Melbourne to Port Fairy (M2PF)

Winners Are Grinners...

But then, sometimes they're just plain asleep.

eXtasea's crew made good use of being home first in the Port Fairy race. The Port Fairy Yacht Club became their dry and not moving platform, which would have been a super-welcome change, I dare say...

Many thanks to the PFYC's Bill Morgan for the pic.

So you want to know who went off with the fairies. Go HERE for the full results.

© John Curnow, ORCV Media

Please contact me for re-issue rights.

	This is one hell of a tourist destination! Bring the shore crew - they'll love you for it and you'll get leave passes  whenever you want from then on.  No. Really. Promise.

Melbourne to Port Fairy (M2PF)

NCIS.

You know.... As in "Newbie". Tony (Anthony) DiNozzo always refers to Special Agent Timothy McGee as this, despite the fact that he's been around for a while. Now we actually have a honest-to-goodness and genuine newbie, who also went to sea on a boat's maiden voyage into the Paddock - Dry White.

Michelle prepared this story for us to read. "My first ocean race began as I anticipated it would continue….. along with the rest of the crew, we assiduously labeled our food lockers: smoked salmon, brie, oyster shots and red wine. Lulled into an almost meditative state through administering this simple system, I was unaware of the imminent danger ahead. At first it began as a simple flash, then built to a mighty roar, as John’s boating shorts split from stem to stern, revealing the unmistakable iridescent glow of his brand new Bonds purplehipster briefs….. And we hadn’t yet left Sandringham Yacht Club! Surely, this was an omen of somekind. As John was ordered down to cover up, we headed off and with the casting off of the bow ropes, I realised I was on the journey of a life time; an ominous journey filled with promise and like John’s undergarments, perhaps that element of threat. To Port Fairy or bust……" (Ed: BTW. Michelle is John Dryden's wife... so it's kind of OK if she knows such things.)

"Over the past few weeks I had bulked up for the occasion…. ‘Five extra kilos should do the trick’, I thought, as I quelled my anxiety over ‘just another glass’ of red. I soon learned that the five kilos I had added to my muffin top served me little purpose, as I attempted to grind the winch and ‘pull in the headie’. It served no purpose at all as I stood at the mast and yanked on the yellow genoa halyard and it was downright inconvenient as I squashed and contorted my body into the pipe cot. Being slightly claustrophobic, this indeed became the greatest risk to me throughout the journey…..How to survive a tack, from a position of some vulnerability, without landing on Simon’s head in the bunk below."

"I quickly learnt that a concert pianist does not necessarily have a role on an ocean going yacht!"

"After orders of, ‘Quick, bring me the one heavy’, followed by the flustered response, much sweating and incessant expletives and then almost immediately….. ‘For god’s sake, not the one heavy….. it’s the #4 now - you’re too late!’, we set forth. I must admit, I was slightly bewildered, as the sails were hoisted and dropped, the seemingly indecisive jib was flapped back and forth and the boat launched itself to graceful heights before plummeting to nothingness, with a corresponding gut-wrenching descent of my stomach contents. With my scop patch firmly in place, I decided to focus on the passing parade…. (Hmmm…. maybe the patch has a slightly hallucinogenic effect, but I was completely certain I saw the entire parade of Aida rising triumphantly from the swelling ocean, silhouetted against the big, ripemoon)."

"The last hours of the race were punctuated by enormous potholes in the ocean, warmed hospitalbottles (Ooh! …nice….), barking noises from the bowels of the boat, as half our crew succumbed to the whiles of the pulsing sea and unpredicted, yet somehow meaningful partnerships in the three cabins."

So, in summary, we have finally arrived in Port Fairy, slightly shaken, fillings awry and, from my own perspective, feeling somewhat chastened but infinitely committed to embarking on the next opportunity!"

The Brass also tell us that, "We could not get a table for a dinner in Port Fairy, so Dry White, after her Ocean christening, has also had her first dinner party. The wine and stories are flowing..." And yes, we'll try to get The Brass to send some medium res images soon....

So you want to know who went off with the fairies. Go HERE for the full results.

© John Curnow, ORCV Media

Please contact me for re-issue rights.

	This is one hell of a tourist destination! Bring the shore crew - they'll love you for it and you'll get leave passes  whenever you want from then on.  No. Really. Promise.

Melbourne to Port Fairy (M2PF)

The Go-Betweens.

May well have put out a few albums along the way, but it seems we have had a new one helping out the Race Management Team. From the van, Robyn tells us, "Thanks also to Linda Brayton who has been a fantastic go between the club and the finish line. Writing the goss, feeding the team, photos, etc."

Now speaking of club, presentations were at 1400hrs and the Port Fairy Yacht Club has been fantastic. "Commodore Hugh Parker, Immediate Past Commodore Bill Morgan, Sail Captain Daryl Cairns and Club Member Tim have been extremely hospitable and well prepared for the event, planning moorings, sounding the river, arranging catering and welcoming the cold, tired sailors. The eXtasea crew found the carpet under the tables in the club to be the warmest, driest spot for their recovery zzzzzzs. Shame that the boats all arrived after hours, but they were welcomed with the ubiquitous slab of coldies nonetheless."

Beer works anytime, anywhere...

"Thanks also to Port Fairy Sea Rescue who joined with the club boat to pilot the yachts safely uptown. Spirit of Downunder was five minutes late, so had to park on the outer jetty until the tide turned again. Linda feels for the holiday makers who have paid big money for a riverside apartment and are unlucky enough to have Chikara Outlaw parked outside. Apparently they are still in party mode..." Ed. Maybe they wish to join in????

Happily, Independent Endeavour are back at Sandy with four sick crew members and one possible broken shoulder. Cannot wait to hear from those with the SeaBiscuit bands. As we say, well done to all.

So you want to know who went off with the fairies. Go HERE for the full results.

© John Curnow, ORCV Media

Please contact me for re-issue rights.

	This is one hell of a tourist destination! Bring the shore crew - they'll love you for it and you'll get leave passes  whenever you want from then on.  No. Really. Promise.

Melbourne to Port Fairy (M2PF)

1115!

Well done to all boats who persevered and completed the 2011 Melbourne to Port Fairy race. Not only did you dig deep into your fortitude to weather out the weather in a marvellous Bass Strait washing machine event, you dug deep into your pockets and raised $1115 for the annual Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal. Even The Secretary, who were racing from the ORCV control van, contributed to this cause, which has been going on as apart of the race for well over 25 years.

The dear old van sure gets around. Here it is at the old Stanley Station.

The fleet was somewhat decimated and got down to just the ten left completing the course. From the van, Robyn tells us that, "The shark boats have come into the Moyne River, as it’s too rough out there for them. There are 4 to 6m seas and it is NASTY. However, it’s not raining and we notice that the wind has eased here (in the backyard of the club on the river, in the van, with the doors closed). Then again, it was rather nice in the pub in front of the open fire earlier, too. I think we got the best gig this weekend!"

Lynda Brayton was keeping Robyn and George company in the van. She had this to say of her experience, "Whilst the remaining boats battle the elements, the Race Directors are enjoying the view across the Moyne River, where there isn’t even a ripple on the water. A seal is frolicking around in the river and the shark boat fisherman are no doubt enjoying their night off in the warmth. They decided it was too rough for them to venture out! Hope there isn’t going to a shortage of flake in Port Fairy!"

 "From the current location of the ORCV van, the queue at the fish and chip shop, which is situated directly across the river, is getting longer by the moment. I bet if they could do a chopper drop off to the yachts racing, it would be very welcome, but then again, maybe not. Just handed to them once they dock might be better. The Race Directors are currently bunkering down for a nanna nap and then there's the big decision of what to have for dinner, before getting to work on preparing for the finishing boats", Lynda tells us, as a way of explaining the often arduous task of waiting...

In the end, just ten vessels completed the racing course. Well done to you all. Ben O'Brien got the job of driving eXtasea when the boss had to step off and he rewarded his owner with a Line Honours win and gold for the coveted IRC, along with AMS and PHC!!! What an emphatic statement for our friends from Geelong. Bandit from Sandy had a great race too. Ashley Trebilcock's Beneteau First 40 was second home and took silver in all three handicap classes, as well. Chikara Outlaw was third home and got third in PHC for their efforts as well. ORCV Commodore, Don Fraser, got third in IRC and AMS with the other Beneteau First 40, Dry White.

All reports presently, indicate happy crews, with some well on the way to getting back to the Heads. Cannot wait to hear from those with the SeaBiscuit bands. As we say, well done to all. When The Paddock gets like that, it's not a pretty sight. Amazing how Scotty can never hear you on the communicator, too. How is that?????????????

So you want to know who went off with the fairies. Go HERE for the full results.

© John Curnow, ORCV Media

Please contact me for re-issue rights.

	This is one hell of a tourist destination! Bring the shore crew - they'll love you for it and you'll get leave passes  whenever you want from then on.  No. Really. Promise.