sailing regattas

Melissa Yeomans

Umpiring and a day in Hobart

It has been an extremely busy time. Two weekends ago I had the opportunity to Umpire at RPAYC for the David Lukins Match Racing Regatta. It is always great to find some time to dust of the cobwebs and do some umpiring to kick start the year. If I thought I was dusting off cobwebs after a few months off there were competitors back for the event in memory of David Lukins who had not match raced since the previous year. Great effort guys and so good to see you out there enjoying the sport pushing the younger generation who have the opportunity to do so many more events.

There need to be more events for the “retired” match racers out there! Just because they have aged out of the youth events doesn’t mean it should be time to stop. They all did a great job despite starting the weekend a little out of practice.

After a busy week of work I then headed down to Hobart for a day on the weekend. I wanted to check out the MyState Wooden Boat Festival for the first time. I have heard so much about this show and one of our Customers Brierley had a great range of DeckHardware product on show. I was so impressed! I honestly feel this is one of the best shows in the world. For atmosphere, number of great boats to check out, variety you name it. I thoroughly enjoyed my day and could have spent the weekend checking out all the boats. Next time for sure.

Of course one of the highlights was the food stalls! Amazing food! This of course comes as no surprise when in Tasmania. I definitely will be putting it in the calendar as a must attend for next time.

Flying in and out the same day certainly made it a long day. Especially with a slight delay on the flight home. I was so glad to finally sit and stop after a very full and exhausting day. There was just so much to see and look at. Check out this album of just a few of the shots I took. “Classics” “Stunners” there really was so much to see.

Melissa Yeomans

Life of a Sponsor

As 2015 started many people were on holidays or taking it a bit slower than normal at work.  Not the DeckHardware team!  I was getting ready to head down to the Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club in preparation for the Moth Worlds.   With being so busy organising the Sydney Sailboat Expo I could only afford to be there for just a few days.  The main reason for going is we support so many Moth sailors.  The thing with the Moth fleet is that they aren’t just Moth Sailors! So many of them we actually sponsor in other classes and of course also support them in the amazing Moth fleet.  Which is seeing some incredible developments in Technology along with being a class the so many of the Worlds Best Sailors are sailing.

So down I headed on the drive with a boot full of Liros Rope and PROtect Tapes in particular.  What the Moth fleet love!  I also had a bunch of stickers as I knew many of them would have new sails, boats or equipment needing new stickers!  I also knew some of the sailors we sponsor were in need of new mainsheets but just had not had the time to arrange it yet.  So this way I ensured that everyone we support was ready to go as much as we at DeckHardware could support them!  I stayed for a few days knowing some of the guys would not think of things till after I left.  As it was on the last day a couple of them realised they needed new stickers!  I managed to stay long enough to watch the Bangin the Corners Cup which was some fantastic action.  I can’t wait to see it online in the near future once Beau Outteridge Productions wraps his Worlds videos.  It really was a who’s who lineup!

Thanks to all who’ve put our different brands stickers on their boats. Especially those who put several! And especially the big Liros ones which look great! It’s greatly appreciated.  I really wish I could have stayed longer to watch some of the racing.  I left the first day of the Australian Championships and it was HOT HOT HOT and extremely frustrating as there was NO breeze.  Massive thanks to my hosts Sam and Carl who I did not see much of due to spending so much time at the club!  I am loving following all the action and really wish I could be there to watch some of the best sailors the world has to offer in action however the Sydney Sailboat Expo is now just 95 days to go! I better get some work done! Sailing – It’s not just a sport, it’s a lifestyle.

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Melissa Yeomans

Blast from the past to finish 2014

The last week of 2014 was very much a blast from the past as DeckHardware sponsored the Manly Junior National Titles.  I also volunteered my time to be on the Protest Committee for the regatta.  It was fantastic to see so many young sailors on the water enjoying a class that teaches Spinnaker work at such a young age.

I first sailed a Manly Junior on Narrabeen Lake with Nathan Wilmot as my skipper.  I was 5 and he was 6 apparently, I don’t remember that but do remember sailing with him hahaha.  We were way too small but both of us came from Sailing families and had already done a fair bit of sailing so it was time to give it a go.  Once we got the hang of things our parents took us to our club that has remained a big part of our Sailing lives: Middle Harbour Yacht Club.  We managed it a few times however when it got too windy and Nathan’s Dad James had to jump in and hike to sail home with Nathan as crew it was decided we really were too small to sail together.  It was a start of so much for us.  I still have friends from those early Manly Junior days and fantastic memories.  This years Nationals was held on the waters where I spent my early years sailing and it was great to see the MJ fleet out on the Sound sailing in the tricky conditions that grow and nurture amazing sailors.

Congratulations to all involved in the Manly Junior Nationals.  I was so impressed by your setup and organisation as well as the attitudes of everyone there.  Such a fantastic atmosphere.

What a year 2014 has been, DeckHardware has had an incredible year.  We would like to thank you all for a fantastic 2014. It has been an extremely busy year for the DeckHardware Team both on and off the water. The Sydney Sailboat Expo is looking to make 2015 an even more exciting year for us and we look forward to seeing you all in April.  We wish you all a wonderful 2015 and look forward to following all the Regatta action over the next few weeks in particular.

As most people are taking holidays over this time I find myself working harder than ever on DeckHardware and the Sydney Sailboat Expo. Such exciting times ahead for sure!

Well that was 2014. I over committed and started on a bigger journey than I had ever dreamed. It tested me more than I would have liked and at times was very unkind. Yet at the same time it challenged my way of thinking and what to believe, pushing me to open doors and take a leap of faith. So here’s to a 2015 full of fun, adventure, excitement, success and new directions. Most importantly let 2015 be a year of better health and laughter. No more liver issues, joints under control so I can bring back the tough sailor chick I used to be and get back out on the water for some fun and laughs.

Happy New Year Everyone and thank you for being part of the journey and the great sport of sailing.

Melissa Yeomans

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.

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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Melissa Yeomans

It is the Sailing Season

Nath on GAC Pindar
Nath on GAC Pindar

I really am so lucky to be born in Sydney and into a Sailing Family. Last week the Extreme Sailing Series was in Australia taking place on our Beautiful Sydney Harbour. I spent three days on the headland cheering on my oldest friend Nathan Wilmot as he was steering GAC Pindar along with Tom Slingsby who we sponsor onboard Oman Air. I joke that Nath is my oldest friend as in he was born first and we have known each our whole lives. It is not that he is old hahahaha. Although the Saturday of the EXSS was his 35th Birthday which was mentioned regularly by the commentary team.

It was great to sit on the Hill with his Family and in particular his Mum (my mum’s best friend) who was back in Sydney to watch. Who would have thought growing up that we would find ourselves here. Two little kids who loved to sail and would play with little boats to test each other on rules while away on my grandfathers boats. Now Nath is a Gold Medallist and skipper of amazing boats and I am organising a Sailing Expo for our city! Sailing was always going to be a huge part of both our worlds growing up surrounded by sailors and Sydney Harbour. We have it good. Yes of course I have asked Nath to be involved in the Expo and like all those I have spoken to the answer is of course, if I am in Sydney I am there! Thanks guys it means a lot.

I do hope the Extreme Sailing Series comes back to Australia in the future. It was fantastic to watch especially with so many Aussies involved! We really are so strong as a nation when it comes to Sailing. To have such stadium racing in a location that allows for so many spectators is fantastic. We are lucky! Not to mention some pretty cool Sydney Icons in the back ground.

It has been such a busy time at work with the Sailing Season in full swing. Throw in the Sydney Sailboat Expo and all that needs to be done for that and I am certainly busy!

This morning I walked the CYCA dock to check out what was happening and have a look at a couple of the newer boats. Less then a week away from the start and once again I will be part of the Start Team for the second line. This year I expect to be BIG. The SOLAS Big Boat Challenge saw more spectators then ever before with so many Maxi’s Sailing. Boxing Day will no doubt be even bigger then ever and I don’t think the weather will scare away the spectators if it is overcast if the SOLAS Big Boat Challenge was anything to go by.

The big question is how many Helicopters will be above us this year?

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

Melissa Yeomans

Back in Sydney and back on the water already

10389418_392947390860425_92243335414990299_nAfter 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_nTomorrow 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.

Melissa Yeomans

The International Sailing Summit 2014 – My First One

DSC_0947As 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.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UMylF1aLLk

DSC_0946

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!

Melissa Yeomans

What a week on the water!

NSW Youth ChampsLast 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!

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!

 

 

Melissa Yeomans

Fitness and an Expo

My training partner Cate and I in the rain making it count.
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.
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.
This makes the hard work of getting to the top all worth it.