Hi Everyone Winter is definitely setting with the days getting shorter and the on water conditions definitely getting cooler so its definitely wetsuit time especially when Iam just standing up to my waist teaching tacking .
We can be thankful that at least the sun is shining most days especially for those of us on the safety boats as the wind chill out there is very uncomfortable so you will see most of us sitting at the sunny end of the boat especially when we are racing in the afternoons .
8.30 am Sunday Juniors 
We had quite a few cancellations in this group and I am not actually sure why as the weather was perfect with 4/6 knot winds from the south and blue skies . We only had three sailors sign on being Tristan , Alex and Aidan so it was a perfect day for Tristan to work on not looking at the rudder while tacking so Jason and Charlie took him out and coached him around the course while I had a learning to steer session with Alex who had never steered before while his brother Aidan after taking a bit of convincing to leave the shore finally got out there and joined Tristan sailing around the course . Alex was very nervous about sailing alone but we soon had him sailing away and tacking and coming back with a big smile on his face . Tristan did succeed in facing the front mostly even if he got a bit tangled up and had the odd swim but even that didnt stop him from giving a real go so well done Tristan !
10.30 am Youth Training 
Well it was a very different day with Charlie laying down a challenge that if he sailed no one would catch him and he also added to his challenge that he would be the only one who wouldnt capsize so you know what happened yes thats right he capsized but not only did he capsize but he was the first to go over and copped it of everyone out there and on shore . He did redeem himself after that as we set a close reach broad reach course down at the yellow x marks with tacks and bearaways where he really did excel showing everyone how to bear away fast . Everyone at first was sailing well but the first to go was Kaia who all of a sudden started capsizing so I sent her back after 4 swims because of the cold , when she got back it was found that her boat was full of water and I mean full so well done just sailing it back Kaia . Ross also went in at the gybe mainly because the outhaul was to loose and the vang too tight so we will have to work on that right Ross? Daniel is improving each week but Jade is still just to fast in her Bic and even Lincoln sailed well especially in the conditions which were a bit choppy and occassionaly gusty but he never gives in so well done mate . Towards the end Taylah was really starting to pick up some extra boat speed and was chasing Charlie around the course so all in all a great practice session. 

1.30 pm Open Racing
 With the wind speed filling in from the s/s/e at around 10 knots we set a course starting near the canal with a top mark down behind the x mark and a bottom mark down near the club so basically upwind down wind well you would think so but somehow a few of our racing sailors worked it out as a triangle ? and it took some convincing that no its upwind downwind but luckily the all went the right way from the start . Greg was first over the line and flying with the pack close behind even our youth sailors were much closer than last week well except for Ross who was way to slow to wind up and had a poor start .
Matt and Steve who also had a poor start were soon after Greg but try as they might greg was in his perfect sailing conditions especially as the wind speed increased to around 16 knots . In the Bics Jade did her usual upwind and was pulling away from Daniel but he had a capsize near the top mark and try as he might couldnt make up the ground on Jade I also hear that he got his first sailing blisters so new gloves are on the way . Ross had one of those days so fell back heaps while Taylah had a battle with Lance and actually got in front on the last upwind to the finish but capsized right near the finish so that Lance just sneaked over before her , apparently her capsize was all me and Charlie,s fault ??? as we had told her to tack just before the finish why did we tell her to tack well she was going to beat Lance and truthfully we were getting a bit excited so maybe! The best sailor on the day especially for max effort was Daniel who just kept sailing on and he might have been the last boat to finish but it was a great effort so well done Dan.

Upcoming , Mid winter Cup ( for those who are looking at competing in the event we are looking at holding a practice saturday just before the event and we will discuss it more on the weekend .

CU on the water
J Murphy

Hi Everyone , Well firstly thank you to everyone who spent some time at the club last saturday for our clean up and maintenance day , we managed to do some grinding , cutting , welding , Painting more grinding , digging , grass laying , buoy cleaning and painting , window cleaning especially window cleaning so thank you Kelly for doing a great job on the windows they have never been so clean ! We still have some more projects to do so we will have to work out another date and a new list before next summer . 
8.30 am Sunday Juniors ;
Sundays forecast was a bit iffy with reasonable winds predicted of up to 20 knots so we had a few early cancellations and of course when that happens you guessed it the strong winds dont arrive . Harvey and Tristan couldnt wait to get out there so their boats were soon on the beach ready to go and we soon had everyone else ready  so it was off to the class room for Charlies briefing . The winds were roughly south at around 4/6 knots and with Guy and Jason on sarah cooper we soon had everyone on the water , some people miss behaved and were jumping off boats but it was soon rectified when the safety crew used the old standard warning which is if you keep it up we will tell JOHN!! and you will be sent to shore , works every time . There was also the odd drift under the bridge  so while sarah cooper was busy towing people back Charlie in the white boat kept an eye on everyone else . Tristan had some troubles after tacking but we talked about it back on shore and he has promised to stop looking at the rudder when he comes out of the tack ! otherwise he was sailing well , Jack and Dean are also really improving especially their tacking just so smooth boys .
10.30 am Youth Training ;
Well this group of sailors are just improving every week so we have decided that rules are now part of their sail training so we spent some time discussing basic rules before hitting the water . We did discuss one aspect of sailing though and that was roll tacks and their benefits and why we do it and we had some very good answers there . As usual Jade just cruised but occassionally took a bit of convincing to gybe using the old chestnut that the tiller extension is too long ( its new ) Ross slowed up just a bit in his rolls and Taylah is still working on roll technique . Linc and Daniel in bics also are really getting their act together and improving every week , oh where was Abby well she was there but had an infected ingrown toe nail removed ( ouch ) during the week so no sailing day but plenty of boat driving. Finally I should mention what the conditions were like well winds were turning s/e at around 6/8 knots so we set two courses with one close reach and broad reach and one basically upwind down wind but we did push the upwind downwind as the bearaways were a bit tricky.
1.30 pm Open Racing;
We again set the start finish line at the club pontoon as it was perfect for a solid upwing to A mark down at the x then a long run up the outer channel before returning to the finish so yes not a long race but some good fun . Unfortunately for Ross he didnt make the start having capsized just before the start and hurting his back so back to shore for one very disappointed sailor and we also had Greg out due to surgery so Jade was happy as she calls him seagull why ? because he is always yelling uup ! uup ! at the start which unnerves her but he will be back next week . Adrian had the best start on port and actually cleared the fleet with Matt flying and also Jade who was the first bic to cross . The upwind was a bit of a slog to A with just enough wind to keep up boat speed , Matt soon got in front with Steve behind him and trying desperately to catch him but a poor start didnt help . Jade in her Bic really sailed well especially upwind and even gybed the B mark well , Daniel found another sand bank and capsized but we new he was ok because he walked around his boat and got it up and continued on , dont worry Dan your not the only one to find the sand banks we have all been there .
Last boat home was Daniel in 58 minutes with the fastest being Matt in just under 40 minutes , overall on handicap I think it was a pretty close thing with Taylah finishing well but probably Jade with the Bic handicap looking very dangerous to take it out.

DONT FORGET MIDWINTER CUP 26/27 JUNE 

CU on the water
J Murphy

Hi Everyone , We have a big saturday this weekend with a planned maintenance day at the club wher we will be cleaning, painting, storing, welding and repairing a list of items so if you have sme spare time drop in and give us a hand we will have plenty of paint brushes cleaning products and tools to hopefully complete us much as possible on the day . We will be building a new grass ramp where the new concrete is , repairing club boats , sorting sailing gear so there will definitely be a job for everyone . 

8.30 AM Sunday Juniors 
With it being mothers day we as usual didnt expect a very big turnout and those that were coming would be late , well we didnt get the first part right because we again had a great turnout but the second part we nailed it as everyone was a bit late with everyone looking after mums first . With conditions really light it was a perfect day for young ben to finally have a sail in a laser 4.7 rig and with help from Charlie and Ross he was soon ready to hit the water for the first time . Charlie as usual did the briefing and had his first episode of a rowdy bunch of sailors and the challenge of quieting them down and yes he was successful.
With the white boat out of action we decided to put Jason and Guy in Sarah and Charlie and I stayed on shore for a change . It was definitely a challenge in the 1/3 knot winds that were slowly shifting n/e then stopped but slowly came back again so slowly everyone a got bored and b drifted south . Some people did manage to occassionally sail around the buoys but generally it was just a drift and sail day at least everyone came in smiling.
10.30 AM YOUTH TRAINING ;
Conditions had not changed much from 8.30 class so we spent some time talking about rules as we have midwinter cup and Youth week at manly coming where everyone watches the rules so while the winds are light its a perfect time to introduce them . We also talked about telltales and I think I promissed that I would make up another set of reading teltales lets hope I find the time as by looking at the blank stares on sunday that part of their sailing needs a bit of work .We finally got on the water in about 3 knots n/e wind so we sailed down to the canal and then back up to a buoy near the club , sounds easy right ? but no as it was shifting and dropping out all over the place so very frustrating . Abby was doing the best early but somehow she capsized and went for a drift south , Ross just couldnt get going upwind and Taylah found another channel marker to run into this time she reversed into the port marker so now she has a matching pair in a green and a red but to be fair she couldnt help the red there was just no wind . Ben didnt care how much wind there was he was just excited to be out in a laser while our Bic sailors in Jade , Daniel and Lincoln just struggled with lack of water line length and as soon as the wind died they started drifting south so a tow home was on the cards and yes we towed the lasers as well as it just died .
1.30 PM Open Racing
You guessed it cancelled , even greg agreed it was just not going to happen we even waited to 1.00 oclock just in case but no chance so we sat around chatting

Hi Everyone , With mothers day this sunday the mums who usually run the canteen have asked for the morning off so its going to be up to the dads to open up and make the coffees plus the girls have decided that there should be a sausage sizzle as well so it looks like we will be rolling our sleves up and performing as only us guys can !!!
​We are also having a club maintenance day on saturday the 15th of may starting at 9am , we are looking at some painting and general maintenance so if you have some time to spare let us know or just turn up and dig in .
8.30 am Sunday Juniors;
It soon became obvious on sunday morning with winds reaching up to 20 knots that it would be too much for our junior sailors so at 7.30 am I posted the cancellation on facebook and the website , of course as soon as I did this the winds dropped to 10 knots which had me shaking my head but never fear it was blowing again by 8.00 am with white caps and chop  . We did have two people on the water in Jack and Dean who decided to give it a go and despite an early capsize we soon had them flying around the buoys . its amazing the difference pulling the sail on does for boat stability right boys !!! well done guys it was awesome to watch.

10.30 am Youth Training :
With the winds steady at 15 knots from the s/e it was perfect for this group , Lincoln had his Bic ready at 10.30 as did Jade and soon after so did Daniel and Ross with a bit of help from Charlie fixing his outhaul . Taylah was a bit frustrated because her rigging crew was a bit slow so I suggested a quiet chat afterwards to see if dad could work a bit faster . Everyone trained well with linc and dan working at getting their boats going to windward while we sent the others off down to the canal and back for some true upwinds in winds around 16 knots . We are starting to talk about rules starting on port starboard for both the Mid Winter Cup and then Youth Week , its always the same when I start on this aspect of sailing the look of total confusion on everyones faces as they try to figure out in their heads what tack they are on so remember everyone tiller in left hand starboard tack and tiller in right hand port tack.. 
1.30 pm Open Racing:
The conditions had settled into a s/s/e wind by one pm and the wind speed was still around 15 knots gusting 18 so we set the start right in front the club with a middle buoy just past the canal and a top buoy down near the X which created a really good upwind then downwind course . All the Youth sailors parents were happy as for once they could watch their kids start a race then head off around the course . Tom and Greg had their usual tussle while Roger struggled a bit in a radial which made him slightly overpowered at times and young Ross kept him honest in his 4.7 until Roger slowly made a gap . In the Bics Jade just took of on the upwind as at the moment she points higher to windward than Daniel but Iam sure he is going to work on that . There were a few swims on the day but each time it happened I of course was looking elsewhere but Charlie filled me in on the circumstances so I was always up to speed on what happened each time , so how come Charlie saw each one well he just kept watching Taylah yep she had four swims and apparently it as cold ! thank god dad convinced her to wear a wetsuit at least , we are going to have to teach her dry capsizing especially with winter coming.
Finally after racing each other around the course Tom and Greg were heading back to the club finish line almost neck and neck when tom had the biggest save  I can recall where a bullet got him and she tried to high side herself and to save it Tom had to virtually stand up truly awesome save Tom we all thought you were gone and still managed to finish behind Greg by two seconds .

Upcoming 
Mothers Day this weekend sausage sizzle!
Saturday 15th Working bee at club

CU on the water
J Murphy