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Safety Beach Sailing Club NEWS 11th December 2024

Hygiene Packs Xmas 2024 Donation Flyer

Off The Beach News

Howdy Gang.

Well as promised, Sunday's sailing was an absolute cracker. I knew I'd have to get it right eventually! The sun was out and the breeze was strong, but it was always going to come down to around 15 knots, perfect. Unfortunately it was a bit too strong in the morning for the junior training team again. Those poor buggers just can't take a trick. Undeterred, Nick and his band of merry trainers had the kids out in the RHIBs for a bit of a blast around (don't let them go over to the dark side Obi Wan). Even with a lack of on water time, it seems these juniors are still as keen as mustard and loving every minute. Several of them have already joined as members and one family (Ryan's) have even joined as a family membership with Dad Scott and Grandad Garry buying a Tasar and joining in the afternoon sailing. Great stuff guys.

As for the rest of us, 15 boats in total, with a mix of Lasers, Sabres, 420s, Impulses and Tasars in the mono department, and a Cobra, a Windrush and a Taipan for the Cats, went out in near perfect conditions to battle it out for the club Championship race. A NorWester about 15 knots blew all day (max gust was a mere 21 knots). It was 20 degrees and hardly a cloud in the sky. Plenty of shifts on the upwind legs to keep it interesting and some good waves ( not too big) to surf on the reaches and runs. I hope I'm painting you a good picture here, as there weren't nearly enough boats on the water to take advantage of these mint conditions.

Race one, course one, a fairly biased pin end and then a wind shift made it hard to start on starboard so most of the fleet opted for a port start, except Rick P, who got a bit fancy and went for a dip start only to come up a bit short and was called OCS. "I was robbed!" He cried. "Tell it to the judge", they cried back, and Fiona M said "Thank you very much, I'll take first place!".

Race two, course two, ready to go. Hang on a minute, something is wrong with the laundry as Geoff calls it, or in this case, the clothes line. Turns out the bolt at the top of the brace has come out and the whole lot is about to come crashing down on them - disaster! What they need is a dashing hero to leap in and save the day. Enter The Cisco Kid and his faithful side kick Pancho, AKA Ross and Natasha M. As one of the RHIBs raced over to pluck him from his trusty steed, Tash took over on the tiller to sail effortlessly, single handed in heaving seas (poetic licence here) until Ross returned. Leaping onto the Start boat like a buccaneer of old, he climbed to the top of the rigging, cutlass in his teeth, toupee flying in the wind and a piece of old rope to carry out the repairs. In no time at all the day was saved and Ross was carried triumphantly back to Tash amid the cheers of the adoring crowd- Huzzah ! Jokes aside, this was a pretty cool effort from both Ross and Tash, as neither job was easy and they made it look very easy.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, flags up, flags down, fleet away. A good clean start this time and a more even breeze made for a really nice race. Katrina M had an exceptional second lap, where I'm sure she started a hidden outboard motor going by the way she flew past me and nearly caught Fiona M. Likewise, Bill was back to his normal blistering pace, albeit with a large piece of duct tape covering the hole in his foredeck from last weeks mishap.

Thanks to all the race crew, including new guy Julian Nortcliffe, one of our Coast Guard friends doing RHIB duty so the sailors can sail. Likewise Tim B, who contacted me earlier in the morning to offer his services. This let a grateful Fiona M sail. How about we have a bit more of this communication. If you can't sail-no crew, boat's not ready, twenty twenty rule or any other reason, please contact me as early as you can so we can let someone sail-PLEASE. After all, a day on the water is better than a day not on the water, even in a RHIB !

That's all for this week. Cheers, Pete Chippy

PS; check out the photos, complements to Super D, of Ross in the rigging and new members Scott and Garry belting along in their ex-Navy Tasar.

Keelboat News

Results

Friday 6 December 2024

Twilight Pursuit Series 1 - Race 9

1st	Vamanos	Fiona Jones
2nd	Rawhide	Cameron Barwick
3rd	Vitesse	Ray Bateman

Friday AMS – Race 9

1st	Vamanos	Fiona Jones
2nd	Rawhide	Cameron Barwick
3rd	Maximum Limit	Rick Rogers

It was great to see 26 yachts take to the water for the Pursuit Race on Friday. After much deliberation Course #1 was selected. The changeable and somewhat damp conditions provided the fleet with plenty of challenges but Vamonos, with Andrew McGrath (aka The X Factor) onboard who is enjoying recent ORCV success, thrived in tricky conditions coming in 1st and well clear of Rawhide in 2nd place.

Just to provide some additional interest, Steve Twentyman and the crew from Shimmer on tower duty ran a 'closest to the start' competition. It would seem that some of the fleet got wind of this exciting news as we had four yachts (not naming names) that were On Course Side at their start. We had a number of very good contenders with Cirrus coming out on top, crossing the line bang on their start time. Some of the other closer starts were from Vamonos, 11-11, Maximum Limit and Limelight. Big thanks to Steve who shouted a couple of drinks back at the club for all those starting within 10secs of their start time.

Sunday Summer Series (Race 4)

Congratulations to 'Mr Bojangles' who took out a clean sweep on Sunday - 1^st on PHS, AMS and ORC.

A huge thanks to our tower crews over the weekend; Dianne Jackson (RO) and the Shimmer crew on Friday night, and Elaine Nicholas (RO) assisted by Judy Champion on Sunday morning.

This Week's Racing

This week is the last of Friday Twilight Series 1 and also the second race in the Female Helm series. It was great to see 26 yachts take to the water for the Pursuit Race on Friday. After much deliberation Course #1 was selected.

The changeable and somewhat damp conditions provided the fleet with plenty of challenges but Vamanos,, with Andrew McGrath (aka The X Factor) who is enjoying recent ORCV success on board, thrived in tricky conditions coming in 1st and well clear of Rawhide in 2nd place. Just to provide some additional interest, Steve Twentyman and the crew from Shimmer ran a closest to the start competition. It would seem that some of the fleet got wind of this exciting news as we had 4 yachts that were On Course Side at their start.

We had a number of very good contenders with Cirrus coming out on top crossing the line bang on their start time. Some of the other closer starts were from Vamanos, 11-11, Maximum Limit and Limelight. Big thanks to Steve who shouted a couple of drinks for all those starting within 10secs of their start time.

Thanks Di Jackson

Friday 13 December 2024

Twilight Pursuit Series 1 - Race 10 (final race of series)

and

Margaret Hollamby Female Helm Sub-series - Race 2

Race Start Time (AEDT)	17:30H Pursuit Start
Race Officer	Mark Bulka
Duty Boat	Balance
Tower Assistant	Amanda

Sunday 15 December 2024

Club Championship Series - Race 4

First Signal Warning	09:55H Tower Start
Race Officer	Elaine Nicholas
Assistant	Jann Wilson

Remember it is a AM start this week so everyone can get back to the club for the Xmas Party - see you there!

Shark Bay Holiday Series

While it's a busy time for many, remember that we have the Shark Bay Holiday Series running over the holiday period (see dates below). A great time to be out on the water while the beaches are crazy (and to work off that Xmas pudding). PLUS, enjoy the sanctuary of the club for a post-race drink or lunch.

Remember that your entries have to be processed at our end, so click here to ENTER NOW any make it easy for everyone over the silly season.

All Race Start Times: 09:55 First Warning Signal (Tower Starts)

Race 1: Sunday 22 December

Race 2: Friday 27 December

Race 3: Monday 30 December

Race 4: Friday 3 January 'Race to the Middle'

Race 5: Sunday 5 January

Happy Hour Save the Dates dec 24 Jan feb 25

SP25 POSTER

Sail Peninsula 2025 Regatta is on again !

Preparations are well underway for another great Sail Peninsula event. 21st-23rd February. NOR and SailsSys entries will be available soon.

This year we have partnered with Bambak Recycled Sails. Bambak take old sails that are destined for landfill, ship them over to Vanuatu where they are recycled into bags. This not only keeps sails out of landfill but provides much needed employment and community support in Vanuatu. It is a great initiative that SBSC are proud to support.

To kick of our partnership Bambak have generously offered SBSC members a discount on their great range of products. See the flyer below and check them out at http://www.bambak.co

bambak 2

Bendigo term deposit

Are you planning a short - or longer-term investment?
A Bendigo Bank term deposit may be just what you need to get the most from your money. Talk to the team at one of our three branches, Rye, Rosebud, or Dromana, and watch your money grow at Bendigo Bank

Bendigo Bank
Community Bank Southern Peninsula
Rye | Rosebud I Dromana

ORCV News

Ronstan Cock of the Bay (Thursday 26 December)

What better way to spend your Boxing Day than competing in one of the most iconic events on the Australian sailing calendar! The traditional course of approx 21nm starts near Station Pier in Port Melbourne and is designed to sail past major bayside locations for sailors and spectators alike to view. Some say there is no better way to work off the excesses of Christmas the day before! Enter here: www.orcv.org.au/cock-of-the-bay

Melbourne to Hobart ‘Westcoaster’ (Friday 27 December)

The ORCV ‘Westcoaster’ is a legendary yacht race where tactics and sailing well can crown you as the race champion, regardless of boat size. Across the 435nm passage, yachts contend first with Bass Strait before taking on the wilderness and ruggedness of the West Coast of Tasmania and the long ocean swell of the Southern Ocean before turning towards the finish line and the shifting winds of the Derwent. For more than 50 years, the Westcoaster has provided sailors with a unique race full of tactical challenges. Early-bird entries close on 10 November! Enter here: www.orcv.org.au/hobart

Melbourne to Port Fairy (Friday 14 February)

For 2025, the ORCV’s traditional race to the historic and picturesque port of Port Fairy has been rescheduled to mid-February, taking advantage of more favourable weather conditions and providing a feeder race for yachts planning participate in the 75th Adelaide to Port Lincoln race.

The 135 mile course runs SW from Queenscliff past the coastal resorts of Torquay, Anglesea, Lorne and Apollo Bay, before rounding Cape Otway and entering the southern ocean. It’s also Valentines Day, so what better what better way to celebrate your one true love – sailing! Enter here: www.orcv.org.au/port-fairy

Photo Of The Week

Mr Bojangles, taken by Nick Jones' drone

Submission's

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Latest News

Safety Beach Sailing Club NEWS 4th December 2024

Commodore's News

Dear Members,

Recently, the EC became aware of an opportunity to purchase a larger, better positioned berth than the one we had in Hidden Harbour. As we considered selling the Hidden Harbour berth to fund the purchase of the new berth, a generous offer came from a benefactor to financially support the purchase of the new berth until the completed sale of the Hidden Harbour berth.

A couple of weeks ago we signed a contract of sale on the Hidden Harbour berth and today we hope to finalise the purchase on the new berth.

The new berth allows the SBSC start boat to be kept closer to the Club and not need putting in the water each week. It provides a great investment as berths closer to the marina entrance and more valuable and more in demand than those in Hidden Harbour and it means we have an appreciating asset that will grow in value for the future.

The EC believes that we have significantly strengthened the assets of the Club with an asset that we will own outright following the completed sale of the Hidden Harbour berth in the near future.

Best regards,

Tony

Off The Beach News

Howdy gang.

Sorry for being off the grid last week, but from all reports from RO Bill M it was a fairly light day with no incidents of note, except maybe Matt W and Abbey E attempting a close sail past of Mum and Dad on duty in Woodsy and not realising they had a bouy tied to the side. Matt on trapeze versus big inflatable thing, one was already floating in the water, then suddenly they both were, how embarrassment!

Two races were run with the second shortened as the wind died out. Two races??? That's almost a record for this season so far. Thanks Bill and Super D for working so hard to get a result. Thanks also to Neil and Loraine W in Woodsy and the two Robs, W and C in Sutherland. Also in Sutherland was new member and willing RHIB crew, Dave Arundale. Dave apparently had a great time and is keen to continue, you Ripper!

Now on to this week, which was a completely different ball game. With the wind blowing hard on shore in the morning with plenty of rain squalls as well, it was a no go for the sail training team to get on the water. Nick said he was going to have them practicing capsizing, that would have been pretty easy I reckon!

By midday the wind had backed off a bit but not much and the patches of rain kept rolling through, not looking promising at all. Everyone had their various weather apps open, hopefully scrolling and banking on that downward trend. Some clever buggers even looked out over the water at the waves and clouds and declared that a good day was imminent, if only it would stop raining. That didn't stop our intrepid race team though. As we all huddled under shelter to keep dry( what were we thinking?), RO Greg L and Super D, yes her again, in Start, Rob C, Simon H in Woodsy and Katrina and Charlie M in Sutherland headed out into that muck to get us a race going. At one point both RHIBs headed back in to shelter for safety's sake, wise move. It wasn't long though before they were back out again and Greg had them dropping marks, so it was time to to decide. Do ya feel lucky Punk? Well, do ya? Yes, we did! I even got excited when Mark,the markman L said to Rob F, as a squall eased off, " Well, if we're going to do it, we'd better do it now." A couple of Windrushes out there would have been interesting. Alas, they were only talking about de-rigging while it wasn't raining!

Nine boats braved the waves in a mixed fleet, a Martinfest in the three Tasars, two each 420s and Sabres, Bill M in his Impulse (aptly named) and Beau G in a Terra. Beau hasn't sailed for a couple of years and I put it down to the confidence of youth to go out in that weather in such a small boat after such a long break. Well, he made it out, and more importantly, he made it back. I saw his centreboard pointing skyward at least once, but that didn't take the smile off his face, welcome back Beau.

Poor old Bill picked the wrong time to leave the beach, as the waves were still breaking and tipped him in before he got too far, much hilarity. He finally got away, as did the rest of us, and with no messing around, RO Greg sent us off in a massed start. After about one minute, the various classes headed in different directions and were lost to each other in the 2 metre swell. I was following Rick P (of course) and thought we were the only ones out there, until a Tasar went flying past towards the bottom mark. That second reach was pretty good fun, and the runs down the face of those waves had me hanging on with both hands and anything else I could get a grip with. It's a shame Mark and Rob didn't make it out, those Windrushes would've been in their element, hmm, maybe not.

One race down and another big squall heading our way was enough to send up the old head for home flag, so that's what we did, to more carnage on the beach as the waves took their toll again. As is usual with the OTB gang, everyone jumped in to help with generally four people per boat to get them ashore safely. A special shout out to the whole Ferguson family, Jamie (Turtle), Michelle and Jamieson, who all leapt into the water to help launch as well as retrieve the boats. Jamieson even swam out to drag Bill's impulse in as he was towed back after losing his mast to a broken forestay. Not Bill's day, as he stood up and promptly fell in backwards in front of the whole crowd, more hilarity. Not so much Gingerbread Bill this week, more like Soggy Biscuit. At least the water is getting warmer, I still think it was a bit rough of Rick P giving him an eight out of ten for his dismount though. Back on the beach with every one safe and sound, it was roundly agreed- best day's sailing ever.

A huge thank you to all of the race team, Greg, Deirdre, Rob, Simon, Katrina and Charlie. Especially those in the RHIBs, as they had no protection from the weather, and kudo's to Katrina and Charlie for heading back into the harbour when they felt uncomfortable with the conditions before racing started, safety first and always. Club Championship race next week, so study up your courses 1 and 2. After a rough trot with the weather, next week will be perfect, I promise.

Cheers for now, Pete Chippy.