Sailing Club

Tell Tales

Friday 

Capsizing a yacht in Apollo Bay is often avoided by folks who fear the sea, getting wet or being cold & uncomfortable. On a warn sunny arvo at the end of the week when the wind is light and the sailors are young and enthusiastic, capsizing is ultimately an all in fabulous and fun activity. Sailing is a water sport. Tipping a boat over is akin to falling off a surfboard and it’s not even too much harder to get back in a boat than back on a surfboard in calm conditions. Capsizing is a critical skill for confidence, capability and initiation into the wonderful world of windsports. Knowing how to right a boat after it tips over reduces the fear of sailing that learners often grapple with.

In gentle warm airs the Learn to Sail crew had an immensely enjoyable session gliding around in smooth water. Crews were swapped via paddle boards. Dogs swam amongst the fleet and the juniors were supported by an extensive team of skilled, trained and passionate adults who value community connection and positive contribution. Apart from tipping over and recovering the boats, it was brilliant to see young sailors coming to terms with the essence of coordinating the use of training boats to become independent sailors who support, encourage and respect each other. Pure pleasure all around. Well done every one!

Saturday

Last week’s prediction for a 3rd consecutive light easterly wind revealed its self with calm cloudy morning that ever so slowly developed into a beautiful sunny sail in an 8-12 knot stable E/NE summer breeze. Pleasant summer sailing in warm air, warm water and (some) t-shirts!! Its all going on in Apollo Bay!! Unlikely as it is but its real!!

Using the Compass and Buoy Zone apps on a mobile phone the duty crew were quickly and accurately able measure the wind direction and set a true course before setting the start line and starting the race. With half of the duty crew completely new to the task it was a pleasure to spend the day with their curious and grateful natures. They were really in awe of seeing the boats and their crews so close up – especially the mighty big 10+1 and the mighty small Lively Lady who kept close to each other throughout the race.

With a good fleet and lovely sailing conditions, any punter would have predicted a tight battle given how closely competitive the flying fifteens have been all season. The start saw the boat away cleanly and by the top mark the gauntlet had been thrown down by April Dancer. They were closely followed by Euffamism and Affrodite but neither could match the refined boat and spinnaker handling of AD. By the bottom mark they’d set the remainder of the race to become a procession which all parties were very happy to parade in. The conditions were just so enjoyable for sailing and the rapidly developing sea state made the upwind legs refreshingly wet and the down wind legs free and speedy as the fleet easily surfed along chunky faces of wind slop.

Further back in the fleet Euffamism and Affrodite stayed in close quarters throughout the race. Jesse and Nala had what looked to be a fabulously enjoyable sail. This was Nala’s 3rd time sailing in as many weeks. She is loving it and who wouldn’t? It has been a great few weeks to learn to sail in Saturday racing. The legendary 10+1 was back on the track after a few weeks away. With a full and enthusiastic crew onboard, Ken ensured everyone had a great day of it even if they weren’t matching Ken’s glorious recollections of competitive domination. Keeping 10+1 honest of course was none other than the wounder duo, whose combined age was lower than almost any other’s individual competitor’s age, on a club Pacer; Lively Lady. They sailed her true to name, Lively! Ella and Miss Jane have been around the club for most of their lives and have sure had their fair share of run ins with big keel boats. They stayed safely clear of 10+1 but stayed right on their tail making for a spectacular visual contrast.

In the end everyone was a winner on Saturday. Beautiful and enjoyable. Followed up with a joyful social BBQ at the clubhouse with live music from Octavia. Too good to be true? It really happened here in Apollo Bay!!

Thanks go to Anton and Russell for miraculously sorting out the repairs to the rescue boat, Helena G, in time for this week’s race.

Results

Life is good. Come Sailing!

To find out more please see our Facebook group - Apollo Bay Sailing Club.

New Members Always Welcome!

Many thanks to Bendigo Bank for their support of Learn to Sail at ABSC.