Sailing

Melissa Yeomans

Discover Sailing Launch was today

Today I had the opportunity of heading down to Canberra for the Launch of Discover Sailing.   It is a new initiative by Yachting Australia to increase the participation in our sport.  It was great to see Mal Page take out Kate Lundy who is the Minister for Sport.  During the games myself and a few others were following her tweets eagerly awaiting news from Weymouth!  Today she got to go for a short sail in not much breeze with Mal and see what it was like.  We were joking around for a bit that due to the light air he should have taken something out a bit sporty.  Trapeze maybe?  Next time.

I also finally got to see Liesl Tesch in person and give her a great big hug!  It was pretty cool to stand there with friends and compare the different Gold Medals.   The Paralympic’s Medal is labelled Sailing versus Mal’s which says which class it was for instance.  Yes we had a discussion on which was best!  Oh and then out came a Beijing Gold!  Size difference!!!  Liesl was tempted to go grab her other medals…  But there was a launch to be done!

Here is what it is about:

Page and Tesch to launch Discover Sailing

Craig Heydon, Yachting Australia

Minister for Sport, Senator the Hon Kate Lundy, London 2012 Olympic Games sailing gold medallist Malcolm Page and London 2012 Paralympic Games sailing gold medallist Liesl Tesch will launch new participation program, Discover Sailing, at Canberra Yacht Club on Friday, 19 October.

The recent success of Australia’s sailors at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games has raised the profile of the sport to a new level. Yachting Australia, with the support of the Australian Sports Commission, has developed Discover Sailing, a new participation initiative designed to bring new people into the sport across Australia.

The Discover Sailing Program features a new website,www.discoversailing.org.au, and incorporates a number of key programs, including; Tackers, designed for children aged 7-12, Sailability, a program for people of all-abilities and Discover Sailing Days, Experiences and Courses, to be delivered by Clubs.

Images from Today

 

It was worth the drive to Canberra and back!  Bring on Sailing Chix with Nix in the morning!

Melissa Yeomans

The future of sailing rocks with chix like these

 

Yesterday I had two young Teenage chix on the start boat with me at NLSC.  One has some knee trouble so couldn’t sail.  The other is her good friend and has recently asked me to spend some time with her so she can go get her powerboat licence.

I got to do the horn for the start sequence. Yep that was it! Didn’t do times, didn’t do flags, didn’t call the line, didn’t lay the line, didn’t drive the boat or pick up the marks. I just had a nice day on the start boat watching everyone enjoying a great breeze.   It was great to hear the girls talk about what sort of start line they wanted for the conditions they had.  Big shifting breeze they wanted a nice length line and tried for pin end bias.

Today one of them turns 14. Happy birthday Georgia!

The two girls are so awesome and our sports future is lucky to have young chix like them!  Not only could they run a start boat with out any problem but they were also watching competitors and discussing what they would do.  Along with directing rescue boats when we had our top Heron capsized.  It wasn’t easy conditions out there!  It certainly was a test when it was time to pick up the marks at the end of the day.

 

Melissa Yeomans

YNSW Youth Championships

On the long weekend I volunteered at the NSW Youth Sailing Championships.  Our start team was Dad, Dave, Rhys and I.  With almost we think 60 starts due to the number of recalls I was simply exhausted at the end of it and did not want to do any more maths for a while.

I can’t say enough about the team we worked with on Course Area B.  Our Finish Team, our Mark Layers and our on shore contact Donna.  Donna gave us the chance to breathe knowing we had someone on shore should one of the girls we were supporting need us.  Emma Harris, Georgia Llewellyn and Jaime Swavley had a full support team out on the start boat but not on shore.  So thank you Donna!!!

Because of who we had on the start boat it was great to have someone on shore to call when young Emma Harris had to go in to fix her bung.  At least I had someone to call and make sure she was ok and to let her know she was going to make the next race in time.  I also had good friend and on water judge Ian Humphries make sure she made it in safely whilst we were in postponement.

It was a big step for Emma jumping into a Laser Radial.  To see her mixing it with the fleet on the last day was AWESOME!

It was great to watch the J and G team in the 420 Wings.  The girls are growing into the boat and continue to boost not only confidence but skill as well.  Having seen them out training it was great to be able to watch them compete in the 420 fleet.

What a fantastic three days with some fantastic people.  I hope the competitors and their parents and coaches appreciate the hard effort we put in to ensure all the racing happened.  It was not the easiest of weather conditions and at times was very frustrating as we waited for the breeze to work with us not against.

To Dave our Driver!  You are awesome!  Thanks for being a part of a great weekend and providing the wildlife sanctuary to keep us entertained during the postponements.

I could write so many pages on the event there are just so many stories.  So check out the photos I managed to take in between being super busy on the water.

check out www.facebook.com/deckhardware for a few photos I took during the event.

Melissa Yeomans

Where is our club heading?

Where do you want to see our club in 5, 10 15 years time?  I would like to see Middle Harbour Yacht Club as the destination for Sailors who love our sport and wish to compete against the highest level of sailors run by professional race committee that is the envy of other clubs.   Our location is and we know that.

I believe we need to inspire the next generation to stay in sailing and hopefully at our club.  So that they too then inspire the next generation to love our sport of Sailing.

My family was a part of the highly successful era in MHYC Centreboard and Offshore Sailing scenes.  Lately MHYC has told the world how strong we were and the sailors our club produced through its fantastic Centreboard Division.

Centreboard Division

  • Create a family environment
  • Get parents involved
    • Show them how to get involved
  • Run a power boat handling operators course
  • Look at classes offered and the direction of these classes offered at the club
    • Have a pathway and options along the path for our sailors.  When I was a teenager I asked and my mum fought to head down the same path as RPAYC, CYCA and RSYS and their training centres.

Junior Division

  • Optimist

Intermediate Division

  • 420

This is currently where our club is placed.   Ideally we should have an all inclusive Centreboard Division as it was when it was the strongest club in Sydney.

I would like to call on all those who believe in Middle Harbour Yacht Club to stand up and assist our club in finding its “Mojo”.  Many of you may have young kids and be wondering what path to lead them.  Whether they will be as lucky as you were growing up in a fantastic sailing environment.

I believe Middle Harbour Yacht Club has an opportunity right now as they did back then.  Perhaps instead of telling the teenagers what they will sail next they could hold an open event for all dinghy classes.  Then advise these classes that MHYC would love to have them race on a regular basis.  The place to start would be the 505’s which were such a strong class once at MHYC.  Let’s make the event a fantastic event and show everyone what a great place it is to sail and how amazing the people are.  How much we all love the sport of sailing.  We have the facilities to run the most professional event possible.  We also have the personnel in not only staff but a fantastic volunteer base that have run many great regattas over the years.

There are many questions people have asked me over the years.  Why was I the youngest skipper by such a margin? Why was I the only racing female skipper?  Where did those you grew up with go?  Where is your age group? Why did the Centreboard Division fold all those years ago?  Why are there so few females?  How did you manage to run so many women’s events and crews?

I have over the years said I have some but not all the answers should anyone wish to listen to someone so young.  I am a little older now and would love to talk to those who want to listen to my thoughts.   Perhaps we could hold an open forum and invite the members of the past?

So I ask: Where do you see Middle Harbour Yacht Club in 5, 10, 15 years time?

Melissa Yeomans

My week so far

I have just spent the last three days doing the instructors course at Middle Harbour Yacht Club.  It was nice to finally tick that off the list as it is something I have been meaning to do for a long time but just not had the chance.  Having already done the Powerboat Handling and First Aid this was the next thing on my list.  Great to be able to say after over 20yrs I now can call myself an Instructor.   The course was certainly beneficial especially for someone like me who does not remember learning how to sail.   So trying to put myself in a learners shoes is not something I can easily relate to.  So to have the guidelines to go by will certainly make it a whole lot easier for me to help out those new to our sport!

I must admit that yesterday I was pretty lucky to be on the water.  Great blue sky and even better was the fact that it was a Nor’easter!  

BRING ON SUMMER!!!

Now to pack the van for Belmont and the Yachting NSW Youth Championships, unpack a Liros Shipment this afternoon, go to the rules night at the club tonight for a refresh, pack myself for Belmont. Then head up to the youth states on Friday.

At this stage there are 196 competitors for the NSW Youth Champs.  That is amazing!  Dad is the RO for Course Area B and at this stage I am on the Pin boat.  We have the Laser Radial, Laser 4.7, Flying 11, 420 and 29’er fleets!

29er 15

420 13

Bic Techno 293 3

Flying 11 43

Flying Ant 4

Laser 4.7 17

Laser Radial 20

Open BIC 8

Optimist 45

Optimist – Silver Fleet 5

Sabot 23

 

Bit on….

Check out the Youth Champs Website.

Melissa Yeomans

Manly Relay for Life

I had an amazing time with some pretty special people over the weekend at Manly Relay for Life. Helping out with the Nix & Johnny Show! You are all amazing people for being there and Nix you were awesome! To think you both pulled off an almost 19hr show was amazing.

To have high profile politicians telling you that you should make it commercially was amazing. I can’t wait to get on air with you and Nic Douglass! Georgia Llewellyn did an awesome job on air when we talked about our new Sailing Chix with Nix show too! Definitely one of our junior Sailing Chix. So proud to be a part of it all.

Check out the photos on the Nix & Johnny Page! Nix and Johnny Show

The target of $175000 was reached with money still coming in to the Manly Relay for life page.

Melissa Yeomans

A weekend on the water

I truly am a lucky sailing chix.   Over the weekend I got to spend the entire two days on the water at two pretty awesome clubs.

The first one being Middle Harbour Yacht Club on Saturday.  Dad asked me to come out on the Start boat.  Not only to learn a little more watching him as the club PRO but also to take a million photos on a perfect blue sky day.  The Harbour really put on a show.  In Middle Harbour you could see the bottom as it was crystal clear water on a perfect 15 knot day.  I was so very lucky to be able to spend the day taking photos on a day like this.  Plus I got to see the first race of the season and where everyone was at.

Images from Saturday

I then got the chance to drive Hugh George again and learn how to pick up the marks after the race.   This was something new to me on such a large start boat.  It was great to have the clubs two RO’s onboard to help me learn this skill and how the boat likes to operate.  So big thanks to Dad and Steve for that one.

On the way back in the crew were letting me know to slow down as they had seen a windsurfer in a little distress.  I let Dad take the helm for this one as we got the poor shaking guy and his board onboard and delivered him back to Balmoral. Poor guy really was in a state and I am glad we saw him before he ended up in the main harbour.  He was already near Middle Head and heading his way out there.  When we got back to the club the preso was done and people were already heading home.   What a long day on the water!

Sunday I had to deliver some parts to friends of mine at Narrabeen Lakes Sailing Club.  When I got there for their first Learn To Sail morning session there were kids EVERYWHERE!  I mean EVERYWHERE!  It could have been the amazing weather, the impact of the Olympics or the family atmosphere at that club.   It was an amazing day as the kids from the club took out a new kid each to give them a go and Rhys, Greg, Ian, Ian and I manned the Rescue boats also towing them out with out sails up to learn how to balance in a boat and steer.  What an amazing effort by everyone!   Pam and Andy could be seen taking people out in Herons at the same time!  EVERYONE from the club was busy and helping out somewhere.   Things then changed back to a bit of normal as we headed out for the junior sailing session.   Gee joined me in the RIB to do some coaching as Greg jumped in the start boat.  She did a fantastic job in particular coaching her little Junior States Crew around the course when the breeze kicked in a little.

In the afternoon I was leaning towards heading home to do some work on the website.  My friends informed me I could not go to work as I was in the RIB for that afternoon.  I must say I was not really going to say no on such a beautiful day.

Melissa Yeomans

Thank you Huey!

Yesterday I spent the day on the MHYC start boat with a fantastic team including my Dad at the MHYC Sound Championships.   The breeze however made it for one of my more interesting days on the water.    Talk about shifts!  We all know that Westerlies in Middle Habour make for interesting sailing and testing conditions.  The shifts really are affected by the hill and can swing over 50 degrees on a regular basis.  So setting course is difficult and really hurts the brain.

Then throw in the fact that half way through the day the breeze decided to do a 180 and come in from the EAST!!!   Thankfully Dad finished the boats whilst I liaised with RIBS to arrange a new course so we could do it as fast as possible to get enough races in to have a series result.   There was not much time to rest for the 5 of us on the start boat.  Let alone get in some lunch!

With 5 short races and a fleet of Optimists and 420’s it was great to have a good team to work with on the start boat who knew what they were doing.  There really were no breaks between the starts and finishes!  Especially as the 420’s needed a couple of General Recalls.

Photos when I had the opportunity

to take them are here

I was very impressed with the majority of the fleet.  It is fantastic to see so many young sailors thank the start team as they finished the last race.  Some even thanking us in between races.   There needs to be more of this to encourage more volunteers like us to spend their day on the water supporting our next generation of Aussie Sailors.
Right now I could not be more proud of Australian Sailing.  Olympics, America’s Cup, Melges 24, Moths and much more are showing how good and how strong and varied Australian Talent is right now.

It is true.  Aussie Sailors Rock!

Melissa Yeomans

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC SAILING TEAM

In 2009 members of the Australian Sailing Team approached us to see if we would be interested in supplying Liros Rope.  Being a small family business this would be a big commitment but how could we say no to such talented sailors and friends. Many of the team members we had known when they were sailing at club and state regattas back in their junior days.  Mal Page has been a part of our extended sailing family for many years from the days of Flying Elevens along with the entire Jensen family. Nathan Outteridge has also been a part of our sailing family not only from his junior days but in particular his time at DeckHardware with Mel as her on road sales rep when he was starting out on his campaigns.

Early in 2010, Liros Rope Australia formed an Official Supplier relationship with the Australian Sailing Team. We are so proud of all of the sailors and look forward to meeting up with them when they return to Australia.

Since 2010 we have introduced PROtect Tape to our range of products working with Pietro Parmegggiani.  During this time Pietro worked with Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen to put together a kit for use on the 49er which is now available around the world with their photo and signatures on the cover.

We have enjoyed watching the London 2012 Olympics knowing we have been a small part in helping the sailors achieve their dreams.  We look forward to following all of the sailors in their choice of future events.  Thank you for all of the late nights and sharing the journey with all your fans.  You are an inspiration to all young sailors and wonderful ambassadors for our sport.   Let’s spread the word that sailing is one of the greatest sports and everyone can get on the water and enjoy just like we all do.