March 25, 2014March 25, 2014 Melissa Yeomans

Out on the water again

On Sunday I competed in Manly Yacht Club’s Helly Hansen Women’s Challenge. It’s been a few years since I have steered an Adams 10m and Ben Nossiter was extremely generous to allow me to borrow his boat. With some of my old Animus crew onboard it made it even better and a great deal of fun. I’m extremely lucky to be able to borrow Sirius and that Ben says yes before I ever can ask the whole question. I am extremely grateful to be in such a position.

I didn’t know how I was going to feel having spent so much time off the water to focus on getting my hypermobility under control. With the help of a great massage on Friday I can now say two days later I am feeling ok! YAY! This is a huge relief and makes all the effort, cost and time worth it. I am so glad I have a physio who has been able to help manage how I move forward. I just wish I could afford to visit more often for treatment to speed along the process!

There is still a long road ahead with this morning having more tests done but at least I can now hopefully get out on the water racing a little more than I have the last few years. The first lap saw a fair few cobwebs and with two fairly new crew onboard we eventually found our rhythm and had the boat going nicely. Sydney Harbour helped too as it was a stunning day to be out on the water racing. We managed a third place in our division which was great considering new crew and sailing only 5-up. To be honest we weren’t really focused on a result we just wanted to have an amazing time. For me it was all about having the chance to go for a sail again in the hope that I could do so.

Massive thanks to Ben for the boat, Damo, Brad, Tais and Lucy for a great day on the water! It is always a great event to do and so much fun thanks to Manly Yacht Club especially Ivana and the organising committee for talking me into entering after a few years away.

This weekend once again I will be around the water volunteering at an event.

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March 10, 2014 Melissa Yeomans

Supporting friends and sponsored sailors at the JJ’s

I have spent almost all of the past week and a bit out on the water taking photos, helping rig and more at the 18′ Skiff JJ Giltinan Championships. Another JJ’s is over with 7 taking the win. We were there every day to support the teams we Sponsor and those who use our products. With our suppliers Allen Sailboat Performance Hardware along with Liros Ropes also sponsoring several boats from the UK and Europe there were plenty of teams we were following. What a tough series in some tricky conditions, well done to those who made the podium.

We are very proud to support the 18’s where we can and it is always funny when asked on the ferry which boat am I following. Such a tricky answer that always ends in a few laughs. Of course the main one we follow is our good friends onboard The Kitchen Maker. Having known Mal Page for longer than I would like to let on, as well as Cam McDonald who is a friend and customer it is great to be able to support them and cheer them on. This time around Darren stepped aside with a bad back and they got Will Philips a member of the Australian Sailing Squad to steer the boat. Will is someone I have known of for a while through work and sponsorship commitments so it was great to be able to get to know Will better over the week.

Between friends and boats sponsored by DeckHardware and our suppliers we couldn’t count on one hand the boats that we were following and hoping would do well. Always good for the heart rate! With the UK boys on Haier finishing in 10th place which was a fantastic achievement after moving to Sydney for several months. The Kitchen Maker had their moments during the regatta with their best result a 2nd place finishing just behind Haier, a brilliant result for a team who had not sailed together. Thanks to Kim Wilmot for joining me on the back of the ferry to celebrate that 2nd place which was so close to a race win. A definite highlight of the week!

There are plenty of photos if you head over to the DeckHardware facebook page.

Now to spend the week in the office before heading out on the water once more this weekend to do some umpiring.

February 10, 2014February 10, 2014 Melissa Yeomans

Yes I am Hypermobile

This morning I visited the Royal North Shore Hospital to get a little more on paper about my Hyper-mobility. Up until recently I have been relying on my physio to tell me what it is that is the problem. However my doctor wanted a little more information before looking into treatment and management of Hyper-mobility. So the good news is I do have Benign Hyper Mobility which is what we thought. The other great news is at this stage it looks like I do not have any of the major side affects. I guess you are wondering what it is?

“Benign hypermobility joint syndrome — or BHJS — is a common source of joint or muscle complaints by children and young adults. Benign hypermobility describes looseness of joints that may be associated with daytime pain, nighttime awakening, or discomfort after exercise. People with the condition generally report prolonged pain. In the past, this type of general pain often was called “growing pains” or “limb pain,” which can be similar. Both, though, are different disorders. The term “benign” has been used to differentiate the BHJS from other similar disorders that also involve other organs such as the eyes and heart.

How Is Benign Hypermobility Joint Syndrome Diagnosed?

Assessment of children or young adults suspected of having BHJS does not require special equipment. Testing the range of motion of your child’s joints will determine if they are more loose than normal. Several specific mobility tests are used for diagnosing BHJS, including:

The wrist and thumb can be moved downward so the thumb touches the forearm.
The little fingers can be extended back beyond 90 degrees.
When standing, the knees are abnormally bowed backward when viewed from the side.
When fully extended, the arms bend further than normal (beyond straight.)
When bending at the waist, with the knees straight, the child or adult can put his or her palms flat on the floor.” linky for this info

Where to next?

So from here the next step is to keep going as normal. Lots of pilates and physio which unfortunately come at a cost which is hard when working for a small family business. Plus now I can speak to my doctor about how to better manage the pain side of it. The Fatigue is an interesting side affect also. I am hopeful that as ALL of my muscles get stronger through Pilates it will help with the fatigue that I sometimes feel. It is good to know that some of the things I have come across over the years were indeed all side affects of the Hyper Mobility including my low blood pressure and dizzy feelings when I was a teenager. People used to laugh when I would eat salt! Guess I really am a salt water baby after all! haha.

It turns out I should have kept sailing 5 days a week and hitting up the gym a couple of days also. Not sure how I was meant to fit that in with life and work! The main reason I was not diagnosed when younger like most is because I was so strong and that kept the pain away! So once this core of mine is a bit happier I am definitely going to be back out on the water. Sailing is clearly going to be part of the management process of my hyper mobility.

January 27, 2014 Melissa Yeomans

Sailing getting some recognition!

The Australia Day Long Weekend of 2014 has been a great one for sailing. We have seen sailors rewarded with Australia Day Honours along with others who are behind the scenes of our sport. Over the weekend we also saw Richard Hinds counting down the current 100 greatest Aussie sports stars which was featured on the Daily Telegraph. Sailing as a sport is currently growing in interest and awareness. Australian Sailors have always been up there as some of the best in the world but recently the achievements have been even great to see them getting noticed more.

The Olympians, Paralympians and America’s Cup Sailors bring our sport into the limelight. It is not what everyone does when they go sailing on the weekend and many sailors often would like to see the focus shift away a little from the high profile events. As someone who is in the Sailing Industry and involved in my local club I honestly am happy to see anything that will help increase the participation rate of sailing. The more sailing is in the news the better chance we have of people deciding that it looks like fun and something worth trying out. The more people aware of how much fun it is spending time on the water and at your local club the better! Let’s face it, it is a lifestyle and makes us who we are. There are often boats looking for crew and many clubs have a variety of ways for people to get into the sport.

Seeing the sport of Sailing in the news and getting recognition can only be a good thing.

OAM ‘s on Australia Day were awarded to Our Medal Winning Sailors Tom Slingsby, Mathew Belcher, Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen, Daniel Fitzgibbon.

Liesl Tesch was recognised for more than her sporting abilities, awarded an AM (Member of the Order of Australia) for both her Paralympic success and her “promotion and facilitation of sport for people with disabilities”. Liesl is the co-founder of Sport Matters, a not-for-profit organisation that promotes disabled sport in developing countries. Make sure you check out all she does for Sport Matters. How she finds time to do all the she does is remarkable and she deserves to be recognised for what she does for those with disabilities as well as inspiring others.

Peter Campbell was recognised for his journalism in Sailing with an OAM. Just do a search for his name and many articles appear as he has been at the front of sailing journalism for a long time. He has been recognised by Yachting Australia a number of times for his efforts.

David Tillett was awarded an AM (Member of the Order of Australia). For significant service to the sport of sailing. Here is a link to an article on just some of what he has done for our sport. His Yachting Australia Profile just gives us the tiniest insight into the time and energy he has given to Sailing.

Robert Oatley received appointment as an Officer of the Order of Australia in this year’s Australia Day Honours. Bob received the honour in recognition of his service to the wine industry, tourism and yacht racing.

Next up was the list compiled by Richard Hinds. A Massive congratulations to Tom Slingsby, Mat Belcher and James Spithill for being recognised. To have a sailor at number 5 is just awesome and a fantastic highlight of where our sport is going. It is a shame that Nathan and Goobs missed out as their achievements have been fantastic and worthy. As with any list like this there will always be a big discussion on how you would see it differently. There is no doubt that I am more than a little biased when it comes to some of the sailors I have had the privilege to support and get to know.

Sailing in the spotlight. We need to see this more to ensure our sport continues to grow as when it grows it just gets better for us all! More competitors, better clubs, more crew, more skippers looking for crew, more chandleries, sail makers, boat builders and so much more.

Congratulations to those who have been recognised. If I have missed anyone please let me know so I can add them! Sailing going mainstream media, who would have thought!

January 5, 2014January 5, 2014 Melissa Yeomans

2014 – it’s been a busy start

2014 started with us doing slightly reduced hours at the warehouse to have a bit of time out of the office. As a small family business it can be hard to get a break. At the same time Phil and the DeckHardware Van have spent almost every day at the Sabot Nationals as a Silver sponsor and doing some regatta support. This went so well and was appreciated so much that he has been asked to come back to Drummoyne and spend some more time there for the 13 and 16 foot Skiff Nationals. I’m glad to see the idea we had of regatta support is being appreciated so much when we are involved with events.

The 16′ Skiffs will see good friends and DeckHardware Ambassadors in action along with many other boats who use our product. This week we return to normal hours but having said that we really haven’t been working any less as yesterday Robyn and I were working on laptops in front of the Cricket! Time to start working on a new price list as the dollar changes and suppliers come out with new year pricing. There’s always so much to do.

It’s been fun to spend a few extra hours around the house as for Christmas we got two kittens! We can’t have a dog as we are on a main road with no fence and unfortunately over the last two years we had lost our previous cats to old age and cancer. We are pretty excited to welcome Gus and Max to our home. The best part of Christmas was bringing them home from the Animal Welfare League.

December 27, 2013December 27, 2013 Melissa Yeomans

It is all about one yacht race

Sailing is my sport. Yesterday reminded me that I am truly very lucky to be so involved in such a great sport. In my fathers role as MHYC PRO we each year head out on Boxing Day to volunteer our time on a Start boat for the biggest yacht race of the year. The Sydney to Hobart is such an iconic event and yesterday it reminded us why. We have done this for a number of years now with my Father in charge and a few friends supporting. This year we got to see off the middle line with all the Clipper boats which are known for sailing around the world!

Onboard the start boat were a number of close friends, many of them regular volunteers known around the Harbour and beyond for donating their time to our sport. They included well known race official / judge / umpire Jeremey Atkinson and Umpire / Judge Erica Kirby. It is a little way that we see we can thank them for what they do for our sport. Yes we are there to start a race and as normal that is fairly time consuming. However the atmosphere of the Sydney to Hobart is such an enjoyable experience and one to share. Onboard to help add to the atmosphere was good friend Liesl Tesch well known for winning a few Paralympic medals over the years as well as being the most enthusiastic person we know. Liesl has done the race in the past and loved having the chance to see what else happens to make the race possible.

We couldn’t do it without a great team onboard and it is nice to know that everyone also enjoyed it. With Erica bringing yummy cup cakes and Liesl purchasing some bubbles to drink afterwards. The team all came back to our place for a BBQ and to watch the TV version of the coverage to see what we missed! I am sure many people probably think we have it easy and a prime location but many of us didn’t get to see the start due to flag duties, penciling etc etc. Then there was the fact that many of us didn’t really have much of a chance to eat the sandwiches we had brought onboard either! You have to love the Christmas Day leftovers!!!

This years race was always going to be epic. With so many Maxi Boats entered I called it early that helicopters would reach double figures and they did! Standing on top of the MHYC Start Boat with Liesl the two of us had massive grins and remembered why we are so proud to be sailors. The Harbour was packed and looked fantastic with a spectator fleet out in full force thanks to the rain clearing early in the day. The yachts looked fantastic as they lined up at our pin end boat to check in and show they were ready to race with their storm gear up! The race was always going to be big this year despite next year being an anniversary year. As I type this there are some AWESOME battles going on in the fleet both up the front for line honors and further back as well. It is great to see such good close racing!

I didn’t get to take too many photos but some are on www.facebook.com/deckhardware you can also listen to the Chix coverage of the event .

Aussie Sailors Rock, we are so lucky to have such a great country to sail in. Boxing Day, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but Sydney Harbour!

December 12, 2013December 12, 2013 Melissa Yeomans

So busy time flys past me

It has been an insane few weeks! Two of them were spent out of the office at Match Racing Events on the water of Sydney Harbour and Pittwater. This was followed with coming back to the office as Phil headed down to Sail Melbourne! Which coincided with the busiest month of the year starting and it was BIG! Then we get to this week and Monday Night I had the opportunity as a sponsor to attend a special function for the Australian Sailing Team – the “Road to Rio” Begins. Then Tuesday was the SOLAS Big Boat Challenge and I took the time to head down to the shore and take some photos and videos! So where do I start…

I truly love this time of year. Plenty of time on the water at different events as well as a business which is all about the sport of Sailing meaning we get extremely busy at this time of year! The Match Racing saw some interesting conditions and I do not think I have ever been as wet as I was umpiring on Pittwater and it was not even raining! The conditions and breeze saw waves breaking over the boat and the umpires! It was however great fun with a great team. The conditions at both events truly were all over the place making it really hard and some long exhausting days. By the end of the 8 days I was looking forward to a bit of rest and that was never to come!

The good news is however that business has certainly hit the peak season. With DeckHardware keeping us more than busy as we try to keep up with the demand! A huge thanks to Cam McDonald who turned up just in time to help unpack the big Liros Shipment. Cam is well known in the 18′ skiff fleet in particular for his splicing. Thanks Cam! We all know he wanted first go at the new stock haha

The Road to Rio Launch was a fantastic event to be able to attend. We have been involved with the team for a number of years now as well as some of the athletes and even some of the support team are friends so it was great to be included. We were reminded that we are all a part of the journey and have our part to play. To find out more about the Road to Rio Launch head over to the Australian Sailing Team’s Website.

Australian Sailing Team Embarks On Road To Rio

The SOLAS Big Boat Challenge was the very next day. For the seventh consecutive year, the CYCA has decided to dedicate the event to raise awareness and funds for its SOLAS Trusts, which were established following the stormy 1998 Sydney Hobart Yacht Race when six lives were lost. This is something that is extremely important for many of us.

Link to my photos

Up next is the Sail Middle Harbour Regatta which is going for the next three days out of two of my favourite clubs MHYC and MH16’SC. For those who remember my yacht Animus, I had both clubs written on the stern as my crew was often filled with skiffies.

To finish off I have a ThrowBackThursday moment from 2008, I stumbled across this great photo! One American Sailing Anarchist who wanted to see what it was like to sail with a chick crew hahaha. Yes he flew to Aus! What a great day! Most of the time I did not seek out an all female crew it just sometimes happened when none of the guys could make it. Other times as the skipper I would be the only chick onboard. #TBT

November 19, 2013August 24, 2023 Melissa Yeomans

Heading out on the water again

Tomorrow is the last day in the office before two Match Racing events at RPAYC and CYCA. It has been a busy few weeks and I have had the chance to go out and watch the 18′ Skiffs a couple of times to support friends and DeckHardware Ambassadors. I even got to watch from the 18’s ferry an old friend out on a 12′ Skiff showing off some extreme skills and managing to keep the boat up whilst it turned 360 with a kite up! There are plenty of photos on the DeckHardware facebook page.

Yesterday I was at MHYC for the Launch of the new 470 Happy Feet for Mat Belcher and Will Ryan. Here is a photo album from in the rain. I had the opportunity to be there along with other sponsors, supporters and team members. It wasn’t the best day for sailing with pouring rain and strong breeze! However we were all there to celebrate the success that Mat and Will have had the past year.

It has been an interesting start to the season weather wise and Ambassadors Fire Stopping Skiff Racing Team seem to be doing things a little different. Check out their facebook page to read how their season is going and just why they may be looking for recipes! Never a dull moment working with these guys that is for sure! They have also been working hard on their Trailer program to ensure all their requirements are met when onshore.

October 21, 2013October 21, 2013 Melissa Yeomans

18’s came to visit us at DeckHardware

Yesterday I headed over to the 18’s as Team Southern Cross launched their boat for the start of a new season after a massive refurb! The boat spent two days at our warehouse along with skipper Ollie Hartas getting ready for the big day. Ollie has been a DeckHardware Ambassador for a number of years and it is always great to be able to support someone who appreciates it! The previous weekend we also had the UK Team visit the warehouse and spend more than a few hours working on their boat along with my radio co-host Nic aka Adventures of a Sailor Girl. Nic and I had spent the morning on air with Sailing Chix with Nix before heading down to the warehouse to help the guys out. Nic only planned on being there for a few hours but ended up staying for the day!

Photos from Yesterday as the teams rigged and got to go sailing!

Launching Celebrations

It is great to see a couple of 18’s with Liros, DeckHardware and Allen stickers on them in the fleet now! A big thank you to Cam McDonald who does a lot of work for the skiffs and uses our products also. Cam sails onboard the Kitchen Maker and was rigging alongside the two boats who have spent time at our warehouse recently. You know you are supporting the right people when they greet you so warmly and are so glad that you are there to watch them launch their boats. Being just a small family business we really feel like our Ambassadors and those who support us are a BIG part of the DeckHardware Team.

October 4, 2013October 7, 2013 Melissa Yeomans

Exhausted

I have done it. Umpiring Three regattas in two weeks and I’m exhausted. As I sit here at the airport to head back to Sydney I can barely think straight and standing is an issue for more reasons than just exhaustion. I should really start at the beginning though.

The CYCA Youth Academy has passed its 20th anniversary which was celebrated by hosting the Australian Match Racing Championships combined with the Australian Women’s Match Racing Championship. This saw some very long days on the water trying to fit in the tight schedule. By the end of this event I was already tired and had two more to go! It didn’t help that many of us had been waking early to watch the America’s Cup during the event.

It was a fantastic to see some of the newer and younger teams mix it with some who have been match racing a long time. It was great to see who took it out as well! read more about the winners here.. I then had a day off afterwards to get some work done at DeckHardware which was much-needed.

Next up was the Australian Youth Match Racing Championships. This event saw many similar teams to the last event but with nowhere near the number of entries this was to be an easier event with shorter days on the water. The weather clearly didn’t get the memo! Day one we knew big breeze was coming but hoped to get a flight done before it hit. In the prestart I was umpiring as a big gust of 28 knots hit. This was the first time we had the chance to see how we go in the RIBS keeping up with the new E7’s! We had just a little bit on as did the sailors and the race was pulled with around 30 seconds to go to the start. Ashore we went. This would prove to be a trend over the next few days. With plenty of time under postponement on the water and ashore due to both too much wind and not enough! The final saw some amazing racing between Sam Gilmour and Harry Price’s crews. News Story on the winners.

The next event along with several of the match racers, three of the umpires including myself was the Australian University Games Teams Racing event in QLD. So the day after the match racing finished I found myself packed and sitting at the airport having my morning coffee. This was a very tricky event due to the weather conditions and location. It was based out of The Southport School using their boats on the river. For the most part the weather played fair and only shifted a little during racing although the tide caught out a LOT of competitors. The last day however was much harder with many hours spent watching the breeze shift 90-180 degrees differences. It seemed the breeze at the seaway was fighting with what was down south and we were stuck in the middle. The competitors were fantastic in understanding the officials were trying to ensure the best sailing they could. Once again there was a team of sailors ahead of the rest! Team UWA including several of the crew from Sam Gilmour’s Match Racing Team. It was also great to catch up with Carrie Smith who we support through DeckHardware. It was almost by accident that we realised we were both there on the first day as I went alongside the boat she was on to help out with some damage.

Somehow during the Teams Racing event I managed to hurt my left foot. Through exhaustion and my hyper mobility I am not surprised in the slightest! I ended up with some good bruises on my legs during all of the events but the clear winner was my left foot with bruising on the side and near the toes. It has caused me to hobble around for days! Time to head back to the Physio to find out what I have done after the Long Weekend.

It is great to be back in Sydney with so much work to catch up on after two weeks on the water. It was a big effort shared with Jeremey and Erica who are great friends along with being fellow umpires. The fact the three of us were sitting at the airport to come home exhausted said it all. Dad has headed off to SA and VIC to see DeckHardware customers you can follow his adventure on his Twitter Account or our DeckHardware Facebook Page.