Too Busy…
LSD hasn’t been updated for a few days because we are just too busy…
Johnsee is back at uni and running the Sailing School and our business, and I’m hectic with the Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race and other regattas including running our business as well! So we are just going to take a little break for the moment.
Got something to submit? Send it through!!!
(I have no idea what that cartoon is but I found it here >>)
Oh what a lovely day for Match Racing
One of the races we won
Well here we are… At the 2008 Audi Sunshine Coast Queensland Match Racing Championships racing off the beautiful beaches of eroded Mooloolaba.
Today was a great learning experience. I learnt to put on more sunscreen, drink more water, and not get involved with pre-start tussles!
It all started in Race 1 of Flight 1. We were assigned to starboard to start at the boat end. Before we even knew it, a penalty was thrown at us. Ah… We entered the box too early! Did we? Yes…? Are you sure? Indeed. Oh crap. What a way to start!
The first race resulted in us completing a penalty turn which we did on the finish line. “The best place to do your penalty is at the finish line. Get ahead, then do the turn,” advised the professional. Ok, yeah, right, well you have to get in the lead for that to work don’t you! Not to worry, that was our first race – plenty of time to come back.
The breeze was light – light all day, with only a few minor bursts providing some relief to the cramped up crew sitting forward.
Ok, the 2nd Flight is here, what’s our plan of attack? “Let’s try to not get a penalty this time shall we?” Hmmm, I’ll do my best…
Bang.
Whistle.
Blue flag.
Blue flag?????
Blue flag.
Oh crap. That’s us. Another penalty!!! You’ve GOT to be kidding me.
Right. How are we going to handle this one? What did the pro say? Do it at the finish line? Well there is a chance we won’t get in front, so why don’t we just do it now…? Done. Sailing upwind, we bear away and do our penalty. Excellent. Now let’s just sail fast. No problem, just give me about 3 more knots to increase the strength to 6 knots!
The SB3′s being used in the regatta are equally matched to the extreme. The guys getting the boats ready did a superb job and no one can complain that one boat is faster than another. It really does come down to crew work, and experience. Our crew work is great, our experience of the rules… Not so good!
Our race in the 3rd Flight was also a shocker. The finishing positions were close, but our bow didn’t go over the line first.
Three loses… Three races to go. I started thinking that I should have taken up tennis.
After a sip of water, a couple of snakes and half a muesli bar, the head was back in shape and was ready to go.
“We are going to HUNT these guys. This is our race. GRRRRRR!!!!!!” We were ready.
Control was gained right from the start (apparently that makes winning the race just a little bit easier), and off the line with speed we were looking famous. In other words, we were three boat lengths in front, but felt good. Around the top mark we shot off with speed with the kite up and headed towards what little breeze there was. Our opponents gybed and went the other way…
Hmmm… should we let them get away?
Hmmm… no idea!
After much back and forth we ended up underneath them and just heated it up.
PROTEST!!! Fly the Y flag!!!
We waited…
We waited some more…
Then the whistle goes. FINALLY!!!! We have inflicted a penalty on another boat! What an exciting moment!!!
When we sailed across the finish line in first place our confidence was back and we were ready for another win.
The second last race was again a close one but luckily a little easier than the others. We cruised over the finish line (in about 5 knots) and finished in front for the second time. It would be our last time…
The last race. The final flight. Our aim, to win. A win still wouldn’t get us through to the top round and quarter finals, but it would ingrain confidence in our minimal match racing abilities!
We started off well, inflicting a penalty on the other team, and managed to drift over the line in the lead. When I say drift, I really do mean drift. There was nothing. Only just enough to propel a little way forward. Our decision to tack when we did pretty much ended our day. We tacked onto port, and due to the very minimal amount of pressure, there just wasn’t enough to push over the bow of our opponent, meaning we had to tack back resulting in our stern giving their bow a bit of a touch up. Penalty my team. Oh crap crap crap…
Then the worst happened… a 30 degree wind shift, and not in our favour. We went from being even, to a minute behind. The course became that of a soilder’s, and although we attempted to protest the committee for not canning the race, we were doomed to finish in second, or last place in that race. Oh well…
We finished the day with 2 wins (and 4 loses, but we won’t focus on that), and learnt a great deal about this Match Racing game. Be confident at the start, don’t be nervous, don’t be afraid to hunt and sail to the best of your ability.
Our regatta isn’t over – now we race for the bottom half of the positions, and although there is no hope of taking home the silverware, there is still hope to secure the lucky door prize win!
The photos attached were captured by Ben Calder – www.supanova.net.au
Nearly time for Match Racing
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.
Wild and Wet
Ann St Fortitude Valley – Monday, June 2. Picture: Bruce Long
More Photos >>
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…
Sick no more!
Anyone who says they have never been seasick is serioulsy in need of slap. At some point or another, we have all felt that queezy feeling mulching around in the pit of our tummys causing the saliva glands to go into overdrive. I’ve been there, not afraid to admit it either!
“Seasickness happens when the body, inner ear, and eyes all send different signals to the brain, resulting in confusion and queasiness. The problem generally is attributed to the inner ear (vestibular) balance system. The motion of the boat swaying and pitching sets off the conflicting alarm signals to the brain causing nausea, headache, dizziness, and sometimes vomiting. Medical research indicates that motion sickness affects up to 90% of the population to some degree. For many the problem is recurrent and severe. While the degree of susceptibility varies widely, almost no one is immune, given the right stimulus of duration.”
Ok, thats the scientific technical marbo jarbo explaination for it…
But now there is a cure! (kind of…)
Forget the Berocca or the Quills and definitely forget the sick bands that go around your wrist. Instead, take a swig of the ginger kind and suck down a Smooth Sailing.
At “the first signs (you) are usually pallor, yawning, restlessness, and a cold sweat forms on the upper lip and forehead. As the symptoms increase, upset stomach, dizziness, fatigue, and drowsiness may occur. In the final stage, if the stimulus from the movement is uninterrupted, nausea and vomiting are likely to result.”
Yummy!
So instead of sucking it in and trying to hold the vomit inside your gizards, simply venture to the esky or chilly bin and grab yourself a can of Smooth Sailing. Before you know it you will be sailing smoothly thanks to your Smooth Sailing Ginger Supplement that will have you hiking like a hard ass in no time.
I wonder what it tastes like with rum…
Smooth Sailing the Beverage link >>
…I don’t know about anyone else, but just the thought of drinking this makes me feel sick…
