Issue 70, New Year 2020

2020 - Year of the Rat

People born in the Rat year are likable by all. They are sensitive to other’s emotions but are stubborn with their opinion. Their personality is kind, but due to weak communication skills, their words may seem impolite and rude.

I was born in a year of the Rat and that doesn't sound like me at all, so if you believe all that malarkey you can go and... anyway, I digress.

It may be the year of the rat, but ain't looking good for the Mouse.

Not being content with a dicky shoulder yours truly decided to throw my back out in December. While I hope to have a plan of attack very soon, for the time being my role within Da Easy Crew will be as Team Manager (aka Trolley Dolly) as Kylie gets to grips with an Aero - her journey began at the Worlds in Melbourne!

Doing our best - getting in the way

Da Easy Crew will see you at the club. One of us will be tinkering away around the clubhouse while the other is out on the water. We will both be doing our best. We will both be getting in the way.

Boyd Newton, Da Easy Crew, Editor.

Important Info

Dubious Info

Suffering an addiction to aquatic jokes?

Sea kelp.

First Aid Course

Remaining spaces are now open to all club members. Course runs at BSC on February 23rd from 8:30am to 2:30pm.

Spaces are limited so make like a chicken and... click here. If you are interested in a book, book, booking or require further information contact Shirley Matthews.

Shirley Matthews
e: shirley.matthews@balmoralsc.com.au

This season I took over from the fabulously organised Anita Daum and begun coordinating the volunteers for BSC. I wasn’t at all sure how this would go. However, it didn’t long before I realised that BSC has a fantastic team of volunteers.

New Members - New Skills

As the year progressed we added several new volunteers to our regulars and gained four new rescue boat drivers.

Peter Humphrey (former E sailor) and Patrick La (who volunteered frequently in 2018/19 season) both did the Flying Fish rescue boat course and are now driving the boats at BSC.

Then Stephen Neophytou called me one day when I was driving, offering to volunteer. I had no idea that he already had his licence and had rescue boat experience. We got him on the Flying Fish Rescue boat course and he has become a frequent and reliable driver. We were very short of boat drivers this year and very grateful for his support and enthusiasm.

Tim Ameye is volunteering nearly every week. He has just had his visa extended for another 12 months and will start driving the rescue boats soon.

Mauro Maurico and Tim Donkers also joined the volunteer team. They are fantastic and co-operative. It’s really great to have all these young guys volunteering.

The Old Guard

I’m very grateful that all the volunteers from previous seasons (some from many previous seasons) have stayed and are being so supportive. Thanks so much Rob Owe Young, Bruce Meldrum, Roly Webb, David Johnson, Laurie Mrdjen, Tony Rickets, Kevin Brown, Saravana Ghandi, Matt Collis, Peter O’Sullivan, Janet MacPherson and Daniel Marlay for manning the rescue boats.

We continue to be short of Race Officers, but with Heather Hall and Anita Daum the club is in very good hands.

Then there are the amazing start boat crews. Being on the start boat can be a great cause of sickness. Perhaps a little known fact is how many of the volunteers on the start boat suffer seasickness! Being anchored and trying to write results with the swell that rolls in at Balmoral can be quite unpleasant for your stomach. Lots of the start boat crews pop a seasickness tablet before the start and soldier on!

Thanks so much to the regulars, Caroline Gleeson, Liz Gleeson, Wendy Davison, Susan Wood, Sally Alsop, Denise Crago, Mary Root, Catherine Martinez, David Johnson,

The weather this season hasn’t been very nice for the volunteers to be on the water. While sailors can chose if they sail or not, I am always completely blown away (sometimes nearly literally) by the volunteers turning up no matter what the weather conditions are. I have never had someone not come because of the inclement weather.

And thanks to the sailors for making the volunteers feel very welcome and appreciated at BSC. Please keep up the good work!

Interested in being an RO next season - let me know.

Karen Savery, Volunteer Coordinator, BSC

2020 National Regatta

The Nat Es had a great regatta at Gosford Sailing Club from 6th to 10th Jan with a mid-week lay day. A seven boat fleet comprised 3 from NSW, 2 from VIC, 1 from SA and 1 from QLD. The lack of boats may reflect the timing of the regatta but for those who were there the competition was keen and the points tallies close.

The best Balmoral result was Petronella (Will and Emily Jones) just 2 points ahead of The Fury (Peter Nixey and Murray Town). The “QLD boat” was in fact Dennis Paton’s Firewind sailed by Tony Ritter from Port Douglas who was having a spell from the Sydney-Hobart racer Encore.

Conditions over the four days were S and SE winds about 8 knots for the first two days and NE winds for the last two days ranging form 8 to 15 knots - benign but rather enjoyable when compared with the survival conditions prevailing in many club races last year.

Brisbane Water is a great place to sail with relatively smooth water and an almost complete absence of other marine activities. We cannot rate our experience at GSC as anything but ideal.

Class AGM

The class AGM was held at Gosford SC. Dennis Paton was made a life member of the NESA.

Peter Nixey, National E Class Captain, BSC

Another Roadtrip - Another Roady

We have been regular visitors to the Victorian Tasar States over the last few years. So when we heard that this season they were being combined with Sail Melbourne we decided another road trip south was in order. Unfortunately somewhere between locking in the trip and arriving in Melbourne the States were moved to Yarrawonga & rescheduled to early March. The good news was Tasar's still had our own division within the Sail Melbourne regatta. Held on Port Phillip Bay which is a great place to sail. There’s no ferries, very few stink boats and plenty of room for multiple racing fleets.

We spent the trip down trying to keep the Ratz’s stern in sight only catching them when they blew a tyre passing Euroa and then again when we were welcomed to Melbourne by a line of thunderstorms. This continued on the water where Robyn & Gary put on a “Burmanesque” performance in the breeze on the final day to take home the gold medal.

There were 170 lasers sailing out of Sandringham YC and we were based out of Royal Brighton YC with the Paralympic classes, Finns, Windsurfers, Kitefoilers and 5o5’s. The Finns & Windsurfers had very international fleets and were using this regatta as preparation for the Tokyo Olympics. So as you can imagine with so many young buffed athlete’s roaming the boat park we fitted right in.

The first day of racing was abandoned after a meeting of Tasar sailors decided that watching the 5o5’s from Jake Gunther’s very well appointed 42 Beneteau Trawler was preferable to facing the 25-30 knot breeze. This proved a good move as the breeze continued to build and we enjoyed watching the 5o’s go round with quite a few testing the water temperature. (The temperature proved really quite nice, though best not to ask Pia how we know that!).

Day two brought much better conditions for Tasar’s and we managed three pretty tight races in a 15-18 knot breeze with plenty of waves. At the end of the day Ratz & the Victorian boat WAC (Heather & Chris) were locked in a battle for first & second whilst there were four of us who were playing for third.

The bay turned it on for our last day with the wind gusting to 22kts and the waves growing proportionately. The sailing was great with some really sweet reaches and plenty of surfing to be had. The Ratz were significantly faster upwind and won both races comfortably.

After the second race the PRO sent us in as large thunderstorm passed over the city. The edge of it greeted us onshore with some small hail and a bit of rain, though it turned out to be a near miss as only a couple of km’s north golf ball size hail stones did plenty of damage.

Come for the sailing. Stay for the weather - click here

Suddenly two days driving for two days sailing seemed well worth it!

Pete & Pia, 'Another Roady'

NSW States 2020

The NSW State Championship will be hosted by Woollahra SC on February 22nd & 23rd 2020.

With a newly refurbished launching ramp it is much safer and quicker to get into the water. I believe it is a hybrid taken from both British and Norwegian designs - click here & here - so it should be a vast improvement.

Anybody thinking of a BSC flotilla - let me know?

Boyd Newton, Tasar Class Captain, BSC

Thursday Socials

Thursday social windsurfing has recommenced from 5pm onward. It's great to see so many kids taking advantage of the club LTs out on the water, with parents out there enjoying and helping too.

Windsurfer nationals are on in Adelaide over the Australia Day Long Weekend. A number of BSC members are heading down including Mathieu Hanaut, Patrick Connelly, defending national super heavy champion Simon Jones, and Ladies Freestyle champion Melanie Webb and daughter Grace Webb. A number of BSC friends and guests will also be competing.

Worlds 2020

The next World Championships will be held in Perth from Dec 28 to Jan 3 at Mounts Bay Sailing Club. The venue has hosted many sailing events and has all the facilities to put together a great competition.

Mel Webb, Windsurfer Class Captain, BSC

RS Aero for Sale, '2046' - $9500
Aero 2046 is in good condition, 2 years old, comes with dolly, top cover, choice of 7 rig or 5 rig. Selling now as a new Aero has been ordered.
Contact: Nick on 0421 008 485 or e: nickcollisgeorge@gmail.com

Tasar for Sale, 'Trouble' - $7000 neg
Affectionately known as 'Trouble' and campaigned in many Championships by Michael Quirk and Marise Hannaford - inc. 4th in Nats & top 20s Worlds.
More info - click here.
Contact: Marise on 0408 253 925 or Michael on 0419 970 934

National E for Sale, 'Honalee' - $5000
More info - click here.
Contact: Phil on 0400 399 226 or Claire on 0425 250 322

National E for Sale, 'Alphaglassy' - $3650
More info - click here.
e: Michael Corr - michael.corr@propertyrecruitment.com.au

Have gear for sale or looking for something specific?

Send details to e: whalestales@balmoralsc.com.au

One Minute - One Sport

2020 sees the Olympics in Tokyo. While it may be too late to qualify as a competitor, getting up to speed on the workings of the games won't be too taxing. The Japanese hosts have explained each sport in just one minute.

One Minute - One Sport - Sailing: click here

Wider mark roundings may be in order. Giant tentacles aside, that ink will never come out of the sails.