Dear Skippers and Crews of the Classics 2012/2013 Summer Series
Without talking out too loud in case we jinx ourselves, at long last, ideal wind and sea conditions for our recent Classic Fleet racing will hopefully continue. For Race 3, in spite of the shonky start line, a missed start while trying to fight off Wanita, Joe Tuck and the boys + 1 on Loama kept to the biased end of the line and put in another great race to take out corrected time honours. Bungoona , Martini and Renene have finally put those Winter Series light weather miseries to bed with solid performances as well. Same for to Sayonara, goes to show what 13 souls on boards will do.
For Race 3 we had the welcome return of Jim Hutchinson with Dingo and Clive Moulday has bought Blackadder out for some Summer Racing with us.
It’s a sad affair that when those in our fleet finally have conditions to show how well their boats can race they cop it in the neck by the handicapper. But cop it they will. With a corrected time spread of 2.5 minutes between ten placings any errors or problem while racing will be costly on corrected time placing.
Attached are the results for Race 3 and the points status for the series aggregate and the Marie Louise III consistency trophy.
Our after race AGM was the best attended AGM ever. Martin Ryan has resumed role of Association President with Damian Purcell, Cameron Dorrough and myself filling out the Executive numbers. David McKenzie will be doing the Treasurer role and assisting with admin tasks. Lot’s of work ahead in the Admin area with the Transition to the new incorporated association regulations. We have retained the services of Col Anderson and Doug Shields for guidance with the issue of opening up the Association to other classes of Classic Yachts.
Dear Skippers and Crews of the Classics 2012/3 Summer Series
After what seemed to be the distant past we slip back into our Summer Series, it was only 4 weeks ago on Oct 21, when Cameron Dorrough with Bungoona, took out the silver for the inaugural Anchorage Marina Trophy.
So on with the show, attached are the Sailing Instructions and the list of Entries with their allocated handicaps for Race 3, November 25, 10:30am.
The race will be conducted by Hobsons Bay Yacht Club under the direction of Tony Dawson HBYC Race Director and Bob Tanner. The HBYC Race committee boat “Privateer” now some large “Day Glo Green” offset stripes on her sides to help with her identification. She will be on station in the vicinity of PoMC laterals 74/76. The HBYC rescue boat “Shirley Freeman” will also be on hand.
The Race 3 allocated handicaps take into account Race 2 results plus a couple of small changes to reflect results averaged over the last 5 regular races. Handicaps used in our recent regatta have been archived for use in our 2013 regatta.
Race results will be provided at RYCV asap after the race plus they’ll posted on our web site.
A reminder, our AGM will be conducted in the RYCV committee room at a suitable time after the race. CYAA provided lubrications will be on hand for after meeting discussions.
Dear Skippers and Crews of the 2012 Cup Regatta and Members of the Classic Yacht Association
After completing another successful and enjoyable Classic Cup Regatta the time has finally arrived put down on paper a “Regatta Reflection”.
Two important reflections.
First up is to acknowledge the time and effort from all the skippers and crews of the Regatta entrants. There’s nothing better for the organisers of the event than to see a full start line for the first race and better still for the last race. The Classic fleet count and people number that showed up for the Monday race was a Regatta highlight.
Second reflection is to say what would our Regatta be without our great Classic Yacht Association mates from across the Tasman. No soul. This Regatta, 15 CYANZ souls put in their time and effort to sail with us. The prime mover for the Regatta inception and it being sustained is our Trans Tasman Classic Yacht Association relationship. The effort shown by Trans Tasman visitors to be at our Regatta was noted by all participating members of our Association.
Many Other Regatta reflections.
Our modification to the Guineas Cup format was a hit. 3 short racers that allowed the Skippers and crews of the 4 nominated yachts to try not repeat mistakes made in the previous race while creating new mistakes. The crews from “Mercedes III” and “Pastime II” from the Classics managed to squeak a win over “C97” and “Ella” from the Couta’s. Jeff Richardson skipper from “C97”, who made a very early morning dash up from Sorrento on Friday with his great mate, Simon Hadlow” who flew in from West Australia for the Regatta, says “We’ll be back”.
The Guineas Cup, a must have Cup Regatta lead in.
Our Cup Regatta kicked off with the Friday night Cocktail Reception and later dinner where a catch up between ourselves and out NZ Classic Yacht visitors was a highlight.
So on to the Regatta.
I guess we can’t have it our way all the time wind wise but we must do better in the wind department.
Although the first race on Saturday was a slow affair, it was the scene of a Regatta first. As a way to acknowledge the 70th year of the H28 Classic Yacht design by Hereshoff, the Association invited the Victorian H28 Association to sail with our Classic fleets first race. In the H28 fleet we had a piece of Australian Yachting history with us, “Shamrock” a prime H28 competitor was built and sailed by “Jock Sturrock”
“Pastime II” a consistent placer in our yearly over the line battles put the other back markers to the rack with another fleet beating light wind performance to take the line while “Oenone” skippered by Helen Lovett took out corrected time honors and showed how to beat the handicapper. Sailing better than last year is the word.
With the Couta Boat division, “C97” helmed by Jeff Richardson took line honors while the Doug Beazley’s restored Netboat “Jean” helmed by John Raff took out the corrected time honors. Watching Phil Edwards given John the “Phil look” is not a pretty sight.
In the H28 invitational division “Ellen Lewis” the Walker H28 took out line honors while Rod Fuller with “Shamrock” took out the corrected time honors and Invitational trophy.
Our second race on Saturday was delayed by our RYCV Race Director, David LeRoy, to allow the wind to build up and put a bone in the Classic Fleets teeth.
With consistent lee gun’el down, Col Anderson helming “Acrospire III” and the Dave Allen helming “Sayonara” put on another display of Classic Yacht racing as it was in the Golden years of Classic yacht racing. This was what our Trans Tasman people came over for. Port Phillip at its best. Col Anderson prevailed over Martin Ryan of “Mercedes III” for line honors while the Sylph for the bottom of the Bay, “Oenone” once again took out the correct time honors. A corrected time battle was had between Sayonara and Caraid to be 2nd and 3rd. A spread of 2.5 minutes corrected time between places 2 to 10 in this race showed mistakes on the course could not be made.
“C97” stormed home to take the Couta Boat division line honors while Richard McRae sailed “Claire” to her best to take out corrected time honors. The Couta Division battles were closely watched.
Under sunny sky and with ideal wind, our fleet turned out again for the 2 Sunday races. First up race saw “Acrospire III” lead the fleet home once again with “Avian”, our champion Bill Gash Red Tumlare from the 40’s,50’s and 60’s and now helmed by Roger Dundas with tactical assistance by Pip Todd took a close line honors win from Cameron Durrough’s “Bungoona” and Jean-Pierre Marquet (JP) and Richard Blake on our most recent addition to the Classic Fleet “Faylene” from Sandringham YC. Once again corrected times across the fleet were tight, 4.5 minutes. Any sailing errors were punished.
Jeff Richardson again stormed home to take line honors, for the Couta Boat division with “C97” while the Joe Tuck and boys on “Loama” took out well sailed corrected time 1st.
Last race of the day almost resulted in a line and corrected time honors for “Pastime II” in the classic division. She was done by less than a minute by “Acrospire III” for line honors. Peter and Scott McDonald on “Pastime II” put in the best individual race sailing performance of the Regatta in this race. Once again “Mercedes III” featured well for her 2nd on corrected while J P on “Faylene” took our 3rd on corrected by 0.01of a minute over “Oenone”. Again with 4 minutes corrected time between the first 8, sailing mistakes were punished
With the Couta Boats race 4, the handicap formula was slowly kicking with “C97” taking out the line honors by an wide margin and a 2nd on corrected. Joe Tuck and the boys on “Loama” after another hard sail took out the corrected time honors. Hard sailing all round in this division.
For our last race of the Regatta, an all over the place light wind pursuit starting from Royals Marina, allowed the Tumlare’s, “Zephyr” helmed by Anne Batson and assisted by Karen Batson and “Avian” with Roger Dundas to give the Regatta fleet a light weather tactical sailing lesson. With a 1st and 2nd respectively they showed the Classic Regatta Fleet how sailing, the Tumlare’s way, was done yesterday.
To complete the Regatta series, John Raff and his team on “Jean” came home in the Couta division with a 1st on line and corrected time with Jeff Richardsons back marker. “C97” taking out a fast catching 2nd place. As we know every boat has it’s day and today “Jean” had her’s.
So that wrapped up the sailing side of our 2012 Cup Regatta.
One aspect of our Regatta Racing that all saw, was the support provided for our mandatory on water rescue capability.
To Mal Botterrill who did all the on water driving and to John Khoury who stepped up when needed with 25 ft RIB and it’s 150 horses at the back, the Association and the Regatta are in debt for their support.
Without any doubt the support for the Regatta and throughout the year by the RYCV and particularly it’s Race Director, David LeRoy, would by the most critical factor that makes our Classic Yacht racing successful and so well attended. The Association and the Regatta acknowledges this support.
Our Regatta finished up with the now traditional BBQ and dulcet tones and tunes provided to us by the Patsy Toop and David Baird of the “Long and Short”
Before our Regatta Trophy awarding program we were reminded by the pipes of David McKenzie what Classic Yachting was all about with the Scottish Melody “The Skye Song” with those great words “Speed bonny boat like a bird on the wing”
For the Classic Yacht of the series, the Trophy named the “Col Bandy Trophy” after our great and sadly late promoter of Classic Yachting in Australia. Congratulations and well sailed comments and loud cheers went to the “Sylph for Mornington” and the lady from Greek Mythology “Oenone”. A well sailed performance throughout the series.
For our Couta Boat division, again a consistently well and hard sailing performance by Joe Tuck and the boys, the Couta Boat division trophy went to “Loama”. To top this off, “Loama” was awarded the performance of the Series and the right to be engraved on the “Stradbroke II Trophy” . A trophy that is hung in the Classics Corner of the RYCV Trophy Wall.
Although announced first for timing reasons we’ll save the best to last here with the decision as to who was the visiting CYANZ member to take out the Trans Tasman Trophy. After much finger counting by our “Trans Tasman Trophy” stewards, Cameron Dorrough of CYAA and Iain Valentine of CYANZ , the announcement was. Robyn Pearce. Great cheers and well done’s accompanied the announcement.
So with the completion of the Regatta signalled by the a beautiful rendition of Pokarakara Ana by Patsy Toop and David Baird and the pennant lowering of the Classic Yacht Associations of Australia and New Zealand plus the Couta Boat Club from the RYCV Signal Mast, the Regatta came to a close.
Although these pennants for the two Associations were lowered, the signals from the Regatta Classic Fleet said:
“Long live the Regatta”
and
“To all who sailed “
“Three Cheers”
To all the people who skippered and crewed the Regatta entrants, a serious thank you for the individual time and effort that made this regatta one that is to be repeated.
