The Dragonflite 95s of South of Perth Yacht Club
The 4th of March 2022
A championship round
The Kings of Twitch.
You see them gathering at the club on a Friday around 1500 hrs and they look at a glance like your average yachty. Big brimmed hat, sunburnt features well smeared in sunscreen, long sleeves and an independent air about them. But they are DF95 sailors.. amongst them are naval architects, world and national champions, Gero sailors and boat designers, even around the can Saturday sailors.
Their purpose ... to beat the other blokes in radio controlled yachts. Yes the penalties are real, though they are allowed to hit the mark. But if you hit a man port to starboard you will be called out by the person transgressed against, with most of the rest of the rules observed as well. Sometimes an apology will be sufficient, but its better to philosophically shrug and do your 360 and carry on.
The kings of twitch? Watch them .. no firm hand on the tiller, but two rods under their fingers and you can almost gauge the effort in the increment of lean in the control panel as they emulate the corner or tack with their hands throwing the panel about. Never idle, their fingers constantly twitch as they adjust the rudder or sail settings. Its a fascinating sport watching these sailors as they pace up and down the riverside judging angles all the time and cursing the lack of breeze or bemoaning the pressure coming out of the left.
But the most savoury epithet is reserved for the skipper who appears out of nowhere, riding a gust all of their own, all the way to the finish. “Jammy bugger”
Yes they are sailors, but they don’t need crew and cant blame anyone else for the mistakes. Its on their backs and they sail like they mean it.
Congratulations to Kim Kalka and Kim Swarbrick who won the last two weeks of the DF95 Olives regatta. Previous winners were Mark Sherburn and Nick Jerwood.
I'll be taking a break for a while so keep your eye on the page.. It will return.
The 4th of March 2022
A championship round
The Kings of Twitch.
You see them gathering at the club on a Friday around 1500 hrs and they look at a glance like your average yachty. Big brimmed hat, sunburnt features well smeared in sunscreen, long sleeves and an independent air about them. But they are DF95 sailors.. amongst them are naval architects, world and national champions, Gero sailors and boat designers, even around the can Saturday sailors.
Their purpose ... to beat the other blokes in radio controlled yachts. Yes the penalties are real, though they are allowed to hit the mark. But if you hit a man port to starboard you will be called out by the person transgressed against, with most of the rest of the rules observed as well. Sometimes an apology will be sufficient, but its better to philosophically shrug and do your 360 and carry on.
The kings of twitch? Watch them .. no firm hand on the tiller, but two rods under their fingers and you can almost gauge the effort in the increment of lean in the control panel as they emulate the corner or tack with their hands throwing the panel about. Never idle, their fingers constantly twitch as they adjust the rudder or sail settings. Its a fascinating sport watching these sailors as they pace up and down the riverside judging angles all the time and cursing the lack of breeze or bemoaning the pressure coming out of the left.
But the most savoury epithet is reserved for the skipper who appears out of nowhere, riding a gust all of their own, all the way to the finish. “Jammy bugger”
Yes they are sailors, but they don’t need crew and cant blame anyone else for the mistakes. Its on their backs and they sail like they mean it.
Congratulations to Kim Kalka and Kim Swarbrick who won the last two weeks of the DF95 Olives regatta. Previous winners were Mark Sherburn and Nick Jerwood.
I'll be taking a break for a while so keep your eye on the page.. It will return.
The Dragonflite 95s of South of Perth Yacht Club
The 25th of February 2022
The Olive Regatta
Unfortunately a bad back laid me low last week, but from what I understand, it was a good battle with Kim Klaka taking the Olives. However I still have to get them to him as results weren't available at the time.
This time we had seven boats on the water and a good breeze of sorts. Mark Popham was not having a good day and bad luck and flat batteries was the undoing of him. Nick Jerwood was running around in a spare hull and with Kevin Fulwood out of the picture, (where were you Kev?) it was time for another lucky man to shine.
This time the sailboard fleet was a little more careful and the coaches were carefully guiding the newbies around the DF95's. But our major issue wasn't with them, no no. This weekend was the Rotto Swim and a myriad of boats were being un loaded and then dropped onto the jetties ready for the trip down the river on Saturday morning.
Disregarding them the sailing continued and at the end of the day, it was Nick as usual at the top, but Kim Swarbrick came up as the winner. Of course we didn't have the results in front of us, so I will be there next week to divvy up the olives. Hopefully Kim Klaka will be there as well.
Enjoy the photos.
The 25th of February 2022
The Olive Regatta
Unfortunately a bad back laid me low last week, but from what I understand, it was a good battle with Kim Klaka taking the Olives. However I still have to get them to him as results weren't available at the time.
This time we had seven boats on the water and a good breeze of sorts. Mark Popham was not having a good day and bad luck and flat batteries was the undoing of him. Nick Jerwood was running around in a spare hull and with Kevin Fulwood out of the picture, (where were you Kev?) it was time for another lucky man to shine.
This time the sailboard fleet was a little more careful and the coaches were carefully guiding the newbies around the DF95's. But our major issue wasn't with them, no no. This weekend was the Rotto Swim and a myriad of boats were being un loaded and then dropped onto the jetties ready for the trip down the river on Saturday morning.
Disregarding them the sailing continued and at the end of the day, it was Nick as usual at the top, but Kim Swarbrick came up as the winner. Of course we didn't have the results in front of us, so I will be there next week to divvy up the olives. Hopefully Kim Klaka will be there as well.
Enjoy the photos.
The Dragonflite 95s of South of Perth Yacht Club.
The 11th of February 2022.
The Olives Regatta
Our luck has improved. Half a dozen starters this time and we still had a good breeze.
Mind you, having a good breeze isn't going to change your chances, not when Nick Jerwood is around. And Pops was having a bad day with his boat having multiple snafu's during the afternoon. So another possible winner was put aside for a while. A pity Mark, as you deserve a chance at the Olives.
However, leaving aside the Jerwood factor, Mark Sherburn an ex-sports boat man was having a ding dong battle for second with Kim Swarbrick who had been doing very well and I think that a coming together with a learner sailor on a sailboard during the latter part of the afternoon ( around race 11 or 12 ) took him out of the win sequence. A pity, but we do have to share the pond with the leaners.
Or it might be argued that the wind just changed its mind during the later part of the day and caused the best plans of mice and men go horribly wrong as it swerved into the south, then back into the sou west.
However the best efforts of Kevin Fulwood and new comer Ron? Warren wasn't enough to tilt the scales in their favour. Next time may be? There's still two weeks left.
The Olives Regatta
Our luck has improved. Half a dozen starters this time and we still had a good breeze.
Mind you, having a good breeze isn't going to change your chances, not when Nick Jerwood is around. And Pops was having a bad day with his boat having multiple snafu's during the afternoon. So another possible winner was put aside for a while. A pity Mark, as you deserve a chance at the Olives.
However, leaving aside the Jerwood factor, Mark Sherburn an ex-sports boat man was having a ding dong battle for second with Kim Swarbrick who had been doing very well and I think that a coming together with a learner sailor on a sailboard during the latter part of the afternoon ( around race 11 or 12 ) took him out of the win sequence. A pity, but we do have to share the pond with the leaners.
Or it might be argued that the wind just changed its mind during the later part of the day and caused the best plans of mice and men go horribly wrong as it swerved into the south, then back into the sou west.
However the best efforts of Kevin Fulwood and new comer Ron? Warren wasn't enough to tilt the scales in their favour. Next time may be? There's still two weeks left.
Lifted from the video .. you can tell who came off worst.
The 4th of February 2022
The Olives Regatta
In for a penny, in for a pound they used to say.
With a little bit of guilt, I had a chat to Mark Popham about February 2022 and my offer to put up a few olives for the racers. This means focusing on the DF95's each Friday and its a welcome break from the Archives team let me tell you. So to let you know that like the rest of the club, their numbers are down as well, but with any luck and a few jars of olives on the line.. just maybe they can get the numbers up.
Here's a few photos and then a short video of three sailors having a good time ( I think)
The Olives Regatta
In for a penny, in for a pound they used to say.
With a little bit of guilt, I had a chat to Mark Popham about February 2022 and my offer to put up a few olives for the racers. This means focusing on the DF95's each Friday and its a welcome break from the Archives team let me tell you. So to let you know that like the rest of the club, their numbers are down as well, but with any luck and a few jars of olives on the line.. just maybe they can get the numbers up.
Here's a few photos and then a short video of three sailors having a good time ( I think)
The 14th of August 2020
Six of the Best
Six of the Best
You don't always expect everyone to turn up, but it was pleasing to see half dozen stalwarts down on the Western Hardstand.
Cold, you bet but as I arrived, the breeze was in the process of switching between an easterly into a westerly. Pops was running around with the poly boat sorting out the marks and the rest of the players were fiddling with their craft. Interesting that given the course Lew had elected to go over to one of the tongue jetties to get a better view of the start. Which left him as the arbiter as to who broke the start!
I was trialling another camera on the day and without stabilisers it was a bit rocky.. my apologies if the lens wanders a little. Please note that the race as viewed, is a montage. This time around I've popped in the stills from the day as well. Not a lot, but a look at what was going around on the course and environs.
Enjoy.
Cold, you bet but as I arrived, the breeze was in the process of switching between an easterly into a westerly. Pops was running around with the poly boat sorting out the marks and the rest of the players were fiddling with their craft. Interesting that given the course Lew had elected to go over to one of the tongue jetties to get a better view of the start. Which left him as the arbiter as to who broke the start!
I was trialling another camera on the day and without stabilisers it was a bit rocky.. my apologies if the lens wanders a little. Please note that the race as viewed, is a montage. This time around I've popped in the stills from the day as well. Not a lot, but a look at what was going around on the course and environs.
Enjoy.
The 7th of August 2020
A lazy easterly....
A lazy easterly....
Its been a while and I visited the boys on the off chance that they would be still running.
Dang me and 10 boats on the water with Nick Jerwood and Rupert Leslie hammering each other out there and other regulars Kev and Lew keeping them honest, with Mark Popham steadying the ship very well. I managed to get enough footage to show the people at work. But it was cold.... so cold and the wind was extremely lazy.. just went straight through you. :-)
Unsurprisingly the battle centred on the Nick vs Rupert battle, but there was a visitor Alan who took a good third overall. I do like the new colours available in hulls.
Did I mention that the weather was freezing?
Enjoy the video
Dang me and 10 boats on the water with Nick Jerwood and Rupert Leslie hammering each other out there and other regulars Kev and Lew keeping them honest, with Mark Popham steadying the ship very well. I managed to get enough footage to show the people at work. But it was cold.... so cold and the wind was extremely lazy.. just went straight through you. :-)
Unsurprisingly the battle centred on the Nick vs Rupert battle, but there was a visitor Alan who took a good third overall. I do like the new colours available in hulls.
Did I mention that the weather was freezing?
Enjoy the video
The 13th of September 2019
A call to Arms and high flying Ducks.
A peaceful day on the water and only 5 boats.
Oh dear, no matter, it was enough to see some of the usual players on the water and we had a bit of fun with the breeze today. The top was characteristically dead. You would sail up there and all of a sudden a hole would appear and nothing was there to sail on.
However it didn't stop the boys in their effort to get up there and once around the top, the dash down the pond to the bottom mark was met with howls of derision as yet again someone missed the turn and either turned too early or shot through the pack and then had to make up the lost ground.
It's a small thing, but when a fleet of ducks soar overhead on their way down the river , its a chance to pull the trigger again and see what you get. They were the common breed that we have around the river and lots of them.
The lads packed up with one last dash around the pond and put their usual 13 races in, fittingly on a Friday the 13th of September. But it was Nick Jerwoods day as he scooped up the first 7 races and only a determined effort from the others kept him from sweeping the day away.
Until I visit the pond again.
A call to Arms and high flying Ducks.
A peaceful day on the water and only 5 boats.
Oh dear, no matter, it was enough to see some of the usual players on the water and we had a bit of fun with the breeze today. The top was characteristically dead. You would sail up there and all of a sudden a hole would appear and nothing was there to sail on.
However it didn't stop the boys in their effort to get up there and once around the top, the dash down the pond to the bottom mark was met with howls of derision as yet again someone missed the turn and either turned too early or shot through the pack and then had to make up the lost ground.
It's a small thing, but when a fleet of ducks soar overhead on their way down the river , its a chance to pull the trigger again and see what you get. They were the common breed that we have around the river and lots of them.
The lads packed up with one last dash around the pond and put their usual 13 races in, fittingly on a Friday the 13th of September. But it was Nick Jerwoods day as he scooped up the first 7 races and only a determined effort from the others kept him from sweeping the day away.
Until I visit the pond again.
The 9th of August 2019
And we have a new player. (I'll introduce him later)
Shifting house and various other things have kept me away from the western hardstand recently, but the temptation of going down to the club proved to be too much now I live a lot closer.
Six boats on the water and a shifty swirling breeze to keep people occupied. All that and Guy was on form this time around. No less than 5 of the eleven races and a good number of seconds and thirds to boot. Rupert retired early with boat troubles I guess, but the boats were still having a hard time on the water with unexpected glass outs and bad moments when the winner became a loser ( watch Lou in images 7 to 11 ). According to him, the breeze just dropped away and everyone else still had plenty. Go figure Lou, that's sailing in light breezes at its most infuriating.
As to the new player... well have a look at the last four frames and ignore Ron washing his boat down. The young fellow was out there with the remote control and pushing his luck to get any further than a meter off the beach. No matter. He'll be back again I'm sure.
Enjoy the images and I hope to return to the pond shortly.
And we have a new player. (I'll introduce him later)
Shifting house and various other things have kept me away from the western hardstand recently, but the temptation of going down to the club proved to be too much now I live a lot closer.
Six boats on the water and a shifty swirling breeze to keep people occupied. All that and Guy was on form this time around. No less than 5 of the eleven races and a good number of seconds and thirds to boot. Rupert retired early with boat troubles I guess, but the boats were still having a hard time on the water with unexpected glass outs and bad moments when the winner became a loser ( watch Lou in images 7 to 11 ). According to him, the breeze just dropped away and everyone else still had plenty. Go figure Lou, that's sailing in light breezes at its most infuriating.
As to the new player... well have a look at the last four frames and ignore Ron washing his boat down. The young fellow was out there with the remote control and pushing his luck to get any further than a meter off the beach. No matter. He'll be back again I'm sure.
Enjoy the images and I hope to return to the pond shortly.
The 28th of June 2019 Half a dozen of the best!
Ok, I've been away for a while and the laptop has had a few glitches, so nothing was happening. But, it wasn't pouring with rain today and there was enough breeze (I thought) to see someone on the water. Sure enough there were six boats whizzing around the course and everyone wrapped up to the hilt as no matter what, it was a chilly afternoon. The starting system packed in and I found myself doing 30 second starts off my watch for half a dozen races or so for the troops. Guy Skinner finally came down, but with one thing and another he withdrew before he completed a race muttering about windlass problems.
The breeze was vacillating between the south and a westerly and of course on the pond, what ever we had was a mixture of the two. At the top mark it was clear that you could be stranded as for reasons unknown the breeze was very light. But Brian and Rupert were going for it hammer and tongs with Alex Landwehr and his black beauty creating havoc with impossible lifts up the eastern side. Mark Popham was having trouble with the bottom mark as everyone was siting on top of him and he couldn't see his boat for love or money... but he made the turn none the less.
Meanwhile we were entertained by the laser boys going out for a run with one of the training boats capsizing in impossible conditions. That close to the shore>! ? However he recovered. And a little side light was the appearance of Olympic medallist Tess Parkinson on a Windsurfer no less in the company of Denis Jones our new head coach for the club. Made the water look good.
And then the breeze dropped out totally so we packed it in for the day and retired to the bar
Ok, I've been away for a while and the laptop has had a few glitches, so nothing was happening. But, it wasn't pouring with rain today and there was enough breeze (I thought) to see someone on the water. Sure enough there were six boats whizzing around the course and everyone wrapped up to the hilt as no matter what, it was a chilly afternoon. The starting system packed in and I found myself doing 30 second starts off my watch for half a dozen races or so for the troops. Guy Skinner finally came down, but with one thing and another he withdrew before he completed a race muttering about windlass problems.
The breeze was vacillating between the south and a westerly and of course on the pond, what ever we had was a mixture of the two. At the top mark it was clear that you could be stranded as for reasons unknown the breeze was very light. But Brian and Rupert were going for it hammer and tongs with Alex Landwehr and his black beauty creating havoc with impossible lifts up the eastern side. Mark Popham was having trouble with the bottom mark as everyone was siting on top of him and he couldn't see his boat for love or money... but he made the turn none the less.
Meanwhile we were entertained by the laser boys going out for a run with one of the training boats capsizing in impossible conditions. That close to the shore>! ? However he recovered. And a little side light was the appearance of Olympic medallist Tess Parkinson on a Windsurfer no less in the company of Denis Jones our new head coach for the club. Made the water look good.
And then the breeze dropped out totally so we packed it in for the day and retired to the bar
The 24th of May 2019 Sailing on Glass
It's Keelboat prize night tonight and only the diehards are here today. But eight boats braved the southerly and despite the shivering, the occasional burst of sunlight made things a little warmer. Nick is still in the honeymoon period and is throwing up some spirited competition to the regulars and we've even seen a few old faces pop up. Welcome back. Even Mark Popham ( hasn't been around for a while ) was seen on the far side of the pond with a pair of friends as they watched the sailing.
Everything was going swimmingly and I'd volunteered to score as Mark Landwehr was trying to sail and score. Just doesn't happen when you do that. Then the breeze in the pond started to drop away. There was still enough out on the river, but the breeze had swung into the south and the shadow cast by Heathcote point effectively blocked everything. And then the sun came back out and gave me great low light. Damned fine, almost mirror like conditions only spoilt by the waggling of the rudders as they worked their way around in ghosting conditions.
It got colder and the last race was started at 1645 and was still going as the clock thumped up against 1700 hrs. That was enough, the racing was called off and everyone headed for somewhere warmer.
It's Keelboat prize night tonight and only the diehards are here today. But eight boats braved the southerly and despite the shivering, the occasional burst of sunlight made things a little warmer. Nick is still in the honeymoon period and is throwing up some spirited competition to the regulars and we've even seen a few old faces pop up. Welcome back. Even Mark Popham ( hasn't been around for a while ) was seen on the far side of the pond with a pair of friends as they watched the sailing.
Everything was going swimmingly and I'd volunteered to score as Mark Landwehr was trying to sail and score. Just doesn't happen when you do that. Then the breeze in the pond started to drop away. There was still enough out on the river, but the breeze had swung into the south and the shadow cast by Heathcote point effectively blocked everything. And then the sun came back out and gave me great low light. Damned fine, almost mirror like conditions only spoilt by the waggling of the rudders as they worked their way around in ghosting conditions.
It got colder and the last race was started at 1645 and was still going as the clock thumped up against 1700 hrs. That was enough, the racing was called off and everyone headed for somewhere warmer.
The 17th of May 2019 Short course racing.
The numbers haven't improved by much, but there were changes in the mob with Nick Jerwood braving the icy sou easterly; Tony and Guy came along as well as the diehards Kevin, Lew and more recently Rupert.
So 6 boats on the water and everyone shivering. No matter, the course had been set straight up to the beach opposite the launching area so the start line was problematic as it was set half way up. They didn't really count it as a problem, but.... I had my fun. And it was a lot shorter a course than normal.
The object of the day was to try and get some good fleet groups and perhaps a decent cross or two. Anything else was going to be a bonus. Oh Lew's new boat was out, painted fetchingly in red and green with sail numbers to suit. See for yourself. Reminds me of that Cole known as Double Vision. He is still struggling to get it tuned, but bit by bit he was getting better.
A number of the younger sailors were seen heading out onto the water and a pod of dolphins came through the marina, but didn't head into the sailing area unfortunately. They managed to get 14 races in for the day so well done, but more boats would be better for photos.
The numbers haven't improved by much, but there were changes in the mob with Nick Jerwood braving the icy sou easterly; Tony and Guy came along as well as the diehards Kevin, Lew and more recently Rupert.
So 6 boats on the water and everyone shivering. No matter, the course had been set straight up to the beach opposite the launching area so the start line was problematic as it was set half way up. They didn't really count it as a problem, but.... I had my fun. And it was a lot shorter a course than normal.
The object of the day was to try and get some good fleet groups and perhaps a decent cross or two. Anything else was going to be a bonus. Oh Lew's new boat was out, painted fetchingly in red and green with sail numbers to suit. See for yourself. Reminds me of that Cole known as Double Vision. He is still struggling to get it tuned, but bit by bit he was getting better.
A number of the younger sailors were seen heading out onto the water and a pod of dolphins came through the marina, but didn't head into the sailing area unfortunately. They managed to get 14 races in for the day so well done, but more boats would be better for photos.
The 3rd of May 2019 Struggles at the top mark.
With low numbers, you start to watch the individual battles coming out and on a nor easter that was swinging to and fro, the top mark was a rotten sod. Trying to get to the mark and turn left was high on the agenda and time and time again, those dashing in from the right hand side undershot the mark and ended up having to turn around to have another try. Extremely disheartening. So the preferred method was to go in to a port ley, cross over and hope that those coming in on starboard didn't cause you grief.
Going into the rocks on the eastern side gave you a great run up to the mark, but again judging the water depth was a bother, as one or two boats early in the day managed to run foul of the rocks. Likewise its the tag end of the warm period and the jelly fish haven't been flushed away down the river yet. Most of the boats at least once came to a juddering halt as they whacked one of these evil creatures.
We had an interesting moment when Lew's boat was pulled out of the water abruptly as it began to misbehave. Lew was muttering under his breath as he ripped the tape off the battery area. The battery itself was smoking and I'd say I missed my first boat fire by that much. Pity, it would have been a good shot. ( sorry Lew)
If you're curious, the black boat is Alec's latest hull. Reminiscent of Freshy Commodore Gary McNally's, Black Betty. The name was suggested for his boat. :-)
Enjoy the images.
With low numbers, you start to watch the individual battles coming out and on a nor easter that was swinging to and fro, the top mark was a rotten sod. Trying to get to the mark and turn left was high on the agenda and time and time again, those dashing in from the right hand side undershot the mark and ended up having to turn around to have another try. Extremely disheartening. So the preferred method was to go in to a port ley, cross over and hope that those coming in on starboard didn't cause you grief.
Going into the rocks on the eastern side gave you a great run up to the mark, but again judging the water depth was a bother, as one or two boats early in the day managed to run foul of the rocks. Likewise its the tag end of the warm period and the jelly fish haven't been flushed away down the river yet. Most of the boats at least once came to a juddering halt as they whacked one of these evil creatures.
We had an interesting moment when Lew's boat was pulled out of the water abruptly as it began to misbehave. Lew was muttering under his breath as he ripped the tape off the battery area. The battery itself was smoking and I'd say I missed my first boat fire by that much. Pity, it would have been a good shot. ( sorry Lew)
If you're curious, the black boat is Alec's latest hull. Reminiscent of Freshy Commodore Gary McNally's, Black Betty. The name was suggested for his boat. :-)
Enjoy the images.
The 12th of April 2019 Sailing on a Westerly
Everyone is away at the moment and only the lonely have come out to play. We had 7 boats to begin with and the chance of any more was rather remote until a father, son and mum trio came wandering down with a new boat to trial. The Kilgour's are more than welcome any time they want to sail. Otherwise we had a visitor from Albany ( a viper sailor ) having a quick go and the regulars were in battle as they do.
The racing was termed as a free for all today as it was deemed not worth while scoring for the day with half the fleet not present but as usual Rupert was giving Lew a hard time with Alec Landwehr pushing the pair of them. Monique had managed to bag her dads DF95 and was doing her best in the free for all sailing.
Its not often that the resident ospreys fly directly overhead but I managed to squeeze off a couple of shots as this bird shot past us on the way up to the Heathcote hill behind the club. I'm waiting for the day that one of them sees my drone as opposition and takes it out. No I'm not joking.. go on line and see what some birds have done.
I digress. With the free for all finished, the assembled troup wandered up to the bar for a talk about the day and its accepted that Good Friday will not be a sailing day.
Enjoy the images.
Everyone is away at the moment and only the lonely have come out to play. We had 7 boats to begin with and the chance of any more was rather remote until a father, son and mum trio came wandering down with a new boat to trial. The Kilgour's are more than welcome any time they want to sail. Otherwise we had a visitor from Albany ( a viper sailor ) having a quick go and the regulars were in battle as they do.
The racing was termed as a free for all today as it was deemed not worth while scoring for the day with half the fleet not present but as usual Rupert was giving Lew a hard time with Alec Landwehr pushing the pair of them. Monique had managed to bag her dads DF95 and was doing her best in the free for all sailing.
Its not often that the resident ospreys fly directly overhead but I managed to squeeze off a couple of shots as this bird shot past us on the way up to the Heathcote hill behind the club. I'm waiting for the day that one of them sees my drone as opposition and takes it out. No I'm not joking.. go on line and see what some birds have done.
I digress. With the free for all finished, the assembled troup wandered up to the bar for a talk about the day and its accepted that Good Friday will not be a sailing day.
Enjoy the images.
The 22nd of March 2019 The Southerly effect.
On a day with the southerly predominating, the course was running almost into the beach with the bottom mark around near the pontoons. This of course meant that the skippers couldn't get their acts together at the top mark and the air was blue occasionally as the boats clumped at the top mark usually below the mark to add more insult to their pain. So they were strung out along the hardstand and the jetties with only one or two down on the pontoons.
With eleven boats on offer we had a busy racecourse and newcomer Nick Jerwood surprised himself and others by taking a win on the third race. ( he'd only finished gluing it together the night before) He tactfully withdrew after the first half dozen races as the boat, he claimed, needed some work but I think that he will be a strong challenger to a number of skippers shortly.
There were a number of skiffs and catamarans launching off the beach during the afternoon and there were several near misses that could have been costly to the skippers of the skiffs. I'm sure that they are cognizant of the fact that the 95's are a fleet of SoPYC and it probably wouldn't hurt to remind them if they get too close.
In the racing Alec Landwehr took the win with Kevin Fulwood taking a good second. Rupert Leslie took third place on countback from Lew Cody, who is still having bad moments with his boat after that burnt out winch.
The photos include some of the near misses with the interlopers and I'll leave you to work out how John Heydon's boat 808 wasn't whacked by the alternate tiller on the 49er helmed by "Fang"Warren. I can't work it out and I was on the camera.
On a day with the southerly predominating, the course was running almost into the beach with the bottom mark around near the pontoons. This of course meant that the skippers couldn't get their acts together at the top mark and the air was blue occasionally as the boats clumped at the top mark usually below the mark to add more insult to their pain. So they were strung out along the hardstand and the jetties with only one or two down on the pontoons.
With eleven boats on offer we had a busy racecourse and newcomer Nick Jerwood surprised himself and others by taking a win on the third race. ( he'd only finished gluing it together the night before) He tactfully withdrew after the first half dozen races as the boat, he claimed, needed some work but I think that he will be a strong challenger to a number of skippers shortly.
There were a number of skiffs and catamarans launching off the beach during the afternoon and there were several near misses that could have been costly to the skippers of the skiffs. I'm sure that they are cognizant of the fact that the 95's are a fleet of SoPYC and it probably wouldn't hurt to remind them if they get too close.
In the racing Alec Landwehr took the win with Kevin Fulwood taking a good second. Rupert Leslie took third place on countback from Lew Cody, who is still having bad moments with his boat after that burnt out winch.
The photos include some of the near misses with the interlopers and I'll leave you to work out how John Heydon's boat 808 wasn't whacked by the alternate tiller on the 49er helmed by "Fang"Warren. I can't work it out and I was on the camera.
The 8th of March 2019 Grey Day on the water.
A good day to be looking at the outside from the inside, but it was warm enough and a wandering westerly held the rain off for long enough to get the racing under way. I got down to the club around 4 pm and there were about 10 boats out with Miss Monique de Vries driving Alex's boat for a change. Nice work for a champion 470 sailor , hope to see her more often. Glenda Leslie had taken Lyn's spot and they strung her out on the mark laying boat, hoping that they wouldn't need to rescue anything.
The racing was already well under way and Lew was having a bad day, having had to repair a winch and not getting the work done to his satisfaction. Other were discussing the stress leaks around the keels on the boat and the best way to fix them.. most were opting for a new hull.
Mark Popham has returned to his winning ways and did very well to take the session from Rupert Leslie with Alex Landwehr beating his dad Mark on a count back despite not starting the first two races. Perhaps having Monique driving was a bonus.
Here are few images and look at the last few in the sequence with a concerted fleet dash to the top mark. Everyone behaved at the corner. Skill sets are improving.
A good day to be looking at the outside from the inside, but it was warm enough and a wandering westerly held the rain off for long enough to get the racing under way. I got down to the club around 4 pm and there were about 10 boats out with Miss Monique de Vries driving Alex's boat for a change. Nice work for a champion 470 sailor , hope to see her more often. Glenda Leslie had taken Lyn's spot and they strung her out on the mark laying boat, hoping that they wouldn't need to rescue anything.
The racing was already well under way and Lew was having a bad day, having had to repair a winch and not getting the work done to his satisfaction. Other were discussing the stress leaks around the keels on the boat and the best way to fix them.. most were opting for a new hull.
Mark Popham has returned to his winning ways and did very well to take the session from Rupert Leslie with Alex Landwehr beating his dad Mark on a count back despite not starting the first two races. Perhaps having Monique driving was a bonus.
Here are few images and look at the last few in the sequence with a concerted fleet dash to the top mark. Everyone behaved at the corner. Skill sets are improving.
The 22nd of February 2019. The final of the "Olives Cup."
Lets face it, it was down to the wire.
Rupert Leslie and Brian de Vries were neck to neck and slogging it out to the finish. With 14 races, its not just putting up picket fences, Kevin and Lew were busily trying their hardest to take the win, but the aforementioned were battling it out for the olives and it was perhaps the unfortunate strand of seaweed that brought Rupert to the edge and no further.
Sure there was the occasional jelly fish and lets face it, you hit one of those and its like slamming a super maxi into a sunfish on the way down to Hobart. Dead stop. Fortunately you don't lose a mast on a jelly fish, but the result is dreadful on your dash to the front. We had one close to the starboard lay on the westerly breeze and everyone was a little nervous about coming in close on a racing line.
Lew continues to pick those port starts and just to prove a point on the last race, drag raced the entire fleet with Rupert hot on his heels, across to the top mark and battled all the way to the finish.
I must give Lyn de Vries full marks as the RO for the series. Magnificent work and even to the point that they put her out on the rib and hung her off the edge of the viewing platform (aka the boat ramps).
The winners and losers trooped up to the bar and sampled some olives I'd brought along and waited as Christina slaved over a hot laptop to get the results. Lew of course took the over all but he, Kevin and Alex were out of the running. Brian by a point. Gee, does that piece of seaweed count for anything Rupert. Well sailed all and thanks to those who made it work.. Lyn and Christina as well as the intrepid mark layers headed by Mark Popham.
Enjoy the images and the video
Lets face it, it was down to the wire.
Rupert Leslie and Brian de Vries were neck to neck and slogging it out to the finish. With 14 races, its not just putting up picket fences, Kevin and Lew were busily trying their hardest to take the win, but the aforementioned were battling it out for the olives and it was perhaps the unfortunate strand of seaweed that brought Rupert to the edge and no further.
Sure there was the occasional jelly fish and lets face it, you hit one of those and its like slamming a super maxi into a sunfish on the way down to Hobart. Dead stop. Fortunately you don't lose a mast on a jelly fish, but the result is dreadful on your dash to the front. We had one close to the starboard lay on the westerly breeze and everyone was a little nervous about coming in close on a racing line.
Lew continues to pick those port starts and just to prove a point on the last race, drag raced the entire fleet with Rupert hot on his heels, across to the top mark and battled all the way to the finish.
I must give Lyn de Vries full marks as the RO for the series. Magnificent work and even to the point that they put her out on the rib and hung her off the edge of the viewing platform (aka the boat ramps).
The winners and losers trooped up to the bar and sampled some olives I'd brought along and waited as Christina slaved over a hot laptop to get the results. Lew of course took the over all but he, Kevin and Alex were out of the running. Brian by a point. Gee, does that piece of seaweed count for anything Rupert. Well sailed all and thanks to those who made it work.. Lyn and Christina as well as the intrepid mark layers headed by Mark Popham.
Enjoy the images and the video
The 15th of February 2019 . The "Olives Cup" continues.
Totally different weather with a stiff sou wester blowing and we had a sound bunch of sailors on board today. Lew continues on his winning ways and Rupert is doggedly chasing him around the track. Not all of his moves though. Lew has perfected the start on port and flattened the fleet more than once. He pushed up a row of pickets today with a number of 1sts that had the rest of the skippers wondering, though fellow skipper Kevin was pushing hard to get his name up in lights with some very consistent sailing and four firsts. This gave him ownership of second place and he laid hands on the coveted jar of olives.
Apart from starting on port, it was noted early on that sailing close to the far shore was good and we actually had some sailors calling for water on the rocks with one at least having a bad day and actually hitting the same. Even Pops was seen over on the far shore, guiding his craft around the bottom mark carefully and then adjusting his stance to see if he could look into the sun to guide his boat around the top mark.
Other than that, I had a little run on Lew's RC "Dragon Rescue" boat and managed to get in everyone's way with a GoPro mounted on the hull. I'm happy to say that it'll be the last time as the drone does a far better job, but I had to try and I'll offer my apologies to Lew for actually hitting him ( fortunately not during a race ). I've managed to rescue a few frames to view, but generally the boat wasn't close enough to get the action unless I was right on top of it and one or two skippers got a little edgy.
Next week, we have the final of the Olives Cup and it's between Brian, Rupert and Mark at the moment with Guy or Todd as dark horses.
Totally different weather with a stiff sou wester blowing and we had a sound bunch of sailors on board today. Lew continues on his winning ways and Rupert is doggedly chasing him around the track. Not all of his moves though. Lew has perfected the start on port and flattened the fleet more than once. He pushed up a row of pickets today with a number of 1sts that had the rest of the skippers wondering, though fellow skipper Kevin was pushing hard to get his name up in lights with some very consistent sailing and four firsts. This gave him ownership of second place and he laid hands on the coveted jar of olives.
Apart from starting on port, it was noted early on that sailing close to the far shore was good and we actually had some sailors calling for water on the rocks with one at least having a bad day and actually hitting the same. Even Pops was seen over on the far shore, guiding his craft around the bottom mark carefully and then adjusting his stance to see if he could look into the sun to guide his boat around the top mark.
Other than that, I had a little run on Lew's RC "Dragon Rescue" boat and managed to get in everyone's way with a GoPro mounted on the hull. I'm happy to say that it'll be the last time as the drone does a far better job, but I had to try and I'll offer my apologies to Lew for actually hitting him ( fortunately not during a race ). I've managed to rescue a few frames to view, but generally the boat wasn't close enough to get the action unless I was right on top of it and one or two skippers got a little edgy.
Next week, we have the final of the Olives Cup and it's between Brian, Rupert and Mark at the moment with Guy or Todd as dark horses.
The 8th of February 2019. The second week of the "Olives Cup"
Another scorching week and its not going to be any easier as February and March loom in front of us. However the crew were out in force on a stinker of an easterly that was flattening the fleet occasionally. In fact the stills will have you amazed as you see the boats nose diving and recovering. Plus a few coming togethers that had the owners wondering if their boats would separate at all.
Welcome to Rupert and Ken, two new players and both are giving it a go.
I had a bit of luck to have the camera running on stills on a particularly fine start line and I've dumped the whole sequence in to allow you to analyse who was where and their tactics on the start line.. we'd all like to know wouldn't we? Given that the 95's are only under partial control, the anticipation/reaction time of the skippers is excellent particularly when a gust comes through.
To the results so far and thanks to both Christiana H. who has been crunching the numbers and series RO Lyn de Vries for keeping the boats rolling. Lew Cody picked up the win last week and took the Olives and the younger member of the Landwehr tribe, Alec took the win this week having defeated everyone else except for Lew. Oh well, who's next?
I look forward to seeing the next round on Friday and keep in mind that they have the Little Wheel regatta on and we have at one of our players involved eg : Graeme Monkhouse leading a Viper crew.
Till next week
Another scorching week and its not going to be any easier as February and March loom in front of us. However the crew were out in force on a stinker of an easterly that was flattening the fleet occasionally. In fact the stills will have you amazed as you see the boats nose diving and recovering. Plus a few coming togethers that had the owners wondering if their boats would separate at all.
Welcome to Rupert and Ken, two new players and both are giving it a go.
I had a bit of luck to have the camera running on stills on a particularly fine start line and I've dumped the whole sequence in to allow you to analyse who was where and their tactics on the start line.. we'd all like to know wouldn't we? Given that the 95's are only under partial control, the anticipation/reaction time of the skippers is excellent particularly when a gust comes through.
To the results so far and thanks to both Christiana H. who has been crunching the numbers and series RO Lyn de Vries for keeping the boats rolling. Lew Cody picked up the win last week and took the Olives and the younger member of the Landwehr tribe, Alec took the win this week having defeated everyone else except for Lew. Oh well, who's next?
I look forward to seeing the next round on Friday and keep in mind that they have the Little Wheel regatta on and we have at one of our players involved eg : Graeme Monkhouse leading a Viper crew.
Till next week
The 19th of January 2019.
Thank goodness the weekends heat is gone, even though I saw the boys and girls from the Vipers running around at the Rumble on the Reach. Did well too! 5 Vipers were there and apart from the ferocious handicapping they went well. Lucky you blokes don't have handicapping as yet.
Haven't seen Graeme and Heather recently, but they were at the Rumble so they will be getting onto the water shortly I'd say. Numbers were a little shy (only 10 boats) but the holiday period is coming to an end and we should see a few more people having a battle out on the water. Guy Skinner's Wicked is coming along and the new green vinyl wrap is going to make the starters wake up when it goes past. Now if we could convince Guy to do wraps for the DF95's it would introduce a bit of fun and colour into the fleet.
Look forward to see what we get on Friday.
Thank goodness the weekends heat is gone, even though I saw the boys and girls from the Vipers running around at the Rumble on the Reach. Did well too! 5 Vipers were there and apart from the ferocious handicapping they went well. Lucky you blokes don't have handicapping as yet.
Haven't seen Graeme and Heather recently, but they were at the Rumble so they will be getting onto the water shortly I'd say. Numbers were a little shy (only 10 boats) but the holiday period is coming to an end and we should see a few more people having a battle out on the water. Guy Skinner's Wicked is coming along and the new green vinyl wrap is going to make the starters wake up when it goes past. Now if we could convince Guy to do wraps for the DF95's it would introduce a bit of fun and colour into the fleet.
Look forward to see what we get on Friday.
The 12th of January 2019.
Hooray, I've made it into the New Year and I survived the 505 world championships ( camera and stories).
Sounds like you've all been having fun, so here's a quiet contribution to the cause. I spoke to Christina recently about putting up a few jars of my world famous Olives and very kindly you have set up a race series which we can use to get a winner each week. It's proposed for February each Friday and there will be 4 jars to be won. However in the interest of spreading the goodies around, you can't win it more than once. (call it a handicap if you will)
Now onto todays offering. There seems to be a lot of new faces and its good to see the fleet growing. The stalwarts are there and the green hull seems to want to be at the front, but Lew Cody will have nothing of that and I'm sure he'll be giving Adam V a hard time next week. However, its not my position to comment on the sailing, but to cheer on the fleet. (And try to stop my drone from running away as it did on the second flight). No matter, the sailing seems to get better each month and if we get a slightly better breeze for drone use ( like a westerly ) the photography will get better. I counted 14 boats on the water at once and I noticed that there were 16 skippers all up.
I'd really like to see all of them on the water at once. Now that would be a great fleet to photograph.
Enjoy the pix and the little video.
Hooray, I've made it into the New Year and I survived the 505 world championships ( camera and stories).
Sounds like you've all been having fun, so here's a quiet contribution to the cause. I spoke to Christina recently about putting up a few jars of my world famous Olives and very kindly you have set up a race series which we can use to get a winner each week. It's proposed for February each Friday and there will be 4 jars to be won. However in the interest of spreading the goodies around, you can't win it more than once. (call it a handicap if you will)
Now onto todays offering. There seems to be a lot of new faces and its good to see the fleet growing. The stalwarts are there and the green hull seems to want to be at the front, but Lew Cody will have nothing of that and I'm sure he'll be giving Adam V a hard time next week. However, its not my position to comment on the sailing, but to cheer on the fleet. (And try to stop my drone from running away as it did on the second flight). No matter, the sailing seems to get better each month and if we get a slightly better breeze for drone use ( like a westerly ) the photography will get better. I counted 14 boats on the water at once and I noticed that there were 16 skippers all up.
I'd really like to see all of them on the water at once. Now that would be a great fleet to photograph.
Enjoy the pix and the little video.
The 14th of December
I'm a little bit behind the 8 ball at the moment with Christmas / New Year coming on, but finally I took to the computer and finished off these images.
I had an interesting moment when I inadvertently became the RO for a couple of races. How you ask? Well every one had had their turn and no one was prepared to pick up the score sheets for races 11 and 12. "So how hard can it be?" I asked myself to only find that I was having to point out to the owners of the yellow and red hulled boats that they were pushing the RO's patience on the start line. All went well though, 5 pm came along and I was happy to handover to Brian de Vries who had stowed his boat for the day.
I wasn't aware that you could find weed in the little bay, but one of our newcomers, Tony I think, managed to get a keel full, so he was duly put up for public mortification. On another point, when photographing the big boats I've always kept an eye out for the "cross" where two boats on opposite tacks cross close enough to have them in the same frame and heeling out like butterfly wings. Its not perfect yet, but I've had a couple of lucky images.
Then the little Dragon Rescue boat was put onto the water to try and rescue an errant DF95. Nah! didn't work, but I had to give him full marks for trying. We eventually went out to rescue both the yacht and the dragon rescue boat as they were going out beyond the pontoons.
I've enjoyed the last three months and will continue to follow the DF95's in the new year, but its the sailing season and I have a number of regattas to follow, so my attendance will be a little sporadic till about May.
I'm a little bit behind the 8 ball at the moment with Christmas / New Year coming on, but finally I took to the computer and finished off these images.
I had an interesting moment when I inadvertently became the RO for a couple of races. How you ask? Well every one had had their turn and no one was prepared to pick up the score sheets for races 11 and 12. "So how hard can it be?" I asked myself to only find that I was having to point out to the owners of the yellow and red hulled boats that they were pushing the RO's patience on the start line. All went well though, 5 pm came along and I was happy to handover to Brian de Vries who had stowed his boat for the day.
I wasn't aware that you could find weed in the little bay, but one of our newcomers, Tony I think, managed to get a keel full, so he was duly put up for public mortification. On another point, when photographing the big boats I've always kept an eye out for the "cross" where two boats on opposite tacks cross close enough to have them in the same frame and heeling out like butterfly wings. Its not perfect yet, but I've had a couple of lucky images.
Then the little Dragon Rescue boat was put onto the water to try and rescue an errant DF95. Nah! didn't work, but I had to give him full marks for trying. We eventually went out to rescue both the yacht and the dragon rescue boat as they were going out beyond the pontoons.
I've enjoyed the last three months and will continue to follow the DF95's in the new year, but its the sailing season and I have a number of regattas to follow, so my attendance will be a little sporadic till about May.
The 7th of December
This time there were a plethora of bodies with the Viper teams up from Princess Royal YC of Albany. At least three boats ( vipers ) I believe and apparently they did very well. However in a 14 to 18 knot sou wester it was a great day for sailing and reading the gusts on the water was the way to go. They are now doing some formal racing and Ron Viney from FSC put his boat in the water and despite some serious pushing from others managed to take the cake despite not sailing the last two races ( three drops helped) I think that had Alex Landwher managed to keep going it would have been his for the taking. We had 12 boats in the water over the afternoon and possibly we could get more next week The drone was put into the air and despite various attempts to get something up, my social schedule defeats me. However here are some stills from the day and you're right... I was looking for the collisions and the two red hulls danced a magnificent pas de deaux for me.
This time there were a plethora of bodies with the Viper teams up from Princess Royal YC of Albany. At least three boats ( vipers ) I believe and apparently they did very well. However in a 14 to 18 knot sou wester it was a great day for sailing and reading the gusts on the water was the way to go. They are now doing some formal racing and Ron Viney from FSC put his boat in the water and despite some serious pushing from others managed to take the cake despite not sailing the last two races ( three drops helped) I think that had Alex Landwher managed to keep going it would have been his for the taking. We had 12 boats in the water over the afternoon and possibly we could get more next week The drone was put into the air and despite various attempts to get something up, my social schedule defeats me. However here are some stills from the day and you're right... I was looking for the collisions and the two red hulls danced a magnificent pas de deaux for me.
The 30th of November.
Sometimes, things get away from you and I haven't been present for the last week or so. Much to my surprise, when I fronted there were exactly 2 people there and Pete went home early. Fortunately one or two extras fronted and they got things going for a practise run and it was an advantage to the learner in the group as he wasn't having to deal with the a start line and the usual goings on that occur.
It was breezy I'll admit and there were a couple of knockdowns, but it was all in good fun and I'm sure that going out in a stiff breeze was a learner for all. It didn't even try to put the drone up .. literally would have been blown out of the sky.
Sometimes, things get away from you and I haven't been present for the last week or so. Much to my surprise, when I fronted there were exactly 2 people there and Pete went home early. Fortunately one or two extras fronted and they got things going for a practise run and it was an advantage to the learner in the group as he wasn't having to deal with the a start line and the usual goings on that occur.
It was breezy I'll admit and there were a couple of knockdowns, but it was all in good fun and I'm sure that going out in a stiff breeze was a learner for all. It didn't even try to put the drone up .. literally would have been blown out of the sky.
The 9th of November
From one day to another and this time a sluggardly easterly was in evidence. And with it came the bush flies. Little invasive critters that would cheerfully work their way into your ear, investigate a tear duct or even worse fly onto your mouth, should you dare open it. The course was set straight to the beach and for a while they had a wing mark in operation. Even then the breeze was so slow, that 4 car pile ups at the top mark were common.
But the Moths knew that there was a breeze coming and as they slipped out into the water so the errant seabreeze started to flutter. Fantastic, the course was rejigged and away the boats went. Donuts were on offer with many thanks to Christina, though curiously the bushflies ignored them. Don't know why. But the Landwehrs were chomping their way through them so they didn't go to waste. See you at Open Day. I wont be down next Friday..
From one day to another and this time a sluggardly easterly was in evidence. And with it came the bush flies. Little invasive critters that would cheerfully work their way into your ear, investigate a tear duct or even worse fly onto your mouth, should you dare open it. The course was set straight to the beach and for a while they had a wing mark in operation. Even then the breeze was so slow, that 4 car pile ups at the top mark were common.
But the Moths knew that there was a breeze coming and as they slipped out into the water so the errant seabreeze started to flutter. Fantastic, the course was rejigged and away the boats went. Donuts were on offer with many thanks to Christina, though curiously the bushflies ignored them. Don't know why. But the Landwehrs were chomping their way through them so they didn't go to waste. See you at Open Day. I wont be down next Friday..
The 2nd of November.
It was a grey day in November with everyone complaining of the cold weather. Some of us were rugged up to the hilt and the wedding in the beachside marquee should have had heaters in it. However, that's not our problem.
10 boats were on the water and young Sam Monkhouse was having a field day. Even the late entrance of (lucky) Guy Skinner didn't make any changes and Sam stormed up and down the course. Glad he's not on the course all the time. We had to feel sorry for John Heydon who had blown one of the (drivers?) on his DF and came wandering down late in the day, commandeering Christina's yacht for a quick yot. Hope he's back on the water shortly.
Enjoy the pix and the vid.
It was a grey day in November with everyone complaining of the cold weather. Some of us were rugged up to the hilt and the wedding in the beachside marquee should have had heaters in it. However, that's not our problem.
10 boats were on the water and young Sam Monkhouse was having a field day. Even the late entrance of (lucky) Guy Skinner didn't make any changes and Sam stormed up and down the course. Glad he's not on the course all the time. We had to feel sorry for John Heydon who had blown one of the (drivers?) on his DF and came wandering down late in the day, commandeering Christina's yacht for a quick yot. Hope he's back on the water shortly.
Enjoy the pix and the vid.
The 19th of October
Unfortunately I had a few hiccups and had to drop everything for a while. My apologies.
Here are the pix from the 19th and I'll be following on in November.
Here are the pix from the 19th and I'll be following on in November.
The 11th of October
A westerly again and this time embedded with drops of rain. Not enough to dampen your spirits, but any one without a jacket was going to be cold. However the rain was enough to stop me from putting up the Spark ( they don't like water ) so just a camera today.
There were 10 boats out on the water and the competition was pretty fierce. There were visitors of course and I've heard that a former commodore may be buying one as he was showing a certain competency on the water. Graeme Monkhouse is bringing all his Viper mates along and they seem to be quite competent with the controls.
Again the pre starts feature and the near end is getting hammered, fair enough, until they can have some one on the water to continually adjust the startline, that's the way it's be. Alex asked for a lengthening of the race to include a down wind finish. I don't know whether it did any one any good, but Alex was smiling as he crossed the line in front.
A few images and the video will be up tomorrow.
A westerly again and this time embedded with drops of rain. Not enough to dampen your spirits, but any one without a jacket was going to be cold. However the rain was enough to stop me from putting up the Spark ( they don't like water ) so just a camera today.
There were 10 boats out on the water and the competition was pretty fierce. There were visitors of course and I've heard that a former commodore may be buying one as he was showing a certain competency on the water. Graeme Monkhouse is bringing all his Viper mates along and they seem to be quite competent with the controls.
Again the pre starts feature and the near end is getting hammered, fair enough, until they can have some one on the water to continually adjust the startline, that's the way it's be. Alex asked for a lengthening of the race to include a down wind finish. I don't know whether it did any one any good, but Alex was smiling as he crossed the line in front.
A few images and the video will be up tomorrow.
The 4th of October
The wind was in the West today and downright chilly. Maybe 12 knots and there was a bit of action on the foreshore as the coaches were busy running the Lasers and Hobies out onto the water. The occasional Moth was seen as was a Red Witch that went out for a leisurely jaunt. Visitors today included Warren Erasmus and daughter, Sam Monkhouse and one or two others who were offered the sticks of the control box. Warren may have to buy two, as his daughter was getting into the swing of it by the end of the day.
But the concentration was on the Dragons on the water and as the competition progressed, gales of laughter swept through the skippers and onlookers. Someone had suggested that they (the skippers) should pay more attention to the rules, but that was shouted down by the ensemble as they were having too much fun. Certainly, major discrepancies were acclaimed by all and the offender took the required penalty; but port and starboards, unless vociferously announced were simply apologised for and passed over.
From a sailing perspective, the pre starts are becoming interesting as the fleet continues to build in experience. Its no longer a matter of hanging around the line waiting for the drop of the flag, these skippers are jockeying for position as the clock counts down and quite often there is a great tangle of boats at the favoured end and the smart skipper has started slightly lower, or has managed to slip between the tangle and the start mark. That's where the problem arises. Everyone wants that favoured end.
Enjoy the photos and I'll look at the video this afternoon in between the racing at Mt Panorama.
The wind was in the West today and downright chilly. Maybe 12 knots and there was a bit of action on the foreshore as the coaches were busy running the Lasers and Hobies out onto the water. The occasional Moth was seen as was a Red Witch that went out for a leisurely jaunt. Visitors today included Warren Erasmus and daughter, Sam Monkhouse and one or two others who were offered the sticks of the control box. Warren may have to buy two, as his daughter was getting into the swing of it by the end of the day.
But the concentration was on the Dragons on the water and as the competition progressed, gales of laughter swept through the skippers and onlookers. Someone had suggested that they (the skippers) should pay more attention to the rules, but that was shouted down by the ensemble as they were having too much fun. Certainly, major discrepancies were acclaimed by all and the offender took the required penalty; but port and starboards, unless vociferously announced were simply apologised for and passed over.
From a sailing perspective, the pre starts are becoming interesting as the fleet continues to build in experience. Its no longer a matter of hanging around the line waiting for the drop of the flag, these skippers are jockeying for position as the clock counts down and quite often there is a great tangle of boats at the favoured end and the smart skipper has started slightly lower, or has managed to slip between the tangle and the start mark. That's where the problem arises. Everyone wants that favoured end.
Enjoy the photos and I'll look at the video this afternoon in between the racing at Mt Panorama.
The 28th of September
There was a whistling easterly in play and the boats were being flattened by the drafts as they curled over the low rise at the front of the club. But the easterly was as transient as ever and the direction swung through an arc of 20 degrees making former losers into heroes in a matter of seconds.
This piece really should be entitled a "Study of the Mating Habits of the Dragons of South Perth"..
The number of times the boats have become entwined with each other and the owners have to gently guide them to the edge of the shore to separate them became quite farcical today as yacht after yacht crashed into another. Luck had them separated most times, but there were times when the pair of boats ( and one trio ) had to be taken gently in hand and pulled apart. For most parts the damage was minimal, but one or two frowns appeared as the owners delved into the hulls or checked the strings to ensure that there was no losing of tension.
The number of players grows apace with the regulars putting their faces on the line every Friday, but more people are popping up every time. A visit from Conor and Matt, Richard Evans came down for a go, a few of the Viper skippers came down for a bit of a play and I'm waiting for one or two others to put their heads up. Guy Skinner has bought a boat, by the way and the numbers on his boat are in lavender, sorry light purple.
The video will be up later, but I had a bit of luck today and so did Matt Linguard who managed to get a surf on a wave created by a power boat coming into the Western hard stand. My luck was getting clean shots as he grabbed the chance.
The web provider seems to have fixed their problem and we now have the video up. 1st October 2018
There was a whistling easterly in play and the boats were being flattened by the drafts as they curled over the low rise at the front of the club. But the easterly was as transient as ever and the direction swung through an arc of 20 degrees making former losers into heroes in a matter of seconds.
This piece really should be entitled a "Study of the Mating Habits of the Dragons of South Perth"..
The number of times the boats have become entwined with each other and the owners have to gently guide them to the edge of the shore to separate them became quite farcical today as yacht after yacht crashed into another. Luck had them separated most times, but there were times when the pair of boats ( and one trio ) had to be taken gently in hand and pulled apart. For most parts the damage was minimal, but one or two frowns appeared as the owners delved into the hulls or checked the strings to ensure that there was no losing of tension.
The number of players grows apace with the regulars putting their faces on the line every Friday, but more people are popping up every time. A visit from Conor and Matt, Richard Evans came down for a go, a few of the Viper skippers came down for a bit of a play and I'm waiting for one or two others to put their heads up. Guy Skinner has bought a boat, by the way and the numbers on his boat are in lavender, sorry light purple.
The video will be up later, but I had a bit of luck today and so did Matt Linguard who managed to get a surf on a wave created by a power boat coming into the Western hard stand. My luck was getting clean shots as he grabbed the chance.
The web provider seems to have fixed their problem and we now have the video up. 1st October 2018
A week later on the 21st of September and I'm back here again.
Its not a habit, but the opportunity to practise with multi camera points and an aerial view doesn't come too often so this is gold as far as I'm concerned. Less breeze this time and the boats aren't heeling as much, but it appears that the boats are starting to take off and with a dozen owners so far and more to come, its going to be busy.
Three new faces on the water and Guy Skinner neither confirms or denies that he's bought one too. We had 10 boats actively sailing and two regulars were over at the Boat show as volunteers.
Enjoy .
Its not a habit, but the opportunity to practise with multi camera points and an aerial view doesn't come too often so this is gold as far as I'm concerned. Less breeze this time and the boats aren't heeling as much, but it appears that the boats are starting to take off and with a dozen owners so far and more to come, its going to be busy.
Three new faces on the water and Guy Skinner neither confirms or denies that he's bought one too. We had 10 boats actively sailing and two regulars were over at the Boat show as volunteers.
Enjoy .
Ok, I'll be honest about it, I know nothing about them and quickly realised that photographing RC boats is totally different from big boats. I can always rely on a face or a body doing something fantastic on the yacht/boat that I'm looking at, but when you're looking at an RC its a different ball game.
Get down to the off the beach area next to the dinghy section and see half a dozen boats belting around on the millpond. All the skippers are clustered on the small boat floating docks and they are belting out the march with races heading off every 8 or 9 minutes.
It's a simple windward leeward course with a startline mid way up, but the bullets from a 20 knot sou wester are creeping over the top of the hill and the work up to the top mark buried in between jetties two and three is fraught with huge knocks and just as sudden calms. A very testing course. If you want to watch competitive stuff this is where its at and its so close to the shore.
The players are well know to most and having walked down to say hi I found myself in charge of a boat almost immediately as Graeme Monkhouse simply handed me the controller and gave me a very quick brief. Needless to say I was off the course almost immediately. "No matter" he said as he took it back again. "A bit of practice is all you need." So I pulled out the camera and began to look through the lens.
NB. the last 7 images were taken out of some video I took. Perhaps something else will appear.?
Get down to the off the beach area next to the dinghy section and see half a dozen boats belting around on the millpond. All the skippers are clustered on the small boat floating docks and they are belting out the march with races heading off every 8 or 9 minutes.
It's a simple windward leeward course with a startline mid way up, but the bullets from a 20 knot sou wester are creeping over the top of the hill and the work up to the top mark buried in between jetties two and three is fraught with huge knocks and just as sudden calms. A very testing course. If you want to watch competitive stuff this is where its at and its so close to the shore.
The players are well know to most and having walked down to say hi I found myself in charge of a boat almost immediately as Graeme Monkhouse simply handed me the controller and gave me a very quick brief. Needless to say I was off the course almost immediately. "No matter" he said as he took it back again. "A bit of practice is all you need." So I pulled out the camera and began to look through the lens.
NB. the last 7 images were taken out of some video I took. Perhaps something else will appear.?