Oceanhippie.net - Tom's Blog

Airlie Beach Race week update.

This year various DSC Sailors are competing on various Southern boats and the DSC boat Shaw Thing is here, and at of writing of Monday all are still on functioning boats – not a given with gusts past 30 Knots. One third of the Sports Boats div 2 were out yesterday, but the missing rudder of “fuzzy Logic” was washed ashore and has been returned hopefully they’ll be back. Others have not been so lucky, Fez, a Stealth Catamaran, sister ship to Nautilus capsized on Friday, all on board are fine.

If this makes the Cyber Spinnaker before the end of regatta boats to watch are:

• Toby Warton is on ‘Reo Speedwagon’, in Trailables & Sports Boats Div1
• Sue Turnbull is on ‘Y Knot’ in Performance Cruising Div2
• Leading the NT Entrants is Aden Mgrath on Kiss currently 3rd in Trailables & Sports Boats Div1
• DSC’s Shaw Thing, with DSC sailors Dave Gray, Hamish Denholm and Tom Griffiths are in Trailables & Sports Boats Div2
• Annika and Tommo (Ocean Crusaders) are here with their TP52 Jbird in Rating Passage Div
• Tom Vincent and Lisa Denvir are on ‘Anarchy’ in “Performance Racing”

A View from Shaw Thing:

Day one we had a breakage, only the pole outhaul but no spinnaker for a 9 mile leg hurt us, but with gusts past 25 knots wind and waves as big as the boat many others chose to leave their kites down. Tom nearly got washed of the boat but has been “Marked safe from Airlie Beach Day 1” 

We got an absolute hosing off the cones (Double Cone Island) with the boat doing 16 knots under white sail only.

Day 2 saw a solid start keeping up with the other two Shaw’s “Situation Normal” and “Black Betty” at least until the wind went ballistic again, but we made though the wind and tides. Trying to short tack up a narrow channel in 25kn gusts with a big fat cruiser who broaches all time will make a man of you. We got it done and we got the bear way done and the kite up. 

NEW SPEED RECORD FOR THE BOAT is 19.5kn

(with the smallest kite)

I unfortunately ran out of talent at Bluff, or the wind went horrific or both, its not entirely clear. We spent a good 20 minutes with mast in the water and the keel out. 10 out of ten points to Matt – who hopped onto the keel saved the day and smugly climbed back over as the boat came up and Hamish and Dave managed to haul the kite out from under the keel, then we limped un main alone till the jib sheet could be fixed. Its was still gusting 30+ when we got it back up and finished. And we weren’t last, this we still weren’t last. Then Dave fell off.

Day 3 Barry from “Situation Normal” durree in mouth is going ‘I don’t what to do this’ in the boat yard his cigarette end glowing brightly as the winds fanned it, we bravely took Shaw thing’s small sails out and the smallest kite and ventured forth. This was a proper race, we were competitive on the start, so competitive I went back cos I thought I was over. We saw the Reo with Toby on loose they’re jib halyard – it was still blowing 20ks+ but we made the upwind mark hoisted and set off down hill the other Shaw’s were flying more sails than us, but we had a good run burning the only remaining Thompson off. Great save by Hamish who went in on a gybe and came back up the mainsheet and over the transom like a salmon up a river. We were only 100 meters from “Black Betty” approaching the top mark, but the wind shadow of the hills and our small rig meant that blew out quick. We managed to get out in to the 25 kn stream of wind that came up the Channel and got a score of 16.5knots. That plus the reduced fleet got us 4^th. 

We’re on the lay day with three more days of 20Kn+ to go, boat is still sailing, we’ve all been in the drink at least twice, except Matt. I’d better stop this now and go repair the Jib!