"Work the main!" - Part 1

12 November 2010 Bridge to Breakers regatta

"A fleet of 56 boats descended on the Big River Sailing Club last weekend to contest the annual Bridge to Breakers regatta. The event continues to be well patronised by regular visitors who travel from all parts of New South Wales and South East Queensland and this year attracted an entrant from Victoria... The fresh north to north east breeze tested competitors on the Saturday when boats made the grueling trek downriver from the Harwood Bridge to Iluka and return. By race end most boats had been on the water for three to four hours and it was a generally weary bunch of sailors that gathered on the Saturday night to rehydrate and recount the day's adventures." [extract from the BRSC press release]

A year ago I decided that it was time to stop being a total race refusenik. I got the additional insurance and chose sail number 98 (my birthday is the 9th August and I can do with help from all quarters. 9 and 8 are lucky numbers in Chinese cosmology).  Last February Noela Yates and I tried our luck at racing was in Grafton and that time there was hardly any wind. Despite that we had fun and decided to give it a go again but this time was quite different, there was more than enough wind. We reefed.   The "grueling trek" in the official account was almost 20 kms head to wind  down river against a strong tide. Soon all the off the beach classes that started 5 mins after us overtook us and the fast catamarans were our of sight way ahead. Our handicap shows that near the tail end is our rightful place.

John Woods, the BRSC training officer, was in the rescue boat keeping a watchful eye on the tail enders. He kept zooming up to us and yelling "Work the Main, Don't Cleat It!" Noela and I were taking turn and turn about tacking downstream.  We both knew the theory of easing off on a gust and sheeting in between gusts but the reality was that whichever of us had the main sheet felt as if our arms were being pulled out of their sockets. We just didn't have the strength not to "cleat it" some of the time. John also pointed out that the luff of our mainsail was not taut. Our sails should be as flat as possible in strong winds. I am still learning how to achieve that when the boat is reefed. 

 

It took us over 4 hours to reach the Goodwood mark which is around two thirds of the way to Iluka. We were quite relieved when the committee boat ordered us to shorten course. We were enjoying ourselves (at least in retrospect) but getting very weary. We fairly whooshed back to the finish line in less than 30 mins with wind and tide behind us, really exhilarating.

Luckily before I took to the water with this bunch of experienced and serious racers I had been practicing the excellent on line racing rules quiz  http://game.finckh.net/indexe.htm I felt reasonably confident that I knew who had mark room at a buoy although my intention was to keep out of every one's way all the time. The photo below shows us in the middle of the fleet with boats heading every which way.

We were still tacking downstream and the fast cats were returning on a spinnaker run for the second time. Justin Forrester, who skippered the winning fast cat Stingray, approached us like a bat out of hell. We just didn't see him and we tacked right into his path. We were just stunned and he somehow had the skill to swerve round us. We were 100% in the wrong. I know we should have done 2 penalty turns but I confess I didn't. After 4 hours at the tail end of the fleet in what I felt was more than a mere "breeze" it just seemed too much. However I did seek him out ashore and offer him a beer. He was very gracious and declined but he did remember the incident with the "THAT red mono hull". I will also remember the incident for a long while.

This photo shows most of the 7 "slower trailer sailors" in Division 7 stern anchored on Saturday night.

Pam goes solo

My maiden single handed voyage. 29 October I went from Harwood to Iluka on the ebb tide. Overnight in the harbour at Iluka and then back again the next morning on the flood tide. I hadn't intended to go solo, in fact I have always said "no way!" but my crew Jill Trevillian got a touch of flue and no-one else was available to sail on the Friday. So the germ of an idea developed "let's give it a go".

The forecast was favourable. Reasonably light airs SE to NE. In fact at times there was more wind than forecast. The observations at Yamba show 11 - 12 knots SE at 2 pm on Friday and 9 - 13 knots N at 10 am on Saturday morning. However my concern was not the sailing so much as the launching and anchoring.

When I say single handed that is true while I was underway but Dick, the caretaker of the Big River Sailing Club, did help me launch and held the boat while I got aboard to sail away. I was proud that I managed to get the mast up on my own using the technique that Peter had suggested some time ago. I also got help from a club member to winch Little Dragon back on the trailer on my return.

In some ways I quite enjoyed tacking down the Clarence River on my own. Without a crew to chat with/train I was more aware of the surroundings, the light on the water (see photo of the early morning in the harbour). But I don't think I want to do it often and certainly not with much more wind or where I need to check a chart while underway. Not enough hands. Little Dragon is not set up for single handed sailing and I kept my hand on the tiller throughout - it takes around 3 hrs each way. I thought I had been smart and put my water bottle in the cockpit before we left but I didn't screw the cap on properly and it all spilt. It seemed impossible to go below and refill it so I just stayed thirsty. On my return I drank too much coffee before I left. Easier for men. Red bucket gymnastics. Enough information. If I was going to do more single handed sailing - which I don't plan - I need to sort out a way of securing the tiller at least briefly.

I decided to motor through the narrow entrance into Iluka Harbour (see photo) and managed to get the engine on and sails down OK. Once into the harbour I had to anchor. I expect there is an approved way of doing it single handed. I just motored to the spot I decided to drop making sure that there was heaps of space to fall back without hitting anything. Went into neutral. Went forward and dropped the anchor then went back to the cockpit. It worked like a dream but it helped that there was little wind or current and plenty of space.

On the return trip I was saddened to see that the offensive sign on the southern bank of the Clarence River about half way between Yamba  and Harwood is still there "Private Property, trespasssers will be shot",  presumably if they dare to enter the cane field.

I have decided to wear a life jacket when single handed (see photo). No, pink is not an approved colour for a type 1 life jacket, but I am wearing an approved type 1 life jacket. Work it out for yourself.

Little Dragon enjoys a stiff breeze - Part 2

18-21 Oct 2010 -

Straddie trip Part 2.

I had checked the weather forecast carefully before we left home. On Monday the wind dropped away completely in late afternoon, wrecking our plan to sail all the way to The Bedroom, despite a forecast of 12 knots at 3 pm.

Tuesday was forecast to be 4 knots at 9 am but it dropped to a dead calm and again we had to motor a while to get round Jumpinpin and into Canaipa Passage. We know that we should plan to go with the tide but it seems inevitable that we go against it for part of the day. We reached Slipping Sands anchorage in time for a leisurely lunch break.

After lunch the wind picked up from the forecast 12 knots to blow SE 16-19 knots. Little Dragon was in her element. I (and in retrospect I think Cathy will allow me to say "we") reveled in an exhilarating reach north up Canaipa Passage. I say in retrospect as at the time Cathy did make a few enquiries about how far we could heel before we tipped over. I assured her that the boat specs say it is self righting. I didn't add that I hoped never to test out that feature. This is when Peter managed to take all these fantastic photos. Thanks Pete, it must have been quite a feat for a single handed sailor.

Wednesday the wind was forecast at 4 knots at 9 am and 12 knots at 3 pm. The observations recorded 18 - 22 knots ESE at 3.30 pm. Luckily Cathy was still smiling. We sailed right round the top of Russell Island and Karragarra Island and then turned south into Main Channel en route to Rudy Maas Marina.

Cathy was doing sterling work keeping track of all the port and starboard markers and occasional cardinal mark in Beacon to Beacon. She correctly told me when we had rounded Karragarra Island and needed to turn south. Peter had missed a cardinal mark and kept straight on. I had to make a snap decision - Cathy or Peter? I followed Peter. We nearly ended up high and dry on a sand bank with the tide ebbing fast.

Once in Main Channel we could see an ominous black cloud approaching. I am glad I decided to play safe and drop the sail and motor. When the squall struck we were drenched in seconds and it was a complete white out for several minutes. I reckon that the wind was at least 25 knots at the height of the squall.

The squall didn't last long and we hoisted the sails again and soon dried out. I thought about putting a reef in but the wind had dropped considerably. We kept on down Main Channel and wondered where and when Peter was going to stop for lunch. He was ahead and the plan was for him to find a lunch spot. Peter's mobile was playing up and he has a 27 meg radio and I have VHF, so we couldn't communicate which was a bit of a nuisance. Eventually we found him nestled into a mudbank munching his sandwiches.

Finally a huge thank you to you Cathy. You readily admitted to me that you haven't had much prior experience and I said "no worries" anticipating quite easy conditions. The conditions turned out quite challenging and you really rose to the occasion. I try to give all my crew the opportunity to take the helm but that proved difficult except when we were motoring. You are welcome aboard any time and next time with a spot of luck you can take the helm.

Rafting up at Straddie - Part 1

18-21 Oct 2010

Straddie trip Part 1

Unlike the fiasco at Grafton (see last post) this trip was a great success.

Cathy Jones was my crew and we sailed in company with our "big brother" Peter Barnes in his Farr 6000. Peter it really is time your boat had a name.

Cathy and I launched at Rudy Maas Marina at Steiglitz. The owners are still resisting all offers from developers and it remains the antithesis to the Surfers Paradise glitz which is visible not far away.

We reached The Bedroom anchorage and campsite on South Stradbroke just on sunset. To get to The Bedroom we had to battle a strong flood tide and when the wind dropped we were forced to motor the last bit. It was fun rafting up with Peter's nameless boat.

The next morning we went ashore and Cathy was blown out finding that right over one sand dune was the ocean. Two ocean swimmers couldn't resist a quick dip and Cathy also indulged in a spot of yoga.

Our anchorage for night 2 was at Canaipa Point on Russell Island near the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron. Peter anchored first and the plan was that I would raft up alongside. We got our sails down and headed back towards him under motor. Little Dragon developed a will of her own and veered off into the mangroves and we went aground. We got off the mud but found ourselves back on the mud several times. Cathy kept winding the keel up and down again. Eventually we managed to raft up and Peter, who had watched the entire pantomime, told me that I was steering on the boat tiller and the engine tiller was not centred. I won't forget that lesson.

When Cathy and I went ashore in the early morning a rather posh RQYS caretaker informed us that we couldn't use their facilities - not even their toilets. We hadn't even asked but I suspect that the little trowel I was carrying gave the game away. I tried to claim reciprocal rights as a member of the Big River Sailing Club but that didn't cut any ice at all.

The last photo shows mangroves only about 25 metres from where we were anchored near the RQYS. While I was cooking dinner in the cockpit a swarm of sand flies attacked me and I ended up taking anti-histamine tablets for days.

We spent our third and last night anchored in Main Channel not far from Rudy Maas Marina ready to pack up the following morning.

I reckon that it must be a first - a 3 day cruise and no breakages to report.

Clarence River Classic Yacht Cruise 2010

Sunday 3 October 2010

Jill Trevillian and I had signed up for the Clarence River Yacht Club's annual classic cruise [pub crawl] from Grafton to Iluka. So much preparation, such anticipation but we never even launched...

On Sunday 3 October the forecast for Grafton was for 20 - 40 mm rain and not much wind. It was due to improve on Monday with 5 - 10 mm rain and still not much wind then fine up by Tuesday. By the time we reached Grafton mid-afternoon on Sunday the sky looked very black. We rigged as quickly as possible in the car park adjacent to the boat ramp. I wanted to get the red awning up over the boom so we would stay dry in the cabin. Then the rain pelted down so we hot footed it up to the Scout Hall about 100 metres away which is now the CRYC HQ. We learnt that a severe weather forecast was issued mid-afternoon. There was over 200 mm (8 inches) rain that night.

Thank goodness for the Scout Hall which provided a dry, welcoming haven for the 40 or so would be sailors. Even though we slept snug and dry in Little Dragon in the car park the joke started to wear off when the deluge continued the next morning.

Not surprisingly the cruise was postponed on the Monday. The plan had been to sail and/or motor to Ulmarra for lunch then on to Brushgrove for dinner and overnight. The next day it was due to be Lawrence for lunch and Maclean for dinner and overnight. Then it was on to Iluka with the Pacific Highway bridge at Harwood being raised for us to pass through as a group. After a couple of days around Iluka and Yamba the competitive ones intended to race back from Maclean to Grafton; but we hadn't entered the race and planned to end at Iluka where Jill had left her car.

Monday evening it was still raining. We ate pizzas in the Scout Hall and and then waded down the very boggy track to spend another night on Little Dragon in the car park. We hardly got a blink of sleep as not only did we get another dump of around 200 mm of rain but it also blew so hard that Little Dragon kept bouncing around quite alarmingly on the trailer.

Next morning the weather was a little better although we learnt that Pacific Highway was still cut both north and south of Grafton. Some valiant yachties decided to start the cruise and headed off down the raging Clarence River. The rest of us decided to pack up and trail our boats home when it became feasible. Luckily the Pacific Highway reopened to the north and we managed to get to Iluka to retrieve Jill's car. We feared it would be flooded but luckily it wasn't. The estuary at Iluka was so wild that we were quite confident that we had made the right decision to pull out of the event and try again next year.

BOAT = Bring Out Another Thousand

When I returned from Fiji I turned my attention to getting Little Dragon ready for the new season. I had the outboard serviced and took the trailer to have the bearings checked. I was told that I needed a whole brake system. That is where the BOAT comes in. They turned out to be more expensive than my new mainsail and far less fun.

I put in a few hours hard yakka giving Little Dragon a general spruce up. Thanks are due to Savaad who dropped round and tightened the nuts on all the deck fittings - a task that could only be done by someone able to crawl into a very small space. Then I reckoned I was ready for a new sailing season. But I hadn't counted on a series of "happenings" on my season-opening sail at Harwood. My sincere thanks to both Peter Barnes (who never charges) and my insurance company APIA - without whom I would certainly have had to shell out more thousands.

When I was towing Little Dragon down the Pacific Highway to Harwood I felt her start to wobble. It turned out that the starboard skid had broken off. It is hard to see how it happened but it did. Luckily no serious damage to the boat. One can't just go and buy a new skid. It has to be custom made out of hardwood, covered in carpet and fixed in place with the correct brackets. Peter you are a saint!

Peter then decided that while he was working on my trailer he should even up my rollers, some of which needed raising or lowering. More effort.

That led onto my jockey wheel. I hate my jockey wheel and it urgently needs replacement. Peter said "no worries, easy". He suggested I purchase an Ezi-Walker model. I was delighted to find one in a Father's Day sale. I should have known. It is never easy. Peter put it on and it was seriously defective so off it came. Next I purchased a 10" swing leg jockey wheel to replace my old 6" one. Peter had to fabricate little plastic blocks as the U bolts didn't quite fit my trailer. Job done, but no - the new jockey wheel wouldn't go low enough to fit onto my tow ball. So Peter had to put the old one back on again while I work out what to do. I have tried to buy a Hayman Reese adjustable height tow tongue (I am learning new jargon all the time) on E Bay but now find that they are only made with 5o mm shanks and I only have a 40 mm one. Still thinking...

Next Peter almost dismantled my outboard engine. The problem was that despite the recent service it wouldn't lock down when in neutral. Unfortunately even Peter was defeated - it seems to be a flaw in my the design of my 5 hp 2 stroke Mercury.

In the meantime I have been going through the tiresome process of an insurance claim for the vital repairs to the hull. Now the boat is with the shipwright and just the repainting remains to be done. The shipwright has just rung to say that 2 pack is no longer made in Fire Red but only in Rochelle and heaven alone knows what colour that is...

Perhaps I should own up to the last minor drama on my season-opening sail. I got the forestay caught beneath the mast base and it was seriously kinked when I lifted the mast. OK - a bit of new stainless wire is quite cheap but I drove all the way to Ballina (28 km away) and found the Bolt Barn closed for some damn annual horse race. I returned the next day. They were open but said they hadn't got and wouldn't order the Ronstan toggle ends. The nearest place to buy them is Whitworths which is in Southport one and a half hours drive away. I have organised for these little bits to be mailed to me then it will be back to Ballina to have them swaged on.

Rob has pointed out to me that I really should cover the battery terminals to prevent a possible accident. When I was on Intention in Fiji Jim showed me neat little plastic terminal covers specially designed for that job which he buys in the USA. More internet research and I managed to track some down at Ballina Bearings. But (quite predictably) they are designed to fit round terminal leads that are different to mine. Maybe it can be modified. Thinking...

Next week I plan to replace my 27 meg radio with a VHF one. Another "simple job" - well may be...

I wish that Byron Bay had a chandlers, but I knew when I moved here that it is a surfing not yachting centre.

It would be far better if I had trained as a fitter and turner like Peter. My legal training is of no use at all. He can do almost everything himself in his well equipped workshop.

Andi and Jessie make it at last

29th August

Andi Davey (in orange) and I have known each other for many years, from when we both lived in Alice Springs. I never dreamed that one day we would sail together on the Clarence River. A 4WD camping trip was more likely. Andi's partner Jessie Blackadder (in blue) grew up sailing with her father on his 26ft yacht, so she has some salt water in her veins. It has taken a while to organise a date that suited us all and didn't blow a gale.

I went down to the Big River Sailing Club on the Saturday for the AGM and chatting to members about the season ahead. Then I rigged and launched Little Dragon. I enjoy the quiet of the river in the evening and early morning. So it was no hardship to sleep aboard stern anchored to the bank. I was ready for Andi and Jessie to step aboard when they arrived on Sunday morning.

It was an absolutely gorgeous morning, sunny and one of those days that were not too hot but not too cool. A shame we don't get more of them. There was a "just right" sailing breeze, probably around 8 knots mainly SE but it did shift around a fair bit.

We all took turns tacking and gybing, sailing close hauled, reaching and on the run up to the bridge and back. We put Little Dragon through her season-opening paces. Andi had never handled a tiller before but proved to be a natural. After a while we anchored and enjoyed a picnic lunch. A thoroughly enjoyable sail. Thanks Andi and Jessie for coming and helping with the pack-up.

All went well until I was almost back at the Harwood ramp. I was approaching on an angle almost parallel to the bank very close to the Harwood Slipway. Jessie was on the foredeck ready to jump ashore. She suddenly started yelling and indicating that I should turn out into the river NOW! She had seen a submerged post that I later learnt was a remnant of an old jetty. I almost missed it but not quite. Oh dear, although the damage looked minor it turned out to be a crack right through the fibreglass hull just below the waterline. Another insurance claim...

Pam joins Jim on Intention in Fiji while Little Dragon shivers in Byron Bay

Jim Marco (photo 1) made an offer too good to refuse - an opportunity for Nicky Greenlaw, Lee Fenten and me to escape the Australian winter and join him again on his yacht Intention (see photo 2). This trio had thoroughly enjoyed sailing with him 3 year's ago in Vanuatu.

Jim has continued to spend most of his time cruising the Pacific on Intention interspersed with visits to his family in California. At present he is based at Savusavu in Fiji where he given the engine a major refit assisted by Bogi, a Fijian (photos 1 and 3). Jim has been joined aboard by Alice and he  is clearly enjoying the company of his new companion.

We arrived on 4 July but Nicky and Lee could only stay for a couple of weeks but I stayed a month. After they left my friend Rae Wills flew over to join us for the rest of my stay. At times it was pretty tight quarters aboard when Jim, Alice, Bogi, Nicky, Lee and Pam were all aboard.

This is Little Dragon's (b)log not Intention's blog: http://sailvalis.com/wordpress/ Intention's blog has heaps of photos and much more information. I haven't learnt how to put more than 4 photos up on one post.

Savusavu and Musket Cove are Fiji's major ports for cruising yachts, but Savusavu, unlike Musket Cove, is a small town that has escaped the ravages of mass tourism. Despite that it does provide some of the little luxuries that I crave - notably excellent cappuccino at the Copra Shed Yacht Club. It is a picturesque anchorage and the first photo shows the view from Intention at what is grandly called "Savusavu Marina" - it consists of 1 pontoon and two yachts but has grand plans.

Nicky, Lee and I spent some of the time based at Savusavu Marina enjoying swimming off the pontoon, exploring, relaxing and provisioning Intention for cruising. Then the 6 of us headed off  with the destination being Bogi's Village at Buca Bay. The first overnight stop was anchored off Cousteau's Resort where we snorkeled at Split Rock. The next day turned windy and wet (photo 3 of Nicky, Lee and Bogi).  Luckily for the rest of this trip the weather was far kinder.

"Ratu" is the all-powerful Chief of each Fijian village and Bogi is the younger son of the Ratu of Buca Bay Village. We arrived at the village bearing a customary gift of kava and he gave us all a ceremonial welcome followed by permission to visit and anchor in his waters. After the ceremony Ratu and his family cooked us a traditional feast while we all headed to the local school where teachers' Nicky and Lee addressed several classes. We took with us a gift of  childrens' books from Australia but found this school far better equipped than those we had seen in Vanuatu.

We enjoyed village hospitality for a couple of days, especially the swim down the freshwater river. Sadly it was time for Nicky and Lee to leave but not before they were serenaded by villagers. Bogi had arranged for the group to came aboard on their last evening to sing  traditional Fijian farewell songs.

The best laid plans can go astray when the crew goes down with a serious dose of the runs (village water the prime suspect). As Alice and I had taken to our bunks Jim abandoned the planned cruise round Taveuni Island and we returned to Savusavu where antibiotics fixed us all up within a day.

A few days later Rae arrived and the weather turned wet and windy again and stayed that way pretty much until we left. Photo 4 shows Rae chatting to local school girls who came to check us out. The furthest she got under sail was to Cousteau's but never mind - the snorkeling was great. We attempted to sail out to Namena Marine Park (http://www.namena.org/about-2/) but it was blowing well over 25 knots and just too getting too rough for fun so we turned back.

Thanks Jim, Alice and Bogi for everything. I hesitate to say that I was "crewing" although we were all technically "find a crew". With Bogi aboard ,who insisted on it being a man's role to do all the heavy work, I felt much more like a guest than a crew. I wish you fair winds and great cruising in Fiji.




I

Supporting Team Sheelas

Sunday 21 March started with the proud owners trying to look nonchalant while frantically making last minute adjustments to their craft. I was particularly interested in Stan's tin canoe. It was named "Noelzie" after his disabled wife. His Tshirt did not lie when it stated boldly "Big Dude". If Stan can fit into a tin canoe then maybe I can as well, well maybe... 

This is Rob Crosby's tin canoe Odd Job, a very different design.

The canoes lined up on the beach ready for the start. There was very little wind for race 1. Cathy and I had to leave before the later races to catch the tide back to Harwood and the wind didn't come up come up until well after we left. When we returned early evening for the prize giving we were regaled with tall tales of numerous capsizes and rescues. A special trophy was given  to a rescuer (who shall remain anonymous) who threw a line to Stan who was heading for the rocks but forgot to secure the line to the rescue boat. Luckily all's well that ends well.

The Commodore gave a course briefing and and then got  the skippers to line up ready for a running start when the canon was fired.

Race 1 underway. Cathy and I were cheering on the Sheelas who won (I don't think we helped). They were ecstatic as it was their first ever win. The rules permit a maximum of 2 paddles per canoe and both paddling and sailing are allowed. A trophy is awarded for the best paddler but I seem to remember that a trophy was also awarded for the crew that did the most sailing v paddling.

The Big Dude again. Stan is a woodworker who claims not to have much sailing experience, despite that he came second in each of the four races and carried off the main trophy.

I am still dreaming .... Shame I don't have any tin canoe building skills...  I wonder if the 10 teams that competed this year would countenance 11 teams next year?

 I haven't enjoyed myself so much for years as I did at this crazy, quirky  regatta. Thanks again Jill for inviting us.

The finish line is a tree with Will Banks photo (photo 7). Each team have to hug Will, who is clearly greatly missed by everyone. A trophy is awarded for the best hugging.

The International Tin Canoe Regatta

20th March 2010. I learnt later that  the International Tin Canoe Regatta is always held close to the Ides of March. I was thrilled that Jill Trevillion had invited me to the 8th regatta to support "Team Sheelas". In a strange way it felt quite appropriate as when Cathy Jones, Nicky Greenlaws, Lee Fenton and I launched Little Dragon we were immediately dubbed "The Four Shielas!" (see blog 12 April 08).

My plan was to launch Little Dragon at Harwood and sail down the river to Iluka with Cathy as crew, after all Cathy was one of the original Shielas as well as a friend of Jill Trevillian. We are all Stingray Ocean Swimmers - another informal, unincorporated and uninsured group of which we are proudly "Non Members" as stated on our Tshirts. Unfortunately there was very little wind at all for ages and the occasional puff was easterly meaning that we had to tack all the way (with a bit of motoring) when it died away completely). Eventually we reached Iluka and anchored for the night near the Tin Canoe Club House. We had to leave again the following day before noon to catch the end of the flood tide back to Harwood.

The regatta is held in the picture perfect setting of Iluka Harbour. It is amazing that this private event has been able to continue under the radar of officialdom, sponsorship, tourist event calenders etc. The participants certainly do not adhere to the neo-liberal growth paradigm. At the prize giving there was an award for "maintaining the tradition". I hope that in years to come this gathering of friends/sailors/tin canoe builders will be allowed to continue to "maintain the tradition". So please readers of my blog - don't spread the word! As a child in England I grew up sailing with my parents at the local yacht club (that I will not name). By the time I was a teenager I rejected its overt sexism, snobbishness and anti-Sematism but I still enjoyed sailing. The "traditions" of this event were the antithesis of all that I had rejected so many years ago.

I witnessed one of the "traditions" at the Saturday night BBQ. With great ceremony I was given the task of unscrewing the base of the main trophy (a galleon that had to be a spoof on mainstream yachting trophies). Inside was the only only copy of The Rules. The Commodore read The Rules out to the assembled company and then they were screwed back into the trophy for another year. I don't remember many of The Rules as I was laughing too much and had drunk two glasses of wine. One rule was no protests which seemed to be contradicted by the rule that any disputes had to be presented by a dog on a specific date which I don't think exists.

Jill Trevillion is proudly posing in front of Team Sheelas splendid tin canoe. Jill and her partner Will Banks were two of the founding group and Jill has sailed in all 8 regattas. Sadly, her partner Will died in a tragic accident 4 years ago.

Jill was handing David a life jacket for his practice sail. David was going to become Daveena, Team Sheelas skipper, for the races the following day. I was a bit sad to yet again find that there are so few women sailors willing and able to be skippers. If you look carefully you can see Little Dragon anchored on the left.

There were 4 members of Team Sheela, from left to right Lucille, Victoria, Daveena and Jill.

I couldn't resist a close up of Team Shielas tin canoe. The only design rule for the canoes is that they must be made our of one sheet of roofing iron. As far as I could see most of them now had more wood and bamboo than iron. Part of the ethos of the event is that the canoes should be affordable. The original tin canoes only cost around $50 and had features such as an old shower curtain for a jib. Now they are more sophisticated and some have "real" sails and rigging, but there is a trophy awarded to the canoe with the greatest ratio of tin to wood.

Pam and Noela won!

Let's get straight to the nub of the matter. Noela and I won the under CCH .650 trailer sailor division of the Clarence River Yacht Club Brushgrove Anniversary Race on the 27th February (the anniversary of what I never found out).

I arrived as directed at the Kirchner Road boat ramp in Grafton on Friday afternoon so that I had time to socialise and prepare at my leisure for the race the following day. Unfortunately the forecast was for very light SE winds as well as showers. The forecast turned out all too accurate. Heavy showers and too little wind.

Once rigged, launched and moored stern to shore tucked into the reeds, it was time to explore the Clarence River Yacht Club. Their "new" clubhouse is the abandoned Scout Hall. I think the real estate assessment would be "could do with some TLC", but it provided the basics, toilets, showers and a canteen. The main drawback was the sewage treatment plant next door. The place was decidedly on the nose. Helen and Don McLeod and Andrew Landenberger made the visitors welcome and worked extremely hard to make the event a great success.

Noela arrived on Saturday morning and we went to the briefing together. The course was pretty simple. As a trailer sailor with a CCH under .650 (according to Top Yacht software mine is .557) I was told I could make my own decision to shorten course at the first mark at Ulmarra (around 10 km) or continue to the next mark half way to Brushgrove (around 16 km) or even keep going to Brushgrove (20+ km). I reckon I might have got all the way to Brushgrove in ideal conditions, but conditions were far from ideal on the 27th February.

The fleet consisted of 6 trailer sailors and 24 catamarans sailing in a separate event. The cats were going all the way to Brushgrove and the fastest even further to Lawrence.

We nearly retired before the start. The line that holds the rudder down gave way and I wasn't able to steer. However we managed to work around the problem and although steering remained a bit of a problem we coped.

The trailer sailor start was at 1 pm. There were only two of us ready on time. Both the start boat and the rest of the fleet were late. It was a pleasant fantasy that we could have legitimately got a 15 minute head start if we had started on time leaving the laggards to catch up. As it was we all started together about 15 mins late. We managed to get over the line third.

The cats started 5 mins after the trailer sailors and even in the light airs it didn't take them long to streak ahead. We tried hard to keep us with the other trailer sailors but to no avail, they slowly pulled ahead. We were (as in the Bridge to Breakers) the tail enders.

As we neared Ulmarra the wind shifted from SE to E so we had to tack backwards and forwards to make the mark. To my surprise I saw that we were slowly catching up two of our competitors. We rounded the mark at Ulmarra ahead of those two yachts. By that time the we had been sailing for 2 hours and were becalmed. Noela and I made a joint decision to shorten course and hope to get back to base before dark without resorting to the motor. For a while that didn't seen probable as the tide was carrying us towards Brushgrove. After about half an hour an E breeze sprung up, the best wind of the day. We were on a run back to the finish line 10 kms away. We don't have a spinnaker but we can and did goose wing the jib using the modified boat hook as a whisker pole.

For a while we had the strange experience of leading the fleet back home (at least until some cats flew past). The other yachts had headed on past the Ulmarra mark towards the next mark before race control officially shortened the course for all.

These photographs were taken by some race officials who came zooming up in a speedboat to check up on us. Great. It is hard to get photos of one's own boat underway. Andrew Landenberger made our sails and I hope he reckons they are setting OK.

It was a buzz to see Helen wave our yellow class flag as we crossed the finish line. We had done it. We had finished as far as we knew without breaking any rules.

I was thrilled when Little Dragon was announced to be first in our division (OK, I know that there were only 3 in the division). It is the first time since I was a teenager almost 50 years ago that I have won any sporting event. I just want to enjoy the moment and not reflect on some mutterings about different handicapping systems. Thanks Noela we make a great team and I am sorry you had to leave before the presentation.

Round the buoys at the Big River Sailing Club

I slept aboard on the 19th February waiting to see what the weather would be like on Saturday, which is when it all happens at the Big River Sailing Club. That night I was lulled to sleep by lapping water and the gentle pitter patter of rain. Saturday morning it was still raining. Around lunch time I was so fed up that I was ready to pack up and head home when the rain stopped and a glorious afternoon emerged.

Savaad went home on Friday so I was crewless. John Woods immediately arranged for John Hayes to crew for me, he is an experienced sailor around my own age. We were going to compete in the regular Saturday afternoon club racing.

The briefing was alarming. Five different marks and each race consisted of 3 rounds of a slalom course, but the first round slightly different to the following rounds. To make matters worse there were due to be 3 of these ostensibly short races to give extra starting practice. I just couldn't wrap my brain around it. I was told "don't worry, just follow those ahead!". Luckily John, who had pretended not to listen to the briefing, knew exactly which the next mark was. I was the only trailer sailor out that afternoon and all the lasers soon got well ahead. We managed a reasonable start but were so much slower than the others that we told them to start the second race while we were still finishing the first race.

Some time ago John Woods told me that I should take part in club races if I wanted to improve my sailing skills. I have to admit he is right. I learnt heaps in just one afternoon. Thanks to John my crew and unflappable unofficial trainer. I still enjoy taking out novice sailors (our ocean swimming group has an inexhaustible pool) and encouraging them to "have a go". Little Dragon is very forgiving in most conditions - but perhaps I should join in a few more club races.

The best laid plans of mice and men (and women)

At last a decent forecast: Thursday 18th February 14 - 16 knots SE and occasional showers, Friday wind dropping to 12 - 14 knots and still occasional showers. Savaad and I decided to head down to Harwood on Thursday afternoon and launch, ready for a full day of sailing the following day. The best laid plans of mice and men (and women)...

We arrived at Harwood in the late afternoon in torrential rain. A brains trust of Dick the caretaker, Savaad and I agreed that there was 35 knots of wind. The forecast was partly correct as it was SE.

By mid evening the wind dropped and the rain stopped. Savaad decided to try out his brand new very lightweight swag-tent (an E Bay "bargain"). No sooner than we snuggled down for the night, me in Little Dragon and Savaad in his swag-tent, than the wind and rain returned with a vengeance. The wind bounced Little Dragon up and down on the trailer: crash, wallop. Sleep was impossible so I retreated to the Ladies toilet block, which was a far better option and I slept well. Thanks Dick for keeping it so spotless. Savaad knew he could retreat to a bunk on Little Dragon or the toilet block but he toughed it out in the swag-tent. He announced in the morning that it was "not waterproof". I never found out how much he slept.

Friday morning it again pelted down so we retreated to a coffee shop in Maclean (my favourite has closed down) for a prolonged Mahjong session. Around 1 pm hunger took us back to base (we had a tasty lunch waiting). After lunch it dried up briefly so we launched Little Dragon still doubting that we would go sailing.

The launch was a bit dramatic. She came off the trailer unusually fast and the winch wire didn't hold her. The wire had come off the winch. I made a mad lunge for Little Dragon having visions of her sailing off down the river on her own. The photos show me soaking wet and Savaad fixing the winch in the rain - yes it started again.

By 3 pm that drama was over. At last the sun was out and there was a fine breeze. Finally we got away for a pleasant hour or so sailing down the river - we had to motor back as the wind died on us.

Was it worth it? Well I notice that we are both smiling in the photos.