14 April

With the Easter regatta comes the close of the Sailing season for the crews at Port Macquarie.  The week before last was the last opportunity for the crews to make an impact on the leader board before the close of the season.  The racing was highly anticipated unfortunately the weather made us work for it, again there was a large run out tide and a distinct lack of wind to make it a slow afternoon.  With the fleet sprawled out all over the river come the starters horn, many made the dash with the tide to the first and second marks with the wind picking up down the far end of the course to a point where the boats could have a bit of fun.  With the combined fleet start the buoy rounding were often crowded and serious events, luckily there were no appeals or damages caused. As the afternoon cruised by the wind subsided to a point where the two leaders were left sitting within arms reach of each other at just short of the bottom turning buoy watching the rest of the fleet bear down on them being carried forward on the littlest of gusts.  Paul and Jade Robertson were lucky enough to be able to sneak around the buoy and streak across the finish line to be the first monohull finished before the fleet swamped them, unfortunately Tony Kuhn found himself surrounded by a frenzy of boats at the bottom mark only to have Jack Corthals and Scott Witchard scramble by to take first and second catamarans home.  As the fleet started at the same time the results were clouded and loudly disputed once all the boats were back on the beach, it wasn’t until the Handicapper worked his magic with the class yardsticks that Paul and Jade Robertson on their Tasar “Flembuoyant” had snagged the top spot followed by Darren Hunt on his OK Dingy “Smash Skippy” and Jack Corthals as the first of the catamarans on “Harpic”.  Well that is for another year, the results are in and on the 12that the club presentation we will all find out if all those long days struggling against the tide, the days fighting not only for position but for you and your boats wellbeing was all worth it.  This year has brought about more stories than I could possible publish here in this article both off and on the water; these will be no doubt remembered for seasons to come.  As I mentioned before our Presentation night will be on the 12th starting at 6pm at the clubhouse.  The next spring series starts on the 2nd September at 1pm, so mark it on your Calenders and get pumped for next spring.

30 March 2012

What a change from last weekend, with the forecast predicting no more than 10 knots of wind it was going to be a slow drift against the ever present outgoing tide. With one of the slowest starts ever witnessed the boats slowly progressed around the first lap striving for clean wind and smooth movements to get the most out of the little wind that was drifting in from the south. Fortunately the wind picked up a little on the second lap which allowed the catamarans and Robert Barwick on his Foiling Moth to slip away from the other boats in the fleet. It is great to see Robert getting results from all his hard work on the Moth, it was great to see him outpace the fist placed catamaran on a downwind run, good work Rob.  It seemed the lighter weather evened the fleet out and provided some good class battles.
The monohull fleet came down to seconds separating their yardstick times with Terry Howard on his Laser pipping the Tasar of Peter Fitzroy and Kelly Miller by just over half a minute with Phil Johnson only a nose length behind to secure third place.  On handicap it was Peter Fitzroy and Kelly Miller ahead of Phil Johnson and Terry Howard.
The catamarans had a field day once the wind picked up slightly, all four Arrows stayed together relatively well all finishing within half an hour of each other, leaving the Hobie 16 scratching for a little more wind.  The yardstick results show Frank O’Rourke taking top spot ahead of Tony Kuhn and Scott Witchard.  While on handicap Scott Witchard showed his skills are progressing managing to hold out first position from Tony Kuhn and Dave Winter.
This week’s double header Sunday provides great racing with the first race kicking off at 11am and the second at 1pm.  Do remember to put your clocks back an hour as daylight Savings ends this weekend.  This also see race times starting at 1pm from this week on.  There will be a BBQ lunch for all the hungry sailors between races at the Clubhouse.  The Peter and Taylor Young are on Duty this weekend.

18 March 2012

Last weekend was not for the faint hearted, only a small fleet took to the river on Sunday in the howling Southerly which every now and again barred its teeth with reported gusts up to 26kts battering the crews.  The heavy conditions proved a good test to the experienced crews, who even with their skills still had some scary moments, unfortunately one of the catamaran fleet was stuck with rigging failure causing the mast to separate from the boat and capsize.  Luckily we were able to retrieve all but the tiller extension.  With only two monohulls in the fleet a special mention must go to Darren Holt who held his own staying in touch with the Red Star crew of Peter Fitzroy and Kelly Miller, riding out every gust as if it was a breeze.  Peter Fitzroy and Kelly Miler maintained their composure after an early capsize to go on for the win in the monohull division.  With the catamarans it was a tough battle between the three masters Tony, Frank and Jack.  All three of them stayed within reach of each other, unfortunately Jack succumbed to rigging failure and had to be towed back to the beach shortly after the others had crossed the finish.  Frank O’Rourke managed to hold onto the lead ahead of Tony Kuhn.  This weekend sees racing kicking off at 2pm with Warren Sykes on duty.

Not entirely true, but what can you say

10 and 11 March

Sailing Sunday saw a slide in numbers. Ho ho my jolly, `tis to the Forster Regatta we go! The Tasars and the Lasers drove south to the Great Lakes , leaving a quiver of Arrows and an RS 400 to take advantage of a light sou`easter that decorated the surface of the water in myriad patterns . Four Arrows there were and a pair of visitors, Deb and Mark, borrowing the remaining Tasar and added it`s
bright red sail to the skyline. Dave Winter set a good course, which all dutifully followed except the RS400. I think they were there to practice, mainly, for their huge kite is difficult to manage and requires some considerable expertise. And so it proved. With the breeze on the port beam, over she went. That huge sail in the water is mighty heavy and it took the crew of Ron Apps and Dave Cox some
time to right the boat and get going. But get going they did and soon the kite was up again. They hauled it down and set it once more, their persistence paying off … all went well .
 
The Arrows were pretty much the only boats actually racing. Frank O`Rourke was precision itself , soon distancing himself from the other three , the sails on his boat “Return”  perfectly set . A well cut pair of sails, without a doubt. Jack Corthals trailed more than usual, as he usually gives Frank a run for his money, and boat problems forced an early retirement. Tony Kuhn and Dave Winter did
their utmost but Frank was in form and just powered away to a convincing win.

In the Forster stakes after two days of hard fought racing the inaugural Booti Booti cup was awarded to the Port Stephens sailors who brought a very strong crew of junior sailors in the Open BIC class.  Although the senior results are the ones everybody was waiting for, coming in first on yardstick ahead of the first place catamaran was Paul and Jade Robertson in their Tasar Flembouyant, followed closely by Darren Hunt in the OK Dingy, Smash Skippy. A big mention went to Phil Johnson in his Laser for being a mover and shaker on the final day climbing to 6th position on the leader board. All the crews did extremely well with many of us new to lake sailing, with all those who travelled the distance well rewarded with great company and great sailing.

5 March 2012

The obscure weather made for an interesting race last Sunday, rather than being stifling hot as it had been all week it was quite chilly at time out on the river among the rain patches but at least thee was wind.  A marathon race is always a wild card and this was no different, as the fleet took off downriver and rounded Settlement Point the wind all but died and left us drifting with the tide, many of us swapped wary glances as we tried to pick the best part of the river to sail back up fortunately the wind closed in again and with the whole fleet now bunched up in the same section of river it turned into a boat on boat battle for position.  Leaving Settlement Point behind the boats made the most of the strong but patchy Nor Easter and raced upriver to Dennis Bridge, this is where the catamarans and the larger monohulls used their larger sail area to break away from the fleet.  Congratulations to the Impulse skipper who doggedly fought for river position with a Tasar on the run up to the Bridge.  Rounding the final bend in the river the clubhouse came into view where the Nor Easter had begun to whip up the river into a choppy bathtub the crews had to work hard to get home, making the most of every tack regardless of how wet everything got.  The winner of the Harold Dick Marathon is awarded the Cock of the River for being fastest on yardstick corrected time, this once again went to Frank O’Rouke who sailed brilliantly a cut out an 10 minute lead to a second placed Tony Kuhn.  The first of the monohulls was Paul and Jade Robertson on Flembouyant.  There will be sailing on this weekend under the guidance of Norman starting at 2pm, for the crews that are travelling to the Great Lake Sailing Club in Forster to compete in the first annual Booti Booti Cup best of luck to everyone.

26 February 2012

Another race down, with another number to help build the yearly point score.  Last Sundays racing was looking promising as the wind built all morning, pushing in from the North North East that made the race to be on the water as exciting as the race over the start line.  The monohulls start was a very clean and tight affair with all the crews timing their countdowns just right.  The fight for position never ended all afternoon with boat positions swapping every lap and with the smaller monohulls pushing hard in the strong breeze the larger boats were on warning.  By the end of the afternoon Flembouyant, skippered by Jade and Paul Robertson crossed first on Yardstick, with Darren Hunt on Smash Skippy and Phil Johnson on SWIFT crossing within the following two and a half minutes.  On handicap it was Norm Broomhall and Robert Barwick aboard Tethys Too taking honours ahead of Swift and The Youngs on Voyager.
In the Catamarans the first leg upwind was a close contest but with Frank O’Rouke and Jack Corthals sailing clean lines they slowly pulled away from the chase pack of Dave Winter and Scott Witchard.  By the close of racing Frank and Jack had edged out an astonishing 20 minute lead over Dave with Scott finishing on adjusted time due to mechanical difficulties.  On handicap count back Dave Winter claimed the win over Jack Corthals with Scott Witchard taking third on corrected time ahead of Frank O’Rourke.
This weekend sees the crews battle for the Harold Dick Memorial Trophy sailing over 37km to accumulate the best handicap time between the Town Green and Dennis Bridge.

19th February 2012

Last weekend’s sailing was a fun filled event with the first race planned to kick off at 11am, planned being the appropriate word.  As 11am rolled closer many boats were ready and rigged but lacked one important thing......wind.  With the race postponed to midday, a short course was set and everyone took to the water for a sprint style race. After 20 minutes of hard and fast racing Scott Witchard crossed the line ahead of Dave Winter in the Catamaran class and Peter Fitzroy and Kelly Miller in Red Star finished first ahead of Paul Robertson skippering Flembouyant and Terry Howard on RATZ.  On handicap it was Dave Winter ahead of Scott Witchard on the Cats and Terry Howard closed out first ahead of the McNee crew of Grady, Cath, and Alice McNee on Reflections.
The championship race scheduled for 2pm went off without a hitch, with the wind finally a little more consistent we all took to the water with high hopes of the wind building further.  By the end of the race the wind was coming and going and always shifting making it hard to hold a solid tack up the river.  Across both classes it was a hard fought battle with the winner in the monohulls being Flembouyant ahead of Red Star and RATZ.  Tony Kuhn was the top dog in the cats with Scott Witchard crossing ahead of Dave Winter.  Looking back on handicap it was still Flembouyant ahead of Red Star and RATZ in the monohull class and Tony Kuhn ahead of Dave Winter and Scott Witchard.  This Sunday sees race seven of our summer series, Terry Howard is on duty/course setting. As always if you are interested to give sailing a go come on down and say hello.

12th February 2012

There was an air of anticipation on Sunday as the sailors gathered by the river, the conditions were shaping up just perfectly as the boats began to trickle across the line for the second Handicap Race of the Summer season.  A few boats crossed the start the early in the countdown, with the bulk of the fleet starting around the 10 minute mark the chase was on.  The beauty of the handicap start became apparent as the race progressed with the faster crews catching the slower and earlier starting boats.
In the catamarans the fight for line honours came down to the wire with Scott Witchard just managing to hold off the ever charging Frank O’Rourke in the last 30 seconds of the race to claim the top spot, with Dave Winter locking away third position.  On yardstick the results showed the fastest boats over the course of the race were Frank O’Rourke, Jack Corthals and Scott Witchard.
The line honour results for the monohulls was won by Norm Broomhall and Phil Johnson, keeping ahead of John and Merridy Hudson with Kelly Miller and Peter Fitzroy closing out third position.  The yardstick results  showed the speedier boats on the water were Kelly Miller and Peter Fitzroy, followed by Norman Broomhall and Phil Johnson, closely followed by John and Merridy Hudson.
Racing this week end comprises of a double header race with the weekly race starting at 11.00am followed by the Club championship race at 2pm.  A BBQ lunch will be provided between races.

29th January 2012

Sailing Sunday sought a something ,
to the ever-lasting rain .
The river flittered , it was littered , with debris washed  along  the drain .
Don`t bash it with your boatses , we all said so , for that will  really slow you down 

Fresh it was , and brown , not salty , don`t fall in you`ll surely drown .

If  cats went first I did not notice , for I was busy with the ropeses ,

 away we went , after the gun .
 a stiff nor`easter , clouds around , not too much sun .

Dave came by , his voice a cryin` , "Your whisker pole , I have it here!"
"Thankyou Dave, but we can`t stop now , if we meet again then that`s OK "

 Around the mark at reaching speedses , boat flat out and on the plane .
Here`s  the red mark near the boat club , to  the sunset , `round again

Upwind then , was  such a fightses , water sloshing all the time .
Gybing quickly `round the top mark , wind behind you

 Dave !  That pole .. where are you now ?

 A windy day  , no rain and a fast run-out tide. Frank O`Rourke got his cat home in front of Jack Corthals and Tony Kuhn , whilst on handicap it was Tony , Dave Winter and Frank . In the monos it was Paul and Jade ahead of Warren and Alex , with Peter Fitz and Phil Johnson third . On handicap , Peter and Phil took the points , whilst Peter and Taylor Young came second with Norman and Andrew managing a third . Next week we have a series of sprint races scheduled to start  two hours earlier than usual . Note that :
starting time is noon . See you there .

8th January 2012

You don't realise how annoying a sailor can be until you spend a week with them when the wind is good and they're not able to go out and hit the water.  Sunday was certainly a welcome back to the river for our sailors, many of the boats who took to the water last weekend battled with a wind that was holding steady at the 18kt mark and a roaring outgoing tide that whipping up a nasty two foot swell.  Many boats held strong in the trying conditions, with only four managing a finish, others retiring for either the sake of themselves or their boats. By the end of the day Frank O’Rourke and Tony Kuhn crossed the line, making it look easy, in first and second in the catamaran class.  Peter Fitzroy and Kelly Miller on red Start crossed as head of Voyager crewed by Peter and Taylor Young. The marathon race held at the end of the spring series was once again a great success with a small fleet of boats taking part in the dash from Town Green to Dennis Bridge and a dash it turned into.  This time the wind was strong enabling a quick upriver run after a challenging short course down at the Town Green, the work upwind back to the club was a nail bitting race at many times, with both classes of boats in the mix for the win, with the eventual winners being Warren Sykes and Alex Kroog in Big Bang, just ahead of Dave Winter on White Pointers and Peter Fitzroy and Kelly miller on Red Star.  A big congratulation goes to Frank O'Rourke and Tony Kuhn who over the Christmas break travelled all the way to Noosa to compete in the Arrow Catamaran National Titles, Frank returned with the National title and Tony locked away tenth position after a solid sail. Good work boys.  This weekend’s racing starts at 2 pm with a Handicap Start.

4th December 2011

Last weekend saw the sailors at Port Macquarie compete for line honours over the course of five race in one afternoon.  Our new sprint series race format allows for a greater time to be spent on the water, which is what everyone wants, consists of a relatively short course with two laps to fight to the finish line.  The key to this form of racing is all about the start, if you can position yourself right, read the wind and the other boats and hit the line as close to the start you have a good chance to hold your own.  To make the results more confusing the single handed boats were let go before the two handed boats. Across the five races the race for line honours on the catamarans consisted of Tony Kuhn and Dave Winter, in a race of their own, Tony was able to pip Dave for the win in all five races.  In the monohulls it was a more evenly place field with many different boats taking out the top three positions as the afternoon wore on.   Race one saw Paul and Jade Roberson take the win, in race two, Warren Sykes and Alex Kroog locked away a win, races three and four saw Paul and Jade at the top of the time sheets again with the final race, race 5, being closely fought with the Peter and Taylor Young on their boat Voyager coming out on top.  This weekend sees a return to normal racing, with race twelve kicking off at 2pm, Tony Kuhn is on duty and will no doubt have a cracker of a course set for us.

26th of November 2011

Well it was a hard day in the office for the crews of Port Macquarie Sailing Club last Sunday afternoon.  After the week of soaking rain that we received no one had quite expected there to be so much water in the river, which turned into a ferocious run out tide just before the start of race 11.  The tide combined with the fickle nor wester that had begun to blow in made for some very trying conditions out on the river.  Never less the competition was still turned on by all the crews as they jockeyed for line honours after the handicap start that saw the faster crews start nearly 20 minutes after the starter’s horn.  In the monohulls Flembouyant skippered by Paul and Jade Robertson streaked towards the front of the pack regardless of their handicap time.  Phil Johnson onboard swift had an amazing race managing to hold off the ever menacing crew of Peter Fitzroy and Kelly Miller on Red Star to claim second place.  In the catamarans Tony Kuhn and Dave winter showed their skill on the ever changing river battling it out for the top two positions, in the end it was Tony Kuhn who took out the top spot ahead of Dave Winter in second and Scott Witchard in third.  On handicap review all these results remained unchanged.  A big mention must go to Darren Hunt in his OK Dingy whose has just joined our club and is unused to sailing in river conditions, congratulations on your finish.  A friendly reminder that the Christmas party is on Saturday night starting at 6.30pm at the Mykonos Tavern.  This weekend sees the return of our Sprint series, which consists of two, two lap races and a third longer race to close out the afternoon, be sure to get down to the club early as racing starts at 12 PM.

6th of November 2011

With the Hastings River on its near perfect behaviour Port Macquarie Sailing Club hosted the NSW Arrow Catamaran Titles last weekend. Eleven boats and their skippers turned up to for the highly anticipated event, all vying for a chance at the title.  It was great to see the event pulled in people from as far away as Sydney, Grafton and Speers Pt, put together with a spattering of local boats it made for an interesting series.  The Saturday races were definitely suited to the more experienced crews as the wind begun strong and only got stronger as the afternoon progressed with a couple of retirements occurring in the second race as racing turned to survival for some.  Sunday morning brought the lighter winds that were predicted to arrive on Saturday which suited some more than others.  Racing throughout the series was close and well fought with the leaders exchanging positions every tack.  In the end Frank O’Rourke on Return (PMSC) was crowned the 2011 State Champion with Gary Powell on Angry Ant (Speers Pt) and Tony Kuhn on Stella (PMSC) in close contention.  In other news the Club held a very successful Try sailing day in the perfect conditions on Sunday followed by a club race which consisted of only seven monohulls and one visiting Hobie 16 Cat.  Crossing for the win was Warren Sykes and Alex Kroog on Big Bang closely followed Kelly Miller and Peter Fitzroy on Red Star and David Cox in Miss Adventure.  On Handicap Red Star snuck in ahead of Big Bang and Phil Johnson in Swift.  This weekend sees the Tasar Class sailors competing at the Belmont Sailing Club in the Tasar traveller’s trophy, for everyone else it’s racing as usual on Sunday with the 3rd Club Championship starting at 11am followed by a club race at 2pm.

Sorry about the delay, I have just got this report