Sunday the 25th was a wet and wild day for the Balmain Regatta that took place on Sydney Harbour.
Two square metre yachts attended the event. I was fortunate to be crewing on Fagel Grip. The other yacht attending was Scarlet O'hara.
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Preparation for the start went smoothly due to the well organized setup of Fagel Grip
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Not long after the start the heavy rains hit. I didn't get a shot of Scarlett O'Hara as she started before us in another division. I did notice Scarlett O'Hara has changed her hull colour to a very suitable dark red. Struggling to keep the camera dry, I did manage to get this nice photo as we overtook a Dragon and a 6mtr yacht.
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The rain died later in the race and so did the wind as we headed to the harbour bridge end of the course.
The skipper Jerry had to work hard to find the areas of lift as we battled two other yachts which due to the wind shifts all shared the lead at different stages of the race.
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Not quite the type of wet ride I was expecting but very enjoyable all the same as we crossed the line in light winds with a respectable second place and I would like to thank Jerry and his crew for a great day out. I look forward to the day when I will get to sail my yacht with Fagel Grip in the near future. The RANSA regatta in Febuary will be the next event where we can sail with a group of metre yachts.
The Swan River Retro Yacht Series...
A 20 knot Easterly welcomed the starters for the inaugural Swan River Retro Yacht Series based in Western Australia..
The classic yachts were a delight to watch as they crossed the mid-river start line at 10:00 in the morning in a warm 20 knot easterly Sunday 25 October 2009.
Then two hours of racing, over the 10 nm course, from Melville Water to Mosman, around Karrakatta Bank to the finish line at RFBYC.
Sunday racing offers several advantages: Primarily, an uncrowded Swan River allowing crew to trim to best speed plus the opportunity for spectators to more easily follow a single yacht race on the Swan.
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Bacchante RF 1939 (30SQM) crossed the finish line to be first and fastest. Gelasma RF 71 with all her charm sailed to third place with second going to The Lady in Red R 33 (30SQM).
The wind held high throughout the race giving Bella Gioia RF 202 (SWAN 42) a good work out with the colourful Bicton Bell EF 3 (GAFF RIGG) creating steady white water on the final leg.
The results were announced and prizes awarded at the skipper and crew gathering on the top lawn of the Clubhouse followed by a scrumptious lunch and some serious exchange of tactics.
The next Retro Race is scheduled for a 13:30 mid-river start on Sunday, 29 November 2009.
The invitation is open to all classic Swan River yachts, in all Clubs, to register for the Retro series and enjoy Sunday sailing at its best.
This month we take a few more planks of Benchmark and check out a few home improvements for Wings.
Carl puts the finishing touches to the planking by sealing the inside surface.
Just one more clamp outta do it..
A few more planks are glued and fastened into place.
with the garbord planks fitted its time to inspect above the water line and the bilge area.
Planking is finished as they prepare her for paint.
Next month on the story of Benchmark we see the changes above deck and the paint goes on.
The restoration of Wings.
Wings has had a few home made improvements.
2 tunnel which mounts were made to relocate the sheet winches from the cabin top too alongside the cockpit coamings.
2 new 3mtr long genoa car tracks were machined up on a table router and teak tow rails are shaped and attached.
The new sole is laminated and cut to fit the floors..
Next month we see a new cabin top laid and the paint brush put to good use.