Day 3 – Marbleheads

Australian National Championships

Lake Kurwongbah, Pine Rivers, Queensland

10 January 2007

Last day today!  Last chance to move up the standings.  Last day to hold on.

Although 25 sailors were keen and eager to finish the fray today, the weather was not.  Overnight had been wet.  This morning it was dark and cloudy, still and cool.  There were some zephyrs, but they were not consistent; not in direction, not in strength.  Jeff Byerley, the PRO, could not set a course he liked.  There were a few puffs out of the nor’east so Jeff set a course there.  When the wind blows from the nor’east, the weed comes home.

The overnight leaders, Greg Torpy and Ben Leigh-Smith, did not start well, but Lincoln McDowell, 4^th overnight got a 1^st.  The nor’easter did not last long when the wind changed to the sou’east, similar to yesterday; but it was inconsistent and fickle.  The course was changed by Jeff accordingly, … and the races began to tick over.  Some rain came.  A few more shelters were erected, but we all persevered, and the rain went away.  A few marks were changed from time to time.

After lunch the wind was still frustrating.  The routine was be patient when necessary, and seize the moment when possible.

At 3:25 pm Race 25 Heat A was started.  I would like to say the last race did not change anything, but it did.  It certainly did!  It did not change 1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd, but Greg Willis beat David Turton for 4^th in the last race; Joshua Torpy beat Rob O’Brien for 9^th place by 0.3 of a point in the last race; and Patrick Parisienne beat Ian Ashe for 14^th place in the last race, they were tied after 24.

Although Greg Torpy doubled his overnight score today, only had 2 firsts today and had his 2 worst scores today, he still won by more than 30 points.  Ben Leigh-Smith got 2^nd place by more than 30 points.  Lincoln McDowell got 3^rd and Greg Willis got 4^th.

Only three sailors displayed their learning curve and improved their standings after the second day and again after the third day – Greg Willis, Tom Butler and Graeme Turk.  But the most amazing duo was Ross Anderson and Alan Kemp at 19^th and 20^th respectively, after every day!

At the presentation ceremony Graeme Turk, President of the QRYA, thanked everyone for helping to make this regatta a success, and introduced Rob O’Brien, Secretary of the ARYA, who named all the skippers and passed out the trophies and prizes.  Helena Kemp received the Encouragement Award and prize.

To be continued … in 2008!

Gareth

Day 2 – Marbleheads

Australian National Championships

Lake Kurwongbah, Pine Rivers, Queensland

9 January 2007

More of the same, … well, not everything.  No sun today.  No WEED today!  Overnight the wind shifted around to the sou’east, approximately, very approximately; and the weed was blown back up the lake out of concern, for now.

The wind was light to light-medium, but it moved all over the SE quadrant constantly.  It was difficult to set a good start line, but easier to start than yesterday since the wind was blowing from the sailor’s right making the starboard end of the start line closer to the shore.  However, sometimes the port end was favoured by the wind, and sometimes by the sailor, too often unsuccessfully.

Yesterday we finished 8 races; today we finished 9, but the first 4 places remain the same.  Greg Torpy has extended his lead over Ben Leigh-Smith from 10 points to 23 points; Ben extended his lead over David Turton from 5 points to 19 points; David has extended his lead of only 1 point over Lincoln McDowell to 10 points.  The next 14 places all bounced up or down.  Patrick Parisienne, James Finch and Ken Yates were 15^th, 16^th and 17^th respectively, now they are 16^th, 17^th and 18^th respectively.  Ian Ashe was the big mover today jumping up to 15^th from 23^rd yesterday.  Only Ross Anderson and Alan Kemp held their places at 19^th and 20^th respectively.  Joshua Torpy now in 12^th place is only ½ of 1 point ahead of Graeme Turk; and Col Cameron in 9^th place is only 1 point in front of Tom Butler.

Greg added 4 more wins today to his 5 from yesterday, plus 2^nd place 5 times and 3 discards – that’s only 19 points from 14 races!  Ben had a pair of back-to-back wins today, David and Lincoln each have a pair of wins.

Tonight the Pine Rivers Radio Yacht Club hosted a BBQ for all Marblehead competitors and workers.  Tomorrow after racing there will be a trophies and prizes presentation for the top place winners to close the ARYA 2007 National Marblehead Championship.

The weather should be unsettled tomorrow, like some of those keen, eager and nervous sailors.  Remember, starboard is good, windward is bad and collisions are very bad.

To be continued…

Gareth

GCRYC

Lake Kurwongbah, Pine Rivers, Queensland

8 January 2007

Day 1 – Marbleheads

25 keen, eager and nervous sailors registered for the 2007 Marblehead Championship this morning.  The day looked very promising meteorologically, a nice little breeze, say 4 knots, was blowing straight out of the middle of the lake, say nor’-nor’east.  The sun was bright; and few clouds offered any respite.  Slip, slop, slap!  The forecast was for increasing winds, but forecasts? … eh!

Jeff Byerley was the PRO for today, and the rest of the Marblehead Championship, and he instructed a crew of 9 or 10 sub-officers.  Then he instructed the 25 skippers, the usual stuff ― starboard is good, windward is bad, settle all protests on the water, or else!!, get a clean start when they fire the cannon and no T-boning below the waterline.

The first race in two heats, 13 boats and 12 boats, sorted out the rankings into the B heat, the slower boats and first to race, and the A heat, the faster boats and last to race, for Race 2.  Race 2 Heat B started 14 boats.  The fastest 4 boats were promoted to Race 2 Heat A to join the other 11 boats and those 15 boats raced for the first 15 places.  The next 10 places were the 10 boats still in Race 2 Heat B in order.  Then the slowest 4 boats in Race 2 Heat A were demoted to Race 3 Heat B.  Around we went again, the fastest 4 boats in Heat B got promoted to Heat A.  Heat A raced, all 25 places got assigned in order and the 4 slowest boats got demoted to the next Heat B.  That’s how the races ran all day.  That’s the Heat Management System.

The wind stayed pretty consistent until Heat A in the second or third race when it veered toward the east and nearly died for 10 to 15 minutes.  Then it backed to nor’-nor’east again and stayed there for the rest of the day.  Toward midday it got a bit stronger and most skippers changed to a smaller rig.  It eased off a little in the afternoon.  The clouds came and went and the temperature was warm.

About one o’clock, after 5 races with 1 discard, we stopped for lunch.  The standings had firmed up somewhat and Greg Torpy was very much in the lead, with the rest of the fleet closely staggered behind.

After lunch, back in the water, more of the same.  One boat got dismasted.  Then the problems began to drift into the racing ― weed! ― from out in the middle of the lake.  First we abandoned the leeward buoy which appeared to be in a weed collection area and used the near start buoy as the leeward buoy for the triangle.  This shortened the course by about 100 metres and necessitated finishing downwind!

We persevered for a couple of races, then after the eighth race the PRO called a meeting of all skippers.  “Did you want to call it a day and hope the weed disappears overnight?  The vote has to be unanimous.”  The 24 remaining skippers were ‘unanimously’ keen and eager to call it a day.

To be continued…