Loch Sport Catamaran Challenge

I can assure you it's worth going, great sailing and hospitality and there's a fair chance you could win petrol money <img src="<>/grin.gif" alt="grin" title="grin" height="15" width="15" /> seeing as I won't be there <img src="<>/wink.gif" alt="wink" title="wink" height="15" width="15" /> .

boat still not ready?

This event was postponed due to strong winds <img src="<>/frown.gif" alt="frown" title="frown" height="15" width="15" /> but has been rescheduled to Saturday 24th January. <img src="<>/grin.gif" alt="grin" title="grin" height="15" width="15" />

Looks like PWS will be making a Splash, plus us Gippy Lakes sailors, if anybody wants to come along and sail extra days we can organize some casual racing or touring as preferred. <img src="<>/cool.gif" alt="cool" title="cool" height="15" width="15" /> Beats mucking about on Yabbie Ponds <img src="<>/cry.gif" alt="cry" title="cry" height="15" width="15" /> Just imagine reaches in one direction for further than you can see <img src="<>/whistle.gif" alt="whistle" title="whistle" height="15" width="15" /> .

Let Peter N know if you need accomadation, he will let you know what is available.

Hi all,

Weather is looking good for this event, so come along if you can, beleive me it's worth the trip <img src="<>/cool.gif" alt="cool" title="cool" height="15" width="15" /> .

I will be sailing, my back is pretty much recovered and ribs are getting better, major problem is laying flat, so as long as I don't try too hard on trapeze, I should be OK <img src="<>/crazy.gif" alt="crazy" title="crazy" height="15" width="15" />

In fact wind forecast is looking so good, at present I am thinking about packing a wet bag and sailing to Loch Sport Friday arvo and back on Sunday or Monday (depending on wind and who else turns up). Save time and fuel, should be fun currently forecast light south easterly there on Friday and light souwester Sunday to return, that means 1 hour or so each way without dropping the spinnaker <img src="<>/shocked.gif" alt="shocked" title="shocked" height="15" width="15" /> Try that on a Yabbie Pond <img src="<>/wink.gif" alt="wink" title="wink" height="15" width="15" />

Results!

Hi all,

What a great days racing <img src="<>/smile.gif" alt="smile" title="smile" height="15" width="15" /> , a huge course sailed mostly on flat water in 10 to 15 knots. Wind direction was regularly shifting up to 15 degrees on the open part of the lake and there were shorter sharper variations in strength and direction near the windward shore.

The race started with a short beat to windward on trapeze near the club, which saw all the Mossies fairly close together. Then a run to the leeward shore, which saw

Still Bitten

break away with a few strategic gybes allowing me to stay on the front of the gusts for longer, also managed to pick a few knocks, to go out to a large lead (500m?) over

Karma Cat

,

Bee Alert

and

Immunity

, with

More Than A Splash

falling behind.

Then around a platform near Storm Point and on to a long broad reach, allowing spinnakers to stay up.

Bee Alert

Immunity

and

Karma Cat

where all battling away, with

Immunity

going on to trapeze to make the most of the gusts as all 3 got gradualy closer to

Still Bitten

, which was sailing in less pressure. As we approached the next turning mark a pole near the entrance to Hollands Landing, the wind got quite fluky and patchy and the 4 Mossies all rounded within a few minutes.

The leg back to a buoy near the club, was a mostly starboard tack beat and the Mossies spread out a bit, but came together closer as they crossed tacks. About half way through the huge beat,

Immunity

and

Bee Alert

picked better pressure and a shift to jump into the lead.

Still Bitten

decided to cut the loss and tack on to the same heading as

Immunity

as soon as it became apparent the lead had been lost. This stopped the loss increasing, as

Karma Cat

continued and ended up well behind.

Immunity

headed towards the windward shore with

Still Bitten

trying to stay in touch,

Bee Alert

stayed further out in the lake. A few surprising shifts allowed

Still Bitten

to get back in the lead and then cover

Immunity

as he went close in to shore, as they approached the club mark,

Bee Alert

had made the most of local knowledge and swept into the lead as he flew into the club mark on a strong gust and lift. That was the end of the first huge triangle.

Once around the Club mark, it was spinnakers back up and head back down wind to Storm Point, the wind was up and

Still Bitten

trapezed past

Bee Alert

with

Immunity

not far behind. Then around the platform and beating back to the Club mark, it was around this time my ribs started becoming painfull (obviously 2 weeks had not been enough for them to mend). Back at the Club mark it was now onto a long tight reach towards the Pub mark, totaly flat water with strong gusts, meant lots of mainsheet adjustment, tough work with my ribs getting more painfull.

Around the Pub mark and then onto a broad reach towards Storm Point, with spinnaker up, great fun but speed had to be balanced with rib restrictions. Then around the platform and a loose beat back to the Club buoy, with windward centreboard up, the end of the smaller triangle.

Then it was back downwind to Storm Point again on a broad reach (with windward board up and traveller well down, but this time the wind had shifted and increased in strength to the point where you couldn't carry a spinnaker, some of it was on trapeze and some sitting in (with windward board up and traveller well down,

Wild Thinging

at times). Around the platform for the last time thank heavens <img src="<>/whistle.gif" alt="whistle" title="whistle" height="15" width="15" /> and on to a tight reach on trapeze (with traveller well down) towards the Finish line, between the Club buoy and Club. I was now pretty much leaving the mainsheet cleated as I couldn't adjust it without pain, but following the gusts up and down, was still very fast, would have been even more fun without the ribs.

Then it was over, 2 hours of great Mossie sailing <img src="<>/cool.gif" alt="cool" title="cool" height="15" width="15" />. But now I have to stay off the water for a few weeks again <img src="<>/mad.gif" alt="mad" title="mad" height="15" width="15" />. It's really difficult to not go sailing on

Still Bitten

after such a long break and this boat being sooo fast and fun to sail, I just want more, NOW. <img src="<>/cry.gif" alt="cry" title="cry" height="15" width="15" />