We are well into our sailing season now with a lot to look forward to.
On Sunday, many of the clubs around the bay, including our club, were impacted by the strong winds around 11.00am.
At RBYC we were running the One Design regatta for 2.4mRs, VX Ones and Etchells. Wind recordings at Fawkner Beacon at the start time of 11:00am were 13kns gusting 15kns. At 11:04am, it was 16kns gusting 38kns. Conditions escalated from there, with the added impact of waves building to 2m.
Fortunately, due to the efforts of the RBYC race management team all our sailors and volunteers made it back to shore safely, and I’d like to thank everyone who helped with this. Apart from the registered volunteers and the sailors themselves there were many other club members and members of the public who helped out. Sandringham Yacht Club also provided some welcome assistance – a reminder of how close the sailing community is and its willingness to volunteer help when needed.
The Club has organised a series of debriefings and the information collected will be used to improve the race management processes at RBYC.
We are now looking forward to Sail Melbourne next week and yachts have already started arriving for this prestigious regatta. I’d like to thank the large number of club members who have already volunteered to assist during the regatta, but we could use some more beach volunteers so please let the sailing office if you can spare even half a day (28 Nov – 1 Dec). In the meantime, we’ll continue to enjoy our regular club racing. Soon after that are the offshore races to Tasmania and the Etchells Worlds.
The front of the club is nearing completion – the new lighting looks great and the new garden beds have improved the overall look of the club. Members are encouraged to exit the Club via the ramp next to the clubhouse and the ability to exit via the Jock Centre ramp will soon be discontinued.
See you on the water or in the club over this busy and exciting time for the club.
Wishing you fair winds and following seas and remember no bananas at sea.
Peter Demura
Commodore