Season Fleet Record

On the final weekend of racing for 2012, a season record fleet of 17 boats hit the water. With an 18, Taipan, Hobie Waves, Getaway and 12 Hobie 16's, the fleet gave good practice for those heading off to the Hobie Nationals after Christmas. Conditions were light with a nor-easter during the day but by race 4, the southerly tempted some of the fleet on a new course.

Excitement one the water began even before race 1 with John and Kyle testing a new rig on the 16, submarine style. Joining in on the action, Will and Patrick went for a swim on there way to the top mark. Race 2 saw 14 boats finish all within close time of each other, a great sign that all crews were enjoying the comfortable conditions. The breeze lightened off after lunch as the southerly tried to poke it's head around the point and we weren't sure whether the finish line was then upwind or downwind.

Next Sunday is the Christmas party so those not already on holidays play nice and see if Santa arrives for a BBQ lunch. Safe travels to those driving, flying or cruising over Christmas and good luck to team Vincentia competing in Melbourne at the Hobie Nationals.

Light Winds and Close Finishes

Although Sunday was a near perfect beach day, a little more breeze was on order from most Vincentia sailors. 3 races were held in a light easterly under the shadow of a sea fog that rolled into the bay. Egbert made the most of the light conditions on the Tiapan in the first race taking line honours sharing it with Di on corrected times. The second race was shortened to 1 lap and John proudly took line honours and 1st place on corrected times on his 16. Some of the closest finishes all season were in race 2 with 1 second splitting Egbert and Di and also Quinny and Gilby and only 5 minutes across the 10 boat fleet. After lunch 3, a marathon race had many skippers leave their crews on the beach to sail single handed, with Quinny taking the flag with Will and Pat winning on corrected times.

Good luck to team Vincentia who will travel to Wangi this coming weekend to compete in the NSW Hobie State Titles, safe travels.

Strong Breeze Postpones Racing

Racing on Sunday was postponed as a 30 knot nor-easter took hold over the bay. Some of the brave sailors did take to the water with the Hobie Waves getting a workout and the club 16 was granny rigged with a 14 main. Reports are it performed well in the strong breeze until Dobbo decided crewing was hard work and wanted to take back the skippers position before the guys ended up taking a swim.

A Full Complement for Farewells and Welcomes

A nearly full club complement of 14 catamarans hit the water on the weekend in beautiful conditions on Sunday. The morning race was a held in a light easterly before the nor-easter kicked in for the afternoon. In the 18’s, Gilby kept his bows in front more often to spoil the party for Rachael’s last day crewing . The 10 strong 16 fleet saw competitive sailing across all placings with sailors thinking about the upcoming state titles. It was also a welcome return to Skewesy who receives play of the day for his swim off a broken trap wire, welcome back.

Terrific Day for Trying Out Sailing

The ‘Try Sailing Day’ at Vincentia was a great success with beginners and experienced sailors testing out the range of Hobie sailing craft on Sunday. A building nor-easterly gave ideal conditions for cruising around in front of the beach and as the wind strengthened, for sailing fast and pushing the limits which saw a couple of the Hobie 16’s crew’s take a swim. Racing will resume this Sunday which will see the final races of the spring handicap and novice races series.

Sailing Season at Vincentia Sailing Club is Underway

The 2012-2013 sailing season began in September at the Vincentia Sailing Club and our sailors have been enjoying the terrific conditions. Sunday’s races saw a small fleet on the water in light wind conditions. Early in the day, the crew aboard the hobie Getaway were distracted by 4 whales playing in the bay. When racing got underway, an excitable race committee set the starts with flag signals fit for launching aircraft. The conditions favoured the lightweight boats and crews and Egbert and Siebren on the Taipan 4.9 took line honours in races 1 and 2. Nick and James and Scott sailing single handed gave husband and wife team Mick and Rebecca a run for their money in the hobie 16 fleet.

During lunch, the boys on the paddle boards and kayaks tested the sets rolling in around Plantation Point while the social members and sailors enjoyed a bbq feast. After lunch a change in the wind direction provided some new course layouts and the Taipan again took out lines honours with Mick and new crew Grace holding out the hobie 16 fleet.

This coming Sunday, 4^th November, is the NSW sailing associations ‘Try Sailing Day’, so the Vincentia Sailing Club is open for inspection. For anyone who has ever wanted a sailing experience or needs an excuse to put their own boat in the water, our experienced club members will be at the club from 10am. For more details on the club please visit www.vincentiasailingclub.com.au

Great Day on the Bay

The day started with a mild southerly and Egbert enjoying the conditions to take the first race. Dobbo tried to take down his sail at the start line but thought better of it. The light wind continued for the second race but with a change of course, and the boats took a flying reach back to the clubhouse for lunch. Races 3 and 4 started with a stronger southerly blowing with Andrew jumping the start and having to take a penalty turn but still coming back to win Race 3. The conditions made for two quick races before the storm rolled in later that evening.

Scott

The Fleet Builds

Sunday started out fine and sunny, a steady NE breeze blowing 10-12 knots tempting 11 boats to the water for a battle of great sailing skills. The first 2 heats aided by a good breeze saw Egbert and Siebren over the line followed closely by the remaining fleet. After a well deserved lunch break, 7 boats took up the challenge for round 2. First heat saw Quinny and Rachael over the line first with a dying breeze made slower times for the remaining boats and heat 2 was then called off. The afternoon was completed with a cold drink and a friendly chat.

Good luck and safe travels to those competing in regattas this long weekend

graeme

Welcome Season 2012-13

A good number of VSC members were in attendance to the first sailing day of the new season, keen to catch up and sail, hardly surprising after a Autumn & Winter break of almost 5 months long. (For most of us the last sailing weekend was the one in Batemans Bay on 21+22/April.)

We were all reminded by the rather chilly weather conditions that it’s only 2 weeks into Spring, but luckily we were treated to a rather steady 15+ knots North Easterly, keeping all sailors busy enough to stop them from getting cold.

7 Teams were in attendance on the water, all of whom displayed exemplary courteous behaviour at the start of race#1, crossing the starting line a good 10 seconds late, allowing Hobie 16 skipper Patrick and his crew Nick and Joseph to get the first race of the Novice Skipper series nicely underway.

Results are coming soon so check them out for more details. A big thank you to Howard and several other volunteers for treating us all to a yummy bbq lunch, and thank you Graham for assisting with the on water race duties.

Egbert

Hobie 18's Return To Bolster The Fleet

With the sun shining and a light SE breeze at the top mark and a SW at the bottom mark, eleven boats greeted the starters gun. Quinny was back, as was Jeremy on the 18's & two Waves were mixing with the large 16 fleet. Egbert on the Taipan was showing that these were his conditions in race 1 while MB took the gun in race 2.

Safe travels to those heading away for easter and good luck to the Tyler, Nick, Patrick and Will competing in the school boys regatta.

Gilby

Media Attraction at Vincentia Sailing Club

The enthusiasm of the six Hobie 16, one Taipan and two Hobie Wave sailors was a little light on as the morning presented itself a bit overcast and with little to no wind. Finally, after our Commodore taking well in excess of his normal time to rig, due to the media wanting to record his every movement for the day, one race was held in a light south easterly breeze. However, as this was such a slow race, all adjourned to the club house for our usual bbq lunch. The short break was just what the wind gods needed as the three races after lunch on the same course as the morning, saw the race times increase with each race. Was that the increasing wind, the improving skill of the sailors or had we all woken up. All races were seemly uneventful however each start provided entertainment for those on the start boat as some of the crews got tangled with each other after running out of start line. The day finished with an appearance from our playful pod of dolphins and Jervis Bay bathed in bright sunshine from blue skies.

John

Fun Day on a Sunday

After a few weekends of wet weather, the sun popped it's head out for our march fun and recreation day. In a light easterly, the fleet took to a cruise in the bay until the breeze dropped in time for lunch. After lunch a nor-easter began to build and a short course was set. Without the start boat, a variation on the start line was adopted, which we caught on to after a while.

From all reports, it looks like fun over in the Philippines with Mick and Worsty representing Hobie at the 12th Philippine Hobie Challenge, Good luck for the rest of the week boys. Good luck also to Ebgert and Siebren who are competing at the Taipan National Titles this coming weekend.

For those not travelling away sailing, we are helping out with the Shark Bait Swim this Sunday morning. It's an early start so the more hands the merrier.

Dolphins on Cue

After a season of spot on weather forecasts from seabreeze, we missed out on the predicted strong nor-easter on Sunday. The day started a promising breeze but faded during the afternoon as a misty rain set in. Dobbo and Fiona, keen to take the season clean-sweep, took line and handicap honours in both races 1 and 2. In between races, a pod of dolphins cruised through the starting area, riding bow-waves of hobie's and the dolphin watch boat.

After lunch, the breeze dropped and from a lucky port tack of the start, James and sailing debutante Emily, took out line honours in race 3. Looking comfortable with the tiller, Patrick guided Mick around the course all day and took out line honours in a one lap blast to finish racing off for the day.

Many New Hobie Faces Share The Bay

On Sunday, our magnificent bay was shared between our club racing and a large range of Hobie kayaks at Hobie's 'Big Day Out'. About 50 kayaks took to the water in the morning and many new faces were welcomed to our beach. Whether it was the new faces, the pod of dolphins swimming around, or the ideal conditions for some single handed sailing but some showboating was going on amongst the Hobie 16's.

Play of the day goes to Mick for capsizing his 16 whilst sailing one up. Not to be outdone, Will and Patrick thought Mick's boat needed a second swim and Di and Meg joined in on the capsize action. Race 1 and 2 were held close to shore, giving spectators a great view of the racing. Egbert and Siebren took line honours in both races before lunch and Howard performed well with supercrew Andrew onboard to lead the Autumn pointscore. Your storyteller headed off early and missed out on the afternoon session so what happened in race 3, stays in race 3.

Watch this space for any updates on this weekends camping trip.

Directions to One Tree Camp Site

Three Series in a Row for the Dobinator

Racing on Sunday wrapped up the summer pointscore series with Peter Dobson and Fiona McCue taking out their third straight pointscore series win. In the hotly competitive series, only 3 points separated Dobbo from James 2^nd and Andrew 3^rd with Mick only 7 points behind. Three races were run with a nor-easter building during the afternoon. Andrew’s course made for exciting finishes with the finish line on the end of a couple of lengthy reaches. Line honours in both race 1 and 2 were taken by Egbert and Siebren on their Tiapan. After lunch, if the building nor-easter wasn’t enough excitement for everyone, John showed us all how to un-intentionally abandon ship, but skipper, crew and boat were quickly picked up and returned to shore. Race 3 got underway and showcased a couple of capsizes from Dobbo and James. The autumn poinstscore series begins next weekend so see you all on water then.

Gloomy start - Sunny finish

The day started out rather gloomy, but the die hard still arrived and started rigging. This was a good move as after the early showers the day slowly cleared and turned on some great sailing. The course for the day was set with a gate to leeward and the start/finish line half way up the work, which doubled as a gate through which the fleet was required to sail on each windward leg. This gave duty team Peate and Bailey opportunity to get some great photos of our sailors in action!

Race 1.
Seven boats hit the start line in a 12-14 knot sou-easter. The breeze held fairly steady until the last downwind, when the wind kicked in to close to 20 knots. Egbert/Siebren held a slim lead, with Mick/Pat and Andrew/Will - there was only 30 seconds between 1st and 3rd. For added excitement, a visiting H16 had a Man Overboard moment over near Plantation Point, which lead to most of the fleet and the finish boat heading over to assist. All ended well, with the visitors sailing back to the beach intact.

Race 2.
On what was a rather short start line, Mick, Andrew and Dobbo all broke the start, with only Andrew/Will restarting! The breeze faded a little in this race and was a little flakey, but James and fill in crew Eva were the first 16 home, but couldn't get close to Egbert and Siebren on the flying Taipan 4.9! Andrew and Will did well to fight back and finished only 15 seconds behind James.

Race 3.
After a long leisurely lunch, prepared by VSC'c own masterchef Ofer, The fleet set out with a steady breeze, a clearing sky and a couple of crew changes. Lachy Crittle jumped on board with James, and a visitor, Andrew, joined Egbert on the Taipan. After a clean start (and a longer start line) Andre and Mick fought hard for the win, with Andre and Will coming out on top 15 seconds ahead of the Butlers. Egbert was only 30 seconds behing, and the just 30 seconds behind hime cam James and Dobbo separated by less than 9 seconds! Scott and Meg rounded out the fleet only a minute later.

Race 4.
A beautiful steady 14-15 knot sou-easter and clear blue sky made the last race of the day near perfect sailing. James took advantage of a nice little puff and sailed a masterful first downwind to take the lead with the rest of the fleet close behind through the leeward gate. The racing was so close that most of the sailors were unaware that the shark patrol plane was circling Nelsons Beach with the shark siren blaring for quite some time! Experience prevailed, and Mick managed to snatch the lead and took line honours in the final race. Scott and Meg finished well, but then chose to have a dip on the sail home - hmmm, I didn't think it was that hot...........

Mick Butler said at the end of the day "there is something wrong with you of you didn't enjoy your sailing today!"

Crews Take The Tillers

Sunday saw a return to racing in 2012 at Vincentia Sailing Club. After a busy Christmas and new years break, a small fleet took to the water for one race in some shifty and rainy conditions. A new race format had skippers take the sheets and hand the tiller over to the crews. A sou-east course was set, but glimpses of a nor-east bought about a course change. By the time the fleet were at the top mark, a westerly finished off the race. Rachael and James took out line honours with Will and Andrew snapping at their rudders.

Jake and Rohan - Australian Champions

The Hobie Cat Australian Championships held in Mooloolaba last week attracted a fleet of 69 hobie 16's and 7 hobie 18's. The Vincentia Sailing Club was represented with 7 crews and a big Congratulations to Jake and Rohan who won the Hobie 18 Australian Title. In celebrating their success, Jake commented that it came down to their rigorous training schedule and flying his specialist crew in from Vietnam. Richard and Rachael took out third place. In the Hobie 16 divisions, Mick Butler and Worsty won the Masters title and took out second place in the open division. Glen and Ashley, Andrew and Georgii, James and Rachael, Dobbo and Fiona showcased the depth of sailing talent at VSC with good performances throughout the regatta. For the full results and some more photos, check out the nationals website, www.hobiecatnationals.com.au