Laser Masters Nationals 2016

It's just over a month until the Laser Masters 2016 National Championships at Port Stephens Sailing & Aquatic Club on Soldiers Point.

The regatta runs Friday 12th February to Monday 15th February.  Ten races are scheduled over the four days - two races on the Friday and Monday, and three races on the Saturday and Sunday.

The fleet will be broken into three classes (Standard, Radial & 4.7) with divisions for Apprentice (35-44 yrs), Masters (45-54 yrs), Grand Masters (55-64 yrs) and Great Grand Masters (65+ yrs).

Entry fees are $150, or $200 after 1 February.  The regatta website is now up and running, with online entry & payment forms. 

Social HQ for the regatta will be the ibis Styles Salamander Shores. It looks like they still have rooms available (approx $120/night), but they will likely book up so get in early.  The other option is to rent a house on Soldiers Point.

DBSC got pipped by MHASC for total entries last year. Lets avoid that humiliation this time around and re-assert our status as the true home of Laser sailing!

Australian Laser Championships

STOP PRESS: Well done to both Grasshopper 2.0 and Jack who reached the podium in the Radial and 4.7 classes, respectively.  DBSC was well represented in the medal tally despite only 6 members competing in Belmont, NSW.  For all the results: click here.

Members of Team DBSC.

Racing Restarts This Weekend

The Spring Pointscore (a.k.a the pre-Christmas season according to our in-house marketing guru,)  is dusted.    

This week the slate is wiped and the battle for the Autumn Pointscore, and eternal glory on the DBSC honour boards, begins.

Thankfully, the weather is forecast to improve.

Action plan:

• 1.00pm Briefing
• 1.30pm Splash
• 2.00pmHeats 1 and 2.

Vale to a Friend

It is with a sad heart that I inform our members and friends that Darragh Donoghue , Gerry and Linda's son, passed away just prior to Christmas.  

Gerry has been a wonderful contributor to DBSC over the years, which is even more remarkable as he and Linda constantly nursed Darragh throughout his 15 years.

On behalf of all at DBSC, I extend our love, thoughts and prayers to Gerry and Linda.

Big Boat New Year Race Report

Our Big Boat corespondent reports..... 

 Two boats (Time & Tide and Corinna) presented on cloudy afternoon, with winds of 10-15knots predicted, from the southeast.

We planned two or three windward returns, with tight turns and spinnakers up and down. So we sailed out to the channel marker off Bradley’s Head, to begin the windward leg, to Point Piper. The Harbour was empty except for fleets of 29er and 40er skiffs, their nationals, sailing off Watson’s Bay

As we sailed out,a squall hit us - winds gusting towards 25 knots and heavy rain. We scrambled into our wet weather gear but basically we all quickly became soaked. The squall persisted and we headed for a lee off Clarke Island.

We conferred after the squall had passed and agreed - what the ….., we’re here to sail. So we raced from Clarke Island back to the channel marker, and tacked for Point Piper, upwind.MAnd for a while we raced downwind and then upwind, in gusty conditions; it was fun, very close racing and for once T&T did well, avoiding aheader late in the leg.

We were conferring again to plan the next race, when another squall hit us, again with gusts up to 25 knots and lashings of rain.

We headed for home, taking down our headsails; only to find ourselves drifting in a calm after the squall. As we closed on our moorings a third squall hit us; we really had sailed into the worst of the afternoon.

So, not much to report; except that the rest of the afternoon seemed, from the clubhouse, to be quiet and sailable.

But we were too soaked and cold. Warming up in the clubhouse seemed …. essential.

One short race, lots of exercise in managing squalls; good fun, in retrospect.

We race next on February 6
 

Jonathan

Impromptu sailing.....

Rumour (by Blackie) has it that a number of DBSCers will be sailing each day from about 2pm for the rest of the week.

Saturday will be a Super Sprint Series at the usual time. 

Laser sailing toughened me up.

...it was almost as bad as when the French won the Rolex Vaucluse Challenge a few years back.

JUST NORTH OF GABO ISLAND - 28 December 2015:  At least four DBSCers have got leave  passes to do the Sydney to Hobart, with Roger ("Hicko" or "R2H") defending the overall title collected in 2014.  After this year, both R2H and Rupert have decided that maxis or mini-maxis don't cut it anymore and will be joining the rest of the DBSC Big Boat fleet by buying a nano-maxi.

Wild Rose skipper Roger Hickman: "I think it's the worst trip I have ever been on" #RSHYR https://t.co/Os3S12tyLm

— News Breakfast (@BreakfastNews) December 27, 2015

Dear Leader inspires.....

Kristy: "why do people keep sending me this photo of Comanche and suggest I rename the boat Kimmy Kardashian...." 

SOMEWHERE NEAR ULLADULLA, AUSTRALIA -  27 December 2015:  Kimmy Kardashian (formerly known as Comanche) suffered steering damage and was turning back to Sydney when a serendipity reared its welcomed head.  When co-owner Kristy called her hubby to explain they where abandoning the race, he was brunching with Malcolm, and Lucy, and other distinguished guests.  Jimbo suggested she hold the line while he gets some advice from his close friend, and DBSC stalwart, Dear Leader.  After being given the telephonic transceiver, Dear Leader gave Kristy the distilled essence of his decades of international and Olympic experience:

"Toughen up princess."

Immediately, Kristy hung-up and then turned the boat around and started sailing towards Hobart, again, determined to make Dear Leader proud.

....bugger, I don't think I can win on DBSC Corrected Time....should I sell the boat on eBay or Gumtree?"

FaceSpace is go!

As everyone knows, social media, generically known as FaceSpace is an essential part of every organisation's communications strategy.  Under the leadership of the club's Chief Technology Officer, Sergey, we are now moving towards building our follower number towards Management Committee's ("ManCo") target of 223 million unique users.

Once we reach this target, DBSC will be selling non-voting memberships and luxury goods advertising under plans initiated by Troublemaker, and documented in a 197 page pitch book by a couple of his grunts and interns.  (The difference: grunts have to work 7 days per week, while interns must have at least one day off a week and are not allowed to work more than 18 hours per day.)

First cab of the rank was getting control of "Double Bay Sailing Club" on Facebook: click here.

Enjoy!

Beware Manly Ferries

In late November 2015, an 18 footer and a Manly Ferry collided.  Fortunately, no one was hurt but it a reminder for all our Laser sailors when we have to cross the ferry channels next year to compete in the second leg of the Rolex Vaucluse Challenge in the waters off the French enclave.

We can't find footage of the collision, but this is the next best thing:

Additionally, we expect safety standards to be improved significantly on the harbour by the second leg as the authorities will mandatorily require fire extinguishers on-board all Lasers.