Learning the rules using cartoons

The previous news item is a great segue to this: a good way to learn and understand the rules is through this online interactive animation. 

14 February - Club Championships, JJs, Romance and S2H Celebration

14 February 2015

A busy day, with warm weather and a good N/E Forecast.

• Laser learn to race in the AM. (Make up session for last week, it's also on next week)
• Laser Club Championship heats 11 and 12.  2pm prompt start
• Heat 1 of the 18's JJ Championships.  3.30pm start
• Valentines day for the romantics amongst us.  See Canteen for reservations for Lunchtime tables for two on the front deck. Complimentary rose for first 6 bookings.  
• Post sailing celebration. Celebrity sailors Hicko and Jen will be joining us on the deck to regale us with stories of the Bass Straight gale.  

Big DBSC fleet at Masters States

16 DBSC sailors enjoyed a great State Masters Regatta on 7-8 Feb at SLMASC.  The wind was a little late arriving each day, but we did manage to get 5 good races in.  The two fleets were large and deep; 71 Standard Rigs, 59 radials.  (This compares with fleets of 32 and 49  respectively in the open state titles.)  Consequently the starts were both critical and competitive. In short, bad start = big trouble.  Mid fleet bouy roundings provided ample opportunity to reacquaint oneself with the R-rated spectrum of the English language. 

Fleet and division results can be found here

Notable DBSC results:

• Mark Bethwaite won the Standard Great Grand Masters, and Steve Wawn was second (>65 year olds)
• Richard Bott won the Standard Apprentices (35-44 yo)
• Peter Wallace was 5th Standard Grand Masters (55-64 yo) 
• Martin White was 5th Radial Grand Master
• Matt Wenke fell agonisingly close to knocking off his nemesis in the Standard Masters.  Again.  Made for a fun drive home. 

The DBSC fleet was generously supported and coached by Finn in the Alexander's RIB.  Thanks guys. 

Regarding the Friday golf.  We didn't win.  The handicapper's team did.  Draw your own conclusion. 

A portion of the DBSC Flotilla (with pet Pelican) waits for the breeze to kick in

For those that didn't attend, the Laser State Masters is a great regatta, supported by sailors of all skill levels.  There's a lot of good racing, relaxation and laughs.  It should be on the calendar of all our "mature" sailors.  Next season we should try to send more sailors than Middle Harbour, who sent 18 this year.

Metro detail

See the detail here.

New Roster and Calendar Changes

The Roster for PRO, Captain of the Day and Co Captain of the Day has been updated from 7 February until the end of the season. 

Please check the roster and make sure if you are nominated you record the date.  If you need to change the date use this form:

http://www.dbsc.com.au/rosterchange-form

We need volunteers for Co Captain of the day for 28 February, 28 March and 11 April.  If you are available for any of those dates please let the Vice Commodore know by emailing him at: 

vice.commodore@dbsc.com.au

The Annual General Meeting has been moved forward one week to 22 May 2015.

The Management Committee and Sailing Committees scheduled for 14 February 2015 have been postponed for one week to 11 am  21 February 2015.

Big Boat Report

Big Boat Representative, reports:

Four boats presented on a gentle, late summer afternoon. A southeasterly that had come in like a lion on Monday, was going out like lamb this Sunday.

The breeze shifted around, and died and puffed and it took patience to stay the course.

The start (thank you John) was uneventful, but a southerly swing which had offered to get us to Point Piper on a shy reach gave way to an easterly influence, and we had to work our way there. This shift advantaged T&T and Corinna, who started at the north end of the line; Chenonceau and Rockhopper started 50 metres south, further from the breeze streaming around Point Piper.

Corinna rounded the Point Piper mark first, with T&T close behind, then Chenonceau and Rockhopper. We sailed intently through the rest of the race, without these places changing.

The leg to Taylor’s Bay was a run, just starboard of square. Corinna, T&T and Chenonceau set kites, and were close together at the Taylor’s Bay mark; we all had to drop the kites and come onto the wind to reach Sow’n Pigs. T&T was the fast mover, sailing high and closing on Corinna. Chenonceau sailed lower but stayed in touch. Our crews all worked to stow spinnakers and poles, re-lay brace and sheet and have things tidy for the leg south to Shark Island

This was a close reach; too close (as Corinna demonstrated) to set a kite. Whenever the wind puffed the 30+ footers showed their greater hull speed; but mostly it stayed light and the smaller boats fared better. On that leg too, T&T did best but not well enough to challenge for the lead, and Corinna rounded the island first, set her kite quickly and headed for the finish. 

On T&T, our kite set smoothly but, however we trimmed, we were slower than Corinna. We kept our distance from Chenonceau, but could find no way forward.

It was a race which tested our light wind skills - maintaining speed upwind, tacking (or not) on headers, kite handling and trimming.

A lot of fun.

Across the line:
Corinna
Time & Tide
Chenonceau
Rockhopper

We race next on March 1

Jonathan

Some of us are more photogenic that others

As part of a global study of what makes some people more attractive than others, thousands of photos of DBSC sailors were taken last Saturday.  Neuro-scientists from Harvard University will be studying the data and we expect the final report in Nature once the paper has been peer reviewed.

Here are the best of them: http://luxeimage.shootproof.com/event/1205450

Dear Leader denies rumours

Dear Leader called a press conference after rumours started to swirl through the corridors of the executive committees of the IOC, ISAF and the Wentworth Branch:

"As everyone knows I tried sailing a Radial for 45 minutes, and it just doesn't work for me, so rumours that I plan to take up sailing Radials the day Grasshopper (2.0) moves to the full rigs are just scurrilous.

Grasshopper and the other younger radial folk did well in the west (see the following report), but in the short-term I'm having so much fun fending of Marcus in the full rigs that I am not changing, despite the fact that some weeks I lose, and most weeks I can barely move on Saturday nights, Sundays and part of Mondays."

RADIAL REPORT BY GRASSHOPPER

The Australian Youth Nationals were held out of Fremantle Sailing Club, in the shark infested waters off Perth. We were promised 20knt SW sea breezes with big waves but to  our surprise the majority of the conditions were moderate and shifty with huge holes in the course. Before starting the regatta I knew that there was going to be an added ‘winning factor’ the would decide this years champion.... Luck!

The conditions were quite different from the week before at Mandurah as there were much larger shifts and smaller, more technical waves. This caused for a style of racing which was different from the drag racing seen in the previous week. My adaptation to the conditions was tested as some races saw 60º shits with pressure ranging from 5-25 knts. Pretty challenging conditions which made racing like a game of snakes and ladders. 

I tried to keep my scorecard nice and low however, it was hard to avoid the few deep results. This was due to decision making and tactics. However, I was only one of two sailors to have all of their scores in the top 10. 

I wasn’t the only DBSC sailor competing at the two national events. Blake Selley and Marlena Berzins were also a strong contingent and flying the mighty Double Bay flag. Overall, in the Open Nationals in Mandurah, Blake finished 33rd in gold fleet and Marlena placed 9th in Silver Fleet . In the youth nationals Blake was 20th and Marlena was close behind in 28th and 3rd female.

After dodging flying fish, dolphins, seals and the odd stray quokka, I was able to navigate the waters of Perth. I am really happy with my performance over the last couple of weeks and have enjoyed representing Double Bay Sailing Club on the national stage. I was also stoked with my massive improvement from last year improving from a 25th youth to 4th overall.

"...mum, can I eat more so I can sail a full rig?"

"...with dad and Charlotte's wins, there may not be space in the pool room"

Social Media and Photos

Last week, I was out on the water taking some photos of the lasers. The link to the Flickr stream is below. Everyone is encouraged to download them and check them out

Grasshopper 2.0

https://www.flickr.com/photos/129015928@N03/

Escaping the bogans on Australia Day.....

To escape the bogan-detritus on the streets this Australia Day, a group of productive Australians have negotiated to use our club house to enjoy the fireworks after the 18s finishing racing this coming Monday.

Hence, would Laser sailors who want to go out on Monday try to be packed up and finished before 4pm, please?  The 18s have been also asked to eat their usual number of toasties, and drink the usual number of Gatorades, before their race and not to loiter after their race.

Also, we could use some help to clear the club house, so if anyone has time  on Saturday or between 3pm and 5pm Monday, maybe they can contact Paul or Peter help get the place ship-shape for our new friends/visitors who will start to use the club house after 5pm.

Honorary Chief Medical Officer of DBSC, and well-known media superstar, da Dr G commented of the importance of sharing our club house:

"You are far less likely to be visiting an emergency department if you are sipping a hot-chocolate on the DBSC deck watching the fireworks than wandering around the mean streets of the 'Cross dodging drunks and black-shirted ex-footballers now working as security (ed: bouncers).  DBSC facilitating the use of the club will not only be better for the visitors, but also lower the tax burden caused by unnecessay medical expenses".

PS: There has been a suggestion that the view form the DBSC deck watching the patrons from "the Island" disembarking at the public jetty is better than that seen from the Sydney Opera House.  The problem is that many of the patrons consider the council's dinghy racks, to use Paul's words, a alfresco urinal.