REGATTA REPORT Stephen Grover
Rear Commodore Regatta How’s this for a question?
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t the time you will be reading this the club will be mid-way through it’s 75thSummer Sailing Season, having commenced with a spectacular Opening Day, a brisk, slightly chilly SouSouEasterly breeze but with sunny skies. Impressive is our adjective to describe the visual display of both sail and power yachts. The latter being used on the day as floating corporate boxes for the array of dignitaries, VIPs and Flag Officers. The clubs hospitality on the day was outstanding and even the club Burgee unfurled on time and correctly this year (phew!). The presentation of Elder in Residence status and Honorary Membership to Marie Taylor was a significant point of the days celebrations. I have now visited a few other clubs, representing SoPYC in an official capacity, for their opening days. I can report that all are experiencing the same, or very similar issues. Delivery of a good product for the sailing/boating community, both current and future and directly linked to this, declining or stagnant competitor numbers. It is for this reason SoPYC is encouraging participation in club racing events as a key to sustaining sailing and boating in general as a sport. Participation in Club events, be they Power or Sail, gives a hidden bonus in social interaction between people of like interests that would not normally gather together. If we’ve learnt anything during this COVID crisis it's that humans like the company of other humans. So talk to the group in the next water pen or hard stand space and if they are not regular competitors, ask them to the next club event. Give it a try: you’ve got nothing to lose. A good example of this is the Sunday Afternoon “Mark Layers” or as they have named themselves “The Cone Heads” for some obscure reason. Several months ago it was decided by this group, in consultation with immediate past Rear Commodore Pettersen that the tackle arrangement to locate, secure and stabilise the inflatable marks used in off-the-beach sailing, needed a re-work. Enter the “Cone Heads” to analyse, design, re-work, contemplate, cogitate and examine “what ifs”? The end result is a disparate group of dedicated volunteers who, together, have now created and tested equipment which will be far more user friendly to anybody taking on the task of laying marks well into the future. I say well done and keep up the great work behind the scenes. When you can afford the time I’ll buy you all a beer, or the club will at least! Other examples of this type of selfless work around the club does exist. This is but one.
“Why is Wednesday afternoon sailing so popular and obviously enjoyable (as demonstrated by the numbers at presentations) compared to say, Saturday sailing?” Is it the more laid-back style of the day (?), the less crowded river ( you should have seen the 70s and early 80s) or is it simply the Jib and Main aspect that makes it less complicated or perhaps that a fair portion of our club population now resides in the “Retired” sector of life? Whatever it is the vibe (see “The Castle”) I get from the podium is palpable and confirms a strong camaraderie between sailors. If we could bottle it and sprinkle a little on other race days we would have the answer! I should also reiterate, as expressed at presentation of the Winter Series results, the higher place-getters are invariably those that competed more regularly. Time in the boat heals all ills, both skipper and crew induced! On the events scene, rarely does the club get the opportunity to display its abilities to the larger yachting community apart from, say, the Women’s Keel Boat Championship and Youth Keel boat Championship in December 2020 however, the Goolugatup Sailing Carnival (a Ron Tough Yachting Foundation in conjunction with SoPYC Inc 75th Anniversary Event) is one that will showcase the venue, the people, the history and culture of the club on this man-made peninsular that is Coffee Point. “Goolugatup” is the Noongar name for the lower Heathcote lands and has been given approval for the naming rights via elder in residence, Marie Taylor who was part of our Opening Day celebrations. It is appropriate therefore that the sailing carnival aims to conduct a fun event with emphasis on joyful competition whilst enjoying everyone’s company. Commencing on 4th January till 14th January it will be a multi-layered event that will require many volunteers ( there’s that word again! ) and, as with all events of this nature, support from the corporate world. Anybody with spare time during the gazetted times would do themselves a favour by just dropping down to the club and seeing some great sailing action and fun activities on shore. This will be a “ONE OFF” opportunity not to be missed! On a final note, whilst this is not strictly an “Up to the High Water Mark” issue we are experiencing extreme growing pains as the club moves to develop new training programs and directions. This inevitably results in some tough decisions about boats and gear that have been unused and laying around for, sometimes, years/decades. Space in storage sheds, around boat parks/hard stands etc is at an absolute premium so please give appropriate thought as to the last time you participated in a club event and whether you could store that boat or that unused equipment at home to allow a participant the use of that space. Please give this your honest consideration. Stephen Grover Rear Commodore Regatta
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