Ht 5 & 6 - wow

Well it blew today - the NW 15-21k breeze, with gusts to 33k!!
If you don't believe me - check out the observations at http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDT60901/IDT60901.94970.shtml

I finished both races. Ht 5 - the gusts were hard and very long - I am now determined to find outthe definition of "a gust", Ht 6 the wind eased and the last windward return was nice.
After 6 races I am placed 35th overall, that is with one drop - so far all my drops are actual races!!!
Lay day tomorrow.

Here are some pics of the boat - I have my clothing lined up along the boom - in ordewr of puting the items on ... skins (leggings), thermal jumper, thermal sailing top, hiking pants, lycra hiking pant outer, Suzi Quatro sailing top, beannie, Qld penny (out of shot are bouyancy vest and boots

Link to results on Sabre website

http://www.sabre.org.au/tasmania/200910SabreNationalsinHobart.html

This link gives full results for Races 1, 2 & 3.
Forecast for today remains NW-W, 15-25k. It will be a busy day on the water.
S

Races 3 & 4

SE breeze came in at about 12.30pm and stayed for the afternoon. Initially it was 12-15k but then by race 3 it has eased back to 5-8k.

Results for women in race 4 are subject to protest due to a large number of boats between 20th and 35th finishing in very close proximity.

I went to Bellerive Oval this evening to watch Tas vs NSW Twenty20 cricket. Tassie lost. The oval is smaller than Canberra Stadium! I was surprised. But it is a lovely location alongside Bellerive Beach.

Found a pizza/pasta shop to get some food after the cricket - only had a couple of oysters and a sausage at the yacht club beforehand - felt like I needed some carbs - so I ate half a meal of spaghetti and vegetables, I have the other half in the fridge for tomorrow night.

Forecast for Hobart tomorrow is 35, becoming windy!! Boating weather is for winds N-NW during the morning and increasing to 15 to 25 knots, before a westerly change at 10 to 20 knots Thursday at night. Stronger gusts possible during the afternoon and evening!!!

I have slightly straightened the mast - will review weather tomorrow. Plan is to have it back to original straight position and rig with some slack so she lays over and I get better boom vang tension into the mast - that's the plan - but I will review in the morning.

S

Day 1 - Ht 1 & 2

We left shore at 1.00pm to be out there for the 2.0pm scheduled start - the fresh morning NW faded as we went out, and we bobbed around for quite some time waiting for the seabreeze to come in. Eventually is bit cam =e from the south, then faded, then whammo - in she came - I thought it was a southerly change - but the locals say it was the sea breeze. The Hobart observations on BOM don't seem to tally with on the water - BOM says 15-22k, but it seemedlike HEAPS more.

We had a fre general recalls and an abandoned start - seems to be the pattern for Race 1 of Sabre Nats. I had everything reefed on and so did most everyone else. I am pleased to say I finished both races - itwas a hard slog, especially race 2. I had close racing with Fiona, and I finished about 6th last and 3rd last respectively in each race. Not flash - but hey - I finished and obeyed the magic rule of sailing - keep the boat UNDER the mast.

Some Provisional results:
Race 1 top 5: 1743, 1708, 1754, 1443, 1778
Race 2 top 5: 1743, 1610, 1751, 1778, 1754
1505: placed 41st in race 1 (11mins after first boat); and placed 42nd in race 2 (16mins after first boat)

Race 1 had 6 DNC/DNF, and possibly a further 6 OCS/DSQ
Race 2 had a further 6 DNC/DNF

I didn't see any masts fall over today, but I heard some creaking in my front tank on some of the waves going upwind. Retruned to shore by about 5pm or so, it was after 7 bythe time boat and me were washed up - a long day.

Some pictures, first me in the boat park, after racing today and all cleaned up ...

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Another shot of the boats ...

Had dinner at Sails (on Bellerive Esplanade around the corner from the yacht club) with some of the guys ... Wayne, Nana, Russell Fisty, Bruce, ... I left before they started the real drinking!

Two races sheduled tomorrow, start 2.00pm, current forecast is ... "Winds then increasing to 5 to 15 knots during the day before tending east to southeast for a period in the afternoon at similar speeds." ... so I guess that means more of the same!

Forecast is for plenty wind ...

Heats 1 & 2 scheduled for today. The forecast is for lotsa wind!
S

Experiencing the finish of Sydney to Hobart

After the Welcome Dinner, I popped across to Elizabeth St Pier and Constitution Dock. I had heard Alpha Romeo was due about 5pm, so thought I would take a peek. WELL!!!!! She was expected later, had not arrived.
The place was alive with people. I saw Bob Ross (he didn't seem to recognise me despite having on one ocassion presenting me with a cheque for $500-)!!
Anyway they have a number of boats offering places aboard - they leave the dock about an hour before first boat is due, travel down the river some distance and then motor back at about the speed of the first boat, so that they are then also at the finish when the boat does finish. I was at the dock just in time to get on a ferry offering this ride - so I bought a ticket.
It was freezing I have to say - I was glad I had a jacket, but even so, it was cold. It was also quite exciting to watch the build up to the boat finishing. The ferry had a bar onboard - I refrained as I had to drive back to Bellerive - but - the bar prices rose as the trip went on!!! LOL
Anyway I have heaps of useless photos of a boat with nav lights ... its Alpha Romeo ... I also have a few others - here are some highlights.

The finish bouy as we left to go down the river to meet Alpha Romeo

Alpha Romeo discernable by nav light at mast head ...

Me on the ferry ...

S

Invitation Races

Registration was fun for me - I helped on the desk with rego process, which included completing a Tassie govt form for every interstate competitor - you see the Tassis govt gives a small subsidy to event organisers who attract interstate visitors - the subsidy is calculated on the person bed days in Tasmania. Just as well they had an auditor to help them!!

I think there are now 60 boats entered. A great effort by the Tassie organisers.

The breeze was fairly strong today - and game in gusts that lasted 10minutes or so at times of hard breeze, that would knock, veer, or drop out!!! NW breeze coming around the side of Mt Wellington - I have decided this is NOT my favorite breeze. Here is the link to Hobart observations http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDT60901/IDT60901.94970.shtml
I found out the hard way that with outgoing tide in NE'er, one needs to travel the Bellerive Blluff side of the course. Bugga. Anyway, in INvitation race 1 I finished about 38th I think, with about 16 DNC/DNF. There was a bit of capsizing happening and another boat dropped its mast - thats two so far, as there was one on the practice day outing. Ibvitation race 2 saw 14 boats at the start, I was not one of them - I had followe the other 45 boats ashore having had enough!!

There are 6 or 7 women entered, only two of us (Fiona and I) are senior in years, all the others are quite young and athletic! There is NO TEAM CHIC reps at this regatta - I remarked to Meryl Early this afternoon on this (sence Maree had dropped by for Steve's birthday, but was then shooting off somewhere else in Aus before returning to England). I must check the old results - it may be 12 years or so that the team Chic girls, or at least one, was sailing. The other senior woman is NOT Fiona McCullogh, but the other Fiona in that family. Fiona and I had some close racing at Safety Beach last year (her home club), so we are each aware of the other out there which is great.

The usual suspects were at the top end of the results - but I don't have details.

S