Tiding Magazine - June Edition by Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club

JUNE 2017

2017 WOMEN’S KEELBOAT STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS VICTORIAN DRAGON STATE CHAMPIONS MIRSKY OFF TO MARSTRAND

IMAGE © RICK STEUART | PERTH SAILING PHOTOGRAPHY

CONTENTS JUNE 2017

Westcoaster 60’

$989,900

Originally launched in 2004, this substantial explorer was refurbished and relaunched in 2011 with a luxury interior providing a three cabin layout with a full beam master suite, guest suit and forward bunk room. Complete with two bathrooms, a spacious saloon and dinette. Caterpillar power.

Adam Scahill

0419 847 439

Precision 17m

$849,000 Maritimo C50

A UNIQUE AND HIGHLY DESIRABLE VESSEL. Completely reconstructed with the best of everything including new 1001Hp Caterpillar engines that have recorded only 257 hours of local use and supported by twin generators for all onboard systems. This iconic high performace design is highly sought after.

Jamie Dodd

$759,000

NEWS FROM OUR FLAG OFFICERS Dean McAullay – Commodore Gary McNally – Vice Commodore Luke Paterson – Rear Commodore Sail Evan Moore – Rear Commodore Juniors Lloyd Clark – Rear Commodore Power

This twin shaft drive vessel is powered by the upgraded 715Hp Caterpillar diesels and provides a top speed exceeding 30 knots whilst comfotable cruising at 25 knots. Digital controls and both bow and stern thrusters make handling a breeze coupled with Simrad touchscreen electronics for your navigation.

0418 819 181 Jamie Dodd

0418 819 181

16 7 VOLUNTEERING 9

Searay 52’

$549,500 Riviera 51’

The interior is finished in rich gloss timber with faun leather and offers three cabins, two bathrooms and a mezzanine galley with great refrigeration. With a top speed of 30 knots and a comfortable cruising speed at 23 knots you will be more than pleased with the Cummins 660Hp diesel engines. Onan Gen.

Adam Scahill

Brady Cat 43’

0419 847 439 Jamie Dodd

$449,900

Custom built in Geraldton, Western Australia by commercial shipwrights for survey and used by the original owner since without doing any commercial work. The massive beam provides an enormous amount of deck space and the volumtious interior makes the perfect home away from home with a spacious saloon and two large cabins and bathrooms.

Adam Scahill

Harriscraft 45’

0419 847 439

$254,900

This is the one you dream of when constructing the perfect boat in your head, only its real and available now. Completely rebuilt in 2008 with all new engineering including a 650Hp Scania straight out of the box with only 239 hours use since installation. Auxillary power is provided by an Aqua-Volt 8.5Kva.

Adam Scahill

0419 847 439

$699,900 Halvorsen 70’

This superb 2007 model Riviera was delivered new to WA and is complete with all essential extras uncluding a full length cockpit awning with side clears and a fore-deck mounted tender with davit. the luxurious interior has air-conditioning, a three cabin, two bathroom layout and a sumptous saloon.

Riviera 43’

0418 819 181 Jamie Dodd

$349,500 Sea Ray 46’

Providing a luxurious two cabin, two bathroom layout with rich Cherrywood gloss timber finishes and cream leather furnishings, this impressive vessel will appeal to buyers wanting the best of everything. Power is provided by twin 480Hp Volvo diesels with support provided by a 9.5Kva Kohler generator. Teak decks, cockpit awning + tender and davit.

Jamie Dodd

Sealine F42

0418 819 181

Adam Scahill

0419 847 439

0418 819 181

$199,900

If your looking for a big volume cruiser with spacious entertaining areas and loads of seating then this sports cruiser is the one to have. Powered by twin 450Hp Cummins diesels with shaft drives for effortless cruising and assisted by a bow thruster for easy manoeuvering. The sumptous interior offers accomodation for six with two cabins.

Adam Scahill

$245,900 Wellcraft 35’

The Sealine 42’ is a well designed luxurious modern powerboat with innovative design features. Sealine’s patented extendable cockpit allows the owner to expand the deck space while out of the dock. This feature allows for reduced pen fee’s saving you money. A large flybridge with plenty of seating.

$495,000

Classical craftmanship coupled with rich timber finishes distinguish this timeless motor yacht from more modern examples and the Halvorsen heritage is evident throughout this substancial long rang, live aboard vessel. Constructed in 1976 from double diagonal and triple diagonal Oregon.

0419 847 439

$159,900

This late model off-shore performer is extremely well balanced and provides comfotable, no-fuss cruising at 30 knots with sprint speed of 48 knots when asked. The impressive three meter beam provides ample deck space and solid stability at rest. Renowned all over the world for their quality.

Jamie Dodd

VICTORIAN DRAGON STATE CHAMPIONSHIP Geoff Totterdell

Mirsky Racing Team has secured one of the final spots available for Marstrand and Match Cup Sweden, page 11.

11 GOTHENBURG MATCH CUP Lachy Gilmour

34 MID-WEEK SAILING Brian Cain

13 2017 WOMEN’S KEELBOAT STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS Adele Jackson

37 ON BEHALF OF THE BELLA GIOIA Ross Norgard

16 IN THE WAKE OF CAPTAIN STIRLING Mike Lefroy 23 REAR COMMODORE MARK LAYING Bryan Thurstan

38 ASTERN – OUR GREEK ODYSSEY Basil and Jenny Twine 41 ASTERN – FROM THE ARCHIVES Basil Twine

25 VALE – KEITH BARRY CLIFFORD

43 THE BOSUN’S LOCKER – AROUND THE GROUNDS Nathan Stronach

26 TRAVELS TO NORTHERN IRELAND Brian McConnell

44 JUNIOR PRIZE NIGHT

29 COUTA BOAT FLEET Peter Ferry

46 MEMBERSHIP – NEW CLUB MEMBERS 47 TRAVEL GRANTS INFORMATION

31 RFBYC SAILING INSTITUTE Susan Ghent

48 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

CLUB STAFF Chief Executive Officer Accountant Communications Yachting Operations Mgr Sailing Administrator Yachting Operations Assistant Dinghy/Junior Club Power Administrator Membership Accounts Assistant Administration Assistant Bosun Receptionist

0418 819 181

45 CHAMPIONS PRIZE NIGHT

Paul Bayliss Catherine Ramsey Deb Hanrahan Debbie Blaauw Sharon Skinner Jenn Suffield Casey Walsh Susan Ghent Karen Ozkara Zoe Rostron Nathan Stronach Pauline Rhodes

FLAG OFFICERS Dean McAullay - commodore@rfbyc.asn.au Gary McNally - vicecommodore@rfbyc.asn.au Luke Paterson - rearcommsail@rfbyc.asn.au Evan Moore - rearcommjuniors@rfbyc.asn.au Lloyd Clark - rearcommpower@rfbyc.asn.au GROUNDS STAFF Timothy Donahue, Laurie Martin, Shane Ramsey, Joel Sheppard PUBLICATION Registered by Australia Post Publication No 63312300018 To contribute or advertise in the next issue send your copy by Friday 4 August 2017 to pr@rfbyc.asn.au CONTACT US Keane’s Point, Peppermint Grove Western Australia T +61 8 9286 8200 www.rfbyc.asn.au rfbyc@rfbyc.asn.au

We value our members’ opinions. Feel free to send any comments, suggestions and feedback to rfbyc@rfbyc.asn.au

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MEMBERSHIP MATTERS As we flow in to the winter months there is still plenty of activity at the Club. On the water the Power season is well underway and both dinghies and keelboats have begun their winter racing. The keen St Ayles Skiff team are still out rowing in the mornings too. Plenty to do shore side with Tribute Nights, the new Trilogy of Wine Dinners and the popular Themed Dinner evenings on Wednesdays. Stay tuned to Gybe Sheet, our Club weekly email news sent out on Thursday afternoons. See you at the Club.

rfbyc.asn.au Get involved in Club activities There are lots of great activities to get involved in at the Club and we are always looking for volunteers. Would you like to be part of our regatta volunteer team? Perhaps the article in this edition of Tidings will inspire you. Various positions are available including start team, mark laying, radio operators and canteen helpers. Let us know if you would like to be trained for an on-water role, courses are being planned. Get in touch with the Yachting Operations Team for more information. Winter Courses Been thinking of becoming a sailing Instructor or wanting to gain your Recreational Skippers Ticket? Perhaps your Provide First Aid qualifications need updating? A number of courses will be held over the winter months. You’ll find information on the ‘What’s on Water’ page in this edition. Crewing on Yachts The Frostbite Series is a great time to have a go at crewing on yachts. The conditions are often light on those lovely Perth winter days. RFBYC’s Crew Experience Program is aimed at matching yacht owners with crew members interested in participating in racing. Find the information on the Club website under the tabs, Participate – Crewing or get in touch with our Sailing Administrator (Sharon).

Membership Enquiries Membership enquiry packs are available from reception or at the main noticeboard pigeon holes. You can also find all of the information including our benefits of membership table and handy question & answer sheet on the Club website under the tab ‘participate’. Contact the Membership Coordinator (Susan) with any questions. Our Club relies on the support of membership to continue to provide a wonderful facility and lots of great activities. Please encourage others to respect our Club by becoming a member.

DEAN McAULLAY COMMODORE

HIS AUTUMN’S “INDIAN SUMMER” has been very kind to us in terms of temperature and conditions which allow us to take advantage of the wonderful facilities at the Club and of the activities membership provides.

April and May marked the end of another successful sailing season together with the commencement of the Club’s power boat activities. And with the Frostbite Series for keelboats and Dinghy Winter Series, activity appears to take place with barely a pause. Sailing Prize Night and Dinghy Prize Night were both successfully and enjoyably conducted and Power Opening Day enjoyed fantastic weather which saw the main wharf host a capacity number of boats rafted up to see in the new season of time trialling and other activities. Our Club also played a large part in the annual Yachting WA awards with many members being nominated across all categories and success in many of the awards. Once again, our Club was recognised as Club of the Year for Western Australia and all members can be proud of this achievement. Autumn also sees the Club’s ANZAC Day Dawn Service. This is a moving event which truly epitomises the spirit and culture of our Club. Several members have played significant roles in coordinating this event and ensuring that the Club acknowledges the importance of this day in our nation’s history and the connection of our Club and its members over time. We can be very proud of the display of re-

spect and thankfulness of our servicemen and women. The RFBYC Sailing Institute has gone from a strong beginning 12 months ago to an outstanding success this year. To see so many of our Junior sailors take part and being exposed to different aspects of the sport of sailing is very encouraging. One of the key elements is having the older participants being involved as coaches and mentors to the younger sailors. This has been very well received by all involved and has certainly been noticed by external groups and sailors. The success of this program is widely acknowledged and I congratulate all of those involved in making this happen. Finally I would like to give an update on the situation with some important Club Capital Works/Maintenance projects which are being planned and implemented by General Committee. The Junior/Dinghy Clubhouse Redevelopment Project is progressing well. The scope, location and associated design and planning items have been considered by a working group and their findings are now being developed into some concept drawings and preliminary plans. The next step (currently underway) is to obtain some more detailed costings and to assess the options available to ensure we meet the needs of the Club users together with producing the building within an accept-

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able budget parameter. We expect the concept plans will allow financing options to be considered and the project to move into the next stage of planning which will include consultation and input from members. Another significant project on the agenda is the remedial works for C Jetty. A section of the jetty to the north of the T junction (which includes the Start Box) requires some replacement of the structure and decking. We are currently assessing the extent of the works and the best plan to minimise the impact of the works on pen holders and users. The current thinking is that this will take place within the next two to three years. The next two projects being implemented and considered are the refurbishment of the Men’s toilets in the main Clubhouse and the enhancement of the Athol Hobbs Room upstairs in the Clubhouse. The Men’s toilets were last modified over twenty years ago and require some remedial work in relation to the existing ablution fixtures together with aging decor that requires greater maintenance and cleaning. General Committee sees this as an opportunity to undertake the remedial work as well as bring the overall standard of the facility up to a level that is comparable to other areas of the Clubhouse. If possible, this work will take place over the next few

months to be ready for the summer sailing season. The Athol Hobbs Room is currently under-utilised as a function space. This is for a number of reasons but primarily it is the lack of easy access for mobility impaired members and efficient service of food and beverage. As part of the Roland Smith Ballroom redevelopment, a lift shaft was constructed in anticipation of this requirement in the future. We also believe an upstairs toilet and service area would greatly enhance the functionality of room. We are looking at the initial planning of the changes and envisage that this project will take some time to get underway. General Committee sees these projects as essential maintenance and development of the existing facilities which will allow greater longevity and enjoyment of the Club. Rest assured that myself and the Committee will be updating members whenever possible. Just a reminder that the Club AGM is scheduled for Thursday, 20 July. We will also be conducting a preAGM Finance Briefing on the Thursday, 13 July. I look forward to seeing you around the Club. 3

GARY McNALLY VICE COMMODORE

LUKE PATERSON REAR COMMODORE SAIL

INTER IS UPON US with cold nights and chilly days. We have decided to make changes to the dining arrangements. Instead of the usual Thursday night buffet we are now trialing a new offering of soup and a hot roast dinner in The Bowline, $25pp (after member’s discount). The usual Bowline menu will still be available and the Thursday night buffet will return in the Spring. The wood fire will be roaring to create a warm and inviting atmosphere for pre-dinner drinks on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. The final of the Retro Sail Race day had something for everyone, whether it was on-water or enjoying the Club with music playing all afternoon. The vintage yachts, motorbikes, cars and ski boats attracted a large crowd. The day then spilled into the evening courtesy of

our Sunday Session entertainment. Our ANZAC day service was blessed with fine weather and mild temperatures. The service was well attended by members and guests with the traditional ANZAC biscuits and refreshments enjoyed by all. Mother’s Day breakfast and lunch was a popular choice with the bonus of sunshine instead of rain which had been forecast. We hope all mothers enjoyed their special day out. You may notice some new faces around the Club. We welcome head chef Andre Mesarich and Deirdre James

replacing Kate Clucas in The Bowline and Members’ Bar. Back by popular demand The Beatles + Stones Tribute night will be on Friday, 30 June – don’t forget to book. Wednesday night theme dinners return for 2017 commencing Wednesday, 5 July with a “parmi” night. A trilogy of wine dinners will take place in July, August and September. The wine dinners will be educational and include wine pairing and tasting. For more information on these and other upcoming events keep an eye on “Front of House” and “Gybe Sheet” e-newsletters.

regattas around the globe. We recently celebrated another fantastic season at the Club at the Keelboat Prize Night. It was wonderful to congratulate all of the various winners, and recognise the contributions of all our members to another terrific season. We always note the spirit and generous commitment of our race officers, mark layers, umpires, protest committees, race teams, rescue boat drivers and countless other volunteers. These volunteers, together with our on-water team, allow us to

SUMMER DINGHY sailing season has come to an end. This year we have developed alternative sailing programs that focus on the fun element of sailing. This includes Adventurers Club where parents and kids can

sail any type of boat for a fun day out exploring the Swan River. Another development is Orange Fleet which is designed for older children to learn the skills of sailing without the pressure of racing. We recently held the Dinghy Prize Night with an “Under the Sea” theme where recognition was given to all those sailors who achieved great results over the summer. Congratulations to Alexander Bootsma for being presented with the

Huck Scott award. He is a great example of a Club person and we hope that he continues sailing at our Club for many years to come. Congratulations to the following members who won awards at the recent WA Sailing Awards: CARRIE SMITH FEMALE SAILOR OF THE YEAR ZOE THOMSON YOUTH SAILOR OF THE YEAR ZAC LITTLEWOOD JUNIOR SAILOR OF THE YEAR

GRANT ALDERSON COACH OF THE YEAR CHELSEA HALL INSTRUCTOR OF THE YEAR

The Junior and Dinghy Clubhouse Redevelopment project is progressing into the preliminary design phase. A team including both adult and junior dinghy sailors have been busy working on specifications for a new Clubhouse. With the end of financial year approaching may I suggest that members consider a tax deductible donation to continued on page 36

deliver the depth of sailing options that we can take up, at the standard we enjoy. As we reflect on the summer sailing season, we must again extend our sincere thanks to all of these members. While the sailing season has come to an end, our members are involved in plenty of regattas, including: • Seven Dragon teams will compete in the Dragon World Championships in Cascais from 9 to 17 June. • Many of our elite dinghy sailors will take part in a range of regattas in the

northern summer, including the European Championships, Kiel Week, World Championships, among many others. • Our match racing teams, including Neptune Racing, Mirsky Racing Team and Alpha Racing Team, will embark on a busy season in Europe and the US. • The Sailing Institute will hold 3 match racing regattas in June, July and September. • A bunch of our Etchells sailors will head to Mooloolaba for the Etchells Australasian Championships from 8 to 11 June. continued on page 36

EVAN MOORE REAR COMMODORE JUNIORS

THE

WE FONDLY REFLECT on another sailing season and say thanks to all that made it possible, many of our yachties are busy at a host of

LLOYD CLARK REAR COMMODORE POWER

IT’

S BEEN A GREAT START to the 2017 time trial season. Power Opening Day was a huge success with Club boats out in force for the classic afternoon raft up, pushing the Club’s main wharf to full capacity.

The weather was absolutely superb resulting in a contingent of over 30 boats, including 4 from visiting club Perth Flying Squadron, for the sail past and dock party which pushed well into the evening. The warm barmy conditions and tunes by band “Scizzorman” were enjoyed by all who attended. It was great to see some new faces giving time trialling a go for the first time at Opening Day. We hope to see them out on the water for the rest of this year’s

season. Congratulations to our former Rear Commodore Richard Williams and his Navigator Peter Morris on Meridian for Least Points Lost and 1st on handicap. It was also no surprise to see the legends of time trialling, Peter Wisby and Bunn Lynn, take out 2nd on Endless Summer! It’s been encouraging to see a renewed enthusiasm in time trialling. This season we have extended an invitation to Royal Perth Yacht Club and Perth Flying Squadron

Yacht Club to participate in our consistency club event together with long standing club participants, Claremont Yacht Club. We have a fantastic weekly prize for first on handicap of an $100 Bowline voucher, and in addition to our Perpetual Trophies, this year we have introduced a new trophy to be presented on Closing Day, ‘The 8 Knot Cup’, a consistency trophy awarded to boats competing at 8 knots or less throughout the season. I would like to continued on page 47 5

VOLUNTEERS – SIGN UP FOR ENJOYMENT, FUN & FRIENDSHIP

THE

“MAIN SHEET” of Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club is braided with characters who, although they may not be among the rigging, enjoy participation in every aspect of boating, whether sail or power, mono-hull or multi-hull on river, lake or sea.

The “on the water” organisation of sail or power events often begins a year [or four] in advance when the Yachting Committee at RFBYC elects to conduct an event. From there, negotiations are commenced for a water venue and regatta dates which are pre-requisites for a Notice of Race and all that follows. The next element of the jigsaw is the appointment of a Race Officer who becomes responsible for the Sailing Instructions, a Committee Boat, Mark Layers, Safety Boats, Umpires and maybe Measurers, Radio operators, Safety Inspectors and Emergency Response. After an event some delicate splicing often occurs leading to the computation of results, announcement of results, presentation of pennants, hearing of any protest, adjustment of hand-

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icaps and finally, publication of results, then, preparations for the next event. Behind the scenes, the majority of these tasks are fulfilled by Club Volunteers and whilst the career path for volunteers rarely include substantial bonus payments, it does include an extraordinary level of insight into regatta organisation and the swinging social program that often accompanies an event. Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club welcomes volunteers. The opportunities to enter the ranks of Race Management are countless. Volunteers are a generic team, ages range from teens to antiquity, outfits range from designer labels to the utility of wet weather gear and one of the most endearing personal characteristics is a dedicated focus on your assigned responsibility. Members are invited “to sign

up” as volunteers and whether a beginner or skilled, RFBYC will happily anchor you to a volunteer task. The dazzling Club staff who coordinate volunteers, under Yachting Operations Manager, Debbie Blaauw, are Sharon Skinner, Susan Ghent, Casey Walsh and Jenn Suffield. The invitation is always open – if the thought of volunteering at RFBYC lingers in your heart, then, hoist your pennant, make a sound signal, tack on the lift and join a colourful team, either afloat or ashore. Welcome Aboard. Stay tuned for the launch of our new Volunteer Program in the coming months. For further information or to register your interest, please contact yachtops@rfbyc.asn.au.

Geoff Totterdell

VICTORIAN DRAGON STATE CHAMPIONSHIP METUNG YACHT CLUB, MARCH 2017

THE

METUNG YACHT CLUB, situated on the Gippsland Lakes in South Eastern Victoria, hosted the Victorian State Championship for the

International Dragon Class in March 2017. RFBYC was represented by Sandy Anderson (skipper), Robin Hammond (forehand) and Geoff Totterdell (sheethand), sailing a borrowed yacht Tarakona. This boat was built in 1994 and sailed in the 1995 World Championship held off Fremantle where she finished second, under the name Danish Blue. Club members Peter Hay and expatriot West Australian, Stephen Collibee joined Sydney sailor Richard Franklin on Liquidity, the World Champion boat from the 2011 Worlds held in Melbourne. Ray Chatfield ( RFBYC ) skippered Merum in the event having her transported from Perth to her new home at Metung after an illustrious and long association with RFBYC including a period of ownership, when named Cabernet, by John Galvin, Geoff Gosling and Tom James. Ray was joined by a Victorian crew which included

the intended official starter for the Prince Philip Cup to be held by the Metung Yacht Club in January 2018. Sailing conditions on the stretch on water known as Lake King, which is about six times the area of Melville Water, were ideal for Dragons with a variety of wind strengths but generally about 12 to 14 knots. Somewhat optimistically the organisers had programmed some morning races at a time when there was no wind. Local pundits were correct in their prediction that by 1:00pm each day there was a good sailing breeze. The scheduled seven races were not achieved so all five races sailed were counted in the final tally. A fleet of 16 yachts entered the regatta which included past champions Damien Daniel sailing Imagination and Grant Aldersea sailing Adios 111. The surprise performance was by a combination of a grandfather (a retired shipwright), son (a former prominent OK Dinghy sailor) and grandson, a junior sailing instructor from Royal Brighton Yacht Club - (the Johnson family) sailing the beautifully restored timber Dragon Ghost

following the original design by Jon Anker in 1929. The Championship was won by the RFBYC combination of Sandy, Robin and Geoff all of whom are products of our Junior Club albeit some time ago! The consistent placings of two firsts, a second and two thirds gave Tarakona a decisive win with Ghost finishing second overall. Significantly Sandy is the first non-Victorian skipper to have won the event and the first lady to do so. Previous winners include former Olympians Jock Sturrock (skipper of Gretel, Australia’s first America’s Cup challenger) and Graeme Drane, together with Dragon greats such as Jack Linacre. Metung Yacht Club was honoured by the attendance of yachting greats and former Olympians now retired from the Dragon class, John Cuneo (Olympic Gold medallist) and Carl Ryves who are an inspiration to all sailors who have had the pleasure to meet them.

below left to right: Carl Ryves, Geoff Totterdell, Sandy Anderson, John Cuneo and Rob Hammond

PHOTO COURTESY OF BAIRNSDALE ADVERTISER

www.rfbyc.asn.au

Lachy Gilmour

GOTHENBURG MATCH CUP REGATTA REPORT – MAY 2017 OFF TO MARSTRAND

AVING NOT PREVIOUSLY qualified for the hyped-up Match Cup Sweden held on the island of Marstrand, Mirsky Racing Team set off across the globe to Gothenburg

in an attempt to gain one of the two spots remaining. With two other RFBYC teams currently holding onto event entries (Team Gilmour and Neptune Racing), the Team were aiming to join them on their trip up to the Northern Hemisphere in July. Mirsky Racing Team, are a newly formed team representing RFBYC in the World Match Racing Tour with a young and fit crew, consisting of Torvar Mirsky on the helm, Lachy Gilmour on tactics and traveller, Damian Garbowski as floater and Cameron Seagreen trimming. The event format of three days of racing was full on to say the least. With the objective of fitting in two round robins, semi-finals and a final, however with only eight teams competing, this seemed realistic provided the wind cooperated. The opening day saw tricky offshore winds 5-10 knots, great for testing the team’s tactical and strategic games. The boys had a slow start and unfortunate loss against the Artemis Youth Racing team in the first race, however we were able to bounce back and end the day on four wins and only clocking up one more loss against Patrik Sturesson’s, Cape Crow Vikings team.

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The second day brought much the same conditions, however racing so close to the land was hard to predict where the wind would come from next – causing many upsets throughout the day. An almost flawless day from the Mirsky Racing Team boys, until in the race against Patrik Sturesson a dial down at the top of the course meant that the boys had hooked the port hand top mark, enabling Patrik to take the lead, and only narrowly winning the race. At the end of both round robins, we were clear to top the round robin with a scorecard of 11 wins and 3 losses. Being top of the leaderboard, the Team had the pick of their opponent going into the semi-finals and decided they would race against Patrik Sturesson’s all Swedish team, Cape Crow Vikings, once again. A big decision for the team, having not beaten them before in the round robin stage, but the choice proved wise as the Australians took down the Vikings 3-0. Sturesson had a strong regatta, but the match racing experience of the RFBYC boys proved too much. Making the top two ensured Mirsky Racing Team’s qualification to the WMRT Championship level event, Match Cup Sweden.

Ecstatic over their qualification, Torvar commented, “We are over the moon and also relieved. We came all the way from Australia and to go back without the ticket to Marstrand would have been really disappointing. I have had two good results this season, at Match Cup Australia and now this weekend. It’s been five years since I raced as a skipper on Marstrand and it feels good to be back on the circuit. If we put our best foot forward I think we could go all the way at Match Cup Sweden.” The final with Mirsky against Holmberg was scheduled for a first to two wins and was sailed in a dying breeze immediately after the semi-finals. After winning both the starts against the young Swedish team, we were unable to match them in the super light wind boat handling and speed, and consequently they were able to sail around us in both of the races to take the championship in a 0-2 final. Big thanks must go to our sponsors and supporters, namely Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club for the continued support of the match racing program, as well as Sail Racing for providing some warmer on and off-water gear for the chilling conditions.

Adele Jackson

2017 RFBYC TEAM MEMBERS TEAM JACKSON ANDY FEATHERS COMMODORE EFYC ISABEL LAING (BOW) LUCY SIME (MAST) ADELE JACKSON ELISE MANNERS (MAIN) ANNA SOBCZYK (TRIM) CAROLINE GIBSON (TRIM) JENNY SPEARMAN (PIT)

TEAM ANDERSON/FORD COMMODORE EFYC SHARON SQUIRES-HANSEN ODETTE GLISSON SANDY ANDERSON JO WILSON NICKY SWINBURNE (BOW) TRISH FORD (PIT) LYN MICHA LEONIE ROCHFORD (MAST) EMMA REYNOLDS (MAIN)

IMAGE © RICK STEUART | PERTH SAILING PHOTOGRAPHY

2017 WOMEN’S KEELBOAT STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

A LIGHT AND FICKLE SOUTH-EASTERLY BREEZE, the 2017 Women’s Keelboat State Championships run by Swan River Sailing were held in Blackwall Reach by

East Fremantle Yacht Club on Saturday, 13 May. Eight teams sailed representing East Fremantle Yacht Club, Fremantle Sailing Club, Hillarys Yacht Club, South of Perth Yacht Club with two teams entered from Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club and Royal Perth Yacht Club. The two teams helmed by Sandy Anderson and Adele Jackson consisted of a mix of experienced and novice sailors who had been attending the women’s keelboat training evenings provided by the Club

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on Fridays in the lead up to the event. While Jackson’s team had a set crew of four experienced sailors with three new comers, Anderson’s team was made up of predominantly new comers who were ably guided by Trish Ford as an on-board crew coach and consisted of a core team of five women in fixed positions with four others rotating through the other roles over the series of five races. With a very short start line and course, the first race of only one-lap got underway. Jackson

got a clean port tack start at the boat end allowing the team to lead from start to finish in what was possibly the shortest race ever - a little shy of 6 minutes. After that, the course was moved around the bend to the eastern stretch of the drainpipe which allowed the course length to be extended with a two-lap course signalled for the remaining races. Starts were tight on the cramped course and together with a strong influence from the current and irregular patches of breeze, racing was very tight, 13

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exciting and often surprising but overall, the event was a showcase of the camaraderie, fellowship and support amongst female sailors in Perth and the bottle of champagne gifted to each boat after racing was the perfect touch to finish off a great morning of racing. It was an absolute pleasure to sail with such resilient, able and determined women who I very much look forward to sailing with again. The “new comers” predominantly came from the Women’s Twilight Sailing program run and managed by Trish Ford and Sandy Anderson and supported by the Club. The program has been going strong now for five years and continues to provide an introduction and opportunity to enter the sport for women who would otherwise overlook sailing for more accessible activities and sports. Both crews sailed exceptionally well and managed to win one race each in the series but, more notably, both teams sailed consistently to finish second on a count back and third out of the eight-boat fleet. A great result and a testament to the support provided by the Club and Coach Grant Alderson who provided a fantastic training opportunity that included coaching from champion sailors Torvar Mirsky, Mark Spearman and Mark Lovelady - a big thank you to all of you and particularly to Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club for giving us the opportunity to represent the Club in the 2017 Women’s State Keelboat Championships.

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PTS AFTER DROP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

SOPYC RFBYC RFBYC RPYC FSC RPYC EFYC HYC

MARA LOWRY ADELE JACKSON SANDY ANDERSON KAREN KOEDYK CAROLINE BUSH JEN RICHARDSON KATE OLSEN SARAH LIDDIARD

10 10 12 15 17 19 21 23

6,9,2,1,1 1,4,3,3,3 4,3,1,4,4 3,2,8,2,8 2,5,4,6,6 5,1,6,8,7 7,9,5,7,2 8,6,7,5,5

WAKE CAPTAIN IN THE

Mike Lefroy

IN THE WAKE OF CAPTAIN STIRLING

above: day 2, rowing towards West Swan Road Bridge right: day 2, leaving Fishmarket Reserve

arch this year marked the 190th anniversary of a river trip that changed Western Australia forever. In the early 1800s the French navy had been defeated in Europe and the prospects for an officer in the British navy were dismal. The British fleet had been severely reduced since the Battle of Trafalgar and many officers had been retrenched or put on half pay. A young captain, James Stirling, was one of them. But he wasn’t going to stand still and wait for the world to change. He had a plan, to lead the first British colony to the western shores of Australia. In March 1827 Stirling anchored his vessel Success near where Fre-

mantle now stands. Launching the cutter and the gig, and with a party of 18, he headed up the river which the Whadjuk Noongar peoples call Derbal Yaragan. The European name, Black Swan River, was given by Dutchman Willem de Vlamingh some 130 years before Stirling. De Vlamingh’s river trip in January 1697 was not a success. He quickly learned the Australian salute being ‘…terribly tormented by flies’. He noted nothing of consequence that would excite his masters, the Dutch East India Company, and sailed away from the “miserable South Land” with hardly a good word to say. His only positive notes were the quokkas on Mist Island that inspired him to

change the name to Rottenest, and the surprising sight of black swans, which gave their name to the river. Stirling on the other hand ventured upstream in mild March weather and was determined to be impressed. On March 30 this year John Longley and Mike Lefroy left RFBYC in their yacht Crazybird and headed upriver to commemorate the voyage that led directly to the foundation of the Swan River Colony. This was also a nostalgia trip, back to the days when we both raced the cadet dinghy Spinaway with Andrew Locke on Saturdays, then push off on Sunday for an adventure – up the Canning River as far as you could go, or down river to the traffic bridge.

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STIRLING We would pack a slab of bread and cheese, some water and money for an icy pole or two, and not much else, and left with half a promise to be back by nightfall.

hings were a little different in 2017. Armed with self-inflating mattresses, a dome tent, a mini stove, cameras, ipads and iphones, we loaded Crazybird and set sail. The boat, filled with essentials for a 21st century adventure, laboured into the brisk easterly as we headed across towards Point Walter – named by Stirling after his brother. A strange choice, and one wonders what their relationship was really like if you call a spit after your brother. Evidently they got on well.

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Stirling’s stores in 1827 included two suits of clothes, a blanket and a hammock for each man, and ‘arms sufficient to repel any attack that might befall us’. We had copious supplies of mosquito repellent in preparation for any attack that might befall us. As we approached the Narrows Bridge the wind dropped and the last piece of estuary sailing was a gentle reach across Perth water to the start of the river proper at the Causeway. “I wonder what the workers of the world are up to today?” mused John as we gazed up at the high rise to the north. “Gazing down on us,” he said sometime later when he spotted a Facebook photo of Crazybird taken by past commodore Ian Clarke from

a boardroom window high on the Terrace. We de-rigged just before the causeway and rowed under the bridge past Heirisson Island, a surviving name from the French expedition of 1801. The wind had almost gone but we had just enough to ghost us past Claisebrook (originally Clausebrook named by Stirling after the ship’s surgeon John Clause). This is where Stirling’s party camped beside ‘an extensive lagoon of fresh water’ after the torturous two-day struggle of dragging the boats across the mud banks leading up to where Burswood casino now stands. Some people still have trouble dragging themselves

previous page, far left: day 2, early morning Fishmarket Reserve

above left: taking full advantage of the fickle breeze

left top: day 1, Crazybird about to be de-rigged before going under the Causeway

above right: day 1, sailing across Perth Water

left below: day 2, Woodbridge house near Guildford Grammar School

away from the casino. But today it’s not the fault of the mud. Our next checkpoint was the Windan Bridge, which carries the Graham Farmer Freeway across the river, just a handball away from the impressive new stadium.

ith the fickle breeze on the nose we tacked our way around Maylands peninsular where the Hardey family began farming in 1836. It is the site of Perth’s oldest farm and one used by Stirling during the early years of the colony as a showpiece for successful agriculture. The lure of the famous Tranby tearooms beside the old farmhouse was damped by the need to use what little wind there was, and head towards a campsite before the light left us. The rest of the afternoon was a combination of rowing and sailing as we progressed slowly upriver. Garrett Road Bridge required another de-rig but the bridge at Tonkin Highway was negotiated with a hand on the gunter halyard and a careful eye on the pipes running on the underside of the bridge. After two more bridges we drifted towards the riverbank at Fishmarket Reserve. “Anything on the sign about no camping?” we asked a passing dog walker. “Na mate, all good.” And so it was. A salmon pink sky greeted us as we rolled out of our tent. The morn-

ing chorus of land and water birds was underlayed by the rhythmic strokes of passing canoeists. We talked to a local couple out on their morning walk with their dog. They saw us rowing past the previous evening from their riverside Sculpture Park next to the Guildford Road bridge. Stirling’s crisp daily schedule began with breakfast at 4am, leave at 5am and row or sail until 11am. We cast off at the gentlemanly hour of 8am under oars knowing the West Swan Road bridge was not far ahead. Once past we pulled in at Lilac Park, the famous cricket ground where the visiting international cricket teams, until recently, played Cricket Australia’s Chairman’s XI. The quiet morning continued and the next two hours was on the oars. Farmlands and vineyards began appearing on the northern bank while the southern side gave glimpses of old Guildford homesteads built above the flood plain. Guildford Grammar sports fields flowed past soon after with memories of winter school visits to play the ‘farmers’ in a combination sport of football, water polo and mud wrestling. The next major landmark was the impressive Woodbridge house built by Charles Harper in the 1890s on land Stirling had chosen for himself in 1829. The property was named after Ellen Stirling’s home in Surrey. Another enticing tearooms beckoned but with the prospect of a day’s row-

ing to reach our goal we gritted our teeth and kept working on our blisters.

ust past the new Governor Stirling High School buildings we met a bunch of trainee canoeists weaving their way across the river. “No Jeremy…paddle on the other side!” came the weary cry from an instructor on the bank. Jeremy just lowered his eyes and carried on, and the canoe kept spinning in a tight circle. Around 11am we could see wind in the high branches but the breeze couldn’t break through the thick barrier of trees on the riverbank. The walking track under the trees along the southern bank provided some chances for conversation to break the monotony of life on the oars. “Saw you rowing yesterday at Ascot,” called out a cyclist heading east. “Still at it I see.” Approaching the Reid Highway bridge we called out to a dogwalker. “Will we make it?” “Easy…10 metres at least,” he said sizing up the gap. We had a hand on the halyard just in case. “Maybe 2 metres…” he called after us as we made it through. We now had some snatches of open country so we shipped the oars and pressed on under sail. At a bend in the river near an animal holding yard the rudder kicked up. There were shadowy signs of underwater

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snags and we realized we were approaching the upper reaches. It was around here that Stirling’s cutter was holed by a submerged tree and had to be quickly repaired with lead and fearnought (a thick flannel-like material). However in our efforts to avoid fallen branches below, we forgot to look up and found ourselves moored mast first in a gum tree spreading out across the river. The way ahead looked bleak so we consulted Dr Google for an exit strategy. Our camp at Fishmarket Reserve was the last upriver launching ramp so we had a dilemma – press on or go back. Just then we spied a cottage high on the southern bank and took the chance to get some local knowledge. “You’ve gone about as far as you can with a boat like that,” floated down the reply. Our new best friend was the fifth owner of the 1857 Ivy cottage and was on a lunch break from renovating his cellar full of remnants from the convict period. “You’d need a canoe from here,” he said. “The fertilizer run off from farms has fed the weeds in the river and there are overhanging branches everywhere.” Reluctantly were turned Crazybird around and armed with toasted sandwiches – a few spares from lunch up at Ivy Cottage - we headed home.

n 1827 Stirling marvelled at the bright green foliage of the eucalypts, seeing it as a sign of pro-

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ductive agricultural land. He didn’t realize our gum trees thrive in poor soil. Ironically the land around his final campsite was some of the most fertile in WA. He named it Henley Park after his home in Surrey. If he had walked further away from the river he would have soon discovered the Gnangara sand plain – suitable for running through an hourglass and not much else. But in that mild March weather he was a man on a mission and to him the big picture was very impressive. After an hour we stopped at a very fancy jetty below Mandoon Estate Vineyard. Feeling very underdressed we walked up through the manicured lawns to the tasting rooms and left with a couple of bottles for the evening. We couldn’t find any that ‘complements baked beans…’ so settled on a Rose and a Shiraz. Leaving the jetty, a gust of wind caught us and we crashed gybed under a dead gum tree hanging over the river. A large branch cracked above us and bounced off the gunnel just missing John on the foredeck. Luckily no damage to man or boat and as a bonus we had a new crew. A small lizard that had been sleeping in the hollow branch scuttled under the floorboards. The fitful breeze teased us for the rest of the afternoon. Just as we felt a gust and shipped the oars it would sigh and disappear. We stopped at the Fishmarket Reserve launching ramp to replenish our water. A cou-

ple of fishermen were sizing up the evening and pointing to rings on the surface where poddy mullet were feeding. “Outgoing tide, beautiful weather should be some decent kingies and flatties around. Caught a couple of kingies last week, one was a metre long, “ he told me sketching out a shape in the sand with his toe. Stirling would be pleased the river is still alive and well. The light was fading as we reached the confluence of the Helena and Swan Rivers. Stirling referred to this area as ‘rich and romantic country…’ but our quick inspection offered nothing in the way of camping opportunities so we pressed on down stream. Five minutes later we spied a little beach tucked in to the edge of the flood plain and nosed our way in amongst the overhanging trees. Camp was quickly set up ‘au sauvage’ as they say in France. With the new moon above, football on the radio, pasta, sauce, a cheeky Swan Valley Rose and chocolate to finish, life was good. Not quite Captain Stirling’s ‘blazing fire with roasting swans’ but sweet all the same.

he next morning, was a classic West Australian autumn day – a gentle warm easterly and blue skies. The river woke early with pelicans and wading birds working the banks. Being a Saturday the river traffic built up quickly. We sat on the edge of our beach with bowls of 19

main pic: …a little beach tucked in to the edge of the flood plain… right: …and found ourselves moored mast first in a gum tree spreading out across the river.

muesli and admired the rowers gliding past with only the occasional instructional bark from the coaches’ boats breaking the silence. Singles, pairs, quads, eights – they were all there. And canoes of all sizes were out in force too, along with stand up paddleboards – one with a dog on board - and another with a very determined paddler on his knees digging rhythmically into the water. He had a pack on his back and water bottles positioned in front of him so he could multi task drinking and paddling. Later came the motorboats bristling with fishing rods. “If you don’t catch a fish today you are a mug,” said a voice from the radio. We rated the rowing styles and lightly applauded where we saw skill matching a RFBYC St Ayles crew. Our contributions were acknowledged by a wave from the cox and a stern look from the coaches’ boats. All morning the light breeze kept losing its concentration, easterly one 20

minute, northwest the next and then a complete rest. We gybed and tacked our way down stream enjoying the lively activity on the riverbanks – squeals of delight from the playgrounds, barks of delight from the ball chasing dogs and silent waves from the fisher people. The only thing missing was wind in the willows. Bridges came and went and we continued setting personal best times for un-rigging and re-rigging. At each bridge a fishing boat or two hovered in the shadows with lines out. They obviously knew something. As we approached the causeway we met our kneeling paddle boarder. He had turned and was heading upstream. “How’s it going?” we asked as he passed us. He sat up momentarily and stretched. “Halfway, hoping for 50 km today.” And with that he was back to work.

Once under the Narrows we were into the Saturday racing fleets. Our new crew, the lizard from the falling branch, came out from under the floorboards and stretched out on the warm wood. “Dragon fleet ahead…looks like they are not missing me,” John said wistfully as he spied Icefyre holding a comfortable lead over Packer junior in the battle of the brothers. Back on land we put Crazybird to bed and joined the throng at the Dragon bar. Down below us the last of the sunlight was spotting the end of the Spit. We nodded our appreciation to Captain James and his brother Walter and toasted a great trip. March 2018 is the 191st anniversary and another river trip beckons. Maybe the St Ayles skiff mob, with their rowing and sailing skills, can make it all the way.

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he Club Constitution clearly lays out the roles for Flag Officers. The most coveted role, especially for past Commodores, is that of Rear Commodore Mark Laying. This role is most at the forefront of Club activities when RFBYC hosts an international regatta, and a sure fire way to achieve Legendary status. The Rear Commodore Mark Laying leads the pecking order of boats: Top Mark, Bottom Mark, Race Control, Finish, Race Committee, Crew Support Vessels, Media, Crew Transfer, floaters……. And Freshie is blessed with a surfeit of vessels & members to undertake such tasks. With alacrity.

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Top mark, Bottom mark, 12kts at 210 degrees. Copy that Bottom Mark. The days of watching boats doing 5kts upwind & 5kts downwind have sadly passed. Now it is the World Match Racing Tour, with flashy foiling M32 cats doing 20kts, in 10kts of breeze. The Rear Commodore Mark Laying needs a boat that can do 25kts. With alacrity. Top Mark, Bottom mark, 10kts at 200 degrees. Copy that. The Rear Commodore Mark Laying is well kitted out with a boat & a Crash Test Dummy. The Crash Test dummy needs to be good with his hands. Each mooring has over 30m

Bryan Thurstan above: Fresh Seafood Lunch

upper image: Crash Test Dummy and Rear Commodore Mark Laying

of line & more than 40kg of anchor & chain. It needs to be pulled in less than 30 seconds, and laid in 10 seconds. Including a crash stop & mark snatch at 25kts closing speed. A strong back and a good brace! brace!! position on the bow are also handy. The Crash Test Dummy can be satisfied by days end in having pulled & laid a few kilometres of mooring & and several tonnes of chain. The Rear Commodore Mark Laying must act without hesitation with the use of the boat gears. The Bosun works hard to ensure that not a drop of oil is leaked from the gearbox. The Race Officer calls “Top mark wing mark dragged by the Cat, reposition it…..” Flank speed! One minute window. The Crash Test Dummy leaps into the bow with the harpoon, Rear Commodore Mark Laying slams the throttles forward!! Top Mark swoops on the errant mark, like a huge raptor-hawk swooping on a small helpless kitten. Crunch!!! The fur flies. Top Mark stops on the spot, Crash Test Dummy rends the bow railing, and the mark is recovered & re-laid. The Bosun puts lots of bananas in the gear box for Rear Commodore Mark Laying. The Rear Commodore Mark Laying must be ready to deal with many fantastic situations. Bottom Mark often try to move a mark as swiftly as Top Mark. They usually do this with their propeller. This can lead to a full Freshie team effort. Even the Fire Service Rescue team will dive in just for fun. Top mark, Bottom mark, 12kts at 200 degrees. Thanks Bottom Mark. The action & glamour enjoyed by the Rear Commodore Mark Laying is book ended by the stoic support of 24

the Finish Team. Timing the Cats & making coffee for the other boats is mission critical. Such five star hospitality & service can best be described as Four Seasons. There is one boat that out luxuriates the Finish Boat. It is a mythical place, oft dreamed off, but only ever reached by the truly greatest of competitors. It is the Crew Support Vessel. From the outside you would overlook it, appearing only as a drab

cray boat with loud doof-doof music blaring across Freshwater Bay. But inside are ample leather lounges, hot Jacuzzis, sports masseurs, wall to wall flat screens, & a well stocked bar. Doof-doof!! The decadence of the Crew Boat contrasts with the Spartan formality

& stern purpose of Race Committee on the Start Boat. Only the most poker faced race officials are cool enough to get a geurnsey on this

lower image: Top Mark on Station

right: River Catch

ride. Pulling coloured flags, reading clocks, blowing loud horns & an ability to speak into multiple radios simultaneously are just a few of the key skill sets. They have their own high speed tender to bring coffees over from Four Seasons. Top mark, Bottom mark, 12 to 14 kts at 210 degrees. Copy. There are more equally serious support roles available. These are ideal for the younger Gen-Y crew to get involved. It requires seriously good expertise in taking a great selfie & updating one’s status. Pat them down & you’ll find they carry the very latest smart phone technology. These boats are called Media Boats, and spend most of the day churning up white water trying to out run the media drones flying overhead. A media boat driver has spent many hours doing online training, mainly watching funny videos of small puppies chasing their own tail. The M32 Cat Media Coverage was world class, probably some of the best broadcasting ever for any sailing event. The upstairs function room was wall to wall hardware, servers & large screen monitors, with over 20 commentators, technicians & producers in constant operation. This was streamed live via dedicated satellite link to the world. The outdoor veranda provided a busy airport for the constant flight operations of multiple drones giving aerial coverage for the event, and making sure the Media Boats stayed focused. Specialist Technical Support was provided from the Service Boat. Manned by the sharpest specialists on the day, these crew were laid back liked a coiled spring, or an elastic band

stretched really tight, ready to fang into action at the smallest breakage. The Crew Change vessel was manned by the best international Kapitän Der Fatherland could muster. This language bridge led to many awkward radio exchanges. “Crew change – Have you got any of the Top Marks?” Nein. Have you got any of the Bottom Marks? Nein! The Wing Mark?? NEIN!! Have you got any Deutschemarks..??? Top Mark, bottom mark, we’re seeing 10 to 12kts, around 210 but shifting left. Yeh were seeing similar. The river readily gave up its deep secrets each time the Crash Test Dummy pulled up a mark. Free rope, free crab pots, free crabs. Top Mark shared this bounty with all the other

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boats. A fresh seafood lunch tossed on the deck of the Start Boat was always well appreciated The M32 World Match Racing Tour ended on a high note, what a superb operation managed both on & off the water. This was matched by the magnificent venue, both natural & man made, and ideal weather. The

international exposure for RFBYC was beyond value. The Rear Commodore Mark Laying became A Legend, the Crash Test Dummy had sore hands, and the Bosun kept the boat running fast. The Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club team put on a great show. With alacrity.

VALE – KEITH BARRY CLIFFORD 7 JUNE 1934 – 28 MAY 2017

ARE saddened to inform you of the passing of Keith Clifford. Keith was a member of the Club for 61 years and was owner of the classic yacht Gelasma. He owned the Shipwright business at the Club from 1961 until his retirement in 1994.

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The Club was a very significant part of Keith’s life and he made many wonderful friends through the Club over the years. He sailed in a Sydney Hobart race in 1981 with Bruce Campbell on Farrawa and in the inaugural Fremantle to Bali race in 1982.

He owned several power boats over the years and was a keen power boat time trialling participant. He was also very involved in Junior sailing support, with both his children Tracy and Steven keen sailors.

TRAVELSto NORTHERN IRELAND Brian McConnell

left to right: The Commodore and Brian McConnell; Royal North Ireland Yacht Club; drinks and pre-Christmas cheer; the honour board in the RNIYC

ith winter descending on the northern hemisphere a trip to Belfast Ireland seemed a little foolish but with a December Christmas family wedding in Belfast and the prospect of visiting the Titantic construction site and museum, the travel bug got the better of me and I headed off on a direct flight from Manila on Philippine Airlines. A pint or two of Guinness was also on the cards!!

Royal North Ireland Yacht Club

Lunch with Commodore John Pollock The club formed in 1899 and the ‘Royal’ charter was granted in 1902. The clubhouse is located in Cultra on the shores of Belfast lough just out of Belfast. It was 12:00pm when we arrived with temperature at 5 Celsius. The 26

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Morse Code lunch time members were moving in for some drinks and a pre-Christmas meal. Commodore John Pollock was waiting to greet us. I brought Trevor Lord my brother-in-law (the bride’s father) along for support. It wasn’t long before the Commodore got the first round of drinks. “Gentlemen - pints of Guinness all around! Cheers.” The Commodore, a cheerful person, gave us a briefing of the club racing and social affairs. Racing for dinghies is in the Fairy Squib and Mirror classes. Australia was well represented on the “World Champions” honour board. The cruisers race inshore and many attend Cork week and Scottish Series. There is a big commitment to their junior and cadet sailors – numbering over 100 at the club. Recently the club hosted the Edinburgh Cup Squib Nationals

and Mirror Irish Nationals. Socially the club can host large class dinners together with the Opening Day Ball and ladies and gentlemen lunches. I was able to brief Commodore John with all aspects of RFBYC sailing and Junior Club. He was suitably impressed with pictures of the RFBYC clubhouse and the classes of sailing, particularly the Junior Club. I presented an RFBYC Club burgee and tie to the Commodore which he greatly appreciated. The Friday lunch turned into a long affair – meeting other members, shouting some rounds and exchanging sailing yarns. It was certainly a great Friday lunch and all our RFBYC Club members are now very welcome at the Royal North Ireland Yacht Club. I would recommend any member travelling to stop in for a visit.

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left: cadet dinghys

Titantic museum

No trip to Belfast is complete without visiting this magnificent museum. With a $30 entry you are taken on a detailed tour, from the construction fitting out down to the menu of the Ward Room. The dry dock of the Titantic can be visited and the floating of the vessels with a “pumphouse” is fascinating to see with the original motors and pumps still in good condition. Overall my trip to Northern Ireland was wonderful. The weather was cold but the Irish people are warm and hospitable. I highly recommend a visit to the RNIYC and a Guinness with the Commodore. Any members wishing to visit Belfast please email me for contact details. macenergy888@yahoo.com

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COUTA BOAT FLEET

this page: KPMG Couta Boat Charity Sail

THE

COUTA FLEET CONTINUES to participate in a variety of races throughout the summer program. Twenty two consistency races were scheduled and within

those races were a selection of 7 championship races, 3 Short Races, 3 HCS, 2 Windward/Leeward, and 4 out of the 7 Swan River Retro Series sailed on Sundays formed part of consistency program. Four coaching sessions facilitated by the club early in the season has shown to be very beneficial for the fleet with definite improvements in tactics and boat performance: something that has enabled closer results in recent seasons. CHAMPIONSHIP – KIM GAMBLE PERPETUAL TROPHY 1ST KASEY 2ND ROULETTE 3RD HERO

CLUB CONSISTENCY OVERALL – MADELAINE PERPETUAL TROPHY 1ST ROULETTE 2ND KASEY 3RD HERO

SPRING CONSISTENCY SERIES – THE ROYAL HUT RIVER SILVERTAILS TROPHY 1ST ROULETTE 2ND KASEY 3RD ECLIPSE

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SUMMER CONSISTENCY SERIES – AMANDA ENERGY TROPHY 1ST KASEY 2ND HERO 3RD ROULETTE

FREE SPIRIT AWARD – MOUNT GAY RUM TROPHY JOHN STANDLEY

7TH EDITION OF THE KPMG COUTA BOAT CLASSIC

Friday 17th March provided perfect weather for the 11 boats in the annual fund raising event where each boat volunteered a skipper and 2 crew. Classic wooden cruisers provided spectator vessels to follow the fleet for those not inclined to accept the challenge of a sail. The course chosen for the day was the run up to Castle Hill which provided plenty of excitement for the guests on board. A marvellous day concluded with $40,000 raised for the charities of Starlight Foundation and Community Vision. INAUGURAL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND

Following on from the KPMG Friday, the fleet participated in

opposite page: Rottnest Festival of Sail 2017

their first State Championship series over the Saturday and Sunday. This was a great success for the local boats and a team of couta sailors from the NSW joined in the event. A local boat Ajax, was loaned to the team which enabled them to compete and provide a different element to the weekend. The Couta Nationals this year are to be held on Sydney Harbour and Pittwater over two weekends in October and the WA fleet has crew interested in representing our fleet. ROTTNEST FESTIVAL OF SAIL

Thanks to work behind the scenes at the club, the couta fleet was able to once again participate in this annual offshore event. Four boats represented the fleet in Div II where seventeen boats started the race in a blustery easterly before dropping out to less than 5 kts. Kasey recorded a 3rd place on the Saturday race to the island, unfortunately Sunday’s round the island cruise in company was cancelled due to weather conditions, lack of wind! 29

Susan Ghent

RFBYC SAILING INSTITUTE OPPORTUNITIES IN SAILING AND A RETHINK ON TRAINING AT RFBYC

hat do these people have in common – 11 year old Molly Alderson who is a member of the Australian Optimist Sailing Team, Will Drew the 13 year old absolutely loves sailing,

World Match Racing Tour Card holders Neptune Racing Team, Ben Durham a professional sailor on the RC 44 and TP 52 circuit and a group of teenage boys from southern WA who aspire to compete together in match racing events? They are all part of the RFBYC Sailing Institute team. Since the conception of the Youth Squad programme some nine years ago, Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club in Perth has enjoyed significant success particularly amongst the young match racing sailors. Launched in winter 2016, the RFBYC Sailing Institute restructures previous Club activities into a new modern format. Training has been refreshed, encompassing a broader range of activities and learning environments while ensuring that everyone has a lot of fun too. The Sailing Institute brings a range of members together to share experience and pass on knowledge in a mentoring structure. The current focus is youth and young adult training and

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there is quite a buzz about the programme. Young sailors develop their teamwork and communication skills while learning keelboat sailing in the Youth Racing Squad, 45 sailors. The Match Racing Squad, 39 sailors, is split in to an Intermediate and an Advanced level with the course running through to September. The Intermediate Group extend their sailing skills on the BW8 keelboats while involved in the keelboat Frostbite Series as well as developing their boat handling with match racing drills with a coach on-board. The Advanced Group are establishing teams and learning to match race, guided by their older peers from the Performance Squad as their coaches. The two groups of sailors will come together for two internal squad regattas as well as specialised sessions such as sail making demonstrations with One Sails Perth, sail trim and rig seminars and rigging and splicing sessions. Working with their older peers, the Match Racing Squad have the perfect

opportunity to learn from some of the best in the world. They certainly value their coaches who bring inspiration and personal experience. “It is great to see the older sailors giving back to the youth sailors, this will ensure the club continues to have success in match racing and it gives more options to stay involved in sailing” commented coach Tom Blaauw. At the top the Performance Squad, 20 sailors, are in established match racing teams and have achieved some excellent results on the world circuit. Teams such as Neptune Racing and Mirsky Racing Team are part of this squad and they are fantastic mentors for the younger sailors. They return from competition with exciting stories and experiences from racing the M32 catamarans on the WMRT. Training for this high-performance group adapts to suit their needs and at the moment they are involved in Mentoring and Networking sessions with some of RFBYC’s well-regarded adult members.

opposite page: young sailors on the pumps, Indian opposite page, inset: Youth Racing Squad Fleet below: members of the Youth Racing Squad

The Youth Racing Squad began the winter programme over two weekends in April/May sailing on the RFBYC fleet of six BW8 keelboats and two of Swan River Sailing’s Foundation 36’s. The younger sailors were very excited to be coached by their older peers under the guidance of Head Coaches Tom Blaauw,

20 and Lachy Gilmour, 20. The programme included a session with offshore racing yacht, Indian Sailing Team. Owner Craig Carter with Boat Captain Paul Eldrid and crew gave a tour of their Carkeek 47, told stories of their two Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race campaigns and let the sailors have a go at winch-

ing on the pedestals. The team opened the eyes of the young sailors, explaining how valuable they would be on an offshore racing yacht in the future. The course finished up with a BBQ for all RFBYC Sailing Institute sailors and families which also opened the Winter Squad season for the match rac-

left: Youth Racing Squad class opposite page: Youth Racing Squad on the water below: Youth Racing Squad with Indian Sailing Team

ing groups. Performance Squad Head Ben Durham, said a few inspiring words on behalf of the sailor group while Commodore Dean McAullay reflected on this great Club initiative before unveiling the Sailing Institute sewing machine (donated by members, Christiane and Ian Clyne and Quantum Sails WA). The Commodore will follow progress of the match racing group over the winter months and looks forward to watching them compete in the Sailing

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Institute Match Racing Regatta in September. The RFBYC Sailing Institute aspires to provide opportunities in sailing to youth and young adults. Working alongside the RFBYC Training Centre, there are many activities for all ages to get involved in sailing at Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club. Our Training Centre and dinghy fleets are not all about racing, especially at junior and youth age where sailors can choose a path of enjoying their around

the buoys sailing in Orange fleet, participate in Adventurer’s Club or gain extensive support through the racing pathway. With the RFBYC Sailing Institute and RFBYC Training Centre, Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club is certainly on the path of encouraging young sailors, providing many options to enjoy sailing and stay in the sport. Visit the Club website for more information on the RFBYC Sailing Institute, rfbyc.asn.au

left: contenders Black Tie and Bonfire

Brian Cain

right: Team Saab

MID-WEEK SAILING

above: “A” Fleet at the start

MID

-WEEK RACING AT Royal FreshwaterBay Yacht Club continues to grow in boat numbers and popularity. There are regularly more than 30 starters each Thursday.

above: Spirit of Olympia upper right: Cosmos, Osprey, Orion, Sulphur and Jpeg lower right: Black Tie

Start times throughout Winter are as follows “A” Fleet 15:00 “B” Fleet 15:10 “C” Fleet 15:20 and the presentation of results and the popular raffles are at 18:00. If you are a worker perhaps go to work early on a Thursday so that you can be at the Club in time, remember also that lunch at a reasonable cost is available in the Members’ Bar prior to midweek racing for hungry sailors and crew. To be in the raffles is gratis for your boat provided you are a starter in the race of the day, however you must be in the bar at the time of drawing to win the prize, so make sure you join the camaraderie enjoyed by most at presentation time. Mid-week sailing continues every week throughout the year with a minimum of twenty-five races in a series. The 2016/2017 Spring-Summer series just completed had 26 races and the now under way 2017 Autumn-Winter Series has 25 races scheduled, of which 17 races count for your consistency score.

This winter there are two new prestigious perpetual trophy races for combined “A” & “B” fleets. These events will be run in conjunction with the usual Thursday afternoon races. June 8th was the Vice-Patrons’ Charter Day Perpetual Trophy for an annual celebration of the granting of the Royal Charter, the inspiration for birth of this perpetual trophy comes from Past Rear Commodore Power Rodney Greville-Collins (1993-95) who a few years ago generously donated the Power group’s Charter Day Trophy for Time-Triallers. August 17 will see the inaugural Flag Officers’ Winter Cup Perpetual Trophy race for combined “A” & “B” fleets; set yourselves up with a fine tuned boat and quality crew as the prestige of being the first winner of this trophy will be everlasting. The Thursday afternoon jib and main sailing is well supported for the sailors’ enjoyment by the volunteers who assist with Mid-Week Race Management. Your team - Elaine Johnston, Arthur Wells, Geoff Hick, Jill Massee, Glenis Murphy, Jackie

Cain and Carmen Wells as well as yours truly. To make Mid-week sailing the success it is the Race Management Team Acknowledge the dedication of the Club sailing administration, Club public relations, and not to forget catering and maintenance staff who ensure that everything runs smoothly on and off the water. The sailors and the volunteers appreciate the regularity of a support vessel available on the water should an incident require assistance. This announcement of the presentations of the Mid-Week 2016/17 Spring-Summer Series Consistencies was held on the May 4. The presentation was enhanced by the generous sponsorship by 300 Acres not only for this presentation but also throughout the twenty-six races of the series. During the series, there was a total of 75 yachts from the “A”, “B” and “C” fleets starting in the regular Thursday races – this included 8 yachts which also qualified to complete in “IRC”.

www.rfbyc.asn.au

below, top to bottom: Ross McLaren, Harrry Schmitz, David Meager, Simon Barwood

left and left above: French Kiss

Announcements - Brian Cain Presenter - Commodore Dean McAullay Assisted by - Sharon Skinner “C” FLEET 10 STARTERS

“B” FLEET 37 STARTERS

PRESENTED BY COMMODORE DEAN MCAULLAY, SUPPORTED BY 300 ACRES 3RD

LOST MOJO

ADAM LINTON

109 PTS

2ND

BONFIRE

CLAY COOK

61 PTS

1ST

BLACK TIE

SIMON BARWOOD

35 PTS

COSMOS PERPETUAL TROPHY DONATED BY BARRY JOHNSTON SUPPORTED BY 300 ACRES PRESENTED BY COMMODORE DEAN MCAULLAY 3RD

JPEG

SHANN EVANS

80 PTS

2ND

ORION

DAVID & MARK STOWELL

70 PTS

ON COUNTBACK

1ST

SPIRIT OF OLYMPIA

DAVID MEAGER

70 PTS

“IRC”

PRESENTED BY COMMODORE DEAN MCAULLAY, SUPPORTED BY 300 ACRES

8 STARTERS

“A” FLEET 28 STARTERS

3RD

APO KATO

KEVIN PALASSIS

45.5 PTS

2ND

BLACK BETTY

GARY MCNALLY

40 PTS

1ST

TEAM SAAB

HARRY SCHMITZ

17 PTS

GARY MCNALLY PERPETUAL TROPHY DONATED BY GARY MCNALLY SUPPORTED BY 300 ACRES PRESENTED BY COMMODORE DEAN MCAULLAY 3RD

APO KATO

KEVIN PALASSIS

71 PTS

2ND

TEAM SAAB

HARRY SCHMITZ

57 PTS

1ST

FRENCH KISS

ROSS MCLAREN

54 PTS

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This acceptance speech was never aired because not previously being in the winner’s circle we didn’t know that there are no speeches required on prize night.

Ross Norgard

ON BEHALF OF THE BELLA GIOIA CHAMPION PRIZE NIGHT

r next corporate soiree, meeting or birthday celebration?

s at your Club either in the Roland Smith Ballroom, the Room or even a meeting in the Aubrey Sherwood Room.

alie or Kaidy to book your next event!

212ororbirthday functions@rfbyc.com.au ng celebration?

your Club either in the Roland Smith Contact Fenn or Kaidy today to Looking for a venue land Smith Ballroom, the to host your book your next meeting event! the Athol Hobbs Room, next corporate soiree, meeting or LookingBallroom, for a venue to host your next corporate soiree, or birthday celebration? Aubreybirthday Sherwood Room. 9286 8212 or the Ward Room or even a meeting celebration?

functions@rfbyc.com.au in the Aubrey Sherwood Room. We can host all sizes of events at your Club either in the Roland Smith Ballroom, the t event! venue to host your next corporate soiree, meeting or birthday celebration? Athol Hobbs Room, the Ward Room or even a meeting in the Aubrey Sherwood Room. We can host all sizes of events at

Looking for a venue to host your next corporate soiree, meeting or birthday celebration? au t all sizes of events at your Club either in the Roland Smith Ballroom, the Contact Natalie or Kaidy to book your next event! Room, the host Wardall Room a meeting the Aubrey Sherwood Room. We can sizesorofeven events at yourinClub either in the Roland Smith Ballroom, the 8212 orSherwood functions@rfbyc.com.au Athol Hobbs Room, the Ward Room or even a meeting in 9286 the Aubrey Room.

EVAN MOORE JUNIORS Contact Natalie orREAR Kaidy to bookCOMMODORE your next event! Natalie or Kaidy to book your next event! 9286continued 8212Contact orfrom functions@rfbyc.com.au page 4

crew roles and communication on a keelboat. the RFBYC Foundation to assist with 9286 8212 or functions@rfbyc.com.au I would like to thank the many the significant capital cost of this volunteers that have contributed to a important project. successful summer sailing season. A Recently the RFBYC Sailing Institute held a training camp for the special thank you to John Taylor and Youth Racing Squad. It was an amaz- Geoff Brown for being Race Officers. And of course the season would not ing turnout with all six BW8’s and a happen without the dedication and Foundation 36 on the water to cater Looking for a venue to host your next corporate soiree, for the 45 sailors who signed up. The hard work of Jenn Suffield, Sharon junior sailors learnt about teamwork, Skinner and Debbie Blaauw.

The Dinghy Winter Series is now underway. This series is open to sailors from other yacht clubs who enjoy the protected waters of Freshwater Bay. Throughout the winter our dinghy sailors continue their training programs each week. It is a wonderful sight to see so many dinghies out on a weeknight under the guidance meeting or birthday celebration? of our coaches.

We can host all sizes of events at your Club either in the Roland Smith Ballroom, the Athol Hobbs Room, the Ward Room or even a meeting in the Aubrey Sherwood Room.

LUKE PATERSON REARContact COMMODORE SAIL Natalie or Kaidy to book your next event!

continued from page 5

There’sor alsofunctions@rfbyc.com.au plenty of sailing on the middle of the night in the next 9286 8212

• Many of our keel boats will take part in Fremantle Sailing Club’s Valmadre Series. 36

offer through our frostbite series and midweek sailing program. I’m sure the America’s Cup will keep many of you awake through

month or so. If you aren’t too sleep deprived, I hope to see you on the water over winter!

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“THE BUZZ AROUND the Bella Gioia camp these days is that with a convincing previous win in the Retro Series, The Governor’s Cup (haven’t I told you we won this!), and now as the current holders of the coveted Mid-River Start Series, we are turning our attention to similar prestigious International events so we are nominating to sail The Rolex Swan World Cup in Sardinia in September 2018 in a Chartered Swan 45. This means that Bella Gioia will be actively sailing in as many Club races between now and then so that our pre-race Vodka shot skills, in advance of well-timed Vanderbilt starts, are kept alive in the lead up to this next big challenge.” To the gallant crew of Bella Gioia congratulations on a hard fought series; to all other Div 2 yachts, thank you for making this a very enjoyable 8 race competition. This time last prize night we were awarded many second places – who will ever forget us charging downwind with the massive horizon blocking kite up in the final stages of the last race of last season, knowing we were leading both categories and without our Brownlow medallist tactician who was assigned to football duties, to suddenly find ourselves on Dome sandbank, kite still full, as we watched the entire fleet pass us as we languished there for 9 minutes. I can still see all those glee-

ful faces on all the other yachts as they watched us helplessly wallowing to the rear of the fleet. The fleet captain out of sheer joy at coming first awarded us Most Improved yacht ensuring that we would carry that sandbank memory into next season. I’m sure it’s no accident that the only instrument the crew looks at these days is the depth sounder and when we are within 1km of the river’s edge I hear the crew unanimously say tack now! So this season we hardly saw the river’s edge and competed in all races including the dismal 4th race which only saw one yacht finish because of the 5:30pm cut-off time. Then there was the 7th race where we achieved a reasonable start got to Brickies in the top 3 then when putting the massive horizon blocking kite up to find we were about to go through the on station start line – so naively we unsuccessfully tried to turn with kite still up and go around the start-line pin end bouy and in so doing copped a spray from a dragon sailor who was about to start reminding us that you can’t unwind a start-line penalty by going back through the line. By this time the fleet had disappeared and memories of that sandbank misdemeanour came flooding back to us. With true grit we sailed on in a freshening breeze licking our wounds

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on every tack. Finally we came within reach of the leaders and discussion ensured as to what the penalty may be for breaching the start-line. The general body of opinion was to sail on and as we were approaching Brickies A for the last time and were on the lay line on starboard tack we were reminded by Flashback that they were on PORT and didn’t we know we were out of the race so give way, which we meekly did. So then conjecture on board was rife as to whether we should sail to the finish or rely on the former World Champion’s call that we were out of the race. After a crew come to Jesus meeting we finally agreed that a Brownlow Medallist’s final view to finish through the finish line was far superior to a former world Champion so we decided to finish the race in 3rd place and after a discretionary penalty we were placed 7th which was so much better than a DNF placing. In the final race Mossy was back whipping “The Tigers” so we were thrilled to get Scotty Bailey to take on the tactician/crew boss role and under his leadership kept us out of harm’s way to finish comfortably in third place enabling us to win the series. The Gentleman’s sport of Yachting produces many ups and downs and this season I am so happy to receive this trophy on behalf of Bella Gioia and all those who sailed on her.

Basil and Jenny Twine

ASTERN – FROM THE ARCHIVES OUR GREEK ODYSSEY

HEN RE-READING THE obituary for Tom Kernot in the last edition of Tidings I was reminded of the wonderful times Jenny and I spent in the Greek Islands and the various club members

who have either chartered yachts there or who are of Greek background. It was lovely chatting to people at the celebration of Tom’s life. He was such a great character. I was first made aware of the facility to charter a yacht and go sailing about the Aegean Sea when John Tout and Tom tried to interest me in such a venture. Yes, I was most interested but at that time it was no more than a pipe dream. Several years later, after Jenny and I got together I men-

tioned it to her and of course she just had to make it happen. We spoke to some other members who had done just this – Jonno Farmer, John Mackay and Clare Brittain, Eric Moyle and some others. It was all just too easy and not as expensive as I had expected particularly if arranged through Tom Kernot and John Tout with their connection with “Padomar Yachts” in Athens. From that initial trip we have visited around 39 islands in the Aegean Sea (only a small number compared with some of our friends) sometimes chartering a yacht and sometimes by “ferry hopping”. The lovely thing about chartering is that 38

you are free to visit remote islands and bays and the downside is that if the weather gets a bit stroppy with a howling “Meltemi” you may have a battle on your hands. When we were twenty years younger we managed perfectly well. These days with “galloping decreptitude” advancing my preference would be to use ferries. Our memories of some of those wonderful occasions need to be shared: Our first charter cruise began from Kalamaki (small boat harbour just south of Athens) and headed southeast to KEA. The convention is that one must moor stern on to the land backed wharf to allow room for others. Those already there will help by taking your stern lines and you must help the next boat coming in the same way. The boat crew helping us actually made it most difficult: It included a number of lissom blond females with long legs, bikini bottoms and bare tops. Where do I drop the bow anchor? How do I steer the boat going astern? Where is the wharf? Jenny calling: Concentrate! Later, when we all ate together at the adjacent Taverna they had put their tops on; must have got cold. On entering the harbour at Tinos I circled looking for a space to moor but there did not appear to be any space left for yachts. My attention was drawn by an official looking fellow in white uniform with pistol on hip. A large ferry had just left and he was standing on

the wharf reserved for commercial vessels. He was blowing a whistle and beckoning. My thoughts were that I was in trouble so I took the boat over to see what he wanted, expecting to be told to clear out. He said in good English “throw me your lines” and proceeded to secure us beam on to the wharf. I thanked him and assured him we would vacate the spot as soon as possible. He answered “Why you go? You not like the place I put you?” Understanding Greek officials is about as easy as trying to pin them down to a time schedule. That evening we were exploring the village when my olfactory senses were excited by the aroma of something wonderful cooking. I said “Jenny, follow me, I don’t know what that is but that is what I am going to eat for dinner”. Around a couple of corners we found a small brick shed with what looked like a clothes-line in front above some charcoal barbecues. The man cooking would periodically reach up to the line with a stick and bring down something to the BBQ. It was Octopus which started to squirm when over the coals. He cut it up with what looked like secateurs and put it on a plate. I still don’t know what marinade he used but that Occy, washed down with fresh Retsina was just delicious. The accommodation he offered us at his alfresco restaurant was the seat at the adjacent bus stop, in front of which he placed a small metal table. A perfect setting! The main harbour of Hydra is very small and being a popular “touristy” spot was overcrowded so we anchored in Mandraki and paddled ashore to the fishermen’s wharf where there was a taverna. By this time it was dark. The taverna owner had been fishing for whitebait using a light and net and

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putting his catch into an enamel bowl on the wharf. This was in turn being guarded by a large fluffy cat which lay with its forelegs around the bowl and nose on the edge. The rules were clear: He was not allowed to pinch anything from the bowl but if any actually jumped out, they were his! By the way, whitebait cooked in garlic oil like prawns at the “Witches Cauldron” are delicious. Our first visit to Tilos was in half a gale and there was no way anyone could moor at the main wharf. One of the local men called us to follow him around to the other end of the bay where there was a Kaiki harbour. He drove quickly in his small truck and met us there. He then proceeded to make room for us to moor bow and stern inside the sheltered area. To get ashore we had to use our rubber duck propelled by pulling ourselves along under the line to the wharf. There were no facilities there and the nearest taverna was about 600 metres around the bay. When we walked in and asked what food was available the lady indicated there was only her husband’s “special dish”. As far as we could make out this was a “Perpetual Casserole”. That is to say a huge pot on the stove into which they threw a goat and a heap of local vegetables, herbs and garlic. As the level in the pot went down they just added another goat and more veg etc. Gee, those Greeks know how to cook! From then on we always asked: What is your special dish? The island of Niseros is basically square; a “mostly dormant” volcano. People actually live inside the crater at the top, farming and oblivious to the smell of sulphur coming from cracks in the shaky ground. Having managed to moor our yacht in Mandraki harbour Jenny and I went for a long walk. It was getting dark as we walked through

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the village and tavernas were opening up. As we talked a voice with a very ozzy accent behind us said: “Ullo, can I offer you people something nice to eat”? I turned to see a lady aged about 30 standing in the doorway of a taverna. I asked: “Where do you come from? Melbourne?”. She replied “Nah Fremantle.” Stella was born in Fremantle, went to school there but when her grandmother died she had to go back to Niseros to run the family taverna. And it was nice to eat! A few days later we approached Agothannissis but were unable to start the motor. This meant we had to sail into the wharf, drop the sails and get lines ashore all at once without running up on the rocks. Fortunately a man on the wharf caught Jenny’s bow line and secured it for us. He then introduced himself as George. He said he had a taverna and we should eat there that evening. It was good: Grilled fish. When it came to paying George was quite excited saying I was very generous. It transpired I had misplaced the decimal point and had given him ten times the amount required. This was in the days of dracma. Being an honest

Greek person he returned the surplus. Next day needing to replenish some supplies, we walked up the hill to the Chora (a Chora is the main settlement, remote from the harbour so that it is better defended from marauding pirates). It was Nanna Nap time so everything was all closed up. We sat in the square and waited. Eventually doors opened and ladies came out to chat and to sweep away imaginary leaves. One lady, seeing us sitting patiently walked over to a nearby tree and broke off a small branch laden with bright green fruit. She came to us and said: ”Froot, froot, you have”. We could not refuse despite the evil green colour. As we walked back down the hill with the branch over my shoulder we found that we had acquired a small herd of goats apparently trying to get at the “froot”. This “froot” turned out

Basil Twine

ASTERN FROM THE ARCHIVES

to be some type of plum, fully ripe and delicious. The next stop was at the harbour of Pythagorion on Samos. We were met by a man who said “My name is George (of course). You need fuel, water, rent motor car? I am also travel agent so can arrange for you to go to Ephesus.” I replied that we only needed water whereupon he walked across the wharf to a nice little boutique and, giving the owner a kiss produced a hose which he brought to the boat. After we had filled the tanks and paid HIM he said “Good now I am the Harbour Master. You bring the ships papers to my office down there and pay the fee.” At Kalimnos there is a fascinating little harbour called Vathi. It is like a fjord, several hundred metres long, very narrow and with steep sides. At the end is a small land backed wharf which can take about three yachts. It had been recommended by some friends that we eat at the taverna on the left, (or was it the right?) and mention their name? Actually, there were three tavernas so we started on the left with snacks and Retsina. No! That was not it, so we moved on to the centre one: BBQ Occy and Retsina. That wasn’t it either so we moved on to the one on the right: Our host was all over us; sat and

chatted with us while we enjoyed several more Retsina and ate a third course. As we parted he asked where our boat was moored and promised to bring us some cakes for breakfast. Next morning, we were woken from a fog by “himself” with a large box of Baklava type sweetcakes swimming in honey. Just what my stomach needed at that stage. It had been suggested we should visit the tiny, barren island of Arki where there was a good wharf and an excellent taverna. We were also told the story of the little black dog named Rosa who always waited at the wharf for her owner to return from his daily fishing. One day he had a heart attack and died on his boat. Rosa continued to wait for him and checked up on every boat which came in. The local people fed and looked after her. It was a lovely greeting from a sad little dog. When we arrived, we were the only boat at the wharf but soon after we were joined by a much larger yacht skippered by “Captain George”. Some of those on board introduced themselves and invited us to join them for drinks. It turned out that they were Canadians: A film crew and some actors – delightful people. While we were socialising

“Captain George” wandered off to arrange for us all to have dinner at the taverna which was owned by some friends of his. On his return, he announced that there were now two tavernas, both owned by friends and we were going to have to eat at both. It seemed they were each trying to out-do the other with huge delicious meals. And; to our embarrassment neither would allow us to pay anything because “Captain George” was their friend. There have been many occasions such as these and anyone reading this would be forgiven for thinking that I am of the type who does not eat to live but rather one who lives to eat! My most profound memory of Greek generosity is from some years later when we arrived unexpectedly from Turkey seeking accommodation on the island of Lemnos. We walked across the wharf with our luggage to a Hotel where we explained our circumstances. We had no Greek money so needed an ATM or bank or something. The owner said that was OK and offered a choice of two nice rooms. He said because it was Sunday the bank was not open and he thought the ATM was out of order. “How much money do you need? I will lend you.” We did find an ATM at the other end of the town so his generosity was not needed. The following day we asked if he knew how we could rent a car for the day. Within ten minutes a lady appeared with a set of car keys and pointed to a near new car outside. I asked about papers, deposit or whatever and she replied: ”No need, you have nice faces and are from Australia.” We spent several days exploring that island which had been the Hospital Island for Australians during the Gallipoli debacle. A very poignant experience.

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DISASTER AVERTED

I came across the following article in the Minutes of the ANNUAL MEETING of the Freshwater Bay Boating Club held on 14 September 1898 - at which there were 30 members present: “Mr A. T. Sherwood proposed and Mr R. Strutton seconded: That a Bathing House for ladies be erected open to the wives, sisters, and children of members,

to be under control of the Club and attached to its present premises. Mr Mc Neil proposed as an amendment that the bathing house be erected, and be under Club control, but on a different site than the Club premises. Mr Burnside opposed the Club having anything to do with the ladies bathing house but suggested that after this meeting closed, the gentlemen present form themselves into a body for the purpose of form-

ing a bathing club for the district. This was seconded by Mr Lodge. Mr Burnside’s amendment was put first and carried by 17 votes to 12.” It is interesting to note that such a Bathing Club was formed later which included fenced off baths and buildings suitable for change rooms. This structure was situated about 75 yards north of the FBBC jetty and club house. Well done Judge Burnside !!! photos: bathing shed c1929 (left) and no date (right)

n last issue of “Tidings” we re-stated the Aims and Objectives of the Archives Team and this serves the dual purpose of keeping the Team on track as well as keeping members informed. Emphasis needs to be made that ours is a “small archives” collection, with records for Members and their families to research – the boats, people and history of RFBYC including the events and decisions which have brought our great Club to the position it holds today. The Team members are all volunteers who meet at the Club each Tuesday. A great deal of work is also done at home on other days. We are fortunate to have a complete set of minute books which is more than most similar

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organisations. From these we have been able to extract quite a lot of information although sometimes the minute-taker omitted the background detail behind decisions. This is a lesson which I have asked the Flag Officers to address for the future. We are steadily working on transferring the more significant information to Computer and indexing so that it can be more readily researched. We are also grateful to members and their families for information and material donated to the Club Archives. While we don’t always retain everything, it does give us the opportunity to select items which may be of interest and relevant to our collection.

THANKS:

To Mrs Joan Fisher for a number of books from the America’s Cup and Louis Vuitton Cup collection of her late husband; long serving member Morris Fisher. To Ted Williams for some books from his America’s Cup collection including a volume of “The Lawson History of the Americas Cup” autographed by the skippers of all the participating syndicates. To Matcham Walsh for a membership card issued in 1945 to his late father Godfrey Henry Walsh known as “Billy” Walsh.

Nathan Stronach

Cast away your worries

THE BOSUN’S LOCKER AROUND THE GROUNDS

MOST OF YOU WHO are reading this, I have a long affinity with our beautiful Swan River, starting at a very early age with dawn crabbing missions with my late father.

Through my youth I never would have guessed that my relationship with the river would find me in the position that I am today, I feel truly blessed. Out of this has been born an attitude of custodianship of which I

Elliott has been kind enough to recount his experiences for us. “I used five dry powder extinguishers. All you get are facefulls of powder and toxic fumes. You cannot see or breathe and the powder comes back at you with interest. You only get the one chance to stop a fire aboard, so you must do it within about 30 seconds. Otherwise it is time to clear out. Powder extinguishers are hopeless in an engine room and I now have automatic foam installed”, said Elliott. “It all started at 0950hrs on Boxing Day, and I wanted to watch the start of the Hobart. So I put the TV on, switched to both banks and that is when it happened”, explained Elliott. A major short circuit had occurred when a cell in one of the deep cycle batteries had collapsed and instantaneously, the whole system was on drain. “As soon as I saw smoke from the battery isolator I tried to go back to one or off, but it had fused inside by that time and was rendered useless. I heard crackling, came out of wheelhouse, lifted the lid on the hold and used two extinguishers. The deckhead and bulkheads were all smoking, and I used another extinguisher on what I could see. I then went back down into the engine room and sprayed yet another.” “From there I went back to wheelhouse, fell into engine room in the black smoke that was already billowing furiously and crawled 42

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 Removes oil instantly and permanently from bilge water.  No oil sheen after the MyCelx Bilge Kleen filters.  Easy to install and operate. No electrical or moving parts.  No additional pump required to pump water through the BilgeKleen cartridges.  Dry cartridge – no liquids handling or loose media.  Consumed only with oil, not water  Spent cartridge holds 0.0001% water therefore can be incinerated for residual fuel value  ABS Type approved  Lloyd’s Register type approved to <5 ppm overboard discharge  ISO 9001-2000 certified manufacturing process

aft along the deck, throwing the fuel isolators on and grabbing the mobile as I went. My dog, Tosh, was on the marlin platform already and he then jumped in the tinnie.” Interestingly, only a few weeks earlier that Elliott had installed a Stainless Steel 4WD style grab hook on the transom to hold the painter to the dinghy. “I reckon that if I had to actually untie the tender, then I would have been right in amongst that explosion”, recounted Elliott.

Operating Features of MyCelx Bilge Water Cartridges:  Dimensions: 4.5” OD and 10” and 20” Ht 

    

Operating pH range: 3 – 11 o Maximum operating temperature: 50 C Operating pressure drop: 1 psi Max Pressure Rating: 120 psi Particle pre-filtration recommended to extend media life. Sizes available o BK1 – 1-4 gpm or 0.25-0.75 m3/h o BK2 – 1-13 gpm or 0.25- 2 .5 m3/h o BK3 – 1-25 gpm or 0.25 -5 m3/h

“You know there is always a silver lining and thank God mine came in the form of the team at Pantaenius.They were just bloody brilliant. My previous insurer said they would not be covering anyone in Shute Harbour or Airlie Beach anymore. Pantaenius were happy to insure me on a swing mooring (after survey) and we’re all covered except for a named storm”, espoused Elliott. “Their rates are not high, and their service is exceptional. I rang them that afternoon and got a call later. Things moved so quickly, I really could not fault them in any shape or form. I’m telling everyone, because it was such a great experience after the most horrendous disaster.” Pantaenius appointed a surveyor within 24 hours at their cost. They then provided an independent report within days of the incident, so that settlement could also be reached within a few days.

Results – IMO MEPC 107 (49) Oil Emulsion Type C Test

Influent

Effluent

Effluent Water Quality

20 – Sep – 04

10-500

0.48

Clear

TEST 2 3 1.0 m /hr

20 – Sep – 04

10-500

0.14

Clear

TEST 1 3 2.5 m /hr

20 – Sep – 04

10-500

0.21

Clear

Test Number GER14250 www.hqhh.de11/2015 11/2015 GER14250 www.hqhh.de

Now to put it all into perspective, Elliott is one level-headed chap. He was a Chief Petty Officer in the Royal New Zealand Navy and a clearance diver by trade, so when he says, “… it was terrifying, so, so quick and virtually impossible to put out”, you’re sort of obliged to pay attention.

With this in mind I ask that all vessel owners consider the following piece of new technology that can assist with the reduction of hydrocarbon pollutants being pumped overboard by automatic bilge pumps.

MyCelx BilgeKleen Systems - Patented MyCelx Oil Removal Technology Ensures Clean Bilge Discharge

Gone in 180 seconds! “It was all ablaze and we were off in just on three minutes”, was how Noel Elliott described the scene you see here. “The most horrendous thing is how quickly all the wiring burns. You’re encased in the stuff, so it’s a bit like being in a single garage with wires in all the roof and wall cavities, as well as the floor. Everything explodes and burns instantaneously.”

am in the unique position of being able to have this communication platform that can be used to inform other river users of ways that we can ensure the longevity and health of our beautiful river system.

TEST 1 3 0.5 m /hr

Report Date

Hydrocarbon Index ppm

Disclaimer: The flow rates and capacities are intended as guidelines and are not a warranty of performance. Performance may vary based on particular conditions of your waste steam

CALL US FOR A FREE QUOTE TODAY T: 1300 692 359 E: info@oleology.com.au

Germany · Great Britain · Monaco · Denmark Germany Great· Britain · Monaco · Denmark Austria ·· Spain Sweden · USA · Australia Austria · Spain · Sweden · USA · Australia Pantaenius Australia Pty Ltd. · Shop 6 / 83 Parriwi Rd, The Spit, Mosman Pantaenius Pty Ltd. · Shop 6 / 83 1670 Parriwi Rd, The Spit, Mosman Sydney, NSW Australia 2088 · Phone +61-(0)2-9936 · info@pantaenius.com.au Sydney, NSW 2088 · Phone +61-(0)2-9936 1670 · info@pantaenius.com.au pantaenius.com.au pantaenius.com.au

Oleology.com.au

ENGINEERING OIL-FREE WATER

DINGHY PRIZE NIGHT

CHAMPIONS PRIZE NIGHT

MEMBERSHIP NEW CLUB MEMBERS

TRAVEL GRANTS INFORMATION

ORDINARY

Member Steve Appleton Jim Murray Matt Saunders Donald Burnside Jim Crossland Eeva Leinonen-Davies Giles Palmer Martina Sackmann Jonathan Strauss

Proposer Seconder Nigel Mayo Ian Day Garry Manners Ian Day Garry Manners Ian Day Garry Manners Ian Day Garry Manners Ian Day Rosemary Coates Ian Campbell Gary McNally Mark Tremain Jennie Fitzhardinge Jeremy Shellabear Peter Ferry Peter Kernot

RFBYC Travel Grants are awarded to assist and encourage our members to participate at national and international competitions. The funds are derived from member donations and are awarded to help offset the costs incurred when travelling away. The following members received travel grants during the 2016-17 season: $1,450.00

29 LOVELADY, MIA

$950.00

2 ALDERSON, LUCY

1 ALDERSON, MOLLY

$400.00

30 MASSEE, PETER

$300.00

3 BARWOOD, SIMON

$1,700.00

4 BARWOOD, TYSON

$950.00

31 MCAULLAY, DEAN

$950.00

32 MONCRIEFF, JOHN

$300.00

5 BLAAUW, THOMAS

$600.00

33 NEGRI, ADAM

$1,150.00

6 BOULDEN, GEORGE

$600.00

34 NEGRI, ALEX

$350.00

9 BUCHAN, MURRAY

$400.00

37 OWEN, LACHY

$300.00

ORDINARY 31

10 BUCHAN, ANDREW

$400.00

38 PACKER, PHILIPPA

$950.00

Member Proposer Seconder Robert Daw Anthony Packer David Lynn

11 CARMICHAEL, LAURA

$400.00

39 PILE, CATHERINE

$500.00

12 CARLBERG, EMERSON

$350.00

40 ROSE, SAM

$300.00

ASSOCIATE

13 CAWLEY, ANDREW

$300.00

41 ROSE, EVIE

$300.00

14 CHATFIELD, RAY

$300.00

42 SEAGREEN, CAMERON

15 CLARK, HAYLEY

$1,225.00

Member Louise Daw Alisa Simich Rebecca Appleton Peter Suren Gemma Palmer

Proposer Seconder Anthony Packer David Lynn Karl Simich Richard Williams Nigel Mayo Ian Day Rosemary Coates Ian Campbell Gary McNally Mark Tremain

RECIPROCAL

Member Proposer Seconder Colin Harrison Grant Alderson Patricia Ford JUNIOR UNDER 16

Member Brenn Armstrong Harley Waterstrom-Walker Sara Lau Alasdair Cameron Aiden Palmer

Member Member Ruairidh Avern Aimee Walsh Josh Appleton Matthew Hale Anna Lau Ethan Boyle Angus Cameron Emma Yu Lucas Palmer

$2,175.00

43 SEAGREEN, LIAM

$500.00

16 CORRIGAN, FARRAH

$700.00

44 SMITH, CHRIS

$350.00

17 DAVIES, ANNABELLE

$525.00

45 SPEARMAN, MARK

18 DE LONGVILLE, AARON

$400.00

46 STOWELL, MARK

$300.00

$1,850.00

19 DE LONGVILLE, EMILY

$300.00

47 TAYLOR, KAIELLA

$700.00

20 DEUSSEN, NICHOLAS

$300.00

48 THOMPSON, ZOE

$950.00

21 DONALDSON, RYAN

$1,225.00

49 TORRE, MARCELLO

$750.00

50 TORRE, RAFFAEL

$400.00

22 GARBOWSKI, DAMIAN 23 GHENT, SUSAN 24 GILMOUR, LACHY 25 GILMOUR, SAM 26 LEAVERSUCH, GREG

$350.00 $300.00

51 TOWNES, HENRY

$300.00

$1,575.00

52 TOWNES, SOPHIE

$1,100.00

$2,625.00 $950.00

53 VAN DER STRUYF, DIRK

$300.00

54 WARD, STEVE

$950.00

27 LITTLEWOOD, ZAC

$350.00

55 WEBSTER, MARTIN

$350.00

28 LOVELADY, GRANT

$300.00

56 YU, DAVID

$950.00

The following members received travel grants during the month of May 2017:

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

For membership information, please visit our website rfbyc.asn.au and use the tabs ‘Participate’ then ‘Join the Club’. The menu on the left side of the page can be used to navigate through our membership section. Alternatively, membership enquiry packs can be collected from the main noticeboard or from reception.

1 KIERAN BUCKTIN

$650.00

3 PETER MASSEE

$450.00

2 LACHY GILMOUR

$450.00

4 TRISH FORD

$450.00

Questions to our Membership Coordinator, Susan Ghent, at the Club.

LLOYD CLARK REAR COMMODORE POWER

IMPORTANT DATES FOR MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS

Membership applications (with signature and endorsement of two Members with five+ years membership) must be submitted to the Membership Coordinator by post, deliver to the Club, or email to, membership@rfbyc.asn.au Submit completed application forms to the Club by the last Monday of the month.

continued from page 5

General Committee reviews applications on the last Tuesday of the month. Ordinary membership applicants will be invited to attend an interview with the Membership Committee on the second Monday of the following month or thereafter. Membership applications are placed on the notice board for a period of 26 days (except Juniors). All membership applications which progress to the final stage of the membership process will be ratified by General Committee on the last Tuesday of the month. 46

www.rfbyc.asn.au

encourage you all to get out on the water, rain, hail or shine and get involved in as many time trial events as possible throughout the season. Finally, this year will see the return of the famous ‘Winter Feast’,

www.rfbyc.asn.au

an event that was successfully run for many years which saw members make their way by river on Club boats to a restaurant for a winter feed, a few beverages and a lot of laughs. The event this year is planned to be held on Friday, 1

September at the Raffles Hotel, and will be appropriately named the ‘Spring Feast’ for obvious reasons!! The Power Committee is still working through the finer details of this event, so please save the date and stay tuned for more information. 47

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 18 JUNE

KEELBOAT FROSTBITE SERIES RACE 2 - PM START

10 AUGUST

300 ACRES MID WEEK RACE

20 JUNE

RFBYC SAILING INSTITUTE MATCH RACING REGATTA, PM

12 AUGUST

WINE DINNER

13 AUGUST

DINGHY WINTER SERIES RACE 5 - AM START

22 JUNE

300 ACRES MID WEEK RACE

25 JUNE

DINGHY WINTER SERIES RACE 2 - PM START

16 AUGUST

WEDNESDAY THEME DINNER CHINESE

29 JUNE

300 ACRES MID WEEK RACE

17 AUGUST

MID WEEK RACE - FLAG OFFICERS WINTER CUP

30 JUNE 2 JULY

BEATLES + STONES TRIBUTE NIGHT

20 AUGUST

KEELBOAT FROSTBITE SERIES RACE 3 - AM START

KEELBOAT FROSTBITE SERIES RACE 6 - PM START

05 JULY

WEDNESDAY THEME DINNER PARMIGIANA

24 AUGUST

300 ACRES MID WEEK RACE

25 AUGUST

TRIBUTE NIGHT

6 JULY

300 ACRES MID WEEK RACE

27 AUGUST

DINGHY WINTER SERIES RACE 6 - PM START

13 JULY

300 ACRES MID WEEK RACE

30 AUGUST

WEDNESDAY THEME DINNER - INDIAN

15 JULY

WINE DINNER

31 AUGUST

300 ACRES MID WEEK RACE

16 JULY

KEELBOAT FROSTBITE SERIES RACE 4 - PM START

2 SEPTEMBER

RFBYC SAILING INSTITUTE MATCH RACING REGATTA, AM

19 JULY

WEDNESDAY THEME DINNER - INDIAN

3 SEPTEMBER

20 JULY

300 ACRES MID WEEK RACE

RFBYC SAILING INSTITUTE MATCH RACING REGATTA, PM

22 JULY

RFBYC SAILING INSTITUTE MATCH RACING REGATTA, PM

7 SEPTEMBER

300 ACRES MID WEEK RACE

8 SEPTEMBER

JUNIOR AGM

9 SEPTEMBER

WINE DINNER

9 SEPTEMBER

JUNIOR/DINGHY CLUB BUSY BEE

10 SEPTEMBER

DINGHY TEAMS RACING EVENT

13 SEPTEMBER

WEDNESDAY THEME DINNER PARMIGIANA

14 SEPTEMBER

300 ACRES MID WEEK RACE

17 SEPTEMBER

KEELBOAT FROSTBITE SERIES RACE 7 (INCORPORATING BARTS BASH) - AM START

21 SEPTEMBER

300 ACRES MID WEEK RACE

28 SEPTEMBER

300 ACRES MID WEEK RACE

23 JULY

DINGHY WINTER SERIES RACE 3 - PM START

27 JULY

300 ACRES MID WEEK RACE

28 JULY

TRIBUTE NIGHT

30 JULY

DINGHY WINTER SERIES RACE 4 - PM START

2 AUGUST

WEDNESDAY THEME DINNER - PIZZA AND PASTA NIGHT

3 AUGUST

300 ACRES MID WEEK RACE

6 AUGUST

KEELBOAT FROSTBITE SERIES RACE 5 - AM START

Kleenhull Systems |Ron 0408 958 323 KLEENHULL SYSTEMS

This is the result of a grounded DC, negative circuit, common tothis overis the 90% ofof recreational result moisturecraft. activated The negative which is a stray current. full charge return circuit is permanently connected to the battery and to Fumigate with Kleenhull Water the waterways via the Repellant System to get rid of zinc anodes, requiring the problem. modification.

Book your boat in NOW for its annual service with Northport Marine Services during the months of June or July to win:

WORTH OF

Next summer’s boating could be on us. As WA’s premier lifting & maintenance yard, we are WA’s biggest and best PROPSPEED APPLICATOR and No. 1 for INTERNATIONAL ANTIFOUL. It’s win win!

Members

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www.rfbyc.asn.au

CHANGING THE FACE OF BOATLIFTING & VESSEL MAINTENANCE IN WA

SPECIALISING IN Lift & Launch up to 200t, Antifouling, Painting, PROPSPEED, Fabrication, Shipwrighting and more

T: 08 9430 7623 M: 0427 876 408 E: info@northportmarine.com.au northportmarine.com.au

Proudly Supported by our Preferred Suppliers:

Terms and Conditions: Competition closes 31st July 2017. Winner will be drawn by random. Prize: $2,000.00 worth of fuel credit supplied by Northport Marine Services. Fuel credit is valid until 30th June 2018. Any unused portion of the prize past 30th June 2018 is not transferable or exchangeable and cannot be taken as cash. To be eligible, entrants must book their vessel in for service during June or July 2017. Further conditions may apply.

Saturday 4 November 2017- 9am offshore racing

41st Farrawa Cup Series 2017-2018 (four races, no discards)

Roland Smith Ocean Race 80 nm Saturday 2 December 2017 – 10am Dolphin Race 27 nm Sunday 3 December 2017 – 11am Gordon Craig Ocean Race 20 nm Friday 23 February 2018 – 6:30pm 70th Bunbury and Return Ocean Race 170 nm

rfbyc.asn.au

Ocean Racing WA - Regatta Series 2017-2018 Southern Regatta

Northern Regatta

Rottnest Regatta

(WA IRC State Championship)

Hosted by:

(includes Algal Bloom Race)

Hosted by: RPYC / RFBYC

HYC / FSC / SoPYC

Hosted by: RFBYC / EFYC

25 &26 November 2017

3 & 4 February 2018

7 & 8 April 2018

2 & 3 December 2017

10 & 11 February 2018