After a week of unpleasant weather, who would have imagined the clear sky’s and fair winds we enjoyed for the SIBYC Regatta weekend. It was also pleasant to find so many PKSC TY turn up for the event.
It felt like attending a regular family gathering to celebrate a birthday or anniversary (without the fights). Quit a few, like Haydon, Tod, Jim, Rob and Brad, spent the week before with their respective biological families aboard their boats enjoying what the Basin has to offer. Talking to them it sounded like St Georges basin hold lots of good memories and is like a second home for them.
That highlighted one of the best bits about this annual event and really, what is for me, the essence of what sailing TY’s is about. TY’s give you the ability to access beautiful marine environments and share the experience with other people you enjoy spending time with. And how lucky are we to have this option.
I cannot say that the weekend was without drama. All sympathy must go to Haydon Sellers and crew who attracted more than his fair share of bad luck. After putting in a very credible effort in the beautiful Ross 780 Breakaway, coming 5th in Saturdays Basin Chase event, the centreboard stuck in the down position snapping the winch wire in the process. With the assistance of Haydon’s sailing buddies Breakaways centreboard was raised so they could return to the sheltered mooring.
That effectively put an end to the sailing weekend for Breakaway and crew. That was not the end of the drama for Haydon though. Towing Breakaway home Sunday morning Haydon’s car catastrophically died just 20 kilometres from the Sussex Inlet launching ramp. Haydon’s beloved wife launched a rescue mission to retrieve Breakaway and Haydon from the side of the Princes Highway.
I suppose that life is never necessarily fair. At least that is how this sailing weekend appeared to turn out for Haydon. But if you take a few risks and do stuff surely unplanned events have the potential to happen. For me these types of events are always unpleasant at the time. What is uplifting about them for me is to know that we have support crew who willingly lend assistance to help us recover when things go wrong. I suppose then that when we take the risk and do stuff it make our lives interesting, and wouldn’t life be boring if we didn’t take a few risks?
Nearly 40 boats sailed in the regatta, and as usual, Port Kembla Sailing Club boats punched above their weight on and off the water. For the remainder of this article I will concentrate on the on water action.
Four of our boats, Nirvana 7, Frou Frou, Rosstered Off and Momentum finished in the top 8 with Nirvana 7 taking out first place in Division 1 and first overall for the series and Frou Frou taking out first place in Division 2. I did mention Breakaway’s 5th position finish on Saturday. I also should mention the great performance put in by Wayne and Mark aboard Serenity, sailing for only the second time together, and Digger and Danny aboard Grey fox, finishing in the top half of the fleet overall.
I will miss next Saturdays Pointscore 17 but hope all who participate have a great race.
The end Trev.