Hi everyone , Yes firstly I have to appologise for missing last weeks newsletter as I was just a bit snowed under with other projects and only remembered on Friday . I was thinking of trying to catch up with all the info from then but my memory for the finer details is a bit shonky , all I can say is juniors had a great turnout with 16 junior sailors in perfect sailing conditions then junior training went reasonably well with everyone finally understanding the concept of sail on upwind and sail off on a broadreach down wind , even the downwind mark roundings improved over the course of the session.

With the open racing the conditions were perfect with e/s/e winds around 12/15 knots and the occassional extra puff and a course set starting in our channel and then 2 laps in the soverign channel where I set a good broad reach up to the top of ephriam then a really close reach back to A mark opposite runners . This course made for great racing especially amongst the middle pack while greg and peter stayed out in front . Casey came home third after a recall at the start for over early and then becoming involved in the middle pack challenge with the rest of the fleet close behind , all in all a great race to watch.

Last weekend was certainally a wild one with both saturday and sunday sailing cancelled thanks to the cyclone just hanging off the coast thanks to the two high pressure cells down the bottom of the country allowing the cyclone to basically remain stationary . Its not the worst I have experienced regarding cyclones although the winds were up around 50 knots combined with full moon high tides but no rain which would have made conditions even worse . My main concern was our damaged pontoon ( cracked ) which I thought might break up taking public nuisance with it but surprise surprise she is still there even if the crack is a bit wider , nuisance rode it out well thanks to andrews smart bridling system and a bloody large anchor and heavy chain all firmly stuck in the mud in front of the club.

The weather is looking much better for this weekend with another club championship race scheduled and juniors plus junior race training for Sunday and week two of our current Adult learn to sail program back as well so lets keep our fingers crossed for a good weekend of sailing for everyone.

CU on the water
John Murphy

Hi Everyone:  Unfortunately after setting up our new Junior Racing program mother nature had the final word last Sunday by bringing in winds up to 20 knots then 25 knots so it was definitely a non starter for Junior racing and also our normal 10.30 training class so we will be starting the racing well trying too on Sunday 24th of February lets hope mother nature agrees this time.

Over the past several weeks our caretaker Geoff has been very ill in ICU after a sudden collapse but with fingers crossed  from everyone at the club and family support he is on the road to a full recovery . Geoff and his wife keep a close eye on the club when we are not around and are always there to lend a hand when needed .

8.30 am Sunday Juniors :
Well if anyone saw my Facebook post on Monday you would have seen over 30 kids yes 30 kids signing up for this introduction class so it was all hands on deck pulling out boats and setting them up even the instructors started learning a new skill called looking for boat parts as a few boats hadn't been rigged for a while maybe they even learnt the value of putting everything back in its right place maybe! The conditions were on the change with a predicted southerly change mid morning but to start with we had winds around 6/9 knots s/e so a long reach was set up for all the sailors both new and beginners but conditions soon changed with the winds increasing to around 15 knots which was a definite challenge for our young sailors but with a lot of grit and determination everyone seemed to come to grips with the tough beginner conditions . I personally saw some good sailing amongst the more experienced juniors showing the new kids how its done with some good control in the worsening conditions . I cant pick individuals because both Casey and I with our crews were very busy towing boats back from under the bridge especially as the winds increased , I think my crew Addy has longer arms now from hanging onto bows while I towed boats backward . The best activity I saw was that when things became just too rough those smaller sailors who were having trouble came back to shore which is always a smart move .
  
10.30 am Training :
Well as you just read above the weather was getting a bit out of control so it was decided to cancel 10.30 and just do some theory so we started with reading sails for upwind sailing then we did sailing angles especially how to go down wind the best way . Theory usually has a tendency to become boring for young sailors but everyone actually chipped in with some good comments so to round the session off we took everyone out in the safety boats and did some on water sailing angles again upwind and broad reaching down wind rather than a dead run . We will see next weekend what everyone remembers . Just as a foot note these non sailing sessions are free as we don't charge if the don't get to sail so they can save their money for next weekend.
  
1.30 pm Open Racing:
With conditions worsening with wind gusts 20/25 plus knots everyone still decided to give it a go so just to be on the safe side I set an upwind downwind course in our channel only starting just down from the club . There were a few capsizes before we even put the first flag up so it was definitely looking like a tough race for everyone . The start was uneventful as no one wanted to be over early and have to come back but Casey cracked the line first with Tom , Steve and Michelle close behind on the first upwind . The waves were around half to 1 metre so it was a punishing upwind followed by some lightning downwinds but mother nature soon started to take over with Steve after umpteen capsizes pulling out then Matt  with even more capsizes following the finally Charlie who while gybing the bottom mark pinched a nerve in his arm so his race was over . Tom was going well until two capsizes left him in second and Michelle third and yes you guessed it Casey was just flying out the front and no she didn't miss any Gybes ( must have been the training on friday ?) OK she was running a 4.7 but she couldn't have sailed anything bigger even if she wanted to but her speed was awesome and yes I forgot the camera so everyone will just have to take our word for it . Testament to the toughness of the conditions was the general look of I am shattered from everyone back at the beach even the start boat crew were looking a bit ragged after a rough session on the water.

CU on the water
John Murphy

Hi Everyone , Well we have already hit February and the interest in sailing between children and adults has definitely increased with plenty of budding junior sailors signing up for school holiday camps and the same fro our multiple Sunday programs . We are again looking at getting Public Nuisance out again and to top it off our Adult introduction to sailing courses are showing great interest so its looking big for paradise point sailing club in 2019 .

8.30 am Sunday Juniors ;
With school back last week we thought things would be a bit slow for the early class but were we ever wrong , even with early rain showers it didnt deter anyone who can down and signed on for their sailing fix . As usual we had a few first timers so we rigged plenty of Teras and lasers so that we could fit everyone on . Once the rain showers moved on we were treated to a perfect morning with winds from the south east at around 4/7 knots so we set a course over towards ephriam and back which was just a comfortable reach which gave everyone the opportunity to practice their tacking . There was the odd capsize which kept the safety boat crews busy especially out in the middle and then there were the capsizes near the beach especially with some of our girl sailors who just wantd to practice capsizing resulting in one very chocolate topped sail but it didnt worry the girls who even had fun washing it all off with the hose oh and anyone standing near them .Each week I thank god we have helmets at P.P.S.C. as some of our new sailors really cant duck but the helmets save them every time whether on shore or on water and even some of our more experienced juniors still forget occassionally .

10.30 am Sunday Training ;
With this group about to split into both training and a racing section we had a good turn out with 10 sailors signed on to see how they would go with this more advanced session . With quite a few slightly nervous faces rigging boats including Eddy who was rigging the new club racing laser for the first time everyone finally were ready for the briefing . The course for the day was a close reach and a broad reach return so much more of a challenge than our normal 10.30 sessions which was originally going to include a practice beach start race but we actually didnt get that far .

Being a few peoples first time at these more difficult angles there were quite a few wayward sailors out there with the broadreaches causing the most trouble whith people not letting the sail out so consequentally lots of gybe capsizing over at the beach mark . As usual there was the one boat who forgot his bung right Alex and then Mason who didnt check the mainsheet which was tangled at the boom so you guessed it it wouldnt let of on the broad reach so Mason joined the capsize crew .

So how did Eddy go first time in the laser well I think the smile told it all and Addy and Abbey were going well until a bit of confusion at the beach mark with abbey accidentally gybe capsizing right on top of Addy resulting in a few bumps and bruises . I have to say that when asked after packup if they were still keen to give this new format a go again next week everyone still said yes !

Open Racing 1.30 pm ;
With this being the first Club Championship Race for 2019 we had a good rollup of sailors wanting to get out there and shake off the cobwebs . The winds were e/s/e at around 8/9 knots and the last of an outgoing tide so we started them done near the canal and set a couple of windward leewards in our channel then of up towards the top of Ephriam for a couple of laps before finishing back at the start line . Everyone was looking well behaved before the start but just before the gun Charlie got pushed over the line by Casey resulting in him having to do a restart . Tom and Steve had a great tussle swapping the lead several times and Michelle held a comfortable third throughout the race . Casey and Chris had a bit of a tangle at a mark rounding but she still came back to the fleet which was great considering she was the only 4.7 sailor in the fleet with everyone else either in radials or full riggs . So who one out of Tom and Steve well Tom made it first but Steve was only about 20 seconds behind with Michelle holding third place . Charlie who came back and started last caugt back up and finished 6th but I think on handicap Michelle might have won the day all in all a great first race for 2019.

Next Weekend ;
Next weekend there is a non point Adult Open Club race and also the first Open Junior points race starting at 1.30 pm so we will need a volunteer or two on the start boat as I will be off with the kids so if anyone doesnt mind missing one race a month just let me know so we can organise crew

CU on the water
John Murphy