Wild and Wet

June 2nd, 2008

Ann St Fortitude Valley - Monday, June 2. Picture: Bruce Long
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In our humble little town know as Brisbane, the excitement that a little rain creates is pretty amazing. Our dam levels are low and we are living with Level 6 Water Restrictions and people are even asking the question whether its environmentally friendly to drink 8 glasses of water a day. You can’t even wash your boat down after a day of sailing.

So to us, water from the sky is like liquid gold. As you can imagine, the whole region has been pretty stocked with what we are currently experiencing, over 150mm is certain areas! But with the rain, there came wind, and lots of it. And that meant…

Canceling sailing on the weekend. Canceling the sailing school classes. The yacht club was a ghost town.

And today it’s Monday - the wild weather is still with us.

Downtown Brisbane has been flooding and one of the main arteries into and out of the city is resembling the log ride and Dreamworld and Disneyland.

But if things don’t calm down, then the Etchells fleet are going to have a pretty hard time crossing the bar at Mooloolaba for the Musto Etchells Midwinter Championships coming up this weekend…

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Britain’s RS Feva’s coming down under

June 3rd, 2008

Sekonda 2008 RS Feva National Championships at HISC

Laser builder Performance Sailcraft Australia is licensed to build and distribute ther successful RS Sailboat range from Britain in the Asia Pacific region.

Chris Caldecoat, PSA’s Operations Manager says the one-design RS Feva (ISAF International Class), fills a gap for an international junior class leading in to the 29er and 49er classes. The Feva has been selected to be used at the Australian Schools Teams Racing Championships for 2008, and PSA will bid to host the Feva World titles on Sydney Harbour in summer 2010.

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Nearly time for Match Racing

June 4th, 2008

For the first time ever (I think), Queensland is hosting the a Match Racing Championship. I have a team. We have entered… I am freaking out!

The regatta is being hosted by the Mooloolaba Dinghy Sailing Club and Oceanburo are supplying the SB3’s for racing. The first time I sailed in an SB3 was in Melbourne for the Docklands Invitational, but I was crewing… This time I am in charge. I am the skipper… God help us all…

We are going up against some big names in Match Racing, including Katie Spithill (last time I raced against Katie was when we where mixing it up in the Flying Eleven fleets in Sydney as young tackers), however we need to ensure we keep our heads together and don’t freak out. (Just me…)

We are having our first practice session this coming Monday (9th June), which is also our only training session! Again… God help us!

Who can give us some racing tips? Some suggestions? Perhaps a word of advice when it comes to Match Racing?

Regardless of my nerves, I am really looking forward to the racing.

Helpful hints, suggestions, words of advice >>

Etchells in Sunny QLD for Winter Racing

June 7th, 2008

It’s the June Long Weekend. It’s the Queens birthday weekend. It’s also the time for the Musto Etchells Australian Midwinter Championships - an annual event in all Etchells sailors calendar.

I was here last year, and the year before - taking photos. [missing text…]

Something like this has happened before…

ANYWAY… Peter Duncan from Quest Photos, a local on the Sunshine Coast, will be on the water for the duration of the event and has already captured some fantastic images of these gorgeous boats. Be sure to check them out >>

Ian Grant Writes:

West Australian Michael ‘Skip’ Lissiman will need to complete a miracle comeback to successfully defend his Musto Australian Championship trophy following his black flag disqualification in the opening heat off Mooloolaba earlier today.

Lissiman who has the distinction of winning the America’s Cup with the John Bertrand skippered Australia 11, was positioned in the front line as the highly competitive 54 boat fleet jostled for the favoured clear wind advantage.

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Bob Ross Writes:

Graeme Taylor’s Victorian crew aboard Magpie, from a great start in a tricky, shifting light wind, led around all marks to win the opening race of the Musto Etchells Australian Winter Championship off Mooloolaba today.

Crewing for Taylor was Grant Wharington, owner-skipper of the maxi Skandia Wild Thing. Taylor has been a regular crewman and watch captain aboard Skandia Wild Thing. Joining the Victorians aboard Magpie was Queenslander Simon Gorman.

Magpie won by 30 seconds from Jervis Tilly’s Bushfire, from NSW, with Racer X, skippered by Mooloolaba local Michael O’Brien, third.

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Photos of Etchells

June 8th, 2008

I’m a spectator.

I’m on the beach.

I’m on the rock wall.

I’m not on the water.

I’m taking photos.

There are photos of the beach.

There are photos of surfing.

There are photos of fisherman.

And there are photos of Etchells.

Ok, so maybe they are not the kind of photos I’m used to taking of Etchells, [missing text…]

But if you want to see better photos than these, the check out Peter Duncan’s photos on his website Quest Photos - www.questphoto.net

Peter is sure to get some awesome photos from today’s racing as it’s currently blowing at least 25 knots where the fleet is sailing off the coast of Mooloolaba. The racing has been close, but it looks as though Graeme Taylor from Melbourne, together with his crew Grant Warrington and Simon Gorman are going to take the title.