Groundswell March 2020 by Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia

QUARTERLY JOURNAL FROM THE CRUISING YACHT CLUB OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA

TEAKLE CLASSIC ADELAIDE TO LINCOLN

SYDNEY HOBART YACHT RACE

GEELONG FESTIVAL OF SAILS

MARCH 2020 1

CRUISING YACHT CLUB OF SA

THIS ISSUE

BOARD OF MANAGEMENT President Treasurer

Dominic Rinaldi David Roper Geoff Boettcher Keith Finch Peter Hall David Murray Doreen Perrin

FLAG OFFICERS Commodore Vice Commodore Rear Commodores

PATRON

Jacqueline Heffernan John Sibly Adrian Wotton Jeff Dinham The Honourable Kevin Scarce AC CSC RANR

STAFF General Manager Financial Controller Financial Administrator Marketing & Communications Berthing & Member Services Marine Academy Principal Racing Administrator Events & Hospitality Manager Head Chef Port Vincent Marina Manager

Adam Hays Kerry O’Brien Melissa Norris Mellissa Vahoumis Sarah Belton David Royle Inese Lainis Susan Laird Tony Bailey Rob Marner

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

AT THE HELM WITH OUR GM

COMMODORE’S REPORT

RACING REPORT

MARINE ACADEMY REPORT

SYDNEY HOBART YACHT RACE

GEELONG FESTIVAL OF SAILS

TEAKLE CLASSIC ADELAIDE TO LINCOLN

KING OF THE GULF

BALLAST HEAD CUP

BOATING & FISHING SHOWCASE

SOCIAL ASSOCIATION UPDATE

CRUISING ASSOCIATION UPDATE

BOATS AT THE CLUB

AUSTRALIA DAY | GREAT AUSSIE BBQ

CLUB NEWS | FAREWELL JENNY

COMMITTEES Members Committee Chair Fishing Association Chair Racing Association Chair Cruising Association Chair Social Association Chair LIFE MEMBERS

EDITORS OF GROUNDSWELL

Advertising & contributions to Mellissa: mellissa@cycsa.com.au Groundswell is the official journal of the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia Inc Lady Gowrie Drive, North Haven PO Box 1020 North Haven SA 5018

Jacq Heffernan Vlad Humeniuk Mike Holmes Adrian Wotton Rosemary Gould

Arthur F Carolan (Dec’d) Geoffrey R Catt Richard H Fidock AO Graeme L Footer John D Gerard James A Henry (Dec’d) Malcolm A Kinnaird AC (Dec’d) Peter J Page (Dec’d)

Gay Footer, Mellissa Vahoumis, Pat Catley, Dianne Schwerdt Telephone: 08 8248 4222 Email: reception@cycsa.com.au Web: www.cycsa.com.au Telephone Port Vincent: 0414 611 110

Registered by Australia Post Publication No PP565001/00184 ISSN 1039-4230 Printed by Newstyle Printing Graphic Design by Mellissa Vahoumis

Volume 37 | Edition 1 Cover image: Another Hooligan, Adelaide Lincoln Race | Photo by Traci Ayris | Vislex

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Welcome to the March 2020 Groundswell Report. I trust you have enjoyed your summer and the facilities offered at the Club. Set out below are some of the current issues the Board is considering. 1. CYCSA Youth Sailing Foundation The Board is currently exploring the establishment of the CYCSA Youth Sailing Foundation. The purpose of the foundation is to introduce the next generation of sailors to the sport of sailing and to foster, and where possible, develop their progression into sailing champions of the future. At the time of writing a business case has been developed by management for board discussion. The plan shows that if expectations are met, the Youth Foundation will be self-funding and indeed may make a positive financial contribution to the Club through its trading activities. As part of the benchmarking of our Club with other preimminent yacht clubs across Australia, we noted that all of them have a fleet of small training keel boats as part of their overall operations. The business requires more exploratory work and we are planning a trip to Sydney by two Board members (at their own cost) together with CYCSA management to review the operations of similar foundations operating in Sydney. The current view of the Board is that to progress this proposal to the next stage we must be satisfied this Youth Foundation will be cost neutral to the Club in a very short period of time. I will keep you posted as to the progress of our work on this matter. 2. Investment Committee/Sinking Fund Since our last report the Investment Committee has undertaken a comprehensive review of the funding requirements to maintain or replace overwater assets over the Club’s lease obligations with berth owners. This review determined that a net return of 4.1% above inflation on the Sinking Fund assets is required as a bare minimum. The Committee has determined in order to meet the desired long term return of 4.1% above inflation the funds should be invested in a growth orientated portfolio which would typically comprise between 60-80% in growth assets and 20-40% in defensive assets. Based on the above analysis and recognising that, whilst the Board and Investment Committee currently has access to expertise necessary to manage the Sinking Fund, that may well change in the future. It is our belief that the current process of dealing directly with the broker puts an unreasonable expectation and responsibility on both the Board and the Investment Committee. The Board, after receiving a recommendation from the Investment Committee, resolved that 100% of the Club’s Sinking Fund portfolio be formally put to tender by the Treasurer and four quotations be called from qualified investment advisers/firms. The investment these firms would manage include products that meet the above risk profile. The Treasurer is currently undertaking that tender process and once the selection of advisers is complete it is the view of the Board there will be no need for an Investment Committee going forward. The investment firm or firms would report the audited performance of the fund directly to the Board on a timely and periodic basis. The latest results of the Sinking Fund’s performance are as follows:

31/12/2019 YTD PORTFOLIO: Shares @ market value

4,375,687

72%

5,237,884

89%

701,193

12%

310,460

Cash/Term Deposits

1,015,276

17%

315,792

Total value of Sinking Fund

6,092,156

Preference Shares

5,864,136

Original investment

Return on investment to date

5,450,377 11%

5,450,377 7%

INCOME GENERATED: Dividends received

166,228

161,311

Profit from sale of shares

61,099

22,514

227,327 183,825 Notes: 1. Cash is held in a separate Sinking Fund bank account 2. All income received from the Sinking Fund to date has been reinvested 3. Bushfire Appeal Whilst many of our members have been enjoying summer on their boats and at the Club, our heart goes out to those affected by the devastation the fires have caused on Kangaroo Island and the Adelaide Hills. On behalf of the CYCSA members I would like to let all those who have lost loved ones, their livelihoods, homes, businesses and properties that our sincere thoughts are with you. Our Club is committed to raise funds for the SA Bushfire Appeal on two fronts 1. In conjunction with Coopers Breweries we are providing $10 per Chicken Parmy promotion sold to the bushfire appeal. 2. We are arranging a bushfire appeal cabaret function. Entertainment on the night will be by Jus-Fa-Fun who will be donating their time and playing for no fee.We have also had food donated to the Club to assist in minimising the cost. All profits generated by the evening, together with profits from the Parmy promotion, will be distributed to the SA Bushfire Appeal for the ultimate distribution to people directly affected by bushfires on Kangaroo Island and Cuddlee Creek. 4. New Crane I can report our engineers have finally created an engineering solution which allows us to not have to replace the wharf in order to acquire the new crane. The crane has now been ordered and is scheduled to arrive and be installed ready for use prior to next season. 5. New Boat The Marine Academy has previously announced that a new Marine Academy training yacht has been acquired to replace Academy 1. Academy 1 has served the Club extremely well over an 11 year period but in recent years the running and maintenance costs to ensure the vessel remains in AMSA survey has become prohibitive.The new boat is a Beneteau Cyclades 43.3’. This boat is perfectly designed for training and will be enjoyed by those with full cruising aspirations together with those whose ultimate objective is to race. An official launch of the new boat will be held soon and we will advise members accordingly. Please continue to enjoy the remainder of the boating season. See you at the Club. Dominic Rinaldi

31/05/2019 FY

FROM THE HELM

Once again we find ourselves well into a new year within the blink of an eye as it only seems like the Christmas decorations have been packed away. As I write this it is great to see a hive of activity around the Club with Adelaide to Lincoln preparations and those making the most of the remaining great weather. Much has happened in the past quarter and having been at the helm for a year now it is great to draw a line through a few initiatives, continuing the momentum of others and start planning some new ones. There will be a new crane arriving in early July. This process has proved to be a very frustrating one as we tirelessly workshopped how to fit a new crane to a traditional bolt pattern so as not to compromise the wharf. A new Marine Academy training vessel will no doubt be gracing the cover of the next edition of Groundswell. We are all very excited about this acquisition and the opportunities and potential to further enhance prospective members’ pathways into the CYCSA sailing community. We have implemented further security measures around the slipway and hardstand to deter non-members from accessing these potentially dangerous areas. To complement this opening times for the front gate during evening hours have been reduced to coincide with our bistro opening hours to limit public access afterhours. This means the gates will shut at 8.15pm at the latest each evening of service. Naturally access outside these times will always still be available for members with visitors having to alert staff for entry whilst being recorded by our security cameras. As an attendee at the regular Masterplan Committee meetings I can also inform members that momentum is gaining regarding the long-term building and infrastructure future of the Club. David Murray and his team are leaving no stone unturned and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the key stakeholders and indeed the general membership base who have given input. The Masterplan Committee will be presenting this feedback to Nelsons Architects in the very near future.

The Club hopes to embark on a CYCSA Youth Sailing Foundation journey with an aim to secure ourselves as the premium yacht club in South Australia and to be prominent on a national scale. I ask all members to support this initiative wholeheartedly and assist us in creating a legacy for the Club. I would like to congratulate all CYCSA participants in the 2019 Sydney to Hobart. Notables were Silas Nolan aboard Comanche which claimed Line Honours and James Paterson aboard IRC winner, Ichi Ban. A special mention goes to the CYCSA representative, Sintara, with skipper Derek Morrison and crew enduring a very memorable race. I’d like to congratulate all other CYCSA participants who crewed during the Sydney to Hobart. Another notable CYCSA achievement must go to Club member David Snoad who with Robbie Duessen, won the Australian International 505 Championships and were second in the Open series to American duo Mike Holt and Rob Woelfel. First Australian boat, well done! A week after this Geoff Boettcher and the team on Secret Men’s Business had back to back wins at the Geelong Yacht Clubs Festival of Sails Regatta. It’s great to see CYCSA members achieving these types of results, certainly something a Youth Foundation can feed into in the future. Thank you for taking the time to read this report and I hope you enjoy the rest of this season. Adam Hays General Manager

After many years of excellent service it was a sad day to see our long-term Administration and Operations Manager, Jenny Krogdahl, leave to take up another position. Personally I have much to thank Jenny for in terms of my introduction to the CYCSA and for her assistance with all things Club related that only sixteen years of experience can provide. Jenny will be sorely missed and we wish her the very best for the future. My very first experience at the CYCSA was a ‘think tank’ session held in December 2018, an initiative I attended five weeks prior to starting my role as General Manager. A few of the identified items to come out of this evening were ‘bringing in the boats’, ‘ageing membership base’, ‘facilities improvements’, ‘membership growth’ and ‘junior program’. With my background in golf club management I had experienced very similar circumstances. Many of the items faced were greatly assisted by the promotion of the Junior Program. By focusing on youth engagement we are also forging relationships with parents, grand-parents and entire families thereby exposing the Club to potential members and creating long-serving members. Alignment with the community by way of school and university sailing programs may develop future berth and boat owning members.

David Snoad and Robin Duessen - 2020 Australian 505 Championship presentation, Royal Brighton Yacht Club, Melbourne

Commodore Is it just me or does the season seem to be zooming past! It just seems like yesterday that it was our Opening Day! Since then we have had many fantastic functions at the Club including the Melbourne Cup Lunch, the Children’s Christmas Party, the All Associations Bash, the great promo on South Aussie With Cosi, the Premier’s Cup and the fantastic support and involvement from not only the CYCSA but other local clubs in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. All these events and more will be covered elsewhere in Groundswell. We spent the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day on Kangaroo Island and were there when the fires became very active. Our hearts are with those affected by this horrific period in our time not only in Kangaroo Island but the Adelaide Hills and throughout New South Wales,Victoria and Western Australia. Thank you to all who participated with gusto in the ‘Pale & Parmy’ promotion where $10 from every sale was donated to the SA Bushfire Relief Fund and which Adam Hays organised. Thank you also to Coopers Brewery for their kind contribution. The Club is also holding a Bushfire Fundraiser Dinner and participating in the Firefighters Family Day on the water to be held on 15 March. Both are fantastic initiatives.

From time to time we may observe or be involved in a situation which may require some intervention or mediation. The Member Protection Policy of the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia forms part of the Club’s By-Laws and is binding on the Club’s members, employees, guests and other relevant persons. The General Manager, staff and Board understand there are occasions when conciliation is required. If anyone feels they need assistance please be guided by the policy and approach either the General Manager, a Board Member (which includes the Commodore) or a Flag Officer. This Policy “Seeks to prevent all forms of harassment, discrimination and abuse and to promote positive behaviour and values, will not tolerate inappropriate or unlawful behaviour, has a code of conduct policy by which everyone associated with the organisation is expected to abide. Advises disciplinary action will be taken against individuals if there is a breach of the policy.” (excerpt from Policy). Like any club or organisation abiding by the rules creates a harmonious and pleasant place to spend our precious spare time. Jacqueline Heffernan Commodore

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Over the last three months the following people have joined the Club. Please make them welcome. Allan Aitchison, Allen Blenkle, Matthew Buchanan, Sarah Caruso, Wing Chan, Cameron Davis, Adrian Edmonds, Beatrice Fewster, Marcus Graham, Peter Guilhouse, Teresa Hamilton-Smith, Kirsty Hammet, Greg Hart, Daniel Haynes, Benjamin Horrocks, Kurtis Humphries, Cathy Johnson, Jacob Keough, Sean King, Calvin Lai, Christopher Massey, Anne-Marie Meegan, Peter Mertin, Christopher Middleton, Brian Mousley, Paul Nacino, Stephen O’Brien, Christopher Pitman, Andrew Raeburn, Robert Rogerson, Charlie Ryan-Kane, Michael Schaffer, Mark Shetlat; Jarrad Smith, Vassilios Vasiliadis, Robert Vink, John Wardell

Welcoming some of our newest members to the Club at our most recent ‘New Members’ get together

CYCSA RACING ASSOCIATION

Round Up The summer racing season is now past the half-way mark with great racing and numbers on the water. Series 1 of the Phil Hoffmann Travel Twilight Series was completed just before Christmas with some 28 entries (including casual entries). In Cruising Division B it was a clean sweep for the Bavaria’s with Mark Hutton’s Synergy first, Richard Lea’s Sahara second followed by last year’s winner Adrian Wotton’s School’s Out third. In Cruising Division A Playground (Brenton Pegler) followed by White Knight (David Knights) and Aquila (Mark Johns) third. The hotly contested Ladies Helm Race held in pleasant 15 knots conditions on 27 November was taken out by Jo Pilmore on Academy 1 in Cruising B with Karen Johns in Aquila leading the way in Cruising A. At the time of writing our Club Inshore series has nine races completed in varying breezes. Division 1 PHS is being led by White Knight (David Knights) followed by Playground (Brenton Pegler) with Pirate (Keith Finch) in third. Division 2 PHS Seasnake II (Steve Power) leads from School’s Out (Adrian Wotton) with Young Einstein (Rob Sellick) close behind. AMS series results have Doctor Feelgood 3 (Wayne Coonan) ahead of Magic (Mike Holmes) and White Knight in Division 1 with Rock On (Trevor Conyers) ahead of School’s Out and Rank Bajin (Doug Watson) in Division 2. With two more races left in the series chances are that the final outcomes might differ from where they sit now due to the close point scores.

Premier’s Cup - Dr Feelgood (Nick George with Wayne Coonan)

Mary Ann Harvey wins SA Ladies Invitational Race - School’s Out

Light winds greeted the 16 competitors battling in the Yalumba Great Southern Regatta over the weekend of 23-24 November 2019. This meant that consistency, with no race to discard, was of paramount importance for those wanting to claim the prizes. In PHS Division 1, Magic lead from White Knight and The Tribe (Martin/ O’Connell/ Royans). PHS Division 2 was taken out by School’s Out with Rock On second and Emma (James Armitage) third. IRC results showed some differing outcomes with Secret Men’s Business (Geoff Boettcher) winning from Doctor Feelgood 3 with White Knight third. In AMS & IRC Division 2 Rank Bajin won convincingly. The Premier’s Cup was programmed for early December with sponsor Georges Wines and unfortunately at the last minute our Premier, Steven Marshall, was unable to participate in the race. PHS Division 1 winner was Dr Feelgood 3 with Magic second and White Knight third. In Division 2 Ocean Hawk (Steve Emery) beat Rank Bajin and Rocksalt (Denby Steele). The Premier’s Cup was won by Magic, followed by Dr Feelgood 3 and Secret Men’s Business and Division 2 IRC had Rank Bajin as the clear winner from Outlier (Ken Abbott) and Rocksalt.

Premier’s Cup - Magic

At time of writing, with the Adelaide - Lincoln Race about to start, followed by Lincoln Week racing and perhaps a cruise home, there remains much time left to enjoy the summer season. Inese Lainis Racing Administrator

Twilight - Duty Crew

TWILIGHT SAILING NMAFC COMBINED TWILIGHT SAILING It was my pleasure to be aboard Sir Les, a 34.3 foot Beneteau yacht owned by Ian and Lesley Patterson, on Wednesday 5 February 2020 for the twilight sailing event that was a combined sail with members of the Naval, Military and Airforce Club. I must admit I have been sailing a few times with Lesley and Ian on Wednesday twilight sails and it is always fun and an adventure, some nights more than others. Ian and Lesley had warned me many times that they usually come last, or close to, so be prepared to be late into dinner at the clubrooms. I would recommend to members of the Naval, Military and Airforce Club to try and participate in this event when offered even if you are not a sailor. There are spectator boats available for those unable to board a yacht or indeed you can just sit in the CYCSA clubrooms enjoying a tipple in the usually very pleasant late afternoon. Back to Wednesday 5 February 2020. Sir Les competes in Racing Division Cruising B. We left the CYCSA under power and as we cleared the breakwater the sails were unfurled. It was a pleasant night on the water with a wind speed of about 24 knots with some stronger gusts. The course was from the start boat to an orange buoy approximately two nautical miles south of the start. We had to pass all marks to starboard on the course and after the orange buoy it was on to Wonga Shoal and then time for a Gin and Tonic for some sailors but some of the crew were busy goosewinging the sails, meaning one out to port and the other to starboard. The next leg was to the Lead Out Beacon then to the Lead In Beacon passing both to starboard. As we sailed along the crew managed to do a few tacks and a gybe and averaged about 5.5 knots on the first leg then 7 knots on the second leg with a speedy 8.3 knots on the downwind leg. What fun!! Back in the clubrooms it was time for a well-earned wine and evening meal. As one of the two Naval, Military and Airforce Club members who participated in the evenings sailing Ian (as Captain) and I were presented with a bottle of wine. A welcome surprise and even more surprising, we came second in the race. What a thrill! Thank you Ian, Lesley and the two Daves for a fun night, I really enjoyed it. Lt Col Robyn Johnston OAM, RFD

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CYCSA MARINE ACADEMY ACADEMY UPDATE As usual it has been a very busy summer with the Marine Academy running numerous courses with student activity high. The Academy continues its important focus on marine safety for both members and the public with our always important and well attended Safety Sunday which was held on 12 January.

OUT THERE SAILING In January the Marine Academy ran its first Australian Sailing ‘Out There Sailing’ program for 12-17 year olds during the school holidays with six participants over three days. Some of the kids were members’ children and others were at the Club for the first time. The course comprised learning to sail training mixed with some powerboating in CYC3 and stand-up paddle boarding. In other words, three days of mucking around in boats! The Academy received a $1000 grant from Australian Sailing for being part of the Australia wide pilot program for this set of courses. These funds were used to purchase five inflatable stand-up paddle boards which were used on the course. We also used three Ocean View College Pacer dinghies for the sail training. All the feedback has been very positive with plans for a follow-up session in the April school holidays. For more information please contact the Club on 8248 4222 or at: marine.academy@cycsa.com.au David Royle Marine Academy Principal

DAY SKIPPER COURSE | JANUARY 2020 After two solid years of regular racing I was ready for a change of pace and looking forward to sampling the cruising life. Peter and I are keen to start enjoying some bareboat charters so that means I am going to need a Day Skipper qualification to get an ICC. (International Certificate of Competence). I had no prior experience with coastal or ocean navigation so I booked into a Marine Academy RYA Day Skipper Shore Based Course which took place over 10 weeks in September-November under the watchful eye of Andy Shipp. We covered a lot of ground from Coastal Navigation to tidal heights, tidal streams, IALA Buoyage, lights and shapes, safety measures, weather patterns, pilotage, GPS and more. The highlight of the course was the session we spent on board the lovely Pacific Hawk, an 18m catamaran, studying the extensive electronic navigation system recently installed with blue water cruising in mind – drinks and nibbles included (well, aren’t cats always the party boats?).

Safety Sunday

Thirty hours of intensive learning moved very quickly and I have been hitting the books ever since to prepare for the exam. I am very glad I tackled this course first as it gave me a solid grounding for the next phase – RYA Day Skipper Five-Day Liveaboard. We jumped aboard Academy 1 on a perfect sunny January day with a light breeze to take us away across the gulf. We were six POB, being five trainee skippers under the tutelage of Marine Academy Senior Instructor, Brett Yardley - a man with definite nerves of steel, luckily a great sense of humour, handy in the galley – and all-around good bloke with extensive sailing knowledge. What more could we ask for? Day 1: We set off sailing across the gulf towards Yorke Peninsula targeting a night mooring off Stansbury. However, the wind on the day did not favour that option so we ended up pulling up a mooring ball at Black Point and enjoying the bright orange sunset and a nice dinner in good company on board.

3 Day Live Aboard: Participants Jo with Elzbita & Tomasz

Day 2: In the morning, we pumped up the dingy and put it through its paces ferrying us to shore for a morning beach walk to check out those not so shabby shacks along Black Point Beach. This drew a few suspicious looks from the locals but we were soon planning our day’s passage and casting off the mooring to head down to Port

DAY SKIPPER REPORT Vincent. We planned the passage, took compass fixes, plotted our dead reckoning, took back bearings, checked our estimated position against GPS, and generally carried on with all the nav-stuff Brett could come up with to challenge us. Thankfully we got where we intended to go. We spent the afternoon in the bay off Port Vincent picking up our seventh crew member, the hapless ‘Wilson’ who for some reason had to be repeatedly rescued from the water under power and sail using a variety of methods. Last time we take that nitwit along – we could have enjoyed beer o’clock at the Ventnor Hotel hours earlier if he hadn’t kept going MOB on us. Day 3: We woke early to a spectacular golden sunrise across the marina towards the Adelaide Hills. We had to get an early start to motor around to the town wharf at Port Vincent on the high tide. We made a solid contribution to the rural economy with lattes and bakery items from the local café making for a delicious breakfast on the seafront while chatting to the passing locals. Then it was a spring-off the wharf and straight back to the Marina Port Vincent for lots of parking practice. We did three-point turns, mooring alongside, docking backwards, docking forwards, spring-off, Med-mooring and generally spinning around the marina. Fortunately no fenders were harmed in the making of those manoeuvres and even the paintwork of Academy 1 managed to escape unscathed. Whew! It was very nerve wracking with Brett putting us through our paces all morning but everyone did a great job and it was so satisfying when we nailed it. Good job everyone! Around mid-afternoon we headed out of the marina to sail back across the gulf with a passage plan to arrive at Glenelg. We sailed towards Semaphore around sunset and narrowly missed merging with the Twilight Race fleet. We followed the lights on the ferris wheel and eventually anchored off Glenelg beach around 11pm just south of the jetty. Day 4: The start of a very hot day was superb on flat clear water at sunrise as Glenelg started to come alive with joggers, cyclists and café dwellers. We had a refreshing swim first thing then pulled up the pick and headed into civilisation at Holdfast Shores Marina. Café lattes and cakes for breakfast were becoming a habit but I didn’t hear anyone complaining. Well, as Brett said, this is a cruiser course so we felt compelled to get into the spirit of cruising life. Faced with a day of over 40 degrees we decided it would be a good time to cover the navigation part of the course so we sailed up to North Haven, safely entered the CYCSA Marina at a low 0.3m tide and I managed to park Academy 1 in front of the clubrooms – whew, parked again without any damage. The airconditioned Kinnaird Room

was a welcome refuge from the heat and I think we all agreed that it was the best shower we have ever had. But the day was not over. We still had some night hours to tick off so I did a spring-off-thebow and reverse out manoeuvre and we headed up the river after dark. We decided to call in at the Squadron to check out a Bavaria 50 Cruiser Brett’s friend had just bought. As if I hadn’t parked that damn boat enough times, now I found myself pulling into a berth at the Squadron, in the dark, right alongside Brett’s mates who obviously would not have let it go if the parking went badly. I thought nothing but positive thoughts and managed to pull in without incident. Whew again! As we pulled out of the Squadron it was still very hot so we decided to anchor off North Heaven Beach (its summer name I am informed). Day 5: North Heaven did not disappoint. I woke early to a complete glass-out on the water. The air was dead-still, the sky streaked with grey clouds, the sunrise glowing gold and the water so clear you could see the bottom all around. I enjoyed my first swim with dolphins. Although they were about 20 metres away by the time I jumped in I am still inclined to claim it. Once the crew came alive we pulled up the anchor and headed in to make breakfast at Marina West. Then came another morning of – you guessed it – parking the boat. In and out of the spare berths at Marina West, without wind at first, but testing us a bit more once the wind blew up. Still no scrapes or dents in the boat – amazing! The afternoon was a case of wrapping up any loose ends in training, cleaning up the boat and retiring to the Admirals Bar for a de-brief on a week that went way too quickly. I could get used to this I thought to myself as it beats the heck out of working Monday to Friday. Overall I am very glad I did both Day Skipper Courses. I certainly learnt a lot between the two – which are very different but I believe complementary to each other. We got a chance to do all the things we don’t do in racing teams such as mooring, anchoring, docking, helming, heave-to, directing the crew, radio the coast guard, dinghy wrangling and pilotage in unfamiliar ports. I would highly recommend it to anyone who has been sailing as crew for a while and is ready to take the next step in their sailing journey.

Cate Blackman

Lauren & Jan Klan

Cate at Black Point

2019 ROLEX SYDNEY TO HOBART For the 75th Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race our Club had one yacht representing us but many people participating in this great ocean race. Sintara, owned and skippered by Derek Morrison, was our representative and besides those crewing on other South Australian yachts, two other notable sailors from the Club, Silas Nolan and James Paterson, crewed on Comanche and Ichi Ban who took out Line Honours and Handicap Honours respectively. Di Schwerdt who crewed on Sintara has written the lead article of the race on board Sintara and Silas and James have also shared their experiences with us.

DI SCHWERDT ON BOARD The 2019 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, organised and hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, was the 75th year of one of the world’s toughest ocean races and competitors from around the world gathered to be part of the historic event. This year a large fleet assembled in Sydney Harbour – 163 boats had nominated, 157 started and 154 finished. Of the superyachts, Ichi Ban claimed Handicap Honours and the Tattersall Cup while Comanche took Line Honours, finishing in 1 day, 18 hours, 30 minutes and 24 seconds, with InfoTrak (01:19:14:42) and Wild Oats XI (01:20:12:52) not far behind. Theirs was a fast downhill race that ran short of breaking any records but thrilled those who watched their progress. Others took longer and had different stories to tell. Three yachts represented South Australia: Sintara, a Beneteau 47.7 from the CYCSA, Audacious, a Sydney 38 and Enchantress, a Muirhead 11, both from the RSAYS. What follows is Sintara’s race which began well, encountered unexpected adventures along the way and finished by crossing the line in 3 days, 18 hours, 29 minutes and 5 seconds. With no other boats nominating from the CYCSA, Skipper Derek Morrison made the decision to put a crew together and go. A relatively easy race, the 13 strong crew threw everything they had into it with six experiencing their first Sydney-Hobart and the rest bringing valuable previous experience to the event: Derek Morrison (skipper and helm), Julian Kent (navigator), Paul Hicks (helm and watch leader), Dan O’Connell (helm and watch leader), Pete Donovan (helm and technical support), Tom Abbott (radio), Di Schwerdt (pit), Norm Nicholls (mast), Craig Fleming (mast and foredeck), Paul Judge, Jo Pilmore and Louise Hicks (trim) and Chantal MacClelland (bow). After a short but intense period of preparation the boat was delivered and the crew arrived race-ready in time for Sydney’s iconic race. There was some concern that smoke haze would compromise the start but despite the terrible bushfires raging up and down the eastern Australian coast the morning proved clear and bright. Sintara was out early checking the trisail and storm jib, charting the startline (number 3 for us) and selecting the correct strategy for the best possible start. Sydney Harbour was soon crammed with competitors and eager spectators on all manner of craft with police boats maintaining a necessary division between the two. The perimeter of the exclusion zone was packed with spectator boats nudging urgently at the edges as excitement built. For those of us who entered the exclusion zone there was a real sense of entering an area defined for gladiatorial combat. On the individual start lines boats prowled and tacked, intense, reined in, until the gun released them into a great surge for the Heads and with hardly an inch to spare, each and every boat jostled for some sort of advantage before hitting the open sea. Once outside the Heads, travelling in close company, we drove downwind in warm sun and 15 knot winds that suited Sintara well. Others struggled to deal with asymmetricals and kites in persistent wind gusts. For us, sea state and wind made the beginning of the long downwind leg a delight until, after 50nms (at 22 knots under spinnaker), rougher waves conspired to make steering harder. By 9:00 in the evening our assy halyard had snapped spilling sail.

Only then did the wind drop. With the S1 up and the halyard withdrawn from the mast the crew settled in for the long haul, luckily with increasingly good downwind speeds of 12-14 knots. At this point in the race Sintara passed a number of boats and reeled in others but there were some who would not be caught and overnight a separation began between those who had gone in towards the coast and others, like us, who were opting for the stronger current further out. At dawn the eastern sky lightened into the slowly emerging heat of the second day. No longer sailing in company we kept track of who was where through skeds and AIS. Well placed in the field, breakfasting on coffee with toasted ham and cheese after a good night’s sailing, we were, as Paul J said, ‘living the dream!’ and even the small problem of batteries recharging too slowly could not spoil the bliss of the day and the crew’s optimism. Suddenly the boat thudded into something quite large – a huge sunfish. Expecting the worst we dropped sails and checked steering and bilges for damage and water. But luck was with us and with no apparent cause for concern we pressed on placing a watch on the bow just in case there were any other sea creatures basking on the main highway to Hobart. In the meantime we were entertained by dolphins and seabirds and treated to more great weather. How gorgeous was this! In the first 24 hours we had managed to sail 200nms, nearly one third of the distance. When we radioed in to Green Cape that we were good to ‘cross the paddock’ it was late afternoon, still sunny and still downhill. Later, with weather coming in, we ate early and prepped the boat. Still downhill but with a reefed main, we would see how we would go. A lurid sunset, generated by the bushfires - even that far out to sea we could still smell smoke - made for an exotic dusk, the grey-banded, deep red sun looking more like an alien ringed planet than our own familiar sun. Within 10 minutes and in 24 knots we had shredded a favourite kite that had served us well on many exciting downhill rides, most recently on the Haystack Island Race. A moment of sadness. But then, leaping through the waves, going faster than us, 30 or more lean and muscular dolphin came charging towards the boat. What a sight! Such athletic beauty! Somehow we dragged our eyes back on to Sintara to raise the assy and pay attention to the changing sea state. The waves were increasing, lifting and skewing the rear of the boat erratically, making steering and control more difficult. Night found the drivers fighting the helm through rolling seas. At the change of watch early next morning a period of chaos began. We had been sailing a tad on the edge for about 45 minutes with waves increasing to five metres and the boat becoming increasingly harder to control. Paul H was on the helm and Derek was about to take the next watch. Suddenly the steering sheath broke. In lightning quick time three successive Chinese gybes wreaked havoc, the first gybe catching the navigation pod as the boom shot across the cockpit. On the third gybe the loose main sheet wrapped itself around Paul’s arm, the navigation pod and the throttle, wrenching Paul’s forearm away from his elbow and tossing the navigation pod straight at Derek’s head, generating significant gear breakage, acute human pain and a fair amount of head-wound blood. The crew swung into action! The wild boom was tamed and tethered by Craig and others while the injured were helped downstairs. Damage to boat and crew was quickly assessed and addressed. It is not for nothing that crews are required to undertake

2019 ROLEX SYDNEY TO HOBART safety and survival at sea training before doing the Sydney to Hobart Race! With the boat rocking and rolling and turning in circles, Julian attended to Paul’s arm and Di cleaned up Derek’s head wound. We were thinking we would probably be retiring from the race. Tom radioed in to report our situation and our approximate position. Cartouche, in the meantime had hove to, offering assistance relaying radio messages and our position. Once Paul’s arm had been splinted it was Derek’s turn to have his head sutured lying on the floor of the cabin in Julian’s lap, Di assisting and Jo calling the waves – big wave coming, stop stitching! Julian’s neat sutures executed in extremely difficult circumstances were nothing short of miraculous! Upstairs other repairs were being made. Pete worked magic to fix the steering by fashioning a new link out of stainless steel before moving on to the more complex problem of no navigation by reconnecting the pod wiring to restore navigation and instruments. Without these repairs it would have been difficult to sail Sintara anywhere. We were out in the Tasman Sea 30 hours and 250nm away from Hobart, our best landfall. Despite having lost a few hours we made a unanimous decision to continue racing.

Derek Morrison

With watches rearranged we refocussed on racing. Our mid-race adventure had galvanised us into a single working team, covering for each other, working continuously across watches, until a new rhythm was established that would carry us through to the end of the race. Louise splendidly did double duty as crew and part-time nurse for Paul. Mists enveloped us as the day came to a close. Night sailing was cold and wet but even with bigger swells the boat was somehow easier to handle. We headed SSW conscious of an urgency to reach land and found ourselves in company once again: Anger Management, Chancellor, Dark and Stormy, Enchantress, Enigma, Imagination, Kioni and Philosopher were all at times within sight. Steady progress found us rounding Tasman Island and sailing towards a mist-covered Cape Raoul. What we could see of the bay and rock formations was breathtakingly beautiful but sailing was tricky. Winds were disappointingly weak, variable and on the wane. In Storm Bay we joined a large contingent of static boats and parked impatiently for hours. Before dawn the wind came in at 10-15 knots and the fleet was once again on the move. There would be a race up the Derwent after all. With Dan on the helm, Norm on main and Derek and Chantal trimming, Sintara passed 18 boats match racing to an adrenalin-charged finish. And what an emotional finish it was! We had gone from the buoyancy of the start to grappling successfully with small and large problems along the way, to facing the possibility of withdrawing from the race, to continuing then stalling in Storm Bay, before finally taking part in a challenging race up the Derwent to a wonderfully warm welcome from the crowded Hobart wharves. For us the 75th Rolex Sydney to Hobart has been a race to remember. Di Schwerdt

Photos courtesy of Jo Pilmore

Di Schwerdt

2019 ROLEX SYDNEY TO HOBART JAMES PATERSON ON BOARD This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rolex Sydney to Hobart celebrated its 75th anniversary attracting a big fleet of 157 boats. Preparations for the race started in September for Ichi Ban with the CYCA Bluewater Series race to Flinders Islet. In the week leading up to the Hobart Race a huge emphasis was placed on the weather, our polar targets and sail crossover chart. However, due to the ever-changing weather in Sydney, our sail selection was not decided on until two hours before the start of the race. The TP52 fleet had their own division this year and we started on the front line with the 100 footers. We managed to get a clean and conservative start at the top of the line and were the first TP52 out of Sydney Heads.

After a few days of celebrations we were back into race mode with the Australian IRC National Championships sailed from the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania. After three days of incredibly challenging racing we won the regatta with a race to spare. The race and regatta wins on Ichi Ban are achievements that I will remember for a long time! James Paterson

We then blasted down the coast under spinnaker until the first light transition period later that evening. We stuck to our original plan and were able to get through the light airs without losing too much distance to our competitors. A highlight at the time was radioing in at Green Cape (the start of Bass Straight) before Wild Oats XI! From there we were back into downwind conditions that took us to the south-east coastline of Tasmania. A few hours of upwind sailing followed to get us around Tasman Island and into a very light and unpredictable Storm Bay. Stress levels were high when we could see our closest competition getting closer behind us while we were only managing three knots of boat speed. A commitment to sail to the west of Storm Bay paid off to get into the southerly breeze first and into the sea breeze up the Derwent River. A nice ride up the river under spinnaker had us finishing at 7:18pm on 28 December and 11th across the line. We had done enough on our closest rivals behind us to win our division but had to wait until the next day to see if any of the smaller yachts could beat our corrected time. Thankfully we had sailed well enough to comfortably beat all the smaller yachts and win the Tattersall Cup for the Overall Winner on IRC.

ROLEX

ROLEX | Kurt Arrigo

2019 ROLEX SYDNEY TO HOBART SILAS NOLAN ON BOARD For this year’s Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, my 18th, I joined the Comanche team as bowman. The maxi fleet in the race was probably the best and tightest it had ever been in the history of the race with five 100ft super maxis taking to the start line. Each team was littered with the world best of the best in offshore yacht racing. Most of the maxi fleet had undergone significant upgrades during the year so no one knew how they compared to one another until start day when the gun went. For Comanche our lead-up consisted of two solid training sessions over a couple of weeks in early December and we were pretty confident of the performance of the boat. With the likes of Mike Sanderson, Stu Bannatyne, Kyle Langford and navigation legend Stan Honey looking after the performance side of things, we were in pretty good hands.

We battled the light airs for the next 18 hours and used every sail we had at some point. By lunchtime on the 27th we had wriggled through to the new breeze and Scallywag was the new leader by about 12nm and we were trading places with Black Jack and Infotrack for second and third. Wild Oats got stuck in close to the shore and had been caught by the 50s and were about 30nm back so we were pretty happy with where we were on the course. As the new breeze filled in from the east we had a better angle than the other boats to the west and were able to use our masthead Code Zero at its most optimum angle to make ground up pretty quickly. We crossed Bass Strait by dark on the 27th and boat speeds were back into the lows 20s and with 180nm to Tasman Island, it was a fast, wet and pitch black night. Not a huge amount of

It was an interesting forecast this year, one we didn’t feel suited Comanche very well. The weather for the race was dominated by a large light air trough which had to be navigated on the second day and with Comanche being so wide it gets pretty sticky pretty quickly in the light airs. This was a huge advantage for the ‘skinny’ boats like Wild Oats, Black Jack and Scallywag. Our race plan was pretty simple, be conservative out of the harbour then put the hammer down in the fresh north easter on the first afternoon and evening to make the biggest lead we could. We knew we would lose plenty of miles in the light airs so we had to limit the damage during the trough to still be in touch with the skinny boats once we broke through to the new breeze. Once through there would be another period of solid east to north easterlies when we could make ground back before Tasman Island. Our routing had us arriving at Tasman Island in the very early hours of the 28th and, given the time of day we were to reach Storm Bay and the Derwent, we knew we needed a solid 20nm+ lead to hopefully cross the line first in Hobart. We were due to arrive at dawn which is a pretty awful time to arrive with winds likely to be super light and variable until the sun comes up. The previous year Comanche lead into the Derwent River only to ‘park up’ in the glassy conditions and get passed by Wild Oats near the finish. The first afternoon was a pretty cool experience. We were pretty slow off the start but quickly made up ground once out of the Heads and it didn’t take us long to take the lead. We spent all afternoon ripping along triple headed (three headsails set) with the big J0 on the 25ft long reaching strut, surfing at a steady 26-29 knots of boat speed. Sailing at these speeds is pretty safe whilst straight lining with everyone at the back of the boat hiking but if you need to go forward for any reason to run a sheet, check something or a make sail change, it becomes extremely dangerous with the amount of water coming across the deck. We had to make several sail changes the first afternoon so for safety you need to slow down a little bit and flatten the boat out while we are working on the foredeck. It’s a fine line though as you don’t want to lose any distance to the other boats. The helmsman will always push the limits whilst you are up there to limit any losses. That first afternoon, while spearing through waves at 28 knots, I was washed to the end of my tether three times while on the foredeck trying to set up a sail change! We had built up a pretty handy 25-30nm lead as we hit the light airs just before dark and the boat speeds plummeted. We had a lot of easterly separation from the rest of the 100 footers with Wild Oats being the most westerly boat close to the coast and it was nervous times as we were split east to west by about 50-60nm. Someone was going to be right and someone was going to be wrong, but who!

ROLEX | Carlo Borlenghi

2019 ROLEX SYDNEY TO HOBART

sleep was had! Our watch system was three watches rotating every two hours so basically we did four hours on deck and two hours off but in that two hours you were lucky to get about 30-40 minutes lying down with your eyes closed, maybe… The northerly breeze was back up into the high 20s and with boat speeds to match, Stan Honey nailed the Tasman Island lay line calling to gybe 100nm out and we crossed in front of Scallywag shortly thereafter to take back the lead. Four hours later we arrived at Tasman Island at 3:30am. I remember being on the bow trying to get the masthead zero down in the pitch black doing 25+ knots with solid water going everywhere and looking over my shoulder to see the towering black cliffs of Tasman Island in the loom of the lighthouse. They looked close enough to touch as we were super close and I remember thinking to myself at the time “how cool is this” and “what the bloody hell am I doing up here!” Shortly after we hit 34 knots of boat speed as we turned up into Storm Bay heading for Cape Raoul. Across Storm Bay we still had good breeze as we entered the Derwent just on dawn and had secured a 20nm lead over Infotrack who had got past Scallywag but the river still had one more curve ball to throw our way as the breeze gradually faded up the river and with about 5nm to go we were becalmed with the sails limp. Thoughts were turning to last year’s race when Comanche was passed in a similar scenario, more so when the sails of the second, third and fourth boats became visible on the horizon. The spectator fleet, even at 6am, was pretty special. Probably 50–60 boats of all sizes came out to meet us to cheer and watch us drift along. Fortunately, after an hour of flapping, the sun started to appear and the land breeze started to filter down the river. Our huge Code Zero started to fill and we began to move again and a large sigh of relief was heard from the back of the boat. At 7:30am on 28 December in a time of one day 18 hours and 24 seconds, surrounded by a mass of spectator boats and hundreds of spectators on shore, the cannon on Battery Point went off as we crossed the line to win Line Honours in the 75th Rolex Sydney to Hobart. That was a pretty special moment to take in. A win on arguably one of best boats in the world, in one of the toughest yacht races in the world, with some of the best crew in the world, was very cool to be a part of. For me it was a very satisfying moment in my career, a Line Honours win to go along with my Handicap win back in 2011 on Loki. The beers on the dock, along with the fish’n’chips from Mure’s, had never tasted better, even at 8am. What will race number 19 hold for me next year I wonder?

Silas Nolan

ROLEX | Kurt Arrigo

BACK TO BACK WINS FOR SMB IN GEELONG Secret Mens Business backed up last year’s win at the Festival of Sails in Victoria by taking out the Overall Fastest and IRC TP 52 Division win in the 31 nautical mile Melbourne to Geelong Race. SMB also won the IRC TP52 Overall Regatta sailed on Corio Bay Geelong, also backing up last year’s win. Last year the racing was hotly contested by the two Sydney TP52s Hooligan and Ichi Ban. This year’s fleet had the TP52s Zen and Quest returning from a successful Hobart campaign. In the early stages of the race to Geelong local knowledge came into play leaving the TP52s on the wrong side of the course with a lot of catching up to do to get past the much smaller yachts. SMB gradually pulled back the larger Melbourne yachts crossing the finishing line some 24 minutes ahead of the Melbourne 50 footer Extasea and one hour 12 minutes ahead of the Sydney TP52 Zen to claim the win. The next five races of the regatta were sailed in mainly light conditions on Corio Bay. Last year SMB went into the last race on equal points with Hooligan and Ichi Ban and this year’s racing was looking like a repeat performance. On the second to last race SMB took out fishing lines trailing from the back of a fishing boat and sailed the rest of the race dragging lines, lures and sinkers from the keel - a little like sailing with the hand brake on. A shocking Race Four put us a point behind Zen going into the final race but fortunately the breeze kicked in eliminating a lot of the luck the yachts had experienced earlier. SMB had a clear win finishing one point up to take out the regatta. The Festival of Sails is an excellently run regatta. Starting in 1844 this regatta precedes the first Melbourne Cup held in1861 and the first America’s Cup held in 1851. Normally sailed in ideal wind and sea conditions there is no doubt this event is one of Australia’s most prestigious regattas and I encourage more South Australians to attend this historic event. The Royal Geelong Yacht Club runs an excellent program and for 19 years SMB has enjoyed supporting the Club and their very warm, appreciative welcome. Sadly SMB was the sole South Australian yacht to enter this year’s Festival of Sails and by comparison, this year’s Port Lincoln racing has been supported by 13 interstate entries. I trust we can offer Geelong a larger team from South Australia next year. Geoff Boettcher Owner/Skipper of SMB

On the final day of the MacGlide Festival of Sails 2020, four lucky Royal Geelong Yacht Club Cadet sailors had an amazing opportunity... jumping onboard Geoff â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s TP52!

Photo by Sarah Pettiford | RGYC

on water photos courtesy of Craig Greenhill | Salty Dingo

70 T H T E A K L E C L AS S I C A DE

Nick George recently purchased a TP52 and called it Another Hooligan. Together with Geoff Boettcher’s SMB and Keith Finch’s Pirate plus two others from interstate, Another Hooligan competed in the Adelaide to Port Lincoln Yacht Race. Nick has had quite a spell from what might be called serious yacht racing but it seems he has caught the bug again. Together with his crew they had a very successful first long-distance race and Regatta Week and this is his story of the race.

ANOTHER HOOLIGAN’S Adelaide to Lincoln Race The Teakle Classic Adelaide to Lincoln Yacht Race 2020 had five TP52s (including Another Hooligan) and two big 60 footers entered for the race. With a record breeze, our challenge began at the start line. No instruments and just hand held navigation added to the challenge but we got off to a great start with the strong breeze on the nose practically all the way to the first mark and keeping pace with the head of the fleet. Once we were around the foot of Yorke Peninsula we saw the extra sail power of our competitors make distance across to the next mark at Cape Spencer. Nonetheless, we were all very excited and the crew worked hard to keep the boat at full pace and our reward was to see Cape Spencer in daylight. The challenges continued as with our first spinnaker up we found the breeze too strong and had to change to a smaller spinnaker. This is where things went a little pear shaped: the A2 blew out, we went up with the A4 spinnaker and we made a tactical decision without navigational instruments to go the safer course behind Wedge Island which some modelling showed to be a faster option than to navigate the reefs in the dark. Unfortunately we chose the first option which cost us a good 40 minutes in race time but brought its own small reward as the results showed that we were the winners of the fourth section of the race from Dangerous Reef to the finish. Normally a time of 12 hours 33 minutes would be a top two finisher but it was not to be with a massive fleet of six boats ahead all qualifying for the previous race record but it set us up for a rewarding regatta during the following week. My reward was to be in the company of an exciting young team who will surely be race winners in the near future. Nick George

Photos by Traci Ayris | Vislex

L A I DE T O L I N C O L N ACADEMY 1 Sail training while doing the Adelaide to Lincoln Race Looking back, I’m not sure if I was asked or volunteered to join the crew of Academy 1 to compete in the 70th Teakle Classic Adelaide to Lincoln Yacht Race. I support the Marine Academy’s goal to promote and introduce the sport and pastime of sailing to new people.The crew comprised a mixture of experienced and trainee sailors who had completed Marine Academy courses. It has been said “if you really want to learn how to sail, go racing!”, so what better way to do this than to race to Port Lincoln! For my own introduction to Academy 1 and the crew, there was one meeting following a Twilight Race and several emails. However, the planets did not align to actually sail on Academy 1 with the crew before the race to Lincoln! Just to add to this, Hugh invited me to be the navigator for the trip. Routing had us finishing as early as 12:00 or around 14:00 on the Saturday and Hugh was very pleased with these predictions. The day of the race arrived and the boat was prepared. Going through all the systems, stowage, sails and rig helped prepare me for the race ahead.The weather patterns which were predicted suggested it would be a fast race and the final route was locked in but subject to change if anything not predicted happened. From the start we were close hauled on a port tack and punching into a lumpy sea.We organised the crew of nine into three watches of three and did three hours on watch, three hours standby and three hours off watch hopefully sleeping. The first watch went down at 17:00, two hours after the start. By the time we got to the corner at the first turn, the Marion Reef Beacon, the boat and crew were quite wet. It was a relief to bear away, free the sheets and start reaching along the foot of Yorke Peninsula. I might add too that some of the crew also started feeling a tad seedy. As I was leader of the third watch, we did not go down until 23:00, almost half way across the ‘foot’.

Photo by Traci Ayris | Vislex

As primary navigator and with the trickiest part of the trip being threading past Haystack Isle, Althorp Island and Emms Reef, I was up early to assist transiting this part at 02:00 and we safely transited past all the obstacles.We then started running up Spencer Gulf to Dangerous Reef sailing under a poled out Number 3 headsail and a main with 2 reefs in 20 knots of wind.The spinnaker was not used as we had a fairly inexperienced crew on board. It was pleasant sailing at night with a wonderful starry canopy. At some stage in the night my well-travelled water bottle slipped into the water and was lost, most probably when the reefs were shaken out. At daybreak the wind abated to around 16 knots and the decision was made to hoist the big/huge red and white spinnaker to complete the run to Dangerous Reef. Based on the predicted winds it could be carried to Donnington Reef, the entry to Boston Bay and most likely all the way to the finish. I had been filling in for several positions on the boat depending upon what was happening and who was on deck and somehow ended up steering for the trip into Dangerous Reef, then the last leg into Donnington and subsequently just past Fanny Point, when I handed over to Hugh Longbottom, the Marine Academy Trainer and Skipper, to cross the line! After 20 hours of racing across the two gulfs, we entered Donnington in close company with three other boats; School’s Out, Sextant and Kinetic Energy. What followed was an exciting and close race into Boston Bay and around to Fanny Point where the various skippers had divergent ideas on the quickest and fastest route to the finish line. We managed to beat Sextant by about 30 seconds and School’s Out by several minutes. It was at about then I realised that in the 20.5 hours of racing I had only had around three hours of sleep as I forgot to go off watch at 0800 as we rounded Dangerous Reef

Photo by Tony Belton

It was a fast race and enjoyable sailing with the various levels of experience in the crew.The most satisfying part of the race was seeing the growth in confidence of the trainee crew who had completed their first overnight sail and offshore race. Mark Hutton

ADELAIDE LINCOLN WEEK

TEAKLE CLASSIC LINCOLN WEEK REGATTA Fast tracking a reputation as one of Australia’s must do yacht regattas, Lincoln Week 2020, with 36 yachts competing across four divisions, didn’t disappoint. Comprising nearly a third of the fleet and flying the CYCSA flag (metaphorically) for the week were Secret Mens Business, Another Hooligan, Pirate, Magic, Sintara, White Knight, Dr Feelgood 3, School’s Out, Academy 1, Kinetic Energy and Rock On. Lincoln Week delivered on all points with challenging flat-water racing, a host of networking/social events including Sunday at the Yachtie and Megga’s BBQ and of course, those coveted crayfish giveaways on the Marina Tavern deck were always cause for celebration. For the very first time the regatta’s top division was restricted to 52-footers and above. The sight of Adelaide-Lincoln race winner Chinese Whisper throwing down the gauntlet to five TP52’s (Ichi Ban, Quest, Secret Mens Business, Another Hooligan and Pirate) on South Australian waters won’t be forgotten in a hurry. The emergence of top level regatta racing in Port Lincoln is testament to the regatta’s growing popularity among interstate skippers and teams. Traditionally, presentations for the Adelaide-Lincoln Race take place during the Sunday Session at the Port Lincoln Yacht Club with great food, live music and the chance to meet and mingle with other crews from the race. The regatta program this year once again adhered to tradition with two windward/leeward races Monday, a Short Passage Race on Tuesday, a race to Spalding Cove on Wednesday and two windward/ leeward races to sort the wheat from the chaff on the final day. Monday’s racing was slow to get underway as crews and race officers waited from 11am for the predicted south-easterly to arrive. Two hours later, after a few teasing zephyrs, the breeze kicked in with Division One first to hit the line. On IRC, SMB and Chinese Whisper tied in second place behind Ichi Ban in Race 1 but Geoff and his crew fought back with a win in Race 2. Race 1 also saw Magic take second on AMS in Division Two just ahead of White Knight while School’s Out scored a third in AMS Division Three. SMB also performed well with a first on AMS and PHS in Race 2 while Sintara fought off some challenges to place third on PHS Division Two. School’s Out showed form in Division Three with a third on PHS.

In Division One SMB scored second on IRC and AMS while Another Hooligan took second on PHS and third on AMS. School’s Out had a great day out with a third on AMS Division Three Thursday’s racing epitomised the tricky conditions that Boston Bay can throw at crews and skippers. It was a good race for the Club TP’s with Another Hooligan, Pirate and SMB all doing well. Race 1 saw flat water and shifty breezes with SMB taking a first on IRC in Division One. Pirate made it to the podium with a first on PHS and a third for SMB. White Knight was third in Divison Two and Rock On second in Division Three. AMS results included a first in Division One for SMB,White Knight third in Division Two and Rock On third in Division Three. The final race of the week saw the tables tipped in Division One with Quest and Another Hooligan displacing Ichi Ban, Chinese Whisper and SMB on the podium. Another Hooligan was first over the line and grabbed second in Division One IRC and AMS with SMB third. School’s Out finished with a third in Division Three AMS. Another Hooligan also triumphed in PHS with a first, just ahead of Pirate in second. School’s Out enjoyed a third in Division Three PHS. After yet another great day of racing there was just time to nip home, shower and change before the Teakle Classic Presentation Dinner at the Port Lincoln Hotel. South Australian locals were pleased to hear rave reviews about memorable hospitality and ideal racing conditions from visiting skippers, many of whom vowed to return with their crews for another bout on Boston Bay, and why wouldn’t they? As the locals say, “it’s the centre of the universe!”. Traci Ayris

Monday night’s ‘Skipper’s Dinner’, hosted by Lexus at the Line & Label Restaurant, was yet another success for event organisers. Local wine, Wasabi Prawns and a panel session where Steve Kemp grilled yachting notables James Patterson and Matt Allen (with choice comments from the crowd) were highlights of the night. Tuesday served up perfect conditions for the ‘long race’ of the program. Division One was sent out around Taylors Island with the remainder of the fleet dashing out to Carcass Island then back into the bay. Well-performed Club yachts included SMB, second on IRC and first on AMS in Division One and Another Hooligan’s first on PHS. In Division Two AMS, Magic and Dr Feelgood 3 took second and third place respectively. PHS Division Two results included Sintara in second with Dr Feelgood third. Tuesday night is traditionally ‘Crew Night’ where most groups head out to dinner or plan their gettogethers over a home cooked meal. Wednesday was a grey day. Low cloud, drizzle and gloomy skies didn’t set the stage for an ideal Megga’s BBQ but, in true Port Lincoln style, the sun broke through as crews finally arrived at Spalding Cove for the BBQ and beach festivities. It was a good day for Kinetic Energy which notched up a PHS win in Division Three.

School’s Out

ADELAIDE LINCOLN WEEK

CYCSA RESULTS from the Adelaide to Lincoln Yacht Race and Regatta Ichi Ban, owned by Matt Allen and sailing out of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia from Sydney, took out most of the honours for the race and regatta and below is the places of our Club boats in their respective divisions. ADELAIDE TO LINCOLN RACE

Pirate crew

AMS Division 1 2nd