Fremantle Saililng Club

VALMADRE CUP SERIES PRESENTATIONS

Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to all those who attended. It was wonderful to see so many of you joining us to help celebrate with the winners and toast another successful Series.

Division 1 YAH
1st Aquila
2nd Archimedes
3rd Jaffa

Division 2 YAH
1st Traffic Jam
2nd Fairy Tern
3rd Gallivant

Division 3 YAH
1st Anastasia
2nd Babystar
3rd Emeraude

Division 4
1st Topaz
2nd Tomcat
3rd Pacemaker

Team YAH Result
1st FSC
2nd RPYC
3rd RFBYC
4th SoPYC
5th EFYC / HYC

Division 1 IRC
1st Archimedes
2nd Aquila
3rd Optimus Prime

Division 2 IRC
1st Fairy Tern
2nd Huckleberry
3rd DNA

Arlene Trophy Division 2 Overall YAH & IRC
Winner: Fairy Tern

Overall Combined Division 1 & 2 YAH
1st Fairy Tern
2nd Traffic Jam
3rd MX

Overall Combined Division 1 & 2 IRC
1st Fairy Tern
2nd Archimedes
3rd Huckleberry

MAYFLOWER OCEAN RACE - SATURDAY 11 JULY 2009
By Alison Stock

It seems it never rains but it pours, and as the second Valmadre Race was cancelled due to squally, gale force winds, sailors were suffering withdrawal symptoms and gathered eagerly, despite the promise of showers and light winds.

Light winds at the start made judgement difficult, and the start was less closely fought than usual. Many boats deliberately started up to a minute late, choosing to maintain some speed and steerage at the back of the line rather than run the risk of being immobile in the thick of the fight.

^{Just seconds to go in the Division 1 start.             Photo by Vanessa Cornwall}

The kite leg out to the Eastern Windmill was only half completed when boats started wondering what time they were going to make it back home, and the pessimists among us cancelled evening plans. The usual suspects were in the lead, although Siska Trophy winner The Next Factor was conspicuously behind her usual position. The Next Factor was one of the first boats to retire from the race; however this seeming lack of heart was generally forgiven as they cooked the free sausage sizzle for other crews as they came in. The now familiar tussle between Optimus Prime and Charlotte was replayed again at the very front of the field during the first leg.

All boats managed to round the Eastern Windmill but the next leg in an easterly direction to Campbell saw the wind drop to almost nothing. Crews and skippers looking to the south saw the smoke from the Kwinana chimneys was being affected by a south westerly breeze. Yachts at the front of the fleet were looking anxiously behind them, expecting the boats at the back to receive the new breeze first and come bearing down on them. However instead the wind disappeared completely. By this stage almost all the fleet had become religious and was praying for the course to be shortened at Campbell.

^{Optimus Prime leading Charlotte after rounding the Day Buoy.              Photo by Vanessa Cornwall}

Charlotte was inexplicably stranded somewhere near the north mole when Optimus Prime reached Campbell Buoy first. Hearts sank as she rounded the buoy – many had been harbouring a secret desire to see Trevor Milton appear on ‘Success’ as a knight in shining armour and put and end to the race and a start to the celebrations.

There was a very slight south westerly swell which was helping boats towards the mark, but was proving an enemy for Optimus Prime as she was trying to head west.

Sailors in Cowes and other areas with strong tides are known to use their anchors as a racing tactic. Clearly this tactic wasn’t a mystery to Optimus Prime, and boats approaching her near Campbell were surprised to see some activity on the foredeck, followed by the appearance of an anchor roller. The anchor followed and fairly soon the yacht was anchored a few boat lengths from the mark. This proved to be a wise manoeuvre which paid off well for Trevor Taylor. The boat would otherwise have been slowly pushed towards City Beach and lost valuable and well fought ground.

^{Division 2 rounding the Day Buoy.                Photo by Vanessa Cornwall}

Optimus Prime spent half a relaxed hour anchored almost on the mark, after which a very gentle WSW breeze came in and enabled the fleet to stagger along a bit further. Thankfully the finish crew made the journey to the next mark and set a (very long) finish line that allowed a race to be completed.

By this stage ‘Success’ and her crew had achieved an almost legendary significance, bringing the promise of not only a result but, even more importantly, warming beverages with them. Crews who normally get along quite well on an ocean race had exhausted other topics of conversation (including when Wildside’s new mast might ever reach Fremantle, whether Wildside’s new mast even exists, and bets on how long it might last) and had reached the point of hearing frighteningly intimate details about each others’ lives which were sometimes beyond the pale. Sometimes you just can’t get far enough away, no matter how long your boat is.

In Division 3, Clodagh Irwin’s Anastasia was the only boat to last the distance, Babystar and Emeraude deciding that the beckoning from the shore was irresistible.

It was a day that tested patience, sailing ability and ability to change gears. Congratulations to all finishers.

For Full Results: Click Here



ENSIGN OCEAN RACE - SATURDAY 27 JUNE 2009

NOTICE TO SKIPPERS

Due to a current Gale Warning having been issued by the Bureau of Meteorology and the impending forecast of increasing winds the decision has been made by the Race Committee that the Ensign Race will be cancelled.

Trevor Milton
RACE OFFICER

26 June 2009



ARLENE OCEAN RACE - SATURDAY 13 JUNE 2009
By Alison Stock 

The first race of the Valmadre series was raced in Gage Roads on Saturday June 13.  Racing in the Valmadre really makes you appreciate how good our winter weather usually is (North-West fronts excepted of course!).   Usually the races are conducted in sunshine and about 20 degrees.  Crew desperate to get use out of their expensive offshore gear bring it down in expectation but it often languishes in a bunk (or in the car, for those with more weight-conscious skippers...).

The fleet was a good size, with over 40 boats competing.  Division 3 encouraged the smaller yachts with its own course, and Division 4 was open for the hardy souls enjoying the further challenge as double-handers.

^{Mind's Eye's Ben Gardiner showing why he works the foredeck.     Photo by Vanessa Cornwall}

Forecast winds of 10 to 15 knots failed to materialise, instead boats were lucky to drift across the start line under 6 - 8 knots of breeze.  The first leg to the day buoy was closely fought, however the next leg to the Eastern Windmill separated the men from the boys.  Some boats limited to asymmetrical spinnakers were forced to sail a much longer distance while others with symmetrical kites managing to sail a more direct course to the mark.  Within a mile of the mark, however, the wind dropped even further, forcing even yachts carrying symmetrical kites to sail big angles just to keep some apparent wind going.  Charlotte was an early leader in that leg, but ended up stranded on the north side of the course, watching helplessly as Optimus Prime and The Next Factor overtook her.

^{Frank Saraceni's Al Fresco.     Photo by Vanessa Cornwall}

A blast from the past caused some confusion.

Several years ago, Campbell Buoy was moved to the south in order to stop yachties getting shot at by Army personnel on the range at Campbell Barracks (at this stage we are still uncertain whether there was a particular yachtie in mind, or if it was just a general vendetta).  This has resulted in a course anomaly, in that boats required to head from the Eastern Windmill to Campbell Buoy are required to pass Gage Roads Red B to port - that's Ok but the course naturally puts this mark to port, so some boats were questioning whether they had to round the mark as a 360 degree circle.  Most boats were content to merely sail past the buoy, but the confusion was noted and the Gage Roads Red B mark will be removed from Course 2 next season.

Almost all sailors admitted that performance in the race was a lottery, with the wind being fluky and unpredictable and it being difficult to guess which side of the course might give a better result.  Optimus Prime reinforced her return to form by blitzing the field and getting the gun.  Roger Passmore's Aquila continued her recent improvement in inshore form by gaining a first in IRC and YAH.  Another scene - stealer was Frank Saraceni's Al Fresco, which never lost any ground but gained steadily throughout the day, and finished 5th across the line, beating proven light wind performers such as Syrenka.

^{Foreground Double-handed competitor David Kay in Topaz with Clodagh Irwin's Anastasia to their left.     Photo by Vanessa Cornwall}

The double-handers fought all race, with Dave Kay's Topaz winning the day. Hopes are that this division will grow steadily, in keeping with fleets on the east coast.  Clodagh Irwin's Anastasia had success, reminding the community that attention to detail (particularly in regard to the crew's stomach) makes all the difference in a long race.

For Full Results: Click Here