Club Newsletter - Amazon S3 · 2019. 3. 5. · Richmond River Sailing and Rowing Club website: P.O....

Richmond River Sailing and Rowing Club website: www.rrsrc.com.au

P.O. Box 963 Ballina 2478

Newsletter Items, Idle Gossip, etc to [email protected] (deadline midnight Monday)

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Club Newsletter 5/3/19

Race Reports for March 3rd

Trailer Sailor Report (Colin Hinwood)

Commodore Phill Robbins 0466668541 Vice Commodore Jonathan Horsley 0412798505 Rear Commodore Chris Hallett 0414866998 Secretary Nola Hallett 0414866999 Treasurer Norm Hunt 66291366 Class Reps Gennakers – Duncan Dey Catamarans – Col Woodbry Trailers – Ian Michie Monos – Graham Hams Rowing Officer Gerald Anderson Webmaster Mark Pierce Training team Graeme Turner

ALL EMAIL

CORRESPONDENCE TO: [email protected] CONTENTS 1. Trailer Sailor report 5. Gennaker report 10. Catamaran report 14. Monohull report 19. Interview 23. Club weather station info 24. Starting a race with Col H. 25. Notice of meeting 26. Race Q’s 28. Use of club tractor 30. Club shirts 31. Idle Gossip and Away events 32. Wotif offer and Crew available/wanted 33. For sale/wanted/free 33. More photos

http://www.rrsrc.com.au/

mailto:[email protected]




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After the Storm Nice turn out from all fleets, after having to stay home last Sunday for OMA to pass. The Start Boat set an excellent Line in the 12 knot Easterly. Can always tell a good Line when boats are unsure which end to Start on, and happy to spread out. The Course was one of our lucky ones .. like wind straight down the river so .. Start at Mobbs, up to Green Buoy, then all the way down to our normal Ferry Mark, back to Green Buoy & thru the gate …wind was 10-12knots & slight run out tide.

, , .. yup I say .. .. with Andrew putting the jug on downwind .. , & making up the fleet .. only a couple of regulars missing.

Treasure Isle and Spudgun




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Treasure Isle, Reg and Mr Squiggle

first to Top Mark, then we were thru the gate each time, before heading down. Going thru the gate was fine for the asso boats .. seems the answer to make this lap gate work, is to have the Mark out in the river far enough, so .. if the wind was over 15, .. asso boats could safely gybe away from the rocks, without the fear of a big “down” towards the shallows & rocks, causing missed heart beats. Otherwise it is an interesting diversion to straight windward /return racing. The boats settled into an orderly procession, all old hands on this track, .. all just waiting for a stuff up from the boat ahead, to step up the ladder…. like low tide and murky water obscuring the bottom, waiting to trap the adventurous tide avoiders ..but that stuff never happens ….. UNLESS THERE ARE PHOTOS ..




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Yes!! Busted Mitchie .. disgraceful show of a bare bottom .. Poster size photos available for Spider lovers .. that would have been with kite up? yes? was it like a sliding feeling? or a squishy ..bump?

had the drop on .. was it from the Start? not sure, but the RL battle was on, with prevailing to cross the Line 3 minutes ahead after 100 minutes racing. Somehow found himself between the 2 RLs over the Finish Line .. bit muddy looking too....

could not match these faster drop keel RLs, so had to just watch the 2 RLs ahead do battle, with behind. It’s a nice finish Line that Course, as there always seems to be a boat in view, as boats go across to the turning Mark, then to home. Seemed like a boat was finishing every few minutes.

had an easy day in the 12knots, crossing just behind , with taking the day on corrected time. Boats like & needed to sail 10 minutes faster than they did, to knock off on days like this, but … is only a slower boat, it is not sailed slower .. always a good Start .. and always sailed well. Very ambitious up river race planned for next Sunday. With noble intentions of a mark right up at the Bridge .. something we all want but .. forecasts are saying a Nor East wind pattern, & into a run out tide … here’s hoping the Nor Easter freshens after the Start.




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Race winner Serenity

Gennaker Report (Duncan Dey and Michael Wiley)

The fast moving Zac (left) with in sync with race winner Vince




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We had about 12 knots of SE to E wind, no rain and a dwindling out-going tide. The Straits of Ramada were awful - the club should complain to Council about tall waterfront monstrosities on the river bank. On the water the start line was fair, with a very slight bias to starboard. The F15's flew in to rob the rest of the fleet of wind (as they should). The next wave (Rs100's and swift mono's) peeled off onto port to get out of their wake. And the early birds (washed over the line by the up-wind tide) went back to start properly.

The Gennaker start

Of the four F15's, Dan and Francine in and Tom and Brendan in hung with the RS100's down the first long run to West Ballina.

Numero Uno in full flight




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Michael and Tara in and Barry and Anna in took off for their usual battle.

Well out the front, the race between and was incredibly close. The boats were rarely far apart, the lead changed frequently and the battle was very much a tactical one of boat on boat strategies.




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There was a slight tendency for to be faster where the wind picked up and to get ahead as the wind eased, but at no time (until the last leg) did either boat manage to break away.

Working up the last beat, was leading until took the leg on the last tack into the mark, to round first by a small margin. Then disaster struck as spinnaker went in the water on the hoist, leading to a capsize and giving an unchallenged run to the finish. Of the four RS100's, Zac had the power to put on about 2 minutes upwind while Duncan only recovered about one of those downwind (especially after a few near capsizes on gybes). It was Zac, Vince, Duncan over the line within 90 seconds, and Garry home a few long minutes later smiling and uncapsized - he did his pre-start.




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Garry in Hooray

Duncan and Vince dancing downwind




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It was good to watch Tom McKeown close the gap between fleets in , the crew now dressed in matching radioactive green rashies.

Team Toxic looked good in the new colour co-ordinated gear

Catamaran Report (Jonathon Horsley)




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A fleet of 8 cats faced the starting line near Mobbs Bay on a modified course to suit the rare easterly wind of variable strength. The fleet was generally concentrated at the starboard end with all boats on Starboard, most boats held back a little to account for the strong outgoing tide, except

who ran the line and powered away on the short work to the buoy near green marker.

A Taipan amongst the birds

The first work while short in nature generally had the fleet in the expected order at the mark, with leading, followed closely by , with a short distance back. The

long downwind leg was to a mark between Fisheries Creek and the ferry. This leg involved passing through the gate and provided many challenges with wind varying in strength and direction. Most cats keep to the southern side of the river, when not chasing the breeze to the northern side. This leg saw come from behind to be second behind around the bottom mark having passed several larger cats, the Nacra 4.5 is very quick downwind in the lighter conditions. The long up wind leg restored the fleet to the expected order with the dagger board cats able to tack quicker and use the out going tide to power past (no dagger boards).




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made great ground chasing . showed plenty of skill managing the difficult tidal conditions in only its third race. The two 4.5’s, and , each sailing with a crew had their own race.

Norm and Seamus with an interested spectator

The second down wind was not as successful for as the leading two boats managed to stay ahead. The last work was sailed in the varying conditions with many lifts and knocks. The race finished in the expected order although managed to stay ahead of up the last work.




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Race winner Michael Cocks in ‘A’

After the handicapper played his magic the race winner was and was relegated to 6th. The Easterly course offered a limited mix of sailing conditions with the very long downwind against the current suiting the 4.5’s which was offset by the long windward work with many tacks. For most it was enjoyable day’s sailing in wonderful autumn weather. Many thanks to the club members who volunteered to do the duty and man the starting/rescue boat.

Col Woodbry took a second place




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Monohull Report (Trent Morgan)

What a wonderful day for sailing! Nice steady Easterly breeze, an interesting cross tide/breeze thing going on providing an opportunity for some fascinating tactical decisions, and a good sized fleet again. Noted absentee – Cameron, with a very good reason – the birth of a child – congratulations Claire and Cameron! At the start of the twentieth monohull handicap race of the season there were three NS14’s sailed one-up, an Impulse, a laser, an RS Aero and two Pacers who were also racing as part of the Pacer series. In a cluttered well-set start line full of gennakers, the monohulls did their best to gain some clear air. With the tide moving out at quite a rate it didn’t take too long for the fleet to reach the top mark near the green channel marker. The scene was set for an NS14 showdown – a close tussle between Graham Hams in and Graham Hodgins in . had the edge early and for most of the race but it was only an edge, right with him. was sporting a new mainsail. It looked flash but unfortunately for Graham his verdict after the race was a thumbs down.




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Graham and his new mainsail. It still got him across the line to take line honours

On the first downwind leg as all headed for the shallows, Dave Scott in , who had found more boat speed after his previous race was sitting in third place, with the persistent marching behind.

Dave Scott in No Mercy




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It wasn’t long before Roy in came rumbling through in his magnificent Aero machine, skimming through the tide as if he were on a different waterway to the steady .

Zephyr cruising past Puddleduck on the first downwind leg – Des in the background waiting to pounce

Golden Des in his resplendent downwind specialist Impulse was also gaining rapidly and had overtaken Trent and Daisy in roughly about the time they went past the club. Trent couldn’t be sure if Des had the paddle out again, vision was obscured as to what was propelling the Impulse, but it soon became apparent that Des had his boat tuned well and was enjoying the fruits of the hard work he has been putting into his sailing, by achieving good boat speed.

Des in Olde Golde pushing upwind




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Paul Wrightson in , and Peter and Susie In were the other monohulls trying to play a bit of catch-up after the first work. Paul had just put a new cut down jib on his NS14. Peter later said that was lacking tell tales on the jib – certainly making it harder to steer a fast course upwind.

Peter and Susie in Riversong

Graham/Graeme lead the monohull fleet across the ‘Straits of Ramada’ and it was of keen interest which course they would follow to the bottom mark, to stick with the shallows beyond the sandy island, or to head full against the tide up the middle. The middle it was, and that was the path everyone took. As some good wind strength came through some fun was had in riding the chop formed by the tide. Unfortunately Paul capsized, well on the way to the bottom mark, which took him some time to right, the boat going turtle. This put an end to his race and he wound up with a DNF. On this long work back to the top mark Des and Dave sailed a good course, not drifting too close to the island shallows and mostly steering clear of any wind shadows from the CBD. The wind rallied at this time which made for good time windward, unfortunately rallying too hard for Roy who took a spill near the wind shadow hot spots – most likely struck by a speeding bullet. hung in there, trying to keep Graham and Graeme within sight.




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During the second downwind leg the breeze dropped somewhat, losing speed to a degree in between the club and the boat harbour, which gave Peter and Susie in the other Pacer a little hope as they continued at a good trot with fresh wind behind them. The drop in breeze probably instigated the race to be finished after two and a half circuits. The order didn’t change from here on in, keeping at bay by a close twenty-six seconds -wonderful close racing.

Graeme Hodgins second across the line by 26 seconds in the monos

In terms of the personal handicap results, despite Des’s determined and successful race, his nemesis (in terms of a boat name which he really doesn’t like), , took the day by a mere fifteen seconds. Well done Daisy, who of her own accord took on the responsibility of keeping the boat flat upwind, ordering her father (recovering from a rib injury) on numerous occasions to stop leaning out fully. Dave in and Graeme in were only a minute or so behind Des. Well done for all who sailed and many thanks to Ric and Rolly in the start/rescue boat, Vince in the kitchen (who despite the responsibilities of the day remarkably won his division as well), and Gunter with his assistants May and Blade doing a great job in the tower.




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Get To Know A Club Member

Every newsletter will feature an interview with a different club member The questions are designed with a focus on sailing experiences. Who else better to start with other than our esteemed Commodore - Phill Robbins.

Name: Phill Robbins

Type and name of boat raced at club Nacra 4.5 –

Number of Seasons at RRSRC: Eleven




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Roles in the Club (now and previously): Commodore. Treasurer for a couple of years. Where did you learn to sail? In what class/classes of boat? Manly Harbour Brisbane in a Flying 15, and a sabot.

Have you been a member of other sailing clubs, if so, which? No

What other class or type of boats have you sailed in your life? Living in Lismore I was at the tender centre and came across and old Windrush. A Hobie 16 Sailed a mirror on Brunswick River Adams 12 Nacra 4.5 Favourite and why? The current one – a Nacra 4.5 – because it is overpowered.

Best sailing experience? Brisbane to Mooloolaba Heart Cup in an Adams 12.

Worst sailing experience? Sailing a Hobie 16 by myself I was too light to right it if it capsized so I carried a canvas bag slung over my shoulder which I filled with water. It had a 40kg capacity. It just about drowned me – scary.

Have you sailed at any state or national titles? If so, what ones? Qld state Nacra titles at least three times, maybe four. National Nacra titles.

Best results? Won Qld state Nacra titles twice




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2nd and a 3rd at National Nacra titles

Best results in a series at RRSRC? Winning the Commodore’s Cup 2017/18 Mostly win the cat championships.

Suggestions on how sailing as a sport could be improved? To encourage more girls and women to join.

Why do you go sailing? Love playing with nature/the wind. It’s fun and exciting – love the wind. The wind is a magical thing – gives me a thrill. Apart from the cheese, dips and crackers why do you sail at RRSRC on a Sunday? Great social scene Lots of friends Good competition

Are there any sailing dreams you aspire to? Yes. Go in the Hamilton Island Race week – a big 40 foot cat would be nice.

Any boat you aspire to? Happy with Nacra 4.5. But, would like to sail other sorts of boats, big spinnaker boats, like a Spider. Any advice for up and coming sailors? Keep going, keep at it.

Any superstitions or customs in relation to your sailing? The way I always hook up the mainsheet to the sail, the hook always goes on the starboard side. I don’t want to change or mess with it.

Would you like to share one thing that people at the club might not know about you? I’m starting a business with my wife making perfume – natural Australian perfumes. So far, five of them. They are called ElizaBeth perfumes. We’ve been working on it in the last year. I might suggest to the committee that samples be given at the end of year presentation for the ladies involved with the club, including wives and partners of sailors.




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Commodore Phill who does an excellent job, devoting countless hours to the role




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Club Weather Station The clubhouse now has a Davis weather station on the roof, with a display panel in the clubhouse. There are two ways you can access our weather station. Firstly, you can find our weather station online at www.weatherlink.com. Log in with the following:

User: RRSRC Password: (I will email out password) Secondly, you can download the WeatherLink app for iPhone or Android.

Download this app, set up your account and search for our weather station by map of Ballina or by name: “Richmond River Sailing Club.” Phill


http://www.weatherlink.com/



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The Start – with Colin Hinwood

Please do not make too much of a big deal of me writing these items. I am in the presence of really good sailors so I do not want to appear "big noting" myself. I do not write these things for personal glory, purely to help others as I have been helped [or not].

The START .. Ballina Club Racing at Novice level.

There are books & vids by the dozens, written by better sailors than me, all on this stressful part of racing.

Maybe too many .. ? It’s hard to proceed along a learning curve, when too much information is thrown at you, a lot of it at elite level.

Here is some back to basic stuff for sailors who are proceeding nicely along the learning curve.

1. always get to the Start early. The more “novice” you are, the earlier you get there!! Have a

leak, put sunscreen on, have the boat ready to launch .. before Briefing.

After briefing, .. you are racing !! you are looking at the conditions, & weighing up the tide .. get off the beach ASAP…. & relax on the course.

2. You must size up the Line, before everyone arrives, & for sure before a Warning Signal

goes up for … maybe .. the Start before you. When you go away to Regattas, you often do

not have the privilege of being allowed near the Line once a Warning Signal goes up for

Classes/Divisions starting before you.

Get there early do the bit about which end of the Line etc, … do a little “work”, … then get back & relax .. that stuff is done .. before the Line fills up with heaps of boats.

3. While the Division/Class before you starts, stay the hell away .. like behind the last boat of

that Division … watch their Start, & chill … Do not go reaching back & forth behind the Line

& fleets. You might think that is easing your tension but it is not!! just the reverse.

You know which end of the Line you want, you have done a little “work” so you know where the mainsheet will be for it, & vang setting & outhaul & downhaul. If the wind is 15 & over do not set the vang for the work yet .. a good way to bust goosenecks .. no .. leave the vang off as you may have to do a panic gybe yet.

In our River, what you do before the Start , sitting back with slack sails chilling ..is to carefully measure what the tide means to you getting to the Line … use the Prestart time to make sure you know how fast you will approach. Be aware that if you sit close to the Line & flog the sails to “park”, into a tide, then you will slowly slip sideways to leeward .. so you think you are stationary but you slip to leeward. With a tide going with you, you will slip to weather, even if you “park”. So think seriously about this effect ..




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4. So you are not reaching back & forth behind the Line, you are “parked” .. chilling & watching

& measuring .. but where to “park”. [& “parking” might be wandering along at slow speed ..

but in your mind .. parked.]…

CrunchTime

You must have decided where you want to be at the 1 minute Gun … saying again .. doesn’t matter where you have been .. at the 1 Minute Gun, the race has started !! Maybe you’ve decided to slowly drift to leeward as you get closer to the actual Line … whatever .. but whatever you decided as you chilled out at the back of the Pack .. get yourself in that spot – the 1 Minute Gun Spot.

5. A Good Start is measured by where you are at the first cross. A less experienced sailor

should make sure they do Not get hard up against a top sailor, or faster boat .. they will

blanket you.

Learning is by making decisions, then analysing the results of the decision.

Decide how you will Start, & where, & then later say it was ok or .. won’t do that again .. it doesn’t matter .. as long as you make a decision then see … not get bundled up & kicked by faster boats so have learnt nothing.

• Be in the Start area early

• decide how you will Start

• be at your 1 Minute Spot on time

Notice Of Meeting

All former members

BALLINA CRUISING YACHT CLUB A meeting will be held to determine the distribution of the remaining funds

on the closure of the club Friday 8 March at 7pm

Richmond River Sailing & Rowing Club River Street Ballina

For more information 0435 829 738




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raceQ’s

From Graeme Fleming FYI We used this app at the Sail Paradise regatta as it was compulsory for all Yachts. Amazing playback of races

Welcome to raceQs, the innovative sailing program that will change the way you sail!

To confirm you registration please click to link below

Check out this video for a quick demo of the raceQs sailing system.

Download It

Download and register the FREE raceQs app, available in the iPhone store or the Android market.

Go Sailing

With just a push of a button, create your own 3D replays by recording a race with raceQs’ free smartphone app. The app is also a powerful race computer designed

to help you sail faster. Learn More


http://www.raceqs.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_rfpXNfLUw

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/raceqs/id605844662?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gsapps.raceqs&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5nc2FwcHMucmFjZXFzIl0

http://youtu.be/qke6JC91xI0


http://youtu.be/auuDhCRRYkA



http://www.raceqs.com/

http://www.twitter.com/raceQs

http://www.facebook.com/raceQs

http://www.linkedin.com/company/raceqs-com?trk=top_nav_home

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgFoK7K5HF-aLCpzX8yG_g

http://raceqs.com/[email protected]&key=f9003c90a3d38c16004c728e983ff786





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Watch It

After you are done sailing, login to your raceQs account on a computer to view your automatically generated 3D race replay. Learn more

Share It Easily share your replay with your crew, post it on Facebook, or replay it at

the Yacht Club. If you prefer, you can always choose to keep your replay private.

Need more help now? Check out our website and FAQ. We would love to hear from you with your questions and suggestions by email [email protected]

Thanks,

The raceQs Team

Commonly Asked Questions

Do I need to keep my phone on deck, in view of "open sky" like my GPS?

No, the app will still work below decks, safely stowed in your bag. You can even set it to automatically shut-off when your phone battery reaches various levels.





http://raceqs.com/#TryItOut


http://youtu.be/bt7ttNkNhkE



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USE OF CLUB TRACTOR

Taken last Sunday:

There are very specific requirements for retrieving our RIB safely at low tide: - tilt on trailer must be used so the end roller can be lowered below the water level. - RIB must be lined up exactly with the centre rollers on the trailer and probably lifted onto first roller manually. Needs two People to guide it; one at the front and one at rear keeping it straight as well as one on the winch.

- the tractor must stay out of the water so it does not sink into wet sand, as loading the RIB is a

slow process. We may experiment with using a snatch rope to pull the RIB closer to the ramp

so the tractor stays out of the water. We will also experiment with laying boards under the

trailer and tractor rear tyres while in the water.

- If retrieving on beach in front of club the trailer cannot be on much side slope or else the RIB

will slide off central rollers and get damaged.

New Rules re Trailer: 1. At low tide you must ask one of 3 people to supervise (Chris Hallett, Jonathan Horsley or

Col Woodbry)

2. At high tide approved drivers are ok to retrieve or launch on the ramp.

We will find a process that works and is safe for the RIB. Phill




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Club Shirts

(As worn by Secretary Nola and Commodore Phill –

reflective safety vest optional)

Here’s your chance to wear the colours of your club, to proudly display what you do every Sunday – wear a club shirt! Royal Blue Club shirts payment required at time of order into RRSRC account with your name as reference BSB: 728728 ACC: 22288328 Email or text Nola with size [email protected] or 0414 866999

Mens Long sleeve polo - $37 Short sleeve polo - $35 Cotton T-shirt - $20 Ladies Short sleeve polo - $31 Kids Cotton T-shirt -





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Idle Gossip – Please send anything interesting sailing or club related to [email protected].

Newsletter editor stumbled across this online and couldn’t resist sharing it – an Elliot 7.8 having fun.

Upcoming Away Events

• 16th/17th March – BRSC (Harwood) Annual Regatta Sat/Sun

• 4th/5th May – Bay to Bay If anyone knows of any more events or would like an event posted please let me know – [email protected]






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Wotif Offer to our Club!

Book your next travel or accommodation with Wotif and quote this code: ASF043153 and we will receive a donation from Wotif. Support our club when you or your family or friends travel.

Crew Available/Crew Wanted

Seamus, an enthusiastic graduate from our last Learn to Sail course, is keen to continue his learning by crewing on any boat available. Seamus has already crewed on a NS14, Nacra 5.8 and Spider 550. Please help him continue his involvement with the club by giving him a place, if possible. Email his mother Jill at [email protected] if you have a spot for him

If you need some crew or are wanting to have a sail in a race please make your intentions known here by contacting [email protected]





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For Sale/Wanted/Free to a Good Home

If you have any sailing related items for sale or if you want to buy something sailing related and want it put in the newsletter please let me know – [email protected]

• Anyone interested in buying a Nacra sirroco catamaran in excellent condition? Asking $4750 ono. Scott Lewin

More photos from the race

Another stunning day for sailing, once again making for so many wonderful photos.

Serenity testing the wind shadow passage



https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100014139975302&__tn__=%2CdK-R-R&eid=ARB9QwCiG2YYABl2nDKqad036qh2LgnvejN1uVxAcW2mg37pY3TbrirmshAlak78ApCmTTr3ykedFh2d&fref=mentions



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Trailer Sailors gathering for the start

Col and crew playing with the new asymmetrical kite




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Bad Blood putting on some speed

Bill looking casual on Reg




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The monos and gennakers let loose on the course

Will getting down low




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Phill raising a hull

Ric Chalmers in Sinbad




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Jonathon and Martine pushing the pace as always

This almost looks as if Graham has narrowly averted an ‘A’ hull




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Alan and Jenny in No Waiting


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Club Newsletter - Amazon S3 · 2019. 3. 5. · Richmond River Sailing and Rowing Club website: P.O....

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