Monthly Archives: April 2014

SYC Centenary Regatta Results and Comments

Sandringham Yacht Club 2014 Centenary Regatta

image010 Bungoona takes home the Classic Division silver.

SAIL NO YACHT SKIPPER

FINISH

ELAPSED

H’Cap

ETP

CORRECTED

BCH

Points
R102 BUNGOONA Cameron Dorrough

14:44:13

134.217

592

6

79.46

603

1

R140 SCIMITAR Damian Purcell

14:22:53

112.883

716

2

80.82

717

2

KA1 MARIE LOUISE III Peter Lloyd

14:31:38

121.633

665

5

80.89

665

3

S51 BOAMBILLEE George Fisscher/Michael Rhodes

14:23:30

113.500

750

3

85.13

713

4

R450 MERCEDES III Martin Ryan

14:22:08

112.133

765

1

85.78

721

5

R604 FAIR WINDS Mark Chew

14:29:46

119.767

722

4

86.47

675

6

SM120 ANITRA Carl De Fina

14:57:36

147.600

609

7

89.89

548

7

With a decent strength wind and some lumpy seas, the 9.8 mile course set by the SYC Race Committee gave the Classic division a chance to enjoy some hard beating and fast reaching Classic Yacht racing action. They didn’t disappoint the SYC spectators either.

The Classics were the show card of the Centenary Regatta reported the SYC starting tower team after watching Mercedes III, Boambillee and Scimitar going hard at it when passing the start tower midway through the race. Marie Louise III, after her on the line at the button start was finally picked off by Fairwinds II.  Bungoona, with the SYC Juniors, Dyllan and Patrick on board, handled the beating conditions with no problem and stayed in touch with Trim with three brilliant runs to bring back her to the fleet. Anitra also put in a worthy and closely watched performance.

All up with her consistent performance throughout the race, Cameron Dorrough, with the spirit of the late and great Col Bandy on board, bought Bungoona home to take out the trophy silver. Bungoona also set the precedent for the event by taking out SYC juniors to experience Classic racing action.

A feature of the results was the close corrected times of the fleet after a 9.8 mile direct line course. No tolerance for those who made on course errors.

Unfortunately we also had some sad stories to mention. Such as the sight of watching Zephyr say no on the sail down to SYC. The running seas at the time of the sail down were indicative of what turned out to be the sea conditions during the Race.

The Sayonara syndicate gave an early heads up on not competing on the day and how right the call was. Renene was also a victim of the conditions inside the SYC marina and was unable to depart from her pen to compete with the fleet. Disappointment big time. Trim had to give the game away during the race.

All up the event was a worked out well for the Classics. It was the opportunity for the fleet to show support for the Association members at the SYC and showcase the Classic fleet racing action to the members of the SYC. To top the day off, for once no fixed marks or shipping to lookout for but finding low slung floating marks presented a first time challenge for some of the fleet. Sadly no pic’s, pre-start action took care of any spare time.

A note is also needed to comment on the Regatta performance by our Association member, Richard Gates in his Archambault 35, Absolut. Two IRC Div 2 1st’s.

2014 Winter Series and Boambillee’s listing on the Australian Register of Historic Vessels

The Classics 2014 Winter Series this Sunday with Hobsons Bay Yacht Club conducting Race 1. Handicaps, Entries and Sailing Instructions later this week.  Bob Munro’s Tandanya with her smart looking mast will rejoin the Classics Fleet for some winter racing action.

To kick the Series off we’ll have an after race $10 donation BBQ at RYCV with Donati’s of Lygon Street Sausages and Burgers. Chips and salads from the RYCV  menu. Sadly, no David Payne curator of the Australian Register Historic Vessels will be on hand to race with us on May 4.

Speaking of the ARHV we received some big news this last week. Boambillee has been installed on the ARHV Register as one of Australia’s important yachts that has contributed to Australia’s maritime history. Congratulations go to George Fisscher, Michael Rhodes and the recently deceased Chris Chapman for their unrelenting and consistent work to keep Boambille up to the hard racing condition of her successful ocean and Southern Cross Cup racing history starting from 1968.

The ARHV entry describing Boambillee’s contribution to Australia’s maritime history can be seen at this link. ARHV Link

 BOAMBILLEE 

S&S One Tonner

Builder Bill Barnett of McMahons Point Sydney

Launched 1968

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Back to Saturday. Below is the story of the wind conditions presented to the Classic Fleet on Saturday.

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CYAA Notes April 22 2014

Australian Register of Historic Vessels

After presentations by her owner, Peter Johns, to the ARHV Council, the International 8 metre Frances is now listed on the Australian Register of Historic Vessels.

francisDesigned, built and helmed by Ernest Digby of Williamstown, Frances is known as the first Australian designed and built International 8 metre yacht to retain the Sayonara Cup for Victoria in 1951. Frances went on to successfully defend the Sayonara Cup against Erica J in 1952. In 1953 Erica J trumped Frances but Frances won the Cup back in 1954, again racing against Erica J.  The complete Frances listing story on the ARHV web site can be seen at this link:

ARHV Link

With this ARHV listing of Frances, our Melbourne Classic Yacht fleet racing has moved up a significant notch in terms of historic importance.   Not only is there now 8 ARHV vessels actively racing in Melbourne but they also allow our Melbourne fleet, with the help of that handicapper who you all know and love, to race competitively with some of the Australia’s most prestigious racing yachts of yesteryear. After some maintenance work is completed, Frances will be racing with our Melbourne Classic Yacht fleet.

The Classic Yachts in our national fleet with ARHV listing are:

Victoria: Acrospire III, Avian, Alwyn, Bungoona, Jessamine, Lily Guy, Matilda/Sea Wren, Mercedes III, Sayonara, Storm Bay, Windward II.

N.S.W: Aoma, Jenny Wren, Erica J, Malveena, Fidelis,  Nerida,  Ranger.

Queensland:  Cherana, Savona.

West Australia: Acrospire IV.

Tasmania: Premier

Maritime Museums of Australia Conference, Queenscliffe  Victoria.

The Association will be represented at this conference.

David Payne, the ARHV Curator will present a paper on the subject of the national and world experience of heritage vessels. As mentioned elsewhere in this report, David Payne has been organised to visit and participate in the first race of the CYAA Vic. 2014 Winter Series.

CYAA Victoria

2014 Victoria Winter Series

First race May 4.

Entries are now being received for this series. 9 to date. Included in the series entries is the welcome return to the fleet by Kent Bacon’s Renene after her deck and engine rebuild and Damian Purcell heading up the Scimitar syndicate after her mast repair .

A feature of this race is the visit and race with the fleet by David Payne, the ARHV Curator. Thanks to Cameron Dorrough for the work he put into making this event happen. A first time event that will allow the ARHV people see our world class Classic Yacht fleet racing.

Mid Week racing at the RYCV

Peter Lloyd reports that Marie Louise III has been entered to compete in RYCV midweek Laura Gloria race series. For those who need a mid week dose of close pursuit racing there’s a place waiting for you. Contact myself by return mail if you want to join in.

Marie Louise III Feb 16 2014

Marie Louise III Feb 16 2014

CYAA Queensland

Following on from the support and collaboration the CYAA Magazine team had with our Queensland members headed up by Greg Doolan of Sandpiper , with assistance from Ivan Holme and Stuart Stubbs, a template is being developed to enable both Q’ld and Victoria to work together to support the national aspect of our Association.

The major event on the CYAA Q’ld calendar is the Queensland Cruising Yacht Club’s 39th Vintage Yacht Regatta, scheduled for June 7 to 9 2014. Close to a full card of our Q’ld members will be participating in the Regatta.

CYAA N.S.W.

For some time now there’s been a three way discussion between our NSW member Jim Rist, of the Balmain Sailing Club,our UK Member, Rees Martin and Roger Dundas on the subject of the best option to use for an engine install in Svalan, the Tumlare owned by Jim. The outcome was the decision it’s all too hard so let’s move on with a suitable yacht that already has an engine. Meaning, Svalan is on the market and an opportunity now exists for a member to emulate what Gordon Tait has done with his purchase of Ettrick from Doug Jenkin, ie, move into the Tumlare racing world. Svalans in great shape, have a look.

Jims asking for a fair offer to take Svalan over.

image005 image006Here’s some details about Svalan

  • built 1949 Tuncurry NSW by Alf Jahnsson
  • brown beech timbers; white beech coach house; spotted gum decks; Oregon spars
  • newly painted hull and decks
  • all seams checked and caulked
  • newly antifouled
  • new toerails (shipwright called them “spermwaters”: is that a term you’re familiar with?)
  • new dynel on coach house roof and after deck
  • pintels refurbished
  • all stainless replaced within last 5 years
  • fairly new main and genoa

Some more news from our NSW members is that Scott Ryrie, from the Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club, who took over Aoma and sent her from the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron to Queensland for a restore by our Q’ld member, Peter Kerr of Deagon Slipways, reports she is waiting patiently as priority has been put on a trawler/restore and charter where work is progressing well.

CYAA UK

Our member Rees Martin reports his Tumlare, Alert goes in the water later this month and will be racing in Plymouth and may be Cowes Classic Week – which is going from strength to strength. They are expecting nearly two hundred entries this year.  Rees is also on the Committee of the Associations of Yachting Historians. He reports the project to digitise the Lloyds Register of Yachts, approx. 100, is close to completion. He’ll pass a copy to us when completed.

Other activities Rees has also reported on is the annual dinner for the South West Shingles Yacht Club in London and listening to hilarious reports of further sailing cockups. He says a couple sat opposite him who had managed to sail their yacht under the chain of the Cowes chain ferry. He dived overboard, leaving his wife on the sinking ship. We all thought it very funny – except the wife who was still frosty…. A visit to the South West Shingles on Good Friday will take place where an inflatable bar is to be set up to drink champagne and toast absent friends. All attendees then go back and have a good lunch at the Royal Lymington.  

Galatea and Turkey

While no longer part of the CYAA but a report on how our Tum, Galatea is doing won’t go astray. George Low, Snow Goose, reports that her owner, Bahadir Celim, who trucked Galatea from Melbourne to Perth for a year on the Swan and then on to Turkey by container. He now has her in Bodrum shipyard where he is doing a some rebuilds on her. She will be then be sailed on the Mediterrean to his island based holiday house and will then compete in the Bodrum Cup Regatta in mid September.  A part of his go fast plans, her wooden mast will be coated with Transparent  Epoxy glass fibre so she can handle a Code 0 Spinnaker or gennacker that Bahadir intends to use.

Galatea after her container shipment to Bodrum Turkey

Galatea after her container shipment to Bodrum Turkey

Regards to all

Peter Costolloe

CYAA Vic Handicapper

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CYAA Notes April 4 2014

Although we’re between our Classic Yacht Summer and Winter Race Series, life on the CYAA scene has not been quiet. Here’s what’s been happening.

Queenscliff Maritime Weekend March 28 2014

This event was recently publicised in CYAA by printing its publicity poster and supported by the Association with Mercedes III sailing down to participate in the Classic Yacht and Keel boat division.

The effort of her skipper and crew to bring Mercedes III down was noted by Tim Phillips the on water event organiser during his welcome to the fleet message. A standout event of the weekend was the Couta boat tie up and blessing of the Fleet. One other event of note was the on water inspection of the Port of Melbourne survey vessel John Norgate, the grandfather of our member Leigh Norgate.

Although the Association presence was small in numbers of Classic Yachts and members it was an occasion that allowed the CYAA to show their credibility and willingness to participate in  southern Port Phillip regatta’s.  Due to lack of adequate wind the race was cancelled but a sail to the Port Phillip Rip to check out lead lights was compensation.

For next year’s QMM Weekend event, we need to make an increase in the CYAA on water presence a project.

A note of thanks to the Queenscliff Maritime Organiser of the event, June Negri, was sent by your handicapper on behalf of the Association.

Sandringham Yacht Club Centenary Regatta. April 26 2014

Through the request of Roger Dundas, Avian, and through the agency of Phil Atkins, Trim, this event is now classified by the SYC Sailing Committee as a Category 7 event. This means the event is open to our Tumlare and Couta Boat fleet.

We are calling for more of our Classic Yacht fleet to enter this event. Entry is quite easy through the SYC window into the Top Yacht race entry process. This is the web link to obtain additional details of the regatta. http://www.syc.com.au/regattas/club-marine-syc-centenary-trophy-regatta/

As previously noted this is the chance for our Northern end of bay Classic Yacht skippers have to say thanks to our SYC based members  for their regular participation in our Series racing. From the Associations aspect, a decent fleet of Classic Yachts in this event will go a long way to sustain the Associations reputation as credible yacht racing association with all our home clubs and Yachting Victoria.

Classics 2014 Winter Series. 1st race May 4

Entries to this series are no longer trickling in.

After an unfortunate and prolonged absence due to a second bout of marina pen induced mast damage, this Winter series will see the welcome return to racing with Damian Purcell and family on Scimitar. Another unfortunate event will be that due to the 7 year New Zealand no maintenance varnish applied to Scimitar’s rejuvenated mast, the handicapper must sharpen his pencil.

CYAA Magazine Issue 35 June 2014

Your magazine committee, Roger Dundas and Jennifer Cook, Avian, and your handicapper, yesterday mapped out a content strategy for the next issue of our magazine. The content has to be ready for the presses by last week of June to coincide with the Association’s Executive Committee’s membership renewal and new membership strategy.

An abstract on the Issue 35 content will be provided in the next mail out.

World Junior Sailing Championships, International Cadet Class, Weymouth, England.  August 2014

No doubt our association members have been aware of the high level of activity within the International Cadet Class dingy, particularly making sure we stay away from them in their recent racing action at the top end of the Port Phillip. What all this recent International Cadet racing has been about is trials and races for selection to participate in the Victorian State and National Championships. Out of all of these race has evolved a direct connection to Damian Purcell’s Scimitar in the form of his step son Peter Allen as crew for skipper Louis Schofield. These two junior sailors have been selected to be part of the team that will represent Australia at the Inter Cadet World Championships. No doubt the CYAA congratulations go to Peter and David for achieving this  high distinction to represent Australia.

Additional information on what has been achieved here use this link, World Champs. to pull up the RYCV web page that provides more info and in particular, ways to help support them.

Below is a copy of a movie night promotion provided to us by Damian Purcell.

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2014 Winter Series Entries, SYC Centenary Regatta and post Geelong Wooden Boat Festival Notes

The Classic Clock is slowly but surely ticking around to the start of the Classics 2014 Winter Series, 1st race May 4. Attached are two versions of the revised layout of the Series entry form.

We are also entering into the countdown for the Sandringham Centenary Regatta. The Regatta Notice of Race is also attached. Embedded is a link to the SYC Top Yacht entry form for the Regatta. https://www.topyachtsoftware.com/db/aus/entry_menu.php?EventID=345

Two entries at this time, Bungoona and Trim. As previously said, this is the best opportunity for our Classic  skipper’s and crew’s from the northern part of Port Phillip to support our CYAA members at the Sandringham Yacht Club. The SYC have put out a special invite to the Classic Yacht Association to join in their now annual Centenary Regatta.  Pre and post race tie up facilities are being offered by the SYC Yard staff to members provided they are informed about the yachts dimensions. Handicaps will be assigned by the SYC Race director with assistance from your CYAA Handicapper.

Some notes about the 2014 Geelong Wooden Boat Festival.

The 2014 Geelong Wooden Boat Festival is well done and dusted. The Geelong WBF team headed up by Stuart Dickson put together a well run show that continues to be the only Wooden Boat Festival that supports Classic Yacht racing. A draw card event for our Classic Yacht Association members in Melbourne. Congratulations to Bill Chittenden with “Cardinal Puff” taking out the Central Geelong sponsored Portarlington to Geelong passage race and the Four Winds Marine Corio Bay Classic Wooden Yacht Cup. Of particular note was the safe completion of a rugged early morning passage sail to Portarlington by the Classics to make the start.  For our Tum fleet made up by, Snow Goose, Ettrick, Avian and Zephyr, it was another day’s sail. Great to see Helen Lovetts Oenone, designed by Linton Hope, tied up at Portarlington with Renene and Kent Bacon and his ever ready crew for her first race for some time and Rod Fullers H28 Shamrock. Another welcome set of Classic Yacht face’s was that of J P Marquet’s Faylene and Carl Defino’a Cutter Anitra  with Marcus on the helm, all set to go. Too bad that 20 knot breeze suddenly dropped out. From Alwyn’s point of view Sunday was not good for the breeze either.

With the Concours d’Elegance trophy, the featured judges were Jill Knight of Cooee, the special guest of the 2014 Festival and Daniel Cayzer the Geelong shipwright. After analysing a range of entries that covered the definition of a Wooden Boat on Port Phillip and Corio Bay, Jim Woods with his ‘Windward II’ yacht was deemed as best looking and kept up yacht that represented both Wooden Boats and the Golden Era of Australia’s classic yacht racing  from the 1920’s and 1930’s on the Corio and Port Phillip.

The best presented story of the Classic Yacht Association entries must go to Mike Shanahan, our RGYC based member from Torquay, with the documentation he prepared that told the story and history of his 1918 Cutter Lucienne. A great treat to read her story while standing on her.

Although only a short number of hours were available Festival was the place to raft up and meet up with other Classic members.

Other Classics that took part in the Festival were Sayonara, Trim, Boambillee and Martini. Ron Caddy our member from Mornington YC with Athena made the trip over by land to meet up and talk to the handicapper about navigation tools. Tim Phillips was committed elsewhere so no Storm Bay  but Tim’s Wooden Boat Shop sponsored dinner certainly was a memorable event. An event where you can catch up with people to talk about the big picture. Classic Yachts and what it takes to keep the ethos running. Such was the case when your handicapper had the great pleasure to meet up with our member from Mornington YC, Milton Green with his Couta Boat Whisper and his brother Trevor, a CYAA member from Queensland with Nimmitabel. Their stories tell you the wealth of knowledge and experience we have in the Association. Milton could tell us about his times of taking a Couta boat to race in the Mediterranean Classic Yacht circuit. The Geelong Wooden Boat Festival is the occasion where Milton and his brothers come from all parts of Australia to meet up and take in the Festival.

One other feature of the Wooden Boat Festival was the 2014 Participation Plaques. These plaques were set up by our RGYC member Bill Chittenden and Four Winds Marine and donated to the Festival in the name of the Classic Yacht Association of Australia.

Reports of an excellent days sail for the return to Melbourne were received from Cameron Dorrough of Bungoona.

After being swamped by over 100 entries planning is underway for the 2016 Festival.

Some RYCV House keeping news.

Our CYAA President, Martin Ryan, has confirmed with the RYCV  management that all RYCV  Classic Yachts when competing in a Classic Yacht event will be awarded RYCV marina activity points. We will also have the CYAA (Vic) racing activity calendar included in the  RYCV web page calendar.

Don’t look now but our 2014 Winter Series entrants will be mixing with similar situations. An image from 1933. Courtesy of Dave Wallace “Daff” from RYCV. The Knud Reimers Albatross, Bluejacket, with her new owner Doug Jenkin will be in this mix along with the new owner of Ettrick Gordon Tait.

A scanned image from a collection of yesteryear yacht racing kindly passed on to Dave by the Fitzgibbon family from their fathers, Alan, scrapbook. Skip Fitzgibbon races his Swarbrick S111 Wyvern with the RYCV. She is moored adjacent to Marie Louise III in the RYCV Marina. Your handicapper has done more than a few miles racing against Skip, brother Scott and dad Alan in Delta Lady over at the Hobsons Bay Yacht Club.

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Regards to all and all the best for some tight racing for the SYC Centenary Regatta and the 2014 Classic Yacht Winter Series.

Peter Costolloe

CYAA (Vic) Handicapper

2014 CYAA Winter Series Entry Form (PDF)

2014 CYAA Winter Series Entry Form (docx)

NOR_Centenary_2014_Rev_0

 

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