tack to make the mark on at least two occasions, but essentially the skipper was humming in my ear ( a sure sign that he was happy ) and the boat felt good. Even throwing a winch handle over board didn't phase him. "I've got lots more at home" he said. I'm sure we'll have at least one and a spare on board by next week.
But the battle was behind us as four boats were on our tail and were not going to let up. Corella and Swiftsure Saga were in fine form with the lead swapping between them on the up hill and down hill runs and it was only at the end of the small triangle that we looked back and thought we had our competitor behind us, Lockie and Corella. Just cover him and everything will be ok. We had passed Thelma and were preparing to run along the freeway looking for the lift and he tacked off. So we went to cover him. Next boat was Bill on Swiftsure Saga and they also took the freeway as did Anna and John Wright. Both of them got the lift from heaven and Bill soared over the line in front of us. We had sailed into the knock from hell and both we and Corella found ourselves tacking to make the line and we just scraped over in front of Anna. A salutary lesson was learnt. Trust your gut feeling and never, ever think that the breeze is in your favour. It's going to throw a curly one at you.
But more to come..... The first five boats hit the line in under 100 seconds and Kate Lammonby and her crew went from 5th on the line to 1st on handicap. John Wright picked up a third over the line and a second on handicap with Bill RIchard's first over the line was rewarded with a third on handicap. As for us, well we got a second over the line and a fourth. Lockie took a fourth on the line and 5th on handicap with Glen admitting freely that Wynella is more a light winds boat. Maybe.
We would have had Andy Bell sailing, but he was involved in the S80 racing and took a second for his troubles, only to be beaten by another H28 sailor ( amongst other things ) Skid Robins.
As for the Saturday racing, well I was away on assignment at RFBYC, but from a chat to Bill Richards who won the Don Bourne Memorial race, he had a kite up and stayed in front of the fleet of 6 boats. Lockie was predictably amazed, but lets face it, if you can put the spinnaker up, you are in a better position to dictate from the front rather than in struggle street mid way through the fleet. Well sailed Bill.
Wednesday the 30th of November
A right royal battle on the water.
The seabreeze was pumping as we ventured onto the water with our new rig proudly standing upright. A few last minute adjustments had the vang fixed (a fitting was loose) and the boat was deemed ready to go. A full crew meant that there was plenty of weight for the windward side and the only downside we had was the headsail was the one that had stretched in the incident that had taken our mast down a few weeks ago. In retrospect we could have used a smaller headsail, but the skipper was happy to go with what we had. With the breeze in, a course one had us scudding up to Martin / Weaver and for once John Wright got the drop on all of us and made the mark on one board. We went early to get the height we required and then found ourselves in a battle as we rounded Martin with Bill RIchards ahead of us as well on Swiftsure Saga and Lockie with Debbs, Ann and RIta firmly on our tail as we shot down to Weaver. Glen with a full crew and Vic with Kate, Kristine and Geoff weren't too far behind either so it was to be tight all the way up to Deepwater where the first rounding after Sampson was. The lift off the bay was working and passing Applecross spit we ran into bad air off a couple of RP boats and had to ease down to get clean air, much to the skippers disgust. A rounding and a gybe had us set for a frantic pole run down to Print behind both Bill and John with Lockie still firmly on our tail.
Rounding Print saw the chance to get right in and work up to Robins and though I couldn't see it, the mark proved to be not to far from our line and a quick double tack had us around Robins and off to Dolphin East with the same boats in front and behind us. The next phase took us to the outer startline using Como as a turning mark and we were fortunate that there were no RP or indeed SP div one boats in our way. Just a hard run to the Outer start line with the skipper trying very hard to keep the boat above the mark as we were knocking and John Wright had fallen below the mark and lost time in returning to and rounding the mark. Off and away to Sampson and a lot closer than we were before. In fact I think Bill may have got ahead of John W. at this stage. Thus ended the 1st part of the story.
The devils triangle loomed before us: Foam, Print, Como to starboard and Thelma. Anything can and does happen here.
The run up to Foam was short and sweet with a rounding getting us onto John Wrights tail and close to him at Print. Hard sailing had us above John Wright and powering over the top of him on the run to Como where we ran the gauntlet of Spritzig 11 thundering down on the breeze behind us with Anna on our heels and Corella a few paces away from John. We tightened up to Thelma.and Lockie tacked off at the mark prefering to take his chances with a run down to the finish line rather than fight with us for breeze on the beach. And a good move too as he picked up a lifting breeze and we tried to over stand Bill's line running the risk of kissing the mud on the way up the freeway edge.
No such luck and we tacked to find Bill well away and John W had tacked a little earlier and was making good time to the line. We didn't have the speed, could we beat Lockie? No such luck, he had the bit in his teeth and was going for the line. John was looming behind us and we were grateful to get over the line in third place.
The first four boats over the line in 58 seconds with Vic and Glen lingering behind a little. On handicap 36 seconds separated the four .. tight racing in anyones book and Lockies move was the one which took him from fourth at the start line and to second on the line. BIll RIchards had an inspired race and took a first and fastest by 2 seconds on handicap and 45 seconds from Lockie. However John Wright was the one who was most hardly done by, fourth over the line and only 2 seconds away from the win on handicap. As for Mariner, well third over the line and fourth on handicap was our lot for the day.
Not too many photo's today. It was busy.
A right royal battle on the water.
The seabreeze was pumping as we ventured onto the water with our new rig proudly standing upright. A few last minute adjustments had the vang fixed (a fitting was loose) and the boat was deemed ready to go. A full crew meant that there was plenty of weight for the windward side and the only downside we had was the headsail was the one that had stretched in the incident that had taken our mast down a few weeks ago. In retrospect we could have used a smaller headsail, but the skipper was happy to go with what we had. With the breeze in, a course one had us scudding up to Martin / Weaver and for once John Wright got the drop on all of us and made the mark on one board. We went early to get the height we required and then found ourselves in a battle as we rounded Martin with Bill RIchards ahead of us as well on Swiftsure Saga and Lockie with Debbs, Ann and RIta firmly on our tail as we shot down to Weaver. Glen with a full crew and Vic with Kate, Kristine and Geoff weren't too far behind either so it was to be tight all the way up to Deepwater where the first rounding after Sampson was. The lift off the bay was working and passing Applecross spit we ran into bad air off a couple of RP boats and had to ease down to get clean air, much to the skippers disgust. A rounding and a gybe had us set for a frantic pole run down to Print behind both Bill and John with Lockie still firmly on our tail.
Rounding Print saw the chance to get right in and work up to Robins and though I couldn't see it, the mark proved to be not to far from our line and a quick double tack had us around Robins and off to Dolphin East with the same boats in front and behind us. The next phase took us to the outer startline using Como as a turning mark and we were fortunate that there were no RP or indeed SP div one boats in our way. Just a hard run to the Outer start line with the skipper trying very hard to keep the boat above the mark as we were knocking and John Wright had fallen below the mark and lost time in returning to and rounding the mark. Off and away to Sampson and a lot closer than we were before. In fact I think Bill may have got ahead of John W. at this stage. Thus ended the 1st part of the story.
The devils triangle loomed before us: Foam, Print, Como to starboard and Thelma. Anything can and does happen here.
The run up to Foam was short and sweet with a rounding getting us onto John Wrights tail and close to him at Print. Hard sailing had us above John Wright and powering over the top of him on the run to Como where we ran the gauntlet of Spritzig 11 thundering down on the breeze behind us with Anna on our heels and Corella a few paces away from John. We tightened up to Thelma.and Lockie tacked off at the mark prefering to take his chances with a run down to the finish line rather than fight with us for breeze on the beach. And a good move too as he picked up a lifting breeze and we tried to over stand Bill's line running the risk of kissing the mud on the way up the freeway edge.
No such luck and we tacked to find Bill well away and John W had tacked a little earlier and was making good time to the line. We didn't have the speed, could we beat Lockie? No such luck, he had the bit in his teeth and was going for the line. John was looming behind us and we were grateful to get over the line in third place.
The first four boats over the line in 58 seconds with Vic and Glen lingering behind a little. On handicap 36 seconds separated the four .. tight racing in anyones book and Lockies move was the one which took him from fourth at the start line and to second on the line. BIll RIchards had an inspired race and took a first and fastest by 2 seconds on handicap and 45 seconds from Lockie. However John Wright was the one who was most hardly done by, fourth over the line and only 2 seconds away from the win on handicap. As for Mariner, well third over the line and fourth on handicap was our lot for the day.
Not too many photo's today. It was busy.
Saturday the 26th of November
Those who were last shall be first ( on handicap that is )
Eight H28's hit the start line today on a light winds course 4. Well hit's not the right word as we casually strolled over the line taking about 5 minutes for the last H28 to make it across. In fact I'm not too sure that Aloha made it to the line in time and had copped a "RET" for their troubles.
Did I mention it was hot as well? 37 degrees C is enough and thank goodness the seabreeze/westerly was in, even if only just. We were graced with the company of Andy Bell, Steve Hill and Les Brooker taking our normal four up to seven and the Minto's joined us around the start line to make it eight.
A soft start had us all away and heading over into the mudflats near Heathcote Dolphin and the time to tack away was fraught with a "will I or won't I" get stuck choice. Getting above the fleet we tacked just in time and went out far enough to make our next tack with the intention of getting into the bay. And we managed to cross all bar Wynella who was having a great day on the water. So he and Andy Bell were to be the trouble makers and we reacted accordingly as we made our way up to Deepwater on the then gentle sou wester. Getting to Deepwater we had the fleet behind us save for Andrew and the reach across the river to Hallmark and up to Armstrong, ready for the run to Print, had a number of changes in the placing as we tried to give ourselves clean air. Then the breeze started to flicker into the west and we got caught out on the left hand side while the others were driving up to Armstrong.
With Lockie, Andrew and Glen in front we were going to have some serious work to get in front and it wasn't until the bottom of the mark at Print with Glen still in front we realized that cunning had to be brought to play and we went into the bay as the breeze had gone back to the Sou Wester. Great, a lift was available and we watched as Lockie and Andrew ahead of us did well and we were happy as Glen stayed out and we got through. Around Deepwater again and off to Dolphin East where we met up with the Royal Perth Fleet and watched Lockie deal with the oncoming horde. then realized we had a problem with Hitch Hiker coming up from behind who could have altered their line and given us room, but conveniently set aside their manners and tried to run us down. Much cursing had us gybing and swinging up to clear our transom of their sailing line, but the wheel turns and I'm sure a little karma will come their way shortly.
Meanwhile, both Anna and Nerrima had been keeping company and Glen's Wynella had dropped back a little. Three of the H28's had kites up despite having only three on board and John Wrights crew were doing well to keep their kite going. However he did mention to me, a slight problem on a gybe had them lose considerable time as they had to untangle the kite from the spreaders. Les Brooker got through and on our last board up to Deepwater in a freshening sou wester he was then starting to look at Wynella as a prospective over take. Around we went at Deepwater and the reach to DE was uneventful. Occasional glimpses of Karoleeya had us happy that she was still racing and we then noted that Andy was so far in front that Dave Lock had not bothered to put up a kite and was happy to JaM the rest of the race. Fair enough, we were in the same position as we didn't have a foredeckie on board and weren't going to cause any grief to him and we had improved our lead over the rest of the fleet to the point we were 4 minutes ahead of the 4th boat (Nerrima) .
So a right turn at Addison and thence to Thelma with a great run along the freeway and we found ourselves bending up toward the start line as we went...... about time the breeze worked for us.
So first over the line to The First Jindarra, followed by David Locke with Debbie and Rita on board, then Swiftsure Saga in third place.
On handicap Karoleeya's Steve Hill was delighted to accept the first place flag with Wynella two minutes off in second. Swiftsure Saga took third place .
Note Bene: Jay Lawry has returned for a while and sailed with Karoleeya today. He'll be around for six weeks or so and may go to the Wooden Boat show in Hobart coming up in February '17.
Those who were last shall be first ( on handicap that is )
Eight H28's hit the start line today on a light winds course 4. Well hit's not the right word as we casually strolled over the line taking about 5 minutes for the last H28 to make it across. In fact I'm not too sure that Aloha made it to the line in time and had copped a "RET" for their troubles.
Did I mention it was hot as well? 37 degrees C is enough and thank goodness the seabreeze/westerly was in, even if only just. We were graced with the company of Andy Bell, Steve Hill and Les Brooker taking our normal four up to seven and the Minto's joined us around the start line to make it eight.
A soft start had us all away and heading over into the mudflats near Heathcote Dolphin and the time to tack away was fraught with a "will I or won't I" get stuck choice. Getting above the fleet we tacked just in time and went out far enough to make our next tack with the intention of getting into the bay. And we managed to cross all bar Wynella who was having a great day on the water. So he and Andy Bell were to be the trouble makers and we reacted accordingly as we made our way up to Deepwater on the then gentle sou wester. Getting to Deepwater we had the fleet behind us save for Andrew and the reach across the river to Hallmark and up to Armstrong, ready for the run to Print, had a number of changes in the placing as we tried to give ourselves clean air. Then the breeze started to flicker into the west and we got caught out on the left hand side while the others were driving up to Armstrong.
With Lockie, Andrew and Glen in front we were going to have some serious work to get in front and it wasn't until the bottom of the mark at Print with Glen still in front we realized that cunning had to be brought to play and we went into the bay as the breeze had gone back to the Sou Wester. Great, a lift was available and we watched as Lockie and Andrew ahead of us did well and we were happy as Glen stayed out and we got through. Around Deepwater again and off to Dolphin East where we met up with the Royal Perth Fleet and watched Lockie deal with the oncoming horde. then realized we had a problem with Hitch Hiker coming up from behind who could have altered their line and given us room, but conveniently set aside their manners and tried to run us down. Much cursing had us gybing and swinging up to clear our transom of their sailing line, but the wheel turns and I'm sure a little karma will come their way shortly.
Meanwhile, both Anna and Nerrima had been keeping company and Glen's Wynella had dropped back a little. Three of the H28's had kites up despite having only three on board and John Wrights crew were doing well to keep their kite going. However he did mention to me, a slight problem on a gybe had them lose considerable time as they had to untangle the kite from the spreaders. Les Brooker got through and on our last board up to Deepwater in a freshening sou wester he was then starting to look at Wynella as a prospective over take. Around we went at Deepwater and the reach to DE was uneventful. Occasional glimpses of Karoleeya had us happy that she was still racing and we then noted that Andy was so far in front that Dave Lock had not bothered to put up a kite and was happy to JaM the rest of the race. Fair enough, we were in the same position as we didn't have a foredeckie on board and weren't going to cause any grief to him and we had improved our lead over the rest of the fleet to the point we were 4 minutes ahead of the 4th boat (Nerrima) .
So a right turn at Addison and thence to Thelma with a great run along the freeway and we found ourselves bending up toward the start line as we went...... about time the breeze worked for us.
So first over the line to The First Jindarra, followed by David Locke with Debbie and Rita on board, then Swiftsure Saga in third place.
On handicap Karoleeya's Steve Hill was delighted to accept the first place flag with Wynella two minutes off in second. Swiftsure Saga took third place .
Note Bene: Jay Lawry has returned for a while and sailed with Karoleeya today. He'll be around for six weeks or so and may go to the Wooden Boat show in Hobart coming up in February '17.
Wednesday the 23rd of November
The China Cup race
As our rigging is still not fixed, the skipper and I farmed ourselves out to other boats and I ended up on Anna (thanks John) and Brian went out with Lockie. And the battle began.
On a sou westerly of 15 to 18 knots that was a little grumpy ( full of holes and flicking around ), we set off toward Martin-Weaver with the competition around us and more importantly above us. Wynella and Corella had managed to get in slightly above us and as we raced along the pens we were fighting to stay out of their air. Meanwhile Andrew had gone low and fast and surprisingly had found the lifts to get him to the mark first with Corella close to his tail and Wynella right behind him. Once the air was clear in front, we found a great lift and made it to the mark easing down to lead Carina and Swiftsure Saga to Weaver.
A choice of a pole or not to pole was presented, once we had come out of the lee of Heathcote, but the breeze was sufficiently enough in the west to keep us reaching and a small game play developed between Lockie on Corella and Andrew on The First Jindarra with the rest of us taking the advantage of this to close up a little.
Around Sampson and it was game on with everyone deciding to go left eventually. However John on Anna elected to stay in the middle for the run up to Deepwater as he could feel the westerly influence that was prevailing at the time and as we could see Deepwater on our bow it seemed like a good idea. Everyone else dug into Waylen Bay and we knew that it was going to be a hero or zero decision. Lockie was first to Deepwater. Damn, he sailed well. Andrew was a close second and did a fine job of holding onto him. We came in across a storming RP fleet (and a few H28's) and made it around Deepwater to slip into a good third place. Sorting out a pole, we watched the rest of the H28's get around Deepwater and begin the down wind run to Print.
Andrew played a hard game on Lockie on the down wind, but Lockie was his equal and kept him out so that the turn at Print was clearly his. A slight mishap with the jib could have caused him strife, but it was quickly sorted and the pole put away. Across to Waylen Bay again for all of us and then the run up to Robins began. Still, there were pockets in the breeze and it was a problem for all of us, as the boat would stand up abruptly and the loss of way was annoying. We'd set a hard task for the skipper and the mainsheet hand as the breeze wasn't giving any favours and making Robins on the line we were on was impossible as it turned out. Lockie and Andrew made it and we then had to put in a very quick couple of tacks to get around Robins and away to Dolphin East. Cost us a length or two.
A gybe at DE and then another reach to Como and harden up for the run to the outer start line where the true nature of the Sou Westerly came into play. It was a sod and while the first two ( Corella and Jindarra ) were lifting and making the mark easily, we were knocking down and down as was Swiftsure behind us. Funnily enough Vic and Carina were doing well with their two guests on board. Wynella had done well enough, watching us and had held her height but at the cost of speed. A lucky last minute series of lifts took us up to the outer start line and around we went, but Swiftsure wasn't so lucky and had to tack while Carina went soaring around gaining him another place in the process.
Then the devils triangle came into play. Off to Foam across to Print, Thelma and home. Andrew and Lockie went straight up (almost to Print) and then laid a line across to Foam; we'd had some luck and were lifting well on our board so they were within reach yet again. Peter (the optimist) then asked what our priorities were at this stage. It was suggested that we could go after Andrew or keep Vic off our tails. We opted for both as if we kept after Andrew we were likely to not have Vic as a problem. But then again Vic's a slippery fellow around the triangle and a change in the pressure will make a fool of your plans. So both priorities were adopted. Meanwhile another complication came into play with the addition of the Div two boats joining Lockie and Andrew at Thelma. Bother! Lockie forged off along the freeway hoping not to get stuck on the mud while Andrew tacked off to go for the chance from higher up the course. Unfortunately, so did the Div two boats. Being a little busy I didn't watch all that was happening but by the time we tacked and I could concentrate on a camera, Lockie was through the Div two boats and had flipped over to go for the line. Andrew had made a good try of it, but appeared to be swamped by a Div one boat and the two Div two boats that had accompanied him. Bad luck Andrew. Bill however had picked up a great lift and was almost on our tails as we crossed the line, but we were in front of him, though he had managed to drag back a place from Vic. (how, I do not know)
Corella first and fastest. Jindarra second and second. Anna third and third. The handicapper got it right today.
The China Cup race
As our rigging is still not fixed, the skipper and I farmed ourselves out to other boats and I ended up on Anna (thanks John) and Brian went out with Lockie. And the battle began.
On a sou westerly of 15 to 18 knots that was a little grumpy ( full of holes and flicking around ), we set off toward Martin-Weaver with the competition around us and more importantly above us. Wynella and Corella had managed to get in slightly above us and as we raced along the pens we were fighting to stay out of their air. Meanwhile Andrew had gone low and fast and surprisingly had found the lifts to get him to the mark first with Corella close to his tail and Wynella right behind him. Once the air was clear in front, we found a great lift and made it to the mark easing down to lead Carina and Swiftsure Saga to Weaver.
A choice of a pole or not to pole was presented, once we had come out of the lee of Heathcote, but the breeze was sufficiently enough in the west to keep us reaching and a small game play developed between Lockie on Corella and Andrew on The First Jindarra with the rest of us taking the advantage of this to close up a little.
Around Sampson and it was game on with everyone deciding to go left eventually. However John on Anna elected to stay in the middle for the run up to Deepwater as he could feel the westerly influence that was prevailing at the time and as we could see Deepwater on our bow it seemed like a good idea. Everyone else dug into Waylen Bay and we knew that it was going to be a hero or zero decision. Lockie was first to Deepwater. Damn, he sailed well. Andrew was a close second and did a fine job of holding onto him. We came in across a storming RP fleet (and a few H28's) and made it around Deepwater to slip into a good third place. Sorting out a pole, we watched the rest of the H28's get around Deepwater and begin the down wind run to Print.
Andrew played a hard game on Lockie on the down wind, but Lockie was his equal and kept him out so that the turn at Print was clearly his. A slight mishap with the jib could have caused him strife, but it was quickly sorted and the pole put away. Across to Waylen Bay again for all of us and then the run up to Robins began. Still, there were pockets in the breeze and it was a problem for all of us, as the boat would stand up abruptly and the loss of way was annoying. We'd set a hard task for the skipper and the mainsheet hand as the breeze wasn't giving any favours and making Robins on the line we were on was impossible as it turned out. Lockie and Andrew made it and we then had to put in a very quick couple of tacks to get around Robins and away to Dolphin East. Cost us a length or two.
A gybe at DE and then another reach to Como and harden up for the run to the outer start line where the true nature of the Sou Westerly came into play. It was a sod and while the first two ( Corella and Jindarra ) were lifting and making the mark easily, we were knocking down and down as was Swiftsure behind us. Funnily enough Vic and Carina were doing well with their two guests on board. Wynella had done well enough, watching us and had held her height but at the cost of speed. A lucky last minute series of lifts took us up to the outer start line and around we went, but Swiftsure wasn't so lucky and had to tack while Carina went soaring around gaining him another place in the process.
Then the devils triangle came into play. Off to Foam across to Print, Thelma and home. Andrew and Lockie went straight up (almost to Print) and then laid a line across to Foam; we'd had some luck and were lifting well on our board so they were within reach yet again. Peter (the optimist) then asked what our priorities were at this stage. It was suggested that we could go after Andrew or keep Vic off our tails. We opted for both as if we kept after Andrew we were likely to not have Vic as a problem. But then again Vic's a slippery fellow around the triangle and a change in the pressure will make a fool of your plans. So both priorities were adopted. Meanwhile another complication came into play with the addition of the Div two boats joining Lockie and Andrew at Thelma. Bother! Lockie forged off along the freeway hoping not to get stuck on the mud while Andrew tacked off to go for the chance from higher up the course. Unfortunately, so did the Div two boats. Being a little busy I didn't watch all that was happening but by the time we tacked and I could concentrate on a camera, Lockie was through the Div two boats and had flipped over to go for the line. Andrew had made a good try of it, but appeared to be swamped by a Div one boat and the two Div two boats that had accompanied him. Bad luck Andrew. Bill however had picked up a great lift and was almost on our tails as we crossed the line, but we were in front of him, though he had managed to drag back a place from Vic. (how, I do not know)
Corella first and fastest. Jindarra second and second. Anna third and third. The handicapper got it right today.
Saturday the 19th of November. The 2nd Championship race
Not a good spot to be in....or The Governor's Cup debacle.
There's a lot of pain in writing this as we were in the mix when the entire Governors Cup fleet hit Dolphin West and started pouring toward us on starboard. The next 3 or 4 minutes were spent a) trying to get a kite down b) avoiding the oncoming fleet c) placating the foredeck.
How did we get there?
A good start off the line had us well away and heading over to Heathcote for the first of the legs up toward Brickies. There were six in the fleet and we had every chance of taking a second or a third on the proviso we could keep Anna behind us. Lockie and his crew on Corella had rocked up late and were still making the start line as we roared away on a 20 knot seabreeze. Corella and Wynella went out to the right for a while and the rest of us stayed left. The first of the works had us second only to Andrew and Jindarra and we rounded Applecross Spit in fine form, though Bill was a little worried over the fact that we weren't pointing as well. No matter as a successful dip into the next bay had us laying Brickies and we could see a party boat anchored to Lucky. Yup, summer has arrived.
Around Brickies and put a kite up; damn Anna has snuck through...how did he do that? As we took off for the mark we were being taken up by a Royal Perth Bakewell 8 who was riding his spinnaker and by the time he was through us, we were above the mark and finding it hard to soak down on the shifty breeze. The major problem was the torrent of Governors Cup fleet boats that were heading to Dolphin West as well. They were going to be an issue when they hit the corner and came back, if we were on the wrong side of the mark ( and we were ). When to drop the spinnaker and gybe the boat and hopefully find a hole in the torrent so we too could round Dolphin West.
We spent the first 60 seconds with the boat on it's ear, trying to get through the starboard tackers coming out of D.W., then drop the spinnaker ( much cursing from the foredeck ), then try and find a gap to get around D.W. On the way, we saw Corella and Nerrima slipping through as they fought their own battle and in the distance, we could see the leaders Anna and Jindarra with only Wynella behind us, but not by much.
The rest of the trip was essentially a "follow the others" day with our position blown and most if us thinking of what could have been. The next question was who got what in the handicaps as we knew that our chances were down the pipe.
First over the line Andrew Bell and the First Jindarra, second John Wright's Anna and third Dave Locke on Corella. The handicap results however gave first to Les Brooker and Nerrima, who sailed very well to finish 8 seconds behind Dave Locke, Anna took a good second and the First Jindarra took third.
Sorry about the photo's today.. not many as I was busy on the main.
Not a good spot to be in....or The Governor's Cup debacle.
There's a lot of pain in writing this as we were in the mix when the entire Governors Cup fleet hit Dolphin West and started pouring toward us on starboard. The next 3 or 4 minutes were spent a) trying to get a kite down b) avoiding the oncoming fleet c) placating the foredeck.
How did we get there?
A good start off the line had us well away and heading over to Heathcote for the first of the legs up toward Brickies. There were six in the fleet and we had every chance of taking a second or a third on the proviso we could keep Anna behind us. Lockie and his crew on Corella had rocked up late and were still making the start line as we roared away on a 20 knot seabreeze. Corella and Wynella went out to the right for a while and the rest of us stayed left. The first of the works had us second only to Andrew and Jindarra and we rounded Applecross Spit in fine form, though Bill was a little worried over the fact that we weren't pointing as well. No matter as a successful dip into the next bay had us laying Brickies and we could see a party boat anchored to Lucky. Yup, summer has arrived.
Around Brickies and put a kite up; damn Anna has snuck through...how did he do that? As we took off for the mark we were being taken up by a Royal Perth Bakewell 8 who was riding his spinnaker and by the time he was through us, we were above the mark and finding it hard to soak down on the shifty breeze. The major problem was the torrent of Governors Cup fleet boats that were heading to Dolphin West as well. They were going to be an issue when they hit the corner and came back, if we were on the wrong side of the mark ( and we were ). When to drop the spinnaker and gybe the boat and hopefully find a hole in the torrent so we too could round Dolphin West.
We spent the first 60 seconds with the boat on it's ear, trying to get through the starboard tackers coming out of D.W., then drop the spinnaker ( much cursing from the foredeck ), then try and find a gap to get around D.W. On the way, we saw Corella and Nerrima slipping through as they fought their own battle and in the distance, we could see the leaders Anna and Jindarra with only Wynella behind us, but not by much.
The rest of the trip was essentially a "follow the others" day with our position blown and most if us thinking of what could have been. The next question was who got what in the handicaps as we knew that our chances were down the pipe.
First over the line Andrew Bell and the First Jindarra, second John Wright's Anna and third Dave Locke on Corella. The handicap results however gave first to Les Brooker and Nerrima, who sailed very well to finish 8 seconds behind Dave Locke, Anna took a good second and the First Jindarra took third.
Sorry about the photo's today.. not many as I was busy on the main.
Wednesday the 16th of November
Kate Kan.
With Mariner off the water until the rigging is replaced, the chance to get out on the water was moot. Then a call to Kate was made offering the crew's service and she leapt (unwisely) at the chance. Kristina was available, so we piled on board Soraya and lent Graeme to Bill Richards for the day as we were by now six up and I was sent forward. (Great, a lazy day on the water)
The breeze was light to begin so the course 4 in a west sou-westerly with the run up to Martin-Weaver was appropriate. A good start with Brian's urging had us in front and we ran down the piers with three other H28's in pursuit. Surprisingly Swiftsure was tail end Charlie, but Bill knows his boat and was going to do well despite the fact that Wynella had the jump on him on the start.
The grin on Kate's face was hard to wipe off as we rounded Martin, then Weaver leading well and with good speed, but the run down to Sampson was another issue. Good trimming by Les Swinton on Jindarra had them roll over us half way along and it was going to be hard to get him back. But we did. Instead of following the boats out to the right, we decided to tack over and try and make Waylen Bay in one beat and the wavering sou westerly gave us enough lift to do it. Meanwhile Jindarra and Swiftsure Saga had stayed out and found a hole in the breeze. We hadn't passed Andrew yet but the next cross had us looking into the cockpit of Jindarra. We'd caught up, all was well. The breeze was carrying a bit of south in it by now and our work on a port tack out of the bay gave us enough lift to take us well up toward Robins and the ley line and for some reason the bay had not paid off for Jindarra, Swiftsure and Wynella. We were in front and rounding Robins we could then look back to see them behind us with Kate grinning like a Cheshire cat.
Then the down wind run under a pole began with a bunch of Div two boats blocking our way and Jindarra breathing down our neck. The breeze was heavier now and we made it over to the right hand side and got inside the lead boat, claiming rights on the mark. You beautie!
Around we went, carrying a Cole 32 out as far as we needed so that we could close the door on Jindarra who was trying for an inside run. Then the gallop across the breeze to the outer start line with the Div 2 boats on our heels and Andrew dicing with them all the way. Not that Wynella and Swiftsure were far away. It had been tight racing all afternoon. Around the mark and down to Sampson then the dash to Foam began.
And this is where it fell apart. We had the separation from the rest of the fleet, but we had 6 Royal Perth boats rounding Foam and not prepared to give way once we were within the 3 boat length range. Turmoil resulted and we were forced off our line and over to the wrong side of the mark. And to make things worse we touched the mark with the boom. Result..... a 360 had to happen. In between all this, the next two H28's Jindarra and Swiftsure saw a gap and came pouring through and we had Wynella breathing down our necks as we completed the penalty turn. So on went the power and we took off after the leaders. We'd lost 3 minutes at a rough guess and we weren't going to get those back. By now we had 15 to 18 knots of sou westerly and the foredeck was a wet spot to be, but in between poles and reaching runs I was busy. And weight on the rail was a must.
So chase the boats in front and try to get a gap between Glen and ourselves as it was now a race for the handicap position not the coveted first over the line.
The results: First over the line. The First Jindarra, Swiftsure Saga and Soraya. On handicap Wynella, Soraya and The First Jindarra.
The issues with Royal Perth yachts continues to cause distress to our fleet and I suspect other fleets as well. I wonder if their sailing administrator is aware of the behavior of the skippers.
Question of the week. What boats have rights on the water at all times? Answer: Any boat with red lettering on their sails.
Kate Kan.
With Mariner off the water until the rigging is replaced, the chance to get out on the water was moot. Then a call to Kate was made offering the crew's service and she leapt (unwisely) at the chance. Kristina was available, so we piled on board Soraya and lent Graeme to Bill Richards for the day as we were by now six up and I was sent forward. (Great, a lazy day on the water)
The breeze was light to begin so the course 4 in a west sou-westerly with the run up to Martin-Weaver was appropriate. A good start with Brian's urging had us in front and we ran down the piers with three other H28's in pursuit. Surprisingly Swiftsure was tail end Charlie, but Bill knows his boat and was going to do well despite the fact that Wynella had the jump on him on the start.
The grin on Kate's face was hard to wipe off as we rounded Martin, then Weaver leading well and with good speed, but the run down to Sampson was another issue. Good trimming by Les Swinton on Jindarra had them roll over us half way along and it was going to be hard to get him back. But we did. Instead of following the boats out to the right, we decided to tack over and try and make Waylen Bay in one beat and the wavering sou westerly gave us enough lift to do it. Meanwhile Jindarra and Swiftsure Saga had stayed out and found a hole in the breeze. We hadn't passed Andrew yet but the next cross had us looking into the cockpit of Jindarra. We'd caught up, all was well. The breeze was carrying a bit of south in it by now and our work on a port tack out of the bay gave us enough lift to take us well up toward Robins and the ley line and for some reason the bay had not paid off for Jindarra, Swiftsure and Wynella. We were in front and rounding Robins we could then look back to see them behind us with Kate grinning like a Cheshire cat.
Then the down wind run under a pole began with a bunch of Div two boats blocking our way and Jindarra breathing down our neck. The breeze was heavier now and we made it over to the right hand side and got inside the lead boat, claiming rights on the mark. You beautie!
Around we went, carrying a Cole 32 out as far as we needed so that we could close the door on Jindarra who was trying for an inside run. Then the gallop across the breeze to the outer start line with the Div 2 boats on our heels and Andrew dicing with them all the way. Not that Wynella and Swiftsure were far away. It had been tight racing all afternoon. Around the mark and down to Sampson then the dash to Foam began.
And this is where it fell apart. We had the separation from the rest of the fleet, but we had 6 Royal Perth boats rounding Foam and not prepared to give way once we were within the 3 boat length range. Turmoil resulted and we were forced off our line and over to the wrong side of the mark. And to make things worse we touched the mark with the boom. Result..... a 360 had to happen. In between all this, the next two H28's Jindarra and Swiftsure saw a gap and came pouring through and we had Wynella breathing down our necks as we completed the penalty turn. So on went the power and we took off after the leaders. We'd lost 3 minutes at a rough guess and we weren't going to get those back. By now we had 15 to 18 knots of sou westerly and the foredeck was a wet spot to be, but in between poles and reaching runs I was busy. And weight on the rail was a must.
So chase the boats in front and try to get a gap between Glen and ourselves as it was now a race for the handicap position not the coveted first over the line.
The results: First over the line. The First Jindarra, Swiftsure Saga and Soraya. On handicap Wynella, Soraya and The First Jindarra.
The issues with Royal Perth yachts continues to cause distress to our fleet and I suspect other fleets as well. I wonder if their sailing administrator is aware of the behavior of the skippers.
Question of the week. What boats have rights on the water at all times? Answer: Any boat with red lettering on their sails.
Wednesday the 9th of November
Only three remained; & "I passed two boats today" ( Lockie )
It was a classic day out with a sou westerly booming in and every chance of good racing for the six boats in the fleet. But only three finished. Oh dear. Some explanation is required.
Find a gap and duck into it. And away we went with the boat leaping forward in the gusts channeling down the jetties that line the foreshore. A good lead was established with Andy Bell hot on our heels. Behind him we had Swiftsure and Wynella and a little lower Anna and Corella. All boats bar Lockie would make Martin using the lifts coming around the corner off the Raffles and it was then a run down to Weaver with a gybe at the mark setting us up for the run to Sampson. Something wasn't quite right and Andy was pulling us in on the reach across to the next mark, but not enough to catch us. But the fleet had spread out a little by now and the arrival at Sampson had us whipping around the mark and holding Jindarra at bay so that he couldn't climb above us.
Forward we went and watched as boat after boat peeled off to the left and eventually Jindarra switched tack so we went to cover her a few seconds later. Only Anna stayed out a little longer, but she also rolled over after crossing our line. Watching Jindarra carefully, he had the same height and speed, but as we drew nearer to the next tack he had made perhaps a boat length or two. We were close to Anderson at the time and when Jindarra tacked we were calling on her to dip us from the outset. They began to dip and at the same time we were hit by a real bullet that laid us over.
Looking up I could see the inevitable as I dropped the traveler as far as I could. "Twang" as the two sets of shrouds met and the boats shuddered under the impact. A lurch and the boom dropped to head level and then the skipper yelled "heads down" as the headsail halyard began to strip the outer casing and the mast swiftly lowered itself down onto the hatch. A quick head count assured us that we were all still on the boat and unscathed. A call from Andrew ( Jindarra ) to ask if we were ok and Swiftsure Saga sailed past asking the same question.
A rather scary moment had passed and the aftermath was examining the boat and assessing the damage.
The forestay had parted at the swaging and the headsail halyard had given us a relatively soft lowering of the mast. There was very little damage to the boat physically at a first assessment except for a cracked hatch and movement of the timber under the mast. Both halyards had stretched and lost their casings and there was a small puncture in the headsail. Not sure about that one. As for the rigging; it'll have to be replaced. After a jolt like that you wouldn't feel comfortable with anything less. Oh and the Tik Tak GPS had hit the floor after being dislodged by the mast as it dropped. Broken!
So what happened afterwards. Jindarra dropped their sails and followed us in, retiring their boat and their help in putting the boat away was appreciated. The other four boats continued with Bill running into trouble with a RP boat up near Applecross Spit. The boat went about putting Bill into real trouble as he had to follow suit and ran into the mud near the Majestic . ( there were three or four boats who joined him over the day) Bill had to retire and made his way back home a little disgruntled. As for Lockie, Rita and Graeme, well they got past the other two on the water, leading Lockie to make the remark, "I passed two boats today".
First over the line and on handicap Corella, followed by Anna and Wynella. Everyone else took fourth
Sorry about the photo's. Didn't get terribly many after Anderson.
Only three remained; & "I passed two boats today" ( Lockie )
It was a classic day out with a sou westerly booming in and every chance of good racing for the six boats in the fleet. But only three finished. Oh dear. Some explanation is required.
Find a gap and duck into it. And away we went with the boat leaping forward in the gusts channeling down the jetties that line the foreshore. A good lead was established with Andy Bell hot on our heels. Behind him we had Swiftsure and Wynella and a little lower Anna and Corella. All boats bar Lockie would make Martin using the lifts coming around the corner off the Raffles and it was then a run down to Weaver with a gybe at the mark setting us up for the run to Sampson. Something wasn't quite right and Andy was pulling us in on the reach across to the next mark, but not enough to catch us. But the fleet had spread out a little by now and the arrival at Sampson had us whipping around the mark and holding Jindarra at bay so that he couldn't climb above us.
Forward we went and watched as boat after boat peeled off to the left and eventually Jindarra switched tack so we went to cover her a few seconds later. Only Anna stayed out a little longer, but she also rolled over after crossing our line. Watching Jindarra carefully, he had the same height and speed, but as we drew nearer to the next tack he had made perhaps a boat length or two. We were close to Anderson at the time and when Jindarra tacked we were calling on her to dip us from the outset. They began to dip and at the same time we were hit by a real bullet that laid us over.
Looking up I could see the inevitable as I dropped the traveler as far as I could. "Twang" as the two sets of shrouds met and the boats shuddered under the impact. A lurch and the boom dropped to head level and then the skipper yelled "heads down" as the headsail halyard began to strip the outer casing and the mast swiftly lowered itself down onto the hatch. A quick head count assured us that we were all still on the boat and unscathed. A call from Andrew ( Jindarra ) to ask if we were ok and Swiftsure Saga sailed past asking the same question.
A rather scary moment had passed and the aftermath was examining the boat and assessing the damage.
The forestay had parted at the swaging and the headsail halyard had given us a relatively soft lowering of the mast. There was very little damage to the boat physically at a first assessment except for a cracked hatch and movement of the timber under the mast. Both halyards had stretched and lost their casings and there was a small puncture in the headsail. Not sure about that one. As for the rigging; it'll have to be replaced. After a jolt like that you wouldn't feel comfortable with anything less. Oh and the Tik Tak GPS had hit the floor after being dislodged by the mast as it dropped. Broken!
So what happened afterwards. Jindarra dropped their sails and followed us in, retiring their boat and their help in putting the boat away was appreciated. The other four boats continued with Bill running into trouble with a RP boat up near Applecross Spit. The boat went about putting Bill into real trouble as he had to follow suit and ran into the mud near the Majestic . ( there were three or four boats who joined him over the day) Bill had to retire and made his way back home a little disgruntled. As for Lockie, Rita and Graeme, well they got past the other two on the water, leading Lockie to make the remark, "I passed two boats today".
First over the line and on handicap Corella, followed by Anna and Wynella. Everyone else took fourth
Sorry about the photo's. Didn't get terribly many after Anderson.
Saturday the 5th of November
The first of the Windward - Leeward races.
Five boats rocked up with a soft day out of the south west on offer. Geoff Reason was to be found on the front of Corella and Rita had managed to talk Brian Cross to take a run on the main. Swiftsure Saga had their usual crew and were prepared to hoist a kite (and did). John Wright was four up, but with Phil on the foredeck there were no problems to be had there either. Nerrima had the skills available to them, but had decided to take Glen on Wynella on in some JaM racing around the course and both appeared content with that.
In the past RO Les has offered both courses ( the Olympic and a W/L ), but today it was an easy up and down for both races. Not that that didn't stop us from having a right royal battle from the onset on the day. The three kite flyers were battling to see who could get to the top mark first and it seemed that the right hand side of the course was the way to go as both Rita and Bill took that side, but John W. went left and didn't do as well as he'd expected to do. Our biggest upset was the decision to go a little early and lost speed while Rita and Brian had the advantage of extra height and were able to come down on the mark with speed. However we had a kite up early and nearly had our nose in front by the bottom mark. The next leg, again, we tended to underlay the mark and suffered because of it, but a good kite run down kept us away from Anna and he stayed in third place for the rest of the race thanks to good sailing on the up wind and a crash tack that shut him out on the line. Corella 1st, Swiftsure 2nd and Anna 3rd.
The second race simply showed us a master class by John Wright on Anna.
We'd had a rough start with a bit of jockeying on the start that had Corella sandwiched between us and Nerrima above her. Anna had gone away low and fast and Wynella had taken the chance to sneak in between Nerrima and the start boat. Good sailing and put him in a great spot to dictate who went when. Corella ( I believe ) protested Nerrima and Les had to put a 360 in on the first up wind run. Effectively taking him out of the game. Wynella was faring well and we had gone out to the left under Corella and took the chance to tack across to look for a starboard lay line. Again we fell short and crept up to the top mark while John, Rita and Glen poured around the mark. A reasonable kite set had us chasing and passing Glen and getting close to the two boats up front, but the damage was done. So we took off to the right looking reasonably good for a chance to get back into second place, while John and Rita went left. A comment from one of our crew was; " if the seabreeze is working for him, he's going to be on the biggest lift since Vesuvius blew up". Sure enough both he and Rita had the right idea and they crossed us on the way to the top for the second time, well in front.
Around they went and we tagged along in third and suffered a small problem with our hoist. The spinnaker halyard hadn't been attached. So whatever chances existed went out the door. We did our best on the run down the breeze, catching up a little, but it was clear that the left hand side was working so we all streamed over there and ran up the breeze as best as we could. Good sailing by John had him cross the line well in front of Rita and we took a fair third for our troubles. Glen and Wynella took fourth and Les made it home for fifth.
However handicaps will come into play and disappointingly they aren't up yet on Sunday.
A brief note: spoke to Les Brooker and his new tiller will be made of Queensland pepperwood. He's started work on the laminating process already and he will in future carry a spare tiller in the boat. To the actual sequence of events on his boat last week, we have to add one item. A boom fitting went first (the vang attachment?) and that allowed the boom to rise, the Chinese gybe happened and he lost the MOB. At the same time the tiller decided to break up. Or so I recollect.
Enjoy the images.
The first of the Windward - Leeward races.
Five boats rocked up with a soft day out of the south west on offer. Geoff Reason was to be found on the front of Corella and Rita had managed to talk Brian Cross to take a run on the main. Swiftsure Saga had their usual crew and were prepared to hoist a kite (and did). John Wright was four up, but with Phil on the foredeck there were no problems to be had there either. Nerrima had the skills available to them, but had decided to take Glen on Wynella on in some JaM racing around the course and both appeared content with that.
In the past RO Les has offered both courses ( the Olympic and a W/L ), but today it was an easy up and down for both races. Not that that didn't stop us from having a right royal battle from the onset on the day. The three kite flyers were battling to see who could get to the top mark first and it seemed that the right hand side of the course was the way to go as both Rita and Bill took that side, but John W. went left and didn't do as well as he'd expected to do. Our biggest upset was the decision to go a little early and lost speed while Rita and Brian had the advantage of extra height and were able to come down on the mark with speed. However we had a kite up early and nearly had our nose in front by the bottom mark. The next leg, again, we tended to underlay the mark and suffered because of it, but a good kite run down kept us away from Anna and he stayed in third place for the rest of the race thanks to good sailing on the up wind and a crash tack that shut him out on the line. Corella 1st, Swiftsure 2nd and Anna 3rd.
The second race simply showed us a master class by John Wright on Anna.
We'd had a rough start with a bit of jockeying on the start that had Corella sandwiched between us and Nerrima above her. Anna had gone away low and fast and Wynella had taken the chance to sneak in between Nerrima and the start boat. Good sailing and put him in a great spot to dictate who went when. Corella ( I believe ) protested Nerrima and Les had to put a 360 in on the first up wind run. Effectively taking him out of the game. Wynella was faring well and we had gone out to the left under Corella and took the chance to tack across to look for a starboard lay line. Again we fell short and crept up to the top mark while John, Rita and Glen poured around the mark. A reasonable kite set had us chasing and passing Glen and getting close to the two boats up front, but the damage was done. So we took off to the right looking reasonably good for a chance to get back into second place, while John and Rita went left. A comment from one of our crew was; " if the seabreeze is working for him, he's going to be on the biggest lift since Vesuvius blew up". Sure enough both he and Rita had the right idea and they crossed us on the way to the top for the second time, well in front.
Around they went and we tagged along in third and suffered a small problem with our hoist. The spinnaker halyard hadn't been attached. So whatever chances existed went out the door. We did our best on the run down the breeze, catching up a little, but it was clear that the left hand side was working so we all streamed over there and ran up the breeze as best as we could. Good sailing by John had him cross the line well in front of Rita and we took a fair third for our troubles. Glen and Wynella took fourth and Les made it home for fifth.
However handicaps will come into play and disappointingly they aren't up yet on Sunday.
A brief note: spoke to Les Brooker and his new tiller will be made of Queensland pepperwood. He's started work on the laminating process already and he will in future carry a spare tiller in the boat. To the actual sequence of events on his boat last week, we have to add one item. A boom fitting went first (the vang attachment?) and that allowed the boom to rise, the Chinese gybe happened and he lost the MOB. At the same time the tiller decided to break up. Or so I recollect.
Enjoy the images.
Wednesday the 2nd of November
Never write off Vic Court ......ever!
Five boats hit the water on what would be a superb day with a true sou wester beginning to build. With 3 boats still away ( Jindarra and Corella ) and I think that Kate and Phil (Soraya) are taking time off so our usual 8 on the water has been eroded a little. But the competition on the water was fierce with a little bit of jockeying for position mid line on the start. We could have sworn that some one was over, but the starters though not so we took off to ride the gusts up to Martin/Weaver on a course one with about 13 to 17 knots on the wind.
Neck to neck with Vic Court we gradually took the lifts as we approached Martin and tried to have a bit to spare for the Raffles knock that gets to you when you are about to hit the corner. Made it and the fleet followed one by one down to Weaver with Vic hugging our transom closely.
Around Weaver and the fleet split into two with Wynella leading Swiftsure Saga and Anna up a little trying to get closer to the breeze. We stayed low and thought about staying in front of Vic, who again was blessed with two Geoffs and Andrew Minto.
Approaching Sampson we still had Vic on our transom but Glen was indulging on a little game playing, trying to get Swiftsure off his transom and incidentally taking Anna up as well. Didn't bother us. Around Sampson and straight up. The first dig was into the channel and we took another one about 400 meters further on as we knew that the RP fleet were going to be a problem. But we were inside them and the only thing we wanted was that hooking seabreeze that takes you up as far as you want to go, skimming past Applecross Spit and with any luck, close to Deepwater for a quick pair of tacks that gets you around the mark and away to Print. And we did so with Vic sticking to our transom like chewy on a boot. We made a little bit of time on Vic on the down wind and were very lucky to have a slight problem with the jib sheets sorted out on the fly when we rounded to get on our way back into the bay and on our way to Robins.
Again the same lift was in the bay ( do I love the seabreeze, yes I do! ) and the boat hooked up to the mark with Robins giving way to Dolphin East on a screaming reach as the sou westerly began to really build into the 20's. A gybe on the mark and then a pole to Como and then a run to the outer start line with the fleet still streaming out behind us. Admittedly Bill and John had got past Glen at this stage, but they were still having a good race.
Around the outer start line and away to Sampson with Vic a minute or so behind ( was it enough ). A good ride up to Print and turn left to get to Foam ( yes it was the quickest way ) and get around Foam to face the down coming Div. 2 fleet. A huge swerve to avoid Gordon Dunbar on Spritzig 11 made us busy, but we avoided the rest and made the rounding at Print to pop up another pole for the run to Como and then dropped it again for the dash to Thelma fending off another div two boat who was determined to give us a hard time, particularly at the rounding and then held us against the freeway a lot longer that we wanted to. Eventually a call of water gave us room and he tacked off so we followed and ran for the line, watching as the rest of our fleet got hold of the lift and pointed toward the mark.
Still first over the line wasn't bad and the skipper was happy. As for Vic and his crew, they sailed well as did the rest of the H28's. Under 4 minutes and 15 seconds from first to last. Over the line, Mariner followed by Carina and third Swiftsure Saga. On handicap Carina, Mariner and Wynella.
News from abroad has Andy Bell and his crew doing well to finish mid fleet in the China cup and more importantly beating the RP entry. Woohoo ! The Bells are spending this week in China on holiday as are the Lockes? Well done the SoPYC H28 sailors.
Never write off Vic Court ......ever!
Five boats hit the water on what would be a superb day with a true sou wester beginning to build. With 3 boats still away ( Jindarra and Corella ) and I think that Kate and Phil (Soraya) are taking time off so our usual 8 on the water has been eroded a little. But the competition on the water was fierce with a little bit of jockeying for position mid line on the start. We could have sworn that some one was over, but the starters though not so we took off to ride the gusts up to Martin/Weaver on a course one with about 13 to 17 knots on the wind.
Neck to neck with Vic Court we gradually took the lifts as we approached Martin and tried to have a bit to spare for the Raffles knock that gets to you when you are about to hit the corner. Made it and the fleet followed one by one down to Weaver with Vic hugging our transom closely.
Around Weaver and the fleet split into two with Wynella leading Swiftsure Saga and Anna up a little trying to get closer to the breeze. We stayed low and thought about staying in front of Vic, who again was blessed with two Geoffs and Andrew Minto.
Approaching Sampson we still had Vic on our transom but Glen was indulging on a little game playing, trying to get Swiftsure off his transom and incidentally taking Anna up as well. Didn't bother us. Around Sampson and straight up. The first dig was into the channel and we took another one about 400 meters further on as we knew that the RP fleet were going to be a problem. But we were inside them and the only thing we wanted was that hooking seabreeze that takes you up as far as you want to go, skimming past Applecross Spit and with any luck, close to Deepwater for a quick pair of tacks that gets you around the mark and away to Print. And we did so with Vic sticking to our transom like chewy on a boot. We made a little bit of time on Vic on the down wind and were very lucky to have a slight problem with the jib sheets sorted out on the fly when we rounded to get on our way back into the bay and on our way to Robins.
Again the same lift was in the bay ( do I love the seabreeze, yes I do! ) and the boat hooked up to the mark with Robins giving way to Dolphin East on a screaming reach as the sou westerly began to really build into the 20's. A gybe on the mark and then a pole to Como and then a run to the outer start line with the fleet still streaming out behind us. Admittedly Bill and John had got past Glen at this stage, but they were still having a good race.
Around the outer start line and away to Sampson with Vic a minute or so behind ( was it enough ). A good ride up to Print and turn left to get to Foam ( yes it was the quickest way ) and get around Foam to face the down coming Div. 2 fleet. A huge swerve to avoid Gordon Dunbar on Spritzig 11 made us busy, but we avoided the rest and made the rounding at Print to pop up another pole for the run to Como and then dropped it again for the dash to Thelma fending off another div two boat who was determined to give us a hard time, particularly at the rounding and then held us against the freeway a lot longer that we wanted to. Eventually a call of water gave us room and he tacked off so we followed and ran for the line, watching as the rest of our fleet got hold of the lift and pointed toward the mark.
Still first over the line wasn't bad and the skipper was happy. As for Vic and his crew, they sailed well as did the rest of the H28's. Under 4 minutes and 15 seconds from first to last. Over the line, Mariner followed by Carina and third Swiftsure Saga. On handicap Carina, Mariner and Wynella.
News from abroad has Andy Bell and his crew doing well to finish mid fleet in the China cup and more importantly beating the RP entry. Woohoo ! The Bells are spending this week in China on holiday as are the Lockes? Well done the SoPYC H28 sailors.
Saturday the 29th of October
The first Championship Race
Let us count the cost ( Nerrima )
As you may gather from the introduction, Les had an interesting day. But lets tell the story shall we?
Five H28's set out onto the water with a sou westerly in evidence and a base line of 17 knots and gusting to 25 knots. A typical summer season sou wester with the expected course one on offer. No day buoy, just a run up to the line and straight to Brickies. Most of us chose to go into the bay and launch out to pass Applecross Spit before ducking into the next bay and aiming for Brickies on the 3rd or fourth tack of the day. However Swiftsure Saga chose to stay out in the middle with good speed and lifts that took them up to Applecross before they tacked across into the bay. And it paid off in spades with a generous lead that took them all the way to Brickies and they didn't have to tack and re tack to make Brickies A and B. With a couple of hundred yards lead, the decision to pole out to Dolphin West was taken and though our lead was eroded we had done well. In the mean time Anna had thrown up a kite as had the First Jindarra, further back Rita on Corella chose to ride the poled out jib as we were doing and Les threw up a kite as well. The last recorded sighting of Nerrima was on the first run down breeze and then she disappeared from view.
Les had had an unfortunate series of incidents and I'm not too sure in what sequence they occurred but Les broke his new tiller ( perhaps kauri or jarrah next time Les ), managed to Chinese gybe ( lose control with a kite up ) and put a man over board.
The MOB was rescued by the RFBYC rescue boat and returned to Nerrima, though it was observed that he probably would have preferred to stay in the rescue boat. Les recovered the boat from the gybe, counted heads and saw the crewman being rescued. The tiller is another matter. Made from oregon, it looked great (I saw it last week) but hadn't been able to take the strain of 4 and half tons of jarrah pushing the boat one way and 25 knots of breeze and a kite twisting it another way. So Les quietly retired and was seen wandering off with a shattered tiller under one arm and the thought of having an emergency tiller on board for such events.
Rounding Dolphin West we headed back to Brickies on very much the same legs that we had the last time, but with the change in the breeze we had to put a couple more tacks in and eventually hit a great series of lifts that had us over standing the mark having to thread our way through boats pouring out of Smith and Lucky. Slipping past Brickies B we began a series of misadventures that cost us the lead at Addison.
Not putting up a poled out jib cost us time and gave others the chance to catch up. Sorting out the tangled spinnaker halyard took time. Fending off a determined attack from Anna on the way down gave Jindarra a chance to catch up and eventually Anna slipped inside us close to Addison and took the inside running at the mark. A brief touch of their sail on our pole wasn't claimed, though if protested could have forced Anna to do a 360. Our next move was to try and get back in front on the up wind to Deepwater and then the jib sheets came loose from the holding shackle. The thread had parted company. Dropping the headsail, quick work with a knife gave us two sheets and bowlines had us ready to go again, but by now the three remaining boats had slipped past and we were last and despite our efforts could not regain a place.
Deepwater was achieved and a poled jib was used to finish the race. No need to bother with a kite, they were well ahead.
Well done to Anna who had Glen Stanley on the main replacing Craig Baulmer who's not well at present; The First Jindarra had Kevin Robson( the wind whisperer) on the helm and Jenny Sims on the main and a make up crew who performed very well on the day. Nerrima's crew included Steve Grover and James Spittle while Swiftsure Saga had the usual mob. Rita helmed in place of David Locke while he and Andy Bell ( the First Jindarra ) are in China and Mariner's Brian Cross took the mainsheet.
Over the line Anna, The First Jindarra, Corella and Swiftsure Saga with Nerrima retired. On handicap ( for consistency ) Anna, The First Jindarra and Swiftsure Saga ( I think ) {no results posted as yet}
The first Championship Race
Let us count the cost ( Nerrima )
As you may gather from the introduction, Les had an interesting day. But lets tell the story shall we?
Five H28's set out onto the water with a sou westerly in evidence and a base line of 17 knots and gusting to 25 knots. A typical summer season sou wester with the expected course one on offer. No day buoy, just a run up to the line and straight to Brickies. Most of us chose to go into the bay and launch out to pass Applecross Spit before ducking into the next bay and aiming for Brickies on the 3rd or fourth tack of the day. However Swiftsure Saga chose to stay out in the middle with good speed and lifts that took them up to Applecross before they tacked across into the bay. And it paid off in spades with a generous lead that took them all the way to Brickies and they didn't have to tack and re tack to make Brickies A and B. With a couple of hundred yards lead, the decision to pole out to Dolphin West was taken and though our lead was eroded we had done well. In the mean time Anna had thrown up a kite as had the First Jindarra, further back Rita on Corella chose to ride the poled out jib as we were doing and Les threw up a kite as well. The last recorded sighting of Nerrima was on the first run down breeze and then she disappeared from view.
Les had had an unfortunate series of incidents and I'm not too sure in what sequence they occurred but Les broke his new tiller ( perhaps kauri or jarrah next time Les ), managed to Chinese gybe ( lose control with a kite up ) and put a man over board.
The MOB was rescued by the RFBYC rescue boat and returned to Nerrima, though it was observed that he probably would have preferred to stay in the rescue boat. Les recovered the boat from the gybe, counted heads and saw the crewman being rescued. The tiller is another matter. Made from oregon, it looked great (I saw it last week) but hadn't been able to take the strain of 4 and half tons of jarrah pushing the boat one way and 25 knots of breeze and a kite twisting it another way. So Les quietly retired and was seen wandering off with a shattered tiller under one arm and the thought of having an emergency tiller on board for such events.
Rounding Dolphin West we headed back to Brickies on very much the same legs that we had the last time, but with the change in the breeze we had to put a couple more tacks in and eventually hit a great series of lifts that had us over standing the mark having to thread our way through boats pouring out of Smith and Lucky. Slipping past Brickies B we began a series of misadventures that cost us the lead at Addison.
Not putting up a poled out jib cost us time and gave others the chance to catch up. Sorting out the tangled spinnaker halyard took time. Fending off a determined attack from Anna on the way down gave Jindarra a chance to catch up and eventually Anna slipped inside us close to Addison and took the inside running at the mark. A brief touch of their sail on our pole wasn't claimed, though if protested could have forced Anna to do a 360. Our next move was to try and get back in front on the up wind to Deepwater and then the jib sheets came loose from the holding shackle. The thread had parted company. Dropping the headsail, quick work with a knife gave us two sheets and bowlines had us ready to go again, but by now the three remaining boats had slipped past and we were last and despite our efforts could not regain a place.
Deepwater was achieved and a poled jib was used to finish the race. No need to bother with a kite, they were well ahead.
Well done to Anna who had Glen Stanley on the main replacing Craig Baulmer who's not well at present; The First Jindarra had Kevin Robson( the wind whisperer) on the helm and Jenny Sims on the main and a make up crew who performed very well on the day. Nerrima's crew included Steve Grover and James Spittle while Swiftsure Saga had the usual mob. Rita helmed in place of David Locke while he and Andy Bell ( the First Jindarra ) are in China and Mariner's Brian Cross took the mainsheet.
Over the line Anna, The First Jindarra, Corella and Swiftsure Saga with Nerrima retired. On handicap ( for consistency ) Anna, The First Jindarra and Swiftsure Saga ( I think ) {no results posted as yet}
Wednesday the 26th of October
Just a point away.
There's a lesson to be learnt from today. All the fun and games of match racing against a strong competitor comes to nowt if you lose time in the doing of it and a boat with a lower handicap is having a good day.
Five H28's went out with regulars Dave Locke and Andrew Bell overseas for the China Cup. Kate didn't have the girls either, so Soraya didn't front but we had a couple of welcome additions to the crew in Geoff Reason joining Vic and Andrew Minto who popped up for a run and stepped aboard John Wrights boat. A good west sou westerly was in evidence with 12 to 15 knots on offer all day and it was the shift between the Sou Westerly and the WSW'erly that made it interesting for the skippers.
As usual a good start means all the difference and a clean start with speed helped us get away to the front, from then it was work our way up to Hallmark on a course two trying not to bang the corners. The pressure was in the middle and if it did swing a little you'd pick up the lift when it went South. We were passed by Swiftsure Saga on the way up and got her back on the opposite tack, but it was a fine battle to get to Hallmark first and we kept the drive on the boat all the way. Not that anyone else was laggardly with John Wright on our transom and if not him, then Swiftsure Saga. We expected better from Vic sailing with two Geoff's but maybe it wasn't their day. Glen wasn't too far behind, but there's more to tell about that later.
The run down to Como and then to the Outer start line was fine and a good rounding had us away from Swiftsure Saga a little and plenty of room from the rest. The next beat took us up to Dolphin West from Sampson and again we noticed that Bill on Swiftsure was closing on us. A hard man to keep down. Around Dolphin West and the run to Print then Como was on with a pole that was being moved forward all the time.
A chance to flip the sail around just before Como had us safely stowed for the run to Thelma, but we first had to deal with two issues. One) a laggardly SS27 who we had to pass ( we were on the same course ) and two ) Swiftsure Saga who had closed most of the gap and was posing a threat to us. A polite request to the SS27 had us passing him and he then promptly sat behind us in our wind, slowing us down til he rolled over the top of us. Bill then decided to use his speed to go over the top of the SS27 and we had to get through underneath the SS27. Hard work and Bill picked up an overlap. So take him up we did and probably too far as we were well over the lay line before we tacked and the mad dash to the pin involved a gybe on the mark and a run along the freeway to try and catch up. Meanwhile the other boats were catching up and Anna driven by John Wright was closing as were Vic and Glen.
No such luck for us as we were behind and a hundred meters to the pin end. Not going to be our day! So sadly we saw Bill roll over the line and cursed the laggardly SS27 for their behavior and then reflected that we could have done better as well. Instead of choosing to go below, we should have also gone up and around the SS27 and possibly have retained our lead. Again we could have not taken SSsaga so far up and saved ourselves the gybe and tack. No matter.
In results it was interesting as we knew that we'd wasted time and the low handicap boats had a chance. We had Bill on handicap but either Vic or Glen were to be reckoned with. First over the line Bill RIchards, second Brian Cross and third John Wright.
On handicap Brian Cross by one second to Glen Stanley with Vic Court 16 seconds away in third. Ouch!
Enjoy the images.
Just a point away.
There's a lesson to be learnt from today. All the fun and games of match racing against a strong competitor comes to nowt if you lose time in the doing of it and a boat with a lower handicap is having a good day.
Five H28's went out with regulars Dave Locke and Andrew Bell overseas for the China Cup. Kate didn't have the girls either, so Soraya didn't front but we had a couple of welcome additions to the crew in Geoff Reason joining Vic and Andrew Minto who popped up for a run and stepped aboard John Wrights boat. A good west sou westerly was in evidence with 12 to 15 knots on offer all day and it was the shift between the Sou Westerly and the WSW'erly that made it interesting for the skippers.
As usual a good start means all the difference and a clean start with speed helped us get away to the front, from then it was work our way up to Hallmark on a course two trying not to bang the corners. The pressure was in the middle and if it did swing a little you'd pick up the lift when it went South. We were passed by Swiftsure Saga on the way up and got her back on the opposite tack, but it was a fine battle to get to Hallmark first and we kept the drive on the boat all the way. Not that anyone else was laggardly with John Wright on our transom and if not him, then Swiftsure Saga. We expected better from Vic sailing with two Geoff's but maybe it wasn't their day. Glen wasn't too far behind, but there's more to tell about that later.
The run down to Como and then to the Outer start line was fine and a good rounding had us away from Swiftsure Saga a little and plenty of room from the rest. The next beat took us up to Dolphin West from Sampson and again we noticed that Bill on Swiftsure was closing on us. A hard man to keep down. Around Dolphin West and the run to Print then Como was on with a pole that was being moved forward all the time.
A chance to flip the sail around just before Como had us safely stowed for the run to Thelma, but we first had to deal with two issues. One) a laggardly SS27 who we had to pass ( we were on the same course ) and two ) Swiftsure Saga who had closed most of the gap and was posing a threat to us. A polite request to the SS27 had us passing him and he then promptly sat behind us in our wind, slowing us down til he rolled over the top of us. Bill then decided to use his speed to go over the top of the SS27 and we had to get through underneath the SS27. Hard work and Bill picked up an overlap. So take him up we did and probably too far as we were well over the lay line before we tacked and the mad dash to the pin involved a gybe on the mark and a run along the freeway to try and catch up. Meanwhile the other boats were catching up and Anna driven by John Wright was closing as were Vic and Glen.
No such luck for us as we were behind and a hundred meters to the pin end. Not going to be our day! So sadly we saw Bill roll over the line and cursed the laggardly SS27 for their behavior and then reflected that we could have done better as well. Instead of choosing to go below, we should have also gone up and around the SS27 and possibly have retained our lead. Again we could have not taken SSsaga so far up and saved ourselves the gybe and tack. No matter.
In results it was interesting as we knew that we'd wasted time and the low handicap boats had a chance. We had Bill on handicap but either Vic or Glen were to be reckoned with. First over the line Bill RIchards, second Brian Cross and third John Wright.
On handicap Brian Cross by one second to Glen Stanley with Vic Court 16 seconds away in third. Ouch!
Enjoy the images.
Wednesday the 19th of October
Looking at transoms.
Lets briefly put you out of your misery, the fleet did not go out on Saturday as it was deemed by the majority that it'd be a good day to break something. Base 20 and gusting to 30 knots. Still Aloha did go out I hear and only returned when there was no one else to play with. Well done them.
The story so far: 9 H28's on the water and a west sou westerly moving through that was occasionally flicking into a true sou wester. About 13 to 18 knots and a good course one with a run to Martin - Weaver to keep us on our toes. We also had a Flying 15 to keep us company and they wisely stayed out of our way on the line. The skipper had a plan and if we'd stuck to it.......... Any way we ended up at the box end trying to pull off a similar stunt as we did last week. Nope. We were clipped by Andy and were probably over the start line as two other boats were. So back around the box end mark and begin to look at transoms in front of us again.
The chase up to Martin was a long one and crossing to Weaver I noticed the classic F15 beside us ( wooden variety ). All it needs to do is to grow up a little and it's an H28. We got around Weaver on a screaming reach and then settled the boat to try and assess our position. Behind all but two boats and we weren't looking fast either. Lockie was behind us as was Vic and the rest were getting away. So settle into the back markers mode and try to pass someone. By Sampson we had managed to catch up with the fleet but making a passing move was out. Too many experienced skippers there. So around Sampson and watch the fleet gradually peel off to port to cross the river on the way to Waylen Bay. We hung out knocking all the time, looking for the right time to cross on a lift.
We finally flipped over and avoiding the 2nd wave of the RP fleet worked our way to just above Applecross. As a note we were originally looking at Deepwater when we tacked, but the lift wasn't there. Most of the fleet crossed us and we saw Lockie looking famous as he hooked up from the bay. There's a lesson there. Nerrima was sporting a new jib by UK sails and Geoff was on board. Must have done something to the boat because she was doing very well. She was ahead and staying ahead. And Vic wasn't a slouch either, he was pushing us as well. But we had managed to get past Kate and Glen so it was a case of the reach across from Deepwater with Vic and Lockie just edging us out at Deepwater and we then had to try to get past them again.
The run down to Print had us running the angles with a gybe halfway through. Again it was a case of trying to lessen the distance that the rest had on us. Smart work at Print had us around the corner and away while others lingered and we got a little closer to the front. Then a good work up to Robins had us in front of Vic, but still chasing Dave Locke. Then again we saw the F15 who was doing very well to keep up as we made it to Robins and bore away to Dolphin East. The reach across saw us using a reaching sheet that took the jib out to it's normal position and might have made us faster, but 7.5 knots was enough in the puffs. Then to Como and off to the outer start line under a pole to begin with and a very tight reach down to the line. At this stage the lead was fluid with Bill Richards and Andy Bell in battle. Andy is practicing hard for the China cup and found a hole in Bills defense and worked his way through. John Wright had a good third spot and Les Brooker was still enjoying his new jib in a comfortable fourth. And really nothing changed from there on in. We had a good run up to Sampson for the second time and then arrived at Foam with a comfortable lead over the three behind us. Even the sight of a SS27 beside us wasn't a problem as we had a good set on the sails and we got through her on the way to Thelma. She tried to roll us at Thelma, but couldn't and elected to tack and lost minutes having done so.
Our job was done, we'd got to the line, but it was a salutary lesson as if we'd stuck to the start plan we could have had a better finish, but again if we'd tacked off earlier to cross the river, we could have perhaps taken the lifts the earlier boats were getting and then slipped into the bay to get the lift on the sea breeze. Then may be not. If's don't win races, smart work by the skipper and crews do. And we learnt a lesson today, don't get entangled on the start line.
First and Fastest .... Andy Bell and The First Jindarra. Bill RIchards second over the line and fourth on handicap, John Wright and Anna, third and third. On handicap Les Brooker and Nerrima took a second.
A comment. Crossroads ( the SS22 ) did so well that if she'd sailed in our fleet, she'd have picked up a fourth over the line.
Looking at transoms.
Lets briefly put you out of your misery, the fleet did not go out on Saturday as it was deemed by the majority that it'd be a good day to break something. Base 20 and gusting to 30 knots. Still Aloha did go out I hear and only returned when there was no one else to play with. Well done them.
The story so far: 9 H28's on the water and a west sou westerly moving through that was occasionally flicking into a true sou wester. About 13 to 18 knots and a good course one with a run to Martin - Weaver to keep us on our toes. We also had a Flying 15 to keep us company and they wisely stayed out of our way on the line. The skipper had a plan and if we'd stuck to it.......... Any way we ended up at the box end trying to pull off a similar stunt as we did last week. Nope. We were clipped by Andy and were probably over the start line as two other boats were. So back around the box end mark and begin to look at transoms in front of us again.
The chase up to Martin was a long one and crossing to Weaver I noticed the classic F15 beside us ( wooden variety ). All it needs to do is to grow up a little and it's an H28. We got around Weaver on a screaming reach and then settled the boat to try and assess our position. Behind all but two boats and we weren't looking fast either. Lockie was behind us as was Vic and the rest were getting away. So settle into the back markers mode and try to pass someone. By Sampson we had managed to catch up with the fleet but making a passing move was out. Too many experienced skippers there. So around Sampson and watch the fleet gradually peel off to port to cross the river on the way to Waylen Bay. We hung out knocking all the time, looking for the right time to cross on a lift.
We finally flipped over and avoiding the 2nd wave of the RP fleet worked our way to just above Applecross. As a note we were originally looking at Deepwater when we tacked, but the lift wasn't there. Most of the fleet crossed us and we saw Lockie looking famous as he hooked up from the bay. There's a lesson there. Nerrima was sporting a new jib by UK sails and Geoff was on board. Must have done something to the boat because she was doing very well. She was ahead and staying ahead. And Vic wasn't a slouch either, he was pushing us as well. But we had managed to get past Kate and Glen so it was a case of the reach across from Deepwater with Vic and Lockie just edging us out at Deepwater and we then had to try to get past them again.
The run down to Print had us running the angles with a gybe halfway through. Again it was a case of trying to lessen the distance that the rest had on us. Smart work at Print had us around the corner and away while others lingered and we got a little closer to the front. Then a good work up to Robins had us in front of Vic, but still chasing Dave Locke. Then again we saw the F15 who was doing very well to keep up as we made it to Robins and bore away to Dolphin East. The reach across saw us using a reaching sheet that took the jib out to it's normal position and might have made us faster, but 7.5 knots was enough in the puffs. Then to Como and off to the outer start line under a pole to begin with and a very tight reach down to the line. At this stage the lead was fluid with Bill Richards and Andy Bell in battle. Andy is practicing hard for the China cup and found a hole in Bills defense and worked his way through. John Wright had a good third spot and Les Brooker was still enjoying his new jib in a comfortable fourth. And really nothing changed from there on in. We had a good run up to Sampson for the second time and then arrived at Foam with a comfortable lead over the three behind us. Even the sight of a SS27 beside us wasn't a problem as we had a good set on the sails and we got through her on the way to Thelma. She tried to roll us at Thelma, but couldn't and elected to tack and lost minutes having done so.
Our job was done, we'd got to the line, but it was a salutary lesson as if we'd stuck to the start plan we could have had a better finish, but again if we'd tacked off earlier to cross the river, we could have perhaps taken the lifts the earlier boats were getting and then slipped into the bay to get the lift on the sea breeze. Then may be not. If's don't win races, smart work by the skipper and crews do. And we learnt a lesson today, don't get entangled on the start line.
First and Fastest .... Andy Bell and The First Jindarra. Bill RIchards second over the line and fourth on handicap, John Wright and Anna, third and third. On handicap Les Brooker and Nerrima took a second.
A comment. Crossroads ( the SS22 ) did so well that if she'd sailed in our fleet, she'd have picked up a fourth over the line.
Wednesday the 12th of October
And then there was nothing.
An expected light winds course was offered to us with a rapidly diminishing Nor easter blowing. ( you can see where this is going can't you).
In about 5 to 10 knots eight H28's got underway with a colossal battle for the pin end as everyone wanted to be there. Luckily Mariner arrived a little early with a bit of way and we ducked around the forming log jam and ran the line until we thought we could get away with it and firmed up. Nice one Brian, in the lead. The ball of boats eventually sorted themselves out with Soraya and Kate Lammonby as the last loser and it was decided that the pin was not the spot to be.
The next trick was to keep the lead and get above everyone else. It was a hard one to pick with a 3 to 4 minute cycle in the phase and all the boats swung up and down on the line toward Sampson. Lockie and John Wright tacked away early looking for a lift off the freeway and the acceleration that you get as you come down the wind to the mark. We had had a set of inner tracks put in to help us point higher in light breezes and this was testing day. Damn they worked well, as we soared up above Swiftsure Saga and nearly climbed above Andy Bell's The First Jindarra as we raced to Sampson. Everyone else was contemplated the tack over to the freeway but we and Andrew clung on and tacked on the ley line to be just in front of Corella and Anna as they came down from the north east.
Then the catch up game commenced as we hoisted poles and then ran before the wind to Robins at a leisurely 1.5 knots. Searching for gusts Andy went deep to the east while others went up to the north side of the course, but to no avail as the RP fleet slipped out of Matilda Bay and gobbled up all the wind on their reaching course before we got it. By the way...... at this stage the SS22's who started 5 minutes after us were catching up and had caught half the fleet before Robins and in fact rounding Robins was to be our next challenge.
Anna had caught up and was inside us on the mark. Have to give him room! So we went wide and kept the sails trimmed nicely and kept the wind pushing us forward. For some reason, John rounded the corner as though he was turning in 15 knots and the boat hit a wall. In the low pressure he was quickly swallowed up by the other boats and Lockie had made it to the front with Judy's Alma not far behind and a bunch of plastics surrounding them. The run to Dolphin East was uneventful, but we had no wind and were running on the zephyrs that came through. Rounding DE we continued in ghost mode and were comfortably ahead of the combined fleet. Then the wake from a power boat hit us. Stopped us dead. In fact talking to Rita later on, she said that they could see us going backwards against the background. Slowly we got the boat around and pointing in the right way and then the faintest of a sou westerly came in and we and the rest of the fleet set our sails for it.
Then Kate on Soraya and Glen with Wynella came past. Sails down and motors on........Racing abandoned. Two hoots on the clubs start box horn and the safety boat was rounding us all up. 33 degrees on the water by the way... we were parched.
And then there was nothing.
A few photo's were taken of boats going very slowly. Enjoy.
And then there was nothing.
An expected light winds course was offered to us with a rapidly diminishing Nor easter blowing. ( you can see where this is going can't you).
In about 5 to 10 knots eight H28's got underway with a colossal battle for the pin end as everyone wanted to be there. Luckily Mariner arrived a little early with a bit of way and we ducked around the forming log jam and ran the line until we thought we could get away with it and firmed up. Nice one Brian, in the lead. The ball of boats eventually sorted themselves out with Soraya and Kate Lammonby as the last loser and it was decided that the pin was not the spot to be.
The next trick was to keep the lead and get above everyone else. It was a hard one to pick with a 3 to 4 minute cycle in the phase and all the boats swung up and down on the line toward Sampson. Lockie and John Wright tacked away early looking for a lift off the freeway and the acceleration that you get as you come down the wind to the mark. We had had a set of inner tracks put in to help us point higher in light breezes and this was testing day. Damn they worked well, as we soared up above Swiftsure Saga and nearly climbed above Andy Bell's The First Jindarra as we raced to Sampson. Everyone else was contemplated the tack over to the freeway but we and Andrew clung on and tacked on the ley line to be just in front of Corella and Anna as they came down from the north east.
Then the catch up game commenced as we hoisted poles and then ran before the wind to Robins at a leisurely 1.5 knots. Searching for gusts Andy went deep to the east while others went up to the north side of the course, but to no avail as the RP fleet slipped out of Matilda Bay and gobbled up all the wind on their reaching course before we got it. By the way...... at this stage the SS22's who started 5 minutes after us were catching up and had caught half the fleet before Robins and in fact rounding Robins was to be our next challenge.
Anna had caught up and was inside us on the mark. Have to give him room! So we went wide and kept the sails trimmed nicely and kept the wind pushing us forward. For some reason, John rounded the corner as though he was turning in 15 knots and the boat hit a wall. In the low pressure he was quickly swallowed up by the other boats and Lockie had made it to the front with Judy's Alma not far behind and a bunch of plastics surrounding them. The run to Dolphin East was uneventful, but we had no wind and were running on the zephyrs that came through. Rounding DE we continued in ghost mode and were comfortably ahead of the combined fleet. Then the wake from a power boat hit us. Stopped us dead. In fact talking to Rita later on, she said that they could see us going backwards against the background. Slowly we got the boat around and pointing in the right way and then the faintest of a sou westerly came in and we and the rest of the fleet set our sails for it.
Then Kate on Soraya and Glen with Wynella came past. Sails down and motors on........Racing abandoned. Two hoots on the clubs start box horn and the safety boat was rounding us all up. 33 degrees on the water by the way... we were parched.
And then there was nothing.
A few photo's were taken of boats going very slowly. Enjoy.
Saturday the 8th of October
Getting a bit of weight on the rail
It's a big help on a day full of gusts if you've got someone on the rail who can do the deed for you. Lockie had Brian Cross out there, Glen had Graham on the rail and the three others were ensuring that they had someone up there. Didn't matter who, just get the weight up on the windward side.
With a grumpy nor wester on offer and a course three advised, 5 H28's found themselves making up one fifth of the total fleet that SoPYC fielded for the day. I was particularly impressed by the Red Witches and SS27's who made up a good chunk of the fleet as well and they were all the regulars. Fair enough there were a couple of opening days on around the river and we saw a number of smaller boats being shepherded by the Mounts Bay club as they battled to keep their dinghies upright. Not to mention Black Betty from Freshie as she howled around the river.
We got away to a good start with a choice of going up the river on the north side or up the middle with better pressure. The trick was finding Bartlett tucked into the bay near Nedlands and as we were watching Corella we had a general idea where it should be. Making it to the mark the next part of the race was the downwind run to Thelma and as the pressure was still kind Corella with Rita doing the foredeck, popped up the only kite seen in the fleet for the day and put themselves well ahead. We and the rest of the fleet were content with a poled out number one, though I do believe that Glen had changed down to a # 2 prior to the race. Good move over all Glen. Aloha was still working hard and although behind the others, were still in sight of the fleet and if they'd stayed in, had the race for the taking on handicap.
Then the work up to Deepwater and across to Bartlett again. OMG. About half way up the breeze really started to pick up and John Wright had gone into Waylen Bay. Bill Richards on Swiftsure Saga and Lockie on Corella had stayed out a little trying to make it around Applecross Spit and thence to Deepwater. We got past Applecross but I had my hands on the traveler ready to counter any gusts and then we were slammed by the change in direction from the breeze. Instead of aiming at Deepwater we were now pointing at Bond. Look back and watch both Anna and Wynella tack off at Applecross as the heavy knock threatened to put them into no mans land behind Applecross Spit.
Then around Deepwater and across to Bartlett with the wind still howling around our ears. The traveler was all the way out and I was ready to dump some main sheet if required. We were a little high ( hard to see anything in front of us actually) and we had to trust that the GPS was letting us know where it was. Down we went and watched Corella make the mark and then found ourselves too low and having to throw in a quick tack to get around Bartlett. From then on it was a soldiers course as the next mark was Addison and a jaunty reach to Thelma. A small lap was required to finish the race and we used it to get a little further ahead. Checking to see who was where, we looked around and Aloha was not in sight. Later on we found that they had retired prudently once the breeze started to really pump, but I'm delighted that we have a young skipper on the helm of an H28 and supported by his family.
On handicap Corella took the first and incidentally the fastest. Swiftsure Saga took second and Wynella by dint of a lower handicap took third.
Over the line Corella first, Swiftsure Saga second and Anna third.
Summary of the day... Exciting day on the water, lots of rain and stuff and the variety in the course made it an interesting sail. The highest recorded wind gusts were between 2.57 and 3.03 pm and they were at 29 knots at Inner Dolphin. Not surprisingly the wind speed we experienced was well in advance of that, as the wind recording device is protected somewhat by the land mass just north of it. Some pundits gave us mast top wind speeds better than 33 knots.
Not too many photo's today, I was busy.
Getting a bit of weight on the rail
It's a big help on a day full of gusts if you've got someone on the rail who can do the deed for you. Lockie had Brian Cross out there, Glen had Graham on the rail and the three others were ensuring that they had someone up there. Didn't matter who, just get the weight up on the windward side.
With a grumpy nor wester on offer and a course three advised, 5 H28's found themselves making up one fifth of the total fleet that SoPYC fielded for the day. I was particularly impressed by the Red Witches and SS27's who made up a good chunk of the fleet as well and they were all the regulars. Fair enough there were a couple of opening days on around the river and we saw a number of smaller boats being shepherded by the Mounts Bay club as they battled to keep their dinghies upright. Not to mention Black Betty from Freshie as she howled around the river.
We got away to a good start with a choice of going up the river on the north side or up the middle with better pressure. The trick was finding Bartlett tucked into the bay near Nedlands and as we were watching Corella we had a general idea where it should be. Making it to the mark the next part of the race was the downwind run to Thelma and as the pressure was still kind Corella with Rita doing the foredeck, popped up the only kite seen in the fleet for the day and put themselves well ahead. We and the rest of the fleet were content with a poled out number one, though I do believe that Glen had changed down to a # 2 prior to the race. Good move over all Glen. Aloha was still working hard and although behind the others, were still in sight of the fleet and if they'd stayed in, had the race for the taking on handicap.
Then the work up to Deepwater and across to Bartlett again. OMG. About half way up the breeze really started to pick up and John Wright had gone into Waylen Bay. Bill Richards on Swiftsure Saga and Lockie on Corella had stayed out a little trying to make it around Applecross Spit and thence to Deepwater. We got past Applecross but I had my hands on the traveler ready to counter any gusts and then we were slammed by the change in direction from the breeze. Instead of aiming at Deepwater we were now pointing at Bond. Look back and watch both Anna and Wynella tack off at Applecross as the heavy knock threatened to put them into no mans land behind Applecross Spit.
Then around Deepwater and across to Bartlett with the wind still howling around our ears. The traveler was all the way out and I was ready to dump some main sheet if required. We were a little high ( hard to see anything in front of us actually) and we had to trust that the GPS was letting us know where it was. Down we went and watched Corella make the mark and then found ourselves too low and having to throw in a quick tack to get around Bartlett. From then on it was a soldiers course as the next mark was Addison and a jaunty reach to Thelma. A small lap was required to finish the race and we used it to get a little further ahead. Checking to see who was where, we looked around and Aloha was not in sight. Later on we found that they had retired prudently once the breeze started to really pump, but I'm delighted that we have a young skipper on the helm of an H28 and supported by his family.
On handicap Corella took the first and incidentally the fastest. Swiftsure Saga took second and Wynella by dint of a lower handicap took third.
Over the line Corella first, Swiftsure Saga second and Anna third.
Summary of the day... Exciting day on the water, lots of rain and stuff and the variety in the course made it an interesting sail. The highest recorded wind gusts were between 2.57 and 3.03 pm and they were at 29 knots at Inner Dolphin. Not surprisingly the wind speed we experienced was well in advance of that, as the wind recording device is protected somewhat by the land mass just north of it. Some pundits gave us mast top wind speeds better than 33 knots.
Not too many photo's today, I was busy.
Wednesday the 5th of October
A bit of catch up to do.
Wednesday the 28th of September, Opening Day ( the 2nd of October ) and Wednesday the 5th of October.
Its been a busy week or two with a Worlds event at Royal Perth to which I had been invited so my knowledge of the race on the 28th of September being limited to hearing how the race had gone from others and even now I can't get the results from the club website. Apparently Bill Richards ( Swiftsure Saga ) did well enough to keep his hands on the C fleet winners position but it wasn't announced on the day... apparently ...
Opening Day was interesting in that we had one of the smallest fleets on record hitting the water and the 8 H28's made a sizeable addition to the fleet. Sure it was a filthy day with rain and strong breezes on offer, but not enough to cause grief to anyone with the ability to get out there. For the record, Brian Cross on Mariner took a great team out on the water and trounced everyone on the new course that was on offer. I was with Bill RIchards on the day and he was well away from us in second place. But it was good to see some old favourites come back namely Karoleeya and Aloha and we still had another 3 or 4 boats in reserve that didn't go out for reasons of their own. Dave Locke was the exception in the rule, as one of the bosons he was unable to take part until the last minute and jumped on board with Mariner for the ride.
And onto Wednesday the 5th of October.
The Inside track
The H28's have been given a fleet of their own to sail on Wednesdays and we now fit into a four fleet start. The start times have been set back to the original times and we hit the start line at 2.50 pm on a sunny day with the wind out of the west nor west and at about the 10 to 15 knot range. Not seven, not eight but nine H28's hit the water and we could still have put another one or two on the water if Kate had gone for a run on Soraya and Steve Hill had been able to motivate Karoleeya out onto the water ( well the crew that is )
We started at the pin end and worked hard to try and get ahead of David Locke, two up with Rita back from her travels in the islands. Andy Bell was sitting above us as well and the problem was to get to Sampson before they did. Bill Richards was close behind and we knew that he'd try to get around us if he could. Our best bet was to tack off immediately, try to bully our way through or go way out and round the pack on the corner. Nope. Andy Bell closed the door, effectively stopping us dead in the water as everyone poured past us. It also let Lockie through as well and the smart ones tacked off to get clear air. So bad air and a battle to get going again. Only one thing was going to save us and that was the temporary inside track that Paul Eldrid had rigged up for us. Height, height and more height. On the cross we dipped and overtook several boats and found ourselves way out to the left looking for a ley line to Hallmark, but we crossed most of the fleet and found ourselves looking good as we went to Hallmark. Then reality bit as the boats that had come up along the north shore began to lift up to Hallmark and we went from hero to midway in about a hundred meters. Still it set us up for a run to Armstrong and with the new "inner track" working for us, height wasn't a problem.
Then the run down to Print where we took stock of what was happening and discussed what would be possible for the cross to the Outer start line. We were running alongside John Wright and Bill Richards at the time, but couldn't get past them. So at the rounding at the Outer start line we knew that we had a job to do and that was haul back the boats in front and we could only do that on the beat up to Dolphin West which we managed to successfully over lay. Apologies from all concerned, but we rounded in front of Lockie and John Wright and we were chasing down Andy Bell and Bill RIchards. Neither of them were prepared to let go of the lead and we were hoping for a tussle between them that would let us through.
No such luck, though at Thelma there was a considerable amount of shouting when Andy Bell called for an over lap and had to bring his boat around sharply, possibly brushing the mark, in an effort to avoid center punching him. Looking back we had David Locke and John Wright on our stern and Bill and Andrew in front with the rest of the fleet coming along not too far behind. They included Les Brooker who had come out for a spin on Nerrima, Judith Magee and Alma, Vic Court and Carina, and of course the fleet chairman Glen Stanley. Not a bad collection of boats for a Wednesday.
Over the line, Andy Bell managed to get in front of Bill Richards with Mariner's Brian Cross third. On handicap David Locke took first with John Wright second and Vic Court third. Something to note about the H28 only fleet is that the first 6 boats crossed the line just outside 2 minutes and the whole fleet made it home under 9 minutes apart. Great sailing.
The division of the fleets has done away with the heavy wind/light wind handicaps and it is devoutly hoped that we will sort out the handicaps pretty quickly. Many thanks also to Graham who took those great photos of the fleet heading up to Sampson for me while I was working the main.
A bit of catch up to do.
Wednesday the 28th of September, Opening Day ( the 2nd of October ) and Wednesday the 5th of October.
Its been a busy week or two with a Worlds event at Royal Perth to which I had been invited so my knowledge of the race on the 28th of September being limited to hearing how the race had gone from others and even now I can't get the results from the club website. Apparently Bill Richards ( Swiftsure Saga ) did well enough to keep his hands on the C fleet winners position but it wasn't announced on the day... apparently ...
Opening Day was interesting in that we had one of the smallest fleets on record hitting the water and the 8 H28's made a sizeable addition to the fleet. Sure it was a filthy day with rain and strong breezes on offer, but not enough to cause grief to anyone with the ability to get out there. For the record, Brian Cross on Mariner took a great team out on the water and trounced everyone on the new course that was on offer. I was with Bill RIchards on the day and he was well away from us in second place. But it was good to see some old favourites come back namely Karoleeya and Aloha and we still had another 3 or 4 boats in reserve that didn't go out for reasons of their own. Dave Locke was the exception in the rule, as one of the bosons he was unable to take part until the last minute and jumped on board with Mariner for the ride.
And onto Wednesday the 5th of October.
The Inside track
The H28's have been given a fleet of their own to sail on Wednesdays and we now fit into a four fleet start. The start times have been set back to the original times and we hit the start line at 2.50 pm on a sunny day with the wind out of the west nor west and at about the 10 to 15 knot range. Not seven, not eight but nine H28's hit the water and we could still have put another one or two on the water if Kate had gone for a run on Soraya and Steve Hill had been able to motivate Karoleeya out onto the water ( well the crew that is )
We started at the pin end and worked hard to try and get ahead of David Locke, two up with Rita back from her travels in the islands. Andy Bell was sitting above us as well and the problem was to get to Sampson before they did. Bill Richards was close behind and we knew that he'd try to get around us if he could. Our best bet was to tack off immediately, try to bully our way through or go way out and round the pack on the corner. Nope. Andy Bell closed the door, effectively stopping us dead in the water as everyone poured past us. It also let Lockie through as well and the smart ones tacked off to get clear air. So bad air and a battle to get going again. Only one thing was going to save us and that was the temporary inside track that Paul Eldrid had rigged up for us. Height, height and more height. On the cross we dipped and overtook several boats and found ourselves way out to the left looking for a ley line to Hallmark, but we crossed most of the fleet and found ourselves looking good as we went to Hallmark. Then reality bit as the boats that had come up along the north shore began to lift up to Hallmark and we went from hero to midway in about a hundred meters. Still it set us up for a run to Armstrong and with the new "inner track" working for us, height wasn't a problem.
Then the run down to Print where we took stock of what was happening and discussed what would be possible for the cross to the Outer start line. We were running alongside John Wright and Bill Richards at the time, but couldn't get past them. So at the rounding at the Outer start line we knew that we had a job to do and that was haul back the boats in front and we could only do that on the beat up to Dolphin West which we managed to successfully over lay. Apologies from all concerned, but we rounded in front of Lockie and John Wright and we were chasing down Andy Bell and Bill RIchards. Neither of them were prepared to let go of the lead and we were hoping for a tussle between them that would let us through.
No such luck, though at Thelma there was a considerable amount of shouting when Andy Bell called for an over lap and had to bring his boat around sharply, possibly brushing the mark, in an effort to avoid center punching him. Looking back we had David Locke and John Wright on our stern and Bill and Andrew in front with the rest of the fleet coming along not too far behind. They included Les Brooker who had come out for a spin on Nerrima, Judith Magee and Alma, Vic Court and Carina, and of course the fleet chairman Glen Stanley. Not a bad collection of boats for a Wednesday.
Over the line, Andy Bell managed to get in front of Bill Richards with Mariner's Brian Cross third. On handicap David Locke took first with John Wright second and Vic Court third. Something to note about the H28 only fleet is that the first 6 boats crossed the line just outside 2 minutes and the whole fleet made it home under 9 minutes apart. Great sailing.
The division of the fleets has done away with the heavy wind/light wind handicaps and it is devoutly hoped that we will sort out the handicaps pretty quickly. Many thanks also to Graham who took those great photos of the fleet heading up to Sampson for me while I was working the main.
Wednesday the 21st of September
After Dolphin West
First of all thanks very much to Peter Lewis of the SS22 fleet who in conjunction with our handicapper John Pierzak, recalculated the entire winter seasons results to give some balance to the results offered by the club. Not too many changes, but it has confirmed Swiftsure Saga in the lead with Mariner and Crossroads sharing second with two races to go.
After Dolphin West.........
By this time the fleet had split into two with the leaders ( Crossroads, The First Jindarra and Swiftsure Saga) well ahead and two other H28's Mariner and Wynella vying to be the fourth in the leader pack. Wynella was coming into Dolphin West on port and we were coming up on starboard. Easy decision, we took the lead and forced them onto starboard to avoid a meeting. At this time we were both approaching D West where a busy rounding of the RP fleet was in full flow. The next 5 minutes were chaos with shouting and claims of rights ( false or not ) from all parties and swerving, ducking and diving by Mariner and the other RP boats as we claimed our down wind rights on the incomers on starboard. We managed to get round unscathed, but Wynella was carried away for a while and took a moment or two to recover her speed and course.
Comments from the leading pack who watched the melee ranged from " good to see you made it" to "my god what a mess". Glad to say we survived, but the crew and skipper were a little shaken by the claims of the RP boats who assumed rights that were blatantly not theirs.
So follow the leaders over the last three marks to home with a comfortable fourth on the line and an eighth on handicap.
How did it all start? Well we were still in the pens as B fleet roared away on the start line and the repairs to the traveler were nearly complete. Our late arriving 4th crew member, one Paul Eldrid no less, helped get the boat away and we headed to the line pulling up sails as we went. With the motor turned off, (barely in time) we slipped over to the fleet on the line and started mid fleet in bad air. It was a course two with a breeze of 10 to 12 knots or better and the battle was already over as the boats in clear air were below us and in front, with Andy Bell and Kate sitting in front of us. We had to go low and ran into Chelsea's air. Not a good feeling. Rounding Sampson we tacked off and retacked after 100 metres or so hoping to stay in the middle. John Wright on the other hand went right over to the left, hoping to pick up the possible Sou wester and lift up to the ley line. The rest of us preferred to drive up the middle, picking the shifts as they came through. A decent breeze was in, definitely not a light breezes, but about 11 to 14 knots fluctuating between a wsw to a sw as the wind came and went. The run to Hallmark was fine and we drove right into the north shore to get the lift up to Armstrong, shaving the red spit post in the corner of the bay. Just made Armstrong and a clean run to Print was on the cards with the chance to pull back the leaders (which we did). Hitting the corner we headed off to the outer start line for another dash to Sampson. During this period we had another crack at Andy Bell ( two up with Les Swinton ) and were unsuccessful yet again and he got well away on the run to Sampson and across to Dolphin West. However we had caught up with Wynella so things weren't that bad. And then we got to Dolphin West...
First over the line.. Cross Roads with Swiftsure Saga in close pursuit. Andy Bell in the First Jindarra picked up third over the line. As for the handicaps. According to the club Andy Bell got a first, Glen Stanley (aka John Mewitt) took second and Chelsea took third. Kate for her pains took fourth and Bill was fifth. Mariner .... well we were in the group of also rans along with Anna and Carina at the back of the pack.
News around the jetty. Rita is due back shortly after opening day and we look forward to her return. Andy Williams is arriving back shortly and will be sailing with Swiftsure Saga. If you see Dave Locke's boat going up on the slip, be quick to book your boat in if you haven't already as they'll be closing the slips for a while and it will be your last chance to do so.
Sunday Frostbites
A series win for Swiftsure Saga against the odds.
A broken rudder defeated a well deserved overall win for Koomela. With the points favouring Mark Walters and a great handicap advantage all Mark had to do was to sail. However with seven boats in the fleet on Sunday he needed to complete the race and come anywhere to claim the prize and his start was good. He was close behind us and we were working our way up the course to Hallmark. He inexplicably fell away with the headsail being furled as he did so. Then the main was dropped and we knew that he was in trouble. Still we expected him to motor home. No! A broken rudder necessitated a tow in from Check Point and a very dismal Mark was spotted later in the bar tucking into pizza with the crew as he explained the problem to Bill and I. However the day went to Karoleeya and Steve Hill with Kate Lammonby driving the mainsheet for him. A well placed second over the line gave him a win on handicap with Bill taking a surprise third even with his handicap.
I guess there's a lesson in this for all. Maintenance for wooden boats is the prime thing as we discovered with our traveler on Wednesday. Sorry no photos from Sunday. I was busy in the 15 to 26 knots that we had.
After Dolphin West
First of all thanks very much to Peter Lewis of the SS22 fleet who in conjunction with our handicapper John Pierzak, recalculated the entire winter seasons results to give some balance to the results offered by the club. Not too many changes, but it has confirmed Swiftsure Saga in the lead with Mariner and Crossroads sharing second with two races to go.
After Dolphin West.........
By this time the fleet had split into two with the leaders ( Crossroads, The First Jindarra and Swiftsure Saga) well ahead and two other H28's Mariner and Wynella vying to be the fourth in the leader pack. Wynella was coming into Dolphin West on port and we were coming up on starboard. Easy decision, we took the lead and forced them onto starboard to avoid a meeting. At this time we were both approaching D West where a busy rounding of the RP fleet was in full flow. The next 5 minutes were chaos with shouting and claims of rights ( false or not ) from all parties and swerving, ducking and diving by Mariner and the other RP boats as we claimed our down wind rights on the incomers on starboard. We managed to get round unscathed, but Wynella was carried away for a while and took a moment or two to recover her speed and course.
Comments from the leading pack who watched the melee ranged from " good to see you made it" to "my god what a mess". Glad to say we survived, but the crew and skipper were a little shaken by the claims of the RP boats who assumed rights that were blatantly not theirs.
So follow the leaders over the last three marks to home with a comfortable fourth on the line and an eighth on handicap.
How did it all start? Well we were still in the pens as B fleet roared away on the start line and the repairs to the traveler were nearly complete. Our late arriving 4th crew member, one Paul Eldrid no less, helped get the boat away and we headed to the line pulling up sails as we went. With the motor turned off, (barely in time) we slipped over to the fleet on the line and started mid fleet in bad air. It was a course two with a breeze of 10 to 12 knots or better and the battle was already over as the boats in clear air were below us and in front, with Andy Bell and Kate sitting in front of us. We had to go low and ran into Chelsea's air. Not a good feeling. Rounding Sampson we tacked off and retacked after 100 metres or so hoping to stay in the middle. John Wright on the other hand went right over to the left, hoping to pick up the possible Sou wester and lift up to the ley line. The rest of us preferred to drive up the middle, picking the shifts as they came through. A decent breeze was in, definitely not a light breezes, but about 11 to 14 knots fluctuating between a wsw to a sw as the wind came and went. The run to Hallmark was fine and we drove right into the north shore to get the lift up to Armstrong, shaving the red spit post in the corner of the bay. Just made Armstrong and a clean run to Print was on the cards with the chance to pull back the leaders (which we did). Hitting the corner we headed off to the outer start line for another dash to Sampson. During this period we had another crack at Andy Bell ( two up with Les Swinton ) and were unsuccessful yet again and he got well away on the run to Sampson and across to Dolphin West. However we had caught up with Wynella so things weren't that bad. And then we got to Dolphin West...
First over the line.. Cross Roads with Swiftsure Saga in close pursuit. Andy Bell in the First Jindarra picked up third over the line. As for the handicaps. According to the club Andy Bell got a first, Glen Stanley (aka John Mewitt) took second and Chelsea took third. Kate for her pains took fourth and Bill was fifth. Mariner .... well we were in the group of also rans along with Anna and Carina at the back of the pack.
News around the jetty. Rita is due back shortly after opening day and we look forward to her return. Andy Williams is arriving back shortly and will be sailing with Swiftsure Saga. If you see Dave Locke's boat going up on the slip, be quick to book your boat in if you haven't already as they'll be closing the slips for a while and it will be your last chance to do so.
Sunday Frostbites
A series win for Swiftsure Saga against the odds.
A broken rudder defeated a well deserved overall win for Koomela. With the points favouring Mark Walters and a great handicap advantage all Mark had to do was to sail. However with seven boats in the fleet on Sunday he needed to complete the race and come anywhere to claim the prize and his start was good. He was close behind us and we were working our way up the course to Hallmark. He inexplicably fell away with the headsail being furled as he did so. Then the main was dropped and we knew that he was in trouble. Still we expected him to motor home. No! A broken rudder necessitated a tow in from Check Point and a very dismal Mark was spotted later in the bar tucking into pizza with the crew as he explained the problem to Bill and I. However the day went to Karoleeya and Steve Hill with Kate Lammonby driving the mainsheet for him. A well placed second over the line gave him a win on handicap with Bill taking a surprise third even with his handicap.
I guess there's a lesson in this for all. Maintenance for wooden boats is the prime thing as we discovered with our traveler on Wednesday. Sorry no photos from Sunday. I was busy in the 15 to 26 knots that we had.
Wednesday the 14th of September
A perfect day for some.
If you owned a yellow boat it wasn't a perfect day; if your boat number was 3, it wasn't a perfect day; if you were the C fleet handicapper it wasn't a perfect day as Glen Stanley picked up his 4th "first on handicap" in a row. And if your name is David Locke your boat is gathering weeds at an alarming rate.
However we had a near perfect day. A course one in 12 to 15 knots and a great start off the line gave us the impetus to carry on at the head of the race despite the determined attempts by Bill on SSS and Andrew on the 1st Jindarra. Kate had done very well and was chasing us hard all the way up to Deepwater while Andy and Bill fought it out for the right to give us a tough time. We lost Kate on the run to Print and Glen went out wide and lost his course letting the two dueling H28s ( Bill and Andy) through. Oh bother.... Bill is quick down wind. Still around Print and back to Robins and watch Bill hang on the breeze while his foresail flogged. Still he stuck to us, but we were glad to have a moments respite given to us.
The pack of H28's consisted of Glen and Wynella, Vic and Jeff on Carina, Kate and the girls on Soraya and of course John Wright sailing 4 up and possibly training new fellows up for summer.
Around Robins with just a small tack to get there and off to Dolphin East and thence to Como and the outer start line. Still in front and staying there. After making Foam by a whisker from Sampson we had sealed the deal, we'd be hard to beat from there as it was all down hill and Andy and Bill were battling it out. By Thelma all we had to do was cover Bill and let Andrew run along the shore trying to pick up the lift along the freeway. Safely over the line we turned to watch Andrew slip past Bill on the line and take a well sailed second.
Over the line Mariner, The 1st Jindarra, and Swiftsure Saga. On handicap Wynella first , a plastic boat second and Kate on Soraya third.
In my opinion, the handicap system is in a mess. The fault doesn't lie with the new sailing administrator, this was put in place before he arrived. The offer of Peter Lewis from the SS22's to recalculate the entire seasons results is very generous and should be taken as such. Sure it may improve his chances, but it may improve others chances as well. More attention should be paid to the handicapping system and the handicapper must be able to make changes as is deemed necessary and must understand why he or she is doing so.
Oh Not a perfect day????? Poor little Wildfire owned by Bruce Uren was T boned by "Take Cover" ( Cover Drive ) owned by Peter Were. The insurers will be sorting that out but Bruce is looking for a new pulpit. And the owner of Sail Number 3 was Richard Evens in DIv 1 who dutifully dipped the line after an OCS recall, but apparently not enough for the starters. As for the handicapper enuff said.
A perfect day for some.
If you owned a yellow boat it wasn't a perfect day; if your boat number was 3, it wasn't a perfect day; if you were the C fleet handicapper it wasn't a perfect day as Glen Stanley picked up his 4th "first on handicap" in a row. And if your name is David Locke your boat is gathering weeds at an alarming rate.
However we had a near perfect day. A course one in 12 to 15 knots and a great start off the line gave us the impetus to carry on at the head of the race despite the determined attempts by Bill on SSS and Andrew on the 1st Jindarra. Kate had done very well and was chasing us hard all the way up to Deepwater while Andy and Bill fought it out for the right to give us a tough time. We lost Kate on the run to Print and Glen went out wide and lost his course letting the two dueling H28s ( Bill and Andy) through. Oh bother.... Bill is quick down wind. Still around Print and back to Robins and watch Bill hang on the breeze while his foresail flogged. Still he stuck to us, but we were glad to have a moments respite given to us.
The pack of H28's consisted of Glen and Wynella, Vic and Jeff on Carina, Kate and the girls on Soraya and of course John Wright sailing 4 up and possibly training new fellows up for summer.
Around Robins with just a small tack to get there and off to Dolphin East and thence to Como and the outer start line. Still in front and staying there. After making Foam by a whisker from Sampson we had sealed the deal, we'd be hard to beat from there as it was all down hill and Andy and Bill were battling it out. By Thelma all we had to do was cover Bill and let Andrew run along the shore trying to pick up the lift along the freeway. Safely over the line we turned to watch Andrew slip past Bill on the line and take a well sailed second.
Over the line Mariner, The 1st Jindarra, and Swiftsure Saga. On handicap Wynella first , a plastic boat second and Kate on Soraya third.
In my opinion, the handicap system is in a mess. The fault doesn't lie with the new sailing administrator, this was put in place before he arrived. The offer of Peter Lewis from the SS22's to recalculate the entire seasons results is very generous and should be taken as such. Sure it may improve his chances, but it may improve others chances as well. More attention should be paid to the handicapping system and the handicapper must be able to make changes as is deemed necessary and must understand why he or she is doing so.
Oh Not a perfect day????? Poor little Wildfire owned by Bruce Uren was T boned by "Take Cover" ( Cover Drive ) owned by Peter Were. The insurers will be sorting that out but Bruce is looking for a new pulpit. And the owner of Sail Number 3 was Richard Evens in DIv 1 who dutifully dipped the line after an OCS recall, but apparently not enough for the starters. As for the handicapper enuff said.
Wednesday the 7th of September
A blowy day....... so I went elsewhere.
A sod of a day and our skip for the event ( Dave Locke) took one look from the Bosons shed and send me a succinct SMS. No way and " Dogs off Chains". Fair enough and even Brian ( in New Zealand ) sent a note of consolation. So the rest of the gang were told and we all went our way.
However I slipped down to the club to organize one or two things and took a shot of the A over P that we expected to see and bumped into Bill and Phil. Both checking their boats and Bill was a little surprised that his sailing flag had gone missing. Well Bill I'm sure that it will turn up and cost you a beer or two to retrieve, though I do appreciate the fact that you were ready to sail. And yes we could have ... with a number three and everything lashed down. ) Oh and an emergency cart at jetty three for the exhausted veterans coming off the boats. Primed with a good vintage red and a bunch of olives. As a matter of interest 4 boats emerged from RP around 3 pm. Good on them.
So with nothing else to do I wandered down to South Mole and watched the smooth work of the docking crew in the harbour at Freo. Their job... simple. All they had to do was to berth a boat ( possibly loaded with flammables) against a roaring westerly. Push, push, push all the way. And then the bloke in the little ally boat, buzzing around, taking the mooring lines back from the bow to shore. Not as easy as you think. Just made it look good that's all. And by the way; 1) look at the haze above the diesel exhaust stacks on the tugs and 2) look at the prop wash from the tugs. If you have ever had to cross that prop wash in a boat going out of the harbour, you'll know.
Back next week. Hope that the weather is a bit better.......
A blowy day....... so I went elsewhere.
A sod of a day and our skip for the event ( Dave Locke) took one look from the Bosons shed and send me a succinct SMS. No way and " Dogs off Chains". Fair enough and even Brian ( in New Zealand ) sent a note of consolation. So the rest of the gang were told and we all went our way.
However I slipped down to the club to organize one or two things and took a shot of the A over P that we expected to see and bumped into Bill and Phil. Both checking their boats and Bill was a little surprised that his sailing flag had gone missing. Well Bill I'm sure that it will turn up and cost you a beer or two to retrieve, though I do appreciate the fact that you were ready to sail. And yes we could have ... with a number three and everything lashed down. ) Oh and an emergency cart at jetty three for the exhausted veterans coming off the boats. Primed with a good vintage red and a bunch of olives. As a matter of interest 4 boats emerged from RP around 3 pm. Good on them.
So with nothing else to do I wandered down to South Mole and watched the smooth work of the docking crew in the harbour at Freo. Their job... simple. All they had to do was to berth a boat ( possibly loaded with flammables) against a roaring westerly. Push, push, push all the way. And then the bloke in the little ally boat, buzzing around, taking the mooring lines back from the bow to shore. Not as easy as you think. Just made it look good that's all. And by the way; 1) look at the haze above the diesel exhaust stacks on the tugs and 2) look at the prop wash from the tugs. If you have ever had to cross that prop wash in a boat going out of the harbour, you'll know.
Back next week. Hope that the weather is a bit better.......
Wednesday the 31st of August
The last day of Winter and welcome to the Sea breeze
And so it was. The prediction was for a southerly with a bit of west that would taper off during the afternoon and knowing that we were two up the skip went for a number two regardless. Good call as the breeze didn't taper off and built to a roaring 20 + knots by 2 pm. And we were scheduled to head off at 2.15 or thereabouts. Before we took off we were lucky and marine engineer Paul joined us to make the third person on the boat.
Oh good! A course three with the double run to Robins in the guts of the race. But first the run to Martin - Weaver beckoned and a good start was important so we hit the line with a bang and found ourselves running the edge of the gusts along the jetties and keeping height was the go. We'd watched the prior divisions get away and most had to take that double tack to get to the mark and we were determined not to have to do that. Made it! First round with Andy Bell on our tails. Not going to be easy either as Bill wasn't far away and the ever cunning Vic Court had found his length and was doing well. Wynella was battling with the plastics, but they were doing their best in the breeze as is strengthened.
Getting past the outer start line I looked back and watched as the smaller boats were hit by the full force of the breeze as we came out of the shelter provided by Heathcote hill. Then to Sampson and on to King, trying to keep Andrew off our backs as he was sailing really well. We still hadn't sorted out our heavy weather sailing skills yet ( it 's been 6 months of light breezes sailing this winter ) and a little thought was required. Rounding King, Andrew then just drew away from us and we cursed ourselves and the boat, trying to work out the lack of pace. And Bill and Vic were catching up as well. Make it to Robins on one beat and then the down wind run to Print began with a gybe and a pole. Hitting 7.5 knots down wind we were holding our own or better and the skip called for a movement of the foresail blocks back one. Done and then around Print and off to Foam before the run to Robins again. Still had the problem with Bill though and he was ahead. Then disaster struck and rounding Print on the way to Foam, Bill's headsail wrapped around the forestay. Better luck next time Bill and we slipped through to regain second place.
On the next run up to Robins we dropped the traveler down and the boat responded. Next lesson learnt .... keep the main open a little on a windy day ( must have forgotten that ). Now we're hitting 6 knots on the beat. Make Robins and head for Print again and start looking for a safe gybe point on the down wind. Done and hoist a pole. From Print to Como and then to the outer start line avoiding a badly over powered div two boat. In fact it was only a matter of inches as he rounded up on us and if the masts had touched, that would have been the end of it. So to the outer start line with another gybe and off around the small triangle of Sampson, Foam, Addison thence to Como and home.
Saw Bill again at Foam and he was dealing with another entanglement and talking to him later on he reckons it's the headsail itself. So with our lead increased a little, we sped off to the line. The first four H28's crossed the line in exactly four minutes with Wynella following on another 5 minutes later. The plastics were at least 3 minutes behind Glen with Bluegrass suffering for nearly two hours on a breezy day.
However on handicap, Wynella racked up a 3rd handicap win in row and Glen celebrated a 74th Birthday and had the H28 table sing him happy birthday as he went up to pick up the port. Vic was busily hoovering up the chips when I complimented him on the sped of his boat and he commented. "Dunno. old boat, old sails and two old fellas with an average age of 75, could go a bit faster if we had a third to bring down the age. "
The starters need help. They are in desperate need of support in the start box and we nearly didn't have a start today. Volunteers are required.
Also we have spare crew who are looking for a regular spot on a boat. For crying out loud. Give them a spot please or we could lose them.
Sorry about the small number of photo's today. I was busy.
The last day of Winter and welcome to the Sea breeze
And so it was. The prediction was for a southerly with a bit of west that would taper off during the afternoon and knowing that we were two up the skip went for a number two regardless. Good call as the breeze didn't taper off and built to a roaring 20 + knots by 2 pm. And we were scheduled to head off at 2.15 or thereabouts. Before we took off we were lucky and marine engineer Paul joined us to make the third person on the boat.
Oh good! A course three with the double run to Robins in the guts of the race. But first the run to Martin - Weaver beckoned and a good start was important so we hit the line with a bang and found ourselves running the edge of the gusts along the jetties and keeping height was the go. We'd watched the prior divisions get away and most had to take that double tack to get to the mark and we were determined not to have to do that. Made it! First round with Andy Bell on our tails. Not going to be easy either as Bill wasn't far away and the ever cunning Vic Court had found his length and was doing well. Wynella was battling with the plastics, but they were doing their best in the breeze as is strengthened.
Getting past the outer start line I looked back and watched as the smaller boats were hit by the full force of the breeze as we came out of the shelter provided by Heathcote hill. Then to Sampson and on to King, trying to keep Andrew off our backs as he was sailing really well. We still hadn't sorted out our heavy weather sailing skills yet ( it 's been 6 months of light breezes sailing this winter ) and a little thought was required. Rounding King, Andrew then just drew away from us and we cursed ourselves and the boat, trying to work out the lack of pace. And Bill and Vic were catching up as well. Make it to Robins on one beat and then the down wind run to Print began with a gybe and a pole. Hitting 7.5 knots down wind we were holding our own or better and the skip called for a movement of the foresail blocks back one. Done and then around Print and off to Foam before the run to Robins again. Still had the problem with Bill though and he was ahead. Then disaster struck and rounding Print on the way to Foam, Bill's headsail wrapped around the forestay. Better luck next time Bill and we slipped through to regain second place.
On the next run up to Robins we dropped the traveler down and the boat responded. Next lesson learnt .... keep the main open a little on a windy day ( must have forgotten that ). Now we're hitting 6 knots on the beat. Make Robins and head for Print again and start looking for a safe gybe point on the down wind. Done and hoist a pole. From Print to Como and then to the outer start line avoiding a badly over powered div two boat. In fact it was only a matter of inches as he rounded up on us and if the masts had touched, that would have been the end of it. So to the outer start line with another gybe and off around the small triangle of Sampson, Foam, Addison thence to Como and home.
Saw Bill again at Foam and he was dealing with another entanglement and talking to him later on he reckons it's the headsail itself. So with our lead increased a little, we sped off to the line. The first four H28's crossed the line in exactly four minutes with Wynella following on another 5 minutes later. The plastics were at least 3 minutes behind Glen with Bluegrass suffering for nearly two hours on a breezy day.
However on handicap, Wynella racked up a 3rd handicap win in row and Glen celebrated a 74th Birthday and had the H28 table sing him happy birthday as he went up to pick up the port. Vic was busily hoovering up the chips when I complimented him on the sped of his boat and he commented. "Dunno. old boat, old sails and two old fellas with an average age of 75, could go a bit faster if we had a third to bring down the age. "
The starters need help. They are in desperate need of support in the start box and we nearly didn't have a start today. Volunteers are required.
Also we have spare crew who are looking for a regular spot on a boat. For crying out loud. Give them a spot please or we could lose them.
Sorry about the small number of photo's today. I was busy.
Wednesday the 24th of August
Bad luck? I don't think so.....
Like any other Wednesday we began to gather at the jetty and for once I was marveling at the warmth of the sun... it was a nice day at last. Cold in the shadows still, but the sun was shining at last. Middle aged bones were warming up a little. A fluctuating nor easter was blowing and it wasn't a problem when the light winds course four was put up. It was just the dash to Martin - Weaver that was going to be the tough one.
So with seven H28's in the fleet of 12 for C fleet, we roared off the start line toward the first mark. Well raring was a relative thing, but we had a good start and found ourselves well placed as we approached Martin. Rounding the mark, a heavy knock had us pointing way low and we had to flip back to the other tack and run through the moored boats in order to get high enough to cross the river to Weaver. But everyone else slipped past us as we battled our way across the river. From hero to a relative mid rank boat. Oh well. More to do. But of course we weren't the only ones as Andy Bell had the same troubles at Martin and others had already made the strategic tack before Martin and came into the mark at speed. Chelsea, Swiftsure and Crossroads made a fortune out of it as did Glen on Wynella
So down to Sampson and try to get some boats back. Hard work on a reaching course and then as we made Sampson the breeze dropped further and the run to Robins was a "chase the breezes" period. Get past Glen who was sailing well and Chelsea into the bargain. But Alma with both Kate and Phil on board was doing well and were not to be discounted. Nor could be Vic, who had two blokes with him and was doing damned fine. Finally we saw something coming out of the Canning and the boat was moved toward it as subtly as we could. Then, glorious breeze and the run to Robins was ensured. We'd pulled back all the boats bar Swiftsure and we were running well. Then down to Dolphin East and make the choice. Run down the breeze on the Northern side or tack into the middle and then go down. The First Jindarra went and we put a loose cover on her. NOT bad luck, just a poor choice. By the time we were looking at Como, the most of the H28 fleet had passed us and we were looking at the plastics as they breathed down our necks. Plus John Wright and Andy Bell were quite close thanks.
So around the Outer start line, then to Sampson and back around the devils triangle of Foam, Print and Thelma. Keep them behind us and fend off a great effort from John Wright and Chelsea ( I think ) as they dashed down from the middle of the river, where we had run along the freeway riding the special. We only just made Thelma and slowed down as a result. Probably cost us a spot. Then the run home was a keep them behind us thing, but to see four H28's in front of us and Crossroads as well was a chance to learn humility. Well done the boats in front.
Over the line Crossroads Swiftsure Saga and then Vic Court who had sailed really well. On handicap Glen Stanley and Wynella picked up their second bullet in two weeks with Swiftsure getting second and second. Alma picked up a third and a surprised Kate shot up to grab the flag before they changed their minds.
The drops are in and so far Bill is a few points ahead of Crossroads with Mariner a few points further behind. It's there for Bill to claim, all he has to do is sail well to take the cake, but a third drop may change the finishing order of the next three boats. Wait and see.
Re the Handicap system. A brief poll after sailing tends to favour a more responsive handicap system with the handicapper taking a more proactive role in hand adjusting the glaring inconsistencies. However the two handicap system introduces so many variables that the " Wait and See " model is likely to survive for a while longer. Particularly when we have such a mixture of boats in the fleet.
Bad luck? I don't think so.....
Like any other Wednesday we began to gather at the jetty and for once I was marveling at the warmth of the sun... it was a nice day at last. Cold in the shadows still, but the sun was shining at last. Middle aged bones were warming up a little. A fluctuating nor easter was blowing and it wasn't a problem when the light winds course four was put up. It was just the dash to Martin - Weaver that was going to be the tough one.
So with seven H28's in the fleet of 12 for C fleet, we roared off the start line toward the first mark. Well raring was a relative thing, but we had a good start and found ourselves well placed as we approached Martin. Rounding the mark, a heavy knock had us pointing way low and we had to flip back to the other tack and run through the moored boats in order to get high enough to cross the river to Weaver. But everyone else slipped past us as we battled our way across the river. From hero to a relative mid rank boat. Oh well. More to do. But of course we weren't the only ones as Andy Bell had the same troubles at Martin and others had already made the strategic tack before Martin and came into the mark at speed. Chelsea, Swiftsure and Crossroads made a fortune out of it as did Glen on Wynella
So down to Sampson and try to get some boats back. Hard work on a reaching course and then as we made Sampson the breeze dropped further and the run to Robins was a "chase the breezes" period. Get past Glen who was sailing well and Chelsea into the bargain. But Alma with both Kate and Phil on board was doing well and were not to be discounted. Nor could be Vic, who had two blokes with him and was doing damned fine. Finally we saw something coming out of the Canning and the boat was moved toward it as subtly as we could. Then, glorious breeze and the run to Robins was ensured. We'd pulled back all the boats bar Swiftsure and we were running well. Then down to Dolphin East and make the choice. Run down the breeze on the Northern side or tack into the middle and then go down. The First Jindarra went and we put a loose cover on her. NOT bad luck, just a poor choice. By the time we were looking at Como, the most of the H28 fleet had passed us and we were looking at the plastics as they breathed down our necks. Plus John Wright and Andy Bell were quite close thanks.
So around the Outer start line, then to Sampson and back around the devils triangle of Foam, Print and Thelma. Keep them behind us and fend off a great effort from John Wright and Chelsea ( I think ) as they dashed down from the middle of the river, where we had run along the freeway riding the special. We only just made Thelma and slowed down as a result. Probably cost us a spot. Then the run home was a keep them behind us thing, but to see four H28's in front of us and Crossroads as well was a chance to learn humility. Well done the boats in front.
Over the line Crossroads Swiftsure Saga and then Vic Court who had sailed really well. On handicap Glen Stanley and Wynella picked up their second bullet in two weeks with Swiftsure getting second and second. Alma picked up a third and a surprised Kate shot up to grab the flag before they changed their minds.
The drops are in and so far Bill is a few points ahead of Crossroads with Mariner a few points further behind. It's there for Bill to claim, all he has to do is sail well to take the cake, but a third drop may change the finishing order of the next three boats. Wait and see.
Re the Handicap system. A brief poll after sailing tends to favour a more responsive handicap system with the handicapper taking a more proactive role in hand adjusting the glaring inconsistencies. However the two handicap system introduces so many variables that the " Wait and See " model is likely to survive for a while longer. Particularly when we have such a mixture of boats in the fleet.
Wednesday the 17th of August
N over A
Precisely nothing happened today.
Waking up to hear the roar of rain on the tin roofed patio at the side of the house, it was no surprise to get an email from the skipper telling me that he was canning the day. " Not worth breaking something" he said and I whole heartedly agreed with him. " The club will probably cancel sailing", and sure enough along came an email from the club doing just that. So with little to do than the mornings shopping I settled in for a quiet day, but the temptation was still there and I rolled down to the club to see what the river looked like......
Few cars in the car park and furtive guests were scurrying around with umbrella's held futilely above them to prevent the scudding rain from drenching them. But I've sailed in worse I think. The breeze was a westerly by this time and there was a bit going over the freeway, but I wasn't going to step out of the car and get wet trying to fit in a photo session. Still it would have been a miserable day on the water and the gusts were hitting 35 knots on occasion.
To other news: our well esteemed friend and once crewman on Wynella John Mewett has been bumped up to B fleet as his boat Shogun is just too quick in light airs. I wonder how the boys in B fleet will treat him.. Gently I hope, as that little boat has no barging potential at all and the big Cole 32's will just ride over the top of him and blink as if to say " What little boat".
There is some hope that the averaging system will come into play for the double handicap system that we have in C fleet. In the past we have relied on one wind reading taken at 3.30 pm from the Inner Dolphin weather station and that's been the decider as to whether we've had a light winds or a heavy winds handicap applied.
Our esteemed handicapper has taken it upon himself to look at an average ( I prefer mean ) reading over the period between 2 pm and 5 pm using the "Weather observations for Perth (BOM) site" http://www.bom.gov.au/wa/observations/perth.shtml and looking at the Melville Water readings. Now he has to convince the OWG to read it and apply the figures to a simple spreadsheet that can give a mean figure of the wind speeds on the water over the period. If it's over the limit of 10 knots then it is a heavy breezes day. If it's under, then it's a light winds day.
N over A
Precisely nothing happened today.
Waking up to hear the roar of rain on the tin roofed patio at the side of the house, it was no surprise to get an email from the skipper telling me that he was canning the day. " Not worth breaking something" he said and I whole heartedly agreed with him. " The club will probably cancel sailing", and sure enough along came an email from the club doing just that. So with little to do than the mornings shopping I settled in for a quiet day, but the temptation was still there and I rolled down to the club to see what the river looked like......
Few cars in the car park and furtive guests were scurrying around with umbrella's held futilely above them to prevent the scudding rain from drenching them. But I've sailed in worse I think. The breeze was a westerly by this time and there was a bit going over the freeway, but I wasn't going to step out of the car and get wet trying to fit in a photo session. Still it would have been a miserable day on the water and the gusts were hitting 35 knots on occasion.
To other news: our well esteemed friend and once crewman on Wynella John Mewett has been bumped up to B fleet as his boat Shogun is just too quick in light airs. I wonder how the boys in B fleet will treat him.. Gently I hope, as that little boat has no barging potential at all and the big Cole 32's will just ride over the top of him and blink as if to say " What little boat".
There is some hope that the averaging system will come into play for the double handicap system that we have in C fleet. In the past we have relied on one wind reading taken at 3.30 pm from the Inner Dolphin weather station and that's been the decider as to whether we've had a light winds or a heavy winds handicap applied.
Our esteemed handicapper has taken it upon himself to look at an average ( I prefer mean ) reading over the period between 2 pm and 5 pm using the "Weather observations for Perth (BOM) site" http://www.bom.gov.au/wa/observations/perth.shtml and looking at the Melville Water readings. Now he has to convince the OWG to read it and apply the figures to a simple spreadsheet that can give a mean figure of the wind speeds on the water over the period. If it's over the limit of 10 knots then it is a heavy breezes day. If it's under, then it's a light winds day.
Wednesday the 10th of August
Those who were last will be first , or
another disappointment for the SS22's.
Who would have though it? With the breeze appearing to be a comfortable 8 to 14 knots out of the nw/wnw, it promised to be an exciting race on a well chosen course two. But we didn't count for the breeze deciding to disappear around Hallmark. I'm getting ahead of myself here.
A good start with only 5 H28's on the start line (but still half the fleet). Mariner had decided to go box end with a rolling start and crossed the line perhaps a second or so late, but importantly everyone else was no better. So speed and trimming was the go and the camera was put aside for that run to Sampson. Watching Bill Richards and his augmented crew on Swiftsure Saga out of the corner of my eye, they started to drop back and on the other side Andy Bell was in a similar prediction, though he was heard to mention that he could have done better.
Our problem was always going to be the little Wildfire "Shogun" and the SS22 Crossroads ( the green boat). We could get ahead of the rest, but it was a case of picking the breeze and getting closer to the gusts as they came through. So off we went, rounding Sampson in third place and keeping Andrew off our tails. Vic incidentally was out there with a hand picked crew from the jetty ( no Jeff ) and Glen had a crew of thousands as usual. The work up to Hallmark was noted by a spectacular realization by Shogun that they needed to get across to the North side of the river and ended up in a battle with two SS22's. Great stuff to watch. We simply progressed forward.
I believe that further back in the field Glen was having a battle with Chelsea who normally goes out with the sailing captain on board as a mentor and as a result of the captains absence was holding his own or better. Then the breeze dropped out and our chance of rolling Shogun went out the door as he slipped ahead, but we managed to shut out The First Jindarra at Hallmark and left them behind us on the way to Armstrong.( I believe Andy had a bit to say to the skipper but it was all complimentary I assure you)
Rounding Armstrong we had the dash to Como and then to the Outer Start line and it was (do we want a pole or don't we) as the wind swung backwards and forwards on the way down. Store the pole finally and listen to the skipper complain as the wind swung back behind us. All in a days work. Somewhere along the line we got past the green boat, but I cant remember exactly where. Have a look at the rest of the fleet on the way back from the outer start line and assess the remainder of the course. Up to Dolphin West and back through Print, Como and Thelma. Andy was having his battles with the green boat and watched him slip through around Como/Thelma ( or even sooner ) but our job was stay in front of the next H28 and getting the green boat would be even sweeter. In these light breezes it's a feather in your cap to beat the SS22's.
Over the line, trailing Shogun by over ten minutes with Crossroads 18 seconds further back and Andy Bell another 10 seconds away. The rest of the fleet took less than 6 minutes to cross the line and indicates that Shogun is perhaps too quick for us. However, if he's amenable to come out in 15 to 20 knots, then it could be regarded as a moot point.
Bill Richards was observed doing a mystery 360 during the race and when queried, mentioned that it was just a slight touch on someone's pole that prompted him to do it. Whether the fault lay on his side or the other boats remains to be clarified. But it helped him back down the handicap list a little.
Summing up; well it was a light winds race and those who had low handicaps did best. Glen was sailing well and managed to snaffle the handicap win despite a 7th over the line, but his time was good across the line and so he took the cake. The next two places went to the 9th and 10th placed boats while the line honours boats ended up in the bottom half of the fleet. Ho hum.
A rough calculation on the overall results with 3 drops has Swiftsure ahead on 37 points with Chelsea second at 42 points Mariner is third on 46 and Crossroads on 49.5. Stay tuned folks .. it ain't over yet. And the fleet chair has noted that there will be an AGM coming up shortly on a Monday evening. Make sure you can come.
It was interesting to hear that the SS22 boats are not happy at all with the current handicapping and are asking the C fleet handicapper to look into it, He's proposing to look at an average wind reading for the race period e.g. 2 pm till 5 pm. What we need now is to get the OWG to handle it.
Frostbites. Swiftsure and Koomela went out for a sail on Sunday and had a hoot. Bill decided to be 2 minutes late and proceeded to overtake everything in sight again and managed to pick up a second and fastest. Koomela who sailed really well took a second over the line and first on handicap. At the moment, by my rough calculations, the two boats are dead even and we have two more races to go. I wonder who'll get the box of chocolates at the end of the series
I have a new camera. Be patient while I get used to it and sort out the best focusing system in this slightly newer model. A Samsung would you believe.
Those who were last will be first , or
another disappointment for the SS22's.
Who would have though it? With the breeze appearing to be a comfortable 8 to 14 knots out of the nw/wnw, it promised to be an exciting race on a well chosen course two. But we didn't count for the breeze deciding to disappear around Hallmark. I'm getting ahead of myself here.
A good start with only 5 H28's on the start line (but still half the fleet). Mariner had decided to go box end with a rolling start and crossed the line perhaps a second or so late, but importantly everyone else was no better. So speed and trimming was the go and the camera was put aside for that run to Sampson. Watching Bill Richards and his augmented crew on Swiftsure Saga out of the corner of my eye, they started to drop back and on the other side Andy Bell was in a similar prediction, though he was heard to mention that he could have done better.
Our problem was always going to be the little Wildfire "Shogun" and the SS22 Crossroads ( the green boat). We could get ahead of the rest, but it was a case of picking the breeze and getting closer to the gusts as they came through. So off we went, rounding Sampson in third place and keeping Andrew off our tails. Vic incidentally was out there with a hand picked crew from the jetty ( no Jeff ) and Glen had a crew of thousands as usual. The work up to Hallmark was noted by a spectacular realization by Shogun that they needed to get across to the North side of the river and ended up in a battle with two SS22's. Great stuff to watch. We simply progressed forward.
I believe that further back in the field Glen was having a battle with Chelsea who normally goes out with the sailing captain on board as a mentor and as a result of the captains absence was holding his own or better. Then the breeze dropped out and our chance of rolling Shogun went out the door as he slipped ahead, but we managed to shut out The First Jindarra at Hallmark and left them behind us on the way to Armstrong.( I believe Andy had a bit to say to the skipper but it was all complimentary I assure you)
Rounding Armstrong we had the dash to Como and then to the Outer Start line and it was (do we want a pole or don't we) as the wind swung backwards and forwards on the way down. Store the pole finally and listen to the skipper complain as the wind swung back behind us. All in a days work. Somewhere along the line we got past the green boat, but I cant remember exactly where. Have a look at the rest of the fleet on the way back from the outer start line and assess the remainder of the course. Up to Dolphin West and back through Print, Como and Thelma. Andy was having his battles with the green boat and watched him slip through around Como/Thelma ( or even sooner ) but our job was stay in front of the next H28 and getting the green boat would be even sweeter. In these light breezes it's a feather in your cap to beat the SS22's.
Over the line, trailing Shogun by over ten minutes with Crossroads 18 seconds further back and Andy Bell another 10 seconds away. The rest of the fleet took less than 6 minutes to cross the line and indicates that Shogun is perhaps too quick for us. However, if he's amenable to come out in 15 to 20 knots, then it could be regarded as a moot point.
Bill Richards was observed doing a mystery 360 during the race and when queried, mentioned that it was just a slight touch on someone's pole that prompted him to do it. Whether the fault lay on his side or the other boats remains to be clarified. But it helped him back down the handicap list a little.
Summing up; well it was a light winds race and those who had low handicaps did best. Glen was sailing well and managed to snaffle the handicap win despite a 7th over the line, but his time was good across the line and so he took the cake. The next two places went to the 9th and 10th placed boats while the line honours boats ended up in the bottom half of the fleet. Ho hum.
A rough calculation on the overall results with 3 drops has Swiftsure ahead on 37 points with Chelsea second at 42 points Mariner is third on 46 and Crossroads on 49.5. Stay tuned folks .. it ain't over yet. And the fleet chair has noted that there will be an AGM coming up shortly on a Monday evening. Make sure you can come.
It was interesting to hear that the SS22 boats are not happy at all with the current handicapping and are asking the C fleet handicapper to look into it, He's proposing to look at an average wind reading for the race period e.g. 2 pm till 5 pm. What we need now is to get the OWG to handle it.
Frostbites. Swiftsure and Koomela went out for a sail on Sunday and had a hoot. Bill decided to be 2 minutes late and proceeded to overtake everything in sight again and managed to pick up a second and fastest. Koomela who sailed really well took a second over the line and first on handicap. At the moment, by my rough calculations, the two boats are dead even and we have two more races to go. I wonder who'll get the box of chocolates at the end of the series
I have a new camera. Be patient while I get used to it and sort out the best focusing system in this slightly newer model. A Samsung would you believe.
Wednesday the 3rd of August
Who let the fox out ?
Once again we found ourselves in a north easter and what we thought was going to be a heavy breezes day. The betting was for a course three and when the flag for a course two went up we knew that the start was all important. And the crowd at the pin end told the story. Every one wanted to be there and the clever ones were possibly a bit higher and in relatively clean air. No matter, we got away well, but the 12 to 15 knots we saw was already dropping out and the smaller plastic boats were off and away, with Crossroads and Shogun leaping out of the starters blocks to be only seen in the bar afterwards.
As for us, well we only had the faithful out today and Lockie had slipped onto Bills boat to give Bill a chance to have some fun. So with Andrew and his crew in fine form, Glen and a team of regulars, we were glad to get Ron back and go out three up. No sign of the girls or John W. and Vic was on board with Andrew and Jay over in Rio by now. The H28's were going to be quiet. And then the wind dropped out further and we were chasing the gusts on the way up to Hallmark on a soldiers course in about 5 to 8 knots. Catch a gust and lose two boat lengths as the plastics caught it too. But watching Bill slip past us only made the feeling of doom that was falling on us grow stronger. Then down wind and begin to catch up again.... but try and pass either of those blokes. Not going to happen! The same with the plastics as they would take you up as far as you wanted to go. We had our own run ins with the yellow boat and Chelsea as they were harrying us ( or we them ) for most of the race.
Down and around to the start line again and then off to Sampson and thence to Dolphin West. An easy run with no one passing any one, but the best was yet to happen, as ahead of us Swiftsure Saga and The 1st Jindarra were battling it out to the line with Andrew in the lead... Just.
But the Fox was in charge and Lockie slipped under Andrews guard yet again and crossed the line some 17 seconds in front of the 1st Jindarra. Much to Andrews disgruntlement.
However the original reports had the fleet going under heavy weather handicaps ( don't know how that happened ) and Crossroads was given the nod ahead of Shogun and Bluegrass.
Once the results were viewed on the quarterdeck it was noticed that the wrong handicap had been applied and a correction has been applied giving Andrew Bell the win on handicap with Shogun second and Crossroads third. Over the line.... Bill RIchards ( Lockie ) took third place with Andy Bell fourth over the line. Mariner was having a bad day and picked up a 5th over the line and Glen on Wynella rounded up the back end in 9th place over the line.
Two comments should be made. The choice of course is one and we have a temporary RO in the box, so I won't get very grumpy about that, but the heavy winds handicap should not have been applied. How did it happen? Surely picking the wind strength is a no brainer.
It's interesting to note that C division supplied half of the Wednesday fleet. 12 boats out of 24 on the water.
And finally John Mewitt was seen wandering around jetty 3 with a bottle of red wine and a first flag for John Wright. John.... keep your eyes open. There's a bottle of red headed your way. Here's hoping that Crossroads has the same feeling.
Who let the fox out ?
Once again we found ourselves in a north easter and what we thought was going to be a heavy breezes day. The betting was for a course three and when the flag for a course two went up we knew that the start was all important. And the crowd at the pin end told the story. Every one wanted to be there and the clever ones were possibly a bit higher and in relatively clean air. No matter, we got away well, but the 12 to 15 knots we saw was already dropping out and the smaller plastic boats were off and away, with Crossroads and Shogun leaping out of the starters blocks to be only seen in the bar afterwards.
As for us, well we only had the faithful out today and Lockie had slipped onto Bills boat to give Bill a chance to have some fun. So with Andrew and his crew in fine form, Glen and a team of regulars, we were glad to get Ron back and go out three up. No sign of the girls or John W. and Vic was on board with Andrew and Jay over in Rio by now. The H28's were going to be quiet. And then the wind dropped out further and we were chasing the gusts on the way up to Hallmark on a soldiers course in about 5 to 8 knots. Catch a gust and lose two boat lengths as the plastics caught it too. But watching Bill slip past us only made the feeling of doom that was falling on us grow stronger. Then down wind and begin to catch up again.... but try and pass either of those blokes. Not going to happen! The same with the plastics as they would take you up as far as you wanted to go. We had our own run ins with the yellow boat and Chelsea as they were harrying us ( or we them ) for most of the race.
Down and around to the start line again and then off to Sampson and thence to Dolphin West. An easy run with no one passing any one, but the best was yet to happen, as ahead of us Swiftsure Saga and The 1st Jindarra were battling it out to the line with Andrew in the lead... Just.
But the Fox was in charge and Lockie slipped under Andrews guard yet again and crossed the line some 17 seconds in front of the 1st Jindarra. Much to Andrews disgruntlement.
However the original reports had the fleet going under heavy weather handicaps ( don't know how that happened ) and Crossroads was given the nod ahead of Shogun and Bluegrass.
Once the results were viewed on the quarterdeck it was noticed that the wrong handicap had been applied and a correction has been applied giving Andrew Bell the win on handicap with Shogun second and Crossroads third. Over the line.... Bill RIchards ( Lockie ) took third place with Andy Bell fourth over the line. Mariner was having a bad day and picked up a 5th over the line and Glen on Wynella rounded up the back end in 9th place over the line.
Two comments should be made. The choice of course is one and we have a temporary RO in the box, so I won't get very grumpy about that, but the heavy winds handicap should not have been applied. How did it happen? Surely picking the wind strength is a no brainer.
It's interesting to note that C division supplied half of the Wednesday fleet. 12 boats out of 24 on the water.
And finally John Mewitt was seen wandering around jetty 3 with a bottle of red wine and a first flag for John Wright. John.... keep your eyes open. There's a bottle of red headed your way. Here's hoping that Crossroads has the same feeling.
Wednesday the 27th of July
Everyone was late!
There we all were, lined up for the start about 100 metres off the line and less than a minute and the skipper murmured "we're going to be late."
And almost all the fleet was except for Crossroads and Shogun, both of whom got away and were lost from sight pretty quickly. However it was a chase day for the rest of us and with 8 H28's on the water and 15 in total in the fleet it was a great light winds race day. Appropriately a light winds course was shown and we set off on a Nor easter of about 6 knots for Sampson with Robins in our minds.
Getting in front of this fleet was going to be a problem, but we made it to Sampson with two boats in front of us and played the gusts down to Robins. Some went out to the north and others followed Glen into the bay and picked up a handy lift that had him on our tail as we rounded Robins with a fleet of H28's behind us. The next mark was Dolphin East and a nice reach across had the boat hitting 5.5 knots as we chased down the little yellow boat called Wildfire. A gybe had us set for the run down to Como, but we put a few more yards under our belt before we went and noticed other boats ( Andy and Vic) going further. But we all had to tack again as the breeze went the wrong way and we were below the mark well and truly.
Rounding Como we shot off to the Outer start line ( drifted really ) and made it around the mark just in time to photograph Shogun going the other way. So we made it around and then had the pleasure of watching the chasing pack running down to the outer start line. By this time both Vic and Bill had managed some separation and the battlers at the back included such luminaries as John ( Anna ), Andy ( Jindarra ), Lockie (Corella) and Kate with Alma. Glen had had a race in two halves and joined the rest of the gang in the pack. The other plastics were moving around the pack as well and although they had the advantage of the light breezes, it was more picking the puffs as they came through.
Making it around the small triangle our lead improved and we managed to get inside the yellow boat and made it to the line just in front of her. Vic managed to roll Bill between Print and Thelma and was very pleased with his result. However it was a light winds day and all three handicap places were filled with plastic. Over the line Mariner third, Vic fifth and Bill RIchards sixth.
Today was what may be loosely phrased as an handicap improver.
Seen on the boats today: Ralph came down for a yacht with Glen giving him 4 on the boat. Half the H28's went out two up including John Wright who really should have had a loaner from another boat, but that wasn't happening. Jay joined Vic before he disappears off to Rio for a month or so ( Jay that is ). Andy Bell had Les Swinton on board and I really think we've got him for the rest of the season now. Good stuff!
The progressive scores have been updated, go and have a look.
Everyone was late!
There we all were, lined up for the start about 100 metres off the line and less than a minute and the skipper murmured "we're going to be late."
And almost all the fleet was except for Crossroads and Shogun, both of whom got away and were lost from sight pretty quickly. However it was a chase day for the rest of us and with 8 H28's on the water and 15 in total in the fleet it was a great light winds race day. Appropriately a light winds course was shown and we set off on a Nor easter of about 6 knots for Sampson with Robins in our minds.
Getting in front of this fleet was going to be a problem, but we made it to Sampson with two boats in front of us and played the gusts down to Robins. Some went out to the north and others followed Glen into the bay and picked up a handy lift that had him on our tail as we rounded Robins with a fleet of H28's behind us. The next mark was Dolphin East and a nice reach across had the boat hitting 5.5 knots as we chased down the little yellow boat called Wildfire. A gybe had us set for the run down to Como, but we put a few more yards under our belt before we went and noticed other boats ( Andy and Vic) going further. But we all had to tack again as the breeze went the wrong way and we were below the mark well and truly.
Rounding Como we shot off to the Outer start line ( drifted really ) and made it around the mark just in time to photograph Shogun going the other way. So we made it around and then had the pleasure of watching the chasing pack running down to the outer start line. By this time both Vic and Bill had managed some separation and the battlers at the back included such luminaries as John ( Anna ), Andy ( Jindarra ), Lockie (Corella) and Kate with Alma. Glen had had a race in two halves and joined the rest of the gang in the pack. The other plastics were moving around the pack as well and although they had the advantage of the light breezes, it was more picking the puffs as they came through.
Making it around the small triangle our lead improved and we managed to get inside the yellow boat and made it to the line just in front of her. Vic managed to roll Bill between Print and Thelma and was very pleased with his result. However it was a light winds day and all three handicap places were filled with plastic. Over the line Mariner third, Vic fifth and Bill RIchards sixth.
Today was what may be loosely phrased as an handicap improver.
Seen on the boats today: Ralph came down for a yacht with Glen giving him 4 on the boat. Half the H28's went out two up including John Wright who really should have had a loaner from another boat, but that wasn't happening. Jay joined Vic before he disappears off to Rio for a month or so ( Jay that is ). Andy Bell had Les Swinton on board and I really think we've got him for the rest of the season now. Good stuff!
The progressive scores have been updated, go and have a look.
Wednesday the 20th of July
Should have been John Wrights win! ( and so it has been amended to )
With the winter breezes set in and a swing to the west predicted, the starters gave us a course three as opposed to the course two they gave everyone else. Great stuff- probably a reaching course. So get set to hit the start line at speed.
We were two up as were one or two others. 8 H28's hit the water today and with C division at 15 boats we had a big start line. Lots of hard work getting to the front, but worth it if you were near the line, hanging off your sails with seconds to go. Andy Bell was back with a crack crew to help him and would have done far better if he'd not had a battle with a Tupperware boat at the start. Our problem was going be Shogun, the little wildfire sports boat. Damn quick in todays breeze. John Wright had Jay Lawry on board as a guest trimmer, but Jay is not staying long, he's off to the Olympics shortly. Hope the mozzies don't bite Jay. Other notables included Lockie's young nephews on the boat with their mum Debbie Locke's sister and Ian Weaver as well. Brings the whole age bracket of the H28 fleet down a peg or two.
The race to Sampson proved to be the breaker and the little plastic boat, just managed to get enough on us to make us give her room, but we swung around the mark quickly enough to get our nose in front and the race to King began. Too quick on a reach unfortunately and we were condemned to a chase scenario with John Wright catching up as we ate Shoguns bad air. So with Shogun in front and JW on our tail we worked our way up to Robins and narrowly avoided being caught, breaking the over lap with meters to go. Then down to Print where unexplainably Shogun continued to go on to Como ( we think) and we turned right to hit Foam and back to Robins again. Well clear by now, the next issue was to cross the RP fleet as they made their way down to Como while we aimed at Print and then to Como. Doing so it was then a run to the Outer Start line where we could see Andy Bell moving up through the fleet and Vic Court , who had been doing very well up to now, dropping back through the fleet. Like wise Lockie had been doing well up to King and then dropped out to the back. Turns out his side stay had come adrift and he'd had to tack quickly to prevent a broken mast and a lot of scared young sailors. Good thinking Lockie. Bill had had a bad day at the start line and thought that the back of the fleet was good enough to be, though I guess he'd rather have been at the front.
Glen and Kate were in the front half of the fleet and it paid off well for Glen as his handicap is still in the high 7's, just a little lower than Kate's. And that's all it took for him to pick up a place.
However lets get over the line and Mariner did so with Anna in hot pursuit. Staying in front of JW is a honour and so it was to hit the line in front. Our handicap put us well down the list in 7th place, but fastest and John Mewitt in Shogun took a provisional 1st on Handicap and 4th over the line JW took second and second and Glen Stanley took 3rd on Handicap and 6th over the line. Andy Bell took third on the line.
After the results were released, it was noted that the handicap for Shogun was skewed and the result would have to be checked. They were and JW took the win on handicap. Glen and Andrew went up a spot as well.
There is some talk of separating the fleets in C Div. The Herreshoffs and the others. Not a good idea in my opinion. If we sail as separate fleets in our divisions well and good, if you split the Division into two different fleets, you run the risk down the track of either fleet diminishing to the point of risibility and having to be re-absorbed with all the complications that ensue. Better to be the strongest division in Wednesday sailing.
There is also a meeting on Tuesday for the H28's for the discussion of our future on the water and our working into the wooden boat fleets of the river.
Enjoy the images
Should have been John Wrights win! ( and so it has been amended to )
With the winter breezes set in and a swing to the west predicted, the starters gave us a course three as opposed to the course two they gave everyone else. Great stuff- probably a reaching course. So get set to hit the start line at speed.
We were two up as were one or two others. 8 H28's hit the water today and with C division at 15 boats we had a big start line. Lots of hard work getting to the front, but worth it if you were near the line, hanging off your sails with seconds to go. Andy Bell was back with a crack crew to help him and would have done far better if he'd not had a battle with a Tupperware boat at the start. Our problem was going be Shogun, the little wildfire sports boat. Damn quick in todays breeze. John Wright had Jay Lawry on board as a guest trimmer, but Jay is not staying long, he's off to the Olympics shortly. Hope the mozzies don't bite Jay. Other notables included Lockie's young nephews on the boat with their mum Debbie Locke's sister and Ian Weaver as well. Brings the whole age bracket of the H28 fleet down a peg or two.
The race to Sampson proved to be the breaker and the little plastic boat, just managed to get enough on us to make us give her room, but we swung around the mark quickly enough to get our nose in front and the race to King began. Too quick on a reach unfortunately and we were condemned to a chase scenario with John Wright catching up as we ate Shoguns bad air. So with Shogun in front and JW on our tail we worked our way up to Robins and narrowly avoided being caught, breaking the over lap with meters to go. Then down to Print where unexplainably Shogun continued to go on to Como ( we think) and we turned right to hit Foam and back to Robins again. Well clear by now, the next issue was to cross the RP fleet as they made their way down to Como while we aimed at Print and then to Como. Doing so it was then a run to the Outer Start line where we could see Andy Bell moving up through the fleet and Vic Court , who had been doing very well up to now, dropping back through the fleet. Like wise Lockie had been doing well up to King and then dropped out to the back. Turns out his side stay had come adrift and he'd had to tack quickly to prevent a broken mast and a lot of scared young sailors. Good thinking Lockie. Bill had had a bad day at the start line and thought that the back of the fleet was good enough to be, though I guess he'd rather have been at the front.
Glen and Kate were in the front half of the fleet and it paid off well for Glen as his handicap is still in the high 7's, just a little lower than Kate's. And that's all it took for him to pick up a place.
However lets get over the line and Mariner did so with Anna in hot pursuit. Staying in front of JW is a honour and so it was to hit the line in front. Our handicap put us well down the list in 7th place, but fastest and John Mewitt in Shogun took a provisional 1st on Handicap and 4th over the line JW took second and second and Glen Stanley took 3rd on Handicap and 6th over the line. Andy Bell took third on the line.
After the results were released, it was noted that the handicap for Shogun was skewed and the result would have to be checked. They were and JW took the win on handicap. Glen and Andrew went up a spot as well.
There is some talk of separating the fleets in C Div. The Herreshoffs and the others. Not a good idea in my opinion. If we sail as separate fleets in our divisions well and good, if you split the Division into two different fleets, you run the risk down the track of either fleet diminishing to the point of risibility and having to be re-absorbed with all the complications that ensue. Better to be the strongest division in Wednesday sailing.
There is also a meeting on Tuesday for the H28's for the discussion of our future on the water and our working into the wooden boat fleets of the river.
Enjoy the images
Wednesday the 13th of July
A nor easter ...again
Once again we were presented with dementia of the river, a slow moving nor easter with a strong current out of the Canning and an equally strong flow out of the Swan. It made judging the marks interesting when you were trying to lift up to a mark. In particular Como on the last leg of a shortened course one. No one would have though it possible, but the breeze kept on giving and giving and giving. It gave us a first and fastest rather than a second and fastest. Two slow tacks would have made it much harder to get to the line in time to claim the crown.
Gordon Jones would have been happy with Mariner, built in 1958 and resident to SoPYC for the whole time, she has always been competitive and with the realization that we had a soldiers course on offer, the start became the priority. A good lead by Sampson had us around the mark with only two tacks early in the piece and it was a case of ride the puffs from the North so we moved out a little to avail ourselves of the new pressure as it came in. Making Deepwater easily, the hard work was then getting to Print and trying to stay out of the main current flow. So down the North side and then one dash across the river hoping to get the pressure that had swung into the nor east. Then back again to Print and the leg to Robins that had us looking over our shoulders as the renewed pressure from the north brought the back of the fleet up again.
By this time the fleet had sorted itself out and we had Swiftsure Saga and Chelsea on our tails with Lockie and a very young crew member clinging to them like glue. The rest of the field was not far behind and suffered the usual problems that a mob of boats generates internally. Lockie admitted later on that he misjudged the down wind run to Print from Deepwater and went into the middle of the river on the hope that the breeze would stay out of the east, but quickly realized his howler and came back across the creek to join Swiftsure and Chelsea. Pity, cause he was doing very well at this stage and could have picked up a place or two. Nothing ventured nothing gained. For us, after Robins it was a clean run to Dolphin East staying out to the northern side and down to Como and that lucky series of lifts.
A shortened course flag brought the day to a close and as we fell over the line so did the placing go. Mariner first and fastest, Swiftsure Saga second and second, Chelsea and Corella shared third over the line, but handicap gave the third place to Chelsea by a whopping 96 seconds. I don't think David minded that much, he'd had good day on the water anyway.
Briefly..... Koomela has been pulled out of the water for a big clean up and I viewed the hull with interest. Still in good shape and she has a central prop with a chunky lead slipper on her. Mark mentioned that she may go under a refit in 2019. Wait and see.
It's with a certain amount of confusion that I view the handicaps that we sail under. They were meant to equalize the racing so that the plastic boats could step up to the front and claim the honours on the light breeze days. All it's done is make us better light wind sailors. We've learnt to follow the breezes, pick the currents, nail the start line and ride the gusts on a soft day. And tune our sails to fit the circumstances around us.
A nor easter ...again
Once again we were presented with dementia of the river, a slow moving nor easter with a strong current out of the Canning and an equally strong flow out of the Swan. It made judging the marks interesting when you were trying to lift up to a mark. In particular Como on the last leg of a shortened course one. No one would have though it possible, but the breeze kept on giving and giving and giving. It gave us a first and fastest rather than a second and fastest. Two slow tacks would have made it much harder to get to the line in time to claim the crown.
Gordon Jones would have been happy with Mariner, built in 1958 and resident to SoPYC for the whole time, she has always been competitive and with the realization that we had a soldiers course on offer, the start became the priority. A good lead by Sampson had us around the mark with only two tacks early in the piece and it was a case of ride the puffs from the North so we moved out a little to avail ourselves of the new pressure as it came in. Making Deepwater easily, the hard work was then getting to Print and trying to stay out of the main current flow. So down the North side and then one dash across the river hoping to get the pressure that had swung into the nor east. Then back again to Print and the leg to Robins that had us looking over our shoulders as the renewed pressure from the north brought the back of the fleet up again.
By this time the fleet had sorted itself out and we had Swiftsure Saga and Chelsea on our tails with Lockie and a very young crew member clinging to them like glue. The rest of the field was not far behind and suffered the usual problems that a mob of boats generates internally. Lockie admitted later on that he misjudged the down wind run to Print from Deepwater and went into the middle of the river on the hope that the breeze would stay out of the east, but quickly realized his howler and came back across the creek to join Swiftsure and Chelsea. Pity, cause he was doing very well at this stage and could have picked up a place or two. Nothing ventured nothing gained. For us, after Robins it was a clean run to Dolphin East staying out to the northern side and down to Como and that lucky series of lifts.
A shortened course flag brought the day to a close and as we fell over the line so did the placing go. Mariner first and fastest, Swiftsure Saga second and second, Chelsea and Corella shared third over the line, but handicap gave the third place to Chelsea by a whopping 96 seconds. I don't think David minded that much, he'd had good day on the water anyway.
Briefly..... Koomela has been pulled out of the water for a big clean up and I viewed the hull with interest. Still in good shape and she has a central prop with a chunky lead slipper on her. Mark mentioned that she may go under a refit in 2019. Wait and see.
It's with a certain amount of confusion that I view the handicaps that we sail under. They were meant to equalize the racing so that the plastic boats could step up to the front and claim the honours on the light breeze days. All it's done is make us better light wind sailors. We've learnt to follow the breezes, pick the currents, nail the start line and ride the gusts on a soft day. And tune our sails to fit the circumstances around us.
Wednesday the 6th of July
Lucky Lockie!
No doubt about it. He sailed a good race. With 8 H28s out on the water, it was a great sight to watch. If only the First Jindarra had been able to join us, but it's a case of when he's ready to join us again. Notable for their presence on the water were Aloha, Anna, Alma ( Kate ), Wynella, Mariner, Swiftsure Saga, Corella and Carina. And at least 3 boats were wearing sails from Swiftsure Saga's selection beside Swiftsure (Bills been busy selling off his spares).
With new handicaps in place ( they basically multiplied everything by two ) we were looking to see what they'd do for us. It was supposed to help with the minutes off as well.
The starters gave us a course one and with a minute to go, changed their minds and hoisted an AP bringing on a change to a course 4 and we were on our way to Robins in very light nor easterly breezes. The pin end was favoured and clear air was essential. Smart sailors took the gusts along to Heathcote Dolphin and then tacked down to Como jetty and headed for Sampson. We had two plastics in front of us and they were to stay there all day. What we didn't count on was Lockie showing the mastery of the nor easter and slipping past us on the run back to the start line on the first time round. We'd run into a Cole 32 who slowed us down at Como and Lockie just ran away over the top of us. Any chance of a come back was then stymied at Foam when a couple of Royal Perth yachts having a battle of their own caused us grief and took us way out of line. Lockie was gone and we were left to rue the day. Behind us the racing continued with 5 H28's taking up positions in the mid fleet with Kate and Bill setting the lead with a stream of H28's crossing the finish line in procession.
We retired to our pen after giving Lockie a cheer and the discussion on the boat then moved on to how the day had gone. We'd had a visitor on the day. Loz (Lorraine) had joined us for a sail and kept us in good spirits. Welcome back Loz.
The only place on the day was Lockie, who sailed to his handicap and picked up a third and third. The rest of us were spread down the field.
Frost bite News.
We had 4 boats out on the water on Sunday and Nerrima, Swiftsure Saga, Karoleeya and Koomela were the players. Les had a huge crew on board with Jim out front and four in the cockpit beside Les. Wonderful to see. And he flew a kite, though a gybe would have been handy on the run down to Sampson as he was so low he could have rounded Como, before reaching Sampson. However he was certainly moving along nicely. We have a few photo's supplied by Steve and Mark of the state of Karoleeya's hull when she was pulled out of the water. Thanks guys.
Believe it or not Koomela took 2nd place on handicap. Nice one.... now if he cleaned the hull.........
Lucky Lockie!
No doubt about it. He sailed a good race. With 8 H28s out on the water, it was a great sight to watch. If only the First Jindarra had been able to join us, but it's a case of when he's ready to join us again. Notable for their presence on the water were Aloha, Anna, Alma ( Kate ), Wynella, Mariner, Swiftsure Saga, Corella and Carina. And at least 3 boats were wearing sails from Swiftsure Saga's selection beside Swiftsure (Bills been busy selling off his spares).
With new handicaps in place ( they basically multiplied everything by two ) we were looking to see what they'd do for us. It was supposed to help with the minutes off as well.
The starters gave us a course one and with a minute to go, changed their minds and hoisted an AP bringing on a change to a course 4 and we were on our way to Robins in very light nor easterly breezes. The pin end was favoured and clear air was essential. Smart sailors took the gusts along to Heathcote Dolphin and then tacked down to Como jetty and headed for Sampson. We had two plastics in front of us and they were to stay there all day. What we didn't count on was Lockie showing the mastery of the nor easter and slipping past us on the run back to the start line on the first time round. We'd run into a Cole 32 who slowed us down at Como and Lockie just ran away over the top of us. Any chance of a come back was then stymied at Foam when a couple of Royal Perth yachts having a battle of their own caused us grief and took us way out of line. Lockie was gone and we were left to rue the day. Behind us the racing continued with 5 H28's taking up positions in the mid fleet with Kate and Bill setting the lead with a stream of H28's crossing the finish line in procession.
We retired to our pen after giving Lockie a cheer and the discussion on the boat then moved on to how the day had gone. We'd had a visitor on the day. Loz (Lorraine) had joined us for a sail and kept us in good spirits. Welcome back Loz.
The only place on the day was Lockie, who sailed to his handicap and picked up a third and third. The rest of us were spread down the field.
Frost bite News.
We had 4 boats out on the water on Sunday and Nerrima, Swiftsure Saga, Karoleeya and Koomela were the players. Les had a huge crew on board with Jim out front and four in the cockpit beside Les. Wonderful to see. And he flew a kite, though a gybe would have been handy on the run down to Sampson as he was so low he could have rounded Como, before reaching Sampson. However he was certainly moving along nicely. We have a few photo's supplied by Steve and Mark of the state of Karoleeya's hull when she was pulled out of the water. Thanks guys.
Believe it or not Koomela took 2nd place on handicap. Nice one.... now if he cleaned the hull.........
Wednesday the 29th of June
Sorry Glen... it's all bad news (and a bell ring)
It would be nice to think that Rob on Wynella did it again and stormed home mid fleet or better. but no it didn't happen that way. Still the guys reckoned they had a good yacht for the day and that's all that mattered, though Rob managed to put Wynella on the putty pre start ( a bell ring was requested by the rear commodore at results) Vic had a moment when setting up and apparently stripped the thread on his forestay so he and Geoff jumped ship to sail with others on the day. I believe Bill took Geoff and Lockie took Vic. Otherwise we would have had 6 boats out not 5. Still a heavy breezes day ( just ) and a course one of course. We had about 10 to 14 knots on the water out of the SW and our biggest problems were going to be Anna and Swiftsure Saga, with Corella thrown in as the random troublemaker.
So off to Martin-Weaver and we got away well this time. The issue was the run to Martin as we wanted to be at the top of the line, so we gracefully took Chelsea up over the box mark as we bore up to the start line and had the clear air we need. Still didn't stop us from having to tack as there were no lifts available on the way up to Martin. And we got there behind Shogun and in front of every one else. The problem was then to stay in front. Off to Sampson after Weaver and then push ourselves into the gusts that were coming down from the south west. Rounding Sampson we decided to go up a little and then went on the knock with Swiftsure following on. Anna and Corella continued on and then came across and we decided to go back onto the port side. This next tack was fine and it was only on the third run in on starboard that we found ourselves having to throw another two tacks in, losing space to Anna who slipped through us on the run down to Print. So chase Anna!
Around Print and harden up for the run to Robins and try to pass Anna on the way up there. A wonderful beat up wind on port and good tacks by the trimmers had us comfortably in front by the time we turned to commence the run to Dolphin East. But John, Bill and Lockie were still in the chase and the down wind run under a two sail reach to Como and the outer start line was fun and fast. Fortunately John and Lockie were a little slower and began dueling with each other so it was left to Bill to chase us, as he does and we managed to stay ahead on the way to Foam even though Bill nearly caught us at the mark. A bit of luck let us pull ahead on the run to Thelma and in the distance we heard the gun go for Shogun and started the count to see how far in front she was to be. At the same time we had to stay ahead of Bill while Lockie and John fought it out behind us. We managed it, but I still have the sight of Bill lifting like a rocket up to the line in my mind.... that boat can point and is fast. And he seems to jag the lift very well.
However Mariner 1st H28 over the line with Swiftsure Saga next and Anna just in front of Corella. On handicap Swiftsure took first with Chelsea second and Anna third.
It would be nice to think that Rob on Wynella did it again and stormed home mid fleet or better. but no it didn't happen that way. Still the guys reckoned they had a good yacht for the day and that's all that mattered, though Rob managed to put Wynella on the putty pre start ( a bell ring was requested by the rear commodore at results) Vic had a moment when setting up and apparently stripped the thread on his forestay so he and Geoff jumped ship to sail with others on the day. I believe Bill took Geoff and Lockie took Vic. Otherwise we would have had 6 boats out not 5. Still a heavy breezes day ( just ) and a course one of course. We had about 10 to 14 knots on the water out of the SW and our biggest problems were going to be Anna and Swiftsure Saga, with Corella thrown in as the random troublemaker.
So off to Martin-Weaver and we got away well this time. The issue was the run to Martin as we wanted to be at the top of the line, so we gracefully took Chelsea up over the box mark as we bore up to the start line and had the clear air we need. Still didn't stop us from having to tack as there were no lifts available on the way up to Martin. And we got there behind Shogun and in front of every one else. The problem was then to stay in front. Off to Sampson after Weaver and then push ourselves into the gusts that were coming down from the south west. Rounding Sampson we decided to go up a little and then went on the knock with Swiftsure following on. Anna and Corella continued on and then came across and we decided to go back onto the port side. This next tack was fine and it was only on the third run in on starboard that we found ourselves having to throw another two tacks in, losing space to Anna who slipped through us on the run down to Print. So chase Anna!
Around Print and harden up for the run to Robins and try to pass Anna on the way up there. A wonderful beat up wind on port and good tacks by the trimmers had us comfortably in front by the time we turned to commence the run to Dolphin East. But John, Bill and Lockie were still in the chase and the down wind run under a two sail reach to Como and the outer start line was fun and fast. Fortunately John and Lockie were a little slower and began dueling with each other so it was left to Bill to chase us, as he does and we managed to stay ahead on the way to Foam even though Bill nearly caught us at the mark. A bit of luck let us pull ahead on the run to Thelma and in the distance we heard the gun go for Shogun and started the count to see how far in front she was to be. At the same time we had to stay ahead of Bill while Lockie and John fought it out behind us. We managed it, but I still have the sight of Bill lifting like a rocket up to the line in my mind.... that boat can point and is fast. And he seems to jag the lift very well.
However Mariner 1st H28 over the line with Swiftsure Saga next and Anna just in front of Corella. On handicap Swiftsure took first with Chelsea second and Anna third.
Wednesday the 22nd of June
A view from the back.
As Vic said later on. " If you were going to roll up all your mistakes into a bundle and have them all on one day"
Well we did.
With a course one flag fluttering from the tower and the promise of a half decent South Westerly, we prepared to roar off to Martin on the first leg of the longest course on offer on Wednesdays. It was perfect weather with the sun peeking coyly through the broken clouds and all we needed was a good start.
The chances of us stuffing it up were minimal, we'd all been there, but the boat was 17 seconds late on the line and as a result there were 4 boats in front of as we shot down along the jetties to Martin, trying to keep above Vic and John Wright as they poured bad air on us. All to no avail as they climbed above us as did Bill who frankly had more speed than we did and got up from below. And the little Wildfire was well in front of all of us. Making the mark, we eased away and settled in for a long haul with the need to pass the front runners foremost. Down to Weaver and then a reach to Sampson where we managed to hold our own and then the next mistake occurred. Rounding Sampson we were in the bad air of Anna, Carina and Swiftsure Saga so a decision to tack off was made. So far so good, the next correct move would have been to tack back after 100 metres and head up to a chance to dip into the bay and tack out to Deepwater. But we went all the way to the channel going backwards in all eyes. The next tack was just as bad as the gusty breeze coming through with the squall knocked us down again and there were a few minutes where we saw all the boats pass us by and by the time we got to Applecross Spit, the pressure had dropped out and the RP fleet was heading up toward us. Down to 3 knots by now and finally making it to Deepwater and getting around.
We slowly made our way down to Print.... so slowly in fact we had the time to get the cork out of a bottle and toasted our failure. A couple of photos were taken of the transoms of all the boats in front of us. What else could we do?
Around Print and off to Robins with another gust coming through and a little more rain and the crew cursing the big one that came over the bows and hit the cockpit like a tidal wave. But we were set in the belief that nothing else could happen to us....... We were falling behind further and further as the new breezes were favouring the fleet in front of us. The loss was going to be disastrous. Around Robins and away we went in a strong breeze down to Dolphin East with a savage gybe at the mark that had the boat rolling for a moment. Nice one! Then feel the breeze flicker again and move into the SSW. From a pole to a reach with plenty of speed and all we then had to do was hit the corner at Como and harden up as the rest of the fleet was busily pouring over the finish line. 10 minutes behind Shogun and 5 minutes behind Swiftsure Saga. Just an aside, Bill got through Crossroads as he was caught in a breeze change that knocked him sideways. 'Most unexpected' said Bill, but he wasn't going to refuse it.
Congratulations to Vic and Geoff who took the honours on handicap with Glen Stanley's Wynella (driven by crewman Rob) second and Swiftsure Saga third. Over the line Shogun by 4 and half minutes, Bill RIchards second and John Wright third.
Now the ransom note...... Vic very kindly offered the bottle of Jane Brook "Back Block" Shiraz to Geoff as thanks for a good race and Geoff promptly left it on the H28 table. So Geoff, I have it and the ransom will be a glass from the bottle ( or similar ). I'll have it next Wednesday.
A new crew is available. His name is Paul and he's a Fifo and sailed on Swiftsure Saga last frostbite. Not available all the time, but has promised to sail whenever he can. He'll stop at Jetty three next time he's free and I'll take him down the jetty to get him a ride
Wednesday the 15th of June .
The Back Markers revenge
Another light winds day!
I do feel sorry for John Mewitt, the proud owner of the pesky little "wildfire" called Shogun that has been slipping away in front of everyone. John used to sail with Glen until he bit the bullet and bought a boat. He's finally got a handicap in the heavy breezes category and it seems that he's not paid the handicapper enough.
Enough! A light winds course four that had us on our way up to Robins with no time spent worrying about Martin / Weaver. We thought we had a good start, but the plastics were in their element and Crossroads and Shogun got in front of us and would be hard to catch. At Sampson we had managed to get clear of the following pack of H28's, though the battle between Bill and John was going to be fierce with Vic and Glen preparing to battle it out as well. Then to Robins where we won and lost on the beats up to the mark, but found ourselves able to get around Robins just in front of John and chasing Shogun again. Those who chose to go across early didn't pick up a lift from the LH side of the course and we managed to get past Crossroads leaving her in our wake. Then across the wind to Dolphin East and then down wind to Como, crossing the RP fleet who were also on starboard. A lucky break was given to us by one of the RP boats who swerved to give us room and we crossed the fleet comfortably as did the others coming down behind us.
By this time the green boat had caught up and had managed to get through us on the way to the outer start line so our task was to get under his transom before Sampson as he took us up way beyond the mark. We though we had, but in his judgment we had not made it, but the kerfuffle ensuing had the following two H28's catch up and round at the same time. Annoying to all and we had to do a 360 to expiate our sins. So we were behind 4 boats by now.
The run to Print and across to Foam got us in front of John Wright by a small margin and we managed to get away from him as Bill was well away. On the run to Como we heard the horn from the start box, Shogun had crossed the line and we were at least 10 minutes away. 12 minutes it turned out to be, but the next boat was Crossroads and he was 9 minutes and 43 seconds off the pace. H 28's went out today and thank goodness Glen picked up the win on handicap as the next three boats were plastics and over the line it was Shogun, Crossroads and then Bill Richards with Swiftsure Saga in third.
In my opinion, the two handicap system is not performing well. There's a chance of a decent blow next week. Lets see what happens.
A little news just in.. Andy Bell is well and recovering from his op and Steve Hill is going to put Karoleeya up on the slip on Friday to clean her up and get her sailing again. He and Graham have reached an agreement and Steve will have her out on the water shortly. Hooray!
The Back Markers revenge
Another light winds day!
I do feel sorry for John Mewitt, the proud owner of the pesky little "wildfire" called Shogun that has been slipping away in front of everyone. John used to sail with Glen until he bit the bullet and bought a boat. He's finally got a handicap in the heavy breezes category and it seems that he's not paid the handicapper enough.
Enough! A light winds course four that had us on our way up to Robins with no time spent worrying about Martin / Weaver. We thought we had a good start, but the plastics were in their element and Crossroads and Shogun got in front of us and would be hard to catch. At Sampson we had managed to get clear of the following pack of H28's, though the battle between Bill and John was going to be fierce with Vic and Glen preparing to battle it out as well. Then to Robins where we won and lost on the beats up to the mark, but found ourselves able to get around Robins just in front of John and chasing Shogun again. Those who chose to go across early didn't pick up a lift from the LH side of the course and we managed to get past Crossroads leaving her in our wake. Then across the wind to Dolphin East and then down wind to Como, crossing the RP fleet who were also on starboard. A lucky break was given to us by one of the RP boats who swerved to give us room and we crossed the fleet comfortably as did the others coming down behind us.
By this time the green boat had caught up and had managed to get through us on the way to the outer start line so our task was to get under his transom before Sampson as he took us up way beyond the mark. We though we had, but in his judgment we had not made it, but the kerfuffle ensuing had the following two H28's catch up and round at the same time. Annoying to all and we had to do a 360 to expiate our sins. So we were behind 4 boats by now.
The run to Print and across to Foam got us in front of John Wright by a small margin and we managed to get away from him as Bill was well away. On the run to Como we heard the horn from the start box, Shogun had crossed the line and we were at least 10 minutes away. 12 minutes it turned out to be, but the next boat was Crossroads and he was 9 minutes and 43 seconds off the pace. H 28's went out today and thank goodness Glen picked up the win on handicap as the next three boats were plastics and over the line it was Shogun, Crossroads and then Bill Richards with Swiftsure Saga in third.
In my opinion, the two handicap system is not performing well. There's a chance of a decent blow next week. Lets see what happens.
A little news just in.. Andy Bell is well and recovering from his op and Steve Hill is going to put Karoleeya up on the slip on Friday to clean her up and get her sailing again. He and Graham have reached an agreement and Steve will have her out on the water shortly. Hooray!
Wednesday the 8th of June
Icicles
I'm sure I saw snowflakes on the top of the cabin yesterday. It was freezing and the polar fleece jackets provided by the skipper kept us snug and warm. Pity about the shorts though.... I still have this preference for shorts when sailing, don't know why!
However the cold wind out of the south had several skippers at home toasting their toes in front of the fire and I will admit that the breeze when we arrived was rather discouraging. About 15 to 20 knots and a chill factor that would have been grazing zero. So off we went with a course three and a southerly that was dropping out as the day progressed.
The dash up to Martin/Weaver was interesting as we had to pick the shifts (of which there were many) and a little luck got us up there behind Shogun and Crossroads with Swiftsure Saga and Alma ( piloted by Phil Lammonby ) on our tails. Judging the stream flow nicely we rounded Weaver and prepared for the down wind run, hoping to get Cross Roads at least and possibly Shogun, but the little Wildfire design just slipped away on the breeze and a following wind saw the rest of the fleet close up as they came down on the mark. We could have been trounced by Alma, but the girls were having a little trouble getting the pole out and Phil showed great forbearance in his manner.
We decided to go to Anderson instead of King and believe it or not we were making it, when we realized that everyone else bar Swiftsure was heading lower than us so we rounded Anderson and sped off to King on our way to Robins. Made it in two digs as the breeze shifted a little, but fortunately we hadn't lost anything with our little faux pas (maybe a few meters) and then to Print where we knew we would meet the RP fleet on their way to Como via Foam. We found a gap and slipped through on our way to Foam and thence to Robins again, then found ourselves on the right side (again) of the RP fleet coming to Foam. We got through again as did the rest of our fleet though the sight of Cross Roads and other boats finding their way through the oncoming RP fleet was fascinating.
Still the breeze was above 10 knots ( according to the BOM site ) and we watched as the little boat in front of us just soared away in the light air. The rest of us struggled in the light breeze to get going and although we were ahead, we weren't ahead by much. But Bill and Phil were having a great battle with the lead changing all the time and Glen, I think, could have done with a bit more pressure to help him along. Glen by the way has a new rudder as the old one was getting a little risky to use since the Old Gaffers event and the bump it had received while waiting for results.
The final dash around the small triangle of Foam, Addison, Como and home was fun to do, but the last two hundred meters saw us knocking off the line to the finish so a couple of tacks were made to get it done. And Bill made it home in one tack, taking a good chance to get a second on the line on handicap. Of course Alma took first on handicap with a 4th over the line, with Bill on Swiftsure taking second as mentioned, but third over the line. Cross roads, for their trouble took a 3rd place on handicap. Our second over the line reflected the light breezes nothing more..... but why did they award this " Heavy wind status" when clearly it wasn't.
Icicles
I'm sure I saw snowflakes on the top of the cabin yesterday. It was freezing and the polar fleece jackets provided by the skipper kept us snug and warm. Pity about the shorts though.... I still have this preference for shorts when sailing, don't know why!
However the cold wind out of the south had several skippers at home toasting their toes in front of the fire and I will admit that the breeze when we arrived was rather discouraging. About 15 to 20 knots and a chill factor that would have been grazing zero. So off we went with a course three and a southerly that was dropping out as the day progressed.
The dash up to Martin/Weaver was interesting as we had to pick the shifts (of which there were many) and a little luck got us up there behind Shogun and Crossroads with Swiftsure Saga and Alma ( piloted by Phil Lammonby ) on our tails. Judging the stream flow nicely we rounded Weaver and prepared for the down wind run, hoping to get Cross Roads at least and possibly Shogun, but the little Wildfire design just slipped away on the breeze and a following wind saw the rest of the fleet close up as they came down on the mark. We could have been trounced by Alma, but the girls were having a little trouble getting the pole out and Phil showed great forbearance in his manner.
We decided to go to Anderson instead of King and believe it or not we were making it, when we realized that everyone else bar Swiftsure was heading lower than us so we rounded Anderson and sped off to King on our way to Robins. Made it in two digs as the breeze shifted a little, but fortunately we hadn't lost anything with our little faux pas (maybe a few meters) and then to Print where we knew we would meet the RP fleet on their way to Como via Foam. We found a gap and slipped through on our way to Foam and thence to Robins again, then found ourselves on the right side (again) of the RP fleet coming to Foam. We got through again as did the rest of our fleet though the sight of Cross Roads and other boats finding their way through the oncoming RP fleet was fascinating.
Still the breeze was above 10 knots ( according to the BOM site ) and we watched as the little boat in front of us just soared away in the light air. The rest of us struggled in the light breeze to get going and although we were ahead, we weren't ahead by much. But Bill and Phil were having a great battle with the lead changing all the time and Glen, I think, could have done with a bit more pressure to help him along. Glen by the way has a new rudder as the old one was getting a little risky to use since the Old Gaffers event and the bump it had received while waiting for results.
The final dash around the small triangle of Foam, Addison, Como and home was fun to do, but the last two hundred meters saw us knocking off the line to the finish so a couple of tacks were made to get it done. And Bill made it home in one tack, taking a good chance to get a second on the line on handicap. Of course Alma took first on handicap with a 4th over the line, with Bill on Swiftsure taking second as mentioned, but third over the line. Cross roads, for their trouble took a 3rd place on handicap. Our second over the line reflected the light breezes nothing more..... but why did they award this " Heavy wind status" when clearly it wasn't.
Wednesday the 1st of June The first day of winter.
The difference that a tack made.
There's a mystery referendum going around that only skippers can answer (secret squirrel stuff). I believe it has to do with the fact that only 17 % of the yachts that reside at the club are actually active. The rest are parked up......... go figure why sailing as a sport is dying. No one has the time to do so and only those who actively make the time will get a chance to go sailing... the rest of them sit in their offices in the city and watch us go sailing.
So we went sailing today with a light south easterly (never above 9 knots and a base of 5 to 7 knots) A course 4 with a run up to Martin/Weaver had the required effect of absolute chaos as some of the div 2 boats stuffed up and didn't allow for the strong current flowing down the Canning and had to go again at Weaver. We found a hole and ducked through as did the two lead SS22's and we then had to chase them down to get to the lead before Sampson and the run down the river to Robins on a soldiers course. Bill RIchards elected to follow us and was well equipped to do so as the boat performs brilliantly on a reach. But stay ahead we did and the battle was really behind us with Crossroads and P's and Q's battling each other. Alma was sailing very well under Kate's command and the rest of the H28 fleet; Wynella, Corella and Carina were mid fleet and suffering in the light breeze and foul air of the other boats.
Rounding Robins, we did so by enough to think we could stay ahead of Bill and the reach across to Dolphin East had us watching Swiftsure Saga close on us slowly. And then a gybe at the mark with the breeze almost in our faces as we ducked between the RP fleets and made our way down to Como where all fleets were cornering. We missed Foam Spit by a few inches as only the skipper was aware of it and had lost it under the jib while avoiding a yacht that was crossing us on starboard. If we'd hit that ......... Then to Como and a polite request put a RP boat inside us and let him round the mark and go back down river again and we turned at the corner ready to head off to the start line. By this time Bill was closing on us and we were lucky to get around the outer start mark and get away again. The whole of the fleet was closing up by this time and there wasn't much between us as we looked back.
With Bill on our heels, the run to Sampson turned into a (slow motion) chase scene as we hit the corner and started the run to Foam making it in one shot and a good rounding kept us in front, but not by much as the two skippers were chatting to each other by now and there was every chance he could get us. A run down to the free way had us cursing as the lifts were hitting us hard and we couldn't throw over to the other tack. But tack we must and going on a chance knock we made our way to Thelma putting in an early tack to get to the mark..... just. A slow rounding and thank goodness, Swiftsure Saga had been beset by the same series of knocks as we had and lost a minute or two getting to Thelma having to tack again in a light breeze. We made it to the finish line in a great lifting breeze, almost out of the south by this time and we waited till Bill crossed the line and then both boats made their way in. The difference was just a tack made at the right time. Lucky ..you bet.
As to the photo's today. I'd put a larger card into my trusty pocket camera and it unfortunately refused to recognize the card. Bother. So all the images were taken on a Galaxy S2 Tablet. The resolution's not great ( tiny sensor ) and it's unwieldy to use. So no action photos today.
Winners are grinners and our handicap is stratospheric. So fastest was good enough for us, but two plastics got up for the win and second place on handicap. Bill Richards took a good second over the line and third on handicap.
And to Andy Bell. He had his op on Tuesday and is recovering. We'll know how he's fairing in the next few days, but we look forward to his return once he's ready to go again. Look forward to the battles on the water again. Our handicap needs reducing.
The difference that a tack made.
There's a mystery referendum going around that only skippers can answer (secret squirrel stuff). I believe it has to do with the fact that only 17 % of the yachts that reside at the club are actually active. The rest are parked up......... go figure why sailing as a sport is dying. No one has the time to do so and only those who actively make the time will get a chance to go sailing... the rest of them sit in their offices in the city and watch us go sailing.
So we went sailing today with a light south easterly (never above 9 knots and a base of 5 to 7 knots) A course 4 with a run up to Martin/Weaver had the required effect of absolute chaos as some of the div 2 boats stuffed up and didn't allow for the strong current flowing down the Canning and had to go again at Weaver. We found a hole and ducked through as did the two lead SS22's and we then had to chase them down to get to the lead before Sampson and the run down the river to Robins on a soldiers course. Bill RIchards elected to follow us and was well equipped to do so as the boat performs brilliantly on a reach. But stay ahead we did and the battle was really behind us with Crossroads and P's and Q's battling each other. Alma was sailing very well under Kate's command and the rest of the H28 fleet; Wynella, Corella and Carina were mid fleet and suffering in the light breeze and foul air of the other boats.
Rounding Robins, we did so by enough to think we could stay ahead of Bill and the reach across to Dolphin East had us watching Swiftsure Saga close on us slowly. And then a gybe at the mark with the breeze almost in our faces as we ducked between the RP fleets and made our way down to Como where all fleets were cornering. We missed Foam Spit by a few inches as only the skipper was aware of it and had lost it under the jib while avoiding a yacht that was crossing us on starboard. If we'd hit that ......... Then to Como and a polite request put a RP boat inside us and let him round the mark and go back down river again and we turned at the corner ready to head off to the start line. By this time Bill was closing on us and we were lucky to get around the outer start mark and get away again. The whole of the fleet was closing up by this time and there wasn't much between us as we looked back.
With Bill on our heels, the run to Sampson turned into a (slow motion) chase scene as we hit the corner and started the run to Foam making it in one shot and a good rounding kept us in front, but not by much as the two skippers were chatting to each other by now and there was every chance he could get us. A run down to the free way had us cursing as the lifts were hitting us hard and we couldn't throw over to the other tack. But tack we must and going on a chance knock we made our way to Thelma putting in an early tack to get to the mark..... just. A slow rounding and thank goodness, Swiftsure Saga had been beset by the same series of knocks as we had and lost a minute or two getting to Thelma having to tack again in a light breeze. We made it to the finish line in a great lifting breeze, almost out of the south by this time and we waited till Bill crossed the line and then both boats made their way in. The difference was just a tack made at the right time. Lucky ..you bet.
As to the photo's today. I'd put a larger card into my trusty pocket camera and it unfortunately refused to recognize the card. Bother. So all the images were taken on a Galaxy S2 Tablet. The resolution's not great ( tiny sensor ) and it's unwieldy to use. So no action photos today.
Winners are grinners and our handicap is stratospheric. So fastest was good enough for us, but two plastics got up for the win and second place on handicap. Bill Richards took a good second over the line and third on handicap.
And to Andy Bell. He had his op on Tuesday and is recovering. We'll know how he's fairing in the next few days, but we look forward to his return once he's ready to go again. Look forward to the battles on the water again. Our handicap needs reducing.
Wednesday the 25th of May
I think I'll have the chicken parmy.
Andy Bell has returned! But not to go for a yacht, he and the crew decided to sit in the bar and have their lunch in a little peace and quiet.
Meanwhile the rest of us were setting up boats and as has happened recently, help set up Dave Locke's boat so that he also could join us. Vic had Bob and Pete, Glen had his normal crew, Craig had jumped on board with Bill Richards and Dave of course had Ian Weaver to accompany him. Mariner had the usual three on board. No sign of the girls ( probably too wet ) and John Wrights still on holiday.
The breeze was whipping through the halyards and it was with a bit of pleasure we set up the boat for a decent breeze. The starters complied with a course two ( westerly ) and the drag race to Sampson was on. The starters probably had the right to be a little confused today as once again Bills sails were being tested out by both Glen and Lockie so the sail number SP112 was in evidence all over the start line. But our job was to get in front of the rest and the drag race to Sampson was the tester for all the boats. It was still strong enough for us to clear out in front of the plastic boats and rounding Sampson we looked back to see most of the H28's in front and the plastics being forced to tack off to avoid the foul air from our sails.
Only three tacks were needed to get up to Hallmark and a run up the middle was the go with the lifts from the westerly as it flicked northerly every so often. A dig into the banks where Georgina lost her rudder a few years ago had us a little nervous, but from there it was a good run up to Hallmark and a slight change of angle to get to Armstrong in one beat. From there it was a run down to Como where as usual we had to pick our way through the RP fleet and watch them form up behind us as they were on their way to Como too. Behind us..... Bill too was behind us and was caught in the mix of boats rounding Como and the screams of the RP fleet as they called for water and other items of their imagination while rounding the mark was music to our ears. We'd cleared Como and left Bill to go around the outside of the RP fleet. A real winner in our minds. But Bill wasn't beaten yet and he kept on chasing us with the known ability of the boat to do well on the reach and pointing higher than any one else. So it was get to the outer start line and back to Sampson again where we noted the rest of the fleet coming through.
Thence to Dolphin West and the breeze really started to drop out. It was a good 10 to 14 knots to begin with and now we were down to 5 to 8 knots. Perfect for the plastics. On the way up to Dolphin West we struggled into rain coats as the clouds above us began to let go. The showers began to come in and the breeze shifted into the nor west with pressure under the clouds; just enough to keep us scooting along on a reach. I looked back up the river to catch Swiftsure Saga sailing through a rainbow and I hope Bill likes the images. By this time we were getting to the top mark and from then it was a run back to Print, then Como and Thelma. A pole and a few gybes got us there with out too much trouble and we were working on our time again. Not going slower, but trying to get a place as well as fastest. Couldn't get first and fastest as we needed to be in front by roughly ten minutes to do that and the drop in the breeze had put paid to our hopes.
In the end Bill Richards did take first on handicap with a strong second over the line. A plastic took second on handicap with a tidy third over the line and we copped the third place. Oh well didn't improve the handicap a bit, but it was a good win. Just hope that we get a few more windy days so that the rest of the H28 fleet can get up into the placings.
I think I'll have the chicken parmy.
Andy Bell has returned! But not to go for a yacht, he and the crew decided to sit in the bar and have their lunch in a little peace and quiet.
Meanwhile the rest of us were setting up boats and as has happened recently, help set up Dave Locke's boat so that he also could join us. Vic had Bob and Pete, Glen had his normal crew, Craig had jumped on board with Bill Richards and Dave of course had Ian Weaver to accompany him. Mariner had the usual three on board. No sign of the girls ( probably too wet ) and John Wrights still on holiday.
The breeze was whipping through the halyards and it was with a bit of pleasure we set up the boat for a decent breeze. The starters complied with a course two ( westerly ) and the drag race to Sampson was on. The starters probably had the right to be a little confused today as once again Bills sails were being tested out by both Glen and Lockie so the sail number SP112 was in evidence all over the start line. But our job was to get in front of the rest and the drag race to Sampson was the tester for all the boats. It was still strong enough for us to clear out in front of the plastic boats and rounding Sampson we looked back to see most of the H28's in front and the plastics being forced to tack off to avoid the foul air from our sails.
Only three tacks were needed to get up to Hallmark and a run up the middle was the go with the lifts from the westerly as it flicked northerly every so often. A dig into the banks where Georgina lost her rudder a few years ago had us a little nervous, but from there it was a good run up to Hallmark and a slight change of angle to get to Armstrong in one beat. From there it was a run down to Como where as usual we had to pick our way through the RP fleet and watch them form up behind us as they were on their way to Como too. Behind us..... Bill too was behind us and was caught in the mix of boats rounding Como and the screams of the RP fleet as they called for water and other items of their imagination while rounding the mark was music to our ears. We'd cleared Como and left Bill to go around the outside of the RP fleet. A real winner in our minds. But Bill wasn't beaten yet and he kept on chasing us with the known ability of the boat to do well on the reach and pointing higher than any one else. So it was get to the outer start line and back to Sampson again where we noted the rest of the fleet coming through.
Thence to Dolphin West and the breeze really started to drop out. It was a good 10 to 14 knots to begin with and now we were down to 5 to 8 knots. Perfect for the plastics. On the way up to Dolphin West we struggled into rain coats as the clouds above us began to let go. The showers began to come in and the breeze shifted into the nor west with pressure under the clouds; just enough to keep us scooting along on a reach. I looked back up the river to catch Swiftsure Saga sailing through a rainbow and I hope Bill likes the images. By this time we were getting to the top mark and from then it was a run back to Print, then Como and Thelma. A pole and a few gybes got us there with out too much trouble and we were working on our time again. Not going slower, but trying to get a place as well as fastest. Couldn't get first and fastest as we needed to be in front by roughly ten minutes to do that and the drop in the breeze had put paid to our hopes.
In the end Bill Richards did take first on handicap with a strong second over the line. A plastic took second on handicap with a tidy third over the line and we copped the third place. Oh well didn't improve the handicap a bit, but it was a good win. Just hope that we get a few more windy days so that the rest of the H28 fleet can get up into the placings.
Wednesday the 18th of May
Just enough breeze.
A beautiful day with plenty of crew around and no wind to speak of as we prepared the boats for the afternoon. Lockie had been seen around the place and we were ready to jump on his boat and help set it up for him. Ian Weaver popped up and as no movement had been happening on Corella he wasn't in a hurry to start. So with that in mind we took off from the pens with only four H28's heading out onto the water. Les Swinton had had to bail out as he'd been called off to the country to finish a quote and we took Peter back onto the boat with us again. Glen decided not to take Wynella out and jumped on board Soraya to help Phil who was subbing for Kate (Grandmother again) with Kristine and Anne. So his crew was shared out as well.
Then the breeze began to fill in from the West. Just enough to get us around we thought, but it meant some light wind work in which Lockie excels in. What a pity Lockie, you missed on a good sail. But the old master Vic, was on the water so everyone had to be careful. He'd get past you if he could. So the start was in about 5 knots of a westerly and a drag race to Sampson on a light winds course four. Trying to get close to the wind we took a box end start and found ourselves challenged by a couple of plastics, but no one else was going any faster except for the green boat. He'd hit the start at the pin end in a big hurry and was in clear air and really was not headed all day.
Some chose to tack off at Sampson, some held on for a while as we did and then went left to get the run up the centre to Robins. There were several lead changes on the way up with Vic Court catching us and then losing us on the next tack, but we chose to go out to a starboard ley and then crossed the field making it to Robins third to the green and yellow boats. The run to Dolphin East was a challenging bit of trimming as the plastic boats excel in reaching and it was only on the down wind that we managed to get past the yellow boat, but we were still chasing the green fellow.
Down to Como, crossing through the RP fleet, and then on to the Outer start line, where we found ourselves pushing through the tail of the B division boats. Not much of a problem really, but one or two of them have the habit of taking you up, just because. The small triangle was on offer and we managed to get a look at the other end of the fleet as they made their way down to the outer start line, but we then had the run up to Foam and the fact that the yellow boat would get us if she could, as would Vic and neither could be ignored. A good decision got us straight to Foam ahead of the pair of them and then it was follow the leader all the way downwind from Print.
Across the line second, but the first H28.... but on handicap Mariner dropped to 6th. Carina ( Vic ) took second on handicap with his third over the line and Bill Richards took third on handicap and fifth over the line.
Next week looks a little brighter breeze wise, particularly if the weather gets held over from the predicted Tuesday storms .
Just enough breeze.
A beautiful day with plenty of crew around and no wind to speak of as we prepared the boats for the afternoon. Lockie had been seen around the place and we were ready to jump on his boat and help set it up for him. Ian Weaver popped up and as no movement had been happening on Corella he wasn't in a hurry to start. So with that in mind we took off from the pens with only four H28's heading out onto the water. Les Swinton had had to bail out as he'd been called off to the country to finish a quote and we took Peter back onto the boat with us again. Glen decided not to take Wynella out and jumped on board Soraya to help Phil who was subbing for Kate (Grandmother again) with Kristine and Anne. So his crew was shared out as well.
Then the breeze began to fill in from the West. Just enough to get us around we thought, but it meant some light wind work in which Lockie excels in. What a pity Lockie, you missed on a good sail. But the old master Vic, was on the water so everyone had to be careful. He'd get past you if he could. So the start was in about 5 knots of a westerly and a drag race to Sampson on a light winds course four. Trying to get close to the wind we took a box end start and found ourselves challenged by a couple of plastics, but no one else was going any faster except for the green boat. He'd hit the start at the pin end in a big hurry and was in clear air and really was not headed all day.
Some chose to tack off at Sampson, some held on for a while as we did and then went left to get the run up the centre to Robins. There were several lead changes on the way up with Vic Court catching us and then losing us on the next tack, but we chose to go out to a starboard ley and then crossed the field making it to Robins third to the green and yellow boats. The run to Dolphin East was a challenging bit of trimming as the plastic boats excel in reaching and it was only on the down wind that we managed to get past the yellow boat, but we were still chasing the green fellow.
Down to Como, crossing through the RP fleet, and then on to the Outer start line, where we found ourselves pushing through the tail of the B division boats. Not much of a problem really, but one or two of them have the habit of taking you up, just because. The small triangle was on offer and we managed to get a look at the other end of the fleet as they made their way down to the outer start line, but we then had the run up to Foam and the fact that the yellow boat would get us if she could, as would Vic and neither could be ignored. A good decision got us straight to Foam ahead of the pair of them and then it was follow the leader all the way downwind from Print.
Across the line second, but the first H28.... but on handicap Mariner dropped to 6th. Carina ( Vic ) took second on handicap with his third over the line and Bill Richards took third on handicap and fifth over the line.
Next week looks a little brighter breeze wise, particularly if the weather gets held over from the predicted Tuesday storms .
Wednesday the 11th of May and a quick look at the Power boat opening day on the 7th.
Power Opening Day
On a day when even the H28 crowd would have had second thoughts about putting on the number one, we took off into the teeth of a howling gale and tried to fulfill the commitment that the H28's has had for decades as being the mark boats for the Power section on opening day. A wise few had gone for land based mark points, but I was riding on a Riv 42. No problems with getting going. However the yachts that went out had the expected problems with anchors and holding their boats ( and crews ) in safety and Bill RIchards was running out of amp hours as he struggled to get past Heathcote. As he said afterward. "The boats electric motor was running at its rated top speed of 5 knots and making perhaps 1/2 a knot forward into the breeze. No way was he going to make it to his given mark way down the river. So he retired and took up a land base. The same question could have been asked of Glen and his crew of stalwarts. They were not comfortable with the conditions and also took up a land based spot. However full marks to Les Brooker and Craig Bulmer who took the boats out and despite miserable conditions managed to do their job. Though Craig did report that the old Stewie was on one lung on the way home and making perhaps a quarter of a knot into the pens. Thanks to Brian and Judi Cross, a safe and snug spot was found after the day and a convivial glass of red was had on the back of their boat.
Now to Wednesday. A number of titles came to mind, but the most appropriate seems to be.
"And then the breeze died out"
A wonderful day for the plastic boats was the general opinion on the jetty as the H28 fleet prepared for battle. Les Swinton had John Midolo and Patto saddling up Andy Bells boat, and two or three people jumped on board Lockies boat and rigged it for him as he was still at work. Ian Weaver, who was riding with Lockie came down to get started and was amazed at the activity. "Bugger", he said. " I'd have had that extra cup of tea". It's ok Ian.. we value you around the jetty. Vic came down around 15 minutes before two and he and Jeff got their boat ready in record time. All in all we had 6 boats on jetty 3 and the girls were joining Judith Magee on jetty 6, so seven H28's in all.
A light westerly was on offer and the consensus was a course four or perhaps a course one shortened, for variety. We got the course one, un-shortened. The need for clear air off the start was evident and not starting very well, we found ourselves under the wings of a pair of SS22s and not going very fast. So a little patience was called for and so long as we had a good corner at Sampson we could follow the leaders up for a while then take off to get clear air. It was not a wise idea to go all the way across to Heathcote looking for the sou westerly as one or two boats discovered, but neither was going all the way out to the north. Banging corners was out and the run up the middle was the best way to go. Bill Richards was spotted with something hanging off the starboard side of his hull. Have a look at the photo and tell me what you think.
A bit of luck and the right decisions got us past Applecross spit and the rest of the fleet found themselves with an extra two tacks to get around the spit. From there on, the issue was to go faster and try to pile up the seconds behind us. Meanwhile the battle was between Lockie and Vic as the two river masters were engaged in a spirited tussle with the SS22's who had decided to make their lives miserable. In between all of this, Swiftsure Saga was plying his way on the water keeping Les Swinton honest and Wynella behind him.
Around the finish line for the first time and no sign of a shortened course. No problems, we'll get the race under our belts before 5 pm and there's still another 15 minutes on top of that. We've only got the small triangle to do. And the wind was dropping. By the time we'd hit Foam buoy we were watching the last of the fleet rounding Sampson and the trip across to Print and down to Como was a formality. But we had a Farr 9 on our tail and a very courteous voice asked from the bow of the Farr. " Are you the lead boat in the fleet". "Yes" was our reply and the person on the bow was no other than PC David Atkinson of PFSYC. "Oh well" he said and he instructed his helm to go below us. A gentleman indeed. And I'm glad to say that it didn't cause him too much strife either.
The run to the finish was gentle and once over, we turned to watch the rest of the fleet who were struggling home as the breeze was lessening by the minute. So park the boat and tidy up as we were joined eventually by Lockie and Ian on Corella. No sign of anyone else yet. 5 pm came and went and still no boats. Eventually three H28's hove into view accompanied by the rescue boat. A tow in had been needed? Well Bill was towing in Vic and The First Jindarra was released by the rescue boat. Thanks to Mark and the volunteer with him. Then Wynella arrived and as the boats sorted themselves out we were joined by the crew of the "Jin" as they poured out the rest of the story. The line closed at 5 pm and more than half the fleet missed out. A possible mistake by the starters in keeping us out there for that long a time???? Les was scouting for crew for the next Wednesday so we pointed him at Peter Shepherd who had gone out with us for the day as our crew would be back on board next week. The olives were enjoyed and the day drew into night as we spoke of the days events and other things.
For the fleet.. a good win to see H28's cross the line first in such challenging conditions and such a pity that we weren't generally aware of the new line closing times. Should have thought it through... For the win and fastest, Brian Cross and Mariner, third and third to Dave Locke on Corella. Crossroads took second and second.
Power Opening Day
On a day when even the H28 crowd would have had second thoughts about putting on the number one, we took off into the teeth of a howling gale and tried to fulfill the commitment that the H28's has had for decades as being the mark boats for the Power section on opening day. A wise few had gone for land based mark points, but I was riding on a Riv 42. No problems with getting going. However the yachts that went out had the expected problems with anchors and holding their boats ( and crews ) in safety and Bill RIchards was running out of amp hours as he struggled to get past Heathcote. As he said afterward. "The boats electric motor was running at its rated top speed of 5 knots and making perhaps 1/2 a knot forward into the breeze. No way was he going to make it to his given mark way down the river. So he retired and took up a land base. The same question could have been asked of Glen and his crew of stalwarts. They were not comfortable with the conditions and also took up a land based spot. However full marks to Les Brooker and Craig Bulmer who took the boats out and despite miserable conditions managed to do their job. Though Craig did report that the old Stewie was on one lung on the way home and making perhaps a quarter of a knot into the pens. Thanks to Brian and Judi Cross, a safe and snug spot was found after the day and a convivial glass of red was had on the back of their boat.
Now to Wednesday. A number of titles came to mind, but the most appropriate seems to be.
"And then the breeze died out"
A wonderful day for the plastic boats was the general opinion on the jetty as the H28 fleet prepared for battle. Les Swinton had John Midolo and Patto saddling up Andy Bells boat, and two or three people jumped on board Lockies boat and rigged it for him as he was still at work. Ian Weaver, who was riding with Lockie came down to get started and was amazed at the activity. "Bugger", he said. " I'd have had that extra cup of tea". It's ok Ian.. we value you around the jetty. Vic came down around 15 minutes before two and he and Jeff got their boat ready in record time. All in all we had 6 boats on jetty 3 and the girls were joining Judith Magee on jetty 6, so seven H28's in all.
A light westerly was on offer and the consensus was a course four or perhaps a course one shortened, for variety. We got the course one, un-shortened. The need for clear air off the start was evident and not starting very well, we found ourselves under the wings of a pair of SS22s and not going very fast. So a little patience was called for and so long as we had a good corner at Sampson we could follow the leaders up for a while then take off to get clear air. It was not a wise idea to go all the way across to Heathcote looking for the sou westerly as one or two boats discovered, but neither was going all the way out to the north. Banging corners was out and the run up the middle was the best way to go. Bill Richards was spotted with something hanging off the starboard side of his hull. Have a look at the photo and tell me what you think.
A bit of luck and the right decisions got us past Applecross spit and the rest of the fleet found themselves with an extra two tacks to get around the spit. From there on, the issue was to go faster and try to pile up the seconds behind us. Meanwhile the battle was between Lockie and Vic as the two river masters were engaged in a spirited tussle with the SS22's who had decided to make their lives miserable. In between all of this, Swiftsure Saga was plying his way on the water keeping Les Swinton honest and Wynella behind him.
Around the finish line for the first time and no sign of a shortened course. No problems, we'll get the race under our belts before 5 pm and there's still another 15 minutes on top of that. We've only got the small triangle to do. And the wind was dropping. By the time we'd hit Foam buoy we were watching the last of the fleet rounding Sampson and the trip across to Print and down to Como was a formality. But we had a Farr 9 on our tail and a very courteous voice asked from the bow of the Farr. " Are you the lead boat in the fleet". "Yes" was our reply and the person on the bow was no other than PC David Atkinson of PFSYC. "Oh well" he said and he instructed his helm to go below us. A gentleman indeed. And I'm glad to say that it didn't cause him too much strife either.
The run to the finish was gentle and once over, we turned to watch the rest of the fleet who were struggling home as the breeze was lessening by the minute. So park the boat and tidy up as we were joined eventually by Lockie and Ian on Corella. No sign of anyone else yet. 5 pm came and went and still no boats. Eventually three H28's hove into view accompanied by the rescue boat. A tow in had been needed? Well Bill was towing in Vic and The First Jindarra was released by the rescue boat. Thanks to Mark and the volunteer with him. Then Wynella arrived and as the boats sorted themselves out we were joined by the crew of the "Jin" as they poured out the rest of the story. The line closed at 5 pm and more than half the fleet missed out. A possible mistake by the starters in keeping us out there for that long a time???? Les was scouting for crew for the next Wednesday so we pointed him at Peter Shepherd who had gone out with us for the day as our crew would be back on board next week. The olives were enjoyed and the day drew into night as we spoke of the days events and other things.
For the fleet.. a good win to see H28's cross the line first in such challenging conditions and such a pity that we weren't generally aware of the new line closing times. Should have thought it through... For the win and fastest, Brian Cross and Mariner, third and third to Dave Locke on Corella. Crossroads took second and second.
Wednesday the 4th of May The first of the Winter Wednesdays
Sailing under false colours.
There was some gritting of teeth after the race had finished but we'll deal with that in due course. Andy Bell has a habit of inviting various gun sailors on board and to our astonishment none other than the father and son combination of the Swintons came down the jetty to jump on board The First Jindarra. Oh well, another to the list of Andy's crew. Then my skipper looked up from his phone. Our third crew member was still up at the farm. Bugger..... quick, snaffle one off Glen who had five on the boat. And thanks to Graeme for joining us for the day.
With a light winds course four and starting 15 minutes earlier than normal, thanks to a decision to avoid the RP fleet, we set off for Sampson on route to Robins. The skipper was in possession of the ten commandments and while I can't elaborate on them they seemed to be working. A good start had us on the way to Sampson with the rest of the fleet around us, but with clear air we were in a position to be the first H28 around Sampson and then we held our line up to about mid way, while the others tacked off to use the possible sou wester that may have been in the bay. We stayed out for a while in a west sou wester that had us driving up the middle and only tacked when the knock became prevalent. So into the bay we went, but not too far and the next dig had us looking at Robins with enough room to get around and ease away. By this time we had two plastics in front of us and we were slowly rolling the green machine on the way across to Dolphin East. The newcomer to C fleet; Shogun a trailer sailor helmed by John Mewett and accompanied by Max was just sailing away from us in conditions that suited her to a "T". However we were able to get back on her, down wind and on the works. But like the incipient butterfly she was hard to catch.
Back down to Como and around the outer start line at a good pace and get Theophis through us quickly as we had no wish to be slowed down any more than necessary. Then the work to Foam and we found ourselves in front of John Mewetts boat. But short lived I'm afraid as she got through us on the cross to Print and then got away on the reach to Thelma via Como. Slippery little sucker. But the green boat wasn't that far behind us and did very well on the reach as well and as we hit Thelma with the H28's still way behind us, the green boat was getting closer. So stay in front and so long as we kept our cool we were ok. And we did.
Afterwards in the bar, there were discussions as to why the rest of the fleet were so far behind and one offering was the battle Andy had with an unnamed plastic boat that didn't do him any good. But the logical answer was one that has been around all the time. You're out the front, you get the best of breezes and you have clear air. It works for Andy Bell and it has worked for Lockie and Bill in the past. So take the luck and run with it.
At results we discovered we were sailing under false colours . There was a different set of handicaps in use than what had been given to us, prior to racing beginning. Instead of a win under handicap, we took second. Oh well, next time perhaps. I wonder if the other fleets had the same problem. Still happy to be the first H28 home by some 5 and half minutes. Though there is a lesson to be learnt- don't ask the handicapper- he may not know either.
We have a number of people going away at the moment, with Rita heading off to sail with her friend in the islands. John and Fay are off to London for 4 weeks or so and Andy and Carmel heading off to Paris. Replacement skippers will be needed as well as crew, though I understand that Ian Weaver will be sailing with Lockie for a few weeks at least.
Not many photo's. I was busy.
Sailing under false colours.
There was some gritting of teeth after the race had finished but we'll deal with that in due course. Andy Bell has a habit of inviting various gun sailors on board and to our astonishment none other than the father and son combination of the Swintons came down the jetty to jump on board The First Jindarra. Oh well, another to the list of Andy's crew. Then my skipper looked up from his phone. Our third crew member was still up at the farm. Bugger..... quick, snaffle one off Glen who had five on the boat. And thanks to Graeme for joining us for the day.
With a light winds course four and starting 15 minutes earlier than normal, thanks to a decision to avoid the RP fleet, we set off for Sampson on route to Robins. The skipper was in possession of the ten commandments and while I can't elaborate on them they seemed to be working. A good start had us on the way to Sampson with the rest of the fleet around us, but with clear air we were in a position to be the first H28 around Sampson and then we held our line up to about mid way, while the others tacked off to use the possible sou wester that may have been in the bay. We stayed out for a while in a west sou wester that had us driving up the middle and only tacked when the knock became prevalent. So into the bay we went, but not too far and the next dig had us looking at Robins with enough room to get around and ease away. By this time we had two plastics in front of us and we were slowly rolling the green machine on the way across to Dolphin East. The newcomer to C fleet; Shogun a trailer sailor helmed by John Mewett and accompanied by Max was just sailing away from us in conditions that suited her to a "T". However we were able to get back on her, down wind and on the works. But like the incipient butterfly she was hard to catch.
Back down to Como and around the outer start line at a good pace and get Theophis through us quickly as we had no wish to be slowed down any more than necessary. Then the work to Foam and we found ourselves in front of John Mewetts boat. But short lived I'm afraid as she got through us on the cross to Print and then got away on the reach to Thelma via Como. Slippery little sucker. But the green boat wasn't that far behind us and did very well on the reach as well and as we hit Thelma with the H28's still way behind us, the green boat was getting closer. So stay in front and so long as we kept our cool we were ok. And we did.
Afterwards in the bar, there were discussions as to why the rest of the fleet were so far behind and one offering was the battle Andy had with an unnamed plastic boat that didn't do him any good. But the logical answer was one that has been around all the time. You're out the front, you get the best of breezes and you have clear air. It works for Andy Bell and it has worked for Lockie and Bill in the past. So take the luck and run with it.
At results we discovered we were sailing under false colours . There was a different set of handicaps in use than what had been given to us, prior to racing beginning. Instead of a win under handicap, we took second. Oh well, next time perhaps. I wonder if the other fleets had the same problem. Still happy to be the first H28 home by some 5 and half minutes. Though there is a lesson to be learnt- don't ask the handicapper- he may not know either.
We have a number of people going away at the moment, with Rita heading off to sail with her friend in the islands. John and Fay are off to London for 4 weeks or so and Andy and Carmel heading off to Paris. Replacement skippers will be needed as well as crew, though I understand that Ian Weaver will be sailing with Lockie for a few weeks at least.
Not many photo's. I was busy.
Saturday the 30th of April Summers End and the Commodores Keelboat Trophy
With eternity facing us, we set off on a long haul sail to Brickies twice under JaM conditions.
Not too many of the 5 H28's were confident of finishing the race, but the breeze swung from the south east into the south west with huge variations driving down the river as we went.
Starting in the Canning we had a solid sou easter that took the fleets to Sampson and the early runners had the best, with a reach as far as Nedlands before the sou wester kicked in. For the middle and back markers we hit Sampson and walked into a westerly that was already turning into the south. So no easy reaches down the river, but a work all the way to Brickies.
But from there on the odds were equal and chase the front boats was the name of the game. Some gains were made up wind with picking the shifts as the test of the skippers. Sometimes you could sail through a knock and come out on the other side gaining. Sometimes not! Straight up the middle worked for us, but once we passed Deepwater going out left gave an advantage which we took.
Then started the down wind chase and it was a case of using the gusts that came to us from the right trying to catch up with the H28's in front. Back down to Dolphin West and back to Brickies again, but this time it was a bonus to go straight into the bay beyond Deepwater and ride the gusts as they came to you. Swiftsure went in so far we though he'd over stood it, but fair enough, he had to go again before he hit Brickies. So did the rest of us as we knocked continually as we drove toward the top end of the course. Around Brickies once again and we found ourselves passing Aloha who had had some bad luck in laying the mark and had to go the long way around. But they were the only H28 we saw for the entire race.... everyone else was miles in front (well not miles and we had caught up a fair bit, but the lead had been established in the first 20 minutes and it was a long chase).
So to the finish, with Bill on Swiftsure Saga over the line first, followed by Glen and Wynella second, Nerrima with Les Brooker third and John Wrights Anna fourth. Aloha took a spirited fifth, making it over the line not too long after Anna. However the devil came out to play and Bill had crossed the line according to the starters some three seconds early. Bingo, an instant 3 minute penalty and it took Bill from first to second. Double ouch! :-( A small consolation to Anna and John Wright in that they were indeed the fastest boat of the fleet on elapsed time, but owing to our handicapper not being given the handicaps to view and correct prior to the day we had been given very long odds to play with.
As the fleet was so widely separated I've popped in a few extra images to use as eye candy.
By the way, the overall winner of the day was not announced. I guess we'll just have to wait until prize night.
A farewell to Virginia today.
She has sailed with Bill on Swiftsure for the last summer season and has been a welcome sight to the fleet. Virginia is notable for her involuntary dip in the Swan early on in the season when she was on the boom holding the main back downwind and Swiftsure Saga was forced into an gybe by John Wrights Anna when he took the boat up. However, it was her charming smile and pleasant manner that won us over, not her diving technique. Virginia returns to England shortly and I hope that she keeps her memories of her season with the H28's. .
With eternity facing us, we set off on a long haul sail to Brickies twice under JaM conditions.
Not too many of the 5 H28's were confident of finishing the race, but the breeze swung from the south east into the south west with huge variations driving down the river as we went.
Starting in the Canning we had a solid sou easter that took the fleets to Sampson and the early runners had the best, with a reach as far as Nedlands before the sou wester kicked in. For the middle and back markers we hit Sampson and walked into a westerly that was already turning into the south. So no easy reaches down the river, but a work all the way to Brickies.
But from there on the odds were equal and chase the front boats was the name of the game. Some gains were made up wind with picking the shifts as the test of the skippers. Sometimes you could sail through a knock and come out on the other side gaining. Sometimes not! Straight up the middle worked for us, but once we passed Deepwater going out left gave an advantage which we took.
Then started the down wind chase and it was a case of using the gusts that came to us from the right trying to catch up with the H28's in front. Back down to Dolphin West and back to Brickies again, but this time it was a bonus to go straight into the bay beyond Deepwater and ride the gusts as they came to you. Swiftsure went in so far we though he'd over stood it, but fair enough, he had to go again before he hit Brickies. So did the rest of us as we knocked continually as we drove toward the top end of the course. Around Brickies once again and we found ourselves passing Aloha who had had some bad luck in laying the mark and had to go the long way around. But they were the only H28 we saw for the entire race.... everyone else was miles in front (well not miles and we had caught up a fair bit, but the lead had been established in the first 20 minutes and it was a long chase).
So to the finish, with Bill on Swiftsure Saga over the line first, followed by Glen and Wynella second, Nerrima with Les Brooker third and John Wrights Anna fourth. Aloha took a spirited fifth, making it over the line not too long after Anna. However the devil came out to play and Bill had crossed the line according to the starters some three seconds early. Bingo, an instant 3 minute penalty and it took Bill from first to second. Double ouch! :-( A small consolation to Anna and John Wright in that they were indeed the fastest boat of the fleet on elapsed time, but owing to our handicapper not being given the handicaps to view and correct prior to the day we had been given very long odds to play with.
As the fleet was so widely separated I've popped in a few extra images to use as eye candy.
By the way, the overall winner of the day was not announced. I guess we'll just have to wait until prize night.
A farewell to Virginia today.
She has sailed with Bill on Swiftsure for the last summer season and has been a welcome sight to the fleet. Virginia is notable for her involuntary dip in the Swan early on in the season when she was on the boom holding the main back downwind and Swiftsure Saga was forced into an gybe by John Wrights Anna when he took the boat up. However, it was her charming smile and pleasant manner that won us over, not her diving technique. Virginia returns to England shortly and I hope that she keeps her memories of her season with the H28's. .
Wednesday the 27th of April The last day of the summer season
Trying really hard
The last of the Wednesday summer sailing was upon us and with a very light breeze resulting in a course 4 (light winds), the five H28's set off in company with the SS22's "yellow peril" and the "green boat". Seven boats in all and enough to give the yips to Andy Bell as he prepared to defend his chance of taking the top gong for the summer series. All he had to do was finish on handicap better than last. Yes he could have taken last and finished with equal points with the yellow peril and won the series on a count back, but one point was all that was required to take the series.
As for us, on a light breezes day, we were scratch boat for the race and as a result we were going to go out the back end. But we tried. Sometimes we were lucky, other times not so. But the race was really about the fleet as we worked our way up to Robins, some going into the bay and others going out wide looking for better wind out in the middle of the river and a starboard ley. At Robins we had our chance and got around the mark with only the green boat in front. Beauty! Now lets stay there. The reach across to Dolphin East was good and we found ourselves heading down to Como and then to the outer start line with the rest of the gang running down the gusts towards us. It was going to be close at Como, but we made it around and then a big RP boat found Andy between him and where he wanted to be. So he just powered up and sailed out from underneath, in the process throwing a lot of bad air on The First Jindarra. Meanwhile the yellow peril had adopted a go low policy and was slowly working his way through the pack. He was going to be trouble sooner or later.
Around the outer start line and then back into the small triangle of Foam, Print, Como and Thelma. How we know this last lap! The final 400 meters can break you. So off we went to Foam and had to re-lay the mark, We'd gone too soon and lost valuable seconds and places as Swiftsure and Corella snuck through having done well on the work up to Foam. Then came the reach across to Print and the run down to Como and thence to Thelma. We'd picked up a place by now and were sitting in a spot that wasn't too bad. A choice presented to us, run along the freeway or tack off. The freeway was taken and we kept going until the skipper felt the first bump. A tack was taken and we headed off to the line only to watch Corella soar across the line to be the first H28 over the line. He'd tacked off at Thelma and had chosen the mid river run to the line. Behind us I could see Andy Bell lifting magically getting more height with every meter he sailed. Damn. Then Bill Richards appeared running up toward the finish line, closer than we were, Where did he come from? Hero to zero in seconds. As we headed for the line we were almost resigned to having Andy Bell sneak across in front of us as well and then his personal breeze dropped out. We fell over the line just in front having watched the yellow peril follow the green boat across the line. Corella was the first H28 followed by Swiftsure Saga. Mariner and The First Jindarra crossed the line a second apart and even Glen on Wynella was not far behind. A hard day at the office.
On handicap Wynella took third place and the rest of us had to be content to fill in the bottom placings. The Yellow Peril took the win followed by the green boat on handicap and I must say that their constant presence on the river this year has been challenging to us (in the best sense).
However Andy Bell took the summer season by the afore mentioned one point. Well sailed Andy. You're a hard man to beat and that makes beating you the sweeter victory. Looking forward to the winter season.
Trying really hard
The last of the Wednesday summer sailing was upon us and with a very light breeze resulting in a course 4 (light winds), the five H28's set off in company with the SS22's "yellow peril" and the "green boat". Seven boats in all and enough to give the yips to Andy Bell as he prepared to defend his chance of taking the top gong for the summer series. All he had to do was finish on handicap better than last. Yes he could have taken last and finished with equal points with the yellow peril and won the series on a count back, but one point was all that was required to take the series.
As for us, on a light breezes day, we were scratch boat for the race and as a result we were going to go out the back end. But we tried. Sometimes we were lucky, other times not so. But the race was really about the fleet as we worked our way up to Robins, some going into the bay and others going out wide looking for better wind out in the middle of the river and a starboard ley. At Robins we had our chance and got around the mark with only the green boat in front. Beauty! Now lets stay there. The reach across to Dolphin East was good and we found ourselves heading down to Como and then to the outer start line with the rest of the gang running down the gusts towards us. It was going to be close at Como, but we made it around and then a big RP boat found Andy between him and where he wanted to be. So he just powered up and sailed out from underneath, in the process throwing a lot of bad air on The First Jindarra. Meanwhile the yellow peril had adopted a go low policy and was slowly working his way through the pack. He was going to be trouble sooner or later.
Around the outer start line and then back into the small triangle of Foam, Print, Como and Thelma. How we know this last lap! The final 400 meters can break you. So off we went to Foam and had to re-lay the mark, We'd gone too soon and lost valuable seconds and places as Swiftsure and Corella snuck through having done well on the work up to Foam. Then came the reach across to Print and the run down to Como and thence to Thelma. We'd picked up a place by now and were sitting in a spot that wasn't too bad. A choice presented to us, run along the freeway or tack off. The freeway was taken and we kept going until the skipper felt the first bump. A tack was taken and we headed off to the line only to watch Corella soar across the line to be the first H28 over the line. He'd tacked off at Thelma and had chosen the mid river run to the line. Behind us I could see Andy Bell lifting magically getting more height with every meter he sailed. Damn. Then Bill Richards appeared running up toward the finish line, closer than we were, Where did he come from? Hero to zero in seconds. As we headed for the line we were almost resigned to having Andy Bell sneak across in front of us as well and then his personal breeze dropped out. We fell over the line just in front having watched the yellow peril follow the green boat across the line. Corella was the first H28 followed by Swiftsure Saga. Mariner and The First Jindarra crossed the line a second apart and even Glen on Wynella was not far behind. A hard day at the office.
On handicap Wynella took third place and the rest of us had to be content to fill in the bottom placings. The Yellow Peril took the win followed by the green boat on handicap and I must say that their constant presence on the river this year has been challenging to us (in the best sense).
However Andy Bell took the summer season by the afore mentioned one point. Well sailed Andy. You're a hard man to beat and that makes beating you the sweeter victory. Looking forward to the winter season.
Saturday the 23rd of April The Wooden Boat Race and Rally 2016
Supported by our sister clubs, the Wooden Boat Race and Rally roared into action on Saturday. Couta's, Old Gaffers and even the sight of Eun Na Mara on the water was a great start to the day and the crowd in Archie's bar was respectable at the briefing. The wooden power boat fleet was in attendance and we had the pleasure of Hiawatha joining us as another of the well kept timber launches alongside Saratoga and many other of the power fleet.
Well it tried to roar into action, but someone forgot to invite Hughie. Set for a 14.30 start we sat and watched as the nor easter dropped further and further into the single figures. The skipper wasn't daunted - we knew light wind sailing; but the pin end was favoured and everyone was heading toward the pin to maximize their chances to get close to the wind for the run to Sampson. The old gaffers got away and then it was our turn. We had a shortened course four and that appeared manageable with the breeze we had.
About 40 seconds out, the melee began, with three or four boats trying to fit into the space for two. And to compound the injuries to our pride as we were dealing with, an abrupt wind change that had us swing from starboard tack to port tack (slowly) another boat decided to join the charge on the pin end calling for room as he was on starboard and the rest of us had been caught on port by the wind change. Swift action by a former helmsman who was visiting us, saved one boat from damage, but I was busy at the time and couldn't follow the action. A 360 followed as we expiated our sins and then we took off at the back of the fleet, followed by one or two other boats who had been involved in the melee.
And then the wind dropped further. Nothing exciting about it at all and we were chasing the edge of the breeze as we worked our way down to Sampson, catching up with and dropping behind the fleet as we slowly progressed. Only the Old Gaffers had made it to Sampson and were busily working their way around their abbreviated course. Behind us the Couta boats were slowly catching up as they were able to raise their centreboards and slip through the water more freely.
Around the corner at Sampson and we headed into the north on the thought that the breeze was coming from there and we would be able to do a little better. And for a moment it worked and we were back in the pack again..... only Swiftsure Saga, Carina and The First Jindarra were in front and we had made good ground on all. The wind dropped again.
Eventually we made it to Deepwater and turned toward Hallmark with the faintest hint of a westerly cooling our brows as frankly it was quite warm and with no wind it was humid as well. The Couta's were up with us and were going to pass us as well. Then the skipper looked at his watch. The cut off time was 16:15 pm and we had Buckley's chance of making it home in the next 20 minutes. So we pointed the bow up the river. Watching us, other boats made the same decision and the H28 fleet headed home. At the same time, most of the other boats made their decision to go home as well, so some of the Couta's headed back to Freshie. Sorry guys... better luck next time.
Only two boats actually made it across the line in time and congratulations to John Longley in Crazy Bird and Jim Black with Wee Birlinn who cam in first and second respectively. Well sailed on a trying day. To the rest of the fleets, thanks from the H28 section for attending and we hope that you enjoyed the tucker provided by Amanda from Perth Timber Floors, a long time sponsor of the race. To the starters, led by H28 stalwart Geoff Sneesby our thanks and Phil Warwick our Vice Commodore must be recognized for presiding over the presentations at the end of the day. One final mention and that of the appearance of a wooden Dragon from Freshie. Originally owned by Max Bourne, brother to Don Bourne of Wynella fame, it was a pleasure to have you here.
Enjoy the images. The first set are on the water, the second set pre and post sailing.
Supported by our sister clubs, the Wooden Boat Race and Rally roared into action on Saturday. Couta's, Old Gaffers and even the sight of Eun Na Mara on the water was a great start to the day and the crowd in Archie's bar was respectable at the briefing. The wooden power boat fleet was in attendance and we had the pleasure of Hiawatha joining us as another of the well kept timber launches alongside Saratoga and many other of the power fleet.
Well it tried to roar into action, but someone forgot to invite Hughie. Set for a 14.30 start we sat and watched as the nor easter dropped further and further into the single figures. The skipper wasn't daunted - we knew light wind sailing; but the pin end was favoured and everyone was heading toward the pin to maximize their chances to get close to the wind for the run to Sampson. The old gaffers got away and then it was our turn. We had a shortened course four and that appeared manageable with the breeze we had.
About 40 seconds out, the melee began, with three or four boats trying to fit into the space for two. And to compound the injuries to our pride as we were dealing with, an abrupt wind change that had us swing from starboard tack to port tack (slowly) another boat decided to join the charge on the pin end calling for room as he was on starboard and the rest of us had been caught on port by the wind change. Swift action by a former helmsman who was visiting us, saved one boat from damage, but I was busy at the time and couldn't follow the action. A 360 followed as we expiated our sins and then we took off at the back of the fleet, followed by one or two other boats who had been involved in the melee.
And then the wind dropped further. Nothing exciting about it at all and we were chasing the edge of the breeze as we worked our way down to Sampson, catching up with and dropping behind the fleet as we slowly progressed. Only the Old Gaffers had made it to Sampson and were busily working their way around their abbreviated course. Behind us the Couta boats were slowly catching up as they were able to raise their centreboards and slip through the water more freely.
Around the corner at Sampson and we headed into the north on the thought that the breeze was coming from there and we would be able to do a little better. And for a moment it worked and we were back in the pack again..... only Swiftsure Saga, Carina and The First Jindarra were in front and we had made good ground on all. The wind dropped again.
Eventually we made it to Deepwater and turned toward Hallmark with the faintest hint of a westerly cooling our brows as frankly it was quite warm and with no wind it was humid as well. The Couta's were up with us and were going to pass us as well. Then the skipper looked at his watch. The cut off time was 16:15 pm and we had Buckley's chance of making it home in the next 20 minutes. So we pointed the bow up the river. Watching us, other boats made the same decision and the H28 fleet headed home. At the same time, most of the other boats made their decision to go home as well, so some of the Couta's headed back to Freshie. Sorry guys... better luck next time.
Only two boats actually made it across the line in time and congratulations to John Longley in Crazy Bird and Jim Black with Wee Birlinn who cam in first and second respectively. Well sailed on a trying day. To the rest of the fleets, thanks from the H28 section for attending and we hope that you enjoyed the tucker provided by Amanda from Perth Timber Floors, a long time sponsor of the race. To the starters, led by H28 stalwart Geoff Sneesby our thanks and Phil Warwick our Vice Commodore must be recognized for presiding over the presentations at the end of the day. One final mention and that of the appearance of a wooden Dragon from Freshie. Originally owned by Max Bourne, brother to Don Bourne of Wynella fame, it was a pleasure to have you here.
Enjoy the images. The first set are on the water, the second set pre and post sailing.
Wednesday the 20th of April The penultimate day of the summer season.
A rock and roll sort of day.
With rockstars all over the fleet, the H28 fleet set off in a sou westerly of 12 to 18 knots with, believe it or not, a light winds course 4 (the alternate sou westerly course). Lets count them shall we. Kate was driving Judy's boat Alma and with a clean bottom, she was gong to be quick. Vic had Bruce back on Carina along with Jeff Barr and Bruce knows the game as well as anyone. Swiftsure Saga had Craig and Pete on board as well as John P and with those three on board, she was going to be hard to beat. Andy Bell had Les Swinton, Patto and Steve all of them experienced sailors. Wynella's Glen Stanley had John Wright on the traveler to bolster his regular crew and the willy fox David Locke had Rita and another working for him on Corella. Mariner's Brian Cross had his usual crew and it was going to be hell for leather at the start line as every boat was going for the win. (Anna was getting new covers fitted otherwise we would have had 8 boats out.)
We hit the line in a northerly direction as a mass of wooden boats with the plastics squeezing in as they could. Mariner was doing well at the front, but Kate with a clean hull was slowly starting to overhaul us despite our best attempts. Being gassed by her was allowing the boats lower than us a chance to catch up and the resultant log jam at Sampson was of heroic proportion. Talking to Lockie afterwards, his thoughts were, "Do I go around the confusion or do I dive right in and create havoc". So he dove right in.
The next call was when do we go up the breeze. Some boats held on, while others chose to tack off and go for a better line up the breeze. Some chose to cross the creek looking for the lift on the other side as we did and it was to our chagrin that we did so. We found ourselves behind the lead four boats and had a few moments where it was a case of dip or tack off when the starboard tackers came through. All of which cost time. Meanwhile the First Jindarra, Corella, Swiftsure Saga and Alma had their own battle and the lead was changing on the tacks as we worked our way into Waylen Bay and up to Robins.
Then Andy Bell made a crucial decision. He though he was going to Deepwater. "A momentary lapse" he said later and as we rounded Robins we saw him scream across our stern as he made his way back to the mark. OMG. We had picked up a vital boat. Now chase down Kate. Hard to do when she was on such a slick boat. We rounded Dolphin East with a gybed pole and then started to pick up on her on the way to Como. Over the whole fleet there was not much separation and any mistake was going to be pounced on. Lockie and Kate began to indulge in a little bit of jousting on the way down to Como and we were happily improving our position as they did so.
Rounding the outer start line, we lay fourth behind Swiftsure Saga, Corella and Alma and we had Vic's Carina between Andy Bell and us. But not for long though as the short triangle around Foam, Print, Como and Thelma proved enough to let AB through Vic and onto our wake. We were fortunate and had gone left after Sampson and picked up enough to get us around in front of AB and close to Kate's tail. Then the run down to Print and the reach past Como on the way to Thelma. Somewhere here Kate got lost and ended up behind us. I was busy on the main and didn't see where she had got to, but it was enough to let us into third place.
But it was not over yet, as we tacked shortly after Thelma and found ourselves on a ley line for the finish. You beautie! We'll stay in front of Andy. Then the knock hit us and we prepared for a couple of quick tacks. Bang, bang and hit the line with The First Jindarra tucking in under our bow. A dead heat? It was up to the starters now.
And so it proved. First over the line and second on handicap went to Bill RIchards who had sailed very well to stay aloof from the battle behind him. Alma with Kate on the helm took the chocolates on handicap and fifth over the line. Andy Bell and Brian Cross shared third on the line with Brian taking a fourth on handicap and Andrew, hugely handicapped, taking a 12th on handicap. Lockie as scratch boat took second on the line and 13th on handicap.
At present The First Jindarra has good grasp on the summer championship, but has to ensure that the 6 point lead is not lost in the last race next week. However, seven H28's went out; all crossed the start line within seconds of each other and finished across the line under 4 minutes apart. And they were the first seven boats across the line. Rock and roll racing at it's highest.
A rock and roll sort of day.
With rockstars all over the fleet, the H28 fleet set off in a sou westerly of 12 to 18 knots with, believe it or not, a light winds course 4 (the alternate sou westerly course). Lets count them shall we. Kate was driving Judy's boat Alma and with a clean bottom, she was gong to be quick. Vic had Bruce back on Carina along with Jeff Barr and Bruce knows the game as well as anyone. Swiftsure Saga had Craig and Pete on board as well as John P and with those three on board, she was going to be hard to beat. Andy Bell had Les Swinton, Patto and Steve all of them experienced sailors. Wynella's Glen Stanley had John Wright on the traveler to bolster his regular crew and the willy fox David Locke had Rita and another working for him on Corella. Mariner's Brian Cross had his usual crew and it was going to be hell for leather at the start line as every boat was going for the win. (Anna was getting new covers fitted otherwise we would have had 8 boats out.)
We hit the line in a northerly direction as a mass of wooden boats with the plastics squeezing in as they could. Mariner was doing well at the front, but Kate with a clean hull was slowly starting to overhaul us despite our best attempts. Being gassed by her was allowing the boats lower than us a chance to catch up and the resultant log jam at Sampson was of heroic proportion. Talking to Lockie afterwards, his thoughts were, "Do I go around the confusion or do I dive right in and create havoc". So he dove right in.
The next call was when do we go up the breeze. Some boats held on, while others chose to tack off and go for a better line up the breeze. Some chose to cross the creek looking for the lift on the other side as we did and it was to our chagrin that we did so. We found ourselves behind the lead four boats and had a few moments where it was a case of dip or tack off when the starboard tackers came through. All of which cost time. Meanwhile the First Jindarra, Corella, Swiftsure Saga and Alma had their own battle and the lead was changing on the tacks as we worked our way into Waylen Bay and up to Robins.
Then Andy Bell made a crucial decision. He though he was going to Deepwater. "A momentary lapse" he said later and as we rounded Robins we saw him scream across our stern as he made his way back to the mark. OMG. We had picked up a vital boat. Now chase down Kate. Hard to do when she was on such a slick boat. We rounded Dolphin East with a gybed pole and then started to pick up on her on the way to Como. Over the whole fleet there was not much separation and any mistake was going to be pounced on. Lockie and Kate began to indulge in a little bit of jousting on the way down to Como and we were happily improving our position as they did so.
Rounding the outer start line, we lay fourth behind Swiftsure Saga, Corella and Alma and we had Vic's Carina between Andy Bell and us. But not for long though as the short triangle around Foam, Print, Como and Thelma proved enough to let AB through Vic and onto our wake. We were fortunate and had gone left after Sampson and picked up enough to get us around in front of AB and close to Kate's tail. Then the run down to Print and the reach past Como on the way to Thelma. Somewhere here Kate got lost and ended up behind us. I was busy on the main and didn't see where she had got to, but it was enough to let us into third place.
But it was not over yet, as we tacked shortly after Thelma and found ourselves on a ley line for the finish. You beautie! We'll stay in front of Andy. Then the knock hit us and we prepared for a couple of quick tacks. Bang, bang and hit the line with The First Jindarra tucking in under our bow. A dead heat? It was up to the starters now.
And so it proved. First over the line and second on handicap went to Bill RIchards who had sailed very well to stay aloof from the battle behind him. Alma with Kate on the helm took the chocolates on handicap and fifth over the line. Andy Bell and Brian Cross shared third on the line with Brian taking a fourth on handicap and Andrew, hugely handicapped, taking a 12th on handicap. Lockie as scratch boat took second on the line and 13th on handicap.
At present The First Jindarra has good grasp on the summer championship, but has to ensure that the 6 point lead is not lost in the last race next week. However, seven H28's went out; all crossed the start line within seconds of each other and finished across the line under 4 minutes apart. And they were the first seven boats across the line. Rock and roll racing at it's highest.
Saturday the 16th of April The Seventh and final of the Championships.
The Wind Whisperer
Without any doubt it was going to be Andy Bells day, but a new contender rose from the ashes and gave him a run for his money today.
Picking a gust on the water on a northerly breeze is literally the difference between first and the rest. Andy had the wind whisperer on board to day and small boat specialist Kevin Robson showed his skills on the water, consistently picking the changes.
However with 6 boats on the water, there was to be a battle and we were set off after a false start caused by the starters hoisting an AP seconds before the start and then re-aligning the start line. On the next count down we were still sent away on a course three with a nor easterly in hand. But the battle commenced as the first three boats, Swiftsure Saga, The First Jindarra and Wynella started playing games on their way to the day buoy. Bill was taking every one up and we looked for a chance to duck under them and through. We cornered with the fleet and then took off ...forgetting about the turning mark. A quick correction was made, but by that time there was separation and the battle was between the afore mentioned three. Then we had Vic on our tail with Les Brooker close behind. Vic, by the way had a crew of H28 sailors garnered from other crews and looked as though he was going to cause trouble. As he did.......
By this time, the breeze had tracked over into the nor west and then revved up the wind speed with a 20 knot gust as the leading edge of the front came through as a west nor westerly. The lead boats were pointing straight up the river. A soldiers course. And so it became and the down wind runs were interesting as the breeze wandered forward into the north again, frustrating the chance of holding a shy spinnaker as you were going hull speed on the reach anyway. Only when we reached an angle that allowed us to carry a kite could we do it.
Back up to Deepwater and sailing in light winds again; by this time Wynella and The First Jindarra were in the clear, picking a perfect lift up and past Applecross spit on the way to Deepwater while we and Swiftsure Saga just didn't make it at all, Vic and Carina took an early smart right and then found himself on the good side of the lift and made time on the way up while Les appeared to have our problems as well. The next leg had us on our way down to Addison and we had Vic on our hammer all the way down and some smart maneuvering by him, put him through us and by this time it was chase the pack trying to keep Les off our tail and even he became a problem as he was decidedly faster than us in a slow moving battle at Thelma and we only started to pull him back as the breeze freshened again.
Simply a run up to Dolphin East passing Nerrima in the process, then back down to Addison and across to Thelma. But the wind gods were not finished with us yet. We'd made Addison and popped up a spinnaker only to find that we were copping a building breeze; easing the sheets worked for us and we kept the boat surging ahead, but Les on Nerrima was in all sorts of strife and speaking to Crowbar afterwards he mentioned that he'd never seen the river from that angle before. "A brown shorts sort of a day" However Les managed to survive as did Vic (ahead of us) who was caught by the same gust and did a little sideways dance as well.
Over the line and a moment to think. Either you were picking the breezes or you weren't. Andy Bell and the whisperer did a fine job and took the last of the championship rounds, but all hail Glen on Wynella who sailed the boat well with Rita and Brian Cross on board keeping his crew busy. (you should have heard them on the prestart, both yelling instructions at Glen). A fine effort from the team. To Swiftsure, who did not pop up a kite and remained competitive well sailed. And to Vic.... gosh he must be missing Bruce. However he sailed well.
For the provisional championship results: Champion boat. The First Jindarra, Anna second place and third by one point Swiftsure Saga.
Consistency will be decided at the Wooden Boat Race and Rally next week.
The Wind Whisperer
Without any doubt it was going to be Andy Bells day, but a new contender rose from the ashes and gave him a run for his money today.
Picking a gust on the water on a northerly breeze is literally the difference between first and the rest. Andy had the wind whisperer on board to day and small boat specialist Kevin Robson showed his skills on the water, consistently picking the changes.
However with 6 boats on the water, there was to be a battle and we were set off after a false start caused by the starters hoisting an AP seconds before the start and then re-aligning the start line. On the next count down we were still sent away on a course three with a nor easterly in hand. But the battle commenced as the first three boats, Swiftsure Saga, The First Jindarra and Wynella started playing games on their way to the day buoy. Bill was taking every one up and we looked for a chance to duck under them and through. We cornered with the fleet and then took off ...forgetting about the turning mark. A quick correction was made, but by that time there was separation and the battle was between the afore mentioned three. Then we had Vic on our tail with Les Brooker close behind. Vic, by the way had a crew of H28 sailors garnered from other crews and looked as though he was going to cause trouble. As he did.......
By this time, the breeze had tracked over into the nor west and then revved up the wind speed with a 20 knot gust as the leading edge of the front came through as a west nor westerly. The lead boats were pointing straight up the river. A soldiers course. And so it became and the down wind runs were interesting as the breeze wandered forward into the north again, frustrating the chance of holding a shy spinnaker as you were going hull speed on the reach anyway. Only when we reached an angle that allowed us to carry a kite could we do it.
Back up to Deepwater and sailing in light winds again; by this time Wynella and The First Jindarra were in the clear, picking a perfect lift up and past Applecross spit on the way to Deepwater while we and Swiftsure Saga just didn't make it at all, Vic and Carina took an early smart right and then found himself on the good side of the lift and made time on the way up while Les appeared to have our problems as well. The next leg had us on our way down to Addison and we had Vic on our hammer all the way down and some smart maneuvering by him, put him through us and by this time it was chase the pack trying to keep Les off our tail and even he became a problem as he was decidedly faster than us in a slow moving battle at Thelma and we only started to pull him back as the breeze freshened again.
Simply a run up to Dolphin East passing Nerrima in the process, then back down to Addison and across to Thelma. But the wind gods were not finished with us yet. We'd made Addison and popped up a spinnaker only to find that we were copping a building breeze; easing the sheets worked for us and we kept the boat surging ahead, but Les on Nerrima was in all sorts of strife and speaking to Crowbar afterwards he mentioned that he'd never seen the river from that angle before. "A brown shorts sort of a day" However Les managed to survive as did Vic (ahead of us) who was caught by the same gust and did a little sideways dance as well.
Over the line and a moment to think. Either you were picking the breezes or you weren't. Andy Bell and the whisperer did a fine job and took the last of the championship rounds, but all hail Glen on Wynella who sailed the boat well with Rita and Brian Cross on board keeping his crew busy. (you should have heard them on the prestart, both yelling instructions at Glen). A fine effort from the team. To Swiftsure, who did not pop up a kite and remained competitive well sailed. And to Vic.... gosh he must be missing Bruce. However he sailed well.
For the provisional championship results: Champion boat. The First Jindarra, Anna second place and third by one point Swiftsure Saga.
Consistency will be decided at the Wooden Boat Race and Rally next week.
Wednesday the 13th of April A light breezes day
Paradise for Plastics and Lockie's back
Well, that about sums it all up. With my skipper caught by work requirements and Rita unavailable ( more later ) I was left to sit on Herreshoff Hill in a white polo shirt, declaring to all and sundry that I was available for hire.
As fate would have it, Glen from Wynella was first down the path and snapped me up to run the main sheet for the day. By the time the boat was set up, others had started to arrive and it wasn't long before Lockie came bowling down the jetty with Rita in tow and shipwright Andrew Weaver who had been working on Alma up on the slips as the third person on the boat. And then Vic came down the jetty with Jeff beside him and no less than Kate and Kristina to make up a dangerous team on Carina. Bill and John Pierzak were taking out Swiftsure Saga and Andy Bell had Tiny Tony on board the First Jindarra with another of the William lads. So 5 H28's and 7 plastic boats. A good day on the water indeed. However it's going to be under 10 knots today and even with the occasional puff taking us into double figures it was a day for the lighter boats.
A reasonable start had us reaching across to Sampson on a course four ( light winds) and a race up to Robins while trying to avoid the mob of RP boats. We couldn't go into Waylen Bay deeply as the breeze was still very much influenced by the westerly touch and were better served by staying out to the right and going in on starboard. However we did note Bill Richards daring dash under Heathcote.....very lucky he didn't get stuck in the mud. However it didn't help him and he prevailed at the back of the H28 fleet, while the middle of the fleet was maintained by a mixture of SS22's and H28's jockeying for position and fresh air. The little trailer sailor of Tony Edman's just got to the front and stayed there eventually getting over the line in front of Andy Bell' s the First Jindarra by 2 minutes. However a point must be made that Vic Court and Glen Stanley ended up with an equal fourth on handicap which could have been a bit better for Glen if I'd not directed him to the wrong mark on the second leg of the journey. Bother.
However it was a good day for a sail and despite a minor problem with the main halyard and getting the main down we were happy with the day. Andrew Bell was surprised to get a third on handicap, but otherwise it was a plastic day. Reviewing the results and the fact that they have given us 4 races to drop, Andy Bell is going to take the flag for the season unless he takes the next two races off and Wildfire gets two bullets. For third place over the season Bill Richards and Glen Stanley each have a chance dependent on their performance.
Paradise for Plastics and Lockie's back
Well, that about sums it all up. With my skipper caught by work requirements and Rita unavailable ( more later ) I was left to sit on Herreshoff Hill in a white polo shirt, declaring to all and sundry that I was available for hire.
As fate would have it, Glen from Wynella was first down the path and snapped me up to run the main sheet for the day. By the time the boat was set up, others had started to arrive and it wasn't long before Lockie came bowling down the jetty with Rita in tow and shipwright Andrew Weaver who had been working on Alma up on the slips as the third person on the boat. And then Vic came down the jetty with Jeff beside him and no less than Kate and Kristina to make up a dangerous team on Carina. Bill and John Pierzak were taking out Swiftsure Saga and Andy Bell had Tiny Tony on board the First Jindarra with another of the William lads. So 5 H28's and 7 plastic boats. A good day on the water indeed. However it's going to be under 10 knots today and even with the occasional puff taking us into double figures it was a day for the lighter boats.
A reasonable start had us reaching across to Sampson on a course four ( light winds) and a race up to Robins while trying to avoid the mob of RP boats. We couldn't go into Waylen Bay deeply as the breeze was still very much influenced by the westerly touch and were better served by staying out to the right and going in on starboard. However we did note Bill Richards daring dash under Heathcote.....very lucky he didn't get stuck in the mud. However it didn't help him and he prevailed at the back of the H28 fleet, while the middle of the fleet was maintained by a mixture of SS22's and H28's jockeying for position and fresh air. The little trailer sailor of Tony Edman's just got to the front and stayed there eventually getting over the line in front of Andy Bell' s the First Jindarra by 2 minutes. However a point must be made that Vic Court and Glen Stanley ended up with an equal fourth on handicap which could have been a bit better for Glen if I'd not directed him to the wrong mark on the second leg of the journey. Bother.
However it was a good day for a sail and despite a minor problem with the main halyard and getting the main down we were happy with the day. Andrew Bell was surprised to get a third on handicap, but otherwise it was a plastic day. Reviewing the results and the fact that they have given us 4 races to drop, Andy Bell is going to take the flag for the season unless he takes the next two races off and Wildfire gets two bullets. For third place over the season Bill Richards and Glen Stanley each have a chance dependent on their performance.
Sunday the 10th of April The Old Gaffers Regatta at RFBYC.
Know thine enemy.
The day started with the crews of Wynella and Anna meeting at the club with one or two strays joining us for the day. Alex Mutch joined Anna as did Ian from Soraya and his son. Big John jumped on board Wynella along with a mixture of Glens Wednesday and Saturday crew.
The wind was already frisky out of the east sou east with 12 to 16 knots on the way down to Freshie so we were there pretty quickly. Up we went to register only to find that the post was deserted and we were sailing in 15 minutes.
So off we went with the important paperwork in our hands and noted that the breeze was already starting to gust pretty heavily. So much so that a Y flag was in evidence. No, we didn't have enough life jackets on board. Something else to ponder on. Then work out which start line was active for our fleet and then watch the count down for our fall number. Away we went with a number of old gaffers and Couta's around us on the same course.
The first leg took us out to Squadron, well past Brickies into the bay and then back to Smiths and out again. We noted that some of the other yachts were having trouble picking their port from their starboard and rounding Squadron the wrong way and having to go back and unwind. The next leg took us into Freshwater bay and rounding the mark at the top of the bank before heading off to Blackwall Reach where we noted the effect of a lee shore and could only pray that we could get around the mark and back out into the breeze once we were outside the lee shore again. Then back to that same mark at the top of the bank and around Freshwater Bay in a clockwise manner. By this time the 30+ foot Couta boats were right on our hammer and they excel as reaching boats. So cunning was brought to play and closing the door on a mark was a favoured tactic. This caused a certain amount of confusion behind us as the two Couta boats on our heels were interested in their own race and we were not prepared to let them ride over the top of us, slowing us down in our attempt to be first to the line.
However we had forgotten the prime instruction of all racing enthusiasts. Know thine enemy! We had Wynella pinned back, but had failed clearly to identify the third boat in our class, Manfred Speicher's speedy Bacchante. Off the scratch mark of one, he had caught us up in the last 500 metres and as we were squabbling with the Couta boats, he slipped past us unseen ( in our eyes ) and took first place. Damn!
At least this time we got around the course and the marks without missing one.
A good lunch was had at RFBYC and we dutifully munched on our hot ham rolls for seven bucks and had a beer or two. The Pres. of the Old Gaffers was kind enough to mention that they will be joining us in force on the 23rd of April for the Wooden Boat Race and we look forward to the day.
The trip back was a fairly uneventful one, but there was a fair bit of spray flying around and we were all glad once the boat was parked in the pen. A long day on the water.
Enjoy the images
Know thine enemy.
The day started with the crews of Wynella and Anna meeting at the club with one or two strays joining us for the day. Alex Mutch joined Anna as did Ian from Soraya and his son. Big John jumped on board Wynella along with a mixture of Glens Wednesday and Saturday crew.
The wind was already frisky out of the east sou east with 12 to 16 knots on the way down to Freshie so we were there pretty quickly. Up we went to register only to find that the post was deserted and we were sailing in 15 minutes.
So off we went with the important paperwork in our hands and noted that the breeze was already starting to gust pretty heavily. So much so that a Y flag was in evidence. No, we didn't have enough life jackets on board. Something else to ponder on. Then work out which start line was active for our fleet and then watch the count down for our fall number. Away we went with a number of old gaffers and Couta's around us on the same course.
The first leg took us out to Squadron, well past Brickies into the bay and then back to Smiths and out again. We noted that some of the other yachts were having trouble picking their port from their starboard and rounding Squadron the wrong way and having to go back and unwind. The next leg took us into Freshwater bay and rounding the mark at the top of the bank before heading off to Blackwall Reach where we noted the effect of a lee shore and could only pray that we could get around the mark and back out into the breeze once we were outside the lee shore again. Then back to that same mark at the top of the bank and around Freshwater Bay in a clockwise manner. By this time the 30+ foot Couta boats were right on our hammer and they excel as reaching boats. So cunning was brought to play and closing the door on a mark was a favoured tactic. This caused a certain amount of confusion behind us as the two Couta boats on our heels were interested in their own race and we were not prepared to let them ride over the top of us, slowing us down in our attempt to be first to the line.
However we had forgotten the prime instruction of all racing enthusiasts. Know thine enemy! We had Wynella pinned back, but had failed clearly to identify the third boat in our class, Manfred Speicher's speedy Bacchante. Off the scratch mark of one, he had caught us up in the last 500 metres and as we were squabbling with the Couta boats, he slipped past us unseen ( in our eyes ) and took first place. Damn!
At least this time we got around the course and the marks without missing one.
A good lunch was had at RFBYC and we dutifully munched on our hot ham rolls for seven bucks and had a beer or two. The Pres. of the Old Gaffers was kind enough to mention that they will be joining us in force on the 23rd of April for the Wooden Boat Race and we look forward to the day.
The trip back was a fairly uneventful one, but there was a fair bit of spray flying around and we were all glad once the boat was parked in the pen. A long day on the water.
Enjoy the images
Saturday the 9th of April Wrong side of the mark
This the story of Nerrima.
It was a small mistake and easily remediable. She went the wrong side of Dolphin East on the run back from Bartlett. We waved, pointed and Vic even hauled up a protest flag. But only at the end did she dip the line and sailed the other side of the pin.
And how did this happen you ask, well the story was hard to pry out of Les and the numbers under the tree on Herreshoff Hill were sufficient to make shouting a little gauche. But from what we saw from the front, a very competitive Les simply ignored the mark and sailed right past it.
It's a pity because the course three shortened was a cracker of a race with a very shy spinnaker run from the day buoy that we were able to ease a little once we had made the separator buoy. Of course, the wind fluctuations out of the South East meant that we were constantly adjusting the pole and when a gust came through, the sheets had to be eased or we went sideways. By this time we had pulled in Vic on Carina, with a new helm on board, one J Borat Sharland, and we were battling with Les on Nerrima who was slightly to windward and above us. Couldn't get past him there so we went low and sailed through him at a distance, making the corner at Bartlett in front. But Les was quick as was Vic and we were well away from Swiftsure Saga and Wynella who were having slow days without kites being put up. Mind you we didn't see one on Vic's boat either and he was sailing really well.
The shortened course had us down to Thelma and then back up to Deepwater with another edgy spinnaker that allowed us to get away. Hardening up at Applecross Spit we held on to get to Deepwater and rounded with a gybe and flowed over to Bartlett again comfortably in front. Then the work back to Addison and across to Thelma had us yielding a little to Vic and Les as they were getting lifts behind us that we were just not getting, In fact on the final pass onto Thelma, I watched as Vic picked the breeze beautifully and lifted right up to Thelma. But we were in front and that's what mattered. Then across to the finish and wait to see which of the two following boats got to the line first.
Well Carina did well enough to cross first and as I mentioned, Les dipped the line. Swiftsure Saga and Wynella followed in that order and it was then up to the hill to debate the day. Not much was said as Les knew full well what had happened as did the rest of the fleet, but the handicaps were the discussion as the question was had Anna done enough to get first and fastest. She was scratch boat in the fleet and gave away at least 200 points to the rest. Not enough it appears to take F & F, but from a consistency point of view it was enough. We finished in front of Swiftsure Saga and Wynella on handicap. On handicap Carina was first and second over the line. Anna was second on handicap and first over the line. Wynella was fourth over the line and third on handicap while Swiftsure Saga was third over the line and fourth on handicap.
As a point of note. Had Nerrima gone back to round the mark, she could very well have picked up first on handicap. This would have given her the chance to pick up the most number of firsts for the season with another chance next week and during the WBR as well. Ouch!
From the Jetty. Lockie and Rita have got Corella ready and will be taking to the water on Wednesday to sort out the rigging etc. Georgina has had an emergency club pump put on board her to keep her above the water as she was settling fast this morning. Time for Tony to do something. (See Lockie and Glen for details.) Soraya is almost ready to go and Phil has been working hard to get her back in order again.
Two H28's are going over to Freshie if the weather holds, for the Old Gaffers regatta tomorrow (Sunday) morning. Photos to follow!
There is a fleet meeting at 1900 hrs at the club on Monday the 11th of April where a number of issues pertaining to next season, will be discussed.
Enjoy the images
This the story of Nerrima.
It was a small mistake and easily remediable. She went the wrong side of Dolphin East on the run back from Bartlett. We waved, pointed and Vic even hauled up a protest flag. But only at the end did she dip the line and sailed the other side of the pin.
And how did this happen you ask, well the story was hard to pry out of Les and the numbers under the tree on Herreshoff Hill were sufficient to make shouting a little gauche. But from what we saw from the front, a very competitive Les simply ignored the mark and sailed right past it.
It's a pity because the course three shortened was a cracker of a race with a very shy spinnaker run from the day buoy that we were able to ease a little once we had made the separator buoy. Of course, the wind fluctuations out of the South East meant that we were constantly adjusting the pole and when a gust came through, the sheets had to be eased or we went sideways. By this time we had pulled in Vic on Carina, with a new helm on board, one J Borat Sharland, and we were battling with Les on Nerrima who was slightly to windward and above us. Couldn't get past him there so we went low and sailed through him at a distance, making the corner at Bartlett in front. But Les was quick as was Vic and we were well away from Swiftsure Saga and Wynella who were having slow days without kites being put up. Mind you we didn't see one on Vic's boat either and he was sailing really well.
The shortened course had us down to Thelma and then back up to Deepwater with another edgy spinnaker that allowed us to get away. Hardening up at Applecross Spit we held on to get to Deepwater and rounded with a gybe and flowed over to Bartlett again comfortably in front. Then the work back to Addison and across to Thelma had us yielding a little to Vic and Les as they were getting lifts behind us that we were just not getting, In fact on the final pass onto Thelma, I watched as Vic picked the breeze beautifully and lifted right up to Thelma. But we were in front and that's what mattered. Then across to the finish and wait to see which of the two following boats got to the line first.
Well Carina did well enough to cross first and as I mentioned, Les dipped the line. Swiftsure Saga and Wynella followed in that order and it was then up to the hill to debate the day. Not much was said as Les knew full well what had happened as did the rest of the fleet, but the handicaps were the discussion as the question was had Anna done enough to get first and fastest. She was scratch boat in the fleet and gave away at least 200 points to the rest. Not enough it appears to take F & F, but from a consistency point of view it was enough. We finished in front of Swiftsure Saga and Wynella on handicap. On handicap Carina was first and second over the line. Anna was second on handicap and first over the line. Wynella was fourth over the line and third on handicap while Swiftsure Saga was third over the line and fourth on handicap.
As a point of note. Had Nerrima gone back to round the mark, she could very well have picked up first on handicap. This would have given her the chance to pick up the most number of firsts for the season with another chance next week and during the WBR as well. Ouch!
From the Jetty. Lockie and Rita have got Corella ready and will be taking to the water on Wednesday to sort out the rigging etc. Georgina has had an emergency club pump put on board her to keep her above the water as she was settling fast this morning. Time for Tony to do something. (See Lockie and Glen for details.) Soraya is almost ready to go and Phil has been working hard to get her back in order again.
Two H28's are going over to Freshie if the weather holds, for the Old Gaffers regatta tomorrow (Sunday) morning. Photos to follow!
There is a fleet meeting at 1900 hrs at the club on Monday the 11th of April where a number of issues pertaining to next season, will be discussed.
Enjoy the images
Wednesday the 6th of April Follow the leader, a Soldiers course.
Given the chance on the start line heading up the Canning River, we opted for a starboard tack as did most of the fleet, but they started from the pin end, not half way up and after the first two tacks we found ourselves chasing three boats. You could be forgiven for guessing The First Jindarra and Chrysalis were there, but Vic Court and his staunch ally Geoff Barr, had Rita on board and did a number on the rest of the fleet including us, to get to Martin behind Chrysalis on a course two with a south easterly of about 12 to 18 knots.
We'd guessed that it was going to be a soldiers course and that the first two marks were going to be vital as once you were in front, it was going to be extremely hard to get past. In fact reading the water was going to be the only way it was going to happen as if you could link up the puffs coming down the sides then you had a chance. The trip to Weaver and then to Sampson was a case of sorting out the rest of the fleet and the two groups separated with John Wright on Anna making the only move toward the front by astute use of the gusts.
The run downwind to Hallmark got us past Vic on Carina and it must be thought that his hull probably needs a clean as he is normally not easy to pass and by Hallmark and the trip to Armstrong we started to move toward the leading pair. Around Armstrong and the work up to Como commenced. No passing lanes here and we were in the position where we would now have to watch the fleet and especially the little boats as they were at the top edge of their performance envelope and struggled in the gusts, but did really well down wind and in the lighter airs.
Around the outer start line and away again to Sampson and thence to Dolphin West. Again the chance of a pole was there, but the constantly shifting breeze showed us a reach all the way and our chance of catching the 1st Jindarra and Chrysalis fell away as Andrew took to the game up to Tony and passed him as well. Damn he's quick. So the pair of them dueled their way back from Dolphin West and at the same time we were looking over our shoulders at Carina and Anna as they were doing very well at picking the shifts along with the green SS22 driven by Peter Lewis.
Hearing the horn from the start box we guessed that Andrew had crossed the line and we were struggling to get around Thelma having tossed a little early and then knocked, making it hard to get to the mark. So slowly, painfully we rounded Thelma and then eased off the sheets only to watch Vic come in at speed, arrive at Thelma and then round it with speed and pick up an enormous lift, shaving seconds off his finish time. Probably enough to boost him into third place on handicap I'd imagine.
But the result was as expected, the plastics got up and the handicaps were enough to give the first two places to SS22's with Vic taking the 3rd place. However over the line Andy Bell was first, Chrysalis was second and Mariner was third. Seven H28's were out today with Wynella doing very well on handicap and Alma and Swiftsure Saga as middle runners in the fleet.
With three days of racing left, the chances of an H28 winner hangs in the balance. The new handicaps have bitten hard and possibly need to be reviewed upward a little as "heavy weather" handicaps have been applied over most of the latter half of summer. Not what was intended.
Andy Bell and the First Jindarra has a very good chance with Swiftsure Saga as a possible. Wynella may do it, but by the same token SS22 Wildfire has just as good a chance if the current scoring continues.
Given the chance on the start line heading up the Canning River, we opted for a starboard tack as did most of the fleet, but they started from the pin end, not half way up and after the first two tacks we found ourselves chasing three boats. You could be forgiven for guessing The First Jindarra and Chrysalis were there, but Vic Court and his staunch ally Geoff Barr, had Rita on board and did a number on the rest of the fleet including us, to get to Martin behind Chrysalis on a course two with a south easterly of about 12 to 18 knots.
We'd guessed that it was going to be a soldiers course and that the first two marks were going to be vital as once you were in front, it was going to be extremely hard to get past. In fact reading the water was going to be the only way it was going to happen as if you could link up the puffs coming down the sides then you had a chance. The trip to Weaver and then to Sampson was a case of sorting out the rest of the fleet and the two groups separated with John Wright on Anna making the only move toward the front by astute use of the gusts.
The run downwind to Hallmark got us past Vic on Carina and it must be thought that his hull probably needs a clean as he is normally not easy to pass and by Hallmark and the trip to Armstrong we started to move toward the leading pair. Around Armstrong and the work up to Como commenced. No passing lanes here and we were in the position where we would now have to watch the fleet and especially the little boats as they were at the top edge of their performance envelope and struggled in the gusts, but did really well down wind and in the lighter airs.
Around the outer start line and away again to Sampson and thence to Dolphin West. Again the chance of a pole was there, but the constantly shifting breeze showed us a reach all the way and our chance of catching the 1st Jindarra and Chrysalis fell away as Andrew took to the game up to Tony and passed him as well. Damn he's quick. So the pair of them dueled their way back from Dolphin West and at the same time we were looking over our shoulders at Carina and Anna as they were doing very well at picking the shifts along with the green SS22 driven by Peter Lewis.
Hearing the horn from the start box we guessed that Andrew had crossed the line and we were struggling to get around Thelma having tossed a little early and then knocked, making it hard to get to the mark. So slowly, painfully we rounded Thelma and then eased off the sheets only to watch Vic come in at speed, arrive at Thelma and then round it with speed and pick up an enormous lift, shaving seconds off his finish time. Probably enough to boost him into third place on handicap I'd imagine.
But the result was as expected, the plastics got up and the handicaps were enough to give the first two places to SS22's with Vic taking the 3rd place. However over the line Andy Bell was first, Chrysalis was second and Mariner was third. Seven H28's were out today with Wynella doing very well on handicap and Alma and Swiftsure Saga as middle runners in the fleet.
With three days of racing left, the chances of an H28 winner hangs in the balance. The new handicaps have bitten hard and possibly need to be reviewed upward a little as "heavy weather" handicaps have been applied over most of the latter half of summer. Not what was intended.
Andy Bell and the First Jindarra has a very good chance with Swiftsure Saga as a possible. Wynella may do it, but by the same token SS22 Wildfire has just as good a chance if the current scoring continues.
Saturday the 2nd of April. The 6th of the Championship Races
Happy Birthday Rita.
Welcome back Vic Court!
In a sterling performance, Vic showed us that he had what it took and snagged a very good second behind Andrew Bell (who of course did what he's been doing all season). Vic had Geoff Reason back on the boat along with Bob Cross and A.N.Other, between them they got in front of Anna and stayed there. Bruce Miller (currently sailing with Andy Bell) was heard to observe that it was the first time he had ever sailed against his long time skipper Vic Court. By the way, Vic hasn't fixed his Stuart Turner motor and was towed out by Andrew. One of our crew quipped that that would be as close to Andrews transom as Vic would get all day.
The starters were very glad to get a breeze for the afternoon and a gentle sou wester that began in the west and tracked southward filled in. A call of a shortened course 4 had us wending our way up to Deepwater and the sorting out of the race began with crews counting coupe as we either passed above or below the boats in the fleet as we criss-crossed the river on the way up.
Not having gone in far enough into Waylen Bay for the lift up to Applecross Spit, we watched with dismay as The First Jindarra, Carina and Swiftsure Saga slipped through. Reaching Deepwater we were in fourth position with Wynella and Nerrima not too far behind us. The seventh H28 Koomela was following along at their own gentle pace and appeared more concerned with spinnaker practice than winning. ( Did a fine job too.)
Three boats flew spinnakers across to Hallmark and they were First Jindarra, Anna and Nerrima. Others may have done so, but they were out of my sight. Then up to Armstrong where the trek down to Print commenced. Anna under spinnaker managed to surge past Swiftsure Saga and SSS dropped back to be under attack by Nerrima and Wynella who were hard at work with their own battle. Both of them had kites up and there wasn't much to spare tween the two. However, once the three boats rounded at Print almost neck to neck, Nerrima started to drop away and Wynella kept up the pace, forging ahead of Swiftsure and making their own way forward. The next run up to Deepwater was a formality with all keeping their position and only Wynella markedly improving their time on the water.
Over the line Andrew Bell took the win and was also first on handicap despite the good finish by Wynella. Vic Court took second on the line and third on handicap. Anna was third over the line and a disappointing fifth on handicap. Wynella was fourth over the line and took second on handicap.
From a championship view point Andrew Bell has confirmed his win in the series, all he has to do is sail the last race and even then it would be as a courtesy. For the runners up, a third over the line makes Anna a good chance to take second and Swiftsure Saga is still comfortably well enough in front of Wynella.
In consistency; Anna holds on to the lead with Swiftsure and Wynella tightening up a little and good results for either may cause a position shift.
News around the pens. Yes, it was Rita's birthday on Saturday and three boats on the water prior to the race were heard giving her a noisy three cheers. Lockie should have the boat ready to go for the Wooden Boat Race and surprise surprise, Steve Hill (Karoleeya) has found a job back in Perth and will be taking command of his boat and giving us grief again. Good to hear.
The WBR has already had boats from Freshie sign up and some interest from the Old Gaffers. Make sure your forms are filled in ASAP. We need lots of boats on the water on the 23rd of April. Here are the Sailing Instructions http://www.sopyc.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Wooden-Boat-Invitation-and-Rally-Supplementary-SI-2016.pdf
Happy Birthday Rita.
Welcome back Vic Court!
In a sterling performance, Vic showed us that he had what it took and snagged a very good second behind Andrew Bell (who of course did what he's been doing all season). Vic had Geoff Reason back on the boat along with Bob Cross and A.N.Other, between them they got in front of Anna and stayed there. Bruce Miller (currently sailing with Andy Bell) was heard to observe that it was the first time he had ever sailed against his long time skipper Vic Court. By the way, Vic hasn't fixed his Stuart Turner motor and was towed out by Andrew. One of our crew quipped that that would be as close to Andrews transom as Vic would get all day.
The starters were very glad to get a breeze for the afternoon and a gentle sou wester that began in the west and tracked southward filled in. A call of a shortened course 4 had us wending our way up to Deepwater and the sorting out of the race began with crews counting coupe as we either passed above or below the boats in the fleet as we criss-crossed the river on the way up.
Not having gone in far enough into Waylen Bay for the lift up to Applecross Spit, we watched with dismay as The First Jindarra, Carina and Swiftsure Saga slipped through. Reaching Deepwater we were in fourth position with Wynella and Nerrima not too far behind us. The seventh H28 Koomela was following along at their own gentle pace and appeared more concerned with spinnaker practice than winning. ( Did a fine job too.)
Three boats flew spinnakers across to Hallmark and they were First Jindarra, Anna and Nerrima. Others may have done so, but they were out of my sight. Then up to Armstrong where the trek down to Print commenced. Anna under spinnaker managed to surge past Swiftsure Saga and SSS dropped back to be under attack by Nerrima and Wynella who were hard at work with their own battle. Both of them had kites up and there wasn't much to spare tween the two. However, once the three boats rounded at Print almost neck to neck, Nerrima started to drop away and Wynella kept up the pace, forging ahead of Swiftsure and making their own way forward. The next run up to Deepwater was a formality with all keeping their position and only Wynella markedly improving their time on the water.
Over the line Andrew Bell took the win and was also first on handicap despite the good finish by Wynella. Vic Court took second on the line and third on handicap. Anna was third over the line and a disappointing fifth on handicap. Wynella was fourth over the line and took second on handicap.
From a championship view point Andrew Bell has confirmed his win in the series, all he has to do is sail the last race and even then it would be as a courtesy. For the runners up, a third over the line makes Anna a good chance to take second and Swiftsure Saga is still comfortably well enough in front of Wynella.
In consistency; Anna holds on to the lead with Swiftsure and Wynella tightening up a little and good results for either may cause a position shift.
News around the pens. Yes, it was Rita's birthday on Saturday and three boats on the water prior to the race were heard giving her a noisy three cheers. Lockie should have the boat ready to go for the Wooden Boat Race and surprise surprise, Steve Hill (Karoleeya) has found a job back in Perth and will be taking command of his boat and giving us grief again. Good to hear.
The WBR has already had boats from Freshie sign up and some interest from the Old Gaffers. Make sure your forms are filled in ASAP. We need lots of boats on the water on the 23rd of April. Here are the Sailing Instructions http://www.sopyc.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Wooden-Boat-Invitation-and-Rally-Supplementary-SI-2016.pdf
Wednesday the 30th of March. Mayhem at Deepwater
A course one was given to us and as a kind gesture by the starters we were on our way to Sampson rather than Martin/Weaver. So a mid to upper end start on the line gave us a good start with Andy Bell below us. He was content to take us way up beyond the mark and allowed Wynella to slip through to take the lead, confident in his ability to sail through Glen on Wynella. It's nice to know he still considers us a threat.
On the early part of the way up from Sampson, John Wright had to change his headsail, having put up a super lightweight one and it tore as the breeze improved. This unfortunately took him out of the race effectively.
With the wind beginning to pick up and move into the south west, going into Waylen Bay made sense as the lift off the shore would help us on the way. But we didn't count on the superior speed of the div one boats from Royal Perth as they swarmed all over the left hand side of the bay and started to catch up as we forged our way up to Applecross spit and then to Deepwater. Sod it. We'll go to the starboard ley line and cross them on starboard; we were helped by a generous gesture by Box of Tricks who dipped us and presented us with a clear run across, but we knocked as we went and found ourselves well and truly below the mark.
So onto port and be prepared to dip everyone. Dodge one and come up for air only to find two RP boats squabbling over who had rights and decide that we could slip through the gap and get around Deepwater. Not so, for along came another pair and we hung agonizingly on our flapping sails as they roared past and we finished our tack taking way longer that we thought. And every second felt like an hour. We had for our pains, passed Wynella by now and he was busy throwing up a pole as we were. But the incipient butterfly (Chrysalis) was already around and was galloping off into the distance as was the First Jindarra.
Once again, Bill Richards was lingering around the back and although he'd replaced his traveler (it blew up last week), he wasn't going any faster. Anna had shaken off the malaise caused by the torn head sail and was starting to push along nicely, but with the fleet sailing along well his chances of catching up were minimal. However the day was going to belong to the SS22's as the breeze began to drop a little, allowing them to catch up in the latter half of the race. They were sailing well and in fact joined us for drinks at the club afterwards.
Despite a good sail by Andrew Bell (and a first over the line) he picked up a 5th on handicap with only Wynella getting into the points with a 5th over the line and a third on handicap. The handicap first and second went to the SS22's. Mariner was third over the line behind Chrysalis and Swiftsure Saga and Anna finished 6th and 7th over the line respectively.
Not many photos I'm afraid, I was busy. But there are a couple of photos taken of the ongoing work on Soraya and Bill's new traveler.
A course one was given to us and as a kind gesture by the starters we were on our way to Sampson rather than Martin/Weaver. So a mid to upper end start on the line gave us a good start with Andy Bell below us. He was content to take us way up beyond the mark and allowed Wynella to slip through to take the lead, confident in his ability to sail through Glen on Wynella. It's nice to know he still considers us a threat.
On the early part of the way up from Sampson, John Wright had to change his headsail, having put up a super lightweight one and it tore as the breeze improved. This unfortunately took him out of the race effectively.
With the wind beginning to pick up and move into the south west, going into Waylen Bay made sense as the lift off the shore would help us on the way. But we didn't count on the superior speed of the div one boats from Royal Perth as they swarmed all over the left hand side of the bay and started to catch up as we forged our way up to Applecross spit and then to Deepwater. Sod it. We'll go to the starboard ley line and cross them on starboard; we were helped by a generous gesture by Box of Tricks who dipped us and presented us with a clear run across, but we knocked as we went and found ourselves well and truly below the mark.
So onto port and be prepared to dip everyone. Dodge one and come up for air only to find two RP boats squabbling over who had rights and decide that we could slip through the gap and get around Deepwater. Not so, for along came another pair and we hung agonizingly on our flapping sails as they roared past and we finished our tack taking way longer that we thought. And every second felt like an hour. We had for our pains, passed Wynella by now and he was busy throwing up a pole as we were. But the incipient butterfly (Chrysalis) was already around and was galloping off into the distance as was the First Jindarra.
Once again, Bill Richards was lingering around the back and although he'd replaced his traveler (it blew up last week), he wasn't going any faster. Anna had shaken off the malaise caused by the torn head sail and was starting to push along nicely, but with the fleet sailing along well his chances of catching up were minimal. However the day was going to belong to the SS22's as the breeze began to drop a little, allowing them to catch up in the latter half of the race. They were sailing well and in fact joined us for drinks at the club afterwards.
Despite a good sail by Andrew Bell (and a first over the line) he picked up a 5th on handicap with only Wynella getting into the points with a 5th over the line and a third on handicap. The handicap first and second went to the SS22's. Mariner was third over the line behind Chrysalis and Swiftsure Saga and Anna finished 6th and 7th over the line respectively.
Not many photos I'm afraid, I was busy. But there are a couple of photos taken of the ongoing work on Soraya and Bill's new traveler.
Wednesday the 23rd of March Starting on Port.
Well I guess that says it all.
The day was a gusty south easterly that was swirling around the Canning and inevitably they sent us up to Martin / Weaver on a course two with seven H28's on the water and another 6 plastic boats.
Previous experience meant that if the wind shifted into the east and you were on starboard you would get knocked and possibly not even make the pin end without flipping over onto port. So a "risky" start had us ducking in from the pin end and trying to cross or rather weave our way through the starboard tackers. We had one or two other boats with us so there was no room to tack off once we were committed.
Once through the fleet, we settled into a run up to Martin comfortably in front and then found ourselves being chased down by Andy Bell and John Wright with the rest of the fleet spread out behind them. Martin was the telling point as we rounded just in front and had a stern chase (again) by those two. Making Weaver with room to move we settled into a reach and it was try and ward off Andrew and The First Jindarra as he probed to get through. We managed to stay in front of him till Sampson and then the boat's superior speed had him slipping past us on the way up to Hallmark where our next disaster occurred with a coming together with John Wright as he slipped under us and we then had to do a 360 as soon as practible. An observation on our speed had us entering the 360 at 7 knots and coming out with approximately the same speed 30 seconds later. I don't think we can trust the GPS any more.
By now we were well in arrears and it was catch up time. Vic Court had Geoff on board and another crew member and they were certainly focused on us as a must catch. In between him and us was the incipient butterfly helmed by Tony Edman and we were surprised that we wasn't closer. Bill Richards and Judith Magee were sitting back in 6th and 7th place with Bill being in an unusual mid fleet position.
So do our best, but with the breeze out of the east it was a follow me day and once the boats had started it was unusual for some one to better themselves unless a mistake was made. And that was our other problem. Crossing the river we could have gone another 200 meters and avoided the Royal Perth fleet. But no, we sailed down the middle of the fleet being slammed by wake and disturbed air from the sails. NO improvements there. We may have lost another 50 meters in between Armstrong and Print.
Around the outer start pin and hurry back up to Dolphin West then off to Addison and across to Thelma and home on a tight reach.
Andrew Bell and the First Jindarra first over the line followed by John Wright and Anna with Brian Cross and Mariner third.
On handicap John Wright first and Brian Cross third. Andy Bell sailed a good fastest but really needs to do something with his handicap as it's only going to get bigger.
Well I guess that says it all.
The day was a gusty south easterly that was swirling around the Canning and inevitably they sent us up to Martin / Weaver on a course two with seven H28's on the water and another 6 plastic boats.
Previous experience meant that if the wind shifted into the east and you were on starboard you would get knocked and possibly not even make the pin end without flipping over onto port. So a "risky" start had us ducking in from the pin end and trying to cross or rather weave our way through the starboard tackers. We had one or two other boats with us so there was no room to tack off once we were committed.
Once through the fleet, we settled into a run up to Martin comfortably in front and then found ourselves being chased down by Andy Bell and John Wright with the rest of the fleet spread out behind them. Martin was the telling point as we rounded just in front and had a stern chase (again) by those two. Making Weaver with room to move we settled into a reach and it was try and ward off Andrew and The First Jindarra as he probed to get through. We managed to stay in front of him till Sampson and then the boat's superior speed had him slipping past us on the way up to Hallmark where our next disaster occurred with a coming together with John Wright as he slipped under us and we then had to do a 360 as soon as practible. An observation on our speed had us entering the 360 at 7 knots and coming out with approximately the same speed 30 seconds later. I don't think we can trust the GPS any more.
By now we were well in arrears and it was catch up time. Vic Court had Geoff on board and another crew member and they were certainly focused on us as a must catch. In between him and us was the incipient butterfly helmed by Tony Edman and we were surprised that we wasn't closer. Bill Richards and Judith Magee were sitting back in 6th and 7th place with Bill being in an unusual mid fleet position.
So do our best, but with the breeze out of the east it was a follow me day and once the boats had started it was unusual for some one to better themselves unless a mistake was made. And that was our other problem. Crossing the river we could have gone another 200 meters and avoided the Royal Perth fleet. But no, we sailed down the middle of the fleet being slammed by wake and disturbed air from the sails. NO improvements there. We may have lost another 50 meters in between Armstrong and Print.
Around the outer start pin and hurry back up to Dolphin West then off to Addison and across to Thelma and home on a tight reach.
Andrew Bell and the First Jindarra first over the line followed by John Wright and Anna with Brian Cross and Mariner third.
On handicap John Wright first and Brian Cross third. Andy Bell sailed a good fastest but really needs to do something with his handicap as it's only going to get bigger.
Saturday the 19th of March Not the Wooden Boat Race day
A pity that it wasn't the WBR, but with the club decreeing that they were having their Concert on the Swan on this day, the WBR was bumped into never-never land again. We were prepared to sail under spinnakers on the day, but owing to a technical hitch in the sailing admin office we were told that the original JaM race set for the day still applied. BS! Doesn't any one know what's going on?
The day started with a very light easterly that had the starters hoisting AP after AP as the wind shifted around before settling into a light sou westerly that gave the starters a chance to get the fleets under way. A shortened course four was offered and we found ourselves on the start line with 5 other boats. Yes, 6 boats were on the water and I'm delighted to report that Vic Court made it back out. The other contenders were Wynella, Anna, Nerrima, Swiftsure Saga and Mark Walter's Koomela. Welcome back to Maureen Youngs who made a guest appearance on Wynella.
Off the start, Anna found herself underneath Koomela and only after urging did he finally tack over onto port to allow us and other boats to cross the start line. As we started up toward Deepwater all but Koomela headed straight up to Deepwater. Mark on Koomela went left toward Heathcote and found himself going backward and as a consequence dropped out of the running. The run up to Deepwater was a chase scene as we worked our way up through the fleet ahead of us, losing height but keeping the boat moving fast, with the sails opened up to breathe and finally found ourselves at the front of the pack. The first tack before Deepwater saw us crossing our biggest then rival, Vic Court who had the height, but not the speed and having forced him to toss, we rounded the mark.
The leg across to Hallmark under a pole was interesting as the wind was veering back into the East by now and the reaching speeds were better than 6 knots, in fact the wind variation was such that we were seriously by the lee by the time we got to Hallmark. We had a good run up to Armstrong and again reaching came into play. Behind us Nerrima and Swiftsure Saga were engaged in spirited battle as neither of them would give the other a moment of peace. Indeed the battle continued until the finish line, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
The next leg was to Print and again the wind was swinging further into the east and another reach was on offer. All we could do was to try and maximize the speed and minimize the mistakes as we could see that Nerrima with a very low handicap was going to be a problem no matter how far in front we were. Rounding Print we set our sights on Deepwater again and with the wind firmly out of the east it was a case of follow me in 12 to 15 knots. Great sailing weather and a chance to show our transom to all and sundry.
From Deepwater to Addison, the reach was all that was available and we simply hardened up to cross to Thelma and a flick over to the other board took us to the finish line. We had been watching our lead in minutes and we were pretty sure we had over 4 minutes up our sleeves so we settled back to pack the boat and watch Swiftsure Saga and Nerrima battle it out to the finish. Well sailed Les Brooker---- you beat Bill Richards over the line by 5 seconds. A good win.
Les has now racked up a few wins. The handicapper may start looking at him a little more closely now.
Over the line; Anna followed by Nerrima and Swiftsure Saga with Wynella, Carina and Koomela.
On handicap. Nerrima first, then Anna and Wynella third.
A pity that it wasn't the WBR, but with the club decreeing that they were having their Concert on the Swan on this day, the WBR was bumped into never-never land again. We were prepared to sail under spinnakers on the day, but owing to a technical hitch in the sailing admin office we were told that the original JaM race set for the day still applied. BS! Doesn't any one know what's going on?
The day started with a very light easterly that had the starters hoisting AP after AP as the wind shifted around before settling into a light sou westerly that gave the starters a chance to get the fleets under way. A shortened course four was offered and we found ourselves on the start line with 5 other boats. Yes, 6 boats were on the water and I'm delighted to report that Vic Court made it back out. The other contenders were Wynella, Anna, Nerrima, Swiftsure Saga and Mark Walter's Koomela. Welcome back to Maureen Youngs who made a guest appearance on Wynella.
Off the start, Anna found herself underneath Koomela and only after urging did he finally tack over onto port to allow us and other boats to cross the start line. As we started up toward Deepwater all but Koomela headed straight up to Deepwater. Mark on Koomela went left toward Heathcote and found himself going backward and as a consequence dropped out of the running. The run up to Deepwater was a chase scene as we worked our way up through the fleet ahead of us, losing height but keeping the boat moving fast, with the sails opened up to breathe and finally found ourselves at the front of the pack. The first tack before Deepwater saw us crossing our biggest then rival, Vic Court who had the height, but not the speed and having forced him to toss, we rounded the mark.
The leg across to Hallmark under a pole was interesting as the wind was veering back into the East by now and the reaching speeds were better than 6 knots, in fact the wind variation was such that we were seriously by the lee by the time we got to Hallmark. We had a good run up to Armstrong and again reaching came into play. Behind us Nerrima and Swiftsure Saga were engaged in spirited battle as neither of them would give the other a moment of peace. Indeed the battle continued until the finish line, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
The next leg was to Print and again the wind was swinging further into the east and another reach was on offer. All we could do was to try and maximize the speed and minimize the mistakes as we could see that Nerrima with a very low handicap was going to be a problem no matter how far in front we were. Rounding Print we set our sights on Deepwater again and with the wind firmly out of the east it was a case of follow me in 12 to 15 knots. Great sailing weather and a chance to show our transom to all and sundry.
From Deepwater to Addison, the reach was all that was available and we simply hardened up to cross to Thelma and a flick over to the other board took us to the finish line. We had been watching our lead in minutes and we were pretty sure we had over 4 minutes up our sleeves so we settled back to pack the boat and watch Swiftsure Saga and Nerrima battle it out to the finish. Well sailed Les Brooker---- you beat Bill Richards over the line by 5 seconds. A good win.
Les has now racked up a few wins. The handicapper may start looking at him a little more closely now.
Over the line; Anna followed by Nerrima and Swiftsure Saga with Wynella, Carina and Koomela.
On handicap. Nerrima first, then Anna and Wynella third.
Wednesday the 16th of March A day of dogs and chains
Five H28's went out today to do battle with two SS22's and each and every one of us was prepared for what was on offer.
Five H28's went out today to do battle with two SS22's and each and every one of us was prepared for what was on offer.
The downside was that only 4 boats finished the race on the day. One H28 and a SS22 withdrew before the race started and the other SS22 withdrew after the first time around as quite frankly it was a stinker. Mariner with guest skipper Rita on board withdrew wisely as we were having a bit of trouble from the get go and it would not have been a good day for her. Crossroads took a good look and packed up her sails and also withdrew prior to the race. The third to retire SS22 Wildfire who has been pushing to get into the top 3 for the series decided that a blown out main was just not on and retired after an hour or so.
After packing up, we stopped to have a beer and talked about the day as we watched the boats hit the start line and head off up the Canning river to Martin/Weaver following the plucky yellow SS22. By the time they hit open water in Melville water there was a base of 18 + knots gusting to 22knots. Andrew on the First Jindarra was invincible and with a number one up was so far in front, it didn't really matter as to how sideways he was going. Superb sailing. Everyone else had number two's on and I'd bet that if they had three's they would have put those on as well. But the boats that sailed kept pretty much together and the separation over the 100 minutes of racing was only ten minutes and on handicap less than a minute and a half. And most of that was in base 22 knots with gusts up to 28 knots or better. Vic Court had wandered down to join us and was surprised that the Y flag wasn't on offer as it fitted all the criteria for sailors being asked to wear life jackets.
Being able to watch the boats in the gusts it was noticeable that Jindarra and Anna were much less affected by the gusts and stayed low and flat while Wynella and particularly Swiftsure Saga were "tender" and showed a lot of keel. Was someone working the main properly on these boats? I don't know and I'll let the participants tell their story.
Over the line it was Andrew Bell by a good 3 and a half minutes to Swiftsure Saga and a further minute to Anna with Wynella a valiant fourth. On handicap AB took the first and fastest by 2 seconds to Anna who had the good fortune to have a low handicap, leaving Swiftsure Saga to take third and Wynella fourth.
Now around the pens. A picture of Les Brooker working on Nerrima and a look at the repaired decking on Soraya ( I wonder whether Phil had fixed the traveler too as that had been whipped out as well the last time the cover was off.) A look at Napier of Carrick with all her windows out and I guess there is a little restoration work at hand ( the motor works now ). Tony has hung an outboard off the back of Georgina and I hope that it's only a temporary move as a) it will get pinched if you leave it there and b) it's not a pretty picture ( but does it mean that he's proposing to use her? ). Corella is marching toward completion and should be back on the water by the Wooden Boat Race ??????
After packing up, we stopped to have a beer and talked about the day as we watched the boats hit the start line and head off up the Canning river to Martin/Weaver following the plucky yellow SS22. By the time they hit open water in Melville water there was a base of 18 + knots gusting to 22knots. Andrew on the First Jindarra was invincible and with a number one up was so far in front, it didn't really matter as to how sideways he was going. Superb sailing. Everyone else had number two's on and I'd bet that if they had three's they would have put those on as well. But the boats that sailed kept pretty much together and the separation over the 100 minutes of racing was only ten minutes and on handicap less than a minute and a half. And most of that was in base 22 knots with gusts up to 28 knots or better. Vic Court had wandered down to join us and was surprised that the Y flag wasn't on offer as it fitted all the criteria for sailors being asked to wear life jackets.
Being able to watch the boats in the gusts it was noticeable that Jindarra and Anna were much less affected by the gusts and stayed low and flat while Wynella and particularly Swiftsure Saga were "tender" and showed a lot of keel. Was someone working the main properly on these boats? I don't know and I'll let the participants tell their story.
Over the line it was Andrew Bell by a good 3 and a half minutes to Swiftsure Saga and a further minute to Anna with Wynella a valiant fourth. On handicap AB took the first and fastest by 2 seconds to Anna who had the good fortune to have a low handicap, leaving Swiftsure Saga to take third and Wynella fourth.
Now around the pens. A picture of Les Brooker working on Nerrima and a look at the repaired decking on Soraya ( I wonder whether Phil had fixed the traveler too as that had been whipped out as well the last time the cover was off.) A look at Napier of Carrick with all her windows out and I guess there is a little restoration work at hand ( the motor works now ). Tony has hung an outboard off the back of Georgina and I hope that it's only a temporary move as a) it will get pinched if you leave it there and b) it's not a pretty picture ( but does it mean that he's proposing to use her? ). Corella is marching toward completion and should be back on the water by the Wooden Boat Race ??????
Wednesday the 9th of March A battle with Lockie
Dave Locke has always been a hard man to beat and give him a halfway decent boat like Swiftsure Saga and he becomes a terror. (Just joking Lockie). It was another warm day with 35 degrees on offer and a breeze that had decided to come in from the west and was trying to bend into the south without much luck. But the starters took notice and sent us away on a course 2 with the requisite run up to Hallmark. 5 H28's were on the water with Judith Magee and Alma rejoining the fleet again.
Mariner got away to a blinding start and we were leading right up until Sampson where the wind was more southerly and Andrew and his fine crew of merry men managed to gain an overlap and get through on the mark. Of course we were held up on the mark and watched Bill on Swiftsure Saga go low and try to get around, while the little plastic boats tried to push through inside us on the mark and Tony Edman managed to do so on Chrysalis.
So take a quick dig out to the West and then back onto a port tack to drive up the middle, successfully avoiding the RP fleet and crossing with Swiftsure Saga two or three times with the lead swapping as often as we crossed. Andrew was well away by this time so it was a case of keeping SSS off our backsides while watching Andrew get further away on the beats and get closer on the down winds. A brief note in that Judith and Kate's mob were doing very well with Glen Stanley on Wynella behind her, keeping most of the plastic boats at bay.
The course two was sailed to its conclusion and we managed to get in front of SSS by enough of a margin to not have to worry about constant challenge, but the mystery to me was the heavy weather handicap being applied to the day. We hadn't had more than 11 knots on the bottom all day with gusts never rising above 13 knots. A perfect day for the plastics.
Over the line..... The First Jindarra, followed by Mariner 2 minutes later and Swiftsure Saga almost a minute further back. However the only H28 that got a gong today was Alma with the aid of a reasonable handicap taking away third place. And I will make the comment Alma was sailing very well in the light breezes. Well done Judith.
On other matters.... Soraya has the traveler out and more work is happening ? Lockie is still knee deep in work on Corella, but the new cabin to is interesting. And there is an outboard on the back of Georgina. Not a pretty picture.
There is a further break next Saturday and we'll be back on the water next Wednesday.
Dave Locke has always been a hard man to beat and give him a halfway decent boat like Swiftsure Saga and he becomes a terror. (Just joking Lockie). It was another warm day with 35 degrees on offer and a breeze that had decided to come in from the west and was trying to bend into the south without much luck. But the starters took notice and sent us away on a course 2 with the requisite run up to Hallmark. 5 H28's were on the water with Judith Magee and Alma rejoining the fleet again.
Mariner got away to a blinding start and we were leading right up until Sampson where the wind was more southerly and Andrew and his fine crew of merry men managed to gain an overlap and get through on the mark. Of course we were held up on the mark and watched Bill on Swiftsure Saga go low and try to get around, while the little plastic boats tried to push through inside us on the mark and Tony Edman managed to do so on Chrysalis.
So take a quick dig out to the West and then back onto a port tack to drive up the middle, successfully avoiding the RP fleet and crossing with Swiftsure Saga two or three times with the lead swapping as often as we crossed. Andrew was well away by this time so it was a case of keeping SSS off our backsides while watching Andrew get further away on the beats and get closer on the down winds. A brief note in that Judith and Kate's mob were doing very well with Glen Stanley on Wynella behind her, keeping most of the plastic boats at bay.
The course two was sailed to its conclusion and we managed to get in front of SSS by enough of a margin to not have to worry about constant challenge, but the mystery to me was the heavy weather handicap being applied to the day. We hadn't had more than 11 knots on the bottom all day with gusts never rising above 13 knots. A perfect day for the plastics.
Over the line..... The First Jindarra, followed by Mariner 2 minutes later and Swiftsure Saga almost a minute further back. However the only H28 that got a gong today was Alma with the aid of a reasonable handicap taking away third place. And I will make the comment Alma was sailing very well in the light breezes. Well done Judith.
On other matters.... Soraya has the traveler out and more work is happening ? Lockie is still knee deep in work on Corella, but the new cabin to is interesting. And there is an outboard on the back of Georgina. Not a pretty picture.
There is a further break next Saturday and we'll be back on the water next Wednesday.
Saturday the 27th of February The Lyn Rue-Davey Memorial
With an amount of interest we rocked up at the jetty on a stinking hot February day, expecting no more than 10 to 12 knots and out of the west with possibly a little north included. Almost right. Anywhere between 12 to 21 knots and swinging between the west and the nor west. And then it died out at the end of the day while we were racing. Four boats hit the water with Nerrima defending her win on handicap of the Lyn Rue-Davey trophy last year. With a reasonably new crew he was going to have to work hard to do it, but he had Gina to help him on the main, so all was well.
A good start by Wynella, helmed by Rita as Glen is away (apparently) and Brian Cross on the main. Bill Richards was close to them and slightly below, while we hit the line almost 20 seconds late and low by comparison. Nerrima was on our tail and the best thing we could do was tack away and create a fresh line for ourselves. Course 2 was on offer so the work up to Hallmark had the Royal Perth fleet start line right across our path. Both Wynella ( in the lead ) and Swiftsure Saga found themselves momentarily leading the fleet of starters ( Farr 9.5's ) and we could only watch as they were slowly swallowed by the faster boats. We tacked below the RP fleet and crossed unimpeded, having gained a few meters in doing so. Nerrima had fallen behind a little, but they were still very much in touch. It was going to be close all day.
The run down hill to King had us flying the first kite of the day along with Wynella, but there was not enough in it to get away from the fleet, though we did manage to close the gap a little. Wynella indulged in some prawning with their kite on the down wind run. A clean drop and back up to Deepwater and a reach across to Dolphin East and then no one flew a kite to Addison, though a poled headsail was set with a gybe midway down. Back up to Robins and we managed to get past Swiftsure Saga and we were challenging Wynella downwind to Thelma again who then decided to take us up, letting Swiftsure Saga through. From Hero to Zero in five seconds.
The last dash was back up to Print and a kite down to Thelma again then off to the start line and somewhere out there, Wynella lost their way. They went North while everyone else went up the middle. Back down to third with Nerrima gnawing at her heels. The rest of the race was follow the leader as there were no more passing lanes.
First over the line was Swiftsure Saga, followed by Anna with Wynella third. However Nerrima had done well enough to take the Lyn Rue Davey trophy on handicap with Swiftsure second and Wynella third. Anna had to be content with fourth, but until we see the actual times we won't know by how much. The club had issues with the computer that crunches the numbers.
However the day has pointed out that Wynella can go well in a good breeze and can be very quick........ think about it.
With an amount of interest we rocked up at the jetty on a stinking hot February day, expecting no more than 10 to 12 knots and out of the west with possibly a little north included. Almost right. Anywhere between 12 to 21 knots and swinging between the west and the nor west. And then it died out at the end of the day while we were racing. Four boats hit the water with Nerrima defending her win on handicap of the Lyn Rue-Davey trophy last year. With a reasonably new crew he was going to have to work hard to do it, but he had Gina to help him on the main, so all was well.
A good start by Wynella, helmed by Rita as Glen is away (apparently) and Brian Cross on the main. Bill Richards was close to them and slightly below, while we hit the line almost 20 seconds late and low by comparison. Nerrima was on our tail and the best thing we could do was tack away and create a fresh line for ourselves. Course 2 was on offer so the work up to Hallmark had the Royal Perth fleet start line right across our path. Both Wynella ( in the lead ) and Swiftsure Saga found themselves momentarily leading the fleet of starters ( Farr 9.5's ) and we could only watch as they were slowly swallowed by the faster boats. We tacked below the RP fleet and crossed unimpeded, having gained a few meters in doing so. Nerrima had fallen behind a little, but they were still very much in touch. It was going to be close all day.
The run down hill to King had us flying the first kite of the day along with Wynella, but there was not enough in it to get away from the fleet, though we did manage to close the gap a little. Wynella indulged in some prawning with their kite on the down wind run. A clean drop and back up to Deepwater and a reach across to Dolphin East and then no one flew a kite to Addison, though a poled headsail was set with a gybe midway down. Back up to Robins and we managed to get past Swiftsure Saga and we were challenging Wynella downwind to Thelma again who then decided to take us up, letting Swiftsure Saga through. From Hero to Zero in five seconds.
The last dash was back up to Print and a kite down to Thelma again then off to the start line and somewhere out there, Wynella lost their way. They went North while everyone else went up the middle. Back down to third with Nerrima gnawing at her heels. The rest of the race was follow the leader as there were no more passing lanes.
First over the line was Swiftsure Saga, followed by Anna with Wynella third. However Nerrima had done well enough to take the Lyn Rue Davey trophy on handicap with Swiftsure second and Wynella third. Anna had to be content with fourth, but until we see the actual times we won't know by how much. The club had issues with the computer that crunches the numbers.
However the day has pointed out that Wynella can go well in a good breeze and can be very quick........ think about it.
Wednesday the 24th of February Blown Sideways for most of the race.
A discussion was held on the jetty as to what to put up as it was starting to blow a little out of the South. Andy went the number one as we did and Swiftsure went a number two. I'm sure Glen had a number two and the three plastics just did their best.
We got nailed at the start and it was chase Andrew all day. Then Bill managed to slip past on a good passing maneuver at King on a course three and it was chase two boats for the rest of the day. We copped a hiding, going sideways with the number one up, but fortunately we had Rita on board and she was happy to do a sail change and we went to the number two. Still didn't help though. I reckon the old Dacron number two would have done the trick. Pull it as tight as a drum and then go for our lives. We chased ourselves around the course with Wynella and Glen keeping us honest at the back of the pack. The handicapper will be sorting out the handicaps for The First Jindarra and Swiftsure Saga and I reckon we'll be sitting on ours. Still on handicap and over the line it was The First Jindarra, Swiftsure Saga and then Mariner. Oh yes, the M32's were on the water again.... just one photo.
A discussion was held on the jetty as to what to put up as it was starting to blow a little out of the South. Andy went the number one as we did and Swiftsure went a number two. I'm sure Glen had a number two and the three plastics just did their best.
We got nailed at the start and it was chase Andrew all day. Then Bill managed to slip past on a good passing maneuver at King on a course three and it was chase two boats for the rest of the day. We copped a hiding, going sideways with the number one up, but fortunately we had Rita on board and she was happy to do a sail change and we went to the number two. Still didn't help though. I reckon the old Dacron number two would have done the trick. Pull it as tight as a drum and then go for our lives. We chased ourselves around the course with Wynella and Glen keeping us honest at the back of the pack. The handicapper will be sorting out the handicaps for The First Jindarra and Swiftsure Saga and I reckon we'll be sitting on ours. Still on handicap and over the line it was The First Jindarra, Swiftsure Saga and then Mariner. Oh yes, the M32's were on the water again.... just one photo.
Saturday the 20th of February Championship Racing with a late start and an Olympic course.
A late start and 5 boats heading off out onto the water for the 5th Championship race of the season.
With Soraya under repair and Aloha's skipper still away we were short of a few contenders, but it was nice to see that Lockie had his mast back on (photo's to come) and is quietly preparing the boat for the winter season.
As usual we had The First Jindarra and Anna with Swiftsure Saga, Wynella and Nerrima making their way onto the water. RO Les Swinton was as busy as a bee setting up the track and it was noticeable that the triangular lap was going to be a tough one as the angle was pretty shy on the first leg. But if you could throw up a kite, you would. At the same time we had another issue to deal with. The M32's, the world match racing cats were undergoing training on the river, right on top of our course and the RO and the training director had a discussion to which we were not privy, but indicated that Les had first claim on the water and that they would have to restrain the cats so that we could race un-impeded.
A good start and we managed to push Swiftsure up beyond the start boat, much to their disgust and it was probably that that allowed us to get away from them over all. But The First Jindarra was in good position and got away, not to be headed for the rest of the day. So our battle was with Swiftsure ( without a kite ) and the other battle was between Wynella and Nerrima and a decent battle it was as only Anna and The First Jindarra flew spinnakers and Bill on Swiftsure was content with the speed of his boat under normal sails. ( Passed us once too ).
A couple of incidents made us think as The First Jindarra tacked before us on a starboard ley heading for the top mark and made it, we had gone on another 20 meters and still had to tack to make the mark and Swiftsure had the same problem, tacked and managed to get around the mark before we did. Much cursing and gnashing of teeth on that one. Still, under kite we clawed him back, but it was an indication of how good the boat can be. Meanwhile, behind us, Nerrima and Wynella were locked in battle and I was surprised that Wynella didn't put up a spinnaker as they had the same crew that they had the last race and they were doing well.
The M32's were becoming a problem with the last two boats having to alter course because of the lines taken by the catamarans. A call for redress may have been possible, but no one fussed about it. So over the line we went with the First Jindarra well in front and Swiftsure Saga about a minute behind us. However, again the handicapper came into play and Nerrima took the candy with The First Jindarra second and Wynella third. Anna took fourth and Swiftsure Saga was fifth.
Once the drops come in, it will be interesting, as while Aloha appears to have a number of firsts under his belt and is looking at the Colin Burnell tiller, he'll not get anything else. Andrew Bell is after the championship, so good on him, but Anna and Swiftsure Saga are battling for second and either could get it. Wait and see. In consistency, Anna is holding all others at bay and given a bit of luck should do so for the rest of the season.
As for the photo's today. Pretty busy on the main so not many and mostly M32's. They looked good.
A late start and 5 boats heading off out onto the water for the 5th Championship race of the season.
With Soraya under repair and Aloha's skipper still away we were short of a few contenders, but it was nice to see that Lockie had his mast back on (photo's to come) and is quietly preparing the boat for the winter season.
As usual we had The First Jindarra and Anna with Swiftsure Saga, Wynella and Nerrima making their way onto the water. RO Les Swinton was as busy as a bee setting up the track and it was noticeable that the triangular lap was going to be a tough one as the angle was pretty shy on the first leg. But if you could throw up a kite, you would. At the same time we had another issue to deal with. The M32's, the world match racing cats were undergoing training on the river, right on top of our course and the RO and the training director had a discussion to which we were not privy, but indicated that Les had first claim on the water and that they would have to restrain the cats so that we could race un-impeded.
A good start and we managed to push Swiftsure up beyond the start boat, much to their disgust and it was probably that that allowed us to get away from them over all. But The First Jindarra was in good position and got away, not to be headed for the rest of the day. So our battle was with Swiftsure ( without a kite ) and the other battle was between Wynella and Nerrima and a decent battle it was as only Anna and The First Jindarra flew spinnakers and Bill on Swiftsure was content with the speed of his boat under normal sails. ( Passed us once too ).
A couple of incidents made us think as The First Jindarra tacked before us on a starboard ley heading for the top mark and made it, we had gone on another 20 meters and still had to tack to make the mark and Swiftsure had the same problem, tacked and managed to get around the mark before we did. Much cursing and gnashing of teeth on that one. Still, under kite we clawed him back, but it was an indication of how good the boat can be. Meanwhile, behind us, Nerrima and Wynella were locked in battle and I was surprised that Wynella didn't put up a spinnaker as they had the same crew that they had the last race and they were doing well.
The M32's were becoming a problem with the last two boats having to alter course because of the lines taken by the catamarans. A call for redress may have been possible, but no one fussed about it. So over the line we went with the First Jindarra well in front and Swiftsure Saga about a minute behind us. However, again the handicapper came into play and Nerrima took the candy with The First Jindarra second and Wynella third. Anna took fourth and Swiftsure Saga was fifth.
Once the drops come in, it will be interesting, as while Aloha appears to have a number of firsts under his belt and is looking at the Colin Burnell tiller, he'll not get anything else. Andrew Bell is after the championship, so good on him, but Anna and Swiftsure Saga are battling for second and either could get it. Wait and see. In consistency, Anna is holding all others at bay and given a bit of luck should do so for the rest of the season.
As for the photo's today. Pretty busy on the main so not many and mostly M32's. They looked good.
Wednesday the 17th of February The first day back on the water
It's been a while since I went for a ride on a Wednesday and I was sort of looking forward to the day.
While we were getting the boats ready, I met up with ship wright Ian Weaver repairing the decks on Soraya. Quite a busy job he had too and he was a very sociable man, stopping to discuss what was going on and coyly admitting that he would be very interested in buying her as the hull was sound and it was only the deck and cabin that needed work. However he admitted that he needed an OK from a higher authority than himself before he did something like that.
Our regular skipper was busy with work related issues so Rita, who normally sails with Dave Locke, was asked to step up to the plate.
We had a breeze with a lot of west in it, therefore a course two and a spritely 12 to 15 knots to play with. Our start model was to be hitting the line with a bit of speed about mid way down and as we did so, we noticed that every one was hanging around the pin end and trying to hit it with speed. So away we went, albeit so 30 seconds late. Hi ho sail fast, and catch up with the fleet. Get past the two plastics in the fleet and then set our course to catch up with the three H28's in front of us. A decision to cross the creek early on, on a knocking breeze, put us at a disadvantage and it was a while before we caught up with the 3 h28's again. So we chased the puffs as they came up the river and found ourselves close to Wynella. Disaster struck with the sheets from the pole striking Como as we rounded the mark heading to the outer start line and we threw in a 360 as soon as it was achievable. So another few lengths to catch up. In passing we saw Judith Magee and Kate's mob as they trundled around the track. Judith is suffering a little as her handicap blew out following the run of firsts, but everyone goes through that problem.
The next section of the race took us up to Dolphin West and we were fortunate to get a much better run, even though we overlaid the mark eventually. Just more speed to the mark was all as we cracked open the sails and took off. Ahead of Wynella at last. Then we had a bit of fun with the M32's out on the water with us showing us just how fast they were even with a reef in. A couple of images were shot with H28's in the focus so I've included them in the slide show. Stay in front of Wynella with Vic Court on board ( no wonder we had problems in the first lap ) and try to shorten the distance between ourselves and Swiftsure Saga and The First Jindarra. To no avail as Andrew slipped over the line well in front and Bill was not too far behind him. We crossed the line 4 minutes after they did with Wynella another 30 seconds behind us.
However it was good day for the lowest handicapper on the day and a plastic boat picked up the win, followed by The First Jindarra and Wynella taking third on handicap.
But the boat felt fast.
It's been a while since I went for a ride on a Wednesday and I was sort of looking forward to the day.
While we were getting the boats ready, I met up with ship wright Ian Weaver repairing the decks on Soraya. Quite a busy job he had too and he was a very sociable man, stopping to discuss what was going on and coyly admitting that he would be very interested in buying her as the hull was sound and it was only the deck and cabin that needed work. However he admitted that he needed an OK from a higher authority than himself before he did something like that.
Our regular skipper was busy with work related issues so Rita, who normally sails with Dave Locke, was asked to step up to the plate.
We had a breeze with a lot of west in it, therefore a course two and a spritely 12 to 15 knots to play with. Our start model was to be hitting the line with a bit of speed about mid way down and as we did so, we noticed that every one was hanging around the pin end and trying to hit it with speed. So away we went, albeit so 30 seconds late. Hi ho sail fast, and catch up with the fleet. Get past the two plastics in the fleet and then set our course to catch up with the three H28's in front of us. A decision to cross the creek early on, on a knocking breeze, put us at a disadvantage and it was a while before we caught up with the 3 h28's again. So we chased the puffs as they came up the river and found ourselves close to Wynella. Disaster struck with the sheets from the pole striking Como as we rounded the mark heading to the outer start line and we threw in a 360 as soon as it was achievable. So another few lengths to catch up. In passing we saw Judith Magee and Kate's mob as they trundled around the track. Judith is suffering a little as her handicap blew out following the run of firsts, but everyone goes through that problem.
The next section of the race took us up to Dolphin West and we were fortunate to get a much better run, even though we overlaid the mark eventually. Just more speed to the mark was all as we cracked open the sails and took off. Ahead of Wynella at last. Then we had a bit of fun with the M32's out on the water with us showing us just how fast they were even with a reef in. A couple of images were shot with H28's in the focus so I've included them in the slide show. Stay in front of Wynella with Vic Court on board ( no wonder we had problems in the first lap ) and try to shorten the distance between ourselves and Swiftsure Saga and The First Jindarra. To no avail as Andrew slipped over the line well in front and Bill was not too far behind him. We crossed the line 4 minutes after they did with Wynella another 30 seconds behind us.
However it was good day for the lowest handicapper on the day and a plastic boat picked up the win, followed by The First Jindarra and Wynella taking third on handicap.
But the boat felt fast.
Saturday the 6th of February The second of the windward - leeward days
An early start to the day had us down at the club by 11 am with a breeze starting to come in from the West. It was healthy and took the temperature down from the mid 30's to a rather comfortable 28 C on the water. Only three boats saddled up and we looked in vain for Aloha only to find out that Andrew's father was not well and the boat would not be sailing. Bumped into Vic Court who was walking around quite well and he was checking on his boat. Carina has opened up a little thanks to the heat and noticeably so have other boats not in use. To name them. Georgina, Soraya, Napier of Carrick and even Andy Bell's The First Jindarra need a good soak to tighten up the planks. I've not looked at the boats on jetty 4, but I'd imagine that Karoleeya needs a good scrub and a sail to help keep the boat watertight.
The competition was henceforth between Wynella, Swiftsure Saga and Anna. Getting out to the start line, we looked around to check the positioning of the buoys and considered we would get at least one course two and probably a course one to finish off with. So a triangle and sausage followed by a double sausage. Easy!
To the start line and once again Swiftsure tucked herself in above us at the start and given her superior height made it hard for us to tack when we wanted to without dipping her. The lay line was reached and we both went with Swiftsure going almost directly to the mark. We followed suit and rounded on her tail with Wynella a few meters behind. A very shy spinnaker was launched and even then we could not catch Swiftsure as she fled down to the wing mark. A gybe brought us on to a port pole and very shy again, but the speed was better and we started to close. A good drop had us clear and ready to go with a chance of getting at the leader at the top mark. Swiftsure rounded and began to come down on starboard toward us (still on a port tack). Swiftsure made a first move to go to port so the call was to go up to avoid her and then Swiftsure came up, trying to present her port side to us. We dipped as fast as we could, but the resultant clash of boom on side stays and back stay had us looking upward to ensure we still had our mast and gear with us. So around the buoy and hoist the spinnaker again. Wynella had dropped back a little, still reluctant to hoist the kite with the new crew on board. We followed Swiftsure to the finish line, with Wynella third.
The second race seemed to be a carbon copy with Anna trying to close Swiftsure out on the start line, but failing to do so. However on the first leg up to the mark Swiftsure went way too early to hit the top mark and was seen trying to shoot the mark. Anna had gone way out to a starboard lay line and hammered past the buoy taking the lead away as Swiftsure hit the mark and Wynella slipped through the resultant taking of a penalty 360 by Swiftsure for hitting the mark. On a course two again, we had a kite up for the wing mark and a gybe had us speeding toward the bottom mark. Having dealt with their penalty, Swiftsure wasted no time in catching up with Wynella and passing her, but the distance was too great and the use of the spinnaker was enough to keep Anna well in front.
So the over the line results had Swiftsure Saga and Anna sharing points with a win apiece and a second each. Wynella rounded up in third place. As to the handicap results, Wynella may have improved her chances of taking a win by a close finish in race one and could place in race two. But nothings there at the moment on the club website. The final results have been announced and SSS and Anna took a win each with Anna a second in the 2nd race and SSS taking a third and Wynella a second and a third.
Many thanks to Rita who is helping Glen get his crew up to scratch with spinnaker hoisting....they stayed out there after racing and hoisted spinnakers for a good hour. At least the young fellow on the foredeck has his act together. It's the cockpit that needs the work.
And there was one of the M32's out on the water. I managed to sneak in a snap or two and one of John and Craig looking at the one on the lawn near the centerboard club house.
An early start to the day had us down at the club by 11 am with a breeze starting to come in from the West. It was healthy and took the temperature down from the mid 30's to a rather comfortable 28 C on the water. Only three boats saddled up and we looked in vain for Aloha only to find out that Andrew's father was not well and the boat would not be sailing. Bumped into Vic Court who was walking around quite well and he was checking on his boat. Carina has opened up a little thanks to the heat and noticeably so have other boats not in use. To name them. Georgina, Soraya, Napier of Carrick and even Andy Bell's The First Jindarra need a good soak to tighten up the planks. I've not looked at the boats on jetty 4, but I'd imagine that Karoleeya needs a good scrub and a sail to help keep the boat watertight.
The competition was henceforth between Wynella, Swiftsure Saga and Anna. Getting out to the start line, we looked around to check the positioning of the buoys and considered we would get at least one course two and probably a course one to finish off with. So a triangle and sausage followed by a double sausage. Easy!
To the start line and once again Swiftsure tucked herself in above us at the start and given her superior height made it hard for us to tack when we wanted to without dipping her. The lay line was reached and we both went with Swiftsure going almost directly to the mark. We followed suit and rounded on her tail with Wynella a few meters behind. A very shy spinnaker was launched and even then we could not catch Swiftsure as she fled down to the wing mark. A gybe brought us on to a port pole and very shy again, but the speed was better and we started to close. A good drop had us clear and ready to go with a chance of getting at the leader at the top mark. Swiftsure rounded and began to come down on starboard toward us (still on a port tack). Swiftsure made a first move to go to port so the call was to go up to avoid her and then Swiftsure came up, trying to present her port side to us. We dipped as fast as we could, but the resultant clash of boom on side stays and back stay had us looking upward to ensure we still had our mast and gear with us. So around the buoy and hoist the spinnaker again. Wynella had dropped back a little, still reluctant to hoist the kite with the new crew on board. We followed Swiftsure to the finish line, with Wynella third.
The second race seemed to be a carbon copy with Anna trying to close Swiftsure out on the start line, but failing to do so. However on the first leg up to the mark Swiftsure went way too early to hit the top mark and was seen trying to shoot the mark. Anna had gone way out to a starboard lay line and hammered past the buoy taking the lead away as Swiftsure hit the mark and Wynella slipped through the resultant taking of a penalty 360 by Swiftsure for hitting the mark. On a course two again, we had a kite up for the wing mark and a gybe had us speeding toward the bottom mark. Having dealt with their penalty, Swiftsure wasted no time in catching up with Wynella and passing her, but the distance was too great and the use of the spinnaker was enough to keep Anna well in front.
So the over the line results had Swiftsure Saga and Anna sharing points with a win apiece and a second each. Wynella rounded up in third place. As to the handicap results, Wynella may have improved her chances of taking a win by a close finish in race one and could place in race two. But nothings there at the moment on the club website. The final results have been announced and SSS and Anna took a win each with Anna a second in the 2nd race and SSS taking a third and Wynella a second and a third.
Many thanks to Rita who is helping Glen get his crew up to scratch with spinnaker hoisting....they stayed out there after racing and hoisted spinnakers for a good hour. At least the young fellow on the foredeck has his act together. It's the cockpit that needs the work.
And there was one of the M32's out on the water. I managed to sneak in a snap or two and one of John and Craig looking at the one on the lawn near the centerboard club house.
Saturday the 30th of January Getting away from Swiftsure Saga
Damned hard work doing it too!
We were given a shortened course three and with a full crew on board we were going to put up a kite at every opportunity. Three boats got out and we miss the presence of Soraya, Carina, Corella and Nerrima.
There was not going to be many passing lanes on this one and the run across to Bartlett with the south easterly behind us was a good one. We'd managed to get in front of Bill to begin with and looked back to see that he was keeping up with us with just a poled out jib. The boat is fast........... We were logging high 6's with the spinnaker up and it was frustrating to see how well Swiftsure Saga was going.
Wynella wasn't that far behind either on the first leg and the leg to Bartlett had us searching for the mark and making sure the spinnaker was working as hard as it could. Having gained a few boat lengths on that run, we promptly lost them on the work up to Addison and rounded just a few lengths in front. Oh did I mention, there was rain, glorious rain and it was cascading off the mainsail into the cockpit and I was very glad that I'd put on pants and jacket. The breeze was predominantly a south easter that was beginning to flick into the east every so often. On the second spinnaker run to Deepwater it was noticeable that the breeze was moving into the east and that made us carry a very shy kite across to Bartlett. Just ! But the resultant speed we got out of it, kept us well in front of Swiftsure Saga and it was a case of the work down to Addison again in a rising easterly then across to Thelma and then off to the finish line.
However another discussion point arose on the way to Addison. We all know and revere the sports boat sailors and indeed some of us have actually sailed in the fleets in other times. The Viper is the current go to boat that has a good fleet presence on the water. They are quick and agile on the water and three up, they are a pocket rocket ship. They suffer from a few problems notably that they have a very high sail power to hull rate and perhaps the rudder design could have been a little better as they tend to lose control on a reach and fall over, In fact they don't have to be on a reach to do it. They weigh about 340 kg where the average H28 weighs in at 4 and half tons.
H28's have been known to be hit by a number of sports boats (and other classes) and occasionally other H28's. Usually the result ends in tears for the non H28 sailor.
The Viper in question was absolutely screaming across the breeze and was determined (we thought) to take off our transom. Despite the hails of Starboard they continued and crossed our rudder by one or two feet. Good sailing ? Maybe, but after several years photographing these boats I do have doubts that even the most experienced skipper is in full control of his Viper on a screaming reach.
To help you identify and protect these rare and beautiful sports boats I've put a couple of images of Vipers in action (from the Rumble in the Reach). Continue to remind them of the primary rights you have on the water and remember that wood beats plastic every time.
Oh, the results... sorry! Anna first on handicap and over the line, Swiftsure Saga third on handicap and second over the line and Wynella second on handicap and third over the line.
Damned hard work doing it too!
We were given a shortened course three and with a full crew on board we were going to put up a kite at every opportunity. Three boats got out and we miss the presence of Soraya, Carina, Corella and Nerrima.
There was not going to be many passing lanes on this one and the run across to Bartlett with the south easterly behind us was a good one. We'd managed to get in front of Bill to begin with and looked back to see that he was keeping up with us with just a poled out jib. The boat is fast........... We were logging high 6's with the spinnaker up and it was frustrating to see how well Swiftsure Saga was going.
Wynella wasn't that far behind either on the first leg and the leg to Bartlett had us searching for the mark and making sure the spinnaker was working as hard as it could. Having gained a few boat lengths on that run, we promptly lost them on the work up to Addison and rounded just a few lengths in front. Oh did I mention, there was rain, glorious rain and it was cascading off the mainsail into the cockpit and I was very glad that I'd put on pants and jacket. The breeze was predominantly a south easter that was beginning to flick into the east every so often. On the second spinnaker run to Deepwater it was noticeable that the breeze was moving into the east and that made us carry a very shy kite across to Bartlett. Just ! But the resultant speed we got out of it, kept us well in front of Swiftsure Saga and it was a case of the work down to Addison again in a rising easterly then across to Thelma and then off to the finish line.
However another discussion point arose on the way to Addison. We all know and revere the sports boat sailors and indeed some of us have actually sailed in the fleets in other times. The Viper is the current go to boat that has a good fleet presence on the water. They are quick and agile on the water and three up, they are a pocket rocket ship. They suffer from a few problems notably that they have a very high sail power to hull rate and perhaps the rudder design could have been a little better as they tend to lose control on a reach and fall over, In fact they don't have to be on a reach to do it. They weigh about 340 kg where the average H28 weighs in at 4 and half tons.
H28's have been known to be hit by a number of sports boats (and other classes) and occasionally other H28's. Usually the result ends in tears for the non H28 sailor.
The Viper in question was absolutely screaming across the breeze and was determined (we thought) to take off our transom. Despite the hails of Starboard they continued and crossed our rudder by one or two feet. Good sailing ? Maybe, but after several years photographing these boats I do have doubts that even the most experienced skipper is in full control of his Viper on a screaming reach.
To help you identify and protect these rare and beautiful sports boats I've put a couple of images of Vipers in action (from the Rumble in the Reach). Continue to remind them of the primary rights you have on the water and remember that wood beats plastic every time.
Oh, the results... sorry! Anna first on handicap and over the line, Swiftsure Saga third on handicap and second over the line and Wynella second on handicap and third over the line.
Wednesday the 27th of January Oh, the indignity of it all.
You'd reckon we had it made. No sign of Andy Bell and only Bill to beat with John Wright as the one who could upset the apple cart. And we had Rita on board. Bloody hell! All of this and a course two with more south than south east to begin with.
The chase up to Martin Weaver was predictable and only Bill was in front of us so the chase was on. We had managed to keep Anna and Wynella at bay and Judith Magee had the Kate and her girls on board Alma while Soraya lingered in the pen. Good sailing kept us on our toes around the first half of the track , but it was noticeable that Anna was starting to catch up on the up wind legs and good helming by John Wright meant that by the start of the second leg, he was on our case for the dash up to Dolphin West and getting closer all the time. To add interest to the rounding of the outer start line we had the spectacle of the Little Wheel and the young match racers carving up the water of the Canning river outside the club.
Onto the second leg and we coped well with the dash to Dolphin West, but by this time Bill was well away and Anna was looking closer and closer. We got away a little, but Anna picked up that great lift that you can get from Addison to Thelma and we found ourselves in a log jam at Thelma with us in the wrong place at the right time. John managed to round Thelma and we had not. (and probably should have done a 360 as well ). Suffice to say that at the end of the day, we knew that it was but a short walk up to the on water office to retire the boat and think of what could have been, while Brian made peace with John.
Was the call correct? Should we have not bothered to try and dump bad air on JW. Possibly not, as he had a fair head of steam up and was going to sail through our attempt anyway. And then there were conflicting calls in our boat. The first was to continue, however in retrospect we needed to unwind the boat, that is go back and round Thelma properly and possibly a 360 as well, though it would be quite possible that by returning to round Thelma may have counted as the 360 anyway. Suffice to say it was a learning experience and all should profit by it.
The win went to Judith Magee on handicap and fourth over the line with John Wright taking second only 2 seconds off a win. Bill Richards predictably took first across the line and 4th on handicap while Glen Stanley took a good third and third.
You'd reckon we had it made. No sign of Andy Bell and only Bill to beat with John Wright as the one who could upset the apple cart. And we had Rita on board. Bloody hell! All of this and a course two with more south than south east to begin with.
The chase up to Martin Weaver was predictable and only Bill was in front of us so the chase was on. We had managed to keep Anna and Wynella at bay and Judith Magee had the Kate and her girls on board Alma while Soraya lingered in the pen. Good sailing kept us on our toes around the first half of the track , but it was noticeable that Anna was starting to catch up on the up wind legs and good helming by John Wright meant that by the start of the second leg, he was on our case for the dash up to Dolphin West and getting closer all the time. To add interest to the rounding of the outer start line we had the spectacle of the Little Wheel and the young match racers carving up the water of the Canning river outside the club.
Onto the second leg and we coped well with the dash to Dolphin West, but by this time Bill was well away and Anna was looking closer and closer. We got away a little, but Anna picked up that great lift that you can get from Addison to Thelma and we found ourselves in a log jam at Thelma with us in the wrong place at the right time. John managed to round Thelma and we had not. (and probably should have done a 360 as well ). Suffice to say that at the end of the day, we knew that it was but a short walk up to the on water office to retire the boat and think of what could have been, while Brian made peace with John.
Was the call correct? Should we have not bothered to try and dump bad air on JW. Possibly not, as he had a fair head of steam up and was going to sail through our attempt anyway. And then there were conflicting calls in our boat. The first was to continue, however in retrospect we needed to unwind the boat, that is go back and round Thelma properly and possibly a 360 as well, though it would be quite possible that by returning to round Thelma may have counted as the 360 anyway. Suffice to say it was a learning experience and all should profit by it.
The win went to Judith Magee on handicap and fourth over the line with John Wright taking second only 2 seconds off a win. Bill Richards predictably took first across the line and 4th on handicap while Glen Stanley took a good third and third.
Saturday the 23rd of January
I was not present on the day, but from the reports I received, we had 4 boats on the water with Nerrima taking the cake on handicap. Swiftsure Saga took first on the line with Anna second and Nerrima 3rd over the line. Glen Stanley took a fourth and fourth. Apparently no one flew a kite with the breeze freshening quite markedly during the day and I don't know whether it was mooted as a JaM race or no one had the right people up front.
I was not present on the day, but from the reports I received, we had 4 boats on the water with Nerrima taking the cake on handicap. Swiftsure Saga took first on the line with Anna second and Nerrima 3rd over the line. Glen Stanley took a fourth and fourth. Apparently no one flew a kite with the breeze freshening quite markedly during the day and I don't know whether it was mooted as a JaM race or no one had the right people up front.
Wednesday the 20th of January Sooner or later
The starters gave us a course one with a bit more west in the breeze than normally available, ( Actually I had my money on a course two, but hey.... I'm not a starter) And to add insult to injury they sent us up to Martin / Weaver. This would sort out the sheep from the goats with Andrew in fine form on The First Jindarra and Lockie driving Swiftsure Saga yet again. That handicap must be adjusted!
Other than that, Alma had Judith on the helm and Kate and the girls joining her for a yacht. Glen had Rita again with his normal crew and John Wright had Peter and a lady on board.
Mariner and Brian had a full crew ready to go and go we did. The line had equal weight but there was a need to keep the boat sailing as the gusts flowed through the jetties. Hitting the line with speed was important and we were lucky to get a timely start at the top of the line. We made it to Martin in good time putting the rest of the fleet behind us and opened the boat up on a reach across to Weaver. A gybe left us in the lead and a long run off the breeze to Sampson keeping Andrew behind us and the rest of the fleet not too far off our tails.
Sooner or later it was bound to happen, we knew what he'd try to do and the door was firmly shut in Andrews face at the rounding of Sampson. Trying to poke his bow inside our transom on a tight rounding of Sampson was inevitably going to cause grief and to compound Andrews pain, he nudged our stern, bringing our bow around forcing his boat into Sampson Spit itself. Having come to a dead halt we had to get under way and briefly lost a spot to Wynella while Andrew completed a 360 behind the fleet on the other side of Sampson.
Tacking over to Heathcote we took advantage of the westerly and took ourselves out of the Royal Perth equation to try and get some value out of the south side of the river. However Bill and Lockie on Swiftsure Saga had stolen a match on us and had gone up the middle with a huge lift in it. All of a sudden he's in front and it's chase Bill/Lockie for the arvo. Behind us the battle was on between Wynella, Alma and Anna with The First Jindarra gradually easing his way through. Surprisingly the two plastics in the fleet were sailing well and managed to cause some grief at results. However the rest of the day was follow the lead boat and the skipper swears black and blue that if we hadn't had the race shortened by the starters we would have caught them. Didn't happen though.
Alma ( Judith and the girls ) took the handicap win with a 6th on the line and a good handicap, Bill Richards aka Lockie took a first on the line and 5th on handicap and Mariner took a third on the line and a 4th on handicap. Good to see Alma out on the water and Judith having a drive.
Enjoy the images.
The starters gave us a course one with a bit more west in the breeze than normally available, ( Actually I had my money on a course two, but hey.... I'm not a starter) And to add insult to injury they sent us up to Martin / Weaver. This would sort out the sheep from the goats with Andrew in fine form on The First Jindarra and Lockie driving Swiftsure Saga yet again. That handicap must be adjusted!
Other than that, Alma had Judith on the helm and Kate and the girls joining her for a yacht. Glen had Rita again with his normal crew and John Wright had Peter and a lady on board.
Mariner and Brian had a full crew ready to go and go we did. The line had equal weight but there was a need to keep the boat sailing as the gusts flowed through the jetties. Hitting the line with speed was important and we were lucky to get a timely start at the top of the line. We made it to Martin in good time putting the rest of the fleet behind us and opened the boat up on a reach across to Weaver. A gybe left us in the lead and a long run off the breeze to Sampson keeping Andrew behind us and the rest of the fleet not too far off our tails.
Sooner or later it was bound to happen, we knew what he'd try to do and the door was firmly shut in Andrews face at the rounding of Sampson. Trying to poke his bow inside our transom on a tight rounding of Sampson was inevitably going to cause grief and to compound Andrews pain, he nudged our stern, bringing our bow around forcing his boat into Sampson Spit itself. Having come to a dead halt we had to get under way and briefly lost a spot to Wynella while Andrew completed a 360 behind the fleet on the other side of Sampson.
Tacking over to Heathcote we took advantage of the westerly and took ourselves out of the Royal Perth equation to try and get some value out of the south side of the river. However Bill and Lockie on Swiftsure Saga had stolen a match on us and had gone up the middle with a huge lift in it. All of a sudden he's in front and it's chase Bill/Lockie for the arvo. Behind us the battle was on between Wynella, Alma and Anna with The First Jindarra gradually easing his way through. Surprisingly the two plastics in the fleet were sailing well and managed to cause some grief at results. However the rest of the day was follow the lead boat and the skipper swears black and blue that if we hadn't had the race shortened by the starters we would have caught them. Didn't happen though.
Alma ( Judith and the girls ) took the handicap win with a 6th on the line and a good handicap, Bill Richards aka Lockie took a first on the line and 5th on handicap and Mariner took a third on the line and a 4th on handicap. Good to see Alma out on the water and Judith having a drive.
Enjoy the images.
Saturday the 16th of January Gone swimming.
A delightful breeze was pushing through on the water with a fair bit of West in it and the starters had a punt on the day giving all the fleets a course three for a change. This took us up to a very rarely used mark (Bartlett) tucked into the northern shore near Nedlands YC and of course the search was on for the mark for those leading the pack. Fortunately we had the SS27's going to the same mark, so it wasn't too bad.
Four boats were contesting today with Nerrima and Soraya out of action and of course we're waiting for Corella to pop up again.
The crew situation was good with Swiftsure Saga taking Judith McGee ( of Alma ) along for a ride and young Virginia who was to take up the duties of foredeck for the day. Big John is still off sick so he had his normal cockpit crew. Glen on Wynella had his sailing performance coach Rita on board and had secured the services of Brian Cross, who like everyone else on Saturday was bimbling around on his boat. These two, plus his normal crew meant that he was pretty dangerous, particularly with the light breezes. Aloha had Drew on the helm and Andrew and Sharon at least on board. Anna was missing Peter, but on a light day, four was all that was needed to get kites up and down.
The start was a cracker with Wynella deciding to tuck in just above us as we headed for the start boat, John Wright had no time for this and took him up into the start boat and forced him to tack off. First point to Anna, though the crew of Wynella were questioning of the tactic at drinks afterwards. "Well", said John with a smile chasing across his face, "I saw Andrew Bell do it last week to Swiftsure Saga, so I figured it was legitimate".
It was going to be a chase Bill day again in these light airs, and to make it particularly galling, he didn't hoist a kite all day and was still hard to beat. Glen on the other hand, was being pushed hard by his performance team and they were never more than a couple of hundred yards behind, Aloha suffered by not being able to hoist a kite and slipped backward over the day.
However on the second run down to Addison, Anna managed to poke their nose in front of Swiftsure Saga and having a starboard pole set, we were able to push Bill (on port) up to the point that his boom gybed and the unsuspecting Virginia took a graceful plunge into the river as the boom swept across the cabin top. Fortunately Bill was on the ball and had the boat around in a flash and Virginia was out of the water in quick time. However that let Wynella through and he wasn't going to let go of our tail. The run to Thelma and then up to the line was a case of follow me fortunately as there were no passing lanes on the way through. Though they drew closer, we still finished with over a minutes lead on Wynella and Bill was steaming along to take third, determined to catch up on lost time.
So line honours to Anna and a third on handicap, Aloha picked up second on handicap and I'm sure that a little adjustment on her handicap is due; Glen took third over the line and took the handicap win, ringing the bell on the way past the podium and Bill went to take a third over the line and fourth on handicap thanks to a healthy handicap.
Not too many photos today, lets face it, we were spread out a bit apart from the down winds when Swiftsure and Anna were competing with each other and I had my hands full of strings at that time.
A delightful breeze was pushing through on the water with a fair bit of West in it and the starters had a punt on the day giving all the fleets a course three for a change. This took us up to a very rarely used mark (Bartlett) tucked into the northern shore near Nedlands YC and of course the search was on for the mark for those leading the pack. Fortunately we had the SS27's going to the same mark, so it wasn't too bad.
Four boats were contesting today with Nerrima and Soraya out of action and of course we're waiting for Corella to pop up again.
The crew situation was good with Swiftsure Saga taking Judith McGee ( of Alma ) along for a ride and young Virginia who was to take up the duties of foredeck for the day. Big John is still off sick so he had his normal cockpit crew. Glen on Wynella had his sailing performance coach Rita on board and had secured the services of Brian Cross, who like everyone else on Saturday was bimbling around on his boat. These two, plus his normal crew meant that he was pretty dangerous, particularly with the light breezes. Aloha had Drew on the helm and Andrew and Sharon at least on board. Anna was missing Peter, but on a light day, four was all that was needed to get kites up and down.
The start was a cracker with Wynella deciding to tuck in just above us as we headed for the start boat, John Wright had no time for this and took him up into the start boat and forced him to tack off. First point to Anna, though the crew of Wynella were questioning of the tactic at drinks afterwards. "Well", said John with a smile chasing across his face, "I saw Andrew Bell do it last week to Swiftsure Saga, so I figured it was legitimate".
It was going to be a chase Bill day again in these light airs, and to make it particularly galling, he didn't hoist a kite all day and was still hard to beat. Glen on the other hand, was being pushed hard by his performance team and they were never more than a couple of hundred yards behind, Aloha suffered by not being able to hoist a kite and slipped backward over the day.
However on the second run down to Addison, Anna managed to poke their nose in front of Swiftsure Saga and having a starboard pole set, we were able to push Bill (on port) up to the point that his boom gybed and the unsuspecting Virginia took a graceful plunge into the river as the boom swept across the cabin top. Fortunately Bill was on the ball and had the boat around in a flash and Virginia was out of the water in quick time. However that let Wynella through and he wasn't going to let go of our tail. The run to Thelma and then up to the line was a case of follow me fortunately as there were no passing lanes on the way through. Though they drew closer, we still finished with over a minutes lead on Wynella and Bill was steaming along to take third, determined to catch up on lost time.
So line honours to Anna and a third on handicap, Aloha picked up second on handicap and I'm sure that a little adjustment on her handicap is due; Glen took third over the line and took the handicap win, ringing the bell on the way past the podium and Bill went to take a third over the line and fourth on handicap thanks to a healthy handicap.
Not too many photos today, lets face it, we were spread out a bit apart from the down winds when Swiftsure and Anna were competing with each other and I had my hands full of strings at that time.
Wednesday the 13th of January Not a good day.
I have to say that I was not on board with Mariner today. Brian had a big tender to put in and so I sat under the Casuarina tree on Herreshoff Hill to see what came up. John Wright was short of a man so I ended up hitching a ride with him.
A nasty swinging south easterly that made some blokes look like heroes and others look like fools. On a course two flag, Div one and two got away with the starboard tackers getting the lift they wanted and then flicking over to port tack for the reach up to Martin. So off we went and promptly lost the plot as the wind swung further into the north east and we fell below the start line as the port tackers roared off toward Martin. Crossing the box end of the line we also flicked over to port and the battle to get to Martin began as we started to overhaul the smaller boats; only to be pushed to the wrong side of the mark at Martin by someone who should know better. We were inside his transom, called him and he then bore up to push us the other side of the mark, forcing a 360 as we scrambled to get around the mark properly. If we had pushed the issue, we would have taken his tiller off. Go figure. All I can say that I was glad that the boat in question finished below Anna for the day.
So onto the race, with the fox ( Lockie ) in charge of Bills boat ( Swiftsure Saga). Don't do it again please Bill, it's too much of a temptation for the fellow. He just took the tiller and ran with it. Andrew couldn't catch him and he had a good crew on board and as for the rest of us we worked hard to pass each other. Andrew came back from a big loser, when he went out to Applecross after Armstrong and found himself behind us for a while. Steady work by him got him there, but we were hampered by a boat from RP who took us off to Addison when he went too far around the mark at Como, letting Andrew through as we were caught below the RP boat.
Finally we caught up with Wynella, who had been having a great day with Rita on board as a performance coach and managed to get through him on the way to Thelma. However his handicap made a meal of us and he picked up second over the line on handicap. Swiftsure Saga took first and fastest not surprisingly and Andy Bell with the First Jindarra second over the line and 3rd on handicap. Anna was happy to limp home 4th after the first of the SS22's snuck through in third, but 8th on handicap was what we got.
Lessons learnt. 1) Don't tempt fate on the start line, she'll throw mud in your face. 2) plastic boats are made of plastic... hold your ground.
Sorry no photos today.
A short note to say that I was contacted this afternoon by Chris Bowen Sant to tell me of his decision to sell Genevieve, the last of the known ketch rigged H28's in WA. Chris has been patiently restoring her over the last 2 or 3 years at his business in Busselton and she's just about ready to go back into the water again. Sure she'll need a good long soak to get her timber to take up again and you'll probably have to sleep on board the first night or two, but the reward will be there. She's of Victorian origin ( sorry ) but she's a prime example of a ketch rig H28 with a nicely finished teak (I think) deck. His contact number is 0405 107 447 for further details and a price.
I have to say that I was not on board with Mariner today. Brian had a big tender to put in and so I sat under the Casuarina tree on Herreshoff Hill to see what came up. John Wright was short of a man so I ended up hitching a ride with him.
A nasty swinging south easterly that made some blokes look like heroes and others look like fools. On a course two flag, Div one and two got away with the starboard tackers getting the lift they wanted and then flicking over to port tack for the reach up to Martin. So off we went and promptly lost the plot as the wind swung further into the north east and we fell below the start line as the port tackers roared off toward Martin. Crossing the box end of the line we also flicked over to port and the battle to get to Martin began as we started to overhaul the smaller boats; only to be pushed to the wrong side of the mark at Martin by someone who should know better. We were inside his transom, called him and he then bore up to push us the other side of the mark, forcing a 360 as we scrambled to get around the mark properly. If we had pushed the issue, we would have taken his tiller off. Go figure. All I can say that I was glad that the boat in question finished below Anna for the day.
So onto the race, with the fox ( Lockie ) in charge of Bills boat ( Swiftsure Saga). Don't do it again please Bill, it's too much of a temptation for the fellow. He just took the tiller and ran with it. Andrew couldn't catch him and he had a good crew on board and as for the rest of us we worked hard to pass each other. Andrew came back from a big loser, when he went out to Applecross after Armstrong and found himself behind us for a while. Steady work by him got him there, but we were hampered by a boat from RP who took us off to Addison when he went too far around the mark at Como, letting Andrew through as we were caught below the RP boat.
Finally we caught up with Wynella, who had been having a great day with Rita on board as a performance coach and managed to get through him on the way to Thelma. However his handicap made a meal of us and he picked up second over the line on handicap. Swiftsure Saga took first and fastest not surprisingly and Andy Bell with the First Jindarra second over the line and 3rd on handicap. Anna was happy to limp home 4th after the first of the SS22's snuck through in third, but 8th on handicap was what we got.
Lessons learnt. 1) Don't tempt fate on the start line, she'll throw mud in your face. 2) plastic boats are made of plastic... hold your ground.
Sorry no photos today.
A short note to say that I was contacted this afternoon by Chris Bowen Sant to tell me of his decision to sell Genevieve, the last of the known ketch rigged H28's in WA. Chris has been patiently restoring her over the last 2 or 3 years at his business in Busselton and she's just about ready to go back into the water again. Sure she'll need a good long soak to get her timber to take up again and you'll probably have to sleep on board the first night or two, but the reward will be there. She's of Victorian origin ( sorry ) but she's a prime example of a ketch rig H28 with a nicely finished teak (I think) deck. His contact number is 0405 107 447 for further details and a price.
Saturday the 9th of January Back on the water again with the 4th of the Championships
The day dawned as a stinker. A repeat of the last few days.....hot, sultry and thank goodness at least we had a breeze to play with.
We'd had a number of crew changes with Peter away in NZ and Craig out of action for family reasons. We managed to borrow Bill from Soraya as they had 7 on the boat and were willing to offer us some help.
Surprisingly, the starters in their wisdom gave the assembled fleets a light winds course and we in the H28's at least, were glad that we didn't have that monumental run up to Brickies. With the wind in the west and flicking into the north, we were able to make Deepwater in almost one dig. Sailing on John Wright's Anna we were lucky enough to be below Andrew Bell's The First Jindarra as he pushed Les Brooker and Nerrima up and over and then shot off up the river with Phil Lammonby on Soraya in hot pursuit. We must have been out of phase somewhere as we found ourselves dropping rapidly back down the fleet until Glen Stanley's Wynella and Nerrima were almost on our heels again. In fact the skipper was heard to remark that it would be a shame if they got past us.
However we got going and found ourselves sitting fourth out of field of seven with a chance to get ahead again. At least we could fly a kite where Swiftsure Saga was missing their foredeckie and their main man. But you cant beat a slippery boat and we chased Swiftsure all day.
Andrew had to overtake Bill, as he (Bill) managed to get in front on the first leg but once the lead was established, he didn't get much further away. We had Soraya in between us and Bill until Soraya hit the area around the top mark for (I think) the second time and then abruptly turned around and headed for home. This sort of retirement is unusual and further investigation indicated that his deck had parted company with the hull on the port side with a heavy ingress of river water ensuing. Once the boat was brought back to a level keel ( dropped sails ) the water stopped flowing in and they made their way back to the pen.
So Anna was third and once we had our dancing shoes on, we were overhauling Swiftsure Saga bit by bit. But we just couldn't get past them.
In the meanwhile the breeze was starting to build and more out of the west rather that the nor-west. The last time round we had 15 to 20 knots and while we were slightly over powered, the boat was balanced.The spinnaker runs had us up around 8 knots and not too many problems there either. While we had the time to relax on the up winds I fell to observing the clouds building above the fires in Armadale and was hoping for the classic pyrocumulonimbus ( fire cloud ) that had formed over the Yarloop fires. I got a pretty good anvil shape in formation, then we had to put up a kite.
On the last run we observed Eun Na Mara hitting Como in a rather ragged manner and having to stow their kite on the fly. And then looking toward the freeway, there were Checkpoint and the RPYC tinny, pulling an S80 off the rocks with a blown out kite. One or two other boats were observed being rescued at or about that time with at least one dismasting noted.
At the end of the day Andrew Bell and The First Jindarra took the first for the championships with Bill Richard's Swiftsure Saga second and John Wright's Anna third. On consistency Anna took first, with Bill RIchards Swiftsure Saga second and Andrew third.
The apple cart may be upset in consistency, but the second drop has to be played out... The Minto's Aloha has larger numbers to drop than Anna does.
By the way... Phil earned the T bone Trophy for coming home with a busted deck. Must have been a slow day on the river....I reckon Ralph's technical blooper with the late spinnaker drop looked far better.
Enjoy the images