​A big thanks to the competitors today, for a close and enjoyable event. Thanks also to  Dennis Lees, for being PRO for the day. It is really appreciated.
 
Anyway, birthday girl, Lisa Blackwood proved most consistent on the day, coming out winner of the event, on 27.3 points, with Mike Hickman close behind in second, on 231 points and John Cole-Cook (37 points) just edging out Ray Joyce by one point in third.
 
Many races within races today, and although the wind proved tricky and troublesome at times, I am sure everyone enjoyed the day.
 
Reminder that next week we will be having our AGM at MBYC, starting at 2.30pm. Please contact me if you want a postal vote, or wish to be recorded as an apology if you cannot attend. A further email will come out shortly regarding this as well.

​An excellent days sailing at the dam today with a fleet of 10 enjoying mid to upper A rig northerly conditions. Rod Marshall starred in the first 4 races with 3 firsts & a second sailing his new Corby 5 which was very competitive & particularly quick upwind but the success was to much for him so he went home after four races. Other heat winners were Peter Sylvester, Wayne Turner, Dennis Lees, Paul Jewell (sailing 112)  & Kim Potter so the sailing & honours were shared within the fleet . Enjoyable for all those who sailed today. Results have gone to Kyle for the magic box machinations.
Wine today will go to the first 3  place getters.
Thanks to John Banks for PRO duties & all those who assisted with the dinghy.
 
Link below to todays photos 
 
https://www.risdonbrookradioyachtclub.com/rbryc-photos--videos 
 
And a photo of todays pinup sailor with his new & quick woodie who will no doubt spend the evening with a celebratory glass or 2.

An excellent mornings racing today at the dam, with 13 skippers starting in top of A rig. NW conditions with most skippers going to B rigs as the racing progressed.
Course was from 3/4 to 8/7,5/6,8/7 to gate & 3/4 finish, giving some long beats & runs thus creating some passing lanes. Particularly for those who played the shifts upwind.
Wine for the 1st three places today, Dennis lees, Andrew Wardrop and Rob Cooney. Peter with 183 was also quick but the handicapper was a bit tough on him - we shall see.
Special thanks to Jammy & Buzzy for the getting & return of the dinghy & to Peter for his rescue efforts of wayward boats & also to those who undertook PRO duties The series was run in a friendly & competitive manner so thanks to all those who competed. ​

A modest fleet of 9 boats fronted for an hour of racing prior to the start of the handicap series. The wind was predominantly but not always out of the west, making it difficult to get a decent windward beat, so most races had a reaching & running bias. 
54 made a reappearance today - only its second sail in the past 12 months but it had fairly good boat speed all day. 
Jammy had intermittent radio problems which kept him a bit quiet & Chris Wood with 40 as usual sailed well. The handicap series achieved 8 races with 99 having a hat trick of wins with Richard also sailing 14 consistently.
A good mornings racing despite the variable conditions.

​The 2019 John Emms Memorial has been run and won. Not very surprisingly, Ray Joyce came out on top for the day, but hardly had it his own way, having to work hard with most of the other sailors keeping him honest.
 
The day started out with a rather confused wind. It didn’t know what direction to blow from, and what speed, with anything from A rig to C rig being contemplated early on. This was the wind to contend with for much of the day, with the exception of the last few races when it slowed right down – but still shifted randomly. The sailors settled on the B rig, which proved the rig of choice for the day – even though an A did come out for a few races, but subsequently put back in the car. Early on, it seemed the newcomer Indies were going to be right up there, with a 2nd and 3rd in the first race, but before long, teething issues brought them further into the field.
 
Interestingly, of the eight competitors today, five had individual wins, owing to the competiveness of the field within the club.
 
In the end, as mentioned before, Ray came out a convincing winner, on 22 points, with John Cole Cook and Lisa Blackwood battling it out till the last race to determine 2nd and 3rd, with John holding out in 2nd on 36 points, with Lisa just two points further back on 38. John Hall had a very consistent day, coming in 4th on 50 points. Consistent enough to have a 5th as throw away points!
 
The twin Indie’s of Andrew Wardrop and yours truly were very fast when they had their moments, and are sure to become more consistent as the yachts get more sail days completed. Peter Sylvesters Dreadnought worked very hard, but it was its first outing since the 2018 Nationals, so now the cobwebs are out, you can expect more pressure from him in the coming race days as well.
 
Many thanks to Stuart Harris, for his excellent services as PRO again. he made sure everyone kept up to our standards while sailing, and was extremely efficient between races. Your work is very appreciated.

​We have waited four Wednesdays for a decent breeze at the dam, and today we had superb sailing conditions with a mid/upper A rig northerly breeze, with some shifts that kept everyone on their toes.
 
Thirteen boats were racing with the 14th a non-starter, due to a rudder servo failure. The skipper however, was seen later sailing 183, and putting up some very good results.
 
The scratch racing prior to the handicap series was the domain of Rod J and Jammy, with a few others getting a look in from time to time.
 
The handicap series was a start a t5/6 to 8/7 to 5/6 to 8/7 with 3/4 as a gate and then finishing at the start. The Sylvester/Behrens combination sailing 183 ( not at the same time ) may well prove that 2 heads are better than one. Ted Laing came in second, by countback, with David Murfet rounding out the podium in third, just four points behind.
 
Many thanks to John Banks again, for conducting a really good day. 
 
At lunch time, Chris Wood led a discussion on the Strategic Plan prepared by Rob Gavin. People seemed happy with it. The one suggestion that arose from Rod J who is about to disappear for his usual 6 months crocodile hunting expedition, was to trial one Wednesday a month as a scratch racing day with some of the better sailors being rostered out to provide coaching advice.
 
As there was general support we will flesh this suggestion out next Wednesday to see how it might all work. 

​Great conditions today at MBYC, with A and B rigs mostly used. Looked like a C may have come out at one stage as well. Unfortunately, Ray and Andrew had some electrical issues and were then happy to act as Pro and assistant – thanks guys.
Looks like it was a race split in to two, and very close between each group, with Lisa, in her new Skalpel fighting against John Cole Cook, in his Skalpel – just two points separating them, with John coming out the winner on the day.
Pleasingly, the other three on the water also had a real close tussle, with Joh Hall coming in third place, on 18 points, and Les Hanson and Rod Marshall tying up just three points behind. Great practice for the John Emms Memorial for the RM’s next weekend.
On the John Emms Memorial, a few skippers will be venturing out to MBYC in the next week for a bit of tuning and practice. At this stage, possibly Tuesday (fairly windy and just off high tide at 4pm), Thursday (ideal tide at 4pm) and/or Saturday (tide not great so wet launching likely). Contact Kyle if you are interested and would like to be included in communication on tuning days/times once organised. It will be based on amount of interested people, with three sailors a likely minimum.