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Today, the RO and his crew did a great job. With two morning races scheduled on a hot day, the lake was a millpond at 1030 and the predicted Easterly breeze didn't start to blow until after lunch. So, we lost a race as the sailing was condensed to a 3 race back-to-back to back session after lunch. But by then a 10-15 knot breeze had settled.
The results are posted so no need to run through the placings. And you can see from the times how close the racing was. I can't give a race-by-race report as I was concentrating on other things, but I can give some random observations:
Is this the start of a new era? The traditional week-long VS nationals regatta just after Christmas has been replaced by a 3 day event at the end of January. 10 races are still scheduled. Let’s see how us old fellas go with fatigue. But without competing regattas, such as Sydney-Hobart, 16 footers, 13 footers & F11’s, we have a good number of entries – 12 in total. So that is a good start….
Race 1 With a 8-12 knot SSE breeze blowing the fleet was eager to go. So eager that three boats were pinged for being over early – Wobbygong, SFC & Meeks. In a very wise decision, Matt, Pete & Macka took Wobbygong back. Mick & Jeffo didn’t realise they were also OCS until the dreaded chat with the RO after the finish. So much for that good start... When the fleet settled Firestorm had found the lead up the first beat & picked some good pressure lines for the rest of the race to hold the position to the finish. Steve, Jeremy & Troy on Runaway also liked the ‘swinging two’ breeze to finish 2nd not far behind the red boat. TBS just didn’t find their mojo in this race but still managed 3rd. On corrected time Rog, Tim & Will on Devocean scored a 3rd, Measurement Solutions scored 2nd, but the winner on the day, and the first to collect the wine donated by our terrific sponsor, Quay Accounting & Tax, was Wobbygong!!!. Told you it was a wise decision to restart. Race 2 The breeze softened a little for this race so it was a bit more tedious. A fantastic pin end start from Devocean saw them cross the fleet and lead until Firestorm, Troy Botting Shipwright & Meeks eked their way to the front of the fleet and battle race long for the win. Firestorm thought they had a winning lead until Mick, Robbie & Katie on went hard left up the 2nd work and tailed the red boat around the top mark. Col, Adam & Janine were also not far behind & completed one of their legendary gybe sets and held the breeze down the run to the finish. In the end Firestorm got the gun, closely followed by TBS & Meeks. Runaway and SFC soaked home to 4th and 5th, but after that it got closer. Doddsy completed a great tactical gybe close to the finish line to get Stowe home in 6th, 7 seconds ahead of Narwahl with Incognito just a few more seconds further back. One up for Zac & Byron vs Chris & Greg. On corrected time it was the same result. Narwahl 1st. Incognito 2nd. The new era continues to emerge… Race 3 The breeze was still blowing from the same direction and was better than race 2, but still less than race 1. The start lines were a nice length & true to the breeze so it was hard to pick a favoured position. Firestorm was at the pin & thought they had a good lead until they tacked & saw Narwahl raging away from the boat end on port tack. Narwahl rounded the top mark in 2nd, but on board Firestorm Wade was doing a stellar job filling in for Dale, picking the pressure lines flawlessly, speeding himself, John & Courtney to a nice lead and take the win. The Narwahl boys are still learning the nuances of getting a VS downwind quickly and held on gallantly for 5th, not far behind Meeks, TBS & Runaway. That is good company to be competing with. And they beat Incognito again… On corrected time it was close. Wobbygong finished 3rd but in ahead was very close. 1 second in fact. Narwahl had sailed a great race, but so too had Jock, James & Issac on Measurement Solutions. They scored the victory by 1 second to get the wine. Well done!! Our facebook page (VS 15 Foot Skiff Sailing | Facebook) has a bunch of photos from today's racing. Finally, if it interests you, the VS’s were faster around the course than the F15’s in races 1 & 3. Is this a trend that we are faster in a breeze? I hope Saturday is just a repeat of today 😊 Cheers John Frustrating. I think that would be the word that first comes to mind of the crews that sailed in the Teralba regatta. Think of breeze lines that skimmed the edges of the course, fluctuated in direction by 45 degrees, ranged in strength from 2-8 knots, and you’ll have a good idea of the conditions. But on the positive side the boat handling was great throughout the regatta and there were no capsizes…
Saturday. We were missing a few from the fleet – Devocean was out of crew; Incognito was out of the country. But Alex and Andrew made the trip to represent the Hawkesbury club, debuting their new boat Black Diamond. As a result of finding out that the cardinal mark at Belmont slips cannot the ignored, White line Fever has been replaced by Black Diamond. Yep. Chook is now without a boat. It is a shame to think Chook has finished sailing VSs. After only 50 years in the class, you’d have thought he could have hung on a little longer… If we can’t coax him back and this is the end then look out for a tribute. A class legend deserves no less. So eight boats lined up on Saturday. A late wind shift saw the pin end favoured and SFC made the perfect port hand start to cross Meeks & Firestorm and jump away to a small lead. But this wasn’t a follow the leader day. If you went left you would get a breeze with more north. If you went right you’d get a breeze from the south. Go up the middle and you’d get nothing. So I saw SFC, Meeks, Runaway, TBS & Firestorm all lead the fleet at some time during the first lap. Stowe gave the fleet a bit of a head start by sailing to the wing mark. Black Diamond gave the fleet a head start by missing the start by 5 minutes. Both would recover. The downwind legs were as tricky as the upwind legs, and it was on the 2nd downwind leg that Firestorm went towards Marmong when the leaders went towards Speers. John, Dale & Courtney on Firestorm scored some favourable breeze and jumped to a lead they would not relinquish. Runaway kept them honest, continually favouring the east upwind and benefiting by scoring a nice second place. Next was Meeks, TBS & SFC, all trading places on the last lap. On corrected time Matt, Mackenzie & Pete gave the newly refurbished Wobbygong the perfect regatta debut by claiming the win. Good one. Sunday. The forecast fading NW’ers came to fruition. We were pushed to a later start, so Bozo could change the course if required (but that was never going happen), so the wind was very fickle. Seven boats lined up, missing the Meeks mob who were at the 16’skiffs, but there was still some presence from the T family, with Kate standing in on TBS. Other sibling crew changes saw Mackenzie subbing in for Gabe on SFC & Brodie filling in for Macka on Wobbygong. It’s great to see the next generation becoming part of the fleet. Firestorm got a good start & held the lead for a lap or two, until Steve, Jeremy & Troy on Runaway spotted a good line on the second run and used it well, opening up a very comfortable lead that they would hold to the finish. Firestorm hung on for second but behind them it was close. SFC are retuning their rig following a recent mast breakage so have inconsistent speed. In this race they came through from behind to snag third. But this is no fluke. Michael is a very good sailor. They will be consistently back at the top soon. Just 9 seconds in behind in 4th was Tim, Ryan & Luke on Stowe, proving that weight is no impediment in light airs. Another 20 seconds or so adrift was Wobbygong, with Matt, Brodie & Pete showing there is more to the boat than a new paint job. TBS was next, seeing the welcome return of Col to the fleet. The boat led the fleet several times throughout the regatta. Col still has it… On corrected time it was an easy win for Black Diamond. Alex and Andrew are still getting used to the new boat but still know their way around the track. Runaway scored second & Wobbygong third. Overall Runaway was the winner of the Teralba regatta & is equal leader of the state title series with Firestorm. Meeks & SFC share third. On corrected time Black Diamond & Wobbygong are equal first. This is great. Close competition lifts the fleet. The next regatta is the Nationals at Teralba. We all know that the wind at Teralba means anything could happen. Come along and see…. Just a friendly reminder that the first VS association regatta is this coming weekend. I've just checked the weather forecast & the gale force winds will have moved on and the days should be nice and warm. And with the chance to have a closer look and swap tacks with the renovated SFC and Wobbygong (you won't recognise her) what other reasons do you need? Register for Teralba here TASC 76th Annual Regatta & Sabre NSW State Titles - Teralba Amateur Sailing Club Inc (teralbasailingclub.com.au)
The regatta races are also the first in the State & Travellers series. There is no entry fee for these series but you do need to have your boat registered & sailing memberships paid. We have a good number of boats that have already signed up so why not join in and support your association. It also makes scoring the races easier if everyone who is on the water is in the race!!! It may also seem early days but entries for the nationals are open and those that enter before the end of the Teralba regatta will also receive free T-shirts for the three crew members at the nationals. The deadline is tight. Onya requires the orders by the start of December. We can't alter that but I've seen the design and it is good. So much so that I've already entered. A couple of others have also made the effort but I'd like to be ordering 50 shirts, not 12. Wendy will be taking sizes on the weekend. If you cannot make it to teralba but want in for the Nationals T shirts promotion please send through your paperwork and payments. Cheque, cash or EFT is fine. Of course entries for the nationals will be open until 27 January so if your circumstances prevent you from entering now don't stress. The F15's are talking up a big nationals series but I hope we can outdo them both on and off the water. A good turnout of VS's will be a great start. Hopefully see you all on the weekend. FYI I haven't seen the starting times but I'd imagine we would be no earlier than 1400. I'll contact you in a mad panic if it is much earlier. Cheers John Good news. Teralba sailing club has reviewed our NOR for the upcoming nationals and it is ready here http://www.vs.asn.au/documents.html Note that entries received before the end of the Teralba regatta will also be eligible for Nats regatta T shirts. Michael N is working on another classic that you won't want to miss out on. I've already signed up. Why don't you?
Also a friendly reminder that the annual membership and rego for some boats and crews are still outstanding. If you are going to sail in any of the regattas and want to be included in the VS results you need to be a member of the class. Membership gives you free entry into both the State & Travellers Trophy series, which are run in conjunction with the regattas we attend. Imagine winning both races at Teralba but not appearing in the results. Membership and rego forms are on the website or contact me and I'll help you out. There has been some good racing already at Teralba, featuring the rejuvenated SFC & Quay Accounting. Both look better than new. Come along to the Teralba regatta & see what I'm writing about. See you there. Cheers John Meanwhile at Hornsby we have 3 x regular boats, Black Diamond (with Chook selling out after 47? years in VS's) is the new boat for Team White Line Fever (look for their old boat at Pickles auctions if you want it - cheap one to fix up). Jock and team Measurement Solutions have young sheethand Emma on board. Brian Gleeson is lurking round and may assemble a life experienced crew for a few key races and regattas provided we can get Brian into gear and keen. Alex. No. I'm not referring to Rapid Antigen Tests. I'm referring to the grain, and now sail eating, rodents.
Matt did a bit of a clean out of the Teralba club boat shed last weekend and found a few rats nesting in VS sails. He chased the rats out and told them not to return, but suggested sailors who have sails stored under the club check their quiver soon and take the necessary steps to avoid a recurrence. Sorry this is not applicable to our Hawkesbury members but, if we can catch these rats, I'm sure we could export them so you don't miss the experience and feel left out. On other news, I'm currently liaising with the Formula 15 reps to finalise the upcoming nationals at Teralba. They are very keen so hopefully it will be a great regatta. Unfortunately they want a joint NOR so it is stuck in the consultation stage but the key item for VS sailors is that T shirts will be included as part of the entry. But we need to know your sizes!!! If you are going to enter the nationals please let me know the T shirt sizes for your crew by Teralba regatta. 3 shirts will be provided per boat as part of your nationals entry. Additional shirts can be purchased for $30. MIchael Northanm is already working on the design so expect another classic from the legend. Please contact me if you need more info. Cheers John Hi all,
Not long now until the season begins! I've already seen a few (crazy) singlehanders out sailing at Teralba (Gary Bellamy was one) but pretty soon the nor'easters will be back and you'll be itching for some racing too. So to prepare for the season's racing please find attached the NOR's for the VS state & Travellers series. Also attached is the association membership form. We have been relaxed about chasing boat registrations and memberships for the past few seasons but with some renewed interest it is only fair if everyone makes an effort. Payment details for memberships are included on the bottom of the form. Please include some reference to your self or boat on EFTs so Dale can reconcile any deposits. Forms should also be returned to Dale or myself. The AGM agreed to sail the nationals at Teralba from 27-29 January so a NOR for that event will come out when the details are finalised. T-shirts will be included in the nationals entry but the orders need to be placed by the Teralba regatta so please start thinking of your requirements. Keep an eye on the web site and facebook page for updates. If you need any more info please let me know. Cheers John The winter solstice has just passed so that means one thing - the days are now getting longer! See. I did go to school...
But the solstice passing also means that Spring and Summer are approaching and so is the next sailing season. So now is the time to think about what you want from the VS association and our regattas. Do we arrange a traditional Nationals series over a week? Do we have it over a long weekend? Do we have it over several regattas, as we did last year? Similarly, what do you want for the state and travellers title series? The reason for me raising the topic now is not to circumvent any AGM discussions or decisions, but to get everyone thinking about what we want as a class and so we can start discussions with potential host clubs. Teralba club are also setting their calendar so want some indication of our class movements. I imagine Hawkesbury will be in a similar situation soon. So any thoughts are welcome. I'll follow up with Col when he gets back from the Kimberly. Cheers John I was going to give you a report after the Hawkesbury weekend but Covid has laid me low. I am recovering OK but I seemed to lose a week. All I remember of the weekend was:
Congratulations to all the winners. John. Are we getting back to normal life? It seems like just yesterday that we were locked down & gatherings were frowned upon. That began two years ago… Yep. Covid19 disrupted everything we knew, and that included VS racing.
But no more! Restrictions are being wound back and regattas are now back on the calendar as usual. Almost. As of November, we were still in a state of flux, so the AGM set a hybrid regatta calendar for the season. No traditional nationals series over a week at Christmas this season, instead replaced by the results from various regatta races. The states & travellers series have resumed in a format similar to previous seasons, being selected races from regattas. Apologies that the usual race documentation hasn’t been published but this would have been documenting details after the event, so as per the AGM resolution and minutes, the regatta schedule is:
So the story so far… Teralba regatta was sailed but not quite to plan. A stiff southerly lead to the Saturday race being postponed. Two races were sailed on Sunday. Firestorm & Incognito were the only finishers in the first race. Chris, Greg & Tom good enough to win on corrected time. But the starters were a bit cruel and started the second race before they could return to the start line L Race 2 was a better contest. TBS rejoited the fleet after suffering rig troubles in the previous race, but the revelation of the day was the performance of The Green Boat. 2226 is arguably the fastest boat in the fleet, but she is cranky. Craig and his crew are learning to tame the beast and showed the skills they have, sailing a great race and winning on corrected time. Good one. Sunshine was the next regatta & it was destined to be unusual. Many of us were still saddened by the recent passing of Alf, founder of South Lakes and long-time supporter of the VS class. Then there was the breeze that was weird. A moderate southerly blew as we rigged then, as the sail past tribute was about to begin, a 25-knot southerly kicked in. Boats capsized everywhere and many chose to stay on the bank. It looked like the race would be abandoned. Then by chance, or Alf’s intervention?, the wind dropped to a 8 to 10 knot SE’er with flat water. Bliss. The track was a bit one sided but there was still ground to be made with strategic tacking & gybing. Firestorm loved the conditions & took out the scratch & handicap double. The Sunday race was also sailed in lighter breezes but on an unusual Easterly course in “the gutter”. An unpredictable place to sail from previous experiences. And that continued. Steve, Gabe & Troy sailed Runaway magnificently all race and held a comfortable lead until the final spinnaker run. Here the breeze abandoned them, and they watched Meeks & Firestorm slip by on the other side of the course. But the bad luck of Meeks was to continue. On Saturday Geoff, Mark & Dave (yep Dave who sailed with Bozo more than a decade ago & survived) had 2nd place secured but went for a quick swim on the last tack and lost the place. Today, on the two sail reach home, the wind abandoned them and Runaway dipped below them and again relegated them to 3rd place. Bad luck boys. But the revelation of the day was Jock and this crew on Measurement Solutions. They have been quietly developing, and with a new set of sails, now regularly upend the established pecking order at Hawkesbury. They scored a 2nd on corrected time on Saturday; on Sunday they easily took the win. This leads to the reason for this report. To try to continue the renewed enthusiasm. For example we were expecting 10 starters at Hawkesbury for the regatta. That is a great fleet. Hopefully everyone makes the commitment to support the regatta on the new dates 19 & 20 March. Following this is the Newcastle Sailfest on 26 & 27 March. All races form part of our nationals, state or travellers series. Dropped scores will help you stay in contention if you have missed a race or two, but by far the best way to be competitive is to sail. Cheers John |
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