OG checks in (finally)

“SAILING - Airlie Beach Race week 2006 -Airlie beach, QLD (AUS) - 13/08/06 QUEST OF QUEENSLAND photo Andrea Francolini” - www.afrancolini.com

Airlie Beach Race Week 2006 has come to a close.  Well the racing side has anyway! 

What an amazing week it has been on the gorgeous Whitsunday Coast.  Stripey Grant has been providing the details on a daily basis of the events taking place on water (thanks Stripey!) and Johnsee has been doing an awesome job of keeping Live Sail Die readers up to date by posting the articles on the site.

Being a dinghy sailor, the world of yachting can at times be quite dauting.  The racing is different, the people are different and the antics…  Almost unbelievable!

Back in January I was in Melbourne for the Volvo Ocean Race and then in Geelong for Skandia Race Week and met some pretty amazing people.  Now I am bumping into them again, however this time in either Magnums, Beaches or Mama Africa’s and of course on the start line.  That’s the beauty of sailing, no matter which regatta you attend, new friendships are made.

This brings me to mention three interesting fellows that up until this regatta I have only seen at random beer/rum tents at numerous events.  After elegantly departing the transfer bus from the beer tent to the Airlie Beach main street I happened to “bump” into these guys again, but this time they were in the confined area of outside dining enjoying their evening meal.  Eventually it was revealed that yes, we had all been in/at the same place at the same time, however the glistening moon of the Whitsundays was the pinnical moment that officially brought us all together.

Old racing stories were swapped, and mutal friends/aquaitences were mentioned and as the evening progressed new friendships were etched in stone.  Anything that happened after that is “Secret woMENS Business”.

Tomorrow morning we take Quest of Queensland to Hamilton Island and a new adventure begins.  Racing commences on Saturday and Stripey will again be keeping everyone informed of what’s happening on the water.  I will be keeping you “amuzed” with random sayings that are head on and off the water such as:

• “We’re not here to $%#@ spiders!”
• “Budgey smuggler needs a new head”
• “There’s a fair amount of WANG involved”
• “Why is it that I’m wet but not excited?”
• “There’s nothing quite like a glass of Pinot Noir to make a yacht race interesting”

My internet time is just about to crack a cry so I bid you all farewell until Hamilton Island!

Cheers,
OG