February/March and DARLING DOWNS SAILING CLUB INC. Cooby Capers - February 2015 Page 1 of 6

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1 Cooby Capers - February 2015 Page 1 of 6 and DARLING DOWNS SAILING CLUB INC. February/March 2015 Information regarding the Darling Downs Sailing Club can also be found at

2 Cooby Capers - February 2015 Page 2 of 6 From the President From the Treasurer DARLING DOWNS SAILING CLUB INC. PO Box 2114, Toowoomba Qld 4350 Wow! Summer is over and with it the summer series also comes to an end. It is now time to relinquish those hard earned trophy's from last year and hand them over to see who will reap the rewards from all those dedicated sailing days. Please bring them out to the dam or deliver them to a committee member so that we can get the results and trophies organised. Easter is on it's way and with it, the Brisbane to Gladstone yacht race. We wish all the competitors safe sailing! We also wish everyone a safe Easter weekend whether it be with family, camping or sailing! After the school holidays, our new sailing calender will be in full swing, with a few little tweaks to the style of races that we have been used to. Check it out and get excited! We are!! Have you checked out our facebook page yet. If not, then head on over and give us a "like". We regularly put up new photos from each weekend and send out reminders about our sailing weekends. Invite your friends to check out the page as well and also invite them out for a sail!! We love our little piece of paradise and we are more than willing to share it too! A lot of work has been happening around the Clubhouse. Both Ian Templeman and Terry Mosler have spent considerable time securing the battons into the sails of the club Lasers. This was to ensure that all the sails had the correct size and type of batton for their pocket. However, this also means that users would have to be extra careful when placing the sails back on to the PVC pipes within the clubhouse. The following guidance has been given. Ensure you roll the sail with the clew end first on to the PVC pipe Ensure that the battons within the sail are not twisted on the PVC pipe Unfortunately, if the batton become twisted on the PVC pipe they tend to memorise that position and will affect the sail when trying to sail. It is also requested that the OOD check to water intake on the outboard motor on the safety boat to ensure that the inlet holes are not filled with weeds or mud. Whilst the motor is running the water outlet should produce a constant stream of water. When lifting the motor the OOD should just do a quick visual inspection of the water intake filter to ensure it is not blocked.

3 Cooby Capers - February 2015 Page 3 of 6 Upcoming race days 2015 SAILING Race Times are 10.00am and 2.00pm Date Event Officer of the Day Winter Series April 12 Sun Working Bee bring your workgloves, wheelbarrow and spade April 19 Sun Sailability Day social sailing welcome Helpers needed April 26 Sun Winter Series Heats 1 & 2 Russell Linnett May 3 Sun Sailability Day social sailing welcome Helpers needed May 10 Sun Mothers Day Races Crews become Skippers Ross Trinder Commodores Trophy Race Commodores Trophy Race. Well numbers were pretty small for the Commodores Trophy Race, but is was nice to see the kids out racing in the smaller boats. There were some familiar faces, but with different looking boats and due to the long Xmas break it was a bit of a learning and familiarisation day for most. The OOD was meant to be Drew Carruthers, but as Drew was sailing down on the NSW coast somewhere, Peter Mullins played OOD. For a change of pace (or was it a slip of the tongue) the course was set for a sausage, triangle, sausage.terry had a fantasic start in his Tasar, but you would think that Jade would have listened to the course directions and told him that he was sailing the wrong course. Oh well Terry, it was a great morning out on the water, cause we finally had some wind and you did extremely well considering you sailed a longer course than the rest of us.

4 Cooby Capers - February 2015 Page 4 of 6 Club Chamionships Heats 7 and 8 Club Championships Heats 7 & 8. Due to the impending threat of the cyclone Marcia, Cooby Dam was closed for all water based activities by Toowoomba Regional Council and therefore Heats 7 & 8 did not occur. Tom Mc Veighs Trophy Race Handicap Event. Again number were very small and only a few boats were out on the water. Terry Mosler was the OOD for this event. Although the event was a boat start from the Western Marker due to the erratic winds, everybody enjoyed the small gusts of winds that appeared to come out from nowhere. Although I am not to sure if Peter Mullins would agree, as he capsized the Laser he was sailing only metres from the finishing line.

5 Cooby Capers - February 2015 Page 5 of 6 Club Chamionships Heats 9 and 10 Club Championships Heats 9 & 10. Well what a great day it was for sailing for Heats 9 & 10. The winds were consistent all day and quite fresh. Everyone stated that this is the most consistent winds they have seen on Cooby Dam for a very long time. Peter Mullins brought down his Tasar (after selling his Nacra) and certainly put the wind up the old fella s (Terry and Ian) in Heat 10. They may have done a little bit better in Heat 9, except they forgot to unpin their mast rotator (Trish only noticed that it was still pinned as they crossed the finish line). Well done Peter and Trish. Alison Tweedie was also another familiar face that came down that Sunday. In Heat 9 she had a fantastic start on Poisioness and was certainly leading the way in the catmaran class until she saw a nut dropped down from her mast and bounce on her trampoline. So she had to quickly pull into shore to investigate. Thankfully, it was nothing important, but it gave Peter Humphrey the opportunity to take the lead from her. Entertainment that day was provided by Peter Mullins who was in a panic when he couldnt find his jib, only to later discover that he had two jibs in the boot of his car. Alison Tweedie, who broke the silence that everyone was used to when setting up in the morning. Peter Humphrey, who again, let his catamaran sail off without him at the completion of Heat 10, thankfully Alison was quick enough to jump on board and return it back to shore for him. It took Alison a while to work out how to lock the rudders down (as one of the rudder cleats was not working) before she was able to sail it back for him. With the wind quite strong, and the mainsheet downhaul disconnected, Alison said the catamaran was quite jumpy and there was no way she was going to gybe it in such strong winds to turn it around. Ahhh, it s entertainment like this that keeps us coming back.

6 Cooby Capers - February 2015 Page 6 of 6 Club Chamionships Heats 11 and 12 Club Championships Heat 11. Well what another great day it was for sailing for Heats 11 & 12. Although the days have been getting cooler, the winds are starting to remain a bit more consistent. This was a weekend for the Tasars, with Russell bringing his Tasar out to sail against the two old fella s. Unfortuantely Ian didnt bring a crew out with him for the first race and so he ended up onshore helping John (OOD) out. This meant it was just Russell against Terry and didn t Rusty knock Tweety Bird off its perch. Both Tasars fought tooth and nail all the way to the finish line, with Rusty beating Terry by just a few seconds. But that wasnt the only close race that day. Peter and Alison were also neck and neck the whole way round with Peter winning by just four seconds over Alison. Heat 11 was a race that had the closest finishes in both the mono s and catamarans for quite some time. Peter Mullins eventually made it across the line, having taken one of the club lasers out for a sail and Graham (with his son Tom) were up there with Peter and Alison until a broken halyard forced them back into shore. But it was nice to see another catamaran out on the water and even better to see both Graham and Tom eager to get back out on the water again. Club Championships Heat 12. With a broken halyard and the catamaran already packed up before the support crew had worked out a way to rig the mainsail back up, Graham was convinced to sail another day (much to the dissapointment of Tom). This left only two catamarans for the Heat 12, Peter and Alison. However, Ian was happy as Peter Mullins decided to leave the Laser and help crew for Ian. This now put three Tasars on the water. John was also doing his best to mix the races up a bit, this time leaving out the western marker making it a longer, but tighter course. It was a battle of the Tasars, but eventually Ian and Peter took the finishers gun. With a great big dam and only five boats on the water, there was plenty of room for trial and error. PHOTOGRAPHER WANTED An opportunity exists for someone to take photos on our sailing weekends that we can put on our webpage, facebook and in Cooby Capers. Currently photos are being taken ad-hoc, normally by those standing around waiting for the briefing to occur. Some weekends this doesnt happen at all because everyone is too busy helping others set up. History has shown that the best photos happen out on the water (normally from the security of the safety boat). So if you have a camera, a steady footing and are willing to take photos for us, please come on down to Cooby. I am sure you will enjoy the day and will get some great photo opportunities. VOLUNTEERS WANTED Talking of volunteering, Peter and Trish spent a day at Cooby volunteering for Sailability and thought it was a wonderful way to spend a day at Cooby, on and off the water, with a group of amazing individuals and families. There were a variety of volunteer jobs to be done on the day, such as organizing which life jacket fits best on each person, lifting the boats onto the platform, helping individuals into boats (particularly some of the seasoned skippers!), whizzing down on the trolley to launch boats and occupants, skippering a boat, helping to pull boats back in, laughing, talking, learning and eating! Both Peter and Trish had a fantastic day and look forward to the next Sailability Day at Cooby. If anyone is interested in volunteering at Cooby, contact please contact Sailability.

7 Cooby Capers - February 2015 Page 7 of 6 For Sale Boats for Sale. With a number of members from the Darling Downs Sailing Club who are still registered as Still Looking for their next boat, detailed below is an opportunity to sell/buy/trade your boat so you can come out on the water and join the rest of us. Here is the list of boats that are currently advertised for sale: Corsair (Sail Number 102) Good Condition Registered Trailor 2 x main sails 3 x jibs Boat Cover Sale price $2,000 More details contact Graham Patrick (DDSC Life Member) drydock131@hotmail.com Nautical Terms So many of us have looked out across the water on Cooby Dam and tried to predict what the weather will be like come the 10 o clock gun. Normally, the sound of the horn is the signal for all wind to cease blowing, well it has been lately. But if you could predict what the weather would do in the hours before you race, this prediction may allow you the opportunity to rig your boat differently. Understanding some cloud formations and barometric readings can normally give you a good indication of the weather (not only the present, but more importantly, the future). Clouds are much more easeier to identify as most clouds are classified according to their height above land level and their appearance (texture) from the ground. The highest of the cloud formations are known as Cirrus clouds and the lowest of the cloud formations are known as Stratus clouds. But that s enough about clouds, as we old sailors have our own theory on what the weather is going to do in the future. Sea shanties and folk lore such as Red sky at night, sailors delight, red sky in morning, sailors take warning is one of these sayings. Below are some others. Let me know if you heard any of these. Do you know if they are true in predicting the weather (based on your experience). The evening red and morning gray Are sure signs of a fine day, But the evening gray and the morning red, Makes the sailor shake his head. Mackerel sky and mare s tails When clouds are gathering thick and fast, Keep sharp lookout for sail and mast; But if they slowly onward crawl, Out with the dories, nets, or trawl. With the rain before the wind,

8 Cooby Capers - February 2015 Page 8 of 6 Make tall ships carry short sails When the wind shifts against the sun, Trust it not, for back it will come, When the wind follows the sun, Fine weather will never be done Stays and topsails you must mind, But with the wind before the rain, Your topsails you may set again If the wind is north-east three days without rain, Eight days will go before south again When the sea hog jumps Stand by at your pumps Seagull, seagull sit on the sand Its never good weather when your on the land When clouds appear like rocks and towers, If clouds look as if scratched by a hen. Get ready to the earth's refreshed with frequent showers. reef your topsails then. *Disclaimer a bucket of chips will always bring the seagulls to shore Funnies Ian walks into the Blue Mountain Hotel and says to the bar tender, Give me twenty shots of your best scotch quick. The bartender pours the shots and Ian drinks them as fast as he can. The bartender is very impressed and exclaims Wow, I have never seen anyone drink scotch that fast. Well, Ian replies, you d drink scotch that fast too if you had what I have. The bartender says OMG, What is it?, What do you have?. Ian simply replies Only fifty cents. Gossip If swimming is good for your shape... How come whales are so big? Special Notes: Sailing comes with risks. One serious risk is the possibility of the Danger of Entrapment. Recommendations have been made to reduce the risk of serious incidents or even death caused by entrapment on or becoming trapped underneath a boat whilst on the water. They are as follows: "each boat is to carry a sharp, well maintained and easily accessible (preferably serrated) knife and are to ensure that the crew know exactly where the knife is located and that the crew are prepared to use it in order to cut a harness or trampoline mesh in order to prevent death through the cause of entrapment" In order to support this recommendation, the Safety Boat will now carry a a sharp, well maintained and easily accessible (preferably serrated) knife. In addition, the Safety Boat will also carry medium sized bolt cutters to cut wires, stays, or other steel rigging as well as a fire extinghisher. OOD please make yourself aware of the location of these items when operating the Safety Boat and lets all stay safe on the water. WORKING BEE The DDSC is having a Working Bee on Sunday 12th April in order to help spruce up the sailing area. If you can lend a hand, a wheelbarrow, a spade or anything else, please come on down and help out. You are quite welcome to bring some meat and make a BBQ out of the afternoon too. Manual labour starts at 9:00am