Acquired Resilience Conference at DBSC

Jonathan Stone will be hosting a conference at the clubhouse from March 9 – 11. They will be using the deck, and the northern part of the Clubhouse. Please respect the order of the meeting, but if you want to sail on those days, that’s great. Give Jonathan a bit of warning by emailing him HERE and he will help you get your boat out at a good time. The change rooms and workshop will remain accessible; just please be quiet while the meeting is in session.

The Conference itself is quite fascinating. Please read the details from Jonathan (and find out how you can attend) below. 

After long planning, with welcome Club support, this meeting is nearly here. It is called AR2020.

AR stands for 'Acquired Resilience’, a new concept in human health. It’s a bit like acquired immunity - the body system that upregulates the immune system in responses to pathogens like viruses. Without acquired immunity (as in AIDS) the individual is vulnerable to every disease that’s around, and most noticeable to cancers. It turns out that our immune system keeps cancer at bay.

But we have known about acquired immunity, in increasing detail, for over a century. Work done much more recently with key contributions made by DBSC folk (Paul Adam and myself), has developed a concept of acquired resilience.

Why is the Mediterranean diet (lots of vegetables) good for you? It’s because each vegetable has developed toxins to ward off insect predators. What toxins? Well, resveratrol which grows in the skin of red grapes and makes its way into red wine, is an example. The vine does not need it for metabolism or reproduction. It is a toxin to make it impossible for insects to eat much of the plant. When mammals like us eat the same plant (as we have ever since our ancestors climbed out of the sea) we have to do something with the toxin. Our discovery is that mammals use these toxins to up regulate pathways that increase tissue resilience. So, regular ‘Mediterranean’ meals make our tissue resilient, because of the poisons in the vegetables. And that resilience is seen as decreased morbidity (illness) and delayed mortality. Hmmmmmm

And the Western diet is bad for us …… why? because it’s not poisonous enough. Who’d have thought?

But then it turns out that tissue resilience is also induced by exercise (because hypoxic muscle release resilience-inducing factors into the bloodstream), and hunger and low levels of sunlight (from UV to infrared) and even gamma rays at low levels induce the same resilience. The stresses of everyday life. 

We have much to learn about this newly recognised system. At the conference a new Society for Acquired Resilience will be established and there will be intense exchange of views. And the Club will - with a bit of luck - have earned a place in medical history.

That said, I have an invitation:

• The invitation is to anyone interested to be part of the audience. You are most welcome, but please let me know so we put out enough chairs. 

• If you want to join us for teas and lunch and dinner please register for the meeting HERE. Registration involves a cost - for the catering. (We are a fledging society - I wish we could provide freebies).

• But if you just like listening to talks - no need to register.

• And let me know if you intend to come by, so I have an idea of numbers.

Coming Up…

Wednesday 4 March, 5pm splash – Twilight Sailing (with Brett Beyer organizing starts). 

Saturday 7 March, 9am Start – Learn to Race.

Saturday 7 March, 2pm Start – Club Champs heats 11 & 12 AND Autumn Point Score heats 7 & 8. Followed by a BBQ.

Wednesday 11 March, 5pm splash – Twilight Sailing.

Saturday 14 March, 2pm Start – Sprints (due to the National Masters).

Drifting Away at Vaucluse Regatta

Sadly, the Vaucluse Regatta was a non-starter due to a highly unseasonal absence of raceable breeze, with the wind ranging from 0-5 knots and changing direction from SE to NE during the course of the afternoon!

A large fleet of DBSC boats headed up the harbour for the event, partly under sail and partly under tow offered by Pat Levy in the new Paul Adam.  However, after some solid drift practice, they were forced to return, again partly under sail and partly under tow!

But all was not lost. Just as people finished their showers, a puff of breeze appeared and the SailGP fleet were out in force for a practice session, foiling up and down the harbour.  A bunch of DBSC sailors headed out to watch them up close and personal – including a cheery wave from Tom Slingsby as he flew past for team Australia.

The DBSC fleet gets towed back home after the Vaucluse Regatta was a non-starter. Photo by Emily Ball.

Sail GP this Saturday

That leads us to what’s happening this Saturday …

The harbour will be a bit busier than normal this Saturday with F50 Catamarans taking up our normal racecourse for the 2nd annual SailGP event. Here’s the spin from their website: “National pride will be on the line as world class teams take part in dramatic, adrenaline-filled racing on the iconic Sydney Harbour.”

They are racing on Saturday from 4pm to 6pm, with a huge exclusion zone starting at 3pm. The exclusion zone will make it very difficult (if not impossible) to sail between Vaucluse and Double Bay. Because of this, we will be running Sprint Racing this Saturday on a course that avoids this exclusion zone.  

After the Sprints, some DBSC members are planning on heading out to watch and support SailGP.  The boats (RIBs plus Jazzman) will be leaving the deck promptly at 4.10 to maximise the amount of racing we get to watch. 

Please RSVP to Emily Ball HERE by midday Friday. This is for members only and will work on a first come, first served basis. 

Also, we are looking for 1 x RIB and 1x Jazzman driver. Please let Emily know if you can help.

Australia SailGP Team helmed by Tom Slingsby in action during a practice session ahead of Sydney SailGP. Photo by: Sam Greenfield for SailGP

New Paul Adam (and Bergman) Critical Operating Instructions

As flagged in last week’s newsletter, there are six important notes in relation to use of the RIBs – these will be added to all the other instructions in the COTD Guide.  PLEASE READ THESE CAREFULLY:

1. No Propeller Guard 

The new Paul Adam has no propeller guard at this stage, due to availability.  One will be installed in due course, but in the meantime please exercise EXTREME CAUTION when operating the boat around people in the water, or when in the water around the boat.  This is a CRITICAL SAFETY WARNING

There is NO prop guard on the Paul Adam.

2. Insert and Remove Bung

The Paul Adam has a bung at the back that MUST BE REINSERTED BEFORE LAUNCH or the boat will flood and sink!  And it must be REMOVED AFTER RETRIEVAL otherwise the boat will fill with rain water and the davits will break.  THIS IS A CRITICAL SAFETY ISSUE – don’t forget it!

Location of bung hole on the Paul Adam.

Bung for the Paul Adam.

3. Reconnect After Flushing

When returning the RIBs to the davits, it is important to flush the motors.  For those that have been around long time, please note that we no longer use “ears” to do this.  You remove the tube “B” from its connector “A”, then connect the hose on the deck to “B”.  Then, with the engine OFF, you flush the motor for three minutes (make sure water is coming out of the holes around the propeller cowling).  IT IS CRITICAL THAT “B” is connected back to “A” when you finish – and make sure not to lose the washer that sits inside “B”.  If you do not do this, the ENGINE WILL BE A WRITE OFF! A concerning number of people forget this critical reconnection step, despite frequent reminders – don’t forget it!

Location of the Paul Adam Flushing Connection.

Detail of the Paul Adam Flushing Connection.

Location of the Bergman Flushing Connection.

Detail of the Bergman Flushing Connection.

4. Protect Tubes From Anchors

Both the new Paul Adam and the Bergman have been fitted with new tube covers, including an excellent innovation by Pat, namely a protective panel over each side of each RIB to protect the tubes and covers from anchor lines and chains. When you are dropping or retrieving marks, please ensure that any lines and chains only feed over this panel, not anywhere else on the RIB.

Make sure you are dropping / retrieving chains and anchors over this panel.

5. Switch On / Off Isolator Switch 

The isolator switch in the new Paul Adam is a bit hard to find. It is located behind a hatch on the starboard side of the transom (the back of the boat just in front of the engine).

You need to open this hatch to gain access to the isolator switch.

The isolator switch is in the back right hand side.

Please ensure it is switched on before attempting to start the engine. 

Isolator switch in the on position.

Importantly, to prevent a flat battery, make sure you switch it to the off position at the end of the day.

Isolator switch in the off position.

6. Report Any Problems

If you damage anything on the boats or anywhere else around the club (or you notice any issues at all), PLEASE TELL SOMEONE!  There was an incident at the metros where people operating the Bergman caused severe damage to the prop guard and did not tell anyone about it.  You won’t be “in trouble”, because accidents happen.  But telling someone will allow us to fix it and ensure ongoing safe operation.  We want to encourage a culture of ownership and open communication!

The damage to this prop guard was not reported and the next crew out had to deal with the issue.

Clean Up Australia Day – This Sunday

Thanks to the leadership of Jonathan Stone, DBSC is once again participating in Clean Up Australia Day this Sunday, 1 March. There is a low tide at 7.30am and so we’ll be cleaning the beaches and parks near our club from 7.00 - 10.00 am on Sunday morning. 

Jonathan encourages members to “Please keep up the strong tradition of club-member support: Clean Up Australia Day is an important part of the Club’s contribution to the community at large. We have a great site on the Harbour, but our continuing presence there requires long-term acceptance by the community.

Just come to the Clubhouse on the day, ready to spend 30 minutes clearing rubbish from Steyne Park and the beaches to east and west. The beaches are particularly littered after the recent rains.”

A big thanks to Jonathan Stone for running this initiative for many years. Jonathan, who has overseen this event at DBSC for many years, will be retiring from this capacity after this year. Luckily for us, going forward, Kate McHugh has generously offered to continue this great tradition at our club. A big thanks to both Jonathan and Kate. 

Save the Date

Here are two save the dates for you calendar:

Family & Friends Day – 4 April. A jumping castle, family Laser sprint races, RIB rides and a kiddie friendly BBQ will round out DBSC’s Annual Family & Friends Day from 5pm on Saturday 4 April (after that day’s racing). It’s the chance to show off the DBSC spirit to your loved ones.

Annual General Party – 22 May.  This is a not-to-be-missed event which includes our annual prizegiving, a great feed and dancing until dawn with a new and even better band courtesy of the one and only James Tudball.  Note, the date is 22 May, not 29 May as previously shown in the calendar.  Apologies to anyone who planned their schedule around the 29th.

Up Next at DBSC

Wednesday 26 February, 5pm splash – Twilight Sailing.

Saturday 29 February, 2pm Start – Sprints (See info above). 

Sunday 1 March, 7am – 10am – Clean up Australia Day. (See info above).

Wednesday 4 March, 5pm splash – Twilight Sailing.

Saturday 7 March, 9am Start – Learn to Race.

Saturday 7 March, 2pm Start – Club Champs heats 11 & 12 AND Autumn Point Score heats 7 & 8. Followed by a BBQ.

Early Start This Saturday for Vaucluse Regatta

Instead of our usual club racing, this Saturday we’ll be participating in The Vaucluse Regatta. It’s the 88th running of this grand regatta, and is a great opportunity for racing in a big fleet. VYC intends to run three short races for the Laser fleets. 

The Laser racing is scheduled to start at Vaucluse at 1:05pm which means they day will start earlier than normal for us. We’ll have a briefing at DBSC at 11:15am (and a splash around 12, depending on winds).  At the briefing, we will review the format of the racing. It should be a good day on the water with Laser sailors from around the harbour.  There is no cost to participate and all are encouraged to attend (as there will be no sailing at DBSC) – think of it as a normal Saturday on the water for us, just at the other end of the harbour.

Finish Boat Needed for Saturday

We need a couple of volunteers to staff the VYC finish boat and record the finishers at the Vaucluse Regatta on Saturday. This is a request from VYC as one of their people has had to pull out at the last minute due to health issues. 

It would be really appreciated if anyone not sailing would be willing to assist our sister club with this! If you are keen, please email Andrew Cox HERE ASAP.