Hi Everyone , Would you believe that our annual Junior sailor Mid Winter Cup is only 1 month away and with the club opening the Event to both experienced and beginner sailors covering a massive nine divisions covering Lasers , Open Bic , Sabot and Opti and including great prizes and raffles its looking like being a great Junior sailing Event .Oh I almost forgot that we are also having a meet and greet at Paradise Point Bowls Club on the Saturday night which includes the very popular barefoot bowls so even if you aren't competing everyone is still welcome to come along and have some fun.  Click Here for more details.

8.30 AM Sunday Juniors ;
With a bit of winter chill evident combined with blue skies it was a perfect morning for practicing sailing skills .
Marcel had a go at sailing the Taz which from what I saw he did very well and Charlie sailed her Bic solo and she as well started to really get the idea of how to drive the Bic especially with some helpful tips from Charlie Bratton the Bic guru ! With the winds out of the south at initially 4/6 knots it was perfect for the reaching course that I set up and even when the winds started to increase it was still a manageable course despite the odd capsize . We had to pull the pin just after 10 am as the winds were getting too strong for this group of sailors at times reaching 12/15 knots and getting a bit choppy. All in all everyone went well and even returned to shore under good control.

10.30 am Sunday Juniors ;
With the winds settled at around 15 knots and very choppy we started with some white board training first which did receive a bit of groaning from the group but definitely necessary to keep everyone focused especially on how to sailing in the days conditions . Simone , Ben and I decided that to keep everyone safe in the challenging conditions that they would all sail two up but we picked the teams just to make it interesting.

I couldn't believe the outcome which was that everyone really sailed well , Ollie and Ben sailed together with Ollie out first and just cruising then Ben took over steering and at first struggled but with Ollie,s coaching he started sailing mark to mark . Eddy had Mason on board but had to come in early as Mason got too cold but hats off to Eddy especially after her tough experience the day before . The stand out crew which I have to say came as a surprise to me and the Instructors was the paring of Kaleb and Addy as they just creamed the course with both of them crewing well then steering perfectly around the course , all in all well done everyone just awesome to watch. 

1.30 pm Open Racing ;
Conditions were just perfect with winds out of the s/e at around 17 knots we set a start line just near the canal with A mark east of runners entry and a top mark in the Soverign channel situated at the top of Ephriam and finishing upwind back at A mark near runners . If anyone has seen the facebook video they would see it was a hotly contested start with several boats so early the had to go around the ends but everyone in general behaved themselves so no recalls for the day . It was great to see Michelle back out racing after a long lay off and even Pat turned up for a sail . The battle was up front with Tom and Greg having a great sail followed by yes you guessed it Casey then Michelle . Even the were further back Brendan , Charlie and Roger had a great tussle with Charlie coming out on top at the end . Greg just got Tom at the end with only seconds in it after over one hour racing with the last boat Lane coming over the line in just over one and a half hours .

Ladies Coaching  Saturday at SYC ;
Unfortunately this wasnt a good day with participant safety a bit of an issue resulting in our rescue boat taking on the rescue support role ?

Volunteers ;
We are looking for beach volunteers and canteen helpers for the Mid Winter Cup so if you think you can spare a few hours or a day let us know at the club.

CU on the water
John Murphy

Hi Everyone. Seeing that I spent time in hospital recently our treasurer decided that he should go and have a look at a hospital himself by having a run in with an electric saw severely cutting his hand which now requires several operations . I am sure everyone wishes Andrew a speedy recovery with apparently another operation to go that everything turns out successful .

8.30 am Sunday Juniors :
Ok its official winter is coming with our first really chilly mornings now here so its wetsuit time especially for the early sailors . The conditions were perfect with blue skies and light winds roughly the west at around 5 knots it was perfect conditions for steering practice . Serena had her first real go at steering and with her usual smiles she went very well , Josh and co did occasionally get themselves into trouble near the bridge in the wind shadow but without help managed to sail themselves back out and on course . Eddy took our new sailor Taylor for a sail in the laser as he was a bit shy with getting into a Tera . Eddy is really moving forward as a assistant and should make a great qualified assistant Instructor when she turns twelve with her patience and ever increasing sailing knowledge .

10.30 am Sunday Juniors ; 
I am not sure if its the cooling conditions or not but our numbers are dropping in this session and without Abbey and Ben able to come due to Andrews recent accident we only had six sailors on the water . The course we set went from the club down to the canal then back up toward the bridge then back west toward the club buoy ! yes Ollie it was a triangle . Speaking of Ollie as usual he nailed it from the start and with only a little help from Charlie he was off and running . Addy and Eddie did struggle with bear away and upwind at first but they managed to again improve under some safety boat instruction . Mason in only his third go in the Open Bic just couldn't grasp the downwind in the Bic as he found out how if not sailed right the tend to capsize a lot resulting in one very frustrated young sailor , hopefully our talk back at the beach will help next weekend .

1.30 Pm Open Race ;
With absolutely great sailing conditions if not quite enough wind we had a good sized fleet out at the start line ready for two short races with each consisting of a triangle and sausage . Everyone was again a bit excited in the first race which resulted in a general recall . My boat crew on the day ( Glen and Addy ) were well prepared for the recall as I knew with ten seconds to go they would be over yep just too excited . The second start was much more civilised with Tom getting away in front and getting a great lift which just pulled him away from the fleet . We lost Roger half way through the race with a broken main sheet block which he managed to repair for race two With race two again the start line was busy with Ben up at the front with Tom Greg Casey and Russell and Greg turning the tables from race one with a brilliant port start catching everyone napping and just streeted the field around the course which by this time had developed into a very shifty wind course which coupled with the outgoing tide certainly made the upwind tricky. Russell had the biggest grin with as he says his first bronze medal coming third over the line in race too well done mate .

Public Nuisance Wednesday twilights ;
We the saga continues from our first race where we ran aground three times to this week where we arrived to find the main halyard half way up the mast which too a bit of skill and a special hand made tool to untangle it from the rigging and reset it which made us too late for the start but we went out anyway . The crew consisted of me Frank, Casey, Pat yes Pat! and Eddy who was coming for the first time , conditions were reasonable with a southerly wind at around 12/16 knots so a bit of upwind tacking was in order and after a few sloppy results early everyone got down to some very smooth tacks well that is until the jib which was very old decide to tear from top to bottom so it was down sails and motor home but at least we had some fun !

Upcoming Events ;
Yes the Mid winter cup is only five weeks away and registrations are starting to flow in so its shaping up to a great weekend and don't forget the Saturday night dinner and raffle at Paradise Point Bowls Club with even non competitors welcome it includes barefoot bowls which was a big hit with everyone at Christmas .

CU on the water
John Murphy

Hi Everyone, It's official winter is coming as I have started wearing trackies in the morning even Casey had hers on when she arrived on Sunday morning so it must be getting cold.  Charlie still arrives in shorts and shirt but he is part pommy !

8.30 am Sunday Juniors ;
It was Mothers Day last Sunday so we didn't expect many sailors especially for the early class and as expected we only had 8 sailors rigging boats on what was a perfect morning for juniors with blue skies and winds from the west at around 6 knots . After a few adjustments to the course as the wind shifted around everyone started cruising around the course . It was perfect for everyone to practice steering and tacking and also for Jack and Dean to sail the taz for the first time with a jib ! and after a bit of coaching on shore they actually nailed it not only in the tacks but also sail trim on the reaches , well done boys .I cant even remember if anyone capsized but then again who would want too its definitely starting to cool down on the water.

10.30 Sunday Juniors ;
With the Mid Winter Cup now fast approaching I decided that the group should practice closehauled and running even though most of the team will be green fleet competitors its very good to practice these sailing angles . We even had a visitor in this class who we havnt seen since last year and welcome back Lewin .
The upwind did stump everyone at first but after a few laps it started to click with everyone starting to get the upwind technique which involved a tight course and upwind tacking ? Once Addy latched onto the back of Lewin she was off as well thanks to Casey's coaching and even Kaleb started to sail upwind well again thanks to Casey's help . Eddie and Aidan struggled a bit as well but Charlie and I kept following them around the course working on both the upwind and down wind techniques . Oh yes Abbey was out there as well but we hardly went near her as she does already know how to sail these angles . My big tip for the day especially for the upwind parts was to not only look at the luff but to work on understanding what its telling you?

1.30 pm Open Racing ;
With nearly perfect conditions with the wind out of the s/e at around 6/8 knots and an outgoing tide I set the start just south of the club and two buoys down near runners so that we had both triangles and windward leeward laps . The start line favored a port start but a starboard was possible but it didn't matter anyway as the first start was a general recall with four boats over tangled together and yes crash John was in there ! The only person disappointed was Lance who had his best start since beginning racing only to be called back . Once we got everyone underway the second time it slowly settled up the front into a three boat tussle with Greg, Peter and John battling out for first second and third which was actually how it worked out at the finish with Roger a close fourth . Everyone went over the line with a smile on their face telling me they really enjoyed their sail . The only down point was that again someone either ran over one of our race buoys or cut the line as I had to race up and grab the buoy of the beach and reset it before the fleet arrived.

Volunteers :
Firstly I would like to thank the Mums for working the canteen on Sunday , the canteens financial contributions are what helps make the club financially sound so great work everyone .

We are also looking for multiple volunteers for the Mid Winter Cup so if you would like to help in any capacity like beach support , ground crew or boat crew ( no experience needed ) just let us know.

Mid Winter Cup Reminder : 
Saturday night we have organised a dinner at the bowls club and yes we are doing barefoot bowls again so it should be good fun , you can book online or at the club.  Details here.

Public Nuisance Racing ;
If you are free from four pm on Wednesdays we need crew for the yacht and yes we can teach you on the job its great fun cruising around the Broadwater on a Wednesday arvo !
 
CU on the water
John Murphy

Hi Everyone , I hope you are all ready for it this weekend yes its our first taste of winter with the temperature dropping down into single figures at night but at least the days are back up in the early twenties . I would also like to thank everyone for the concerns for my health last week after my kidney stone removal and yes it was a very ouch! procedure but I am on the mend now and looking forward to being back in action this weekend.

8.30am Sunday Juniors ;
With me being restricted in what I could do it was up to the Instructors to do the unpack and set up on Sunday so things were a bit hectic early. I gave Casey a break from the white board where we discussed the conditions before sailing which were average with winds around 12 knots from the south which as everyone knows is our maximum for this class but everyone was keen to give it a try. Everyone performed well but the conditions slowly caught everyone out with capsizes being common and then there was a crash between a few Teras and Brendan in the laser resulting in young Jack getting a hit with a boom requiring an ice pack and another boat going under the bridge which resulted in Torin having to jump on and bring it back. Even Addy got involved with her sailing a tera for the first time in ages as captain showing the newer sailors how its done. All in all everyone went well especially as the wind had increased to around 14 knots. 

10.30 am Sunday Juniors ;
With conditions now averaging 14 knots I was pleasantly surprised to see a core group of keen sailors waiting for the briefing well that is after the compulsory hot chips run ! I decided that due to the conditions which were now averaging 14 knots and gusty that I would only put a long reaching course out with a gybe at the club end but that was optional as we had spoken at the briefing about safe gybes in relation to wind speed . As usual lately Abbey took off but wisely in a Tera which she handled well until the old ankle injury got her and she had to retire . Eddie was really working on her gybes but she also had to retire after falling into the boom with her hip . Next to retire was Ollie with sore hands , he just couldnt hold the mainsheet any longer in the blustery conditions . Addy did really well considering the conditions required weight but true to late form she had listened at the briefing about how to handle the now very blustery conditions . FOR ADDY , see there was no mention of the incident now that the M&Ms have been supplied !

Open Racing ;
You guessed it despite the date being in our calendar quite a few of our senior sailors turned up for racing so rather than turn around and go home they rigged and had a sail while the volunteers and Instructors packed up. I would have loved to have gone out with everyone but I was still a bit sore from my operation maybe next time.

Upcoming Events ;
John Murphy Invitational Midwinter Cup 30th June - 1st July this should be a lot of fun again this year, to enter check the website for the entry form and don't forget Saturday night dinner and barefoot bowls so come along and meet all the competitors and their families .

Pan Pacific Masters Games ;
This is a ten day event open to dinghys , windsurfers and multihulls and is designed to enjoy competitive racing but also the night life associated with the event , its always great fun ! 2nd Nov to 11 Nov 

Annual Try Sailing Day ;
December 6th where we raise funds for our local Gold Coast University Hospital and there is a rumour that this years event will be even bigger than previous years ?

CU on the water
John Murphy

Hi everyone. Can you believe May is already here which just means Mother's Day is just around the corner then we will be closing in on this years midwinter cup followed by the Masters Games then our open day and finally our club Christmas Party which is all on top of our regular sailing calendar .

8.30 am Sunday Juniors ;
Unlike the previous weekend the winds were much calmer for the first session at around 10/12 knots from the s/e and sunny skies. We set our normal reaching course for our early group who at times struggled with the conditions with bad tacks and capsizing ? maybe it had something to do with the group not being really attentive at the briefing ? I have to say the standout again was Taine and his crew who were absolutely smoking around the course sailing well tacking well and smiling and laughing even with a couple of capsizes .
Charlie and Sabrina struggled with their tacks by just not pulling the sail on enough at times but with a lot of coaching from me and Charlie they managed to finally get around the course and at times get some good speed especially toward the end of the session as the wind increased to around 14 knots.
 
10.30 am Sunday Juniors;
As it was the end of the month this session was for our practice racing fleet with Ben and Simone in charge and Charlie Torin and I running the safety boat. Again this group was less than fully attentive at the briefing which definitely showed firstly when it came to discussing racing rules focusing on right of way and then the on water start procedure . We set and close reach start line up top a buoy and then a broad reach back to finish which didn't start well with everyone missing the start line completely in race one but after more instruction we managed to get everyone going through the start line and off to A mark . The conditions were starting to get a bit blustery at times so there were the inevitable capsizes but everyone got back up and went again . Ollie was the best with three wins and a possible fist pump followed by Abbey and Addy who really struggled when the winds started to reach 16 knots . Now lets see how they go at the next race session? There is still a certain person who is desperate to keep her name out of a very funny incident a couple of weeks ago who somehow keeps forgetting the bribe she promised this scribe , time is running out short arms!

1.30 pm Open Racing;
Things weren't looking to bad for racing out on the course with winds around 15 knots so I set an upwind and downwind plus a short reaching course starting down near the club . Twelve boats set off for the start and you guessed it the wind got up to around 18 knots so a couple of our less experienced sailors pulled out as a safety precaution as they just wouldn't have handled the conditions which turned out a smart move as the race went on . Conditions started to deteriorate even more and even more people pulled out finally leaving four adults and one youth sailor out there in winds now reaching 30 knots . Casey was the first to go in the blustery conditions with four rollovers but she got back up and continued on behind Peter, Greg and Tom who all had swims then it was Steve's turn to go in multiple times on the reach resulting in him having to pull out with exhaustion . So we finished with Peter first Greg second Tom third and Casey 4th and yes there was the odd granny tack by everyone and I don't blame them I would have as conditions got very wild towards the end .

Wednesday Public Nuisance ;
Public Nuisance had her first race at Hollywell this week and as expected all didn't go as planned . With a crew of Charlie Casey Frank and Addy plus me we started by running aground in front of the club ( low tide ) then a massive jib sheet tangle just after the start which basically stopped us while frank and charlie untangled the mess then off we went again only to touch again and tack away effectively putting us in last position . We didn't really care about position as it was just great being out there until finally after a bit of wrong advice from me Charlie nailed us on a sandbank at the top of Sovereign where we waited for the tide to fill in before finally getting off and motoring home in the dark . At least now the rig should be right for our next race just have to sharpen up the crew !

Upcoming 
30th June / 1st July John Murphy Invitational Mid Winter Cup
30th June Family Fun Night at the Paradise Point Bowls Club
2nd November Pan Pacific Masters Games 

Club Shirts ;
The new club shirts are now available form the club so if you have put your deposit in just see us at the club to pick up your pre ordered shirts.  There is also some still available and you can order here.

CU on the water
John Murphy