Luis came to us at the nationals and did such an impressive photography job for us (for nothing) that I am delighted to be able to promote his J24 pictures and his normal business photography services.
In 2004 Luis hung up his apron for the last time as a qualified chef who has worked in the USA, Europe and Caribbean. He had owned a bar in Port Douglas, tossed prawns on a trawler for a season. He has extensive and varied experience as an employer and an employee in a range of settings.
Luis’ fascination with images started quite young. He decided to take his love of image making to the next level where he went back to school in 2007 as a mature age student to study and immerse himself with other people with the same mindset. This lead him onto a couple of commercial photographers who he still assists to this day in between shooting his own stuff.
Says Luis, “I always enjoyed sports, growing up I played soccer for the local club during my teens, then it was all about Surfing/Skateboarding/Snowboarding/Photography. As a qualified chef I had the opportunity to travel and work all over the world, during this time I decided to follow my passion for sport photography. Once I arrived home for good, I went back to school to study full time Applied Photography for two years, here I was able to get in contact with commercial photographers, The Herald Sun and other sporting photography companies. After several years of this I decided to start SPORTSNAP and when Doug MacGregor contacted me about photographing the J24 Nationals, I was thrown in the deep end so to speak … Which was a good thing…”
Find pictures of your boat if you were at the Nationals or Vic States at www.sportsnap.com.au
Competitors can download images for free, just follow the prompts to checkout…
Having just photographed the Vic States Luis is becoming a seasoned sailing photographer … and his pics are sensational. I am sure Luis will travel to photograph any regatta anywhere, (other work permitting). Talking about other work, Luis is an accomplished professional photographer in the business world too.
He works for many commercial clients ranging from event photography, wedding photography, product photography, portrait and houses for interior designers, architects and builders. Check his work out here www.luisferreiro.com
I am happy to recommend that you call upon Luis to photograph your next project !
Says Luis, “After living on the coast for many years in Port Douglas I never got involved with sailing?? ….. I wish I did…”
Chris Furey has again taken some great pics of the J24 States in Melbourne on the weekend. So here they are as thumbnails – approx 235 pics ! I have been through them and there are sensational shots of most boats.
Chris has been very kind and generous with his photography and as agreed to help us support the Luke Mathews fund. We have agreed to a small fee of $25 for up to 10 shots – if you want more then another $25, this will go to Luke’s Fund. So anyone can buy shots for this small donation to help Luke.
Here is what you need to do to get your selection.
Choose your selection and make a list of these picture numbers
Go to the ‘Pay Victorian Assoc Online’ page also on this site (under VIC on the top navigation bar) and fill in your name, your email and your list of numbers into the ‘Description’ field. Fill in the amount in the ‘Amount’ field.
Click the ‘Checkout’ button and use your credit card to pay the amount due.
I will then email you your high res files once Kirby has passed your selection on to me
This donation is purely planned to help Luke as much as possible, so I do suggest that your crew buy some shots as well rather than sharing files you buy, so be honest and help Luke and Karen get through this terrible time.
If I get inundated with requests this may take me some time to email all but the result for Luke’s Support Fund could be wonderful. Some pics are a little fuzzy where the reflected sunlight has played with the focus and this may not be apparent in the thumbnail.
The 25th Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta at Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron in Melbourne is coming up in June and the Silver Anniversary is going to be bigger and better than ever! With teams coming from across Australia and interest being shown from international teams, the fleet is already shaping up to be a competitive one.
The Hyper Girls (centre in the pic above) have taken this one out more than once before, proving that the J24 is very competitive in this fleet, so if you are local at Sandy why not get your boats up the bay. Looks like there may also be a crew from Manhattan coming. Which means if you are from Sydney or Adelaide, you really are coming from just around the corner. Boats may be available to use from the Sandy fleet.
If you are a female sailor and would like to get involved, or if you are a boat owner who would like to donate your boat to a team please contact RMYS Sailing Coordinator Allicia Rae – awkr@rmys.com.au
Want to go sailing with girls before then – try the Port Phillip Women’s Championship Series
The YV Port Phillip Women’s Championship Series (PPWCS) 2015 marks the third series which combines the existing ‘signature’ women’s events from the five keelboat clubs at the top of the bay into one event and will be contested on the waters of Port Phillip from February to May 2015. Check out the Championship details here http://www.womenandgirlsinsailing.com.au
Don’t want to do the whole championship – why not sail the opening race and enjoy the party !
The Jennifer Goldsmith Trophy is also race 1 of the Port Phillip Women’s Championship Series
This is the traditional ‘Lady Skippers’ Race’ and has been a feature on the sailing calendar at Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron for many years.
Traditionally the race is open to any yacht as long as it is ‘skippered’ by a woman. She can have a crew of all males, a mixed crew or a crew of all females but the boat must be helmed throughout the whole of the race by a female.
This is the first race in the Port Phillip Women’s Championship Series and as always there are going to be some gorgeous prizes thanks to the Goldsmith Family.
Details of the lunch post racing will be available soon.
Sunday 9th November. Fourteen J24s on the water. Seventy Sailors. Blue skies. Perfect winds. Three blistering races. And excellent race management. The most active keelboat class on the bay ‘giein’ it laldy’ as they say in Scotland. Was a state titles? Was it a National Championship? Was it a regatta? Nope…just a normal J24 Sunday race day!
As predicted, this season is turning out to be like no previous J24 season. The days when Pacemaker would win race after race by ten boat lengths are gone. There are now any one of five boats who can win a race and the latest development is that even some of the historic middle markers are popping up at the pointy end. There now is no boat that is noticeably quicker than any other and the J24s are now producing racing that is all about seamanship, tactics, crew work and reading the shifts. Feel like you are missing out? Rob Date (Victorian Ocean Racer Of The Year and owner/skipper of Scarlet Runner) doesn’t, he skippered Hyperactive for a sprint day. Albert Doggett (Fast Company) doesn’t, he trimmed on Crackerjack. Geoff Wood (Fast Company and Calm) doesn’t, he trimmed on Crackerjack earlier in the season. Marissa Chalkley (owns Hush) doesn’t, she crews on Jet. Husband Pete Chalkley and Marissa both crewed on Code Violation in the NSW state titles. Peter Fitzgibbons “Fitzy” (Veloce) doesn’t, he crews on J Force. Joelle Roderick (38 degrees) doesn’t, she crews on Hyperactive…hey, the list is long and I don’t want to lose you dear reader but you’ve just got to try this stuff!
Final point. Fourteen boats on the water at Sandringham Yacht Club. That’s more than the J24 Nationals in Sydney earlier this year, it’s more than the NSW State Titles held a couple of weeks ago and its 82% of our available racing fleet. Fantastic numbers in anyone’s book.
NOTE. There are three J’s for sale in Melbourne … two under $15,000 and one available at the top end. Just sayin’.
Doug MacGregor, President J24 Association Victoria
By Doug MacGregor, President J24 Association Victoria
Doug MacGregor, our hard working Pres
The title of this could be “Crackerjack for Sale”. It’s not. And, she’s not. In this report I am going to be a bit self indulgent but more of that later. We really couldn’t have a had a better regatta. First off…a fantastic sponsor!!! Brilliant and challenging winds on day one. Four different winners of the first four heats. And, I think it was Dave Suda that said “very much improved starting techniques of the whole fleet” gave all of the top guns a surprise and here and there even pinged a couple of them out the back. Clear air was the only currency worth bothering about on a start line that felt a combination of a scrum and an orgy. I certainly heard the F word a lot. Truth be told, I used it a lot. Someone also threatened to shove my boat up my arse. (Charming). The way I sailed in this championship, if you have seen the results, was as if it was already well up there. But, hats off to the trophy winners. Just the most brilliant effort in that fleet and in those ever changing conditions.
In no particular order my memories of the weekend come at me … if you’re left out I apologise … and most of my recollections involve the back end of the fleet for obvious reasons .… But first, those who gave of their time, that most precious commodity. We are all in their debt. Volunteers, J folk volunteers … are just the best people I have ever met in sport. Full stop. Thank you all very, very much.
To the championship …. Hugo, AKA The Maestro, coming forth by one point having stitched a crew together that hardly knew each other. (his name is Shane not Sean mate). What could that man be capable of with a consistent and dedicated team? Pacemaker … words fail me. I saw them get fired out the back of a start and they were still second to the top mark. Good for them and for the class, to see them challenged every inch of the way, even if it was mostly by our cousins from NSW in Convicts. WTF are those blokes? Going to windward in the last race I bloody well had them … and they just sailed right over me. I shrugged my shoulders and thought “National Champion” whatreyegonnydo? I saw Hyper fly around the race track like their homes were on fire and again we all were in awe of what those girls are capable of. They hardly sail compared to the rest of the J folk…yet there they go, first in a ‘tougher than the nationals’ state championship heat.
Unasked for advice….Get off those big boats, stop fannying about folding sails for rich guys and come back. (preaching over, I promise).
Question; Did Warren put an engine in that thing … no matter what I did, there J Force f’ing well was. In front of me. In every race. Well done mate! John Neville? Astonishing speed. And, apparently, he sails by his balls … they tell me that’s why he shouts so much .… it’s not pretty, so never look too closely. Moulang? Yes, Peter “I’ll bring the Sheilas” Moulang. Has sailed four times this side of new year and his boatspeed made me wonder if I was racing with my anchor over the side. ‘Magnificent’ is one of Pete’s favourite words. It’s the only one applicable. And then there was Kicking Bottom. KB is the J24s answer to that mad boy in your class at school. The one that ran about like a looney, breaking everyone’s pencils, spilling paint, hiding all the jackets in the bin and making the teacher cry. Yet somehow, he gets a report card that says “the boy is a genius … just needs to focus”. Isn’t green just such an annoying colour. Hand on heart it was good to see Martin Hall sail Fly Away Jay so well … it was fantastic to see the young women on ‘Jive’ the Sidetracked sponsored boat throw that boat about like it was part of their very selves …. and, I’ll be honest I have no idea who the young blokes on Gatsby were, but one of my favourite memories will be them laughing their nutsacks off as the Sidetracked girls almost broached. Playground jeering but fantastic fun.
Finally, one abiding but crucifying memory; we probably came out of the final start in 4/5 position. We couldn’t have been happier. Three tacks later we make our final tack on to the lay line for the top mark …. Lovin’ every second. Over we go. Last place. We invented a new word; absolfu**inguetlyfu**ingbefu**ingmusing. Seemed to be the story of our states … though in one heat we were 7th to the first top mark. A glimpse of out true potential I said to my crew. My Crew. My lovely crew. My patient, dedicated, kind and hard working crew. It’s a wonder they didn’t throw me overboard. I am so grateful to them for sailing with me and sticking by the boat through thin and thinner. The silence on our boat as we sailed in after the last race was deafening. But it’s ok crew. I get it. Thanks you Robbie, Priscilla, James and Geoff. You all deserve better.
Lead by Dave’s blue kite, the fleet sails downwind on a stunning blue Port Philip
And the winner is Dave Suda, Pacemaker, driver of the blue Kite
After a close and hard fought series of 8 races on Port Phillip, the MONJON 2014 Victorian State titles was won by the consistent sailing of the long term team on Pacemaker. Sailing with Dave are Herschel, Luke, Sam and Rachel, pretty much the same team that has been training for the last 10+ years, so perhaps the only team in the fleet to have been together for so long – and it showed. Dave had to drop a second place, it doesn’t get much better than that.
Our friend Chris Furey, ‘photographer to the stars’ and long time J24 devotee was out on the track taking the pix, so unless noted otherwise, the pictures for these articles are all his work – and there are some stunners like the one above. (If you are looking for a picture taker for your next regatta – talk to Chris)
Results: One Design
1 PACEMAKER David Suda
2 CONVICTS REVENGE Stephen Girdis
3 BY THE LEE Brendan Lee
4 BRUSCHETTA VI Hugo Ottaway
5 GRIDLOCK Doug Watson
6 JET Simon Grain
7 HYPERACTIVE Kirsty Harris
8 KICKING BOTTOM Ron Thomson
9 VERTIGO Michael Lewenhagen
10 SDM Robyn Townsend
11 VICE VERSA John Neville
12 FLY AWAY JAY Martin Hall
13 GATSBY Brent Smith
14 SANGUINE Peter Moulang
15 JIVE Alison Dale
16 J FORCE Warren Campbell
17 CRACKERJACK Doug Macgregor
PHS Results:
1 GATSBY Brent Smith
2 GRIDLOCK Doug Watson
3 FLY AWAY JAY Martin Hall
4 JIVE Alison Dale
5 PACEMAKER David Suda
6 JET Simon Grain
7 SDM Robyn Townsend
8 KICKING BOTTOM Ron Thomson
9 VICE VERSA John Neville
10 VERTIGO Michael Lewenhagen
11 SANGUINE Peter Moulang
12 BRUSCHETTA VI Hugo Ottaway
13 CRACKERJACK Doug Macgregor
14 BY THE LEE Brendan Lee
15 HYPERACTIVE Kirsty Harris
16 CONVICTS REVENGE Stephen Girdis
17 J FORCE Warren Campbell
The MONJON Victorian State Championships have proven to be the best regatta of the year again, the ultimate J24 season grand finale.
After six months of arguably the best summer season for as long as I can remember, we finished with two perfect days, racing J24’s as hard as we can, against 16 other J24 crews who used every ounce of speed and skill to will their boat ahead of the next, on a course as well managed as any sailor could hope. I feel sorry for the J24 members that didn’t sail this weekend, for they missed another beauty.
Saturday had four races and four different winners, with Gridlock Doug Watson and co taking heat one honours in a tight three way tussle from Pacemaker and Convicts Revenge. Race 2 was a nail biter with Convicts Revenge holding the narrowest of margins over Pacemaker at every turn and they defended multiple attacks on the final downwind leg to cross the line 2 seconds ahead.
Race 3 saw another black flag and this time Convicts Revenge had a lapse in concentration on the restart and crossed early, meanwhile the largely female crew on Hyperactive had a brilliant start to hold a comfortable lead all the way to the finish. A little further back Kicking Bottom and Pacemaker duelled until the latter took a close advantage across the finish line, notably Michael Lewenhagen Vertigo(6th) found his mojo and John Neville Vice Versa (8th) had a great race after rounding the bottom mark fighting for fifth.
Race 4 and wind increased to 18 knots for the last race of the day. We eventually started second row directly behind Hugo after we left our port approach late. We couldn’t find a gap anywhere near the pin in this much improved and aggressive starting J24 fleet. We tacked very shortly after the start and ducked a few sterns to find some clear air and thankfully met a 15 degree right hand shift and extra pressure, thanks Huey! The usual suspects of Pacemaker, Convicts, By the Lee and Bruschetta VI led the fleet home.
After some fun at 7 Scott St, we all returned to the club on Sunday morning for some light and shifty easterly conditions that weren’t really that light, shifty or east in the end.
We had the usual general recall, then with black flag start the fleet was away and with the Sydney 38’s now around the top mark and quickly in to a gybe, we decided to keep going right after a clearing tack and led at the first mark with Kicking Bottom and Convicts Revenge hot on our heels. Pacemaker pulled away while Kicking Bottom stayed in second until Convicts pounced near the top mark. By the Lee in 4th led a close bunch including Hyperactive, Bruschetta VI and Doug Watson across the line.
Convicts Revenge fought back and took race 6 honours and narrowed the margin to one point from Pacemaker after dropping their BFD. Race 7 arrived and we knew a win in the next race would be enough and then we see Convicts doing penalty turns with two minutes to the start. We happily refocus and get a great start with Hugo near the pin, then tack out right to cover the fleet. By the end of the race Convicts Revenge has recovered to a very credible 4th, behind Pacemaker, By the Lee and Doug Watson. We relax now and enjoy a great final race battle with Convicts who take the win.
After browsing the results it is great to see all the tiny gaps in finish times, highlighted no better than the final race when 2 seconds separate places 6,7,8 and three boats finished 14th!!!
14
1118
JIVE
Alison Dale
SYC
14:24:55
41:55
15.0
14
4466
GATSBY
Brent Smith
SYC
14:24:55
41:55
15.0
14
5086
CRACKERJACK
Doug Macgregor
SYC
14:24:55
41:55
15.0
The winner this weekend was definitely J24 sailing!
Ron Thomson’s Story
“It was with trepidation that we look forward to the 2014 Vic state titles. There was a huge low pressure system over the Bight and Melbourne had more rain in four days than the previous three months. It started raining on Monday and kept going and going all week, so much so that no boat preparation was done as it was too cold and wet to even clean the hull. Friday was spent with bucket and sponge getting the water out. And the forecast was 25 to 30 knots southerly with big waves and rain again. Why are we sailing in Melbourne and why in cold April just before Easter when we can go away and relax. Oh, lets just turn up and see, with a new crew with one day training and nothing in heavy conditions. Where did I store that jib?
Got to get up early Sat morning at 6am and do another walk around the block to lose ½ kilo as weigh in finishes at 8am. What an ungodly hour. We are struggling with crew weight as everyone lied last week, even me and although I lost 3 kgs, got to lose a bit more. And it will be cold and wet on my walk! No surprise, actually surprise it is not raining and I can see clouds in the sky after only seeing grey all week. Ah, but I bet its is blowing hell on the water. Arriving at the club and the burgees are flying nicely in a 12 knot wind. What happened to the 30 knots, must be coming later !
We all weighed in under the max – whew, one job done. Now lets rug up and get out on the water as not much time before the start and it looks like we are starting miles across the bay. Gee, I am feeling a bit hot in this outfit, need to take off some layers of clothing. Lots of boats out today and not a good race to start – we can drop that one. Getting warmer still. Why did we bring that jib and we are doing fine with the genoa.
Well what a great day sailing, good breezes, good weather , no rain. Lucky the weather forecast was so wrong. The next day will even be better, warmer but no breeze was the forecast. OK it was good to get one day sailing in.
Sunday was blue sky and perfect conditions with 8 to 12 knots quite shifty. Why did we bring those jackets? What a great day sailing. Oh what a great place Melbourne is and was it a great idea to sail in April, perfect weather, perfect winds, flattish water and other than a few Sydney38s we had the bay to ourselves. Could not have been a better weekend for the titles. By the way, we had to carry that first race as we did worse in another. Crew sailed very well and other than a few overrides at the wrong time ( 2 at the start – a bit of yelling went on) we have a great two days racing. Shame about the result for us but the racing was so tight that if you sneezed a boat went passed you.
Thanks to J24 Vic association and to Sandringham Yacht Club and particularly to the race officials as there were no complaints. Let go sailing again in Melbourne in April.”
Brendan Lee’s Story
It was the 7th of April and out came the myriad of mobile apps trying to forecast the weather. Was it going to be Melb Winds, Willy Weather, Seabreeze or the trusty BOM. Well turns out none got it right and after a week of wet Melbourne turned it on for the 2014 J24 State titles.
The day started out with blue skies and moderate breezes….what more can you want! Starts were fierce and general recalls were common which seem to happen everytime I or John Neville got a good start or perhaps I was one of those that caused it. Then came the black flags which everyone fears except Hyperactive nailing each start with me more than a boat length back.
Race 1 and it was Doug Watson and then the usual front runners Dave and Steve. Like Ron, I said to my crew “well it didn’t take long to use the discard I fought so hard for in the NOR”. On to race 2…..
Well it was a blur from that point on. The only thing that was common was seeing a blue kite up front and it wasn’t ours!
Unfortunately I could not make the annual trip to Mike’s house this year and with two of my crew having 4 kids with a combined age of less than 5, it was a no show from “By the Lee”. I heard the following morning the night was a great success. Well done Mike and team.
Sunday arrived and again with beautiful blue skies and light South Easterly winds, or was it South, or East, or South South East. Okay let’s pick south and head out to sea on leg 1. Bollocks wrong choice! Next upwind leg, okay there is more South East in this, let’s go left. Bollocks wrong choice and so it went on every leg.
Race 2 was a bit like race 1, a late surge on the final leg saw us scramble into a respectable position. Race 3 for the day and the wind clocked to 180 degrees and freshening. Right this time I am going out to sea. Hey presto it worked – 2nd place but behind Dave AGAIN! 4th race, much like the 3rd…
Onto the prize giving and it was Dave and the team picking up the winners trophy again. How do they do it? I could have sworn I had them 8 from 8 on the starts. Well done Steve for securing 2nd even after a forgettable black flag. To my team, well what can I say. Very happy with 3rd in only my 3rd year on a J24 and with 3 inexperienced sailors. My trimmer has the best saying “Okay well I may not be able to sail but I can lift heavy boxes”. What more can a skipper want?
The prize giving came and went but the chocolate fountain left a lasting taste in my mouth that night
Thanks to all the volunteers, our sponsor Monjon and to SYC and race management whom did a fantastic job….more of that next year please….
Until next time. See you soon!
Brendan Lee (By the Lee – AUS 4795)
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Simon’s Story
The regatta started early for the Jet team, Joe let me know he would be contributing his thoughts from his honeymoon in the US and Marty called to say he had busted his hand on the way back from the SA States – OK, so the finely honed team is off to a good start! Luckily we have also been training the ‘B’ Team with Ben and Bec Robson, one of the club’s young female match racers. We added Matty from Sydney and we’re back in business.
A full week’s training and boat preparation was put on hold as Melbourne had it’s wettest week in living memory, if nothing else the deck was clean, although there was the distinct possibility that there might be fish living inside the boat. Happily I had the satisfaction of all the organisational work being done by Doug and his committee this time again and my crew do know who I am. Well done and thanks to Doug, his team, SYC and the volunteers we can’t do without.
Dave keeps his cards close to his chest with a glimmer of a smile as he tries to keep a straight face about his plans. But I am the keeper of the royalty tags, so I know who is getting new sails, Dave – new set, Hugo new sails, the girls new genoa, mmmm … well we had a new kite and reasonably new sails. So there go more of my excuses for not winning. Hugo asks me if I am clearing a space in the trophy cabinet – you’re such a tease! Hugo has been in stealth mode for some time so I know there is stuff going on, he is determined to make a comeback after a couple of years off on the deadly treadly – I think Sue is happier about that, safer and life is more serene at home when he is sailing.
Steve is a sly “young” fox who smiles at me from the back of the pack (I think I must be doing quite well to be near him) and then again from the podium – how does he do it? Brendan is just plain dangerous to my results, loud out there but fast and I normally have a tussle around the track. I think Kirsty has my name permanently stamped on her protest flag. Well, I did turns so we could go to Mike’s great party instead of the room, I still think I was right! Ron is also my particular friend and while silent is deadly, but I am happier when the volume and pitch of his voice goes up as I know he is having a discussion with Fitzy and I can get clean away! We got Doug Watson into Gridlock and Jim and Robin into SDM and we are all ready to go.
Out on the bay on Saturday and the weather is a glamour, into race one and Matty tries to go overboard on the first tack – about 20m after the start! Am I that scary? Back on the program and the first 3 races are all 5’s for us – that’s pretty consistent and I am thinking that isn’t so bad a start and we just have to improve a little bit and we will be looking good. And then we have Saturday’s drop – 9th !
Lisa has dragged me away from the party early so Sunday is a bright new day with lots of promise and we start with an 8th, not good but Saturday’s drop is still our drop so into the second race for the day and I decide that looking at the 38’s that there is a big lift on the port layline and go for it, we picked it and are around the first two marks first. All good and happy and Matty is now satisfied that his trip down from Sydney was worth it. I tell the crew that all we have to do is cover. But I don’t, I tack onto what I think is the lay before Steve does and then we get knocked while he gets lifted, around the top mark 2nd and did a bear away set, Dave does a gybe set and by the time we have gybed he is level with us on what is now a lay though to the finish, he just pips us. Third is still better than we got yesterday and I am consoled by Lisa and the crew for at least putting us ahead – before being dumb enough to lose it.
Third race and I ease the rig tension a bit and my brain too, it seems – our new drop, 11th ! We finish the last race 5th again just behind Robin in SDM, we have a big gap back to 6th so I have a bit of a play with them although Lisa is telling me to let them beat us – just for coming over – what !
Well, we have beaten Ron and Kirsty finally and no one ahead of us is a slug so I guess that’s a good series result. I’ve locked up the cabinet again, let the dust rule supreme. There will always be another regatta.
Kirby’s Story – funny !
The Race Report
Who am I kidding? I can’t realistically title a document ‘race report’ and have anyone take it seriously. Then again, if I call it ‘administration report’ then even I’ll go no further than this line … so – to the race report!
The Weigh In…
Huge thanks to Karen for manning the post from 12-7, and being really good about it each time I said “Do you mind if I just disappear so that I can…” Awesome effort. I’d rave more, but then Karen will curse me as every man and his dog thinks “Hey, wasn’t Karen really good during the states … ? Maybe we could ask her to help with…”
It all went pretty smoothly, but if I had one bit of feedback to offer, I’d say “not enough stripping”. Honestly, it just didn’t stack up to past years. Although an honourable mention does go to Daniel, who stripped with incredibly good humour considering that none of the rest of the Vertigo crew bothered to wait before getting stuck into the beers, so the 800g excess was his and his alone to deal with … albeit to the sound of our hearty encouragement and a round of applause when the final piece of attire yielded up the last required 200g’s.
So having done a few of these registrations now, I think it’s time I offered up a few rule change suggestions to the committee, all with the idea of introducing a little more sport into the weigh in process:
1. No more four member crews. Where’s the fun in watching sailors stroll confidently up to the scales, not even bothering to remove their shoes, as they know the 400kg limit isn’t a worry unless they convert their entire life saving into 20c coins and carry it on their backs. No more. What this situation needs is another body and all five of said bodies can take themselves off for a 10km run and return to approach the scales with the dread and trepidation that the rest of us all know and love.
2. No more people under 60kg ! I mean really, what is more annoying to those of us with a life of dinners still on the belt, than someone stepping up to the scales, registering an elephantine 57kg and moaning that they’ve gained since last regatta?
3. There should be a prize for the boat that gets closest to 400kg without going over. So…I’m thinking that means that someone owes the Vertigo crew a prize….
The sponsors..
A huge thanks, again, to the sponsors, MONJON in particular, Anchor Marine, Bike Factory Outlet, Smart Marketing, Synergy Audio – and also to Hugo. What a brilliant effort to convert a Thursday lunchtime conversation about how we should have come up with the protest flag idea earlier, into the delivery of 25 logo-printed flags by Saturday morning in time for the skippers briefing. Immense result!
And I have to say, I was just quietly very pleased when I saw the first protest flag raised. Chuffed to see the next one sent flying and verging on smug when the next flash of red nylon was hoisted….but when the 15th boat raised its protest flag on the way to the first turning buoy of the regatta, I admit, I did start to wonder what sort of chaos we’d unleashed.
The race….
OK, so to the racing…well let’s see, race overview…I lost a shoe (Vice Versa and Fly Away Jay – you guys rock for randomly finding my missing shoe in the middle of the bay and bringing it back!), I got splashed a bit, pulled some ropes, forgot to pull some other ropes, got yelled at, got annoyed when a boat tacked in front of us and when we yelled “Protest! We had to change course”, he turned to us with the smile of a Cheshire cat and replied “Did not.” Well! May I take this chance to say simply… “Did so.” You know who you are!!!
And that’s it really. We came outright last when it mattered – the race to the crane. I think I have new life goal – to get into the dock before Pacemaker is safely tucked away into its place on the hardstand. Hopefully see you all again for a repeat experience next year!!
More stories to come so do come back and enjoy the ride with us.
Two days to go and the weather is looking marvelous … well, depends on how you like it !
Traditionally a balmy weather regatta with hot competition on the water and a great social gathering on the Saturday evening at Mike Lewenhagen’s party house, over the years the Vic States has attracted many interstate visitors and it is no different this year, with interstate entires from NSW and SA. National Champion Steve Girdis is coming down and there will be a grudge match with Dave Suda for sure.
Others jostling for top honours will be Brendan Lee, Hugo Otaway and Doug Watson so the competition will be hot ! The middle of the fleet will be a hotbed of competitive carnage too with the very strong Melbourne fleet out for honours and no quarter will be given. we also have a number of new crews to the states as well with our two youth boats being sailed by our very able young crews.
If you can’t get down and sail then why not come for the party at Mike’s. BYO food and drink otherwise Mike will be starving for the next week. Normally a huge night – don’t try to go drink for drink with some of the later stayers (you know who you are JN) otherwise you will be crawling onto your boat with a sore head on Sunday.
Once again MONJON are our major sponsors and we are very grateful for their support this year, truely the event would not be anywhere near what it is without them.
Victorian President Doug MacGregor has his team all over this regatta so if you have any queries make contact sooner rather than later.
Doug MacGregor and Kirby O’Brien have been working hard on the sponsorship side of things and have come up with a great selection of sponsors who are offering a range of support for our State Championships. From Kirby:
"This event wouldn't be possible without the support of our very generous
sponsors (well....technically it'd still be possible, but nowhere near as
entertaining and none of the freebies!). So I'd like to take the time to
thank our sponsors and let you know who they are.
MONJON - John Moncrieff's financial support of the J24 regattas has been
truly amazing John looks like this. MONJON are experts in the following
fields, give them a call and tell them you are a J sailor:
- security systems, alarms, CCTV installations for any kind of building
- personal security or security personnel
- traffic management
- security and traffic management for film sets and sites.
Please encourage everyone you know to seek out MONJON for any of the
above services, as their work is truly top notch.
http://www.monjon.com.auUK SAILMAKERS - At the top of Jetty Rd. Again, UK Sails have been a long
time supporter of the J's and we love to love them back. Sam Haines has
very generously donated two great gift vouchers which will be awarded to
the overall winner of the regatta and the handicap race winner.
http://www.uksailmakers.com/Australia-MelbourneANCHOR MARINE - At the top of Jetty Rd also. We love ANCHOR MARINE. Andy
Warner is an absolute guru in the sailing world and can help you with
all your:
- Chandlery needs
- Safety gear
- Clothing
Andy has generously donated gift vouchers for the raffle. They currently
have amazing prices on women's Dubarry shoes if anyone needs to keep
their toes warm for winter...
www.anchormarine.com.auSYNERGY AUDIO - These guys distribute some very cool audio visual gear,
including brands like Sonus Faber, McIntosh and Cambridge Audio. Check
out the raffle prizes and you will see their very generously donated
Minx Go and you'll no doubt be listening to some of their gear over
the weekend. They also have a clearance store, well worth checking
out if you're after a bargain.
www.synergyaudio.comBIKE FACTORY OUTLET - Derek and the boys at BFO have donated terrific
prizes. BFO are well worth popping in to see - they also have a store
on the corner of Inkerman and Nepean in St Kilda and they are the home
of cycling and triathlon bargains. They are the masters of last
season's gear at awesome prices. Go visit them at 265 Charman Road,
Cheltenham and also check out their deals on
www.bikefo.com.au
I'd be grateful if you could please express your appreciation for
their generosity by liking our sponsors on Face Book where possible."
Call Doug on 0400 584 067, email him on doug@daylightstudios.com.au
It’s February and the second half of the season is starting. Here’s your opportunity to get into owning and skippering your own boat very cheaply, we have two J24 yachts available for sale at Sandringham and there are more available around Australia that can be brought to Sandringham.
Owning your own J24 racing yacht is one of the cheapest ways to get into small keelboat ownership. Club membership is less than your average golf club and the cost to maintain your yacht on the hardstand at Sandringham is less than almost anywhere else.
There are nearly 6000 J24s in the world and around 200 in Australia, Sandringham has a fleet of around 20 so there is plenty of competition for racing and plenty of friendship and camaraderie for those learning the boat. In fact we’ll mentor you all the way till you get the hang of it.
Buying one of the two J24 yachts available at Sandringham gives you a big headstart, storage on the hardstand (where you keep your boat) is already organised, take over the boat and you have a place to put it already !
You don’t have to own it on your own ! A J24 is sailed with 4-5 people so buying one with someone else and halving the cost is a great way to buy easy and have part of your crew already in place. You could be sailing you own boat for less than you think. How much ? Share your ownership and you could be sailing for less than $6000.
That’s a 24 ft racing keelboat with mainsail, genoa, jib and spinnaker for less than the cost of your average racing dinghy. Plus you get 4 berths down below so you can spend the weekend away with your family – kids love them. Going sailing in dad’s boat.
Like to know more, get lots more information on the J24 class all around Australia on this site or call Simon Grain 0413 870 046 or Doug MacGregor 0400 584 067 in Melbourne.
Sandy fleet racing in a typical soft late summer day
After a hard fought Nationals in Sydney, interest is already growing for the Victorian State Titles this year with enquiries from across the country for boats, dates and details.
The dates are 12 – 13 April, traditionally a balmy weather regatta, it is known for its hot competition on the water and it’s great social gathering on the Saturday evening. Over the years the Vic States have attracted many interstate visitors and already it is clear this year will be no different, with enquiries from Qld, NSW and SA.
So if you are a local owner looking for local or interstate crew, looking to charter your boat out, an interstate skiper or crew looking for a boat or a crew slot then now is the time to start organising yourself as the opportunities will soon close up.
With 19 boats at Sandy and the interest already shown it is quite possible we will have a 25+ boat fleet. Vic President Doug MacGregor will have his team all over this regatta so if you have any queries make contact sooner rather than later.
Call Doug on 0400 584 067, email him on doug@daylightstudios.com.au you can also call Simon on 0413 870 046 if you can’t catch Doug
NOR is being prepared currently and will be available on the SYC and J site asap.
