A dreary looking day held plenty in store with a top end 3rd/4th rig wind pattern a precursor for some excellent 12 sailing. Ghetto and the Squid turned out for a season points battle. Terry only had to start both races to take it out. But the day was more about the rides and boy were they epic. The ride down to the start line said it all. Tail skipping and warp 9.!!

The first race saw Terry take an early lead with Ghetto going for a port start and missing it by miles. Flat water up the right side paid and Ghetto led at the top mark. Warp 9 with patches of Warp 10 down the run with 7 gybes to get through the gate and stay in the pressure. The rain squalls were giving us equal amounts of 10 and 25 knots. Ghetto extended round the 2nd lap as the breeze died. Ghetto had a 3rd rig kite whilst Squid ran with the 4th. A quick skip to the finish and it was all over. Terry and Wayne mustn’t have read the sailing instructions as they finished after 2 laps and had to keep sailing.

The breeze was shifting left and also right, as we all found out on the 2nd start with teabags all round. The attached image shows Ghetto starting, teabagging, drifting back across the start line and re starting. Gotta keep your cool in those situations. Terry jumped out to a healthy lead and was 100m up at the top mark. Ghetto, with the bigger kite, ran them down and gybed late to squeeze the ink out of the Squid. Both boats just made the gate, with Ghetto leading. That’s the way it stayed to the finish with Ghetto taking the cake and the John Reid Memorial. There were 18s out there apparently, but one went home before the first start, one after the first race and one after the 2nd start because he had no one to race….

Next week we have a crew/lady skippers race. Should be a blast.!

The weather looks to be miserable, with rain forecast, but that won’t deter these two from being on the water.  Huey’s also set to dish up some good wind, the official BOM forecast for Moreton Bay is SE 25-33 kts, while Windfinder is currently showing 15-20kts.  My call is it will be somewhere in between.

Good winds to all!

2012-13 Queensland 18ft Skiff Championship

2012-13 Queensland 18ft Skiff Championship Crouch Cup - Overall Handicap

2012-13 18ft Skiff Aggregate Points

The coveted Bert Spring Memorial trophy was up for grabs for the fastest handicapped boat on the bay. The weather was grey and the wind felt like it was dying by the minute. Ghetto stuck with their 3rd rig, whilst PB, Squid and Tankers opted to sail up range 2nd. The banter started on the lawn and ended about halfway up the first work when Tank Girl crossed the fleet. You could throw Skinny’s G-String over all 4 boats. Guest newbie skipper and 29er dude Josh Franklin was steering the PB Towage and looked the goods in the flat water under King Island. PB first round the top, then Tank Girl, Ghetto Sled and Squid. PB hit the corner and Josh learned about gybing a 12 in overcooked 2nd rig and a few lumps. Over they went. Tank Girl got their kite up, got rolled by Ghetto, then laid down for a well earned rest…. Ghetto gybed early chasing a line of breeze and flat water and got to the bottom first. The next windward was uneventful, with PB making up some lost ground and Squid fighting to keep up with the speedy Towager. Ghetto was on the way to the finish with the kite up when an unbalanced gybe saw crew Crossy leap over the side. He decided to tangle his foot in the kite sheet, so the skiff couldn’t go on to the finish, and after what seemed an eternity trying to get the boat flat and Crossy back in the boat, they flopped over. The keen eyes on PB lit up when they saw the orange kite hit the water, but the endorphin rush must have made them black out because they sent it down the mine hard about 300m behind the sled. Terry and Wayne were having kite flopping issues at the top mark and Tankers dropped well back. Ghetto righted first and crossed the line with a large enough margin to take the handicap win and the beloved Ghetto Squid Trophy.!!

Race 2 started normally with all skiffs looking fast, then disaster struck.! A rain squall and over 20kts came across and created havoc. Ghetto tried to tack first and splashed around for ever. PB got through and sailed high above the mark from the 30 degree wind shift. Tank Girl footed hard and Squid followed suit. PB rookie skipper Josh must have thought he was on his 29er as a 2 string bearaway to get down to the mark in over 20kts without taking a step backwards on the gunwhale resulted in “the biggest mine they’ve ever done”. Tank Girl’s Ben and Craig watched as first the ton and then the jockey went flying round the forestay. Tankers needn’t have worried themselves as they soon found the water with a classic self-tacker on too tight splash tack. Squid was also having bear away issues, so Ghetto made some ground. The “run” turned into a 2 sail reach with PB making it first, then Squid with some awkward-looking dancing on the back tank by Terry. Ghetto closed the gap and passed Squid shortly afterwards, revelling in the solid 3rd rig. Tank Girl learned a thing or 2 about their new hull, with the foredeck getting a washdown for 90% of the reach. PB sailed away towards the top mark in the dying post squall breeze. The wind continued to shift around and despite Ghetto pulling clear of Squid, they rounded the final mark simultaneously. PB was halfway to the finish line and Tank Girl was still working up the beat. The “drag race” to the finish line with both crew to leeward with the kite up was as thrilling as the first 3 quarters of an NBA game. Ghetto held on for 2nd by a few lengths and Tankers brought up the rear 10 minutes later. A slow and painful death of what was overall a great day on the bay.

Richard

What an absolutely fantastic day of 18 sailing.

Four boats faced the starter for Races 3 and 4 of the Queensland championships – Brisbane18footers.com, APC Logistics, Insert Sponsor Here and Blue Wave Rigging.

The breeze was up and down with squalls as we lined up for the first start. Adam (Blue Wave) pulled a kamikaze port start trying to take out brisbane18footers.com and APC and ended up over the line. A re-start and a spin put them out the back.

The breeze freshened on the second work and gave us some sensational rides. It got really fruity on the last work and APC came within an ace of repeating last weeks mining expedition, but survived. Brisbane18footers led around all marks but had rounded the bottom gate incorrectly, giving APC the win from Insert Sponsor Here with Blue Wave DNF

The second race was fresh all the way. Blue Wave led around the first mark from Brisbane18footers with APC and Insert Sponsor Here in hot pursuit. Blue Wave bit the dust in the set and retired, while Insert Sponsor Here sent the skipper off the back of the boat and broke the tiller extension, ending their day as well.

APC crashed hard at the first bottom mark but got upright to make it around the track to get second. Dan and the ring in’s on Brisbane18footers led all the way and romped it on to win Race 4.

All agreed that it was the best ride of the season. It’s days like that that keep you coming back for more.

Loz

Tank Girl fires two missiles.!!

I called Richard – I was missing a few bits and the morning had been chaotic.  Better bring Ghetto Sled in case an all-important component had been forgotten.

Over the last week two weeks the 2^nd rig has been re-built.  Spreaders, 300mm higher were now permanent, the pocket luff was getting sewn on with a zip, the way it should be.  The tack line had been re-run and the halyard cleat adjusted. That’s the short list.

We arrived late and rigged.. PB and Squid had left the beach with their big rigs.  Ah well, we hoped the NE’ly would fill in to get us around the course.  The start was a pretty relaxed affair, with Squid looking good and covering PB, with us behind and to windward.  Time to see what the new girl could do.  Sheeted on ‘about right’.. There was a nice 10-12 knots, just enough to two string.  Speed was good.. a little unexpected as she went through the waves quietly.  Sometime then we discovered we were pointing a few degrees higher.. the top mark came up, hoisted the kite then looked back at Skinny and Terry with a cheeky smile.  The run was going to be a test to see if we could hold them out with the old #2 kite; we held the gap.  The next lap was pretty uneventful for us – high fives as we crossed the line!

Race two.  We were getting into the swing of it, perfecting another lazy start.  The crew usually has the starting watch, right?  The mighty  PB had pace at the pin and i14 rock star Andrew Barney up the front.  The wind was

patchy, I didn’t want to land ourselves in a hole.  Didn’t matter, because just then our main sheet block came away from the boom! Disaster! We tea bagged and the boat stopped while I lashed the block back on with the all purpose emergency string.  Skinny and Terry disappeared. Straight into a hole, fortunately, and that saw us first round the top mark again!

Up went the kite.. sort of.  Richard ‘guns’ Billett scurried aft and disentangled the retrieval line at the rudder pod.  Expecting to get rolled I held us high, only to look back and see the PB in the same predicament.  As they prawned the big kite and the mast fell into the bay, I doubt Barney saw the humour the rest of us did.  Terry was hot on their heels and didn’t waste time getting on our case – Squid’s kite was looking pretty big and we weren’t confident we would find pressure on the run.  By the bottom mark Squid was with us.  Terry invoked the two hull length rule at the bottom mark, correctly assuming I’d never steer my new boat into my old boat.  I don’t want

to re- paint that Squid.. We gybed twice and went wide around the mark.  Back on the wind the slippery Squid was squeezing us out.  Lucky for us, the mysterious high groove solved our problem while Wayno ducked in to tidy the kite on Squid.

From then on it was smooth sailing for Tank Girl.  After the finish Richard took her for a hot lap; Terry sent Squid on her ear towards Lota creek, and Skinnyman finished his swimming lesson.

Good luck to Skinny and Elliott on the PB Towage, racing in the nationals over Easter.!

BenG

While we slated the 12′s to start first, somehow even with just three boats about they were a bit late, so the 18s went first, with Brisbane18Footers.com, APC Logistics, Blue Wave and Pendeo (or is it Indiscussis? must ask Christine) getting off to a clean start.

Having the windward – leeward with the mid gate adjacent to the starter’s boat was a lot of fun, though Blue Wave and Pendeo both took turns to pass pretty close to us as the pics in the gallery will show.

Ultimately, it was Dan showing the fleet a clean pair of heels with bullets in both races of the day, well done.

Race 1 – Brisbane18Footers.com, APC Logistics, Pendeo, Blue Wave

Race 2 – Brisbane18Footers.com, Blue Wave, APC Logistics, Pendeo

[Show as slideshow]

12►

PB Towage took out their 3rd straight QLD State Championship on Saturday.. With the late scratching of Ghetto Sled due to “family commitments” PB found themselves in a win-win situation with only a finish required for the final two races to take out the Championship.

The forecast was horrid.. 15-20 in the morning dropping out to nothing at lunchtime… Lucky for the skiffs the weather guru’s got it wrong wrong wrong..!!!! Down on the bay was a gorgeous 10-15kts from the North… Champagne big rig sailing..!!

As most of you would know Brisbane has copped quite a hiding weather wise recently, with non-stop rain and fresh winds.. Well she sure turned it on for us on Saturday..!! 30 degrees, not a cloud in the sky and 10-15kts of steady NE breeze.!! Yeeha..!!

On board PB we were feeling pretty confident and I guess somewhat cocky.. We had the Championship in the bag and the breeze was amazing with the boat going like a train.. It was shaping up to be a simple 3 laps of celebratory fun… Unfortunately for us, Terry and Wayno on the Squid had other ideas…….

The start gun went with PB and the old boys on Squid both hitting the line with plenty of pace… PB had the upper hand and tried to shake the Squid, but her tentacles were obviously firmly latched on to our centreboard because no matter how much crappy air we threw back to them they just hung on and sent us way off to the left hand side of the course.. We finally got a slight gap and decided to tack.. Trisso and I agreed that we had to nail the tack or we could be in a bit of trouble.. Through we went and out we popped on the new tack.. Unfortunately for me the pressure was too great and I lost my footing, I went swinging straight in to Trisso taking out the big fell’s legs.. It’s true you know, the bigger they are the harder they fall. We were over.. Lucky we have a retractable pole because Terry and Wayno only just managed to avoid us.. We hurried to right her, but that never works.. We ended up flopping over again and losing even more time to the slippery squid..!!

Around the top mark Squid had a nice lead of about a minute.. They sent her hard but PB sent it harder.. We made some good gains down the run by picking a better line in to the gate.. Unfortunately we threw that away too when we had a rookie swim on the gybe.. We watched as the Squid extended their lead… Once the boat was up we got her going and set our sights on that cheeky cephalopod and prepared ourselves to chase her down.. One thing I’ve learnt is that there is no cruise control on a 12 footer.. Especially the narrower BMMKII design..!! You have to go hard or go home.

Well the next lap saw us make a few gains and brought us back in with a chance.. We thought however all was lost when we found ourselves on the wrong side of a 20 degree shift.. Luckily the Squids situation was not much better as they shot off with their kite up.. PB did a sneaky gybe set and were heading straight for the finish.. I’m not exactly sure about the details, but when we looked up to see what was going on ahead of us we saw that bright orange squid on the bottom of Terry’s hull…… The old boys were quickly packing the soggy kite but PB was coming on down with the big blue kite and there was not much they could do to stop us.. PB took the gun and the Championship… The boys on Squid had been robbed.. Terry had a bit of blood from their crash but there was no way he was going to head home for treatment.. He had unfinished business to take care of..  Great racing lads!

The second race start was a cracker. Both boats at full pace with PB once again just able to breathe a bit better and ended up sending some ordinary air back at Terry and Wayno.. We hit the corner in an almost identical situation… We had to nail the tack to clear the Squid.. Trisso and I went in to it with a bit more confidence after the first race and we smashed it. Turns out we didn’t need to worry as the Squid tacked at exactly the same time anyway.. It was a drag race to the top mark now with Squid finding a bit of height and really putting some pressure on us.. We went around the top together with PB doing another gybe set. The two skiffs scooted off in different directions and this sure built up some nerves for the skippers.. PB decided to come back to keep a loose cover on their rivals and luckily for us we had made a few gains out to the left.. We negotiated our way through the gate and down to the bottom mark with a handy lead.. Not a comfortable lead, just a handy one.. There was no room for error as we made our way back up the top for the final time.. (course had been shortened by one lap)

We held our lead with a mistake free display and covered the old boys all the way to the finish..

An awesome day out with another fiercely contested QLD Championship series being won by the ever consistent PB Towage.. Thanks to the volunteers and race committee for the series, and a special thanks for Christine for her mammoth efforts onshore. Your dedication is much appreciated.

Next week is back to our regular club racing before we head south to battle it out with those NSW boys and girls for the Australian Titles at Abbotsford.

Until then – SEND IT DON’T BEND IT.!!!

Skinnyman

The wind was on and the skiff boys were pumped..!! Heats 3 and 4 of the QLD Championships were here and boy did the wind gods play the game..!!

The forecast was for 15-25kts and from the rigging lawn we could see the squalls coming.. Tank Girl started her engine putting in her second rig which is actually her big and third rig depending on the amount of wind out there..

For the rest of us the decision as to which rig to put in was not as easy, but when a squall came through flinging trailer lids against fences and blowing Tristan’s drying unmentionables around the park we threw in 3rd rig.. Well most of us did.. The old girl with the rookie skipper was put back on her trailer for safe keeping.. Meow..!!

So we hit the water and by now the breeze had eased a bit to a delightful 15kts.. The boys on Tank girl must have been stoked..!! However before we knew it the dark patches on the water got bigger and it was back to a solid 20kts.. Ideal for a delightful send down to the start line.. On board PB there were big smiles as Trisso hadn’t had a proper ride (on a 12) since the Inters..!! PB welcomed back the Ton with an incredible ride down to the start boat.. It was awesome..!! Sucks to be you B-Mad..!!

The fleet waited for the breeze to settle but Hughie had other plans.. He blew up and flattened the fleet..!! Ghetto Sled busted a tiller extension and PB did a pretty spectacular mine… Tank girl cut their losses and instead of trying to battle the breeze they just left her on her side and sat out the squall.. Once the seas had calmed down we got in to a sequence.. Squiddy nailed the start with Brendan on the mighty Allwood sails hot on their heels.. PB went for a conservative start and hit the line on Port ducking the fleet.. Benny and Craig on Tank Girl followed up the rear. Ghetto had gone in to get a replacement tiller extension and missed the start.. Unrucky..!!

The old boys on Squid showed a clean pair of heels and lead the whole way up the first beat with PB only just rounding with them at the top mark.. There were a few hot glances at one another but Terry gave me room and there was no need to raise my voice this time..

PB scooted downwind with Squid biting at our ankles.. Brendan and John were next with Tank girl having a few kite cleating issues..

We leaped through the gate at a hundred miles an hour and down to the bottom mark.. WooWoo.!!

The next work was a little lighter and we went left.. The Squid and Allwood hit the right corner but PB had their measure.. To be honest we only really went left so we could hang crap on the Tank Girl who were two sailing..

We rounded the top mark and sent it like we stole her..!! There was plenty of chop with the tide on its way in and the Southerly breeze pumping the way it was so we spent most of the time in the air.. Shame you packed the boat up B-Mad..

Ghetto was back out on the course now and came up to the top mark for the ride.. Squiddy was next with Allwood following with plenty on..

The gybe was next and I felt something weird going on with the tiller.. Tristan just thought I was a muppet, but I had difficulty holding a straight line when the breeze was on.. The next gybe was worse and we splashed.. Ghetto did the same thing right beside us.. It was only a quicky and before we knew it we had the little blue bag back up and were flying towards the bottom marks for the final time.. We rounded and headed back to the top and watched Squiddy coming down absolutely balls to the wall.. The breeze had kicked again and that little blue boat had some ridiculous pace.. Spray flying as high as the first set of spreaders..!! Benny and Craig had given up on the racing and when they rounded the top mark they hoisted the kite and tied her off.. They sent it down past St Helena..!! Epic ride boys..!!

PB got back up to the top and by now the breeze was insane.. We decided to nurse her down to the finish line and save ourselves for race two.. We took the gun with Squid in second..  Allwood pulled the pin and Tank Girl were somewhere near the Port of Brisbane..

The second race only had three starters as Tank Girl and Allwood called it quits.. (I have to mention Tank Girls power reach home.. That boat had some incredible pace..!!) Ghetto, PB and Squid lined up and were looking to take no prisoners.. It wasn’t long after Squid crossed the line that we were in to the sequence..

Australia and Mistake 2008

With regret, the Brisbane 18 Footers has elected to cancel this event due to the limited number of entries received.

The Club would like to encourage Members and skiffies to get to the Queensland Maritime Museum to see their display on the 18ft skiffs in lieu.  More details to follow.

Yendys 2008

]]> http://brisbane18footers.com/historical-18ft-skiff-2013-anzac-regatta-page/feed/ 0 http://brisbane18footers.com/18s-big-rig-chaos/ http://brisbane18footers.com/18s-big-rig-chaos/#comments Tue, 05 Mar 2013 02:48:43 +0000 Skiffie http://brisbane18footers.com/?p=3032

Sound the klaxons

From snippets found on the interwebs, it looks like Laurie and crew on APC Logistics had a bit on during the race on Saturday 2nd March.  When I was down there to check out the new 12 Tank Girl, it was raining and about nought to nothing of breeze and was trying to flog off my first born as a lightweight crew.  Probably glad that I declined Adam’s offer to crew as well!  Will edit this a bit later on with more tall tales and results.

Also, on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZXbNFUu03M