On the water, in the Bar
The stories of the H28's
of South Perth Yacht club
in 2022
Spring Wednesday Sailing 30th of November
Georgina has grown up &
A dying nor wester with a course two.
Six boats today and it was going to be a choice of sails with the number two put up to begin. But a wise change of mind had the number one strapped on for sailing and frankly it was a good choice. Once again there were boats mucking about in the start sequences of other boats and I think that sooner or later they will be named and shamed.
The boys on Wynella have discovered a crack in the stem and some probing was done to ensure it wasn't going to be a problem. The fore stay strap on the bow was still in place and some poking around ensured that is ok. But light use of the backstay might be recommended.
On the start line and young Rupert decided to flip over to starboard and took out three boats. Well done. Consequently we were tail end Charlie once again. So drop low and pray for some speed. Still not enough and we were looking at continuing our position at the back..... all the way to Hallmark.
Closer, but only Wynella fell to our charms, so up to Armstrong and work the nor wester as best as we could. Trim, trim, trim. And around the mark and get the pole out, then a reach then a pole and then a two sail reach to Como with a gybe at the end. Enough already and the run to Como concluded with a dash down to the outer startline to get around the mark.
Then the procedure began again, but by this time David Locke had disappeared into the distance with Swiftsure Saga on his tail. Trying to get Eric back I think, as David had borrowed a crew from SSS as he was only two up. And it happened to be Eric the octopus. John Wright had his usual team on the boat and was sailing very well. And he had a number two on.. the skipper was cursing at the fact that he was still faster than us.
Oh well, this time we head off to Dolphin East and we are able to get through Georgina. No joke, he is getting better every week and he is putting together a crew that is beginning to click. But putting yourself on the port side of a boat when approaching the mark down wind can be a problem. The other boat has all the rights. The rounding was good enough and the run down to Thelma was a mixture of poles and reaching but the boats in front of us were well away and we were glad enough to have two behind us.
Over the line: Corella, Swiftsure Saga and Anna.
On handicap: Swiftsure Saga, Corella and Georgina.
Welcome back Lockie by the way. He's recovering from a nasty one and we weren't expecting to see him for a while. Just hope that he continues to improve.
Saturday Sailing was a big blow and while three boats went out, Aloha retired with just too much happening in the breeze for a boat with two up. Swiftsure Saga took the over the line win, but Wynella was close enough to take the win on handicap. (7 boats retired or DNS for the day)
Georgina has grown up &
A dying nor wester with a course two.
Six boats today and it was going to be a choice of sails with the number two put up to begin. But a wise change of mind had the number one strapped on for sailing and frankly it was a good choice. Once again there were boats mucking about in the start sequences of other boats and I think that sooner or later they will be named and shamed.
The boys on Wynella have discovered a crack in the stem and some probing was done to ensure it wasn't going to be a problem. The fore stay strap on the bow was still in place and some poking around ensured that is ok. But light use of the backstay might be recommended.
On the start line and young Rupert decided to flip over to starboard and took out three boats. Well done. Consequently we were tail end Charlie once again. So drop low and pray for some speed. Still not enough and we were looking at continuing our position at the back..... all the way to Hallmark.
Closer, but only Wynella fell to our charms, so up to Armstrong and work the nor wester as best as we could. Trim, trim, trim. And around the mark and get the pole out, then a reach then a pole and then a two sail reach to Como with a gybe at the end. Enough already and the run to Como concluded with a dash down to the outer startline to get around the mark.
Then the procedure began again, but by this time David Locke had disappeared into the distance with Swiftsure Saga on his tail. Trying to get Eric back I think, as David had borrowed a crew from SSS as he was only two up. And it happened to be Eric the octopus. John Wright had his usual team on the boat and was sailing very well. And he had a number two on.. the skipper was cursing at the fact that he was still faster than us.
Oh well, this time we head off to Dolphin East and we are able to get through Georgina. No joke, he is getting better every week and he is putting together a crew that is beginning to click. But putting yourself on the port side of a boat when approaching the mark down wind can be a problem. The other boat has all the rights. The rounding was good enough and the run down to Thelma was a mixture of poles and reaching but the boats in front of us were well away and we were glad enough to have two behind us.
Over the line: Corella, Swiftsure Saga and Anna.
On handicap: Swiftsure Saga, Corella and Georgina.
Welcome back Lockie by the way. He's recovering from a nasty one and we weren't expecting to see him for a while. Just hope that he continues to improve.
Saturday Sailing was a big blow and while three boats went out, Aloha retired with just too much happening in the breeze for a boat with two up. Swiftsure Saga took the over the line win, but Wynella was close enough to take the win on handicap. (7 boats retired or DNS for the day)
Spring Wednesday Sailing 16th of November
Gone and away. &
Do as you say.
Five boats on the river and 1/6th of the fleet. A booming sou wester and a choice of jibs went up and down the jetty with everyone talking about the selection of foresails for the day. It was generally agreed that a number two would be the better, but at the last minute the skip said hank the number one on. Well the sou wester started as a softy, but rapidly picked up and there was enough weight in the breeze to make us work hard. The number one simply had us going sideways. More later.
We had passed Steve Hill onto John Wright as he was one short and Rita had joined Bill on Swiftsure Saga. Everyone had at least four on the boat save for SSS and lets be honest, Rita counts for two people anyway. A fair start with three boats contesting for a start at the top of the line while we were lurking at the pin end about 20 meters up. Georgina took it a little easier and was relying on wearing us down. Fair enough.
By Sampson, we had been pushed into fourth place as John Wright and Anna was doing very well and along with Wynella and SSS. We were able to round the mark fairly well, but we watched in disbelief as Bill and his boat just climbed above us on the way up to Print. After 200 meters, we had to tack off as the rest of the fleet was smothering us. Then we were faced with the need to come back on port to try and make Print in one stab. Well we were doing ok, but we had to get in and under Wynella's transom to politely ask him to give us room at the mark. Which he did. Then a pole run to Addison and then the work up to Robins. A couple of close crosses with the Dive one boats and then the radio began to chatter as Cover Drive reported a busted rig. Apparently a chain plate had given way and the stick just dropped.
We were still going sideways and any chance of catching Swiftsure was gone and away with the heel on the boat a strong indication of the pressure on the sails. "Right" said the skipper, "we change the headsail on the down wind." Around Robins we went and a gybe flicked the sail over. Then down went the headsail with one of the sheets coming off easily, but the other wasn't a bowline. The other sheet was eventually pried open and an extemporary lesson in bowline tying was held on the foredeck in 20 knots. Just keep the boat going Ron, you're on the helm.
At last we were more suitably attired, but at a cost, with Rupert and Georgina slipping past us. So get them back. In front of us, well Bill with Rita and Eric were so far in front, catching them was now up to John Wright and Anna. We just couldn't keep up. So down to Addison and around, back up to Robins with the skipper murmuring about soldiers courses, but at the same time we managed to get past Georgina again. Happy with that. This time we were aimed at Como and it was a fair run down with the suggestions that we may get a shortened race as it was after 4 pm. Naa... working on the principle that you never know what the starters will do, it was a fair bet that they would send us around again as we had a good breeze.
Sure enough, around we went again and while no one complained, it was just a test of our ability to keep concentrating and letting Bill increase his lead. Which he did quite successfully. Down to Thelma and we heard the horn go off for Bill. We ran down the freeway getting a semi John Wright lift following Bruce Uren in his yellow SS22 and rising quite well above him. Then a tack for the line.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Anna and Mariner.
On handicap: Swiftsure Saga, Anna and Georgina.
On Saturday, only two boats took off on a spectacularly blowy day and Aloha did a fine job of keeping Wynella honest. Sure a one, two result but good to see them on the water. It was also a sailmakers day with a couple of boats with Tapestry (a Jeanneau 36) shredding a kite while others were seen to be struggling to keep their boats upright. All of this and the Goolugatup Festival on as well, all weekend.
Gone and away. &
Do as you say.
Five boats on the river and 1/6th of the fleet. A booming sou wester and a choice of jibs went up and down the jetty with everyone talking about the selection of foresails for the day. It was generally agreed that a number two would be the better, but at the last minute the skip said hank the number one on. Well the sou wester started as a softy, but rapidly picked up and there was enough weight in the breeze to make us work hard. The number one simply had us going sideways. More later.
We had passed Steve Hill onto John Wright as he was one short and Rita had joined Bill on Swiftsure Saga. Everyone had at least four on the boat save for SSS and lets be honest, Rita counts for two people anyway. A fair start with three boats contesting for a start at the top of the line while we were lurking at the pin end about 20 meters up. Georgina took it a little easier and was relying on wearing us down. Fair enough.
By Sampson, we had been pushed into fourth place as John Wright and Anna was doing very well and along with Wynella and SSS. We were able to round the mark fairly well, but we watched in disbelief as Bill and his boat just climbed above us on the way up to Print. After 200 meters, we had to tack off as the rest of the fleet was smothering us. Then we were faced with the need to come back on port to try and make Print in one stab. Well we were doing ok, but we had to get in and under Wynella's transom to politely ask him to give us room at the mark. Which he did. Then a pole run to Addison and then the work up to Robins. A couple of close crosses with the Dive one boats and then the radio began to chatter as Cover Drive reported a busted rig. Apparently a chain plate had given way and the stick just dropped.
We were still going sideways and any chance of catching Swiftsure was gone and away with the heel on the boat a strong indication of the pressure on the sails. "Right" said the skipper, "we change the headsail on the down wind." Around Robins we went and a gybe flicked the sail over. Then down went the headsail with one of the sheets coming off easily, but the other wasn't a bowline. The other sheet was eventually pried open and an extemporary lesson in bowline tying was held on the foredeck in 20 knots. Just keep the boat going Ron, you're on the helm.
At last we were more suitably attired, but at a cost, with Rupert and Georgina slipping past us. So get them back. In front of us, well Bill with Rita and Eric were so far in front, catching them was now up to John Wright and Anna. We just couldn't keep up. So down to Addison and around, back up to Robins with the skipper murmuring about soldiers courses, but at the same time we managed to get past Georgina again. Happy with that. This time we were aimed at Como and it was a fair run down with the suggestions that we may get a shortened race as it was after 4 pm. Naa... working on the principle that you never know what the starters will do, it was a fair bet that they would send us around again as we had a good breeze.
Sure enough, around we went again and while no one complained, it was just a test of our ability to keep concentrating and letting Bill increase his lead. Which he did quite successfully. Down to Thelma and we heard the horn go off for Bill. We ran down the freeway getting a semi John Wright lift following Bruce Uren in his yellow SS22 and rising quite well above him. Then a tack for the line.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Anna and Mariner.
On handicap: Swiftsure Saga, Anna and Georgina.
On Saturday, only two boats took off on a spectacularly blowy day and Aloha did a fine job of keeping Wynella honest. Sure a one, two result but good to see them on the water. It was also a sailmakers day with a couple of boats with Tapestry (a Jeanneau 36) shredding a kite while others were seen to be struggling to keep their boats upright. All of this and the Goolugatup Festival on as well, all weekend.
Spring Wednesday Sailing 9th of November
Steely returns for an interview &
The Octopus.
Lets get Steely out of the way to begin with. He is a nephew of Dave Locke and sailed with the fleet for a while back about 5 or 6 years ago. He had promise and Bill Richards took him out for a spin, even giving him the helm for a race at one stage. He had a moment of fame with the centreboard fleet when he was struck by lightning while stepping off his boat onto the shore line and was only saved by the fact that he was wearing sailing boots. (Rubber or neoprene).
He moved on and only when he rocked up for a photo interview on jetty 3 with video cameras/ reporters and cousin Chloe looking after the event. Apparently he's going to be a footballer... who would have known? And who he is to play for.. the Dockers or the Eagles? The last we saw of him was as he disappeared up the jetty ramp and who knows.. he might be a footy star one day.
On to the day and it was a pleasant day with 5 boats on the water and a fair sort of a west sou west breeze to keep the skippers honest. We were offered a course one and a bit of good driving had us over the line less that a second late and in front of the others by at least 2 seconds. Nice one. We were expecting a real battle with Anna as she has spent the last few days up on the hard getting a new paint job. But as usual, Bill Richards teamed up with Eric (the octopus) and Swiftsure Saga was hard to get away from. Bill still has John P and Andrew away and Eric is all over the boat running everything bar the helm. Well done the man with eight arms.
Straight to Sampson and head up to Print watching Wynella and Georgina tack off to try an approach from the other side, but we went as far as we though we could and then lifted our way to Print ready for a nice rounding that came up with a pole to Addison. Bill was sailing well, but Anna was right on his tail and it was the two of them competing for the right to be second. The next challenge was to pick which side of the river to be as there was a definite west /sou wester in the middle that changed the further you got into Heathcote. We elected to go in and then come out again for a starboard lay to Robins and surprisingly it didn't improve us by much, but Anna had picked a better line and got through Swiftsure Saga nicely.
Around Robins and a pole to Addison sometimes a little by the lee, but we were able to play the shifts to get down to the mark without a problem. Then around again and back up to Robins again. Once again into Heathcote and bounce out once more to repeat our trick again. The skipper was already complaining about the shifts in the breeze and half way up, we had Swiftsure below us on a port tack and we thought that we may get through them, but it would be close no matter what.
Then slam. The boat was hit with an abrupt breeze change and we stalled. Swiftsure Saga sailed past and the skipper had to accept that we were not going to get past him again. On to Robins and we had to make the best of it. Anna had settled into a competitive third place and the real battle was Wynella and Georgina as they worked hard to see who was to come fourth and fifth.
Once again down the breeze, this time to Como and while Swiftsure was sailing big angles with a poled out jib, we were gybing as necessary and it was fascinating to watch Bill head right over to the right hand side under a poled out jib then throw the main over and two - sail reach the remainder of the way to Como. Imaginative use of the sails when you are short handed. Around the mark at Como and then aim at the outer start line mark.
The sight of the start box fluttering a shortened course for the H28s was interesting, considering that they sent us around again on a similar breeze last week. So go for the finish line and hope that all will be well. Around the mark went Swiftsure Saga and the horn went.. Bill appeared a little surprised and it was only when he was given a cheery wave from our boat and congratulations for the win that he looked back at the start box and saw the flags.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Mariner and Anna
On handicap: Mariner, Wynella and Anna
Dave Locke wasn't sailing today with reports that he's not well. Get better David, we'd like to see you on the water again.
Rupert found himself doing some quick repair work on the boat prior to sailing as he had five on the boat and the seats were coming apart.
And on Saturday, well Bill could have won the race easily, but he couldn't find Sanders and sailed well past it. That let Rupert through in Georgina and the kite he flew was the only one seen on the H28 fleet that day. Well done that skipper and crew. Aloha got the win on handicap but Georgina was first over the line and that would have made him happy.
Steely returns for an interview &
The Octopus.
Lets get Steely out of the way to begin with. He is a nephew of Dave Locke and sailed with the fleet for a while back about 5 or 6 years ago. He had promise and Bill Richards took him out for a spin, even giving him the helm for a race at one stage. He had a moment of fame with the centreboard fleet when he was struck by lightning while stepping off his boat onto the shore line and was only saved by the fact that he was wearing sailing boots. (Rubber or neoprene).
He moved on and only when he rocked up for a photo interview on jetty 3 with video cameras/ reporters and cousin Chloe looking after the event. Apparently he's going to be a footballer... who would have known? And who he is to play for.. the Dockers or the Eagles? The last we saw of him was as he disappeared up the jetty ramp and who knows.. he might be a footy star one day.
On to the day and it was a pleasant day with 5 boats on the water and a fair sort of a west sou west breeze to keep the skippers honest. We were offered a course one and a bit of good driving had us over the line less that a second late and in front of the others by at least 2 seconds. Nice one. We were expecting a real battle with Anna as she has spent the last few days up on the hard getting a new paint job. But as usual, Bill Richards teamed up with Eric (the octopus) and Swiftsure Saga was hard to get away from. Bill still has John P and Andrew away and Eric is all over the boat running everything bar the helm. Well done the man with eight arms.
Straight to Sampson and head up to Print watching Wynella and Georgina tack off to try an approach from the other side, but we went as far as we though we could and then lifted our way to Print ready for a nice rounding that came up with a pole to Addison. Bill was sailing well, but Anna was right on his tail and it was the two of them competing for the right to be second. The next challenge was to pick which side of the river to be as there was a definite west /sou wester in the middle that changed the further you got into Heathcote. We elected to go in and then come out again for a starboard lay to Robins and surprisingly it didn't improve us by much, but Anna had picked a better line and got through Swiftsure Saga nicely.
Around Robins and a pole to Addison sometimes a little by the lee, but we were able to play the shifts to get down to the mark without a problem. Then around again and back up to Robins again. Once again into Heathcote and bounce out once more to repeat our trick again. The skipper was already complaining about the shifts in the breeze and half way up, we had Swiftsure below us on a port tack and we thought that we may get through them, but it would be close no matter what.
Then slam. The boat was hit with an abrupt breeze change and we stalled. Swiftsure Saga sailed past and the skipper had to accept that we were not going to get past him again. On to Robins and we had to make the best of it. Anna had settled into a competitive third place and the real battle was Wynella and Georgina as they worked hard to see who was to come fourth and fifth.
Once again down the breeze, this time to Como and while Swiftsure was sailing big angles with a poled out jib, we were gybing as necessary and it was fascinating to watch Bill head right over to the right hand side under a poled out jib then throw the main over and two - sail reach the remainder of the way to Como. Imaginative use of the sails when you are short handed. Around the mark at Como and then aim at the outer start line mark.
The sight of the start box fluttering a shortened course for the H28s was interesting, considering that they sent us around again on a similar breeze last week. So go for the finish line and hope that all will be well. Around the mark went Swiftsure Saga and the horn went.. Bill appeared a little surprised and it was only when he was given a cheery wave from our boat and congratulations for the win that he looked back at the start box and saw the flags.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Mariner and Anna
On handicap: Mariner, Wynella and Anna
Dave Locke wasn't sailing today with reports that he's not well. Get better David, we'd like to see you on the water again.
Rupert found himself doing some quick repair work on the boat prior to sailing as he had five on the boat and the seats were coming apart.
And on Saturday, well Bill could have won the race easily, but he couldn't find Sanders and sailed well past it. That let Rupert through in Georgina and the kite he flew was the only one seen on the H28 fleet that day. Well done that skipper and crew. Aloha got the win on handicap but Georgina was first over the line and that would have made him happy.
Spring Wednesday Sailing 2nd of November
Close one &
The Don Bourne Trophy.
To explain: The Don Bourne trophy is traditionally sailed for on Saturdays, but following the low numbers on Saturdays a decision was made to bring some of the trophy races over to Wednesday where there is more competition. More later.
A course one and a lightly building sou wester that got to about 17 in the max. Perfect. 6 boats were setting up in the pens but only 5 made it out with Anna having engine problems. So the starters sent us off to Martin - Weaver on that course one and the battle was on at the start. Lockie nailed it and we had to go slightly below him otherwise we would have been taken up by him on the way. But we were doing ok and the run down the pens was fast and furious with Yankee Steve running the main like a pro. Trimming is essential and to get to the mark, we had to hoist ourselves up by our bootstraps. Done and done! Around we went and kept our spot around Weaver as well.
The run down to Sampson followed with a slight problem, the Div 3 boats were running a pursuit race so they were effectively mixed into our race as well as they started off down wind. The fleet ended up with Bruce Uren taking us around Sampson and gassing the boats behind him. However it did keep Swiftsure Saga from giving us too much grief. We tacked off and then set up to run up toward Print, knowing that we wouldn't make it in one bite. The other problem is that we were on port and had to dip where necessary, but we made it around Print in third place.
Down to a newly topped Addison with a pole and then around and off to Robins with the thought that we might get to about half way before tacking up the middle and try to make something out of it. But we hadn't improved on Lockie and only a whisker separated Swiftsure Saga and ourselves on the cross on the way up the river. It was so close that if we had listened to the Yank we would have taken off SSS 's rudder. A slight movement of the rudder saved the day. "Darn it all, I told you we were good." Yeah, well, that was a close one. So onward and upward with the fleet separating into two packs with SSS and Corella battling for the lead and Mariner tagging along for the fun. Meanwhile Rupert and Ernie were battling it out not far behind.
Down the breeze on a slightly by the lee run with the pole working well. An easy pole stow and a slick rounding kept us on the go, but SSS with Steve the Kiwi replacing Big John who is back in Melbourne for a while were working well. But catching Corella with Rita running everything on the boat was going to be hard. Back up to Robins again, this time we dipped into the bay a little deeper and Yankee Steve had to work hard to lift the boat up to Robins. Nearly there and instead of tacking twice, we chose to shoot it and it worked. We had enough way to get us around and then aimed ourselves at Como. Its after 1600 hrs, we will probably get a shortened course but no the starters had other ideas. Around we went to the outer startline and headed off to Sampson again.
It's a short run to finish off the last lap, but as the skipper said.. its a soldiers course and all we can do is try to get our times down. But we also knew it was a handicap improver and it just wasn't going to be a win for us. The only moment of fun was when we ran up against the pest on the way across to Print before the reach to Como and Thelma and we just powered our way past him. A wonderful feeling as we left him behind us at Thelma and headed off to the line to take a third.
Over the line: Corella, Swiftsure Saga and Mariner.
On handicap: Georgina, Swiftsure Saga and Corella.
For the Don Bourne trophy. Georgina with Rupert Ledger taking the win.
Last Wednesday: 6 boats went out with Swiftsure Saga, Mariner and Georgina/ Wynella on handicap.
Last Saturday: 2 boats with Swiftsure Saga and Corella going out onto the water and finishing in that order.
A little bit of Goss. Tehana has been bought ( but by whom and where is it based no idea ) and there is a boat going back into the water from Royal Perth shortly.. who it is ? TBC
Spring Wednesday Sailing 19th of October
Six of the best &
Goat.
Lockie joined the racing today with Rita, daughter Zoe and friend. Just Mr Casual, go out and sail the boat. So with the mob from last week, we had 6 boats to race on a lovely day. A course one was handed out with a west sou wester and no matter what, it was going to be a battle for the first few marks till the field sorted itself out.
A fair start into the north from the starters had the fleet barrelling off to Sampson and Bill decided to take up the boat attempting to get over him to windward. The trouble is he's a very fast boat on a reach. So by the time Sampson was approaching, Bill and the accompanying boat had gone too far. However somehow, Bill got back to the mark and managed to convince John Wright and Anna that he was inside him on the mark and was waved through by John. Well done Bill you have the lead.
The other boat was now tail end Charlie. The other four boats poured around the mark dumping bad air on the last boat who then promptly tacked off for clear air. A tack or two later and we were still fighting to get past last. So the game was to go somewhere else which we did. But we still had to deal with the dash to Print and down to Addison. So as far up as we could go and then tack across to find the angle to get us to Print. On our next cross of the fleet we had four boats behind us and only Bill in front. One hell of a change of luck and perhaps the west sou westerly had something to do for it, as we lifted really well with a fair bit of speed to help. But you could have thrown a big blanket over the fleet at this stage.
The run to Addison was simple, follow Bill and then bend around the mark on the way to Robins. The question was to stay out in the westerly influence or dive into the bay hoping for a southerly lift. We took the median course and barrelled up the wind to a starboard lay. There just wasn't terribly very much breeze to play with. No whitecaps except for the puffs as they came through. All we could do was play the breeze as best as possible. The remainder of the fleet was still lead by John Wright with Lockie and Rupert trading challenges down the breeze and in fact at the bottom of the down wind run at Addison again, Rupert was on John Wrights tail.
The next run up to Robins had us work the middle again and Corella helmed by Dave Locke had managed to get ahead of the pack and Bill had slipped back behind us as well. An interesting time was to be had as running down the breeze for the turn at Como was going to give us a chance for a second, but Bill wasn't to be put aside, challenging all the time. So long as we had the inside overlap we were ok. Georgina was holding his own and possibly reading the breezes a bit more clearly down the wind might have helped him and even to improve his spot.
Wynella had kept up her spot in the race and wasn't far from the rest of the fleet but despite a few days up on the hard to refresh her, she sorely needs newer sails to make her shine again. But on the right day she is still a tough one to get past.
Onto the rest of the race and staying in front of Swiftsure Saga at Como was the trick and Bills only hope was a " block of flats" aka a 36 ft Foundo that was due to run over us. Didn't cause us too much of a problem and Mariner made it over the line in second place with Corella some 35 seconds ahead of us.
Yes it was a shortened race and rightfully so as it had passed 1600 hrs and the breeze was dropping a little.
Over the line: Corella, Mariner and Swiftsure Saga
On handicap: Georgina, Mariner and Wynella
Six of the best &
Goat.
Lockie joined the racing today with Rita, daughter Zoe and friend. Just Mr Casual, go out and sail the boat. So with the mob from last week, we had 6 boats to race on a lovely day. A course one was handed out with a west sou wester and no matter what, it was going to be a battle for the first few marks till the field sorted itself out.
A fair start into the north from the starters had the fleet barrelling off to Sampson and Bill decided to take up the boat attempting to get over him to windward. The trouble is he's a very fast boat on a reach. So by the time Sampson was approaching, Bill and the accompanying boat had gone too far. However somehow, Bill got back to the mark and managed to convince John Wright and Anna that he was inside him on the mark and was waved through by John. Well done Bill you have the lead.
The other boat was now tail end Charlie. The other four boats poured around the mark dumping bad air on the last boat who then promptly tacked off for clear air. A tack or two later and we were still fighting to get past last. So the game was to go somewhere else which we did. But we still had to deal with the dash to Print and down to Addison. So as far up as we could go and then tack across to find the angle to get us to Print. On our next cross of the fleet we had four boats behind us and only Bill in front. One hell of a change of luck and perhaps the west sou westerly had something to do for it, as we lifted really well with a fair bit of speed to help. But you could have thrown a big blanket over the fleet at this stage.
The run to Addison was simple, follow Bill and then bend around the mark on the way to Robins. The question was to stay out in the westerly influence or dive into the bay hoping for a southerly lift. We took the median course and barrelled up the wind to a starboard lay. There just wasn't terribly very much breeze to play with. No whitecaps except for the puffs as they came through. All we could do was play the breeze as best as possible. The remainder of the fleet was still lead by John Wright with Lockie and Rupert trading challenges down the breeze and in fact at the bottom of the down wind run at Addison again, Rupert was on John Wrights tail.
The next run up to Robins had us work the middle again and Corella helmed by Dave Locke had managed to get ahead of the pack and Bill had slipped back behind us as well. An interesting time was to be had as running down the breeze for the turn at Como was going to give us a chance for a second, but Bill wasn't to be put aside, challenging all the time. So long as we had the inside overlap we were ok. Georgina was holding his own and possibly reading the breezes a bit more clearly down the wind might have helped him and even to improve his spot.
Wynella had kept up her spot in the race and wasn't far from the rest of the fleet but despite a few days up on the hard to refresh her, she sorely needs newer sails to make her shine again. But on the right day she is still a tough one to get past.
Onto the rest of the race and staying in front of Swiftsure Saga at Como was the trick and Bills only hope was a " block of flats" aka a 36 ft Foundo that was due to run over us. Didn't cause us too much of a problem and Mariner made it over the line in second place with Corella some 35 seconds ahead of us.
Yes it was a shortened race and rightfully so as it had passed 1600 hrs and the breeze was dropping a little.
Over the line: Corella, Mariner and Swiftsure Saga
On handicap: Georgina, Mariner and Wynella
Spring Wednesday Sailing 12th of October
Give the kid a decent sail &
A rotten bit of luck.
A hooting day with the breeze turning up in spades. There was a hint of a southerly in the air and the starters threw up a course three and the life jackets request with a Martin- Weaver start. The whole enchilada.
No complaints and with five boats on the water there was going to be a real race on. Rupert and Georgina were out today as were John Wright with Anna. The other three suspects were Wynella, Swiftsure Saga and Mariner. No quarter asked or given today.
The start called for a run up along the pens with the boats dipping and swaying as the boats responded to the breeze punching down the alleys between the pens. Good trimming was essential and getting there first was the order of the day. Well done to Anna who nailed the start with ease and ran down to Martin with clear air. Next along the line was Swiftsure Saga and Bill was going well with Georgina sailing low and Mariner hugging the pens beside her. Wynella had decided to follow and watch the battle in front.
Georgina rounded Martin - Weaver in a well earned third place and as we eased sails to head off to Sampson our task was to get past him. Anna kept their lead all the way around to Sampson and with Swiftsure hard on their tail, we all shot up the breeze to get to a lay for King. A crash tack for us when a div 2 boat in trouble popped up, none of us saw him and it was just enough for us to tack over rather than hit him. But we were on a good line to King, so we carried on to the mark. Anna and Swiftsure were in battle and Bill had managed to get past John and take the lead.
On the way up to Robins for the first time we were joined by the Royal Perth fleet and while we were in the clear, Anna fell foul of some Royal Perth boats and was put about not once, but twice. Instantly Mariner had second place and John was licking his wounds readying for the rest of the race. We had gone into Heathcote as far as we could and then ran right up the breeze to Robins with a recent returnee Phil Lammonby working the traveller to keep us above the mark. A good job and with Steve Hill on the rail, we were able keep the boat pointing well with speed to boot.
Around and down to Print with a pole, then across to Foam and back up to Robins again. All done in a breeze that was unrelenting in its strength. Swiftsure was carrying a number one as we were and it was a fair deal, we just couldn't catch them. We did fine on the down wind but up the breeze she just ran away.
A few moments of indecision on how to best to get a sail across cost us yards and John Wright loomed behind us, as did Rupert. My word, no room for mistakes and all that we had gained on Bill was lost and gone again.
Turn right at Como and then aim for the outer start line. Making it wasn't a problem as it has been and we cornered safely with a slamming gybe and then aimed at Sampson again. Just speed was the call and we saw 7knots pop up on the GPS a few times. But we were also dealing with not un considerable swell that was running down the river as well and the roll of the boats was disconcerting. On the way to King we had the same swell and several waves broke over the boat, drenching all of us. Only Steve on the bow in a waterproof jacket was still smiling, the rest of us were doused in river water.
Then to the still missing Addison and Bill in front of us couldn't find it either. With the boat rolling in the swell we searched for the little blip of yellow in the rough chop down at the bottom of the river. Found it and then so did Swiftsure Saga. Around we went and headed for the line keeping Como to starboard. Just had to keep up as the knocks going to the line are memorable. So on a breeze of 19 to 25 knots it was a case of keep the height so that we could deal with the knocks. Everyone had the same problem, so it was aim for the line and hope.
Over the line. Swiftsure Saga, Mariner, Anna.
On handicap. Georgina, Swiftsure Saga, Mariner.
Well done Rupert, we drank the port and Ernie picked up the flag on your behalf. That new second hand sail worked well for you today. Bad luck indeed to John with that RP fleet. There was a comment that possibly the best course might have been a course one, but I enjoyed the day so what was the problem?
Opening Day and Mariner took the cake, managing to repass Swiftsure Saga who had sailed very well to get past us in the first instance, we simply played the right course later on.
Last Saturday and Aloha took the win on handicap from Wynella and Swiftsure Saga. Swiftsure Saga was first over the line.
Give the kid a decent sail &
A rotten bit of luck.
A hooting day with the breeze turning up in spades. There was a hint of a southerly in the air and the starters threw up a course three and the life jackets request with a Martin- Weaver start. The whole enchilada.
No complaints and with five boats on the water there was going to be a real race on. Rupert and Georgina were out today as were John Wright with Anna. The other three suspects were Wynella, Swiftsure Saga and Mariner. No quarter asked or given today.
The start called for a run up along the pens with the boats dipping and swaying as the boats responded to the breeze punching down the alleys between the pens. Good trimming was essential and getting there first was the order of the day. Well done to Anna who nailed the start with ease and ran down to Martin with clear air. Next along the line was Swiftsure Saga and Bill was going well with Georgina sailing low and Mariner hugging the pens beside her. Wynella had decided to follow and watch the battle in front.
Georgina rounded Martin - Weaver in a well earned third place and as we eased sails to head off to Sampson our task was to get past him. Anna kept their lead all the way around to Sampson and with Swiftsure hard on their tail, we all shot up the breeze to get to a lay for King. A crash tack for us when a div 2 boat in trouble popped up, none of us saw him and it was just enough for us to tack over rather than hit him. But we were on a good line to King, so we carried on to the mark. Anna and Swiftsure were in battle and Bill had managed to get past John and take the lead.
On the way up to Robins for the first time we were joined by the Royal Perth fleet and while we were in the clear, Anna fell foul of some Royal Perth boats and was put about not once, but twice. Instantly Mariner had second place and John was licking his wounds readying for the rest of the race. We had gone into Heathcote as far as we could and then ran right up the breeze to Robins with a recent returnee Phil Lammonby working the traveller to keep us above the mark. A good job and with Steve Hill on the rail, we were able keep the boat pointing well with speed to boot.
Around and down to Print with a pole, then across to Foam and back up to Robins again. All done in a breeze that was unrelenting in its strength. Swiftsure was carrying a number one as we were and it was a fair deal, we just couldn't catch them. We did fine on the down wind but up the breeze she just ran away.
A few moments of indecision on how to best to get a sail across cost us yards and John Wright loomed behind us, as did Rupert. My word, no room for mistakes and all that we had gained on Bill was lost and gone again.
Turn right at Como and then aim for the outer start line. Making it wasn't a problem as it has been and we cornered safely with a slamming gybe and then aimed at Sampson again. Just speed was the call and we saw 7knots pop up on the GPS a few times. But we were also dealing with not un considerable swell that was running down the river as well and the roll of the boats was disconcerting. On the way to King we had the same swell and several waves broke over the boat, drenching all of us. Only Steve on the bow in a waterproof jacket was still smiling, the rest of us were doused in river water.
Then to the still missing Addison and Bill in front of us couldn't find it either. With the boat rolling in the swell we searched for the little blip of yellow in the rough chop down at the bottom of the river. Found it and then so did Swiftsure Saga. Around we went and headed for the line keeping Como to starboard. Just had to keep up as the knocks going to the line are memorable. So on a breeze of 19 to 25 knots it was a case of keep the height so that we could deal with the knocks. Everyone had the same problem, so it was aim for the line and hope.
Over the line. Swiftsure Saga, Mariner, Anna.
On handicap. Georgina, Swiftsure Saga, Mariner.
Well done Rupert, we drank the port and Ernie picked up the flag on your behalf. That new second hand sail worked well for you today. Bad luck indeed to John with that RP fleet. There was a comment that possibly the best course might have been a course one, but I enjoyed the day so what was the problem?
Opening Day and Mariner took the cake, managing to repass Swiftsure Saga who had sailed very well to get past us in the first instance, we simply played the right course later on.
Last Saturday and Aloha took the win on handicap from Wynella and Swiftsure Saga. Swiftsure Saga was first over the line.
Winter Wednesday Sailing 28th of September
No Quarter spared &
Sharing first place.
The entire fleet of 32 boats were a little anxious today. Being out front was going to be a win and with a Martin -Weaver start, we watched the first two divisions hit the start line and in both occasions there were boats over the line. A good start was necessary but the lesson was there in front of us. Don't break the line.
The next battle was the run to Martin and with the traveller down for speed and then up on the approach to the mark we got around comfortably and on an incoming tide had no problems making the next mark. A pole wasn't required and we slipped along with Anna on our tail and Swiftsure Saga seconds behind. And that was going to be the format with momentary changes in the lead for the rest of the day.
A course one on a light sou wester but for once we were running down the centre of the river, not dipping into the bay. But first of all the game was to do the shunt between Sampson, Print and a missing Addison. Yes missing, some clown had run over the top of the mark and it was a tough one to find. But despite our boat not keeping her height very well, we managed to keep Anna and Swiftsure Saga at bay and get around Print in front. Then to Addison and the skipper was on the mark. Around we went with Steve Hill grinding away furiously to bring the headsail in. We were on our way to Robins and a run over to Heathcote then the vital tack to head up the breeze. Surprisingly we had fair speed and height and the battle behind us was between SSS and Anna as they aimed to take second. SSS was firmly on our tail waiting for a mistake and Anna has gone out to the north a little to see if she could make a difference.
Around we went and then down to Addison once more. A good chance for those behind to catch up, but surprisingly we held them off on the way. By this time, Swiftsure Saga had managed to get away and on the next series of works up to Robins she managed to get inside us and span around the top mark briefly in the lead. So, a pole run down to Como and we managed to get past her on the way down with some deft trimming and lucky wind shifts. Yes we were by the lee for a while, but a shift into the south gave us the chance to take the boat all the way to Como and then the battle commenced again.
Anna had caught up while we and Swiftsure fought for the lead and a blanket would have covered the three of us with all three line abreast for a moment. Then Bill decided that he could take us up beyond Heathcote Spit and shouts for room on the mark ensued. A small gap appeared but it wasn't enough to let Anna through as well. She was choking on our gas anyway and Anna dipped down to create a gap and eventually tacked across to get more height for the run to the outer start line. As did we all, as the Canning breeze had us knocking down.
To the line again and a series of tacks had all of us wondering who would win this one. The starters had thrown up a shortened course thankfully and John Wright and Anna had recovered his poise and was attacking furiously with Bill and SSS making fair ground. But it was too late, we squeezed past both of them and flipped over to get to the line. No fear about that, it was a terrific battle to the finish line. But who got it on handicap?
Over the line: Mariner, Anna and Swiftsure Saga
On handicap: Anna and Mariner equal first. Swiftsure Saga third.
Les Brooker was seen pottering around on the water, giving Nerrima a bit of a run and giving her a soak as well. Nerrima is certainly looking much better now and we look forward to seeing her out on Wednesdays.
A whinge about the late start today. Apparently Swan River Sailing allowed another club to take the river for a regatta ( on a sailing Wednesday ) But there was no sign of the regatta on the water and while SoPYC was held back, Royal Perth were allowed to sail their regular race times. Go figure what that meant to us. A late start to say the least.
This was also the last of the winter series and Swiftsure Saga took the series win, with Mariner second and Wynella third.
No Quarter spared &
Sharing first place.
The entire fleet of 32 boats were a little anxious today. Being out front was going to be a win and with a Martin -Weaver start, we watched the first two divisions hit the start line and in both occasions there were boats over the line. A good start was necessary but the lesson was there in front of us. Don't break the line.
The next battle was the run to Martin and with the traveller down for speed and then up on the approach to the mark we got around comfortably and on an incoming tide had no problems making the next mark. A pole wasn't required and we slipped along with Anna on our tail and Swiftsure Saga seconds behind. And that was going to be the format with momentary changes in the lead for the rest of the day.
A course one on a light sou wester but for once we were running down the centre of the river, not dipping into the bay. But first of all the game was to do the shunt between Sampson, Print and a missing Addison. Yes missing, some clown had run over the top of the mark and it was a tough one to find. But despite our boat not keeping her height very well, we managed to keep Anna and Swiftsure Saga at bay and get around Print in front. Then to Addison and the skipper was on the mark. Around we went with Steve Hill grinding away furiously to bring the headsail in. We were on our way to Robins and a run over to Heathcote then the vital tack to head up the breeze. Surprisingly we had fair speed and height and the battle behind us was between SSS and Anna as they aimed to take second. SSS was firmly on our tail waiting for a mistake and Anna has gone out to the north a little to see if she could make a difference.
Around we went and then down to Addison once more. A good chance for those behind to catch up, but surprisingly we held them off on the way. By this time, Swiftsure Saga had managed to get away and on the next series of works up to Robins she managed to get inside us and span around the top mark briefly in the lead. So, a pole run down to Como and we managed to get past her on the way down with some deft trimming and lucky wind shifts. Yes we were by the lee for a while, but a shift into the south gave us the chance to take the boat all the way to Como and then the battle commenced again.
Anna had caught up while we and Swiftsure fought for the lead and a blanket would have covered the three of us with all three line abreast for a moment. Then Bill decided that he could take us up beyond Heathcote Spit and shouts for room on the mark ensued. A small gap appeared but it wasn't enough to let Anna through as well. She was choking on our gas anyway and Anna dipped down to create a gap and eventually tacked across to get more height for the run to the outer start line. As did we all, as the Canning breeze had us knocking down.
To the line again and a series of tacks had all of us wondering who would win this one. The starters had thrown up a shortened course thankfully and John Wright and Anna had recovered his poise and was attacking furiously with Bill and SSS making fair ground. But it was too late, we squeezed past both of them and flipped over to get to the line. No fear about that, it was a terrific battle to the finish line. But who got it on handicap?
Over the line: Mariner, Anna and Swiftsure Saga
On handicap: Anna and Mariner equal first. Swiftsure Saga third.
Les Brooker was seen pottering around on the water, giving Nerrima a bit of a run and giving her a soak as well. Nerrima is certainly looking much better now and we look forward to seeing her out on Wednesdays.
A whinge about the late start today. Apparently Swan River Sailing allowed another club to take the river for a regatta ( on a sailing Wednesday ) But there was no sign of the regatta on the water and while SoPYC was held back, Royal Perth were allowed to sail their regular race times. Go figure what that meant to us. A late start to say the least.
This was also the last of the winter series and Swiftsure Saga took the series win, with Mariner second and Wynella third.
Winter Wednesday Sailing 21st of September
25 % of the fleet started &
The pest returns.
Lets get this out of the way right from the start. There is a certain boat from Div 2 that is as slow as a wet week. In fact so slow that we regularly catch up with them. Why but why do they then try to take you up when you are the lead boat of a flock of four and fighting to retain that lead. Let us through and get on with your race please. Acknowledging a mistake doesn't take away the aggressiveness of the action either as it frankly leaves a sour taste in the mouth. The name Pest will remain so.
Four boats started and as the starter commented, only 25 % of the fleet got it right. Two returned and one forged ahead battling with Mariner, slowly falling away as the run to Sampson furthered. Surprisingly the other two, Swiftsure Saga and Anna caught up on a roaring run down to Sampson and were sniffing at Wynella's heels before long. It was a course 2 with a base of 14 knots rising to 20 in the gusts and the long run up to Hallmark was going to separate the fleet as we forged up the centre and SSS and Anna went out for better pressure.
Coaxing the skipper not to take any tacks we forged our way up to a lay and then took that extra few meters so that we could ease the sheets and scream down the breeze to Hallmark. But fair sailing to Anna and SSS as they had done well out in the middle and came in with good pace. But Mariner held the lead all the way to Armstrong and then flipped around the mark with a pole going up smartly. And Anna was second to the mark, good sailing to John and his crew of hardy individuals.
But the down wind run was going to be the "chase" and calling the gusts as they came through would help the boat maintain its lead. Always from the nor-west though and it made it very interesting if you went low. And that's how Swiftsure Saga got through Anna on the way down. In fact the two of them had a running challenge all the way down. Talking to Wynella's crew later they had made a couple of howlers earlier on and were just not in the race for the afternoon.
So down with the pole and around the mark at Como for the dash on a tight reach to the outer startline where we saw the pest in front of us. We gave him room at Como and tried to keep as far away as possible, but a chance opened up at the outer startline and the skipper called for a Jenny Craig (go in fat come out skinny) and pointed the boat up high to get over him. We were there and then he took his boat up to prevent us. Damn you sir! The other two behind us must have roared with laughter as they caught up with us.
So the race became that more interesting and from Sampson to Dolphin East we were neck to neck with Swiftsure and only by meters did we make the mark (on the outside) and slipped around with a pole at the ready. The breeze was dropping a little now and our number two was holding us back, but we had no choice but to sail with it. Still side by side Swiftsure Saga and Mariner ran down the breeze to Print, with a mighty battle at Como for priority. We were inside of Swiftsure Saga, flipped our sail over to put us on starboard and luffed Bill up, and up and up and up till eventually we had him and then reversed the main and shot across to the mark in the lead.
A tight rounding followed, in fact so tight our boom picked up SSS's sheet from their pole and we were effectively in control of them. Predictably Bill ran into us and we were able to unsling the sheet and got back into the lead with very little time to spare. It was a dash to Thelma and then point the boat at the finish line. First over the line, hooray. A little dent in the side of the hull with the skipper claiming that he had plenty of toe rail spare.
Over the line: Mariner, Swiftsure Saga and Anna.
On handicap; Mariner, Anna and Swiftsure Saga with Wynella OCS
Adissa the Albany H28 has been sold and apparently the owner will be in contact with us in the next week or so. Wait for it.
25 % of the fleet started &
The pest returns.
Lets get this out of the way right from the start. There is a certain boat from Div 2 that is as slow as a wet week. In fact so slow that we regularly catch up with them. Why but why do they then try to take you up when you are the lead boat of a flock of four and fighting to retain that lead. Let us through and get on with your race please. Acknowledging a mistake doesn't take away the aggressiveness of the action either as it frankly leaves a sour taste in the mouth. The name Pest will remain so.
Four boats started and as the starter commented, only 25 % of the fleet got it right. Two returned and one forged ahead battling with Mariner, slowly falling away as the run to Sampson furthered. Surprisingly the other two, Swiftsure Saga and Anna caught up on a roaring run down to Sampson and were sniffing at Wynella's heels before long. It was a course 2 with a base of 14 knots rising to 20 in the gusts and the long run up to Hallmark was going to separate the fleet as we forged up the centre and SSS and Anna went out for better pressure.
Coaxing the skipper not to take any tacks we forged our way up to a lay and then took that extra few meters so that we could ease the sheets and scream down the breeze to Hallmark. But fair sailing to Anna and SSS as they had done well out in the middle and came in with good pace. But Mariner held the lead all the way to Armstrong and then flipped around the mark with a pole going up smartly. And Anna was second to the mark, good sailing to John and his crew of hardy individuals.
But the down wind run was going to be the "chase" and calling the gusts as they came through would help the boat maintain its lead. Always from the nor-west though and it made it very interesting if you went low. And that's how Swiftsure Saga got through Anna on the way down. In fact the two of them had a running challenge all the way down. Talking to Wynella's crew later they had made a couple of howlers earlier on and were just not in the race for the afternoon.
So down with the pole and around the mark at Como for the dash on a tight reach to the outer startline where we saw the pest in front of us. We gave him room at Como and tried to keep as far away as possible, but a chance opened up at the outer startline and the skipper called for a Jenny Craig (go in fat come out skinny) and pointed the boat up high to get over him. We were there and then he took his boat up to prevent us. Damn you sir! The other two behind us must have roared with laughter as they caught up with us.
So the race became that more interesting and from Sampson to Dolphin East we were neck to neck with Swiftsure and only by meters did we make the mark (on the outside) and slipped around with a pole at the ready. The breeze was dropping a little now and our number two was holding us back, but we had no choice but to sail with it. Still side by side Swiftsure Saga and Mariner ran down the breeze to Print, with a mighty battle at Como for priority. We were inside of Swiftsure Saga, flipped our sail over to put us on starboard and luffed Bill up, and up and up and up till eventually we had him and then reversed the main and shot across to the mark in the lead.
A tight rounding followed, in fact so tight our boom picked up SSS's sheet from their pole and we were effectively in control of them. Predictably Bill ran into us and we were able to unsling the sheet and got back into the lead with very little time to spare. It was a dash to Thelma and then point the boat at the finish line. First over the line, hooray. A little dent in the side of the hull with the skipper claiming that he had plenty of toe rail spare.
Over the line: Mariner, Swiftsure Saga and Anna.
On handicap; Mariner, Anna and Swiftsure Saga with Wynella OCS
Adissa the Albany H28 has been sold and apparently the owner will be in contact with us in the next week or so. Wait for it.
Winter Wednesday Sailing 14th of September
For whom the hatch tolls &
A slow recovery.
The spicy cough managed to catch up with your humble scribe and he had the flu as well. Not a good two weeks. Poor old Glen, having stepped down from his position as chair of the H28s's (and well-done Glen) is still recovering from the Covid experience with a follow up flu as well and Ernie has had a field day with the crew.
The day was nothing more than a monster. SSW- base 20 with gusts up to 31knots. Course one with a dash up to Martin-Weaver to start with and three boats on the course. A bit of luck had us manage to get past Ernie and Wynella on the way around Martin-Weaver and the boats settled into a chase that then became quite interesting once we made it to Sampson.
The full force of the sou wester was only apparent once we had got out of the shadow of Heathcote and the chop of the wind driven waves was huge. Rounding Sampson, it then became a right sod of an afternoon. As you are aware the H28 has a fair beam on it and doesn't slice through the waves. The H28 rides over them. We looked like porpoises bouncing around on the slop and the pounding on the boat intensified with the hull slamming repeatedly into the waves.
Then the forward hatch started to talk repeatedly. The slam, slam, slam of the hatch had the skipper in two minds and I piped up with the story of the bell that used to sit in the cabin and when it began to ring of its own accord, then Gerry would re-consider sailing that afternoon. The question was asked of the crew; "Are we having fun yet?" and the boat was turned around and pointed at the pens. "Enough" said the skipper, "a good day to break something."
The other two continued and Swiftsure Saga was well in the lead except for one small problem. They went to Como rather than Addison on the first leg down wind and left themselves way behind. Thanks very much said Wynella as they rounded Addison well in front and they kept the lead for the rest of the day.
Over the line and on handicap. Wynella and Swiftsure Saga
A couple of photos of Rupert's work on the hull of Georgina. He did a fine job of the splining and the bilge pump hasn't had to powered up very often. But somehow he got hold of Brian's old boat cover and the sight of the two Mariners is enough to make everyone stop and think.
And talk about a workplace hazard... they took up the sheeting covering the finger jetty next to Bills Swiftsure Saga. So we have a hole to fall into if you're not careful and of course the loose sheeting slides around like glass on the still secured sheeting.
For whom the hatch tolls &
A slow recovery.
The spicy cough managed to catch up with your humble scribe and he had the flu as well. Not a good two weeks. Poor old Glen, having stepped down from his position as chair of the H28s's (and well-done Glen) is still recovering from the Covid experience with a follow up flu as well and Ernie has had a field day with the crew.
The day was nothing more than a monster. SSW- base 20 with gusts up to 31knots. Course one with a dash up to Martin-Weaver to start with and three boats on the course. A bit of luck had us manage to get past Ernie and Wynella on the way around Martin-Weaver and the boats settled into a chase that then became quite interesting once we made it to Sampson.
The full force of the sou wester was only apparent once we had got out of the shadow of Heathcote and the chop of the wind driven waves was huge. Rounding Sampson, it then became a right sod of an afternoon. As you are aware the H28 has a fair beam on it and doesn't slice through the waves. The H28 rides over them. We looked like porpoises bouncing around on the slop and the pounding on the boat intensified with the hull slamming repeatedly into the waves.
Then the forward hatch started to talk repeatedly. The slam, slam, slam of the hatch had the skipper in two minds and I piped up with the story of the bell that used to sit in the cabin and when it began to ring of its own accord, then Gerry would re-consider sailing that afternoon. The question was asked of the crew; "Are we having fun yet?" and the boat was turned around and pointed at the pens. "Enough" said the skipper, "a good day to break something."
The other two continued and Swiftsure Saga was well in the lead except for one small problem. They went to Como rather than Addison on the first leg down wind and left themselves way behind. Thanks very much said Wynella as they rounded Addison well in front and they kept the lead for the rest of the day.
Over the line and on handicap. Wynella and Swiftsure Saga
A couple of photos of Rupert's work on the hull of Georgina. He did a fine job of the splining and the bilge pump hasn't had to powered up very often. But somehow he got hold of Brian's old boat cover and the sight of the two Mariners is enough to make everyone stop and think.
And talk about a workplace hazard... they took up the sheeting covering the finger jetty next to Bills Swiftsure Saga. So we have a hole to fall into if you're not careful and of course the loose sheeting slides around like glass on the still secured sheeting.
Winter Wednesday Sailing 24th of August 2022.
Covid wipes out a crew &
A dirty, cold river.
Wynella had the good fortune to go out on Sunday with Ernie at the helm only to find out later on that the poor sod had picked up the dreaded bug. Sure enough Glen and Russell caught the virus and when Andy rocked up to go for a sail today, no one had told him that he could be a case as well. He promptly went home.
Of course the boys on the First Jindarra are still working on the engine, Les Brooker is working on Nerrima and Rupert has the boat up on the slips where he is stripping back the hull in preparation to splining and eventually glassing the hull. Its a good move as it will give him a solid hull to work with. Any helpers on Sunday for the glassing would be appreciated.
So three boats and a course one to sail with and a really lazy nor easter that turned the race into one long reach. A lazy nor easter? Yep, one of those breezes that is too lazy to go around you... it just cuts straight through and chills you to the bone. And the river, full of silt coming down from the uplands with the runoff from the rain. Apparently on a sunny day, you can see the flow moving through the centre of the river and the clear water on the sides.
We won the start and despite David having given the hull a quick clean before racing, it was clear that we were the slow boat on the day. Both Swiftsure Saga and Anna slipped past us and there were no passing lanes in the long reaches we had for the day. So out to Sampson up and down to Print and Addison then off to Robins as the Royal Perth fleet sailed around us. We repeated that and then made Como and the outer start line to whip around the small triangle and make our way home. Many thanks to David Locke for helming today and his prediction was right. " We're going to be third today."
Over the line and on handicap. Swiftsure Saga, Anna and Mariner.
Last Sunday was the final frostbite and predictably Swiftsure Saga took the win for the last race and the series. But they did it in style with the spinnaker flown high round the course. Ernie and Wynella sailed well to take a second and the blue boat Hellas made third. However in the series, Hellas came second and Martyn Compton and Commotion was third.
Covid wipes out a crew &
A dirty, cold river.
Wynella had the good fortune to go out on Sunday with Ernie at the helm only to find out later on that the poor sod had picked up the dreaded bug. Sure enough Glen and Russell caught the virus and when Andy rocked up to go for a sail today, no one had told him that he could be a case as well. He promptly went home.
Of course the boys on the First Jindarra are still working on the engine, Les Brooker is working on Nerrima and Rupert has the boat up on the slips where he is stripping back the hull in preparation to splining and eventually glassing the hull. Its a good move as it will give him a solid hull to work with. Any helpers on Sunday for the glassing would be appreciated.
So three boats and a course one to sail with and a really lazy nor easter that turned the race into one long reach. A lazy nor easter? Yep, one of those breezes that is too lazy to go around you... it just cuts straight through and chills you to the bone. And the river, full of silt coming down from the uplands with the runoff from the rain. Apparently on a sunny day, you can see the flow moving through the centre of the river and the clear water on the sides.
We won the start and despite David having given the hull a quick clean before racing, it was clear that we were the slow boat on the day. Both Swiftsure Saga and Anna slipped past us and there were no passing lanes in the long reaches we had for the day. So out to Sampson up and down to Print and Addison then off to Robins as the Royal Perth fleet sailed around us. We repeated that and then made Como and the outer start line to whip around the small triangle and make our way home. Many thanks to David Locke for helming today and his prediction was right. " We're going to be third today."
Over the line and on handicap. Swiftsure Saga, Anna and Mariner.
Last Sunday was the final frostbite and predictably Swiftsure Saga took the win for the last race and the series. But they did it in style with the spinnaker flown high round the course. Ernie and Wynella sailed well to take a second and the blue boat Hellas made third. However in the series, Hellas came second and Martyn Compton and Commotion was third.
Winter Wednesday Sailing 10th of August 2022.
The value of a clean hull &
A nice afternoon for a yot.
Two yachts went up for a clean this afternoon and while Anna's was literally just a case of get the bottom cleaned, Bill wanted to have a look at the rudder that got whacked in last Sundays frostbite. The job on Anna was done and dusted in good time and the crew continued to set her up. In Bills case, cracks in the rudder were detected and one of the cheeks needed anchoring to ensure that it wasn't going to come adrift. Oh and he got his hull cleaned as well.
The boys on Jindarra have had some bad news once again, the motor has no compression and whether it's rings or a gasket or possibly a rebuild, its a no go for them today. Karoleeya looks a little low in the water (rain we think) and despite Brian's attention recently, the boat still needs care from its owner.
Moving on, we took off onto the water with David Locke on the helm, the scribe on the main and the owner doing everything else. Which he apparently enjoys doing. Four boats as usual with Swiftsure Saga, Wynella and Anna joining us on a course 4 with a Martin-Weaver start on a light sou wester.
Anna did very well and sailed out from underneath us to get to the front and promptly gassed us forcing us to tack off. All that and we had Wynella coming at us from a prior tack that had her on our tail. In front SSS and Anna both had to tack as well to make Martin.. hard news for all.
But it was a race against the tide as well with the current pushing a fair bit of water out of the Canning. Crossing between Martin and Weaver meant that maintaining height between the marks was paramount. All that and trying to get past the lead two was exciting to say the least. But on the run to Sampson everything came together and we managed to roll the lead two with some fancy sailing and only at the end did Anna slip through and take the lead. So follow her as the rest of the fleet was doing or tack away.
We tacked and then looked over to the bay where boats were lifting straight up. Maybe? Then as we worked our way up the breeze, sure enough the fleet came back and we appeared to be not too badly off, but still had to dip Swiftsure Saga who was sailing very well indeed for a boat that was two up. And Anna had cleared off with a bit of good sailing and a smidge of luck in picking the breeze. She was well away and cleared off around Robins with a nice run to Dolphin East to follow. Swiftsure was next and we tagged along on Swiftsure Saga's tail. Never let go is the theory, but a clean bottom makes it hard to chase a boat that is 1/2 a knot faster on a reach.
Down to Como and around the outer startline, it was a very nice afternoon to sail on, but chilly when we were out of the sun. So the Vitamin G had been dispensed and all were reasonably happy, but we just had to be content with third place with Anna well away and Bill and big John on SSS keeping us behind them and even a momentary overwind wasn't enough for them to give up their second place, but certainly tightened up the eventual result. Wynella who had been doing pretty well, had a shocker of a second lap and was caught by a bunch of Div 3 boats at King and found herself put about and tacking several times before making the mark. Not pretty.
From Print, down to Como and thence to Thelma. A reasonable run along the freeway and then a charge at the finish line with Swiftsure Saga leading us across the line. But Anna had crossed well before us with the sound of the horn wailing as we made our way to Thelma. Well sailed John Wright and crew.
Over the line and on handicap: Anna, Swiftsure Saga and Mariner.
Last week was blown out with the club cancelling racing on Wednesday and the Frostbite on the Sunday providing a bit of excitement for Wynella and Ernie Little who was on the helm with a scratch team that did very well to keep the boat on the go in another light breezes race. They successfully fought their way from mid fleet to the front and it was very hard to wipe the smile of Ernie's face when results were announced. Bill's boat had a good day on the water, but a collision with the little blue boat near the outer startline had Bill murmuring imprecations under his breath. He was not happy. But a third was enough to keep the records straight.
The value of a clean hull &
A nice afternoon for a yot.
Two yachts went up for a clean this afternoon and while Anna's was literally just a case of get the bottom cleaned, Bill wanted to have a look at the rudder that got whacked in last Sundays frostbite. The job on Anna was done and dusted in good time and the crew continued to set her up. In Bills case, cracks in the rudder were detected and one of the cheeks needed anchoring to ensure that it wasn't going to come adrift. Oh and he got his hull cleaned as well.
The boys on Jindarra have had some bad news once again, the motor has no compression and whether it's rings or a gasket or possibly a rebuild, its a no go for them today. Karoleeya looks a little low in the water (rain we think) and despite Brian's attention recently, the boat still needs care from its owner.
Moving on, we took off onto the water with David Locke on the helm, the scribe on the main and the owner doing everything else. Which he apparently enjoys doing. Four boats as usual with Swiftsure Saga, Wynella and Anna joining us on a course 4 with a Martin-Weaver start on a light sou wester.
Anna did very well and sailed out from underneath us to get to the front and promptly gassed us forcing us to tack off. All that and we had Wynella coming at us from a prior tack that had her on our tail. In front SSS and Anna both had to tack as well to make Martin.. hard news for all.
But it was a race against the tide as well with the current pushing a fair bit of water out of the Canning. Crossing between Martin and Weaver meant that maintaining height between the marks was paramount. All that and trying to get past the lead two was exciting to say the least. But on the run to Sampson everything came together and we managed to roll the lead two with some fancy sailing and only at the end did Anna slip through and take the lead. So follow her as the rest of the fleet was doing or tack away.
We tacked and then looked over to the bay where boats were lifting straight up. Maybe? Then as we worked our way up the breeze, sure enough the fleet came back and we appeared to be not too badly off, but still had to dip Swiftsure Saga who was sailing very well indeed for a boat that was two up. And Anna had cleared off with a bit of good sailing and a smidge of luck in picking the breeze. She was well away and cleared off around Robins with a nice run to Dolphin East to follow. Swiftsure was next and we tagged along on Swiftsure Saga's tail. Never let go is the theory, but a clean bottom makes it hard to chase a boat that is 1/2 a knot faster on a reach.
Down to Como and around the outer startline, it was a very nice afternoon to sail on, but chilly when we were out of the sun. So the Vitamin G had been dispensed and all were reasonably happy, but we just had to be content with third place with Anna well away and Bill and big John on SSS keeping us behind them and even a momentary overwind wasn't enough for them to give up their second place, but certainly tightened up the eventual result. Wynella who had been doing pretty well, had a shocker of a second lap and was caught by a bunch of Div 3 boats at King and found herself put about and tacking several times before making the mark. Not pretty.
From Print, down to Como and thence to Thelma. A reasonable run along the freeway and then a charge at the finish line with Swiftsure Saga leading us across the line. But Anna had crossed well before us with the sound of the horn wailing as we made our way to Thelma. Well sailed John Wright and crew.
Over the line and on handicap: Anna, Swiftsure Saga and Mariner.
Last week was blown out with the club cancelling racing on Wednesday and the Frostbite on the Sunday providing a bit of excitement for Wynella and Ernie Little who was on the helm with a scratch team that did very well to keep the boat on the go in another light breezes race. They successfully fought their way from mid fleet to the front and it was very hard to wipe the smile of Ernie's face when results were announced. Bill's boat had a good day on the water, but a collision with the little blue boat near the outer startline had Bill murmuring imprecations under his breath. He was not happy. But a third was enough to keep the records straight.
Winter Wednesday Sailing 27th of July 2022
A monster balls up on the start line for Div. One.
A sticky transom.
Gee whizz, the Div. one boys had a bad and mad moment with a general recall sending the entire fleet back to the end of the start timing. Apparently a boat with a big main rolled across the line close to the box end smothering the sight of the rest of the fleet attacking the line. The starter had no choice but to blow the horn twice sending them all back to the pack behind the line.
However it was a light nor easter and the starters were handing out course ones that were going to be shortened by the end of the day. Our four boats lined up with Anna and Mariner contesting the pin and Swiftsure Saga and Wynella a little further up the line. The race quickly sorted itself out into a battle for second place as Anna had slipped into a good second and Swiftsure Saga chasing her on the run up to Print. Wynella had the misfortune to start a little behind the pack and never really caught up.
Around we went and we managed to get up the breeze to Addison and then the big slog all the way to Robins. It was a down wind, poled out run and Swiftsure Saga stuck to our transom as though on an elastic band. A little to the right and then trying to get back to the left had side with Dave Locke making it quite clear he'd have none of that. No chances for Bill, as Lockie knew well that given a chance, he'd be inside us and pushing us out of the best line. Behind us we had John Wright and Anna fending off Wynella who, despite having cleaned the hull, weren't doing all that well. I'll admit that the skipper had given the hull a quick scrub as well, but we didn't see that as being the saving grace for the day.
However our run to Robins was fruitful and we got around the mark in front with little interference from the fleets surrounding us. Then to Addison for the second time. All the way and with a certain amount of luck keeping in the pressure, but it never really got above 12 knots all afternoon. We were able to use the boat well and with Brian running around on the foredeck and trimming to boot, we did well enough to keep Bill and his crew at bay. Then to Addison but not directly as the breeze was shifting all the time and a certain look at a ley had us dropping below it and then having to tack again. But like chewy on your boot, Bill was right there. Lockie commented that he wasn't going to favour him by looking back and he would just concentrate on keeping the sails full and the boat pointing.
Back to Robins again and once more we had the sails poled out and the run was deceptively easy with another round of vitamin G for the boys while I stuck to the water. Around we went with Bill nearby and it did mean that the drop of the pole was crucial. We heard them dropping theirs and Lockie held on for that extra few seconds.. it gave us enough push to get around in front and stay in front. You only do it when you have confidence in the crew to get the pole off and away and the sheets taken in as fast as possible, keeping the power on all the time.
A quick check of the time indicated that we were looking at a shortened race and it was then a race to Como and thence to the finish line. Just concentrate and in Lockie's case, finish his Guinness. To Como first and again the usual cluster of Div one boats and others around us. Not much fun for those involved, but commonsense dictated letting them get away so that we had clear air. And then aim at the outer startline. No real problems from there on and the shortened course flags were indeed on display.
Over the line: Mariner, Swiftsure Saga and Anna.
On handicap: As above.
Carina was given a quick life line of help with Dave Locke and Brian Cross dropping a pump into her as she had taken in a bit of water recently. Hopefully Geoff Reason will be able to come down and tend to her shortly.
And Les Brooker is still working on Nerima.. it gives me hope that she may be competing this summer.
A monster balls up on the start line for Div. One.
A sticky transom.
Gee whizz, the Div. one boys had a bad and mad moment with a general recall sending the entire fleet back to the end of the start timing. Apparently a boat with a big main rolled across the line close to the box end smothering the sight of the rest of the fleet attacking the line. The starter had no choice but to blow the horn twice sending them all back to the pack behind the line.
However it was a light nor easter and the starters were handing out course ones that were going to be shortened by the end of the day. Our four boats lined up with Anna and Mariner contesting the pin and Swiftsure Saga and Wynella a little further up the line. The race quickly sorted itself out into a battle for second place as Anna had slipped into a good second and Swiftsure Saga chasing her on the run up to Print. Wynella had the misfortune to start a little behind the pack and never really caught up.
Around we went and we managed to get up the breeze to Addison and then the big slog all the way to Robins. It was a down wind, poled out run and Swiftsure Saga stuck to our transom as though on an elastic band. A little to the right and then trying to get back to the left had side with Dave Locke making it quite clear he'd have none of that. No chances for Bill, as Lockie knew well that given a chance, he'd be inside us and pushing us out of the best line. Behind us we had John Wright and Anna fending off Wynella who, despite having cleaned the hull, weren't doing all that well. I'll admit that the skipper had given the hull a quick scrub as well, but we didn't see that as being the saving grace for the day.
However our run to Robins was fruitful and we got around the mark in front with little interference from the fleets surrounding us. Then to Addison for the second time. All the way and with a certain amount of luck keeping in the pressure, but it never really got above 12 knots all afternoon. We were able to use the boat well and with Brian running around on the foredeck and trimming to boot, we did well enough to keep Bill and his crew at bay. Then to Addison but not directly as the breeze was shifting all the time and a certain look at a ley had us dropping below it and then having to tack again. But like chewy on your boot, Bill was right there. Lockie commented that he wasn't going to favour him by looking back and he would just concentrate on keeping the sails full and the boat pointing.
Back to Robins again and once more we had the sails poled out and the run was deceptively easy with another round of vitamin G for the boys while I stuck to the water. Around we went with Bill nearby and it did mean that the drop of the pole was crucial. We heard them dropping theirs and Lockie held on for that extra few seconds.. it gave us enough push to get around in front and stay in front. You only do it when you have confidence in the crew to get the pole off and away and the sheets taken in as fast as possible, keeping the power on all the time.
A quick check of the time indicated that we were looking at a shortened race and it was then a race to Como and thence to the finish line. Just concentrate and in Lockie's case, finish his Guinness. To Como first and again the usual cluster of Div one boats and others around us. Not much fun for those involved, but commonsense dictated letting them get away so that we had clear air. And then aim at the outer startline. No real problems from there on and the shortened course flags were indeed on display.
Over the line: Mariner, Swiftsure Saga and Anna.
On handicap: As above.
Carina was given a quick life line of help with Dave Locke and Brian Cross dropping a pump into her as she had taken in a bit of water recently. Hopefully Geoff Reason will be able to come down and tend to her shortly.
And Les Brooker is still working on Nerima.. it gives me hope that she may be competing this summer.
Winter Wednesday Sailing 20th of July 2022
On a Nor easter &
Bill in trouble again.
Four on the water today with Rupert ducking down to remedy a problem on his boat. His bilge pump had stopped and the boat was half full of water when Brian Cross arrived. He put the emergency pump to work and rang Rupert. The photo has him preoccupied with the wiring on the pump, which appeared to be the problem. The boys on Jindarra were on the boat, but the motor wasn't going to work, yet again so they retired for the day.
David Locke did a reprise of last week and we had the skipper on the main with Mark the Pom and I sharing the trim and foredeck. A good start had us away on a course 3 with a light northerly in play and we had the lead from the start. Wonderful. The trip had us running up to Sampson and there were a few tacks involved to get there. But a wise choice had us going all the way and then tacking on the ley to the mark. Off to King with a pole and then a two sail reach all the way to Robins.
Nothing much to worry us, but the Royal Perth Fleet was lurking down at the freeway and on their way up they decided tangle with us. Yes we were on port and vulnerable but a bit of luck got us through the pack with a gap opening up at the right time. But poor old Bill and Swiftsure Saga. He was hung out to dry by a S 80 who had him dead to rights and I can still envisage the verbal battle that ensued. Poor Bill. However he managed to get through eventually, but he lost a bit of time and Wynella and Anna caught up considerably.
Across to Foam and back up to Robins on a pole and then down to Como again, ready to go around the outer startline. Oh darn, Swiftsure had caught up big time with us and had begun to sniff around our transom. Well sailed Bill. But we pressed on and it was the next leg that he got us. He just sailed through us and there was no chance of a come back. Especially on the run between King and Addison where he improved his lead all the time. Anna at the same time was pushing hard and wasn't going to let us relax.
The rest of day; well the rain finally decided to arrive with a scramble to get the jackets on before it got any worse. Those to the rear of the boat were already togged up, but the pair of us at the front decided that wet wasn't an choice to consider. From then on, we were looking at the final run home as we were bouncing around at Addison then ready to make our way down the wind to Como and the finish line, forever hoping that we could catch up with Swiftsure Saga before they made it to the line.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Mariner and Anna
On handicap: Swiftsure Saga, Mariner and Wynella.
The Frostbite on the previous Sunday was a good one for Swiftsure and Wynella (helm Ernie Little). Both boats did well, but the little blue boat Hellas got to the front and stayed there. We and Wynella weren't using kites by gentleman's agreement, but neither was Hellas and his ability to stay in front in the light breezes was a credit to him. Mind you if Bill had not been rolled at the start line, holding a lead would have been a bit easier.
And Suzanna is for sale. You may remember that she came down from Maylands a couple of years ago and was bought by a young couple who have been seen tootling around on the river. Unfortunately the young man has fallen in company with the Endeavour fleet and is seeking someone to take over a recently renovated H28. The price is reasonable and you can see her here.
Yacht H28 Sailboat | Sail Boats | Gumtree Australia Perth City Area - Perth | 1298390221
On a Nor easter &
Bill in trouble again.
Four on the water today with Rupert ducking down to remedy a problem on his boat. His bilge pump had stopped and the boat was half full of water when Brian Cross arrived. He put the emergency pump to work and rang Rupert. The photo has him preoccupied with the wiring on the pump, which appeared to be the problem. The boys on Jindarra were on the boat, but the motor wasn't going to work, yet again so they retired for the day.
David Locke did a reprise of last week and we had the skipper on the main with Mark the Pom and I sharing the trim and foredeck. A good start had us away on a course 3 with a light northerly in play and we had the lead from the start. Wonderful. The trip had us running up to Sampson and there were a few tacks involved to get there. But a wise choice had us going all the way and then tacking on the ley to the mark. Off to King with a pole and then a two sail reach all the way to Robins.
Nothing much to worry us, but the Royal Perth Fleet was lurking down at the freeway and on their way up they decided tangle with us. Yes we were on port and vulnerable but a bit of luck got us through the pack with a gap opening up at the right time. But poor old Bill and Swiftsure Saga. He was hung out to dry by a S 80 who had him dead to rights and I can still envisage the verbal battle that ensued. Poor Bill. However he managed to get through eventually, but he lost a bit of time and Wynella and Anna caught up considerably.
Across to Foam and back up to Robins on a pole and then down to Como again, ready to go around the outer startline. Oh darn, Swiftsure had caught up big time with us and had begun to sniff around our transom. Well sailed Bill. But we pressed on and it was the next leg that he got us. He just sailed through us and there was no chance of a come back. Especially on the run between King and Addison where he improved his lead all the time. Anna at the same time was pushing hard and wasn't going to let us relax.
The rest of day; well the rain finally decided to arrive with a scramble to get the jackets on before it got any worse. Those to the rear of the boat were already togged up, but the pair of us at the front decided that wet wasn't an choice to consider. From then on, we were looking at the final run home as we were bouncing around at Addison then ready to make our way down the wind to Como and the finish line, forever hoping that we could catch up with Swiftsure Saga before they made it to the line.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Mariner and Anna
On handicap: Swiftsure Saga, Mariner and Wynella.
The Frostbite on the previous Sunday was a good one for Swiftsure and Wynella (helm Ernie Little). Both boats did well, but the little blue boat Hellas got to the front and stayed there. We and Wynella weren't using kites by gentleman's agreement, but neither was Hellas and his ability to stay in front in the light breezes was a credit to him. Mind you if Bill had not been rolled at the start line, holding a lead would have been a bit easier.
And Suzanna is for sale. You may remember that she came down from Maylands a couple of years ago and was bought by a young couple who have been seen tootling around on the river. Unfortunately the young man has fallen in company with the Endeavour fleet and is seeking someone to take over a recently renovated H28. The price is reasonable and you can see her here.
Yacht H28 Sailboat | Sail Boats | Gumtree Australia Perth City Area - Perth | 1298390221
Winter Wednesday Sailing 13th of July 2022
Sailing with Lockie &
Absolutely crazy sailing.
Only three boats out today with The First Jindarra suffering from a terminal diesel problem. Anna wasn't going to appear and Georgina wasn't a starter either. Hi Ho, three players on the water and the competition was going to be hot. But the skipper was away in Augusta but we had David Locke on the helm today. So the boat was set up and everything readied for his arrival. We had the pleasure of Mark the Pom on board as our foredeckie and that made life a lot easier with no running around on the foredeck for your scribe.
On a light nor easter with about 10 knots we were sent away on a course one, sure to be shortened, but there was a bit of work to do today. Wynella got away well and we found ourselves chasing Swiftsure Saga in third place, but there wasn't a fuss and the boat just slipped along. The breeze began to push us down below the mark necessitating a tack to Sampson. No problems and despite an early tack by Wynella to come across on starboard we were in front of Swiftsure Saga and Wynella at the mark.
The race was on.
Off to Print on a reach and again a slight lead had us heading around the mark and aiming at Addison for the first time. If we could make it down to the mark without giving away the lead, we had a chance on the poled out run to Robins, but it was a long way down to Robins and we didn't realise what was going to happen on the way. A complete and absolute madness as all of the Royal Perth fleet was hammering down to Foam and coming back on their course. They had us on port on the way down and then we were to windward on the way back. Dodge, duck, weave, you name it, we did it.
Behind us, just metres away poor old Bill was in real trouble. he was caught by unrelenting RP boats who insisted on their rights. Poor bugger and the language being used paid credit to his time on the docks of London. However Wynella wasn't doing too badly and had gained good ground on Bill. So in a tight group we worked our way up to Robins and set off for Addison with the thought that the left hand side of the river was going to be the good side. Bill was in a chasing mode, but Wynella went away to bang a corner over at Waylen Bay so he could come out on a good lift. And then banged the corner on the other side. Madness said Lockie, you cant win that way, but surprisingly they came out looking ok.
Down we went to Addison with Swiftsure Saga enjoying the chase and Wynella wandering all over the river. Both Bill and we were a bit below the mark and had to tack to get around Addison, but over and done with little fuss. Then the second run to Robins. OMG Royal Perth boats again and even worse as they were fighting amongst themselves. We had our moments, but with planning we were able to slip our way through the fleet. Bill managed fairly well, though he too had a couple of madness moments, but Wynella was hammered. Just taken up as far as possible. He would have done better to drop his pole and gybed way out of trouble. But he persevered and close to Robins for the second time.. there he was challenging Bill again.
Amazing racing with the breeze fluctuating up and down it meant that no one could rest for a long time and Bill was still on our tail. Ok, down to Como this time and making it was a number of boards to get to the right spot, we had a few RP boats to avoid but as all boats in the lead know its a little bit easier. We got to Como in time and then off to the outer start line. Swiftsure Saga wasn't that far away and Wynella was still recovering from a mix up with a block of flats ( Argo I think) that he met at Como. Aim for the finish line and that's what it was .. the flags were up to shorten the race and Swiftsure Saga knew it as well. They were just sliding along getting closer and closer. If the finish line was another 20 metres away they may have snapped up fastest. But we hung out for the win by 4 seconds, Whew! Wynella came along about a minute and a half later. Good racing for all three boats.
Over the line: Mariner, Swiftsure Saga and Wynella
On handicap: Wynella, Mariner and Swiftsure Saga
Despite the clashes with the Royal Perth fleet, it was a great day on the water, it was a pleasure to sail with Lockie and having Mark on the foredeck made the day easier. Many thanks to them both.
As to the results... well.. Wynella won by 6 seconds on handicap. That bottle of Leeuwin Estate wine is getting closer!
Sailing with Lockie &
Absolutely crazy sailing.
Only three boats out today with The First Jindarra suffering from a terminal diesel problem. Anna wasn't going to appear and Georgina wasn't a starter either. Hi Ho, three players on the water and the competition was going to be hot. But the skipper was away in Augusta but we had David Locke on the helm today. So the boat was set up and everything readied for his arrival. We had the pleasure of Mark the Pom on board as our foredeckie and that made life a lot easier with no running around on the foredeck for your scribe.
On a light nor easter with about 10 knots we were sent away on a course one, sure to be shortened, but there was a bit of work to do today. Wynella got away well and we found ourselves chasing Swiftsure Saga in third place, but there wasn't a fuss and the boat just slipped along. The breeze began to push us down below the mark necessitating a tack to Sampson. No problems and despite an early tack by Wynella to come across on starboard we were in front of Swiftsure Saga and Wynella at the mark.
The race was on.
Off to Print on a reach and again a slight lead had us heading around the mark and aiming at Addison for the first time. If we could make it down to the mark without giving away the lead, we had a chance on the poled out run to Robins, but it was a long way down to Robins and we didn't realise what was going to happen on the way. A complete and absolute madness as all of the Royal Perth fleet was hammering down to Foam and coming back on their course. They had us on port on the way down and then we were to windward on the way back. Dodge, duck, weave, you name it, we did it.
Behind us, just metres away poor old Bill was in real trouble. he was caught by unrelenting RP boats who insisted on their rights. Poor bugger and the language being used paid credit to his time on the docks of London. However Wynella wasn't doing too badly and had gained good ground on Bill. So in a tight group we worked our way up to Robins and set off for Addison with the thought that the left hand side of the river was going to be the good side. Bill was in a chasing mode, but Wynella went away to bang a corner over at Waylen Bay so he could come out on a good lift. And then banged the corner on the other side. Madness said Lockie, you cant win that way, but surprisingly they came out looking ok.
Down we went to Addison with Swiftsure Saga enjoying the chase and Wynella wandering all over the river. Both Bill and we were a bit below the mark and had to tack to get around Addison, but over and done with little fuss. Then the second run to Robins. OMG Royal Perth boats again and even worse as they were fighting amongst themselves. We had our moments, but with planning we were able to slip our way through the fleet. Bill managed fairly well, though he too had a couple of madness moments, but Wynella was hammered. Just taken up as far as possible. He would have done better to drop his pole and gybed way out of trouble. But he persevered and close to Robins for the second time.. there he was challenging Bill again.
Amazing racing with the breeze fluctuating up and down it meant that no one could rest for a long time and Bill was still on our tail. Ok, down to Como this time and making it was a number of boards to get to the right spot, we had a few RP boats to avoid but as all boats in the lead know its a little bit easier. We got to Como in time and then off to the outer start line. Swiftsure Saga wasn't that far away and Wynella was still recovering from a mix up with a block of flats ( Argo I think) that he met at Como. Aim for the finish line and that's what it was .. the flags were up to shorten the race and Swiftsure Saga knew it as well. They were just sliding along getting closer and closer. If the finish line was another 20 metres away they may have snapped up fastest. But we hung out for the win by 4 seconds, Whew! Wynella came along about a minute and a half later. Good racing for all three boats.
Over the line: Mariner, Swiftsure Saga and Wynella
On handicap: Wynella, Mariner and Swiftsure Saga
Despite the clashes with the Royal Perth fleet, it was a great day on the water, it was a pleasure to sail with Lockie and having Mark on the foredeck made the day easier. Many thanks to them both.
As to the results... well.. Wynella won by 6 seconds on handicap. That bottle of Leeuwin Estate wine is getting closer!
Winter Wednesday Sailing 6th of July 2022
FFFFF following Bill.
Sailing with a legend.
It was a lovely afternoon and even Rupert ( Georgina ) had come out to play. Still hasn't fixed the hole in his bow, but he claims he's too busy with Uni and work. Fair enough. Its his boat. Wait to see how she goes on the water.
A visitor came down to look over our boat, an old river rat with a perennially tanned face and scalp with the smell of the river about him. I knew him and introduced him to the skipper as an S80 skipper used to battling with the likes of Andy Bell and others. We chatted and he was taken by the condition that the boat was in. Would he like to join us for a yot this arvo? A moments reflection and a nod. He disappeared to get some water and in a moments time he was on the boat and we moved off.
Five boats out on the water and Swiftsure Saga was two up with Eric away. The rest of us were at least four up. The First Jindarra and Wynella were also out on the water on this soft day and it was going to be a day of chasing the breeze with an undisciplined sou easterly of four knots that moved around the clock and pulsed up and down. Still it was a breeze. Division one and two fell into holes as the breeze shifted time and again and we predicted similar problems for our start.
Rule one, don't go in on port as the others will roll you on the pin. But we made it with Swiftsure Saga taking the lead and never really letting go of it with only The Jin causing her problems as Barry Skinner was working well in his selection of the breezes. Down to Sampson we went with the river rat throwing off his kindly disguise, grabbing the jib sheets and calling the shots like the old pro he is. Sailing with John Holder is an experience and he was full of suggestions for trim and wanting to throw out a pole at a moments notice. Without sitting on him, we kept him in the cockpit and the normal foredeckie was sent to do the job. But we were involved in a battle with another boat and it was a loss to us as we were taken well away from the rest of the fleet.
Around Sampson and a run up to Robins ensued on a reach. Not hard on our heads, but the turn at Robins had another pole set on a yes/no need as we found ourselves involved in yet another battle. This time with Wynella and they were prepared to take us all the way. Just not fun and we lost a lot of time on the rest of the fleet yet again. Drop the pole and make our way to Como with more fun and games to ensue as we battled to get around Heathcote and once again I had the main sheets in my hands pulling the main over the centre line in order to get the boat higher.
Done and done. Around the outer startline and another pole. (yes I was busy) and for once no battles with another boat, but we took a moment to tune the boat a little more with John changing jib settings on the boat. Don't know whether it was faster, but he was happier. After Sampson then to King and away to Print again and the pole came out again. Somewhere along the way The Jin must have had a coming together with Swiftsure Saga and they threw in a 360 to mollify the protest made, but there was some damage which will be sorted out by the skippers in the next week.
The race continued and on the dash to Thelma we were in a good enough position to throw a lee-bow on the Jin before Thelma clearly outside the three boat length mark and they simply just kept rolling on down, not even claiming that they had an overlap. The boats clashed and amid howls of protest from the skipper and Johnny Holder, the First Jindarra simply sailed away. Not a nice feeling to have that happen.
To the line and third across it, but it was frustrating to note that we had lost a lot of time and effort in battles we didn't have to be involved in. Well sailed to Bill and John P who took the win for first and fastest. The protest was discussed and it went away, but not without a feeling that we were hardly done by.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, The First Jindarra, Mariner.
On handicap: Swiftsure Saga, Wynella, The First Jindarra.
Not many photos today. I was busy.
The previous Sunday in the Frostbite racing, Swiftsure Saga still leads the pack with another win. It was a handicap win as the blue boat Hellas had done everything right to stay in front, but with Big Lizzy on the front of the boat, we had kept up and didn't bother with a spinnaker for the day.
FFFFF following Bill.
Sailing with a legend.
It was a lovely afternoon and even Rupert ( Georgina ) had come out to play. Still hasn't fixed the hole in his bow, but he claims he's too busy with Uni and work. Fair enough. Its his boat. Wait to see how she goes on the water.
A visitor came down to look over our boat, an old river rat with a perennially tanned face and scalp with the smell of the river about him. I knew him and introduced him to the skipper as an S80 skipper used to battling with the likes of Andy Bell and others. We chatted and he was taken by the condition that the boat was in. Would he like to join us for a yot this arvo? A moments reflection and a nod. He disappeared to get some water and in a moments time he was on the boat and we moved off.
Five boats out on the water and Swiftsure Saga was two up with Eric away. The rest of us were at least four up. The First Jindarra and Wynella were also out on the water on this soft day and it was going to be a day of chasing the breeze with an undisciplined sou easterly of four knots that moved around the clock and pulsed up and down. Still it was a breeze. Division one and two fell into holes as the breeze shifted time and again and we predicted similar problems for our start.
Rule one, don't go in on port as the others will roll you on the pin. But we made it with Swiftsure Saga taking the lead and never really letting go of it with only The Jin causing her problems as Barry Skinner was working well in his selection of the breezes. Down to Sampson we went with the river rat throwing off his kindly disguise, grabbing the jib sheets and calling the shots like the old pro he is. Sailing with John Holder is an experience and he was full of suggestions for trim and wanting to throw out a pole at a moments notice. Without sitting on him, we kept him in the cockpit and the normal foredeckie was sent to do the job. But we were involved in a battle with another boat and it was a loss to us as we were taken well away from the rest of the fleet.
Around Sampson and a run up to Robins ensued on a reach. Not hard on our heads, but the turn at Robins had another pole set on a yes/no need as we found ourselves involved in yet another battle. This time with Wynella and they were prepared to take us all the way. Just not fun and we lost a lot of time on the rest of the fleet yet again. Drop the pole and make our way to Como with more fun and games to ensue as we battled to get around Heathcote and once again I had the main sheets in my hands pulling the main over the centre line in order to get the boat higher.
Done and done. Around the outer startline and another pole. (yes I was busy) and for once no battles with another boat, but we took a moment to tune the boat a little more with John changing jib settings on the boat. Don't know whether it was faster, but he was happier. After Sampson then to King and away to Print again and the pole came out again. Somewhere along the way The Jin must have had a coming together with Swiftsure Saga and they threw in a 360 to mollify the protest made, but there was some damage which will be sorted out by the skippers in the next week.
The race continued and on the dash to Thelma we were in a good enough position to throw a lee-bow on the Jin before Thelma clearly outside the three boat length mark and they simply just kept rolling on down, not even claiming that they had an overlap. The boats clashed and amid howls of protest from the skipper and Johnny Holder, the First Jindarra simply sailed away. Not a nice feeling to have that happen.
To the line and third across it, but it was frustrating to note that we had lost a lot of time and effort in battles we didn't have to be involved in. Well sailed to Bill and John P who took the win for first and fastest. The protest was discussed and it went away, but not without a feeling that we were hardly done by.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, The First Jindarra, Mariner.
On handicap: Swiftsure Saga, Wynella, The First Jindarra.
Not many photos today. I was busy.
The previous Sunday in the Frostbite racing, Swiftsure Saga still leads the pack with another win. It was a handicap win as the blue boat Hellas had done everything right to stay in front, but with Big Lizzy on the front of the boat, we had kept up and didn't bother with a spinnaker for the day.
Winter Wednesday Sailing the 29th of June 2022
FFFFF freezing
The last of the Autumn Series.
You just don't go out without lots of woolies on during winter and with a brisk breeze out of the south, the sunny side of the boat was the place to be. Four boats and the final of the Autumn series ( don't ask me why it finishes in June) but there was a definite need in the air. Both leading competitors had their boats hauled out for a quick scrub with one claiming that he was just fixing a leak in the stem... yeah.. ok.!
However Anna and Mariner were out for a bit of fun and perhaps a battle between the two of them.
Away on a course three on an easterly with a southerly bias with about 7 knots and down to Sampson. Fun for all but we got past the Royal Perth fleet and Swiftsure Saga was already galloping away. Funny that as the breeze wasn't that strong. But Mariner had their own battle with Wynella who was quite quick and Anna wasn't slowing down either. So the major question was between the three following Bill on Swiftsure.
Up and around Hallmark under a pole and the occasional gybe to keep the foredeck busy. Stow the pole and away to Armstrong and then up the breeze to Como. Its not easy trying to pick the shifts in an easterly and somehow we got it right for the most part. So did John with Anna and it wasn't that easy on the first dash to the outer start line as we both had good height. Wynella was gamely keeping on and the second round had Anna in front of us and Wynella nagging at our heels. It just wasn't a good day on the water.
So away to Sampson again and off to Dolphin East with the hope that we could close up on Anna. We'd given up on Bill and SSS as they were well away, at least 3 minutes in the lead. But our need was to try to get past Anna and try as we could on the leg down to Thelma John Wright had the lead and went out to the right and then ran down the breeze to the mark. Well sailed sir. So around Thelma and head for home.
The Mariner wine appreciation society sat on the boat in the freezing cold and drank a remarkable red. But it was just so damn cold.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Anna and Mariner
On handicap: Swiftsure Saga, Wynella and Mariner
For the Autumn season. Wynella, Swiftsure Saga and the First Jindarra
Well sailed Glen and his old salts.
FFFFF freezing
The last of the Autumn Series.
You just don't go out without lots of woolies on during winter and with a brisk breeze out of the south, the sunny side of the boat was the place to be. Four boats and the final of the Autumn series ( don't ask me why it finishes in June) but there was a definite need in the air. Both leading competitors had their boats hauled out for a quick scrub with one claiming that he was just fixing a leak in the stem... yeah.. ok.!
However Anna and Mariner were out for a bit of fun and perhaps a battle between the two of them.
Away on a course three on an easterly with a southerly bias with about 7 knots and down to Sampson. Fun for all but we got past the Royal Perth fleet and Swiftsure Saga was already galloping away. Funny that as the breeze wasn't that strong. But Mariner had their own battle with Wynella who was quite quick and Anna wasn't slowing down either. So the major question was between the three following Bill on Swiftsure.
Up and around Hallmark under a pole and the occasional gybe to keep the foredeck busy. Stow the pole and away to Armstrong and then up the breeze to Como. Its not easy trying to pick the shifts in an easterly and somehow we got it right for the most part. So did John with Anna and it wasn't that easy on the first dash to the outer start line as we both had good height. Wynella was gamely keeping on and the second round had Anna in front of us and Wynella nagging at our heels. It just wasn't a good day on the water.
So away to Sampson again and off to Dolphin East with the hope that we could close up on Anna. We'd given up on Bill and SSS as they were well away, at least 3 minutes in the lead. But our need was to try to get past Anna and try as we could on the leg down to Thelma John Wright had the lead and went out to the right and then ran down the breeze to the mark. Well sailed sir. So around Thelma and head for home.
The Mariner wine appreciation society sat on the boat in the freezing cold and drank a remarkable red. But it was just so damn cold.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Anna and Mariner
On handicap: Swiftsure Saga, Wynella and Mariner
For the Autumn season. Wynella, Swiftsure Saga and the First Jindarra
Well sailed Glen and his old salts.
Winter Wednesday Sailing 22nd of June 2022
A choice of sail &
Just not fast enough.
Going off on a soft afternoon, the debate was will it be a course two shortened or a course four. The starters gave us a the light breezes course and it was a good idea, but we knew that getting to the front was going to be the trick as it was going to be a reaching course.
Bill on Swiftsure Saga had shifted down to his semi battened sail rather than the fully battened monster he has been sailing with for the last year. And the boat just isn't the same. It needs pressure to make it fast and on a soft day, he is slow. But Glen and Wynella had the boat flowing very well and was on our tail for most of the afternoon.
So away with a good start and then off to Sampson with the lead in hand and Swiftsure Saga on our tail. But around the mark and Wynella began to show their stuff. On the series of crosses up to Robins it was Wynella who managed to push ahead of Swiftsure Saga and it was a case of look out for Glen on the make to the top mark.
Around the mark and deal with the oncoming Royal fleet steaming up toward us. It was a case of dodging boats for a moment or two. A nice reach across the river down to Dolphin East and a gybe with a pole to set at the mark. Easy enough to do. Then the chase to Como with the dash down to the outer startline to get around the mark. We knew that we had to put as much time between us and the rest of the H28's as both first and fastest was our target.
At this time of the day, the wind pressure was dropping away and Wynella was still close and fortunately a stray SS27 got in front of them and slowed them down a tad. But it wasn't enough and even though we made it over the line first, Wynella was there on handicap. Bill and Swiftsure Saga were well back as was The First Jindarra who had a slow day around the traps.
Over the line: Mariner, Wynella and Swiftsure Saga.
On handicap: Wynella, Mariner and Swiftsure Saga.
Soraya (down at East Fremantle) has been sold and the new owner has reached out to the H28 fleet via the website. He may be looking for information on the boats so please help him if possible.
A choice of sail &
Just not fast enough.
Going off on a soft afternoon, the debate was will it be a course two shortened or a course four. The starters gave us a the light breezes course and it was a good idea, but we knew that getting to the front was going to be the trick as it was going to be a reaching course.
Bill on Swiftsure Saga had shifted down to his semi battened sail rather than the fully battened monster he has been sailing with for the last year. And the boat just isn't the same. It needs pressure to make it fast and on a soft day, he is slow. But Glen and Wynella had the boat flowing very well and was on our tail for most of the afternoon.
So away with a good start and then off to Sampson with the lead in hand and Swiftsure Saga on our tail. But around the mark and Wynella began to show their stuff. On the series of crosses up to Robins it was Wynella who managed to push ahead of Swiftsure Saga and it was a case of look out for Glen on the make to the top mark.
Around the mark and deal with the oncoming Royal fleet steaming up toward us. It was a case of dodging boats for a moment or two. A nice reach across the river down to Dolphin East and a gybe with a pole to set at the mark. Easy enough to do. Then the chase to Como with the dash down to the outer startline to get around the mark. We knew that we had to put as much time between us and the rest of the H28's as both first and fastest was our target.
At this time of the day, the wind pressure was dropping away and Wynella was still close and fortunately a stray SS27 got in front of them and slowed them down a tad. But it wasn't enough and even though we made it over the line first, Wynella was there on handicap. Bill and Swiftsure Saga were well back as was The First Jindarra who had a slow day around the traps.
Over the line: Mariner, Wynella and Swiftsure Saga.
On handicap: Wynella, Mariner and Swiftsure Saga.
Soraya (down at East Fremantle) has been sold and the new owner has reached out to the H28 fleet via the website. He may be looking for information on the boats so please help him if possible.
Short course Frostbite Racing. 19th of June 2022
Short Course?
Only at SoPYC.
I swore black and blue I wouldn't do write ups of the Frostbites as they were my only way of relaxing and not having to pull out a camera. But the starters have convinced me..
It was a gusty afternoon that had wound itself back from 18 to 25 knots in the morning, but there was still a bit of a punch in the sou westerly when we set out, 4 up and only three boats in the fleet. But they were the best of the Div 3 fleet and were going to have to work hard. The starters had given us all course three, the light breezes course.
The start was a clear indication, we were low on the line and the other two plastics were just roaring down the line...then the front hit. Commotion and Blue grass were flattened and falling away with Swiftsure Saga lifting on the gusts as we ran down the jetty entries with the alternate gusts and lack of pressure. The traveller was bouncing up and down like a yoyo, but it all translated into drive forward and by the time we had made the end of the jetties we were high on the line and surging to the front. But with less pressure, the plastics did better and we had Bluegrass in front of us at Martin.
It took a while to get past them, but boat length does count and we got through them by Heathcote Dolphin. Down to Sampson and then away to Deepwater on the single lap for the afternoon. The breeze was not going to drop out today. A choice of angles up the breeze presented and as usual the knock was evident when crossing the river into Waylen Bay. But we kept them at bay for a while and good sailing on the behalf of Commotion had him get past us at Deepwater.
Its only a matter of time though and again waterline matters. He was an SS24 and we were an H28. Rolled him and set off for Dolphin West then watched with fascination as he put up a kite and promptly went sideways. Hooray.. entertainment for all. But he got it under control and the boat began to whittle down our good lead while Bluegrass bravely kept on plugging away with a small jib.. they just weren't fast, but they were trying hard.
To Print and the angle had changed again a searing reach with the two pole reaching sail holding us at the front and surprisingly Commotion kept the spinnaker flying, but very shy and slightly sidewise. We made Como in a short rush and then the dash to the finish line commenced. Height was all that mattered and we were very aware of the knocks coming down the Canning as the breeze started to swing into the south east. We packed the leeside and prayed, lifting the last few meters to make the line. Our competitors weren't so lucky and found themselves below the pin with the resultant two tacks to make the line.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Commotion and Bluegrass.
On handicap: Swiftsure Saga, Bluegrass and Commotion.
As a matter of interest all the boats in the club crossed the line in one hour and 4 minutes. Soup was late and cold and even results were early.. well they had to! Finally.. David Atkinson of Tapestry in Div 1 appears to have a split personality as he was noted as having driven Igawa in Div 2 on the same day.
Short Course?
Only at SoPYC.
I swore black and blue I wouldn't do write ups of the Frostbites as they were my only way of relaxing and not having to pull out a camera. But the starters have convinced me..
It was a gusty afternoon that had wound itself back from 18 to 25 knots in the morning, but there was still a bit of a punch in the sou westerly when we set out, 4 up and only three boats in the fleet. But they were the best of the Div 3 fleet and were going to have to work hard. The starters had given us all course three, the light breezes course.
The start was a clear indication, we were low on the line and the other two plastics were just roaring down the line...then the front hit. Commotion and Blue grass were flattened and falling away with Swiftsure Saga lifting on the gusts as we ran down the jetty entries with the alternate gusts and lack of pressure. The traveller was bouncing up and down like a yoyo, but it all translated into drive forward and by the time we had made the end of the jetties we were high on the line and surging to the front. But with less pressure, the plastics did better and we had Bluegrass in front of us at Martin.
It took a while to get past them, but boat length does count and we got through them by Heathcote Dolphin. Down to Sampson and then away to Deepwater on the single lap for the afternoon. The breeze was not going to drop out today. A choice of angles up the breeze presented and as usual the knock was evident when crossing the river into Waylen Bay. But we kept them at bay for a while and good sailing on the behalf of Commotion had him get past us at Deepwater.
Its only a matter of time though and again waterline matters. He was an SS24 and we were an H28. Rolled him and set off for Dolphin West then watched with fascination as he put up a kite and promptly went sideways. Hooray.. entertainment for all. But he got it under control and the boat began to whittle down our good lead while Bluegrass bravely kept on plugging away with a small jib.. they just weren't fast, but they were trying hard.
To Print and the angle had changed again a searing reach with the two pole reaching sail holding us at the front and surprisingly Commotion kept the spinnaker flying, but very shy and slightly sidewise. We made Como in a short rush and then the dash to the finish line commenced. Height was all that mattered and we were very aware of the knocks coming down the Canning as the breeze started to swing into the south east. We packed the leeside and prayed, lifting the last few meters to make the line. Our competitors weren't so lucky and found themselves below the pin with the resultant two tacks to make the line.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Commotion and Bluegrass.
On handicap: Swiftsure Saga, Bluegrass and Commotion.
As a matter of interest all the boats in the club crossed the line in one hour and 4 minutes. Soup was late and cold and even results were early.. well they had to! Finally.. David Atkinson of Tapestry in Div 1 appears to have a split personality as he was noted as having driven Igawa in Div 2 on the same day.
Winter Wednesday Sailing 15th of June 2022
So, who was OCS?
The block of flats gets a lesson.
The H28's didn't sail last week as frankly it was wet and blowing. Not a fun day.
Four boats on the river and Wynella has the engine back in. We have a course 3, a nor wester and about 15 knots on the top. A good afternoon to go sailing. There was the threat of a shower and we all tucked rain jackets into corners of the boat against the eventuality.
The start line was fast and furious with the OCS flag going up straight away. Bugger, so The First Jindarra returned and the flag remained. It must be us and back we went.... nope, we had ducked the line and the flag still remained... had Barry properly crossed the line? Had we done so? I was sure so away we went. Tail end Charlie again we were chasing the other three and while there was some separation between the front two and the First Jindarra we knew that we would have a chance to get to the Jin as they were running a number two, but getting around Barry on the helm wasn't going to be easy. So off to Sampson and then to King.
It was going to be a reaching course in the main with the occasional beat and down wind run. So we knew we could excel on the down wind, but Swiftsure was going to get away as she is simply the faster boat. Chasing Barry we could pretty much aim for Robins after King and then it was up to us to make the boat sail fast. Meanwhile the two up front were beginning to battle it out. The skipper grinned.. "all the better for us", he said.
Up to Robins and try to duck in under the Jin, only to have the door promptly slammed in our faces. Ok, go out a bit and sail past her. We had a number one on and could go faster on the reach. We did so on the way to Print while watching Wynella and Swiftsure Saga battling in front of us taking each other up. Wonderful as it was slowing them down. Around Print and away to Foam before heading off to Robins again with a few of the Royal Perth fleet getting in our road as for once we were windward boats. Ok, deal with it.
Around Robins and we were beginning to look at Wynella's stern. Bonus! But we had to get down to Print again and hence to Como and the outer startline. Did I mention that it was raining? That second leg had the showers at the bottom of the river moving upward to envelope us and sitting under a lee side main is the best way to get wet as the water cascades off the Dacron above you. The showers eased after a while, but we were already damp by then. A moment of time on the foredeck, getting the boat flowing down to Como and then drop it for the run to the outer startline with the block of flats moving down to us to try and roll over us. Bugger him.. we took him all the way up and he wasted a hundred yards and quite a few seconds trying to get past us. A certain amount of satisfaction was had. Sooner or later he will learn.
The next lap was a small one and it gave us the chance to get past Wynella. Off to Sampson and then out to King. From King to Addison several boats were knocking, but we had the boat running well and had gone out far enough to get close to Addison, sure we had to tack and tack again, but we had snuck past Wynella who had gone a long way out and was behind us at the mark.. In fact Swiftsure had also had to come back so we had closed up on them as well.
Then the dash to Como and thence to the finish. Up went the pole and see how far and fast we go down the breeze. Lots of fun and no one catching us. A good day on the water. But there was one catch.
The OCS flag had remained up and Bill had taken the horn at the finish line. We could only assume that we hadn't returned to the line properly as we thought that everyone else was clear except for us and Swiftsure Saga. Glumly we packed up the boat consoling ourselves that at least we had a good day out. A drink on the boat and then up to results.. but one thing had given us a moment of thought. Barry and Peter had admitted that they might not have properly crossed back over the line. One thought yes, the other thought no.. so they sailed on.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Mariner and Wynella.
On handicap: Wynella, Swiftsure Saga and Mariner.
The First Jindarra was OCS.
The last image is the new Wynella shirt. Well done Ernie.. the design looks great and thanks also to Brian Cross who organised the logos etc.
So, who was OCS?
The block of flats gets a lesson.
The H28's didn't sail last week as frankly it was wet and blowing. Not a fun day.
Four boats on the river and Wynella has the engine back in. We have a course 3, a nor wester and about 15 knots on the top. A good afternoon to go sailing. There was the threat of a shower and we all tucked rain jackets into corners of the boat against the eventuality.
The start line was fast and furious with the OCS flag going up straight away. Bugger, so The First Jindarra returned and the flag remained. It must be us and back we went.... nope, we had ducked the line and the flag still remained... had Barry properly crossed the line? Had we done so? I was sure so away we went. Tail end Charlie again we were chasing the other three and while there was some separation between the front two and the First Jindarra we knew that we would have a chance to get to the Jin as they were running a number two, but getting around Barry on the helm wasn't going to be easy. So off to Sampson and then to King.
It was going to be a reaching course in the main with the occasional beat and down wind run. So we knew we could excel on the down wind, but Swiftsure was going to get away as she is simply the faster boat. Chasing Barry we could pretty much aim for Robins after King and then it was up to us to make the boat sail fast. Meanwhile the two up front were beginning to battle it out. The skipper grinned.. "all the better for us", he said.
Up to Robins and try to duck in under the Jin, only to have the door promptly slammed in our faces. Ok, go out a bit and sail past her. We had a number one on and could go faster on the reach. We did so on the way to Print while watching Wynella and Swiftsure Saga battling in front of us taking each other up. Wonderful as it was slowing them down. Around Print and away to Foam before heading off to Robins again with a few of the Royal Perth fleet getting in our road as for once we were windward boats. Ok, deal with it.
Around Robins and we were beginning to look at Wynella's stern. Bonus! But we had to get down to Print again and hence to Como and the outer startline. Did I mention that it was raining? That second leg had the showers at the bottom of the river moving upward to envelope us and sitting under a lee side main is the best way to get wet as the water cascades off the Dacron above you. The showers eased after a while, but we were already damp by then. A moment of time on the foredeck, getting the boat flowing down to Como and then drop it for the run to the outer startline with the block of flats moving down to us to try and roll over us. Bugger him.. we took him all the way up and he wasted a hundred yards and quite a few seconds trying to get past us. A certain amount of satisfaction was had. Sooner or later he will learn.
The next lap was a small one and it gave us the chance to get past Wynella. Off to Sampson and then out to King. From King to Addison several boats were knocking, but we had the boat running well and had gone out far enough to get close to Addison, sure we had to tack and tack again, but we had snuck past Wynella who had gone a long way out and was behind us at the mark.. In fact Swiftsure had also had to come back so we had closed up on them as well.
Then the dash to Como and thence to the finish. Up went the pole and see how far and fast we go down the breeze. Lots of fun and no one catching us. A good day on the water. But there was one catch.
The OCS flag had remained up and Bill had taken the horn at the finish line. We could only assume that we hadn't returned to the line properly as we thought that everyone else was clear except for us and Swiftsure Saga. Glumly we packed up the boat consoling ourselves that at least we had a good day out. A drink on the boat and then up to results.. but one thing had given us a moment of thought. Barry and Peter had admitted that they might not have properly crossed back over the line. One thought yes, the other thought no.. so they sailed on.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Mariner and Wynella.
On handicap: Wynella, Swiftsure Saga and Mariner.
The First Jindarra was OCS.
The last image is the new Wynella shirt. Well done Ernie.. the design looks great and thanks also to Brian Cross who organised the logos etc.
Winter Wednesday Sailing 1st of June 2022
Dead Heat &
Two up.
Another slow day on the water with last Wednesday wiped out by a shut down of the breeze on the river.
It's just not what you want, but it was perfect for us as Mariner only had the skipper and I to sail the boat. Understandably with a dicky knee I was reticent, but the threat of the skipper going forward to run the pole was enough to make me agree to do everything else on the boat including the foredeck.
Four boats out on the water and Wynella out of action while they have lifted the motor out to cure an oil leak. (They had a bit of a problem with the drive shaft, but that was cured when Brian Cross came through with a suggestion). It may be noted by the way that Nerima has been seen getting the finishing touches to the coachwork, well done Les and hopefully he will be back next season. Young Rupert (Georgina) has been working 6 days a week and is still in the process of finishing that troublesome plank. Come on Rupert.. get it out of the way and come sailing. Dave Locke is recovering from Covid as is the rest of the bosuns crew.
Anyway back to the story.
The starters for once, hung out a shortened course four and we heartily agreed. The breeze was as light as, but sailable and it was a case of who was in the lead at Sampson. We had had the hull cleaned and the number one strapped on. A fine day to test our luck as we took the lead. Swiftsure Saga must have hit a mark and did a 360 surprising all of us, so we headed for Sampson rounded it, then decided on how to best get to our next mark (Robins). Bill decided to go into the bay and come out a bit further on from Frenchmans, John ( Anna) went out into the middle followed by The First Jindarra and only John was able to make the best of it with his skills as a light breezes sailor coming forward.
The skipper was remarkably constrained on the way up to Robins with no tacks off to find that little extra wind, we had a steady lift and a constant 3 knots that took us all the way into the jetty at Applecross and then a tack that had us just make Robins, with the main pulled way above the centre-line to give us that little extra height. Around we went aiming for Dolphin East and it was a nice reach with the boat moving smartly in a 5 knot sou wester. But worse was to come once we reached D.E.
The river was full of holes and D.E. was the start of it. We hoisted a pole and then sat there sailing against the current, making perhaps 1.5 knots. It was slow work and as the rest of the H28's hit D.E. they too slowed down and hoisted poles. But to no avail.
Backwards we looked and Anna was gaining a little, then we picked up a puff and got away perhaps a couple of metres. Arrrrgh. We could do nothing except jibe the boat on the way down to Como and then stow the pole, praying the other 20 or so boats heading for Como wouldn't swamp us with their sails.
Around we went and then aimed at the finish line. Only to have a block of flats (K Factor) drive right over us, just because he could... alright Mr Thoms.. we will remember that. That slowed us down and Anna caught up that bit more. So continue aiming for the line to have another boat try to close us out on the finish line. Sailing right to the box end, forcing us to slow again and make the line another few seconds later. You can see where this is going, or you will shortly.
Over the line: Mariner, Anna and Swiftsure Saga
On handicap: Dead Heat for first. Mariner and Anna, Swiftsure Saga 3rd.
It cost the club another bottle of port and we were delighted to share first place on handicap with John Wright and his crew on Anna. They had sailed well. A further moment came when Ian Stewart popped over and looked hard at the skipper and I and said Double handed eh?
Well we hadn't looked at it that way, we'd sailed two up before, Lockie and Rita do it occasionally and there have been others that have done it.. but yes... Double handed.
Dead Heat &
Two up.
Another slow day on the water with last Wednesday wiped out by a shut down of the breeze on the river.
It's just not what you want, but it was perfect for us as Mariner only had the skipper and I to sail the boat. Understandably with a dicky knee I was reticent, but the threat of the skipper going forward to run the pole was enough to make me agree to do everything else on the boat including the foredeck.
Four boats out on the water and Wynella out of action while they have lifted the motor out to cure an oil leak. (They had a bit of a problem with the drive shaft, but that was cured when Brian Cross came through with a suggestion). It may be noted by the way that Nerima has been seen getting the finishing touches to the coachwork, well done Les and hopefully he will be back next season. Young Rupert (Georgina) has been working 6 days a week and is still in the process of finishing that troublesome plank. Come on Rupert.. get it out of the way and come sailing. Dave Locke is recovering from Covid as is the rest of the bosuns crew.
Anyway back to the story.
The starters for once, hung out a shortened course four and we heartily agreed. The breeze was as light as, but sailable and it was a case of who was in the lead at Sampson. We had had the hull cleaned and the number one strapped on. A fine day to test our luck as we took the lead. Swiftsure Saga must have hit a mark and did a 360 surprising all of us, so we headed for Sampson rounded it, then decided on how to best get to our next mark (Robins). Bill decided to go into the bay and come out a bit further on from Frenchmans, John ( Anna) went out into the middle followed by The First Jindarra and only John was able to make the best of it with his skills as a light breezes sailor coming forward.
The skipper was remarkably constrained on the way up to Robins with no tacks off to find that little extra wind, we had a steady lift and a constant 3 knots that took us all the way into the jetty at Applecross and then a tack that had us just make Robins, with the main pulled way above the centre-line to give us that little extra height. Around we went aiming for Dolphin East and it was a nice reach with the boat moving smartly in a 5 knot sou wester. But worse was to come once we reached D.E.
The river was full of holes and D.E. was the start of it. We hoisted a pole and then sat there sailing against the current, making perhaps 1.5 knots. It was slow work and as the rest of the H28's hit D.E. they too slowed down and hoisted poles. But to no avail.
Backwards we looked and Anna was gaining a little, then we picked up a puff and got away perhaps a couple of metres. Arrrrgh. We could do nothing except jibe the boat on the way down to Como and then stow the pole, praying the other 20 or so boats heading for Como wouldn't swamp us with their sails.
Around we went and then aimed at the finish line. Only to have a block of flats (K Factor) drive right over us, just because he could... alright Mr Thoms.. we will remember that. That slowed us down and Anna caught up that bit more. So continue aiming for the line to have another boat try to close us out on the finish line. Sailing right to the box end, forcing us to slow again and make the line another few seconds later. You can see where this is going, or you will shortly.
Over the line: Mariner, Anna and Swiftsure Saga
On handicap: Dead Heat for first. Mariner and Anna, Swiftsure Saga 3rd.
It cost the club another bottle of port and we were delighted to share first place on handicap with John Wright and his crew on Anna. They had sailed well. A further moment came when Ian Stewart popped over and looked hard at the skipper and I and said Double handed eh?
Well we hadn't looked at it that way, we'd sailed two up before, Lockie and Rita do it occasionally and there have been others that have done it.. but yes... Double handed.
Winter Wednesday Sailing 11th of May 2022
Back on the water again &
A slow day on the river.
There's not much chance of a great days sailing when the breeze has just about shut down on you.
We started on a very light nor wester that just kept on getting lighter and lighter throughout the day, but didn't completely disappear. If we got above 5 knots it was on a broad reach (and there weren't many of those.)
Five boats hit the water and Bill took the opportunity to clean his hull, my word it needed a clean. He was complaining that it wasn't performing well and we know why now. Big John has returned from Melbourne and with a full boat for Bill, I hopped across to Wynella and filled a port trim spot. Gee those winches are set a long way back. However it was a chance to go for a yacht. so no complaining. Dave Lock isn't missing Rita a bit.. she's gone off to Fiji now that the borders have opened up and he got the boat set up with Chloe and one of her friends. So a few changes, but all for the better. The Jin was in Peter Broadbent's hands as Barry Skinner is recovering from Long Covid. (not good at all)
The start was spectacular for us as Ernie was coaching Glen to the inch and we glided across the box end pretty much on time while every one else was going down the to the pin end to try and minimise the distance covered. We were hoping for more breeze that we got and Bill with his clean hull, just slipped away as did the rest of the fleet. By the time we had made Sampson we were 4th of the fleet and it was a choice to make... stay with the fleet or break away.. Which we did.
Up the river we went, it wasn't fast and we were trying to heel the boat by lining the lee side which sort of worked as we fought The First Jindarra for last spot. The others were away, but not by much and the fleet was pretty much together with John Wright sailing immaculately and getting into the lead, only to have a SS27 sail over him and take his breeze, effectively shutting him down. So to Hallmark and then to Armstrong with the boats still quite close together. but we were slow, so slow.
Around Armstrong and set our sights on Como with the sure knowledge that we would get a shortened course as it was 10 to 4 by the time we made Armstrong. So down the breeze we went. Slower and slower we sailed, looking for puffs and gusts everywhere. We did well enough to draw past Peter and the Jin and set our sights on Lockie, but he must have had a bit more luck running for him and he managed to keep his boat running well. John Wright on Anna had kept his lead, but Bill Richards was well in front and managed to keep Swiftsure Saga well in the lead.. in fact almost two minutes in the lead.
We made the bottom mark and headed for the line, just trying to keep ahead of the Jin as Peter had the boat flowing well, but we were doing well enough to stay in front. Over the line and pack up the boat with the rest of the fleets making their way down to the line as well. It was getting quite cool and the sky had clouded over... rain wasn't far away.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Anna, Corella.
On handicap: Wynella, Swiftsure Saga, Anna.
With any luck, we will see Mariner back on the water next week when Brian and Judi return from Augusta. Rita has gone for the next few weeks to Fiji and good luck to her; Les Brooker was seen working on Nerima and we are all hoping that he is preparing the boat for a summer season filled with glory. (Well I can wish cant I?)
Back on the water again &
A slow day on the river.
There's not much chance of a great days sailing when the breeze has just about shut down on you.
We started on a very light nor wester that just kept on getting lighter and lighter throughout the day, but didn't completely disappear. If we got above 5 knots it was on a broad reach (and there weren't many of those.)
Five boats hit the water and Bill took the opportunity to clean his hull, my word it needed a clean. He was complaining that it wasn't performing well and we know why now. Big John has returned from Melbourne and with a full boat for Bill, I hopped across to Wynella and filled a port trim spot. Gee those winches are set a long way back. However it was a chance to go for a yacht. so no complaining. Dave Lock isn't missing Rita a bit.. she's gone off to Fiji now that the borders have opened up and he got the boat set up with Chloe and one of her friends. So a few changes, but all for the better. The Jin was in Peter Broadbent's hands as Barry Skinner is recovering from Long Covid. (not good at all)
The start was spectacular for us as Ernie was coaching Glen to the inch and we glided across the box end pretty much on time while every one else was going down the to the pin end to try and minimise the distance covered. We were hoping for more breeze that we got and Bill with his clean hull, just slipped away as did the rest of the fleet. By the time we had made Sampson we were 4th of the fleet and it was a choice to make... stay with the fleet or break away.. Which we did.
Up the river we went, it wasn't fast and we were trying to heel the boat by lining the lee side which sort of worked as we fought The First Jindarra for last spot. The others were away, but not by much and the fleet was pretty much together with John Wright sailing immaculately and getting into the lead, only to have a SS27 sail over him and take his breeze, effectively shutting him down. So to Hallmark and then to Armstrong with the boats still quite close together. but we were slow, so slow.
Around Armstrong and set our sights on Como with the sure knowledge that we would get a shortened course as it was 10 to 4 by the time we made Armstrong. So down the breeze we went. Slower and slower we sailed, looking for puffs and gusts everywhere. We did well enough to draw past Peter and the Jin and set our sights on Lockie, but he must have had a bit more luck running for him and he managed to keep his boat running well. John Wright on Anna had kept his lead, but Bill Richards was well in front and managed to keep Swiftsure Saga well in the lead.. in fact almost two minutes in the lead.
We made the bottom mark and headed for the line, just trying to keep ahead of the Jin as Peter had the boat flowing well, but we were doing well enough to stay in front. Over the line and pack up the boat with the rest of the fleets making their way down to the line as well. It was getting quite cool and the sky had clouded over... rain wasn't far away.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Anna, Corella.
On handicap: Wynella, Swiftsure Saga, Anna.
With any luck, we will see Mariner back on the water next week when Brian and Judi return from Augusta. Rita has gone for the next few weeks to Fiji and good luck to her; Les Brooker was seen working on Nerima and we are all hoping that he is preparing the boat for a summer season filled with glory. (Well I can wish cant I?)
Saturday Summer Sailing. Closing Day 23rd of April 2022.
The Commodores Trophy Pursuit Race.
The three of us &
Set fair.
The day was almost perfect with a reliable ( well it was an easterly) breeze that stayed in for the day. And they sent us on a run all the way to Brickies A & B with a return to Dolphin West and then back up again.
The trip was actually designed that all the boats could take along water bombs and super drencher pistols and have a whale of a time out on the water. It would have been perfect for the day.
However we took off along with a number of others right on 20 minutes and found ourselves being over run by an ambitious blue boat with a Greek name. So up we went. He pretty quickly understood and eased back on his ambitions, preparing for a kite run on the way down to Brickies A and B. Ok. we were sailing jib and main for the day, though it was to be to our detriment as the H28's slipped to the back of the fleet quickly.
As the back marker for the H28's we had 5 minutes to catch up with Aloha and 2 minutes on Wynella and the latter stayed in front all the way with some rather adventuresome use of his pole around Brickies A and B. However the return trip up the breeze to Dolphin West was a fine battle for the two of us with the boats duelling on the water for the best part of twenty minutes. Finally Swiftsure Saga broke through, but well done Wynella for the tussle on the water.
Having made Dolphin West it was going to be clear that we would be a while going back and there was a real regret that we hadn't opted for Spinnakers to keep up with the fleet. Even three up we could have managed with the day and it was only the occasional gust that kept us moving. Around Brickies again and off to Como with the skipper wondering why everyone went right. Well that's where the breeze was, so we followed suit. Zig zagging across the river we made our way up the track to Como and finally rounded the mark and headed for home. Along the way we were fascinated by a shoal of bait fish skipping across the
river surface clearly being pursued by something bigger.
Enough:- Over the line and a hoot from the starters and inside for a chip and a beer.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Wynella and Aloha. Many thanks to all who sailed for the day.
Thirty one boats sailed the last day.. on par for the numbers we have been getting on the river recently. Its a pity.
Thus ends the sailing season for 2021-22.
The Commodores Trophy Pursuit Race.
The three of us &
Set fair.
The day was almost perfect with a reliable ( well it was an easterly) breeze that stayed in for the day. And they sent us on a run all the way to Brickies A & B with a return to Dolphin West and then back up again.
The trip was actually designed that all the boats could take along water bombs and super drencher pistols and have a whale of a time out on the water. It would have been perfect for the day.
However we took off along with a number of others right on 20 minutes and found ourselves being over run by an ambitious blue boat with a Greek name. So up we went. He pretty quickly understood and eased back on his ambitions, preparing for a kite run on the way down to Brickies A and B. Ok. we were sailing jib and main for the day, though it was to be to our detriment as the H28's slipped to the back of the fleet quickly.
As the back marker for the H28's we had 5 minutes to catch up with Aloha and 2 minutes on Wynella and the latter stayed in front all the way with some rather adventuresome use of his pole around Brickies A and B. However the return trip up the breeze to Dolphin West was a fine battle for the two of us with the boats duelling on the water for the best part of twenty minutes. Finally Swiftsure Saga broke through, but well done Wynella for the tussle on the water.
Having made Dolphin West it was going to be clear that we would be a while going back and there was a real regret that we hadn't opted for Spinnakers to keep up with the fleet. Even three up we could have managed with the day and it was only the occasional gust that kept us moving. Around Brickies again and off to Como with the skipper wondering why everyone went right. Well that's where the breeze was, so we followed suit. Zig zagging across the river we made our way up the track to Como and finally rounded the mark and headed for home. Along the way we were fascinated by a shoal of bait fish skipping across the
river surface clearly being pursued by something bigger.
Enough:- Over the line and a hoot from the starters and inside for a chip and a beer.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Wynella and Aloha. Many thanks to all who sailed for the day.
Thirty one boats sailed the last day.. on par for the numbers we have been getting on the river recently. Its a pity.
Thus ends the sailing season for 2021-22.
Wednesday Autumn Sailing 20th of April.
The last day of Wednesday sailing for the summer &
Hughie's call.
Its been a funny few weeks without a skipper to sail with, but I've done a few guest spots and this week I was hanging off the safety boat with a camera.. unfortunately they had their own agenda so I stepped off around 4pm, but it was fascinating watching the breeze taking charge of the racing.
You guessed it... an Easterly again and with a certain amount of nerve RO Lynne Newton sent them away on a light breezes course 4. The drag race down to Sampson was exactly that.. they were all dragging large chains behind them. Riding the safety boat we went off to Foam where the crew of the boat were content to sit in the middle of the river and monitor everything. How times have changed.
The seabreeze began to form down around Deepwater and you could see it begin to fill in the north side of the river. There were still boats who had been lured over to the south where the last of the easterly was playing and they along with the remnants of the div one and two boats fell into doldrums. The certain few who had though about it were over in the North and sure enough, they got away.
The H28's, well the last boats over the start line were Swiftsure Saga and Wynella.. the two who were in contention for the seasons win. Up front we had David Locke driving his newly repaired Corella and he was hotly pursued by Peter Broadbent who had The First Jindarra flying. Fascinating watching as the handicap split was enough to guarantee that The Jin would get the nod if they finished within 2 minutes. John Wright was smack in the middle and was doing fine except for a bit of finessing required around Robins with another boat trying to fit into his water.
The battle for 4th and 5th continued with Bill getting past Glen around Como and that let them get away for a chance to get further ahead. But all to no avail as the final lap had them only a minute ahead when at least 4 minutes was required. But for the lack of a breeze a championship was lost.. and if they had managed to get that lead and end up in front of Wynella they would have tied on points with drops and won on the number of firsts. Bill has proved that his boat likes a breeze and it would have been a fine finish to the season, but after all... well its Hughie's call.
Over the line: Corella, The First Jindarra and Anna.
On handicap: The First Jindarra, Corella and Wynella.
For the season: Wynella 24 points, Swiftsure Saga 25 points and Mariner with a whopping 46 just edging out Corella on 47.
The first two slides.. well this is Corella up on the slips about to be repaired and the second is Aloha getting new shrouds, being put on by the owner Andrew Minto.
I will be away in Melbourne for the next week or so.
The last day of Wednesday sailing for the summer &
Hughie's call.
Its been a funny few weeks without a skipper to sail with, but I've done a few guest spots and this week I was hanging off the safety boat with a camera.. unfortunately they had their own agenda so I stepped off around 4pm, but it was fascinating watching the breeze taking charge of the racing.
You guessed it... an Easterly again and with a certain amount of nerve RO Lynne Newton sent them away on a light breezes course 4. The drag race down to Sampson was exactly that.. they were all dragging large chains behind them. Riding the safety boat we went off to Foam where the crew of the boat were content to sit in the middle of the river and monitor everything. How times have changed.
The seabreeze began to form down around Deepwater and you could see it begin to fill in the north side of the river. There were still boats who had been lured over to the south where the last of the easterly was playing and they along with the remnants of the div one and two boats fell into doldrums. The certain few who had though about it were over in the North and sure enough, they got away.
The H28's, well the last boats over the start line were Swiftsure Saga and Wynella.. the two who were in contention for the seasons win. Up front we had David Locke driving his newly repaired Corella and he was hotly pursued by Peter Broadbent who had The First Jindarra flying. Fascinating watching as the handicap split was enough to guarantee that The Jin would get the nod if they finished within 2 minutes. John Wright was smack in the middle and was doing fine except for a bit of finessing required around Robins with another boat trying to fit into his water.
The battle for 4th and 5th continued with Bill getting past Glen around Como and that let them get away for a chance to get further ahead. But all to no avail as the final lap had them only a minute ahead when at least 4 minutes was required. But for the lack of a breeze a championship was lost.. and if they had managed to get that lead and end up in front of Wynella they would have tied on points with drops and won on the number of firsts. Bill has proved that his boat likes a breeze and it would have been a fine finish to the season, but after all... well its Hughie's call.
Over the line: Corella, The First Jindarra and Anna.
On handicap: The First Jindarra, Corella and Wynella.
For the season: Wynella 24 points, Swiftsure Saga 25 points and Mariner with a whopping 46 just edging out Corella on 47.
The first two slides.. well this is Corella up on the slips about to be repaired and the second is Aloha getting new shrouds, being put on by the owner Andrew Minto.
I will be away in Melbourne for the next week or so.
Wednesday Autumn Sailing 13th of April
Vale Past Commodore Bruce Williams
It is with the greatest sadness we announce the passing of Past Commodore Bruce Williams who died peacefully at his home on Saturday 2nd of April 2022. In his own words, at his birthday in February over a favourite meal of Swan River crabs, he said, “I have had a wonderful 97 years and it doesn't get any better than being surrounded by what I love most, my family.”
Bruce grew up in Applecross by the river. A proud South of Perth Yacht Club man of 57 years and Commodore in 1974 -75. He served on protest committees for many years at the Club and at State and International level. Lovingly supported by his beloved wife, Joan (dec).
Among his accomplishments he chaired the YAWA racing Rules Committee and was appointed WA's first international yachting judge for the International Yacht Racing Union, now World Sailing. He chaired the protest jury for the America's Cup Defence selection in 1987. Bruce was awarded the Australian Sports Medal in recognition of his contribution to yachting. He was a life member of YAWA and also of our Club.
Bruce was a passionate ambassador for the Club throughout his involvement in international yachting and the Naval Association of Australia. The Club offers something for all members of a family, it supports family values and Bruce was particularly proud of this. He was delighted that his extended family, at one stage could count over 500 years of accumulated membership.
His greatest sailing love was his H28 Lynda, which he sailed for over 22 years. He introduced his brother Bob (H28 Alma) and brother-in-law Bob Colquhoun (H28 Karina) to the joys of sailing and the Club. After selling Lynda he went on to the power boat Momo and then Dividend.
Bruce is survived by his sisters Delys and Helen, brother Max and his three children Peter, Lesley and Julie. His grandchildren Simon, Kate, Jess, Elliott, Phil, Brendan, Tess and Sam and great grandchildren Oscar, Alice, Finn, Madeline and Eliza.
This piece was published as a SoPYC announcement and was written by a family member.
Sailing Results for the day.
Over the line: Anna, Swiftsure Saga and The First Jindarra
On handicap: Wynella, Anna and The First Jindarra.
There was no sailing over Easter.
Vale Past Commodore Bruce Williams
It is with the greatest sadness we announce the passing of Past Commodore Bruce Williams who died peacefully at his home on Saturday 2nd of April 2022. In his own words, at his birthday in February over a favourite meal of Swan River crabs, he said, “I have had a wonderful 97 years and it doesn't get any better than being surrounded by what I love most, my family.”
Bruce grew up in Applecross by the river. A proud South of Perth Yacht Club man of 57 years and Commodore in 1974 -75. He served on protest committees for many years at the Club and at State and International level. Lovingly supported by his beloved wife, Joan (dec).
Among his accomplishments he chaired the YAWA racing Rules Committee and was appointed WA's first international yachting judge for the International Yacht Racing Union, now World Sailing. He chaired the protest jury for the America's Cup Defence selection in 1987. Bruce was awarded the Australian Sports Medal in recognition of his contribution to yachting. He was a life member of YAWA and also of our Club.
Bruce was a passionate ambassador for the Club throughout his involvement in international yachting and the Naval Association of Australia. The Club offers something for all members of a family, it supports family values and Bruce was particularly proud of this. He was delighted that his extended family, at one stage could count over 500 years of accumulated membership.
His greatest sailing love was his H28 Lynda, which he sailed for over 22 years. He introduced his brother Bob (H28 Alma) and brother-in-law Bob Colquhoun (H28 Karina) to the joys of sailing and the Club. After selling Lynda he went on to the power boat Momo and then Dividend.
Bruce is survived by his sisters Delys and Helen, brother Max and his three children Peter, Lesley and Julie. His grandchildren Simon, Kate, Jess, Elliott, Phil, Brendan, Tess and Sam and great grandchildren Oscar, Alice, Finn, Madeline and Eliza.
This piece was published as a SoPYC announcement and was written by a family member.
Sailing Results for the day.
Over the line: Anna, Swiftsure Saga and The First Jindarra
On handicap: Wynella, Anna and The First Jindarra.
There was no sailing over Easter.
Saturday Summer Sailing 9th of April The 7th and final Championship
Nothing less than a course one &
Sailors have feelings too.
It turned into a lovely day. A little cool, but a sparkling breeze turned up out of the south but it did have a distinct bend in it down near the Canning river end. Made it interesting to carry a kite when we got down that end. But the usual three turned out for the event with two boats out of action and a skipper with his hands out of action. So Wynella, Aloha and Swiftsure Saga.
The start boat wobbled backwards and forwards on the Canning influence and the day buoys were there or not with the AP rising and falling. But we didn't mind as it was a nice breeze and we had four on the boat, yes we could pop a kite up. Eventually we got under way and headed across the start line with the other two boats above us. No matter, we could duck under them if we needed to and then work our way up the river. Sure enough, a course one from the starters and at least we had a half way decent breeze to go sailing on. But it was cool so there wasn't a sting in its tail. Just right for a spinnaker.
Away we went up the river with a solid work up to Brickies; jeepers the boat is predictable. There is a groove which carries Wynella's track up the river and I swear that he tacks on the same spot every time. However that's ok we know where he is most times. So for once a clean run up to Brickies with no battles with opposing fleets. Apparently the other clubs had fired them off on different tracks. Good one. Around the marks and Grahame who had joined us for the afternoon was interested in the make up of "the other end of the river". He's principally only sailed up at the top end. But he was a competent man and had the spinnaker under control pretty quickly. Well done Eric up the front.
Down to Dolphin West with a rather worried Couta boat trying to get around us and having to go behind us. Sorry mate we've been there before. And then a rather large cruiser coming in from port and aiming at D-W with the idea of going around the mark. Fortunately we managed to get through her as we were on our way to Foam and it would have been a pain in the bum. So down to Foam with a spinnaker that was beginning to go sideways as the breeze went forward. Lots of fun. So down and around with aplomb and back up to Sanders. By this time we had about 100 metres lead.
Finding Sanders was the next chore and with a bit of luck we picked it up early and shot off to the mark forthwith. Up went the kite again and this time we were ploughing our way through a bunch of boats from the Perth Dinghy club, Sharpies, Cherubs, the occasional crabber who had strayed onto Robins as a spot to put crab nets and rapidly learnt that sailors have feelings too. Well its clear that if you start swearing at a yacht owner who has fouled his rudder on your nets, the yacht owner has at least 5 mates with him on his boat and you (the crabber) have ruined their day. The crabbers weren't there the next time around.
So down to Como and around again and back up past Robins to see it swept bare of crabbers. Mind you we had to fight our way through a large collection of dinghies again and we were carried away a couple of times by a wall of Sharpies or Cherubs. Oh well, that's life. Back up past Robins and out to Deepwater and set a kite to get to Dolphin East. A gybe or two and we were there with a final run to Addison. "My word" said Grahame. "This is a long day out on the water". We then had to explain how much longer it is when the breeze is lighter. And it would have been a lot longer for someone at the back of the fleet.
Down to Thelma and across the line to hear the horn go off. Thank goodness for that.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Wynella and Aloha
On handicap: Wynella, Swiftsure Saga and Aloha
Provisional season results!
For the season: Championship-- Swiftsure Saga, Wynella and Aloha 6 races and 5 to be counted.
For the season: Consistency ---- Swiftsure Saga, Wynella and Aloha 18 races and 15 to be counted.
Once again thanks to Hayden who was wandering around on the foredeck of Wynella with a camera.
His are the second lot of photos.
Wednesday Autumn Sailing 6th of April 2022
Sailing with the beer snafflers &
The dreaded nor easters.
Sliding down to the club I was of about 3 different minds. Go sailing (and with whom). Join the start team again (unlikely) or go out with Greg on the rescue boat to try to get some photos.
After having made my mind up to go with Greg once I'd noticed that John P's wife Helen was back on deck, the beer snaffler himself offered me a ride on Wynella. I had either forgotten that Bill had indicated that he was looking for another body on Wednesday, or he had thought that he had told me. No matter, that's another story.
So four boats set off today and it was on an easterly that we began our battle. Ernie nailed the start, showing a lot of faith in his crew as we pirouetted around the start area with gybes and tacks in abundance. And cursed as we were over run by the boats behind us.. everyone stole our breeze and by the time we reached Sampson on a light winds course four Wynella had slipped to the back. But not far behind.
Down to Robins was the next run and it was slow, we were looking for puffs on the water and it is very hard to determine which side of the river the next band of pressure is coming from. As we made Robins you could have thrown a ( rather large) blanket over all four boats, but John Wright had his boat sliding through the water deceptively quickly and had managed to put Bill on Swiftsure Saga behind him and the pair of them picked up a little pressure band after Robins and took off to Dolphin East leaving The First Jindarra and Wynella to struggle around Robins in their wake.
But John went too far and it was a sorry sight to watch a good lead thrown away as Swiftsure slid around Dolphin East into the fore. He quickly retraced his tracks and took second again, but there must have been much cursing on the vessel as they reviewed their folly. Didn't bother us though we were still slipping along slowly with occasional gusts pushing s down the track. To tack over to the south and be closer to the breeze coming out of the now sou easterly? or stay on the same track. Well we took a half and half approach when we tacked to go over to the middle and because we were knocking so badly we tacked back and then began to knock again, badly.
No, we weren't going to win that one were we?
So follow The First Jindarra all the way back with a willy-willy knocking us around with an instant gybe happening. As the clock ticked down to 4pm we began to second guess the starters (never a good idea) and sure enough as soon as a div two boat cleared the outer start line they threw up the 'on station /finish line' flag and hoisted a shortened course for Div 3 and the H28's.
So slide over the line, pack the boat up and head for the pens.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Anna and the First Jindarra
On handicap: The First Jindarra, Anna and Swiftsure Saga
Yes... stone motherless last. I'm beginning to think I'm an albatross.
Otherwise John P has had to shoot through to Melbourne following the sudden death of a close relative and Peter Shepherd is a grandfather again. Glen is still recuperating with the bruises on his face really showing up. Brian Cross came down to very carefully lap his pinot out of a wineglass, holding his hands very gingerly. Only another 2 or 3 weeks to go.
The two injured H28's are slowly undergoing repair with the hole in Georgina tidied up in preparation to putting a piece of timber in. Lockie joined us for a beer after sailing as he had been pulling the damage on Corella to pieces and beginning the restoration process. Good to see that he's regained a sense of humour again.
Sailing with the beer snafflers &
The dreaded nor easters.
Sliding down to the club I was of about 3 different minds. Go sailing (and with whom). Join the start team again (unlikely) or go out with Greg on the rescue boat to try to get some photos.
After having made my mind up to go with Greg once I'd noticed that John P's wife Helen was back on deck, the beer snaffler himself offered me a ride on Wynella. I had either forgotten that Bill had indicated that he was looking for another body on Wednesday, or he had thought that he had told me. No matter, that's another story.
So four boats set off today and it was on an easterly that we began our battle. Ernie nailed the start, showing a lot of faith in his crew as we pirouetted around the start area with gybes and tacks in abundance. And cursed as we were over run by the boats behind us.. everyone stole our breeze and by the time we reached Sampson on a light winds course four Wynella had slipped to the back. But not far behind.
Down to Robins was the next run and it was slow, we were looking for puffs on the water and it is very hard to determine which side of the river the next band of pressure is coming from. As we made Robins you could have thrown a ( rather large) blanket over all four boats, but John Wright had his boat sliding through the water deceptively quickly and had managed to put Bill on Swiftsure Saga behind him and the pair of them picked up a little pressure band after Robins and took off to Dolphin East leaving The First Jindarra and Wynella to struggle around Robins in their wake.
But John went too far and it was a sorry sight to watch a good lead thrown away as Swiftsure slid around Dolphin East into the fore. He quickly retraced his tracks and took second again, but there must have been much cursing on the vessel as they reviewed their folly. Didn't bother us though we were still slipping along slowly with occasional gusts pushing s down the track. To tack over to the south and be closer to the breeze coming out of the now sou easterly? or stay on the same track. Well we took a half and half approach when we tacked to go over to the middle and because we were knocking so badly we tacked back and then began to knock again, badly.
No, we weren't going to win that one were we?
So follow The First Jindarra all the way back with a willy-willy knocking us around with an instant gybe happening. As the clock ticked down to 4pm we began to second guess the starters (never a good idea) and sure enough as soon as a div two boat cleared the outer start line they threw up the 'on station /finish line' flag and hoisted a shortened course for Div 3 and the H28's.
So slide over the line, pack the boat up and head for the pens.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Anna and the First Jindarra
On handicap: The First Jindarra, Anna and Swiftsure Saga
Yes... stone motherless last. I'm beginning to think I'm an albatross.
Otherwise John P has had to shoot through to Melbourne following the sudden death of a close relative and Peter Shepherd is a grandfather again. Glen is still recuperating with the bruises on his face really showing up. Brian Cross came down to very carefully lap his pinot out of a wineglass, holding his hands very gingerly. Only another 2 or 3 weeks to go.
The two injured H28's are slowly undergoing repair with the hole in Georgina tidied up in preparation to putting a piece of timber in. Lockie joined us for a beer after sailing as he had been pulling the damage on Corella to pieces and beginning the restoration process. Good to see that he's regained a sense of humour again.
Saturday Summer Sailing 2nd of April 2022
The same two &
Piggy in the middle/ Glass out.
Oh bugger. They gave us a course one. The long one. Heading off on a nor easter, we left the pen with a foreigner on the boat. Welcome Steve! He had very little big boat experience, but he had done 4 days on a boat handling course down south and wasn't entirely useless. In fact half way down to Brickies he had his hands on the spinnaker strings and was doing ok.
However we were up against Ernie Little and his well trained team of beer snafflers on Wynella. Down to the line we went and it was going to be a close thing as we eased ourselves over the line on port and refused the opportunity to take them up over the line.. well we could have! Then the race to the turning marks and we made it just in front of them thanks to a bit of luck on the water as the fitful breeze flicked our way for once.
Up went the spinnaker with Eric in fine form.. a few technical bumps and up we went. At the same time, Wynella was doing similar and for some reason they walked right past us with Hayden's camera clicking away. Thanks mate!
Then began an absorbing battle as we worked on our way down to Brickies A and B. A little separation and the challenge was on as we kept the kites aloft in the breeze that was disappearing. But we had enough and that's all that mattered. Approaching two thirds of the way we pointed out Sanders to Steve, challenging him to find it again when it mattered to us. But we had to get around Brickies and with Wynella just to port and a SS27 bearing down on us from the vicinity of Smith we had to drop, bring the pole in and then run the boat comfortably down along the line between A and B. Surprisingly the SS 27 let us get away with it and we made it around Brickies B clear ahead.
Wynella was in trouble and behind the SS 27. They were locked in behind them as they turned right and Wynella was looking at being carted off to China. So they went with the flow.
A wise move as it turned out, as they were in light but constant pressure all the way and were well in front ( though a long way off ). We were sitting in a wash-pool of power boat wakes with several other yachts suffering the same problems. Even sports boats like The Cadillac were tied down by the lack of breeze. Shocking.
Eventually the radio began to crackle with one or two boats asking whether an abandonment was in the offing. Of course the RO wasn't going to say boo. There were several fleets sailing for Championship points and the RO wasn't going to let it go easily. We battled our way on down past Perth Flying Squadron Yacht club and found the breeze swing around the clock with boats in front running kites toward us and boats behind us running kites towards us. Piggy in the middle... no breeze at all
Crackle, crackle.. "All boats SoPYC fleet All boats SoPYC fleet. Racing is shortened Racing is shortened." A fat lot of good that will do us... its nearly 4 pm and the breeze just aint there. So down came the spinnaker and the motor was switched on. Wynella saw us gliding along and dropped their spinnaker as well.. A motor was clearly turned on and the radio crackled again with Wynella announcing the fact that they were retiring and that we had as well. As we made out way home, the freeway special started up and the Canning river breeze fired up. But it wasn't going anywhere and if our next trip was to Sanders we would have sailed into glass as the middle of the river was under a magic spell.
We were back to the pens by 1630 and cleaned up shortly afterwards. A couple of beers in the bar and then off home as the stragglers started to roll into the club. Hot, thirsty and no championship points. It wasn't a pretty picture. The club was in conciliation mode with free beers and chips being offered to mollify the sailors. I presume that the starters tab was being charged for that.
No results and some very cooked sailors.
The same two &
Piggy in the middle/ Glass out.
Oh bugger. They gave us a course one. The long one. Heading off on a nor easter, we left the pen with a foreigner on the boat. Welcome Steve! He had very little big boat experience, but he had done 4 days on a boat handling course down south and wasn't entirely useless. In fact half way down to Brickies he had his hands on the spinnaker strings and was doing ok.
However we were up against Ernie Little and his well trained team of beer snafflers on Wynella. Down to the line we went and it was going to be a close thing as we eased ourselves over the line on port and refused the opportunity to take them up over the line.. well we could have! Then the race to the turning marks and we made it just in front of them thanks to a bit of luck on the water as the fitful breeze flicked our way for once.
Up went the spinnaker with Eric in fine form.. a few technical bumps and up we went. At the same time, Wynella was doing similar and for some reason they walked right past us with Hayden's camera clicking away. Thanks mate!
Then began an absorbing battle as we worked on our way down to Brickies A and B. A little separation and the challenge was on as we kept the kites aloft in the breeze that was disappearing. But we had enough and that's all that mattered. Approaching two thirds of the way we pointed out Sanders to Steve, challenging him to find it again when it mattered to us. But we had to get around Brickies and with Wynella just to port and a SS27 bearing down on us from the vicinity of Smith we had to drop, bring the pole in and then run the boat comfortably down along the line between A and B. Surprisingly the SS 27 let us get away with it and we made it around Brickies B clear ahead.
Wynella was in trouble and behind the SS 27. They were locked in behind them as they turned right and Wynella was looking at being carted off to China. So they went with the flow.
A wise move as it turned out, as they were in light but constant pressure all the way and were well in front ( though a long way off ). We were sitting in a wash-pool of power boat wakes with several other yachts suffering the same problems. Even sports boats like The Cadillac were tied down by the lack of breeze. Shocking.
Eventually the radio began to crackle with one or two boats asking whether an abandonment was in the offing. Of course the RO wasn't going to say boo. There were several fleets sailing for Championship points and the RO wasn't going to let it go easily. We battled our way on down past Perth Flying Squadron Yacht club and found the breeze swing around the clock with boats in front running kites toward us and boats behind us running kites towards us. Piggy in the middle... no breeze at all
Crackle, crackle.. "All boats SoPYC fleet All boats SoPYC fleet. Racing is shortened Racing is shortened." A fat lot of good that will do us... its nearly 4 pm and the breeze just aint there. So down came the spinnaker and the motor was switched on. Wynella saw us gliding along and dropped their spinnaker as well.. A motor was clearly turned on and the radio crackled again with Wynella announcing the fact that they were retiring and that we had as well. As we made out way home, the freeway special started up and the Canning river breeze fired up. But it wasn't going anywhere and if our next trip was to Sanders we would have sailed into glass as the middle of the river was under a magic spell.
We were back to the pens by 1630 and cleaned up shortly afterwards. A couple of beers in the bar and then off home as the stragglers started to roll into the club. Hot, thirsty and no championship points. It wasn't a pretty picture. The club was in conciliation mode with free beers and chips being offered to mollify the sailors. I presume that the starters tab was being charged for that.
No results and some very cooked sailors.
Wednesday Autumn Sailing 30th March 2022
Two boats &
A sore and sorry skipper.
Well done to the weather with a fraudulent easterly masquerading as a nor easter and even a south easter with embedded gusts that had Phil reach for the phone and call off our day on the water. Fair enough I guess with only three available for the boat and a gusty day forecast.
So Wynella and Swiftsure Saga saddled up to sail. Me, well I went up on the start box and pulled flags for a while. Fun I guess. And it allowed me to take those snaps from the top that most people don't get to see.
No surprises, as Ernie was driving instead of Glen, who is taking some time off to have a rearrangement of his eyebrow and they stacked the rail with big fellas to make sure they had a good day out. Ernie nailed the start, but between leading at the top and getting around Martin and Weaver, Swiftsure just took off and was leading the dash down to Sampson.
And that was the last I saw of them until later on as I turned up to watch the finish and sure enough, there was Bill and the crew, belting down to the line from Thelma with of all things, a poled out jib. I guess it was a case of, "it was already up, so just keep sailing with it" .
Six minutes and 53 seconds ahead. It was just enough to keep Wynella from swallowing up first place on handicap ( 58 seconds off) Well sailed Bill, Eric and Graeme.
And Brian Cross is wandering around trying to work out when he can hold a beer in his hands. Double carpel tunnel operations have left him armless :-)
Two boats &
A sore and sorry skipper.
Well done to the weather with a fraudulent easterly masquerading as a nor easter and even a south easter with embedded gusts that had Phil reach for the phone and call off our day on the water. Fair enough I guess with only three available for the boat and a gusty day forecast.
So Wynella and Swiftsure Saga saddled up to sail. Me, well I went up on the start box and pulled flags for a while. Fun I guess. And it allowed me to take those snaps from the top that most people don't get to see.
No surprises, as Ernie was driving instead of Glen, who is taking some time off to have a rearrangement of his eyebrow and they stacked the rail with big fellas to make sure they had a good day out. Ernie nailed the start, but between leading at the top and getting around Martin and Weaver, Swiftsure just took off and was leading the dash down to Sampson.
And that was the last I saw of them until later on as I turned up to watch the finish and sure enough, there was Bill and the crew, belting down to the line from Thelma with of all things, a poled out jib. I guess it was a case of, "it was already up, so just keep sailing with it" .
Six minutes and 53 seconds ahead. It was just enough to keep Wynella from swallowing up first place on handicap ( 58 seconds off) Well sailed Bill, Eric and Graeme.
And Brian Cross is wandering around trying to work out when he can hold a beer in his hands. Double carpel tunnel operations have left him armless :-)
Saturday Summer Sailing 26th of March 6th Championship Race
All dressed up &
Nowhere to go.
Amongst the flurries of rain that scudded across the tarmac and onto the jetty tops..could be seen the crews of three H28's, yup the same old three. Aloha, Wynella and Swiftsure Saga.
SSS was three up, but thought that they could fly a kite anyway, Wynella was five up and was prepared to give us a hard time and there were at least three or four on Aloha and with Mark out the front they would certainly run a kite.
Boats made ready, lunches quickly eaten, repairs done while we had the time and the radio switched on.
It was out of the nor west and gusting a little, but nothing to be alarmed about. We were all settling into the usual banter about who would put up a kite first and which course we were to get. A course two or three was decided upon and the radio crackled. " All South of Perth boats, all south of Perth boats all South of Perth boats. This is Coffee Pointers start boat. Racing is cancelled for the day, repeat Racing is cancelled for the day."
We looked around and most of the other boats on our jetty and adjacent jetties were doing the same. Disbelief was etched on our faces. A war council was held and as we did so, the message was repeated.
Ok, its all over. So what do we do? Go for a yot anyway? The consensus was a no, so we all packed up and quietly filed ashore. An N over A was in evidence on the club flag pole. Sailing cancelled for the day and an enquiry of a passing safety boat driver explained that the river had closed down for fear of lightning and that no other clubs were sailing either.
The radar was as clear as a bell beyond the current squalls and what was a good day in hand turned into a chat session on the lawn over a beer. Yes, we would have sailed and by 1500 hrs the breeze had settled into a lovely 10 to 14 knots. Sure it had been a little frisky at 1330 but we had the assurance that there was little behind it.
The safety of the yachts is paramount without question, however it is every boats choice to sail and the club simply offers the skippers a chance to race. A good day was lost to caution.
All dressed up &
Nowhere to go.
Amongst the flurries of rain that scudded across the tarmac and onto the jetty tops..could be seen the crews of three H28's, yup the same old three. Aloha, Wynella and Swiftsure Saga.
SSS was three up, but thought that they could fly a kite anyway, Wynella was five up and was prepared to give us a hard time and there were at least three or four on Aloha and with Mark out the front they would certainly run a kite.
Boats made ready, lunches quickly eaten, repairs done while we had the time and the radio switched on.
It was out of the nor west and gusting a little, but nothing to be alarmed about. We were all settling into the usual banter about who would put up a kite first and which course we were to get. A course two or three was decided upon and the radio crackled. " All South of Perth boats, all south of Perth boats all South of Perth boats. This is Coffee Pointers start boat. Racing is cancelled for the day, repeat Racing is cancelled for the day."
We looked around and most of the other boats on our jetty and adjacent jetties were doing the same. Disbelief was etched on our faces. A war council was held and as we did so, the message was repeated.
Ok, its all over. So what do we do? Go for a yot anyway? The consensus was a no, so we all packed up and quietly filed ashore. An N over A was in evidence on the club flag pole. Sailing cancelled for the day and an enquiry of a passing safety boat driver explained that the river had closed down for fear of lightning and that no other clubs were sailing either.
The radar was as clear as a bell beyond the current squalls and what was a good day in hand turned into a chat session on the lawn over a beer. Yes, we would have sailed and by 1500 hrs the breeze had settled into a lovely 10 to 14 knots. Sure it had been a little frisky at 1330 but we had the assurance that there was little behind it.
The safety of the yachts is paramount without question, however it is every boats choice to sail and the club simply offers the skippers a chance to race. A good day was lost to caution.
Wednesday Autumn Sailing 23rd March
A tactician &
Two down.
Another day with the easterlies in hand and the promise of a course two with Kate Lammonby subbing for Phil who was driving a truck down from Darwin. Interesting side-line that man has. However the skipper in his wisdom offered Kate the stick on the proviso that he ran the main and acted as tactician. We also watched as a large chunk of coral was knocked off the bottom of Georgina near the keel. Oh dear - a visit to the slips is required.
But before we started racing, Corella and Georgina retired from the course and its believed that there was a coming together. Each boat was at least three up and I'm sure that what ever happened has been discussed between the skippers.
So away on a course two with a run up to Martin-Weaver to make it interesting. Making the top mark was going to be a couple of tacks and a bit of luck with the breeze. Well we had the luck and the breeze and got around the top first with enough room around the second mark to roll around comfortably.
Next was the run down the breeze to Sampson on a fluctuating sou easter that had the pole out and not and shy chances as the breeze swung into the north and back again. Interesting would be an understatement. However we made it to Sampson and set off on the journey to Hallmark, pretty much aimed straight at it and ensuring that we got through the Royal Perth fleet without much trauma. Then finding Hallmark.. it was made easy for us as the div one boats were rounding it and that certainly helped.
So around the mark we went and changed our aim a little for Armstrong. Swiftsure Saga was having a spirited battle with The First Jindarra and even though Bill was only two up, they were doing well. We got to see a couple of old H28 sailors out on the new div one boats and good on them. But the next leg was down to Como and turn right for the outer startline. And Bill just sailed past us. Did we cover him well enough? Did he pick up a vagrant puff that took him past us? Didn't matter, we were knocking all the way down to Como and we had to go that little bit further, Bill did far better and simply made it his own.
Around the outer startline and then chase Bill.. sounds familiar? We've been doing this all summer. On our way to Dolphin East and simply find the two red spits and aim for the middle. Behind us loomed the First Jindarra and Wynella, who had been improving all day, or maybe we had not been doing as well as can be expected? Around the mark and set sail to go past Print and then all the way into the beach/freeway and then tack across to get to Como and then down to Thelma. Well, speaking to Wynella afterwards, Ernie Little a seasoned sailor commented on how close we got to the shore line. He expected us to stick in the mud at any moment. My thoughts were, we are well past Addison and I can see the freeway clearly. Time to go.
However Wynella had tacked across earlier and was steaming down the middle as was The Jin and it looked as though we were going to be stone motherless. Well nearly, we just squeaked past Wynella with loud protests and got past her on the next toss, but on the final tack she had us cold and we had to dip her before Thelma. Too late, she was ahead and the Jin wasn't that far behind anyway. Around we went and then aimed at the finish line with Wynella closing the door on us to ensure we couldn't get past below her.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Wynella and Mariner.
On handicap: Wynella, The First Jindarra and Mariner.
Kate and I had a side bet that the sou westerly would come in.. I was against and she was for it. See the wind report to see where the wind went.
John Pierzak is still suffering from the effects of Covid.. all of us have been tested and are clear, but its a strong sign that no one is immune from the effect of the darned thing. Stay healthy folks.
Brian Cross is heading into hospital for operations on his hands. He will be out of action for at least 6 weeks. Lets see how long he can last.
A tactician &
Two down.
Another day with the easterlies in hand and the promise of a course two with Kate Lammonby subbing for Phil who was driving a truck down from Darwin. Interesting side-line that man has. However the skipper in his wisdom offered Kate the stick on the proviso that he ran the main and acted as tactician. We also watched as a large chunk of coral was knocked off the bottom of Georgina near the keel. Oh dear - a visit to the slips is required.
But before we started racing, Corella and Georgina retired from the course and its believed that there was a coming together. Each boat was at least three up and I'm sure that what ever happened has been discussed between the skippers.
So away on a course two with a run up to Martin-Weaver to make it interesting. Making the top mark was going to be a couple of tacks and a bit of luck with the breeze. Well we had the luck and the breeze and got around the top first with enough room around the second mark to roll around comfortably.
Next was the run down the breeze to Sampson on a fluctuating sou easter that had the pole out and not and shy chances as the breeze swung into the north and back again. Interesting would be an understatement. However we made it to Sampson and set off on the journey to Hallmark, pretty much aimed straight at it and ensuring that we got through the Royal Perth fleet without much trauma. Then finding Hallmark.. it was made easy for us as the div one boats were rounding it and that certainly helped.
So around the mark we went and changed our aim a little for Armstrong. Swiftsure Saga was having a spirited battle with The First Jindarra and even though Bill was only two up, they were doing well. We got to see a couple of old H28 sailors out on the new div one boats and good on them. But the next leg was down to Como and turn right for the outer startline. And Bill just sailed past us. Did we cover him well enough? Did he pick up a vagrant puff that took him past us? Didn't matter, we were knocking all the way down to Como and we had to go that little bit further, Bill did far better and simply made it his own.
Around the outer startline and then chase Bill.. sounds familiar? We've been doing this all summer. On our way to Dolphin East and simply find the two red spits and aim for the middle. Behind us loomed the First Jindarra and Wynella, who had been improving all day, or maybe we had not been doing as well as can be expected? Around the mark and set sail to go past Print and then all the way into the beach/freeway and then tack across to get to Como and then down to Thelma. Well, speaking to Wynella afterwards, Ernie Little a seasoned sailor commented on how close we got to the shore line. He expected us to stick in the mud at any moment. My thoughts were, we are well past Addison and I can see the freeway clearly. Time to go.
However Wynella had tacked across earlier and was steaming down the middle as was The Jin and it looked as though we were going to be stone motherless. Well nearly, we just squeaked past Wynella with loud protests and got past her on the next toss, but on the final tack she had us cold and we had to dip her before Thelma. Too late, she was ahead and the Jin wasn't that far behind anyway. Around we went and then aimed at the finish line with Wynella closing the door on us to ensure we couldn't get past below her.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Wynella and Mariner.
On handicap: Wynella, The First Jindarra and Mariner.
Kate and I had a side bet that the sou westerly would come in.. I was against and she was for it. See the wind report to see where the wind went.
John Pierzak is still suffering from the effects of Covid.. all of us have been tested and are clear, but its a strong sign that no one is immune from the effect of the darned thing. Stay healthy folks.
Brian Cross is heading into hospital for operations on his hands. He will be out of action for at least 6 weeks. Lets see how long he can last.
Saturday Summer Sailing 19th of March
A very shy kite run, or two &
Cover him, cover him, cover him.
It was a good day to be on the water and despite the omniscient cloud cover and humidity it was better to be out on the water than cooped up in a house. Three boats all rigged for kites and competent enough crews to fly them.. lets go.
We watched the div one start and we were entertained by the sight of what looked like Glenn Thomas' Problem Child hoist a spinnaker sideways. It was drawing well, why did he take it down? Embarrassment probably.
Lockie got away well from the start and we had a bit of luck at the turning mark, managing to pick a slightly better breeze shift to get us there more or less at the same time. However the next trick on the sou easter was to get a kite up and then run it down the breeze to Bartlett. It was shy to begin, but as we moved down the river we were getting a little squarer as we progressed. Having the palls on the rear set of winches not engaging didn't help though and getting them to work involved crossing over spinnaker sheets and other tricks. All that and the ever changing breeze required constant adjustment.
As we approached Bartlett we were routinely taken up by Lockie and he squeezed his way through, until we were in the position to do the same back to him. Fair do's David. We found Bartlett and fought to get the rounding under control with the drop being quite successful. The next trick was to capitalize on the lead we had. Glen with Wynella wasn't far behind and was a monty to take the win if he kept us in sight.
Work our way up the breeze all the way to Thelma via Dolphin East and then around we went with another really shy spinnaker run to Deepwater. Shy,,,, the pole was almost bouncing off the forestay. But as soon as we had the boat settle, it became comfortable and only once we had rounded Applecross spit did we have problems with a few fresh gusts and a boat coming in on starboard from the left. He had priority and it made our ability to hold the kite a little interesting. But we got around, dropped the headsail and gybed the kite and main. Ok, heading off to Bartlett again and with a big lead as Corella hadn't bothered to fly a kite. They soon propped one up once around Deepwater, but we were doing fine.
Then off to Addison with a fair work up the river and a chance for Lockie to make his fortune by out guessing us. And he did. Cover him! However we were confident and by the time we hit Addison and tacked to go to Thelma the lead had been reduced, but not by that much. Cover him!
By the time we had made it to Thelma and got around it, he had picked up another 40 meters and was perhaps 50 behind. Cover him! And then he hoisted a kite and we had decided not to.
Cover him! So very hastily ,we threw up a kite, but the momentum we had was lost and it was a right stuff up. Side by side we flew down the breeze to Dolphin East and he had the inside. Drop the kite, pull everything on and then try and keep up with him. He had gained a second wind and was just too quick. we had learnt a valuable lesson. Never, ever underestimate David Locke. Particularly with Rita on the boat. Then bend away to the finish line from Thelma. Easy enough.
Over the line: Corella, Swiftsure Saga and Wynella
On handicap: Wynella, Swiftsure Saga and Corella
To the non event of the Retro race ending up at SoPYC. All sides have been presented and there has been a fair bit of debate. Some of it influenced by other recent events. It is better that we acknowledge that the club we sail from relies heavily on the cash flow from our functions and unfortunately this may have been an influencing factor in availability of a function room by the returning sailors. This post is entirely malice free and simply hopes that the club can become more aligned to being a members club once again.
A very shy kite run, or two &
Cover him, cover him, cover him.
It was a good day to be on the water and despite the omniscient cloud cover and humidity it was better to be out on the water than cooped up in a house. Three boats all rigged for kites and competent enough crews to fly them.. lets go.
We watched the div one start and we were entertained by the sight of what looked like Glenn Thomas' Problem Child hoist a spinnaker sideways. It was drawing well, why did he take it down? Embarrassment probably.
Lockie got away well from the start and we had a bit of luck at the turning mark, managing to pick a slightly better breeze shift to get us there more or less at the same time. However the next trick on the sou easter was to get a kite up and then run it down the breeze to Bartlett. It was shy to begin, but as we moved down the river we were getting a little squarer as we progressed. Having the palls on the rear set of winches not engaging didn't help though and getting them to work involved crossing over spinnaker sheets and other tricks. All that and the ever changing breeze required constant adjustment.
As we approached Bartlett we were routinely taken up by Lockie and he squeezed his way through, until we were in the position to do the same back to him. Fair do's David. We found Bartlett and fought to get the rounding under control with the drop being quite successful. The next trick was to capitalize on the lead we had. Glen with Wynella wasn't far behind and was a monty to take the win if he kept us in sight.
Work our way up the breeze all the way to Thelma via Dolphin East and then around we went with another really shy spinnaker run to Deepwater. Shy,,,, the pole was almost bouncing off the forestay. But as soon as we had the boat settle, it became comfortable and only once we had rounded Applecross spit did we have problems with a few fresh gusts and a boat coming in on starboard from the left. He had priority and it made our ability to hold the kite a little interesting. But we got around, dropped the headsail and gybed the kite and main. Ok, heading off to Bartlett again and with a big lead as Corella hadn't bothered to fly a kite. They soon propped one up once around Deepwater, but we were doing fine.
Then off to Addison with a fair work up the river and a chance for Lockie to make his fortune by out guessing us. And he did. Cover him! However we were confident and by the time we hit Addison and tacked to go to Thelma the lead had been reduced, but not by that much. Cover him!
By the time we had made it to Thelma and got around it, he had picked up another 40 meters and was perhaps 50 behind. Cover him! And then he hoisted a kite and we had decided not to.
Cover him! So very hastily ,we threw up a kite, but the momentum we had was lost and it was a right stuff up. Side by side we flew down the breeze to Dolphin East and he had the inside. Drop the kite, pull everything on and then try and keep up with him. He had gained a second wind and was just too quick. we had learnt a valuable lesson. Never, ever underestimate David Locke. Particularly with Rita on the boat. Then bend away to the finish line from Thelma. Easy enough.
Over the line: Corella, Swiftsure Saga and Wynella
On handicap: Wynella, Swiftsure Saga and Corella
To the non event of the Retro race ending up at SoPYC. All sides have been presented and there has been a fair bit of debate. Some of it influenced by other recent events. It is better that we acknowledge that the club we sail from relies heavily on the cash flow from our functions and unfortunately this may have been an influencing factor in availability of a function room by the returning sailors. This post is entirely malice free and simply hopes that the club can become more aligned to being a members club once again.
Wednesday Autumn Sailing 16th of March
A view from the back &
A man with a mission.
Another day with half a dozen on the race course. The Race start was a little over active and as usual we were hanging around the startline, probably a little early in retrospect. The way up to the line was frenetic as the run to Sampson was going to sort the boats out well and truly on a screaming reach.
"We're going to be early" said the skipper and sure enough we were nearly a boat length over, but that wasn't all the story, so was Corella. But he didn't go back until we had returned and the flag still didn't drop. He had no choice but to return and then chase down the fleet. It was a course 2 on a 12 to 18 knot westerly that flicked into the sou west occasionally, just enough to make it interesting.
As to be expected, Swiftsure Saga got away well as did Anna and Wynella with Ernie driving in Glen's place. In fact everyone was ahead of us except for Lockie and we knew that wouldn't be for long. The long work up to Hallmark was going to be the telling part of the race and while the rest of the boats went over into the east, we bravely bored our way up the right hand side going as deep into Pelican Point as possible. The skippers call on this one! But it spat us out in the right place and made the rest of the work up to Armstrong a doddle. On the way.. yes Lockie got past us and momentarily we were rear enders but Rupert had a technical failure ( the rope holding the main sheet onto the boom broke) or two ( one of the shrouds had the clip undo) Scary thought actually.. and he had to slow down to repair these items. Fortunately he still has his mast.
On the way to Hallmark we noted Wynella going the wrong side of Outer Dolphin and observed Corella holding up a protest flag. Oops. And we had a bit of luck with Wynella crossing on a bad knock and we got through them. Up to Armstrong and get around then look back only to see Wynella clip the mark and do her 360 and in his second attempt at the mark he hit Armstrong again. All carefully noted by the interested eyes of Graeme on the foredeck, resting on the boom and looking back.
Meanwhile the battle up front was was between Corella ( yes he sailed very well) Anna and Swiftsure Saga. Take you up at the mark.. certainly. Give you a hard time on a down wind? Sure, I can do that. The three boats were having a whale of a time and for once it was a pleasure to sit behind them and watch the battle evolve. So clear air and speed was the game, but no matter what we did, the three boats didn't let up. John Wright probably acted a little wisely and hung back a bit, waiting for a chance, but he had a willing team of sailors and kept nipping at their heels.
Around Como and off to the outer startline mark. Another reach and quite quick too. At this stage we would have liked to say that we were pulling the front boats in, but despite a clean bottom, we were no faster. The next few legs had us running up to Dolphin East and having to holler at the RP boats who were coming across on port. Didn't get through to them till quite late in the peace for a couple of them. Once again the trio out front had their battles and it was Corella at the front and then Swiftsure, then back again. I think that Swiftsure had the wood on Corella in that Bill knew where to put his boat to stop any chance of David getting past him.
The run down from Dolphin East was a pole, followed by a reach and then an harden up to the line, which we really wanted to get to in one shot, but no, we were just knocking, so a tack, avoid a SS27 that was doing well and then fall over the line. A good race but a fantastic one for Corella and his all girl team. From the very back to second over the line and first on handicap.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Corella and Anna.
On handicap: Corella, Anna, and Mariner.
Wynella retired once their transgression was pointed out and Ernie spent a few moments explaining to Glen who had come down for a post race beer how he managed to get to the wrong side of a mark.
The fleet Wednesday handicapper has agreed to review what happened with Wynella's withdrawal and the affect of it on the race placings.
John Wright's wife Fay is unwell and we all hope that she can get through this tough period of life. Please respect their privacy.
A view from the back &
A man with a mission.
Another day with half a dozen on the race course. The Race start was a little over active and as usual we were hanging around the startline, probably a little early in retrospect. The way up to the line was frenetic as the run to Sampson was going to sort the boats out well and truly on a screaming reach.
"We're going to be early" said the skipper and sure enough we were nearly a boat length over, but that wasn't all the story, so was Corella. But he didn't go back until we had returned and the flag still didn't drop. He had no choice but to return and then chase down the fleet. It was a course 2 on a 12 to 18 knot westerly that flicked into the sou west occasionally, just enough to make it interesting.
As to be expected, Swiftsure Saga got away well as did Anna and Wynella with Ernie driving in Glen's place. In fact everyone was ahead of us except for Lockie and we knew that wouldn't be for long. The long work up to Hallmark was going to be the telling part of the race and while the rest of the boats went over into the east, we bravely bored our way up the right hand side going as deep into Pelican Point as possible. The skippers call on this one! But it spat us out in the right place and made the rest of the work up to Armstrong a doddle. On the way.. yes Lockie got past us and momentarily we were rear enders but Rupert had a technical failure ( the rope holding the main sheet onto the boom broke) or two ( one of the shrouds had the clip undo) Scary thought actually.. and he had to slow down to repair these items. Fortunately he still has his mast.
On the way to Hallmark we noted Wynella going the wrong side of Outer Dolphin and observed Corella holding up a protest flag. Oops. And we had a bit of luck with Wynella crossing on a bad knock and we got through them. Up to Armstrong and get around then look back only to see Wynella clip the mark and do her 360 and in his second attempt at the mark he hit Armstrong again. All carefully noted by the interested eyes of Graeme on the foredeck, resting on the boom and looking back.
Meanwhile the battle up front was was between Corella ( yes he sailed very well) Anna and Swiftsure Saga. Take you up at the mark.. certainly. Give you a hard time on a down wind? Sure, I can do that. The three boats were having a whale of a time and for once it was a pleasure to sit behind them and watch the battle evolve. So clear air and speed was the game, but no matter what we did, the three boats didn't let up. John Wright probably acted a little wisely and hung back a bit, waiting for a chance, but he had a willing team of sailors and kept nipping at their heels.
Around Como and off to the outer startline mark. Another reach and quite quick too. At this stage we would have liked to say that we were pulling the front boats in, but despite a clean bottom, we were no faster. The next few legs had us running up to Dolphin East and having to holler at the RP boats who were coming across on port. Didn't get through to them till quite late in the peace for a couple of them. Once again the trio out front had their battles and it was Corella at the front and then Swiftsure, then back again. I think that Swiftsure had the wood on Corella in that Bill knew where to put his boat to stop any chance of David getting past him.
The run down from Dolphin East was a pole, followed by a reach and then an harden up to the line, which we really wanted to get to in one shot, but no, we were just knocking, so a tack, avoid a SS27 that was doing well and then fall over the line. A good race but a fantastic one for Corella and his all girl team. From the very back to second over the line and first on handicap.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Corella and Anna.
On handicap: Corella, Anna, and Mariner.
Wynella retired once their transgression was pointed out and Ernie spent a few moments explaining to Glen who had come down for a post race beer how he managed to get to the wrong side of a mark.
The fleet Wednesday handicapper has agreed to review what happened with Wynella's withdrawal and the affect of it on the race placings.
John Wright's wife Fay is unwell and we all hope that she can get through this tough period of life. Please respect their privacy.
Wednesday Autumn Sailing 9th of March
The magician has returned &
No catchum.
The sight of John Wright on the water means that we have another person to harass us and frankly we're not sailing all that well at the moment. Any chance to get away from the pack was stymied right from the start with Swiftsure Saga riding right up our transom and rolling us at Sampson. To add more pain, while we were defending Lockie just took the low path and sailed right through us. 1st around the mark.
All of this is after a fairly violent coming together between Eun na Mara and Morpheus prior to the start of Div 1. Both boats were ok and no one hurt, but there was a bowsprit taken off on Eun na Mara and damage to the rail and cabin top of Morpheus. Not good. The discussion was interesting in apportioning responsibility and some believe that it was not just a simple port -starboard. However time will out.
6 boats on the water and a course one on offer so the run to Samson was a Monty.. any reaching boat would do it. we got away to a good start and we were simply run over by Swiftsure Saga.
Once around Sampson, then the trip to Print had us tacking off early as we were breathing Bills bad air. But even that didnt help and we knocked down to have to tack again to make the mark.. and worse John Wright was on our transom by now. Down to Addison and off to Robins with a series of works that didn't pay dividends. Around the top mark, duck a boat or two and set a pole.
Then follow me down to Addison again with a pole up on a fairly slow day. Slow.. the skipper ordered up a beer as we hit the mark. Slow indeed. Or may be he just needed cheering up. The engine had been playing up, but it was the batteries fault. And the usual story, we were there on the boat working away on it till Ron turned up at 1400 hrs. So around the mark and back up to Robins again...where shall we go? which side do we want to be on? and bingo the magician slips past us. We are now fourth.
Up to the top again and the sound of quiet sailing was evident. "how can I get the boat to go faster"? Tighten this, no? Its simply chokes the boat.. harden the headsail luff? Well ok.. twitch this, twitch that. No time for a second beer. Second time around Robins and the run down the hill was quiet again.. this time we were aiming for Como and while Bill was well clear Lockie was hunting John who had slipped past him and got him when a silly SS22 sailor fouled John's rounding at Como and slowed him considerably while taking a penalty from a prior action. Disappointing really as John had sailed well to get the boat into second position.
Glen and Rupert had done well in the scheme of things, but Rupert does need new sails and once he has those then he may improve a lot. This time he had a full crew and some one jumped into the water to clean the hull. Glen however was on a good thing and despite a slow get away, kept up with the fleet and his handicap.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Corella and Anna.
On handicap: Swiftsure Saga, Wynella and Corella.
Just some advice: The retro gig booked for Sunday week has been canned for Covid reasons and we are racing on the Saturday. Get your dancing shoes on.
The magician has returned &
No catchum.
The sight of John Wright on the water means that we have another person to harass us and frankly we're not sailing all that well at the moment. Any chance to get away from the pack was stymied right from the start with Swiftsure Saga riding right up our transom and rolling us at Sampson. To add more pain, while we were defending Lockie just took the low path and sailed right through us. 1st around the mark.
All of this is after a fairly violent coming together between Eun na Mara and Morpheus prior to the start of Div 1. Both boats were ok and no one hurt, but there was a bowsprit taken off on Eun na Mara and damage to the rail and cabin top of Morpheus. Not good. The discussion was interesting in apportioning responsibility and some believe that it was not just a simple port -starboard. However time will out.
6 boats on the water and a course one on offer so the run to Samson was a Monty.. any reaching boat would do it. we got away to a good start and we were simply run over by Swiftsure Saga.
Once around Sampson, then the trip to Print had us tacking off early as we were breathing Bills bad air. But even that didnt help and we knocked down to have to tack again to make the mark.. and worse John Wright was on our transom by now. Down to Addison and off to Robins with a series of works that didn't pay dividends. Around the top mark, duck a boat or two and set a pole.
Then follow me down to Addison again with a pole up on a fairly slow day. Slow.. the skipper ordered up a beer as we hit the mark. Slow indeed. Or may be he just needed cheering up. The engine had been playing up, but it was the batteries fault. And the usual story, we were there on the boat working away on it till Ron turned up at 1400 hrs. So around the mark and back up to Robins again...where shall we go? which side do we want to be on? and bingo the magician slips past us. We are now fourth.
Up to the top again and the sound of quiet sailing was evident. "how can I get the boat to go faster"? Tighten this, no? Its simply chokes the boat.. harden the headsail luff? Well ok.. twitch this, twitch that. No time for a second beer. Second time around Robins and the run down the hill was quiet again.. this time we were aiming for Como and while Bill was well clear Lockie was hunting John who had slipped past him and got him when a silly SS22 sailor fouled John's rounding at Como and slowed him considerably while taking a penalty from a prior action. Disappointing really as John had sailed well to get the boat into second position.
Glen and Rupert had done well in the scheme of things, but Rupert does need new sails and once he has those then he may improve a lot. This time he had a full crew and some one jumped into the water to clean the hull. Glen however was on a good thing and despite a slow get away, kept up with the fleet and his handicap.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Corella and Anna.
On handicap: Swiftsure Saga, Wynella and Corella.
Just some advice: The retro gig booked for Sunday week has been canned for Covid reasons and we are racing on the Saturday. Get your dancing shoes on.
Wednesday Autumn Sailing 2nd of March
Overpowered &
Last.
Its not too hard to work out what happened today. We strapped on the number one and went sideways all day. Five boats took off on what looked like a moderate day and they sent us up to Martin- Weaver to sort out the boats as we made our way up and down the Canning.
It was a good battle, but Swiftsure Saga dug in his heels and fairly shot off the mark. Quickly down the pens and with enough speed to leave the rest of us behind. Wynella had also taken a good lead and it was the pair of them sitting on the wind on front of us that cruelled the race for us. Good luck got us around Martin, but we had lost a lot of speed and we were not going to get that back. Making Weaver was easy enough and that was probably the easiest gybe we had for the rest of the day as when we made our way down to Sampson under a pole, we looked down the river and you could see the dark water of a big seabreeze cooking up.
A course three had us rounding King before heading off to Robins and by this time Swiftsure Saga was gone with Wynella having a whale of time hanging grimly on to his transom. Well sailed Glen, but our nemesis, Corella, was on our tail and any mistakes would be paid for. Georgina and Rupert had joined us for the afternoon and hopefully he wasn't too over powered as he only had a couple of crew to assist him.
By the time we made King the breeze was in and the ride up to Robins was going to be a rough one, all we could do was strap everything down and hang on. Which we did. Around Robins and away to Print with a fairly large gybe to start with. A pole and a bit of luck to get us down Print and then around we went aiming for Foam and another run up to Robins. Fortunately there was no interference from the Royal Perth fleet as they were too busy dealing with the breeze. Around 3.30 a decent puff came through that almost laid the fleet flat with 30 knots on the BOM site and 34 over the top on the Avenue according to a reliable resource. Suffice to say the bloke on the main was working really hard today.
Around Robins again and this time to Como and a wild ride through the slop down the bottom of the river toward the outer startline. Fortunately we had a bit of luck and no big boats to throw bad air on us. So away to the turning mark, another wild gybe and then off to Sampson again with the wind waves rolling the boats quite heavily. Corella had managed to get past us by this time and we were faced with the grim reality of coming last. This time we had to go to King again and there is a lesson to be learnt here.. give yourself a few more meters on King as we tend to have to pinch to make the mark. Yep, we had tacked between too early after Sampson and wore Wynella's bad air for a fair while, and then tacked a little early. Oh well.
Around King and off to Addison, rolling all the way with a leeward pole skimming the wave tops. In retrospect not a good idea as this is how Swiftsure managed to bust a mast a few years ago. However it was carefully taken down before the gybe (another big one) and we shot off to Como, secure in the knowledge that this was the last gybe before we crossed the line.
It was a busy day on the water and we were pretty tired at the end of it .. photos well not many I was busy.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Wynella and Corella.
On handicap: Wynella, Swiftsure Saga and Corella.
There will be a lack of Saturday sailing for the next three weeks and only Wednesdays available to us. We come back into weekend sailing with the retro race on Sunday the 19th of March
Overpowered &
Last.
Its not too hard to work out what happened today. We strapped on the number one and went sideways all day. Five boats took off on what looked like a moderate day and they sent us up to Martin- Weaver to sort out the boats as we made our way up and down the Canning.
It was a good battle, but Swiftsure Saga dug in his heels and fairly shot off the mark. Quickly down the pens and with enough speed to leave the rest of us behind. Wynella had also taken a good lead and it was the pair of them sitting on the wind on front of us that cruelled the race for us. Good luck got us around Martin, but we had lost a lot of speed and we were not going to get that back. Making Weaver was easy enough and that was probably the easiest gybe we had for the rest of the day as when we made our way down to Sampson under a pole, we looked down the river and you could see the dark water of a big seabreeze cooking up.
A course three had us rounding King before heading off to Robins and by this time Swiftsure Saga was gone with Wynella having a whale of time hanging grimly on to his transom. Well sailed Glen, but our nemesis, Corella, was on our tail and any mistakes would be paid for. Georgina and Rupert had joined us for the afternoon and hopefully he wasn't too over powered as he only had a couple of crew to assist him.
By the time we made King the breeze was in and the ride up to Robins was going to be a rough one, all we could do was strap everything down and hang on. Which we did. Around Robins and away to Print with a fairly large gybe to start with. A pole and a bit of luck to get us down Print and then around we went aiming for Foam and another run up to Robins. Fortunately there was no interference from the Royal Perth fleet as they were too busy dealing with the breeze. Around 3.30 a decent puff came through that almost laid the fleet flat with 30 knots on the BOM site and 34 over the top on the Avenue according to a reliable resource. Suffice to say the bloke on the main was working really hard today.
Around Robins again and this time to Como and a wild ride through the slop down the bottom of the river toward the outer startline. Fortunately we had a bit of luck and no big boats to throw bad air on us. So away to the turning mark, another wild gybe and then off to Sampson again with the wind waves rolling the boats quite heavily. Corella had managed to get past us by this time and we were faced with the grim reality of coming last. This time we had to go to King again and there is a lesson to be learnt here.. give yourself a few more meters on King as we tend to have to pinch to make the mark. Yep, we had tacked between too early after Sampson and wore Wynella's bad air for a fair while, and then tacked a little early. Oh well.
Around King and off to Addison, rolling all the way with a leeward pole skimming the wave tops. In retrospect not a good idea as this is how Swiftsure managed to bust a mast a few years ago. However it was carefully taken down before the gybe (another big one) and we shot off to Como, secure in the knowledge that this was the last gybe before we crossed the line.
It was a busy day on the water and we were pretty tired at the end of it .. photos well not many I was busy.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Wynella and Corella.
On handicap: Wynella, Swiftsure Saga and Corella.
There will be a lack of Saturday sailing for the next three weeks and only Wednesdays available to us. We come back into weekend sailing with the retro race on Sunday the 19th of March
Saturday Summer Sailing 26th of February
A tale of two breezes &
A genuine question over a beer.
All the guessing about the breeze was based on the performance of the breeze in the last few days. "Lucky if we get a seabreeze," was the common thought and we set up accordingly.
And sure enough the start line was a confusion of south-easterly gusts. A perplexing day to begin and just getting off the start line would be a good start. Then to the windward mark and the turning buoy. That required another set of thoughts as we had started well and then found ourselves hoping for luck, or a change in the breeze to take us up to the buoy.
Our challengers in the race today, Wynella and Aloha were all manned up and set for spinnakers, so a decent lead was our first thought as they would catch us quickly under spinnakers. We got away reasonably well and found ourselves with about 100 metres in front of Wynella by the time we passed Foam and we then fell into a doldrum, while they just picked up their skirts and charged towards us. They had a breeze and were going to overhaul us shortly. We finally found a little of what they had and kept our very diminished lead.
Then the seabreeze came in and the reason why we had been sent off on a course one became clear. We were going to be traveling quickly and a big foresail was going make us go sideways. But we had speed and that's what was going to count for us. So aim in the general direction of Brickies A and B and sail hard. There weren't that many boats to worry about in the bottom end of the river so the only question was going to be getting around Brickies. Covering Wynella was the go, so when they tacked we tacked and getting to the mark proved to be a bugger with the huge knocks coming off the top of the ridge. Eventually we had to tack to make the mark, but that was fine. we were first to the mark and by a fair way.
The down wind run wasn't spectacular but we had the company of a bunch of F15's and surprisingly the East Freo rescue boat. Oh sure there was the occasional Div one boat going past, but they were in a hurry. :-) Down to Dolphin West and then to Foam with the pole being taken away as we were on a good reach by then. Then back up to Sanders, the mark in the middle of nowhere. At the same time, the sight of Heathcote towing in a boat with a busted mast was enough. It was frisky today. We went out to a starboard ley line and looked across with Wynella going into the bay beyond Deepwater. Ok, we've found the mark and unfortunately we were going to show it to Wynella as we rounded it. Incidentally Aloha had made up good time .. they were the only one of the three of us who flew a kite. Good on them. They weren't far behind. Around we went.
This time to Como with another "by the lee" starboard pole and John protesting vociferously against a gybe in a strong breeze. " That's how we have broken two masts," he reminded us. So a few minutes we gybed anyway. A few passing boats, namely Vipers and a 14 footer. Pole down and around Como and then aim to get to Deepwater for the third rounding. Easy, we can do this. But we were in a hurry to get there and the breeze was knocking all the way. Instead of reaching Robins in an easy work, we found ourselves way out to the right and having to tack back.
Around Robins eventually and note that Wynella hadn't had much luck either, but we could still see Aloha and they had not fallen away either. Well sailed helmsman Steve. But the next mark was Deepwater and it was all down hill from there. A reach to Dolphin East that had us pole out half way down and then an ease forward as we headed down to Addison, through the fleet of sea scouts who were out on the water today. But before we got to DE, we had an encounter with an RP boat who was under stress with a badly tangled spinnaker and they just pushed us up and out of the way until we could eventually slip around them. Not worth while complaining about them, but I do know the owner of the boat and I'll send him a photo of the boat in distress.
Down to Addison and reach across to Thelma with the boat fairly on her ear and the tiller tucked under Bills jaw, till the main was let down a little. Along the beach and then head for the line.
Over the line. Swiftsure Saga, Wynella and Aloha
On handicap. Aloha, Wynella and Swiftsure Saga
As was noted, Aloha had flown a kite on all three down wind legs and that contributed materially to their handicap win.
And in the bar afterwards, a question was asked by the owner of Aloha.. " where's all the rest of the H28's" and that question needs to be put to all the skippers.
Is finding enough crew the problem? We do have crew finder. And a number of our old crew are now sailing with other classes. Go figure... they still want to sail.
Have you lost the urge? Well go look in the glovebox of the car, it's been hiding there for a while.
You don't like losing all the time? Well see what has happened to Aloha.. they are getting better all the time.
And you are getting too old and it hurts on a big day. We are all a little sore on a big day, but gosh aint it wonderful when you step off the boat. Survival is a major buzz.
A tale of two breezes &
A genuine question over a beer.
All the guessing about the breeze was based on the performance of the breeze in the last few days. "Lucky if we get a seabreeze," was the common thought and we set up accordingly.
And sure enough the start line was a confusion of south-easterly gusts. A perplexing day to begin and just getting off the start line would be a good start. Then to the windward mark and the turning buoy. That required another set of thoughts as we had started well and then found ourselves hoping for luck, or a change in the breeze to take us up to the buoy.
Our challengers in the race today, Wynella and Aloha were all manned up and set for spinnakers, so a decent lead was our first thought as they would catch us quickly under spinnakers. We got away reasonably well and found ourselves with about 100 metres in front of Wynella by the time we passed Foam and we then fell into a doldrum, while they just picked up their skirts and charged towards us. They had a breeze and were going to overhaul us shortly. We finally found a little of what they had and kept our very diminished lead.
Then the seabreeze came in and the reason why we had been sent off on a course one became clear. We were going to be traveling quickly and a big foresail was going make us go sideways. But we had speed and that's what was going to count for us. So aim in the general direction of Brickies A and B and sail hard. There weren't that many boats to worry about in the bottom end of the river so the only question was going to be getting around Brickies. Covering Wynella was the go, so when they tacked we tacked and getting to the mark proved to be a bugger with the huge knocks coming off the top of the ridge. Eventually we had to tack to make the mark, but that was fine. we were first to the mark and by a fair way.
The down wind run wasn't spectacular but we had the company of a bunch of F15's and surprisingly the East Freo rescue boat. Oh sure there was the occasional Div one boat going past, but they were in a hurry. :-) Down to Dolphin West and then to Foam with the pole being taken away as we were on a good reach by then. Then back up to Sanders, the mark in the middle of nowhere. At the same time, the sight of Heathcote towing in a boat with a busted mast was enough. It was frisky today. We went out to a starboard ley line and looked across with Wynella going into the bay beyond Deepwater. Ok, we've found the mark and unfortunately we were going to show it to Wynella as we rounded it. Incidentally Aloha had made up good time .. they were the only one of the three of us who flew a kite. Good on them. They weren't far behind. Around we went.
This time to Como with another "by the lee" starboard pole and John protesting vociferously against a gybe in a strong breeze. " That's how we have broken two masts," he reminded us. So a few minutes we gybed anyway. A few passing boats, namely Vipers and a 14 footer. Pole down and around Como and then aim to get to Deepwater for the third rounding. Easy, we can do this. But we were in a hurry to get there and the breeze was knocking all the way. Instead of reaching Robins in an easy work, we found ourselves way out to the right and having to tack back.
Around Robins eventually and note that Wynella hadn't had much luck either, but we could still see Aloha and they had not fallen away either. Well sailed helmsman Steve. But the next mark was Deepwater and it was all down hill from there. A reach to Dolphin East that had us pole out half way down and then an ease forward as we headed down to Addison, through the fleet of sea scouts who were out on the water today. But before we got to DE, we had an encounter with an RP boat who was under stress with a badly tangled spinnaker and they just pushed us up and out of the way until we could eventually slip around them. Not worth while complaining about them, but I do know the owner of the boat and I'll send him a photo of the boat in distress.
Down to Addison and reach across to Thelma with the boat fairly on her ear and the tiller tucked under Bills jaw, till the main was let down a little. Along the beach and then head for the line.
Over the line. Swiftsure Saga, Wynella and Aloha
On handicap. Aloha, Wynella and Swiftsure Saga
As was noted, Aloha had flown a kite on all three down wind legs and that contributed materially to their handicap win.
And in the bar afterwards, a question was asked by the owner of Aloha.. " where's all the rest of the H28's" and that question needs to be put to all the skippers.
Is finding enough crew the problem? We do have crew finder. And a number of our old crew are now sailing with other classes. Go figure... they still want to sail.
Have you lost the urge? Well go look in the glovebox of the car, it's been hiding there for a while.
You don't like losing all the time? Well see what has happened to Aloha.. they are getting better all the time.
And you are getting too old and it hurts on a big day. We are all a little sore on a big day, but gosh aint it wonderful when you step off the boat. Survival is a major buzz.
Wednesday Summer Sailing 23rd of February
No Passing Lanes & Sods Law.
A constant Easterly.
A constant easterly? Yes. constant in its inconsistency with swirls up and down the river, big gusts pushing things along and of all things, we got a course four on a southerly with no more than 12 to 15 knots.
The trip to Martin - Weaver was almost a relief as we all knew what it would entail and some solid trimming was going to be the requirement with a bit of luck included. The original thought was to run down the line on starboard and flip over, but watching Bill and Lockie attempting a start at the pin end on port told us we had to get over to the left hand side of the river before flipping onto port.
Behind us, we watched The Jin and Wynella battling to keep their height to get around Martin as close as possible. In front of us Bill and Lockie had made the mark a lot closer and took the lead as we headed toward the moorings. Time to go said the skipper, so dutifully we flipped and then rode the sou easterly over to Weaver. A tough call, but we got around it in the middle of the fleet.
No passing lanes on this one, but may be the chance of sliding past Lockie on the down hill to Sampson. So we tried and the pole went up and down accordingly. But we had the luck (or a passing puff of breeze) and we managed to break Lockie's overlap before Sampson. Great, from now on it was a reaching course and what better a boat for reaching than Swiftsure Saga. With Kate on the boom calling the gusts we worked our way down to Robins with the Royal Perth fleet passing us by below us. Thank goodness for small mercies.
From Robins to Dolphin East we had no option but to run by the lee and flip the main over in order to get to the mark without losing speed. Worked well too as we were emulating Bill Richards in his habit of swapping the main over in accordance to his needs. Around the mark we went and a tight reach down to Como with the thought that we would have to sail well past Como to make it past Heathcote Dolphin later on. Well we went a little early and scrapped past Como. Crikey we will have to tack again to get past Heathcote Dolphin.
The convincer was a big knock and the sight of a Foundo heading toward us from behind. He would have swamped us. So tack and go as far as we thought we needed. Sure we would knock, but we could make HD easily and head for the Outer Startline. Were we any closer to Swiftsure Saga? No not really, but at this stage he wasn't getting away. The Jin and Wynella were battling it out and co incidentally the full crew on The First Jindarra makes the boat do well. Wynella was getting nothing for free.
Off to Sampson again, playing the gusts and around the mark and away to King for the trip over to Print. Well we tacked early again and Phil on the main and Kate trimming really had to pick up the boat and carry it to the mark. Yes we lost a deal of speed then and we watched Swiftsure go for a wander far past the mark, so she could come down on to Print with speed. No luxuries for us, pinch past the mark and then saddle up for a ride down to Print on another ( follow me ) reach.
Around the mark and as Swiftsure disappeared into the distance, we turned around and looked back. Yea, David isn't that close. So away to Como and down to Applecross jetty to try to get across to Thelma in one. Nope, not going to happen and as we neared Thelma I looked back and there was Corella pointing right up to Thelma from Como. Sod's law was in action. He was getting the lift from heaven.
Around Thelma eventually and tack over onto port and run for the line. David had picked up 100 meters or so and Swiftsure Saga was streets ahead.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Mariner and Corella.
On handicap: Swiftsure Saga, Mariner and The First Jindarra.
Briefly: Kate Lammonby took Mariner out on the Retro race on Sunday and is complaining already about her handicap. Well -- a first, a third and a second will do that to you Kate.
And while I was out of action on Saturday, Bill and John took Swiftsure out and whamped the field. Mind you Wynella blew out a jib and Aloha had an average day. Well done Bill and John.
No Passing Lanes & Sods Law.
A constant Easterly.
A constant easterly? Yes. constant in its inconsistency with swirls up and down the river, big gusts pushing things along and of all things, we got a course four on a southerly with no more than 12 to 15 knots.
The trip to Martin - Weaver was almost a relief as we all knew what it would entail and some solid trimming was going to be the requirement with a bit of luck included. The original thought was to run down the line on starboard and flip over, but watching Bill and Lockie attempting a start at the pin end on port told us we had to get over to the left hand side of the river before flipping onto port.
Behind us, we watched The Jin and Wynella battling to keep their height to get around Martin as close as possible. In front of us Bill and Lockie had made the mark a lot closer and took the lead as we headed toward the moorings. Time to go said the skipper, so dutifully we flipped and then rode the sou easterly over to Weaver. A tough call, but we got around it in the middle of the fleet.
No passing lanes on this one, but may be the chance of sliding past Lockie on the down hill to Sampson. So we tried and the pole went up and down accordingly. But we had the luck (or a passing puff of breeze) and we managed to break Lockie's overlap before Sampson. Great, from now on it was a reaching course and what better a boat for reaching than Swiftsure Saga. With Kate on the boom calling the gusts we worked our way down to Robins with the Royal Perth fleet passing us by below us. Thank goodness for small mercies.
From Robins to Dolphin East we had no option but to run by the lee and flip the main over in order to get to the mark without losing speed. Worked well too as we were emulating Bill Richards in his habit of swapping the main over in accordance to his needs. Around the mark we went and a tight reach down to Como with the thought that we would have to sail well past Como to make it past Heathcote Dolphin later on. Well we went a little early and scrapped past Como. Crikey we will have to tack again to get past Heathcote Dolphin.
The convincer was a big knock and the sight of a Foundo heading toward us from behind. He would have swamped us. So tack and go as far as we thought we needed. Sure we would knock, but we could make HD easily and head for the Outer Startline. Were we any closer to Swiftsure Saga? No not really, but at this stage he wasn't getting away. The Jin and Wynella were battling it out and co incidentally the full crew on The First Jindarra makes the boat do well. Wynella was getting nothing for free.
Off to Sampson again, playing the gusts and around the mark and away to King for the trip over to Print. Well we tacked early again and Phil on the main and Kate trimming really had to pick up the boat and carry it to the mark. Yes we lost a deal of speed then and we watched Swiftsure go for a wander far past the mark, so she could come down on to Print with speed. No luxuries for us, pinch past the mark and then saddle up for a ride down to Print on another ( follow me ) reach.
Around the mark and as Swiftsure disappeared into the distance, we turned around and looked back. Yea, David isn't that close. So away to Como and down to Applecross jetty to try to get across to Thelma in one. Nope, not going to happen and as we neared Thelma I looked back and there was Corella pointing right up to Thelma from Como. Sod's law was in action. He was getting the lift from heaven.
Around Thelma eventually and tack over onto port and run for the line. David had picked up 100 meters or so and Swiftsure Saga was streets ahead.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Mariner and Corella.
On handicap: Swiftsure Saga, Mariner and The First Jindarra.
Briefly: Kate Lammonby took Mariner out on the Retro race on Sunday and is complaining already about her handicap. Well -- a first, a third and a second will do that to you Kate.
And while I was out of action on Saturday, Bill and John took Swiftsure out and whamped the field. Mind you Wynella blew out a jib and Aloha had an average day. Well done Bill and John.
Wednesday Summer Sailing 16th of February
Learning how to scallop &
A clean bottom does the trick.
Bill had taken Swiftsure Saga over to the slips for a hull clean. Aloha had father and son cleaning their hull by diving on it.
Never give the H28's a dash up to Martin- Weaver without expecting at least one to roll over the line early.
And so it occurred. We had 6 boats on the line and sure enough we were early, but everyone else was just as early and Swiftsure Saga found themselves returning while Corella and the First Jindarra were forced to roll over the top of the box end and so joined SSS in a restart. So there we were, midway down the line having dropped down the line to avoid being over and working hard to try to lift the boat up to Martin. With some luck and good trimming, the crew and the skipper got the boat up to the mark and rolled around Martin in first place. The real winner of the dash to Martin however was Swiftsure Saga who not only returned to cross the line again, but managed to get his boat and crew into second place. Truly good sailing.
Then the tussle between The First Jindarra and Wynella began as they were neck to neck for the rest of the day, both boats with similar speeds and both with 1 and 1/2 sized jibs. In the mean time, Lockie and Rita must have been on a handicap improving day. We were on a course four with only a midway strong sou wester and as Lockie said.. it was a reaching course. The day was going to be a day for Bill and Swiftsure Saga.
After Sampson, it was a dash up to Robins and we on Mariner still had the lead, but with Bill all over our transom, it wasn't surprising to see him get up on the first cross. By Robins we had gained a momentary advantage thanks to some enterprising work by Phil Lammonby on the main who was teaching Brian to scallop, that is to say, go up in the puffs and then fall down to pick up speed again. It leaves a series of crescents (scallops) in your wake. What it did do was lift us up to Robins and inside SSS.
Around we went, looking for Dolphin East. A pole or not to pole? It was a reaching course and only on the run to Como after DE did we need a pole and by then Bill and his crew were through us after a technical battle that had us on starboard and Bill further to starboard, but vulnerable. He had to keep clear, but still had us at three boat lengths to the mark when we had to tack to make the mark. Around we went and it was chase Bill all over again. By this time Corella had gained a decent lead on the duelling Wynella and Jindarra and was looking to keep his handicap safe while watching the battle out front.
Down and around the outer startline and then off to Sampson again with a consolation second on offer. But we still had to get around the small lap. Around Sampson and tack early as we were breathing his bad air. Bill went a little later to cover us and picked up a great lift all the way to the mark. Damn and damn again. We took an edgy tack and then struggled to make the mark... well we did so, but killed our speed in the process, only to round the mark and see Bill and the crew well away. Resigning to the fact that Bill was a winner, we then tried hard to improve our speed with good trimming on this reaching course.
Made it to Thelma and then straightened up for the run along the foreshore. We were doing well and Brian began invoking one of the fleets minor gods, J W to see if he could get a lift to the finish line on the other board. We weren't in favour it appears. Tack and tack again.. a finish 45 seconds behind Swiftsure Saga and 10 seconds on handicap.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Mariner and Corella
On handicap: Swiftsure Saga, Mariner and Aloha (a clean bottom does help)
The way that the fleet spread out, meant that we didn't have many chances to catch photos of all the boats. Sorry team. Still there's lots of other SoPYC boats.
Learning how to scallop &
A clean bottom does the trick.
Bill had taken Swiftsure Saga over to the slips for a hull clean. Aloha had father and son cleaning their hull by diving on it.
Never give the H28's a dash up to Martin- Weaver without expecting at least one to roll over the line early.
And so it occurred. We had 6 boats on the line and sure enough we were early, but everyone else was just as early and Swiftsure Saga found themselves returning while Corella and the First Jindarra were forced to roll over the top of the box end and so joined SSS in a restart. So there we were, midway down the line having dropped down the line to avoid being over and working hard to try to lift the boat up to Martin. With some luck and good trimming, the crew and the skipper got the boat up to the mark and rolled around Martin in first place. The real winner of the dash to Martin however was Swiftsure Saga who not only returned to cross the line again, but managed to get his boat and crew into second place. Truly good sailing.
Then the tussle between The First Jindarra and Wynella began as they were neck to neck for the rest of the day, both boats with similar speeds and both with 1 and 1/2 sized jibs. In the mean time, Lockie and Rita must have been on a handicap improving day. We were on a course four with only a midway strong sou wester and as Lockie said.. it was a reaching course. The day was going to be a day for Bill and Swiftsure Saga.
After Sampson, it was a dash up to Robins and we on Mariner still had the lead, but with Bill all over our transom, it wasn't surprising to see him get up on the first cross. By Robins we had gained a momentary advantage thanks to some enterprising work by Phil Lammonby on the main who was teaching Brian to scallop, that is to say, go up in the puffs and then fall down to pick up speed again. It leaves a series of crescents (scallops) in your wake. What it did do was lift us up to Robins and inside SSS.
Around we went, looking for Dolphin East. A pole or not to pole? It was a reaching course and only on the run to Como after DE did we need a pole and by then Bill and his crew were through us after a technical battle that had us on starboard and Bill further to starboard, but vulnerable. He had to keep clear, but still had us at three boat lengths to the mark when we had to tack to make the mark. Around we went and it was chase Bill all over again. By this time Corella had gained a decent lead on the duelling Wynella and Jindarra and was looking to keep his handicap safe while watching the battle out front.
Down and around the outer startline and then off to Sampson again with a consolation second on offer. But we still had to get around the small lap. Around Sampson and tack early as we were breathing his bad air. Bill went a little later to cover us and picked up a great lift all the way to the mark. Damn and damn again. We took an edgy tack and then struggled to make the mark... well we did so, but killed our speed in the process, only to round the mark and see Bill and the crew well away. Resigning to the fact that Bill was a winner, we then tried hard to improve our speed with good trimming on this reaching course.
Made it to Thelma and then straightened up for the run along the foreshore. We were doing well and Brian began invoking one of the fleets minor gods, J W to see if he could get a lift to the finish line on the other board. We weren't in favour it appears. Tack and tack again.. a finish 45 seconds behind Swiftsure Saga and 10 seconds on handicap.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Mariner and Corella
On handicap: Swiftsure Saga, Mariner and Aloha (a clean bottom does help)
The way that the fleet spread out, meant that we didn't have many chances to catch photos of all the boats. Sorry team. Still there's lots of other SoPYC boats.
Saturday Summer Sailing 12th of February Championship # 5
Keeping clear of Wynella &
A blowy old day!
The afternoon was a doozy. Three H28s out today and fortunately Swiftsure Saga managed to hang on out the front for the entire race. Wynella was sailing the race of Glens life and Ernie, Phil and Heydon must be congratulated for keeping him on the ball as their boat wasn't any more than about 200 meters off our transom all day. Div one had an invitation race on as well and it was a busy startline.
A booming sou wester was on offer that topped out at 22 on the bottom and 25 on the top with gusts in between. But we suspect the true hero of the day was the one and a half on Wynella's foredeck. Glen had bought it from Bill Richards when he was having a quick clear out of surfeit sails and Bill has regretted it ever since. Its much better than the one he kept. Aloha needs be credited for a good day on the water as they certainly kept up and indeed took a comfortable 2nd on handicap at the end of the day.
So on a course 4 we shot off the start line and worked our way up to Deepwater with not too many incidents, but as we looked over to the next mark (Hallmark), we could see the Freshy start line pumping out Dragons and Bakewell 8's. Up to Deepwater and around without too much trouble and across to Hallmark, led by the Freshy boats position. Around we went with Glen firmly on our transom.
A bit of luck and we were on our way to Armstrong to note that all of Div two was pouring down on the same mark. Find a gap was the name of the game and we did so willingly with a hole opening up at the right time. Then down to Print with a starboard pole and quite firmly by the lee. Only a shift of the breeze into the south saved the day and we were able to make Print in one. Then off to Deepwater again with the thought of crossing the bay to get out of the slop we were in.
We gave a couple of Red Witches a fright as we hammered past their bows and then dipped into the bay to come out on a lifting breeze that took us to Applecross and then to Deepwater. Around we went, having had to avoid a couple of boats; one of them being Wynella who was still sticking to our heels like glue. Then down to Dolphin East with another by the lee run as we had misplaced DE and were heading on the wrong side of the red spits. It's hard to gybe in 24 knots, but it was managed and we found ourselves on the left hand side of the mark and belting down to Addison with a starboard pole again. We had a visit from some Div one boats and some great shots were available to us.
But further on to Addison and then back up to Deepwater again. The long run up the river with the wind driven slop slowing the boats markedly. So into the bay again and we were visited by the Div one boats we had passed on the way down the river. This time, we were in the position to allow Tapestry to pass through and the next boat was far enough behind to allow us to get through. Get into the bay and then make our way up to Deepwater again. Another meeting with a Div one boat brought some great photos of a sports boat under full power. Our prime objective was to stay ahead of Wynella and we knew that one mistake would place us in jeopardy. A near meeting with a div 3 boat who was on port had us crash tacking and they were left floundering in our wake. Up to Deepwater with as few mistakes as possible. So keep our cool, get around the top mark without damage to ourselves or others.
This time we made it to Dolphin East on a clean run and set a pole for Addison. 8 + knots on the down wind run; Oooee! Then off with the pole and a screaming reach to Thelma and only one way to go, off to the finish line. Considering last week and a no show from the finish box, it was a relief to hear the horn sound for us. We were justified.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Wynella and Aloha
On handicap: Wynella, Aloha and Swiftsure Saga.
This was the 5th of the championship races and one drop has been allowed.
I have included a few more images than just H28's.. forgive me, it was a fun day on the river.
Keeping clear of Wynella &
A blowy old day!
The afternoon was a doozy. Three H28s out today and fortunately Swiftsure Saga managed to hang on out the front for the entire race. Wynella was sailing the race of Glens life and Ernie, Phil and Heydon must be congratulated for keeping him on the ball as their boat wasn't any more than about 200 meters off our transom all day. Div one had an invitation race on as well and it was a busy startline.
A booming sou wester was on offer that topped out at 22 on the bottom and 25 on the top with gusts in between. But we suspect the true hero of the day was the one and a half on Wynella's foredeck. Glen had bought it from Bill Richards when he was having a quick clear out of surfeit sails and Bill has regretted it ever since. Its much better than the one he kept. Aloha needs be credited for a good day on the water as they certainly kept up and indeed took a comfortable 2nd on handicap at the end of the day.
So on a course 4 we shot off the start line and worked our way up to Deepwater with not too many incidents, but as we looked over to the next mark (Hallmark), we could see the Freshy start line pumping out Dragons and Bakewell 8's. Up to Deepwater and around without too much trouble and across to Hallmark, led by the Freshy boats position. Around we went with Glen firmly on our transom.
A bit of luck and we were on our way to Armstrong to note that all of Div two was pouring down on the same mark. Find a gap was the name of the game and we did so willingly with a hole opening up at the right time. Then down to Print with a starboard pole and quite firmly by the lee. Only a shift of the breeze into the south saved the day and we were able to make Print in one. Then off to Deepwater again with the thought of crossing the bay to get out of the slop we were in.
We gave a couple of Red Witches a fright as we hammered past their bows and then dipped into the bay to come out on a lifting breeze that took us to Applecross and then to Deepwater. Around we went, having had to avoid a couple of boats; one of them being Wynella who was still sticking to our heels like glue. Then down to Dolphin East with another by the lee run as we had misplaced DE and were heading on the wrong side of the red spits. It's hard to gybe in 24 knots, but it was managed and we found ourselves on the left hand side of the mark and belting down to Addison with a starboard pole again. We had a visit from some Div one boats and some great shots were available to us.
But further on to Addison and then back up to Deepwater again. The long run up the river with the wind driven slop slowing the boats markedly. So into the bay again and we were visited by the Div one boats we had passed on the way down the river. This time, we were in the position to allow Tapestry to pass through and the next boat was far enough behind to allow us to get through. Get into the bay and then make our way up to Deepwater again. Another meeting with a Div one boat brought some great photos of a sports boat under full power. Our prime objective was to stay ahead of Wynella and we knew that one mistake would place us in jeopardy. A near meeting with a div 3 boat who was on port had us crash tacking and they were left floundering in our wake. Up to Deepwater with as few mistakes as possible. So keep our cool, get around the top mark without damage to ourselves or others.
This time we made it to Dolphin East on a clean run and set a pole for Addison. 8 + knots on the down wind run; Oooee! Then off with the pole and a screaming reach to Thelma and only one way to go, off to the finish line. Considering last week and a no show from the finish box, it was a relief to hear the horn sound for us. We were justified.
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Wynella and Aloha
On handicap: Wynella, Aloha and Swiftsure Saga.
This was the 5th of the championship races and one drop has been allowed.
I have included a few more images than just H28's.. forgive me, it was a fun day on the river.
Wednesday Summer Sailing 9th of February 2022
Wynella and the crab pot &
Chasing Swiftsure Saga.
Lockie is still on holidays and there were few other boats prepared to go out today. In fact only 24 boats hit the water in total for the afternoon. Perhaps the strong winds frightened a few off, but our usually strong Div one has at least 3 or four boats away down south having fun in the strong winds on the Busso coast line.
However we were aiming to get a good start on the line with a run up to Martin /Weaver on offer on a Sou wester of 20 to 24 knots or better. Sure it was a course one and we had the bottom of the river to sail on. Lots of waves, slamming into the hull slowing us down repeatedly.
The start was the thing and Swiftsure Saga slipped into the lead right from the start as we left a gap above us while finding our own way to the line. Then he simply trimmed his way to the lead and even with a double tack to make the mark, he was still well away. Around Martin, then down to Weaver and off to Sampson with yes a pole, no a pole decisions being made by both boats until we got into the seabreeze and it was nothing but a reach.
Around Sampson and up to Print with spray bursting around us. The wind was building all the time as we tacked over to Print and then tacked back around it for the run to Addison with the first starboard pole of the afternoon. Wynella was doing fine, not that far away and they had manned up as well with plenty of people on board. We dropped the pole early and held the jib out to keep us flying and then around the mark with plenty of zip and bang as the main slammed over. Keeping the vang at the correct tension was important as too tight and we would blow the thing off on one of the heavy gybes we were making. We noted that the crabbers were out in force with long strings of nets strewn across the river.
Off to Robins and not once but twice did we cover the trip between Addison and Robins. not too many boats in the way fortunately as the Royals were well and gone the first time around and they were well spread out the second time with plenty of holes in the fleet. But hang on.. Wynella had disappeared.
A quick look around told us that she wasn't close by and only as we made our way down the hill to Addison for the second time, did we find her. Well behind us and appearing to be having a hard time. A couple of theories were put forward, but damage or injury were ruled out as she was still progressing on with the race. It was only once we had settled down on the hill after the day on the river that the truth came out. However we still had a race to finish and with the occasional hang of the jib sheets on what ever could snag a sheet as it sailed past, the skipper had plenty to say about the fact. It was a busy day, what can I say.
However the trip to Como from Robins brought us to the fact that we had a SS27 in front of us and he wasn't going to go away. He was pointing higher and was making it hard for the skip to avoid his bad air. We lost all that we had gained on SSS. Around the outer startline and off to Sampson on the heels of this wretched SS27. We tacked away early after Sampson to try and create separation with the boat and found ourselves doing well enough to work our way up to King and get around, with the SS27 sitting far enough above us to not interfere with the breeze. Beauty we can out run her. Down to Print and around the mark, crash bang and a great reach to Como with even more speed on the second leg to Thelma, 8 knots or better were dialled up on the speedo.
The rest of the race was a given as we watched Swiftsure Saga cross the line 70 seconds in front and well in hand. They hadn't made a mistake. Well sailed the boat. We crossed the line and packed up. Down to the pens, put everything away and up to the hill to hear the story from Wynella.
They had picked up a crab net string and it was firmly wedged between the rudder and the hull. The first question was were there any crabs in the net and who went overboard to cut it free. "Nothing and no one" was the answer. They just sailed around until the crab net finally dislodged itself. Hence the loss of time.
Actually we thought it was a great way to re adjust their handicap.. but you have to be lenient.
Over the line and on handicap; Swiftsure Saga, Mariner and Wynella
And a charming little video of Graeme Maesepps home made yacht.
Wynella and the crab pot &
Chasing Swiftsure Saga.
Lockie is still on holidays and there were few other boats prepared to go out today. In fact only 24 boats hit the water in total for the afternoon. Perhaps the strong winds frightened a few off, but our usually strong Div one has at least 3 or four boats away down south having fun in the strong winds on the Busso coast line.
However we were aiming to get a good start on the line with a run up to Martin /Weaver on offer on a Sou wester of 20 to 24 knots or better. Sure it was a course one and we had the bottom of the river to sail on. Lots of waves, slamming into the hull slowing us down repeatedly.
The start was the thing and Swiftsure Saga slipped into the lead right from the start as we left a gap above us while finding our own way to the line. Then he simply trimmed his way to the lead and even with a double tack to make the mark, he was still well away. Around Martin, then down to Weaver and off to Sampson with yes a pole, no a pole decisions being made by both boats until we got into the seabreeze and it was nothing but a reach.
Around Sampson and up to Print with spray bursting around us. The wind was building all the time as we tacked over to Print and then tacked back around it for the run to Addison with the first starboard pole of the afternoon. Wynella was doing fine, not that far away and they had manned up as well with plenty of people on board. We dropped the pole early and held the jib out to keep us flying and then around the mark with plenty of zip and bang as the main slammed over. Keeping the vang at the correct tension was important as too tight and we would blow the thing off on one of the heavy gybes we were making. We noted that the crabbers were out in force with long strings of nets strewn across the river.
Off to Robins and not once but twice did we cover the trip between Addison and Robins. not too many boats in the way fortunately as the Royals were well and gone the first time around and they were well spread out the second time with plenty of holes in the fleet. But hang on.. Wynella had disappeared.
A quick look around told us that she wasn't close by and only as we made our way down the hill to Addison for the second time, did we find her. Well behind us and appearing to be having a hard time. A couple of theories were put forward, but damage or injury were ruled out as she was still progressing on with the race. It was only once we had settled down on the hill after the day on the river that the truth came out. However we still had a race to finish and with the occasional hang of the jib sheets on what ever could snag a sheet as it sailed past, the skipper had plenty to say about the fact. It was a busy day, what can I say.
However the trip to Como from Robins brought us to the fact that we had a SS27 in front of us and he wasn't going to go away. He was pointing higher and was making it hard for the skip to avoid his bad air. We lost all that we had gained on SSS. Around the outer startline and off to Sampson on the heels of this wretched SS27. We tacked away early after Sampson to try and create separation with the boat and found ourselves doing well enough to work our way up to King and get around, with the SS27 sitting far enough above us to not interfere with the breeze. Beauty we can out run her. Down to Print and around the mark, crash bang and a great reach to Como with even more speed on the second leg to Thelma, 8 knots or better were dialled up on the speedo.
The rest of the race was a given as we watched Swiftsure Saga cross the line 70 seconds in front and well in hand. They hadn't made a mistake. Well sailed the boat. We crossed the line and packed up. Down to the pens, put everything away and up to the hill to hear the story from Wynella.
They had picked up a crab net string and it was firmly wedged between the rudder and the hull. The first question was were there any crabs in the net and who went overboard to cut it free. "Nothing and no one" was the answer. They just sailed around until the crab net finally dislodged itself. Hence the loss of time.
Actually we thought it was a great way to re adjust their handicap.. but you have to be lenient.
Over the line and on handicap; Swiftsure Saga, Mariner and Wynella
And a charming little video of Graeme Maesepps home made yacht.
Saturday Summer Sailing 5th of February 2022
The Lyn Rue Davey Memorial Trophy.
A solo performance &
Suzanna is back on the slips.
Its extremely disappointing when you front up for the afternoons sailing and not one other boat does. But the consensus was to go for a sail anyway and take the honours of first and fastest, last and wooden spooners. We knew each other well enough to settle into the sail for the afternoon and Bill the skipper had asked for a shorter course if that was possible.
A short note to mention that there were at least four other H28 people around the club that afternoon. Enough to get another boat on the water. No names of course.
So away on a course 4 with a gentle west sou wester that never rose above 14 knots. Out came the camera and a few images were taken in between gybes, tacks and pole runs. Our biggest problem occurred as we made our way down to Addison for the last leg where the Mounts Bay SC had set up a start line right across our line to Addison and insisted in flying an on-station flag. So we deviated around them as there was no pressure as far as we were concerned but the Div three fleet was annoyed as they were involved in close racing for the minor placings.
Into the bar and a beer and chips were ordered. We made no effort to defend the H28 table and it was soon full of other fleets ( hello div 3 )
Results
Over the line & on handicap : Swiftsure Saga.
The starters declared that there was a " No Race" with only one boat and that the Lyn Rue Davey trophy would not be awarded. A pity really, as 4 weeks on stinking hot Saturdays we have tried to keep the H28 fleet on the scorecards. For one, well I question the reason to sail anymore if this is the best that the rest of the fleet can do, though I do recognise the others who have joined us on the water after Christmas.
Apart from the photo of Suzanna up on the slips, the rest of the images are just what I saw on the water.
The Lyn Rue Davey Memorial Trophy.
A solo performance &
Suzanna is back on the slips.
Its extremely disappointing when you front up for the afternoons sailing and not one other boat does. But the consensus was to go for a sail anyway and take the honours of first and fastest, last and wooden spooners. We knew each other well enough to settle into the sail for the afternoon and Bill the skipper had asked for a shorter course if that was possible.
A short note to mention that there were at least four other H28 people around the club that afternoon. Enough to get another boat on the water. No names of course.
So away on a course 4 with a gentle west sou wester that never rose above 14 knots. Out came the camera and a few images were taken in between gybes, tacks and pole runs. Our biggest problem occurred as we made our way down to Addison for the last leg where the Mounts Bay SC had set up a start line right across our line to Addison and insisted in flying an on-station flag. So we deviated around them as there was no pressure as far as we were concerned but the Div three fleet was annoyed as they were involved in close racing for the minor placings.
Into the bar and a beer and chips were ordered. We made no effort to defend the H28 table and it was soon full of other fleets ( hello div 3 )
Results
Over the line & on handicap : Swiftsure Saga.
The starters declared that there was a " No Race" with only one boat and that the Lyn Rue Davey trophy would not be awarded. A pity really, as 4 weeks on stinking hot Saturdays we have tried to keep the H28 fleet on the scorecards. For one, well I question the reason to sail anymore if this is the best that the rest of the fleet can do, though I do recognise the others who have joined us on the water after Christmas.
Apart from the photo of Suzanna up on the slips, the rest of the images are just what I saw on the water.
Wednesday Summer Sailing 2nd of February 2022
Chasing pressure in an Easterly &
A thought from Dave Locke.
Ok, lets get Lockie's idea out of the way right now. It was after sailing and we were camped up on the hill on the new seats. Comfortable enough I guess. David was responding to a remark from Brian Cross who said that he tried really hard but we still ended up as third over the line on the finish. " Well that's where you started didn't you?" His experience is that most of the time in similar boats, that's how you end up. Still has to be proven Dave.. good theory, but....
The fleet got away with a course two and a whistling easterly. Any thing from 14 to 23 knots and we were chasing the pressure gusts all the way on the first downwind leg. We were late on the start and it was clear that we had a battle to try and get through Swiftsure Saga, let alone catch David on Corella. But behind us was a different battle with The First Jindarra and Wynella going for it hammer and tongs.
The reach across to Sampson had Steve and I working hard to make the boat go and we caught up with Corella and Swiftsure Saga to ensure that they hadn't got away. Then came the downwind run and we were looking for pressure all the way down the hill to Hallmark. First on the right, then on the left and then unfortunately on our line with Wynella and The Jin belting down on top of us. We got away from them eventually as we reached Hallmark, throwing the odd gybe in, with a little bit of manoeuvring that left them high and dry. But we still had to catch the other two.
Down to Armstrong and once around the mark, we went out for a while on a beat and then flipped over to work our way up to Como. On the way we managed to put Swiftsure behind us and the tussle between Barry and Glen was still active with the lead changing hands regularly. The chase down to Como did involve several digs as the breeze was switch hitting on us, swinging left and right across the river. We stayed in phase for the most part. Then around Como with a thumping big boat in front of us, sucking up the breeze we needed. But we managed to get above them and got around the outer startline still in front of SSS.
Making it to Sampson on another of those reaches that had us working hard again, we spun around the corner and threw up a pole that was holding well enough, but we were on the way to Dolphin East and Bill was going to nail us on the down wind without fail. He took a different angle and was able to roll us after Dolphin East and despite a tacking duel on the way to Como (thanks for the warning skip) we had a chance till we had a winch jam on us and poor Ron copped a blast that was undeserved. He couldn't get the sheet in fast enough and the second time crocked our chances of catching SSS. So after all was sorted out, we simply aimed at Thelma and set our sights on finishing the day in as good a time as possible.
Meanwhile the race between The Jin and Wynella had come to an end and the crew of the Jin weren't going to elaborate, other than they had a couple of problems and decided to retire. The boat wasn't sinking and no one was injured so I'll leave it as an open case.
Over the line: Corella, Swiftsure Saga and Mariner.
On handicap: Wynella, Corella and Swiftsure Saga.
A comment that David Locke and crew had sailed really well and were only 4 seconds off getting first and fastest. If the Jin had kept on going, they could have taken the win as they were well placed and had the lowest handicap of all. A pity.
Not too many photos. I was running the main.
The forecast for Saturday is 40 degrees and little breeze. Yuk!
Chasing pressure in an Easterly &
A thought from Dave Locke.
Ok, lets get Lockie's idea out of the way right now. It was after sailing and we were camped up on the hill on the new seats. Comfortable enough I guess. David was responding to a remark from Brian Cross who said that he tried really hard but we still ended up as third over the line on the finish. " Well that's where you started didn't you?" His experience is that most of the time in similar boats, that's how you end up. Still has to be proven Dave.. good theory, but....
The fleet got away with a course two and a whistling easterly. Any thing from 14 to 23 knots and we were chasing the pressure gusts all the way on the first downwind leg. We were late on the start and it was clear that we had a battle to try and get through Swiftsure Saga, let alone catch David on Corella. But behind us was a different battle with The First Jindarra and Wynella going for it hammer and tongs.
The reach across to Sampson had Steve and I working hard to make the boat go and we caught up with Corella and Swiftsure Saga to ensure that they hadn't got away. Then came the downwind run and we were looking for pressure all the way down the hill to Hallmark. First on the right, then on the left and then unfortunately on our line with Wynella and The Jin belting down on top of us. We got away from them eventually as we reached Hallmark, throwing the odd gybe in, with a little bit of manoeuvring that left them high and dry. But we still had to catch the other two.
Down to Armstrong and once around the mark, we went out for a while on a beat and then flipped over to work our way up to Como. On the way we managed to put Swiftsure behind us and the tussle between Barry and Glen was still active with the lead changing hands regularly. The chase down to Como did involve several digs as the breeze was switch hitting on us, swinging left and right across the river. We stayed in phase for the most part. Then around Como with a thumping big boat in front of us, sucking up the breeze we needed. But we managed to get above them and got around the outer startline still in front of SSS.
Making it to Sampson on another of those reaches that had us working hard again, we spun around the corner and threw up a pole that was holding well enough, but we were on the way to Dolphin East and Bill was going to nail us on the down wind without fail. He took a different angle and was able to roll us after Dolphin East and despite a tacking duel on the way to Como (thanks for the warning skip) we had a chance till we had a winch jam on us and poor Ron copped a blast that was undeserved. He couldn't get the sheet in fast enough and the second time crocked our chances of catching SSS. So after all was sorted out, we simply aimed at Thelma and set our sights on finishing the day in as good a time as possible.
Meanwhile the race between The Jin and Wynella had come to an end and the crew of the Jin weren't going to elaborate, other than they had a couple of problems and decided to retire. The boat wasn't sinking and no one was injured so I'll leave it as an open case.
Over the line: Corella, Swiftsure Saga and Mariner.
On handicap: Wynella, Corella and Swiftsure Saga.
A comment that David Locke and crew had sailed really well and were only 4 seconds off getting first and fastest. If the Jin had kept on going, they could have taken the win as they were well placed and had the lowest handicap of all. A pity.
Not too many photos. I was running the main.
The forecast for Saturday is 40 degrees and little breeze. Yuk!
Summer Saturday Sailing 29th of January
Mad Dogs and men from the UK. &
Thirsty work on the foredeck.
We were seriously looking around to see who would come out to play today. Three slightly worried sailors stood on the hill wondering whether we would have some one to compete against. Then an Hawaiian shirt was spotted and there was the chance that Aloha would give it a try. But no.. not enough crew, there was no seabreeze and it was too hot.
Bang, in came the seabreeze, Steve Hill rocked up as did another of Aloha's crew and really they had no choice. Get out there or be square. So happily we hoisted sail with a slight adaption to our foresail and off we went to try it out. Well it points well enough and the ability to see under the jib is a bonus, no peeking around the corner - we can see everything. Probably it could be modified slightly but it does well.
We got away well enough with the SS27's away, battling with other clubs in a state heat. But we got to the line ( late ) but Aloha was later still and we kept the lead for the rest of the race. But not without some significant surges from Aloha as they had conned Steve to running the foredeck and hoisting a kite. And he did a good job, though he quietly admitted to doing a sideways hoist, but as it set and was drawing well, they were of a mind to leave it.. naah Steve wouldn't have it, a blot on his foredeck work. So he asked for a drop and a re-hoist. That spinnaker work stood them in good stead as they were significantly quicker down breeze.
So on a course 4 with a steady 10 to 14 knots out of the sou west it was champagne sailing and extremely thirst work for everyone. The three visits to Deepwater and runs down to Addison had us looking out of the boat and watching the fleets around us. A spectacular spinnaker run by some division two boats had us watching them rocking and rolling as they drew down on Dolphin West. Interesting to note that Ballina who was level pegging, just sailed away from the rest over the course of the day. Well done to the Cowden family.
Tapestry (aka Crush) was undergoing the learning process needed to make the boat a working team and despite a foredeck foul up with a kite tangle, they kept up with Farrago. Not a bad job at all.
But eventually all good things must come to an end and we rounded Addison for the last time and headed off to Thelma with the blessings of a breeze on our backs. Cooling us down on the run to the line as we hardened up for the run along the freeway on a breeze that had a bit of the west in it. Easy enough to tack off and then aim at the line for a good finish. Look back to see Aloha drop their kite at Addison and turn to make their way home. Well in front, but was it enough?
The spinnaker work by Steve had done the trick and they had kept in touch ( from the handicap side of things).
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Aloha.
On handicap: Aloha, Swiftsure Saga.
Thank you Aloha for joining us on the water and making it a day to enjoy. A comment from Steve as he slipped up to join us on Herreshoff hill for a chance to drink cold water. Thirsty work up there on the foredeck.. well we knew that! The experiences of the last week or two had taught our foredeck men that you really need to rehydrate before you get up there.
As usual, not too many H28s out there so I got a few other boats out on the water.
Mad Dogs and men from the UK. &
Thirsty work on the foredeck.
We were seriously looking around to see who would come out to play today. Three slightly worried sailors stood on the hill wondering whether we would have some one to compete against. Then an Hawaiian shirt was spotted and there was the chance that Aloha would give it a try. But no.. not enough crew, there was no seabreeze and it was too hot.
Bang, in came the seabreeze, Steve Hill rocked up as did another of Aloha's crew and really they had no choice. Get out there or be square. So happily we hoisted sail with a slight adaption to our foresail and off we went to try it out. Well it points well enough and the ability to see under the jib is a bonus, no peeking around the corner - we can see everything. Probably it could be modified slightly but it does well.
We got away well enough with the SS27's away, battling with other clubs in a state heat. But we got to the line ( late ) but Aloha was later still and we kept the lead for the rest of the race. But not without some significant surges from Aloha as they had conned Steve to running the foredeck and hoisting a kite. And he did a good job, though he quietly admitted to doing a sideways hoist, but as it set and was drawing well, they were of a mind to leave it.. naah Steve wouldn't have it, a blot on his foredeck work. So he asked for a drop and a re-hoist. That spinnaker work stood them in good stead as they were significantly quicker down breeze.
So on a course 4 with a steady 10 to 14 knots out of the sou west it was champagne sailing and extremely thirst work for everyone. The three visits to Deepwater and runs down to Addison had us looking out of the boat and watching the fleets around us. A spectacular spinnaker run by some division two boats had us watching them rocking and rolling as they drew down on Dolphin West. Interesting to note that Ballina who was level pegging, just sailed away from the rest over the course of the day. Well done to the Cowden family.
Tapestry (aka Crush) was undergoing the learning process needed to make the boat a working team and despite a foredeck foul up with a kite tangle, they kept up with Farrago. Not a bad job at all.
But eventually all good things must come to an end and we rounded Addison for the last time and headed off to Thelma with the blessings of a breeze on our backs. Cooling us down on the run to the line as we hardened up for the run along the freeway on a breeze that had a bit of the west in it. Easy enough to tack off and then aim at the line for a good finish. Look back to see Aloha drop their kite at Addison and turn to make their way home. Well in front, but was it enough?
The spinnaker work by Steve had done the trick and they had kept in touch ( from the handicap side of things).
Over the line: Swiftsure Saga, Aloha.
On handicap: Aloha, Swiftsure Saga.
Thank you Aloha for joining us on the water and making it a day to enjoy. A comment from Steve as he slipped up to join us on Herreshoff hill for a chance to drink cold water. Thirsty work up there on the foredeck.. well we knew that! The experiences of the last week or two had taught our foredeck men that you really need to rehydrate before you get up there.
As usual, not too many H28s out there so I got a few other boats out on the water.
Summer Saturday Sailing 22nd of January 4th Championship.
The Relentless Heat &
Into the Fire.
4 Days over 40 degrees and this was the 5th. Its cruel.
There is literally no relief and the sun is pouring down from a bright and shiny early morn to a scorching dusk. The Easterlies pour the heat from the inland onto the coast and Rottnest island, playground to Perth locals is just as hot as we on the river are. Fair do's indeed. The arrival of the seabreeze, moderate in strength provides some relief, but again its simply recycling the hot air that was pushed out onto the ocean by the easterlies.
Far wiser crews simply gave up on sailing and only two H28's made their way out on this, a championship day. All that and my camera for some divine reason decided to lose its charge and died very early in the day.
As we waved good by to the start boat on a course one with a seabreeze of moderate strength, we knew it was going to be a long afternoon as our nominated foredeckie Mark was slurping through his water supplies bigtime. First of all, we had to get to Brickies A and B and as we worked our way up the breeze it was clear that we needed more grunt from the wind. We were sailing well, but we didn't have that speed that a 20 knot sou wester gives us. Our only thought was the down wind runs under a spinnaker and Mark was going to earn his living out front.
Yep, they were well away by the time we hit the top mark and it was only under a spinnaker that we would stand a chance to catch them and we did so regaining valuable meters. All the way to Dolphin West with a bunch of Freshy boats arguing the toss as to which mark they were going. Fortunately they chose Armstrong and steered away from us. So down to D. W. and ease the spinnaker forward and proceed to Foam. A little edgy at times, but we did ok. Down with the spinnaker and then off to Sanders. Bloody hell, we were doing ok, but Mariner picked the right line and got inside us ending up much closer to the mark.
Around they went and the next leg was to Como, another long spinnaker run. By this time our resources were a little stretched and the fridge at the front of the boat was full of cold water. Mark had drained his bottles and was invited to help himself. The bottle vanished in a couple of gulps and we set off to get around Como still sailing pretty much by the lee all the way down and around the mark. Then away to Deepwater via Robins and a slightly stiffer seabreeze that helped us catch up a fair bit. But we had to get to Deepwater and the constant heat was as draining on us as well as Mark. I was pushing it to get the rather stiff traveller system up and down the slide and as for getting the main in hard as the breeze picked up.. well its more a case of two on the ropes rather than one.
Deepwater behind us and a pole to Dolphin East that changed to a spinnaker half way down. Why, because they did. So to Addison after DE and another couple of bottles of water for Mark. He was knackered. Well done to Eric who had charge of the jib and was really pushing it hard. But he, like I, had a 1/2 gallon container of water to keep him recharged. Once we had dropped the spinnaker, we then took off to Thelma, yes we were behind, but we hadn't lost them completely. So around Thelma and head for home. The end to a very hot day.
Putting the cover on the boat we headed inside and then waited for ever as the results eventually were presented. Ok, we were a little under 4 minutes behind.. not bad considering the length of the race of 12.5 nautical miles, but the cost of the race on our bodies and those around us was clear. Herreshoff Hill was littered with sailors of all denominations and we weren't begrudging of the shade. Enjoy.
Over the line: Mariner, Swiftsure Saga.
On handicap: Mariner, Swiftsure Saga.
As mentioned my camera died early in the piece. Just a few snaps.
The Relentless Heat &
Into the Fire.
4 Days over 40 degrees and this was the 5th. Its cruel.
There is literally no relief and the sun is pouring down from a bright and shiny early morn to a scorching dusk. The Easterlies pour the heat from the inland onto the coast and Rottnest island, playground to Perth locals is just as hot as we on the river are. Fair do's indeed. The arrival of the seabreeze, moderate in strength provides some relief, but again its simply recycling the hot air that was pushed out onto the ocean by the easterlies.
Far wiser crews simply gave up on sailing and only two H28's made their way out on this, a championship day. All that and my camera for some divine reason decided to lose its charge and died very early in the day.
As we waved good by to the start boat on a course one with a seabreeze of moderate strength, we knew it was going to be a long afternoon as our nominated foredeckie Mark was slurping through his water supplies bigtime. First of all, we had to get to Brickies A and B and as we worked our way up the breeze it was clear that we needed more grunt from the wind. We were sailing well, but we didn't have that speed that a 20 knot sou wester gives us. Our only thought was the down wind runs under a spinnaker and Mark was going to earn his living out front.
Yep, they were well away by the time we hit the top mark and it was only under a spinnaker that we would stand a chance to catch them and we did so regaining valuable meters. All the way to Dolphin West with a bunch of Freshy boats arguing the toss as to which mark they were going. Fortunately they chose Armstrong and steered away from us. So down to D. W. and ease the spinnaker forward and proceed to Foam. A little edgy at times, but we did ok. Down with the spinnaker and then off to Sanders. Bloody hell, we were doing ok, but Mariner picked the right line and got inside us ending up much closer to the mark.
Around they went and the next leg was to Como, another long spinnaker run. By this time our resources were a little stretched and the fridge at the front of the boat was full of cold water. Mark had drained his bottles and was invited to help himself. The bottle vanished in a couple of gulps and we set off to get around Como still sailing pretty much by the lee all the way down and around the mark. Then away to Deepwater via Robins and a slightly stiffer seabreeze that helped us catch up a fair bit. But we had to get to Deepwater and the constant heat was as draining on us as well as Mark. I was pushing it to get the rather stiff traveller system up and down the slide and as for getting the main in hard as the breeze picked up.. well its more a case of two on the ropes rather than one.
Deepwater behind us and a pole to Dolphin East that changed to a spinnaker half way down. Why, because they did. So to Addison after DE and another couple of bottles of water for Mark. He was knackered. Well done to Eric who had charge of the jib and was really pushing it hard. But he, like I, had a 1/2 gallon container of water to keep him recharged. Once we had dropped the spinnaker, we then took off to Thelma, yes we were behind, but we hadn't lost them completely. So around Thelma and head for home. The end to a very hot day.
Putting the cover on the boat we headed inside and then waited for ever as the results eventually were presented. Ok, we were a little under 4 minutes behind.. not bad considering the length of the race of 12.5 nautical miles, but the cost of the race on our bodies and those around us was clear. Herreshoff Hill was littered with sailors of all denominations and we weren't begrudging of the shade. Enjoy.
Over the line: Mariner, Swiftsure Saga.
On handicap: Mariner, Swiftsure Saga.
As mentioned my camera died early in the piece. Just a few snaps.
Wednesday Summer Sailing 19th of January 2022
Close racing &
Out of the Frying Pan!
The previous Saturday we were out on a blustery day and we were soaked to the bone in salt water. This time I upended a bottle of water over my head to try and cool down. Again I was soaked and when the water finally dried off, the heat began to take over despite the cooling seabreeze that came in. Sitting in the sun wasn't pleasant and the leeside of the boat in the shade was fine. Another bottle... fine!
Five boats took off today and it was a competitive mob. The First Jindarra ( Fully crewed ), Corella (newly painted) Wynella, just off the slip. Swiftsure Saga ( still experimenting with sails) and the crew on Mariner. A course 4 was on offer with a seabreeze that was beginning to make itself felt and this time they let us loose northward. Hooray we can get past the Royal fleet this time.
Hanging on the breeze before the start line, we rolled over onto port tack and pointed at the box end pin. The Jin decided to barge their way in and Barry was presented with a red flag. That's a 360 please. And then the dash to Sampson began. Fortunately we had good speed and despite the Jin's precipitous actions, we were able to roll her down the reach to Sampson and made it to the mark first with the rest of the fleet in close order behind us. Hit the corner and make the following boat wallow as we choked them and then forged up the breeze. Sure enough Swiftsure peeled off as did Corella while Wynella and The Jin dropped a little lower than us, trying to get clean air.
We tacked shortly after, while the Jin did their penalty turn and Wynella followed us across. We ended up in a magnificent lift that took us all the way into the bay above Frenchmans and then tacked to have a look for Robins with a fair chance of laying the mark in a tack or two. The big surprize was the return of the Jin from the North. She got our lift and then some. We got past her though and at Robins it was a good outcome with the rest of the fleet behind us battling over who got to the mark first. It was close racing. Then a reach across to Dolphin East and a pole to Como while Corella and the Jin decided who was to first around the mark at Como. Bill and Glen were having their own stoush behind them and the racing was tight.
Down to the outer startline buoy and around, with Corella successfully avoiding some big boats at the mark, but they were to cause trouble. We had our own fast boats to deal with and it meant that we tacked immediately after the mark at Sampson instead of going on a little, but in the end it wasn't a problem and and an unfortunate fracas with Cover Drive (who had all the rights) took Corella way out to the left before they could tack, effectively ending their challenge on us. We had had our own problems with a hung up sheet, fortunately resolved before the turn at King and from then it was a reach to Print, then down to Como and a clear run to Thelma and the dash to the finish.
However it wasn't to be a win for us as the rest of the fleet had done well. 2 minutes and 45 seconds covered all 5 finishers and on handicap it was only 2 minutes and 5 seconds.
Over the line: Mariner, Corella and Swiftsure Saga
On handicap: The First Jindarra, Wynella and Mariner.
Barry, Glen may have saved the bottle of white from Leeuwin Estate that you won, but then again, he may not have!
The Frying Pan? Saturday is another absolute stinker and 40 degrees is the bare minimum. Plenty of cold water and non al beer required I think.
Close racing &
Out of the Frying Pan!
The previous Saturday we were out on a blustery day and we were soaked to the bone in salt water. This time I upended a bottle of water over my head to try and cool down. Again I was soaked and when the water finally dried off, the heat began to take over despite the cooling seabreeze that came in. Sitting in the sun wasn't pleasant and the leeside of the boat in the shade was fine. Another bottle... fine!
Five boats took off today and it was a competitive mob. The First Jindarra ( Fully crewed ), Corella (newly painted) Wynella, just off the slip. Swiftsure Saga ( still experimenting with sails) and the crew on Mariner. A course 4 was on offer with a seabreeze that was beginning to make itself felt and this time they let us loose northward. Hooray we can get past the Royal fleet this time.
Hanging on the breeze before the start line, we rolled over onto port tack and pointed at the box end pin. The Jin decided to barge their way in and Barry was presented with a red flag. That's a 360 please. And then the dash to Sampson began. Fortunately we had good speed and despite the Jin's precipitous actions, we were able to roll her down the reach to Sampson and made it to the mark first with the rest of the fleet in close order behind us. Hit the corner and make the following boat wallow as we choked them and then forged up the breeze. Sure enough Swiftsure peeled off as did Corella while Wynella and The Jin dropped a little lower than us, trying to get clean air.
We tacked shortly after, while the Jin did their penalty turn and Wynella followed us across. We ended up in a magnificent lift that took us all the way into the bay above Frenchmans and then tacked to have a look for Robins with a fair chance of laying the mark in a tack or two. The big surprize was the return of the Jin from the North. She got our lift and then some. We got past her though and at Robins it was a good outcome with the rest of the fleet behind us battling over who got to the mark first. It was close racing. Then a reach across to Dolphin East and a pole to Como while Corella and the Jin decided who was to first around the mark at Como. Bill and Glen were having their own stoush behind them and the racing was tight.
Down to the outer startline buoy and around, with Corella successfully avoiding some big boats at the mark, but they were to cause trouble. We had our own fast boats to deal with and it meant that we tacked immediately after the mark at Sampson instead of going on a little, but in the end it wasn't a problem and and an unfortunate fracas with Cover Drive (who had all the rights) took Corella way out to the left before they could tack, effectively ending their challenge on us. We had had our own problems with a hung up sheet, fortunately resolved before the turn at King and from then it was a reach to Print, then down to Como and a clear run to Thelma and the dash to the finish.
However it wasn't to be a win for us as the rest of the fleet had done well. 2 minutes and 45 seconds covered all 5 finishers and on handicap it was only 2 minutes and 5 seconds.
Over the line: Mariner, Corella and Swiftsure Saga
On handicap: The First Jindarra, Wynella and Mariner.
Barry, Glen may have saved the bottle of white from Leeuwin Estate that you won, but then again, he may not have!
The Frying Pan? Saturday is another absolute stinker and 40 degrees is the bare minimum. Plenty of cold water and non al beer required I think.
Saturday Summer Sailing 15th of January 2022.
Blowing fit to burst &
Then there was one.
The afternoon bode to be a great sailing day and there were certainly bodies around. But Brian was working on Mariner for the Retro on Sunday; Lockie had just put the last coat of paint on Corella so he wasn't going anywhere, Wynella was up on the slips with a new coat of antifoul being laid on and anyway Russell had just had a pacemaker put in and he was a non starter.
So who did we have left?
Potentially all the other boats, but Alma hasn't sailed for a while, Napea of Carrick would probably go out on the Retro, Nerrima - well no one has seen Les for a while and Carina & Karoleeya sit forlornly in their pens with no love or care afforded them. Ah, Perhaps Rupert might.. but he's trying to earn a living the poor fellow and he's in hospitality; ergo Saturdays are working days. Well that took Georgina out of the game. Who's left?
Just then Steve Hills rocked up and looked around to see if Aloha was being set up. Not yet. So he introduced a new chum to us who was to find out about sailing on H28's and then prepared to depart as there was no sign of the Minto family. The skipper was happy to take him for a run and invited him to join us and just then the Minto's arrived so they moved down to the jetty and started setting up. As did we.
We hustled down to the start line to see another 40 or so boats moving around and we prepared ourselves for a busy afternoon as the breeze was already pumping. With a number one and a half on we were not overly canvased but the main was going to be a brute and a real test for my formerly suspect back. We had negotiated a course four with the starters as none of us wanted to slog our way up to Brickie A and B and that was enough for us as the first upward leg has us wearing the spray as it folded over the bow and curved back on to us.
Upward we drove to Deepwater and we noted one or two SS27's about as they too had Deepwater as a mark. Running across to the mark, we saw Lady Claire (a SS27 with a chequered career with H28's) struggling ( pinching) to make the mark. They got to the mark painfully slowly and then rolled around the mark, blowing down on the spit and snagging the backstay on the pile. Twang.. instant busted backstay and a buggered mast. He headed off down the breeze as we reported him to the club via radio. No harm to the crew and only his wallet will feel the pain.
Across to Hallmark and then up to Armstrong we went, with Aloha doing well behind us. Sure they need that new main, but its coming and they will be a real pain in backside when it does. Around Armstrong and a slightly wild run down to Print, close to a Freshy startline, ducking and weaving through the fleets swirling around in the choppy water. Away from Print and up to Deepwater again, this time to bury our bow in the wind waves again. We were all soaked by now and it was a good idea that the skipper suggested that we all put on the life jackets, they kept us a bit warmer. Into the bay and then up the breeze with huge knocks and lifts from the breeze as it spun off the edge of the point where Applecross Spit stood. Around this time we heard Aloha retiring on the radio. Fair enough, the crew and skipper had decided that it was boat busting weather.
Around the top mark again and this time down to Dolphin East. We had not even thought of a pole as sending some one up onto the bow was a dangerous occupation so a gybe was also viewed with suspicion. Bugger it.. Granny tack .. and we pulled out of it nicely enough. We ran with the breeze up our transom all the way to Addison occasionally by the lee, but safe enough. Then repeat the previous lap.. all the way to Deepwater, getting very wet in the process and then Dolphin East, granny tack and on to Addison again. Thence to Thelma on another howling reach and a tack to the line.
First, fastest, second, third and last.
Apparently this is the start of the other half of the summer season, so we took the pre Christmas racing from Wynella and our start of the season was a good effort. What a day. All of us were drenched to the skin and rather grateful that we had survived an afternoon with a base of 20 knots with recorded gusts to 27 knots. There were a number of retirements other than Aloha, but I do have take my hat off to the Red Witches sailed by the scouts. They did extremely well.
A note to all.
It appears that Adissa is up for sale. She is an Albany based H28 that according to the advertisement has been regularly slipped and cared for over the last 10 years ? I have known of her for about 14 years and I believe that they are asking for $19,000. Though that may be negotiable. The problem you would then face is to get her up here. A photograph is enclosed.
Not many photos today. I was busy.
Blowing fit to burst &
Then there was one.
The afternoon bode to be a great sailing day and there were certainly bodies around. But Brian was working on Mariner for the Retro on Sunday; Lockie had just put the last coat of paint on Corella so he wasn't going anywhere, Wynella was up on the slips with a new coat of antifoul being laid on and anyway Russell had just had a pacemaker put in and he was a non starter.
So who did we have left?
Potentially all the other boats, but Alma hasn't sailed for a while, Napea of Carrick would probably go out on the Retro, Nerrima - well no one has seen Les for a while and Carina & Karoleeya sit forlornly in their pens with no love or care afforded them. Ah, Perhaps Rupert might.. but he's trying to earn a living the poor fellow and he's in hospitality; ergo Saturdays are working days. Well that took Georgina out of the game. Who's left?
Just then Steve Hills rocked up and looked around to see if Aloha was being set up. Not yet. So he introduced a new chum to us who was to find out about sailing on H28's and then prepared to depart as there was no sign of the Minto family. The skipper was happy to take him for a run and invited him to join us and just then the Minto's arrived so they moved down to the jetty and started setting up. As did we.
We hustled down to the start line to see another 40 or so boats moving around and we prepared ourselves for a busy afternoon as the breeze was already pumping. With a number one and a half on we were not overly canvased but the main was going to be a brute and a real test for my formerly suspect back. We had negotiated a course four with the starters as none of us wanted to slog our way up to Brickie A and B and that was enough for us as the first upward leg has us wearing the spray as it folded over the bow and curved back on to us.
Upward we drove to Deepwater and we noted one or two SS27's about as they too had Deepwater as a mark. Running across to the mark, we saw Lady Claire (a SS27 with a chequered career with H28's) struggling ( pinching) to make the mark. They got to the mark painfully slowly and then rolled around the mark, blowing down on the spit and snagging the backstay on the pile. Twang.. instant busted backstay and a buggered mast. He headed off down the breeze as we reported him to the club via radio. No harm to the crew and only his wallet will feel the pain.
Across to Hallmark and then up to Armstrong we went, with Aloha doing well behind us. Sure they need that new main, but its coming and they will be a real pain in backside when it does. Around Armstrong and a slightly wild run down to Print, close to a Freshy startline, ducking and weaving through the fleets swirling around in the choppy water. Away from Print and up to Deepwater again, this time to bury our bow in the wind waves again. We were all soaked by now and it was a good idea that the skipper suggested that we all put on the life jackets, they kept us a bit warmer. Into the bay and then up the breeze with huge knocks and lifts from the breeze as it spun off the edge of the point where Applecross Spit stood. Around this time we heard Aloha retiring on the radio. Fair enough, the crew and skipper had decided that it was boat busting weather.
Around the top mark again and this time down to Dolphin East. We had not even thought of a pole as sending some one up onto the bow was a dangerous occupation so a gybe was also viewed with suspicion. Bugger it.. Granny tack .. and we pulled out of it nicely enough. We ran with the breeze up our transom all the way to Addison occasionally by the lee, but safe enough. Then repeat the previous lap.. all the way to Deepwater, getting very wet in the process and then Dolphin East, granny tack and on to Addison again. Thence to Thelma on another howling reach and a tack to the line.
First, fastest, second, third and last.
Apparently this is the start of the other half of the summer season, so we took the pre Christmas racing from Wynella and our start of the season was a good effort. What a day. All of us were drenched to the skin and rather grateful that we had survived an afternoon with a base of 20 knots with recorded gusts to 27 knots. There were a number of retirements other than Aloha, but I do have take my hat off to the Red Witches sailed by the scouts. They did extremely well.
A note to all.
It appears that Adissa is up for sale. She is an Albany based H28 that according to the advertisement has been regularly slipped and cared for over the last 10 years ? I have known of her for about 14 years and I believe that they are asking for $19,000. Though that may be negotiable. The problem you would then face is to get her up here. A photograph is enclosed.
Not many photos today. I was busy.