The Great Race 2012

The Records Tumble!!!!!!!!!

This year's Great Race attracted 61 entries from as far away as New Zealand, with a Kite Surfer jumping on a plane, Team Harken on the Hobie Wild Cat from Sydney and various yachts from Northern NSW & North Queensland all to complete this years gruelling 70km challenge.

Rigging per start

The weather was looking to do it's best to force the postponement, but with the strong wind warning cancelled and the winds and rain squalls easing it was on and looking to be a record breaking run.

There are 2 new times to beat next year: Team Harken taking the multihull record which fell from  2:57:18hrs Elapsed Time down to 2:33:32 and the Monohull time took a pounding from 3:44:48 Elapsed Time down to 2:39:58 by Steve Sherring in his foiling moth.

Up nice and close for the start

Jack Benson & Grant Pellew

A huge thank you to all the volunteers who gave up their time to help make this another successful race.

F18 Results below.

Full results here http://results.rqys.com.au/12-TGR.htm

BOAT NAME	CLASS	SAIL NO.	SKIPPER	CREW	Elapsed
Harken	F18	183	Grant Pellew	Jack benson	2:33:32
Punter	F18	AUS 25	Matt Horman	Luke McDonald	2:33:54
Sail Structures	F18	Aus 177	Malcolm Richardson	Jarrod Cooh	2:34:04
Ullman Sails	F18	AUS1484	Dale Mitchell	Jamie Leitner	2:37:08
Sneaky To	F18	1430	Warren Guinea	Adam Lahey	2:38:35
Nacra NQ	F18 Nacra	AUS 26	Mick Guinea	Viv Haydon	2:39:21
Uptown Girl	F18 Nacra	1244	Grant Warrington		3:15:33

Fastways QLD F18 State Titles (Final)

The QLD Fastways F18 States Titles are now finished. It was a disapointing result in the end and had we been able to compete in every race we may well have won the event.  We missed 4 races with breakages and our worst race when we were in one piece was a 2nd. We broke two centreboards and in the last race tore the mainsail at the luff. Our results were: DNF, DNF, DNS, 1 ,1 ,1 ,2 ,DNF.

The first race was canned due to the weather while we had a good lead, the 2nd day we broke both centreboards and returned to the beach. A big thanks to Chris at PSA for the boards and my wife Katie for doing a lot of sweet talking to the courier companies, we had new boards arrive from Sydney with 10mins to spare for the next day of racing, we went out and won the two races for the day. The last day we had a 1st and 2nd and in the final race blew out the mainsail which meant we had to carry 30 points which hurt us big time in the final results.

Dale & Jamie

Mal Richardson

We had some great racing with the NQ Nacra boys who ended coming out on top. These boys were all very close in the results and it really came down to the last race to find the winner.

Thanks to everyone that helped out and the Southport YC who did a fantastic job running the event.

At the end of the presentation we pulled the youth club members to one side (along with some older ones) and had Katie Spithill do a talk to the members about all things to do with campaiganing and drive to get yourself to the top of the sport.

Final Results:

1st    Warren Guinea & Adam           Nacra Infusion
2nd   Dale Mitchell & Jamie             Nacra Infusion
3rd   Mick Guinea & Viv                  Nacra Infusion
4th   Mal Richardson & Jarrod          Nacra Infusion
5th   Grant Pellew & Jack Benson    Hobie Wild Cat
6th   Marty Webb & Kelvin              Nacra Infusion

Team Harken's #1 Fan

What was behind Grant and Team Harken's success today... Maybe the smallest cheer squad!

Team Harken's smallest & #1 fan Ellie O'Brien

Sorting out the ropes.

QLD F18 State Titles Day 3

After a ruff start with day 1 being canned due to storms and day 2 seeing us missing all 3 races with two broken boards we have had a huge come back and are sitting in 5th spot after winning all of todays races.

I have to send out a huge thank you to Chris Caldecoat from PSA for sending us two new centreboards up over night and got us back on the start line today for the two races.

Last day tomorrow with 3 races that should be off shore on a true windward leeward course so should be good fun.

Mick Guinea & Viv

Results to follow soon.

QLD F18 State Titles

Day 1 of the Fastways F18 States was a very interesting day on the water, after a long delay with no wind we hit the water late to start a race in 8-10kts NE breeze. The race started with Mick Guinea & Viv taking the lead off the line but were quickly run down and over taken by the Team Harken machine. The fleet closed up at the back of Crab Island as a storm front came though and brought the tail endeds up to the leaders.
By the time the fleet rounded the last mark the storm front hit with full force that flatted half the fleet with wind gusts well into the 30kt range and lighting strikes that were felt by a lot of the boats. By this time the race commitee had made the call to cancel the race. So no results were scored.

Team Harken (Grant Pellew & Jack Benson) ready to go

Regatta site - pre storm

Three races tomorrow to try and make up for the lost races today.

New Wild Cat F18 Systems

Well we have just pulled the Wild Cat back out of the shed for the the first time since the Nationals in September. We are up here at the Fastways Gold Coast Cat Week & F18 QLD State Titles getting ready to dodge the sand bars (most of which we found today) lucky the Hobie Wild Cat is built strong.

Below are a few photos of the latest set up we are running using the new T18 & T2 blocks along with some sexy Harken red ratchet blocks that we are testing along with a double T2 block I have made up.



1:2 Tack Line system (pull half as much rope)

40mm T2 and prototype ratchet block

Tack line (Blk line), Jib sheet (yellow line) and Mast rotation (red line)

Continuous mast rotation line using T18 on the side decks 

Continuous mast rotation in tramp middle using T18 blocks

10:1 mainsheet using my prototype double block

Downhaul system

T18 jib block on spinnaker pole

Jib sheet with T18 off the clew

Prototype double ti-lite block

10 miles of shock cord for all the suck away systems

I will update as the regatta goes with how everything works.

Kurnell Cat Club (Cock of the Bay) Feb 26th

Sunday Feb 26th at Kurnell Cat Club on Botany Bay we have the 'Cock of the Bay'. This popular regatta includes the marathon event attracting many of the top sailors.

Entry is $30. Briefing at 1000hrs their will be 2 short races, followed by a lunch break then the marathon around the bay in the afternoon to see who is the 'Cock of the Bay'.

For more details and NOR see the clubs web site www.kcc.asn.au