The Brisbane IOM challenge was held at Carbrook and for many of us it was the first visit to the new venue, across the entrance road from the old pond.

Saturday's wind saw racing with a first work set towards or parallel to the control area. Jeff Byerley and the untiring boat crew did their level best to lay good courses in a fluctuating wind. Tales of woe included "runner weed", a keel that fell out & missing a heat. Inevitably the leaders began to move well away from the rest of us at the end of day one. Sunday morning was almost perfect radio yachting conditions. The breeze had swung through 180 degrees giving a good view of the start line and work to the top mark in a breeze with enough shift in it to keep everyone on their toes.

Fortunes were made and lost on that top mark! Ben Smith sporting what might have been a bad hangover, had a blinder. In the afternoon the breeze reverted to the South (or was that East with some North in it?) and very trying conditions including: Off the breeze starts (the only option without entirely relocating), pile ups on the wing mark, blood sugar levels dropping, batteries failing, (sorry Liz), and sailing into a setting sun saw tempers shorten.

The final positions speak for themselves. Well done Greg, Ben and Josh.  And of course thanks to the canteen hands, club house builders, scorers and all the helpers who make it happen.
Thanks to everyone for another weekend of good radio sailing However one final point. Many a penalty was taken, but many were not. I always leave these weekends (not just this one) with a problem: The Rules. There's no point in weighing our boats in to the last gram then flaunting the basic rules of on the water sailing. Just because the OOD doesn't see an infringement, we can't assume 10 other competitors either in a heat or on the shore don't either.

Rule 60.1 Means any of us can protest an infringement on the water. We are meant to be self policing. We all make mistakes and I'm sure there's not a boat out there that I haven't contacted. But it doesn't get another sailors respect to climb the results page with rough house behaviour.   IOM’s are getting lighter & lighter so we need to be more careful of each others boats and we are only doing our sport a disservice if we don't try to avoid collisions and ALL take our penalties.

See you all at Hervey Bay
Geoffrey Datson

RACE REPORT by Allan Walker

Sat...light fickle breezes from the s/sw saw a slow start to the event ,but fair for all.as the day progressed and the breeze clocked around [and around and around],the pro,s patience was severely tested and the golf course beckoned.of course the sea breeze eventually found it's way across straddie and the broadwater and a couple of kilometres of farmland to arrive just in time for the sun looking back at us from the west.pro's answer was downwind starts,congesting onto leeward mark,directly into the sun with all sailors frantically trying to i.d.their boats,covered by the fleet upwind.a bit different but exciting and as always the [s]cream settles at the top.   sun....another day with beautiful sailing in a consistent and predictable w/sw breeze.the breeze clocked round to the south and further to provide plenty of course changes eventually settling in the e/ne requiring old pro to improvise with some reaching starts included.a deserved result for "torps",winning comfortably.first time on  the podium for ben leigh-smith sailing "knuckles"old disco,after super fix and tune up by bill clancy and also first time at the prize table for josh torpy who guaranteed his pocket money from dad for the near future.noticeable performer was john white with his brand new cockatoo,watch out for this green and gold performer.if the rumour is correct that carbrook is getting access back to the old lake with launching facilities opposite the "royal carbrook"clubhouse,it will be a fantastic venue.with the newly located iom venue at emerald lakes[arguably the best facility in the world according to a well known pro] then iom sailing in this part of the world is really going forward with a great and confident future.

Regards,allan walker

BRISBANE ONE METRE CHALLENGE

Historical Results;

1997 1^st Fleet Racing : Eduard COWELL (Inaugural)

1997 1^st Match Racing : Richard BYERLEY (Inaugural)

1998 1^st Fleet Racing : Not Known

1998 1^st Match Racing : Not Known

1999 1^st Fleet Racing : Not Known

1999 1^st Match Racing : Not Known

2000 1^st Fleet Racing : Peter KAMPE

2000 1^st Match Racing : Peter KAMPE

2001 1^st Fleet Racing : Paul JONES

2001 1^st Match Racing : Michael GRIEVES

2002 1^st Fleet Racing : Eduard COWELL

2002 1^st Match Racing : Eduard COWELL

2003 1^st Fleet Racing : Greg WILLIS

2003 1^st Match Racing : Bill CLANCY

2004 1^st Fleet Racing : Brad GIBSON

2004 1^st Match Racing : Brad GIBSON

2005 1^st Fleet Racing : Allan WALKER

N.B. Match Racing has been abolished

2006 1^st Fleet Racing : Greg TORPY