If there’s one thing sailors love, it’s a nice strong breeze.
If there’s one thing Sailing School’s hate, it’s a nice strong breeze for beginners.
Teaching beginners to sail in strong winds is tricky. Even using cut down sails leads to students becoming overwhelmed by the erratic flapping of the sails and the strong wind coming across the water. Add in a water pouring in over the side, and 90% of students will be scared. The other 10%, well they’ll love it and be sailors for life. We just can’t afford to scare the wits out of the other 90% though.
The forecast this weekend is 25/35 knots, that’s the sort of wind that makes me want to run a Soccer Training Camp… or a Tennis Clinic.
We do our best to run alternate land based activities, but at the end of the day, there’s only so many tacking drills and find-a-words that you can do!
Screw you Huey!
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Original post by johnsee and software by Elliott Back
Posted by | Posted in Volvo Ocean Race | Posted on 27-05-2008
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Team Russias new Volvo Open 70 yacht made a spectacular entrance into the world today. Its 23 metre long racing hull appeared in public for the first time hovering high over the boat sheds of builders Green Marine Lymington (UK), before being lowered by a massive 200 Tonne crane into the Lymington River. Designer Rob Humphreys has incorporated innovative features into his first Volvo Open 70 design, most notably, the double spray rails at the front, the bluff bow and powerful stern design.
The 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race will be the 10th running of this ocean marathon. Starting from Alicante in Spain on 4 October 2008, it will for the first time, take in ports in Asia. Spanning some 39,000 nautical miles, stopping at around 11 ports and taking nine months to complete, the Volvo Ocean Race is the world’s premier yacht race for professional racing crews.
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(c) Tim Stonton/Volvo Ocean Race
Original post by OG and software by Elliott Back
Posted by | Posted in Videos | Posted on 27-05-2008
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Here are a bunch of blokes enjoying the power of a 30′ Skiff.
But then… Play time is abruptly cancelled…
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Original post by OG and software by Elliott Back
Posted by | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 26-05-2008
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Photo Credit: www.patrickroach.com
WHATS THE FRENCH FOR “FUCK THAT WAS A PIECE OF PISS”
PERFECT PERFECT and more Perfect was the message from JAMIE MATHIESONThe Bell Lawrie Dude at the top. The Series was a fantastic success for both the sponsors and the Village of Tarbert. With perfect steady winds from the East throughout the series, it was a typically straight forward series for both racers and the Committee, who did a great job on the water. Also the on the water coverage hosted by none other than the ever charismatic ANDI ROBERTSON who provided up to date info on all the classes and some interesting stats and background info on some of the racers taking part. It was also great hearing all that old 80’s music all day royalty free of course, but great effort.
The overall winner of Scottish Series 2008 was FRA 35547 LADY COURRIER sailed by Gery Trentesaux and his French crew. A new Beneteau First 45 based out of La Trinité in Brittany, Lady Courrier maintained a near perfect scoreline in perfect conditions on Loch Fyne today at the 170 boat Bell Lawrie Scottish Series.
Class2 was won by Irish boat ROSIE just ahead of PREMIER FLAIR by just one point.
Class3 was rolled into submission by Marine Blast’s favorite to win overall, CARMEN (still Game) after an excellent score line which must have been the lowest in the series? but a great set of results for the long established team from Helensburgh who will be around to fight another day. For a full report of OVERALL RESULTS HEREÂ More to come………………
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Original post by Marine Blast and software by Elliott Back
We want to know your favourite Sailing Sites on the web. Are you a big fan of Tillerman’s rants? Do you check Sailing Anarchy every day? Are you a backwards Western Australian? Sail World? YA?
We want to know what sailing sites you check out.
Let us know! >>
Original post by johnsee and software by Elliott Back
Posted by | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 24-05-2008
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Two Bullet Smile from Mr Allan Jeffries of “CARMEN still game” photo credit: Mrs Marine Blast
SCUTT & JEFFRIES sailing their 36.7 “CARMEN still game” showed just how game they were by posting two bullets on day one of Bell Lawrie Scottish Series. The 15-20 kts of wind set out some testing conditions for all the classes but it was Carmen who showed great pace and crew work along with almost perfect tactics lead by Jeffries (he said), but they will have some work to do to stay infront of this class with MUMBO.ie and Bengal Magic both well seasoned Scottish Series Campaigners. It was noted that this could be one of CARMEN’S best performances before 11.00pm that is, bring on the pole dancers was the cry shortly before closing time.
CLASS ONE at first glance looks interesting with Gerry the french dude on a practice mission for the Commodores Cup having smashed in 2 bullets after setting a blistering pace ahead of MARINERS COVE.ie and last years winner JUMP JUICE. A point to take note of is, that the first 9 boats to finish the second race did so in the exact order of finishers as the first race, spooky or what?
CLASS TWO Early Wins and I’m sure it’s not going to be the only wins this week for TEAM ROSIE another well prepared boat from Ireland over to show the Scots how it’s done turning in 2 rockets and setting the pace for Class2 this is going to be a tough class to win, as it is every year, and some would say the hardest class to win and it’s certainly looking that way. Things will change with the weather I’m sure.
CHECK OUT THE RESULTS HERE
Original post by Marine Blast and software by Elliott Back
Posted by | Posted in General | Posted on 23-05-2008
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I check the Yachting Australia website everyday, sometimes to get information to use for my daily job, and other times just to check out what’s new in the world of Australian Sailing.
It would now seem that YA has jumped onto the Sail-World.com bandwagon and offers direct news feeds from Sail-World to the YA site. The news feed does segregate the articles by having all the Australian related ones on one tab and World news on another tab.
This means that I don’t really have to go to Sail-World now to read my news because I can just get it all from YA. Or, I don’t need to go to YA for my news because it’s all on Sail-World.
Anyway, regardless of our personal thoughts about this addition to the YA site, it’s great to see that sites are taking the initiative to publicise recent news about our favourite sport.
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Original post by OG and software by Elliott Back
Posted by | Posted in Daily news articales | Posted on 22-05-2008
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With the start of Scottish Series about to start this Friday morning its been a day of feeder races to sunny Tarbert, checkout the results here The races are more just for fun nowadays with a mixed bag in various classes. So whats there to look forward too? Well there will be some very intresting IRC racing in all classes. The entry for class 2 will and has always been very difficult to win as will Class 1. The latest forcast for the Tarbert race course is for heavy rain to remind us what its usually like, with 16mph from the east, then sunny till Tue with winds all from the east for the whole series ranging from 9mph to 14mph for the next few days. So translated into Tarbert weather means light and shit and should make it a very intresting set of conditions for everyone. Marine Blast will be keeping you up to date daily with the sailing stuff thats going on.
Original post by Marine Blast and software by Elliott Back
Posted by | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 22-05-2008
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Original post by Marine Blast and software by Elliott Back
Posted by | Posted in General | Posted on 21-05-2008
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Photo by Mark Bradford
On behalf of Black Jack Yachting
The Australian yachting fraternity will welcome a new resident next month with the arrival of the Reichel Pugh 66 Stark Raving Mad that was recently purchased by Brisbane yachtsman Peter Harburg.
Built in 2006 at Westerly Marine in California, she is the sister ship to well known and very successful racer Wild Oats X.
Honorary Patron Sir Jack Brabham, triple world champion and only Formula One driver to have won a world title in a car of his own construction, is a close personal friend of Harburg’s and the racing yacht will be renamed Black Jack in honour of Sir Jack’s sporting achievements. Earlier this year, ‘Sir Jack was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia for services to motor sport as an ambassador, mentor and promoter of safety and to the community through support of charitable organisations’. Now his interests have expanded to yacht racing.
Due to be ready to race for the Sydney to Southport, Black Jack will then campaign for her home club Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron for the 2nd Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race before meeting Wild Oats X on the start line at Hamilton Island Race Week.
The Black Jack crew will include Vaughan Prentice as Sailing Coordinator and Mark Bradford as Skipper both from the North Sails Brisbane Loft. Popular Sydney yachtsman Peter “Billy” Merrington from Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club will be Tactician and Mark Demilio has the position of Project Manager. Harburg, together with Bradford have begun to assemble a talented crew of both youth and experienced sailors. The key positions are to be filled by Queensland yachtsman.
This is an exciting edition to the quality Australian racing fleet and Black Jack will raise the bar for Queensland yachting. The crew are looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead as they prepare Black Jack for racing.
Harburg is also the owner of Spirit of Queensland (formally AAPT/Grundig) however the purchase of Black Jack will offer him and his crew the chance to race competitively against Australia’s finest yachts.
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Original post by OG and software by Elliott Back
