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Regatta Report for
the Compass 2012
Regatta and BBQ
Photos off the tab on the www.compassyachts.info main page
Wow this has been a busy year so far with two trips to the Harbour. With some planning we arrived at VYC early this year and were granted the mooring, right in front of the Club to unload the prizes.
Here I should thank our supporters. We don't charge fees so I don't feel too bashful encouraging you to support them where you can. This year's planning was a lot easier with a small bequest from Jim Brown and Tish of C28 Pumpkin. Yachtdomain.com through Don Lees again donated the perspex profile prizes for the C28 and C29 classes. Don himself did a special perspex prize for Don France's old boat Hellangone. Captaincoffee.com.au again generously came to the party with supplies of coffee and chocolate coated coffee beans. We should not forget Mick the Sparky and Rex Cameron who donated the solar panels, (Mick flew down from Mackay for the night! I should also thank Lynne, Doug, Zeena and Tinker for all the work they put in to making the weekend possible.
Friday night was the usual grand affair with over 40 attending. We had a quiet start until people started arriving and VYC was positively humming. It was a beautiful night, watching the cruise ship leave and the sun set over the Bridge, the City perfectly framed between two wooded headlands. The barbeques were fired up by Doug and steak started to sizzle. People were putting names off the Internet to faces. It wasn't all technical and sailing speak, Ann and Richard, Doug and many others have been with the group for over 12 years now and we have a lot to share. Shane and Deb with pictures, Hugh and his group, there are just so many friendships, what a wonderful group of friends.
For the race this year we had 15 boats entered and 14 starters – albeit C29 Steady Daze was al little late over the line due to a fuel hiccup enroute. The start line was close off Vaucluse with not much maneuvering room. Several of us were almost on the line (or across) trying not to break the start and have to do a 720°. To be honest I didn't see much except my watch-face for the last 30 seconds as I called out to Roger (Djaraluda), we were stopped, luffing until at 10 seconds Roger judged to moment to accelerate. Unusual, but we were away trying to catch the boats that hit the line sailing.
For the first mile, we were in a tight bunch. C28 Miro started opening up a lead early. Rooster the Easterly 30 was the main danger but in the light air the 28s out accelerated her. C28 Moerlina and C28 Hellangone continued to tussle throughout the race. Northerner 28 Anna and C28 Secrets stayed in touch with the leaders. Then came the Compass 29s, Maeling, Crackerjack and Saltshaker. By the time the lead group had passed Manly West, then East marks we ran past the rest of the fleet still working to windward until crossing the Heads we passed C29 Steady Daze. She had a fuel blockage off the zoo and was very late across the line.
The run seemed quite slow but on the reach to Chowder things started to get exciting. Tacking and hardening up in Chowder Bay we sailed on starboard until we were running out of water before tossing onto port. With the wind piping in at 15 knots Maeling was on her limits for #2 and full main but we could just lay the Line on one tack.
Meanwhile Miro crossed first. Three minutes behind Moerlina and Hellangone were in a luffing war and crossed the Line 10 seconds apart. Five minutes further back was N28 Anna followed 30 seconds later by Rooster and a minute later C28 Secrets. C29 Maeling crossed 17 minutes after Miro followed 7 minutes later by C29 Crackerjack, then C29 Saltshaker, C28 Goose, C28 Magpie, C28 Arthurs Spirit, C28 Affinity, C29 Reverie and C29 Steady Daze had closed up but was in last place
VYC members had kindly left moorings for us to come ashore for the presentations.
The Results are tabled below, we must thank the owners of Miro for putting their $50 Line Honors prize on the bar for VYC. We all had a good time reliving the race and discussing good and bad moves and who bent the rules. We did have a minor glitch this year when MHYC set a finish line as extension of ours and some boats crossed the wrong line.
"Time Gentleman and Ladies" was called at 3pm when we had to clear the moorings. As usual, the breakup was sudden. It was an easy cruise across to Middle Harbour and Spit Bridge with a half hour to spare to rig fenders and get lines ready. Spit Bridge was a funny milling of a mass of boats including an 80' superyacht. Strangely I have seen no incidents and we all made it through safely despite a Hood 23 making it 3 abreast as we went through.
The anchor went down near a big stinkboat and they looked daggers at us but one of their mob was in our spot. We took Moerlina to starboard and Magpie to port and spent a leisurely night over dinner and wine and Joost's oversize teacups of tea.
Morning came and Maeling slipped out of the centre of the raft for the 8.30am bridge. At Spit Bridge we got the dinghy on deck and rigged for sea. Four hours later we passed Bass and Flinders Point after an easy run down the coast to punch up-river against and early ebb tide. At our favourite Dark Bay, we prepared to sail onto and anchor when someone left the public mooring and we shot up into the wind and grabbed it. It was lunchtime Monday before I returned with the car to pick up Lynne
Regards,
Geoff Raebel
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