Boxing Day on Sydney Harbour is Amazing

I know I am extremely lucky to be brought up Sailing on Sydney Harbour. For a number of years now I have had the privilege of being part of the second line start team for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Sydney Harbour is such a special place and Boxing Day sees it at its best each year. I started the day with an early morning drive up to Middle Head to see the Harbour showing off looking spectacular in the morning sun. No sign really of what was to come in the hours ahead.

Sydney Harbour showing off before the boats, crowds and Southerly join the action. #whataview #sydney… http://t.co/TA2hXeMSbW

— Sydney Sailboat Expo (@SailboatExpo) December 25, 2014

On board the Middle Harbour Yacht Club Start Boat was a close group of friends who we trust to get the job done. Dad is the RO on the second line so we like to ensure we have plenty of people who know what they are doing that won’t get distracted by the excitement of it all. So not only are we a tight start team but it also is an enjoyable day out with a great group of friends to celebrate the Holiday period. This years start I must say was one of the best we have seen. Not only was the Harbour packed with spectators because of so many big boats taking part but our start line was hectic especially at the boat end! We actually run two start teams, one upstairs and one down just to make sure we can see across the long line towards our pin end boat.

Check out the Sydney Sailboat Expo Instagram page for all the action as well as Facebook.

This year we had no boats over early so once those starting on the third line had past us we were able to pick up anchor and follow them all out into the big seaway. Offshore as always at this point is pretty hectic with spectators and competitors heading around South Head.

Each year we have a tradition of once we see the boats leave the Harbour we head back to our place with our team to watch the TV Coverage of the front line and have a big feast of Christmas Day leftovers. Such a great way to finish up the day with good friends.

Boxing Day is just an incredible experience. I recommend to everyone experiencing it from the water at least once as it is something you won’t forget. Sydney Harbour on Boxing day is an iconic event featuring the sport I love on the Harbour I love. It does not get much better than that.

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December 7, 2014December 7, 2014 Melissa Yeomans

Sail Sydney and Hail!

What a week! I wasn’t back in the office for long before I found myself at Sail Sydney supporting the sailors. Making sure those we sponsor have stickers on their boats and catching up more importantly with the Moth Sailors to check where we are at leading up to the Worlds!

It was great to see Sail Sydney back on the Calendar. The Finn Fleet in particular have been big supporters of DeckHardware and in particular Liros Rope. Big thanks to them for being so friendly too!

Yesterday I manned the car park for a few hours to make sure everyone behaved and parked in the appropriate sections while trying to get people to park a certain way to optimize the space! What a mission. Thanks to those who stopped to chat and worked with us to make it happen.

Today I have spent the day working on the Sydney Sailboat Expo. While busy working away I got more than a little distracted by yet another crazy storm. This week has been all about storms here in Sydney. I can only imagine the stress it added to the PRO and RO’s at Sail Sydney! As I type this yet another one is about to come through… Amazing clouds all week as each storm has crossed over Sydney. Today was different though as the Northern Beaches got hit with some serious Hail! My Facebook feed is filled with Hail Shots and Video. Just crazy weather. Sydney is known for it’s afternoon Summer Storms but it isn’t normally every day and more than one!

Let’s Hope the weather plays nice for the Big Boat Challenge on Tuesday and the Extreme Sailing Series later in the week. I can not wait to get out there and cheer on some friends of mine who are sailing. #AussieSailorsRock

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November 30, 2014November 29, 2014 Melissa Yeomans

Back in Sydney and back on the water already

10389418_392947390860425_92243335414990299_n After just one day back in the office I was on the water Umpiring! Having only been back in Sydney for two days and with lots of work to do this was a little crazy but an event I really wanted to do. The Jet Lag certainly was a struggle unlike when I got to Europe. I think it was the heat when I got home as it was so humid and hot making it hard to adjust!

For the next four days I was Umpiring at the MUSTO International Youth Match Racing Championships. I have now done this event a couple of times and the level of racing this year was fantastic! It makes it very enjoyable to umpire when the racing is so good. The Umpire and RC Teams were fantastic as is the case each MUSTO. The weather this year behaved with the round robins completed in a nice time which was very kind of huey!

NZ did manage once again to take the Win with Harry Price and his crew coming Second. Great racing by both teams, a special mention has to go to Caitlin Tames on Mainsheet for Harry. She well and truly was the shorty of the team as seen in this photo and did a fantastic job on mainsheet.

As you can imagine with being so busy and trying to get all the DeckHardware and Sydney Sailboat Expo work done there is a pretty long to do list in my head at the moment. Yep it is in my head as I have not even sat down to write it down yet! There is so much to do after METS and so many new products to put up on the website etc!

10428475_392590107562820_2385613362224578398_n Tomorrow I am finally back at the Gym to do some Pilates and make sure my health continues to move forward in the way that is has. A few months ago I honestly did not know if I would be able to handle the last few weeks physically, however it looks like I finally found a way to get the Hyper Mobility back under control. Now to keep the forward progress happening so that I can keep up with this workload I have taken on!

New Zealander George Brasell was crowned Champion of the 2014 Musto International Youth Match Racing Championship, after defeating local Harry Price in a four-match thriller this afternoon.

November 24, 2014 Melissa Yeomans

The International Sailing Summit 2014 – My First One

As I was in Europe for METS and the International Sailing Summit was on the day before, it was the perfect opportunity for me to attend the summit which is something I have been wanting to do. The program certainly was of interest to me especially as a young female in the Sailing Industry. I was very impressed at what was put together, the topics and speakers. Naturally everyone would have different highlights of the event. It certainly was a little scary but not surprising when we were asked to put up our hands if under 34, I did not see many hands… The gender divide is however something we are all well aware of and it was good to hear it being discussed as still this sadly can be an issue in the Industry.

This years speaker to welcome everyone was Iain Percy who had some interesting stories to tell especially on the way sailing is changing. There is no doubt that the technology and training involved at his level of sailing is incredible.

For me the highlights were Molly Winans from Spinsheet who spoke on “Changing your game plan to welcome diverse customers” with a fantastic slide show to go with it showing the reason we need to rethink the images we use for marketing. Richard Percy did a great job talking about the Bart’s Bash effect and their plans from here which were certainly great to hear. Then there was Terry Greenwood from British Cycling who showed the changes British Cycling had made and the opportunities that came from doing so. If I had to pick my top three that would be my choices. However there really were some other great topics on the day.

This year the event was live streamed which was fantastic to see for those who couldn’t make it to the event. To check out some of the action from the day visit the YouTube account of sportsXstream.

The evening finished off with a Gala Dinner. As you can imagine it really is a nice dinner with everyone talking Sailing. Which is what we all love to do!

For those who work in the industry I highly recommend looking at these videos and finding time to attend the International Sailing Summit in the future. The sport does need our nurturing for us to have a sustainable industry, let alone if you happen to love our sport.

As someone who is working on an event to support the sport and industry with the Sydney Sailboat Expo, I know it would not happen with out the effort of those behind it and the sponsors. Well done all involved! Check out the Facebook page for more info!

November 8, 2014November 8, 2014 Melissa Yeomans

Two more sleeps

Just a little excited as I have two more sleeps before I head to Europe as it has been a HECTIC month. We have not made the trip to METS for a couple of years due to the cost and time of year being the busiest time for DeckHardware. It is pretty hard to get away when the sailing season is in full swing. Sadly I will actually miss a Grade 3 Match Racing event too. It is always great to catch up though with all our suppliers and see what is happening in the industry.

METS as it is known is the trade show for the marine industry. It really is an incredible few days and a very busy few days. If you have not heard of it before here is a little more detail:

The world’s largest marine equipment trade show

METS, 18-19-20 November 2014 in Amsterdam RAI, is the only international B2B exhibition for the marine leisure industry. It’s the perfect place to forge profitable relationships and it showcases new product launches by 1,345 exhibitors from over 40 countries. Far more than just an exhibition, METS combines new products, seminars and unrivalled networking opportunities for visitors to connect across countries, technologies and industry sectors.

This year the International Sailing Summit is also happening in Amsterdam the day before METS! I am extremely excited to be able to attend this as it is something I have wanted to do for some time. The program looks great for this years event! Since deciding to put together the Sydney Sailboat Expo attending has become even more important. I have always volunteered a lot of my time to supporting and promoting the sport of sailing. It is something I feel very strongly about as I feel extremely lucky to have been brought up in the sailing community.

Speaking of community, you are probably wondering why I am flying a week early to Europe at our busiest time of year. Before I head to Amsterdam I am flying into Frankfurt to see some very special people. Two of my old crew from when I owned Animus!!!! Marty and Marlene now live in Germany with their three children. Whilst I am there we are celebrating their eldest’s 7th birthday. I can not wait to see them and spend some time with them. I have been told we have a big few days of German traditions ahead and no doubt Marlene and I will spend hours talking and catching up. I was lucky enough to have a visit from Marty and their eldest earlier in the year when they visited Australia. It has been several years now since I last saw Marlene and I can not wait to see her and catch up!

It is a very busy three weeks ahead. I will try and do a few extra blog posts to keep you all up to date! When I get back from Europe I have two days to get over some jet lag before I get out on the water to do some umpiring once again.

Marlene steering Animus not long before Thom was born. Now we celebrate his 7th birthday! — Marlene steering Animus not long before Thom was born on a nice Twilight with Marty. Now we celebrate his 7th birthday!

October 8, 2014October 8, 2014 Melissa Yeomans

What a week on the water!

Last week was a big one! With the Uni Games and NSW Youth Champs on in the same week! Both were three day events and luckily the weather gods played nicely for the most part. Uni Games was a Teams Racing event that I was umpiring for the second year in a row. NSW Youth Champs I was also on the water as part of the Jury working with several of the same people which was nice as we all get along.

Both events were around an 1hr in good traffic from home making the week a very long one by the time I would try to look at some work for DeckHardware and the Sydney Sailboat Expo.

Umpiring Uni Games can be a lot of fun as usually there are several teams featuring some very good sailors. This year was no different making it enjoyable to umpire as you watch their skills on the race course.

Our DeckHardware Ambassadors did a great job at Youth Champs and it was nice to catch up with them all whilst waiting for breeze ashore. It was good to see the Green fleet opti coaches having some fun with the kids as well. After all sailing especially at that age is all about the fun!

What a weekend our Ambassadors and Mel had at Yachting NSW Youth Championships! Phil dropped by on two of the… http://t.co/HS3Lw8qtIU

— DeckHardware (@DeckHardware) October 7, 2014

As the year rolls on I keep getting busier just when I think it not possible! In just over four weeks time I will be in Europe to attend the International Sailing Summit and Marine Equipment Trade Show in Amsterdam. There is so much to do to get ready for METS as I will be meeting with all the DeckHardware Suppliers. Let alone all the work that needs to be done before I am away again.

Roll on the busy time of year! Don’t forget to check out my Twitter account also!

After 6 days on the water in the last week I am rocking the Sunnies Tan line again! #lifeonthewater

— Mel Yeomans (@Mel_Yeomans) October 7, 2014

August 26, 2014August 26, 2014 Melissa Yeomans

Fitness and an Expo

My training partner Cate and I in the rain making it count.

Well if I haven’t been working I have been working out! That is the story of the last month! Lots of gym time doing Aqua and Pilates Reformer which has seen a massive improvement in my core. Then throw in walking Long Reef once or twice a week with my training partners too! I am absolutely loving it and just have to be careful not to over do it as I just want to do more. The last three days have been big ones including supporting a friend of mine doing the Pub to Pub which I want to do next year. Just one of the many fitness goals I have now that I am getting the Hyper Mobility under control.

The Sydney Sailboat Expo has also taken up a great deal of my time as you can imagine. It is such an exciting journey and I can’t wait to put it all together to celebrate the sport of Sailing. Between the Expo and DeckHardware there is no such thing as a day off at the moment but I am finding time for plenty of workouts to make sure I am at my best for everything I am doing. It is a challenge but I am enjoying it and lucky that I am able to work the flexible times to try to fit it all in. With the visits to the Physio and Massage also needed to keep me going thanks to my extra special joints.

Summer is just around the corner and the Calendar is filling up fast between all the events I want to do as an Umpire and events that DeckHardware will be supporting. I can’t wait to get out on the water again. Having winter off to get all the joints under control has worked wonders and I am really starting to notice a big difference in my overall fitness and health. I can’t wait for summer and might just have to get out for a sail too!

My kitten who is 10 months old helping me work on the weekend.

This makes the hard work of getting to the top all worth it.

July 27, 2014July 27, 2014 Melissa Yeomans

Winter turns on the blues and it is stunning

The winter blue of Sydney really is something special. Clear air and blue sky with beautiful clouds showing off. During the week I managed to escape the office for a few hours to go for a walk around Long Reef. Well worth it for the view, fresh air and exercise! So good! It was fantastic to see so many other people with the idea. Despite it being winter and meant to be a cold day, out of the breeze it was a perfect day causing many of us to feel way over dressed for the walk! I might just have to try to find a little more time to escape for a few hours when the view looks like this.

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Yesterday I was back out on the water. This time watching the start of the Sydney To Gold Coast Yacht Race. It was an extremely slow start for the fleet taking them well over an hour to get out of Sydney Harbour. Here are a some of the photos I took from on the water and a couple from the Northern Beaches as the fleet made their way up the coast!

Images from the start

I really am very lucky to live in Sydney. So many beautiful spots to visit and views to enjoy.

July 12, 2014July 12, 2014 Melissa Yeomans

The Sydney Sailboat Expo

I did it! I have started up my own company all about the promotion of sailing. The new company is called Animus Productions Pty Ltd which is named after my Adams 10m “Animus”. I have been asked often about the meaning to me behind the name Animus. My grandfather was an amazing person living a simply HUGE life both at work and at play. Those who knew him will laugh when I mention the at play because boy did he! He was The Big Boss at Tip Top Australia when I was growing up and I spend a great deal of time running around his office, the board room and the factory. He had the best work ethic I have seen and it is clearly something members of my family have inherited including my Mum and I. He also played hard and when I was born owned a fantastic Ocean Racer called Defiance. Defiance was the Original S&S 30, yes THE Original. With a blue hull and fantastic looking spinnaker design she was a, hmmm well many in the family had different names for her hahaha. Many of you may remember in the 80’s the Tip Top Australia Ads featuring Sailing the sport he loved. Like my family now he did what he could to promote and support the sport of sailing, even having a secret bread made for those doing the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race made for the offshore conditions.

When the opportunity came for me to purchase a yacht at the age of 22 my grandfather gave me his full support and in return I decided to name my new boat as a reflection of this. Animus was born after a lengthy search in thesaurus’ to find another word for Defiance. In fact the meaning we found was Strength, Will and Defiance which we figured was a great fit being such a young female skipper in a class like the Adams 10m. Now many years later I find myself once again stepping out of my comfort zone and doing what I believe in. Promoting the sport of Sailing that I love. The love I inherited from my family, I was lucky to be born into Sailing.

After well over a year of discussions with those who dropped by the DeckHardware warehouse it was decided to hold a meeting about putting together something like the RYA Dinghy Show. A couple of meetings later and some lengthy research and discussions have taken place that have led me here. Along with my Mum and good friend Locky Pryor we have launched the Sydney Sailboat Expo.

The Sydney Sailboat Expo will be held for the first time in 2015. Venue and Dates (2-3 May 2015) to be confirmed in the near future.

The Sydney Sailboat Expo is a meeting place for Sailors, those interested in becoming Sailors and the Sailing Trade Industry catch up with each other and learn more about the sport of sailing.

To be held over a weekend in 2015 showcasing the very best in Sailing. With the Latest Products for sailors on show, a wide range of classes on display and workshops on topics such as Splicing, Boat Maintenance, Sailing Fitness and more.

What an exciting time as well as being busy the next few months will be!

Thanks to the Tip Top Facebook Page for this great shot! We have this on the wall at home and it is a great reminder of what I believe in.

April 8, 2014 Melissa Yeomans

Rules, rules and more rules

The last few weeks have been very much about the Racing Rules of Sailing. I have started having monthly dinners with my good friend Liesl Tesch to talk rules. So far we have got together twice at different locations with our little boats to play with whilst having dinner. With both of us busy it is great to make the time for a catch up and to play with different scenarios. With both of us doing different events we always have plenty of scenarios to share and discuss.

I have also had the chance to do a few more events recently as a Judge and an Umpire. WIth the Opti States and the NSW Schools Teams Racing both on the last two weekends. It has now been a few weeks without a day off and it is certainly showing! Both events were great fun and I learnt a great deal. This past weekend with the Teams Racing it became obvious that winter was fast approaching. Many of the umpires were wearing multiple layers for the first time this year. It is one thing when you are out sailing but when umpiring you aren’t doing a great deal to keep warm!!! Big thanks to my fellow umpires who take care of me with my joint troubles.

It is a busy week this week as we prepare for the Combined High Schools Regatta that we (DeckHardware) sponsor. It is an event I loved competing in so being able to support it and watch it continue to be a strong event that people love is fantastic. It is amazing how many adults I speak to who would love to do it again…. If only it wasn’t just for High School Students.

Melissa Yeomans

Sailing, it's a way of life.

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