Nomad Mariner

Why would you want to sail a boat other than an OK!

 

 

OK enthusiasts have again participated in a weekend of fun but hard racing. This time however a road trip was required because this weekend the racing was at the Big River Sailing Club in Northern New South Wales.

 

The Big River Sailing Club is situated on the banks of the Clarence River surrounded by the cane fields of Harwood Island. The club is quite small with a membership of just over 50, and while it’s a very family orientated club, the sailing is taken seriously and the courses are always a challenge. The river conditions too often add a unique degree of difficulty. That members take a very active role in the running of not only the races but the activities associated with the club creates a great dynamic within the members and adds to the warm atmosphere experienced by guests.

 

While in previous years the club has held an exclusive Laser-only regatta, last year OKs were invited to sail with them. One of the Big River Sailing Club’s OK sailors this year coerced other sailors from a number of other clubs to participate, and this expanded the regatta to three other classes: Sabres, Impulses and OKs. The Sabres and Impulses were no shows but the OKs arrived in force with a final fleet of 15 racing. Due to the distance most participants took time off on the Friday to make the drive of around 650 km; quite a commitment. But then again, OK sailors are a rare breed.

 

Saturday morning saw the campers wander out of their tents and slowly make ready for the days events. Club members were already there to provide a breakfast of cereal and coffee. By 1000, the club was beginning to come alive with meals being prepared, entries being taken for the regatta, people launching rescue boats and others setting out tables and chairs. Boats were in various states of being rigged while conversations were being conducted elsewhere throughout the grounds.

 

At the 1300 race briefing, the commodore welcomed everyone and laid out the law: what happens on the water stays on the water! The race officer then proceeded to explain his convoluted course to all the skippers. The river makes a full triangle course impossible. This means two things: a) more marks are required to be set; and b) the course gets pretty interesting. Navigating becomes essential and it’s easy to make a mistake.

 

The start for the first race was set for 1330 but ended up a bit later due to the length of the briefing. One good thing about racing on a river is that you are never far from the start line. The first start was tight ― as it always is with OKs ― and it was probably just as well the race officers were lenient with line breakers as a lot of boats misjudged the current and found themselves in all sorts of strife. Still, the start was fair and, as is always the case, the cream rose to the top. The wind was a nice 12 – 15 knots at most, enough to get most out hiking.

 

The first race saw Tim Davies and Darren Hunt clear out from the fleet and fight out for the win on their own. Tim eventually took the win from Darren and Peter Robinson having a well deserved third with his great off wind speed, “mind you it helped that the down wind leg was the longest and against the river current!”

The second race was held directly after the last boat finished race one. As before, the start was tight. This time, people were giving the current more respect. The race consisted of the same course, but with the windward mark being extended out further. This made for a better beat as well as testing the legs more. It also made the down wind leg even longer. So, with the tide fully flowing out, strategies for avoiding the worse of the flow were critical.

 

Once again Tim Davies took out first with his brother, Gareth Wells, showing great form taking out second. Peter Wallace took third place comfortably.

 

With the weather being perfect and still plenty of daylight left it was decided to go for a third race This time Tim Davies came second to his brother Gareth Wells who sailed a very good race. Third place went to Darren Hunt.

 

What a pleasure to be able to pull the boats out of the water and onto the clubs grounds. No de-rigging was required, just a quick wash down and check of the gear before throwing the covers over. Showers were hot and plentiful so people quickly returned to the Club’s porch with beers in hand ready to talk over the day’s fun.

 

This year marked the Big River Sailing Club introduction to “the Rum Bucket”: an event that is still new to the NSW association but fast becoming an accepted tradition.

The beauty about camping at the club is that it avoids having to drive. The end result was that much “Rum Bucketing” took place by a select few. This was offset by the club catering crew, who put on an excellent supper with lots of food. In fact, it was a credit to them that they actually managed to fill the OK lads.

 

It was to be only expected that three party animals were still up and carrying on at 03:00. In fact, they were very kind to ensure all who were camping knew this by gaining access to the Club’s portable air horn and megaphone thus keeping everyone posted on their progress.

 

The club has since decided that they would lock up all loud noisy devices for the next time!

 

Day two saw another leisurely start with the Club putting on a good cooked breakfast for all the campers. This set everyone up for the 0930 briefing and 1000 start.

 

In the first race, with the wind light from the west, there was an urgency to have the proceedings underway and finished before the sea breeze would come in and kill the wind. Start was a tough one: right in against the shore from the club. The tide was setting up river, and racers were again being forced prematurely over the line. This time though, there was no room to the right of the line to set up for a starboard lay line start as the river bank was in the way, just to make it a bit more difficult. The course was to be a simple figure eight with two laps and the wind was light. After the first two marks the boats were running against the tide. Most of the fleet headed directly across the river to the next mark and were in the strongest part of the current. Some of the tail-enders decided to sail along the near bank to avoid the worse of the current with the idea of working up parallel to the next mark before reaching across the river to it. This worked well, and for a while Bill Tyler in particular showed all how to do it. Unfortunately, the wind just died away even before Bill could make the third mark and all racers found themselves slowly sailing backwards, despite still making way through the water. Sensibly the race officers cancelled and all boats went back in to the shore for lunch and to give the sea breeze time to fill in.

 

With the breeze coming in comfortably from the East the Race officers sent racers out on the water again, this time with a new course and a goal of two races.

 

Race four saw what was to be another typically tight start, and with the nice 12-15 knot breeze the OKs quickly made their way around the course. There were plenty of shifts to contend with and a definite wind curve to take into account when crossing the river. All legs were short, and plenty of mark rounding to test skills. Race four saw Tim Davies winning his third race with Peter Robinson taking out second and Glenn Yates pulling out a creditable third.

 

Race five was held straight after Race four and all the boats headed back to the start eager to have another go. By now the wind had set in to a steady breeze, with a bit more to the north but the tide was still on the change so no allowance required. This time, Tim Davies won his fourth race, with what was becoming typical of his minimum mistakes technique. Glenn Williams pulled out a second with Eddie O’Donnell coming third.

 

With the sailing being so good there was still plenty of time. The OKs requested a sixth race to be held. This was readily agreed to by the race officers and again the boats assembled for the last start. By now the current had begun to flow out as the tide change took effect, catching a few out on the start. The race was mostly a soldiers course requiring very few tacks and just out and out boat speed required. Eddie O’Donnell came out on top with an excellent win, followed by Glenn Williams and Tim Davies pulling in a third.

 

Overall, the final results were: 1^st Tim Davies; 2^nd Gareth Wells; 3^rd Glenn Williams third. Eddie O’Donnell took out the travellers trophy as he typically has a mammoth task every time he goes sailing, not only getting his own boat ready but also his two sons as well. Frank Prater took out the sportsman award for his consistently good manners and much improved skills.

 

With the racing being so good and the club being so friendly it would be fair to say that the sailors will be making the journey again next year only this time the talk is to bring more families up and take a bit more time off to enjoy the beautiful area of the Northern Rivers.

 

 

 

 

Place	Sail No	Boat Name	Skipper	Sers Score	Race 6	Race 5	Race 4	Race 3	Race 2	Race 1
1	732	Dune Buggy	T Davies	6.0	[3.0]	1.0	1.0	2.0	1.0	1.0
2	742	Mako	G Wells	16.0	5.0	4.0	[5.0]	1.0	2.0	4.0
3	719	Dilligaf !!	G Williams	22.0	2.0	2.0	7.0	[7.0]	6.0	5.0
4	734	Cracked pepper	E O'Donnell	23.0	1.0	3.0	[14.0]	6.0	5.0	8.0
5	7	A Fine Line	G Yates	24.0	4.0	6.0	3.0	4.0	[8.0]	7.0
5	474	Smash Skippy	D Hunt	24.0	8.0	[9.0]	4.0	3.0	7.0	2.0
7	736	Agent Provokateur	P Robinson	28.0	6.0	[10.0]	2.0	8.0	9.0	3.0
8	716	Natural Selection	P Wallace	31.0	9.0	8.0	[9.0]	5.0	3.0	6.0
9	726	Bundy	P Lynch	38.0	10.0	5.0	10.0	9.0	4.0	[16.0F]
10	692	Dining with devil	B Tyler	44.0	7.0	[12.0]	6.0	10.0	10.0	11.0
11	457	Hi-Je-Tarn ii	C Lynch	53.0	[14.0]	11.0	8.0	12.0	13.0	9.0
12	695	Pale Rider	T O'Donnell	57.0	12.0	7.0	12.0	13.0	[14.0]	13.0
13	685	Once More Dear Legs	J O'Donnell	58.0	13.0	13.0	11.0	[15.0F]	11.0	10.0
14	660	Beaver Fever	J O'Donnell	61.0	11.0	14.0	13.0	11.0	12.0	[14.0]
15	679	In the Black	F Prater	75.0	16.0S	16.0C	15.0	16.0C	[16.0F]	12.0

 

No man will be a sailor.

"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned."

 

"A ship is worse than a gaol. There is, in a gaol, better air, better company, better conveniency of every kind; and a ship has the additional disadvantage of being in danger."

 

"Men go to sea, before they know the unhappiness of that way of life; and when they have come to know it, they cannot escape from it, because it is then too late to choose another profession; as indeed is generally the case with men, when they have once engaged in any particular way of life."
Boswell: Life

A nice childrens quote.

"You have brains in your head.

 You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself

    any direction you choose."

 

"You're off to great places!

    Today is your day!

    Your mountain is waiting.

  So...get on your way!"

 

  Dr Seuss

Video of 2010 Ok dinghy Worlds in Wellington New Zealand. There is a very short shot of my tacking after the bottom mark. AUS 719.

A summer of sailing.

My extended leave this last summer was not only very relaxing there was also a lot of sailing. I had taken up sailing dinghies again after having had a break of 25 years from them and this year was my second season back into it. The reason for taking it up was not only to have fun but to improve my social circle and to have a goal in which to work towards with my fitness and health. The boat I chose to sail is an OK dinghy, which is a single hander with one sail and is competed in over 20 different countries.

Only three regattas attended on my leave but they were big ones.

The first was the Australian championships being held in conjunction with Sail Melbourne at Sandringham Yacht Club, third week in December.

I was able to swing off the Wise Tide II just in time to make the regatta but it was close and made more so by the need to prepare my boat. Work on my house had reached a stage where I had no time for anything else on my previous leave, as I had to get a roof on before the summer rain. Thus the boat preparation was not ideal and I had a lot to do when I arrived in Melbourne. Still I was able to get the work done and out on the water for a couple of hours the day before the regatta, which left me feeling confident that the boat was ready.

The previous nationals I had finished 15^th and felt that I could do a lot better then. So this year when I finished 5^th in the first race I felt elated, the work I had been putting in was paying off. The regatta was mixed conditions and difficult to sail fast in but as always the top sailors were always in the front. I continued my good form and finished 6^th overall but it was close. I was leading the second group of four and there was in the end only 3 points between myself and 9^th, very close.

The leaders in the nationals had just that little bit better boat speed as well as the edge on technique. I knew I had sailed my 17 year old boat as fast as it could go, it had been a long time since a boat of its hull shape had been anywhere near the top ten in a nationals but the chances of my improving positions were slim. I was going to need a newer boat of the modern hull design.

As luck would have it there was a boat for sail in New Zealand and it was in excellent condition as well as proven to be fast. The owner was the current New Zealand champion and was keen to sell the boat before the Worlds. He had damaged tendons in his hand and would be out of sailing for at least a year. He had put a lot of work into preparing the boat for this year’s World Championships, so it was ready for the next owner. After some negotiation we agreed on the price and he also agreed to deliver the boat from Auckland to Wellington so that I could sail it in the New Zealand Nationals/Interdominions and the World championships of which I had been selected to represent Australia.

My plan was always to get over to Wellington early so that I could put some sailing time out on the waters before things got serious. This was a good move as I arrived the night before my boat was delivered and was able to get out the following day for a shakedown sail. The New Zealanders were keen, they were out nearly every day for up to four hours training against each other, usually there were up to nine boats putting in the hard yards and I have to say they were fast. Still I made a good show and by no means was I disgraced however it was a struggle to get used to the new boat and the new rig. OK dinghies are a design that you can adjust and tweak to your own personal satisfaction and no two sailors have it set up the same way. While the guy I bought the boat from was about the same build as me, he was a lot younger and stronger. In Australia the mast I had for my boat was considered to be the stiffest and consequently the hardest to sail in the Nationals. This new mast was probably the stiffest in the world! I simply did not have the strength at that point to work the rig properly and was in a bit of a dilemma. Do I persist with the new rig and hope that I learn how to sail it in the short time that I had or do I replace it with my Australian rig and go with the known set up. In the end I went for what I knew and threw the Aussie rig on to the new hull. It was a good choice as it enabled me to relax and focus on relearning how to sail in large fleets again.

The Australian/New Zealand Interdominions were to be sailed just before the Worlds and the kiwi’s had scheduled 9 races in three days for this. A big ask for a lot of us especially in the strong winds. In the end I raced 5 of the 8 races that were sailed and was glad that I did not try for the extra three races. Again it was a fitness issue and I had to keep in mind that the major focus was the World Championships which were to be ten races in six days, two races a day and one day off for a lay day. The Kiwi’s had shown all of us that they were fit, fast and determined to white wash the event, their training over the last year was paying off in large dividends.

With the two day’s rest, in which we all recovered to some degree and had our boats, sails, mast etc measured, we were ready for the worlds.

In the invitation race not all the Kiwi’s were out there but I had an excellent race finishing 11^th, felt absolutely stoked. Of course I was also very much aware that not everyone was racing at top speed yet, but it sure felt good.

The first three days of racing were in strong winds and despite repeated bad starts, I was able to sail myself out of trouble and into good positions. By the end of the third day I was in 23^rd position and feeling very good.

Over the last two days I blew it with some very bad results up in the 30’s and 40’s. No real excuses and I could only put it down to getting tired and not being able to change to the lighter conditions as well as other competitors. I was in the end a little disappointed but mostly very happy with the final position of 34^th overall out of 74 boats. I had learnt a lot and knew that there was a lot I could improve on quickly so that next time I would sail more consistently and finish better. In the end I was happy, had a lot of fun, learnt a lot and felt that I had had a good result.

For the rest of this year my goal will be to become fitter, stronger and spend lots of time on the water with the new boat and rig to improve boat handling and speed.

Next year the three major events are spread out more and I have requested time off to attend each. The Australian Nationals will be held in Hobart early January, which will be a good regatta and my goal there is for a podium finish. The Australian/New Zealand Interdominions will be held in Melbourne over Easter and I am keen to have another crack at the Kiwi’s with the goal of top ten or better. Finally the Worlds in 2011 will be held in Largs, Scotland late July early August and the goal there is to be in the top twenty.

This of course is all going to depend on the company as to whether or not they agree to give me the time off that I will need and I suspect that to get this time I will have to put the hard yards in to make it so. Still it is good fun and I am happy to keep putting the work in.

 

You would be wrong if you think the next generation is without hope.

I find this message so simple yet so very powerful.

I hope you find it as motivating and encouraging as I do.

Climate changing rapidly

Some of you may well be skeptics with concern to human activity influencing climate change and while Al Gore did an amazing job to bring this to all of our attention, this clip may bring some physical reality to the debate.

I for one am convinced that we are accelerating global warming with our over use of resources in particular fossil fuels. This won't be a concern for those of us in our late forties and onwards but it will for those who are younger. Imagine a world with out oil or at least affordable oil. This could easily happen in the next ten years, where would we be with out cheap transport, cheap heating of homes and all the products that come from an oil base. All the plastics in our homes, clothing, containers, cosmetics etc. and even if it is not made from petroleum products it was certainly transported to you by trucks, planes and ships. If we were suddenly unable to transport food cheaply and efficiently from growers to markets, would the western world starve?

I believe climate change is always happening and always will but we are speeding things up and because of this can we adapt as fast as we are changing our world?

Climate changing rapidly

Some of you may well be skeptics with concern to human activity influencing climate change and while Al Gore did an amazing job to bring this to all of our attention, this clip may bring some physical reality to the debate.

I for one am convinced that we are accelerating global warming with our over use of resources in particular fossil fuels. This won't be a concern for those of us in our late forties and onwards but it will for those who are younger. Imagine a world with out oil or at least affordable oil. This could easily happen in the next ten years, where would we be with out cheap transport, cheap heating of homes and all the products that come from an oil base. All the plastics in our homes, clothing, containers, cosmetics etc. and even if it is not made from petroleum products it was certainly transported to you by trucks, planes and ships. If we were suddenly unable to transport food cheaply and eficiently from growers to markets, would the western world starve?

I believe climate change is always happening and always will but we are speeding things up and because of this can we adapt as fast as we are changing our world?

Promoting the lifestyle and history.

Just finished reading Kim Carvers latest post in her Jack Tar Magazine. The post was regarding how many tall ship crews consider themselves above and beyond those who are not part of the immediate crew. They have become isolationists and have distanced themselves not only from the real world outside but also the realities of tall ships.

 

When I was master on the Duyfken sailing from Sydney, Australia to Texel, Netherlands I asked myself many times why people go to sea. Obviously this is a tough question as there would be as many answers as there are people. With thought though and looking at my own crew for inspiration (there were seventeen of us on a 20m vessel), as well as twenty-three years of being at sea. I could break the answer down to just a few scenarios.

To me the primary answers are obvious we go to sea to look for something, adventure, romance, comradeship, work etc. Or we go to sea to escape from something, bad relationships, boredom, routine, complexity of modern life, commitments etc.

 

Either way we all definitely go to sea on tall ships for the romantic aspect and the challenge of sailing and maintaining complex vessels from one location to another.

For achieving this we take a lot of pride and deservedly so. We just have to remember that we do not do this alone. That to be aboard a tall ship and to have the great fortune to experience this amazing life style we rely on others.

 

We rely on the people ashore to organise, promote and raise funds so that we can have this privilege. What we sacrifice in time, rough living conditions and long hours is insignificant to what others do for us. For this very reason we must encourage the social connection with people from ashore and from other vessels. Remove the barriers for those ashore to gain a connection with the vessels and the lifestyle. Most cannot go aboard full time due to other commitments but they work hard and commit themselves to the tall ship world because they want to become a part of it even if it is in only a small way. We as sailors can only step up to them in admiration and embrace them into our lives, as it is only due to their contributions that we stay afloat.

 

So if you board a vessel and they look at you as though you have stepped off an alien world (to them you probably have) tell them to pull their heads in and look at the bigger picture.

If you are presently sailing aboard a tall ship, remember where the money comes from to supply the vessel with materials, berths, provisions, crews pay (meagre as it is). It comes from people ashore who wish for tall ships to remain, and in both respect and admiration step up to them and engage in conversation, break down the barriers.

 

We all admire the celebrities who step down from their lofty heights to become real people and talk to others with out looking down upon them and we all despise those who are arrogant and look down upon others, forgetting that they go to the bathroom the same as the rest of us.

 

Don’t be arrogant, be humble and thankful for the privilege of sailing tall ships.