Backward Line Honours

Out and about early with a squall giving everyone a quick wash(except nav who had things to do down below, oh and scotty who found things to do down below!) On the line at the start about halfway along and with speed placing us nicely for accelaration off the line. The day bouy was on one tack and most boats stayed that way after the mark but we decided it looked better inside and this turned out to be a good call. Stanton continued to alude us until we were on top of it. Damn its hard to find. Naviguesser looking a little rattled until it was finally spotted. First around Stanton and kite up to Cambell. One gybe to campbell, a quick gybe over and we will round it, so we thought. Just as we gybed the wind went from southwest to north east. We had to drop the kite and tack upwind to make the mark. Luckily with enough lead to put us in different wind than OP close behind. At this point OP and us were in complete separate winds only 100 metres apart. The rains squalls in the distance were sucking wind up and causing havoc around the course but keeping tacticians on their toes. We inched along in and out of wind while the rest of the fleet closed in still with good breeze. Knee Deep and a couple of others headed out in good breeze trying to do the round the outside manouvure but the wind returned and we stayed out in front around burnell back out to hall bank and kite again the cambell. From here a drag race to the finish, nearly stuffed it until nav double checked the course and found we had to round w mark, not the normal channel markers. Great another fun mark to find. Around W and kite up for the finish, alls well. Hmmn.... not really enough room for a gybe on the finish so out came the imfamous goose wing, kite on one side main on the other, all good until the drop. Lets just say the drop did not go according to plan and for the first time ever we finished the race backwards over the line, just so the officials could read the name on the stern. Knee Deep close behind with Sue Sea, syrenka, and OP a way behind after sailing themselves off the course looking for better breeze. Will be interesting to read the paper tomorrow!

Arlene Ocean Race

After the coldest morning in 150years (apparantely) we managed to crack the ice and set sail for just chilly start. Expecting a NE course the race commitee threw in a curly one ...North/South course. No matter all under control. Which course is that! Late off the line and 50 meters behind walk on the windows and OP. Head for the top mark. Course 5 Course 5 where does that go. Okay Campbell after The day bouy then back to Burnell all under control. The wind was a 10 knotish wind but as the wind instruments decided it was just too cold to play today we could just make it up as we wished. I decided it was going to be a north easterly and then it might go North so we should just sail to that. and we did. OP lead the way again and we tussled with walk on the wildside (great to see them back) and Sue Sea (great performance today). Pretty much a soldiers course today follow the leader but did have two tacks..... woo hoo. The only opportunity to really do anything, we took advantage of; on the last run from burnell back the the harbour clearance bouys sailing much deeper than OP before we gybed enabling us to sail a better angle and give them a scare. Pulled back a fair bit of distance but in the end we gybed just behind them and finished 50 meters behind then. Well sailed OP. I was down below packing the kite when we heard a hoot, thought it was the boat plumbing or something until I looked out the window and saw a ship, Quite close. No very close. Couldn't read the writing on the rivets but pretty close. No matter the anchor is down.....ummm boys why is the anchor chain going up. Think we might have to get out of here....Hooooot. In before midday , crap is the bar open yet. We are not used to getting in before about 4pm yet alone lunchtime in a Valmadre. Presentation at 6pm...could be messy. Anyones guess on handicap in 2.5 hour race, lt will be interesting to see who pings it. Nav Out for now

Arlene Ocean Race

The first valmadre attracted a big fleet of 50 odd yachts. The weather was fine with a light 10 knot North Easterly.

Not a bad start taking the starboard end and staying out of trouble, 10 secs or so late for the line but the Port end favoured the shifts leaving the port boats with the advantage. Light and shifty winds to the day mark behind OP but we had speed on them making up some lost ground, letting OP, NF go through before us. The marten breaker let go twice during the kite hoist (there goes another version out the window-back to the idea cabinet) causing a complete stuff up having to drop the 1 and letting a few boats through us, Alfresco, Knee deep. Up with no2 and off to hallbank.

Around Hall bank well behind and on the beat to cambell managed to get back in the race a couple of times with a fair bit of cat and mouse in the light and shifty winds. A couple of boats including us looking like legends before sailing into oblivion and out the back door. Ended up second around cambell and chasing OP with light kite run to 11 m iso beacon.

Syrenka came steaming down behind us and went high over the top of us with that roachy main but then tried to take a short cut before realizing they had missed a mark and had to turn back, putting us again with just OP to tackle Stanton and on the beat back to Hall bank.

All well making lost ground disappear to be 50 meters behind OP before going for breeze on the shore and parking up in the only hole around. Time for lunch while the sails hung off the boat and 0 knots of breeze for 20 minutes or so. Boats behind us had more north and sailed straight around hallbank and to cambell again. The breeze came back in and again we sailed back into the race but too many boats too close for any handicap visions of grandeur. After sailing back out of the race again we were about 5th behind synrenka, next factor, op, alfresco at cambell again. At one stage Southern star only 100m behind us with 2 marks to go.

Up went the kite again and we sailed past them in yet again in a very light westerly as yachts sailed in the opposite direction also with their kites up. The winds were that light that we created our own apparent. We were running blind with wind instruments calling it quits and saying the wind was in front of us while the kite was up. Think we have an loose connection somewhere. Mind you it could be the navigators brain.

So back to just OP in front again but they now had enough distance to be in a different breeze and pulled away. Gybed around hall bank and yet another kite run to burnell. Nav trying to do a radio sched but couldn’t work out why no one could hear him until he realized that he had the HF handset not the VHF (Doh!!).

We seemed to have the kite up all day in all directions with the wind circling around us. Gybed around burnell with a bit of a breeze line taking us to south mole and the final kite run home, but not before the wind died again and let alfresco sneak up and finish just behind. So OP by 30 minutes but could be anyones race but ours.

Still a great day to be on the water and a few cobwebs blown out.

Been pretty slack of late so apologies for the lack of news. Geograph race week was again a great event with over 100 yachts competing. Charlotte looked nice tied up at her new holiday home. The crew stayed mostly at Charlottes house with much drinking and plundering the name of the week. Unfortunately too many water based toys to play with so not many hard evenings in the bar, or is that good, not sure. Pool sharks came out of the woodwork to compete nightly during the sabatical rum sessions and disappear into the evening to plunder the bar. But they all strangely reappeared just in time for racing the next day. Feasts were a plenty and sailing was great.

Geograph still turns on the weather for great racing in light and shifting winds testing the patience of crews. Since its been so long it difficult to remember all the details but overall we finished third behind NF and OP with a couple of race wins during the week to keep them on their toes. Not bad for our first Geograph in the new boat. Once again the highlights for me were the night race and the long race with huey throwing everything at us in terms of wind.

Busselton feeder

The winds were a little shifty and fickle at the start causing a delay while the start boat tried in vain to set a line that would allow a start in the right direction. We chose a port end start, more by default than good planning as we weren't on the ball with the restart time. We picked the shifts quite well with Next factor first around the top mark and us close behind. Kites up and along until the wind died and back to head sails until the early seabreeze kicked in from the south. Down the channel we managed to go under Next factor and were first out the channel towards Coventrys with OP close behind. A sea breeze in from the South West and now it was just a question of what would happen as the day went on. Would it strengthen, would it hold, would it go back south. Should we go inside the reef chasing flatter water or should we go out. We had a drag race down behind garden Island with OP. They looked to have a bigger heady so when the wind pocked up we had the advantage, but when it dropped they did. In the end their sea miles showed taking us by 20 minutes but we learnt alot in our first ocean race on Charlotte. We learned that it is difficult to cook pizzas in the microwave oven when on starboard tack as they tend to jump out when you open the door. That the glass rotating plate from the microwave should be under the item being cooked not on top. We found all sorts of strange creatures during the night, one in particular that was often found foragging for food in the dark and was quite often found looking for mars bars on his hands and knees in the dark, but tends to growl and snap when woken from a nap. We found once again that the nav computer will without fail when you are in the middle of bouvard reef yet will work perfectly when in open water. And we decided that next time we may need to bring a kettle for coffee as it really doesn't weigh that much and caffiene is good. Best of all though is that we we discovered Charlotte is a dry boat even when bashing into it. It will be nice to get into a dry bunk on longer races. It turned out to be southwester until just before bunbury when it kicked left and to the south then kept bending to southeast to the finish just before 1am. OP first with us around 20 minutes behind just before 1 am then KD. Good racing with OP taking the overall win from us in second. Technically we should have won it easilly as our log kept saying we were doing between 11-25 knots ( I think it needs some calibrating) and our wind said it didn't get over 18 knots. Looks to be a good start for the lead up to race week and plans are well afoot for some serious on and offshore activities in the coming weeks. Stay tuned. Nav out

We're Back

Charlotte in her pen at Freo today.

After many months on the hard Charlotte was finally repaired. So have my ribs that were broken during the impact. The keel was sent back to sydney and rebuilt and centrecase replaced with a new one. Mast went back in this morning. She looks and feels brand new again and what a fantastic job by the guys who did the work.

The area around Fremantle has been resurveyed and our understanding is that the previously uncharted rock will become a new feature in the next chart update.

Today we went for a motor sail and tested the keel mechanism and instrumentation, then did the radio checks. All good. Safety review was completed back in the pen and all is in order for the Busselton feeder race on Saturday morning. Can't wait.

Charlotte will have the sail wardrobe refitted tomorrow and a test sail late afternoon with the boys planning a night on board to get accustomed again ready for Saturday morning.

See you on the water.

Naviguessor