A long weekend of tangled lines

Teresa and Martin Bail, their 5th Citroen who survived their first night in the camper trailer

Teresa and Martin were keen to crew but even more excited to show off their 5th classic Citroen and almost new camper trailer. I wasn't at all surprised that after sleeping in it for the first time Martin proclaimed the need for a better mattress.

It was a long weekend and the Col and Jan had organised a highly successful 3 day kids race training camp. There were juniors from Tweed, Ballina and Yamba as well as our own BRSC ones ranging in age from very small, I guess not more than 6, up to around 14. They spent the time on the water and when not on the water having fun playing table tennis, spotlighting after dark and not a computer or X box to be seen.

It was quite rough on Saturday afternoon and we put a reef in Little Dragon and sailed up to Harwood Bridge and back. Good fun despite one minor incident which resulted in the need for a new wind indicator - but I will draw a veil over the details. John Woods reckons I don't need a wind indicator but I like to have one.

Martin and I planned to re-carpet the skids on the  the trailer and that meant stern anchoring overnight. I enjoyed a night afloat gently rocking to and fro. Next morning John Woods dashed over around 9.30 am and said that the tide was just right to head down to Iluka on the ebb, have lunch and return on the flood. So we grabbed an esky of goodies for lunch and off we went with John leading the way (see below).

Martin up anchored and found the anchor warp and painter in a tangle and spent around 45 minutes sitting on the fore deck trying to untangle them. I have no idea how they had become so tangled up. Despite that it was a great sail, sunny and around 12 knots of northerly wind. We reached most of the way to Iluka and tied up to the hotel pontoon. By that time there were ominous clouds and it looked like it could blow up nasty on the return trip. So we had a hurried lunch and and I put a reef in "just in case". Although the wind increased a bit on the return trip nothing dramatic. We made good speed with a broad reach most of the way.

We hadn't done the trailer repairs so I needed to stern anchor again. I thought that I had got stern anchoring under control but this time the anchor didn't hold, so we had to re anchor and decided to put out a second stern line "just in case". The next case of seriously tangled lines. Eventually, very weary, I headed up to the clubhouse for much needed shower, cuppa and red wine - hard to know which to have first.

Despite our weariness Martin and I completed carpeting the trailer skid and then they set off home and I prepared for another night afloat. I turned in extremely early too tired to socialise.

John Woods

J

One of the many lines that tangled

Monday morning was yet again picture perfect, sunny and not a ripple on the water. I decided that rather than find new crew and sail I would pack up and enjoy relaxing for a while before driving home. Next snag. I couldn't get the anchor up. I thought I was lacking strength and asked the strongest looking man in sight to give it a go. He tried valiantly and also failed. So we tied a fender to the anchor and left it to be retrieved in a while. Later two men in a fishing boat with very powerful outboard said they would pull it up for me, they pronounced it snagged on something but kept trying. Finally it came up snagged on nothing more than a very large lump of black, super sticky Harwood mud.

After packing up I turned my attention to the juniors. They were sailing a new generation of modern dinghies specially designed for juniors, I haven't got a handle on their class names but they looked fantastic. I don't think any junior is going to want to be seen in any of the old style dinghies. BRSC may have to update its training fleet.

Shake down cruise for the Mazda and Little Dragon

Sold the Subie and now a Mazda CX5 Maxx 2012 AWD

I miss my Subie but she was grumbling about towing Little Dragon up hills and was getting elderly. So I have replaced her with a very flash Mazda that also has a 2 litre engine but much better fuel consumption. The Mazda towed Little Dragon up hills with ease. Not quite so good at backing down the ramp even though the Mazda has a reversing camera. Maybe I have lost the knack as it is over 6 months since Little Dragon's last voyage. I did observe that someone else found it unusually difficult when they had a go. The trailer just didn't respond right. I expect it just means more practice.

Eve Schoenheimer 

I was glad to have Eve along to crew. It is the first time she has sailed with me but she is an experienced blue water sailor with ambitions to own her own yacht. After an afternoon in Little Dragon she is thinking that a trailer sailor might be the way to go.

We headed downriver to the Goodwood mark. As so often happens it blew up well above the forecast 14 knots and was quite joggly for a while. I knew that on the return the wind would be on the nose and that we would be against the ebb tide. So I was quite prepared to motor for the last bit, the motor needed a good workout. That went fine except that we ran out of fuel just 100 metres from the ramp. Not a serous problem just a delay while I refueled.

In summary all went well on the shakedown cruise except the jib furler. The furler has been a problem for a while and we tried out a new strategy but it failed miserably and it just refused to furl. Lucky I had competent crew. Eve was able to drop the jib and lash it to the foredeck, otherwise we would have had it flogging. More thought needed.... A jib on a furler that won't furl is dangerous.

We lead the fleet down river

 Saturday 22 February 2014

I enjoyed having the fleet overtaking Little Dragon

The BRSC yet again again ran a successful Annual Regatta. Instead of Little Dragon becoming tail-end-Charlie well before the Goodwood mark this time Neil and I lead the fleet down river. It was a unique experience having all the A class cats hurtling past, soon followed by the Nacras and finally the monos ranging from Hartley 16s to Sabres and even an OK dinghy and a wind surfer.

Neil McKenzie took the helm most of the time

How did I manage it? Easy - we weren't racing (no race insurance) so started about 25 mins ahead of the first official start - the fast cats. With this head start we reached the Goodwood mark in excellent time. That mark would have been our turning point if we had been racing but as we were just spectator craft we kept going to the port channel buoy at Iluka. We were reefed as the forecast was for over 20 knots but we estimate the wind only got over 17 knots for the odd gust, in fact just before we got back to Harwood we tried to shake out the reef.

Harwood to Browns Rock buoy and back on Friday and Saturday

Rae Wills, Pam and Cathy Jones

Cathy sailing down river to Browns Rocks buoy on Saturday

Rae sailing down river to Browns Rocks buoy on Friday in very light airs

I didn't do much at all except say things like "a bit this way" and "a bit that way" when novices were luffing or bearing away too much. 

Rae and Cathy enjoyed a quiet night next to the clubhouse

No wind on Saturday morning so my crew took the opportunity for a lie-in

However both Rae and Cathy looked lively on Monday morning and came to my place to wash down Little Dragon thus ensuring that they are both invited to come again!

There are perils going ashore on the banks of the Clarence River

Possum and green frog make friends above the women's shower at BRSC

A magic midsummer potter



The pirate Tshirt a gift from the Bail family

Most unusual, we forgot to take any photos. These photos are all from my 70th celebration last August.

Noela came along as crew and Nicky joined us later, just in time for us to head off to Harwood Hilton for dinner with other BRSC Ancient Mariners.

The weather on Friday was excellent - initially a light breeze and not too hot considering it is midsummer. However Noela and I managed to stuff up big time. As it was a northerly I reckoned that I could easily sail out from the bank under jib and then hoist the main when underway. I found it was not so easy to hoist the main with the bimini out, especially as I had forgotten to secure the outhaul before setting off. After a return to the bank to get sorted out all went well and we enjoyed the freshening conditions later in the afternoon.

Noela and Nicky worked up an appetite for my birthday lunch with a cycle

After overnighting at BRSC Nicky and I popped down to Iluka Bluff for a morning dip followed by coffee at Wombah. By the time we got back the club was its usual Saturday hive of activity and the breeze arrived in time for an afternoon sail.

By Saturday Noela and I had ironed out the gremlins that beset us the day before. Nicky came along on "light duties" as she is about to have surgery for a torn shoulder tendon. It was one of those rare "just right" days - weather great and everything went smoothly. There was less wind than the day before, but plenty enough for an enjoyable if undemanding sail. We agreed "magical".

Hamilton Island to Sydney on Bardoo

Sign at Percy Yacht Club captures my sentiments 

I joined Dave and Linda Ashenden for a second time on Bardoo this time from 20th November to 23rd December, starting  at Hamilton Island and ending at Sydney - around 1300 nautical miles.

Bardoo, 52 ft wooden Sparkman and Stevens designed ketch

We sailed south from Hamilton Island Marina keen to get out of the cyclone belt as soon as possible. Unfortunately conditions made snorkeling and diving at spots such as North West Island unsuitable, the wind was always blowing the wrong way. So we kept on going south but did achieve the customary visit to Percy Island. 

Pam, Dave and Linda at Percy Island

We left the traditional name plaque screwed up to the ceiling. I reckon it will be there for decades.

 

Then we planned to sail to the east of Fraser Island to Mooloolaba but yet again faced strong southerlies so that became a most unattractive prospect. Instead we headed into Platypus Bay intending to sail down the Great Sandy Strait on the inside of Fraser Island. The strong southerlies kept on blowing so we took refuge at Bunderberg many kilometres up the Burnett River for a few days. Eventually we headed back out into Platypus Bay and south to Kingfisher Island Resort. The southerly was still blowing and we had such an uncomfortable night that we left at dawn without going ashore at the resort. The early start enabled us to navigate the Great Sandy Strait at high tide in daylight. Despite the wind on our nose making for uncomfortable conditions we didn't touch the bottom once. However we had to retreat into Garry's Anchorage for a couple of nights, tucked away from the never ending southerly wind which was gusting around 40 knots. Finally the wind dropped enough for us to brave the "mad mile" at Wide Bay Bar and head out to sea. Bardoo took the rough conditions in her stride.

By now we were well behind schedule so we abandoned the planned stop at Mooloolaba and sailed on to Southport and after a brief stop kept going to Iluka where John Woods joined the crew. During the 48 hour trip from Iluka to Port Stevens we experienced everything, strong headwinds, strong following winds and patches of dead calm. It kept the crew on their toes with continual sail changes and sadly we had to give in and motor the last few miles. I was on night watch when Bardoo surged down the face of a wave at 12.6 knots - Dave and Linda reckons that set a record. I was simultaneously thrilled and terrified not daring to adjust the sails or change course even one degree.

John Woods, Ancient Mariner from the Big River Sailing Club joined the crew from Iluka to Port Stevens

By the time we reached Port Stevens we were back on schedule and had time to spend several days exploring the Hawkesbury River and around Danger Island, such a different experience to being out at sea - both equally enjoyable in very different ways.

Flotillas of these put me of my morning swims

Anchored near Danger Island 

We reached Sydney on schedule on 21st December and I enjoyed a couple of days anchored off Rose Bay between a couple of super yachts (but neither nearly as "super" as Bardoo even if they were bigger and one had a heliport). One can't complain about happy hour in the cockpit watching party boats festooned with Christmas decorations parade up and down the harbour.

Well said Mark Twain, thank you Dave and Linda for making it possible for me to throw off my bow lines.

Tin Dragon's sea trials on Lake Ainsworth

 We skulked home from the March regatta bitterly disappointed. Tin Dragon just wouldn't tack. Ignominy. Savaad decided on a major upgrade. Previously we didn't have a centre board now we have a flash dagger board (recycled rosewood) and a new plate case that has been sealed so thoroughly that surely it can't leak (?) We have also replaced the rudder - see photos above and below.

 But will she now tack? It was time to find out at Lake Ainsworth and our mentor Rob Crosby came along to give support ( hoping to have a go himself). 

 On Friday 8th November there was a pretty strong northerly onshore breeze. I told Savaad that I fancied staying ashore taking snaps (yes I wimped out) so Rob pushed him off solo.

 Tin Dragon certainly flew and after tweaking the tiller extension and the main sheet leads and righting her after a capsize Savaad managed a tack. He pronounced himself pretty satisfied.

 Then, after a picnic lunch, Rob headed out to put Tin Dragon through her paces before we packed up. All went well until... see below

 Oh dear - anyone got a spare mast?

Clarence River YC Classic Cruise aka Pub Crawl

The photo was taken at Brushgrove on Saturday 12 October where I launched and we sailed up to Grafton ready for the start of the cruise the following day. See how peaceful if was on Saturday morning before wild winds hit us at the same spot on Sunday night. There were some estimates of  wind gusts up to 40 knots. I wish I had a photo showing how different the river was on Monday morning to Saturday morning. We chose to stay at Brushgrove all day and wait for the wind to abate rather than venture out into the raging  river.

My crew Rae Wills enjoys a sun downer - well it is a nautical pub crawl.

On the subject of pubs we stopped at Ulmarra's picturesque pub en route to Grafton but only drank tea. We dined at the historic Brushgrove Pub for 2 consecutive nights. The wind on Monday meant we had to forego lunch at Lawrence pub and head straight to Maclean where we only drank a morning coffee. Then we waved at the Harwood Hilton as we milled around waiting for the  bridge to open, having missed out on the scheduled dinner there. Our final pub was Sedges at Iluka, a bit run down but a superb location and it lays on decent tucker.

It would have been bad manners to let Rae drink alone

Our totally undeserved spot prize for arriving last at Brushgrove

The iron headsail proved its worth but we do prefer to sail and did most of the time.

There was a butcher's dozen in this year's fleet and we enjoyed the camaraderie of fellow trailer sailor enthusiasts. Thanks to Paul and Margie of the Clarence River Yacht Club for organising such a successful event. Thanks also to Rae for agreeing to come along as crew, you were great.

Brief coffee stop at Maclean.

The fishing comp. Look hard and spot Helen's catch,

Sunrise while motoring from Brushgrove to the 10.30 am bridge opening at Harwood

Bridge opening at Harwood on Tuesday morning.

We sailed from Harwood to Iluka in record breaking time hitting quite a fearsome chop caused by a stiff head wind against a full ebb tide around Browns Rocks.  Rae quickly learnt the arcane art  of shifting her weight  and getting the jib in at the critical moment when we tacked . Yet again we were the last to arrive in the shelter of Iluka Bay and were met by slightly concerned enquiries of "are you ok?". We had had a ball.

My trailer was waiting for us at the boat ramp ramp near the Iluka ferry terminal and we ended a most agreeable cruise there on Wednesday morning after a final evening of congenial company at Sedges.

We were safely home on Thursday but I spared a thought for the rest of the fleet racing back to Grafton. As happened the year before the wind turned ugly on the day of the race and I am still waiting to hear if there were any breakages, presumably nothing serious as I would have heard by now.