Thanks everyone for a great Winter 2019 Season! Here’s a collection of photos from various events held during the season.
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”27″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″]Winter is Over
Last Race of the Season
At the Helm with Bill Fenelon.
Several TVSC members were away for Hamilton Island Race week so a smaller than usual fleet of 9 boats competed in the final day of the Winter Series last Sunday.
Three 1 lap races were contested in a blustery Northerly wind reaching 21knots breeze, which was gusty and unpredictable making conditions difficult for the sailors on the river, so the sailors really earned their post-race sausages!
Joining the Tweed River fleet for the first time today were locals Steve and Tai Grimes, sailing an International 420. These guys had an enjoyable first afternoon and easily beat the Corsair fleet. The top boat today was a visitor to the Tweed. Single Hander, Impulse “Sapphire” sailed by Oxley Sailing Club Commodore Keith Briers. Keith was fastest in two of the three races and only dropped to second, missing first place by only 7 seconds to Laser “Siesta” sailed by Gary McCrohan from Tyalgum. Also sailing a Laser, Maurie Meyer was only a few seconds back who took third place.
Four boats competed in the Three Handed one design Corsair division, fastest today was “Nimbus” (Scott, Debbie, and Sahara Jones), winning all 3 races, and second was “Keenas” (Mark Reynolds, Marg Walgers and Garry Bargh).
Next Saturday 31st, the club hosts its premiere event, the long-distance Tumbulgum Passage race, starting from Clarrie Purnell Park in Condong at 10.30am and finishing at Fingal – when they get there. The sailing boats really brighten up the river and are a great spectacle to enjoy from various places along the River foreshores. It’s taken between 3 and 6 hours in the past so it can be a long day on the river – cheers from the river bank at Tumbulgum and Chinderah really help the crews so come down and follow the race. This will be the 6th annual running of this event which attracts sailors from Brisbane and all the Northern Rivers with around 30 boats entering.
The Club asks that other river users are aware they may encounter sailing boats at any place along the river this Saturday. TVSC acknowledges the support of local businesses sponsoring this Saturdays race: Hakka Hire, Red Box Gym, The Water Sports Guru, Cubby Bakehouse Café, Tweed River Seafoods and Body Connection Pilates.
Winter Sailing
Despite the cold weather the “Try Sailing” session on Sunday 23 June was fully booked. Three Corsairs were kept busy racing up and down the river with keen new crews getting an exciting first sail in 18 knot gusty winds. All are keen to come back for more action to crew in the remaining 3 winter races at Fingal on 14 July, 11 & 25 Aug.
The big Winter event is the Tumbulgum Passage Condong to Fingal Race which finishes off the season on Saturday 31 August starting at 10.30am at Clarrie Purnell Park in Condong – it’s a fun day for spectators to follow with great viewing from Tumbulgum, Chinderah and Fingal.
Juniors & Teens Sailing will continue in July and then take a break in August. There are big plans for the 2019-20 season for our young sailors with Australian Sailing qualified instructors coming on board and a fleet of six Manly Juniors soon to be arriving at the club ready for race training sessions with an option of attending the MJ National titles in Sydney in January. These boats have been fully funded by the MJ Association – thanks to their generosity and to the determination of our soon to be competition coach, Nicole Bushnell, for making this happen.
We’d also like to welcome out 100th member for the 2018-19 season, Dan Watts and family from Burleigh Waters. With a growing membership, 8 year old Tweed Valley SC has been impressing the sailing community far and wide – famous for our friendly and fun spirit. TVSC is really proving that sailing isn’t an exclusive sport – it’s available for anyone who wants to have a go.
Congratulations to members Alison Blatcher and Robert Preston who have both made it to the shortlist of finalists in Australian Sailing’s annual awards; Alison for volunteer of the year award and Robert for Sport promotion award, the only regional club to be represented at the NSW awards.
Save the Date – Annual Dinner on Sunday the 21st of July
We’re booked in for Sunday the 21st of July 2019 for our big night of the year…the TVSC Summer Series Presentation Dinner and Dance at the Kingscliff Bowls Club from 4:30pm.
Full invitation’s will be available soon.
Sailing at Fingal Head last Sunday
Last Sunday the Tweed Valley Sailing Club hosted the 2nd race of its 2019 Winter Series. It was a lovely sunny autumn day with a gentle North westerly breeze and a flooding tide all afternoon.
Today’s event consisted of 3 short races (Sprint races). 17 boats with 38 crew competed in 3 major divisions, including 5 single handed Lasers, 5 two handed NS14’s and 6 three handed Corsairs.
The easy and pleasant sailing conditions contributed to the racing being extremely close.
Fastest boat on the course was Dave Chester in a Hobie 16 winning race 1 & 2 with Race 3 going to NS14 “Flight 12” (Adam Hurt & Tom Busbridge)
Fastest Mono Hull in Race 1 was NS14 “Pura Vida” (Robert Preston & Hannah Witten) while 30 seconds back was “Impulsive Max” (Matt Andrews & Igor Prado)
Fastest mono-hull race 2 was NS14 “Impulsive Max” and 20 seconds back 2nd place was NS14 “Flight 12” (Adam Hurt & Tom Busbridge)
Fastest in race 3 NS14 “Flight 12” and 18 seconds back “Impulsive Max” getting 2nd place.
Fastest single-handed Laser was Gary McCrohan winning races 1 & 2 with “Bluey (Kate Yeomans) getting Race 3.
Corsairs were again the biggest class. Winning all 3 races “Minnow” (Bill Fenelon, Deb Flannery & Ami Spicer) The sailing clubs next event will be held next Sunday the 2nd of June.
Bill Fenelon – TVSC Commodore.
Our Juniors Had a Great Day on Sunday
Our juniors morning last Sunday was fantastic. Thanks so much to all the parents who helped out too.
Juniors and our Second Race of the season are on for this coming Sunday. (Register for Juniors Here.) See you there!
Welcome Back!
Greetings all – please take a minute to read this…
Our “month off” is nearly over, not that we haven’t been busy in April, with three excellent weekday sessions for juniors and teens.Lots of new recruits – so a BIG WELCOME to all the new families, we are looking forward to seeing you at our regular events starting next Sunday.
The Winter Calendar (draft) is now available.
We have a new short term boat hire agreement and hire fees in place, for those wanting to use club boats
Our next Committee Meeting will probably be on the 11th of May
- START OF SEASON WORKING BEE – Proposed Date Mornings: Sat 11 May or Sat 18 May or Sun 19 May – please advise availability. Hoping to do some more planting around container as well as a big tidy up.
- ANNUAL PRESENTATION DINNER – all welcome – family friendly, not a late finish. Venue and date should be finalised next week – aiming for 15 or 16 June – alternative date Sunday 15 July.
- Try Sailing dates will be announced as they are scheduled, by email. (we need skippers & someone to organise these)
- Duty Officers – please book yourself in for a race date or 2.
- Sorry no Juniors/Teens session next Sunday morning (5 May) but all welcome to find crew spots or skipper Sabots or X3s in the afternoon race.
and …..Get involved – the more people who get involved, the less we all have to do and the better our club will be.
It is too much for the current small team so take on a small responsibility… and then train someone else to do it.Here are some of the things you could do
- Race Duty Officer Roster manager (making sure we have a duty officer for each race)
- Catering Team – need a roster manager for Race BBQs
- Forms “Office Manager” (making sure we have copies of indemnity forms, parent consent forms, etc etc)
- Two more EMAIL Secretaries – to respond to enquires etc
- Juniors Team Roster and dates organiser.
- Juniors Bookings – via gmail reponses onto a Google Spreadsheet
- Annual Dinner organising Team
- Race results entry to Halsail
- Tumbulgum Passage Race Team (Race Sat 31 Aug)
- Skippers to do Try Sailing sessions – + a Try Sailing Organiser.
- Committee Secretary … not a big job, but the club doesn’t run without one.
- Merchandise – Back up Membership Officer- ready to take over in October?
- Back up Treasurer – ready to take over in October?
- Boat maintenance (repairs to trailers/Corsairs etc)
- and many more fun ways to be involved …… what about a trip to a trivia night
Big thanks to Liz Grace who has been reorgansing all the life jackets each week … bottom rack Juniors, Top rack adults .. order: small – Large. Anyone want to look after the Wet Shoes ? …need to be taken home every so often for a good wash.
Enjoy your week and see you next Sunday.
Northern Rivers NS14 Training Clinic
New and experienced NS14 sailors from the Tweed Valley Sailing Club are welcome to attend a training clinic on the weekend of 6-7 April at the Big River Sailing Club.
For details and booking information go to https://www.trybooking.com/BBPMB
At least 3 boats from Tvsc will be going … Adam Hurt in his new Flight 24, Matt Andrews in Impulsive Max and Robert Preston in his new Aero 9 Pura Vida.
TVSC Member Robert Preston is organising the event with support of the NSW NS14 association.
Contact Robert for more information at Robert.Preston@bigpond.com.
Final Race of the Summer Season
Last Sunday the sailing club conducted its last race for the summer season. 14 boats competed, and fortunately, the breeze picked up and it turned into a pleasant afternoon on the river.
Fastest boat was visitor Jason Purcell, from Big River Sailing Club, sailing a high-tech Carbon Fibre single handed RS Aero, one minute back 2nd finisher, NS14 “Zazen 2” (Adam Hurt and Tom Busbridge). The ultra-light weight RS Aero was always going to be hard to beat in the light wind conditions. Third finisher, one minute back, was Laser “Siesta” (Gary McCrohan) who got in only 5 seconds ahead of Laser “Bluey” (Kate Yeomans).
Five Single Handers competed in their Yardstick based championship series. 1st Finisher was Siesta, Second Bluey, 3rd Impulse “Woodcraft” (Matt Andrews) and 4th “Flying Dragon” (Monique Smith).
The big event today was the final heat of the 4-race, NS14 Class Championship series. This is a scratch series for 14ft two handed boats. Getting the bullet today in a sparse field of only 3 boats was Fingal Team Adam Hurt and Tom Busbridge in their new boat, “Zazen 2” getting home 6 minutes ahead of 2nd placed Impulsive Max (Robert Preston & Rachael O’Hara). The NS14 fleet was decimated 2 months ago after two top boats were severely damaged by Waves created by Wake Surfing boats and these two boats have been unable to return to compete this season. One of these was last years Champion NS14 Tornado.
As usual the 3 handed 16ft spinnaker Corsair Class raced for the summer point score in strong numbers. Four boats competed with first home being “Keenas” (Mark Reynolds & all female ring in crew, Marg Walgers & Deb Flannery) while one minute behind was “Minnow” sailing four handed (Bill Fenelon, Laura Leimola, Kynan Luescher & Taj Krasna).
Meanwhile Tweed Sailors are preparing for State Championships at other clubs. Dave Chester and Deb Flannery competed with 13 Hobie 16’s, raced on Waterloo Bay from Manly boat harbour in a trial race for the state championships. After a 2-race series, Dave and Deb scored a respectable 4th place. Meanwhile Robert Preston with crew Miles will be competing in the next Heron class Australian Championship.
The sailing club would like to extend they’re thanks to the NSW Maritime Authorities “Boating Safety Officer” who patrolled the Fingal Reach on Sunday. Using a Jet Ski, the Officer was un-noticed and kept the river safe for sailing and passive river users.
Next Sunday at Fingal there will be social sailing and Juniors sailing, but no racing now till the Winter series starts in May.
Anybody wishing to get involved in Sailing on the Tweed should contact Club Commodore, Bill Fenelon on 0411 123 4052.
Dave and Deb’s Excellent Adventure!
With the QLD Hobie State Championships just around the corner TVSC’s favourite multihull team headed up to the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron in Manly, Brisbane for some excellent racing against the hot local Hobie 16 fleet. Team Sledder’s usual crew’s weren’t available so in stepped Super Crew Deb Flannery for her second time on the Mighty Sledder! This was serious racing so Deb had to leave her dinghy hiking habit behind and step out (literally) to the next level, trapezing!
We were greeted with a beautiful sunny day in Brisbane but the winds were looking very light from the North East as the mast’s went up and the colourfull sails were raised. But not to worry, the local’s promised the afternoon sea breeze would be blowing by the time of the first start at 1:30pm.
The 13 Hobie 16’s slowly tacked their way out of the Manly boat harbour (10 tacks on Sledder!) out onto Moreton Bay where we were greeted with a glorious 12-14 knot North Easter. The locals were right! Deb apprehensively hooked onto the trapeze wire and out she went. There was nothing to worry about as Super Crew nailed it!
We were absolutely thrilled to hear the General Recall signal after the first start as ours was horrendous, bogged down in traffic going nowhere!
We had a much better restart, getting right into the mix. Not far into the first windward beat I made a stupid error and dropped the mainsheet which gave Deb and I a dunking as the windward hull dropped into the water. We quickly recovered and tacked with only a few boats still behind us. Not easy to play comeback in a feet with World Champion sailors in it! Luckily our early tack paid off big time as the wind seemed better out on the right side of the course. We pushed hard and fought our was back through the fleet to finish in a very respectable 7th, only a couple of minutes behind first place. I was particulary pleased with Deb’s jib trimming skills down wind and how quickly she picked up trapezing, nearly getting out on the wire as quick as me a number of times!
Race 2 was another screamer with an awesome battle at the start between the hardcore Hobie sailors. We battled our way around the course and only had one minor whoopsy when we tried to cross Hobie legend Rob Branch on port but had to bail into a crash tack at the last minute when we decided we couldn’t cross and we were too close to bear away without ending up pitchpoling! We recovered quickly and set off after Branchy and made good gains on the next downwind leg before fighting back past him on the next windward leg.
This was amazing as throughout this whole windward leg Deb’s trapeze harness was slowly coming apart to the point that with a few hundred metres to go to the windward mark Deb was literally holding herself out on trapeze by her strength alone! If she let go she was in the drink, but Super Crew Deb held on, put the team first and made it to the windward mark! Our tack wasn’t the best and Branchy managed to pass us, but with one downwind leg to the finish team Sledder wasn’t giving up!
We chased hard and made big gains but in the end Branchy’s decades of experience paid off and held us off by 1 second. 1 second! We were still stoked to finish the race in 4th in a very tough fleet.
After both races Team Sledder was 4th overall out of the 13 Hobies. I can’t thank Deb enough for coming up to Brisbane and giving it everything she had, including putting her body on the line! Bring on the State Championships!