This is what Trailer Sailing is all about. From the journey to a venue to what happens in between and the trip home, a TY can provide you with a floating totally self-contained shelter. I see it as luxury camping afloat. Even better, you get to visit and explore some of the most beautiful areas of Australia.
This weekend we were exploring Sussex Inlet and St Georges Basin with the excuse of sailing in the Sussex Inlet St Georges Basin Sailing Club Regatta. According to Dave Morison and Jim Curry who have been visiting this water ways for decades with their families, it feels almost like being at home.
When Frou Frou arrived Friday night she was met by a welcoming honour guard of Jim and Glenda Curry and Dave Morison, who by the way had been floating around the basin for a week or so already. Needless to say the retirees looked very relaxed. We then tied up securely in the inlet beside Todd and Brad Curry and Haydon Sellers aboard Nirvana, stepped off onto the grass and took the short walk up to the Friday night meeting of brain surgeons at Sussex Inlet RSL Club.
That first evening spent afloat in a snug and safe anchorage is very special. Good weather meant that Saturday morning could be comfortably spent easing in to the weekend, with a slow breakfast aboard before registering for the races and meeting old friends at the regatta briefing. I can honestly say that it was great to see Momentum back afloat with Barry Grant at the helm, sufficiently recovered from his long term injuries to contemplate sailing regularly with John and Ray again.
Saturdays race was sailed in very quiet an shifting 5 to 10 knot winds with the fickle finger of fate intervening on occasions to upset the finishing times of some of the 30 odd race starters in three divisions.
Saturday night was a little like Friday night except with live entertainment, dinner at the biggest gig in town the Sussex Inlet RSL, then back to the boat to talk to Ray, Barry and John and the possums. Interestingly the possums were making more sense.
Sunday morning was coffee and breakfast out and another opportunity to catch up in a more relaxed atmosphere with Barry over breakfast.
Sunday race could not have been more different than Saturdays, very windy with many retirements and some not so pretty sailing techniques experienced in the blustery and bumpy conditions. On these sort of days however the experienced sailors shone through. With the breeze increasing during the race to at times over 30 knots, PKSC sailors were among the finishers. The Porters aboard Out Of Exile and the Curry’s and Sellers aboard Nirvana 7 were as impressive as usually, and, Momentum with Barry, Ray and John aboard and Frou Frou with Alan, Peter and me aboard managing to finish in tact which I think was an achievement in itself. I will report more once I have the official regatta results.