Well, we got back to our usual DAC weather today.  Winds SW to S to SE and back again…. repeatedly.  Perhaps a few times it resembled the forecast.  We had rather cold then very warm; heavy overcast then bright sunshine… Never take anything for granted!

So 18 of us turned up to see what we could do.

Graham Brown set a course on each side of the deck, hoping to accommodate the fickle breezes.  It was as near as he could get it to suit the conditions. He set a long start/finish line and a long course both up and down wind, so it kept most of us apart for most of the time. We ended up with winds ranging from 1.6kn to 7.5kn; and gust up to 20kn – rather variable!.  The initial thought was to start on A sails, but that was washed out by the time of the first race.  We started on B sails, and ended with possibly half the fleet on C sails.

We used the western side course to start with, but switched to the eastern side when it looked like more breeze there.  That was OK for a few races – then it fizzled.  We were half way through changing sides again, and  the wind came back, so we changed back to the east side again; and there we stayed for the rest of the day.

We had a number of hookups that disappointed those involved; and being in the low tide cycle, there were a number of groundings as well – just to keep us on our toes.  A number of us were shaking our heads thinking of what we should have done.

I take my hat off to the quiet achievers Phil Stevenson and Martin Thearle… you do not see too much of them during the races, but they are always there at the top of the list at the end of the day.  Consistent sailing and positioning on the course all the time.

Phil took out 4 first places and John Hickey, Stephen Deane, Noel McPherson and Narelle Derwent 1 each – well done Narelle!

Phil Stevenson took out well deserved honours today – first place with 9 points.

Martin Thearle took second place on a countback from Noel McPherson on 25 points.

There were countbacks to resolve a number of placings through the fleet, and given the conditions I felt the placings were all rather tight.

Brian Chapman will be back next week, so I’ll leave the Club Championship for him to sort out!

Our next sail will be next Thursday 17 September as a Scratch Event.

I want to wish all those sailors competing in the National Championships in Emerald Lakes, Queensland fair winds and good luck.  I’ll be following with interest.

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