Gale Warning and winds over 30 knots has caused Race 7 to be postponed. Here are the signal flags from HBYC.

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With the expected gale warning to be attached to the BoM forecast to be issued at 5:00 am Sunday Aug 18 and to follow the established Race abandonment procedure, an SMS will be sent tomorrow 8.00 to all skippers and known crew of entered yachts to confirm that Classics Race 7 of the 2013 Winter Series will not start. RYCV and HBYC will display the CYAA Pennant over the N and A signals from their signal mast to confirm Race 7 abandoned for the day.

Race 7, if abandoned, will be re-raced on Sept 8 as a pursuit start race conducted by the RYCV starting at 10:30am.

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Attached are the Entries, Handicaps and Sailing Instructions for Race 7 of our 2013 Winter Series. Race 7 will be conducted for us by Hobsons Bay Yacht club from their race committee vessel “Privateer”.

HBYC may broadcast race control messages using VHF Channel 73. Keep a listening watch on 73 from around 10:00am and during the race. Remember our ‘on water fleet’ is part of our sea safety and rescue capability. Keep the radio’s on.

As usual slight adjustments to the handicaps have occurred, nothing dramatic except a tightening up of the corrected time results of Race 6.

And now for something completely different but still in line with the Association’s objective to sustain our close and safe racing.

Attached is a form to record your mark rounding times. Other details have been included to allow this form to be a log of the days racing. Remember, while not compulsory, a log of vessels time on the water is the first item a recreational vessel master is asked for by investigators of any marine incident. To help masters of our Classic yachts make log keeping happen during racing, yachts that provide mark rounding times, to the handicapper after the race, will be entered into the Classic Yacht Rally Racing competition. The basis of the competition is to run between the marks corrected time racing. A floating handicap process developed by your handicapper will be used. Details of yacht rounding times can be emailed to the handicapper by text or by form, by hand after the race or SMS to 0419171011. Results of this competition will have no impact on the allocated handicap calculation process, says he of the sharpened pencil. Let’s see what happens.

Still no Sept 5 sail past details from the Tall Ships festival organisers, we’re assured it’s all happening, so work on keeping that date free to be part of a never before and never again sailing event on the bay.

The 2013/2014 Summer Series Notice of Race has been developed. They cannot be issued till two race dates in December, immediately before and after the ISAF Sail Melbourne event conducted by Royals, are confirmed.

Our Regatta planning team is moving along, keep that Friday, Nov 1, night free for a great session at our Docklands based Regatta kick off Reception. Skippers are already sending in notices of intent to enter and race.

With a forecast for Sunday indicating fresh winds to 20 knots, we’ll come alive again to hit the line on the knocker at 10:30am.

Regards to all

Peter Costolloe
CYAA (Vic) Handicapper

Sailing Instructions Race 7 August 18 (HBYC)
Entries and Handicaps Race 7 August 18 (HBYC)

Mark of Race Rounding log (PDF)
Mark of Race Rounding log (XLSX)

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Attached are the results of the Classics 2013 winter Series Race 6.

Brisk wind and slight sea conditions provide us with another great day of Classic Yacht Racing. Most likely Corio Vertue’s  Andy Indran and the team on David McNeice’s Akala with all their constant kite work would not completely agree after being caught by the dying breeze. Still, all the fleet made it home for a recorded finish.

With a running start provided to us by Royals PRO David LeRoy that gave the fleet three windward beats, Zephyr grabbed an on the button start that set up her up to pace Peter Lloyds Marie Louise III for most of the race and to show how high a Tum can point, especially on the first beat to lateral mark 81. Throughout the race, wind shifts on those tight windward beats were the go.

Sometimes the fleet leaders don’t have all the luck with the wind. After moving out from the fleet Peter and Scott McDonald had Pastime II going greats guns on the second beat when the following fleet received a lift at the turning mark that wiped out much of Pastime II’s lead.

Once again we had tight elapsed and corrected time finishes throughout the mid fleet. Our Green Slyph of Port Phillip, Zephyr with Karen Batson directing, held off Michael McTavish helming Serifa, who in turn managed to hold off a wound up Avian with Roger Dundas and Pip Todd working her hard under a full genoa. Doug Jenkin and Kath Solly tried all their tricks but no, Ettrick, set up for heavy sea conditions under a working jib, could not pull back the minute and a half that Avian had on them in the running legs of the course.

The Bungoona crew with Cameron Dorrough had to settle of fourth by 20 seconds on corrected but had the drop on Serifa by 10 seconds. Also mid fleet, Martini with her crew taking great delight in showing the absent helmsman how it’s really done, took out Ettrick by 50 seconds on corrected with Dingo coming in 20 seconds off Ettrick.

Some notable classic racing highlights of the day were seen. Jim Hutchinson, one up and forever a gentleman sailor, had to execute an about turn after finding  that Dingo had decided to find a shorter way home.

True classic yacht racing spirit was seen when the Sayonara crew tracked down that special wind that allowed her helmsman, Dave Allen, to have her storm through the fleet while pointing higher. So much was her performance she was set to take the line ahead of Marie Louise III. Never mind that Marie Louise III said no, this scene was another moment of signature Classic Yachting images.

Saving the best to last. What can you say. The tight non spinnaker crew work that was seen last race was seen again. Cyan’s the name. Her no quarter battle with Fairwinds II, being helmed by Mark Chew and worked by John Donati, lasted most of the race. To see her on the windward beat, with Craig Brown on the helm in non blinking mode, break through the lee of Fairwinds II. Stirring stuff. Mind you Fairwinds II did pay her impudence off but small beer compared to Cyans break through.  No question that after picking themselves off the floor from last race’s would be knockout blow, Cyan carried on with her in form racing to give the fleet a show of how tight classic yacht racing is done. Salute’ Cyan, the handicappers most noticed sail of the day.

So day’s done we can now set ourselves up for  repeat with Race 7 on August 18 that will be conducted for us by Hobsons Bay Yacht Club. The handicaps are ready. A rerun of todays race using handicaps that would have bought the two at both ends of the corrected time placing show how well the top two placings sailed and how hard the wind drop out hit our fleet.

Regards to all

Peter Costolloe
CYAA(Vic) Handicapper

Results Page

Zephyr, with her go fasts all set and Karen Batson directing, trying to breakthrough Marie Louise III’s lee after the first windward beat

Talking of Tumlare’s. The Red Tum is Alert, she resides in the UK under the care of our UK member Rees Martin. Rees is using the action of our Tum fleet to help his efforts to rebuild the Tum fleets in the UK and Scandinavian countries.

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