PIt seemed like winter at the dam today. A blustery Westerly greeted us when we arrived and I am sure that the temperature didn’t get anywhere near the forecast 18 degrees. Still that did not deter sixteen skippers from starting.
 
The opening race saw a mix of A and B rigs but as the morning proceeded skippers gradually decided that B was the way to go and changed suit. After lunch everyone was B-rigged.
 
Andrew Wardrop kindly offered to be the PRO for the day and did a great job setting courses for the challenging Westerly conditions.
 
When conditions are demanding it is usually our best skippers that come out on top and no-one handled the conditions better today than Jammy Jones who was a clear winner. Chris Wood was 5 points behind and Lisa Blackwood third another point away. Congratulations Jammy, Chris and Lisa.
 
COMING UP:
Sunday: John Emms Memorial Regatta for Marbleheads at Montrose 10:15 briefing for a 10:30 button. Enter On-line.

​Please contact Kyle or Ray if you'd like to offer some time as either volunteer (observer) or Pro.

Next Wednesday DF95 handicap racing at Risdon Brook Dam 11:00 button.
 
Shorty

Day two is now complete for the A Class State Championship, and the weekend overall was a great success. Ray tagged out from his Pro support yesterday and Stu came in to do the Pro duties for day 2. 

The wind was light early, again from the general NW direction. Stu had us all organised and ready for the 1030 button press and we were straight in to it.

Lisa started as she finished yesterday with a win, but had a bit of a harder time in the middle of the day, with Mike and Kyle never far behind. Rod Marshall also had a great day today. Clear mind and trust that his yacht was well set up and pulled out thee wins today from the 13 races. Kyle also took three races, as did Mike, with Lisa taking 4. Generally very close racing, with a few instances where the fleet got left behind in the doldrums which the first few avoided.

Phil Turnbull - having missed a podium result yesterday, got one today, which meant that across the Championship, everyone had an appearance on the podium.

By lunch time, the results were getting very close after Mike peeled off anumber of wins and second places. His rich vein of form continued after lunch which helped him to take out the Championship for I believe the 16th time - with 43 points.

Lisa Blackwood fought hard for second place - just two behind on 45 points.

Kyle Stewart retained his overnight third spot, finishing a further four points behind on 49.

Although a championship glamourises the place getters, they will not exist without the support of all entrants, and a turnout of 8 was great supprt for the class, with two sailing loaned boats - and sailed them very well, given they were not used to them.

It also goes without saying that the support from the volunteers is also instrumental in a successful weekend. They not only help run the racing for us, but also keep us in line when we do something and not necessarily notice. For that, a big thankyou to our two Pro's over the weekend, Ray Joyce yesterday and Stu Dawes today. Our other volunteers with taking some photos and observing the racing were also appreciated. Thanks to John Short, Ricky Price and Ian Hey for their efforts in rescue boat duties and observing our sailing.

Following are some photos of the weekend and some video links - kindly supplied by Ian Hey and Ray Joyce. Thanks guys for taking the time to get some images and vid footage for us all to enjoy.

Video 1

Video 2

Coming up

We have our regular IOM Mid Week Handicap on this Wednesday, with button press at 11am.

Next Sunday is the re-run of the John Emms Regatta for Marbleheads, button press at 1030. Please - if your entry is not in, get it in as soon as possible. 

Kyle

​Sorry for the late posting. Have only just stopped to do the results.

Eight competitors came along today for the first day of the rescheduled Tasmanian A Class Championship.

We were met with a bit more wind than expected - a nice little katabatic coming down from the higlands gave us a few hours of champagne sailing conditions - getting us 5 races before lunch.

Lisa held the lead at lunch time, on 6 points, with Kyle and Mike tied in second on 9. A few hard luck stories with Phil breaking a vang and not able to get re-started until after lunch with the club boat.

After lunch, we had an extra break with lack of wind direction, but finally got away again for three more races till the wind died again. Just as we were giving up, the sea breeze came in and we managed to get two races in before our 3.30 knock off time.

At that stage, Lisa had established a bit of a lead on 12 points, with Mike in second on 18 and Kyle in third on 19 points.

Of note though, 7 of our 8 yachts finished races on the podium, and given more opportunity, I am sure Phil would have also featured, but luck was not with him today, with a few more issues in the last two races allowing him just four of the ten races to score in.

Big thanks to Ray for his efforts as Pro today. A few changed courses due to the variable wind, but handled it all extremely well. Thanks also to John Short and Ricky Price for cming along to assist as well.

We resume again tomorrow at 1030 for day two of the Championship

Kyle

What a day today for the Hobart Show Day Holiday.

Spring has brought about the wind, and we sailed today in excess of 20 knots for much of the day - but back to the beginning.

Some time ago, it was suggested to the committee that we could have an Invitation Day for other sailors to come and have a sail at Risdon Brook Dam. We have had an explosion of DF sailors in the last year or so, with some of the local yacht clubs introducing the class, as well as the continued popularity and enthusiasm at Puddleduck on Tuesdays along with new DF group at Orford.

We extended an invitation out far and wide, to hopefully encompass all who would be interested in coming along for a sail and certainly got a positive reponse. 

Twenty three DF65 sailors (across 4 clubs) and sixteen DF95 sailors (across two clubs) along for the day in the rather windy conditions.

We had a handicap session for the DF65 class initially, with visitors earning a scratch start, and local members handicapped up to 40 seconds accordingly.

After an initial briefing on the days activities as well as expectations on the course, we were soon away and completed 6 races in the allotted two hour time period to lunch time. Given the handicapped starts, a field of 23 on the water wasn't too bad and almost every start got away nice and clean. Everyone sailed A Rigs as most of our visitors had A only and we wanted to keep everything equal between sailors.

At the end of the racing, DSS Member, John Penman came away with the win on the day with 13 points. Scores of 1, 2, 3, 3, 4 showed he had a fantastic grasp of sailing in over-powered conditions. Congratulations on the win.

Second place, on 16 points, was Stuart Dawes. Only recently purchased his DF65, but sailing just as strong as he has done for many years in the DF95 class. 1, 2, 2, 4, 7 also excellent results amongst 23 sailors.

Rounding out the top three was Phil Turnbull on 25 points, bookending his day with podium finishes.

Overall, the day was thoroughly enjoyed, with many skippers not having sailed in such strong conditions or rough water.

Following the DF65 racing, we retired for a BBQ Lunch and socialising.

After lunch, the DF95's came out for their couple of hours sailing. We managed to get 8 races in with this class, and many DF65 sailors without a DF95 stayed behind to watch. Many generous RBRYC members soon took a step back and gave their transmitters to those watching in order to enjoy how the DF95 sailed. B and A Rig was used across the eight races.

Stu Dawes was the winner of the DF95's today. Four wins taking him to a total of 10 points. A very consistent day today in both classes.

Second was Lisa Blackwood, two behind on 12. Six of the eight races were second places - cannot be much more consistent than that. Fantastic racing in the conditions.

Third place was Richard Fisher on 17 points. Also very consistent with four podium places in the eight races.

Well done to all sailors today, for such an enjoyable days sailing. Fantastic effort to all the organisers, volunteers and others who helped our guests with some tuning advice. I risk missing somebody, so please don't get upset if I have. The likes of John Short, Rod Marshall, Lisa Blackwod, John Cole-Cook, Ray Joyce, Peter Sylvester, Ian Hey, Ricky Price and the others that I am sure to have failed to mention put in significant time and effort to make the day a success. Setting up, organising supplies, welcoming our visitors, cooking the BBQ and of course packing up at the end of the day.

Linked here is some video kindly taken by Ray Joyce of an example of the conditions we sailed in today.

I have also attached some phots below, taken by Ray and Ian Hey
 
Coming Up:
 
Saturday and Sunday: A Class State Championships at Montrose. (10:15 briefing for a 10:30 button press) Enter online if you havn’t already.
 
Next Wednesday: More IOM handicap at Risdon Brook Dam (11:00 button press)
 
Kyle

It was a t-shirt and shorts day for many and with a 5-10 knot Northerly it was also perfect conditions for IOM handicap sailing. I was a little surprised that we only had 12 starters but I am guessing that the live telecast of the IOM world’s and the promise of more sailing tomorrow might have kept some at home today.
 
The breeze did have some unexpected holes in it and considerable shifts too and those who worked them well came out on top. Close racing is always a feature of handicap Wednesday and today we again found that the entire fleet would finish within a minute and many races were decided in the short leg from the gate to the finish. This final leg was often the scene for some quite intense tacking battles.
 
It was Wayne Behrens who took out the event sailing his woody today. Wayne was the most consistent of the front runners and finished 5 points ahead. Congratulations Buzzy. Jammy Jones took the second place making the overall podium for the second week running. And I managed third after finishing the day strongly.
 
All up it was a great day out, - the sort of day that makes you look forward to the next sail……..which of course is our special invitation event tomorrow. Lets make an effort to ensure that the day works out well!
 
So Coming Up:
 
Tomorrow: The Showday Showdown at Risdon Brook Dam.
10:00 – 12:00 Handicap series for DF65 (Note the start time)
12:00 – 1:00 BBQ lunch (Please bring $2 to cover costs)
1:00 – 3:00 Scratch series for DF95
 
Saturday and Sunday: A Class State Championships at Montrose. (10:15 briefing for a 10:30 button press) Enter online if you havn’t already.
 
Next Wednesday: More IOM handicap at Risdon Brook Dam (11:00 button press)
 
Shorty

​A wonderful Sping day greeted us today, minus one thing - no wind.

That was short lived however, with a small breeze filling in after a half hour wait and we were off.

A great turnout today of eight Marbleheads and even better with volunteers coming along, with Ian Hey, John Short, Ricky Price and Ken Dobbie also turning up. Lisa had some boat issues early and stayed the rest of the afternoon to help out with some observing as well - big thanks to all our volunteers.

John took the reigns today, got us away nicely and kept the races ticking along well - very nice work today John.

The first 3 races were in A Rig, but after a runaway yacht stopped procedings for a little while, the skippers opted for a change to B and C Rigs. Initially, the C setups were the ones who took most advantage, but the wind did drop a bit and the B's came back in to the picture again.

In all, we got 10 races completed, which was pretty good given the initial delay - so well done everyone for the quick turnarounds between races.

After a bit of a wobbly start with some bowsies loosening on him, Ray setadied up nicely with a big run of firsts and seconds to finish the day as round winner on 15 points.

Kyle Stewart was second today, just two points behind on 17. Consistent throughout, but with a few mistakes costing a few races.

Third place today was Rod Marshall. Sailed really well, winning a few races as well. Very consistent with just 9 points as the two drops. Great to see the Mantra going well under your control Rod.

Pics below from Ian Hey (thanks Bodge)

Coming up

Wednesday is IOM Mid Week Handicap, button press at 11am. 

Thursday (Show Day Public Holiday) is our Invitational Day
A DF65 handicap invitation series (10:00 – 12:00); 
A BBQ sausage sizzle lunch at 12:00, then;
A DF95 scratch invitation series (1:00 – 3:00). 

Then, next weekend is our rescheduled A Class State Championship at MBYC. If your entry is not yet in, please get it in as soon as possible.

Kyle

The promise of a warm and sunny day with a moderate Northerly brought 14 skippers to Risdon Brook Dam today for IOM handicap racing. They were not disappointed. While the breeze was a bit shifty and variable it stayed with us all day and provided for some excellent and close racing.

Today we welcomed Henry Finnis as a guest skipper. Henry is a regular with the DF95 fleet at Puddleduck Vineyard but today Lisa’s generously loaned him her Venti. I am pretty sure that Henry enjoyed his day too, - especially when he won race #2!

An honourable mention goes to Al Short who struggled a bit in the morning session but after lunch finished the day strongly, especially in the last three races with a third place, a second place and a race win (in that order.) I reckon that he will be looking forward to next week’s racing.

It was a close scoreboard today with 14 points separating the first 10 skippers. And the sort of day where it was difficult to predict the winner without adding up the points. 

It was consistency that earned top honours overall today. Jammy Jones took out third place in a welcome return to his usual form. Ian Hey was second and also had a 1st 2nd and 3rd in his mix, and today’s winner was Phil Turnbull who sailed his pink TS2 today and was always near the head of the fleet. Well done Jammy, Bodge and Phil!

I do think that our handicap system is working quite well now. All skippers made the podium at some stage today, and most made it twice. Consequently no skipper needed a handicap adjustment of more that 5 seconds showing that most were on about the right handicap.

Coming up: Plenty of sailing next week!

Sunday: RM scratch racing at Montrose (1:00 button)
Wednesday: IOM handicap racing at Risdon Brook Dam (11:00 button)
Thursday: The Show Day Showdown! 
A DF65 handicap invitation series (10:00 – 12:00); 
A BBQ sausage sizzle lunch at 12:00, then;
A DF95 scratch invitation series (1:00 – 3:00). 
We are hoping for a good turn out for this so please invite your friends.


Shorty

A beautiful morning greeted us this morning, with a nice 9 knot northerly blowing early. The 13 competitors wondering if an A or B was going to be used to start with - with two on B rigs for the first race.

It was great to see such a mix of sailors along today as well. From those expecting to contest at the head of the fleet right through to the ones who are still getting used to their boats and all the in-betweeners as well.

The wind abated steadily throughout the day, with a finish half an hour early with the water glassing over. By the time we left the bar, the entire bay was glassed over, so it was a good move to close the day early.

The racing was very close througout with 6 skippers taking race wins. Similarly, in Silver Division, 4 of the 6 recorded wins as well.

The absolute standout of the day today (in my opinion) was the relaxed and respecftful nature of the racing throught. An ideal briefing at the start of the day setting the standard of behaviour and it was met. Fantastic seeing so many packing up saying how much they enjoyed the sailing today. The type of behaviour the club not only aims for, but expects when we are sailing. Fantastic job to all competitors in this regard.

Again, with Montrose Bay (and Risdon Brook Park) being public open space, it is important to be respectful amongst all the competitors and as we saw today, a lot of people stopped and watched the sailing as the day progressed.

After the day closed with 11 races completed, Chris Wood was the most consistent at the head of the fleet, a very well deserved winner of the regatta on 23 points with three race wins (and with drops of 6 and 6).

Second place today went to Mat Gray on 27 points - a welcome return to the IOM fleet after some time away from sailing. Great to have you back on the water Mat. 

Third place - on countback - was Lisa Blackwood on 33 points. Always consistent up the top of the fleet.

In Silver Fleet, Ricky Price took out first place on 15 points (and was 5th overall!!). Still improving rapidly every time he hits the water. Great to see.

Second place went to Ted Stevens on 24 points by countback to Peter Sylvester in third place on the same 24.

Big thanks to Rod Marshall, for being the PRO today. The wind played a few tricks and made some courses a bit more difficult to set, but handled very well throughout the day.

Coming up

Wednesday is  Mid Week IOM Handicap at the Dam, button press at 11am

Next Sunday is RM Scratch, at MBYC, button press at 1pm

Kyle

It was a really beautiful day for sailing IOM yachts at Risdon Brook Dam. Sunny, warmish, and a Northerly of about 5 – 8 knots which held throughout the day and gave just enough shifts to make things interesting.
 
Quite often the conditions will favour one end of the fleet or the other but today was one for the ‘mid-fleeters’. A mid-fleet skipper took out all but one race.
 
I managed to take third position overall today with three race wins on the scorecard but unfortunately matched these with quite a few trashy races! John Hall was much more consistent and took second place. The winner was Andrew Wardrop with three race wins, a second, and a third, sailing his ‘Trojan’ today. Really well sailed Andrew! He will be off to the tropics on holiday for a few weeks so it was particularly great to see him leave after having such a commanding day. Happy travels Andrew.
All up it was a really great day to be radio sailing.
 
Coming Up:
Sunday: The Tasmania IOM State Regatta at Montrose. Entries can be made on-line. (10:15 briefing for a 10:30 button-press.)
 
Next Wednesday: IOM handicap sailing at Risdon Brook Dam. (11:00 button-press)
 
Shorty

​First day back with the Summer Series today, and we turned up at Montrose Bay with the expectation of some heavy weather sailing. That expectation was met plus some.

At the start of the day, we joined our friends at Montrose Bay Yacht Club for their Seasn Opener and BBQ. Unfortunatley - but wisely, the dinghy's that were rigged up were soon put back away as the wind strength just kept building

That said, the advantage of the Marbleheads is the rig choices, and with that, we had five keen skippers suit up their C2 and C3 rigs in preparation for the first race.

Unfortunately, during the initial shakedown prior to the start of the first race, we lost Stu Dawes and John Hall to various on-board failures and only Ray Joyce, Kyle Stewart and John Cole-Cook got a start in the still increasing wind.

The first race went down to the wire, with Kyle beating John over the line - who were both in C2 rigs, while Ray came in 3rd on his C1 rig.

During the race, the wind had exceeded 40 knots, with sheets of spray lifting off regularly. We decided to give Ray the opportunity to change rigs (down to his B2) and reassess the wind when he was again ready.

Unfortunately, when he was ready, the wind hadn't abated, and we discussed whether to start race 2. We were fairly keen to race in the wind, but the decision came down to the safety of a rescue, should it be needed. Based on that, we decided that we would call the day as we did not see it as being safe enough to take the rescue dinghy out in the conditions, should it be required.

As such, the round was called off as a non counting round, with just the one race completed.

We then enjoyed some good company and converstaion in the MBYC bar with the dinghy sailors.

Thanks to John Short for volunteering his services as Pro today

Coming up

Wednesday is IOM Mid Week Handicap, button press at 11am. 

Next Sunday is IOM State Regatta. Just a reminder that it is at Montrose next week, with a button press at 1030. Please get your entry in (entry link on our website in Ranking Events) as soon as possible.

Kyle