On Sunday I was on the water for the NSW High Schools Teams Racing Championships. It is days like this that make me well aware of how lucky I am to be able to spend time on Sydney Harbour. It was a very long day but views like this make it worth while! I am extremely lucky to live in a city with such an amazing Harbour full of sailors enjoying the beautiful sunshine. To think this is the CYCA Winter Series sailing past? So lucky.
The photos were taken with my iphone using a waterproof casing for on the water and not the best for photography.
What an amazing viewWhat more can I say? I had a little play in InstagramSpectacular view from the WSC balconyThe fog starts to clear to show Shark IslandCYCA fleet actionCYCA Winter Series comes pastMore of the CYCA fleet
Over the weekend I umpired over 60 teams races. On Saturday we were lucky to have Arthur Spithill and Ian Humphries along with Murray Gordon and myself. Sunday Murray and I were back and we threw Oscar Stranack into the deep end for the full day and he did a great job! He even got to umpire two lots of Finals as we had a tie for 1st and 4th after two round robins.
Saturday we had to wait for the breeze to fill in and that was with a late start. I guess I should not give the PRO a hard time as it was my father haha. It was tricky conditions over the weekend with East to South East breeze flicking around a lot. Sunday was fairly similar with more than a few course changes to make things interesting.
Breeze coming in – at Pittwater
The winning team came down to a best of three finals with Mater Maria and Pittwater High fighting it out and even though Mater Maria won Pittwater were in it till the finish. It was great to see several Girls Schools out there competing as well! There was even mention of a competitor helping out those new to the sport whilst racing against each other. Fantastic! There were several teams that had a few people completely new to the sport out there giving it a go. And what a great looking weekend to do it.
Pre Start Chat among the team
I didn’t get the chance to take a photo but I must comment on the Jellyfish. They were MASSIVE!!!
This week is a big week yet again with both my Co-Hosts from Sailing Chix with Nix having their birthdays!
Happy Birthday Chix!
I am also hoping to head over to the 18’s who are competing at the JJ’s with my good camera to watch for a day or two. Then Sunday sees me back umpiring some Teams Racing again. This time it is the Opti’s for just the one day. For now I am in the office catching up on some work, designing some advertising for DeckHardware and catching up on the America’s Cup action from over the weekend that I missed.
On the weekend I experienced an Umpire boat for the first time. I have done plenty of time on RIBS for Rescue boats and also as Race Management. This was different altogether and a great experience. On Saturday it was a wonderful surprise to see Adventures of a Sailor Girl (Nic Douglass) suddenly appear on the Start Boat.
Saturday saw not much wind which was great from my perspective as I got a handle of how to do things and when driving how and where to position the RIB. This was a false sense of security though as the breeze well and truly kicked in for Sunday and saw all the umpires on their toes. WOW is all I can really say! How to digest what I experienced is the current question.
Sunday was amazing. Watching the skill of the competitors in the breeze was fantastic.
I’d like to thank all the Umpires and those on the race course for welcoming me and allowing me to tag along and learn. Looks like I will be doing a little more of this in the future!
A big thanks to Kingsley Forbes-Smith for suggesting I give this a go. A big thanks to my close friends and family who have supported me trying something new as well. Thanks for all your positive words of encouragement!
This weekend I am trying something new! It is no secret that sailing and me at the moment don’t go so well together. Hyper mobile reduces what your joints can take and tightens up your muscles around your joints. So when I sail I weaken these muscles and can then find myself unable to stand up straight. Not a good look although funny for those who got to see me like this the last time I sailed a Laser. Due to not being able to sail as much I have had to look at what else I can do to remain on the water. Being on the water and involved in Sailing is a part of who I am and have always been.
Last week doing the Powerboat handling course was just the start of that!
This weekend I try something new for the very first time! I am getting in a RIB with an Umpire to learn at the YNSW Teams Racing Championship 2012! It is being held at Woollahra Sailing Club over the weekend and is likely to be a huge learning experience.
Back when I use to crew rather than skipper, from a young age I was able to quote not just rule wordings but rule numbers. Crewing onboard SSV the Adams 10m we won a National Title in 2002. From the middle of the boat not only did I run the pit but I also was primary Breeze caller, rules guru etc. Passing on all the information I could to my father who was doing Mainsheet onboard the boat. It was a real family atmosphere.
I am looking forward to the new challenges as I find a new pathway on the water.
On water umpire maybe? more coaching maybe? more race management? I am certainly looking into all these options and will see where the water takes me.
Melissa Yeomans 