Profile: Rear Commodore Robyn Moreton

Transcription

1 Profile: Rear Commodore Robyn Moreton Our profile in this edition is of Rear Commodore Robyn Moreton. Given Robyn s hectic schedule, it was no easy task, but The Newsletter finally managed to corner Robyn in the RANSA galley where she tearfully provided answers to our questions while chopping dozens of onions for the Christmas Breakfast. Robyn, her crew and her beloved Folio, are a formidable combination on the water, as anyone who has ever raced against them will testify. In 1992, and one of the smallest yachts in the fleet, Folio was the inaugural winner on handicap of The Australia Day Regatta sailed from Sydney to Botany Bay and return. Robyn is pictured above receiving the City of Sydney Trophy in the Town Hall from the then Lord Mayor of Sydney, The Right Honourable Alderman, Frank Sartor a rightly proud moment for a fine sailor. How and when did you get into sailing? Robyn: I started sailing in the early 1980s on a J24 called Hot Chocolate. I was invited to sail in a Twilight Race run by Sail Australia who were located in Lavender Bay. I spent the evening on the rail as ballast and with a glass of Champagne in one hand. Invited back the next week, I was offered the job of trimming the main, and for the next five years, I sailed on the J24 and other boats in CYCA Winter Series and the Squadron Summer Series. I sort of learnt on the job, but after a couple of years, did a Spinnaker Course with Terry Wise at the Pacific Sailing School. How and when did you acquire Folio? Robyn: I sold my house and bought Folio. It was as simple as that, and I have never regretted the decision. I didn t need a house; when I wasn t at work, I was off sailing somewhere. I kept Folio on the CYCA Marina and sailed her in the CYCA Winter Series and Twilights. She really is a beautiful boat. Elaine Karr was one of my early crew, and I would enlist beginners from the Pacific Sailing School. We gave up on the CY Twilights when we thought they were becoming something of a demolition derby, but continued to compete in offshore races such as Coffs Harbour and Southport.

2 Folio with the bone in her teeth Folio Robyn: How did you come to be a RANSA member, and when did you join? I became associated with RANSA in the 1990s, attended functions,

3 turned up for Working Bees, washed dishes, sailed Twilights, and eventually became a member something else I ve never regretted! RANSA is that sort of Club; you keep coming back and inevitably become a member. I remember you telling me about doing a Hobart in Folio. Can you tell us more about that and about your offshore sailing in general? Robyn: Yes, we did the 50 th Hobart (1994) in Folio. On the second day out, I think it was the 3.0 am Radio Schedule, the report of our position, which put us ahead of all the other yachts, was received with some skepticism. Di Pearson, talking to an ABC reporter just about to leave on a chopper for a flyover, asked if he could keep a lookout for Folio and just confirm her position. Word came back, and sure enough, Folio, the smallest boat in the fleet, was where she had been reported! Then things started to go wrong. A front was approaching from the south west, and past Gabo Island we turned west to meet it. I didn t want to be east of the front when it hit us, much to the chagrin of two English crew members who wanted to stay on the rhumb line from Sydney to Hobart. Folio was handling the 60 knot conditions beautifully, but we started to take in water. The level of the water became too high to determine the source of the leak, so we went back to Eden. It turned out to be a loose P-Bracket that holds the propellor shaft, but I am confident that, under the circumstances, I made the right decision, and I am not given to the if onlys, even when I am told that, had we been in a state to continue, we would have won the 50 th Hobart on handicap. We were not in a condition to continue, and that was that! The other Hobart I did was the 1998, and I did that in Relish IV. We got to about 50 miles south of Gabo, which is about where we got to in Folio in 1994, but found ourselves in the thick of the appalling weather conditions and returned to Eden. Our only injuries were three broken ribs, sustained by a crew member who took a tumble on the bush track that led back down to the boat from the Eden pub, where naturally vast quantities had been consumed. What was your scariest moment on the water? Robyn: I had a very scary moment during the 1998 Hobart when we came so close to a ship that we could see its prop coming out of the water. The start of the 1994 Hobart was pretty scary too. There were 371 starters, and having come through the fleet, we had to pass between two marks, one of which was drifting and narrowing the gap between them. We got through without touching anything, but it was a frightening experience just the same. What was your funniest moment on the water? Robyn: I ve had many funny moments on CYCA Ladies Days, when we would get dressed up in outrageous costumes, but there was a very funny moment during the 1998 Hobart. When provisioning, the crew had demanded that eggs be included, and I had insisted that any eggs brought on board should be hard boiled. After a very bad knockdown, the cabin contents were strewn everywhere, and one of the crew, David Cole, was observed trying to get some sleep in a foetal position in the forward bunk. This would have been OK, but positioned suggestively below his rear end was and egg! There wasn t much to laugh about in the 1998, but Coley having a lay down, so to speak, did a lot to lighten our spirits.

4 CYCA Ladies Day You are also a member of The CYCA. For you, what are the main attractions and differences between RANSA and the CYCA? Robyn: I ve been a member of the CYCA much longer than RANSA, but I find that they complement each other. The ambience at RANSA is unique, and it is one of the last unsponsored, truly old style yacht clubs in the country - something worth preserving. However, RANSA is not always open, and the CYCA is a very well appointed and comfortable club with a lot of attractive facilities that RANSA doesn t need and couldn t afford. You've been heavily involved in administration and organisation at the CYCA and at RANSA. You are often seen on Committee vessels, helping out here, working behind the scenes there, preparing food at RANSA functions, making Yachty Breakfasts at the CY. Can you tell us about your experiences in this involvement? Robyn: I started becoming involved with race organisation at the Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club by crewing on their Committee Vessel, and it sort of grew from there. I was invited to crew on the CYCA Committee Vessels, got caught up in the Winter Series Yachty Breakfasts, and so it goes on. Robyn: You can t say No Well,.that depends on the context, doesn t it? During your time at RANSA, you must have met quite a few, shall we say, interesting (not to say certifiable) characters. Can you tell us a bit about them? Robyn: Being at RANSA gives one the opportunity to mix with and befriend circumnavigators like Alex Whitworth and Peter Crozier who have done amazing things, or the Blind Sailors, Scott and Pamela. Not only does a Club like RANSA

5 attract such people, it provides the relaxed, easygoing milieu wherein one can engage with, and relate to them. Are there changes you would like to see made at RANSA? Robyn: No, I would be happy to see RANSA stay as it is. I know that things have to change, and that improvements have to be made, but I would hate to see it become bigger and more businesslike. It is unique, and we want no change to the existing ethos. Any advice for the RANSA Sailing Committee? Robyn: No, I think the current Sailing Programme is a good one, and the RANSA Committee is generally responsive to requests for change, if and when they are made. They don t seem to be making changes just for the sake of change, which is good. wash? What makes your blood boil on the water - other than power boat Robyn: Well, I think you have already said it! I don t like big boats and skippers who think the Harbour belongs to them, and who seem not to take notice of little old clunkers. Robyn: crew? You must see some bad behaviour from the Committee Vessel? Well yes I do, but most crews are well behaved. In your opinion, what are the qualities of a good skippers and good Robyn: On Folio, we try to carry the maximum crew of six, and it is important that they all work together and get along. I am not of the opinion that six good sailors necessarily make a good crew harmony can be more important than expertise, especially in a long race on a small boat that seems to get smaller every day. You cannot afford to have someone getting up other peoples nostrils. Skippers should be knowledgeable and stay calm while trying to keep the crew working together. Some skippers try to do everything and end up not doing anything very well. I don t think that the skipper should necessarily be the helmsman or the navigator, and it is important to rotate the crew through the different crew positions so that they gain experience in all aspects of sailing the boat. Boats and rigs have changed over the years. What other changes have you noticed during you time sailing? Robyn: Boats have become a lot bigger and faster, but I am happy with the size and shape of Folio. differently? If you had your sailing time over again, would you do anything

6 Robyn: No, I don t think I d change anything except that I wouldn t wait until I was 37 years old before I started. Learning about new things becomes a lot more difficult as one ages, so I would be into it a lot earlier.