Twenty Boats Raced on Sunday

It was a good turnout for Race four of the Class Championships this Sunday on the Tweed River. Six Corsairs, five Lasers, five Pacers, three Impulses and two NS14s signed on for one long race of three laps. The weather involved a shifty light breeze of 9-11 knots from the ENE with a runout tide.

What’s the hurry?

The fleet of 20 started with Peter on Mr Plow and Adam on Puddy in the lead, closely followed by Kate on Bluey and Mark on Keenas. It was a rockier start for some. Kate A and her daughter Charlie on Fletcher caught the anchor chain of the start boat during the 5-minute sequence. Once freed, they completed one lap of the course and then decided to withdraw from the race and have a training sail instead, taking turns at the helm. 

Mark and crew Marg and Kynan on Keenas received some laser treatment from Kate Y on Bluey coming across on port tack to create contact. Kate Y went on to sail a great course tailing Adam on Puddy and Peter on Mr Plow around the track. Adam and Peter changed leads several times throughout the race, with Peter covering Adam to the final bottom mark, rounding and sailing into 1st place at 1.10.30. Kate Y snuck into 2nd over the line at 1.11.22, closely followed by Adam in 3rd at 1.11.31. Robert, in 1890, was the next boat sailing into 4th over the line at 1.12.15, followed by Dave on Matchbox at 1.14.21. 

Peter’s not in a hurry.

It was a close race between Laser sailors Monique on Rolling Stone and Lex on Splatter, also changing leads during the race and ultimately finishing with 11 seconds difference. Monique was the 2nd laser and 9th overall at 1.24.33, and Lex was the 3rd laser and 10th overall at 1.24.44. Debbie on Flying Dragon sailed into 4th place for the lasers at 1.27.53. While it’s over-the-line results, Debbie beat Lex and Monique on Yardstick!

Another close race between Corsair crews. Guy and crew Erik and Ryan on Squirtle were a close 2nd and 7th overall at 1.17.17. Only 13 seconds behind Matt on Monopoly, sailing into 1st place for the Corsairs and 6th overall 1.17.04 with his regular crew of three, Aidan, Mia and Posie, including Mia having a go at the helm. Special mention goes to Mia’s artistic talent for drawing our new race track. 

It is great to see so many club pacers on the water. The fleet included a range of ages and abilities, with newcomer Griffin seen at the helm of Kennedy with crew Deb and junior sailor Finn at the helm of TSS1 with crew Craig, sailing into 1st for the Pacers at 1.26.07. Brennan completed the course on Jumping Joey with crew Josh and Kerrie sailed with crew Luke on Pacer 6.

This weekend, Justin and Matt are racing in the Formula 15 Nationals in Toronto. We wish them well!

No comment.

Results are here.

Words by Maddie Lyons

Four Quick Races

Old people, young people and entire families sailed four races in a blustery south easter on Sunday, the 8th of Jan, 2023, on the lower reaches of the Tweed River.

The Race Committee.

One Corsair, one MG, one Impulse, three Pacers, and more Lasers than a Jedi master could handle sailed the short demanding course with varying levels of grace and speed.  Some of the more experienced sailors showed their stuff, and the likes of Kate Yeomans, Peter Fell, and the visiting Nick, all sailing Lasers, were the regular top finishers.

Safety Boat 1

For others, it was about getting around the course without significant problems. Although a problematic gybe mark brought a few unstuck with a couple of spectacular swims, all crews enjoyed the blast reach to the finish. The race committee could not help but notice that nearly everyone had a smile on their face as they crossed the finish line.

Kate with a smile on her face…apparently.

For mine, though, the day had to go to up-and-coming junior sailor Ari and his crew Brennan in a club pacer who had four great starts and sailed well to complete the four races, mixing it up with the Lasers. 

Scott and Leon are entirely in control.

A big thank you once again to all those that give their time to the club to make the racing and socialising happen. (Results here)

Dave and Peter reach for the finish.

The next race held on the 22nd of Jan is a class championship race day, and a big turnout is expected.

Gail sailed really well on club Pacer P6!

Congratulations to those members of the club who competed and completed the 2022 Sydney to Hobart yacht race on Hutchies Yeah Baby. Well done, indeed.

Matt Andrews

Race 3 – Class Championships

A perfect day with a north-easterly wind of 10 to 14 knots made a great day for sailing for Race 3 of the Class Championships, on the beautiful waters of the Tweed River, with a high tide at 12 pm.  To show the Xmas spirit, our sailors wore Santa Hats, with Kate losing hers during the race (let’s blame MONOPOLY for this).

Fourteen (14) dinghies started  – 4 corsairs, 4 impulses, 4 lasers, 1 hobie and 1 pacer, with a starboard start to the left of the start boat which was the preferred start.  

First to the top mark were the Impulses, Adam on his new dinghy PUDDY and Dave on MATCHBOX.  Peter on MR PLOW tried a port tack entry with Debbie on FLYING DRAGON, which didn’t turn out well, leaving him well back in the fleet.  

A bit of ruckus for the first rounding at the top mark initially – a few apologies between sailors, with Mark on KEENAS coming in on port to Monique on ROLLING STONE (who was on starboard), with ROLLING STONE having to change course to avert a collision – an apology from KEENAS, and then heading down to the next marker, Mon asking Mark politely to get out of her air, which he kindly did!  Such chivalry!!

An unfortunate day for Michael and crew, sailing corsair EXHALE, with the block and fibreglass being ripped out of the hull!!  EXHALE had to retire, but will be back in 2023 once repairs are completed. Michael’s son, Charlie, rigged an X3 and enjoyed a great time on the water, improving his sailing skills.

Meanwhile, the Impulses were fighting it out with PUDDY in the lead.  MR PLOW overtook MATCHBOX in the 2nd run and was level with PUDDY by the end of the 3rd run, with Adam on PUDDY taking an unscheduled swim near the bottom mark, leaving Peter and Dave to come 1st and 2nd respectively.  

Lex sailed his laser and had mechanical issues with his mainsheet.  Debbie on FLYING DRAGON thought he was waiting for her at one stage, but he sailed off again, chasing after Mon and Kate (with Kate in the lead and being overall Laser winner).

Matt and his 3 minions, Aidan, Mia and Posie, on MONOPOLY, had a great start, having great fun playing tactics with Kate on BLUEY during the race, with MONOPOLY finishing ahead of BLUEY.

MONOPOLY won outright in the Corsair Class, with Mark and crew, Kynan and Luke, on KEENAS placing 2nd, and Guy and crew on SQUIRTLE placing 3rd.  Corsair owner Jason Benny-Morris sailed MIDNIGHT MAGIC with his crew Josiah and Debbie against the strong competition of other corsair sailors.  

Christian and Aimee sailed their hobie MLC, and had a comfortable and fun race.  Aimee had just completed the club Learn to Sail course that day.  John Hayward and Sasha (who also just finished the Learn to Sail course), sailed the club pacer.  Sasha loved the experience and is excited to race again.  

The Xmas Party followed afterwards with a sausage sizzle to celebrate the end of the sailing year for us all.  Family, friends and club juniors attended, with all sharing their experience on their most excellent sailing day.

Special thanks to Bryan, Commodore, for being on the safety and starter boat, Duty Officer Doug, who didn’t sail so he could assist Bryan on the safety boat (and became photographer too), John as race officer, Ashlie and Travis (club junior) who gave up their Sunday afternoon to do the important role of timekeeping, and Muriel (Byan’s wife) for cooking the BBQ for the hungry hoards.  

We wish you all a very Merry Xmas and look forward to racing again in 2023.

For full results: https://www.halsail.com/Result/Public/67776

Race Start from Start Boat
Debbie showing the Xmas spirit, on laser FLYING DRAGON
Laser Winner, Kate on BLUEY
Mark with crew Kynan and Luke, sailing corsair KEENAS, placed 2nd
Xmas Party Crew

A Windy Time at the Monomasters

A reduced fleet size, (probably owing to the forecast unseasonably strong south easterly winds, cold temps and rain squalls), took to the brown waters of Lake Cootharaba for Monomasters 2022.

The start of race one was postponed due to a rain squall preventing the boats from even getting off the beach. Unfortunately for the Corsair campers, they didn’t know this and fanged at warp speed past the yacht club to a huge cheer from the beach only to have to sit around in 30 knots waiting for the committee to remove the postponement…

Two races were held on Saturday afternoon with winds ranging from a pleasant 15 knots up to 30 knots in the squalls. Heaps of thrills and spills and for the Vanuatu boys in Epic, a capsize and mast damage saw their regatta end early. Kate in “bluey” the laser and Justin, Emily & Annabelle in Corsair “none the wiser” has good tussles all day.

Sunday saw three races held back-to-back in similar strong condition to Saturday just with less rain squalls. Winds were a shifty 15-22 knots and all three races saw reasonably similar results to day one.

Kate took out the coveted “best female on the water” prize and was thrilled to receive her prize pack.

For some unknown reason all the Corsair sailors decided to skip presentation and instead climbed up to the summit of Mt Cooroora. Kate decided to give the mountain a miss and went to the pub instead – wise choice!

Monomasters really is one of the best flat water, non river sailing regattas in South East Queensland. For the river sailors it provides an opportunity to really perfect your wind shift reading skills as tide and shallow aren’t a factor.

Side note:- All campers turning up with a boat trailer and a Tweed Valley sticker seemed to get a daily SMS from the camp ground reminding them about the excessive noise rules – no doubt as a result of Craig’s stella electronic keyboard solo’s from last year….oh and Holans Ed Sheeran Bongo cover with backing track…

Justin Johnson

Race 2 – Club Championship Summer Series 2022-2023

A big incoming tide and a sustained 20 knots of wind greeted our intrepid fleet for race 2 of the summer season. It had all the ingredients for a great race.

looks more like 30 knots to me…cough

After practising his racing starts with Matt Andrews on Friday, Brennan jostled It’s Academic for a ripper start and it was on. The It’s Academic crew have really found their form, and it won’t be long before they will be heading for a podium finish.

John Haywood crewed for Mark on Keenas, after teaching all morning!

Four Lasers, an impulse, a Cat, and four corsairs were racing, and it was a close one.
A big shout out to Bryan on the safety boat, who had his work cut out supporting the lasers who struggled in the gusts and had some excellent practices dealing with capsizing. Of course, strong winds did not seem to bother Kate Yeomans, who treated the whole affair as one long abdominal workout. Dave Robinson’s impulse loved the downwind leg.

Look at that tide!

The race was three laps long. At the end of the first lap, it was Kate Y (24.51), closely followed by Mark Reynolds on Keanas just 59 seconds later. The second lap saw Kate crossing at 47.08 with the Keanas crew nipping at her heels at 48.28. It was close! The final lap was a nail-biter, it was neck and neck all the way, and there were two contenders for the crown, you guessed it Kate va Keanas. Kate crossed for the win at 1. 09.31, and just 49 seconds later came the Kennas crew. Lex Branch was not too far off the money, coming in for a solid third place at 1.13.04. It’s Academic came in at 1.16.15.

A bunch of powder monkeys

Matt Andrews, with his trusty crew of three powder monkeys (Mia, Aidan and Posie) crossed soon after (1.17.09)

Charlie did a great job on the hooter. Letting everyone know when they crossed the finish line on every lap.

Words by Michael Grace.

RRSRC Regatta – A Thank You

To all the Tweed Valley Sailing Club.

On behalf of RRSRC I want to thank all the sailors who joined us last Saturday to sail our marathon race. It was wonderful having you all there to sail, and great to see different classes represented in the monohull division.

The conditions were not easy, that’s for sure, pushing against that brown surge of flood water, working all the way to the ferry and beyond, dodging wind shadows, bullets, and holes, trying to keep moving. It was a relief to round the turning mark and flow with the current, knowing you’d get to the finish even if the wind died!

For some boats, it was a true marathon, taking many hours to complete the race, not being helped by an NNE wind coming in, later on, making for more upwind work to get home, and having to dodge the bullets passing through the big buildings in the Ramada section. Well done to all boats for persevering.

One of our corsairs had a crew member who had sailed twice ever (in a recent learn to sail course) and had jumped in with an experienced skipper. It took them about four hours to complete the race, a true marathon. After the race, I asked the new crew member if he still liked sailing and was pleased to receive a resounding yes!

The sense of goodwill from the Tweed sailors was evident, the standard of sailing from Tweed was obviously very good (check out the start alignment), and it would be good if RRSRC members could make the journey to the Tweed every now and again to sail with you. We’ll have to work on it. Best wishes for the remainder of your season, and we hope to see you again next year!

Results are here.
Trent Morgan

School Holiday Learn to Sail Course

Nine kids aged 10-13 completed this three-day course, rigging and sailing the club’s five Pacer dinghies.

After launching the Pacers, the group practised the Capsize Drill, Man Overboard Drill, Tacking and Gybing, and steering and trimming sails on all Points of Sailing.

With experienced sailors Lex, Peter, Kate and young Lachy as instructors, all kids soon took to the water ‘like ducks’, while Bryan and John in the Rescue boats offered tips and encouragement.

The kids were not phased, with northerly winds reaching over fifteen knots on the last two afternoons and strong ebb tides kicking up the white caps.

After lunch, on the last day, we sailed downwind to visit Tony’s Island before sailing back upwind. All kids had broad smiles on their faces as they unrigged and washed down the boats. Hopefully, we’ll now have a keen group to join our other Juniors regularly sailing our Manly Junior, X3 and Pacer fleet.

Congratulations, Ashlie, Atticus, Austin, Darcy, Finn, Lachy, Lucia, Mahlia and Shamus!

JH

The Art of Sailing with no Wind

Race 6 of the winter series required a mixed group of boats, including corsairs, NS14s, Lasers, Pacers and a catamaran, to challenge the notion that sailing requires wind. A fitful breeze coupled with an adverse ebbing tide made even getting across the start line hard
work at times, with one intrepid sailor advising that they had downgraded their original goal of completing the race to a new goal of simply crossing the starting line.

Michael Grace and crew on Exhale managed to find some breeze and got off well in the pursuit start, but getting to the windward mark proved challenging for many of the fleet, with the mangrove region on the Northern bank becoming a Bermuda triangle for some.

Craig Foley on his new paper tiger catamaran, Soggy Frog, and Guy Forrester and crew on their corsair, Squirtle, proved to be the exceptions to the rule, with Soggy Frog first around the windward mark on lap 1 , closely followed by Squirtle. Adam Hurt and Kate Yeomans on Flight 24, also negotiated the conditions well, being the next boat to round the windward mark.

Can you see the wind?

The current helped to pick up the pace on the downward leg with Squirtle overtaking Soggy Frog, before the lead changed again on the northern bank leg, followed by Flight 24. Flying Dragon, Dreadnought, No Sweat, Rolling Stone and Exhale made up the next group to round the green buoy.

The northern bank leg then provided some interesting sights with boats locked at 45 degree plus angles to the white marker buoy, as they attempted to compensate for little wind and an ebbing tide pushing them down river – two hulls must have helped here as Craig seemed to negotiate this leg better than most.

However, with the breeze dropping further during the second lap it became difficult for boats to get to the final mark. The race to the finish line then became a slow motion battle between Soggy Frog and Squirtle. Craig rounded the last mark first closely followed by Guy, before both became becalmed on the last leg. The water police then decided to join the contest by stopping their boat nearby, but it was hard to tell whether their wake was helping or hindering proceedings. With Squirtle closing in, Soggy Frog crossed the line first, with Squirtle second and Flight 24 coming through a few minutes later for third.

Soggy Frog enjoys some company (and cake!) after finishing.

With Brennan increasingly busy on the safety boat helping becalmed boats back to the harbour it was decided to then stop the race. Congratulations to all who competed in difficult conditions. A special mention for Pancho for showing great perseverance and resolve in one of his first races.

Words by Peter Ross

Juniors Back Out on the Water

Finally, after weeks of rain and floodwaters, we were able to get on the water again. Charlie and Tarquin in the X3s and newcomers Patrick and Alby crewing in the Pacers with Monique and Lex, our volunteer instructors.

Despite an outgoing tide and very light winds, all boats made headway and the new guys were on the tiller getting expert instruction. 

Then the breeze filled in and Alby was steering the Pacer like a pro and Patrick switched to an X3 on his own and was soon looking like a natural!

Hopefully, we’ll get a few more of our Juniors back sailing soon and start a Junior Racing Fun Series?

See you all this Sunday!

John Hayward

One Soggy Boggy Sunday

Race 2 Winter Handicap Series

Lex and Julie in the sunshine.

With race day approaching, the social media pages started to light up Saturday evening, all eyes were on the forecast which was predicted to be wet and windy. Come Sunday morning, a few sailors were coming up with all sorts of excuses to avoid the day and stay dry under blankets wearing their Ugg boots and sipping green tea. Those who showed up were pleasantly surprised, a steady ESE breeze with no rain. Though the rigging lawn was extremely damp and muddy in places. One unsuspecting driver decided to go 4WDing and needed some assistance after becoming slightly bogged.

Race winner, Kate on Bluey after the start.

A total of seven boats were all prepped and ready to go so the decision was made to start racing early. One race of three laps on our usual Southerly course, a handicapped beach start with 31 minutes between the first and last boat. Lex and Julie led the fleet out in the still-unnamed Pacer and Peter Fell as tail-end Charlie had his work cut out to chase down the pack. By the time Pete left the harbour, Lex had already completed the first lap. On the second lap Mon in her trusty Laser “Rolling Stone”, was about to mow down Lex when she performed an unscheduled dry capsize walk over. This all looked very impressive, without getting wet but cost enough time to allow Mark in “Keenas” and Kate in “Bluey” to pass her and battle for second position. Guy sailed nice and steady in “Squitle” opting not to fly the kite today. Peter was making ground quickly at the end of the second lap running his full rig Laser when the wobbles got the better of him sending him for a swim.

There wasn’t too much traffic on the river…

The final lap was going to be the decider with the handicap coming into effect, compressing the fleet. With the majority of boats beating upwind to the top mark, the conditions started to find top gear and turn ugly as a squall came over. The wind gusts became very shifty, heading towards the 20knot mark. This appeared to cost Lex his strong lead and sent Mon for a Tweed River temperature check. Around this time, another boat was spotted upside down Miss Jane, up towards the top mark. Due to the distance, the shore crew could not make out which craft it was. Until it was righted, and they recognised the easily recognisable sail. (More on this later)

Last boat to finish, Craig on Gidget with his crew, Barry and Kenny…looking a little wet and cold.

By the time most were at the bottom of the course on the last lap the wind started to behave itself allowing for an easy finish. “Bluey” in first, closely followed by “Keenas” and “Rolling Stone” third, all receiving applause from the shore. Mon enjoyed her sail so much she could be heard talking it up all the way to the ramp. The final boat crossed 9 minutes after the first, which isn’t bad for a 90-minute race, well done, Kate for crunching the numbers. Also, a big shout out to Bryan for manning the safety boat in miserable conditions at times, if you weren’t sailing that is.

Bryan enjoys a hot cuppa during the post-race presentation.

Post-race and pack up, results and prizes were shared along with excuses and stories.

Now in the words of the skipper from the mystery capsize, “it would’ve been hard to believe that it was me that had gone over”. The crew of “Gidget” were blaming the skipper; the skipper was blaming the crew. This would require further investigation and has been sent to the video ref. via social media, if you haven’t seen the video, do yourself a favour and make up your own mind. Another fun day had by all. Back in 2 weeks with sunshine guaranteed.

I’d blame the crew…

Words by Adam Andrewartha