FLYING FIFTEENS

The 2022-23 Summer Sailing season is now firmly in the rearview mirror, and with it, the very obvious smorgasbord of races that was the 2023 World Flying Fifteen Championships. Having been postponed twice, there was a lot of pent-up energy and excitement to finally get out on the track and see if all the months of practice would cut the mustard in a fleet of almost 80 boats. From mid-January, the fleet progressively assembled at Fremantle with the aim of getting used to sailing in the short, steep chop. Coach Dennis Jones steadily formed a squad of dedicated sailors to work together to lift the performance of all involved. The squad culture continued throughout the National and World regattas with briefings and debriefings each day that shared information on weather and strategies relative to the large fleet. In the end, experience and preparation (the usual suspects) were the keys, with Nick Jerwood and Brad Sheridan sailing Best Foot Forward finishing 2nd in the Worlds, Greg Tonnison and Nick Robinson (The Answer) seventh, Andy and Anne Knowles (A2) ninth, and Team Dunbar (Mike and Paul in Ineffable) tenth. There were 21 boats representing South of Perth Yacht Club in the fleet.

Following the Worlds, attention turned to the last few Club Championship heats which were tackled with a much more relaxed attitude, but the results still reflected the preparation from earlier regattas. Nick and Brad were again the champions, with Mike and Paul second and Greg and Nick third. In the consistency competition, Karen and

Russell (Second Breakfast) narrowly beat Carl and Kristine (Faffin).

The Flying Fifteen fleet has, once again, enjoyed a fabulous season thanks to the dedication, skill, and experience of a large collection of volunteers who conduct the Sunday races and keep us safe on the water. While a lot of attention was focused on the racing side, there was still a fair bit of energy reserved for the traditional social events that punctuate the year. The burden of these outings almost exclusively falls on the broad shoulders (metaphorically speaking) of Mary-Anne Reid, who, as well as doing all the real work on board Ffortitude, continues to stamp her creativity and flair on a broad range of activities.

With winter now upon us, there is the tendency to hibernate, but there are still some die-hards who front up for the monthly winter series regattas and take their chances with the cold. The next State Championships are scheduled for the end of September, so these regattas will serve as a suitable tune-up.

See you next season. Opening Day is likely to be the 8th of October, so start practicing now!

The 2022-23 Offshore Sailing season is now complete, and congratulations to all teams that participated in what was a fairly challenging set of sea states and weather patterns. Quite often, I have told our offshore team that when competing in the Blue Water events, there is always a chance that one in ten races will be a tough one. So far this season, I am looking a little like Pinocchio because out of the 13 races completed so far this year, only the infamous Coventry Race delivered ideal sailing conditions.

The rest - George Law, our Centaur Run, The West Coaster, and the Dolphin Race - all presented challenging seas and somewhat chilly conditions. It was not too bad for the Bunbury Return and Cape Naturaliste races, with Naturaliste being a fast reach both ways and great fun. Still, part of the reason we go offshore racing is to develop our team and individual sailing skills and to become the best sailors we can be.

When you are out there competing, there is no pit stop, and you have to be resourceful when things don’t go to plan. If you have the ambition to go cruising at some stage in your life, then the quickest way to skill up is to go offshore and clock up some nautical miles. Since October this year, the offshore (ORWA Siska fleet) would have sailed over 2,500 nautical miles to complete the season, including the Fremantle to Exmouth Classic and return. They will have met many challenges and faced completely different conditions along the way.

For perspective, that’s about 150+ Saturdays on the river. SoPYC skipper, Matt Rose, sailing King Canute, is still showing us all that going under the bridges to take part in classic offshore races can bring results for river-based Clubs. Matt and his team are very determined and have braved the fairly challenging conditions I mentioned earlier – and won flags. So hats off to Matt and his team; keep up the great work, and the “King's” reputation is building nicely with the offshore community – deservedly so.

Eyes are now on the Fremantle to Geraldton race and return in 2023. Both will be Siska Races and will have a healthy fleet for sure. The Gero, as we know her, is our iconic week of race and regatta. Working closely in partnership with the Geraldton Yacht Club, it is indeed one of my very favorite weeks of the year. Whether you race or rally – it’s a lot of fun and camaraderie for all. So let's see if we can get a few more SoPYC members, yachts, and crew to jump on and experience a destination event to remember. That’s it for now.

Chris Hind Offshore Captain

The Cruising Section has gone from strength to strength in the last 12 months, with events being very well attended, and our members having a great time and building lasting relationships over the time invested together. I’d like to thank you all for allowing me the privilege of serving as Captain of the section. I would especially like to thank the members of the Cruising Section Committee for their support and help to make the Cruising Section an extremely successful section of the Club.

That takes me back to June 2022, and our last Mindarie trip. We were very well attended for the weekend with loads of fun on the jetty’s, a party at the pub, and lots of relationships built. Thanks to Tom and Amy for hosting a party on Little One, and to everyone that joined in the fun.

On October 15th, we had a great weekend trip to Rottnest. Special thanks to Macel Every for organising a great weekend once again, including a great game of Corn Hole and a visit to the pub

The weekend of November 11th, 12th, and 13th we headed to Fremantle Sailing Club with a plan to go down to the Rockingham Races on the Sunday. Again, thanks to everyone who attended.

Our longest event of the year was December 2022 / January 2023 - the South West Rally to Busselton /

Dunsborough. The longest distance travelled for the year, and impressive as we had 10 boats travel down to Port Geographe Marina for the Christmas / New Years period. We enjoyed a BBQ on the Jetty to welcome everyone, and then a great lunch at Shelter Brewing Co. Next up was New Year’s Eve at The Deck, which was a great night with a few sore heads the next day. On January 3rd, we all jumped in a bus for a wine tour, followed by another bbq on the jetty that night. The rest of the trip involved exploring the Bays along the coast of Dunsborough, impromptu BBQ and lunches, and lots of beverages. This is an absolutely spectacular trip, and I can’t wait to come back and organise another one, as this is my personal favourite of the year.

Another very special event occurred from February 17th - 19th - the Bremer Bay Orca’s Experience with our partners at Naturalist Charters. Paul Stott and Jan Culver did an amazing job organising this trip, and again we had an absolutely perfect day for it, which normally means that the Orcas might not engage too much… not this time! We had perfect weather, flat seas, and loads of entertainment from the Killer Whales all along the Bremer Canyon. I can’t recommend an inland Event more than this trip. I’ve now been 2 years in a row, and would go back again next year. It’s the best wildlife experience I’ve ever had in Australia. We then had the long weekend March 4th, 5th, 6th with a trip down to Mandurah. What a great event! Another great party on the Jetty on the Saturday, followed by a brilliant wine tour on the Sunday, finishing off with an excellent slow-cooked BBQ meat and salads on the jetty provided by Chris Townend and his team.

It’s been a blast, and I can’t wait to see what the section get’s up to over the next 12 months! Thanks for being part of the fun.

Mike Irving Cruising Section Captain