Seaplanes land for morning tea at BRSC

Saturday was similar to many other weekends at the BRSC. I trailed Little Dragon down where I was joined by Nicky and Rob with their camper trailer. It was a very hot day and rigging proved a hassle. The jib furler just wouldn't cooperate and the sun got to me. I retired to the cool of the veranda and rested for a while. Eventually Nicky and I got it together and  headed off to join the Saturday afternoon club racing. It wasn't to be. I found that I hadn't attached the boom to the mast properly and not surprisingly we couldn't get the main up. We decided it was a bad omen and motored back to the clubhouse and packed up for the day. I reckon I had got so overheated that I wasn't thinking straight. However rest, rehydration and a good dinner at the pub and I perked up again.

The next day, Sunday, was a real surprise. I had no idea that Col Redding had organised for seaplanes to land for morning tea at the BRSC. Certainly a first for the BRSC. Col has two passions, sailing and flying. Although he was very weak he managed to make it for the morning and enjoyed bringing these two passions together.

National Seaplane Association Annual Fly In

South Grafton Aero Club the base for the fly in

The conditions were better on Sunday and the jib furler was working, so Nicky and I went for a short sail. It was quite memorable having the seaplanes take off after their tea and pass over us at

Baby Dragon's maiden voyage

Finally, on 19 November we launched Baby Dragon for her maiden voyage. She is an 11 ft "Sabre father and son sailing dinghy". No known relationship with the modern Sabres raced at BRSC.

Wow, she comes off the trailer fast! I'll need to remember to keep hold of the painter

Please admire the daggerboard

Lucky the maiden voyage was on a club day with rescue boat. The wind dropped and I couldn't start the outboard to get back. Ignominy. I think I have got the hang of the outboard now. It is different to the Mariner on Little Dragon.

I owe a huge vote of thanks to so many people.
* First my friend Steve Millard. I spotted this forlorn looking dinghy in his driveway and he said it was for sale. I bought it for "mate's rates"
* To Warren Cowley of Palmer's Island. He most generously donated the entire Mirror dinghy rig. It had been given to him by Kay Cottee and had been sitting unused in his garage for a decade.
* John Hayes who tipped me off that there was an almost new long shaft Honda outboard for sale half price in Iluka.
* Absolutely critically for all the advice and work put in by Ancient Mariners John Hayes and John Woods. They modified the trailer, created a bracket for the outboard, put all the fittings back on the mast and yard after I took them off to varnish and much more.
* Rob Crosby for crafting the much admired daggerboard
* John Hayes for showing me how to rig and "supervising" the maiden voyage.

Final note:I must remember to put the bung in before the next voyage. Little Dragon doesn't have a bung.