ORCV Official Business

AVW Day Four - Champagne sailing.

The AP was flying, as the officials waited for the breeze, just like everyone else. It was a joyous day, in the end, with the wind a little variable - 10knots at best. Champagne sailing...

.. got me to thinking that not everyone was jostling for the front row of the start.

I mean, it's just delightful. See - just look at these two.

Now as for jostling...............The Start - 'Schuss', B63, tried to turn down and was told firmly by 'Shamrock' and others to keep going - she was over.

Here's a close up of some manoeuvering aboard 'Shamrock'.

So, this image from astern of Shogun arrived with their grinder wearing a stack hat and it reminded me of a pic from early on in the piece, which is below and the article on Day One, where it all originated, is HERE.

At any rate, I developed a headline for it, once we worked out it was for footage for One HD. Does my stack hat match my lipstick? (lipstick cameras mounted on the helmets...) ar, ar, ar.

Today's Hero Pic - there wasn't even a competition or a breath of consideration. This little guy is awesome!!!!

Let's have a look at some Sydney 38s action.

Had to lead off with these guys and this glamour shot. 'Audacious' kept us informed all the way down the West Coast of Tasmania at Xmas and sent pics as well!!! Thanks.

Great shot of Lou down the stern and below, 'Challenge' with 'Schuss' going downhill.

Here's 'Sierra Chainsaw', just going under 'Shamrock's stern.

It' still all nice. Very picturesque. 'Audacious' is the one tacking and 'Adrenalin' is out on the left.

Yep. Good, close in sailing - exactly what OD is all about.

And around the mark they go...

Delightful

Until it all goes a bit sideways!

Really.

Then the recovery. Can't help thinking that boat is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO aptly named. I reckon they're addicted to the stuff, myself...

After all that twirling and twisting, let's sit with the Gforce team for a bit. (Nice segue huh!!!?)

This was one of the Roulettes' 150 shows a year, that these guys train for and do in addition to their normal flight duties with the RAAF!

Nice work Steb. On a normal day, this image would have got hero pic status!

Let's bring it back down a gear - the marina was flooded with boats naturally and that means party - doesn't it?

It has to be a party - 'Under Capricorn' is there...

So if you've worked it out already, the images are named in alphabetical order by sail number and that's how I've been placing them in articles and now I'm going to turn it on its head and go from the bottom up...

RP51 and RP46 bow to bow. 'SMB3.5' is the former and leader as at the end of Sunday and 'Shamrock' is the latter...

'Goldfinger', "had a moment", Steb tells me, whilst going downhill. The S38 'Cinquante' in behind them.

There was another series going uphill concurrently, it turns out...

... and they called the 'Finger' for rights. So she turned and turned and turned...

... as there was not a path for them, they went up with them...

...and got the bag...

...all sorted.

Steb says it was great crew work.

And then they got to continue on.

So you guys get the day's Gold Star for your efforts.

'Calm' sitting in fourth posi, presently...

'Wind Speed' - sun through a kite is always nice....

"OK. So the bit of string comes out at the top at the spinny thing and goes back down to the deck. Right?" Aloft with 'Audi Centre Melbourne'.

Bow on to 'Veloce'.

Sun in kite again - this time it's Terry Hall's Archambault 35, 'Absolut'.

Somebody's gonna love this shot...

'Scarlet Runner' and the You Yangs. You'll be a photographer yet, Steb! ar, ar, ar....

'Living Doll', right in close with 'Shogun', barreling in to the top mark.

Kite... Staysail - I'm sure this was definitely in the brochure, Captain Raw.

Talking about people who find Steb, these guys are simply awesome at it!!!

... she does photograph well, though.

And is leading IRC Div3!!!

'Geomatic Joker' did the M2HE in 2008.

Everyone was having fun!

'Quest' goes through ahead of 'SMB 3.5'...

... and all the while 'Shogun' stays out in front.

Skittles or what?

Hhhhhhhhmmmmmmmm. Somebody's got a bit of work to do... Actually a few do.

'SMB 3.5' and 'Shogun'. Love close racing... love it.

'Cougar II' leading 'SMB 3.5' and 'Living Doll'.

Three in a row. Get the bowling ball out. 'SMB3.5' then 'Shogun' and 'CougarII'.

There'll be a pin in there somewhere...

Getting a second fleet start away...

Following on from Collective Nouns written the other day, which you can revisit HERE, what's the correct name for a pair of two Beneteau First 45's then? There's three of them out there on Corio Bay, 'Reverie', 'IKON' and 'Schuss'. One of these is 'Reverie'. I know, how about a flight? B45s. Boom Boom, Basil Brush.

Nola Walch was stoked to have done so well in the recently christened 'Second to None'. Nola offered the crew of 'Wicked' a ride and they put their sails into the mix. Good outcome for everyone.

We had a shot of them from the Passage Race where one rail member, just right of centre, looked suspiciously like Lorraine Steers, who most people would simply know as 'The Girl'. It was her and below is Nola with Mike and Mark Welsh who own 'Wicked', The Girl and Graham Smith (who most people only know as Smithy and this is their website, here.

This is Nola and Ken of the Adams 10, 'Ten Too', which was only five years old, when it sunk on Saturday. 'Ten Too' hailed from our friends at Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron. Seems they went to duck underneath 'Magic Bullet', who in turn tried to duck them and then bang. Ken tells us that the real tragedy is that the esky they had ready for the finish was stowed securely below and went down with the ship! At any rate they are back on the horse already and think the next one should be called 'Ten Past'! Indeed.

Good shot eh Phil? Reckon you'll be buying this one!

The three coloured kite with the Yachting Port Phillip logo is Rosie Collahan and David James on 'Ingenue'.

Peter Coleman of Entire Group, our Coq de la Baie sponsor and his 'JAMHU2'.

Crew work aboard 'JAHMU2'. They're in second for IRC Div2 at the end of Sunday.

'Yeah Baby'! Ian Dury and the Blockheads added Sex and Drugs though...

Nobody will be looking at this caption, given its placement, so rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb....

Word's out!!! Seems even the Bundy Girls were looking for Steb too! I would have thought they'd be way too busy, myself, looking for the likes of Doc and countless others, to have the time to seek out Steb, but there you have it... The power of publicity.

Day Five and the action from Geelong will be here soon enough - come and see.

 

By John Curnow