Juniors Day, Sat 10 June ’23
With great weather over the weekend, the club ran a Juniors Day on Saturday, where Travis sailed his new Bic together with a couple of club Pacers on a marathon sail to Jack Evans boat harbour near the river mouth and back!
Hopefully, Juniors numbers will build up again after the School Holiday Learn to Sail Course on the 3-5 July. A few spots are still available (see ‘Events’ to register).
Introducing the Green Fleet
Junior sailors and adult sailors new to racing are being catered for in our Green Fleet.
Each Race Day any member, when registering can elect to start with the Green Fleet. Most participants will be hiring (at minimal cost) Club boats: Pacers, X3s or Manly Juniors. Members’ own boats can be used if they are of similar yardstick. An experienced Instructor/Coach will be on hand most days to give coaching during the Green Fleet race, as well as before and after separate briefings ashore. The Green fleet will have a separate start and course from the main fleet.
Club Winter Race 4, Sun 11 June ’23
A fine sunny day, with a light southerly breeze against an incoming tide, greeted a total fleet of fifteen boats on Sunday. Race Officer, Dave, elected to use a simple triangular course with three short races of one lap each. With the Green Fleet also racing on a reduced course, this kept the start/finish boat crew of Craig and John busy.
The starts of all three races were hectic, with the current working hard to push the eager starters over the line early. Charlie on the Club Laser, at one start, added to the drama by running down the line on Port Tack with ten seconds to go! However, apart from one General recall, all boats got away with only minor incidents and not too much-heated commentary.
Look at the work of the amazing start team!
Most boats took advantage of the favourable tide, working upstream to the windward mark. Then spinnakers were set on the Corsairs and RS100s, much to the angst of the Lasers, who were at least holding their own listing to windward on the long downwind leg.
Lasers sailed by visitor Wayne, and Guy were first over the line in two of the races, while Dave, in his RS100, was the third winner. The rest of the sailors commiserated with each other around the barbecue after the race, thanks to Deb and Craig.
Green Fleet, Sun 11 Jun ’23
Three Pacers started on Sunday in the first of the Club’s Green Fleet ’Races’. Like the senior fleet, they sailed three, one-lap, races over a reduced triangular course, starting after the main fleet on a more relaxed starting line.
Club Junior, Finn, with Mum, and Tegan as crew, excelled in the first two races, winning both from Peter, an experienced sailor visiting from Sydney! Well done Finn and Tegan! Deb and another visitor in the third Pacer rounded out the fleet.
Hopefully, we’ll see more of our club boats racing next time.