Well I thought Skinny might have gotten around to a race report by now :) so you get my version.
Terry and Richard bailed so as usual it was Squid and Tuggers. Was a long morning with the weigh in (PB: 51.5kg (??? not sure about this), Squid: 46.5kg) and then I found our Board repair stopped it fitting and I'd forgotten to bolt up the rudder pod, a bit of angel grinder action etc. got us going, also had to fiddle with backstay tension again etc.
Put in third rig, strong Northerly but at least the tide was in this week. Bit anxious about what was going to happen with waves on the dropping tide..
Before the start, could have even been 4th - but dropped a little on the first leg. Neither of us got a great start, both a bit late on the line and we had a 505 right in our way. PB smashed us getting to the top mark, starboard tack was a killer against the chop running down the inside of the islands. Lucky for us, their pole launch block tore off the front bulkhead at the first hoist and we went past shortly after. Think it was fixed by the bottom mark but I wasn't waiting ;) and we were pretty happy with our race, fairly clean and didn't make any major mistakes. Except for me getting hooked up at the first gybe which tristan had full view of!
By the start of the second race the wind had dropped to barely 1-wiring and it was pretty lumpy off the start- we were on PB's lee bow after Tristan tea bagged and so they tacked off early.. We had our eye on the line of clouds coming across and stayed on starboard, another minute and the start of an awesome wind change was with us.. took the header for a long time, then tacked and reached across to the windward mark, rounded it with the Hobies who had started 5 mins earlier :) A leg of sloppiness ensued which saw us back on the wind to get to the bottom mark (and now finish line). 2 bullets for Squid, yeah!!
Just after the finish a good southerly squall (maybe maxed at 30 kt?) came through.. so we got to test our re-jigged 3rd in all conditions, running nicely now. No more 1 1/2 strings for us! Wanted to put the kite up for a blast but it went as quickly as it came..
Ben
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Please Explain
Foxy Lady Too (Peter Pollec and Jamie McCrudden) capsized in a similar location, and in a disastrous sequence of events, was run over by a large sailing ship. The outcome was not a favourable one, with the skiff being totally cut in half, and much of the rigging not salvageable. Both skipper and crew were not injured in the accident, jumping clear of their capsized skiff second before impact. The ship continued down the harbour with Foxy Lady Too stuck on its bow, leaving witness to wonder if the skipper had even seen or notice the crash.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Race Report 27/11/2010 by Skinny plus Wolfie Photos
Word up players..!!!
What a sensational weekend..!! Brisbane certainly turned it up for us.. Absolutely perfect 2nd rig conditions..!! We even had 4 boats on the water..!!!
MAGIC..!!
I'll give a race report but it wasn't really a day for the racing... Unfortunately..
Race 1.. With 4 skiffs on the rigging lawn things were looking hot..!!! The breeze was in and there was little doubt in anyone's mind that it was going to be a glamour 2nd rig day... Due to a myriad of extra curricular activities, 2 of the 4 skiffs could only do the first race... Oh it was promising to be a tight one..!!! The Grove Team were rigged and ready to go when the other 12's were just arriving.. They were ready for a big one..!!!
We all threw in our 2nd rigs and headed out to join the party.. This was when things turned ugly... The start was a shambles... The start committee changed the sequence... The all boats were starting with the contenders.. FIRST..!! All 4 skiffs missed it as we've never been first off the line... PB were closest to the line when we realised we had started but we were still a few hundred meters behind the 29ers etc... We called out to the other skiffs but Challenge was miles away and couldn't hear us, and Squid was upside down fixing a backstay... Only Grove could hear us and they were a fair way behind too... It was catch up time..!! PB went left and Grove went right... Ooooo It was on like Donkey Kong..!! Right payed and the Grove team caught up a fair distance.. The race could be interesting..!! PB rounded the top mark behind the 29er but in front of Grove.. We set the new kite and whoompa.. Off we went..!! Grove had a slight issue with their set and lost a few boat lengths.. PB sent her deep but couldn't pick a lay line to save themselves and ended up well below the bottom mark... We had to drop the kite and 2 sail up to the mark... This cost us a little bit and we rounded with the 29er.. Grrrr... Unfortunately Grove also over layed the mark and also had to two sail... That was their chance to make up the gap... The second beat was solid from PB.. We just played a few shifts up the middle and it payed.. Grove went far right and I think we put some time in to them... Bravo for trying something... It's hard to catch up by following the leader... PB got line honours but unfortunately I think the 29er will have come home with the Club Championship points...
It was disappointing that we didn't get the dream race with all 4 twelves racked up on the start line and smoking away from the other boats.. But hey I guess that's racing and the one thing we have learnt from Saturday is to pay special attention to the start boat.. If your flag goes up, you're starting... It was just a bit disappointing they didn't let us know before hand that they were changing the start sequence... Never before have we started before the etchells..!!
Anyway..
Race 2... We were ready for the start of the second race... The two remaining skiffs were on the line and on time... The Squid boys were a bit further down the line than PB but hey... On the line on time is fast.. End of story... PB started well.. We found another gear and climbed up and over a 505... It was exhilarating..!! Squid was the next target.. We sailed above them and eventually they tacked off.. We tacked not long after and well.. We rolled them again... Sorry lads.. Sometimes it's important to lay the smack down... The two 12's were out in front... By a considerable margin by the top mark... Still pacing each other it was good racing..!! Up went our new kite and well.. That was that.. We had a little issue with out jib sheet going through the kite sheet block so Tristan took the silly stick while I dived down below to clean up his mess.. I came back out and everyone was happy... The Squid may have picked up a bit on us that downhill but not a lot... Again PB, aka me, picked a terrible lay line... This new kite pulls and hard and I guess that's no excuse so I'll quit my complaining.. I just sucked at picking the lay..
The 12's got around the bottom mark in 1, 2 with plenty of daylight between us and the rest of the fleet... The second lap was much the same as the first for PB... Consistency is a precious commodity in 12's sailing and if you've got it, you're always going to be hard to beat... Unfortunately the Squid boys got a bit hot and decided a jolly good tea bagging would cool them down... It did... Big Time..!! The boat dipped to windward and both boys got swept out the back... They were too far away to save it... Splash.. There was another soft splash tack in there somewhere too.. Luckily there was enough distance between 2nd and 3rd that they were still comfortably ahead of the rest of the fleet... PB picked a champion line coming in to the finish... We were sick of over laying it so we thought we'd go early and gybe through the finish... It was the perfect lay.. THANK GOD..!! We blasted through the finish to get the gun and the cheers from the start boat.. Woot woot..!! Squid came through in second..
All in all it was a perfect day to be sailing a 12... Comfortable sailing but still with a few great exciting kite rides...
One highlight was after the first race watching Terry and Wayne showing off for the spectators (and ex skiffies) at the Trailer Boat Club by smoking in to the harbour under kite... From where we were we could see a few good leaps in the shallow water... Looked pretty exciting Terry..!!
Thanks lads for another exceptional weekend of racing..
Regards
Skinnyman..!!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Race Report 21/11/2010 by Skinny
Saturday - The forecast was sensational..!! We arrived at the club and RQ had postponed the sports boat state titles already.... Tristans early morning prediction of a cancellation was looking pretty good... I went to see Suellen to persuade her to let us race but as I got to the sailing office, people were blocking their ears as the gun was already going off... She apologised to me because she knows the 12's love it when it blows... I told her that we all turned up with nothing but 4th rig and we were all pumped and ready to race... It was a good guilt trip... So good that she offered to shout all of us a rum.. I took that response back to the lads and well she came good with her promise too.. Rum is soo much sweeter when it's free..!!
We had a little pow wow on the beach and decided to race Sunday instead as the forecast was set to drop to 15-20kts... Well all of us except the Squid... I think Benny had a date on Sunday.. Something like that anyway.. Since they couldn't sail Sunday the Squidgee's threw in 4th rig and launched.. The reports were 33kts in the bay... Childs play..!!! They left the ramp with quite an audience... You nailed it boys.. Good work..!!!
They got through the harbour no problems... It was when they poked their forestay out of the harbour that it got messy... The T-ball snapped and down went the rig... What an anticlimax... They sailed her back to DPSS and we drove their trailer around... One 18ft skiff went out too... They had the ride of their life.
Sunday - The wind was up and the two 12's were at the club... It was going to be a great day..!!! We rigged at RQ as DPSS had the 16ft skiff states and we were concerned about rigging space... PB went over to DPSS to sign on and we could feel the excitement brewing... The 16's were already out there and it was only 20kts... PERFECT..!!!! Tristan and I had full 3rd in while Richard and Tim (obviously still not over their big rig disaster race last time we raced out of DPSS) opted for a 3.5 rig... Yes they put on a 4th rig jib...
We were meant to wait for the call from DPSS to say what time the race was on but Tristan and Richard were itching to get out there and we left the beach a bit early... Timmy was still trying to remember what he had done the night before, the big question he asked was why he was walking around Ascot at 0600... We launched and set off down the harbour... The gusts throwing the skinny boats forward faster and faster.. I almost fell out the back of the boat in the harbour the accelleration was so good :o)
We got out there and it was a glam 3rd rig day.. Probably on the upper end of 3rd rig but still more than managable..!! We paced a foiling moth out of the leads and I said to Tristan "Today is gonna be a good day..!!!" I was sooo right..!!! We sailed up to where the top mark was going to be and threw up the bag... There was super flat water and the ride was fantastic..!! Not scary or out of control.. Just really fun.
The Grove boys came out to boogie and they too seemed to have a good ride..
The gun went and we were off... Tristan and I won the start but Richard and Timmy were close behind... We may have had a bit of height on them off the start but the speed was pretty similar... Team Grove had a few interesting tacks up the first work and PB had a handy lead around the top mark.. We hit the gybe and all Tristan would have heard was Fu&k Fu&k Fu&k Fu&k Fu&k Fu&k Fu&k Fu&k Fu&k..!! The tiller extension had skewered through my life jacket and we hit the piss... Chalk it up Tristan.. That is definitely a beer I owe you... By the time we had pulled the kite in Timmy and Rich were past us.. Dang..!! We sent it the rest of the way down the run and were quite thankful Richard and Tim had waited for us... From what I understand, they hadn't pulled the kite all the way down before the mark rounding and it got stuck on the forestay... Timmy went forward to retrieve it and splash... UNRUCKY..!!!
PB caught them again and it was GAME ON BIT,CHES..!!! We had height on them again that leg and by the top mark we had a nice lead.. By this stage the 13's had started their racing and Tristan being the Gentleman he is, had me ducking and weaving trying to stay out of their way... We two sailed for what seemed like an eternity at the top mark to clear their air... Anyway.. We set the kite and drove it like we stole it..!!! Then it came... Under a big grey cloud came the pressure of the day... Tristan and I watched it come down the track... The Grove boys were in it... We watched the storm down towards us.. There is nothing worse is there... You're chugging along ok, but there is a front coming and the back markers are flying towards you.. There is nothing you can do except wait for it to reach you... Come on wind.. Hurry the Fu&k up and get here..!!! It was in this gust that the Grove boys lowered their bow pole and drove her deep in to the mud... Timmy started giggling when the water hit the bowpole and didn't stop until the stern was 12ft in the air... Core sample was taken and the race was PB's.. The 3rd lap had the wind drop considerably and we were only one and a half stringing but we got around..
Again it was good to see the close racing between the 12's with only seconds separating 1st and 2nd place. (even if it was about 600 of them hey Rich.....)
What a fantastic day and again PB were blessed with another skiff buying the beer..!!
Shame the rest of you weren't there.. It was a glorioius day to be on a 12..!!!
Cheers
Skinnyman..!!
We had a little pow wow on the beach and decided to race Sunday instead as the forecast was set to drop to 15-20kts... Well all of us except the Squid... I think Benny had a date on Sunday.. Something like that anyway.. Since they couldn't sail Sunday the Squidgee's threw in 4th rig and launched.. The reports were 33kts in the bay... Childs play..!!! They left the ramp with quite an audience... You nailed it boys.. Good work..!!!
They got through the harbour no problems... It was when they poked their forestay out of the harbour that it got messy... The T-ball snapped and down went the rig... What an anticlimax... They sailed her back to DPSS and we drove their trailer around... One 18ft skiff went out too... They had the ride of their life.
Sunday - The wind was up and the two 12's were at the club... It was going to be a great day..!!! We rigged at RQ as DPSS had the 16ft skiff states and we were concerned about rigging space... PB went over to DPSS to sign on and we could feel the excitement brewing... The 16's were already out there and it was only 20kts... PERFECT..!!!! Tristan and I had full 3rd in while Richard and Tim (obviously still not over their big rig disaster race last time we raced out of DPSS) opted for a 3.5 rig... Yes they put on a 4th rig jib...
We were meant to wait for the call from DPSS to say what time the race was on but Tristan and Richard were itching to get out there and we left the beach a bit early... Timmy was still trying to remember what he had done the night before, the big question he asked was why he was walking around Ascot at 0600... We launched and set off down the harbour... The gusts throwing the skinny boats forward faster and faster.. I almost fell out the back of the boat in the harbour the accelleration was so good :o)
We got out there and it was a glam 3rd rig day.. Probably on the upper end of 3rd rig but still more than managable..!! We paced a foiling moth out of the leads and I said to Tristan "Today is gonna be a good day..!!!" I was sooo right..!!! We sailed up to where the top mark was going to be and threw up the bag... There was super flat water and the ride was fantastic..!! Not scary or out of control.. Just really fun.
The Grove boys came out to boogie and they too seemed to have a good ride..
The gun went and we were off... Tristan and I won the start but Richard and Timmy were close behind... We may have had a bit of height on them off the start but the speed was pretty similar... Team Grove had a few interesting tacks up the first work and PB had a handy lead around the top mark.. We hit the gybe and all Tristan would have heard was Fu&k Fu&k Fu&k Fu&k Fu&k Fu&k Fu&k Fu&k Fu&k..!! The tiller extension had skewered through my life jacket and we hit the piss... Chalk it up Tristan.. That is definitely a beer I owe you... By the time we had pulled the kite in Timmy and Rich were past us.. Dang..!! We sent it the rest of the way down the run and were quite thankful Richard and Tim had waited for us... From what I understand, they hadn't pulled the kite all the way down before the mark rounding and it got stuck on the forestay... Timmy went forward to retrieve it and splash... UNRUCKY..!!!
PB caught them again and it was GAME ON BIT,CHES..!!! We had height on them again that leg and by the top mark we had a nice lead.. By this stage the 13's had started their racing and Tristan being the Gentleman he is, had me ducking and weaving trying to stay out of their way... We two sailed for what seemed like an eternity at the top mark to clear their air... Anyway.. We set the kite and drove it like we stole it..!!! Then it came... Under a big grey cloud came the pressure of the day... Tristan and I watched it come down the track... The Grove boys were in it... We watched the storm down towards us.. There is nothing worse is there... You're chugging along ok, but there is a front coming and the back markers are flying towards you.. There is nothing you can do except wait for it to reach you... Come on wind.. Hurry the Fu&k up and get here..!!! It was in this gust that the Grove boys lowered their bow pole and drove her deep in to the mud... Timmy started giggling when the water hit the bowpole and didn't stop until the stern was 12ft in the air... Core sample was taken and the race was PB's.. The 3rd lap had the wind drop considerably and we were only one and a half stringing but we got around..
Again it was good to see the close racing between the 12's with only seconds separating 1st and 2nd place. (even if it was about 600 of them hey Rich.....)
What a fantastic day and again PB were blessed with another skiff buying the beer..!!
Shame the rest of you weren't there.. It was a glorioius day to be on a 12..!!!
Cheers
Skinnyman..!!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Race Report 13/11/2010 by Tristan
O.K the truth,
Brendan pulled the pin on Fri night so I was calling anybody and everybody to get somebody to sail. Sat morning came and I was still on the blower but nobody was around. So I took the punt and went down to the club and if I was not going to find anybody I was going to get Terry and Wayne to pick up the points for the tugganaught. Then, like does Mark Mathews appeared out of the smoke and I ask if he was sailing he replied No and I said you are now. He went home and found some stinkin sailing gear… I told him he was steering and he said well I won’t need a harness in that case. It was going to be interesting!.. We did everything conservative in the first race got off the line well and blasted to the top mark first. That’s where we stayed even in front of the two moths, I was worried about the gybes, however that was his best moment, it felt safe as! I must mention the squid lips overshot the pin by 4 seconds and they had to go back! They were keen to get out of the blocks but CAME TO EARLY. Little unsatisfying.
Next race the start was pretty funny as Terry and Wayne went for the port hand start only to be buried by the rest of the stb hand fleet. I think he may have been peaking a little early also.
We were 3rd to the top mark behind one LW sharpy and a Moth. Made it to the bottom and then went to the top only to put it in the piss to windward with the kite up! We got a little untidy at this point and the fleet caught up. Terry got second on H.C in this race and tugger got 3rd over the line and 4th on H.C.
Good points for the PB for the spring point score and a funny day with Mark. He struggles to get in and out on the wire but once he has locked and loaded he is fine.Down wind he sat on the side Bocho style to keep it conservative.
The tugga is smoking to windward!
See you all next weekend
Brendan pulled the pin on Fri night so I was calling anybody and everybody to get somebody to sail. Sat morning came and I was still on the blower but nobody was around. So I took the punt and went down to the club and if I was not going to find anybody I was going to get Terry and Wayne to pick up the points for the tugganaught. Then, like does Mark Mathews appeared out of the smoke and I ask if he was sailing he replied No and I said you are now. He went home and found some stinkin sailing gear… I told him he was steering and he said well I won’t need a harness in that case. It was going to be interesting!.. We did everything conservative in the first race got off the line well and blasted to the top mark first. That’s where we stayed even in front of the two moths, I was worried about the gybes, however that was his best moment, it felt safe as! I must mention the squid lips overshot the pin by 4 seconds and they had to go back! They were keen to get out of the blocks but CAME TO EARLY. Little unsatisfying.
Next race the start was pretty funny as Terry and Wayne went for the port hand start only to be buried by the rest of the stb hand fleet. I think he may have been peaking a little early also.
We were 3rd to the top mark behind one LW sharpy and a Moth. Made it to the bottom and then went to the top only to put it in the piss to windward with the kite up! We got a little untidy at this point and the fleet caught up. Terry got second on H.C in this race and tugger got 3rd over the line and 4th on H.C.
Good points for the PB for the spring point score and a funny day with Mark. He struggles to get in and out on the wire but once he has locked and loaded he is fine.Down wind he sat on the side Bocho style to keep it conservative.
The tugga is smoking to windward!
See you all next weekend
Race Report 6/11/2010
Wow.. What a cracker of a weekend..!!!
Who doesn't love sick easterlies with second rig in..!!!
Oh it wasn't that bad...
Here's the weekly report..
We arrived at the club at 11:00.. The sun was shining, there were boats all over the rigging lawn and The Glee Club were singing Lady Gaga through Suellens new rigging lawn speakers... Oh it was gonna be a great day..!! Only drama was... THERE WAS NO WIND..!!!!
Tristan unfortunately had to work so Wayne got the late call up... He was keen as mustard to get onboard and try a skinny boat.. Fair enough too :o) THEY"RE AWESOME..!!
Wayne and I were busy plugging in big rig when the Ghetto Shed and Squid rolled up.. Richard looked around nervously and wanted to go second rig... The forecast was 10-15kts.. Wayne and I were dubious.. As was Craig... Ben and Richard both seemed to have flash backs to the 15kt big rig day a few weeks ago... Dry your eyes princesses..!! Anyway we decided to do the righty and do the you go I go we all go a go go thing.. So we took out big and slapped in second rig... Big call... Richard said he'd buy the beers if we got out there and it wasn't second rig...
So we hit the water.. The wind was from the west and Wayne and I went out a little earlier than usual just to get used to the boat etc... Fun times.. We blasted out of the harbour.. Wayne loved the accelleration of the BMMKII hull and it didn't stop there.. We got out of the leads and threw the kite up to head down to green... The wind started bending south and soon we were heading straight back to the channel.. We gybed to miss an etchell and were heading straight back where we were coming from.. The wind had swung to the East so we had effectivly done a 180... Awesome... We dropped the kite and worked our way up to the Northern course... There was a patch between the leads and the start boat where West meets East... We sat there patiently for... TOO LONG..!!!
We then proceeded to the start... The wind was swinging 360 degrees... It was crazy... I wasn't sure if they would ever get a race in... We were out there for 2hrs before they finally got a race started... The wind had settled in the South and it was actually quite a comfy second rig... Nice work Richard...
The Squid smashed the start... They hit the pin end and just smoked the fleet. It was awesome to see.. Wayne and I didn't have a terrible start but it wasn't great... We worked our way up the course but duffed a tack and lay line which Richard and John on board the Gettho Shed through.. Well kind of... There was a Port and Starboard incident where Ghetto miraculously got a random lift right when our tiller extensions crossed their bow........ I didn't see it myself but anyway... Meanwhile the Squidgee lads had just killed us all and were miles in front... They were right on the tail of the 49er... The barging mark was pretty square so Craig decided to sneak the tack line out.. They were bracing for the fastest set of all time.. unfortunately upon reaching the barging mark the kite didn't go up... It was stuck between the kite pole wires... OH NO..!!! Before anyone could blink, the kite was in the water collecting prawns and both Ghetto and PB had blasted past them.. Unrucky boys..!! We get halfway down the run and Ghetto dropped their kite... Wayne and I were in shock.. Surely these clowns weren't going to do it again... Yep.. Ghetto rounded the wrong bottom mark... PB continued down to the proper bottom mark and tried to catch the speedy cheatahs.. (Pun intended) There were small gains and losses throughout the second lap and we finished roughly the same distance from Ghetto.. Good quality racing.. I love that there is only seconds splitting the boats... One slow tack and or a missed layline costs you a race. Keeps you on ya toes that's for sure..!! The Squid boys brought it up the rear.. They had a small tear in their kite from the incident but finished in 3rd ahead of the millions of 505's..
The second race start was a bit better for PB.. Ghetto and Squid tacked off early and PB covered... The wind had eased a little, but we were still able to just pull two strings...
Ghetto found thge switch for the after burners and were able to point a bit higher than us... They crossed us and rounded the top mark.. It was still close.. Wayne and I rounded with a bunch of 505's.. Did I mention there were 8 of them..!! We decided that we wouldn't catch Ghetto by following them, so we did the sneaky Brendan gybe at the top mark and prayed for a line down the middle to drag us down... We didn't get it but we made up a little ground anyway due to Ghetto missing the lay line and dropping early... The wind eased some more and they worked their way up to the top mark.. Wayne and I threw everything at them but we couldn't peg them back.. We rounded the top mark in the same order.. The squid boys caught up a bit too but the hole in their kite got a bit bigger every time they threw it up, and by the last lap they had pretty much no kite left.. Just some luff tape skill dragging them to the finish boat..
Well done to all crew. It was a magic day out there..!! Well worth the horrible 2hr wait before the first race...
Again it's great to see the standard lifting each week... I love having such close racing..!!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Race Report 17/10/2010
Yet another cracking weekend..!!
How nuts was the wind on Saturday..!! Code flag Sausage was flying high :o) Although Timmy has now been sacked from sausage coordinator... 5 sausages do not go far with skiffies... What were you thinking..!!!
So yeah for those of you who didn't turn up to the club on Saturday... It was howling... When we arrived it was 32-36kts out there... It eased a bit.. 26-32.. They were thinking long and hard about racing and I think if there were more than one 12 ft skiff on the rigging lawn they would have been swayed... However the volunteers had their meeting and the racing was cancelled...
Sunday however...............
GLORIOUS..!!!! Richard and I took out the Grove... It was a perfect second rig when we were rigging... Probably big rig if I had the Tristan the ton onboard, but it was second rig for Richard and I :o)
We rigged with half a dozen 13's.. A chubby, a 16 and an old 18 footer...
The briefing was short and sweet... 5 laps for the 16 and 4 for the rest... Ha..!! Like B-Rand and the Millers would lap us on a day like yesterday.. Hahaha Suckers..!!
So we hit the water in high spirits.. Team Grove looked the goods (I wore some fancy new wetsuit pants) and were gagging to test out Richards new c'board.... We set off to the startline and boy were we worried.. The set it up right down near Lota creek... We were a bit worried about the depth... The waves were steep and the water looked brown.. Not the sort of test we had in mind for the new fin..... Anyway we smashed the start... Full power and clear air... We were in front..!! Woot woot..!!
The chop was a bit annoying as there wasn't quite enough waterline length or power in our rig to punch through it.. However we got to the top mark not that far behind Data 3.. We sent it down hill and may have caught up a little bit but the bit we caught up was lost when the kite retrieval got knotted on the drop.. We did the next leg with no real gain but we put a bit of distance on the 13's...
The next kite ride was probably the highlight... We did a couple of gybes because we weren't under any pressure and we were "a bit bored"... We came to the drop and my enthusiasm got me in a bit of trouble.... My lovely soft skippers hands got a rude shock when I went for the big pull on the retrieval line and the kite got stuck on the forestay... My hands kept going after the rope stopped... I started bleeding from my hands and on the next windward I turned to Rich and asked.. "how many times do I have to pull that bi*ch up again" and I showed him my bleeding fingers... Richie drove us to the top mark where we did a super mega ultra elegant crew/skipper swap... Richie set the kite and the wind eased... It was definitely big rig now.. Oh well... The gap between us and the 16 didn't really change and the gap to the 13's was about the same... We were just sailing for the fun of it on our own... We could feel the victory coming but it didn't really excite us... The wind dropped under 10 kts and we were one and a half stringing for pretty much the rest of the race... On lap 4 the 13's caught up a little bit, but not enough to threaten us at all.. We sailed through the finish and got the gun.. Hip hip hooray to the flying Grove..!! It was a lovely day on the water even without the crazy rides of the previous week...
The verdict on the c'board is still undecided... It certainly doesn't feel slow... But it's hard to know without other 12's around you... Next week will be the real test..!!!
Thanks Richo for taking me out yesterday.. Enjoy the win.. They will be few and far between this season... PB is on the program.. We're in it to win it..!!!
Tristan might have a few good stories from the weekend too.. He flew to Syd for his 20 year school reunion... Missed his flight home.... Ended up at the Gold Coast...
How nuts was the wind on Saturday..!! Code flag Sausage was flying high :o) Although Timmy has now been sacked from sausage coordinator... 5 sausages do not go far with skiffies... What were you thinking..!!!
So yeah for those of you who didn't turn up to the club on Saturday... It was howling... When we arrived it was 32-36kts out there... It eased a bit.. 26-32.. They were thinking long and hard about racing and I think if there were more than one 12 ft skiff on the rigging lawn they would have been swayed... However the volunteers had their meeting and the racing was cancelled...
Sunday however...............
GLORIOUS..!!!! Richard and I took out the Grove... It was a perfect second rig when we were rigging... Probably big rig if I had the Tristan the ton onboard, but it was second rig for Richard and I :o)
We rigged with half a dozen 13's.. A chubby, a 16 and an old 18 footer...
The briefing was short and sweet... 5 laps for the 16 and 4 for the rest... Ha..!! Like B-Rand and the Millers would lap us on a day like yesterday.. Hahaha Suckers..!!
So we hit the water in high spirits.. Team Grove looked the goods (I wore some fancy new wetsuit pants) and were gagging to test out Richards new c'board.... We set off to the startline and boy were we worried.. The set it up right down near Lota creek... We were a bit worried about the depth... The waves were steep and the water looked brown.. Not the sort of test we had in mind for the new fin..... Anyway we smashed the start... Full power and clear air... We were in front..!! Woot woot..!!
The chop was a bit annoying as there wasn't quite enough waterline length or power in our rig to punch through it.. However we got to the top mark not that far behind Data 3.. We sent it down hill and may have caught up a little bit but the bit we caught up was lost when the kite retrieval got knotted on the drop.. We did the next leg with no real gain but we put a bit of distance on the 13's...
The next kite ride was probably the highlight... We did a couple of gybes because we weren't under any pressure and we were "a bit bored"... We came to the drop and my enthusiasm got me in a bit of trouble.... My lovely soft skippers hands got a rude shock when I went for the big pull on the retrieval line and the kite got stuck on the forestay... My hands kept going after the rope stopped... I started bleeding from my hands and on the next windward I turned to Rich and asked.. "how many times do I have to pull that bi*ch up again" and I showed him my bleeding fingers... Richie drove us to the top mark where we did a super mega ultra elegant crew/skipper swap... Richie set the kite and the wind eased... It was definitely big rig now.. Oh well... The gap between us and the 16 didn't really change and the gap to the 13's was about the same... We were just sailing for the fun of it on our own... We could feel the victory coming but it didn't really excite us... The wind dropped under 10 kts and we were one and a half stringing for pretty much the rest of the race... On lap 4 the 13's caught up a little bit, but not enough to threaten us at all.. We sailed through the finish and got the gun.. Hip hip hooray to the flying Grove..!! It was a lovely day on the water even without the crazy rides of the previous week...
The verdict on the c'board is still undecided... It certainly doesn't feel slow... But it's hard to know without other 12's around you... Next week will be the real test..!!!
Thanks Richo for taking me out yesterday.. Enjoy the win.. They will be few and far between this season... PB is on the program.. We're in it to win it..!!!
Tristan might have a few good stories from the weekend too.. He flew to Syd for his 20 year school reunion... Missed his flight home.... Ended up at the Gold Coast...
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Race Report 02/10/2010
So another week goes by and another glorious Saturday of skiff racing to remember..
Finally a weekend where we didn't have to lump that crazy big rig around all day..!! Woot woot..!!
The numbers on the race track were down, but the fighting was as fierce as ever..!! The St Helena Cup looked like a fun option... HA..!!
There were only two 12's that made it to the startline.. Oh and the regular 9er sailors... Because the Northern end of the bay was being utilised by lead heads, the all boat racing was run on the Southern course... Well wasn't that exciting..!! There is nothing like running up and down the start line dodging sailboards, sabots, Sabres, lasers, puffin pacers and eggshells.. Lucky for us it was a perfect 2nd rig day so the skiffs were fairly manageable.......
There was some confusion amongst the competitors.. Ben and Craig actually started twice.. Once with the Etchels, and the other with the all boats... Tristan and I got the sequence wrong and we were a minute late..!!! What a great start to the day..!!
Since the race committee had so may different classes to race, there were two separate courses set on the same patch of water.. Gee didn't that make things interesting... I counted 11 buoys in total... Some were round and some were cylindrical... It took nerves of steel to back yourself and believe you're actually heading to the right mark...
So back to the race... The Squid boys got off the line a few seconds late, but Tristan and I on the mighty PB were way off the pace... We were too busy watching the windsurfers..... The first lap was pretty straight forward.. We just followed the leader... PB Towage made up some ground on the Squid lads and coming up the second last lap we were going gust for gust... Luckily for the Calamari clan they got their nose in to a good gust just before the lay line and were able to sneak ahead... Perhaps if our bow pole was fixed old skool it would have been a different story..... However it's not and they crossed us... Rounded the top mark and sent it.. Tristan and I got a knot in the retrieval and we thought for certain that was our day done... Thank goodness the children were racing on the outer edge of the course because the foul language coming out of our boat even made me blush.. I was just hoping those pesky 29er kids wouldn't catch up... How embarrassing! We got the knot undone and with the kite, almost at the top, we screamed down towards to the bottom mark.. That's when I heard the call from Tristan.. The Squid boys have put it in! Game on bi*ches..!!! We screamed down to the bottom mark and navigated our way around the Squid. They followed us around the final trapezoid and we finished in that order.. The Beers were on the Squid..!!!
Being gentlemen, we pulled up along side and offered a double or nothing.. Benny was quick to take us up on it, so once again we parted ways and put on our war paint.. The wind shifted East and PB took a chance.. PORT HAND BANDITS..!!! We didn't cross the Hobies but the skiffs were left in out wake.. SUCKERS..!!
The race was only two laps, so unfortunately for the Squid there were very limited passing lanes... Both boats sailed mistake free and that was that... Two bullets for PB Towage...
It was great close racing all day... The shorter courses certainly added a new dynamic.. There were gates and wing marks.. It was quite an interesting course... I don't know if I'd want to do it on a healthy 4th rig day tho... There were some great rides thrown in too.. Did I mention it was a glam 2nd rig day..?? I love it..!!
For those who cruised around the bay at 6kts in the rain.. Bravo.. But SUCKS TO BE YOU..!!!
The most promising thing I've noticed about this season so far is how close the racing is... One mistake puts you out the back of the fleet...
You have to be on your game.. But you also have to be ON THE WATER..!!! We're a month in to the season now guys.... Get your boats to the rigging lawn..!! There is fantastic racing being had, you're missing it..!!!
This weekend is shaping up to be a gem.. I can't wait to see you all out there..!!
Cheers
Skinnyman
Finally a weekend where we didn't have to lump that crazy big rig around all day..!! Woot woot..!!
The numbers on the race track were down, but the fighting was as fierce as ever..!! The St Helena Cup looked like a fun option... HA..!!
There were only two 12's that made it to the startline.. Oh and the regular 9er sailors... Because the Northern end of the bay was being utilised by lead heads, the all boat racing was run on the Southern course... Well wasn't that exciting..!! There is nothing like running up and down the start line dodging sailboards, sabots, Sabres, lasers, puffin pacers and eggshells.. Lucky for us it was a perfect 2nd rig day so the skiffs were fairly manageable.......
There was some confusion amongst the competitors.. Ben and Craig actually started twice.. Once with the Etchels, and the other with the all boats... Tristan and I got the sequence wrong and we were a minute late..!!! What a great start to the day..!!
Since the race committee had so may different classes to race, there were two separate courses set on the same patch of water.. Gee didn't that make things interesting... I counted 11 buoys in total... Some were round and some were cylindrical... It took nerves of steel to back yourself and believe you're actually heading to the right mark...
So back to the race... The Squid boys got off the line a few seconds late, but Tristan and I on the mighty PB were way off the pace... We were too busy watching the windsurfers..... The first lap was pretty straight forward.. We just followed the leader... PB Towage made up some ground on the Squid lads and coming up the second last lap we were going gust for gust... Luckily for the Calamari clan they got their nose in to a good gust just before the lay line and were able to sneak ahead... Perhaps if our bow pole was fixed old skool it would have been a different story..... However it's not and they crossed us... Rounded the top mark and sent it.. Tristan and I got a knot in the retrieval and we thought for certain that was our day done... Thank goodness the children were racing on the outer edge of the course because the foul language coming out of our boat even made me blush.. I was just hoping those pesky 29er kids wouldn't catch up... How embarrassing! We got the knot undone and with the kite, almost at the top, we screamed down towards to the bottom mark.. That's when I heard the call from Tristan.. The Squid boys have put it in! Game on bi*ches..!!! We screamed down to the bottom mark and navigated our way around the Squid. They followed us around the final trapezoid and we finished in that order.. The Beers were on the Squid..!!!
Being gentlemen, we pulled up along side and offered a double or nothing.. Benny was quick to take us up on it, so once again we parted ways and put on our war paint.. The wind shifted East and PB took a chance.. PORT HAND BANDITS..!!! We didn't cross the Hobies but the skiffs were left in out wake.. SUCKERS..!!
The race was only two laps, so unfortunately for the Squid there were very limited passing lanes... Both boats sailed mistake free and that was that... Two bullets for PB Towage...
It was great close racing all day... The shorter courses certainly added a new dynamic.. There were gates and wing marks.. It was quite an interesting course... I don't know if I'd want to do it on a healthy 4th rig day tho... There were some great rides thrown in too.. Did I mention it was a glam 2nd rig day..?? I love it..!!
For those who cruised around the bay at 6kts in the rain.. Bravo.. But SUCKS TO BE YOU..!!!
The most promising thing I've noticed about this season so far is how close the racing is... One mistake puts you out the back of the fleet...
You have to be on your game.. But you also have to be ON THE WATER..!!! We're a month in to the season now guys.... Get your boats to the rigging lawn..!! There is fantastic racing being had, you're missing it..!!!
This weekend is shaping up to be a gem.. I can't wait to see you all out there..!!
Cheers
Skinnyman
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Week 3
Yes, been slack. Skinnyman has been sending emails about the racing so i've copied one here...
Hey hey.!!!
I know you all must be gagging to hear what happened on Saturday.. Well what really happened that is..
The two Mathews hulls rigged up together.. There were very few boats on the lawn with weddings and grandfinals going on that day.. It was actually kinda eerie.. Oh and there was not a breath of wind and it was looking very much like rain... PERFECT..!!!!
Before we threw a rig in, I went and had a chat with the race officials to ask if there was any wind out there.. Or if there was any on the way.. All Suellen said was better put in Big Rig...
I got back and we threw in the biggest gear we had... After Richard dusted off the Grove that is.. We sat around talking sh1t as we do and finally we left the beach.. Rich was sailing with Benny and I was taking Rory (a 12ft skiff newbie..)
Launching was uneventful.. That is all.
On the way to the startline however I noticed I had completely rigged the retrieval system incorrectly.. So for the rest of the sail out to the startline Rory and I were stuffing around rerigging it all :o) What a glorious start to the day..
By the time the start gun went there was enough breeze to pull two strings and it was building... The Grove started on the pin and PB was smashing it out with 9ers up at the boat end... Full steam ahead and the 49er carved us both a new one.. It was slightly embarrassing... However, things looked better for us when the Grove boys tacked and we were clear ahead... Happy days.. We decided to tack on top of them.. This would have made us rockstars.. Unfortunately we never made it through the tack... Yep, we were Flopstars... We followed the Grove around the track and without them making a mistake and that was that... We had been punished for making a simple error... Well done to the Grove team...
Race two was fresh... There were white caps and I was wishing my super dooper lightening fast second rig was plugged in... We had the board up and cunno cranked... The Grove boys started on port because they were worried they had left it too late to try and tack on to Starboard... This proved to be their best mistake ever..!! They ducked the fleet and the 30m we went past them was the 30m gap that cost us the race... That was until the downwind....... We had some great rides on Saturday.. Skipping along on the transom with big rig... WEIRD..!!! Rory and I picked some great angles... Grove did too.. Except their angles didn't quite correlate with the RQ course..... Richie and Ben took a short cut and went through some random gate marks... Rookie mistake..!!! Rory and I sailed the true course and if Benny hadn't bought the jug of beer when we had returned to the beach, there would have been a protest...
All in all it was a fantastic day on the water..!! Rory had a blast and I reckon he would be keen for another ride sometime.. I can't wait to put the big rig away for summer though... Bring on 3rd rig..!!!
Hey hey.!!!
I know you all must be gagging to hear what happened on Saturday.. Well what really happened that is..
The two Mathews hulls rigged up together.. There were very few boats on the lawn with weddings and grandfinals going on that day.. It was actually kinda eerie.. Oh and there was not a breath of wind and it was looking very much like rain... PERFECT..!!!!
Before we threw a rig in, I went and had a chat with the race officials to ask if there was any wind out there.. Or if there was any on the way.. All Suellen said was better put in Big Rig...
I got back and we threw in the biggest gear we had... After Richard dusted off the Grove that is.. We sat around talking sh1t as we do and finally we left the beach.. Rich was sailing with Benny and I was taking Rory (a 12ft skiff newbie..)
Launching was uneventful.. That is all.
On the way to the startline however I noticed I had completely rigged the retrieval system incorrectly.. So for the rest of the sail out to the startline Rory and I were stuffing around rerigging it all :o) What a glorious start to the day..
By the time the start gun went there was enough breeze to pull two strings and it was building... The Grove started on the pin and PB was smashing it out with 9ers up at the boat end... Full steam ahead and the 49er carved us both a new one.. It was slightly embarrassing... However, things looked better for us when the Grove boys tacked and we were clear ahead... Happy days.. We decided to tack on top of them.. This would have made us rockstars.. Unfortunately we never made it through the tack... Yep, we were Flopstars... We followed the Grove around the track and without them making a mistake and that was that... We had been punished for making a simple error... Well done to the Grove team...
Race two was fresh... There were white caps and I was wishing my super dooper lightening fast second rig was plugged in... We had the board up and cunno cranked... The Grove boys started on port because they were worried they had left it too late to try and tack on to Starboard... This proved to be their best mistake ever..!! They ducked the fleet and the 30m we went past them was the 30m gap that cost us the race... That was until the downwind....... We had some great rides on Saturday.. Skipping along on the transom with big rig... WEIRD..!!! Rory and I picked some great angles... Grove did too.. Except their angles didn't quite correlate with the RQ course..... Richie and Ben took a short cut and went through some random gate marks... Rookie mistake..!!! Rory and I sailed the true course and if Benny hadn't bought the jug of beer when we had returned to the beach, there would have been a protest...
All in all it was a fantastic day on the water..!! Rory had a blast and I reckon he would be keen for another ride sometime.. I can't wait to put the big rig away for summer though... Bring on 3rd rig..!!!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Blast from the Past
Courtesy of Terry Ellis, Frank Saroch and Don Robinson. Apologies to any wives of those depicted. Yes your husbands were cool.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Australian Champs Results
Photos at {http://www.rqys.com.au/index.php/12-skiff-australian-championship/}
Monday, March 29, 2010
Australian Titles
If you’re interested in high performance sailing and you have some free time over Easter, head down to Manly Harbour and check out some of the best skiff racing around. The Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron (RQYS) is playing host to up 25 skiffs hoping to take home the Norman Booth trophy for the 12 foot skiff Australian Championship.
Starting from humble beginnings, the 12ft skiff has grown and endured to become one of the last true development classes racing today. With only nine class rules limiting hull size and weight at 45kgs, sailors are free to create and race the boat that they want. The result of this is a 12ft boat that regularly becomes airborne under the power of a spinnaker the same size as most 30 foot yachts.
The Australian Championship has been held since 1925 and is the pinnacle of Aussie twelves’ racing. The current Australian team have just returned from a Interdominion contest with New Zealand held in Auckland early in the new year. The competition will be fierce with the current interdominion champion, Dimension Polyant attempting to make the double. However, there are a number of strong competitors standing in their way.
The best place to watch the spectacular spinnaker rides is on the water, but if you can’t get out there then check out the RQYS viewing platform or Darling Point. Racing commences on the 2nd until the 5th of April.
Starting from humble beginnings, the 12ft skiff has grown and endured to become one of the last true development classes racing today. With only nine class rules limiting hull size and weight at 45kgs, sailors are free to create and race the boat that they want. The result of this is a 12ft boat that regularly becomes airborne under the power of a spinnaker the same size as most 30 foot yachts.
The Australian Championship has been held since 1925 and is the pinnacle of Aussie twelves’ racing. The current Australian team have just returned from a Interdominion contest with New Zealand held in Auckland early in the new year. The competition will be fierce with the current interdominion champion, Dimension Polyant attempting to make the double. However, there are a number of strong competitors standing in their way.
The best place to watch the spectacular spinnaker rides is on the water, but if you can’t get out there then check out the RQYS viewing platform or Darling Point. Racing commences on the 2nd until the 5th of April.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Copycats
This image was borrowed from the anarchists.
They must have seen this image and thought it was a good idea.
Enough said.
They must have seen this image and thought it was a good idea.
Enough said.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
13/14 January Results
Nice return to club racing after the Inters (Ghetto was 20th) and the Great Race (Southport-Brisbane - Ghetto 3rd Mono). We had 10-15knots and 2nd rig in. Got some nice photos too thanks to a certain someone. Interesting points were the Wingman's kite halyard block blowing up, yet Tristan could still pull the kite up, Terry shredding his kite, but still sending it and me not doing my tank bung up and carrying 10L of water around the track.
Race 1:
1st Ghetto
DNF: Wingman
DNF: Challenger
Race 1:
1st: Wingman
2nd: Ghetto
3rd: Challenger
Race 1:
1st Ghetto
DNF: Wingman
DNF: Challenger
Race 1:
1st: Wingman
2nd: Ghetto
3rd: Challenger
Monday, February 1, 2010
2010 Nationals
The 12ft Skiff Australian Championship is being hosted by the Qld 12s this year. Easter is the time and RQYS is the place to be to sail or watch some great skiff racing.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
While the boat's away...
So we're back from the Interdoms with a 20th place to show for it. Congrats to Nick Press and Brad Yabsley for taking it out and posting their 2nd Inters win. NZ won the teams trophy with another outstanding display.
Our boatspeed was exceptional at times but once again lacked the perfect boathandling required to sail a skinny boat fast. We also suffered off the breeze with smaller slower kites and only 135kg on the wire.
Moments of potential such as 4th around the top mark in a soft big rig race and 3rd around the first wingmark of another were hacked away by the kite/chute system not working as it should and choosing the wrong side of the course. However the speed potential in all conditions was promising.
We were the 7th Aussie boat and managed to stay ahead of all the other young Aussies (except Brett and Alex in Garde). So I'm pretty happy with that and it will lead to good things at the upcoming Nationals over Easter at RQYS. NOR available shortly.
Got a few things to update on the boat when it gets back. Racing continues at RQYS this Saturday 23rd and DPSS on the Sunday 31st.
http://210.86.1.80/regattas/interdoms/inters.html
http://210.86.1.80/images/2010_inters/index.html
Our boatspeed was exceptional at times but once again lacked the perfect boathandling required to sail a skinny boat fast. We also suffered off the breeze with smaller slower kites and only 135kg on the wire.
Moments of potential such as 4th around the top mark in a soft big rig race and 3rd around the first wingmark of another were hacked away by the kite/chute system not working as it should and choosing the wrong side of the course. However the speed potential in all conditions was promising.
We were the 7th Aussie boat and managed to stay ahead of all the other young Aussies (except Brett and Alex in Garde). So I'm pretty happy with that and it will lead to good things at the upcoming Nationals over Easter at RQYS. NOR available shortly.
Got a few things to update on the boat when it gets back. Racing continues at RQYS this Saturday 23rd and DPSS on the Sunday 31st.
http://210.86.1.80/regattas/interdoms/inters.html
http://210.86.1.80/images/2010_inters/index.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
