Castle 550 Trailer Sailer
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Richmond River Sailing and Rowing Club website: www.rrsrc.com.au P.O. Box 963 Ballina 2478 Commodore Phill Robbins Club Newsletter 27/11/19 0466668541 Vice Commodore Jonathan Horsley POST - HARWOOD MINI NEWSLETTER 0412798505 Rear Commodore Chris Hallett 0414866998 Secretary Nola Hallett 0414866999 Treasurer Col Woodbury Class Reps Gennakers – Michael Wiley Catamarans – Michael Cocks Trailers – Paul Morris Monos – Graham Hams Rowing Officer Graham Hams Website Admin Mark Pierce Publicity Officer Trent Morgan Training Club Committee ALL EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE TO: [email protected] CONTENTS 2. Race Reports 5. Upcoming Away Events 7. Marketplace THAT’S HARWOOD!!! A couple of reports from last weekend’s smoky Harwood Regatta inside… 1 Richmond River Sailing and Rowing Club website: www.rrsrc.com.au P.O. Box 963 Ballina 2478 RS100’s 23-24 November 2019 (thanks Duncan – Ed) Seven RS100’s attended the inaugural RS100 NSW state championships at Harwood on the weekend of 23- 24 November 2019. Reining national champion David Williamson drove up from Melbourne with his own boat, plus a second that RRSRC’s David Scott had just bought. The rest of the RS100 team from RRSRC and Paul Greer from Lake Wivenhoe were able to get through the fire zone at New Italy ready for Saturday’s Race 1, in a 20-knot nor-easter. Vince was sporting a new mainsail but lost it out of the mast track. Garry and Paul also DNF-ed. David Scott raced home before the fire closed the Highway (yet again) and made it to a compulsory family event. Meanwhile, three boats continued up the Clarence River towards Iluka. The wind started gusting to 30- knots and Duncan hunkered down with a new race plan: don’t try to beat the heavyweights in front, just finish and take third place. He arrived home battered and bruised after half a dozen non-fatal capsizes. David had lead the trio to Iluka but then raised a spinnaker and paid the price. Bill sailed past and dropped his kite to carry on and win the race by five minutes, with zero capsizes. Saturday counted for two races in the state series, and so it should as we worked for an hour to Iluka, ran for an hour (against the tide) back to the Highway bridge, and then worked again for 20 minutes to finish at the club. Sunday’s format was two short races round the buoys. Seven boats finished race 2, in another rising nor- easter. Congratulations to David S on getting round the course in a new class of boat. Vince took line honours from David W, then Bill, then Duncan, then Garry, then Paul. By the time we started Race 3, the wind had reached Saturday’s peak and boats started to scatter. Finishing were Bill, David, Vince, Duncan. Series results may appear one day but should be: NSW state champion 2019 = Bill Heuchmer in Shachi; 2nd = David Williamson in Willpower; 3rd = Duncan Dey in Casper; 4th = Vince Selleck in 5BuckaRoo$; 5th = Garry Scott in HooRay; 6th = Paul Greer in Batfink; and 7th = David Scott in Wine Down. RS 100s STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS REPORT (from Vince) Congratulations Bill for becoming the inaugural NSW State RS 100 Champion. Well done David W for driving all the way from Melbourne and for consistency, coming 2nd in every race. Also excellent to see Duncan get to the podium after doggedly hanging in for every race to get 3rd. 2 Richmond River Sailing and Rowing Club website: www.rrsrc.com.au P.O. Box 963 Ballina 2478 The conditions on Day 1 were over the edge with punishing gusts rolling off the North shore of the Clarence river. It was a survival day with only a couple of glimpses of kite action followed by time in the water. A solid 20 leaving the beach, ahead of a steady 25 gusting 30 prior to the Ericson skycrane landing for water in the middle of the river ahead of David increasing the downdraft for just a little extra un-needed pressure. Bill H got around the whole course without a swim and won the war of attrition. David W made it it with fewer swims than Duncan who were the only starters and finishers for the 2 hr passage race worth double points in the series. Vincent needed to be rescued before he left the shore when about to launch he took one step too far and slid from knee deep up to his neck on the muddy Clarence river bank. with one hand on his capsizing craft and tippy toes in the mud the tide grabbed hold and his tenuous grip on the shore faded all hope. Looking at the boat with no centreboard down drifting into deep water he yelled "Help!" several times. One brave young skiff lady came to the rescue grabbing his hand in a monkey grip and started slipping seaward as well. Once the assembled gentleman stopped smirking and realised there was now a damsel in distress, it took 6 linked bodies to drag the boat back to shore. That was the beginning of the end as once 3 Richmond River Sailing and Rowing Club website: www.rrsrc.com.au P.O. Box 963 Ballina 2478 Vincent got out to the course he capsized, turtled and when he recovered, his brand new mainsail ripped totally out of the mast track. His only saving grace was making back to shore unaided by holding up a piece of mainsail off the deck. Paul Greer capsized near the start line and was run over by a trailer sailor, who got a ladder and his rudder tangled on the side stays of Paul's boat. The shrouds cut a nice track into the offending rudder and once it was finally unwrecked, Paul lowered his main and got towed in. David Scott decided it was not a good day for his first sail on his new RS 100 and wisely drove home through the smoke and chaos of the nearby emergency level fire ground instead, to return the next day. Garry Scott saw the writing on the wall and returned to the beach and all the Formula 15 skiffs didn't leave the beach bar one that had to be rescued DNS. Day 2 was sensational with a morning race started in about 10 knots of NE sea breeze filling in and strengthening as we sailed three times around the buoys in front of the club. Dave Scott was glowing after he finished his first race and everyone completed the course. Vincent got a good start and a nice lane of breeze to pull ahead followed closely by David W with Bill H snapping at their heels. David W had a poor drop at the first Leeward turn and Bill passed him, but David recovered by the third work to take 2nd behind a victorious Vincent and Bill third. 2nd race, wind picked up, gusty tough conditions again David Scott ( new owner of Winedown) decided to stay ashore and most of the rest of started. David W showed his speed as did Vince, with Bill hanging in there till the start of the last downwind when Vince and David capsized, leaving Bill Heuchmer to do the Bradbury, taking out the last race and the inaugural RS100 NSW state title. 4 Richmond River Sailing and Rowing Club website: www.rrsrc.com.au P.O. Box 963 Ballina 2478 Thanks to Big River sailing club, to all the competitors , a mighty effort to get there a get out on the water. It was a great weekend and a real chance to showcase the class with a couple of skippers from other boats having a try on Sunday morning. A big thanks to David "heart of gold" Williamson for going the extra mile and delivering the fifth boat for our Ballina fleet, helping tune up the other boats and lending Bill a good mainsail for the event. There is good case for making this a regular fixture. More from Vince….. Well, it was an interesting weekend just past. The initial races of the Formula 15 States were to be run in conjunction with the Harwood Regatta, but it didn't exactly go to plan. I'll put a fuller report and photos on the F15 Facebook page, but suffice to say here, the road down being blocked by bush fires and the winds blowing at near gale both days put a dampener on the sailing, although not on the social side. Hero of the weekend was Francine who, seeing Vincent in his RS in trouble with his landing and quickly being swept away by the tide, ran down to offer him a hand to stem the tide. Vincent grabbed her outreached hand, only for Francine to be pulled off the bank to join Vincent in the tide. Bill saw what was happening and offered Francine his hand, only to join her in the tide as well. In the end an human chain brought everyone back to the beach. 5 Richmond River Sailing and Rowing Club website: www.rrsrc.com.au P.O. Box 963 Ballina 2478 6 Richmond River Sailing and Rowing Club website: www.rrsrc.com.au P.O. Box 963 Ballina 2478 Home & Away Events If anyone knows of any events or would like an event posted please let me know - Ed ([email protected]) MONOMASTERS!! November 30th - December 1st Lake Cootharaba Sailing Club. 7 Richmond River Sailing and Rowing Club website: www.rrsrc.com.au P.O. Box 963 Ballina 2478 SAIL SYDNEY 2019 Thu Dec 12 - Sun Dec15 - Woollahra Sailing Club Entries Now Open! A massive fleet of local, national and international sailors is preparing to take on the first major event in the Australian regatta season when Sail Sydney starts on 12 December 2019.