Hi Everyone , Yes the year is fast approaching the end with a New Year just around the corner but we still have some major events coming up this year with two sailing camps plus our Try Sailing Fundraiser and of course the club Christmas Party . Dont forget the club will be closed from the 21st of December and Juniors will be suspended until Sunday the 7th of January 2018 
8.30 Sunday Juniors :
With the sun shining and the winds out of the s/e at around 6 knots it was looking like a perfect day for our early junior program and with quite a few new first timers signing on it was looking like a great start to the day . We had ten boats on the water with Casy in one laser and Charlie in another and Ben sailing with a couple os newbies as was Dallas it was up to me and Edwina ( eddy )to main the safety boat . Everyone left the beach very excited and as usual forgot nearly everything said at the briefing like steering in the middle and pull the sail on make the boat go and then tack! so yes there were a few visits under the bridge and a few capsizes out front but generally everyone went well with only the odd collision and of course accidental capsize ( right Ben ! ) We did have one moment and that was when Aiden , Jack and Dean capsized and when we arrived Jack was nowhere to be seen at the boat so with Dallas , Eddy and me both helping the boys get the boat up while looking for Jack we finally found him on Caseys laser because she say him just floating and picked him up . Charlie held the record number of crew on the day with 5 learners on board well done mate .
10.30 Sunday Juniors ;
With the winds now up around 8/10 knots it was time to set our sailors out for some tacks and gybes with Ollie Edwina and Abby closely following . Eddy was still struggling with her tacks so Casey took her for a sail and then some beach instruction before she went out again to give it a go but tiredness finally got her and she came in . Ben despite some protest which fell on deaf ears was tasked with Gybing practice and as is the norm lately when he consentrated he really nailed it . Abby had capsize practice but firstly really stuck her mast in the mud then after some nudging form the safety boat was so exhausted she just couldnt get in . But wait there was one more sailor out there Kaleb who after some finer points of instructing from me finally started to nail his gybes good work mate !

1.30 Open Racing ;
With this being the final race of the year it was designated as a marathon race around crab island . The winds had increased to around 15 gusting to 20 knots and with a southerly start it was always going to be a slog down to the deep hole . With Greg leading the way then me ( yes shock horror I actually raced ) behind him and the fleet closely behind me we all battled our way south to the west cardinal then we set of on an awesome broad reach up past curragee . Greg just took off and I battled to catch casey after I missed a mark and the rest of the fleet right on my heels . It was a great race up to the top of soverign but by the time we rounded the top mark to head south again I was truly struggling especially with hiking out and again Greg got away and Casey and Dallas started catching me again and by the time we rounded the x mark I decided it was time to take off which I did but you guessed it I took a leaf out of Toms book on downwind and crashed about 300 metres from the end so it was Greg First Casey second Steve third Dallas fourth Charlie then Michelle  me and Trisha .
I had so much fun even with the capsize and Iam definitely going to do it again wonce the muscles stop hurting !
Volunteers ; If you can spare some time on Sunday at our Annual Try Sailing Hospital Fundraiser  we are looking for helpers in the canteen as Tina has been rushed to hospital for emergency surgery so any help will be appreciated . Lets all wish Tina well after her surgery and a speedy recovery

Upcoming ;
Sunday the 3rd of December  Try Sailing Hospital Fundraiser all welcome 
Sunday 10th December Club Christmas Party  Paradise Point Bowls Club  
Holiday camps 11/12 dec and 18/19 dec please be aware places are going fast in these two camps 

Hi Everyone , Unfortunately we have had a bad start to this week with some low life breaking into our boat storage area and stealing masts , sails , booms rudders and centreboards from our Open Bic dinghys . To my mind its  a sad day when thieves have to stoop so low that they would steal from anyone let alone a small sailing club . I am determined that this like other set backs in the past wont stop us offering our young sailors a diversity in boats to sail especially with our annual try sailing day coming up in less than two weeks . Yes we are Insured so everything stolen will be replaced .

Lets get on with some more Happy news about sailing.

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​8.30 am Sunday Juniors :
With another Sunday dawning with conditions less than perfect we still managed to have 15 junior sailors sign on to test their skills against the changing conditions . With winds out of the s/s/e/w/e and rain squalls on the horizon we set up a long reaching course in around 4 knots . Even with the shifty conditions it was easy sailing at first with people like Taine trying his hand sole and Lachy just cruising and even Archie had a good long stint at the helm , things went well but as I warned everyone at briefing conditions would change and they certainly did with the winds turning s/e and increasing to around 12 knots which sent everyone running for the sand . It was great to see so many hands derigging boats which is always so much help at the end of the day with pack up .
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10.30 am Sunday Juniors ;
With winds now up around 12 to 16  knots from the s/e and the water getting quite choppy we had a long discussion on the beach discussing how we would sail these conditions and it was decided that Ollie would give his bic a go and Edwina would go solo and Addy and Abby would sail a tera together . Ollie capsized in lap one behind the broken down house boat and it took a bit of convincing from dad to get him back out but out he went and was absolutely flying , Eddy struggled with tacking so Dallas jumped on with her to show here how its done including a bit of submarining . Abby and Addy handled the conditions the best with perfect weight for the conditions and just giggled their way around the course . So how well did the two girls do ? answer great that was until Abby fell out the back ? yes she was steering ? so with the girls and boys exhausted from sailing and swimming that was the end of the session .
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Open Racing 1.30 pm ;
With conditions getting rougher it was decided that we would set a course in our channel and keep it reasonably short to save energy for the marathon race next weekend . By the time we set the start line the winds were up around twenty knots from the s/e and the waves were building . The start was a bit chaotic with greg and Casey coming down on the pin end buoy and everyone else coming up how everyone missed colliding with each other was amazing well except for Caseys main sheet wrapped around Steve that is . It was great racing all round with everyone really going hard with some good down wind surfing and some sharp gybes then choppy upwind sections and with everyone showing some great boat speed the first boat home in 50 minutes was John then Greg and Tom followed by Steve then Casey who was hot non Steves heals must be all that mid week training Case? 

Upcoming ;
Try Sailing Day Sunday 3rd of December 
Xmas Party Sunday the 10th of December 
First School Holiday Camp Mon/Tue 11th & 12th dec ( not many places left in this camp or the following week )

CU on the water
John Murphy

Hi Everyone , Things are starting to heat up as we get ever closer to Christmas with our club open racing starting to wind down for the year with only two races left and our Try Sailing Hospital Fundraiser and Club Christmas Party plus our annual Holiday Junior Sailing Camps . Our Junior program runs until December 17th and returns bright and early in the new year.

8.30 am Sunday Juniors ;
With ever increasing regularity we again had a awesome roll up for this class. 15 Juniors signing up for the session .Conditions were a definite challenge with the winds around 12 knots and fluctuating between 7/15 knots it was a definite challenge for everyone on the water . Sure there were a lot of capsizes and a fair bit of towing boats out of no sail zones but in between all the action there was some awesome sailing skills shown by everyone considering the conditions . I really cant single any one person out on the day so all I can say is everyone who jumped in their boat and sailed out into what were challenging conditions truly sailed well ok there were some worried faces occassionally but at least everyone gave it their best shot so well done to you all !

10.30 Sunday Juniors ;
With conditions settling in at around 12 to 16 knots it was truly a challenge for this class with lots of capsizes mixed with some steely determination to give it a go . Edwina and Caiden had real trouble with tacking so I took them up to a laser on the beach and showed them the proper tacking style and then we went back down and they had a go on the water . With the winds now really settling in form the south east and with the kids already tired form capsizing we stopped the lesson early but at least everyone had a chance to try the new tacking style all be it with a few capsizes . The capsize queen for the day was Edwina who over the two sessions was up around twenty capsizes yes twenty but with every swim she just got back up and in and off she went again , true determination Eddy!

1.30 pm Open Racing ;
We had our first ever moth and aero dinghys signing on for the afternoon race but both suffered from a lack of parctice with the moth out early and the aero pulling out after the start with two many swims at least Dallas got to sail the aero back to the club with a comment afterwards that it was a reallly quick boat !
As usual the start was holy contested but no recalls this week and with a course set including windward leeward and triangles in our channel it was atrue test of stamina and skill . A few boats pulled out including Declan back strain , Charlie broken hiking strap ( definitely not a day for no hiking strap! ) Roger who just got too overpowered in a 4.7 ! and yes it was that windy Peter and I estimated over twenty plus at times .
Greg and Tom had the usual struggle but Tom broke away with his extra weight that just helped him keep the boat flat . Tom was in first with Greg second and Steve third . In the 4.7 with Dallas out with a crook knee , Charlie broken hiking strap , Declan back and Ryan just too tired she sailed hard and beat a few of the radials home in really good time , how hard was it well on wednesday she still had the bruises on the back of her legs from all the hiking out .

Upcoming;
Try Sailing Day 3rd December
Club Christmas Party 10th December 
Junior School Holiday sailing camps starting Monday the 11th of December ( booking essential )

CU on the water
John Murphy

Hi Everyone , Well the windy weather is back this week with gusts of 30 knots at the seaway and waves breaking on the path in front of the club during the high tides , luckily the winds were much better on the weekend especially on Sunday morning for the Juniors.
8.30am Sunday Juniors ; With Sunday morning strating with overcast skies it was originally looking at being very light conditions for the early class but luckily as the morning mooved on the sun came out and the winds settled in from basically the east . The tide was nearly full so plenty of water for all the juniors to get out and give it a go. We had a group of twenty four starters with 6 new first time sailors so it was pretty hectic down on the beach as everyone left the beach . Jack and Dean took their two friends out in the Taz and as usual just cruised , Juliette went cruising on the laser with Dallas , Charlie just cruised in her boat as did most everyone on the day and why not with a nice easterly around 4/6 knots making it all very casual . The funniest part was the all in capsize session at the end with boats and crews falling over everywhere and coming back up with the obligitory choc top sails . Finally just on time at the end we had a visit from a large dolphin who swam in to our pontoon then cruised past our beach with a line of kids headed by Charlie B swimming out to watch it pass truly awesome .
10.30 am Sunday Juniors . This class is starting to build in numbers again and with two new sailors in Caiden and Mary stepping up to a new challenge we decided to extend their course all the way down to the canal and included both tacks and Gybes . Caiden couldnt wait to get in the Bic but Mary who was afirst timer asked for Casey to come out at first but after a few laps off she went as well with a very proud mum looking on . Addy who is back from her second bout of the flu also excelled on the course even if occassionally we had to get her to pull the main on more right Addy ! . Abbey sailed well as did Lewin but the heat got to them all towards the end so we pulled the pin just before 12 so that everyone could get back in derigg and get in the shade .

1.30 pm Open Racing ; With a couple of extra sailors signing up for racing we ended up with a fleet of fifteen boats at the start line and with a roaring outgoing tide and a southerly placed A mark you guessed it there was a general recall at start one but on start two everyone stayed a bit further back and they all made a clean start . We set the course in our channel as the tide was ferocious but even worse in the Soverign channel . Greg got a good clean start and managed to pull a 70 metre gap on one of the new guys and kept in front until heading fior home where he was overtaken finishing 3 seconds behind followeb by Peter F Tom and Steve . In the 4.7 as usual both Casey and Dallas had a great tussle with Dallas just pulling in front till the ned followed by Charlie and very last aws Declan ( thats what happens went you go the wrong way three times Dec! ).
Jonah in the Bic is off to port macquarie to race with the Bic fleet so good luck mate and have a great sail.

Upcoming ;
Its getting closer Try Sailing Hospital Fundraising Day Sunday 3rd of December 
Club Christmas Party at Paradise Point Bowls club Sunday the 10th of Dec BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW 

CU on the water
John Murphy

Hi Everyone  ,Yes Christmas is getting closer which means the club is gearing up for our annual Try Sailing day on the 3rd of December where we raise much needed funds for the Gold Coast University Hospital so dont forget to bring everyone along for a fun morning . Then we have our annual Christmas Party on the 10th of December again being held at Paradise Point Bowls Club where this year we are having barefoot bowls as part of the celebration followed by a dinner party ( tickets are available at the club )
Most Importantly we are running sailing camps for the kids over the school holidays so if your kids are keen to learn more check our website for camp dates .
8.30 am Sunday Juniors ;
Each week this session attracts more new beginners from both our current junior sailors who invite their school friends along and from the club advertising which means we are averaging around 20 budding sailors keen to learn how to rig and sail their boats . Conditions over the last couple of weeks have been perfect and last Sunday was no exception with blue skies and light winds making it perfect for all our sailors . There was the odd capsize but generally everyone just cruised around the course and with the safety boat crews using their buckets to cool everyone down it was a fun morning but the funniest part by far was in the capsize session at the end where even the newbies just wanted to tip their boat over again and again  . We did have a surprise new boat out their with Ava bringing her own boat down to give it its first try and after a few early swims she managed to finally get it sailing in the sunny and light conditions .
10.30 am Sunday Juniors ;
With the great weather now settling in with winds around 6/8 knots from the e/n/e it was perfect for this group of more advanced sailors to work on improving their skills . Their were a few early casualties with brother and sister colliding ( Abby and Ben ) resulting in Abbey pulling out with a head bump leaving just the boys out there cruising around the  reaching course ( Addy out with the flu as well !) With Ollie adamant he wouldnt do triangles and Ben and Kaleb not really caring I managed to suck Ollie into triangles which until at the end I enlightened him that yes he was doing triangles had was having great fun sailing the course , then he just looked at and said really !!!you tricked me again !
Open Racing 1.30 pm;
With Trisha back from Sydney for a couple of weeks it was great to see her back on the water racing even if she was late for the start then again she would have been called back at start one as their was a general recall  with five boats over by miles ( forgot about the incoming tide ! ) Start two was much more civilized with everyone heading off up the track in a good 12/14 knot breeze out of the e/n/e . Greg broke away early and even though Steve tried hard to stay with him he slowly created a gap and sailed a mistake free race to comr home first . The minor placings were hotly contested as well with roger and Simone plus caseyand Dallas having a real battle Casey emerged the winner by sailing faster on the downwinds must be all that weekday training Case ? With only a few races to go before the end of the year its the perfect time to chase for those club champoinship positions so the racing is very competitive and great to watch >

Upcoming ;
Sunday the 3rd of December Try Sailing Day
Sunday 10th December Club Xmas Party 
Last Sunday sail for 2017 17th of december 
DONT FORGET YOU CAN CHECK US OUT ON FACEBOOK AS WELL!

CU on the water
John Murphy