ORCV Melbourne to Vanuatu (M2V)
Pipes.
He's got a pretty handy set of pipes in him and does more than a tidy rendition of Nessun Dorma (Time to say goodbye) too! He is Neville 'Nifty' Rose and he co-wrote the ditty below as part of the 2001 Brisbane to Gizo (Solomon Islands) race aboard Bill 'Captain Raw' Rawson's Helsall II.
Being an Adams20, that boat just L O V E D to reach and if I am not wrong, still holds the Brisbane to Gizo race record. She set a GPS logged, speed record under Captain Raw's ownership of 31knots, in the Darwin to Ambon race... Her new owner has her undergoing serious conversion (new deck, continuous and level sheer, etc) to a high-speed cruising vessel.
Here's Nifty driving Helsal II in the 2006 M2V and I reckon that's John Donati who was on Scarlet Runner for the 2010 edition of this great race...
Now all this has come about because M2V entrant, Samskara, are currently working on their Coral Sea version of Hotel California, of which we saw the first few verses the other day...
Before the start day in Brisbane,
Many things to do,
Warm sun of Queensland,
And 16 eager crew.
Up ahead in the distance,
Yachts assembling there,
Our boat was ready and our spirits high,
But little breeze in the air.
There we were at the start line,
Hoping all would go well,
We were thinking to ourselves,
This could be heaven or this could be hell.
Then they fired the start gun,
And we showed them the way,
Then appeared an Aircraft carrier,
Before we left Morton Bay.
Welcome to the Brisbane-Gizo Yacht Race,
Such a healthy pace,
Such a healthy pace,
Such a lovely race.
Plenty of miles in the Brisbane-Gizo Yacht Race,
At this time of year,
At this time of year,
Bring wet weather gear.
Our minds are definitely twisted,
Salt water in our veins,
We've got a lot of pretty pretty crew,
We call names.
How we bathe in the cockpit,
Soap on a rope,
When the rain squall gets here,
Be quick or no hope.
When we call up Race Off…ice,
Please hear us this time,
They said, we haven't heard Helsal's voice,
Since the Brisbane starting line.
And still the winds keep blowing,
From faaaaar away,
Watch continues in the middle of the night,
Hope we get there okay.
Welcome to the Brisbane-Gizo Yacht Race,
Such a healthy pace,
Such a healthy pace,
Such a lovely race.
We're living it up in the Brisbane-Gizo Yacht Race,
What a nice surprise,
What a nice surprise,
The sun starts to rise.
South of Gizo Harbour,
The finish line in sight,
We were, cautious of the reefs both sides,
If only it were light.
In the navigator's station,
We plot-ted our approach,
We're happy that the wind's not strong,
There's no risk that we will broach.
Last thing we remember,
We had, crossed the finish line,
We have to find an anchor spot,
In a place we will be fine.
Relax said Race Office,
We have tender to receive,
You can anchor anywhere you like,
But you may never leave.
We'll have Samskara's posted here, as soon as it is finished...
Please remember, that if you want to find out where everyone is in the chase for the container that APC Logistics sent to Vanuatu, then please go HERE. Sked times are 4.30am and pm EST.
By John Curnow
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