Sunday Juniors

Sunday dawned with blue skies but no wind so to keep the kids interested we had a couple of paddling races which included the rescue boat.
Good work Aidan, Charlie and Michael even though you didn’t win.

Our boat captain Aidan decided it was cold so he wore jeans for the day. Well, that was until he fell off the pontoon while helping India turn her boat around.
The last words I heard were: "I don’t want to get my jean wet !!! " followed by a loud splash and a lot of laughter from the parent gallery ( photo evidence attached ). Needless to say we never stopped ribbing him for the rest of the day.

Junior racing

Again, we had a good turn up for racing with the new skill of leeward side sailing being attempted due to virtually no wind and with only two races being held. The girls won the first race with Ruby 1st, Kayla 2nd over the line and Dillon 3rd .

It was great to see everyone trying hard in very slow conditions. We have also taken Charlie Dillon and Luka aside for BIC training on Friday after school to hopefully get them up to speed for the BIC Regatta.
In their first lesson they took to the boats very confidently and even surprised me with the way they adapted to the new boats.

Racing

Race 3 of the Autumn Series was held in light conditions with two races on the day. The fleet totaled 19 competitors including two windsurfers which made it interesting both at the starts and at the finish line especially in race one with everyone finishing together. Thanks TO Mike Brice for managing to write down sail numbers and finish time that Aidan (dry shorts) and I were yelling at him. More stress than work Mike?

Race two was especially good with good pressure and tight racing with Peter Fell first in the dinghys and Tony first in the Windsurfers. The only low point of the day was the lack of courtesy shown by some powerboat drivers. It totally amazes me how it is so difficult to give way or go around a sailing boat?

News

Both the Bic Regatta and the Bunnings Fundraiser are taking shape with the first steering committee meeting for the Regatta taking place this Friday at the club so look out for more news as both these events grow nearer.

CU on the water

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Well Mother Nature did it again on Saturday with torrential rain and patchy winds. Then we had Sunday with blue skies and wind from 3/5 knots in the morning and up to 12/14 knots for the first race of the Autumn Series.

We didn’t have a big fleet of racers on Sunday but it was a very tough race with less than 1 second between First and Third.

Congratulations to Michelle (first win) who just pipped Peter and Roger at the line with Tony coming in forth in the radial.

I even had a run myself to test out my shoulder after two months of no sailing while it repaired. I managed to keep Peter Fell at bay to the first mark but then slowly lost ground coming home fifth with my usual capsize about 200 mts from the finish. Luckily I already had my excuse ready ( shoulder ) before I left the beach . Thanks to Ted and Mike Brice for running the race which allowed me to get out on the water.

Sunday Juniors in the first session was only small but we seemed to have hit a winner with the 10.30 session of race training.

A dedicated group of seven sailors competing over five races with Mark coming out on top with Dillon right on his tail each time. Great work Mark, your recent form has been excellent.

I mustn’t forget Ruby /Rose, the most consistent of the girl racers, who normally comes home near last but finally cracked it with a win in the last race

The Open Bic regatta is starting to take shape with the ground work in setting up the event underway.  The club will be looking for an Event committee as there is a lot to get done in the lead up to the event and also volunteers for the event both on water and at the club . If you think you would like to help in either of these capacities just let me know by email so I can keep track of everyone and when they are available.

Just to give everyone an update on numbers: we originally hoped for 20 competitors but thank to some hard sell by Allan Morton in recent away events we may be looking at 40 competitors for the three days !!

Open Bic State Championships :
Perth has just held its Open Bic State Champoinships which resulted in three of our Junior sailors grabbing top twenty results:

George Morton        9th overall and 6th in his age group
Sybren Tepstra     10th in age group
Katy Denney         14th in age group

Congratulations to all three and a special thanks to their parents for supporting them in their efforts at gaining the experience at competing at the top levels. Once they arrive home I will post more information in regards to competition numbers and racing conditions they experienced.

Finally last week Sailability actually conducted their first on water activities since setting up with us temporarily. With sunny skies and moderate winds, some sand bars were found but with the help of the dredge we hope to lessen their effect.  The President Bryce Wilson informed me that they had 77 clients on the day and despite a few kinks they were very happy with their first day.

There is a rescue boat training day next Sunday, April 7th, starting at 1.30 pm and involves boat familiarity and basic rescue techniques. This is being conducted in house and it is hoped that by doing this hands-on-session more people would be able to jump in and help when needed. If you want to come along just give me a ring before the weekend (0407 145 397).