Groundswell March 2024

CLOCKWORK’S

ROLEX SYDNEY HOBART CAMPAIGN

TEAKLE CLASSIC

ADELAIDE TO LINCOLN

TEN TIPS

FOR CATAMARAN SAILORS

NEW YEAR’S

CELEBRATIONS AT KI BALLAST HEAD CUP

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CRUISING YACHT CLUB OF SA BOARD OF MANAGEMENT President Treasurer

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT

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AT THE HELM WITH OUR GM

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FROM OUR COMMODORE

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FLYING THE FLAG

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RACING REPORT: PREMIER’S CUP

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CLOCKWORK’S SYDNEY HOBART

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PERSONALITY PROFILE - ROB HUMAN

Nick Bice Mike Holmes Jeff Dinham and Dianne Schwerdt

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YSF YOUTH ACADEMY UPDATE

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ADELAIDE TO LINCOLN

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KING OF THE GULF REGATTA

The Honourable Kevin Scarce AC CSC RANR

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BALLAST HEAD CUP

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TEN TIPS FOR CAT SAILORS

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CRUISING ASSOCIATION UPDATE

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FISHING ASSOCIATION UPDATE

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BOATS AT THE CLUB

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SOCIAL ASSOCIATION UPDATE

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CYCSA BERTH CLASSIFIEDS

David Roper Mark Hutton Garth Heynen Jacqueline Heffernan Mark Johns Doreen Perrin Troy Smith

FLAG OFFICERS Commodore Vice Commodore Rear Commodores PATRON STAFF General Manager Financial Controller Financial Administrator Marketing & Communications Marina Berth Operations Administrator Reception & Member Services Marine Academy Principal Sailing Operations Manager Racing Administrator YSF Head Coach Hospitality Manager Head Chef Port Vincent Marina Manager

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Adam Hays Kerry O’Brien Cathy Menzel Mellissa Vahoumis Eryn Wyithe Kimberley Murray David Royle Greg Allison Inese Lainis Luke Allison Haresh Singh Camillo Crugnale Rob Marner

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COMMITTEES Members Committee Chair Fishing Association Chair Racing Association Chair Cruising Association Chair Social Association Chair

Nick Bice Peter Schembri Rob Human Darren Harvey Giorgi Gauci

LIFE MEMBERS

Geoff Boettcher Arthur F Carolan (Dec’d) Geoffrey R Catt Craig A Evans Richard H Fidock AO Graeme L Footer John D Gerard James A Henry (Dec’d) Malcolm A Kinnaird AC (Dec’d) Peter J Page (Dec’d) Andrew D Saies

EDITORS OF GROUNDSWELL

Gay Footer, Mellissa Vahoumis, Pat Catley, Dianne Schwerdt

Advertising & contributions to Mellissa: mellissa@cycsa.com.au Registered by Australia Post Publication No PP565001/00184 ISSN 1039-4230 Printed by Newstyle Printing Graphic design by Mellissa Vahoumis Volume 41 | Edition 1

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Phone: 08 8248 4222 Email: reception@cycsa.com.au Web: www.cycsa.com.au Phone Port Vincent: 0414 611 110 Groundswell is the official journal of the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia Inc Lady Gowrie Drive, North Haven PO Box 1020 North Haven SA 5018

Cover photo courtesy of: ROLEX | Kurt Arrigo

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT STRATEGY

On a sunny Sunday before Christmas I led a Strategic Planning session attended by our Board Directors, Flag Officers, Association Chairs, Senior Management and two ‘youth’ member representatives. Invitees had been given some pre-work which was to submit their answers to the following questions 1.

2.

How likely, on a scale of one to ten (where ten is the most likely), would the members whom you represent be to recommend that a friend or colleague of theirs join the CYCSA?

What three things would you recommend be implemented by the Club to improve this score in order of importance?

Their pre-work submissions were fantastic. While not everyone kept to the three item limit we reviewed 67 recommendations grouping them into seven topics and exploring them through four break-out sessions.

A summary of the day’s outcomes is summarised on pages 24-25 of this edition of Groundswell. Of significance is the list of key initiatives we plan to work through over the coming two to three years that will enable us to better achieve our purpose and mission.

These have each been assigned to a responsible individual and are being tracked to completion. While they won’t all be achieved by next month we will be reviewing and reporting progress on a regular basis.

Some immediate changes you may have noticed include the use of TV screens in the Bar and Bistro area for Association and Event promotion and a special menu for racers on Saturdays.

and served by our Board members (who are also volunteers) and it provided a great opportunity for everyone to chat about the past and future of the Club. We also honoured Howard Trotter and Trevor Kipling who recently passed but whose volunteer contributions to our Club have not been forgotten.

Given the extremely positive feedback this is expected to be the first of a new annual event.

COMMUNICATIONS

A point that we noted while sending out invitations for the Volunteer Appreciation event was that some members have ‘opted out’ of Club emails, stopped reading, or changed their email addresses without informing the Club. This meant they were possibly missing out on important events such as this. If this is you please contact the office to update your contact details.

The Club recognises that its current emails to all members are relatively numerous and frequent. Our recently established Marketing, Membership and Sponsorship Committee is devising ways to better target our emails so members can stay engaged with the Club on the topics they are most interested in.

FINANCIALS

At 31 January 2024 the Club’s overall Profit/Loss was well above this financial year’s Budget as well as its position at the same time last year. However this was overwhelmingly due to the improvement in the (unrealised) value of our ‘Sinking Fund’ in line with the investment market. More importantly, our Net Profit/Loss (before Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation) for the year-to-date I would like to thank those who provided input and/or REPORT was 14% below Budget. December and January have been two of PRESIDENT’S participated on the day and in particular Troy Smith and our best trading months which we hope will continue and thereby lift Mark Hutton for their help in running the session plus our final results at 31 May. Head Office Expenditure is on budget. st fallstepping with theupshare Belinda Dunk and Charlie Ryan-Kane for to market. A summary of the Sinking Fund at 31 January 2024 was as follows: The Club’s Sinking Fund (for the long-term refurbishment of our represent the needs of our younger demographic. marinas) is continuing to rise and fall with the share market. A summary of the Sinking Fund at 31 January 2024 was as follows PORT VINCENT Sinking Fund Value (Jan 2024) Prior to the Strategic Planning session I also reached out to a sample group of our Port Vincent Marina berth owners to solicit their views as to what goals/ objectives/actions the Club should be pursuing relating to the Port Vincent Marina specifically and/or the Club in general. This perspective from ‘the other side of the Gulf’ was also invaluable input to our Strategy. Not surprisingly ‘phosphates’ left by birds was a recurring theme which Management is aware of and finding new ways to address. This may be a well kept secret but several years ago a ‘CYCSA Port Vincent Members Committee’ was established to provide a collective and representative voice to Club Management and to the Board. Unfortunately this Committee hasn’t met for some time and I have asked our General Manager to reach out to all Port Vincent Senior Members to ask them to consider joining such a committee. If this is you, please get in contact with our General Manager, Adam Hays.

-$1,000,000

VOLUNTEERS

-$2,000,000

$6,000,000 $5,000,000 $4,000,000 Invested in Portfolio

$3,000,000 $2,000,000 $1,000,000 $-

Feb-24

Nov-23

Aug-23

May-23

Feb-23

Nov-22

Aug-22

Feb-22

May-22

Aug-21

Nov-21

Feb-21

May-21

Aug-20

Nov-20

Withdrawn to fund overwater assets

May-20

As I mentioned in my first Groundswell article, there is a significant body of volunteers who work diligently in both the foreground and the background throughout the year, to the tremendous benefit our Club.

Sinking Fund Value (Jan 2024)

$7,000,000

Portfolio Withdrawn to fundquestions, overwater assets Please Invested contact in the office with any operational comments, A Volunteer Appreciation BBQ was put on by the Club or concerns but feel free to contact me directly with any of your own in February to express our appreciation for their hard ideas for the Club’s continued improvement. work and dedication in making our Club the exceptional I look forward to seeing you at the Club or on the water soon. place it is. Their partners were also invited in recognition Please contact the office with any operational questions, comments, or concerns, but feel free to of the fact that our volunteers would not be able to mewas directly with any ofDavid your own volunteer without their support. The BBQ cooked Roperideas for the Club’s continued improvement.

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I look forward to seeing you at the Club or on the water soon.

David Roper, President.

FROM THE HELM Welcome to the Club’s 51st year and isn’t it good to see some fantastic late summer weather and hopefully this late burst will extend well into March and April. As I am writing this the Adelaide to Lincoln regatta has just finished.

The weather has been a hindrance this sailing season, most notably for our popular twilight events which have seen no fewer than seven cancellations to date. It was very frustrating for both members and staff alike who go to extreme lengths in preparing for the sailing and post sailing activities. Our Sailing Operations Team is investigating other options that may assist in regard to having a back-up option should a Wednesday evening be cancelled. Watch this space as there should be some news about this further into 2024.

With an exciting new year beginning we have much to look forward to in the coming months. As you read this edition you will no doubt be informed of the strategic work the Club has been doing led by President David Roper and the Board. I will leave the strategic detail to the inclusions further in this publication but may just touch on a few points to look out for in the coming year.

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Improvements to Association support will see an increase in the number of events held throughout the year in an effort to appeal to a wider audience and increase member participation.

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More support and reward for our brilliant volunteer base.

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Enhancement of Club communications in order to get the relevant information to the right targeted audience within the membership base inclusive of event advertising.

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Improve member satisfaction and engagement with the Club.

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Increase the amount of total boat usage inclusive of racing, cruising and fishing.

If you are a CYCSA member reading this thinking I do not get much communication from the Club, I encourage you to contact the office so we can check we have your current details up to date. We do have many members who may not realise that they have unsubscribed or our communications do not make it into their inbox.

We have introduced a more detailed induction communication for incoming members where we capture more detailed data around interests and what we can assist them with to enhance their enjoyment at the Club.

We will also be reaching out to all current members to ensure we have the same data and this will allow us to communicate effectively and ensure everyone is informed.

The latest update from the Government is that they have submitted all the applications to the EPA and our next dredging cycle at the North Haven entrance has been earmarked to commence this coming April. Members will be informed on commencement and for the latest bathymetric survey (December 2023) please check the website or Race Office noticeboard.

I hope everyone enjoys the remainder of the warm period and see you all down at your Club soon!

Adam Hays General Manager

CYCSA MEMBERS DRAW Congratulations to Colin Hutchesson, the Club’s fourteenth jackpot winner.

Colin won the cash jackpot of $1150 on 11 January 2024.

Thanks to draw sponsor my Easy BNB for their support as we welcome onboard new draw sponsor, MJ Architectural Windows + Doors.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Over the last three months the following people have joined the Club. Please make them welcome.

Anthony Bloffwitch, Piers Bower, Jeremy Brammer, James Catley, John Collins, Anthony Farrugia, Alison Field, Paul Frost, Sian Grainger, Dianne Heynen, Caillin Howard, Vikash Mani, Alistair Mc Farlane, Sean Monsigneur, Christopher Morrison, Suzanne Morrow, Warren Morrow, Darren Moss, Neil Mossop, Emma Muhlack, Richard Muhlack, Sean Mc Carthy, Markus Nolle, Graeme Panes, Andrew Perrone, Todd Ryan, Thomas Ryke, Lawrence Scott, Anthony Smoljan, Karim Soetratma, Gerardus Spiel, Amanda Taylor, Gino Tedesco, Steven Wachtel, Mark Wightman and Elizabeth Young.

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FROM OUR COMMODORE Well it appears that one moment I’m comfortably on the couch watching the Sydney Hobart race and then next I found myself sailing on Boston Bay as part of Lincoln Week. Time seems to slip away and I can’t help but think I might be showing signs of aging!

I trust these past few months have been filled with a flurry of both on and off-water activities for everyone.

A special acknowledgment goes out not only to the CYCSA members who participated in the Sydney Hobart but also to the entire South Australian sailing community. I’d like to extend a special mention to the Clockwork team for their efforts. Following their journey on social media, along with some spontaneous banter with crew members, added an extra layer of enjoyment.

I must confess witnessing the unpredictable weather during this year’s race didn’t leave me envious of those out there. However, facing such challenges is what distinguishes great teams.

Another noteworthy event graced South Australia during the summer – the International Laser Class World Championships festival at the Adelaide Sailing Club. The collective effort put forth was truly impressive and a special shout-out to the CYCSA for their generosity in loaning resources. An even bigger salute goes to our volunteers who were instrumental in making it one of the most memorable regattas/ events on South Australian waters in recent times.

I’m sure the Adelaide Sailing Club Commodore, Peter Royle, would agree that this event truly placed our state on the map, something we can all take pride in.

Let’s not forget the Cruising Association, bustling with activity both at the Club and beyond. Their initiatives, including the New Year’s cruise to Kangaroo Island and the Ballast Head Cup, added another layer of excitement.

For those actively involved around the Club you may have noticed changes on the screens and increased online activity. All of this aligns with the ongoing work from our strategy sessions so stay tuned for some exciting initiatives set to roll out within the Club.

As highlighted in previous reports the Club continues to progress in the right direction albeit with challenges. Promoting and fostering collaboration among all on-water activities for the South Australian sailing and on-water community remains a key focus in my eyes. While we’re not alone in this, as a state I firmly believe that collectively we can support and elevate each other.

Nick Bice

Sailing adventures continued as Geoff Boettcher led the charge taking Secret Mens Business to Geelong to compete against the newly launched Hooligan. The battle continued on the waters of Boston Bay during the Lincoln Week Regatta with Hooligan taking victory by the slimmest of margins. The competition has kept Geoff’s enthusiasm alive and we can expect to see SMB defending their IRC national championship on the east coast of Australia later this year.

Hooligan and SMB Lincoln Week Regatta

Team SMB at Port Lincoln

Photos courtesy of Down Under Sail

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VALE JOHN LORRENCE WERNER 12/8/1943 - 24/11/2023 John Werner joined the Club as Foundation Member Number 193 on 3 August 1974 and during his time at the Club was an active member of the Fishing Association. John Walker, a previous Chair of the Fishing Association, was a close friend of John and they worked closely together particularly when it came to selling raffle tickets at the various functions.

His power boat, Lady Anna, was originally berthed in B Row and when he moved to North Haven he built a marina outside his house and kept it there.

John moved to Port Lincoln and spent time fishing with friends there in recent times.

Condolences to John’s children and extended family at this time.

Gay Footer

CLUB NEWS WELCOME NEW CLUB SPONSOR SA BOAT TRAILERS (SPITFIRE) the ‘Happy Boating People’ Andrew van Ryneveld and his team at SA Boat Trailers (Spitfire) are pleased to come onboard as a corporate sponsor of the CYCSA and support the Fishing Association.

As experienced boating enthusiasts with a passion for Spitfire Aluminium Trailers, their mission is to ensure that everyone using a Spitfire Trailer will have happy boating experiences, while also getting there and back safely and conveniently.

The Spitfire Aluminium Trailers are very distinctive and appealing being a unique combination of anodised aluminium and stainless steel 316, coupled with hull-friendly HDPE for wear resistance. With many terrific design features as standard, trailer building starts with high quality manufacturing of parts and components, follows with a detailed briefing with the customer to understand all their requirements and ends with a high quality, locally tailored solution.

The team is proud of the detail in both design and build and strives for a top-shelf outcome for every trailer. Their core objectives are about value, longevity, industry leading performance, great service and support, and convenience.

The best features of Spitfire Trailers are simple and effective and geared to help a growing number of clients manage their boats safely on their own, or otherwise in challenging launching and retrieval conditions.

VALE TREVOR KIPLING 27/11/1946 - 4/12/2023 Trevor was born in South Australia hailing from Port Augusta where he spent his childhood and teenage years. He came down to Adelaide at the age of 17 to join the South Australian Police Force and spent the rest of his life working and living nearby.

Trevor is survived by three children, two daughters and a son, and Julianne was at his memorial held at the Club and told us many stories of his life and times.

Club member, Peter Woite, was a great friend and work colleague of Trevor and he recounted stories of his time with him on both a work and social basis. Trevor was a decorated Police Officer and worked diligently in his role as a Detective with the CIB and Major Crime Squad.

The business is in its fifth year and Spitfire Trailers are now widely accepted as a premium trailer solution for boats up to ~8m and requiring up to 4.5 ton in trailer GTM. The team also provides full boat and trailer set-up together with all the service and support needed across SA and into VIC.

Andrew joined the CYCSA in 2019 after moving back from Perth, transferring from the Fremantle Sailing Club. He has been boating since school days enjoying all manner of dinghy sailing and more recently on keel boats. He has his WA built Leeder 710 on a Spitfire Trailer at the Club and has provided trailers for several other CYCSA members.

Andrew is contactable on 0450 731 952 and would enjoy any discussion. The website is www.saboattrailers.com.au and meeting clients at the workshop is welcomed.

SA Boat Trailers

The Happy Boating People!

Trevor joined the Club on 29/9/1994 and was an active member over those 29 years serving on the Cruising Association and in 2020 was made the honorary caretaker of the Club as he was mainly living on his yacht Argo on the hardstand and when there was bad weather could be seen checking the mooring lines on the marina. He had a passion for the Club and called it his home and fittingly died at the Club.

He was a much admired and loved member of the CYCSA and our thoughts and condolences are with Julianne, Glenn and Sharyn for their loss.

Rest in peace Trevor.

Gay Footer

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our members representing the Club at local, interstate and overseas events...

"It was a fabulous day out representing Veteran Sailing SA competing in the Defence Industry Cup on Friday.

It was our first competitive regatta finishing a respectable third place against some very tough competition. Well done to the crew: Darren Harvey (Skipper), Dave Petersen (RSL SA/NT President), Tim Adey-Waking (Veteran Sailing SA) and Bob Schahinger (RSAYS).

Congratulations to the winning team from the ASC for a well deserved first place and a huge thanks to the CYCSA for putting on an excellent event. Special shout out to Saltwater Veterans NSW for funding our entry fee - thank you. We’ll be back next year!".

Veteran Sailing SA

Due to the unfavourable forecast and weather warning the Dockside Festival was cancelled and while the SA Sailing League takes place on the same weekend its safety protocols are managed by the CYCSA and are very different to the large-scale community event that the Dockside is. Because of this the CYCSA was confident it could still run a safe event and continued to push ahead as planned.

After the first qualifier the first two teams that secured their place in Sunday’s final were the CYCSA (Carter Baker) and ASC (Alex Blacker). The wet weather gear was dragged out for Qualifier B with heavy rainfall soaking the fleet and after some close racing it was the Largs Bay Sailing Club and the Henley Sailing Club that prevailed. After an epic three days of racing the 2023 SA Sailing League wrapped for another year.

Well done to our SA Sailing League champions and the first club to win it twice, the Largs Bay Sailing Club. Congratulations to Luke Stephens, Shevaun Bruland, Ryan Kelly and Mark Conry.

Thank you to event sponsor Maughan Thiem and all the competitors and race officials for making the event possible.

Veteran Sailing SA Team Congratulations to the 2023 Defence Industry Cup winners, Team ASC - Thomas, Dan, Dave and Margot (pictured below).

“This is a great opportunity to socialise and have fun outside of work,” Dan said.

LBSC Team with back-to-back wins!

“This event has been a wonderful opportunity for people from different ages and different areas of ASC to get together and make connections,” Dave said.

All four Team ASC members have impressive sailing experience. Dave has been sailing for 45 years and has competed in multiple national and world titles. Dan was an Australian Olympic Team Member (from 1994 to 1996) while Thomas has 10 years’ experience and was a runner-up in the 2018/2019 International Cadet Australian Titles. Margot has two years’ experience, competing in the 2023 Women’s Keelboat Regatta.

2023 DIC Winners - ASC Team

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SASL / Photos courtesy of Down Under Sail

It was a great honour for the Adelaide Sailing Club and South Australia to have been chosen to host this major competition which included the Oceania, Australian, World and Masters Championships. The CYCSA played an important role in offering our start boat and two RIBs for the ILCA Championships at the ASC. Our vessel, CYC1, was used as the regatta’s prime start boat, whilst the RIBs were used primarily for the legion of umpires arriving for the event.

This ongoing goodwill between the two clubs has generated considerable sailing community attention and has highlighted the win-win generated outcomes when partnerships are formed. Our Race Officer, David Hughes, was a key figure on the starting boat at the Worlds and this experience and knowledge no doubt will filter through to the CYCSA Race Management team at the CYCSA. In addition there were numerous CYCSA volunteers at the Laser Worlds helping in a range of ways again contributing to the South Australian sailing community’s spirit.

Well done to South Australia’s sole entrant, CYCSA’s Clockwork along with other Club members who competed in the 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. They were – •

James Paterson - Caro

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Silas Nolan - Alive

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Rob Human - Mondo

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Brett Averay - Bacardi

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Matt Richards - Bacardi

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Steve Kemp - No Limit

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Linsay Patterson - Flat White

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Charlie Ryan-Kane - Extasea

Finally, it was very pleasing to hear from one of the Principal Race Officers on the medal race day how incredibly pleased he was to be on a start boat that functioned appropriately and had state of the art race management technology. This has been a journey of triumph for the volunteers and race management team at the CYCSA, a journey which included a number of working bees and an extensive maintenance program which included a new bow winch, new cockpit awning, strengthening of the cockpit floor, new batteries, airhorn update and three new station radio installations which worked a treat.

Massive thanks to Guy Wogan-Provo, Peter Sheridan, Richard Fidock and all the volunteers who chipped in their time and expertise. Finally, a massive congratulations to one of our fellow yacht clubs for pulling off an amazing event which has clearly raised the bar in the regatta management space, showcasing what South Australia has to offer.

Caro Image credit: ROLEX | Salty Dingo

Greg Allison

Pictured: Three of our dedicated CYCSA members assisting at the ASC for the 2024 Oceania and Australian ILCA Championships - David Hughes, Adrian Wilson and David Royle.

Photo by Down Under Sail

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The Bravo Sails Pre-Christmas Twilight Series, which included four abandoned races due to high winds finished with – Division 1 – Sintara (Derek Morrison), Clockwork (Lloyd/Harvey), Venom (Robert Dunn).

Division 2 – Magnum (Jim Heyen), Ohana (John Mortimer), School’s Out (Adrian Wotton).

Welcome new sponsor - My Easy BnB is sponsoring the Post-Christmas Twilight Series. The series is underway but the weather has not been kind with three being cancelled due to strong winds. The results after six races are – Division 1 – Playground (Brenton Pegler) and Venom on equal points just ahead of G-Wizz (Greg Patten).

Division 2 – Magnum, School’s Out and Seduction (Mark Moore) on equal points.

The Inshore Series has 17 races programmed for this season. With 12 races, including three cancelled, the results are – PHS Division 1 – Clockwork, Dr Feelgood 3 (Skipper, Dan McHolm), Sintara.

PHS Division 2 – Locomotion (Peter Hall), Young Einstein (Rob Sellick), Rocksalt (Denby Steele).

AMS Division 1 – Clockwork, Dr Feelgood 3 and Magic (Mike Holmes) Locomotion AMS Division 2 – Ocean Hawk (Steve Emery), Rock On (Trevor Conyers), Locomotion In the second race of the Short Offshore Series (Glenelg Gulf Race) held on 25 November Sintara took out first place on PHS (by less than three minutes on corrected time) and Magic took out first place on AMS and in the third race (Tapley Shoal Race), held on 13 January, Venom took out first place on PHS and Magic took out first place on AMS. I would like to thank the regular Duty Crew who volunteer to run all the races and those who help when extras are needed. The CYCSA is grateful and if anyone else would like to help please let us know.

Thanks to our sponsors Yalumba Wines, George Family Winegrowers, Bravo Sails and My Easy BnB. Inese Lainis Racing Administrator

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The Premier’s Cup Regatta was held over the first weekend in December with Daryl Emery as Race Officer, running three windward leeward races and one triangle race with two races each day.

For day one of racing the wind was well above predicted at around 16-18 knots. The second day of the regatta saw completely different conditions resulting in kinder and more pleasurable sailing.

Unfortunately the Deputy Premier, Dr Susan Close, was unable to attend the presentations due to unforeseen circumstances so our Commodore, Nick Bice, stepped in for the prize giving.

Well done to all participants and congratulations to the winner of the Premier’s Cup – Secret Mens Business (SMB), Geoff Boettcher on his hat-trick win.

Thank you to Regatta Sponsor George Family Winegrowers for their continued support.

Inese Lainis Racing Administrator

PREMIER’S CUP REGATTA RESULTS Division 1 PHS – Shining Sea (Andrew Corletto), Magic, Clockwork

AMS – Clockwork, Magic, Dr Feelgood 3

IRC – Secret Mens Business, Clockwork, Game On 31 (Julian Newton)

Division 2 PHS & AMS – Outlier (David Riddle), Ocean Hawk, Rock On

SMB

Clockwork

Shining Sea

Outlier

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Clockwork, a Sydney 38, was the Club’s and South Australia’s sole entrant in the 78th Sydney to Hobart offshore classic.

Tongue firmly in cheek, Mary Ann Harvey offered this description of their endeavour which she says began as a ‘random thought’ about 18 months ago. Andy Lloyd and Mary Ann were keen to have a crack at the Sydney to Hobart.

Many Club members would already know that they bought Clockwork in October 2022 specifically to do this and so the campaign began, underscored by Andy’s meticulous preparation. According to Andy this included – •

Budget compiled – blown out

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Lists made and remade seven times over as multiple tasks were completed and new items added

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Every screw, bolt, nut and rivet inspected with each either ticked off as ok, replaced or tightened

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Upgrading of a significant amount of gear including HF radio, satellite phone, life raft, running rigging, sheets, braces, boom repairs, staunchion repairs, waterproofing, and creation of redundancy systems for steering, backstay, stripping hull to original and re-antifouling, new sails etc.

Fast forward to 22/12/2023 when some of the crew flew into Sydney to join Mary Ann and Andy who were embedded at the CYCA, peaking with final preparations and awaiting the crew’s arrival. Over the next couple of days acquaintances were made with surrounding berths’ occupants. These included Bob and his cat Oli, senior partners in the ‘two-handed four-pawed’ campaign of Sylph VI) and fellow Sydney 38 competitors Eye Candy, Cinquante and Mondo, the latter with Rob Human from our Club on board as navigator. Last-minute preparations included sleeving the UHF radio antenna, replacing the log and dissemination of Mary Ann’s meticulously thought-out crew gear.

The shirts, shorts and bright orange caps came together as a stylish ensemble, topped by a black Musto shell with our S2H decals – so perfect. Thanks to Mary Ann while milling about in the CYCA sailor scrum we could always find each other – bright orange caps, rock star kit. We enjoyed generous local, Rolex and international media attention (note to self - prepare better).

On Christmas Eve the last of the crew arrived, narrowly beating the closure of Sydney airport due to bad weather. The first time we all sailed together as a unit was on Christmas Eve. This, our sole training session on Sydney Harbour, involved dodging downpours and wrangling new halyards.

The list was enormous and took well over six months of solid work.

Over these months the crew list was settled with Andy (skipper, helm, navigator), Mary Ann (co-skipper, boat management, trimming, helm), crew; Mike Burvill (mainsheet), Rowan Edwards (cockpit, mast and trim), Laoise King (trimming), Kerry Parker (foredeck) Matt Stephens (helm, navigation, everywhere), Sam Wilksch (foredeck, mast, trimming) and Guy-Wogan Provo (helm, runabout problem solving). With a mere five years on the water I was, by a country mile, the least experienced sailor on board and was allocated the task of on strings.

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We converged on a close-by café for a delicious Christmas breakfast, digestion helped by more boat prep, followed by a fabulous lunch on the CYCA media deck, shared with the crew of Sandringham Yacht Club’s Patriot. This boat went on to win Division 3 IRC after two previous attempts.

Festive silliness and joy involved antlers and song and it was an exciting happy time for all of us.

Mary Ann and Andy managed an early interview with Deb Tribe from ABC Radio Adelaide. We flurried though last-minute sail and excess kit packing for the truck to Tassie and a chandlery dash. We were so excited as we headed into the CYCA for the last race and weather briefing. Here we had the final word on the wet and wild conditions to come of multiple warnings of extreme gusts, too much wind, too little wind, lightning, hail, drenching rain and multiple fronts being squeezed between systems. I don’t know who said, “It’s gonna be spicy” but they were right.

Thunderstorms, strong winds and heavy rain blanketed the harbour but cleared to sunny skies as our 103 strong fleet jostled for position. Anticipation and adrenaline overload made the start (lining up on the second start line) and getting out of the Heads a blur. I more or less remember a few things – a boom box belting out AC/DC on the approach to the spectator boat Jackson, signing on with storm sails hoisted and not stuffing up the spinnaker hoist on the start line (phew). I’m reliably informed that we had a great, clean start. We’re a small boat and the largest boat in our line was a 61 footer and while we weren’t first on the line we were right up there.

We moved down the coast with erratic winds and unsettled conditions and made 13 sail changes before midnight and 22 in the first 24 hours. We raced with massive thunderclouds and lightning chasing us from the northeast then east. There was wind, no wind, rain squalls and we were so wet! Andy recalls that chasing the southerly current proved tricky and nothing like our local waters. The evening’s full moon was dazzling when we could see it and spirits were high.

Rain, lots of wind, no escape from the wet-wet-wet and then laundry chaos drying out. 250 kg of water was pumped from the bilge and during the beautiful evening we reached Bass Strait.

Bass Strait was bright, wet and surprisingly warm. The seas were sapphire and lumpy, with winds gusting to 35 knots. Big waves came from all directions and built to bloody big waves by late afternoon. One of these beauties scooped Kerry and I up off the beam and the casualties tallied at one sandal, one corked thigh, staunchion not a scratch. Sam notes, “The mighty Bass Strait lived up to its reputation” and his fun four-hour stint trimming the mainsail. Day three’s journey down the east coast of Tasmania was stunningly beautiful and busy. Sunset over Wineglass Bay was marked by extraordinary orange skies and eerie grey clouds. It felt like we were in Middle Earth.

I didn’t know this was possible but the moon’s brightness and the drizzle conjured a ‘moonbow’. Google it. In what, by comparison, was a tranquil sea state Mike quipped “This is the beginning … of the end.” He was of course referring to gearing up for the last stretch – a push to the finish, chasing Mondo and Eye Candy down. Everyone committed to 24 hours up on deck with brief rotations to manage the cold and wet. Microsleeps on the rail were a novel, unnerving sensation.

Two reefs had been set in preparation for the coming weather but as the boat was still overpowered the main was dropped to hoist the trisail. It rapidly got too windy for further sail changes, plus the boat was cranking along with the No 4 and trisail, so the rig was left as was. Sam summarises this leg as “More exhausting sail changes, a lost halyard, giant seas and 45 knots of wind for the better part of 12 hours.” It felt like longer.

Just before dawn the weather smashed us as the fronts closed in at Tasman Island and across Storm Bay. It’s called Storm Bay for a reason. We shook across the bay, climbing, slamming, climbing, slamming, climbing, slamming. There was so much water over the side of the boat but I’m also sure we were airborne at points. The on-deck watch rested below in brief stints, grabbed sustenance and then headed back up.

Guy and Matt helmed through these conditions, the heaviest of the race. Matt refers to the “little darts” – spray delivered so hard and sharp by Huey it pricked the whites of your eyes blood-red. In these conditions the cabin was like a tumble drier so the obvious projectiles were stowed but sails, clobber and surprise objects slid, slammed, swayed or rolled across every surface. Sleeping/resting bodies mostly stayed put. No one seemed worried about the boat breaking so I decided not to. There was seasickness, concussion and hypothermia but everyone stayed on the boat – fun times. There are fantastic shots of Clockwork rounding Tasman Island. At the famous Organ Pipes I looked out of the starboard porthole to see a chopper level with the boat – whoah! These great pictures by the official race photographer, Kurt Arrigo, can be found on the CYCA website and on our own @Clockwork sailing (reproduced with thanks). We later heard from the chopper pilot that he was doing 50 knots airspeed and 0 knots groundspeed. I don’t know who was roaring loader, Huey, the sea or Clockwork and she took everything they threw at her.

By the time we entered the Derwent the breeze had backed off to 20-25 knots. From the Iron Pot we enjoyed an escort by a drone, piloted by Jeremy in an accompanying craft.

Andy explains that we didn’t rehoist the main as there was a halyard up the mast and there would have been no change to our position in the fleet so we didn’t send anyone up to retrieve it. We hoisted the kite though, for the first time in two days.

The mighty Clockwork finished the race in four days 13 mins 30 seconds. We were 8th in our division, 38th on IRC and 52nd over the line. The cheers had begun well before we passed the finishing box on to Constitution Dock. What an unexpectedly moving experience this public reception was with all the cheering and clapping. You could certainly feel the love. I’ll never forget Mary Ann’s reaction when she realised daughter Zoe was there to greet her. More than one tear may have been shed by more than one sailor. Beautiful family reunions were had as we were greeted by staunch supporters and met new fans, fell on hot chips like seagulls and some of us underwent the first timers’ ritual dip in the Derwent with no dry clothes in reserve. Then it was Customs House, a shower, food and dry bed - OMG.

Page 12: Clockwork rounding Tasman Island.

Image credit: ROLEX | Kurt Arrigo

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CLOCKWORK’S ROLEX SYDNEY HOBART CAMPAIGN I like Andy’s summary, provided for SA blogger and Clockwork enthusiast Jason Russell who met us for the first time at Constitution Dock, “A real highlight ... To be in a match race with the Sydney 38s hunting each other for 600 nautical miles was fantastic.” I’m pretty sure Andy wrapped the interview with, “We’re pleased with our first crack at it” and we are. For my part I’m indescribably proud and happy and still can’t quite believe my luck in being part of this massive adventure in the Clockwork cockpit chaos as part of our fantastic crew.

Huge shout outs to •

Jen Richardson and Liz Ey, our gracious and superb shore crew, who in myriad ways ensured we wanted for nothing be it song, sumptuous meal or endless laundry support and to Jeremy Richardson, who was all over the task of getting us up and out there in social media. Along with proud mother Jen (as above), Jeremy is the engine room of our media presence and instrumental in our success to date in raising over $7,000 for Orange Sky, raising awareness, getting us healthily underway on our campaign towards $50,000 in 2024. Jeremy’s company Olliepop Media was also brought in by CYCA to film the boats entering the Derwent.

•

My crewmates. What legends! Our collective sense of accomplishment was beautifully captured in the log. I’m not sure I can share that here. I can’t wait till we are all sailing together again.

•

Mary Ann and Andy, Boat Partners and skippers. Their preparation, investment in our safety and wellbeing, race preparedness and comfort, their patience, generosity, dedication to this adventure and belief in us led to the unbelievable privilege of sharing this (hopefully not) oncein-a-lifetime experience together.

There’s another story about the weeks that bookend this experience of competing in and completing the 2023 Sydney to Hobart however there isn’t time and space but a few things must be noted in finishing Being indebted to the delivery crew who got Clockwork quickly and safely to Sydney and who had their own full measure of adventure and encounters.

• •

Thank you to Mary Ann, Andy, Kerry, Rowan, Lou Hollis, Helen Palm, Charlie Ryan-Kane and Coco Fenaux (also with Adelaide Uni Sailing Club with Charlie).

•

Being in awe of CYCSA’s own Rob Human and his superhuman (excuse pun) achievement in completing 25 Sydney to Hobart races. What a privilege it was to be in the back row of the Sydney to Hobart presentations cheering Rob as he accepted his commemorative medal.

•

The awe-inspiring land and seascapes of the West Coast delivery back to Adelaide in the delightful company of Andy, Mary Ann, Kerry, Matt and Helen (Willmer) with following seas for much of our journey. Everywhere we anchored generous, amazing folks were there to greet, celebrate and lend a hand if needed. There were albatrosses and dolphins galore, too many lobster pots and there could never be enough of the luminous Upwelling and Milky Way.

Find us on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

Our website: www.clockworksailing.com.au Please donate to our fundraising campaign for Orange Sky. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9JcabbFFSQ

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Thanks to Sam for your Facebook piece and to Mary Ann and Andy for filling in memory gaps and their advice on this article.

All mistakes are the author’s.

Kirsty Hammet

Louise

For some years I have been hassling Rob for a profile and being the non-assuming person he is, he demurred with the comment that when he completed 25 Sydney to Hobart races he would do it. Well, the time has come as Rob completed his 25th race in the 2023 race and in doing so is now listed on the Wall of Fame at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and received the pictured medallion.

Rob is a South Australian through and through and turned 64 years of age on his last birthday. He received his secondary education at St Peters College and went on to follow in his father’s and brother’s footsteps and attended the Sydney College of Chiropractic and is still a practitioner.

He is married to Aleks and they have two children, a daughter Claudia who is now aged 28 and a son Alexander aged 25.

Rob joined the Club 46 years ago shortly after it was formed and, like most of that generation, grew up at the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron where from the age of eight was part of their junior racing on International Cadets together with Richard Fidock, Rob Last and Graeme and Michael Judell.

Racing is in his blood and when talking about the various Hobart races he has sailed he commented that his most challenging races were in the 1980s when the race seemed to be a bash with more typical southerly weather unlike the weather of recent times with a lot of northerly conditions.

One of the more memorable events was racing in the China Cup (a fleet of 30 Beneteau 40.7s) with the Two True team which consisted of racing from Hong Kong to Shenzhen then several short courses in Shenzhen.

As for the most interesting race, he described when he was invited to sail on a 72 foot yacht from Great Britain called Louise. There was one practice session two weeks before the race then it was out on the water to the start. The crew consisted of Rob, friends of the owner and the rest was a fully paid professional crew, definitely a mixed bag.

Rob receiving his medallion.

Image: ROLEX | Kurt Arrigo

Rob’s first Sydney to Hobart was on Infra Red, then owned by Peter Mander from Sydney. David Urry subsequently bought Infra Red and Rob continued sailing with David on the boat. Other South Australian yachts he has sailed the race on are Bacardi; Ausmaid, owned by Kevan Pearce which won in 2000; True North and Two True, owned by Andrew Saies with a win of the Tattersalls Cup on Two True in 2009 and Magic, campaigned by Richard Harries, Ian Metcalf and Brett Brown.

Over a period of 42 years Rob has now sailed 25 Sydney to Hobart races in yachts ranging from 34 feet to 72 feet and he hopes to do more in the years ahead.

TP52s are Rob’s favourite yacht of the moment and he has enjoyed sailing on Pirate owned by Keith Finch and Smuggler owned by ex-South Australian and Club member, Seb Bohm, who is now based in Sydney.

In February this year Rob was part of the crew on board Sintara owned by Derek Morrison for the Adelaide to Port Lincoln Race and in March sailed in the Sydney 38 One-Design NSW Championships on board Mondo, the yacht he sailed in the 2023 Sydney to Hobart Race.

Rob is currently the Chair of the Racing Association at the Club, a position he has held for three years and he feels very strongly about the Club. He believes it is well run and is heading in the right direction and things can only get better.

Congratulations on your achievements Rob and may life and the winds continue to be kind to you.

Gay Footer

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CYCSA YOUTH SAILING FOUNDATION UPDATE SA SAILING LEAGUE REPORT

This was the second South Australian Sailing League for some of the team members and a first for the upcoming development squad and it was a huge success. The teams performed above everyone’s expectations with new crew on board leading up to the event. There were tough sailing conditions and competition and both teams excelled on the course with great results being the top two youth teams in the SASL! Teamwork lifted in both teams when needed on the course and prior training in the marina at the CYCSA really helped in close water sailing with quick kite sets and drops, picking the wind shifts, better starts and buoy roundings.

Other areas we will be looking into for the next event are tactics and sailing rules as we had a few unlucky calls against us.

Nevertheless it was a great learning experience for our teams. We will also be diving into mental/physical and communication skills training to strengthen our young sailors for the upcoming Sailing Champions League - Asia Pacific Finals. All the sailors showed exceptional sportsmanship and from talking to other teams and spectators everyone was impressed on how they performed for a young team.

We are super proud of both teams!

The CYCSA now has two active and very excited squad teams pushing each other on the racecourse and I would like to introduce the two squad teams for 2024 Performance Team

Development Team

Carter Baker, Helm Fraser Baker, Main Sophie Ward, Trim Sailor Cowen, Bow Will Gaylard, Bow 2

Murphy Cowen, Skipper Finnlay Bunt, Main Subin Wright-Simon, Trim Tyndelle Bleakley, Bow Trinity Woodley, Bow 2

YSF Teams compete at the SA Sailing League.

SASL photos courtesy of Down Under Sail

420 AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

In January the CYCSA youth team competed in the 420 Australian Championships at the Largs Bay Sailing Club and came away with some great results with Murphy Cowen finishing fifth overall in a close exciting regatta.

Accompanying Murphy in a tough battle to finish in the top five was CYCSA youth sailors Carter Baker, Fraser Baker, Will Gaylard, Sailor Cowen and Sophie Ward.

RESULTS Indian Pacific - 5th Murphy Cowen (Helm), Brayden Griffiths (Crew) Slip Away - 6th Carter Baker (Helm), Zane Chaplin (Crew) Crush - 8th Fraser Baker (Helm), Will Gaylard (Crew)

Vamos - 11th Sailor Cowen (Helm), Sophie Ward (Crew) Luke Allison Head Coach

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Pictured above: Fraser and Will (SA) Junior Champions and 1st on Handicap

Sophie and Sailor (SA) Female Champions with LBSC Commodore, Matthew Carter.

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The forecast for this year’s race from Adelaide to Port Lincoln predicted the wind could drop out for the last leg of the passage, potentially making for a slow finish.

Fortunately for most of us the breeze stayed in providing a pleasurable spinnaker run up to Boston Bay. Some might say that this was the best wind for the week and maybe it was. Many more said that the Port Lincoln Yacht Club put on a fantastic week for everyone, as they always do, and vowed they would be back again for the big one next year, the 75th iteration of a well-loved iconic South Australian sailing event.

Andrew Lloyd and Mary Ann Harvey’s Clockwork took out first place in Division 1 PHS followed by Mike and Mark Welsh on Wicked and Scott Mutton on 3 Cool Cats (RSAYS). Division 2 PHS results showed the first three boats were fairly evenly matched with Justin Brenan’s Alien (RYCV) taking first from Andy Shipp’s Kinetic Energy (CYCSA) ahead of Simon Turvey’s Born to Mentor (PLYC). Justin Brennan’s Alien won on PHS Overall.

Di Schwerdt

Results for the race over: First over the line was Geoff Boettcher’s Secret Mens Business (CYCSA) with an elapsed time of 14 hours, 10 minutes and 38 seconds followed by Andrew Corletto’s Shining Sea (CYCSA), the two boats taking out first and second places in Division 1, IRC. In third was Wicked raced by Mike and Mark Welsh (SYC).

ORCAP results placed Wicked ahead of Bacardi (Brett Averay, SYC), followed by Mike Holme’s Magic (CYCSA) in third place.

Derek Morrison’s Sintara repeated last year’s individual win on AMS in Division 1 as well as helping the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia win the overall team event for the first three boats from the same club over the line.

In the same race Wicked came in second, followed by Shining Sea. In Division 2 AMS Simon Turvey placed first on Born to Mentor (PLYC) followed by Brett Averay on Bacardi, then Dale Price on Papillon (RSAYS). Derek Morrison’s Sintara won on AMS Overall.

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Sintara

Secret Mens Business

Clockwork

IRC Div 1

Secret Mens Business, Shining Sea, Wicked

ORCAP

Wicked, Bacardi, Magic

AMS Div 1

Sintara, Wicked, Shining Sea

AMS Div 2

Born to Mentor, Bacardi, Papillon

PHS Div 1

Clockwork, Wicked, 3 Cool Cats

PHS Div 2

Alien, Kinetic Energy, Born to Mentor

PHS Overall Alien, Kinetic Energy, Born to Mentor AMS Overall Sintara, Born to Mentor, Wicked

Photos courtesy of Down Under Sail

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This year the Teakle Classic Lincoln Week Regatta incorporated the 2024 Australian Sports Boat Association National Titles, swelling boat numbers and spreading racing across the bay and into Spencer Gulf. With four divisions on the water at the same time, race officers were kept busy for the entire regatta.

Competing in six races over four days, two windward/leeward courses on Monday, a Long Race on Tuesday, a Bay Race on Wednesday and two windward/leeward courses on Thursday.

The Regatta fleet was thoroughly tested in all the strategies of light wind racing.

The Sports Boats competed in their own division with two W/L races over each of three days as well as the Wednesday Bay Race, culminating in Megga’s BBQ in Spalding Cove. Well signposted Aquaculture Leases — Tuna rings and Mussel leases reminded us of the significance of the fishing industry to Port Lincoln’s history and economic development. This was reinforced each day by the Port Lincoln Yacht Club’s generous

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lucky draw gifts of succulent crayfish at the daily post-race presentations, something no-one wanted to miss out on.

Races 1 and 2, in light winds beginning at 10 knots and dropping to six, on very flat seas, tended to be a bit of a challenge to the bigger boats. Division 1 IRC Race 1 was won by Marcus Blackmore (RPAYC) on Hooligan ahead of Geoff Boettcher’s Secret Mens Business. In Division 2 Andrew Corletto’s Shining Sea came in first in front of Andrew Lloyd/Mary Ann Harvey’s Clockwork then Mike and Mark Welsh’s Wicked. Race 2 Division 1 IRC saw Hooligan maintain its position ahead of Secret Mens Business while we saw a change of lead in Division 2 with Wicked ahead of Brett Averay’s Bacardi and Julian Newton’s Game On 31.

Division 1 IRC results in the first two races indicated the shape of things to come as the two boats fought each other for a win.

By the end of the regatta Hooligan’s dominance on the finish line paid off and they went home IRC winners. Secret Mens Business took the series win on PHS. Race 3, with 8 knots in the Bay, saw Division 1 sail to Taylor’s Island, Division 2 to Carcass Rock, Division 3 sailing a special course and Division 4 sailing W/L courses. As expected, the breeze dropped out further and some of us wondered if we would finish before the time limit expired. The decision to shorten

LINCOLN WEEK REGATTA the course to finish just off Donington Rock was most welcome. For Sintara, with the finish line just out of reach and a functioning kite still up, the breeze suddenly changed direction lifting dramatically from 4 to 16 knots in 30 seconds.

This prompted a scramble for a rapid letterbox drop leaving just enough momentum to get over the line. Others further out found themselves tacking back to the finish providing sufficient clues for following boats to prepare their own more conservative approaches.

In Race 4, with clarity on the Bickers Islands buoy and promising very light winds — so little wind — it proved to be a good call to finish the race at the BHP mark. The iron sails were then deployed to move the fleet out to the annual Megga’s BBQ on the beach. Sintara had two young lads from the Port Lincoln Yacht Club on board – Josh (11 years) and Kai (9) – both of whom showed keen interest in the race strategies and the curious ways of big boats including the way in which navigation is used to enhance racing. Both boys were a pleasure to have aboard and we wish them well in their future sailing adventures. Thanks for sailing with us Josh and Kai! In Races 5 and 6, the wind gods saved the best ‘til last letting fly with 15-16 knots in the first race and 18-19 in the second.

Two great W/L races in Boston Bay brought the regatta to a satisfying close. Series Results (AMS) for Division 2 gave the top three placings to Ken Skovchristensen on BKT Jamhu (RBYC), Mike and Mark Welsh on Wicked then Brett Averay on Barcadi. In Division 3 Simon Turvey on Born to Mentor (PLYC) came out ahead of Lee Haakmeester on OutrageUs (CYCSA) followed by Derek Morrison on Silent Partner (PASC). Series Results (PHS) for Division 2 put Justin Brenan in front on Alien, Mike and Mark Welsh second on Wicked, and Andrew Corletto third on Shining Sea. Division 3 saw Simon Turvey in the lead again on Born to Mentor in front of Andy Shipp on Kinetic Energy and Lee Haakmeester on Outrage-Us.

IRC Div 1

Hooligan, Secret Mens Business

IRC Div 2

Game On 31, Wicked, Shining Sea

AMS Div 2

BKT Jamhu, Wicked, Bacardi

AMS Div 3

Born to Mentor, Outrage-Us, Silent Partner

PHS Div 1

Secret Mens Business, Hooligan

PHS DIV 2

Alien, Wicked, Shining Sea

PHS DIV 3

Born to Mentor, Kinetic Energy, Outrage-Us

ORC

Wicked, BKT Jamhu, Bacardi

Julian Newton, Game On 31

With the regatta over for this year and the boats readied for home or cruising in the waters around Port Lincoln, we all headed for the showers to begin preparing for the annual Presentation Dinner in the Ballroom of the Port Lincoln Hotel.

Once again the Port Lincoln Yacht Club closed a memorable event with a splendid dinner, trophy presentations, music and dancing along with a chance to mingle and talk about the week just past and next year’s racing plans.

Thank you Port Lincoln Yacht Club. Job well done!

Di Schwerdt

In LTP: First Plowking, Skipper Ben Kelsey (GRYC), second Mighty Fine Lyons, Bill Van Riet (PLYC) and third Don’t Panic! Julian Bethwaite (SASC).

In CBH: First Don’t Panic!, Bethwaite (GRYC), second Crank, Andrew Wiklund (RQC) and third Mighty Fine Lyons, Van Riet (PLYC).

Photos courtesy of Down Under Sail

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The tenth King of the Gulf was the BIGGEST and the BEST. It was blessed with perfect sailing conditions over five days, a record fleet of 31 yachts representing four states, a happy and inclusive social scene making new friends and reacquainting with old ones.

The regatta commenced on Friday with the passage over to Port Vincent. The fire boat was near the start line and put on a great water cannon show for everybody. The race started in four knots of breeze with the three division fleets splitting up into two groups, a ‘let’s go to Glenelg’ group were seeking the new southerly wind with lots of tacks down the gulf while ‘the Port Wakefield looks good’ group headed north. This group ended up sailing to Vincent on the same tack all the way. In the end I think the northerns may have got it right. The race was won on handicap by Goldfinger (RSAYS) in the multihull division, Liesl (RSAYS) in the monohull division and Trim Cat (CYCSA) in the cruising division.

On arrival the huge marquee was set up with 30 large trestles and 220 chairs. The Port Vincent Coast Guard were soon cooking the BBQ in the 25-30 knot plus sea breeze while we sat inside the marquee hoping that the marquee would stay put on the south side of the marina.

We had great pleasure in celebrating our multi awarded Principal Race Officer, Jock Ross, on his 86th birthday with a birthday cake kindly donated by the Coast Guard. The KOG Wilbur volunteers ate half the cake with the rest going to the enthusiastic and delightful group of university students sailing on Clockwork. As tradition dictated we then had the return of the trophies by last year’s winners and the new skippers and crews were welcomed into the KOG family. The big $1,000 prize in the KOG regatta is the North Haven Marine/Wireless Communications Teams Trophy and the five teams were announced with each team having the fleets of the multihulls, monohulls and cruisers drawn by lot by our regatta sponsor, Dockside Port Vincent.

Saturday was regarded by many as the best sailing day ever.

Flat water and a steady breeze of 12-15 knots was there for the taking all day. Two races were expertly run by the great team on the committee boat, Wilbur. Put simply, you could not get a better day’s sailing and it is right on our doorstep.

That night, those of us who scored one of the sold-out tickets, enjoyed the hospitality of the Port Vincent Sailing Club, always a good night and always very well run by the local club.

Sunday was the Orontes Beacon race with the three fleets starting at significantly different time intervals. This works within a key KOG philosophy of keeping the fleets together and timing the races so we all finish together. The trailer sailers started first followed by the cruising division. Although the wind was very light the high-quality trailer sailer fleet had built up a considerable lead before the monohull racing and the multihulls started. Again, although the race started in light breezes, we all came home with the reliable 12-15 knot breeze from Orontes.

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Monday was the day the winners were decided. The courses were laid by our friends from the Port Vincent Sailing Club mark laying boat with some additional unscheduled adjustments by Marnico from the CYCSA. Although a bit lighter in the wind department we had two great races and a brilliant fast sail back to the marina.

During the regatta we suffered the lowest tides many of us could remember in Port Vincent making the entry to the marina problematic. The wise heads on G-Wizz just waited for water but Ocean Hawk and Clockwork met the bottom. Ocean Hawk was pulled off and Clockwork crossed the entry into the marina with nearly all the crew hanging off the boom hung at 90 degrees to the boat. To everybody’s surprise they made it! We did however have a good deal of good news when our major sponsor, Peter Villis from Dockside, outlined the fantastic plans that are well along the track including dredging the marina entry, a hotel, apartment and on-water town houses. We wish Peter and his team all the best because this will make our frequent trips across the gulf like sailing into a paradise.

Greg Patten of Wireless Communication has been a fantastic supporter of sailing in South Australia for years and he made an announcement during the welcome dinner. He thought he could be holding in a large A4 envelope, ominous news that could well be the demise of yacht racing as we all know it. Greg and his team are at the cutting edge of artificial intelligence and Greg had a team in his office work out the winners of all the King of the Gulf divisions. To say he was met with a great deal of scepticism would be an understatement but, undaunted, he handed over the sealed envelope to the KOG secretary for safe keeping with the results to be revealed at the presentation dinner. Well knock me over with a feather, despite the divisions including two state championships, the results were unbelievably predictive with nearly a 70% success rate. As Greg said, “Soon yacht racing will involve standing on the Club lawn with your crew, getting squirted with very cold water, having a shower, then retiring into the Club bar to see who won the race on the computer”. A very scary prospect indeed and congratulations to your AI team Greg.

The Presentation Dinner at the Port Vincent Bowling Club is always top shelf with the Club volunteer waiters wearing bow ties and with the cooks doing a fantastic job. As the meal progressed some of the teams even managed to go outside and have a bowl. A great addition to the night was Bruce Richardson who gave the yacht crews the opportunity to get photographs taken in front of the large King of the Gulf flag. As usual, the meals were delicious with congratulations going to the club ladies once again.

Iain MacDougall and John Hardy conducted the presentations with aplomb and a great deal of laughter. The 10 year old gowns and golden crowns had been replaced with something akin to British royalty level. Gerald Valk had crafted the greatest Neptune tridents anybody has ever seen. So good were these tridents that one Queensland crew offered huge money to take one home with them but we held firm.

King of the Gulf Monohull Division 1 Winner, Young Einstein from left to right: Peter Smith, Rob Moore, Rob Sellick, Harry Wynbergen, and Tony Reynolds.

Marnico

For the second year in a row an interstate team won the Multihull King of the Gulf crown with Craig Humphries and the big fast catamaran Ritalin from the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron. Second was The Stig (Terry O’Brien) from the Port Macquarie Sailing Club with Gerald Valk and his crew in Crosshair finishing third. The Monohull Division One crown was won by the CYCSA yacht Young Einstein jointly skippered by Moore/Sellick and Smith. They certainly enjoyed the conditions and won comfortably from Liesl (Peter Wirthensohn) and another CYCSA yacht Ocean Hawk (Steve Emery). The Monohull Division Two crown went to Fifi V with the veteran crew skippered by Brian Lawrie. Elementary (Greg Hackett) was second with Passport (Kevin Kelly) third.

This was a strong showing from the Port Vincent Sailing Club picking up the first two positions. We are hopeful that more Port Vincent yachts will join us next year. The Cruising Division saw John Muirhead in Enchantress winning from Aquitaine (David Eldridge) and Four Seventy (David Rawnsley).

The King of the Gulf Regatta had the added prestige of hosting two State Championships this year for the Multihulls and the Trailer Sailers. It was the tenth year of hosting the multihull State championships with first place position going to Goldfinger and second to the 2023 State Champion Geoff Kneebone in Tearaway with The Stig from NSW taking the third spot. The new Trailer Sailer State Champion is Greg Hackett in Elementary with Brian Lawrie second in Fifi V and Fast Forward from the Darwin Yacht Club third.

The evening finished off with the best of wishes going to the three King of the Gulf yachts; Clockwork, The XX Factor and Elementary who competed in the Lincoln Week series.

Clockwork

Planning immediately commences for the 11th edition of the King of the Gulf with some fantastic and exciting additions to the regatta already well in the mix. Some of these suggestions have come from competing crews and skippers which is a KOG ‘thing’. A big effort will be made to get some of the South Australian cruising yachts out of their berths for some relaxed racing in the cruising division. Early indications show that the cruising fleet could swell to ten or more which would be great.

So another regatta ends. The KOG is truly a regatta for sailors by sailors. Everybody helps, meaning there is no mess to clean up. Tables are always clean and tidy. We have a very special group of people, the King of the Gulfers. A big thanks to Jock Ross and his team of race officials and photographers.

Thanks also to the King of the Gulf committee and the people who just help because they are there. Our sponsors also deserve a big thank you: Dockside Port Vincent, 35 South Marina, North Haven Marine, the Multihull Yacht Association of South Australia, Wireless Communications, the CYCSA and the RSAYS. We hope to see you all back for the 11th King of the Gulf next year. The dates are selected by the best tides for entry into and out of the marina and the dates for 2025 are • • •

Passage Race to Port Vincent, Friday 14 February (Valentines Day) KOG Regatta, Saturday 15 to Monday 17 February Passage Race back to Adelaide, Tuesday 18 February

Many thanks to David Eldridge from the Squadron for sharing this report with the Cruising Yacht Club of SA.

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1.

To encourage and promote within the greater community the sports of yachting, fishing, power boating, sea and ocean cruising and such other sports and games as the Club may consider appropriate.

2.

To provide, develop and maintain mooring and hardstanding facilities as the Club may determine from time to time and to grant licences to occupy such mooring and hardstanding facilities to Senior Members, Life Members and Berth Licensees of the Club and to accept surrenders of such licences.

3.

To provide and maintain club houses and other buildings and any other things, facilities, and services which the Club may from time to time decide upon to encourage such sports and for the use, benefit and enjoyment of the Club members and the public.

•

HOSPITALITY

Increase member experience and engagement through improvements in our Hospitality offerings.

• •

•

MEMBERSHIP

Increase boating participation and increase membership numbers through improvements in Marketing and Communication.

•

•

•

Increase the number and quality of boating events

• • •

Aim menu(s) at a range of audiences: High-end, Bistro, and Café.

Dedicate a portion of menu to different cuisines and changing specials.

Adjust Club opening hours to align with member presence

Increased patronage.

Increased number of transactions.

Increased net income.

Document/publish the boating journeys (membership pathways) towards each of racing, cruising, power boating, fishing and boat ownership, and have each member nominate those of Increased racing and noninterest. racing event participation.

Send targeted emails to Increased membership encourage event participation numbers. based on nominated topics of interest.

Foster engagement with other clubs and organisations aligned with our membership pathways.

Organise new racing, cruising, and fishing events, including weekdays.

Improve media coverage of Club activities.

Offer more group and individual educational opportunities in boating.

Increased number of events of each type.

Increased event participation of each type.

Promote inclusivity in all boating activities.

BOATING •

Support Associations to deliver more and better events

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• •

Provide clear guidelines for event planning and budgeting.

Recognise and reward volunteer efforts.

Promote Club events to encourage vibrant participation and a wide diversity of age, gender, and interests.

Increased Association driven events.

Increased Association event participation.

1.

To encourage competitive yachting by the support and promotion of competitive racing including regattas and the giving of prizes and by any other means which may from time to time be determined by the Club.

2.

To provide education, coaching and youth development programs to encourage participation and achievement in such sports to a diverse range of individuals.

3.

To encourage competitive fishing by the support and promotion of fishing events and the giving of prizes and by any other means which may from time to time be determined by the Club.

4.

To encourage cruising by the support and promotion of cruising events for all types of craft/vessels.

5.

To run, sponsor and support other events and social activities to unite and grow the Club as an inclusive yachting community.

• • Preserve the income/capital value of berths.

• •

MARINAS

• Increase boat ownership by supporting boat syndication.

•

• Ensure financial stability through additional funding streams.

• •

•

FINANCE & INFASTRUCTURE

Improve quality of decision making through streamlined measuring and reporting of our activities.

•

Maintain the quality and value of Club assets.

•

•

Conduct comparative pricing for berths.

Grow the pool of potential berth owners.

Explore options such as liveaboard berths and/or resizing vacant Club berths.

Healthy turnover of berths.

Preference for ownership over renting.

Introduce additional activities and facilities for berth holders.

Conduct a market survey to understand local syndication interests.

Research different boat syndication models.

Set up a system for accepting bequeathments and donations for capital improvements and other purposes.

Establish a memorial wall as part of the donation strategy.

Continually seek alternative sources of funding for both events and infrastructure.

Establish systems for the ongoing measuring (per member) and regular reporting (by demographics etc) on key activities such as joining, purchasing, event participation, resigning, etc.

Ensure any degradation in marinas, buildings, grounds, and other Club infrastructure is repaired in a timely manner.

Establish a preventative maintenance regime to minimise instances of degradation.

Understanding of the local market for syndication and ways in which the Club can support and/or participate.

Reduction in Membership and Corporate Fees as a percentage of total revenue.

Increased transparency of operations.

Decreased maintenance expenditure.

Increased longevity of assets.

Increased member satisfaction.

Continue the periodic refurbishment of over-water assets.

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Swish

The twenty-fourth edition of the Ballast Head Cup was held on New Years Day at Island Beach, Kangaroo Island. This event, widely believed by the organisers to be the first sporting event of the new year in Australia, was originally programmed with the intent that it would shake off any post New Year’s Eve malaise and get participants up and about for the 11am briefing. More often than not many of those who commit to crew or sail in the revelry of New Year’s Eve fail to show up the next day! This year again did not disappoint as the event organisers were the only ones to be seen on the beach at the designated hour but as the morning progressed eight yachts slowly weighed anchor and made their way to the starting area.

This year Jess Hargreaves’ big cat Orient was the start boat and made for a very large and stable platform from which to fire the cannon and I was ably helped by David Forster and Lee Haakmeester on flag and wind break duty (in order to light the starting cannon fuse). The Race Officer postponed the start by 15 minutes to allow the less prepared crews to get sails up and get their boats somewhere near the start line. The fleet of one division only got away to a clean start in a typical 15 to 20 knot SE and on a tight reach made for the Rocky Point ‘S’ buoy. Participants included a reproduction mizzenmast mast cutter, Argo, skippered by Charlie Simpson and a multi hull, D’Estrees Bay, skippered by David and Jane Harris, Jane being the daughter of Jamie Cowell after whom one of the trophies is named. Derek Morrison’s Sintara held an early lead over the cat and was undoubtedly helped by his crew of guests who, in keeping with the tradition of the event, gather at the briefing and are assigned to boats so that locals can participate in a sailing event.

A small but enthusiastic number of guests made their way onto yachts and by day’s end all declared the event great fun and a highlight of their Kangaroo Island holiday. The fleet missed the presence of Marnico and the Footers which left the door wide open for a new line honours winner this year.

The rules of the race are very simple, start on time, go around the three buoys laid in a triangle across Eastern Cove and go through the start finish gate to start lap two. It may come as no surprise that even this is too complicated for some navigators and the lead boats this year after lap one proved this point.

Sinatra was ten boat lengths clear ahead of the multihull D’Estrees Bay but failed to passage through the gate and the cat followed him (another rooky error in sailing is to assume that the boat ahead of you has read the SIs and is sailing the correct course!). The RO called up the fleet on the radio to reinforce the course instructions which saw a crash tack from Sintara to put her on the correct course to the start finish gate. The cat being behind on the course recovered her error much quicker and bolted into the lead ahead of Sintara and never gave this up for the last lap to finish fastest and win the coveted Ballast Head Cup, the second time the Harrises have claimed victory in this regatta. Sintara limped home in second place with a long tear in the leech of her headsail.

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Further back the battle for the handicap winner was on with Paul Judge and Tracy Hutt’s Catalina Swish making good time on her rivals and, with a very favourable handicap for a new entrant, took out the Ballast Head Trophy. Further back again the tiny vessel Argo was able to complete just one lap while the others did two and in a feat of reverse engineering genius the handicapper was able to establish that Argo had indeed finished third on handicap and as the best placed first time entrant Charlie Simpson won the Jamie Cowell trophy.

Second on handicap was Golden Cowrie skippered by Steve Harrington, a seasoned BHC regatta entrant. The remaining entrants, Impulse owned by Paul and Louise Hicks, Bellatrix owned by Steve Gurner and School’s Out, Adrian Wotton’s yacht, all had to watch the others pick up their trophies and will have to come back again next year for a tilt at cup glory.

On the beach beers and friendly banter was shared amongst old and new faces. This year the trophies were presented by Connor Rozee, the Port Power captain who happened to be holidaying with his family at Island Beach and known to my family for many years. I am sure in mind’s eye that Connor weighed up the honour of a Ballast Head Cup win with an AFL premiership win but he was certainly impressed with the cannon.

Finally a lucky draw from a hat for a $50 voucher donated by North Haven Marine went to Argo who really was having a great day and left with a crew full of smiles. Thanks to Adrian Wotton and Darren Harvey who drummed up Club interest and breathed some life back into this annual event.

Andrew Saies, RO

Ballast Head Cup – D’Estrees Bay, David and Jane Harris Ballast Head Trophy – Swish, Tracy Hutt and Paul Judge with Golden Cowrie, Steven Harrington in second and Argo, Charlie Simpson took out third place Jamie Cowell Best Placed New Entrant – Argo, Charlie Simpson

Pictured above: Skipper, Jane Harris from D’Estrees holding the Cup. On her left, our guest of honour Connor Rozee (AFL, Port Power Captain) with Andrew Saies.

I’ve been sailing my cruising catamaran Arriba for seventeen years now. Along the way I learned a few things about cats that they don’t usually teach you in sailing school. These ten tips from ten years ago have weathered a few storms—literally.

For sailors this has nothing to do with felines! Unlike monohulls, cruising cats don’t SHOUT OUT the fact that they’re overpowered by dramatically heeling over. Many interpret this to mean that cruising catamarans don’t provide much feedback. In fact, the signals are there, just more subtle. For example, when a cruising cat starts to get overpowered it will heel, albeit just a few more degrees.

When you’re accustomed to almost zero heeling it is noticeable. Also, like a mono, the helm requires a heavier touch than usual and your bow starts to plunge more often. So learn ‘cat sense’ and know the signals that will tell you when it’s time to reef. Apparent wind speed is obviously a guide but it’s not just about wind speed.

NB - In contrast to a racing cat which will probably capsize when overpowered, an overpowered cruising cat is more likely to incur sail or rig damage well before the point of capsizing since its greater mass both resists heeling and limits its ability to shed power quickly.

Make the most of your cat’s beautiful beaminess by utilising the full width of the traveller to adjust the mainsail. With the traveller positioned directly under the boom the force on the mainsheet is mostly vertical and therefore more effective in pulling the boom down. This makes it easier to control an efficient sail shape largely obviating the need for a boom vang. Also, when close-hauled, bring the traveller slightly to windward until the boom is centered.

Even with two hulls the total wetted area, ie, the area immersed in water, is typically less than a mono of the same length. The downside is that it takes less time for marine growth to cover a proportionally larger fraction of your hulls which can easily cost you a knot or two of boat speed. So clean your hulls regularly.

Tip - Invest in a Hookah to save time.

Cats derive their speed (and fuel efficiency) from their lightness. Just because your cat has massive storage space, as tempting as it is to fill it with all of your toys, this doesn’t mean you should stuff it to the gills. In particular, keeping weight away from the bows and off the trampoline maintains forward buoyancy and reduces pitching. You don’t want stuff bouncing around on your trampoline in heavy seas.

NB - I used to keep my kayak on the trampoline until it practically bounced off during a rough crossing of Backstairs Passage. Now I have dedicated kayak storage on Arriba’s stern.

Having two engines is great for safety but when cruising one engine is usually enough. Running both engines will typically only add another couple of knots of boat speed so save fuel and engine wear and run just one engine. Further, with the idle engine’s propeller folded, it’s unlikely you’ll ever simultaneously foul both props.

Tip - Maintain an engine log book though to even out the hours on each engine.

A great way to learn ‘cat sense’ and to get a feel for how to trim your boat is to practise steering by sails alone.

To do this centre the rudders, lock the wheel, disable the autopilot and adjust the traveller. Cats have great directional stability so with practise you should be able to find the ‘sweet spot’. You may need to adjust the traveller from time to time. As a bonus, once properly trimmed, your re-engaged autopilot will need to work less than one that is compensating for poor trim.

PS - If you ever lose rudder control (which I have), you’ll be really glad that you know this technique. More on the subject of emergency steering.

Lock the wheel (being careful to first centre the rudders) and park with both engines without using the wheel. You’ll have ample control steering by engine throttles and with the rudders locked in place you’re less likely to end up doing something weird, especially when reversing. Anchor this way too.

The only time it’s really useful to have rudder control when parking is when moving sideways or ‘crabbing’. To do this, put the furthest (outside) engine forward, the near (inside) engine in reverse and turn the rudder away from the dock.

If you do any offshore sailing, especially single handled, then jacklines running down the length of each hull are essential. However I also recommend installing a third jackline across the back of the cockpit so you can move anywhere while hooked in. If you’re set up so all lines run back to the helm this is probably the jackline you’ll be tethered to most of the time.

PS - The third jackline also makes a convenient dog cable.

I’ve noticed that many cruising cats come with smallish jibs, often the convenient self-tacking variety. While useful in upwind sailing they don’t provide a great deal of power. Genoas are an improvement, but ‘gennakers’, also known as ‘screechers’, are even better. Treat yourself to a gennaker about the size of your mainsail and you’ll gain several knots of boat speed.

Tip - It’s really easy to make a mess of the gennaker when furling or unfurling so always keep some tension on the furling line. However don’t keep too much tension when furling otherwise you’ll damage your sail.

NB - Sailing a gennaker to windward (up to 60°) can put enormous strain on the leach so make sure your sail is built to withstand it. I had to reinforce mine after only 18 months of use, albeit hard use.

This final tip is for all sailors, namely the familiar mantra “when in doubt, let it out.” Many sailors have a tendency to over trim, myself included. I used to come about with a tight mainsheet and would get in irons more times than I care to admit. Many cats have fully battened, low-aspect-ratio mainsails with lots of roach. Sailmakers describe such sails as ‘roachy’; I say ‘short and fat’. Comparing two sails with the same area the roachy one has the lower centre of effort and produces less heeling force. Regardless, it’s all too easy to kill sail power by oversheeting.

Easing the main sheet (and the traveller too) is essential to smooth tacking.

Don’t forget to ease the self-tacking jib sheet a little too.

I hope you found these tips useful. I’ll include ten recent additions in the next issue.

Alan Noble

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CRUISING ASSOCIATION UPDATE Well done to all who have participated and navigated the challenging windy weather patterns of South Australia’s summer. The Cruising Association (CA) has held several successful events despite these conditions. Backstairs Passage proved tricky again for many and it reminded us to respect its challenges and be prepared. Next time I will wear my wet weather gear regardless of the weather forecast!

The well received CA flotilla trips are aimed at fostering camaraderie, encouragement and knowledge sharing.

December’s fleet from North Haven to Kangaroo Island via Edithburgh into Emu Bay and Eastern Cove and January’s trip to Stansbury offered great experiences and helped foster new friendships. The complimentary Cruising Association pre flotilla BBQ dinners are providing an opportunity to meet and discuss everyone’s passage plans. This is a new CA initiative that’s proving worthwhile. Thank you to the committee members who donate their time to ensure these events take place.

New Year’s

The Kangaroo Island Rocky Point New Year’s Eve Beach Party had a vibrant atmosphere with 24 boats, a fantastic sight that had the locals remarking. It was great to have Moana Beach shelters, LED party lights and terrific music on a stunning beach creating an enjoyable ambience to bid 2023 farewell. It was a thoroughly pleasurable event that the Association looks to repeat this year.

Following a late night, 1 January saw eight yachts race in the Ballast Head Cup, the first yachting race in the world for 2024.

Congratulations to Swish for winning this year’s Cup. Wind conditions were perfect for many to enjoy this iconic Club race.

Special appreciation to Andrew Saies for preserving this Club tradition and enduring race officer duties, to Adrian Wotton for being the event coordinator and to the volunteers on the day.

January Long Weekend

The January Long Weekend trip to Stansbury enabled a fabulous time, surprising the locals with 30 boats in the bay. The CYCSA and RSAYS private mooring buoys were in hot demand and appreciated by those who were lucky enough to secure one for the weekend. Stansbury is an attractive location to visit with boat ramp dingy access making going ashore secure and easy.

We thank Barb Adams (RSAYS Cruising Association Chair) and all our Squadron friends for the invitation to join them on their annual Stansbury trip. We enjoyed our long weekend attending the markets, a visit to the unique butcher shop for a coffee (yes that’s right), dinner in the Dalrymple Hotel and afternoon drinks with the RSAYS Cruising Association.

With many boats attending these events it is important to emphasise the necessity of using the correct type of anchor for South Australian waters. When anchoring ensure there is ample distance to other vessels for plenty of swing space, ideally 100m or further apart. Deploy the anchor with sufficient chain to reduce the risk of dragging and set an appropriate anchor watch system just in case your vessel wanders unexpectedly. Respecting the comfort of other vessels is important so we can all enjoy our time at sea. The CYCSA Marine Academy offers training courses and RYA qualifications to enhance these seamanship skills. Further details can be found on the CYCSA website.

The Cruising Association is excited about the numerous events planned for this year. Our aim is to keep salty so if you have any suggestions we would love to hear them.

Please monitor the CYCSA Cruising facebook group, Club noticeboards, the CYCSA website or the Club BBQ area noticeboard for the latest information.

Thank you to the Cruising Association sponsors Charlesworth Nuts and George Family Winegrowers and to all the members and guests who participated in these events and belonged.

Special appreciation to Christine Harvey and Paul Judge for their consistent behind the scenes support.

Darren Harvey CYCSA Cruising Association Chair

New Year’s Eve Beach Party at Kangaroo Island

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FISHING ASSOCIATION UPDATE

Sunday 4 February was a glorious sunny day with light winds and blue skies. Perfect for fishing in and around the Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island. Backstairs Passage usually a lump in your throat (well mine anyway) moment, was calm and smooth for boating.

6am is an early start for most, but not for our fine crew and fishermen that had been counting the number of sleeps since we first announced this adventure with Southern Fishing Charters.

Unfortunately for multiple reasons the Tuna are yet to start their feeding migration up Gulf St Vincent, so we all agreed that some reef fishing would more than compensate for the lack of Tuna.

Once on the grounds around Saunders Banks, some 30kms south of Cape Jervis, we were fishing! Yours truly brought the hard fought first fish on board and I will say with quite a struggle! Embarrassingly this was the smallest fish caught for the day. More like a tadpole than a fish I heard someone say! All on board were catching Nannygai, Trevally and the amazing Slimy Mackerel, some of the biggest I have ever seen. These delicious fish were as big as your arm and of course are some of the best fighting fish in these southern waters.

The fish of the day went to Richard Channon, who fought ten rounds with the biggest Nannygai caught for the day. His trophy was well deserved!

Our skipper Jarrod and his crew worked hard and ensured we were all able to take home a feed.

Back on terra firma at 5pm we had so many fish that we gladly left some for the crew. Tired, but with eskies full we all headed home for a welldeserved shower happy with the knowledge that the Tuna is still out there and their time will come.

Our next trip with Stalker 2 will be on 9 March followed by a final charter on 4 May. If you want to have some fun on the water and bring home a feed of South Australia’s best seafood, contact Reception to book your seat onboard, or check out our website and Facebook pages.

Happy Catching.

Vadis Rodato

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BOATS AT THE CLUB This is another in the series of articles aimed at providing you with an insight into new boats and other boats of interest at the Club. Contact Patricia Catley through the Club if you are interested in having your boat featured here.

Riviera has a proud heritage of launching over 5,800 yachts during its more than 42 years of operation. Elva May is just one of those vessels, arriving in the CYCSA Marina East in March 2023. Her proud new owners are Club members Leigh and Lindy Parsons, who with their daughter Amieva and son Beau, are enjoying the delights a new boat always brings.

Riviera boats are known world-wide as prestige, comfortable vessels. In Australia the boats are built in the Riviera facility in Coomera, Queensland, overseen by owner Rodney Longhurst and CEO Wes Moxey. The hull and deck surface finishes of these magnificent boats have great impact resistance. A finished hull can be almost 20mm thick solid fibreglass below the waterline with great strength where it matters most. Each yacht spends two days being prepared for sea trials and then four to six hours being put through its paces with an engineer, electrician and engine manufacturer’s representative on board.

All exterior stainless steel is crafted from high quality 316 grade which offers better overall corrosion-resistance properties.

The combination of safety, luxury and reliability led Leigh and Lindy to R Marine in Holdfast Shores where they collected their new Riviera 465 SUV. They chose the name Elva May after Leigh’s grandmother, creating a nice family link. This SUV motor yacht is truly unique. She is a single level luxury entertainer with heritage sea keeping capabilities. Brilliant from the keel up, Elva May has the liveability of a much larger vessel. Flowing out from the saloon the owners can enjoy the comfort, style and ambiance of an alfresco deck.

Accommodation is equally impressive with three magnificent staterooms and two bathrooms. Two of the staterooms have a queen size bed while the third has two singles. The generous open cockpit is always ready for water-sports action or just lazing with a glass of bubbly. From bow to boarding platform, the navigation and easy-to-use technology makes boating even more enjoyable. The galley has everything to make life easy with a fridge and freezer. Everything makes cruising on Elva May an enjoyable event.

The length of Elva May is 15.9m, her beam is 4.76m and she draws 1.33m. She has two Volvo DPS 800 engines, each 600 HP that can reach a speed of 32 knots, making cruising

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around South Australia easy. The fuel capacity is 2,500 litres.

So far, in the short time they have had the boat, the Parsons family, sometimes with friends, have been to Kangaroo Island several times and in late February this year they plan to cruise to Port Lincoln and enjoy the fishing opportunities Spencer Gulf offers.

Leigh admits this is his first large boat having paddled around in something much smaller before taking on Elva May. However she is a purchase he is pleased to have made making family time with two teenagers more memorable while exploring the state’s coastline and dining on freshly caught seafood. Owning and running the family business, Adelaide Retaining Walls in Golden Grove, doesn’t leave much time for relaxation but now that Elva May has become part of the family, Leigh and Lindy have discovered a drive to the CYCSA the best way to relax and recharge their own batteries.

I wish you many happy cruising and fishing trips Leigh and Lindy and thank you for sharing your boat with me and our readers.

Pat Catley

Kekada is a Catalina 445 belonging to CYCSA member Keith Richards. Not a Rolling Stone but he has spent many years on the peaks and troughs of the ocean. Keith’s sailing story began when his parents Don and Anja owned a Catalina 42 and in 1998 they began to sail around the world with Keith and his sister Katherine. After two years of sailing they reached Turkey then Keith was sent home to finish his schooling.

In 2018 while in Malaysia, Keith purchased his own boat and for a while sailed her around the area. The Malaysian waters can be well protected and the sailing conditions are not very demanding for day hopping. However it is important to monitor the tides as the tidal range can reach up to three metres. The boat Keith bought is the one he currently has at the CYCSA and is named Kekada. The name is formed from the first two letters of his name, his sister’s name, and the first initial of both his parents. KE-KA-D-A. Unfortunately, not long after Keith bought Kekada, Covid hit, so all travel was brought to a halt. With so many restrictions around the world it took him a while to move her home. But eventually, in May 2022, with his parents’ assistance, Keith sailed the boat from Malaysia to Bali. Then with the help of a friend Kekada was sailed from Bali to Broome. Keith’s parents once again stepped in and together they sailed down the west coast, across the Australian Bight to Adelaide and into the CYCSA berth in Marina East that Kekada now calls home.

Catalina yachts build a large selection of sturdy boats that perform well and cost less to maintain. The Catalina 445 has a hull form optimised to provide the gentle, predictable motion underway which is so appreciated in other Catalina models.

The deck has a low profile cabin structure, twin helm stations and a roomy cockpit with tall, secure comfortable coamings and a cockpit table that seats six people. The deck is finished with a traditional diamond-patterned non-skid.

The owner’s cabin is forward for privacy and optimum ventilation. It has a private head and separate shower. The guest cabin is aft with a large comfortable double berth, angled for easy access and greater headroom. Adjacent to the galley is the saloon which has a drop-down table and comfortable seats. Opposite the galley is the navigation station.

Kekada draws 1.53m, has a beam of 4.13m and is 13.5m in length. She is made of glass reinforced plastic and has a masthead rig. The winged keel on many of these vessels allows sailing in shallow waters and gives more stability.

Thank you for sharing your story with us Keith. I wish you many more happy years of cruising in Kekada.

Pat Catley

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To learn more contact: mellissa@cycsa.com.au 31

SOCIAL ASSOCIATION UPDATE

The day itself was glorious with perfect weather however, not too sure whether Santa (Geoff Catt) prefers the snow?

The patio area at the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia was festive, beautifully decorated by the Social Association Committee. A special thank you to Clay Tenni for pumping up and placing the huge balloons. In no time the area was buzzing with 34 very excited children and they were awed with the arrival of Magic Mike, always a favourite at this event especially as he assembled the fairy floss machine.

It is surprising how quick Christmas comes around! On Sunday 3 December 2023 Head Chef Camillo, along with his kitchen staff and hospitality team, were ready for the very excited children along with their parents, grandparents, family and friends.

After the magic show some fun dancing worked up their appetite and Chef Camillo delighted everyone serving plates of festive food followed by Paddle Pops and drinks.

Each child was given a fantastic present and, as always, a bag of Christmas mixed lollies to take home compliments of Smyth’s Confectionery. Thank you to Club members Glenda and Jim Smyth who have generously donated the lolly treats for the children over the years.

With presents opened, ice-cream wiped from chins and photos done, it was time for Santa to say goodbye. Santa’s bell rang again and as he made his way back to the boat (how else would Santa arrive at a yacht club) the children eagerly followed the once-a-year special man in a red suit who always delivers what the children wish for. There was lots of waving goodbye and blowing kisses until next time.

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The days leading up to the event were a busy time for the Social Association Committee buying and wrapping presents and ticking everything off twice. Lots of helpers joined in the sorting and wrapping. A special thank you once again to Santa, Geoff Catt, our additional helpers Adrian Wilson and Marty Heffernan for helping Santa, Joy Hutton and Cheryl Marshal for helping the small but awesome committee for their dedication, enthusiasm, caring and fun-loving approach in all of the Social Associations events.

We now look forward to our next children’s event, the Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday 24 March. Don’t miss out on this fun day as Farmer Darcy’s Animal Farm is back due to popular demand. It is a free event for members children and grandchildren.

We encourage you to join and check the Social Association’s Facebook page for our upcoming events in 2024 with fun, social exciting times to come.

Thank you to all who support the Social Activities Committee, Rosemary Gould, Jacqueline Heffernan, Jenny Murton, Adrian Wilson, Clay Tenni and Anne Marie Wallage, Giorgina Gauci Social Association Chair

CYCSA ALL ASSOCIATIONS CHRISTMAS BASH

So here we are at the end of a very busy year. Oh, what a night! About 100 members and guests came together to celebrate the end of a very demanding year. This event is an important tradition, the Club’s Associations come together for a casual BBQ and BYO everything including Xmas libations.

The event is hosted by the Social, Racing, Fishing and Cruising Associations who all contributed to another tradition, the free raffle, generously donated by all of the Associations including the Club.

The Social Association committee had the Patio area set up in a festive manner with Christmas decorations the theme throughout. Good food, wine/beer flowing and great company were the ingredients that created a vibrant night for the members and the Associations coming together sharing Christmas cheer and a general appreciation of their achievements throughout the year.

That’s the Social Associations wrap for 2023.

Giorgina Gauci Social Association Chair

In recent years the CYCSA Fishing Association has been using this event as the venue to present the year’s Fishing Awards for best catches. Unfortunately on this occasion the main recipients were not present and we did not proceed as planned.

I would however like to now take the opportunity to mention the winners who will receive their trophies directly. There are four awards each year and the winners for 2023 were – Whiting

Joe La Forgia

Scale Fish

Chris Herden

Snapper

Game Fish

Vadis Rodato

Peter Schembri

I would like to encourage Fishing Association members to enter their catches into the 2024 awards by sending a photo of themselves with their catch, along with the measurement, to the Club office staff who keep a register for our Fishing Association. You can also send as many entries as you like for the various categories throughout the year.

It is interesting to note that over the past few years half of the winning entries came from CYCSA Fishing Charters!

So, get on board, have some fun and increase your chance of winning a trophy in this year’s awards.

Peter Schembri Fishing Association Chairperson

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CYCSA BERTH CLASSIFIEDS | A HOME FOR YOUR BOAT MARINA EAST NORTH HAVEN CYCSA Marina East has berthing for 240 vessels up to 22 metres and 150 hardstanding berths up to 12 metres.

(Note: ‘s’ denotes single berth, ‘tw’ denotes twin berth and ‘T’ denotes berth at T Head). All prices include GST. BERTHS FOR SALE - MARINA EAST 8m s: C01 – Reduced $25,000 ono 8m tw: F01, F02 – from $35,000, C11 – $35,000 All offers considered C13 – $33,000, C02 – $22,000 All offers considered C07 – All offers considered 10m tw: A09, A10, A14, A22, A34, A40, F04 – from $30,000 A28, F09, F19, F28 – All offers considered A33 – $10,000, F14 – $30,000 – all offers considered F18 – $20,000, F22 – $19,750, A20, F26 – Reduced to $20,000, F34 – Reduced to $12,000, F36 – Reduced to $10,000, A32 – $10,000 All reasonable offers considered 10m s: A03, A12 – from $73,000, A05 – $35,000 – All offers considered, A25 – All offers considered 11m tw: A41 – $35,000, A42 – All offers considered C16 – $25,000 – All offers considered 12m tw: D20, D35, D36, – from $29,000, D28 – $35,000 – All offers considered, D14 – All offers considered, D37 – All offers considered, E13 – All offers considered E26, E27 – $35,000 All offers considered 12m s: D08, D17, E07, E10, – from $60,000 D04, D21, E03, E04, E05, E22, E23 – All offers considered D07 – All reasonable offers considered D18 – Reduced to $60,000 – All offers considered E01 – Reduced to $45,000 – All offers considered D23 – Reduced to $40,000 E32 – $30,000 – All offers considered 13m tw: C23 – Reduced to $40,000 – All offers considered A44 – Reduced to $35,000 – All offers considered 13m s: D40 – $60,000 14m s: C24, – $120,000, C27 – $80,000 offers considered C25 – All offers considered 15m s: C35 – from $145,000, C39 – $100,000 – All offers considered B32 – $125,000 – All offers considered, A47 – under offer B26 – $115,000, B31, B36 – All offers considered 16m s: B17 – $160,000 ono (All offers considered) B20 –$159,000, B16 – $110,000 – offers considered B22 – $150,000 – All offers considered B18 – $120,000 – All offers considered 20m s: A49 – $120,000 – Urgent Sale – All offers considered

HARDSTANDS FOR SALE 9m: H70, H54, H20 – from $3,500 H10 – by negotiation, contact Club for information 10m: H108 – $10,000 – All offers considered H140 – $5,000 – All offers considered 12m: H120 – $5,000 MARINA WEST NORTH HAVEN It is the larger berths that make Marina West appealing to many potential buyers. Berths range from 11m to 35m, (Note: all berths in Marina West are single berths).

BERTHS FOR SALE - MARINA WEST 11m: M01 – All offers considered M03 – Reduced to $60,000 - All offers considered, suitable for a catamaran 14m: M07 – $120,000 - All offers considered 15m: N03 – Reduced to $50,000 - offers considered M08 – All offers considered 17m: J19, J20 – from $150,000, J09 - $100,000 J08, J10 – All offers considered 18m: M10 – $135,000 20m: K07, K08, L02 – from $135,000 K01, K05 - All reasonable offers considered K10 – All offers considered 25m: M14 – $290,000 27m: M16 – All offers considered 30m: K16 – $475,000 BERTHS FOR SALE AT PORT VINCENT MARINA 10m tw: A01, A02, A05, A18, A22, A23 – from $15,000 12m tw: B32 $25,000 – all offers considered B33, C53, C63 – from $28,000 B29 - $5,000 offers considered C60 - Reduced to $20,000 B34, B40, C61 – All offers considered 12m s: B44, C47 - from $29,000 B25 - $25,000 – All offers considered C68 - $20,000 – All offers considered 14m s: D70, D78 - from $45,000, D77 – Offers invited 15m s: D84 – $39,000 20m T: A12, B35 – $200,000 24m T: C58 – All offers considered All berth sales and leasing enquiries to Eryn: Ph: (08) 8248 4222 | berthing@cycsa.com.au

casual and permanent berthing | slipway | marine academy admirals bar & bistro | mariners ristorante | weddings and functions CRUISING YACHT CLUB OF SA | 8248 4222 | CYCSA.COM.AU

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NAVAL, MILITARY AND AIR FORCE CLUB OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA HOME, HEARTH AND HERITAGE Located in the heart of the city, the Club sets the standard for exemplary customer service and hospitality. The Club is also proud of the reciprocal relationships that it has established with similar clubs located in Australia and overseas, including the Cruising Yacht Club of SA. Find out more...

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70 Humphries Tce, Kilkenny SA 5009 PO Box 85, Kilkenny SA 5009 P (08) 8347 0011 – W donmorton.com.au