Teralba Regatta Results

Hi  All, 
How’s  this?  A regatta report in the same  week that it was sailed.  Must have  been a good weekend at Teralba.  So  what happened….:) 
Saturday.  
A rainy day with no breeze made an ominous start to the day. But things changed for the better quickly.   Firstly the fleet gathered for a special occasion.  Noel Robson visited the fleet to pass on the plaque awarded to his father Ken, who was the first VS life member.  Apart from being an accomplished sailor, Ken was instrumental in  promoting the fleet in the 60’s.  It was a nice gesture and it was good to hear some words from Noel, who
was also a championship winning sailor, describing the ‘good old days’.  This inspired the fleet because when
Raptor arrived at the club running a little late, the entire membership jumped in and helped rig the boat. The
result?  Boat rigged in 5 minutes and Bob, Adam & Hayden with spinning heads.  The TT leader made a good start but soon got lost on the first run & parked for 10 minutes or so.  Job done… 
So the race?  A light NW – NE breeze kept the fleet moving but it was again tedious at times (is there a pattern
emerging this season?).  After a competitive start the fleet was close at the top mark.  The usual suspects looked OK- Firestorm, Ol’ Yella & Runaway, but the standout was Wildtrack.  After a good 1strun Lindsay & the boys were 3rd around the leeward mark & quickly moved into the lead.  A few big wind shifts saw Firestorm & Ol’Yella move clear whilst Runaway & Add 123 climbed through the fleet  after being caught out on the wrong side of the first run. Further back, Measurement Solutions had a steady race, but wanted more wind.  Marengo, however, were going well & aiming competition in the fleet.  They forced Bozo, Oden & Kev on PBB into a mistake at the top mark to ensure they both didn’t receive the wooden spoon and also claimed 2nd on handicap.  A good day for Alex, Peter& Myf.  Also a good day for Jamee, the better looking forward hand on Firestorm. After crewing at Hawkesbury & thinking the rest of the crew can only curse, Firestorm managed the tricky conditions somewhat better, opening a gap on Ol’Yella upwind, only to be caught downhill.   But in the end, age & beauty prevailed (is that describing the entire crew or just me? - I have both…) & Firestorm got the victory from Ol’Yella with Runaway recovering for 3rd. Handicap saw star of the day Wildtrack easily winning from Marengo & Add 123.  Lindsay, Alex & Tom were always at the front of the fleet & even grabbed the lead for a while.  In the right conditions these guys are  fast. 
Sunday.
With a nice warm westerly blowing early the prospects of a decent course looked good.  However, much like
Hawkesbury, once the start gun fired everything changed. The breeze dropped & oscillated. One minute Ol’Yella looked to have a big lead, then Firestorm looked good, then Runaway, then Raptor until finally  Tim, Jason & Hugh picked up a nice line to tack in the lead at the top mark.  Cruelly the wind shifted one more time & Ol’Yella lead around the mark.  The run was tricky, with those heading left finally rewarded whilst those near Marmong wallowed.  Up front Ol’Yella & Firestorm were swapping the lead regularly with Runaway & Add123 always a danger.  Measurement Solutions was looking good for a while too until a couple of capsizes slowed them somewhat. Then the wind changed!  The 3rd work became a 2 sail reach, the next run became a square run & the final run became a full on work.  At least there was a bit of pressure in the breeze so there was some good spinnaker runs had by  all. In the final wash-up Firestorm from Runaway & Ol’Yella on scratch.  Another good performance on scratch saw Wildtrack get another handicap victory from Add 123 & Measurement Solutions. 
Full results elsewhere on the web site.  Next up is the Nationals at Port Hunter from the 2nd – 8thJanuary.   NOR
will be out soon so keep an eye on the web site & your email inbox. Brian from the Antarctic should be back so there should be some good tales to be heard. 
If you need more info let me know.   
Cheers
 John