Wow only 27 days left before Santa comes then before we know it 2020 will be upon us . We have already started on next years sailing calendar and look out for some changes in 2020 with hopefully more sailing and more fun . We would like to congratulate Edwina , Abby and Declan for attending and passing their Assistant Sailing Instructors Course last weekend which now brings them up to speed regarding their duties as Assistant Instructors and we would also like to congratulate Casey Evans for her efforts in completing the full Sailing Instructors Course last weekend as well , these young people are the life blood of any sailing club through their willingness to learn and their dedication to their sport of sailing and willingness to help others who come along to try this sport.
With no racing scheduled this sunday we have decided that after juniors all the instructors are going for a sail , where ? dont know but we are going to have some fun so if you are bored join in !
8.30 am Sunday Juniors :
With Christmas fast approaching and students busy in completing school exams and parents organising everything around holidays our numbers are usually average for this class . Conditions were good for this class with winds around 4/6 knots and with Charlie setting a nice reach across the predominately North/ easter everyone was soon out there giving it a whirl Ben and Archie had a few problems but Edwina soon jumped on board with them one at a time and showed them how tacking and straight line sailing is done , they boys soon had the idea and looked more comfortable towards the end of the session . Aidan was also doing well in his Bic with dad taking video , his improvement comes from his sitting on the side of the boat and hiking out which he only learnt the previous week at after school training , Charlie and I were very happy after a lot of coaching during the week.Leila and keyaan also sailed well together thats what happens when brother and sister stop arguing with each other so well done guys
10.30 am Training :
With the winds now settling in from the n/e at around 10 knots and with the odd bullet it was perfect conditions for this session . Keeping up her good recent form Jade soon came to grips with the tricky conditions and was soon off to the green channel mark getting good boat speed well as long as you dont count the backward flip capsize on the close reach which I have to say looked very funny as she fell in the drink and the boat kept sailing ! Abby and Ariel in lasers were just flying iin both directions and with good use of the mainsheet were keeping their boats really flat hence the speed folled up by good tacking and gybing . Alex ( taz ) and Zac ( tera ) who have struggled with keeping the sail on and pointing up in the gusts seemed to finally be getting the sequence together with alex showing much better control of the Taz which lets face it is a bit hard to sail at times . Blake and Mason were also out ( didnt sign on ? ) and were both doing well as the winds increased just have to keep your boat flatter boys but still a great effort all round .
1.30 pm Open Race :
With this the final r5ace for 2019 it was the annual around Crab Island Race which was originally going to include our Youth Racers but with Abby out and also Jackson Declan and Edwina decided to sail two up in Bad Decision and join the open fleet . We also had one of my old junior sailors who finally decided to come back and give it a try . As it was aan around the island race we set the start line down at runners and set a top mark across the top of Soverign mainly so people wouldnt run onto the sand bank due to the low tide . The start was very competitive with Paul ( the newby) Charlie , Tom , Steve and Roger right at the line as the flag dropped . I have to say Charlie had a blinder and was right up there with Tom well that was until you guessed it he got a knock and capsized half way up Soverign so there went second . Steve had to beach it as he lost his main sheet so heaps of dramas were happening . Lance and who was having his first ever sail around the island just kept it conservative while Edwina and Dechlan just argued about sail set and how high to point ? I didnt forget Paul ( 14 yrs since his last sail) he took over second and Tom told me he had to pull the stops out so that he could get away but then came Charlie who being a bit annowed with himself really flew on the down wind and the upwind slog to finish third behind Paul and Tom so a good comeback Charlie . Steve and Roger who doesnt normally like sailing these conditions ( 12/16 knots gusty )both recovered well and rounding out the fleet was Lance yes he beat Edwina and Dechlan by one second over the line and did we give them a hard time afterwards ? of course we did ok I have to be fair bad decision does leak and gets slower as the day goes on but it was still a laugh giving them a hard time ..
Upcoming :
Well the big Event is only 10 days away and that is The Annual Fundraiser for The Gold Coast University Hospital so dont forget to tell everyone to come , its always a great day and lots of fun and dont forget all funds raised go to the Hospital . We are also going to attempt to break our Laser record by seeing if we can fit 20 people on a Laser which will beat our previous record of 17 so come along and get involved
Christmas Party bookings are now being taken so that we can properly cater for the numbers starting at 11.am with Lunch around 12 noon always a great fun day!.
Holiday Sailing Camps;
Camp one on the 16th / 17th December is almost full so if you want to book in let us know asap , the January Camps still have spaces starting on the 2nd of January so book early to secure a spot
CU on the water
J Murphy
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