Hi Everyone , Well this weeks news about sailing is going to be a bit short due to some very welcome rain over the weekend but unfortunately very little wind to go with it . To be honest we werent even sure if anyone would even turn up at the club but as usual whenever we think that it usually turns out that we were wrong!
BIG NEWS our own Casey Evans passed her driving test on her first go so congrats Case like everything you do you always try your hardest !

8.30 am Sunday Juniors ;
As I just mentioned despite the light rain and virtually no wind six budding new sailors signed on for this session and were all keen to get going so with a bit of rushing from Casey , Charlie and I we pulled some boats out from the cage which we usually would already have out and thankfully managed to rig the boats in no rain . The wind was very light and variable for the first 40 minutes but then it settled in from the S/E at around 2/4 knots making it absolutely perfect for steering practice after some earlier mucking around and falling out of boats . Once the wind settled in Daniel got going well as di Ethan and Tj but I have to say the most improved was Levi  who with his little brothers help really improved over the session and when his crew jumped out because he was to cold he then had a go on his own so well done Levi .

10.30 am Sunday Juniors ;
With the rain returning at the end of the early class we were sure that no one would turn up but we forgot about Addy who even without her support crew ( Dad broke his arm during the week ) rigged her boat and was keen to get out there . The wind had settled from the S/E at only 2 knots so after some convincing Charlie and Casey took Addy out for a training session working on closehauled and roll tacking and gybing which it was perfect weather for . Luckily for me I got to stay on shore as I had a bit of an eye infection so I just squinted from the shore . It was a good session for Addy as both Charlie and Casey gave her advice on improving her tacks and gybes with Charlie being the most vocal considering his years of experience in the Open Bic when he was a lot smaller !

1.30 pm Open Racing ;
Well by the time people started to turn up for the afternoon race the conditions actually got worse with more rain and virtually no wind , Steve did try to convince everyone that it was going to get up to 20 knots but had little success in convincing everyone so it was decide to cancel racing for the day , what happened to Steve,s 20 knots well it arrived on Monday ? I have to admit it was nice to pack up early for a change especially as my squinting was starting to hurt my eyes .

Upcoming Events ;

Pan Pacific masters Games 2/11 november booking can be done online through the Pan Pacific Masters Games Website 
Combination Try Sailing and Hospital Fundraiser 9th of December . This year in conjunction with the Gold Coast University Hospital we are looking at expanding this Event by inviting other coast hospitals to attend and hopefully to also expand the on water activities 
Club Christmas Party ; 16th of December 

CU on the water
John Murphy

Hi Everyone , Lets see if I can remember everything that happened over the last week mainly because I have a bit of a headache due to six stitches in my forehead from sun cancer removal . I thought that it would just be a freeze job but the doctor said to be safe he should cut it out wow it was certainly a new experience which I dont want to repeat so even more covering up from now on .Anyway lets see how I go .
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The club AGM was held last saturday wher the present committee was re elected ( Simone Doherty Secretary , Andrew Roake Treasurer , John Murphy President ) we also elected Ron Beswick and Robert to the committee to help with club administration so welcome aboard guys .

8.30 am Sunday Juniors ;
With our usual blue skies and cool mornings everyone was just a bit late turning up but everyone soon got into rigging even the three brothers who only started last week ( Ethan , Tj and Daniel ) were keen to rig up two Tera,s two give it a try . The winds again were from the W/N/W at around 4/8 knots and yes the gusts were a bit sharp at times so everyone had to keep their concentration going to avoid a capsize . Josh captained one of the brothers ( ethan ) and really showed him the ropes with some good sailing including some good control in the gusts as did Lucas I think we might have to look at moving these guys up to 10.30 class soon . Mary cruised around and even gave her sister lucy a ride for a couple of laps by the way Lucy is only 4years old but because big sister sails she is keen to give it a try . Then we have the giggle twins Athenia and I think its spelled Cianna ? and once we finally got them off the beach with Cianna steering they actually sailed well with Cianna steering and Athenia giggling their way around the course oh and yes they did lots of swimming in the cold water ? and of course giggling so well done girls its just great to see you enjoying yourselves .

10.30 am Sunday Juniors :
With all the keen 10.30 class boys and girls rigged and ready we kept the same course as the 8.30 group but just extended it across the front of the club . The wind conditions were increasing in strength so their was a bit of trepidation from some of our sailors who are still a bit nervous when conditions get windy from their bad experience a couple of months ago at another venue but as I said to them all the difference at P.P.S.C. is that we are very good at support and rescue of our sailors which seemed to give them confidence to hit the water . Mar and Eddy decided to sail the laser together just because of the gusty bits and did well showing good team work around the buoys , Addy was keen to practice gybes and all she had to do was avoid Ben and Mason in the Taz who were occassionally out of control or capsized in between sailing pretty straight lines . Abby who is now over the broken arm really showed everyone how it is done even when I had her tacking on my whistle as even tha didnt fase her style . Towards the end of the session the gusts became very nasty with one really strong one catching Mary and Eddy out with a hooked mainsheet sending them in the water really quick ,Mary came up with the same look I had the previous week which said holy hell this water is cold !
1.30 pm Open Racing;
With the westerly winds increasing and a predicted storm for the afternoon I set a course in our channel just to be safe with some triangles and windward leeward legs . We only had a small fleet and nearly everyone went 4.7 even charlie or as he is now known as ( Captian squishy pants Addys name for him ) why because of all the capsizing he has been doing lately. We finally got everyone under way after two recalls yes two which we didnt think would happen as their were only 6 boats at the start line we didnt even have the recall flags out but finally we got everyone under way . Yes Charlie capsized at the start line but got up and off he went but he wasnt the only one to capsize as everyone else including the 420 went for at least one swim well except for Greg who just smoked the course . The best racing was amongst the 4.7s with Kate Casey and Roger having turns at the lead with Charlie holding up the rear due to another capsize . The race between the three sailors went all the way to the line and with 30 metres to go iut was Roger , Kate and then Casey but mother nature intervened and gave Casey a burst sending her over the line with one metre of her boat just in front of Roger and Kate coming in third , how close was it ? well there was only 4 seconds between second and fourth absolutely great racing .

Upcoming ;
Pan Pacific Masters Games 2/11 November , This is always a fun and friendly event all we need now is good weather 
Try Sailing Hospital Fundraiser 9th of December ( yes volunteers will be needed )
Club Christmas Party 16th of December ( booking essential )
Bunnings fundraising Barbeque date to be fixed 

Hi Everyone , I often say to all the sailors at the club this time of year that they should wear a wetsuit as the water is cold but around half the time people don't take much notice and suffer the consequences probably because they think what would john know ! Well I can officially say that last Sunday it was definitely cold because I fell in much to everyone's joy , all the mums and dads plus everyone on the water must have been looking at me just at that moment so all I could hear was laughter yep that's right no sympathy just laughter!

8.30 am Sunday Juniors ;
Everyone for this class must have been like me and not wanted to get out of bed making us a bit late to get under way , the winds were getting up there a bit but everyone was still keen to give it a go so we set a reach across the N/W wind which being westerly ranged from 4/10 knots with some really strong bullets . Jack and Dean came in early after being hit by a few really sharp bullets nearly capsizing then at one stage then on the flip side Alex just cruised around as did Josh that extra weight always makes a difference . We even had Mary's little sister on the safety boat with her best mate Athenia , she wouldnt get on our boat with Charlie and I then we realised we didn't have Athenia  so we called Casey over with Athenia and she jumped straight on board and who knows she might even join her sister Mary out sailing soon .

10.30 am Sunday Juniors ;
As the morning moved on the winds did increase so we decided where possible to get everyone to two up sail as the conditions were just getting a bit difficult for everyone with the bullets beginning to increase in sharpness and strength . We increased the course length just to give everyone more maneuvering room which paid dividends with some of the worst gusts right at the rounding buoys making it just tha bit tougher rounding the marks . I did at one stage see Eddy cop a really nasty bullet probably around 16/17 knots right on the turning mark but true to form she held it and kept going until she had rudder trouble and had to come in . The worst of it for the Laser that Eddy was sailing was that she had to cope with no turbo vang as both our units had been stolen the previous Saturday so we just couldn't tighten the rig enough to suit the conditions . Amongst the Teras Lucas and Mason went well managing to keep control in some of the worst gusts but even they looked a bit shattered by the end so well done everyone in tough conditions .
 
1.30 pm Open Racing ;
With the early conditions giving everyone a heads up as to what to expect out on the course especially as the wind speeds increased everyone downsized to either radials or 4.7 well except for Charlie but that's another story.

We set a course starting down at Runners with a top mark up at the canal so everyone had three laps of that section before heading up the Sovereign channel then a run back to the start finish line . With the gust around 25 knots there were dramas from the start with the start boat just after the 4 minute flag dragging its anchor and within seconds we were a good 60 metres away from the line so with a quick reset we gave it another go with everyone lining up perfectly against the raging current for a clean start . Just to be different I made everyone observe the nav marks which actually worked out well as the wind began to swing more west bringing with it some really fast reaching and the occasional capsize . It was actually great watching everyone absolutely flying along with some good tussles especially between Greg and Tom and Casey and Kate oh and Steve before he had a swim. The award for the best performance has to go though to young Caleb who because of the vang theft I mentioned earlier absolutely struggled to keep the boat up resulting in nine capsizes and then a broken mast then he gave in and we towed him home , well done mate !

In regards to our stolen turbo kits I would like to thank Performance Sailcraft Australia for the really great deal on two new units so at least our up and coming junior laser sailors can continue working on their skills in Lasers even in windy conditions , Thanks Jason and Chris.
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Upcoming;
Pan Pacific Masters Games 2nd to 11th November ;
Just a reminder that the early bird discount offer for this event closes early 2 September , this is always a great event so why not give the boat a polish and join in the fun.

Bunnings barbeque fundraiser TBA 

CU on the water
John Murphy

Hi Everyone , What a busy year so far with nearly every weekend full of club sailing plus school holiday sailing camps and school sport sailing groups and that's just at P.P.S.C. I even visited the Youth Week sailing at Royal Queensland Yacht Club where I not only had a chance to catch up with some old friends but it was also an opportunity to check out the talents of all the young sailors throughout Queensland which only shows that our sport is definitely alive and well .

8,30 am Sunday Juniors ;
With as you guessed a perfect Sunday morning weather wise with the sun shining water temp improving and perfect learner winds but only a small group of sailors we soon had the boats set up and everyone inside for a briefing . Normally we always discuss the wind direction so we can work out the no sail zone but that was a bit of a problem as the wind ( about 1.5 knots ) was moving from west to north so anyone who mentioned either one of those directions got the nod . Once everyone launched you guessed it it went n/e but did pick up a bit allowing everyone to at least get a bit of sailing in well at least until someone suggested capsize which stated a series of capsizing manouveres whit even after some struggling we managed to get Athenia capsizing like the rest even Eddy jumped in and helped out . Athenia was the funniest I have to admit as we were all laughing at her efforts jumping side to side trying not to capsize but with a bit of help from the safety boat she finally went in then kept repeating the process .

10.30 am Sunday Juniors ;
With quite a few new sailors progressing from beginners again this group is really starting to grow so we had a lot of slightly nervous but keen sailors lined up to take their next sailing challenge . The wind had changed from 8.30 class right around to a e/s/e wind variable to 3 knots so it was definitely a challenge . I took off with Teegan in her opti to work on upwind sailing and then Addy joined in with the target being the green channel mark which really tested their upwind skills . Addy wanted whistle gybes which means that whenever I blew the whistle they had to gybe then resume their course . A few of the others wanted to join in ( Eddy , Alex , Tain ) so we ended up with five boats gybing in unison and it actually looked really good . A special thanks to Mason for giving up a solo sail to crew for Mary who has been away for a while and was a bit nervous OK he did jump out at one stage just to show off but Mary just sailed on and picked him up on the next lap , good to see you back Mary.

1.30 pm Open Racing;
With the sun shining brightly and the winds out of the E/S//E at around 6 knots even if a bit flukey we set a start line down near the canal with an upwind well almost at unwind to A mark down east of Runners then a top mark half way up Soverign so the course was basically close reaches broad reaches and a bit of running so a fun sail as we thought the wind would drop . With sixteen boats lined up including Addy and Ollie in Bics plus Teegan in her Opti who were to do two laps in our channel it was a very busy start line especially with Teegan showing the way up front mixing it with the lasers . Teegan actually nearly pulled off a blinder by beating all the boats to the line just missing out by a boat lenght too early but hey a great try Teegan .Amongst the rest Greg was uncatchable and throughout the race just kept extending his lead and everyone else said they just couldn't catch him must be why he had that big smile as he crossed the finish line . Our junior sailors raced well with Ollie and Addy having a great battle but Ollie just powered home on the reach back to the finish with Addy hot on his heels then Teegan who struggled a bit upwind and no we didn't call her back for being a bit early because it was such a good start .

Upcoming ; Pan Pacific Masters Games ; 2/11 November our next major event 

CU on the water 
John Murphy

Hi Everyone , For a change this week the committee and I would like to thank all our volunteers ( including the committee ) at the club who donate their time to help keep our club a friendly place to bring families and especially children to start their Sundays with some active and healthy sport  . Everyone pitches in even if its only for a few hours on a Sunday and its much appreciated by all the members and visitors .
8.30 am Sunday Juniors ;
With the winter chills virtually gone Sunday mornings are starting to warm up but it cant be said the water temperature is following , its that first dipping of the toes when launching the safety boats which definitely wakes us up in the morning . The weather was nearly perfect with winds from the N/W at around 4 knots so we set a nice reach across the front of the club so that everyone could enjoy their sail . Alex had his first solo sail and with a bit of help from Charlie really started to sail solo well so much so that we have suggested that he move up to 10.30 class , Athenia with Josh as crew had another go at steering but the old attention span was a bit short resulting it a lot of course adjustment commands from Casey including the odd duct command . When Josh finally had a chance to steer the boat definitely had much straighter lines . It was great seeing everyone really giving it a go and even better watching everyone pitch in to pack up at the end .
10.30 am Sunday Juniors ;
With the wind filling in still from the N/W to around 4/7 knots it was perfect for this group to not only practice gybes but also Ollie,s favourite course yes triangles . In the briefing we discsussed what turns we would be making as in gybes , tacks and bearaways or hardening up . It took a lit bit of coaxing and a realisation that the triangle was reversed before everyone realised that their was no bearaway but a harden up instead . It took a while for Mason and Tain to come to grips with especially the harden up mark but with a bit of heavy coaching they both managed to make it back to the top mark . Ollie who doesnt like triangles ? and gybing sailed the course with ease even without gloves at first and Addy just nailed it as did Teegan . Charlie and I realised after following Tain for a while that we need to do some on land tack and gybe training because his feet position is all wrong so hopefully we will get the time next Sunday. Andrew sailed with Ben for the first time in his laser  as Ben is thinking of giving lasers a go , might be easier one up Ben as dad looked to be taking up to much room in the tacks !

1.30 pm Open Racing ;
OK mother nature got me again as I thought the wind would drop off so I only set a course in our channel with just a couple of windward leeward legs and triangles . So you guessed it the wind stayed in at around 6/9 Knots from the N/N/E and with the start line down near runners and not as much tide es expected everyone zipped around the course in roughly 40 minutes with Tom first over the line . As everyone still looked fresh we asked if they would all like to go around again and it was a resounding yes so we set a slightly shorter course and had race two . Addy and Teegan also did part of the first course and they both went well with them both getting over the line behind the main fleet and with a decent breeze helping them along the just worked their way to the top mark and then back to the finish , Teegan did a bit more with her dad following in his boat but Addy tied up to the start boat as she was also the race scribe for the day . It is rumoured that we might even be able to put the recall flags back in the bag as lately everyone has behaved themselves but then again maybe we should just keep them handy !

Upcoming ;

Bunnings fundraising barbeque : volunteers will be needed for this important event and as soon as we have a date we will let everyone know hopefully around september  .

Pan Pacific Masters Games ; We are starting to recieve entries and also an increase in entry enquiries so its looking good for a great 10 days of sailing in November  

School Holiday Sailing Camps ( September ) ; Two sets of dates have been set aside for this holiday event so chek the home page for details 

CU on the water
John Murphy