Cookie Storms Careel 18 Nationals

Transcription

1 Cookie Storms Careel 18 Nationals Page 1

2 Queensland Careel Committee Paul Trotter ( ) Michael Yeates ( ) Inside this edition Front Cover Cookie exhausted on the shore after Day 1 Message from the Editor 1 Message from the Editor In this edition we focus on the recent Queensland participation in the Careel 18 National Titles. We did the State proud with a second and third place on scratch and handicap results with Cookie and I both winning a race on scratch! Numbers were well down this year with only 2 boats from Queensland and a total of 9 Careel 18s on the water. Lets hope the situation can be improved upon next year. It really is a great weekend with so many stories and sub plots within the overall adventure. See you there next year! Moreton Bay Captain CCYA Paul Trotter Page 2

3 Cookie Storms Careel 18 Nationals After a trouble free but slow trip down to Raymond Terrrace we arrived at Don and Robyn Ray s place so Cookie could have his boat undertake some Don Ray go fast, secret surgery. We adjorned to the local bowls club for mountains of Chinese food and cheese cake before an early night. Thick fog greeted us in the morning and Mark and I headed off earlier while Don and Cookie fiddled. We arrived at the Lake with perfect conditions before us. Clear skies and a wind filling in from the east. Once out on the lake we conducted some speed trials with Ivana and found them surprisingly fast and we then headed north up to Warners Bay with a great reach back down the lake. We even spotted a pod of dolphins with strange, sharp dorsal fins like you would find on your surf board. Cookie lost his boat in Ballina Page 3

4 Grafton Break Page 4 Fredo pie stop Mr Dwyer, Herr Cook and Big Trots

5 Its a long road down!!! Page 5 Arrival at the Rays

6 Wyuna and German SHort Haired Pointer! The Club! Page 6

7 Don Fiddling Mark Relaxing Page 7

8 We washed down a steak at The Wangi Hotel before crashing for the night. The next morning the butterflies were in action as we made last minute adjustments to rigs and attended the briefing by Max and Greg U. Race kt ne er - fine On Wyuna we elected to make a starboard start and with about three minutes to go we headed down away from the line and tuned to find ourselves on the lee bows of Ivana and Syntax. Wyuna was at the line with Syntax, and Ivana was climbing all over us. We climbed out underneath to take the lead and cleared the windward buoy well in front. Ivana was second and wasn t making any ground on the two reaching legs. Syntax was all over him. Ivana flying hte colours Page 8

9 Start Race 1 Wyuna at bottom of image Cookie leading the first beat to the pin! Page 9

10 A brilliant Port Tack from Cookie It was hard to believe we were leading the first year of the Nationals and blazing a trail of our own. This wasn t part of the usual script. At the next windward leg Ivana and Syntax climbed over us as we suffered with possible gear failure with a loose inner starboard stay and after that we never recovered with Ivana crossing just ahead of Syntax and us. The Smooth was having problems of their own. In reviewing the race on the computer it was clear Ivana picked up speed and point in the last port tack to put Syntax and Wyuna behind! Look a the image closely. Top Placings 1. Ivana 2. Syntax 3. Wyuna Page 10

11 Race kt ne er - fine We only just rolled up to the start after gear repairs including some spanner work on the port inner shroud and joined the fleet. Syntax was out first with us just behind and then Ivana. At the windward mark Syntax missed the lay line and had to tack again late. Ivana got us and we came around third with The Smooth menacing and back to her own form. On the reaching legs Wyuna climbed back and we may have even had the lead again. At the leeward mark it was Ivana, Wyuna, Syntax. We all parted company and we went via the start boat and the rocks. At the next windward mark we all came back in together with The Smooth in the mix. Everyone behind Wyunas transom early Race 1! Page 11

12 Somehow Syntax got around first followed by Ivana, The Smooth and Wyuna. The next beat the order didn t change. The last beat was spectacular with both Ivana and The Smooth messing with the starter boat. Cookie hailed for starboard rights at the line. The Smooth complied and mayhem was unleashed. Ivana collided with The Smooth, Cookie fell overboard. Ivana ran over the start boat buoy. The Smooth Collided with the Start Boat and the starters were late in recording our finish time as the dealt with the aftermath. Placings 1. Syntax (The Smooth was 2nd but got a DSQ) 2. Ivana 3. Wyuna Race kt ne-er fine Only 4 boats started and three finished. Placings 1. Syntax 2. Ivana 3. Karma Wyuna had a DNS after being knocked over before the start which was indeed fortunate. The crew was very ill with exhaustion so getting DNS was a good result. Back at base Mark collapsed in a heap but recovered after a small dose of amber liquid. He will be off to the Doctor on his return. When Cookie finally made it back to base he collapsed with emotional and physical exhaustion and managed to slip on a wet piece of rubber wetting his phone and hurting his already damaged body. So we all headed off around the lake to the Workers Club and the usual presentation evening and huge Chinese buffet. Greg Unger did a great job with the awards of the day and we retired to bed early. Page 12

13 Cookie Destroyed Race 3 Page 13

14 Ivanaa chasing Race 4 Race knot NE swing to east late - cloudy We started the day with Mark T acting as bowman and had the strong and determined Glenn Shepperd on the sheets. After sailing on the dismantled Rhoobarb he was keen to mix it with the 18s After surveying the favoured tack we made a port start and were hailed by Ivana but charged off ignoring his lame cries. Howzat rounded first after footing on a port tack and got around inside us at the mark. Wyuna then came around second then The Smooth, Syntax and Ivana. The Smooth and Syntax came bearing down on us during the reaches and Howzat just seemed to pull away with Peter Craig and his girlie crew sailing magnificently. Page 14

15 We held them all out at the bottom mark on second place and began executing our smooth roundings having talked our way around the mark before we arrived. (Thanks for the tip Mr Dwyer). We went towards the headland following Howzat on the second windward leg with the breeze dying but Syntax went east and made up ground. The Smooth had also just snuck ahead of us and they increased their lead by footing up this leg and managed to catch up with Syntax. On the next run we snuck up on The Smooth almost touching their transom but they got away again on the third and final windward leg. We went up east side of course but to no avail and we rounded in the following order Howzat, Syntax, The Smooth, Wyuna, Ivana and we lapped The boys on Druthers. We all then sailed down into a hole and we drifted ever so slowly to the leeward mark. We were worried Cookie was going to eat us alive! Howzat finished one minute after Max called the race one hour early! Whoops! The Smooth just took Syntax and got around to the east and fought to get the first of the easterly wind. We rounded in the first zephyr swirling in. Cookie passed us going the other way confirming the race was called but we were all got hooted over the line. We were disappointed about the lack of the result despite getting a forth but beating Ivana more than made up for this result! Race 5 10 knot easterly We had a starboard start pulling away with Syntax falling behind and The Smooth footing and down wind. Ivana was behind but upwind. We cleared the mark with Wyuna well ahead of the pack and our lead grew on the reaches with Syntax just keeping in touch. On the second beat we sailed out to the headland and Ivana and The Smooth tacked away to the south side of the course. Syntax stayed with us but went close to cliff to lay the start buoy putting them in a strong counter attack position. We couldn t lay this mark so we tacked but maintained our lead. On the first run we consolidated lead. On the third beat we stayed out to the headland again but sailed poorly on the first starboard tack and now Syntax was to the windward but a little behind and catching us. Page 15

16 We tacked near the cliff and had a fantastic port tack and laid the start mark and got to the windward mark with a good lead on Syntax. Again we held the lead again on the run and held our breath on last beat to make the finish in two tacks. Suffice to say there was much to squeal about on Wyuna with Glenn cracking three beers that he had smuggled on board for the end of the day! So another great Nationals was had. Congratulations to Brian and Michael on Syntax for some very consistent and quiet racing. We ll be back next year! Thankfully the run home was very smooth and trouble free with a later than usual start and we got in to Brisbane just in time to miss peak our traffic. A big thank you to all the race organisers including Max and Greg for their efforts, along with all the support crews on the boats. We really do appreciate the effort required to put on this event and thank everyone again for their hospitality on this magnificent waterway. Paul Trotter C18 26 Wyuna Page 16

17 Final Celebrations at Wangi Page 17