RBYC links us with the sea – we sail, we swim, we see the glory of the water.
I have spent the last three weeks sailing from RBYC to southern Tasmania and back. This is a different experience from sailing in The Bay, although many of the same skills are needed. For me, the added joys and challenges include:
Exiting the whirlpool of Port Phillip Heads at slack water, minimising wind against tide (ORCV runs an excellent on-water training session); passage planning – doing the maths of boat speed and distances and the impact of weather; tricky anchoring in the darkness of a new moon / the brilliance of the Milky Way away from the light pollution of the city; dolphins purposefully racing towards the boat, albatrosses wheeling over the waves then squatting near the boat, hundreds of Sheerwaters / Muttonbirds making a dark cloud on the surface of the water; big ships appearing within ten minutes, the occasional warship without AIS..
eating and sleeping in shifts, talking, and being alone with one’s thoughts, wind from whichever direction it chooses.
Keep sailing and learning, make an opportunity to go offshore.
Marnie Irving Club Captain