Beaten but not Bothered

The last twilight of the season saw us again reefing, one reef this time, and out into very gusty, shifty winds. We struggled a bit, only four on board and me having been at the office Christmas lunch! And we were buggered up by another boat that hit the Birkenhead mark (but then didn't do a 360 turn - we know who you are) and then again at the mark off Cockatoo where a boat that had finished forced us to tack while they were mucking about with pulling down their headsail. Not happy Jan. But it was a fun if hard sail at least for the crew, thanks Laine, Michael and Karen, winch wench extraordinaire. We came 13th! out of 16, two of who didn't finish. And 11th out of 18 in the series, having missed 4 races. When we get more drops in the second half we will do better - I hope.

Awesome Crew

Funny how I am much more inclined to blog when we win.

Today we went out in forecast 27+ knots of wind. That's quite a lot for a friendly sailing race. As it turned out we had gusts up to 38 knots.

We started at 12 and finished the shortened course at about 1.30pm. There were not a lot of boats out given the forecast.

I was thinking we might start with full sails and then reef as the wind picked up. Sensibly I was overrruled. We put in one reef in sheltered water, were nearly blown over so went for the second reef. Then we discovered that the second reef line was stuck inside the boom. Undeterred Celine secured it at the boom and with a little bit of headsail for balance we made the start line very close to the gun.

Solveig got a great start and we followed them for much of the course, almost passing them at the Goat Island mark but they called starboard on us just as we were about to round the mark. But we got them at the Birkenhead mark and never looked back.

With the sail plan we selected we were well under control, rarely in danger of broaching and only once dipped the boom in the water just at the finish line. Fortunately when Celine and I though we should let out some more jib, Jenni's reasoned voice "you're crazy" prevailed and just as well as we soon got some more big gusts.

Julie, Celine and Karen worked their butts off tacking and Jenni has a huge work out on the main. It was a well sailed race and we were very happy to come second knowing that gave us the series.

It is also good to know how well Cheshire Cat sails in those conditions.

The BSC put on a lovely Christmas lunch afterwards as well as the usual prize giving. We ended up with lots of beer and wine.

We are promised a trophy at the awards night dinner.

Not so nailing it this time

Friday night twilight in Balmain, stated with a few drops of rain which came to nothing, a nice breeze and predictions of 17 knots NE so we started with the headsail slightly furled. We had a decent start and we headed off towards East Balmain as the wind dropped, we unfurled the rest of the headsail and parked up off Yuralbin point.

  

This is what happened next. The start was at 6.10pm in dying breeze, we struggled through the hole, managed to pass several boats in the process luckily, and then without much ceremony sailed around Goat Island, around Cockatoo and back home on the shortened course.

It was a nice balmy night but frustrating in patches. Then as we were parking the boat at just before 8pm we got a bothersome lift that saw us taking a few attempts to get tied up safely.

Still, another nice night on the water. Only 8th place but third over the line in our division. And it will help the handicap after all.

We've missed a few twilights so we are not doing too well in the series. Maybe we'll get three drops and improve our spot.

Still Nailing It

On a beautiful sunny Sunday we raced in 12 or so knots of NE breeze around the Balmain islands with a crew of 7 including Tim from the UK where he sails a trimaran off the Isle of Wight. We are planning for him to return the favour!

We came 4th of 8 boats in our division and retained our place at the top of the point score in the PHS (Performance Handicap) division and second in the BMS (Balmain Measurement). For those who don't know in PHS the handicaps change depending on how well you sail so if you do really well your handicap gets bigger and then you start not doing so well. It means everyone in a friendly club like the BSC get a chance to win. The BMS is based on a complex calculation of boat size, sail area etc and the rating does not change. That means that to do well you actually have to sail the boat well. And after years of always coming last in BMS we are now smokin' it!!

We are also locked in a  battle with Charlie and Ang on Solveig which is fun. What a shame the ASCC is not part of this since two of their erstwhile boats are doing so well.

So we are happy kitties.

I have been following the solo round the world sailor Jeanne Socrates on her boat Nereida. It does make you realise all the things that can go wrong out there alone. Although she seems to have more than most people's misfortune. http://synereida.livejournal.com

And I was very disappointed that Samantha Davies had to retire from the Vendee Globe after being dismasted. Have to wait for the all women team in the Volvo Round the World now.

Lots of sailing

A lot has happened on Cheshire Cat since we got back from Hamilton.

We had a 4th and a 1st in the twilight series

Concentrating in light breeze in the twilight series

Gorgeous sunset as we barely finished the twilight in time.

and a 4th and TWO 1sts in the Sunday series. AND we got a 4th, a 3rd and a 1st in the BMS division which is not related to handicap but goes by measurement so it means we are sailing the boat rather well.  Some of this at least has to be all we learned sailing in Hamilton Race Week.

Balmain Regatta - ACE Marine Photography 

And in the Balmain Regatta we came 5th out of a fleet of 24.

ACE Marine Photography 

Michael as Spinnaker pole - Barbara Hamilton took this shot

We looked rather smart in our new t-shirts.

And we did the ASCC's Jacaranda Cruise which was a really lovely saunter up the Lane Cove River and a delicious seafood lunch, thank you Julie. And then I won the Jacaranda Queen, largely due to lack of competition! Nevertheless, a queen is a queen.

Jacaranda Queen

Quest in Lane Cove 

Hamilton Island Race Week

Warm weather sailing, whales, wind and wine, it was all part of our Hamilton Island Race Week adventure.

Terina and I had enjoyed Race Week in 2008 so with Julie we decided to have another go this year. We eventually rounded up a team of 8. Us three and Jenni Bonnitcha who some of you will remember well from the Gay Games and the ASCC regattas a few years ago. And Jen and Kate who sail on Cheshire Cat sometimes, Murray who I have sailed with at the CYC and Canberra boy Richard. For obvious reasons we called ourselves Allsorts.

As we had not all sailed together we had a trial run on Murray's rather smart Beneteau 40 on Sydney Harbour and afterwards no one pulled out so that was positive.

Our rented Sunsail Jenneau 36i was promoted as a spinnaker boat but left a lot to be desired. With only three winches and nowhere to winch the spinnaker except the headsail sheet winches  we had to do some jury rigging with extra blocks both for the spinnaker sheet and brace and for tweakers so the boat sort of worked. We had brought a spinnaker with us from a previous boat of Murrray's.

The crew took a little longer. In the first race after a rock star start called by super coach Jenni Bonnitcha we got caught by the tides, which are big and fierce up there, and ended up becalmed behind Pine Island. Even the "encouragement" of John Harris in Mathilde's jet boat wasn't enough to get us across the finish line in the time limit. Sadly the poor finish didn't even help reduce our handicap being a TLE (time limit expired). But we did get Murray's spinnaker flying and it was a perfect fit.

And we had the best support team ever with Mathilde following us around the course and being our private paparazzi. Thanks boys!

The next race began with another excellent start with Jenni calling tactics to have us on the line on the gun. At least I say on the line but she was upset that we were a boat length away! This time we did finish but placed near the bottom on handicap. But it was a good shake down sail. And our handicap improved.

The third day we really began to sail well. Jenni had us on the line again at the gun and we sailed in clear air and managed to get past Lindeman Island before the tide turned against us. On the home run with the spinnaker flying beautifully we were feeling good when "bang" the halyard broke. Fast work by the crew had the spinnaker retrieved without it getting too wet. It meant another bad finish but an even better handicap. Silver linings!

Day four we finally had everything working well, got past large and scary Pentacost Island without a tack and it resulted in a podium finish. Third place in our division, Cruising 3. But we had to wait for the presentation because the entire Olympic sailing team had arrived and there was a parade with all the school kids leading them into the main stage area where they were all introduced. Coach Victor Kovalenko made a lovely speech ending with the dreaded Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi! As Jenni B had trained many of the team and knew the rest we felt very important as they all waved at her and by default our whole team. Reflected glory.

The lay day saw us relaxing off water.

The next race was the first bad start. A downwind start against the tide ended with us landing in a hole on the line and hitting the pin so a penalty turn was required. The rest of the race was uneventful but combined with the improved handicap after our 3rd place and the late start we were again down the placings.

Friday was Prix D'Elegance. There are two divisions, best dressed boat, more formal and smart, or the fun division, much more our speed. As Allsorts we had black and colored tights, dayglo tutus with black shorts and the team tshirt. We didn't attract the judges attention but got lots of on water interest. Specially when we bombarded other boats with licorice allsorts. The boat I liked best was Hooligan which cruised past the smart new clubhouse apparently completely unmanned! Very elegant!

In an effort to improve our chances we looked for heavy stuff to take off the boat. That's when we discovered a second anchor that could have come off the Queen Mary. Huge and heavy with about a ton of rope. On  the dock it went. And as Terina and Julie were now with me at Peter and Michael's gorgeous apartment we emptied the water tanks too.  

With a dilemma about how to start the next race tactical queen Jenni decided we should run down the line on the course side, dipping back to the start side at the last minute, exciting and effective, helped by the fact that the race committee kept calling our position on the radio so we knew when we were safe. They did it for everyone who was over, not just us. Another well sailed race and another podium finish. This time second! Less weight and a lower handicap helped. Not to mention excellent sailing.

The final race was around the Molle Islands. As we drifted around in the fog waiting for enough wind to start we were entertained by a whale and calf who surfaced in the middle of a circle of boats. After a look around they obviously decided to get out of the way. We has a small hiccup when we realized we were heading the wrong way round the islands but we had a great race, got to call starboard on the huge trimaran Vodaphone and had Wild Oats divert around us so as not to steal our wind but still close enough for us to hear the rush. And on the way back across the passage to Hamilton we saw the most spectacular display of whales, slapping the water and generally having a great time. For once even Jenni B said "bugger the sailing let's just watch". And watch we did, but we also kept sailing!

And so it was all over. We did have to put the boat to rights, replace the sail cover and lazy jacks, take off all the blocks. And Sunsail put on a farewell party. They also had welcome drinks the first night and a sausage sizzle every afternoon which was nice. And they fixed stuff for us every day. They were hugely relieved the day we came back and had nothing for them to do.

It is a great regatta. Every morning seriously talented sailors proved a briefing about the course for the day, what to look out for, how to avoid the worst of the tide etc. We probably should have listened more closely the day we did about 200 tacks to cross a tidal flow at the bottom of Dent Island. The race committee chooses courses to suit all the divisions so everyone finishes more or less at the same time, and as mentioned the radio is a great help informing boats at the start and indeed during the race as well. The winds varied from nonexistent to about 20 knots this year. Perfect for us. 

And the atmosphere on the island is great fun, everything from Angry Anderson playing on the first night (much to Jenni B's horror as were were moored right behind the stage) to the Olympians Parade, footage of the days racing on the big TVs every night, the camaraderie of the crews from all over the country. One boat of nice engineers, parked next to us on the marina, confessed that they just followed us because "you girls know what you are doing".

I learnt heaps along the way. All sorts of useful and tactical things as well as sailing tips to keep a boat moving fast. And I learnt to helm with a spinnaker which I have never done before. There is nothing quite as satisfying as sailing downwind looking at a well set spinnaker!  I see an expensive purchase for Cheshire Cat coming up! 

Because we were a crew of mixed sexual preferences we didn't sail with the rainbow flag flying. I missed that. I would prefer to be out and proud again next time. But we did make a mark for women, being a mainly female crew, and I was one of the few female skippers. 

We Won! We Won!

Nothing like a win to get inspiration.

On a gorgeous sunny Sunday  Julie, Terina, John, Michael, Celine and I set off with a shiny clean bottom on Cheshire cat and conquered the world, well at least the Balmain division 1 keelboats.

Two circuits of the islands, one including Goat Island with a nice breeze of 12 to 15 knots, perfect for us. We hugged Cockatoo Island to escape the outgoing tide and I hankered for a spinnaker after Hamilton Island. But it was a lovely day.

And the winches were better after John and I serviced them last Sunday. The two on the coachhouse roof were all gunged up as I had never done them in all the years we've had the Cat.

The previous race we came 4th out of 5 boats. What a difference a clean bottom makes! And also more hands to winch that huge headsail.

Our first prize was a bottle of red.

We also came second in the Birchgrove Cup behind a boat called Samsung. A bit sad for a boat full of iPhone users.

And did I mention Hamilton Island? Terina Julie and I along with Jen, Kate Murray Richard and the legendary Jenni Bonnitcha raced in Hamilton Island Race Week. See next post.

In case you were wondering...

We have done two races in the Balmain Sailing Club's winter series. The first was quite windy and so we reefed at the last minute and glad we were that we did. Cheshire Cat was nicely balanced and rarely too far heeled as we did the circuit round the islands including Goat and back to the club for a beer and the results. We came 6th.

The next day was threatening to be awful weather but turned out rather nicely. No reef in the main but a small tuck in the jib just to keep us balanced. A similar course around the islands including Goat and back to the club for a beer and the next set of results where we can 5th! Improvement!!

We also received a plaque as winners of last year's Three Bridges Race. And as a footnote, the wooden paddle for the summer series. I guess that means last! I blame lack of races sailed not poor sailing!

Charlie and Ang in Solveig have been doing rather better.

We are loving the new walk on, walk off home for our pussy! Sure beats rowing home after a hard sail, not to mention the very easy access to the club bar.

New home

Leaving the beach for the last(?) time
Cheshire Cat is now in the Hopetoun Quays marina. Once we get used to parking we are looking forward to the ready access and ease of doing chores aboard without the row out to the mooring with all the necessary paraphernalia. And very quick access to the Balmain Sailing Club bar!
New home

Pluses and minuses

After getting a nice clean shiny bottom and with the depth sounder working at last Cheshire Cat and crew of Anni, Jenni and John headed for Broken Bay for a small R&R and to meet up with the ASCC for the Commodore's Cocktail Party on the Friday night at Akuna Bay. Deirdre fortified us with coffee and hot cross buns and we set off with following winds but a very rough sea. John managed to wrench his already bad shoulder just out of the heads and we all began to feel a bit queasy, some more than others. I resorted to a Quells which helped a bit.
Travelling north
As John is now a Marine Rescue volunteer we had some inside information on the service. In spite of us calling up Marine Rescue Sydney their counterpart Marine Rescue Port Jackson kept responding. But they didn't actually log us on so Marine Rescue Sydney then had to come to the rescue as it were and enter us into the computer.
After a bumpy but not too lengthy trip we were all very glad to round Barrenjoey and get into calmer water.
Much happier now - Lion Island in the bg

We sailed for a bit but the wind eventually died away and we resorted to the engine. After poking into Pinta Bay looking for a mooring but finding them all taken we decided to try Castle Lagoon, a favorite sheltered spot, and lo and behold as we rounded the hidden entrance there was an empty mooring! It was a relief to secure ourselves and open a very nice bottle of champagne. Deirdre had also cooked chicken Marengo for us and sent the history of the dish as some educative entertainment. We had a lovely peaceful evening, too much red wine and a good sleep.
The morning was beautiful, calm and sunny. Perfect Broken Bay weather. After a leasuirely breakfast we motored on down to Akuna Bay where we berthed in the marina. As the wind had picked up I struggled to get into the allocated berth. Probably should have been content to go in forwards given the gusts but was determined to try and back in. It was not to be. Even John couldn't get us in so we took another berth further in and turned the boat around by hand. I was very glad later that night that we had as a stomach bug meant a few late night trips to the bathrooms which were mercifully very close by.
John and Jenni were collected by Deirdre and then the other three ASCC boats arrived. Afternoon Delight berthed next to Cheshire Cat and Doriana and Quest were on the next arm. A pleasant afternoon of reading! chatting and some afternoon smackerells before the cocktail-less cocktail party got under way. The marina had put up a sign welcoming us and put out some magazines and floating key rings for us. Noice!
It was not a late night but a very disturbed one for me. Mike had kindly agreed to be my crew for the trip back to Coasters so after everyone had breakfasted and packed up we headed back up the creek.
Mike in charge
It was another lovely sunny day so we stopped at Hallets Beach for a lunch stop. The boys went for a swim and shower under the waterfall at Cottage Rock while I basked in the sun and recuperated.
Following Quest
We found the last mooring close to the jetty at Coasters but as the afternoon wore on several boats left and there were spots close by for Doriana and Quest. A little homophobia from a very drunk stink boat owner was unpleasant but he didn't persist fortunately.
Dawn at Coaters
The morning ferry brought Dayna and Julie to sail back down the coast.
Laine and Neil wave goodbye
Another sunny day was a bit spoiled by headwinds. But we decided to sail so while it was a long day it was very pleasant. Sadly no wildlife joined us on the trip home although we were hoping. We finally picked up the mooring at about 6pm. A short adventure but sweet.

Slipping

Another race, another less than stellar result. Sunday 4th was a nice day, we had a crack team, Julie, Dayna (welcome back!), Jenni, Roberta, and a good start right at the gun. In fact we were so close i was a little worried that we might have been over. But all was well and we headed north to be quickly overtaken by most other boats. Among other excitement we were about to go to the rescue of a capsized dinghy. One of the little kids started screaming and we couldn't see the other one properly and feared a head injury or a tangled foot. The battery went to 1, the furling headsail line was cleared and Julie was about to dive in when the safety boat arrived and one of them dived in instead. The kids were safe. Not long afterwards a dinghy capsized right in front of us. We didn't run them down but it was touch and go. They righted themselves and were back on course before too long. But after a lovely sail we came last again. At least our handicap is now very low.


And we have the boat up on slips having her bottom sanded and re-anti-fouled. It's been 18 months since it was last done. Now we should go fast again.

Maintenance

Thanks to Paul White, but I changed the beer. He's right about Corona being wee.

Bad and Worse results

We've sailed a couple of times since Xmas. Results are unfortunate.

A good day out on the 8th January was marred by us (read me) failing to read the instructions properly and therefore missing the final mark of the course and being marked DNF (did not finish). That was followed by a last place in the race on the 5th February. Both days we enjoyed the sail although being three handed on the 5th meant I had to work way harder than I am used to and I was rather tired at the end of the day and very stiff the next day. But I see this race as a handicap correction measure.

A beer at the Balmain Sailing Club afterwards is a nice way to finish up even if it means climbing all those stairs afterwards.

But it is great to get out and good to keep using Cheshire Cat. Poor thing is in need of some TLC at the moment. All the canvas covers are starting to wear out and the bimini is looking particularly sad with bird poo and green mould on it where the water doesn't drain properly.

I've sailed with Charlie on Solveig in the Friday twilights couple of times as well. She is doing much better with regular podium finishes. Her handicap will get the better of her eventually though.