​The first event for the new year has been run, and what can you say – except that every dog has its day…..
 
A  confused Brook greeted us this morning, from very light A rig conditions, through to solid C rig conditions – all within one race. And if you think it was done there, the wind also swept around most points of the compass as well, making decisions prior to hitting the water hard, and only exceeded by the decisions required on the water. Chase the wind one minute, then try to avoid it the next. A few sailors experimented with B Rigs, which were quite competitive with the larger “A” setups, but I think the A was the better overall decision on the day – so long as you kept away from the little squalls that zipped across the dam.
 
Richard Barwick again showed great consistency, coming in third. He took the gutsy decision to drop down to B rig after lunch, which although competitive still, could have done more with the A rig. A few troubles with setup on the “B”, but watch out next month, he will have it tuned nicely.
 
Great to see Geoff Matthews doing well, coming in second - with a bullet in the first race and maintaining consistency throughout, with his handicap well and truly heading towards zero.
 
Yours truly got the bragging rights this month – and has drawn the fury of the handicapper – so next time will not be so easy. After a winch failure initially (from lack of sailing the 95), and then sailing the B rig, things were stepped up a notch when the A rig came out, and was the one to beat on the day. Judging tacks off waves and avoiding the bullets running down the dam proved decisive.
 
Other sailors on the day could have had much improved results, but gear failure and other rig issues blighted them this month. They’ll be much more competitive next month for sure.

Big thanks to Andrew, who sacrificed his sailing today to do the PRO duties for the entire day. We hope to share the duties from now on, with each competitor having a go at being the PRO for a race at a time.

​Another good morning’s sailing with 14 skippers fronting the start line for an hour of scratch racing at 10 am, prior to the handicap event at 11 am. The conditions were light and variable until lunch time, when a sea breeze came in and provided some reasonable sailing conditions.
Today we ran a system of rotating PRO's, who took average points for the race for which they were the PRO. It seemed to work well so we will continue that system post Christmas. As to the results, again we see David & Ray at the front closely followed by Peter S so well done. A few photos of todays event can be found here.   https://www.risdonbrookradioyachtclub.com/rbryc-photos--videos 
 
On other matters, last Saturday we held the clubs annual presentation including BBQ. We had 20 people there for a very enjoyable lunch & the following people should be acknowledged for their work.  Kyle and Ray for their very efficient results and prize giving, and Chris Wood whose culinary mastery with the BBQ was very much appreciated. Also a big thanks for those who made the effort to support the event. 
 
According to the calendar, the next sailing Wednesday after Christmas should be Wed 2nd of Jan which, is the day after new years day and will be for the DF95 fleet, so I hope to see you there. 
 
Andrew
 
Hope you all have an excellent Christmas and we will see you in the new year

The last of our Series rounds has now been completed. All of our series results are below. Congratulations to all of our new champions and award winners.
​Congratulations also to Phil Turnbull, worthy recipient of the Most improved Award for 2018

​We had a drifter of a day today. Any small amount of weed slowed boats up. 
 
Wayne set a course with the start off the clubhouse, up to the windward mark set off the far western boat launch ramp, then downwind to a mark off the jetty and then into the small eastern bay to a turning mark, then back around the jetty mark to the start finish line.  
 
Only two races before an early lunch was called. An hour later there was a tad more breeze so we got underway again. Late in the day the sea breeze came in and gave some respite to the humid heat of the day, and lovely sailing conditions prevailed for the last few races.
 
Les Hanson took on the RO duties for the day. Thanks Les, for your assistance there. It is really valued when a club member takes time out from actively sailing in order to PRO for a day. 
 
Without a doubt Montrose was the right choice today, I could not imagine any sailing could have occurred at the dam, with the conditions being similar to that of round 4, which was cancelled on the day due to the lack of wind.
 
Congratulations to Peter Sylvester, who not only took out the day’s bragging rights, but in doing so, also secured the Long Distance Series for 2018. Well deserved. Just two points behind, was Wayne Behrens and not much further behind, in third, was Andrew Wardrop. Series results will be posted for everybody shortly.

A warm sunny & windy day at the dam today but unfortunately the wind shifts were unreadable at times. Nevertheless it was good to see Teddy Laing take out the wine followed by David Jones & David Murfet. Fourteen boats sailing which reflected the excellent forecast. Again I say despite the naysayers that this handicap system is the best we have used however again no handicap system is fair all the time. Thanks to Stu Harris for fullfilling the PRO duties with his usual good humour.
 
Saturday is the club prize giving/BBQ, starting at 1230 & as Ray has stated I closely follow Nigella for her inspirational recipes - i would like to say that I find Nigella's food particularly yummy - not Nigella of course I dont want trouble from MeTwo. 
 
So I hope to see you on Saturday 

Well, what a great weekend of RM sailing.
Sailed at Montrose Bay Yacht Club, on the “Nationals” course, 27 races were held across the two days. Saturday started with light A Rig conditions, and by the time we resumed from lunch, the A’s were well and truly packed away, and the C and C2 rigs came out to play. The wind on the course was fantastic. Nice and consistent, and enabled the setup of a great course for racing nice and close to the shore. Day 1 closed out with 16 races completed. Ray Joyce had a very firm hold on the event, with just 13 points, with second place tied between Mike Hickman and John Hall on 37 points.
Sunday started out a little lighter than Saturday, with the point of difference being that the sea breeze didn’t make an appearance, and we were left with light to very light winds throughout the day. Less races overall on the day with 11 completed, but that was due to the much longer times between races, given the much lighter conditions.
In all, it was a thorough test for the sailors, in all conditions. Light wind, heavy wind, tidal influences (wasn’t that a challenge after passing the windward mark when it was really light), and even the fun of surfing some of the Mona Roma waves (well, I enjoyed it).
As expected, the cream rose to the surface, and Ray put in another consistent performance with his Grunge, easily winning the championship on 27 points. Mike Hickman was also very consistent, breaking the deadlock from the previous day, to run comfortably seaocn on 68 points. The battle for third heated right up, with 3rd place winner, John Hall (80 points), just holding out a fast finishing Lisa Blackwood (82 points), and yours truly keeping them honest just a few more points back (85). Lisa possibly ruing the lack of spares yesterday afternoon when the receiver had a bit of a bath and decided to shut down completely on her. That said, fantastic effort John Hall, in bringing the Fuzzy Logic home in third.
Massive thankyou’s must also go out to the pro’s of the weekend. Stuart Harris for acting as Pro on Saturday, and assisting on Sunday. Andrew Wardrop for PRO’ing on Sunday, our rescue boat crew of Tony Brewer and Don Ash (Saturday) and Mike Holbrook and Phil Turnbull (Sunday). Without people offering their time and help, these events would not get off the ground. As wonderful as Montrose is to sail at – as well as the extra facilities that we get to enjoy, we do need an extra level of volunteers to help us out in order hold such successful events. The club is indebted to you all for your volunteer work.

Next week, as previously mentioned, we have our annual end of year presentations at MBYC (Saturday 15th from 1230pm). I have had a really good response for people coming along, which is important, so we can get the catering for the day right. If you are considering coming along, and have not yet let me know, please do so as soon as possible, so we can organise things. We will be having a BBQ at $5 per head and will likely be running a few giveaways during the afternoon. If possible, salads etc brought along will also be a tremendous help and will be really appreciated by all who come along, for what I believe will be a really great way to close out the 2018 year for the club.

​Kyle

Well, the forecast was spot on today with light winds in the morning and an excellent sea breeze after lunch. An hour of scratch racing was followed by very close handicap racing that showed the handicap system is working well. Eight races were completed and it was good to see that Richard Barwick took the wine, with Ray second & Richards fellow Huon burglar, Cliff Eaves, in a well deserved third. 
I think everyone enjoyed the day. The PRO’s special award (bottle of wine) goes to Cliff Eaves, who along with Richard makes the effort to support the DF95 racing at the dam on the first Wednesday of the month.
A special thanks to all those who have supported the DF95 Wednesday - by and large we have enjoyed some great racing & we will recommence the event after Christmas.
This weekend sees the RM State Championship, held at Montrose Bay Yacht Club, on both Saturday and Sunday. Come along to watch the RM’s in action, and if you would like to volunteer some of your time, let Ray Joyce know as soon as possible so he can co-ordinate the helpers. Remember, if you wish to enter the event, entries need to be sent to Kyle as soon as possible, with entries closing on Friday afternoon.
Next Wednesday is back to IOM handicap racing with the last round of the IOM Handicap Perpetual Trophy for the year.