GBYC Last Race Riley Nails it

Hi all Our last race for the season was a short course series with two heats held. in what could only be described as a Collingwood act championship skipper Snow was made director of skippering on the wire in as yet to be determined role whilst sheethand Rob promoted his 30kg son of pelican fame to skipper. In the following races he held on to win both well done riley. After his role in the wire snow is to have a knee replacement which may see more fwd opportunities????? Craig had his boat in the water and looked the goods with anton and andy keen to go suicide obtained the services of scott for the day before he heads back to canada Mozz was unable to sail as he had some new wheels to fit to the hilux. next season looks good at the moment with Dean almost ready to launch (Rogered) in the winter series and Kym rumoured to make a return. cheers till next time Pete C Busso

GBYC Club heat seven

Hi all well the last heat of the championship was sailed on the 21st april in a reasonable 12 to 15 k breeze. The race was sailed in the usual manner of most of the seasons races. Suburban had the sit on uninvited at the first mark and suicide decided to hit the piss and wash away the bad things from the first work. Now refocused they quickly made up the deficit to lead around the top mark for the second time. the fleeet split and when they come back together at the bottom it was suburban from suicide and uninvited in third. the rest of the race saw a few changes but the end result was the same. 1st Suburban boys Snow Rob and Josh 2nd Suicide Blonde Craig Pete and Brownie 3rd The Uninvited Mozz Dean and Tom Congratulations to the chaps on Suburban Boys for the overall club champion award watch out next year cheers Pete C Busso

gbyc last six weeks

Hi all

Once again appolagies for my tardiness, usual excuses work ect!!
Racing at GBYC continues on with the same level of close racing that we have enjoyed all year with mozz and crew on the uninvited taking out the last two races.
Suicide blonde took out the four before that and suburban boys with a string of seconds and a third. What is exciting is the distance between the boats is only 50 to 100 metres at the finish.
With only one club heat to run suburban boys look to have it in the bag although a slim chance for suicide to take it out dependant on the results.

Next season is shaping up to be a cracker with six boats likely to hit the water each week so all is well.

The fleet should be made up of the current three Suicide, Suburban and Uninvited
Bullit is ready to return full time congrats to Kym and Heath on taking out the sports boats nationals in Hobart over easter

Craig F has purchased spiny norman, renamed it norma and has Anton confirmed as crew

Dean has deserted mozz and purchased Woosy nook wines and called it Rogered busy refirbishing for the start of the season

Pete simpson is talking off bringing his out of mothballs as well for odd races
hopefully with more boats enjoying close fleet racing a few cruiser blokes may have a crack as well. Also a group of juniors are looking for life after pelicans so hoefully we can entice a few to come across.

Our last race of summer season is on the 28th and is a short course series where we hope to get as many boats as we can muster and throw a few of the juniors in to give an insite into what we are about, All are welcome let me know if you are keen

thats all for the moment
will report in next week with a wrap of the club heats
good sailing
cheers
pete C
Busso

3 of a Kind

3 OF A KIND was well attended this year with the usual suspects turning up from each class.
12-15knot winds made for some good runs.
With Mustos, Moths, 14's, 49ers, Sharpies and 18's on the same start line it was a battle for clean air up the first leg. Many of the I14's and 49ers failed to get away cleanly and trailed the Sharpies early on.
At the top mark, it was SS, with Wise Magic and Mainiacts close behind for the Sharpies.
Some snappy kite work and ideal conditions saw SS pass 14's, 49ers and Mustos on the reach accompanied by much sledging to allegedly quick boats as they were passed.
Sailing in their ideal conditions, the Moths and 18's pulled away from the rest of the fleet took the silverware. The Sharpies struggled to plane upwind and didn't trouble the handicaps.
With a very pleasant afternoon over, it was to the bar for a few well earned relaxing beers among mates.
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Next weekend is SHORT COURSE racing which is always a blast. Andy is back on deck for some fast and furious racing.
SS is introducing a couple of new sailors to the world of sharpies in the hope that they will join the class, so your support in getting a good fleet on the water is appreciated.
We look forward to seeing you all out on the water.
Pete

Sailing Participation - Food for though

Interesting excerpt from Sailing Anarchy. www.sailinganarchy.com

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PASSION

It’s what we all have for sailing, right?

Well, not compared to walking, or dancing, or playing cricket, or even bushwalking. Yes, I said bushwalking. In fact, according to one of the most comprehensive research studies on recreational sailing ever conducted, sailing ranks 37th out of 46 sports tracked, with only 5% of its participants calling themselves fanatics. Three and a half times as many bushwalkers (hikers, in Aussie) are fanatics about what they do.

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Credit Yachting Australia (YA), the Australian version of US Sailing, for investing in the future of sailing by listening to sailors and aspiring sailors of all ages. The organization commissioned a massive study, talked to thousands of people, and are using what they’ve learned to develop new ideas to grow sailing and make it better in the down under.

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The report is a treasure-trove of terrific insights and ideas. Since the Australian recreational sailing experience and Australia’s population and economic development essentially parallel the rest of the developed world, sailing advocates everywhere should thank the folks at YA for putting it out there and then grab all of YA’s good ideas for their own use.As a researcher and bit of a data geek, I’ve read and digested every word and every number. Here are a few of the biggest surprises.

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Sailing seems unable to elicit or inspire passion from the general public, much less the people who say they love it. Among thousands of people who have tried it, 83% are not interested and don’t do it anymore. But even self-described sailing fanatics (the aforementioned 5%) don’t sail much, with only 24% of them having “played at least once in the last 12 months.” It’s as if they say they love it in order to say it, but not enough to actually do it.

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So that begs the question, why not? What does bushwalking have that sailing doesn’t?The researchers don’t mince words. Their data show that “no other sport is seen as ‘exclusive’ as sailing, and the biggest difference to the top sports is that [sailing is the least] ‘accessible’ and ‘community involved.’” Most people reject exclusivity outright, and aspire to something that will be fun for all, and that matters to neighbors and friends. Beyond image, there are structural barriers to participation, so few get the chance to understand how sailing might do these things. The research shows that sailing can be too expensive for families, the focus on racing prevents new entrants, the time commitment is too severe, it’s hard to see where sailing can lead, first timers are much older than in other sports, and clubs often don’t help and sometimes hinder.

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At the same time, the research finds high interest in sailing among children and young families, and the researchers offer solid recommendations to help parents and kids have substantial sailing experiences. Since YA is a club-supported organization, clubs are viewed as a key element of the solution, but at the same time, the authors are not afraid to take on entrenched club paradigms.For example, in order to work better for young families, the report recommends that clubs should make great sailing experiences their primary mission and goal and should be designed to welcome and not intimidate. The duty of club member-volunteers and staffs should be to answer questions and allay concerns, help people find rides, friends and mentors, make social connections, coordinate schedules, lowers costs, and learn to be safe.

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At the program level, there are few surprises. YA has built wide curricula for primary school and secondary school children and is using the research to strengthen their lesson plans. I’m especially excited that families with children under ten are seen as vital to the future of the sport.This is how the researchers frame the needs of this new group:

- Young families are particularly crucial since young parents are still making decisions for their young children.

- Young parents don’t just bring themselves, they bring their kids (and they seek activities that can be done by the entire family.)

- Fitness (the outdoor experience) is a key motivator, but competition and achievement are rather uninteresting to this group.

- Young mothers are particularly interested in sailing as a family activity, even more interested than their husbands.

- To address large time, cost, and fear barriers, new programs must be active and productive, must not be linked to a strict membership commitment, must be activities for the whole family, and must be experiential, that is, with the theory taught on the water, not on shore or in a classroom.

- Families can’t afford boats, so boats should be provided. But families are willing to pay for the experience, so it’s not a hand-out.

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I’ve been in close contact with Ross Kilborn, the Sport Development Director at YA, and he sees a place for everyone in sailing. For example, the report finds that families with older children also want to be in intergenerational programs, sometimes as team-mates, and optionally, as cordial competitors on a race course. They want to go fast and play games with and against each other. Programs should flex to accommodate such things. Ross adds that sometimes kids will just want to hang with kids, so he suggests that clubs should offer many choices.

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I don’t much like the idea of “selling” sailing. Sailing is something you do and when done, it sometimes inspires more doing. Perhaps I’m slicing it a bit fine, but I don’t believe it needs to be sold, favoring sharing and direct relationships, as this report recommends. It is notable that there is no discussion about sailing on TV or by celebrities or as a spectator sport to attempt to popularize it. Why? It’s not what people want. They want to do, not to watch.

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To be sure, when an advocacy organization asks marketing folks to collect data and devise strategies, there will be some “branding” and “positioning” jargon, and there is some here too. But these are clearly smart people, and they’ve done an amazing job of asking questions, listening, and putting ideas on the table that meet actual needs of people.

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I was at a regional summit of sailing clubs in the southeast last month in Nashville. Another group of smart people, all volunteers at their respective clubs, took a long weekend off to talk about how to help others find sailing. It’s not a coincidence that the big themes at the summit were ‘accessibility’ and ‘community involvement.’ There was a strong desire to listen to young families and find ways to help them find sailing. So look for open gates, Facebook groups, shared fleets, on the water teaching, and family fun and games at clubs from Atlanta to New Orleans to Denver. Likewise, look for similar ideas unveiled in Perth and Brisbane and Sydney and Melbourne. Because no matter where you find sailors, you will find a passion for sailing. Despite the data.

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--- By Nicholas Hayes, author of the book Saving Sailing, and the story Why the Mac Race Matters, in the upcoming book Sailing and Philosophy, due to hit shelves in May of 2012. He is currently working on a series of sailing children’s books and reporting progress at http://www.abikidsailor.com. Contact Yachting Australia for questions about their December 2011 report, Product Positioning & Brand Strategy by Gemba Group.

GBYC club heat 5

Hi fellow sailors
apologies for my tardiness in writing for a bit but outside influences prevented me from doing so
Sailing in busso has been about the same as usual with the main combatants fighting out and sharing the silver ware
Suicide blonde attended the brisbane nats and had a ball and are looking to Adelaide
Three boats attended the states and despite Craig m highlighting the sequential finish we did not just sail in a group!!! well done to suburban boys for their first in one heat. Well done to the lizard again may be some one can dethrone him next year.
GBYC club heat was scheduled for the states weekend so despite my offer of me choosing which state heat would count it was decided to sail one here on a no race day.
In an attempt to recreate the river conditions from the states the course was set with the windward mark 20 metres off the shore, this allowed for those wonderful shifting breezes like we had in the river.
After about 100 lead changes Suicide won from Suburban boys and Uninvited a close third all under the watchful eye of retired skipper Merv from the car park.
No sailing this week as a long weekend so back to the water the following one.

As Australia day falls to create a long weekend next year the GBYC regatta is on so if you want a weekend away from the river give it some thought
cheers
Pete C
Busso

Long Weekend

Enjoy your long weekend off Sharpie sailors and we will see you on the 11th Feb. We expect a full MBSC turn out for the Sharpies. No excuses.

WA Sharpies feature in Sailing Anarchy

Check it at www.sailinganarchy.com
Pete

States wrap up

A fantastic weekend of Sharpie sailing ended with fitting results.

With only three points separating the first three boats after day one, the racing was going to hotly contested. PC in the Lizard was in the driving seat with 1,1,3,15, however that 15^th was a liability unusual to PC's scorecard. Impact with a 2,2,5 and 10^th needed a couple of bullets to place the pressure on while Origami Underwear and Blatantly Obvious were all in with a chance having placed more consistently in the top 6 each race.

Race 5

Impact fell for sailing error 101 and was OCS mid line, after returning she was clearly last and could not finder her way back into race finishing 15th. Pete Ivanac had a blinder as did Whisky Tango Foxtrot, however they were also OCS.

Origami continued sailing consistently well and Blatantly Obvious with a "new" 1990's Sheridan headsail out of the Al Tidy locker were on fire. Vita Brevis was back at the pointy end finishing second. However PC in the Lizard nailed the first couple of shifts and was a clear leader, showing his class securing the vital bullet and control of the Championship.

Race 6

It was much the same story with PC leading the way, Blatantly Obvious and Origami in the top spots. Keysie, Poida Ivanac in SS had good finishes in the top half a dozen. Avoiding disaster PC would once again be crowned King of the Sharpies. Seven boats were now in the running for the final two podium positions. Contenders for the remaining places were Blatantly Obvious, Origami Underwear, Blacksun, SS, Vita Brevis and Impact.

Race 7

With the top spots to be won PC, Blatantly Obvious and Origami were all struggling early. Keysie the old dog had streeted the field and lead all the way for a stellar win. Pete Ivanac was having a blinder in second. Cow Rock was with the leaders early before drifting back.  In the end PC worked his way back from 15^th early in the race to post a 3^rd, capping of a solid series.

One of the highlights of the weekend was Eleanor Green sailing sheet hand on Whisky Tango X-ray. At the ripe old age of 7 yes seven she must rank as the youngest crew member to complete the Sharpie State Titles.

An interesting stat.

Busso boats finished 8^th 9^th and 10^th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Association Trophy Winners

Travellers Blatantly Obvious

Viv Downing  Blatantly Obvious

Arcus Family Trophy  The Lizard

Peter Fowler Memorial Vicious

Dave Paris Trophy Suburban Boys

Country Consistency  The Uninvited

Most Improved Alex Boston

Golden Oldies Peter Chappell

Masters: Blatantly Obvious Vern Tidy, Al Tidy and Matt Jenkins

Mounts Bay Sailing Club won the inter club challenge.

Championship Results

Consistency Results

Photos Thanks to Greg Hilton

States day one report

At the half way stage of the 2012 WA Sharpie States we have had some great close racing. The North Westerly breeze of 6 to 15 knots that switched 20 degrees had every body on there toes and some mixed results.

 Race one was a clinic from the Lizard, who picked every shift both up and down hill to edge out evergreen sharpie legend Graham Keysie. Matt Jahn was the showed great down wind speed to take out fourth place steering Origamiunderwear.

 Race two was an almost complete reversal of race one. Other than Matt Jahn. The Lizard and Keysie were at the back end while Nick Heggert in Mona took first from Impact. Once again Mattie Jahn was in the hunt.

Race Three was a cracker with the fist 10 boats finishing within 30 seconds. The Lizard lead all the way improving on a disappointing 15th the race before. Matt Jahn was in the mix again. At this point all boats had recorded, one good, one average and one poor result.

 Race Four did not disappoint. An increase in wind pressure and even bigger shifts. Vita Brevis and The Lizard looked the goods most of the race until the breeze turn left on beat two leaving them on the wrong side. Impact and The Suburban Boys took the lead with The Suburban boys taking the win ahead of Impact and a fast finishing Lizard and of course Matt Jahn again.

 With out a drop the top three are:

Impact 19
Lizard 20
Origamiunderwear 21

 With a drop The Lizard looks good with, 1,1,3 (15)

Three races from 0900 tomorrow will see the 2012 Title rapped up and presented by Legend State and National Champion Jimmy O'Grady around 1500 on the lawn at Mounts Bay Sailing Club.