Hi Everyone , Iam pleased to say that the cage extension is nearly completed there was a few snags in the construction but it all seems to be on track now . So what is the extension for and the answer is to give us more room so that there is less work opening and closing the club which up until now has meant removing all boats in the morning and putting them back at night and yes its a tight fit but hopefully now it will be a lot easier .
The extension was funded by Gold Coast City Council at the request of our local councillor Mr Cameron Caldwell so a heart felt thank you goes to both the council and especially Councillor caldwell for his ongoing support .
8.30 am Sunday Juniors :
There were a few obstacles in place with the cage extension only half done but that didnt stop all our keen young sailors getting their boats rigged and ready before 9.00 am and down on the beach ready to hit the water. Our up and coming Bic Skiff sailors had a few rigging issues but with a bit of rushing around we soon had them on the beach as well .
Our newly qualified dinghy instructor Charlie was again in charge of the briefing talking about safety then wind direction and what skillls they would be practicing ( tacking and Gybing ) and soon had everyone running to their boats ready for the saftey boat to put the course buoys out and once that was done they were off and running . We also had a request from one of our new sailors Claire to try sailing on her own so we set her up in a Tera and away she went and with a little bit of coaching from Charlie she was soon sailing around with everyone else so well done Claire . I actually spent the session on the shore which is a bit strange for me but with Jason and Guy in one boat and Charlie in the other they certainly didnt need me .
10.30 am Youth Training :
This group has hab some new additions lately in Lincoln and Ben both in Bics so its been a challenge for them to fit in with all the more experienced Bic sailors in Jade , Maddison and Daniel but they both seem to be enjoying the challenge and copying the more experienced sailors . We started the on water with windward leeward sailing then stretched the course from in front of the clubto all the way down to the red channel marker soagain a mixture of upwind and down wind sailing and thankfully minimum current unlike previous weeks . The laser sailors in Abby , Taylah and Ross are definitely improving in technique but still lack a little bit in there roundings and proper course but with them backing up in the open race later in the afternoon i am sure they will be ready for mid winter cup and Youth week . I shouldnt forget Maddy who has improved out of sight since her lesson with Jade especially the tacking part so well done Maddy and Jade for coaching.
1.30 pm Open Racing :
With the winds turning s/e at around 6/8 knots and the guys requesting three single lap races we set a start at the canal and an A mark right behind the yellow x in the middle of the channel . We set the start line a bit tight just to get everyones attention and a preferred starboard start . The pin was close to the shallows but it only caught one sailor out in Matt which only stuck him up for a second or to much better than last weeks multiple capsizes but we wont mention that will we Matt ! With no Tom Greg still had his hands full with everyone else especially Steve who was again really nailing the starts and showed good boat speed in his old boat . In the laser youths Ross was first home in their division with Abby a close second which on handicap would have meant Abby probably finished top three as she was sailing 4.7 against Ross and everyone else in radials and full rigs . In the Bics Jade just took off in the first too races having good starts where daniel be new to racing did struggle a bit although in race three he beat Jade around the course ? why well Jade got squeezed out of the start and had to start again . Where was Taylah ? well apparently I need to add ducking to her coaching when falling out of the baot trying to avoid Lincoln resulting in a good bump on the head !

Canteen : Our canteen is back up and running thanks to Kelly and the girls and next time I might have the first coffee rather than wait for someone else to try it first because it was just perfect for my taste buds , again thank you everyone for the hard work all our volunteers do .

REGISTRATIONS FOR MID WINTER CUP WILL BE OPENING SOON 

C U on the water
J Murphy

Hi Everyone , As you could see last weekend we are ready for second stage of the club extension which thankfully started on monday and the builders are hopeful they will have it completed by the weekend . For those who are wondering why we are extending the footprint its not to store more boats its actually to make more room for the boats we have as at the moment when the club is fully packed up there is barely any room to walk around inside so this should alleviate this issue , myself and Charlie cant wait its been a long time coming.
You may have also noticed that our canteen was again open thanks to a few of the mums taking it on just in time for the colder weather where a cup of coffee will surely be much appreciated and maybe the occassional pie!
8.30 AM SUNDAY JUNIORS :
With the water clearing up after all the rain early in the week it was looking like a good day for sailing and with 15 budding sailors signed on there were soon plenty of boats lined up ready to hit the water . With the winds shifting from s/w to s/s/e early Charlie set the course roughly across the water but we were sure we would have to move it later as it was predicted to go east . Wind speed was inconsistant basically around 3/5 knots so perfect especially for the new bic sailors to parctice tacks and especially gybes , these guys are so keen I cant wait to see them at the midwinter cup racing around in the green fleet . I should remind everyone that we have begun taking boat lease ( bic skiff ) names for the cup so there are only two boats still left available . Next weekend we will have at least two more sailors who want to try solo sailing after discussions last weekend so hopefully conditions will be light for their first go !
10.30 am Youth Training :
This very keen group of sailors are starting really excel at this training session so much so that we have decided to increase their actual race training skills by focusing on their race craft especially for the Mid Winter Cup in June . Abby , Taylah , Ross and Jade ( bic ) we have  decided need not only start practice but become more aware of the rules on the water as well which should be fun especially mark roundings , calling starboard , touching marks , touching other boats and when to call starboard . These rules do get used at mid winter cup but will definitely come into play for those heading to Manly for youth week . We havnt forgotten our new bic sailors as we will continue to bring them up to speed as well even though at this time none of them have decided to race at the midwinter cup but if they do decide the will be in the green fleet group which is basically straight line sailing.
1.30 PM OPEN RACING:
With the winds turning n/e at around 4/7 knots we decided to set the course in the main channel starting down near runners and heading to mark A just short of Ephriam , why so short ? yes you guessed it the current was raging . Instead of one long race we settled on three one lappers we seemed to make everyone happy well except Tom who hates the short races as he normally takes a while to get up in front and one lappers are just too short. We had Taylah , Ross , ( laser ) Jade and Daniel ( Bic ) out there amongst all the Adults and start one proved a bit of a challenge for them all they were watching the start boat but the current was really affecting them. Start two was a much better affair with all of them watching my hand signals and Taylah even one the overall start ( 4.7 ) in race two while the adults squabbled around the start boat . Steve had a blinder start in race one but apparently missed A mark and went too far allowing everyone to catch him so I think he was third .
Race two was again a bit hectic as everyone crowded the start well except for the youth which we set up in the middle of the start line in clearer air but the biggest winner on the day was the low tide sand banks which caught nearly everyone out when they all tried to go that little bit further and found sand . I did afterwards show the youth group what the channel markers mean as guides to the sand banks . Race three was a no go as the wind totally stopped and then on the way home went n/w but still flukey.
Sailing Camps : after cancelling camp one due to bad weather this weeks camp was a great success and I must thank all the assistants who helped everyone sail especially on monday when the winds were a bit strong and special thanks to Ross and Taylah for their efforts on the lasers  and Jades help with showing Maddy how to tack her Bic the difference with her sailing on tuesday was awesome . Rescue boat was very popular with both Abby and Taylah getting some driving practice so well done everyone .
UPCOMING:
First Aid Course this Saturday and yes there are still a couple f spaces left so if you want to give it a try just give me a call at the club
Mid winter Cup 26/27 june

CU on the water
J Murphy

Hi Everyone , Well who would have guessed that Covid would rear its head again just before easter holidays but here it is again so lets just hope that the queensland government cancels the lock down today so that everyone can enjoy their easter break where ever the want to be . Our Holiday camps will also be reliant on todays decisions so if the lock down continues past next tuesday unfortunately we will have to cancel at least week one . On the good news front if you happen to go past the in the next few days you will see the beginning of or cage extension project and although its no overall a big area it should allow us some space that we desperately nso thank you gold coast city council for helping us achieve this goal.

8.30 AM SUNDAY JUNIORS ;
Well we started the day well with 15 keen sailors signing on and rushing around rigging  boats including some bic skiffs and we soon had all the boats on the beach waiting for the briefing . As Charlie was away Ross stepped up to do the safety briefing and discuss the days sailing and I must say he showed a great enthusiasm for the job so well done Ross , Jason and Guy ran Sarah cooper yes the have been promoted well at least until Charlie is back ! So the conditions well lets just say terrible but luckily most of the group has sailed light winds before so they managed to find whatever wind their was especially the bics with Flynn , Tristan and Riley managing to at least get going but after half an hour it just died out so I was asked about capsize and of course said yes so next minute there were boats over everywhere with some good capsizes and some people just falling out . Luckily the water quality had improved greatly from early in the week otherwise the capsize request would have been no.

10.30 am Youth Training ; 
With Daniel in his new Skiff and Taylah , Abby , Maddy and Ross keen to get out there we had a quick briefing and with the return of at least some wind we sent them down to the canal then back up to a buoy at the club making it a close reach down and a broad reach back in the e/s/e winds . At first the sailing wasnt the best with everyone on the broad reach going right out into the channel with the raging current ??? but we soon had them sailing straighter lines and round the marks much closer ok occassionally two close right Ross and yes he did his penalties . With Charlie away Casey was out there with me and she was really impressed on how everyone is progressing and I have to agree especially amongst the lasers with everyone showing much improved skills as they work towards the midwinter cup in june then Youth week in July.

1.30 pm OPEN RACING;
With our youth sailors now joining this group we had a fleet of 12 boats at the start line which Charlie set ( yes he turned up at 11.30 ) down at the canal with A set over towards crab and a third buoy back toward the club which set up a very tricky run to the finish . The current was so strong that we had to reset the start three times before she stopped dragging the anchor but finally we were ready to start . Ross tried a port start but was nailed by everyone on starboard which caused a collision but yes he did his penalty and still finished first ( Radial ) out of youth . Matt mixed it with the leaders as did Steve so each race was well contested . Race two saw Ross start on starboard with Abby close by and Taylah ( 4.7 ) starting with the group as well . As I said the run to the finish was tricky as you really had to sail in the lee to keep speed then as you approached the finish it was fifty / fifty if you gybed or not which made for some wild finishes as their was more to be gained by staying in the lee , just ask Matt how wild it was heading for the finish . Charlie is reallly learning the trade as when he set the finish he was chuckling to himself because he new it would be a tricky run to the line , I have taugh him well.

Upcoming ; 
Closed Easter Weekend 
First Camp 6/7 April ( Covid dependant )
Mid Winter Cup 26th / 27th June

CU on the water
​J Murphy