On Sunday, if you’d be interested in crewing (no experience necessary) then please fill in this form. A skipper may get in touch with you. Or come along on the day (the earlier the better) to see if you can find a ride. Details on what to bring are here. Skippers, your list of the available crew is here.
After a very disrupted summer sailing season due to almost every possible reason known, the TVSC looked forward to commencing our Winter handicap racing season with much enthusiasm. Although the forecast was doubtful and constantly changing in the week leading up to, and a clash with Mother’s Day, a dedicated fleet of 13 boats took to the water.
Rigging on the lawn…can you spot the glove?
The river was certainly looking a lot nicer as the Tweed returns to its former glory post-flooding. Due to the harbour being relatively quiet, the decision was made for a beach start of Race 1, being two laps in a steady 12knot SSW breeze. Starting times were calculated by Kate Y using a complex system of mathematical algorithms from past results. Starting at various minute intervals, the aim being that all boats should cross the finish line at the same time.
Whilst some were strategic in their departure plan, others took a more scenic route of the harbour before entering the fresh breeze out on the river. Once out on the water, the fleet was well spread out, and the chase began to try and close the gap on the lead boats.
Alan was very keen to not be left behind.
As is often the case, we were all chasing down John Haywood, sailing a Pacer with Debbie. After returning from Adelaide only a week ago and a sailing drought, they managed to hold the lead for a good part until Dave Robinson took the win in his Impulse, Matchbox. There were various other tussles out on the water and a few capsizes thrown in for good measure. Final results are available here.
Mention must go out to a few new members/sailors; Murielle and her daughters sailing a Pacer. What better way to celebrate mother’s day than a family sail with mum.
How good is sailing!?!
Lex sailed with Julie and gave the club’s latest acquisition a run on its maiden voyage. This new Pacer was recently found and purchased by Mon for our “She Sails” program, bringing the pacer fleet up to five in total.
Craig Foley, always on the lookout for members went on a recruiting drive to find himself a crew for the afternoon racing. This led him to ask random people during a morning surf at Kirra, with promises of glory he brought along Kenny Rodgers. Although Ken had no sailing experience, he was able to contribute with some great country and western out on the water and assist in getting the job done.
Lex checks the jug, a very necessary tool in dinghy sailing.
With the first race complete and time permitting, all attention turned to the second race, all boats off together for a 1 lap sprint. Bryan maneuvered the start boat into position; with an awkwardly placed houseboat and a shifting wind direction, an interesting and challenging start line was on offer. The fleet started circling like a pack of vultures vying for a favourable start as the 3-minute countdown began. As it got down to the final seconds, the fleet resembled a scaled-down version of the famous Sydney to Hobart, very congested and boats sailing in just about every conceivable direction. There was plenty of helpful communication between boats and manoeuvres to avoid any collisions. One such romantic encounter did occur when Kate got hung up on a new bouy, a hansom round orange fellow that marked the other end of the start line. Although a brief meeting, it did leave a lasting impression, with Kates’s rudder blade lifted up which went unnoticed for the majority of the race.
The lap went by with the fleet all finishing quite closely together. Craig did not disappoint, crossing the line first in Gidget and delivering on his promise of victory to Ken. Dave proved the first race was no fluke with a second before deciding to install another inspection port in his hull…might be time to look for a new boat name Dave, perhaps Chopsticks?? Kate sailed into third spot on Bluey, even with a less than desirable start, she is always one to watch.
At the time of the photo, this boat was named matchsticks…chopsticks now?
All in all, everyone had a good time, results were announced at the conclusion of the day and some prizes were awarded from the merchandise department, much to Kate A’s relief to be able to make some room for new stock.
Looks like someone found their glove!
Juniors will return next Sunday on the 15th and racing again on the 22nd. See you then
Racing is on this coming Sunday with a briefing at midday. (Registration link)
Juniors is also running again weekly.
We really need volunteers to help run our sessions. A current roster is here. Some people have been rostered automatically. If you cannot make a particular event, then please arrange for a swap with someone else.
For Juniors, we have both our Junior’s morning sessions running every Sunday morning (for at least the next two months) and the option for competent juniors to race in the afternoon races with their own starts. After all the floods, bad weather and Covid lockdowns etc. We are keen to get our fleet of MJs and X3s back on the water!
Juniors sessions are open for ages 7-17 years. As there is an afternoon club race we will need to start promptly at 8.30 and be off the water by 11.30. Shore crew (parents) help would be greatly appreciated. New sailors are welcome and if numbers suffice a separate class may be formed. Please remind us of your age and years of sailing experience (if any) when you register.
Our Winter Racing will be every two weeks, and we will have a variety of events. One change is that we’d like to announce the day’s results, at the end of the day. We’d also like to start the BBQ again.
For this Sunday, skippers, please register here. The first race start will be at 1pm NSW time with a briefing held at midday. If you’d be interested in crewing (no experience necessary) then please fill in this form. A skipper may get in touch with you. Or come along on the day (the earlier the better) to see if you can find a ride. Details on what to bring are here. Skippers, your list of the available crew is here.
Finally, Seven TVSC boats and crew raced in the Cleveland Yacht Club’s Peel Island Marathon last Sunday. Photos and a write up from Matt are on the website.
As the competitors in the 2022 Peel island marathon were listening carefully to the race committee at the briefing inside the Cleveland Yacht club, Peel island disappeared in a rain squall that would have sent any landlubber running back home to watch T.V.
Seven Corsairs from TVSC and one local Corsair made their way out to the start in conditions that had changed dramatically and were bordering on pleasant. Not all boats however made it to the start on time, and only two made it to what had become the favoured pin end of the start line.
Monopoly getting some wave action.
This meant that after a short beat to windward, Monopoly (Matt, Kat and Spike) had a small lead over None the Wiser, which had left the beach with four onboard but arrived at the start line with only two on board with a rescue having been performed on the way and Clare and her daughter Mia were taken back to the beach leaving Justin and his daughter Emily to take on what was to became a very windy and wet afternoon.
The breeze rapidly filled back in from the South East at 20Knts and promptly blew None the Wiser over, who had tried to set a spinnaker and all though they valiantly tried to continue after losing two crew and enduring a blustery capsize; that was pretty much the end of their day. Kat, who clearly was not aware of the ethics of racing against Justin, suggested that they turn back to check on them. Monopoly then sailed off to a distant wrong mark leaving Cyanara with Allan, Doug and Adam aboard to battle it out with the Gidget crew of Craig, Mellisa and Paul for the win.
A short video of the conditions…
Conditions were by any standards wild by this stage, and the sea state on the northeastern corner of Peel island was not to be treated lightly. The island did offer some protection from the waves if crews dared to go close to the reef, but the beat up between North Stradbroke and Peel Island will be remembered amongst those who were there for a long time.
KeenAs, coming into the finish. It’s the boat in the middle in case you’re wondering.
Mark, Hollen and Kynan, who are always Keenas put in a solid performance, and Peter Ross, Kate and Brennan on It’s Academic showed what they were made of and completed the course safely with only one report of a crew member attempting to abandon ship.
After leading for a good portion of the race, Craig and his crew made a small but costly navigational error that handed the Corsair class win to Cyanara. Local sailor, Greg Driver, on his corsair “Moody Blue”, came in third and Keenas surfed over the line for fourth in the class.
The crew from Cyanara ready the boat, well aware of the conditions.
While many other classes of boat failed to make it around the island, and some did not even take to the water because of the weather, the corsair fleet proved their hardiness once again.
Igor just managed to keep the boat under control (in this photo at least).
TVSC member and legend Igor Prada sailed his Hobie cat “naked” (he had clothes on) around the island and came in third in his class. Another great effort from him.
Braden, Tristan and Alistair. Alistair looks forward to finishing a race…one day.
On a day like this though, there is always one story of seamanship that stands out as something special. After breaking the tiller on Haveachat several times and reassembling it several times, each time a little shorter, Alistair, Braeden and Tristan managed to get the boat back to safety using a combination of broken timber, a leatherman, their wits and good humour. It is for this reason they were awarded the first edition of the Andy Lamont seamanship award.
The winter calendar is now on the website here. We intend to race every second Sunday with various race types during the season, including short and long courses, pursuit starts and some novelty days. The first race day will be on the 8th of May in two weeks.
We want to attend several away events, starting with the Peel Island Marathon race, hosted by the Cleveland Yacht Club. We have eight Corsairs entered for what the weather forecast says will be fantastic sailing conditions. There’s also the Brisbane Valley Sailing Club’s two-day regatta at Wivenhoe Dam in June and Humpybong’s Winterbash. Skippers, please think about whether you’d prefer to attend those away events or race locally. We’re hoping to start regular Juniors sessions in a few weeks too.
Membership fees will shortly be halved since we’re halfway through our season. We will need volunteers for the various daily roles, and a proposed roster will be available on the website soon. Registration for the first day will be sent out soon. See you in two weeks!
Our final two races for the disrupted Summer Season will be on this coming Sunday. (Sorry, but the other abandoned days will have to be cancelled) We will then break for a few weeks, to return for the winter season! At that time, we look forward to having a few more qualified dinghy instructors, who can start up our juniors program again.
We may try to sneak in a social sail before then too.
We’re hosting the Queensland Laser Association‘s River Titles on the 27th of March. If you are a club member with a Laser, then you can join in the racing. Otherwise, we’d appreciate everyone coming down and helping out on the day with the BBQ, parking, getting safety boats in/out of the water etc.
On the 24th of April, the Cleveland Yacht Club is hosting its annual Peel Island Marathon. This is an up to 20nm race around Peel Island. At the moment, six TVSC boats are entered. Skippers, there’s probably still time to enter and for the crew, there are likely skippers looking for you for the day.
Our She Sails program has had a few false starts due to the weather, as you can imagine, but you can read about the latest updates on the website.
For this coming Sunday, Bryan’s mentioned that the river water is looking a little clearer than last week though there may still be some nasty’s in the water. So please keep that in mind. It would also seem that the trees have had a burst of growth, so watch your masts as you drive around the boat ramp.
If you’d like to crew and don’t have an arrangement with a skipper, leave your details here, and a skipper may get in touch. Skippers, please consult the list of the available crew here.
Big River Sailing Club’s Annual Regatta was held on the weekend of the 4th and 5th of March. While 70 boats (and ten Corsairs!) were entered, due to the inclement weather, only half that number attended. (Sensibly)
Igor, flying into the turning mark.
The river colour reflected the volume of water that had already fallen before Friday afternoon with the occasional log rushing downriver. The tide was always running out, it just depended by how much.
Peter, Brandon and Kate heading upriver against the current.
The usual Saturday long race was wisely changed to two short races held outside the club house so that everyone could keep an eye on the boats.
Mark, Andy and Harriet
By Sunday morning, with the deteriorating forecast and heavy rain, it was decided to finish up early and head home…just in time too!
The 7th and 8th heats of the TVSC club championship were sailed in a 10 knot SSE breeze, clear water and under a threatening sky. A very handsome start boat with a young, competent crew set the fleet on their way on time at 1300hrs.
Look at that Start Boat! (Click to zoom in)
Visiting Brisbane sailors Robert Preston and Parker Stephenson in the NS14 Pura Vida were keen to put their stamp on the first race and after a good start at the committee boat end tacked on to port and were never in danger of losing a good lead that they had established by the first top mark.
Robert and Parker on Pura Vida
Also sailing well was Lex Branch in the ever-popular Laser class and long time TVSC sailor Mark Reynolds in his corsair Keenas with a crew that spanned at least a couple of generations.
Monique on her laser with Mark and crew on KEenas in the background.
Two-time club champion Monique Smith also sailed an excellent clean race while Debbie Jones has come into her own in her Laser after removing a few family members from her crew list.
For the start of the second race, the Committee had the start mark moved to allow for the breeze, which had swung a little to the left. For those who had noticed the tide had turned and was on its way out, it was clear that getting onto port tack as soon as possible after the start was the key to a good first beat to windward.
Bryan did the timekeeping from the shore!
Both the Brisbane boats Pura Vida and Hydrotherapy (Leon Waldron and Curtis Kosmala) did just that and were left to fight for the race win.
Is that a Pacer in the lead?!?
The ever-present Kate Yeomans with her crew Gail Bernet in a Pacer started and sailed very well and were able to keep some of the quicker boats behind them.
As the breeze died, so did some of the enthusiasm and combined, this made it difficult for a few of the slower boats to finish the second race.
Putting the boat on a heel feels really cool!
Robert Preston, after a big win, was reminded that it’s not over until the boat is on the beach and found himself walking back into the harbour over the rocks with an NS 14 and crew behind him.
Dave Robinson attempted to turn his Impulse dinghy, Matchbox, into match sticks after putting his foot through its side and was last seen heading towards the harbour in a sinking vessel.
More photos are on our Facebook Page and the results from the day are here.
If you’d like to read about our Day 3 adventures, then please check out Lex’s write up here.
Please too, if you can help as a volunteer on our race days, then please read Kate’s letter here. (Or know someone happy to help!)
We’re racing this coming Sunday for day 4 of our shortened summer championship series. We’ll be racing until March with six racing days, of two races per day. If you miss a day, it won’t affect your score with two drops. (We’ll see if we can reschedule day 3’s abandoned races.)
If you’d like to crew and don’t have an arrangement with a skipper, leave your details here, and a skipper may get in touch. Skippers, please consult the list of the available crew here.
We’ll be hosting the Queensland Laser Association’s River Titles on Sunday, the 27th of March. Laser sailors, as a TVSC Member, you’re allowed to race without needing to join the QLA. The Notice of Race and Registration is available here. We will need volunteers for this day to help with timekeeping, safety boats etc. If you’re interested in helping, then please add your details here.
