See the following link for a report on the CYAA Winter Race 1,

Classic-Yachts-2012-Winter-Series—Cyan-takes-the-silver

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Dear Skippers and Crews of the Classic 2012 Winter Series.

In ideal wind strength and Bay sea conditions, a fleet of 24 Classic Yachts started in our first race of the 2012 winter series.

“Cyan”, 3 cheers must go out to her for the performance she put in today. From a spot on start by her skipper, Craig Brown, with her crew holding the kite to the absolute last moment on the first run and flawless rumb line windward beat to the weather mark,  Cyan continually ate into the time differential of the fleet  leaders, “Kingurra” and “Acrospire III”, to come home first on corrected time and take the silver.

One other notable performance was “Serifa’s”. Her work on the windward leg under the helm of Michael McTavish where she overcame the wave chop and held position against the fleets longer waterline yachts and holding max waterline speed on the downhill reach, allowed her to knock off Peter McDonald’s Pastime II and take out fourth place.

Another powerful start by “Renene”, with Kent Bacon and his crew, put her in good position to hit the line flat out and into clean air.

A notable point of the day, except for one incident, was the lack of start and turning mark incidents. A start line slightly biased for a port start, due to a wind shift, also helped.

A comment was received about problems caused to following boats, when boats involved in a not giving way when overlapped prior to the RMYS A to action to avoid a collision.

We all know how congestion at fixed turning marks is difficult and dangerous, when gaff rigs with overhanging booms and sloops with a mix of rig heights converge, particularly for a gybe, if good seamanship is not used.

Still a great start to the series. No grumbles about the course. Some about handicaps though, which makes the handicapper happy.

I’ve attached the results of yesterdays race that include the BCH calculations plus the series points score and the points status for the MLIII ACH to BCH consistency award.

Regarding results publication, with the assistance of John Neve, Crew on “Renene”, we managed to have our race results published in this mornings “Sun”. The word “Classic” is removed from the results info provided. Sub editors strike again. A bit misleading but progress in the area of informing the general world we exist. Nothing in The Age.

Below is a link to some Race 1 images that Scott McDonald managed to snap from “Pastime II”

He’s always happy to provide the high resolution images.

Pictures

Next race run by RYCV on May 20.

Regards to all

Peter Costolloe

CYAA Handicapper

Results

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Dear Classic Yacht Skippers and Crews,

Race 1 of our 2012 Winter Series has finally come about.

Attached are the Sailing Instructions for the race and the list of entries with their assigned handicaps.

Sundays race will be conducted for us by Hobsons Bay Yacht Club under the direction of Tony Dawson, HBYC Race Director and assisted by Bob Tanner, ex ORCV commodore. The HBYC committee vessel “Privateer” will be on station as indicated by the Race 1 Sailing Instructions.

Within our fleet for this series, which is particularly strong, in numbers and quality, we have two yachts, Corio Vertue H99, under the helm of Andy Indrans and Jan S/N 132, a Stella, under the helm of Greg Hynes, with us for the first time. Andy with Corio Vertue, has been a long time campaigner in Geelong passage races and Greg, with Jan, has been a long time crew on Tandanya. They are both ready to take the fleet on.

We have a welcome return of another Tumlaren, Vahine under the helm of Andrew Godwin. With Vahine back we have a 6 strong Tum fleet. And there’s more to come.  Tight racing in our Tum fleet.

Reviewing our list of entries for this series, and knowing the capabilities of each entrant, indications are we are in for one of the most exciting and hardest fought series, ever conducted by the Classics.

Racing with the Classics fleet is unique experience. No where else on the Bay is there a fleet of yachts, all with distinctive racing pedigrees, that range from ocean racing to round the sticks club racing, sailing hard, together, to hit the start line on the button. Say no more, it’s stirring stuff. We all know to make these mass starts of our fleet go off with no hiccups, absolutely no barging at the start.

So it’s on again. From that great moment when we see all the Classics from the top end of the bay converge for another series of tight racing between closely handicapped yachts while all sailing against the clock, through to, who will it be to win the day? Weather predictions look to be on our side.

Regards to all

Peter Costolloe

CYAA Handicapper

Sailing Instruction

Entries and Handicaps – Issue 3

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Please see the flyer below with the dates of the 2012 Winter Series,

Printable PDF Version, CYAA Winter Series 2012

The dates are also on the calendar page, http://classic-yacht.asn.au/calendar/

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Dear Skipper and Crews of the Classics 2012 Summer Series,

Our last race of the 2012 Summer Series is about to happen. Weather wise the current on water conditions forecast for Sunday race have changed from ideal to light winds. Not a good look at this time.

Even so I’ve suspect we’ve all hit the disappointment wall hard this series. Particularly our boats. We all know, they, as well as their skippers and crews, have bad reactions to loss of racing days.

What has been the big tick item for the Associations racing this season, is the rewarding sight of our fleet that appears on the dot of 10:30 am for each race. Our racing fleet arriving to race from various points around the bay is a great sight for Classic Yacht racing tragics.

The consistent effort our skippers and crews put into their Classic Yacht racing is recognised by all keel boat clubs around the bay. It’s also through this consistent effort by our skippers and crews that the Association’s credibility in the yachting fraternity is sustained.

Our Exec team now has David McKenzie, Mercedes III, taking on the tasks of Association Admin and Treasurer. This takeover task was accomplished with no dramas due the great dedication and organisational skill shown by Pip Todd, our previous administrator. Pip was the unknown organisation person behind the Associations successful Cup Regatta, our Series Racing management and our highly successful membership renewal programs. No easy task, but all successfully accomplished by Pip, with her natural grace and skill.

David brings a skill set from a previous life as treasurer ar of the Melbourne University Car Club and Watsonia RSL Pipes and Drums. He was also an auditor of the MU Car Club for 10 years. Given a new State Govt. incorporated associations regulatory regime is happening this July, our Association administration is ready to work with the opportunities these new regulations present.

One small “on water” item to note. Royals requested a reminder note be given to the Classic fleet asking them be aware of the shipping channel proximity when dropping sails. Apparently there have been incidents where yachts have drifted into the shipping channel after Wednesday afternoon races.

Also watch out for the Royals Tacker fleet. They use the Royals “O” mark as a turning mark.

To start this Sundays race, the Sailing Instructions plus the Entries and Group start times are attached.

The course has been fixed, the start has been fixed but not the result, never, ever. Particularly with the light winds now forecast.

Bye the way, being the last race of the season as tradition now befits. The Association will put on the after race BBQ of mussels and snags at Royals. All Classic members welcome to our end of Summer Racing Series revels.

It’s all go.

Don’t forget Daylight saving stops on Sunday.

Notice of Race and Entry forms for our 2012 winter series will be sent out with the 2012 Summer Series wrap up comment next week. They are already installed on our web site. Below is the link address.

http://classic-yacht.asn.au/2012/03/cyaa-vic-winter-series-2012-nor-and-entry-form-posted-30-3-12/

To get us going for the 2012 Winter Series here’s an early look at the 2012 Winter Series race dates.

Race 1             May 6   HBYC

Race 2             May 20 RYCV

Race 3             June 3   HBYC

Race 4             June 24 RYCV

Race 5             July 22  HBYC

Race 6             Aug 5    RYCV

Race 7             Aug 19  HBYC

Race 8             Sept 9   RYCV (Pursuit)

Regards to all

Peter Costolloe.

CYAA Handicapper

Sailing Instructions

Entries and Group Start Times

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Winter Series 2012 Notice of Race and Entry forms are now available,

NOTICE OF RACE

Entry Form (Word doc)

Entry Form (PDF)

Entries due by 2nd May.

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Further information for the Geelong Wooden Boat Festival is available on the website,

http://www.woodenboatfestival.yachting.org.au/

Download sailing instructions from here,

Sailing Instructions

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Dear Skippers and Crews of the Classics 2012 Summer Series.

Below are the Feb 19 race results plus the 2012 Summer Series points status.

Lack of wind and the 1 hour race start delay meant nothing. We were on the water at last and those lazy, crazy days of summer were with us again. After the race comments received from Boambillee reflected those of the fleet. Let’s keep sailing.

Blinders of starts and performances were the order of the day,

Our Tum fleet sailed as though the clock was turned back to the 50’ and 60’s. Dingo with Jim Hutchinson and Avian with Charlie Salter(Ellida) and Roger Dundas on the foredeck have put the Classic fleet on notice, this is the start of performances to come. Zephyr ,helmed by Anne Batson, also worked the wind and sea conditions to their favour. Our Tums, while known as serious light wind performers also take on and successfully race in 45 knot bay winds and seas.

Other closely watched racing performances were put in by that light wind phenomena, Kent Bacon’s Renene, the Martini team of Ross Clark and Michael Williams and especially by the colourful team on Craig Brown’s Cyan. Her elapsed time over Marie Louise was startling.

The most notable performance of the day was the fleet’s start. The HBYC race director requested his comments be passed to the fleet. After all the flag signals our race committee used to manage the multiple division start delays, watching the Classic fleet cleanly hit the start line on the button of 11:30 am was an impressive and rewarding sight.

The best news of the day was all our fleet of starters recorded a finish time. Thanks to the race committee foresight to shorten the race, our entire fleet squeeked across the finish with 1.15 minutes to spare.

A notable inclusion in the Race 3 fleet was the welcome return of the Amanda with Merella Curtis and Boyd Young. A strong performer within the Couta Boat Fleet, the Amanda took out the 2011 Portsea Cup and circumnavigated Tasmania in 2005.

Cyan’s race performance capped off a big weekend for her. Lead by her previous owner, Bill Manning from Sydney, a 50 strong team of Cyans Melbourne supporters, on the Royals lawn last Saturday afternoon, acknowledged 5 years of Craig Browns custodianship. The spirit of Australia’s Classic yachting, with Craig and his team of Cyan supporters could not be better shown.

A not forgotten big moment for Cyan under Bill Manning custodianship, was taking out the Best Yacht at Show second in the inaugural August 2001 Sydney Classic Yacht Association Concours event.

So on with our next race, a pursuit, from Royals on March 4. There will by some appropriate, but not too large, handicap changes made after Sundays race. When the March 4 group start times are generated the handicap used to calculate the start times will be published.

One extra item for March 4 race. I’m looking for spaces. We have 5 potential Association members from Beechworth North East. They are a team of Classic Yacht enthusiasts, with sailing experience. They want closer involvement with the Classic Yacht racing scene on a regular basis. We are always crying for regular crew. This is a not to pass up opportunity. Let me know early.

The Geelong Wooden Boat Festival. March 10 and 11

Entry activity is building.

The table for 10 I booked for the Sunday Dinner with Larry Pardy after dinner speaker is almost full.

Any more takers for this dinner who want the use the rare opportunity to catch up with other association members let’s know. We can arrange a couple more tables. So far there are 78 takers for 150 places.

Don’t forget the Association will have an onshore presence at this festival. We have one taker, Rod Fuller of Shamrock, to help out with our on shore presence. More would be welcome. The plan is to keep this presentation simple.

Regards to all

Peter Costolloe

CYAA Handicapper

http://classic-yacht.asn.au/results/

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WHYTE, JUST & MOORE WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL OF GEELONG.
Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th MARCH 2012
At the Royal Geelong Yacht Club.

Along with the impressive array of wooden boats, the array of onshore static displays will display various aspects and pieces of nautical equipment, rope making, boat building displays where local boat builders will demonstrate chalking, laminating and steam bending plus boat care and maintenance. There’ll be sea trips, yacht races, ‘Concours d’elegance’ to select the best cared for and the best maintained amongst an amazing display of ‘well loved’ wooden boats!

AND THERE’S MORE! Music, food, refreshments, wandering entertainers, Cap’n Jack Sparrow, Colin Mockett and Shirley Power, will amuse you as they meander among the boats and visitors, while in the RGYC Theatre, historic footage of old time movies and pictures of sailing history will be running all weekend!

AND IT’S ALL FREE!!! DON’T MISS IT!! On Saturday afternoon a jazz band will entertain and you can Rock and Roll with the Hoos Bros on Saturday night to help strengthen your sea legs.
Children’s events will include a treasure hunt with Cap’n Jack Sparrow.

The highlight will undoubtedly be to meet and hear the incredible pair of nautical narrators, Lin and Larry Pardey who are undoubtedly, the world’s wisest wonders of wooden boat wisdom.
This amazing pair of adventurers, Lin and Larry, has voyaged more than 200,000 miles together on self-built engine-free wooden boats. They’ve been round the world, east and west-about and against the prevailing wind south of the great southern capes.

The stories of their exploits will help to launch your dreams with inspiring talks to all would-be sailors. In 2010, the Pardeys were awarded The Cruising Club of America’s prestigious Far Horizons Award! Make sure you don’t miss them!

Another of the many highlights of the festival is the full-size copy of a 15th century caravel, as sailed by early world explorers. It’s the oldest ship re-construction in Australia and is the magnificent replica wooden ship, the caravel, the ‘NOTORIOUS’.
Christopher Columbus’s ship, the ‘Santa Maria’ of 1492 was a caravel, only 8 metres longer than ‘NOTORIOUS’ and sailed in company with two smaller caravels, the ‘Pinta’ and ‘Nina’, each 4 metres shorter than ‘NOTORIOUS’! Early history unfolds before your weather beaten eyes!

‘NOTORIOUS’ was built near Warrnambool in SW Victoria, by amateur boat-builder, Graeme Wylie who researched, designed and constructed ‘NOTORIOUS’ entirely from reclaimed timber, NOT having to chop down a single tree! A truly unique endeavour.

21 metres long and weighing 70 tonnes, ‘NOTORIOUS’ is straight from the 15th century. Rounding the Cape of Good Hope in 1488, Bartholomew Diaz was on board a caravel and the ships used by Ferdinand Magellan for his circum-navigation of the world in 1519 to 1522 were caravels. And, the same ‘Lateen Rig’ is still used on Arab dhows in the Suez Canal today!
You’ll be welcome to board this majestic ship of the late 1400’s, when it is open for inspection during the festival. A once in a lifetime opportunity!

Even if this or all the gleaming polish and varnish doesn’t excite you, then the nautical innuendos of the roving ‘press-gang’ of the port.

The tall ship Enterprize will be open for sea trips and display entries are coming in thick and fast.

SAYONARA of 1897!!! Sayonara is arguably the most famous classic keel yacht in Australian yachting history and records quote her as the yacht of the Victorian era that could not be beaten!

Sayonara, (Japanese for goodbye) was built by G F Garrard, then Commodore of the RYCV when the largest yachts in Australia were to be seen on Port Phillip Bay. She was designed as a fast cruising yawl by William Fife III of Scotland, built in Adelaide and launched in November 1897. She then cruised to Melbourne in record time.

In the winter of 1899 her rig was altered to the alternative Fife plan of a top sail cutter which increased her sail area to 2079 sq. ft. Sayonara stayed on the register of the St. Kilda Yacht Club until 1912 when she was sold and went to Sydney.

ln 1997 and in very rundown condition she was bought by a Melbourne syndicate and returned to Melbourne for an authentic and complete restoration.

The yacht was authentically and meticulously restored by skilled shipwrights carefully following the original drawings, copies of which were obtained from Fairley’s of Scotland and amidst fanfare and celebration was formally recommissioned at Royal Yacht Club of Victoria in August 2000.

‘LA BELLE LIMONE’ is a twin engined ‘Riva Aquarama Super’ off shore speedboat with a top speed 87 Ks!!

Built in 1970 by ‘Cantieri RIVA’ in Sarnico, ITALY and designed by Carlo Riva. ‘La Belle’ is constructed of African Mahogany & European Beech. Has an O/A length of 8.5mtrs, a beam of 2.1mtrs and draws 0.75mtrs. When empty, she weighs 2,850 kgs. Driven by two 454s Petrol engines @ 320HP she carries 480 litres of fuel in two tanks giving an endurance of 7hours.

She was delivered to Monaco in 1970, imported into Sydney in 1980, to Melbourne in 1996 and is owned by Greg Sinclair. The name, ‘La Belle Limone’ is Italian for ‘the beautiful lemon’.
She is ‘Aquarama Super’ hull no. 440 in a series of 786 hulls built between 1962/1996. Only 203 of these hulls were ‘Supers’. It is estimated that 500-600 still survive, mainly in Europe. ‘La Belle Limone’ is believed to be the only one in Australia.

In 2004 she had a complete rebuild by Frechville/Heaney boats of Paynesville, to strict factory specifications.

‘NELLIE ROSE’ (Circa 1900) is a 21ft couta boat with an 8ft beam. She draws approx. 3ft with her centre board raised. Now with a new rig, decking, floors, centre board case, fastenings and fittings after an extensive reconditioning by Brett Almond.

‘Nellie’ is powered by a 3 cylinder 17 hp Yanmar and is a unique little girl with a plumb bow and quite a fine transom. She was once known as ‘Nellie K’ and it is believed that, at one time, she belonged to St Augustine’s. ‘Nellie’ was built in Port Fairy in the very early 1900’s and is now owned by Russ Watson.

’WINDWARD II’ (1929) was designed by Norm Dallimore, and built by Percy Coverdale in Hobart in 1929 using the finest Australian timbers. King Billy pine on Blue Gum frames. She is roved copper fastened and has a lead keel. With Oregon Spars, she measures 44 ft on the deck, waterline length of 34 ft. 2ins, overall length is 54 ft. 6 ins. And her beam is 10ft. 3 ins. A draft of 6ft. 6ins. and displaces 13 tons.

‘Windward II’ raced with distinction during the 1930’s and 40’s winning the 1932-33 Fairfax Cup four years in a row, then the Gascoigne Cup then the Revonah Cup and came to Melbourne in 1990 where she now races against classic yachts of her vintage and undertakes corporate charters.

‘Windward II’ was extensively restored in 2006 following a collision on the racecourse.
After the depression and the 2nd World War, ‘Windward II’, along with the yachts ‘Thetis’, ‘Norn’ and ‘Morna’ restarted the racing seasons for a new era and, despite age & competition, ‘Windward II’ won the Fairfax, Norn, Bayly-Macarthur and Boomerang Cups.

‘RENENE (1955) was designed by William Atkin in 1925 and based on the 47 ft Colin Archer Design REDNINGSKOITE. (Norwegian Sailing Rescue Craft.) Built by Murray Perry and launched in 1955 at Hobart.

She has 1.5 inch Huon Pine planking and a Jarrah Keel, stem and stern. Her mast is of Oregon. Overall length is 32 ft, has a beam of 11 ft. a draft of 5 ft 6 in and weighs 12 tonnes and has a 56 HP Perkins diesel engine.

‘Renene’ was purchased by the Bacon Family (Bud) in 1957 one year after the boat competed in the 1956 Sydney to Hobart. She has competed since then in many Devonport/Coastal and Bay races and continues to race in the Bay at Sandringham and in Cruising Yacht Club activities.
The Boat has carried the SM 23 number for over 50 years, from 1957 till 1973 at Sandringham Yacht Club, then 20 years at the Royal Pittwater Yacht Club, NSW. In 1995 ‘Renene’ was sailed back to Sandringham by her owners, Bud, Kent and crew and is still being enjoyed by Family

‘FANCY’ (Circa 1920) has a LOA of 24ft. 3in. was built in the 1920s specifically to win the Williamstown to Portarlington race, which she promptly did!

Following a life of fishing she was wrecked in the creek at Queenscliff where she languished for many years until she was brought to Geelong’s Western Beach for major repairs. The side wall of the Western Beach Boat Club rooms had to be removed to get her inside for the operation!

Then, fitted with a truck engine, she was used for fishing before being purchased by the current owner, Paul van Prooyen. In 2005 after a decent knock from a boat moored nearby, she was completely restored from the keel up, by Brett Almond keeping the original keel, planks, stem, stern and rudder intact. Like all good craft, she has kept her shape well. Her colour scheme was inspired by the garden, Iceberg and Canterbury!

TOREA is a Bermudian (Marconi) cutter and a fine example of a classic yacht from the late 1930s. Carvel built with Oregon planking above water line with spotted gum below. She has copper and bronze fastenings and her deck material is of the original kauri timber planking overlaid with plywood/fibreglass; copper and bronze fastenings.

Tiller steering and sails of synthetic Dacron made traditionally from narrow panels using dark thread and leather strips tied as bowlines to the brass track slides.

‘Torea’ has an auxiliary inboard Yanmar 2QM15; 2 cylinder diesel engine, 11 kw (15 hp) and is owned by Stephen Shanasy. An overall length of 9.14 m (30 ft). LWL: 8.49 m (27 ft 11 in), beam: 3.05 m (10 ft), draft: 1.30 m (4 ft 3 in) displacement: 5.9 tonne (6 ton) and 48 sq m (517 sq ft) sail area.

AND – The topsail schooner, ENTERPRIZE

There aren’t many vessels that can be said to have been present at the birth of a city. But it was from the original topsail schooner Enterprize that a handful of settlers disembarked on the Yarra River on August 30, 1835, to begin the settlement which has capital of around 3.5-million people. Today’s replica Enterprize was constructed in Melbourne and launched in 1997 to commemorate that event. Colonisation was already under way in Tasmania in the 1830s, and the schooner brought settlers from Launceston.

All can be seen at the WHYTE,JUST & MOORE WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL OF GEELONG on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th MARCH 2012 at the Royal Geelong Yacht Club. ENTRY IS FREE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. Best times, Saturday from noon onwards and Sunday.

Bob Appleton. 2012
tempest@ncable.net.au

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