Groundswell Sept 2018

QUARTERLY JOURNAL FROM THE CRUISING YACHT CLUB OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA

AWKR

OUR RACING LADIES

MELBOURNE TO OSAKA YACHT RACE PERSONALITY PROFILE

SEPTEMBER 20181

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THIS ISSUE

CRUISING YACHT CLUB OF SA BOARD OF MANAGEMENT President Treasurer

Chris Wood Dominic Rinaldi Brett Brown Peter Hall David Murray Greg Patten Hillar Puvi

FLAG OFFICERS Commodore Vice Commodore Rear Commodore PATRON

Geoff Boettcher Jacqueline Heffernan Adrian Wotton The Honourable Kevin Scarce AC CSC RANR

STAFF Chief Executive Officer Financial Controller Admin & Operations Manager Finance Manager Marketing & Communications Marine Academy Coordinator & Boating Administrator Events, Marketing & Membership Services Food & Beverage Manager Head Chef Port Vincent Marina Manager

Craig Evans Kerry O’Brien Jenny Krogdahl Marina Segodina Mellissa Vahoumis

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT

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AT THE HELM

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COMMODORE’S REPORT

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RACING REPORT

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MARINE ACADEMY UPDATE

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PERSONALITY PROFILE - SILAS NOLAN

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PORT VINCENT DASH

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NEW BOATS AT THE CLUB

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AWKR REPORT

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RUNAWAY REPORT: MELBOURNE OSAKA

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CRUISE: KI IN A DAY

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CRUISING ASSOCIATION UPDATE

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YACHT YOUTH CRUISING TROPHY

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STAFF PROFILE - SUSAN LAIRD

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ITALIAN NIGHT

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QUIZMAS IN JULY

David Royle Susan Laird Andrew Kerr Irene Frost Rob Marner

COMMITTEES Members Committee Chair Fishing Association Chair Racing Association Chair Cruising 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 Arthur F Carolan 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, Libby Stephens, Dianne Schwerdt, Pamela Tse Telephone: 08 8248 4222 Facsimile: 08 8248 5888 Email: reception@cycsa.com.au Web: www.cycsa.com.au Telephone Port Vincent: 0414 611 110

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

Cover image: School’s Out, AWKR. Photo courtesy of Bruno Cocozza

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT

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It is my pleasure to report to members on the activities of the Club for the 2017/18 year. I have now completed my first full year as President, a role I have enjoyed and a position which requires very careful balancing of the many aspects of the Club together with member expectations. I am supported by a dedicated and professional team of Directors, all volunteers, all with a one year term and all of whom over the past 12 months put an enormous amount of time into Board sessions and Board subcommittees.

The Board of the Club is charged with overseeing and directing all the commercial aspects of the Club whilst the Flag Officers and the Associations spend time weaving together the fabric of the Club in arranging many functions, boat racing, cruising, fishing, Opening Days and making our Club unique and the premier boating Club in South Australia. It is a team effort. I personally believe our Club has some of the best facilities you will find in any Australian boating club.

Much has been achieved in the past 12 months and I look forward to setting out in this report the years achievements together with outlining the Boards focus going forward. The Board is fully aware that it is overseeing a Club and members’ needs and interests are clearly factored into each and every decision taken.

FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE The underlying financial performance of any Club is fundamental. We are extremely lucky we now have strong financial performance, a strong balance sheet, and systems in place to be able to monitor all aspects of the Club.

Our Treasurer, Dominic Rinaldi, has reported and narrated the financial performance of the Club in his Annual Report and I don’t what to spend too long here other than to say Dominic and his finance team are right on top of all aspects of accurate and timely financial reporting. Thank you to all involved.

The highlight of the performance was an audited surplus before depreciation and amortisation of $700,519 for the year ended 31 May 2018 as compared to $568,185 for the previous year. These surpluses have been achieved while keeping membership fees and corporate fees to approximately CPI. Without a surplus we would be unable to sustainably fund the replacement of aging assets, the repayment of debt (Patio debt) and have in place a forward capital expenditure program to further enhance our Club and provide facilities members have requested.

The Board has made it known to members through other formal releases and half yearly informal meetings that its intention is to offer members benefits and possible other incentives from our strong financial performance once it can be clearly established our model delivers strong ongoing and proven underlying maintainable earnings. Examples of these benefits are further member discounts on slipping and soon to be rolled out incentives in hospitality. We have also given some minor relief in the current financial year to berth owners/licensees at Port Vincent and hardstand owners/ licensees.

I will talk about the pending sale and settlement of our Ramp Asset later in this report as it is a material item and will have a material benefit to the Club and members going forward.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2017/18 In last year’s Annual Report I talked of plans for the year ahead. Let me update members on the Boards achievements.

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1. Update the long term financial model - Complete - however annual updates to continue The longer term financial model has been updated and includes our focus to grow the business activities of the Club including hospitality, slipping, Marine Academy and memberships and to carefully estimate the required capital expenditure that can be undertaken from cash flows. These documents have been updated and were shown to members on overhead slides at the half yearly informal members meeting.

2. Increase and expand business activities of the Club - Underway and reflected in 2018/19 budget Detailed plans have been developed after benchmarking our Club against other Australian boating clubs to expand business activities.

The objective here is to try to isolate members from any extra fee increases (other than CPI increases) by concentrating on activities that can deliver tangible benefits to the Club to recover overheads for the benefit of members.

Hospitality - we intend growing our hospitality sales by approximately $200,000 in 2018/19. This will be achieved by focusing on delivering excellence, opening the Club to casual diners, promoting social memberships, expanding our wedding and other functions, monitoring our input costs and continuing to focus on our labour controls which still require further fine tuning. At the time of writing I am happy to advise we have employed a senior person to oversee and manage this section of the business and position the business to make use of our excellent facilities including the new bar/bistro areas whilst at the same time actively promoting new social memberships which is a key theme of all our major competitors and other Australian boating clubs. We welcome Ms Susan Laird to the Club.

Slipping - we intend growing our slipping business which is underutilised by offering slipping to non-members from other marinas at competitive market pricing. Previously the Club had formal restrictions on being able to offer slipping to outside persons but these are now lifted. As mentioned earlier we have also implemented some discounted rates for our members to slip their boats at their Club. This has been done by carefully understanding market pricing.

Marine Academy - the Marine Academy is an extremely important part of the CYCSA business. It trains and certifies our members, offers a range of courses to those looking to take up boating or expand their boating qualifications and it has shown this is a proven method of attracting new members to the Club. The number of courses has been increased for 2018/19 and there is a positive financial contribution to the Club. Thank you to Geoff Catt (Chairman of the Academy) and his committee together with all the instructors and support volunteers.

Memberships - During the year the Board confirmed a number of changes to our memberships including changing some age brackets, new membership categories and some fees. At the same time Club memberships were benchmarked against other local and Australian boating clubs. The outcome of these findings was that our memberships and fees charged sit approximately mid-range.

3. Marina assets and their life - Continuing and on track The Board has reported on the extensive replacement and refurbishment of Marina East. This project is on track. See Mr David Murray’s Facilities Report in the Annual Report.

4. Ramp Asset/Sinking Fund - Sale contract awaiting settlement/ Sinking Fund to be established. Refer to separate report on the status of same.

5. Club’s corporate structure - Commenced and ongoing The Club’s corporate structure has served the Club well. A new Board subcommittee has been formed, chaired by Dominic Rinaldi, to look at the structure to ensure it is the correct structure going forward and especially to be able to incorporate the funds from the sale of the ramp assets and a future sinking fund.

6. Unsold berths in Marina West - No progress There remains approximately 26 unsold Club owned marina berths in Marina West. There has been little or no activity in selling Club owned berths many of which are larger berths. The Board is of the opinion these berths will continue to be difficult to move until economic activity in the State increases. The Board also has a policy not to directly market Club owned berths ahead of members wishing to realise their berths.

7. Management Structure - Formal Review continuing The Board is currently working on and mapping the next five to ten years of the Club and believes there will continue to be many changes and challenges ahead and has decided to review the Club’s structure and leadership roles. The Board will keep members informed.

New appointments have been made to strengthen specific areas - in Finance, Ms Kerry O’Brien, and in Hospitality/Marketing, Ms Susan Laird – welcome.

Sale of the Ramp Asset and Sinking Fund The details of the sale of the CYCSA North Haven Public Boat Ramp to the South Australian Government has been communicated to members during the year and is considered a major achievement of the Board, albeit at the time of writing the transaction is still to settle.

The Board believes once this transaction completes and the proceeds from the sale have been applied to the proposed sinking fund, the Club’s future liability to provide for the replacement of aging overwater assets will be materially underpinned as the relevant costs will be borne by earnings from the proposed sinking fund, subject to the sinking fund being managed professionally in preferably secure ‘blue chip type’ investments.

The task ahead is to finalise the sale, complete and agree on the financial structure (sinking fund) including receiving third party legal advice in relation to the overall corporate structure including, but not limited to any relevant taxation advice and then clearly defining the investment strategies for the fund.

The sale price of the Ramp Asset is approximately $5.5m and will hopefully settle in September 2018. The Government, at their cost, have appointed third party surveyors to split off the areas sold from our complex mix of land and overwater titles. This process is taking longer than expected.

In addition to the funds from the Ramp Asset sale the Board has always considered the remaining unsold berths in Marina West (approximately 26 berths at a book value of approximately $2.5m) will be added to the fund as and when these berths are sold.

BOARD ISSUES Resignation of Director During the year Board Member Des Bilske tendered his resignation as a Director due to increasing work commitments. The Board thanks Des for his input and wise counsel. In accordance with article 14.8 of the CYCSA Constitution the Board filled the casual vacancy which is required within one month of a resignation. We announced Greg Patten, Senior Member, accepted the casual vacancy.

Filling of Casual Board Vacancies As mentioned above, under article 14.8 of the Constitution the Board must fill any vacancy within one month of a Director resigning. Logistically and practically this is extremely difficult. The Board proposes at the forthcoming AGM, subject to member

approval, to amend the constitution to make it discretionary rather than mandatory for a new Director to be appointed to fill a casual vacancy. If however the Board considers it important to appoint a Director to fill a casual vacancy to complement its skill set it can draw from members who have expressed interest through surveys or members advising the skills they have to offer. The Board also believes the cost and time in conducting formal poll(s)/election(s) mid-term to fill casual vacancies is seriously prohibitive. The Club’s Constitution provides that all Directors are only appointed for a 12 month term and any senior member can nominate for a position prior to an AGM. Gender balance for Board positions The Board would encourage any female Senior Members who are willing to contribute at a corporate level to nominate for a position on the Board.

Objectives and focus for 2018/19 1. Manage the settlement of the Ramp Asset.

2. Establish a formal sinking fund after completing a corporate structure review and putting in place very carefully considered formal investment strategies.

3. Ensure the business initiatives referred to above are carefully rolled out so as to provide tangible upsides ie hospitality, Marine Academy, slipping and social memberships.

4. Give support and assistance to all the Associations and foster member engagement.

5. Define the management structure appropriate for the Club out five to ten years.

6. Continue to update the business plans and in particular to focus on memberships. Special and urgent attention needs to be given to our aging senior membership base and we need to find ways to attract new active younger members. Our current membership age profile is concerning. This appears to be a common challenge for many boating and sporting clubs.

7. Attract more volunteers to the Club and foster volunteering within the Club.

8. Seek further sponsors.

9. Continue to monitor and reduce input costs.

10. Continue the refurbishment of Marina East.

11. Continue to benchmark our Club against other Australian boating clubs.

12. Continue to demonstrate transparency in all aspects of the management and administration of the Club.

13. Operate with the highest standards of corporate governance.

Finally, the year ahead will continue to have many challenges as the cost of owning and maintaining boats is not getting cheaper. It is hoped economic activity will increase in the State bringing new opportunities for more people to visit or become members of our Club. Although a little way off the new naval and ship building facilities on our back door are exciting and it is hoped we can introduce their staff to our world of boating and also our world class hospitality facilities.

I wish to thank all our Club staff and management who have provided us with great service and support. The ‘care factor’ of our staff makes an enormous difference to member satisfaction. It is a pleasure to be able to take my friends to the Club to enjoy everything the Club has to offer – thank you.

To all the Flag Officers, the Associations and all our volunteers, thank you also. The time you put into making things happen is just fantastic.

Geoff Boettcher, who stands down at the AGM after five years in the role of Commodore, has formally represented the Club in so many ways and areas. Nothing has been too much trouble; he has made himself available to members, the Associations and has been wise counsel to the Board – Thank you.

I wish to thank all members for their ongoing support of the Club.

The Board does not take your membership for granted and clearly understands that you have exercised choice to be involved in our Club and/or keep your boat at the Club.

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AT THE HELM Annual General Meeting time of the year is a great time to acknowledge the hard work of our committees and volunteers that make our Club what it is. I would particularly like to thank those who are retiring from their positions after many years of hard work and welcome a few new faces on the Racing, Cruising and Fishing Associations. Good luck to all for the season ahead. We are always on the lookout for new volunteers so if you or someone you know who is looking to assist we would love to hear from you.

Membership and Corporate fee payments for the 2018/2019 season have steadily been coming in. We appreciate your ongoing commitment to the Club. It is also great to see membership numbers increasing with the introduction of a few new membership categories introduced over the past year. With difficult economic conditions continuing in South Australia and many Clubs being detrimentally affected with declining membership numbers and reduced revenue, the CYCSA is fortunately bucking that trend.

Membership numbers have increased by around 10% in the past year and revenue from all our operational areas has improved significantly. New initiatives in the areas of membership, hospitality, slipping and our Marine Academy have all paid dividends and are only set to improve in coming years.

The Club had a very good financial year in 2017/2018 and I thank my staff for their dedication and commitment in achieving the overall budget set by the Board. The balance between achieving a strong financial result and ensuring high member satisfaction is challenging, however all CYCSA staff are to be congratulated for their efforts in making this happen.

With the recent announcements that have finally confirmed more shipbuilding at Techport, Osborne (which is less than 2km away from our Club) the CYCSA is well positioned to benefit from greater activity in the area, with increased population and economic growth.

Our facilities and marine outlook have already attracted many conference and hospitality functions from the Australian Submarine Corporation and other feeder businesses that have been established in the Techport precinct. Our Club has a great opportunity to welcome the workforce who will be involved in shipbuilding over the next few decades and the potential to increase membership, boat ownership and the demand for berths is here due to our great facilities.

Many of you would recall the ever increasing council rate impost that was being applied on all marina and hardstand berths. A great deal of effort was put into having the Local Government Act amended to remove the ability of councils in South Australia from being able to charge berth owners individually. I spent over seven years lobbying and received assistance from the Boating Industry Association and then politicians John Darley MLC and Susan Close, Member for Port Adelaide, became involved. With their assistance we were eventually successful. This news is now history but the benefit to berth owners at the CYCSA and all other berths in South Australia grows each year as the council had a rate increase program that escalated and this year it was to have reached the full ‘minimum rate’ applied to all properties. Due to our victory in Parliament a few years ago the saving is now significant. The City of Port Adelaide Enfield recently announced a ‘minimum rate’ of $835.

As a result of changes made to the LGA CYCSA members are now collectively saving over $300k per year and the big winners are our hardstand berth owners who are paying less than 10% of what they would have individually been charged.

Opening Day planning for 2018 has commenced. The big day will be Saturday 27 October. Please make sure that you save the date and

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start organising your family and friends. We would like to see more boats out on the water for this year’s sail past and would encourage all our hardstand vessels to take part. The party last year was huge and hopefully this year will be even bigger. I am delighted to announce that the Governor has accepted our invitation to officially open our season.

A few housekeeping items: Could all boat owners please make sure their boats do not hang out over the marina walkways. Often difficult to see, anchors and bowsprits can cause injury to people walking past the marina.

Members are reminded to lock valuable items away in their boats or lockers. Leaving fishing rods and other equipment out in plain view is only inviting trouble. Fortunately theft is rare in our marina compared with others; so let’s try to keep it that way.

We have a good number of trolleys at the CYCSA but please return them to the trolley bay after you have used them. Leaving them at your berth all day while you are out boating is not acceptable. Please consider your fellow members.

Safe boating Craig Evans CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Congratulations to member Bryan Mellors who won the holiday for two to sunny Port Douglas in our Member Get Member Promotion.

Prize courtesy of our long time Club sponsor Phil Hoffmann Travel.

Craig Evans draws the prize with our Vice Commodore, Jacq Heffernan

A LETTER TO THE EDITOR...

MALCOLM PEARSONS 27 January 1941 - 10 June 2018 Husband to Chris, father to Malen, Brad and Tania, Malcolm leaves behind a much loved family.

Malcolm was a member of the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia for almost 31 years but was particularly well-known among the Trailer Sailor Association with whom he raced his beloved Electra.

Malcolm’s Celebration of Life was held at the Club recently with over 140 family and friends in attendance who were treated to Malcolm’s signature scones.

He will be missed for his ready smile, friendly disposition and spirited conversation.

Jacq Heffernan

I was interested to read the articles, ‘West Coast Adventure and West Coast Cruising’, in the June edition of Groundswell by Kevin Mann, Roger Flint and Len Stephens and in particular their reference to Matthew Flinders as the inspiration to visit and explore these remote islands.

The experience of Equanimity is a reminder of the dangers never far away.

In fact it is not uncommon for some of our members to plan extensively and to sail together for the extended cruise that is required to go out to the west coast and as the writers state for “the sheer sense of having a go”.

I would like to again bring to the attention of members the log book, ‘The Flinders Baudin Challenge’ published in 2002 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the discovery of the south coast of Australia by these two great seamen and navigators. The log book invites participants to sail to and visit some of the coastal islands of South Australia. There are in fact around 150, not 346 as stated in the article, and only about 41 lend themselves to safely going ashore by way of anchorage and landing suitability and even then only when conditions are suitable as many are just rocky outcrops!

The ‘challenge’ is to visit and log as many of the islands listed in the log as possible verified by a sketch or photo taken from the high point on the island and included in the log. Bronze, silver and gold medallions are awarded by the Flinders Baudin Challenge Foundation on completion and submission of a log book with 16, 23 and 38 log entries. There is no time limit and voyages can be made over a life time. In essence the Flinders Baudin Challenge is a maritime Heysen Trail though it is one that has not been over sailed in the last sixteen years!

A PIECE OF The Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron is one of the oldest yacht clubs in Victoria having been established in 1876. In 2016, the 140 year anniversary book was produced.

This year at the Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta all Club representatives were provided with a copy of this historical book.

Recently Mary Ann Harvey presented the book to Jacq Heffernan, Vice-Commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia, to include in the Club’s library. We encourage you to have a look at this historical record as it reflects how times have changed. Here is one such example all competitors in the AWKR are pleased about: “Ladies who in the past were restricted to the visitors room, were finally permitted into the lounge in May 1940 although they were not to be served liquor.”

Copies of the first edition, written and published by Evan Hiscock and myself, are still available from me for any intrepid mariners interested in more formally documenting their passages to these historic islands and perhaps in due course even being awarded the specially struck medallion of a colour reflective of their spirit of adventure and accomplishment.

Andrew Saies

WELCOME NEW MEMBE RS???????????????????MEMBE

Mary Ann Harvey

With Christmas just around the corner, don’t get stuck for ideas!

A Marine Academy Gift Voucher makes an ideal and unique present for any occasion. From as little as $100 give a gift that they won’t soon forget.

CYCSA Vice Commodore Jacq Heffernan with Mary Ann Harvey

To purchase a Gift Voucher please email reception@cycsa.com.au or call us on (08) 8248 4222.

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FROM THE COMMODORE social events from Kangaroo Island to Port Vincent. I believe these events will only get better. Well done.

Due to the close proximity of the publishing of the Club’s Annual Report and Groundswell I have taken the liberty to integrate my recent Commodore’s Annual Report into this publication of Groundswell.

As in recent Groundswells I have asked our Vice and Rear Commodores to submit a brief report on their recent involvement in Club activities. I thank them both for contributions in the past and what follows in this report.

I would also like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Gay Footer who for many years has been instrumental in ensuring that our Groundswell is such a prestigious publication thereby leaving the Club with a wonderful archival history. Well done Gay and thank you.

As my term of Commodore comes to an end I would like to thank the Board, my fellow Flag Officers, Club management, all staff and Club members for their support over the years. I was very honoured to have been given the opportunity to represent the Club and its members in such a senior role. The position was offered on my return from competing in the Fastnet Yacht Race in the United Kingdom in 2013, and former Commodore, Geoff Catt, kindly filled the position until Opening Day. Without Geoff’s assistance and guidance my transition into this position would have been far more difficult. Initially Rowley Richardson and David Knights filled the shoes of Vice and Rear Commodore respectively and their invaluable assistance will always be respected.

Over the past season Jacq Heffernan and Adrian Wotton have performed Flag Officer duties and have given their time to the Club ensuring our Associations have representation and the Board is totally aware of our members’ needs. Jacq and Adrian capably represented the CYCSA at various functions at the Squadron and dinghy clubs along the coast and also several country clubs.

Adrian is serving on our Racing Association and chairs our Cruising Association and Jacq has been instrumental in the formation of the CYCSA Members Committee. This Committee was formed to act as a communication mechanism to the Board and identifies and manages issues, processes communications from members and liaises directly with relevant personnel and/or departments within the Club under the Board’s direction which enables a more cohesive membership and culture across the Club’s community. This new committee has representatives from each Association, the Board, Flag Officers and management. A great initiative, thanks Jacq. I would like to thank all the Flag Officers who assisted me over my time as Commodore as without them my position would have been so much more difficult.

I would like to congratulate the Fishing Association on another successful season under the watchful eye of Vlad Humeniuk and his team. My fishing experience comes mainly from the deli section at Foodland Supermarkets from where I have taken good catches home but when it comes to the Fishing Association’s Crabbing Day I am a total fan. Thank you all for putting on such a great event at the Club each year. Sue and I look forward each year to sharing this experience with family and friends.

Our Cruising Association holds some excellent events and provides an opportunity for newcomers to enjoy boating in a more relaxed way with the safety net of cruising in company. Adrian Wotton and his team have had a very successful season exploring some of South Australia’s prime coastal areas whilst enjoying the camaraderie at

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Our Social Association has created many top events at the Club.

This dedicated team for many years led by Pam Humeniuk managed to turn our Horizon’s Function Room into a myriad of exotic and colourful themed events. Her team always produced a wellorganised and professionally decorated room most other venues would envy. I sincerely thank the Social Committee for supporting the Commodore’s Dinners not only with a very professional approach but with a purpose to make the night so special. The hours this committee put into every event from decorations, meetings and administration, without doubt ensured the CYCSA social events were always very successful. I trust under the newly formed Members Committee we can see the Social Committee weave their magic once again.

A small regret is that Sue and I could not attend as many of the Club social functions as we would have liked. Fortunately our Vice and Rear Commodores are both highly skilled in enjoying our Club social functions with gusto.

Running a race yacht the calibre of Secret Mens Business takes its toll and competing nationally is extremely time demanding. It is not only time on the water but logistics in moving the yacht and crew to various destinations. However, although demanding, it is very rewarding. I have always encouraged yachts from our fleet to compete at interstate level and the experience crew gain is invaluable and ensures a more competitive fleet here in Adelaide.

Congratulations to the Racing Association for running another great year of yacht racing. The weather gods overall were kind and only a few races had to be abandoned or delayed. It is pleasing to have more yachts entering IRC handicap racing at our Club as it is the only internationally recognised handicap system and it was great to see that Premier’s Cup, State Titles and regattas were all well supported in IRC Divisions. I congratulate all Division winners and being fair, I congratulate my crew on Secret Mens Business for an outstanding year of achievements. Thank you Rob Sellick for your years of service chairing REX. I welcome Mike Holmes to the new position and look forward to another season of excellent racing administration. I trust I will not give our Boating Administrator David Royle and the REX committee so much grief in the coming season.

I would like to thank the management and staff of the Club for their assistance over the last few years. Our CEO Craig Evans offered his backing as well as his staff’s backing to ensure my position was made much easier. We do try to improve our Club functions especially on Opening Day. Thanks to Jenny and Mel in the office and our Flag Officers who collectively created another great Opening Day to kick start the season. The Band ‘Gumbo Ya Ya’ was added to the day’s program and became an instant hit with the crowd with an extended play time request. I am looking forward to this year’s big event from the sidelines.

Our Marine Academy goes from strength to strength under the watchful eye of Chairman Geoff Catt and previously Rowley Richardson. Thanks to Boating Operations Instructor, Hugh Longbottom, and his team of Instructors, the Academy has had a busy year introducing new people to water sport helping to bring new members and crew to the Club.

The CYCSA would not be able to offer members the services we enjoy if not for the volunteers. Thank you to all who took part in ensuring the Club ran smoothly on and off the water. I look forward to the Volunteer of the Year presentation along with the well-earned recognition of all volunteers at this season’s Opening Day. My main objective as Commodore was firstly to assist with the

removal of our yachties’ ‘hole in the wall’ bar servery and create a new Bar and Bistro atmosphere. Looking back it is hard to imagine how ‘agricultural’ this old area was but it did serve its purpose for many years.

After a big day on the water many fine athletic yachties quenched their thirst from this fine masterpiece of a bar. It was agreed it was time for the CYCSA to modernise our facilities to compete with what other venues offer. I am pleased not only with the outcome of the new building but the atmosphere it generates at the Club. Initially, complaints and disappointment in relation to the service and quality of the food forced changes and I am pleased with where it now stands. I believe the Admiral’s Bar and Bistro is a place our members can be proud of. Club member and visitor numbers have increased and with the new Social Membership offer the new area is proving to be a stronger financial asset. New umbrellas are in the budget and will further enhance the area by offering additional outdoor dining for our oncoming season. A personal thank you to the bar and kitchen staff who, over the last 12 months, have greatly assisted in improving our dining experience.

FROM THE VICE COMMODORE

Welcome to Susan Laird, in Events Marketing and Membership Services, who has recently joined the hospitality team. Susan brings a wealth of industry knowledge to the Club and will assist with the development of our new Social Membership drive.

The Commodore’s Dinner has been scheduled for Saturday 15 September 2018 and the theme this year is ‘A Night With the Commodores – Linking the Future with the Past’. This will be a very exciting night with our previous Commodores (or their representative) on the couch with Graeme Goodings. For more information and to book online, please visit the Club website: www.cycsa.com.au/news

Please make a reservation if you are coming to dine as there have been some disappointed members. Reservations also enable staff rosters to be set ensuring the service you expect.

I would like to reiterate that the position of Commodore is not a CYCSA Board position and holding the position has no voting rights. By invitation the Commodore is invited to sit in on Board meetings and where necessary can offer input to agenda items and submit a report. During my time as Commodore I found these meetings extremely interesting and rewarding.

I believe as members we should be mindful the Board is made up of professional business people whose time is valuable. After attending their meetings over the years I can say their ongoing objective is to place the Club and its members as their top priority. We have been well served by the Board over the years and our present Board is extremely cohesive and an effective team. Many voluntary hours are given by these professional people to ensure the CYCSA is a success not only as a premier yacht club but also as a financially stable enterprise. On behalf of the members I would like to thank the Board for ensuring the future of our Club.

There have been many business initiatives at the Club over the past season and most are covered in various management and President’s Reports.

I would just like to add my congratulations to the President, Board and Management Team that brought together the sale of the CYCSA North Haven Public Boat Ramp ensuring the Club a strong future. A sale price of approximately $5.5m will be received and put to work diligently benefiting all members.

Thank you again for the opportunity to serve as the CYCSA’s Commodore. I trust the ongoing Flag Officers also enjoy this privilege.

Geoff Boettcher Commodore

Winter; dark, cold, depressing? Not so in our little piece of paradise! Just check out the Club’s Facebook page for the many stunning posts of sunsets, foggy mornings and stormy afternoons! These along with the social nights at the Club, in particular the Tequila Tasting and the massively successful Italian Night, just show that winter doesn’t have to mean we hibernate!

The new Members Committee has been busy behind the scenes on a number of fronts. Listening to members requests and reviewing policies has seen the Dog Policy relaxed to identify where dogs are welcome.

Jacq Heffernan Vice Commodore

FROM THE REAR COMMODORE

This winter has seen wide variations in weather; some days feel like spring with lovely sunshine whilst others have been very windy, cold and wet. Just a normal Adelaide winter you may say! Whatever the case I have seen lots of members around the Club either out on the water cruising, fishing and racing, or inside the Club keeping warm and taking advantage of our world-class Club facilities and some excellent winter menu specials.

In June I handed over my boat, School’s Out, to eight intrepid and keen female sailors for the Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta in Melbourne. They were joined by a number of other women sailors from our Club who competed in other boats. The regatta proved to be a great celebration of women racing and their enthusiasm for our wonderful sport. There are a number of avenues available at our Club for interested females to learn more sailing skills. The Club’s Marine Academy is a good way to build up basic skills whilst there are always crew places in our upcoming twilight race series. Contact David Royle in the office if you would like further details.

Our racing community has a break before the start of their summer season in October but our cruisers start early with the Second Saturday of the Month BYO everything BBQ commencing on 8 September and I hope to see you there.

Adrian Wotton Rear Commodore

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RACING ASSOCIATION

RACING REPORT At the time of writing we are down to only one race left in the Port River Marine Services Winter Series. There are 15 boats in the CYCSA series with close to even numbers in Division 1 and 2. The combined series with the RSAYS is comprised of 24 boats and the results are fairly evenly poised between the CYCSA and the RSAYS. In the CYCSA results the top of the leaderboard for Division 1 is dominated by Magic (Richard Harries/Brett Brown/Ian Metcalfe) in both AMS and PHS with Game On (Julian Newton) close behind with the ever present White Knight (David Knights) third. In Division 2 PHS it’s From Russia With Love (Mike Holmes) with a two point margin over School’s Out (Adrian Wotton) and Rock On (Trevor Conyers) third. Division 2 AMS sees Rock On leading with School’s Out second and From Russia With Love third.

The weather so far has been kind by winter standards with just one race having to be abandoned due to no wind and a windy and wet day for Race 3, the Squadron’s annual running of the Plympton Cup, which was won by Concubine (Jason Ward).

The Short-Handed Series has maintained good numbers this winter with seven boats nominated. After four races Ruffian (Michael McGlinchey) is dominating PHS with a string of first places, followed

by French Bread (Roy Sharp) and G-Wizz (Greg Patten) third. AMS has last year’s winner, Freedom (Bob Schahinger, RSAYS), leading by one point from Ruffian and G-Wizz.

Some of the Short-Handed fleet have also just completed their annual Port Vincent Dash and were joined by one fully crewed entrant to make five boats. The 20-30 knot forecast for the race reduced the participation rate significantly.

The racing program for the 2018-19 season was published in June.

There are a number of changes that may attract your interest with REX working to put in place a program with a greater choice of participation options. Notices of Race are expected to be available by late July.

Safety auditing will again be the focus of attention pre-season for owners with our Equipment Auditors undertaking mandatory safety audits on all boats before racing in the 2018-19 season. More information on this initiative will be provided to racing members by newsletter as it becomes available.

David Royle Racing Manager and Boating Administrator

Game On cleans up! A great Winter Series result once again for Julian Newton and the Game On team. That makes it Back to Back 17/18 Winter Series wins.

Thank you to our Winter Series sponsor Port River Marine Services.

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Photo by Craig Evans

MARINE ACADEMY UPDATE At the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia we encourage, nurture and facilitate the increase of female membership and participation.

It’s great to see more females involved in this largely male dominated sport. Here we catch up with past Marine Academy students and Club members....

Lindsey Fenderson

Since joining the Club, Lindsey has completed a Five Day Live Aboard Competent Crew Course and been crewing on David Knights’ Sydney 38, White Knight, learning to fill in on different positions as needed and training this winter in Adventureland.

Lindsey also helmed her first race last year on White Knight during the 2nd ladies helm twilight race, and with David’s mentoring finished 3rd in Division 1! Lindsey additionally crewed last year for Janet Thornley on her Ron Holland 11 Metre One Design Balancing Act II for the RSAYS Nautilus Marine Women’s Series, where they just barely managed to beat School’s Out in the last race to win the series!

“All in all, the CYCSA is a great environment for women interested in learning to sail and race and we expect many more successes to come from these women as their sailing experience grows!”

Lindsey on kite

On the June Long Weekend Marion went to Melbourne as part of a composite South Australian crew to compete in the 2018 Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta.

This winter season she has joined School’s Out and is looking forward to learning different crew positions and increasing her skills.

“The Club has always been very welcoming and encouraging which has allowed me to experience many different aspects of sailing and racing in a very short time and make some great friends in the process.”

Maya Ueda Davis

Upon returning to Australia from Japan in late 2015 Maya visited the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia where she joined in Wednesday Twilight sailing on From Russia With Love with Club member Mike Holmes. Maya then took part in a Start Yachting course with the CYCSA Marine Academy and shortly after became a member of the Club in January 2016.

Unfortunately due to an injury Maya could not participate with the CYCSA Academy 1 crew in the 2016 Port Lincoln Race and Regatta, however, she did go on and participate in the following 2017 Port Lincoln Race and Regatta and the 2018 Lincoln Race.

Maya’s latest adventure was crewing in the gruelling 2018 Clipper Round The World Race; Clipper Race Leg 7: The USA Coast to Coast Leg. Route Seattle, USA - Panama - New York, USA. Maya crewed on Sanya Serenity Coast with a fellow Australian, Wendy ‘Wendo’ Tuck who skippered the boat.

Well done Maya, a great achievement and life experience.

Academy 1 crew, Marion (2nd from left)

Maya Davis on Sanya Serenity Coast. Clipper Race USA. Photos courtesy of Clipper Race

Marion Toy

Marion’s husband booked her in for a Start Yachting course in March 2016 to try to find an activity they could both participate in following a knee injury that meant Marion’s netball days were over.

After several opportunities to go sailing over the next month or so, they both became members of the Club and the rest as they say is history.

Marion has since crewed with her husband David on Jim and Robyn Townsend’s J24, Witch’s Thimble. In December 2016 she took part in a Three Day Live Aboard course to gain her Competent Crew qualification and was subsequently a member of the Cruising Division win on Academy 1 in the 2017 Adelaide to Port Lincoln Race. She again crewed on Academy 1 in the 2018 race.

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PROFILE | SILAS NOLAN Silas Nolan, a well-known and respected sailor hailing from our Club, the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia, has now reached the age of 35 and decided to slow down a bit and spend more time in Adelaide with his family so it is an opportune time to relate some of his story to members.

Silas started sailing in the early 90s at Glenelg Sailing Club spending all his Saturdays at the club sailing Holdfast Trainers. He then moved through the junior classes, the 303, Laser Radial and Cherubs, before wanting to get into bigger boats. He commented: “My mum used to drop me off at 8:30am on a Saturday for Junior Training and then pick me up at 6pm after racing had finished. That was pretty much my summertime routine for eight years and I loved it”. During his school years at Brighton Secondary School he joined the school’s Teams Racing Squad and helped Brighton win several Inter-School Regattas at West Lakes.

Silas first came to the Cruising Yacht Club as a teenager in 1998 joining Chris Tillet and his team on his Mumm 30, On the Edge, before joining Geoff Boettcher on the ‘blue’ Secret Mens Business where in his words he served his “yachting apprenticeship” for the next eight years.

During this time he met his wife to be, Catherine Shanks, who was sailing with her father Gary on his yacht Rager which happened to be moored next to SMB. They are now married and have three children, Emilie aged five, Annabel aged four and Tom aged two. One can only suppose they have a bit to do with the desire to spend more time in Adelaide as schooling is just around the corner. Silas is an electrician by trade and has also completed a RYA Yachtmaster Offshore qualification.

Silas helped Geoff Boettcher fit out and commission SMB3 in 2008 and ended up working for Darkhorse Yachting and moving to Sydney to learn the rigging trade.

Over his years of sailing he has competed in 16 Sydney to Hobart races with a win under his belt in 2011 on board Loki and runner up in 2012. This year he will be going south again with the reigning champion, Matt Allen on Ichi Ban. The last ten years have been spent as a professional sailor racing on yachts all over the world and his specialist role is as bowman, rigger, electrician and on board systems specialist – quite a broad range of skills for any sailor.

Seven years of this were spent racing on the Maxi 72 circuit in the USA and Europe on board Proteus and Shockwave winning numerous regattas and offshore races including the Caribbean 600, Newport Bermuda, Les Voile De St Barths, Key West Race Week, Copa Del Rey in Palma where he won the 2016 Maxi 72 Championship. The Rolex Maxi Worlds in Sardinia have so far eluded him with third and second placings but he hopes to go one better this year. Besides all of this, four years have been spent racing in the Mediterranean TP52 Super Series with the Ran Racing Team which included several regatta wins, finishing third overall for the season championship and coming first ownerdriver in 2016 - definitely a highlight. In 2017 he also raced the RC44 Mediterranean circuit with Artemis Racing.

Other teams he has worked for include the Puma Volvo Ocean Racing Team in 2010 as the shore rigger and reserve under 30 sailor, Wild Oats Racing Team as the team rigger and bowman, Ichi Ban, Blackjack,Yendys and sailing the Asian Yachting Circuit with Neil Pryde’s HIFI. Somehow Silas has also managed to spend the last six years managing and sailing Jason Ward and Shevaun Bruland’s Concubine boats and he project managed the build on the current Concubine 45 working alongside the designer, Mark Mills and builder, Premier Composites, in Dubai to deliver one of the premier IRC racing boats in Australia.

Now that he has decided to spend more time at home in Adelaide he has teamed up with Peter Sheridan in the marine electrical and electronic business and they have called their company ElecMarine Innovations. Through this enterprise he is keen to impart some of the expert knowledge of grand prix yachting, yachting systems and yachting management he has acquired during his time racing at the highest level and to bring a premium service to the local South Australian yachting fleet and is definitely looking forward to this next chapter.

Silas feels he had a great youth and upbringing racing at the CYCSA which has really fostered his career to date and he hopes to see more of a push to introduce youth and get them actively involved in Club racing in the future.

Gay Footer

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THE PORT VINCENT DASH AND SHORT HANDED WEEKEND TO PORT VINCENT The annual shorthanded race to Port Vincent and Port Vincent Dash, camp the night, and race back to the CYCSA, was held on the weekend of 21-22 July. Leading up to the weekend a few skippers decided to stay home possibly due to the weather forecast and severe wind warning for the Friday night. Three yachts nominated for the weekend race over and return and all three had a good time and arrived home safely.

The 10am start from North Haven on Saturday morning began in a brisk 24 knotter from the South West and stayed from that direction most of the race with the true wind showing up to 32 knots about 15nm out and apparent winds proportionally higher. Jeremy and I decided to start with two reefs in the main and the Number Five with no sail changes required along the way. It was a very exhilarating ride over with our elapsed time being 3 hours 6 minutes and 40 seconds. The handicapper was spot on again with only 10 minutes and 26 seconds separating the first and third yacht.

My bowman Aaron (when we are fully crewed), and his partner Louise, decided to amble over on his cruising yacht and spend the night with the racing teams. With a total of four visiting shorthanded yachts in the Port Vincent Marina (the least number for the event ever) the catering totalled eight hungry people for this year. It was a little chilly in the Port Vincent Marina after sundown so we were all invited on to Astrid by its owner, John Sibly, and spent the evening

solving the problems of the world in a beautiful heated and salubrious environment. Not to outstay our welcome, we braved the elements and were off to our much cooler sleeping quarters on The Wizzer at midnight. At 1am I awoke to a high decibel sound similar to a chain saw and contemplated stopping the noise with two gently lobbed sea boots but decided to let Jeremy sleep and I eventually sought a haven curled into the foetal position under the dodger of an unused yacht in a quiet corner of the marina.

The next morning dawn broke with a 14 knot breeze from the South West which held for 18nm and allowed us to shake out the reefs and fly the masthead symmetrical while enjoying a healthy breakfast and later a slow lunch. It was one of the very few return races for the shorthanded weekend that we have actually finished as the breeze stayed in, with one sail change to the largest headsail 10nm from the finish. There was plenty of time for us to realise what fantastic safe sailing waters we have in our front yard in Adelaide with two of the safest and most pleasant marinas around.

The results for the race on handicap were – 1st G-Wizz Greg Patten, CYCSA 2nd Clockwork Bob Schahinger, RSAYS 3rd Astrid John Sibly, CYCSA

Greg Patten

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BOATS AT THE CLUB This is another in the series of articles aimed at providing you with an insight into new boats and other boats of interest at the Club.

Contact Mellissa through the Club if you are interested in having your boat featured here.

LIVING ON THE EDGE Tony Scarfo, together with his wife Antonette and two children, James and Danielle, have made the big step and bought a boat and joined our Club.

The boat is a power boat, a Crownline 19ss, built in the USA. Powered by a 5.0 litre fuel injected V8 Mercruiser, it will be used mainly for fishing, skiing and general leisure.

Tony was attracted to the CYCSA because of the wonderful reputation, amenities and new friendship opportunities to be found amongst other people with similar boating interests and experience.

Tony and Antonette, both hairdressers and founding directors of the ZINK hairdressing organisation, have recently set up two specialised businesses. SalonEDGES specialises in exclusive high quality scissors for hairdressers and barbers and Wig-it Wigs is a specialised wig business and service for women who suffer hair loss due to the effects of cancer treatment.

Living On The Edge will provide the opportunity for them to get a great deal of enjoyment on the water with their family and friends, ensuring they enjoy quality leisure time when they can. We welcome them to the Club and wish them all the best in their endeavours.

Dianne Schwerdt

Photo by Take 2 Photography

SHINING SEA Andrew Corletto’s new boat, Shining Sea, a Botin and Carkeek GP 42, was built by King Marine in Argentina.

The boat was originally launched in 2007 in Spain as Iberdrola to compete in the GP 42 circuit in the Mediterranean. The GP 42 circuit was seen as a feeder circuit to the TP 52 circuit with a number of Americas Cup teams participating in the GP 42 series as a way of keeping their crew squads busy and sailing. The boat was then converted for IRC racing. Andrew acquired the boat from Cape Town in South Africa where it had been competing in local IRC racing including the Cape Town to Rio race.

Andrew sailed 470s and 505s in his twenties. He returned to Adelaide after living and working interstate for a few years and joined the CYCSA in 2000 as a result of sailing on the clubsponsored J24s and participating in a number of twilight races. His introduction to keel boats came through this association with the Club’s fleet of J24s. After a few seasons he moved to larger keel boats including spending a racing season with David Urry on the Farr 40, War Games. He then bought his first yacht, a Van der Stadt 31. Later he progressed through a few keel boats including a Sydney 38 and a Beneteau First 45.

His plans for the new Shining Sea include local IRC racing as well as some interstate regattas such the Australian IRC Championships, Geelong Week, and Lincoln Race and Regatta.

With previous Shining Seas, Andrew and his crew have previously won numerous titles including Yacht of the Year, State IRC and AMS Championships and the Club Inshore Championship.

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The Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta (AWKR) is one of the best regattas in Australia! No matter what happens with the weather those who compete in the all-women event come prepared to sail hard, share experiences and have a shot at winning. This year two Open Divisions and a S80 Division competed for a range of wonderful trophies and awards.

Hosted annually by the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron, the six-race regatta takes place in the waters off cosmopolitan St Kilda over the inevitably cold June Long Weekend. This year 27 boats entered with crews from South Australia, New South Wales, Northern Territory,Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland and New Zealand. Three crews from South Australia, drawn from four South Australian yacht clubs, competed against multiple crews from the other states and two from New Zealand.

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN WOMEN AT AWKR Competing in Division 1, School’s Out returned for a second year of competition, helmed by Mary Ann Harvey and crewed by women from the CYCSA: Robyn Townsend (tactician), Kerry Parker (foredeck) Mary Beth Aiken (pit), ‘Aussie’ Jo Pilmore (foredeck), ‘Scotty’ Jo Wilson (mainsheet), Peta Oliver (headsail and brace trim) and Helen White (pit and spinnaker).

RMYS boat, Mrs Overnewton, with Di Schwerdt from CYCSA on mainsheet and a crew from the RSAYS - Barbara Parker (helm), Helen Willmer (tactician), Janet Thornley (pit), Carolyn Ramsey and Robyn Riedel (trim), Helen Kearney (spinnaker), Julie Bernardo (mast) and Sophie Bishop (foredeck), notched up their tenth year at AWKR. Competing in Division 2, Take One, helmed by Katrina Hartman (ex-CYCSA), and crewed by Lindsey Fenderson (foredeck), and Marion Toy (pit), both CYCSA, as well as Lisa Bettcher (tactician) (RSAYS) and Helena Mrotek (main) (PASC) made a noticeably valiant showing at their first experience of AWKR as a crew.

Crew and Skipper perspectives on the regatta make for great reading...

2 8 T H AU S T R A L I A N WO M AWKR REGATTA When it came to weather, this year’s forecast was almost a repeat of what we had seen in 2017. Not quite enough wind for some, but enough races to make a regatta. And, just like last year, upwards of 160 women were not about to let a little thing like lack of wind interfere with a great weekend on the water.

Friday evening’s briefing at the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron’s Clubrooms provided an opportunity to meet up with colleagues and rivals from previous years before we convened for the formal regatta briefing. Race information included the Bureau of Meteorology’s confirmation that there would be little wind on Saturday and Sunday and that the best day for racing would most likely be Monday.

This proved to be the case. On the first day of racing Port Phillip seemed devoid of wind. In the quiet calm of the morning a lone black swan slid sedately over a glassy sea. Motionless wooden boats, at anchor in the lee of the breakwater and pier, cast precise images on the still water – a perfect photo opportunity. The talk this morning was not of photography, however, but of wind: will there be any? With two knots gusting to three, crews prepped their boats, motored out to the start and waited. We watched as brightly coloured hot air balloons descended slowly behind the city skyline.

Now and again the sun chose to make an appearance between looming clouds. Parachutes descended at regimented intervals to land just south of Luna Park. Gulls fished in an appropriately leisurely fashion. Jelly fish meandered past. Dolphins played elegantly around us. Singing and light-hearted banter passed between boat crews while the media runabout made the most of the static fleet for close-ups.

The second day of racing produced a glorious morning! All the talk of fog and low vision from the day before proved groundless. The sun shone and shone and although we had just four to five knots there was a teasing chance of more to come. Shifting winds made for tricky sailing but we all managed very creditable performances.

The third and last day of racing proved a cracker with good winds and impressive teamwork all round. My personal favourite was the last race in over 20 knots gusting to 28, where fiercely competitive spinnaker handling and aggressive action at the top marks made all the difference when it came to results.

WOMEN’S SAILING For all of us, the Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta continues to be an important event in the Australian racing calendar. Each year the AWKR management team works hard to ensure all visiting teams have boats to sail and the regatta programme is as excellent as it can be. Melbourne sponsors are consistently supportive. This generosity and the exceptional organisation of the event by the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron means AWKR continues to grow and ensures competitors will want to return every year. The women fortunate enough to compete in this regatta return to their home clubs with increased sailing knowledge and valuable skills. We look forward to encouraging other women to take up the challenge in 2019. Think about it! Make a start by sailing in the Women’s Series here this coming summer.

Di Schwerdt

Midday - and still no wind. The talk of strategies to be deployed in light weather clearly signalled a willingness to sail in even the smallest of breezes. Most of us lunched on our boats, quietly scanning the sky for any sign that things might change. By 13:30 we had almost come to believe there would be no racing that day. Suddenly radio activity lifted our spirits and, after almost four hours of waiting, it was all go, albeit in very light, shifting winds. The first race was started, shortened and finished too late to consider starting a second race. But at least we had one race under our

16 Di on the mainsheet

Photos courtesy of Bruno Cocozza

E N ’ S K E E L B OAT R E G AT TA School’s Out Returns to the Australian Woman’s Keelboat Regatta for 2018 The Australian Woman’s Keelboat Regatta (AWKR) is the only allfemale keelboat regatta in Australia and is held annually at the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron in St Kilda, over the Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend in June.

This highly competitive regatta was established to encourage women to become more involved in the sport of sailing, a goal still very much at the heart of this wonderful event. While sailing is a sport where men and women compete side by side as equals, AWKR provides opportunities for women to crew in new positions, expand existing sailing and leadership skills and become more actively involved in high-level racing.

School’s Out from the CYCSA, skippered by Mary Ann Harvey, returned to Melbourne with a crew very keen to improve on last year’s results. School’s Out was placed in Division One, not the usual home for the boat, but the crew were excited by the challenge.

Also attending from South Australia was a team from the Yacht Squadron (including Di Schwerdt from the CYCSA) and a mixed team from the CYCSA (Marion Toy and Lindsey Fenderson), RSAYS and the PASC. All three crews achieved podiums during the regatta which is a great achievement in such a competitive field.

Day One Competitors held out for nearly four hours waiting for the wind until finally the race officials fired the start signal shortly before 2pm, after a light breeze around six to seven knots wafted in. Conditions were extremely light and shifty and proved challenging for all competitors.

In Race One School’s Out’s crew got away to a brilliant start positioning themselves close to shore and picking up some sea breeze. The tactic worked well and they were in the top half of the 13-boat fleet at the first mark. A rapidly dropping breeze didn’t do the 9.5 tonne cruiser any favours but good teamwork gave School’s Out a very good eighth in both EHC and AMS, with an excellent sixth place in IRC, beating the race favourite, Scarlet Runner.

some delays but eventually, racing got underway around 1.00pm.

The crew continued to have some really good starts, trimmed well, and stayed with the majority of the fleet. The crew worked hard to get everything out of the boat with the best result of eighth in Race Three in IRC and EHC and eleventh in EHC in Race Four.

Day Three The final day produced moderate winds with a forecast of stronger winds in the afternoon. In Race Five, with better winds, School’s Out did very well in the windward leeward race format. Some spinnaker challenges on the last leg were quickly rectified and the crew were happy with a solid seventh place in IRC. The final and sixth race proved to be the most eventful in the regatta. The winds were now around 15kts and the bigger yachts were doing well. The School’s Out skipper and tactician sensed that the predicted front was about to arrive and reefed their sails early.

When the front did hit winds rapidly increased to more than 20 knots with gusts of 28 knots. There was general mayhem on the race course as crews had to urgently adjust their sail configurations and retrieve torn spinnakers. The crew handled the conditions perfectly, sailing steadily in conditions that challenged the entire race fleet. To their great delight the crew earned their first ever regatta podium, finishing in a well-earned 1st place. This placing gave School’s Out an overall tenth place in both AMS and EHC and eighth in IRC. The crew improved their skills each time they sailed and are keen to return next year. This year’s team would again like to thank and acknowledge the generous sponsorship of Musto Australia.

Adrian Wotton, Owner of School’s Out

Day Two On day two winds continued to be light and very shifty. There were

17 School’s Out crew

AU S T R A L I A N WO M E N ’ S K E E L B A word from School’s Out Skipper, Mary Ann Harvey Eight very excited women, with a wonderful support crew, headed to Melbourne for the June Long Weekend. Six of us had competed in 2017 and thoroughly enjoyed the whole AWKR package: a great regatta hosted by the RMYS, competitive racing and many social opportunities to meet other women sailors from all over Australia and New Zealand.

With more experience sailing as a team, this year we were hoping for a show of wind that could make School’s Out more competitive in Division 1, and, much to our delight, this came in in time for the last race. We were very proud of how we performed in testing conditions especially when we heard we had finished first!

Our thanks go to the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron for providing such a wonderful regatta for women. A huge thanks again to Adrian Wotton for entrusting School’s Out to us, to the delivery crews who braved the cold, and personally for giving me the role of Skippy.

The School’s Out crew would encourage any women sailors to be involved in this regatta. For more information, either speak to one of the crew or the RMYS.

Mrs Overnewton crew

Take One crew, from L to R: Helena Mrotek, Marion Toy, Lisa Bettcher, Lindsey Fenderson & Katrina Hartman. Photo by Bruno Cocozza

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OAT R E G AT TA Take One’s take on the 2018 Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta Competing in their first Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta (AWKR), CYCSA members Marion Toy and Lindsey Fenderson joined Lisa Bettcher (RSAYS), Helena Mrotek (PASC) and Katrina Hartman (ex-CYCSA, now Hobson’s Bay YC) to make a third crew representing South Australia in Melbourne.They raced on the S80, Take One, generously lent to them for the regatta by owner Kellie Knowles, Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron (RMYS) and Safety Beach Sailing Club (SBSC).

Day 1 of the regatta saw extremely light winds though the race committee still managed to squeeze in a single windward/leeward race.The yachts drifted slowly round the bay for four hours pending the start, with various competitors amusing themselves with high spirits - dancing and singing much to the entertainment of the rest of the fleet. As the race got underway, Take One held her own and was the first boat to approach the top mark. However, arriving on port tack she had to give way to the rest of the densely-packed fleet before rounding and was unable to make up the lost ground.

The wind picked up slightly on the second day and Race 2 of the regatta got off to a quick start. Take One was the lead Division 2 boat over the start line and, this time, first round the top mark but she was overtaken by Escape on the downwind leg. Take One pulled ahead of Escape again on the beat but the race ended in a slow finish when the wind died off mid-race and Escape resumed her lead downwind and across the finish line. Nevertheless, Take One finished fourth overall in the S80 class, less than 2 minutes behind the third place-getter S80 Imaginer. Expecting the day to be over, we were all thinking about champagne when the breeze filled back in and we were able to check off another two races. In Race three, Take One was again the first boat off the start line but she was unable to hold her position in the tightly-packed fleet. Again, the race ended in a slow, nail-biting finish - with no wind to speak of we crept toward the finish line inch by inch, only realizing too late that we were drifting ever closer to the committee boat.

Unable to do much to correct our course and at the mercy of the tide, Lisa and Katrina nevertheless successfully maneuvered Take One to a harrowing, slow-motion finish – missing the anchor chain of the committee boat by mere inches! A triangle fixed mark course was thrown in for variety in Race four and Take One again led the Division 2 fleet off the start line, eventually tying for 4th on AMS corrected time with Recycled Reputation, missing out on a third place finish by a scant 25 seconds.

On the final day of the regatta a 30-degree wind shift during Race 5 called for a shortened course and change of direction in the middle of the race. It was an omen of things to come, as the regatta had an exciting and dramatic end in Race 6, where in a matter of seconds the wind shifted from a comfortable 10 knots to more than 20 with upwards of 28 knot bullets.The Division 1 School’s Out crew kindly warned us of the rapidly approaching line of weather as they passed us in the opposite direction and Lisa made sure we got our heady up and spinnaker down just seconds before it hit. On the upwind leg, we noted several of the Division 1 boats on their final lap struggling with their kites and given our experience level we conservatively decided to stick with the genoa on the final downwind leg. It was a good call - with fleet spinnakers streaming from the tops of masts or buried in the water alongside hulls for some of the competitors, Take One successfully avoided all the carnage and finished unscathed.

Overall, the crew worked extremely well together in a range of conditions.

From dealing with a temperamental engine, performing onboard maintenance between races to fix the mainsail battens or jury-rig the tiller handle and rapidly responding to a snapped outhaul clew strap mid-race, the crew’s adaptability and resourcefulness was evident throughout the regatta.

Lisa’s extensive sailing experience was invaluable, mentoring the novice helm and crew throughout, while simultaneously executing tactical decisions and flying the spinnaker. Marion’s keen attention to detail saved us from a few stuff-ups with the kite and she was an all-around asset, proactively spotting problems before they became problems and able to jump in wherever needed. Helena was a stellar main trimmer and in the gusty final race, in particular, her quick reactions on the main kept us from broaching.

Lindsey got us off the start line without a hitch and efficiently adapted to changes in the plan from the afterguard. Finally, Katrina’s first time helming at AWKR was a clear success. She handled the roundups in the final race well, keeping everyone safe and onboard. Outstanding support for the team was also provided by: CYCSA Marine Academy Instructor Hugh Longbottom, who ensured the crew had as much time to train together on the water as possible and that all needed equipment and maintenance were attended to in advance; Steve Emery, who provided welcome logistics support, advice and post-race analysis;Tony Snow Belton, who kindly filled in when needed to help the team train and Robin & Jim Townsend for the use of their J24 Good Company to train on. The team would also like to thank North Haven Marine, Pacific Australia Marine Safety and Alegayter Sails for their support leading up to the event.

With many excellent starts, Take One was often one of the first Division 2 boats around the top mark, contending with the leaders of the fleet.The overall regatta winner in Division 2 on AMS and of the S80 class, skipper Maria Ferrario of the NZ crew on Escape, mentioned Take One in an interview as being a consistent presence to contend with. Overall, it was an extremely competitive S80 fleet: in the majority of the races, all twelve S80s finished within seven minutes of each other.The Take One team was competitive in several of the races, placing third on both AMS and EHC in Race 2 and earning another third on EHC in Race 5, where they trailed the second-place finisher Merak by just 13 seconds elapsed time. Considering the relative inexperience of most of the crew, and the fact that Race One of the regatta was the team’s first chance to fully sail together (for most, it was also their first time on Take One and on an S80), the team competed exceptionally well against the more experienced crews.This is undoubtedly just the beginning of many more successes to come for these women and their sailing futures!

Lindsey Fenderson

Take One

Photos courtesy of Bruno Cocozza

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MELBOURNE OSAKA CUP STORY OF THE MELBOURNE TO OSAKA RACE ON RUNAWAY As many of you would be aware Tommy (Tom Crabb) and I (Daniel Turner) recently returned from Japan after our long adventure in the 2018 Sundance Melbourne to Osaka Yacht Race. Those who followed our journey would have kept up to date with our progress.

However this is the first time we have put some words together from the race itself.

Starting from a week before the race we arrived in Melbourne for the last time to make the final preparations to the yacht before the start line and it was not long before we realised we still had a fair amount of work to do to be fully prepared. We were lucky to be joined by many friends and family who were putting in the work to assist us in making it to the start. Rations and gear were loaded, final checks and audits were completed, final fittings were secured, customs and inspections were passed plus a whole lot more.

The day before the proposed start we finally managed to leave Sandringham Yacht Club en route to Blairgowrie near the heads of Port Phillip Bay where the start was to be held off Portsea Pier. The winds were a blustery 20 knots and raining with the forecast to increase overnight to 40 plus knots. When we arrived at the marina it was evident we were going to be in for a rough start and it was eventually decided to delay the start by a day due to the forecast at Wilsons Promontory, gusting to 70 knots, and concerns that the rip would not be open. Unfortunately this meant many of the families, including our own, were not able to see us off at the start line and so we said our emotional farewells and settled into completing any final jobs that were required. It was certainly not a comfortable night on board but we were thanking our lucky stars we were not out in Bass Strait that evening.

The next day was still producing gale force winds but it was determined the rip would be open and the race would start. We left the marina in around 35 knots of wind and literally two minutes after we left the engine went into neutral and we were thinking “you have got to be kidding”! It turned out to be that one of the sails had slipped and hit the throttle into neutral so all was good - we breathed a sigh of relief. Runaway started the race with three reefs and a number five headsail which ended up still giving us plenty of drive as we pushed out past the rip, beating in large waves that were standing up and keeping us on edge. We were 100 metres or so behind Spirit of Downunder at the time and decided to follow them out as we knew they had had much more experience than us getting out of the heads in those conditions. The winds kept up around the 30 knot mark the majority of the night and was abeam of us from the south west as we passed Wilsons Promontory which allowed us to really start making use of the waves once we had the opportunity to bear away. All night we had a blast consistently doing speeds in excess of 15 knots and by the time the sun rose we were sitting in second on line honours and first on corrected time.

The following day the breeze started to die out but we maintained decent speeds with the masthead kite which ended up being one of the few times we managed to receive downwind conditions. On the night of day two our routing model showed the optimum route across the paddock from Lakes Entrance to Gabo Island along the shore in a 15 knot northerly but as we approached the land it was quickly evident there was actually very little breeze and by the following morning it had completely died out leaving us becalmed and frustrated as the boats south of us stormed up and by day three when we passed Gabo we had dropped to seventh place.

The next move was perhaps the most crucial part of the race for us. All of the models had us heading due east for two days to head across the current but the majority of the fleet appeared to be

20

staying off shore. At this point I was hesitant to commit as this was my first large offshore race navigating but Tommy backed me and so off we went. For several days we looked to be in a very average position but eventually caught the northerly current offshore and didn’t look back! Although we were hard on the breeze we were consistently achieving speeds in excess of ten knots over the ground which was extremely weird as it felt sluggish in the sea state which was like a washing machine with current against the wind. By the time we reached Brisbane we were back in third place on line honours and first on corrected time and was about the same time we noticed a low forming in Northern Queensland which ended up forming into Cyclone Iris and heading our way. The committee ultimately made the decision for competitors to postpone racing if they were not out of the cyclone’s projected path which most competitors chose to do for safety reasons.

Whilst this was the right decision we were disappointed as we were continually gaining distance on the fleet behind us but we still had the opportunity to get an amazing ride leading up to this time with the boat consistently planing at over 20 knots. When the wind starting picking up a bit of decision-making was done as to the best place to head to for shelter and it was decided we would head for Bundaberg. In the end we were glad we had not pressed on any further as we were getting gusts in excess of 50 knots in the hours before arriving. We also had a close shave with a large P&O cruise ship which we had not noticed on AIS in the terrible conditions.

After receiving a radio call from the Captain and seeing a large shape coming out of the pelting rain we quickly threw in a gybe which was quite hairy in 40 knots of wind and a large sea state.

We eventually made it to safety and were happy to be on shore out of the conditions with no damage to the boat and managed to make the Queensland News as the crazy sailors out in the cyclone. The following day we were joined by Matrix Reloaded, a class 40, which had sustained some damage and had to spend the majority of their time doing repairs prior to the restart. As it turned out we only had to wait one more day before we were able to set off again albeit in gale conditions.

The next few days were challenging with slightly cracked sheets in breezes that just did not seem to ever give up from the cyclone which had been downgraded to a tropical low. Eventually it eased as we approached the Louisiade Archipelago and it was good to start drying the body out again. Several days stuck in our wet weather gear had led to us both getting some sort of tropical skin infection so it was good to finally start drying out. Itchy...

Our strategy for the days leading up to the Louisiades was to stay low and get to the inside of the low pressure system which ended up paying off as we were able to continue moving albeit slowly in the lighter airs and also receive advantage from some following current which allowed us to overtake Matrix Reloaded once again.

From here we started trekking through the Solomon Sea in light conditions with squalls. The heat really picked up at this stage and we started spending the days under a make shift canopy to stay out of the heat of the sun. The conditions started to become challenging and saw us becalmed for hours at a time. Our strategy here was to get in close to Bougainville to get out of the current which was flowing quite strongly against us. This turned out to be a an interesting decision as we approached the northern end of the island. On one morning while I was sleeping I was woken by Tommy who advised we were being approached by two local fishing boats.

I had a look at them and my first thought was “bloody hell this is going to end up like Captain Phillips” and had a quick look around to see what I could grab if things went pear shaped. I asked Tommy what his thoughts were and as always he was calm and said “yeah these guys will be alright”. The two boats tied up to either side of us and one of the men who did all the communicating said, “we don’t want to hurt you but we would like you to give us some things...”

He started looking around at all the electronics and asked for a lot of items but we kept insisting that we needed them for the race we were in. The negotiations of what we were to give them went on for a while and in the end we decided that we had just the thing. So, I went downstairs and picked up a heap of packaged beef jerky we were not eating as we had been provided with some better quality jerky prior to departing Melbourne.

They seemed content with the jerky and after I exchanged fake numbers and contact details (as I believe they wanted to start some kind of business venture) they were on their way. The only issue was the wind had completely died out at that point and we could see them in the distance for hours as we were becalmed which didn’t make us feel particularly comfortable.

We finally started moving again and got in a few miles overnight only to be becalmed again near Nissan Island. It seemed to take forever to get from here to the Feni Islands which was only around 30nm

away. Over a period of 24 hours we had only managed to put in 60 nautical miles which I think was our slowest period for the trip.

From here we moved into the doldrums which, as to be expected, was a frustrating period of time. As we crossed the equator the wind just kept disappearing in front of us and it wasn’t until we finally got to five degrees north again that we finally ended up back in consistent winds. To make matters worse our autopilot stopped working and hand steering in frustrating conditions certainly began to take its toll as the days progressed. The crossing was certainly a highlight enough, though even if I was made to dress in a baby outfit! The doldrums is such a strange and eerie place. We were visited by birds who stayed on board for days at a time. There were huge schools of tuna and squid you could see moving about in the fluorescent plankton, schools of jumping sharks and crazy weather systems that seemed to have a vendetta against us. There was one storm that literally came at us time and time again. It would smash us for about 15 minutes before doing a big loop and come back to smash us again. In the end it became a bit of a joke as each shift went on seeing the storm coming back in for another go. We eventually made it back into the trade winds but the storms did not let up for days. The nights were the most difficult because of the darkness and at times it was difficult to anticipate an oncoming squall.

From here we started to head into the Federated States of Micronesia and our path saw us coming alongside a group of islands at Chuuk. We had an encounter with another fishing vessel there but these guys simply came to see what we were up to, gave us a thumbs up and continued on their way. We hit another storm as we passed this group of islands which ended up pushing us off course forcing us to bear away for a number of miles to go below a large atoll and Ulul Island. By this time Matrix Reloaded had taken off from us as the trade winds suited their boat well and we had begun a battle with Spirit of Downunder which took us all the way to the finish line.

Our path saw us head north of Guam but south of Saipan and the breeze started settling into quite a consistent 15 knots which was great as it finally allowed us to get some rest. Tommy had made up an emergency autopilot system which enabled us to have some

Runaway crossing the equator

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MELBOURNE TO OSAKA RACE ON time away from steering. One night we had a funny encounter with a large, ugly and quite aggressive bird that wanted its own space on board. I had a bit of a laugh downstairs when I heard a lot of commotion on deck when Tommy ended up getting attacked by the thing. The bird had decided it didn’t like our plotter so it started pecking away at it. Tommy tried pushing it away but that only fired the bird up even more and so it turned its anger onto him and started biting Tommy. The two really didn’t like each other but in the end the bird found its own spot on our foredeck and despite it making a mess on board neither of us wanted to go up to disturb it in case we got attacked. We certainly weren’t upset when it finally decided to take off the following day.

As we approached the final week we were sitting in fifth place on line honours and second overall on corrected time but it was about then we realised the weather gods were not going to help us to the finish. There was a large high parked over the northern Philippine Sea with no way around and to make things worse we still had to cross the Kuroshio Current which runs up to four knots. We had big concerns this was going to send us way off course in the light airs if we didn’t have enough speed to go through it and as we approached we just hoped that our decision about how we were to cross it would pay off. The current was about 30 nautical miles wide and we were lucky enough to have around ten knots of breeze during this time which ended up dying out just as we got to the northern end.

The next couple of days were very light as we worked our way up to Osaka and as we approached land things became even more challenging as a huge amount of traffic started crossing us. We had to be on our game at all times, and although we could see many of the ships on AIS, it was the smaller vessels that were more concerning to us as they could not be contacted by radio and were also difficult to see. Eventually we made our way into Kiisuido around 30 nautical miles behind Spirit of Downunder. We managed to sneak up the eastern coastline out of the current and by the time we entered

22

Tom Crabb and Daniel Turner, well deserved post-race celebration

Osaka Bay we had managed to shorten that distance to less than ten nautical miles. In the end it turned out to be a sprint to the finish but time got us in the end and we finished up around 15 minutes and four nautical miles behind. With a countback from the cyclone postponement earlier in the race it put us three hours in front of them which gave us fourth overall on line honours.

Unfortunately for us, the yachts behind came up with a strong following wind over the coming days which saw us drop to fourth overall on corrected time as well. Despite just falling out of a podium position we were extremely happy with how we sailed in the race.

Looking back on it, given the hand we were dealt, we really could not fault the majority of our navigational decisions and we gave it 100% the whole way which is all we could ask for. We proved the boat is able to mix with anyone and she performed well above her size as always.

When we arrived we were met by family and a large group of people to see us in and had the most amazing welcome party we could have possibly asked for. We were so happy to share our achievement with everyone and it really made the whole trip worthwhile. There was of course plenty more still to happen once we arrived but that is a story for another day.

Team Runaway would again like to thank everyone who supported our campaign and helped us make the finish line. Without your assistance this dream would not have been possible and Tommy, myself and our families are very grateful for that. Now that Runaway is home and we have successfully achieved our goal she is on the market to make the next owner’s dream become a reality.

Daniel Turner, Owner of Runaway

CRUISE | KANGAROO ISLAND IN A DAY

As regular readers would know Kangaroo Island, or “KI” as we South Australians call it, is one of my favourite places. I feel very fortunate to have such an interesting and beautiful destination only 20 nautical miles away and I’ve made several dozen sailing trips there.Yet I’ve never considered a day trip; till now.

The 40-mile round trip is not an excessive amount of sailing for one day. Long-distance cruisers would think nothing of it, providing of course one can maintain a decent boat speed. It is undoubtedly the capricious Backstairs Passage, the stretch of water that separates the Island from the mainland, that turns people off. However, with the right conditions, it is loads of fun. We had those conditions on this occasion.

Let me describe the perfect conditions first though. Penneshaw on the island lies 20 nautical miles south west of Wirrina Cove on the mainland. Rapid Head is the only land mass that prevents a straight shot between the two points. The perfect wind is a moderate breeze from the south-east, say 15 knots, permitting a beam reach in each direction. On a weather map there is likely to be a high pressure located well east of KI. The perfect swell is less than one metre likely from west or south-west. The perfect time coincides with an ebb time in the outbound direction and a flood tide for the return.

We slowed down once in the lee of the Fleurieu Penisula but nevertheless took advantage of the gully winds as we passed coastal valleys by keeping close to shore. By 16:40 we were back at Wirrina Cove. We’d shaved over an hour off on the return sailing 22 nautical miles in two hours 53 minutes and averaging 7.6 knots. Overall we had sailed 47 nautical miles, spent approximately seven hours at sea and one hour on Kangaroo Island.

Everyone agreed this was an awesome day trip and something we plan to repeat regularly.

Alan Noble Powered-up gennaker in 20 knots wind.

Note the spray!

On this occasion we had everything except for the south-easterly wind in the morning. With crew Nick and Byron, we departed Wirrina Cove at 08:37. Light variable winds meant it took us almost four hours and 25 nautical miles to get to Penneshaw averaging 6.2 knots. We motor-sailed to keep our speed up arriving at charming little Christmas Cove at 12:40.

It’s a brisk five minute walk to the iconic Penneshaw Hotel which I heartily recommend.

Our perfectly timed lunch break gave the tides time to turn. Low tide was at 11:30 so the flood tide was in full swing by the time we departed at 13:47. Even better, the forecast south-east wind had finally kicked in, averaging 20 knots. We unfurled the gennaker and screamed across a flat Backstairs Passage, wind and tide aligned, averaging over eight knots in the Passage and frequently exceeding ten knots.

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CRUISING UPDATE CRUISING ASSOCIATION UPDATE The aim of the Cruising Association is to promote the enjoyment and use of sailing and powerboats among all members of our Club.

We do this by organising ‘Cruise in Company’ events throughout the season, mainly on long weekends (weather permitting), to various local gulf destinations. We encourage the sharing of information among members through various social activities including our BYO everything Second Saturday of the month barbecues.

Perhaps best of all however is that you don’t have to do anything to become a member of the Cruising Association. It is your participation in the events we organise where you will have fun. If we can help make your time on the water enjoyable and safe then we have achieved our goal.

NEXT 2ND SATURDAY BBQ Our racing community have a break before the start of their summer season in October but our cruisers start early with the Second Saturday of the Month BYO everything BBQs commencing on 8 September. Hope to see you there.

KEEP UP TO DATE Just a reminder to all Club members that you can keep up to date with all cruising events and activities at: sa_cruisers@googlegroups.com

WINTER UPDATE

Happy cruising!

I have noticed a few cruising boats out on the water over winter.

Some have gone out for a day sail whilst others have sailed further afield.

Adrian Wotton, Chairman Cruising Association

My yacht, School’s Out, returned home one week late from the Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta in Melbourne due to some nasty weather in the Southern Ocean. On the return delivery I can honestly say I have never felt colder at sea. A three-day stopover in Port Fairy was the saving grace. It is a beautiful seaside town with lots of great restaurants and, most importantly, hot showers at the Harbour Master’s office.

The October Long Weekend sail across the gulf is always a great way to shake out the cobwebs. The Club usually has a good fleet sailing to Port Vincent so keep an eye on Club emails or online calendar as details firm up.

Port Fairy

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Photos by Adrian Wotton

SCHOOL’S OUT

...

The Yacht Youth Cruising Trophy

The skipper of School’s Out, our Club’s Rear-Commodore Adrian Wotton, was recently awarded The Yacht Youth Cruising Trophy at the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron for his wonderful cruise to the Whitsunday Islands and return in 2017.

The trophy is named after the cruising yacht Youth originally built by and skippered in a remarkable 18 year global cruising marathon by Alan Quigley. It is open to members of any South Australian yacht club and the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron is custodian of the trophy.

The Award Criteria “The Trophy shall be awarded annually for personal achievement in cruising, with regard for seamanship, and which demonstrates personal endeavour and enterprise. A critical factor in assessing entries shall be the degree to which it is evident that the experience has not simply increased the skills of the entrant, but has significantly changed the entrant’s view and perception of self (eg enhancing self confidence or self reliance, or increased self awareness of some propensity of character) to the enrichment of the entrant’s future capacity for experiencing his/her life.” From Erik Mack’s original deed establishing the Youth Trophy, 1987.

School’s Out

The Assessment Criteria To win this trophy the skipper needs to demonstrate the magnitude of achievement in terms of: •

personal endeavour and enterprise

•

enhanced perception of self

•

enrichment of capacity for experiencing life

•

adequacy of preparations for cruising.

Also taken into consideration is the skipper’s enhancement of seamanship and other skills especially in dealing with unusual and challenging events and situations before and during the cruise.

At a presentation dinner at the RSAYS on Saturday 21 July Adrian accepted the award and proceeded to give a thoroughly enjoyable and informative account of his life changing adventure. Adrian’s crew was very excited to hear his commitment to a repeat voyage in 2019!

I would like to congratulation Adrian on the award of this wonderful trophy. His cruise to Hamilton Island and return is covered in a number of articles in recent Groundswells.

RSAYS Commodore, Bruce Roach, presents Adrian Wotton with the Yacht “Youth” Cruising Trophy.

Kerry Parker

NEW MEMBERS Over the last three months the following people have joined the Club.

Please make them welcome.

Ioanis Anargyros Nicola Jane Barker Bonifcicio (Ben) Barletta Simon Baronaitis Christopher Bass Kevin Leo Bunting Savas Christodoulou Peter Colin Codrington

Vincent Debono David Deere Brian Eacott Colin Edwards Angelo Ellul Gregory Galpin Marton Goldschmidt Finn Whitingten Healey

Cameron Howlett Nicole Huzzell Ryan Huzzell Allan George Jakobsson John Jeffrey Michael Kazantzis Carlos Ruben Lauthier Wendt Lenard William Lloyd Joseph Mannarino Charles Mason Leslie Mattin Brenton Potts Samantha Potts Peter Rideout

Edward Rock Bernie Rowsell Zeljko Simek Otto Siviero Dariusz Stokowski Peter Summerton Kim Phuang Tang Thi Huong Tran Sandy Werner Don Williams Vanessa Wyrley-Birch

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CYCSA STAFF PROFILE Who wouldn’t want to be part of the CYCSA...

When offered the opportunity to work at the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia it seemed like a perfect fit - to review hospitality service and offering at the Club, improve internal and external relationships, increase brand awareness and communications along with functions and events… and more.

With over 20+ years experience in customer service, marketing and business both locally, nationally and internationally, I feel I can work with the Club to improve some of the key elements of the business, building from a great foundation.

The Club has a great team and to be part of the next chapter is exciting. To date we have cemented the team in the kitchen and are currently recruiting for front of house staff to enhance and provide outstanding service to members and public alike.

Some aesthetic changes have already taken place to the décor with the addition of plants, flowers and mood lighting. We have also taken steps towards running a more environmentally friendly business to help reduce the impact on the environment and preserve natural resources; starting with eco-friendly straws.

I look forward to returning from an overseas trip from the Mediterranean where I am gathering fresh ideas to bring back to the Club. It was exciting to visit the St Tropez Yacht Club which opened only just over 12 months ago and has 50 members. I appreciate their hospitality. They have a stunning club, facilities and of course, gorgeous marina views.

Since being at the CYCSA, I have met a number of locals and members and look forward to meeting many more of you at the Club soon.

Susan Laird CYCSA Events, Marketing & Membership Services

The Ghan 2019/20 season on sale now!

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Booking Conditions and Phil Hoffmann Travel Schedule of Professionalism applies. E&OE GROUNDSWELL-GSR-AUG

To advertise in Groundswell, contact Mellissa in the Club office for details or go to the CYCSA website

26

From a small idea grew a huge night thanks to our Club Treasurer, Domenic Rinaldi. That is how Italian Night came to be and it was a SOLD OUT EVENT! More than 250 guests enjoyed a three-course Italian menu plus entertainment along with local identity, our Master of Ceremonies for the evening, Chris Dittmar, who interviewed a couple of Club legends, Geoff Boettcher (Secret Mens Business) and Daniel Turner (Runaway) who are well known to the Club for their sailing experiences.

The event gave Daniel Turner an ideal opportunity to catch up with fellow Club members and give a report on the Melbourne Osaka Race that both he and Tom Crabb recently competed in and he spoke about the race, preparation and post-race celebrations.

Commodore Geoff Boettcher with Chris Dittmar

Chris also interviewed veteran skipper, our Commodore Geoff Boettcher, about his Sydney to Hobart campaigns, yachting in general and his role as our Commodore.

Throughout the night guests were entertained by Italian entertainer, Angelo Zotti, who brought the event to life with guests joining in singing and dancing throughout the evening.

Raffle tickets were sold which raised nearly $500 towards supporting Junior Sailing and Racing at the Club.

Club events like these would not be possible without the support of our Key Sponsors and we thank Stellar Hospitality, Rinaldi & Co Chartered Accountants and Georges Wines.

So, what’s next? For more on upcoming events being held at the Club simply go online at: www.cycsa.com.au/news Susan Laird CYCSA Events, Marketing & Membership Services

Susan Laird presenting prizes, with a happy winner

Daniel Turner with Chris Dittmar

27

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28 *Terms and conditions apply. *Terms and conditions apply.

Friday 27 July saw the CYCSA Function Room dressed for Christmas and packed to the brim with 180+ eager quiz contenders.

After a festive Christmas buffet and a quick trip to the bar, our Rear Commodore and MC for the evening, Adrian Wotton, introduced the vivacious Quiz-Master Anne ‘Willsy’ Wills OAM, who proceeded to kick off the first round of general knowledge questions.

With pen and paper at the ready, each table captain collated answers and after six sets of questions comprising of pop culture, movies, general knowledge, geography, politics and sport, a needed break for dessert and a few spot-prizes.... ‘Oi!’ questions starting with a “Who am I?”, the outcome was three winning tables, several random winners of wine and an all-round fun and frivolous night had by all!

The Winners were: 1st Prize: Team ‘SYNT’ on Table 6 winning a Premium Wine Tour with Baileys Limousines 2nd Prize: Team ‘SOMB’ on Table 2 winning 10 CYCSA dining vouchers valued at $50 each 3rd Prize: Team ‘The Barnacles’ on Table 19 winning a Premium bottle of 12 Yr Angustura Rum Thanks go out to Anne Wills for her brilliant quiz master skills and bubbly personality - such a fabulous drawcard for the event Trent at A Touch of Elegance for the wonderful lighting provided, Adrian Wotton for being a super MC, Jacq and Marty Heffernan for their generous assistance and Karen Johns for her creativity, time and support.

Oh and to the guys on Table 14, Team ‘Harem’ who won the Wooden Spoon Mystery Prize - thanks for being great sports.

We hope you enjoy your assortment of TimTams!

See you all at Quizmas 2019!

Morag Draper

MC Adrian Wotton prize presenting with Anne ‘Willsy’ Wills OAM

Last years grand prize winners. Shows the happy crowd outside the hotel; Colleen, Neil,Tetyana, John, Stephen, Louise,Tina, Peter,Teresa and Inese, all eagerly awaiting the pleasures of the day; Barossa wine tour by limo.

Ciaron Cowley accepting the grand prize for the ‘SYNT’ Team

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Please support our Club Sponsors Are you planning your next corporate function in the Adelaide region?

Look no further than the CYCSA, complete with panoramic views of our marina & ample free car parking. Ideal for all Corporate Events Meetings | Conferences | Networking Events | Team Building & More. ph: (08) 8248 4222 | w: cycsa.com.au | e: functions@cycsa.com.au

Cruising Yacht Club of SA Port Vincent Marina

Platinum

Gold

Silver

Safe, Convenient & Affordable Looking for a great spot to berth your boat for a night, a week, or a little longer?

Port Vincent Marina accomodates both small and large boats. A destination for large boats heading over from Adelaide and smaller trailerable boats can avoid the daily hassle of the busy boat ramp, enquire now.

Corporate

Located on the Yorke Peninsula Phone: 0414 611 110 | Rob, Marina Manager Email: reception@cycsa.com.au Website: www.cycsa.com.au

The perfect venue for your special day...

Club Supporters Canegrass Saltbush Lamb Formula Motor Group GDB Services Living Colour Plants R Marine | Riviera The Watershed CafĂŠ Unforgettable Houseboats

Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia 30

BERTHS FOR SALE OR LEASE AT THE CYCSA FOR SALE

Marina East 8m twin: C06, C07, F01, F02 - from $35,000 C10 - $25,000, C13 - $33,000 10m twin: A09, A10, A14, A28, A29, A34, A40, F04, F15 - from $33,000 A27 - All offers considered A30 - Reduced to $10,000 10m single: A11 - Reduced to $30,000 A01, A02, A03, A12 - from $50,000 A04, A25, F07 - All offers considered 12m twin: D35, D38, E13, E16 12m single: D08, D10, D17, D18, D21, D23, E01, E10 - from $60,000 E32- reduced to $55,000 E04, E05, E22, E23 - All offers considered 13m twin: C23 - $75,000 13m single: C19 - $105,000 14m single: A46, C25, C27, C30 - All offers considered 15m single: A47, B36, C34, C35 - from $145,000 B26 - $120,000 ono B25, B31, C37 - All offers considered 16m single: B15 - All offers considered B20 - $159,000 B17 - $155,000 ono (will consider offers) 18m single: B01 - $290,000 20m single: A49 - $290,000

FOR LEASE

Marina East 8m twin: C03, C07*, C10, C11, F02 10m twin: A09*, A14*, A15, A21, A22, A29, F14, F15*, F19, F23, F31 11m twin: C15 12m single: D02, E22*, E33 12m twin: D35*, D37, E13*, E15, E24* 15m single: B24, C35*, C38 16m single: B17* 22m T Head: C42 Marina West (all single berths) 11m: M01*, M03* 14m: M07* 15m: M08* 17m: J04, J20 20m: K02, K04, K07*, K08*, K15 25m: M14* 27m: M16* 30m: K16* Hardstand 9m: 7 12m: 111, 113*

FOR SALE

Marina West (all single berths) 11m single: M03 – suitable for a catamaran - $80,000 M01: - All offers considered 14m: M07 - All offers considered 15m: N03 - $150,000 M08 - All offers considered 17m: J19, J20 - from $150,000 J10 - $165,000 J08, J09, J12 - All offers considered 18m: M10 - $250,000 20m: K06, K07, K08, L02 - from $135,000 K01, K10 - All offers considered 25m: M14 - $290,000 27m: M16 - All offers considered 30m: K16 - $475,000 Hardstand 9m: 26, 39, 51, 68, 73, 90, 93 - from $3,300 52, 86 - All offers considered 10m: 106, 132, 140,144,146,147,150 - from $4,500 H35 - All offers considered 12m: 113, 114 - from $6,500 H124 - Reduced to $5,500 H127 - All offers considered Port Vincent 10m twin: A07, A23 - $12,000 A21 - Reduced to $6,000 A09, A18 - All offers considered 12m twin: B33, C60 - from $28,000 B39 - Reduced to $1 B37 - Reduced to $9,990 B29, B34, B38 - All offers considered 12m single: B44, B45, B46 - from $39,000 C48, C68 - Reduced to $22,000 14m single: D70, D78 - from $45,000 15m single: D87- All offers considered D89 - $50,000 D83 - All reasonable offers considered 20m T-head: A12 - $200,000 24m T-head: C58 - $199,000

CONTACTS

Berth Sales and Leasing Jenny Krogdahl t: 8248 4222 e: jenny@cycsa.com.au Port Vincent: Rob Marner PV Marina Manager t: 0414 611 110 All prices include GST *Denotes berth for sale and lease.

All listings correct as at time of printing.

NOTES ON PURCHASING/SELLING BERTHS

As per Marina Berth Agreement, a 10% commission is payable by the vendor on all berth sales. See Club website for further information.

PORT ADELAIDE BOATFEST 13-14 OCTOBER 2018 The Port Adelaide Wooden and Heritage Boat festival, which will be known as the “Port Adelaide Boatfest” is an exciting opportunity to celebrate the past, present and future of the Port of Adelaide. This is an exciting and much welcomed opportunity to bring boats back to Port Adelaide and demonstrate all that our historic and appealing harbour has to offer. Along with the on-water and on-land exhibitions and events, the festival is a celebration of community, kinship and diversity.

BACKGROUND: After 10 years of lobbying, a wooden boat festival has finally received approval to be held in the Inner Harbour at Port Adelaide with the Port Adelaide Sailing Club acting as host.

EVENT DETAILS: To be held within the historic Inner Harbour of the Port of Adelaide this two day festival will bring together a large and beautiful collection of boats from stunning sail boats, large and small, rugged working boats and incredibly detailed model boats. Along with the exhibition of these beautiful boats, the festival will feature a tantalizing combination of incredible food, live entertainment, demonstrations and displays.

YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO BE PART OF HISTORY: Register your boat! For a unique opportunity to display your vessel in the historic Port of Adelaide.Exciting events both on-land and on-water in our maritime heartland. Be a part of the inaugural celebration of our maritime history.

Hosted by Port Adelaide Sailing Club. For further information: www.portadelaideboatfest.com.au

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