Melbourne to Port Fairy (M2PF)

On a slow boat to...

...Port Fairy, actually.

Winners are grinners all right!

You know we all get a bit guilty of focussing on records, so it came as a surprise when we could not find a record of the slowest M2PF. This one would have had to come close, however. First boat home took around 26 hours and the last in around 41 hours for the 135nm journey. Trainspotters need not run for the calculator, it's like an average of 5.2kn and 3.3kn, respectively. Just say slow.

The new PF rescue Boat and the PFYC Clubhouse - simply idyllic.

So with the last boats, ‘Yoko', ‘Rogue Trader' and then finally ‘Pretty Woman' making port at 1731hrs, we're all squared away and there'll be some drinks, before a rest and then the march home for most of the fleet. I bet a few will leave pretty early tomorrow, in order to get a glimpse of the 12 Apostles as dawn breaks. It's magnificently warm and charming as ever in Port Fairy presently, so well done to all crews in persisting and reaching your goal. I'm sure that sun and the PFYC's hospitality will make everything better.

Seems the new ORCV 'If you're not there no prize" rule is working for presentation time...

Final standings in the 2009 M2PF are: IRC 1st ‘Extasea', 2nd ‘Isuzu Marine' and 3rd ‘Bacardi'. AMS 1st ‘Isuzu Marine', 2nd ‘Extasea' and 3rd ‘The Secretary' and finally PHC 1st ‘Mirrabooka', 2nd ‘Affrayed Knot' and 3rd ‘Running Wild'. Also, well done on an excellent tally for the Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal - that's definitely a winner - year in, year out.

Doug Abbott from 'Afrayed Knot' collects the handicap trophy for a local boat, for the fourth time in a row. Well done. He says it's his last as the boat is for sale. is that like the wet weather gear for sale in Hobart around NYE???

David Bingham from 'Mirrabooka' collects his 1st in PHC prize from ORCV Race Director Don Fraser.

And so to the lucky winner of the Gill Atlantic Jacket was Hamish MacAdie from ‘Isuzu Marine'. What clean sweep it is for them then. I'm sure that takes away a lot of the frustration in getting to Port Fairy this year and will no doubt serve him well in his Mediterranean foray. Well done and again, many, many thanks to Gill Australia for making this great prize available.

Nice jacket Hamish - Ill just borrow it for a minute. Be right back...

The ORCV and the happy band of blue water sailors will be back for the Melbourne to Apollo Bay (M2AB) very soon...

Here's a very happy bunch of sailors. ORCV Commodore George Shaw and crew from 'The Secretary' take in the warmth...

By John Curnow

Melbourne to Port Fairy (M2PF)

It's not all hard yards and beer at the end.

By John Curnow

Melbourne to Port Fairy (M2PF)

Winners are grinners!

Winners are ginners - Jock and Hamish MacAdie.

The fleet is still very spread out, but the results table is already fairly settled thanks to a batch arriving around 0730hrs. In IRC, the Paul Buchholz’s very well rated DK46, ‘Extasea’, took 1st from ‘Isuzu Marine’ and then ‘Bacardi’. Pleas note that ‘Spirit of Downunder’ has a protest in over ‘Bacardi’ for a Port and Starboard incident, so stay tuned for a result there.

'Running Wild' when she was the old 'Extasea' from Geelong

Thankfully all boats are now round Cape Otway. Fourth boat home was ‘Spirit of Downunder’, but it is the next bunch of finishers that looks interesting. ‘Running Wild’ has once again come from nowhere and then there is ‘Chikara Outlaw’, ‘The Secretary’, ‘Mirrabooka’, ‘Bacardi’ and ‘Geomatic Joker’. Bill and Jo on ‘Chikara Outlaw’ have done well after their “little detour” to King Island. Look out for them at the bar. There’s got to be a story in that...

In AMS it was ‘Isuzu Marine’ from ‘Extasea’ and ORCV Commodore George Shaw’s ‘The Secretary’ that collects 3rd. He’ll take that as his birthday present for sure. In PHC, the podium is ‘Mirrabooka’, then two of the PFYC locals in ‘Affrayed Knot’ and ‘Running Wild’, so they have done very well and stayed focussed in the trying conditions. ‘Pretty Woman’ still occupies the tail, but ‘Rogue Trader’ has been overtaken by ‘Yoko’ and all three are a way behind ‘Addiction and one of the PFYC entrants, ‘Tevake’. In the end it is great that the whole fleet is still out there and it seems there’s enough breeze to ensure they all make it in for the presentation of the marvellous Gill prize.

Yacht Tracker can be found here: http://www.orcv.org.au/tracker/indexPF.html with the standings available here: http://www.orcv.org.au/tracker/service/race_infoPF.php

By John Curnow

There'll be a few crews arriving shortly - guess what they'll need

Melbourne to Port Fairy (M2PF)

Look out for that...

HOLE!!!

Like most windless holes they can claim victims. The bite near 'Moonlight Head' above is one such place...

‘Isuzu Marine', ‘Extasea' then ‘Ninety Seven' is the leading order, with the fleet very stretched out tonight. ‘Yoko' and ‘Pretty Woman' are still yet to round Cape Otway. It would seem that ‘Isuzu Marine' did find some katabatics on the hills to have reclaimed a small lead and ‘Ninety seven' now seem relegated to a bridesmaid role to the other two, as they are not really in striking distance.

Very light Northerly winds of less than 6knots are reported with leaders making around 4knots and the slowest boats managing barely just the one! That's going to hurt and if the sails are slapping around, then it will be extremely annoying. However, you need sloppy seas for that and it seems all is very smooth out there indeed.

0400hrs seems to be the target still, which is not really that good for the leaders. You see, low tide is 0630hrs and the next high tide is 13:22. After all, none of the first finishers, who have the deeper draughts will want to do a ‘Quasimodo' and park on the bar at the entrance to wave hello to all and sundry as they come in. They will have to anchor and get ferried in to the all important drinks and food.

Way back in 1984, 'Quasimodo' demolished the opposition and then went on to park on the bar at the entrance to the Moynie River...

Talk about chocolates to boiled lollies. Last sked's big shaker and mover, the PFYC local, ‘Running Wild' seems to have fallen pray to the windless hole of Moonlight Head and they are now back to 12th. Given the amazing moon tonight, perhaps they got mesmerised, much like a bug to the ‘Blue Ring of Death'. ‘Afrayed Knot' leads the charge for the PFYC and they are right in there with ‘The Secretary' and ‘Spirit of Downunder', just of Princetown. These three are seeing who can nail fourth overall, so ORCV George Shaw will have the red wine bets already being devised.

‘Chikara Outlaw' found a "Get out of Gaol" Free card, which is handy and made back up some ground. Not enough to move them anywhere on the rankings, however. And talking of standings, here we go. In IRC ‘Extasea' has it from ‘Isuzu Marine' and ‘Ninety Seven'. AMS is virtually owned by ‘Isuzu Marine', with ‘Extasea' and ‘The Secretary' in there. In PHC ‘Isuzu Marine' has it over ‘Mirrabooka' and ‘Extasea'. The game is still on for the minor placings it would seem, with Jock and Hamish MacAdie clearly having a great day at the office!!!

Dog Watch could well be finish time so lets see what the next watch can do.

Anyway, if you want to look at Yacht Tracker for yourself, it can be found at:
http://www.orcv.org.au/tracker/indexPF.html

Similarly, the latest standings are here:
http://www.orcv.org.au/tracker/service/race_infoPF.php

By John Curnow