The end of an era for Little Dragon

This is how it all started: Four Sheilas gathered on 12 April 2008 at the Big River Sailing Club for the launch. Now, over 12 years later, the era is drawing to an end. The original Four Sheilas and other Little Dragon crew and supporters gathered to yarn. So many tales to tell.

First sail 4 Shielas: Nicky Greenlaw, Cathy Jones, Lee Fenton and Pam

November 2020 the same 4 Shielas gather to reminisce.

 

The crew and supporters who made it to my place are all named beneath the photos, but some key people couldn't make it. My sister Pat said it was a tad too far from England. Hariet Woodrow, Rod King and John Woods of the Big River Sailing Club think that Byron Bay is far too far from Harwood - I often thought the same while driving home after a day sailing and packing up. Peter Barnes, owner of a Farr 6000 was, fittingly, away sailing. There are so many others...

Rae Wills and Pam

Savaad, Barbara Stewart, Steve Millard, Duncan Dey, Cathy Jones, Pam, Caz Coffer, Nicky Greenlaw, Berenice Lancaster.

 

Pam, Lee Fenton, Nicky Greenlaw, Jenny Gray

Rick, Noela Yates, Stephanie Britton

Crew list

I've tried to list all who have sailed with me, some many times and others just once (I'm bound to have omitted someone). Teresa and Martin Bail and sons Max and Lewis, Gina Baker, Jessie Blackadder, James Bridgman, Denise Bruschweiler, Chris Cook, Caz Coffey, Rob Crosby, 

Andi Davey, Jan Davies, Pat Ditton, Duncan Dey, Lee and Gary Fenton, Jenny Gray, Nicky and Rob Greenlaw and her mother Joy, Gerry Harris, John Hayes, Diana James, Annie Keely and sons Tom and Andy, Cathy Jones, Gertrud Kurtz, Berenice Lancaster, Lee Mee Wun, Vicki McKain, Neil McKenzie, Steve Millard,  Keith Mountford, Norman of Nacra14, Savaad, Eve Schoenheimer, Hans Schwab-Triado, Dennis Spring, Barbara Stewart, Valentine Sowenko, Helen Tom,  Jill Trevillian, John Woods, Rae Wills, Noela Yates and Rick. (48)

Big River Sailing Club Do you remember April 2008 when the 4 Shielas showed up at the Big River Sailing Club towing Little Dragon and announced that they planned to rig then head out on our maiden voyage?  We made a total hash of getting her rigged and it started to look like it would take all day. John Woods, Rod King, Wayne and others were trying so hard to gauge how much help to offer, they hadn't met the 4 Shielas en masse before. Guys, you were great and we really needed your help. Once we got launched we reached up and down in front of the clubhouse having a ball. I made a mental note that 4 on board was one too many.

John Woods providing much-needed advice

At last, we're ready to go

Sailing was the fun part. Suddenly it all seemed worth it.

The Big River Sailing Club has been fantastic, Commodore Hariet Woodrow is consistently welcoming and supportive. A special shout out to Rod King who was always available to fix any minor rigging and maintenance issues. Without his help sometimes we would have had to pack-up and head home. I am so glad I stumbled upon BRSC back in 2008.

My next special mention is John Woods, also of the BRSC. So many times you have patiently made that tiresome jib furler work and like Rod King shown me workarounds to technical problems. I do try, but my maintenance skills are not up to scratch. John has sailed on Little Dragon, often with his poodle Ted, sometimes at short notice when none of my regular crew was available. Recently, as age is catching up with me and I am less mobile, you have come along as skipper and I have crewed. A heartfelt thank you, especially for the recent ventures.

John Woods and Ted

A shout out also to Peter Barnes, owner of a Farr 6000 - Little Dragon's big brother. Peter, with his background as a fitter and turner and former owner of several prawn trawlers, he can fabricate and fix anything. Nothing was a problem, whether an outboard that never worked well until he found the broken bracket, the trailer rollers that didn't roll, fabricating non-standard blocks for the jib sheets - nothing was too much trouble. At times I might have given up without your support. Thank you.

Peter Barnes 

Once I sailed single-handed from Harwood to Iluka where I anchored for a spell before sailing back. I did it just to prove to myself that I could, a great memory - no photos. 

Normally I sail with one crew and sometimes two. Many of my friends are ocean swimmers and relish opportunities to go sailing. Special mention must go to my two most regular crew, Nicky Greenlaw and Noela Yates. Some of my women crew had sailed when younger but never got the chance to take the helm. I really enjoyed encouraging you all to have a go.

A few voyages and escapades stick in my memory. They are all, the good bad and a few ugly, in earlier posts.

Pottering around on the Big River

But most of the time was spent pottering around between the bridge at Harwood and down to Iluka and Yamba. So many trips, some rough others idyllic, mainly day trips but a few times we overnighted at Iluka. As I wasn't walking well I found I could stow my folding bike up forward in Little Dragon.

Pam and her folding bike at Iluka

My sister Pat, from the UK, tries to avoid getting burnt

Nicky and I haven't forgotten the time we were caught by a southerly buster and were blown ashore in the inlet just downstream of the old quarantine station on the Clarence River. I just managed to avoid its rock wall. We got quite a scare, within a minute it went from a gentle breeze to at least 40 knots. The lesson: keep a much closer eye on approaching weather changes. This one was a bit ugly, it snuck up from behind us. Too frantic for photos!

Bridge to Breakers

Noela and Nicky, you both crewed several times on the annual BRSC Bridge to Breakers race from Harwood to Iluka and back. It was usually blowing but despite that, it was always a great day. We had to keep a sharp lookout for those A-class cats.  Remember once when the old mainsail blew out and we had to motor back? I certainly won't forget my pride the one time when, to my amazement, we won a prize in our division, my first sailing prize since childhood. 

The last sighting of the old mainsail, it blew out that day

Nicky and Noela both crewed one year

Clarence River Classic Cruise

I've taken part in many annual Clarence River Classic Cruises, also known as the Classic Pub Crawl, from Grafton to Iluka and back. It is good fun sailing with up to a dozen other trailer sailers. One was unforgettable as we never got beyond the car park in Grafton! The heavens opened and it poured, the Pacific Highway both north and south of Grafton were closed due to flooding. My crew Jill Trevillion took it all in good part.

Jill Trevillian, we got very wet!

As the pub crawl is always in October it is no surprise that we have encountered foul weather and holed up at Brushgrove and other times been becalmed. Despite whatever the weather has thrown at us we have always had a good time. Why is it nicknamed a pub crawl? We stopped off at most watering holes between Grafton and Iluka.

A piece of recent history - the new bridge not yet built

Rafting up overnight off Munro Island near Lawrence

It is a pub crawl!

Rae Wills joining me for a sundowner

One year my sister joined me, other years it has been Cathy, Rae and Steve 

Bay to Bay race

Steve Millard and I competed in the Bay to Bay race twice from Tin Can Bay to Hervey Bay sailing up the Great Sandy Strait. The first leg on the first race from Tin Can Bay to the overnight stop at Garry's Anchorage was magical. We stayed on one tack the whole way marvelling at the spectacle of over 100 trailer sailers ahead of us, all flying brightly coloured spinnakers. We even won first place in our division for the second day of our second race, I still don't quite know how we achieved that but we basked in the glory.

Little Dragon reefed, sail number 98 

That must have been as we crossed the finishing line

Helen Tom and I entered the Bay to Bay the next year but the outboard gave up on the way to the start and we had to withdraw. The following day we decided to watch the finish at Urangan on the official spectator boat. We had a grandstand view when a freak storm hit the fleet, many dismasted and capsized and even a couple of MOB (picked up thank goodness). Our spectator boat became one of the rescue boats for a couple of hours. We were so glad that we weren't still racing.

Cruising

Little Dragon has often been cruising, sometimes just for one night but other times up to 5 nights. She has sailed out of Tin Can Bay up the Great Sandy Strait to Urangan, Urangan round Platypus Bay, Wathumpa Inlet and Kingfisher Resort on Fraser Island, exploring the Broadwater starting from Steiglitz, Richmond River from Ballina, Tweed River from Chinderah, up and down the Clarence River and I must not forget the Myall Lakes. She even went to the Woodford Festival one year - the music was better than the sailing.

My very first overnight venture was with Noela from Urangan to Moon Point on Fraser Island, quite tricky for beginners but all went well despite Noela being menaced by 3 young male dingoes on the shore. I watched from safety on board and was more scared than she was. 

My sister Pat and I spent 5 days cruising out of Urangan round Platypus Bay and we got too close for my comfort to whales breaching. We met up with Peter Barnes in Just Farr Me at Wathumpa Creek for a couple of days. So many memories, including our outboard failing just outside Wathumpa Inlet and I radioed for assistance, the first and only time I have done so. To my acute embarrassment the Unit Commander of Wooli Marine Rescue and his wife came to our assistance, he was on a sailing holiday as we were. That was followed by an unplanned night sail and finally anchoring somewhere off Moon Point.

Farr 5000 rafted up with Farr 6000

We always towed the Zodiac when cruising

Nicky and Cathy have also crewed on many overnight trips - separately as there are only 2  narrow single bunks. We launched at Rudy Maas, Steiglitz and explored the Broadwater, sometimes in company with Peter Barnes. One of the first trips was with Nicky and I was still on a steep learning curve. We were motoring across the Canaipa Passage 0n an ebb tide, not far from Jumpinpin bar, when the outboard sputtered and stopped. I deduced, correctly, that we had run out of fuel. I was terrified that we would be swept out to sea and very relieved when we managed to refuel and get going again. Nicky was excellent at keeping track of our position in Beacon to Beacon.

Nicky, we slept well on these trips

We both insist on frequent cups of tea

Nicky, photographer and Beacon to Beacon navigator

Slipping Sands, such a wonderland to explore

Another memorable trip was with Cathy, we anchored overnight at The Bedroom Campground near Jumpin Pin and Cathy did her morning yoga on the sand dune. Then we sailed up the Canaipa Passage between Russell Island and North Stradbroke Island in a reasonably stiff breeze. We were heeling and Cathy asked me, very politely, how far we could go before we capsized. 

Cathy Jones morning yoga

Pam and Cathy - heeling safely

Again we rafted up with Just Farr Me at night

Chris Cook
It was a privilege to have Chris Cook, a BRSC member, come sailing with me on Little Dragon. Chris was quick to design a simple device to make it possible for him to take the helm. Check out the box his feet are on. He was certainly in charge of those trips, having far more experience than I do. One of his many triumphs was being runner up in the World Championships for Disabled Dinghy Sailing in England 2010.

Chris Cook, National and International Champion in disability sailing 

Tipping the skipper overboard

Savaad and Berenice joined me for gentle sail in fine conditions on the Big River. Famous last words. It was so relaxing that we anchored for a (sober) picnic lunch but when Berenice tried to lift the anchor she found that the warp had wrapped itself around the keel. The only solution was for someone to dive down and free it. Berenice drew the short straw. Despite muttering all the time about bull sharks she managed to free us, well done. That wasn't the end of the drama. I went forward and pulled up the anchor then Savaad got us underway but almost immediately needed to gybe. I was still on the foredeck. They pulled mainsheet in for the gybe but instead of letting it out quickly, it got accidentally cleated. The wind caught the sail and we almost capsized. I slid gently off the foredeck into the river, managed to make my way aft and get aboard by the ladder on the transom. All was well and Savaad was in convulsions of laughter. The crew are not meant to tip the skipper overboard.

Berenice and Savaad - forgiven

I'll be sad to look out from my back verandah and see an empty spot under the shade cloth. Little Dragon is on Gumtree but no sale yet 20 December.