Commodore. Issue 1 Season September 2007

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Welcome to the 2007-2008 season at the Port Dalrymple Yacht Club with the season Opening on Sunday 30 th September, just under three weeks away as I write, I hope you have all got your preparations

1 Welcome to the season at the Port Dalrymple Yacht Club with the season Opening on Sunday 30 th September, just under three weeks away as I write, I hope you have all got your preparations for the coming season under way, as we have another exciting season before us. Issue 1 Season September 2007 Commodore On the water, as Vice Commodore David Shepherd will detail, we have done some fine tuning to events and added some new ones to the program. You will also note that all, but a couple of the series, now have naming rights sponsor s, with quite a number of those being new to the Club. As with all our existing Sponsors and advertisers please remember they are supporting your Club, so please return their support by utilising their businesses, when you can. The Club directory and racing program is in its final stages of preparation and will be out prior to Opening Day, Bokprint have again done a fantastic job producing a booklet that is the envy of a lot of the states larger clubs, thanks, Greg, Tim, Justin and Greg R. Off the water we will have a number of working bees under the guidance of Rear Commodore Greg Bok, to keep improving our facilities and general maintenance through the season. The first of these upgrades, that will be completed early next month, is the refurbishment of the slipway winch. The winch motor is being replaced with a new 7.5kw motor with soft start and electric braking; this along with a new programmable control panel and remote controller should make all slipping much smother and stress free. Special thanks must go to Brian Dabner for sourcing top quality equipment at the best possible rates and getting it running and tested off site and to Steve McElwee for the new wiring and installation in the winch house. Thanks also to Ron Shepherd, Greg Bok, Errol O Toole and David Hall for their assistance to date and for the change over. The major event for the season will of course be the twentieth running of the Hydro Tasmania Three Peaks Race over Easter 2008, there has (Continued on page 7) 1

2 Newsletter of the Port Dalrymple Yacht Club Kemps Parade, Beauty Point, Tasmania P.O Box 361 Beauty Point, 7270 Phone: Fax: CONTENTS Commodore s Report Page 1 Sailing School action Vice-Commodore s Report Page 3 Social Page 4 Rear-Commodore s Report Page 5 Training/Sailing School Page 6 Opening Day Details Page 10 New members Page 10 UPCOMING EVENTS Sunday 7th October J R Stephenson Distance Race Series for Keel/ Trailable Trophy Race 1 for Dinghies Sail Training 10:30 on water Saturday 13th/Sunday 14th October TSSA Northern Regatta Sabots (No Div. 1/Trailable/Dinghy racing) Sunday 21st October Captain Marine Sprint Series Keel/Trailable Riviera Points Series 1 for District Dinghy and Sabot Sail Training 10:30 on water 2

3 Vice-Commodore After successfully dodging bullets for several years, I have finally been caught up with in a big way and have been coerced (dragged, kicking and screaming), into the Vice Commodore position. The standard of sailing administration and organisational skills set by my predecessor is daunting to say the least but I approach the position sure in the knowledge that Pete Sluce has stepped up to be Head Honcho and is still around to oversee and guide those of us less experienced. I would also urge members to approach me with concerns, suggestions or recommendations regarding any aspect of the sailing at PDYC. The club has a very stable sailing platform, but we should aim to continually improve the programme for members where possible. At the time of writing for this newsletter I am in a less than favourable frame of mind following Geelong s pumping of The Kangaroos by 106 points. Those of you who know my passion for the royal blue and whites will understand my exasperation. However, a more relaxed attitude is assumed when looking forward to what is sure to be another fantastic 2007/2008 sailing season. The Sailing Committee has been busy in the last month or so formulating a programme for the 55 th PDYC sailing season, which we hope will have something to offer everyone. The season commences with Opening Day on Sunday 30 th September 2007 and runs through to the final Winter Series race on 25 th May In between, a full racing programme has been developed featuring a variety of series for both dinghy and Trailable / Keelboat fleets. Although no championship events are scheduled for PDYC this year, well over 100 races will be conducted at the club during the season in what is viewed as an off season. We will of course continue to host several major local regattas which include The Sams Sails Inshore Championship, the now traditional J. Boag & Son Blockbuster weekend and The PDYC Regatta featuring the King and Princess of the Tamar races. Additionally, PDYC will also run the 20 th Anniversary Hydro Tasmanian Three Peaks Race at Easter. A notable addition to the program this season is the JR Stephenson Distance Race Series. It is hoped that some of the not so regular boats will be enticed for this 3 race series, which will feature races venturing outside our usual sailing course area. Peter Haworth will head up training again this year, with a comprehensive program scheduled for most Sundays. Three inter-club training weekends are also planned and Peter will expand on these in the training section of this newsletter. In addition to the junior training program, the club will also feature a training day for Trailable skippers and crews on Sunday 16 th December. The club has been successful during the off-season in attracting several new sponsors to support our local sailing events. Shaw Contracting, JR Stephenson, Barter Card and The Lodge have all come on board to join our regular supporters, J. Boag & Son, Sams Sails, The Riviera Hotel, Tamar Marine, Captain Marine and Bok Print. The club is fortunate to have such strong backing and we should all support these organisations where and when we can. Migration by several PD members to the warmer northern climates occurred again during our off-season. Past Commodore Jack Wells and John Latchford were both participants in the Airlie Beach Race Week. Rumour has it that both were winners in their respective divisions. In July, Richard Fisher and Jason Walker competed in the B14 World Championship at Falmouth in the UK. A mid fleet finish in 19 th place was probably a little further down the order than Fish expected. Maybe the red wine got in the way as predicted in the Regatta preview, and I quote -: (Continued on page 8) 3

4 Well here we are a g a i n, about to l a u n c h into ano t h e r S a i li n g Season. It h a r d l y feels like we have had a break this year, as a number of events / functions have been catered for since we completed the 2006/ 2007 season with our Annual Dinner in June. The AGM was very well attended. The Committee has a few new faces, so congratulations to the new Flag Officers, those who were newly elected and those who were re-elected. I look forward to working with you all over the coming season. The Youth Academy Sailing School was held on August 11 & 12, with a mini Working Bee also on the 11 th. We followed on from the Winter Series catering and provided soup and rolls and / or saveloys. This proved a good choice for the participants, the coaches and the parents. July 28 saw us again cater for the West Tamar Pony & Riding Club s Annual Dinner the members must really enjoy the meal and venue as they keep coming back. We had 12 volunteers who worked very hard to make this function so successful thanks to you all. Another two Working Bees were held on August 18 and September 1. The guys never quite know what culinary Canteen/Social delights we will come up with, but they always enjoy whatever is prepared for their lunch. Thanks to Bob, Lynne, Tom and Virginia McKenna for assisting with one or both of these. I am in the process of organising supplies etc for the Annual Sailing School to be held this coming weekend, September 15 & 16. NOW, TO MY ANNUAL CALL FOR HELP:- I will be organising the Canteen Roster over the next few weeks. I will have a draft ready for Opening Day on September 30 and will aim to finalize it the following week. That will give people the opportunity to discuss possible dates they can or cannot work in the Canteen. I would really appreciate it if more people could make themselves available, even if it s only once or twice throughout the season. Canteen and Catering of many functions throughout the year generates a considerable profit for the Club, but the functions and the profit from them can only occur if members are willing to volunteer their time. I look forward to seeing you all on Opening Day and throughout the coming season and will welcome your offers of help to assist in the Canteen. Please contact me on the numbers below. Di (Milner) (Telephone home or mobile if you don t get a response please leave a message and I will get back to you). PLEASE SEND US YOUR ADDRESS If you have an address(es) please send a brief message to the Club at pdyc@bigpond. com so that we can record it. The club aims to speed up the delivery of Semaphore and other information through the use of where possible 4

Rear - Commodore The Port Dalrymple Yacht Club's 2007/2008 season is all but upon us, and the club is once again in a state of preparedness for another exciting season ahead.

It can be said from my point of view, that apart from the very large boots to fill with the legacies and plans in place from the preceding erstwhile Rear Commodores Steve Beams and Errol O'Toole that

5 Rear - Commodore The Port Dalrymple Yacht Club's 2007/2008 season is all but upon us, and the club is once again in a state of preparedness for another exciting season ahead. Already a number of busy Working Bees have accomplished tasks vital to the ongoing successes of this energetic club, however there will be a need to hold quite a few more. It can be said from my point of view, that apart from the very large boots to fill with the legacies and plans in place from the preceding erstwhile Rear Commodores Steve Beams and Errol O'Toole that to have a club such as PDYC function to it's expected high standards, that there generally is always a need to have large and minor works planned, financed and executed at a sustainable rate during a season. That work pace is driven by the availability of members past and present often donating their time and skills to ongoing projects. In a perfect world sharing the load facilitates, timely and cost effective completion of these projects. Finally, after many years in the making,the Trailable Yacht parking area reclamation is nearing completion and another major work can be relegated to the minor maintenance basket. The Traverse and Slipway rails are due for replacement and with preparation underway, that task will hopefully be completed later in the season. The upgrading of the winch house motor, control box and associated work (thanks to the skill and dedication of the members involved) the Cradle/ Slipway facility will become far more satisfactory for the end users. Re-positioning the flagpole at a recent working bee The jetties and pontoons are to be altered and improved with the realignment of piles along with the construction of another pontoon, the timing and execution dependent on the availability of products required at optimum pricing as well as the timing due to factors outside of our control. The replacement of sub standard planks on the jetties has been started along with the concrete bagging to strengthen and protect the main jetty's supports in the time of inclement weather. (Continued on page 7) 5

Training Report Our 2007 Sailing School attracted 10 participants, and we were very fortunate that the weather gods looked favourably upon us for the 2 nd year running.

6 Training Report Our 2007 Sailing School attracted 10 participants, and we were very fortunate that the weather gods looked favourably upon us for the 2 nd year running. Saturday provided nice, sunny conditions with around 10 kts of wind, ideal for our beginners. Craig S, Art S, Anita D, Lauren H and Callum C took our beginners out in the Corsairs for 2 sailing sessions, and by the end of the day everyone was competently helming and looked like they were having lots of fun. We finished the day with a trip much f u rt h e r down into the arm past M, with a race back to the club. I hadn t realized how big that stretch of water is! Sunday wasn t quite so sunny, a bit cooler and the easterly wind made getting in and out of the beach a bit more difficult, particularly with the afternoon high tide. We sent out the Corsairs and several Sabots with our beginners in charge, and instructors following in our Rescue Boats and providing instructions and advice. No capsizes, and everyone looked like they were having a fine time. After lunch the wind picked up a bit more, but everyone took to the water again, 2 Sabots this time with me closer in shore, and 4 Corsairs further out having a bit of a race, joined by some of our Corsair regulars having a preseason sail. I was very impressed with the competency showed by everyone at the end of the day, and I would definitely rate the weekend a success. Sailing School action W e v e gained at least 1 crew for a C o r s a i r, helped St Pats get another helm and crew for their Teams Racing Team, and hopefully given the new owner of Vienna the confidence to be able to sail her, as well as getting our newest Junior Sabot crew up to speed. Many thanks to everyone who helped out over the weekend, those already named, Eric M who is an immense help to me, Bob S taking care of paperwork, and others such on Jon E who helped out to fill in when needed. Remember the usual pre-racing training morning will continue most Sundays up to Christmas, and we would welcome any new sailors who were not able to attend the sailing school. The 3 Tamar River clubs are combining (Continued on page 9) CONTRIBUTIONS TO SEMAPHORE We are always looking for contributions, articles, pictures, news items etc for Semaphore. Share some of your stories, highlights and lowlights with your fellow members. Contributions can be ed to semaphore@iprimus.com.au 6

7 Commodore (continued) (Continued from page 1) been an incredible surge of interest in the race with twenty five expressions of interest lodged for the race, six months out from the start. These include a number of international and interstate crews that are serious about contesting the race, along with a large number of regular, past and new local entrants, with all indications that we will go close too, if not break the race fleet record of thirty boats. Keep a eye on the latest race entries and information at While the rest of us are preparing for the coming season, PDYC member Pam Murray is again sailing on the international stage in the 2.4mR class (mini 12m style yachts). Pam is part of a twelve person Australian team contesting the IFDS Disabled Sailing World Championship being sailed at the Rochester Yacht Club, Rochester, New York, from September Pam is sailing against twenty-two other nations, in a forty-five boat 2.4mR fleet and has been in the States training for a week in the lead up to the Worlds. Results from day one have Pam; down as one of four OCSs, may not be the best start to the series, but indicates, she is definitely in the thick of it, good luck Pam. Reg a t t a r e s u l t s a r e a t html. Our immediate past Commodore, Jack Wells, has also been spending some time on the water, having contested the Airlie Beach Race Week aboard Don Algie s (of Hogs Breath Café fame) Warwick 66 Storm, and with some success taking out the Cruising Yachts with Spinnaker division with a win in the last race. Speaking to Jack during the series (yes he likes to rub it in) I expressed some concern that he should look after his index finger while operating the push button electric winches, wouldn t want a strain. The prompt reply was. Nowhere near the winches. We have a chap on board to do that sort of thing! See you on the water. Peter Sluce Rear - Commodore (continued) (Continued from page 5) The Club's grounds have already had work undertaken due to the energetic Working Bee participants in August, such as planting and mulching on the steep banks at the rear of the clubhouse, which is extremely important in the stabilisation of the said area. There are still many more tasks ahead to be performed, and to the ever reliable Duracell Workers that constantly commit their time and energy for the betterment of the club, we say a heartfelt thank you and especially to Dianne Milner and her able assistants for providing the delicious sustenance on these industrious events. To new and present members we understand that not every one is able to attend these Working Bees, we welcome any assistance in a multitude of ways. Once again may you have an exciting and enjoyable 2007/2008 season. Thank you, Greg Bok 7

(Continued from page 3) Vice-Commodore (continued) Richard Fisher/Jason Walker 357 (AUS): The guys from Dalrimple Tasmania. They are fast in a breeze and have been honing their light airs performance.

8 (Continued from page 3) Vice-Commodore (continued) Richard Fisher/Jason Walker 357 (AUS): The guys from Dalrimple Tasmania. They are fast in a breeze and have been honing their light airs performance. If the red wine party, for which they are famous, does not get in the way, they should be in with a chance of the top 10. Last time finishing 15th. The regatta was won by the Great Britain crew Tim Fells and Shaun Barber with regular Blockbuster competitor Guy Bangers Bancroft and crew James Patterson in second place. Other notable results from the worlds for sailors familiar to PD members were -: Ritchie Reynolds (The Nude) 8 th place featuring a heat win. Adrian Beswick 12 th place Kelvin Boyle 13 th place. There will be a few new additions to the trailable fleet this season, most notably, Dave Allan who has purchased a Masrm 720 and what appears to be a very well setup Spider 22. Over the Winter, both have been regularly sighted on the bay familiarising crews with their new boats. Sportsboat owners and crews will be interested to learn of the formation of the Australian Sports Boat Association. After many years of sports boat owners expressing dissatisfaction with the lack of organisation and direction within the class, a group of owners have decided to do something about it and have formed an Association affiliated with Yachting Australia.The Australian Sports Boat Association will seek to govern, control, regulate and promote the racing of sports boats for its members at yachting events throughout Australia. Importantly, it will seek to promote and conduct racing under a single measurement based handicapping system as opposed to other systems such as CBH and PHS that have been the subject of much criticism over the years. The Association has endeavoured to address the current handicapping issues and at this stage has adopted the Australian Measurement System (AMS) as the primary handicapping system that will be used at all Association sanctioned events. Good luck to all for the coming season Hope to see you on the water. David Shepherd 8

Training Report (continued) (Continued from page 6) their intermediate and advanced training efforts by putting on 3 training sessions before Christmas, the first at Deviot on 22/23 September,

The combining of club efforts is a logical step as there is a lot of work and cost put into preparing for such a session, and this allows the load to be spread.

9 Training Report (continued) (Continued from page 6) their intermediate and advanced training efforts by putting on 3 training sessions before Christmas, the first at Deviot on 22/23 September, the next at PDYC on 27/28 October (both with Simon Morgan as head coach), and at TYC on December with Richard Scarr as head coach. The combining of club efforts is a logical step as there is a lot of work and cost put into preparing for such a session, and this allows the load to be spread. However, to make such events a success, we need participants, and your participation is actively encouraged at all 3 sessions. Please contact me on or phaworth@bigpond.net.au to register or obtain further information. Peter Haworth Training co-coordinator Sailing School action 9

10 PDYC Opening Day Sunday 30 th September Opening by our Patron Mr Mac Kidd at 1.00pm Sailpast 1.40pm First Race Start 2.00pm Members are requested to bring a plate for afternoon tea. BBQ to conclude the festivities Please make welcome the recent additions to the membership. of our great Club. Sam Hope - owner of Indian Summer Christine Wilcox NEW MEMBERS Piers Findlay taking up a mooring Frank and Adrienne Franken Lester Hodgetts Chris & Andrew McIndoe who have a Cole 19 - social member 10

Regatta Venue Information

Regatta Venue Information For PORT DALRYMPLE YACHT CLUB At Beauty Point, Tasmania www.pdyc.yachting.org.au Contents Introduction Background Championship Headquarters Location of Host Club Race Area Maps