Inside: Go West! - The Javelins head to WA for the 2011-12 Nationals
Which Boat? - a brief guide to the boat options available to new sailors
Madness on the high seas - why we sailors do what we do
Faster Sailing - Smarter Starting The Joys of Capsizing - Stephen Whiteside discusses unplanned swimming
The Learning Curve - Impressions from the first year of a lifetime of sailing
Pacer Nationals 2011-12
Commodore Bruce Fraser Vice Commodore Ian McHugh Rear Commodore Will Sharp Secretary Phillip Connard Treasurer Chris Neyland Membership Susan Sharp Webmaster Phillip Connard
Committee Paul Hardie - Peter Sharp - Thomas Ruether
Training Paul Hardie - Thomas Ruether - Ian McHugh - Bruce Fraser - Peter Sharp Phillip Connard - Chris Neyland Lachlan Sharp
Contact Email: phil@beaumarisyc.com Post: PO Box 16, Black Rock Vic 3193 Phone: 03 9589 6222
www.beaumarisyc.com www.facebook.com/beaumarisyc www.youtube.com/user/BeaumarisYC
Editor Will Sharp Email: will@beaumarisyc.com Phone: 03 9878 1997
Contributors Bruce Fraser, Paul Hardie, Mike Kenyon, Kate Nicholson, Stephen Whiteside, Cheryl Steele, Lachlan Sharp, Nicholas Berry, Phillip Connard, Janette Connard, Peter Sharp
Front Cover Pacer 2195 Wildwood, Phillip and Jeanette Connard (Oct 2010, photo: A. Holman)
T IS WITH great sadness that we report the passing of Graeme Downie on 3rd February 2012 after a battle with cancer. He was 75 years old. Graeme, and his wife Noreen joined Beaumaris Yacht Club in the early 1970s. Their children, Sandra, Peter, John, Tim and Martin, represented a ready source of crew for Graeme and several other BYC skippers. Graeme initially sailed a Moth, later moving into Pacers, a class which saw the Downie family become regular travellers to regional as well as State and National Championship events all around Victoria and New South Wales, particularly where that involved setting up camp in and around their trusty caravan. Who can forget Graeme’s and Noreen’s melodious contributions to the singalongs at Bournda State Reserve (near Merimbula) and other favourite Pacer venues. Graeme, with the able assistance of Noreen, built two Minnows and two Pacers during his time at Beaumaris, and was famous for constructing them in the family lounge room - how else do you keep them warm and dry so the glue will set? He and good friend and ex-Club member Alex Magner even tried their hand at making their own Pacer sails on a heavy-duty sewing machine in the garage. Graeme’s second Pacer, Wildwood, remained
at BYC after he retired from sailing, being initially sailed by Gary Naud and various crew, then Bruce and Lorraine Fraser. Wildwood is still performing well at the Club in the capable hands of Phillip and Jeanette Connard and continues to do the rounds of Pacer Championships. Graeme was a tireless worker for the Club. He started one of the early, perhaps the first, Junior Training programs, complete with laughinglycalled “sleepovers”, spent countless hours keeping the rescue boats in top order so we could sail safely and even managed to keep the ageing plumbing systems working. He served on the Executive Committee for many years, culminating in the role of Commodore from 1983 to 1985. Graeme was later awarded Life Membership in recognition of his service to the Club. Many of us last saw Graeme at the Club in March 2010 when he gladly assisted with tower duties during our running of the Pacer and Javelin State Championships. Graeme’s funeral service was held at the Lilydale Memorial Park Chapel and was attended by several present and past members of Beaumaris Yacht Club. Noreen has asked that her thanks and appreciation be passed on to all those who were there, in body or in spirit. Mike Kenyon.
HAT A SEASON we have had. The training programs have been successful as usual with both programs filled to capacity thanks to the big promotional push at the start of the season. It has been great to see these trainees progressing to racing in the afternoon. We encourage junior sailors who completed training this year to give racing a go – if you want to get out there the race management staff will happily set a shorter course and pay close attention, we recognize that it can be a daunting step so we will do whatever we can to ease the transition.
of the day which kept racing close and very unpredictable. The Javelin States continued over the next two weekends with races at both BYC and Chelsea Yacht Club. The results from these series are detailed in the Sailing Report but I would like to congratulate these sailors for their hard work and for making the effort to attend these events.
To our new members in the training programs, welcome to Beaumaris Yacht Club! We hope that you enjoy being a member of BYC and make many new friends.
to represent our younger and newer Members.
The club has made significant investment in the training fleet over the past two seasons and we encourage anyone wanting to give sailing in the afternoon a go to hire a club boat and get involved. Contact either myself, Peter Sharp or Paul Hardie for more information. Unfortunately the Club boats are only available in the afternoons for most of the season as the full fleet is used by the training programs in the mornings. Another highlight from this season is the representation at state and national level in both Pacers and Javelins. The Pacer National Championships in Canberra were contested by Phillip and Jeanette Connard who found the light, shifty breezes a challenge compared to the more regular breezes found on the bay while the Javelin Australian Championships in Perth were contested by two BYC boats, Peter and Lachlan Sharp on Razor and Rod and Mickey Smith on Spun Out. It was Rod and Mick’s first time sailing in the West and the Doctor turned it on! More information about the event can be found on pages 8 and 9. At a state level the Pacers headed up the road to Black Rock Yacht Club to contest the Victorian Championships with a BYC fleet of five boats entered. The Javelins headed inland for the majority of their Victorian Championship with the Labour Day weekend spent at Cairn Curran Sailing Club in country Victoria. All types of wind coming from every direction was the order
Your Committee has been busy this season with the usual day to day matters as well as laying some groundwork for the future of the club. Notably:
Grant Berry has joined the Committee
The Club is financially sound with half the members’ loans for the new Pacers repaid and repayments for the loan for the roof continuing to be made.
June 2 Season 2011-12 AGM and Presentation Function Starts at 6.45pm in the Ron Richardson Room Guest speaker is Ray Lewis of Marine Care Ricketts Point
The Club is represented on a new Yachting Victoria Participation Committee as Clubs are keen for a program and support to encourage greater participation in sailing (especially off the beach sailing). They have commissioned a consumer research report (by GEMBA) which identified perceptions and barriers (cost, exclusivity) and strategies to target newcomers to the sport (welcoming behavior, building on the sailing ‘brand’ of being a safe, fun, friendly and adventurous sport).
The Club plans to continue its involvement with Go Sailing Day in November 2012 after intense and active promotion to the local bayside community. We are also keen to engage local families that may have sailed or even have a boat in the yard to come down to the Club to rediscover sailing. Any ideas from members are welcome and we encourage all members to assist us during preparations for next season. For example, should we arrange an informal ‘Experience Sailing Day’ in January when the weather is fine and water warm? Enjoy the remainder of the season and I hope to see all our members on the beach at Beaumaris. Bruce Fraser Commodore.
June 11 Queens Birthday holiday
July 27 London Olympics Opening Ceremony - Good luck to the Australian Sailing Team!
September 29 Pre-season clean up day
October 7 Opening Regatta 2012-13 Season
HE SEASON IS now over and what a season it was. We started with the biggest promotional effort the Club has ever attempted including three displays at the Beaumaris Concourse shopping centre and a display at the Beaumaris Primary School fete which paid off spectacularly with a very successful Go Sailing Day in November and both Junior and Adult training programs filled to capacity. Indeed this season we have had a record 21 adult trainees go through the course. I take this opportunity to thank everyone involved with both training programs as it’s long, hard work but without everyone pitching in the programs wouldn’t be as successful as they are. Both programs came up against the usual weather hurdles again this season but with a few tweaks and alterations they worked extremely well.
Those of you who have been wandering through our boat storage in the past few weeks will notice that we have a few new residents in there. The Club would like to welcome Peter, Mick and David and their two Mirrors and 125. It’s great to start seeing some more diversity among the classes sailed at BYC again as it can make things a bit livelier on the water! Some people may not realise but different classes can compete against each other within the same division. Each boat may sail the course in a completely different time, however the YA yardstick handicapping system can be applied to boats of different classes which will determine the true winner. So just because you are the only boat in a certain class out there doesn’t mean you aren’t competing!
In the past month most classes held their State The training fleet has Championships. This been helped along this year the Pacers headed season not just by the to Black Rock Yacht inclusion of the two new Club to share the water training boats and the in a multi-class regatta retirement of several older while the Javelins examples but also by the headed up to country two new mainsails the Victoria to sail on Cairn club purchased as a reCurran reservoir near sult of a generous grant Bendigo. The Pacers from the Beaumaris enjoyed a big fleet with branch of the Bendigo the addition of three Bank. These mains have Pacer Pursuits. Well A grant from Bendigo Bank helped the been put onto the two Club purchase two new mainsails for the done to Peter and Lauren new boats in the training Kemp who finished 9th Pacer training fleet fleet and their older mains overall sailing in a BYC have been passed down, allowing the training boat, Paul and Judy Hardie who finished 13 th, team to retire two of the older, nastier mains. Ian McHugh who sailed with three trainees, Brian, Sally and Colin and finished 17th, Phillip Already we have seen many of the adult trainand Janette Connard who finished 20 th and ees heading out to the start line in the afterLuke Cromie and Warrick Sheppard who finnoons to get a taste of racing; hopefully we’ll ished 21st. In the Javelin States yours truly and see more of you out there having fun next seamy brother Michael finished 2nd, Peter and son in your own boats. The Club boats are Lachlan Sharp finished 3rd and Rod Smith along available for hire however we encourage sailors with various crews finished 8th. A more detailed to purchase their own boats, if only for the fact report on the Pacer States can be found on that each and every boat is different and by page 13 of this issue. sailing your own boat each week you can learn what works and in what weather – something As we head into winter it’s time to start making that is hard to do in standardised training boats. lists of things that need to be done on the boat, gear that needs to be replaced and repairs that National Championships this year were modneed to be done. After that list is made it’s then estly attended by BYC boats, the Pacers headtime to put it away somewhere safe (ie. lose it) ing to Canberra with the Club represented until the middle of September just in time for the solely by Phillip and Janette Connard (finishing customary pre-season mad scramble to do all th 11 overall) and the Javelins over in the west those jobs before sailing starts again. Every sailing on the Swan River in Perth with two year many of us swear “I’ll get onto it early next BYC boats, Peter and Lachlan Sharp (finishing winter” and every year leave it til the end. I 6th overall) and Rod and Mick Smith (finishing know I do! 14th overall). More detailed reports on both these events can be found on page 8 for the Will Sharp Javelins and page 15 for the Pacers. Rear Commodore.
MISSED THE MARK Wondering what has happened to the northern reef mark? It came loose in a storm earlier in the year and disappeared, Parks Victoria are planning to replace it next time conditions are favourable (they need to get a pretty big boat in there to site the mark correctly). The good news is that by the start of next season all the marks should be back in position which will make navigation somewhat easier!
MERCHANDISE The BYC merchandise range is still available! Currently the range is comprised of stubbie holders, a limited stock of hats and BYC branded polo shirts in both a standard and a CoolDry style. Samples of sizes and styles are available. For all orders or range suggestions please contact Will Sharp (contact details inside front cover).
CHEAP GEAR Anchor Marine is now offering 10% discounts on all stock if you are a member of a class association, club or event. Be sure to mention the discount when paying. Fitting out a new boat? Head on in and have a chat, they can do much better than 10% for that!
SHIPMATE At a regatta and cant find a chandlery to replace broken bits and pieces? Get your hands on a Shipmate directory which lists all the chandleries and marine servic es in Vic to ria. V isi t www.shipmate.com.au for more information. They also have a great free iPhone app out so you have access to the entire directory wherever you happen to be.
LOT OF fuss is made about the start in sailing. From conversations on the beach it seems to many that a poor start can sometimes determine the outcome of a race. While blaming a poor result on a bad start is probably over simplifying matters it probably isn’t too far from the truth. The start in sailing is unlike almost any other sport. In athletic events competitors are in the blocks until the gun goes, in motor racing everyone is neatly lined up on the grid watching the lights. Not so in sailing. Sailing requires you to judge the wind, waves and your boat speed and predict what others will do in an attempt to hit an invisible line at full power, in clean air and at exactly the right time. At a start it is common to see boats bunching up around the start boat in an attempt to being right on the starboard end of the line. This is usually for two reasons. The first is that the boat end of the line is often assumed to be the favoured end of the line. The other reason is that if a boat can start a race in this position it gives the sailor some degree of power over the fleet in the period of time immediately following the start. If every boat starts more or less on the line then the boat on the starboard side of the fleet can “hold” others below him so that they are unable to tack to get away to clean air. The starboard boat is also at an advantage because there is no other boat to windward of him so he is getting true wind with no deflections. However there are a few drawbacks to this approach:
While many boats are jostling for position at one end of the line there can only be one boat in the perfect position at the starboard end. Invariably there is usually also a reasonable portion of the fleet that start behind the other boats – effectively on the ‘second row’ of the start line. This is where the wheels really start to come off. The starboard end may not be favoured. Usually, the starter will try to set the line with about a 5 degree bias to the port or flag end. This bias is de-
signed to encourage boats to spread along the line rather than bunch up around the starting boat.
17 March born in Putney in London, from 1957 to 1965 he served in the Merchant Navy and the Royal Naval Reserve.
To command the prime patrol boat end will often mean ‘parking’ the boat for some seconds before the start. Therefore boats to leeward that hit the line with speed will most likely have the jump on the windward boat. So what is a reasonable approach to starting? In practice:
If the starboard end is favoured, unless you are really confident that you will be the boat that is closest the start boat and will be able to hit the line at speed it is better to start to leeward of the main pack where there is more room to judge time and speed.
June 14 departed Falmouth, England in Suhali, one of the smallest boats in the fleet, to compete in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race which was the first solo around the world race.
January 17 rounded Cape Horn, 20 days ahead of his closest competitor.
If the starboard end is highly favoured then a 2nd row start with a quick tack off to port once the start boat (and anchor line) has been cleared and then tack back to starboard to stay in touch with the fleet is not a bad option. This allows you to judge time and speed into the start and to tack off to gain clear air. If the port end is favoured then sail along the line to time a start under full power near the port end. If possible hold up slightly before starting the run down the line to open a space to the next leeward boat. This will minimise the detrimental wind deflection influence from the leeward boat (lee bowing – more about this next time). There are enough tactics and strategies for starting to fill a book but the essence of what I’m saying here is that before you worry about favoured ends of a line, just be on the line or very close to it when the gun goes. Even if there is 20m separation between your boat and the rest of the fleet and you feel like you must be in the wrong spot, don’t worry! A biased line might be five metres out at the wrong end (ie the start pin or boat may be ten metres closer to the weather mark – the result of a 5 degree bias on a 120 metre long start line) but if you happen to get caught in that disturbed airflow behind the fleet then you will lose much more than just ten metres. Clean air and a clean, fast start will set you up nicely for the race ahead. Start smart and reap the benefits.
April 22, Knox-Johnston officially becomes the first man to successfully circumnavigate the globe non-stop and single handed. He immediately donated his prize money to the family of Donald Crowhurst who committed suicide while attempting the race.
Jointly skippering with Les Williams, Knox-Johnston competed in the Whitbread Round the World Race (forerunner to the Volvo Ocean Race) taking line honours in the 2nd and 4th legs.
Along with Peter Blake, KnoxJohnston won the Jules Verne Trophy for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe in a time of 74 days, 22 hours, 18 min, 22 sec.
Completed his second solo circumnavigation of the globe finishing 4th overall in the VELUX 5 Oceans Race. At 68 he was the oldest competitor.
Deirdre Black Brian Doig Susie Groves Gerard Carmody Niamh Carmody Declan Carmody Cheryl Steele Floyd Bromley Michael Prazeus Liz Helmerson Conor Gallagher Sally Gallagher Kate Nicholson Fraser Nicholson Angus Nicholson Victor Tse Viv Charalambous Sarah McKinna Colin Symonds Sally Phillips Kate Dunk Fiona Best Mick Bouchier
EING A PRINCIPAL of a Yachting Australia Training Centre (YATC) comes with some responsibilities and work. All this pales into insignificance when we as a Club see a great group of Adult Trainees as we have this year. Enthusiasm abounds, albeit terrible pre-Christmas weather meant lots of standing on the beach contemplating what to do, but still lots of smiling faces. So far the post-Christmas weather has been marginally kinder to us and we are slowly catching up. Yachting Australia are about to update their MyCentre program and database which is the program I have used to enrol and mark trainees off during the cou rse . Th is should happen in the first half of the year and I have been advised by Yachting Australia that it will not effect anything already in the system, such as this seasons enrolments. Hopefully the changes will make my paperwork load slightly more manageable. I encourage everyone to make the trainees welcome and assist them wherever possible. My thanks go to those who volunteer every week to ensure we provide the most comprehensive GISBS course on Port Phillip Bay. Robert who prepares, washes and drives the rubber duck and puts up with us all clambering in and out of it all morning. Ian, always ready to take someone out and without whose help the course could not be run to its high standard. Lachlan, Peter and Jonathan who skipper and coach trainees each week. Mike who assists on the beach,
on the water as a skipper as required and along with Pam is the ever-present ‘eye in the sky’ in the tower. Bruce, who runs around and fixes everything. All these people turn up rain hail and shine every Sunday and are to be congratulated on their efforts. The Club has also upgraded its Pacer fleet this season with some new boats. Two near new Jim French boats (Numbers 1and 2), an older fibreglass boat donated by a local family that has be restored to racing condition (Number 3) and t h e o l d Schilffgarde family boat beautifully restored and rebuilt by the Sharp clan (Number 4). Along with the other boats including the restored Pacer donated by Les Sharp (Number 6) we know have a total of seven training Pacers and two Sabres. These Club boats are race ready and allow new sailors to further their skills by joining the afternoon racing sessions after they complete the formal course without the need to immediately purchase their own boat. Well done to everyone who was involved in the training programs this season, it was a big effort with a large group of trainees and some marginal weather but it worked out in the end. I will be stepping aside from my training role next season and adult training will be run by Peter and Lachlan Sharp. I will still be involved occasionally but am looking forward to some long overdue time off! Paul Hardie.
A first hand viewpoint from KATE NICHOLSON HAVE BEEN around sailors, sailing, yacht clubs, state and national regattas and long weekend regattas’ for the last 20 years of my life. I have never sailed in any of these events, but have been there to enjoy the time away. My husband is the sailor, and so I have spent those 20 years simply ignoring all the sailing talk, weather talk, conditions, race briefings, course settings, results and after race debriefing. I instead concentrated on not getting too sunburnt, not drinking too much champagne and not letting the kids drown!
least you don’t have to fold your self in half in the middle of the boat when you are driving. So I take on the challenge.
So imagine my surprise, when as a result of the abovementioned children I now find myself as a trainee sailor, enjoying the hospitality of Beaumaris Yacht Club. I didn’t really want to do it, I will be honest, but if the children are gearing up for it, I don’t want to be the one left at home with no playmates. So, I am sucking it up (not very gracefully I’m told), getting out of bed really early on a Sunday morning and having a go.
The funny thing is, as soon as I get to work Monday morning I am proudly boasting about my weekend where I was the sailor, not just the spectator and I feel like I have really achieved something! Sounds a bit silly but after it’s over, (the sailing lesson) I love sailing much more!
The only thing is, sitting on the beach discussing tacks, gybes, beating, reaching, luffing, port, starboard, running, windward, leeward, booms, masts and course directions, is really different to when you are actually sitting in the boat having to remember what they mean and to make the boat move. Thankfully the lovely Mike gentled me through it, and we made it out alive.
Thanks to the lovely Beaumaris training crew.
I can’t say I love it. The uniform is really, really awful, the conditions are not always lovely, sometimes it has been cold and raining.
A trainee’s point of view by Nicholas Berry
Firstly, we have to rig the boat and I know I should know how to do this by now. The seriously busy Paul has been so patient with me, explaining how it all goes together, but who knew what a cunningham was, and really, the mainsheet is a rope?
N SATURDAY THE 25th of February the kids in the junior sailing courses headed to the Beaumaris Yacht Club for a sleep over.
Tricky little things like that stump me. I must admit I am usually laughing and playing with the other naughty girl in the class – that may not help my levels of concentration. The steely blue eyed devil Ian is right on to me and sternly points out the bits I forgot – like tensioning the forestay (oops), bungs (big oops) and that cunningham again! (Still don’t know what it is, but don’t tell Ian).
First we went on the boats for a sail. It was perfect conditions. The wind was coming towards us from the city. Thomas, Robert and Grant were taking us out in the rubber ducky and the Pacers. Everyone learnt something about sailing. The rubber ducky was fast, but there were no waves to jump over, so instead we did donuts. James said it was the best sailing ever.
This week is the first week I have steered. My lovely elegant tall debonair trainer, Mike said I have to be skipper. I really don’t won’t to be the captain, but at
When we were done and dressed we went to bowling. We split into two teams and rolled our balls. In the end, our win-
ner was Hamish with a score of 100. When we got back we built a fort with the tables and chairs. We made rooms and beds made out of chairs. Then we had dinner. Dad and Thomas cooked dinner for us (good job guys!). When we were full we played on our iPods or watched Mr Bean. Afterwards we went to sleep in the boiling hot room. Finally, we woke up and we had breakfast. Breakfast was Coco Pops and toast. Then our parents picked us up and we left. I would like to thank Thomas, Robert, Grant, Liz and Chris. Without them volunteering the sleepover wouldn’t have been possible.
Words by Lachlan Sharp Photos courtesy of Perth Dinghy Sailing Club ORT PHILLIP BAY
is a cruel mistress. While our weather during the week is fantastic, it just seems to all come apart on Saturday night or Sunday morning. The weather has not been kind this season, and we have all heard the old salts upstairs sitting around in their boat shoes and tellingly old regatta polos grumbling “this never used to happen in my day”. So in light of such frustration, there is salvation. “Go west, young man”. Off to Perth did we go. Rod and Michael Smith in Spun Out, Darren and Tammy Ballard in Sparky, Brett Williams and Greg Parsons in Honky and Lachlan and Peter Sharp in Razor. The first heat was not at all expected, a drifter that tested everyone’s patience and pre-race hydration, both aspects aboard Javelin 393 were severely tested. Races 2 and 3 were held in moderate airs. Razor did well in
the first, but was unable to maintain the pace in the moderate air, also testing out a more raked centreboard, after an altercation with some rocks between races. The experiment did not produce favourable results, the only conclusions being that shallow water is bad. After two lay days, some significant repairs to centreboard cases and the odd trip to Cottesloe beach, it was back to business, and this time the doctor made his rounds. 20-25 knots was the order of the day and the Perth boats began to dominate. Darren and Tammy didn’t have the best day, a broken tiller and a bruised bum resulting from a not-quitetextbook gybe ending their race, while Honky and Spun Out sailed mistake free and took out 4th and 5th respectively ahead of some very experienced Perth crews. The following day we awoke to thrashing trees and horizontal curtains. The night time easterly is a common occurrence in Perth, but instead of tailing off around dawn, it hung around to inflict some pain. Two afternoon races
were held in an easterly that rarely dropped below 22knts, and aside from the top three, carnage was the result. Though the water was as flat as a night out with a nun, the immense power of the breeze tested our swimming skills. Though keeping the mast in the air was particularly difficult, some of the best downwind sailing I have ever experienced was on offer. At times though, it just got a bit silly, and all one could do was hang on and cry for mummy, hoping that the breeze drops before the time came to gybe. Brett and Greg found a big hole where their mainsheet block should have been, and the heroic Lachlan Sharp battled a hand full of carbon fibre splinters during a dark afternoon for the Victorian team. Russel and Chris in Racing Red were beginning to dominate proceedings, super downwind speed combined with faultless crew work becomes a hard combination to beat. Peter and Lachlan, while showing good speed in the heavier air, faltered at the most fundamental fact of sailing, if you want to keep going forward, the mast has to be in the air. Another day, another honking easterly. Flat water, big puffs spinnaker rides I’ll never forget featured in another forget-
table race for Razor, and some finish line dramas for Honky, with Rod and Mick staying upright and beating the doctor at his own game. Getting towards the end of the series and bodies were getting sore and the idea of another honking easterly was not as attractive as it would have been a week before. Thankfully a reprieve was in order. The last race was a rather tepid easterly, under uncharacteristically cloudy skies. Puffy, shifty and with everything on the line for Chris and Russell in Racing Red, needing a good placing to secure the silverware over reigning champs Brian and Andrew in Fat Boys. They managed, and took out the series, while Brett and Greg in Honky beat Razor to get 5th overall by 1 point, Razor getting a 6th. Rod and Mick finished well in the last race with an 8th and finished 14th overall, Darren and Tammy with some bad luck with gear finished 18th overall. Though it was at times a tough series, it was still a great regatta, with tight racing, brilliant breeze and no work the next day to hamper post racing debriefs on the deck with the sun setting over the Swan River. We will definitely be back in two years for more punishment.
The Victorian Contingent 2012 Brett Williams and Greg Parsons Javelin 375 Honky Peter and Lachlan Sharp - Javelin 393 Razor Rod and Mick Smith Javelin 367 Spun Out Darren and Tammy Ballard - Javelin 382 Sparky
By WILL SHARP EING NEW TO sailing with few influences can make things a bit daunting when you finish a training program. “What now?” Is the common reaction from many who finish a training program and have no defined path into a certain style of sailing or class. Often choosing which boat to sail is confusing as the sailing landscape is littered with many classes, many of which appear to be very similar but on closer inspection each and every one of them offers something slightly different. At BYC we have a racing fleet dominated at present by two classes, Pacers and Javelins. Among our fleet we also have representatives from the Sabre, Impulse, 125, Taipan and Nacra classes however not in significant numbers. This puts added pressure on those who finish our training program to feel they “should” buy a Pacer. There is no reason why you should feel you are beholden to enter into any specific class just because that is the dominant class at a club. Don’t get me wrong, the Pacer is a fantastic boat, it’s durable, relatively cheap, forgiving and is a great boat to start sailing in however there are also many other classes in the sailing world which may also take your fancy. Following is a brief list of some of the classes around and some of their features. There is also a web address for each association for anyone to do further research or contact the association directly. This is by no means a definitive list of what is available but simply a selection of boats which may appeal to new sailors. Enjoy!
INTERNATIONAL CADET The International Cadet is the only two person, three sail junior racing dinghy limited to sailors up to 17 years of age. The Cadet was designed in 1947 by Jack Holt and is a one-design boat that was deliberately made too small for adults to sail. Cadets enjoy strong fleet racing and as a dedicated junior class have been the stepping stone to higher performance for many Olympic medallists and world champions. www.cadetclass.org
SABOT Sabots have been a popular choice for junior sailors for a long, long time. Somewhat faster than a Minnow the Sabot provides a greater challenge and can cater for slightly older sailors than Minnows. Their popularity has declined in the past however the class is currently going through a resurgence. sabot.au.com
FLYING ANT A two handed skiff with a spinnaker, the Flying Ant is a barrel of laughs for anyone who wishes to sail one. Close fleet racing and a tight team atmosphere features at Flying Ant events. A good choice for junior sailors who don’t want to sail alone. www.flyingants.org.au
MINNOW The classic junior sailing dinghy. Designed by Rex Fettell over forty years ago the Minnow is light, durable, forgiving, easy to build and very popular among young sailors. The Minnow has been a mainstay of many junior fleets for years. Minnows still get very healthy fleets at regattas however their numbers have been eaten away somewhat by the emergence of the similar sized Optimist class. www.minnow.org.au
OPTIMIST The new “go-to” boat for junior sailors. Optimists are a one design class and can be bought as complete boats in a number of different specifications and performance levels. The Optimistis endorsed by Yachting Victoria through their “Tackers” scheme and is fast becoming the new big thing in sailing. Optimists are sailed all over the world especially in the UK and Europe. www.optivic.yachting.org.au
PACER Another design from prolific dinghy designer Jack Holt, the Pacer has long been a feature of lean to sail schools around the country. Since the Pacer arrived in Australia in 1969 the class has enjoyed very strong fleet racing with a variety of sailors ranging from parents with children, teenagers, husband and wife teams and everything in between. Sailed nationally, the home of the Pacer has always been Victoria, buoyed by a strong association and a local builder. The recent emergence of the Pacer Pursuit also gives sailors an option of progressing within the class. www.pacersailing.org.au
TASAR Designed by Frank Bethwaite in 1975 the Tasar was ahead of its time. It was a full foam sandwich high performance hull designed to be sailed by two crew with a combined weight in the vicinity of 140kg. The Tasar is a true one-design boat with a reputation for being able to point amazingly high upwind and providing tight off the wind racing by virtue of the non spinnaker sailplan.
125 The 125 dinghy is a similar size to a Pacer with a slightly different design. A bigger sailplan and trapeze make the 125 a higher performance option to the Pacer while still being a great entry-level boat. Limited development of the class has kept racing close and costs down, the 125 has been a feature of off-the-beach sailing in Australia for over forty years. www.125assoc.com
www.tasar.com.au
LASER One of the most popular boats of all time, Bruce Kirby’s Laser has proved to be a constant in dinghy sailing all over the world. There are currently more than 250,000 Lasers around the world and that number is growing every day. With three different sized rigs on offer (Laser 4.7, Laser Radial and Laser Standard) the Laser provides something for everyone. Strict one design rules, strong international competition and Olympic inclusion will ensure the Laser remains popular for many years to come. www.lasersdownunder.com
SABRE
IMPULSE
Another design from Rex Fettell, the Sabre is an 11ft single handed dinghy offering big fleet racing, a strong association and lots of action. A very limited development class, Sabres have enjoyed close racing with a low entry cost. Boats can also be built at home with plans and kits readily available. Sabres are sailed all around Australia with the strongest fleets in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.
Similar to the Sabre, the Impulse is a 4m sports dinghy currently enjoying a big growth period. Faster than a Sabre and a bit more of a challenge, the Impulse allows sailors more freedom to experiment in both design and sailing. Aspects such as a fully battened main and rotating mast allow sailors to fine tune boats to a greater degree than some other single handers. Strong fleets, thrills and spills are hallmarks of Impulse sailing.
www.sabre.org.au
www.ausimpulse.com.au
BIRTH! Mirror dinghy originated in England after a competition run by the Daily Mirror newspaper
THOUSAND Approximate number of Mirrors built to date
DID YOU KNOW that the two BYC rescue boats have names that are of aboriginal origins? Narina is an aboriginal word for
A selection of photos from the 2011-12 training program
CHERYL STEELE reflects on her first season as a sailor O YOU WANT to be a sailor? The mind wanders to romantic notions of sailing the high seas, wind in your hair, steering yourself and your boat through the waves, harnessing the winds to go where you will. Mmmm - maybe even a champagne (bottle) in your hand as you glide effortlessly over the water. One with nature. So peaceful and relaxing. How wrong could you be!
Why does a right hand turn have to be a tack to windward? And a U turn a gybe?
Think Kate Winslet on the bow of the Titanic before the whole sinking bit.
I can capsize very well - nothing to it! However keeping the boat upright not so easy. I liked my first capsize so much I repeated it three more times in as many hours. Does trying to break the nose of the chief instructor whilst performing a surprise gybe mean an automatic fail? That remains to be seen. Really am sorry about that Paul but it was a surprise to me too.
Sailing is great, more so I imagine when you actually have an idea of what you are doing. I love it but I am dreadful at it. Persistence pays they say - but not so well to date. Our instructors are the most patient, skillful and wonderful people you could imagine and then some. Listening to their stories of adventure at sea is mind boggling. I envy them so much. I shudder to think what their stories about the current trainees are! Week after week these lovely people line up smiling benignly repeating the same instructions over and over in the feint hope that one day, some day we may actually not only understand the instructions but put them into practice. I suspect they think if you take a group of adults who are probably intelligent and well educated (off the water) you can teach them to sail a small boat safely. To date the instructors have coped well with this disappointment. The trainees are keen if not competent. OK some of you are pretty good but then the rest of us - well we are learning if somewhat slowly. As for the language and terminology, well that may as well be Martian.
Of course I can steer a car - because it has a steering wheel not a stick behind my back. Roads have lines and stable markers and cars have brakes. Ropes are sheets and all the boats are a bit different.
Why do I feel more comfortable in the water than on it? Because I can swim but I can’t yet sail of course. Read the wind they tell us. Yeah right, sounds easy but it keeps moving and you can’t see it! Sure steer a straight line to the marker - by the way has anyone else noticed the wind shifts and gusts constantly, the waves come from different directions, the tiller has a mind of its own and when you are not facing the beach everything looks the same - just water everywhere. The trainees are a great bunch of people. We support and identify with each other despite our many differences. We have fun and we laugh together. Each hopes and dreams of one day being able to call ourselves a sailor. Some of our challenges may appear small but to each of us we are mastering new skills and challenging ourselves in so many ways. Sailing is a great activity. I can understand now why the sea gets into your blood.
CLASS RULES changed to allow a standard alloy mast and boom rig as well as the traditional gaff rig
BOAT LIMIT entrants in a Mirror Worlds such is the level of interest
SQUARE METRES the sail area on a fully rigged Mirror
Black Cockatoo and Mulloka means ‘water spirit’. There is also an aboriginal freshwater well situated at the base of the sandstone cliffs to the north of the club.
Accusations are flying and the defence is called to give evidence in a trial by media writes JANETTE CONNARD NASTY RUMOUR has been circulating since the Pacer State Titles were held at Black Rock Yacht Club over the Labour Day Weekend. People have been saying that Phillip and I capsized in Wildwood no fewer than three times, twice whilst attempting to hoist the spinnaker at the first mark and once, for no reason at all. Furthermore, whispers have been heard that I actually fell from the boat not once, not twice but three times and that we were subsequently placed 20th overall. Those of you who have seen what magnificent competitors we are will recognise this as a dastardly fabrication by jealous opponents. I ask the remainder of you not to take my word for it but to examine the photographic evidence for yourselves: Exhibit A: All competitors can be seen racing before the hooter, except Janette and Phillip Connard in Wildwood, the only competitors who actually wait for the start. Exhibit B: Paul and Judy Hardie struggling to maintain control of Limelight, shortly before capsizing.
Exhibit C: Ian McHugh and unidentified trainee (Sally?) ramming other boats whilst attempting an improper overtake at the mark. Exhibit D: Luke Cromie and crew Warrick Sheppard in Kanooka, slyly discussing tactics whilst pretending to sail. Exhibit E: Janette and Phillip Connard calmly demonstrating complete control over Wildwood and the elements. Exhibit F: Photograph taken by Janette as we crossed the finish line; runners up Phil and Jack Chadwick in Chaddywagon have the black spinnaker; Paul and Judy and their blue and green spinnaker are just visible in the distance. We do, however, salute Jonathon Pulham and Silke Weber who sailed valiantly in the Pacer Pursuit Class to come 2nd and Peter and Lauren Kemp in Pocket Rocket II, who won the non-spinnaker division and sailed faster than most of the sailors with spinnakers, finishing 9th overall.
It’s a certain type of person who takes to the water in the pursuit of fun writes LACHLAN SHARP
EOPLE WHO SAIL are completely mad. They have to be. When wonders such as internal combustion exist, we slave away with cloth and wood and call it fun? On a summer’s day, crouched in front of the mast, I will have to admit I have fantasised about reclining in the cabin of a passing motor launch, instead of convincing myself that every other boat on the course is in more breeze than I am. Sometimes, when I have to leave the pub early on a Saturday night to the disdain of my friends, my defence being the age old adage, “Got to sail tomorrow” I wonder, is it worth it? Such questions are short lived, because a sailor’s brain is not normal. Whether it is nature or nurture, something just isn’t right about us. Are we mad because we sail, or do we sail because we are mad? It is not just on the water that sailors show just how odd they really are. When tying down a load on the way to the tip, old lengths of hemp rope, or god forbid, the ubiquitous $5 spool of Bunnings trash just won’t do. If it doesn’t have Spectra or Vectran in it, it’s not to be trusted. A sailor can’t drive past a body of water without checking for whitecaps or watching for the gusts rippling across the water. The top of the internet favourites bar is always the BoM forecast. But one forecast won’t do, not when there is also SeaBreeze and the Marine Wind Forecast close at hand. This results in a weekly emotional rollercoaster endured every week in the lead up to Sunday, as the forecast fluctuates between too much breeze and not enough. Sunday is for much of the world is a holy day. For the average (insane) sailor it is also a day of worship at the altar of Port Phillip Bay. As Christians must set aside a day in the week for rest and prayer, the sailor must also set aside this day for sailing. No family lunches, rounds of golf, shopping excursions and important family events, births, deaths and marriages included, shall stand in the way of the pilgrimage. I laugh in the face of lattes and toasted Paninis, all a sailor needs is a ham and salad roll and some Blend 42. Don’t even think about decaf. Of course it can be hard to maintain sanity when one is almost completely unable to share their obsession with the lay person. When one speaks of sailing on the weekend, the lay person imagines champagne, crepe soled shoes and more linen
garments than you could spot in a Bay St café. What they are unable to imagine, and what many sailors have given up on explaining, is the cold water, bruises, woollen high school jumpers and sunscreen-stained construction company hats. But essentially, other people just don’t want to listen to you crapping on about something they don’t care about. This is why sailors are forced to cram in as much post-race discussion as possible in the few hours between de-rigging their boats, losing shackle keys and powering down some dim sims and beer. Then there is the language. Though most sports have a certain degree of lingo, not even cricket, what with its deep long-ons and short-of-a-lengths, even comes close to some of the ridiculous phrases used by the saltier members of our sport. Why is it called fore and aft? What was ever wrong with forward and back? Why can’t we use the word rope? Simple, because to do so results in normal people understanding what the hell you are on about. At the end of the day, one has to remember this sport was pioneered not by the gentry of yesteryear. It was not only available to the rich and educated. Sailing was a way of life pioneered by the drunkest, maddest, wildest bastards the world has ever known. Adventurers, pirates, men at arms; rapscallions all of them. They were not content with the land-lubbers life. Safe, solid ground which won’t swallow you up without the slightest compunction was not for them. They sailed the seven seas, discovered new lands, killed people, killed each other, and then made up a catchy song. They got drunk (really drunk), sunburnt, ate weevils, lost limbs, got gonorrhoea, recovered and then got gonorrhoea again. They lived life! We sailors today have a duty to respect that tradition. So when you could sit at home on a Sunday because it’s raining, imagine your forebears battling the Horn on a bunch of planks. Your skipper yells at you? You would have been tied to the mast lashed once upon a time if you disobeyed. If your garage is filled with mountain bikes and, God forbid, your car, haul it out and get a boat in there because it won’t repaint itself over winter. I swear I will never dumb down the lingo for the benefit of others. I have had to battle credit card debts, blisters, early mornings and cold water, to hell with the blank looks my stories encourage! I’m insane and proud of it.
HE LURE OF Canberra beckoned - the lure of sailing without finishing behind Paul and Judy, Club champions Warrick and Luke and frustratingly fast Di was calling. With that prospect, Janette and I put our names down to compete in our first National Championships. New sails were purchased and annual leave was booked. On arrival at YMCA Sailing Club on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin, the Pacer Championship Trophy was on display and upon examining it was apparent that representing Beaumaris comes with a sense of expectation. The weight of history was on our shoulders – the cup adorned with familiar Beaumaris names – Kemp and Sharp seem to have owned the cup for the best part of a generation. The other crews at Canberra must have been nervous that a Beaumaris boat was back.
Before the first invitational race some of the contenders were flexing their muscles – new sails measured, boats inverted and polished, unnecessary weight removed - you had the sense that some serious business was about to take place. Surprisingly the first race was won by a local using an middle aged club boat and ancient sails - this caused a ripple to go through the contenders and new respect for local knowledge acquired. However such was the atmosphere that when you asked said local sailor what the secrets were, he was more than happy to share them with anyone who asked. This is what make sailing Pacers special. Going to the nationals is highly recommended.
Sailors of all
Looks a bit strange doesn’t it? Pacer Pursuits were a feature of the 2011-12 Pacer Nationals with three boats competing as a separate division. Asymmetric spinnakers, trapezes and bigger rigs all lead to a somewhat different Pacer experience
The races themselves were most testing. Unlike the stories of wild winds off Black Mountain that tormented the fleet when the titles were last held on Lake Burley Griffin much time was spent hoping for more breeze. Sometimes you needed to see the water weed float silently past the boat to convince yourself that you were moving. Nonetheless light wind strategies could be learned and applied.
Sailing under the flag - Phillip and Jeanette getting their first taste of inland sailng and its associated challenges
Lake sailing, local knowledge and a series of firsts for PHILLIP CONARD
standards were welcomed and boats without spinnakers encouraged. The atmosphere was friendly and participants were appreciated for making the effort to go. While race formalities were respected at the front of the fleet, the race officer and other officials were more than willing to provide tips for the stragglers in the fleet in order to improve in the next race. The race officer was probably the most experienced sailor you are like to come across – he won his first sailing title in 1939 and was complimented by some veteran sailors as among the best they have sailed under. While we did not come first, we experienced some others firsts such as our first time going to National Championships, first time on fresh water and first time with new sails.
Starting area getting crowded as the timer ticks down I recommend all who can go to the next championships at McCrae to do so and learn as much as you can.
WANTED STEPHEN WHITESIDE on the fine art of falling in INCE PURCHASING THE Javelin, I have had a wonderful opportunity to explore the joys of capsizing. When we owned the Pacer we experienced these pleasures too, but much less often. I am pleased to say it has now become a regular occurrence! There are many ways to capsize a Javelin. It is really quite easy. Perhaps the commonest is simply to wait as you approach the gybe until the boat has lost most of its speed. It’s not necessarily a deliberate thing. It just happens sometimes. Gybing at low speed, particularly if the wind is anything more than light, is pretty much guaranteed to tip you in. Waiting too long to pull the boom also helps a lot. On the other hand, being over eager and pulling it across too early will also usually earn you a good ducking. It is perhaps not quite as easy to capsize while you are beating, but it’s still not difficult. Tacking presents a good opportunity. One fairly reliable strategy I have discovered is to wait until the crew is just about out on the trapeze again after you have gone about, and then lose your grip on the main-sheet. The sudden loss of pressure in the sail is very likely to tip you in. Indeed, getting any of the various steps only slightly out of sync is often sufficient. Laterace fatigue itself can be enough. Even in light winds, it is quite easy to capsize. Complacency comes to your assistance here. You will just be believing it is almost impossible to capsize under such conditions, and you’ll suddenly get a big surprise!
recently succeeded in jamming the spinnaker half way up (or down?), so that we could neither raise nor lower it fully. We were near the bottom mark at the time and we soon discovered it was impossible to tack home under such conditions, so we sat quietly in the boat considering our position and working out what (if anything) we could do to ameliorate the situation as we were blown slowly but surely down towards Black Rock. I hadn’t yet started to worry about how to squeeze the mast under the Bolte Bridge, but I would have had to face this problem sooner or later if my expert crew had not, by good luck or good management (Iʼm still not sure how he did it, and I don’t think he is either) managed at last to find a way to stow the big flapping black and red beast back into its cave. Of course, you can’t spend all your day capsized. You have to make some effort to accommodate the needs of others and besides, it’s very difficult to return to the clubhouse with the boat on its side (unless you have very favourable conditions). Nevertheless if you, too, like me, enjoy the art of capsizing, and wish to greatly increase your opportunities to spend many meaningless but happy hours sloshing around in the water beside your upturned boat, buy a Javelin!
Skiff (with apologies to Rudyard Kipling)
If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
Once you are actually in the water, there are many ways to prolong the enjoyment. If the spinnaker is up, leave it there as you try to right the boat. This will guarantee many hours of fun. Make sure also that no crew member is actually in the cockpit as the mast comes up again. This will ensure the boat will promptly capsize once more in the opposite direction. This is a simple game that can be played over and over and over without any diminution of pleasure.
Especially that bugger on the trap wire
Of course, enjoyable as it is, it is selfish to spend too much time sloshing around the capsized hull. The rescue boat crew, the tower staff, and even your fellow sailors become irritated and even a little anxious if you play the game for too long. They prefer you to join them in their quest to round the marks and finish the race. Part of being a good club member is to be mindful of the needs of fellow members, and for this reason we are conscious not to spend too much time with the mast lying horizontal. Of course, sometimes such events are nevertheless simply beyond our control.
If you can raise the kite when breeze is willing,
You don’t have to capsize to be distracted from the earnest activity of racing. We
© Stephen Whiteside
Who chooses to identify as ʻcrewʼ; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting For breeze to blow away the dreaded calm;
USED PACER AND MINNOW SAILS FOR THE BYC TRAINING FLEET. MAINSAILS, JIBS AND SPINNAKERS. CONTACT PAUL HARDIE 9583 3363
FOR SALE JAVELIN 385 ‘Silly Moo’ Windrush hull - full carbon layup Windrush carbon mast with spare tip and 49er sail track CST carbon boom Two jibs - one is only one season old (Thompson) Two Thompson spinnakers One Halsey Lidgard main Fully adjustable rig Aluminium beach trolley
$8,000 ONO Contact Peter Sharp 9878 1997
FOR SALE SABOT DINGHY Timber construction Solid boat All spars and sails included
$400 ono Contact Bruce Fraser 9515 0357
If you can ghost along at half a rat power, And find, in all your efforts, still some charm;
And ride each crest that charges on its way, With salt in eyes and mouth, while ever thrilling To jolting rides in spumes of blinding spray; If you can drive the bow beneath the water, And spend a good time swimming in the sea, Wondering just why on earth you bought ʻer, Youʼll be a bloody idiot like me!
FOR SALE PACER 1711 ‘Kanooka’ Timber construction Main in good condition Jib and spinnaker in fair condition Perfect first boat Repainted in 2011
$1500 ono Contact Luke Cromie 0412 571 416