This race will be conducted for the Association by RYCV Race Director David LeRoy.

Attached are the documents that carry the Entry list, assigned Handicaps and Sailing Instructions.

Although our race this Sunday is the  5th race of the series it’s designated as Race 3.

Postponements of our previous Summer Series races in 2011 for weather reasons have bought about this situtation.

In a race series, the race subsequent to a postponed race carries the race number of the postponed race until that particular race is completed.

One small note about the Sailing Instructions for this race.

Section 11 Radio Communication states the RYCV Race committee will monitor VHF Channels 16 and 73. If a yacht is required to contact the Race committee the process is to use channel 73 for the first call up attempt. If no response is received on Channel 73 and if the call up requires verbal contact with the race committee then Channel 16 can be used as the call up channel to the race committee . The Race committee is then to be requested to use Channel 73 as the working channel.

The Australian Maritime College web site has a pdf copy of the  Marine VHF Radio Operators Handbook

2012 Festival of Sails Results.

The overall winner of the Parks Victoria Trophy for the Classic Division of the 2012 Festival of Sails was Martini.

Consistent sailing by Ross Clark and Michael Williams, as a two up team throughout the series, allowed Martini to repay Ross and Michael for the time and effort they have given her.

Another piece of inspired sailing was that shown by Windward II in race 4 of Series. She gave Jim Woods and his team of crew members a line honours and first on handicap performance.

The Association was represented at the 2012 Festival of Sails by Windward II, the signature Classic boat of the series. Martini for the best of the series performance, Wanita with Richard Gates and his crew  performed better than expected in the prevailing wind and sea conditions and Ella, with Michael Mactavish, competed well when permitted to the RGYC sailing committee.

The Association is working with the RGYC Sailing committee and the Festival of Sails event people to make a notable Classics Association participation at the 2013 event.

A comment about start line barging

At the start of race 4 in the Classic Division of the Festival of Sails a serious barging incident that ended with the spearing of the race committee boat occurred.

This incident is a reminder our boats are displacement hulls. Because of forward way they are not easily turned away to avoid collisions.

The start of our races is one of the great moments of our Classic Yacht racing. Stirring and heart stopping stuff. That’s why we race our boats.

Barging incidents are caused either by too early a commitment to the start line or looking for clean air prior to the start and approaching to the start above the committee boats windward approach line. These start tactics will always lead to barging. At the last moment the person on the helm finds there’s no weather room to tack away. Boom goes the dynamite with right of way leeward boats required to take collision avoiding action.

As well as racing under the rules of the Blue Book that we all know and love, remember we also sail under the prevention of collision convention provisions and local marine safety regulations. These provisions and regulations apply all the time when either sailing or racing.

No one is in the right when a collision occurs.

That’s it for now.

Weather permitting we can hit that start line safely and on the dot of 10:30am

Regards to all

Peter Costolloe
Classics Association Handicapper

Sailing Instructions

Entries and Handicaps

Challenge Series 2011-12

A short note on various items to start our 2012 Classics racing calendar.

New Members

First up the Association extends a welcome to our two new members.

Robin and Diane Kerr with their truly great Vanessa.

Vanessa is known globally as one of the best ever 8 metre yachts to be on the water.

Festival of Sails Geelong Jan 26/27/28

10 entries in the Classic Division. 6 from the Associations Fleet.

The Association will promote the 2013 Festival of Sails as a Classic Yacht event.

Feb 5 1st race of 2012

Race 3 of our Summer Series is scheduled for a Royals conducted race with a 10:30 start on Feb 5

Although this will be our 5th attempt at racing in this 2011/2012 summer series, the Feb 5 race is designated Race 3, due to its postponement from December 11 to Feb 5.

The usual paper work will be generated next week.

Our sailing weather has to be better this year.

Feb 10/11/12 NZ Classic Yacht Regatta

The signature event of Classic Yacht Racing in New Zealand.

A fair sized contingent is set up to represent our association at this kindred association event.

Cameron Dorrough is our contact person for those who dream of up close classic racing from yesteryear.

Feb 19 Summer Series Race

Normal Mass start at 10:30 over one of the Classic courses set by HBYC.

March 4 Pursuit Start Co-event Mental Health Cup

This race, a pursuit, starts at Royals. Scratch boat 10:30am.

For the first time this race will co-event with the Royals conducted Mental Health Cup for the Mental Health Research Institute.

Racing with us, over the same course, will be performance yachts from Royals and other keel boat clubs.

Give way to the elderly will be the racing rule of the day.

The Mental Health Cup is a Royals fund raising event, ongoing since 2007.

If skippers or crew of any yacht from our fleet that know someone that can assist by sponsoring their yacht then contact David Seaman, Royals V/Cmmdre, at 0411141271.

Below is a link to the page on the MHRI web site that promotes the Mental Health Cup.

http://www.mhri.edu.au/event-detail/title/Sailing%20for%20Sanity%202012

March 10 &11 Geelong Wooden Boat Festival

Details of this event have been sent by RGYC to previous event entrants.

These details have been mounted on our web site.

The Festival presentation dinner, sponsored by Tim Phillips “Wooden Boat Shop” is set for the Sunday evening, Larry Pardy, guest speaker.

The Classics Association has arranged for a table of 10. Let’s know if interested, $50.00 a head.

March 24 Queenscliff Maritime Festival

A no fee Queenscliff Marina berthing deal has been set up by Tim Phillips of the Wooden Boat Shop. Tim is the organiser of the racing part of this event.

It will allow skippers, intending to enter this event, flexibility to time their sail to Queenscliff.

The option exists to sail there after the Wooden Boat Festival.

Transportation of skippers and crews to and from Queenscliff at various times is an issue to be sorted out.

April 1 Pursuit Race Conducted by Royals

End of series celebrations and knees up on Royals lawn.

So till next week.

Best of Sailing to the Skippers and Crews of the Classic Associations fleet entered in the Festival of Sails Classic Division.

Best of sailing weather for our first 2012 race to the rest of us.

Regards

Peter Costolloe

Dear Classics Skippers and Crews.

A short note on various items to start our 2012 Classics racing calendar.

New Members

First up the Association extends a welcome to our two new members.

Robin and Diane Kerr with their truly great Vanessa.

Vanessa is known globally as one of the best ever 8 metre yachts to be on the water.

Festival of Sails Geelong Jan 26/27/28

10 entries in the Classic Division. 6 from the Associations Fleet.

The Association will promote the 2013 Festival of Sails as a Classic Yacht event.

Feb 5 1^st race of 2012

Race 3 of our Summer Series is scheduled for a Royals conducted race with a 10:30 start on Feb 5

Although this will be our 5^th attempt at racing in this 2011/2012 summer series, the Feb 5 race is designated Race 3, due to its postponement from December 11 to Feb 5.

The usual paper work will be generated next week.

Our sailing weather has to be better this year.

Feb 10/11/12 NZ Classic Yacht Regatta

The signature event of Classic Yacht Racing in New Zealand.

A fair sized contingent is set up to represent our association at this kindred association event.

Cameron Dorrough is our contact person for those who dream of up close classic racing from yesteryear.

Feb 19 Summer Series Race

Normal Mass start at 10:30 over one of the Classic courses set by HBYC.

March 4 Pursuit Start Co-event Mental Health Cup

This race, a pursuit, starts at Royals. Scratch boat 10:30am.

For the first time this race will co-event with the Royals conducted Mental Health Cup for the Mental Health Research Institute.

Racing with us, over the same course, will be performance yachts from Royals and other keel boat clubs.

Give way to the elderly will be the racing rule of the day.

The Mental Health Cup is a Royals fund raising event, ongoing since 2007.

If skippers or crew of any yacht from our fleet that know someone that can assist by sponsoring their yacht then contact David Seaman, Royals V/Cmmdre, at 0411141271.

Below is a link to the page on the MHRI web site that promotes the Mental Health Cup.

http://www.mhri.edu.au/event-detail/title/Sailing%20for%20Sanity%202012

March 10 &11 Geelong Wooden Boat Festival

Details of this event have been sent by RGYC to previous event entrants.

These details have been mounted on our web site.

The Festival presentation dinner, sponsored by Tim Phillips “Wooden Boat Shop” is set for the Sunday evening, Larry Pardy, guest speaker.

The Classics Association has arranged for a table of 10. Let’s know if interested, $50.00 a head.

March 24 Queenscliff Maritime Festival

A no fee Queenscliff Marina berthing deal has been set up by Tim Phillips of the Wooden Boat Shop. Tim is the organiser of the racing part of this event.

It will allow skippers, intending to enter this event, flexibility to time their sail to Queenscliff.

The option exists to sail there after the Wooden Boat Festival.

Transportation of skippers and crews to and from Queenscliff at various times is an issue to be sorted out.

April 1 Pursuit Race Conducted by Royals

End of series celebrations and knees up on Royals lawn.

So till next week.

Best of Sailing to the Skippers and Crews of the Classic Associations fleet entered in the Festival of Sails Classic Division.

Best of sailing weather for our first 2012 race to the rest of us.

Regards

Peter Costolloe

Notice of Race and Entry Form

Another serious disappointment to all the skippers and crew intending to start in today’s Summer Series Race 3 when informed today’s race was postponed.

My concern with the increasing number of races abandoned over the last year is the impact on our enthusiasm. Race after race we prepare and then comes another let down.

A decision to abandon a race is a decision of the last resort. Protest jury’s I sit with, rake over every fact made known to them, before an abandon race decision is made. This same process was applied by the conducting yacht club race director and your association’s handicapper regarding the race 3 postponement decision.

Our Sailing Instruction clause 10 states a race on the Bay, when existing and forecast wind conditions exceed 25 knots on the Bay, will not start. This wind speed base line is safety based and has evolved from the association’s Classic Yacht sailing experience on the Bay in wind gusts and rough seas.

Below are some items that I wanted to mention after our last race of the year BBQ.

Australian Register of Historic Vessels activity.

Maybe this news is already known, but the historic importance of our Classic Yacht racing fleet continues to be recognised. The Australian Register of Historic Vessels is a process used by the Australian Maritime Museum to place on record, the importance and the contribution that individual boats have made to Australia’s maritime history.

Recently Camerons Dorroughs, “Bungoona”, was included on this register. Cameron’s detailed and comprehensive presentation of “Bungoona’s” provenance allowed the ARHV Council to make a unanimous decision for inclusion of “Bungoona” on their register. This ARHV inclusion and recognition is not easily attained. Every boat on this register is special to Australia. Congratulations to “Bungoona” and to Camerons efforts. No doubt her previous owner, our great mate “Col Bandy”, who, in his long sleep still sails in her, was a guiding spirit to bring about this recognition. Cameron’s story behind the process to have “Bungoona” included on the register is told in a great article, included the current issue of the Classic Yacht Association magazine.

The second boat of our fleet to be included on the ARHV is a yacht that until “Australia II” came along was the most celebrated racing yacht in the country. This yacht came about from a combination of the best minds of associated with Australian ocean racing to take on the rest of the world in this endeavour. The culmination of this national effort was the winning of the 1967 Admirals Cup. This yacht was the lead in design for Ben Lexan of “Australia II’s” fame and history. The ARHV Council recognise this inclusion on their register would never happened had not her current owner applied the care and effort, over his 25 years of ownership, needed to sustain a powerful ocean racer to the condition she was originally built to.

The Classic Yacht Association offers their congratulations and the Australian Maritime Museum say thank you to Martin Ryan for his sustained efforts and affection to that still premiere Australian Ocean Racing Yacht, “Mercedes III”.

A search on the ARHV website for “Bungoona” and “Mercedes III” will show the full story on the importance to Australia’s Maritime History of each yacht. A presentation of the ARHV listing documents will take place at a later date.

So when we are out there competing in our Summer and Winter series of races, our fleet is not only an  eclectic showing of yachts from the Golden Era of Classic Yacht racing, we are also a fleet that is representative of Australia’s Maritime History. We now have 7 yachts from our fleet on the ARHV. On going work with the ARHV curator, David Payne, will lead to several more of our fleet being nominated for inclusion on the ARHV.

Of note as well, is the recognition the Australian Maritime Museum place on Classic Yacht Association and the assistance the association provides, in the national promotion of the Australian Register of Historic Vessels. Damian Purcell of “Scimitar” and one of our association’s executive members is a member of the ARHV council.

Some other items I wanted to mention at today’s BBQ.

The scheduled date change for the first two 2012 summer series races.

We now enter the time of the Big Sleep. To awaken us, our 2012 first race is now on Feb 5 followed by Feb 19. These date changes will allow members to participate in the New Zealand Regatta on Feb 12 and will provide a better time lead into the busy 2012 March sailing activity. Our web site calendar has been modified to show these changes. The RYCV and HBYC sailing calendars also show these date changes.

The Geelong Wooden Boat Festival.

The story I put out this week to skippers regarding the start of the Festival passage race from Portarlington has been received with no negative comments. The GWBF people have been informed of this and will shortly issue a Notice of Race. This means the Classic Yachts will race as a fleet to the festival and generally will arrive as a group. How the fleet makes the sail to Portarlington can be worked out next year.

I’ve been informed the GWBF after dinner speaker for this event is Larry Pardy of the Lyn and Larry Pardy fame.

The postponement of Race 3 has caused a logistical problem for our onshore presence at the GWBF. I had arranged for a video to be made of this race. Hopefully we can obtain copy of sufficient quality, namely lots of sailing action, in the next 2 races. The GWBF people want us to make a big splash of our fleets sailing action.

So that’s it for the year.

As you read this, after the race that never happened, you’ll have to imagine you can hear the pipes of David McKenzie of “Mercedes III” providing us the tune of Auld Lange Syne, telling us to say goodbye to the old year of 2011 and reminding our boats to look after us in the year of 2012 with the words of that great Scottish melody, “Speed bonny boat, like a bird on the wing.”

All the best to our boats, skippers and crews for the soon to be Christmas Season and New Year

Regards

Peter Costolloe

CYAA (Vic) Handicapper