Sydney, the place to be in December!

Things have been a bit hectic in Sydney of late. So many people are in town and there is so much going on. You cannot go anywhere near a sailing club without bumping into another Brit. If I was still in the UK, I would be wondering where everybody was!

First off, after no more than 24 hours to recover, our "drunken sailor" was back on duty as we headed out for a photo shoot with the iShares VX40. The 18's were represented by Rag and Famish and us, with Cameron stepping in as sheet hand for the evening. Also out to play were 2 Tornado's, one of which had Darren Bundock and Carolijn Brouwer on board, so there was no doubting the quality! Against a background of a thunderous sky, the VX40 showed us all who was the Daddy! I think they had to slow down every 800 metres or so and wait for everybody to catch up.

We all knew that the VX40 would be quicker, but what about the T's against the 18's? Well, downhill there really wasn't anything in it but upwind, the T's had an edge. I didn't think it was that much, but talking to Carolijn a few days later, she commented that she was a bit disappointed with the 18's upwind. That told us! However, looking at the photos, the 18's looked by far the most spectacular, 3 guys on the wire and the front half of the boat out of the water.

We had a practice session on Thursday in which we tried a few new tricks that Cam had shown us and we were ready for Sunday. The usual wait in the boat park was made even more tedious with the "which rig" debate. The forecast called for wind and little rig, the conditions on the harbour said big. In the end, all but 2 set out with No2 rigs and were slightly under powered while the other 2 were slightly over powered. How we needed our new square headed No2 main, but it wasn't ready.

So, we hit the race track with little idea of how the boat would go or how to set the rig. A bit more aggression at the start saw us just on the front row, third from the pin. It was actually easier than trying to do a safe mid line start. Speed seemed OK and we played the shifts to round the top mark in the top 10. We sailed around fighting for between 10th and 12th until the last beat when we simply got it wrong and dropped back to 15th, under huge pressure from behind.

At the last gybe, we were fighting to save us from the lower regions of the results sheet. The closest of fetches was all that was left and we had to fight, not just for our place but to get to the finish. Ahead we saw everybody struggling and a capsize gave us a chance of gaining another place. But to achieve that, we had to hold the kite, sailing the boat on its ear while ensuring we didn't leave a passing lane for those behind.

Sometimes, age has it's advantages as with age comes experience. While the others kept sailing fast and getting driven off low, we kept high and slowed enough to keep the apparent wind behind enough to reach the finish, in 14th place and with a bow hand whose arms were now half a metre longer! So, the improvements continue!

During last week, everybody was arriving for SIRS, the grade 1 Olympic classes regatta hosted in Sydney each year. This year was especially significant, as it is the first showdown between Ben Ainslie and Ed Wright for the GBR Finn spot at the games next year. Ben looks as large as I have seen him and still has the most wonderful, modest way about him - easy to talk to yet there is no more determined sailor on the water. If he does have a sense of his place in sailing history, it doesn't show in his manner. Admire the sailing achievements, but admire the man as well.

On Friday I organised a little foiling for some of thge visiting sailors. One was Paul Campbell-James, which was a bit of a strange feeling as I used to race against his parents before he was even a twinkle in their eye! Another was Graham Biehl, who is crew in the USA 470 that is going to the games. Clearly a talented helm in his own right, his reaction said it all "that is the coolest ting I have ever done!" He's in town a bit longer so I am expecting a call for a repeat performance as soon as SIRS is over.

Of course, the Moth is just a distraction from the real thing and Sunday was on us again. The forecast was for "Light and Shite" followed by a Southerly storm so it was with some in trepidation that we set off with big rigs. If the forecast was wrong by an hour or two, we could be sailing in 25 knots with the big rig (again!). The light winds, a tide underneath the fleet and some really poor discipline saw the fleet get away at the 5th time of asking, under a black flag. And the black flag caught out 4 of the top boats, which made our job easier. Our own starts were "educational", including our own attempt at taking out a section of the fleet on the second attempt to get the fleet away.

With a boat biased line, we lined up a bit off the line, ready to accelerate into any gap while making sure we were where we needed to be so as to tack off into the favoured tide. And sure enough, right next to the committee boat, a gap opened and we accelerated for it, only to have another reach down into the same gap. Now, we could have taken them out, but we would have been in a worse mess than starting behind them.

So we tacked off into the tide and made our way up the one sided beat. We were doing OK and seemed to be with the leading bunch but it was hard to tell exactly where we were, more so when some of the leaders were pulled out of the race for their early start. With a 4 lap, windward/leeward course, we began to find our position down the first run and we were up there, really up there. By the bottom mark, we were 3rd and we worked our way up the next beat to take the lead at the top.From there, we managed to maintain our spot at the front and led at the last mark.

However, we got it wrong. Under pressure from DeLonghi who suddenly tacked underneath us just before the mark, we should have gybe set which would have won the race for us but I got it wrong. We should have managed a slicker hoist, but things went a little pear shaped and we should have gybed earlier, but we didn't settle. So 2 boat gybed before us and it was a straight race to the finish line, with us in the cheap seats. We tried. We gained some back but it wasn't to be. We were 5 seconds behind the winner and 1 second from the next boat. Still, 3rd was a great result and we know there is still more to come.

And no sooner had we finished but the wind started to pick up and then the rain. The front had arrived and for a brief 5 minutes, we were sailing in 20 knots and driving rain. No sooner had it arrived and it was passed leaving a gentle 12 knots to sail home with.

So that is the 18's done for the year. The next race is on the 6th January, which gives me some time for some much needed TLC to the boat. And with the rest from the 18 comes a little time to go foiling.

If I don't post before, I would wish all my friends a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

What shall we do with a drunken sailor...........

We were warned. We decided to take the risk anyway and it led to an amusing day. Scott (bow) had a house warming party organised before we even started sailing the 18 so it had to go on. Jamie (sheet) went as well but left at 4.00am and managed a reasonable amount of sleep. However, when Scott arrived at the boat park, our worst fears were realised. He had under 2 hours sleep and had stopped drinking at 10.00am! His speech was blurred and every time he walked past our supply of water, we had to change the label as the alcohol content went up just from proximity!

Jamie and I rigged the boat and we managed to launch with incident. A delayed start, waiting for the wind to settle gave Scott a chance to take on more water and finally the course was set, in a shift ENE wind 10-13 knots as it flicked from gradient to sea breeze. After the poor starts of recent weeks, I had promised the team we would really mix it at the start. Watching videos of recent JJ's, it struck me that nobody ever made good start mid line, so with a pin bias, we headed deep into enemy territory. And to my surprise, we kept finding holes. We lined up, looked below, saw another hole, bore away and back up into the hole until we were 3rd boat from the pin, with a nice gap to come down into and on time. maybe we pulled the trigger a little late, but we were up and running in a lane we could live with for a while until we had a chance to flip over.

The beat was long and shifty, with variations of pressure all around. And there we were, crossing tacks with Fiat, Club Marine and other front runners. We weren't having any speed issue and for the first time, Jamie and i had our heads out the boat, looking for wind and shifts. In fact, we even managed to make a few decent tactical calls that saw us round the first mark in the top 10. For some reason, the hoist wasn't quite as smooth and fast as we were used to and we had to defend for the first part of the downhill leg. Fortunately, we were sailing windward/leewards, so were able to gybe and clear when we needed to.

The next 2 laps saw us battling for a position in the top 10, never higher than 9th but not lower than 13th. Crossing tacks with The Rag and Club Marine was great, and we never felt outclassed. In fact, we remained very pleased with our speed and also our positioning, regarding the fleet.

However, as the race went on, our shortcomings on the hoists and drops slowly took a toll until at the end of the 3rd downwind, the drop let 3 boat through. Try as we might, we couldn't get them back on the beat and the final hoist saw another through. The hoist did have its lighter side. My normal job is to call out how far the kite had hoisted and this time it went rather like this - "First spreader, second spreader, 1 metre........1 metre........1 metre........1 metre. Scott, why are you out on the wire?!! Jamie looked up and with a resigned smile said "I will get it! and finally the kite was set.

I twas a shame that we weren't sailing to the best we could because we finished less than 1 minute off 13th place and should really have been higher. Scott was very apologetic, in the funny way that only somebody who is drunk can manage. Credit to him for having survived and for not chundering until on his way home. I did have to steer the boat back under him a couple of times, but he stayed with us the whole race. If we had a substitute on board, we might have done better but that wouldn't have been good for either Scott's ego (they do better without me) or for team building.

So now we have proved we can get up there, the next task will be be to stay up there. We have 2 on the water sessions planned this week, so stand by for more news to come.

Now, what exactly does "keel hauling" consist of..............

Variety is the spice of life.......

As a busy week draws towards an inevitable conclusion - Sunday at the League - I find myself reflecting on just how much you can pack into one week. I don't often talk about work on here, mainly because my main role has been as "Director of Leisure" for the family, a job I have taken seriously by testing and maintaining as many toys as possible! However, there is also the renovations on our home and the current project, renovating the Mother-in-Law's apartment. Dealing with builders and tradesmen in Australia has been a real eye opener. I have never experienced anything like it. All elements of construction and trades are significantly more expensive than in the UK, even though materials are no more costly. And as a customer, I feel like the builders are doing me a huge favour and that I should be grateful. Overall, it feels like I am being beaten up and at the same time, I should be thankful!

When it comes to our own house, having had a QS do the sums, it seems that if I act as an Owner/Builder, project managing the job myself, I will save the equivalent of 4 years salary (before tax). If I could get a builders licence over here, that is what I would do. 1 decent job a year would earn me more than I have ever earned in a single year!

3 trips to the apartment, dealing with all the issues, left me ready for a bit of R&R. It has been great to be able to catch up with an old friend who is in town. Hugh Styles is in town with the iShares VX40 he project manages and I was able to get close up and personal with one of these machines for the first time. And what beasts they are, all carbon, autoclaved and very sexy! The boat will be sailing in the harbour all of next week doing some corporate entertaining and promotion work for iShares. It should be a sight worth seeing.

On Thursday, we took the 18 out for a training session and what a good one it was. A 8-12 knot easterly in warm conditions and enough light to stay on the water until about 8.00pm saw some real progress. We were particularly fortunate to have Craig Ferris out in a coach boat and we made great progress. The boathandling went up another gear and having somebody looking at the rig from outside taught us a lot about how to set the rig. Hopefully, this will move us up another level and from my point of view, the session was the first time I thought we really felt like we deserve better results on the track. Now the problem is to take it to the race track and to get as slick in more breeze.

The week finished with a bang, literally. Last night I went to see My Chemical Romance in concert and they put on quite a show. A good honest band, with 4 guys dressed in black and thumping 0ut good guitar led thumping anthems, the young crowd entered into the spirit with some great slam dancing and crowd surfing down in the Mosh Pit. The stage show was a mix of a good old light show and a great display of....fire! It seemed like they had 10 burners from hot air balloons which, at suitable times, fired up in spectacular style. You could feel the heat instantly. The show ended with the biggest "bang" from some explosives that really rocked the house. My Chemical Romance delivered, continuing to enhance their reputation as one of the best bands of recent times.

One postscript to the concert was a reflection on the times we live in. Much of what went on at the gig could have happened any time from the 70's onwards. However, one thing has changed. When years ago we held up and waved lighters, today the illumination of choice is the mobile phone screen. My phone, which also took the picture above, ran out of battery, having forgotten the golden rule of concert goers - charge the phone fully!

Now I look forward to Sunday, although with some sense of impending doom. Scott is holding a big party at his new apartment and Jamie is going as well. They have promised to try to get some sleep before coming sailing and they hope to have sobered up, but my expectations are not high!

The agony and the ecstacy......

Sunday. 2.30pm. Sydney Harbour. 10-12 knots and Sunshine. It must be time for some 18' sailing! But there was something different, something strangely unfamiliar about everything. And what were we doing sailing towards the Squadie? Well, for the first time this season, the wind had swung to a tricky Easterly and we were going to sail a new course. Now, I have nothing against the Beashel Buoy, but it was going to be good to visit another part of the harbour, or so we thought.

The boat park on a Sunday morning is a good place to be. The initial race for a place in the park is getting a bit competitive, with 10.00 am beginning to look like a 3rd row of the grid start. Some of the guys have given up Saturday night drinking, just to be in a fit state to get the boat down to the water early. The reward - a place next to a slip and an easy carry to the water. For those that do arrive early, there is a lot of friendly banter and there was a regular theme to what people were saying to me. It seems that a fair number of skiffies crew the Wednesday twilight race on leadmines and they had seen our little practice session in the big breeze. I don't know who was more surprised - the other sailors when they learnt we were caught out with our No1 rig or me, when 3 different people on 3 different boats confirmed that the squall was actually 27 knots. In fact, more than one leadmine ran for cover in the same way as we did. So, overall, I was pretty pleased. A bit of street cred, more wind than I imagined and others making the same decision to go home. Best of all, the damaged sails were back and looking as good as ever.

Out early, a bit of practice and we were ready for the start, which was postponed to allow the spectator boat to get out. Lining up well in the middle of the line, we found a hole , held our position and powered to the start in clear air with the boats around us...............only to find that our perfect start was actually 3-4 boatlengths down, due to the sag in the line and we were sucking fumes very quickly.It seems such a basic mistake, but so many report it that I am beginning to conclude that you need to be really good to start mid line. Maybe we will be better off mixing it with the fleet at an end, so as to be sure where the line is. It doesn't help that it takes all our concentration to hold our position, so we aren't getting our heads up to find transits etc.

Anyway, we were off towards Rose Bay and with little clear wind, it seemed the practice was paying off. We had good height and speed and were in the bunch. Approaching the bay, it became clear that the entrance was busy with Woolahra race start lines to sail through and more important, wind shadows from Shark Island, headlands and the windward shore. However, a good line into the mark saw us arrive mid fleet, somewhere around 12th or 13th. Oh, the ecstasy!

3 minutes later, we were leaving Rose by DFL (dead frigging last!). Once around the mark, wherever we went and whatever tack we were on, there was a boat screaming for right of way and I think we did more crash gybes in the first 300 metres of that leg than I have done in the last 300 races! I don't understand how we didn't hit anybody or go for a swim, but we had to play catch up. And that we did.

By the last lap, we were at the back of a group that were battling it out for some very minor races. A whole beat of crossing tacks, edging closer and place changes but on entering Rose Bay, the leaders got richer while we fell back a little. A humiliating slip in form beckoned, as we set off in not such hot pursuit. But, ahead somebody capsized and the others began to slow each other down as the gybed on top of each other and one by one, got spat out the back. Even still, were we going to be able to get back in the mix?

Approaching the finish, we remembered the old adage that you should always approach on starboard, gaining the right of way and maybe an overlap. A good gust allowed us to soak down and sure enough, we had overtaken one and caught the other who had to gybe to avoid us. We held them out and then gybed for the line, beating one boat by a matter of seconds.

So, overall, an improvement of 1 place compared with last week, further evidence that we are getting on the pace and some good racing. However, we know what we need to practice. Starting! I used to be able to do it so why not in the 18's? Only time will tell but one thing is sure, the highs and lows of 18 sailing have a long way to go.

Navy Seal survives 18 footer!

A great week of sailing related activity will, no doubt, climax tomorrow afternoon with the next 18 footer race. Hopefully, the time in the boat this week will have helped the learning process and we can continue to move up the fleet. And what an epic practice session it was.

We had been looking at getting a coach involved with our sailing and to this end, I have been chatting with Craig Ferris. I first met Craig 10 years ago, when he was coaching the top ranked Italian 49er team, the Bruni Brothers. Since then, our paths have crossed and we have always enjoyed exchanging pleasantries and catch up on sailing gossip. Craig is also rated as one of the best sheet hands in 18's, having been a regular on "The Rag" for years and a 2 times winner of the JJ. He is currently coaching the Singapore Olympic Team and especially the mens 470 squad.

Craig had wanted to get his charges out in an 18 for some time and we decided to kill 2 birds with one stone. So, on Wednesday, I met Craig and his team at Double Bay for an afternoon of 18's. Having 7 of us to rig the boat certainly helped and 25 minutes after arriving, we were heading out onto the harbour. The plan was that I helmed, Craig did his regular sheet job and we had the 470 boys take it in turns up front. We sailed a short course (2/3rds of a regular course) which consisted of 3 tacks, one bear away, a hoist and drop with a final rounding up so as to swap sailors. All changes were done "on the fly", so as to save time and not get messy.

We had a puffy 12-14 knots, which was perfect for what was needed. There was enough breeze for the crew to need to play the jib, which is nearly as big as a 470 main sail. Things didn't get off to the best of starts when we swam on the first tack. On an 18, you ease a little jib before the tack but, coming from a 470, the crew uncleated the jib (continuous sheet, self tacker) so when we arrived on the other side, there was no pressure in the sail. However, we were soon up and on our way again. The next big moment was the bear away. All four of our "joy riders" got the same briefing and all four froze at the same moment. Craig likened it to being "like rabbits caught in the headlights"!

The problem is that when bearing away in an 18. everything happens very fast and it's very different from most other boats. The speed build, the bow goes down and inertia plays its part. The key is, you have to run in at exactly the right moment, which is before you would think. If you wait until the boat starts to come over on top, you are too late and in trouble. The other problem is that the bow has to go in before the sheet hand or else everybody trips over everything. So, the boys were briefed that when Craig and I said "IN", they needed to run to the centre of the boat, without hesitation or question. However, as it always feels too soon, these poor guys froze and had to put up with a torrent of abuse. We were loving it!

By the end of the kite drop, No 1 was puffing and panting, so it was time to swap. No.2 was exactly the same, but without the swim. Luckily for Craig and me, there was still bags of opportunity for abuse! Then it was on to No.3, the only helm to brave it. Now, this guy was my height (which is short) and probably weighed about 63 kgs. I was concerned he was going to be pulled through the blocks and the kite hoist "challenged" him. A slow hoist coupled with looks of confusion were greeted by loud shouts from Craig and myself - "get out, get out, get out!" However, what followed next wasn't quite what was expected. Our man ran to the gunwale, grabbed the trap handle, swung out and promptly let go, without hooking on. A new definition of a "chase boat drop". So another swim followed.

Finally, we were onto the last ride before we headed in. Except for the first tack, when he didn't get the jib easing right (too much, yet again), Ben did well. Sure, he was a rabbit in the headlights during the bear away, but overall he was most suited to the task with the strength and speed needed. However, we couldn't let him get away without a suitable amount of abuse, something I am not so sure was a good idea, on reflection, as the following day I learnt he was a Singapore Navy Seal who could kill me in 25 different ways with his own bare hands and I wouldn't even know I was dead! Luckily, I think I am safe as he was with us for the best ride of the day, a long downwind leg with a bit of puff on and a sustained 20 knots plus. Big grins all round!

The purpose of the exercises was to give the guys some experience of other types of sailing. These guys have sailed very few types of boat, which is something that allows you to adapt to situations quickly. I also suspect that Craig didn't mind showing the lads his own ability. For me, it was a pleasure to sail with him, learn a few tricks, get his views on how we set up the boat and also to get some valuable time on the end of the tiller.

However, once we were ashore, there was an hour to wait for my regular team to show up from the office. What I missed in that hour was the wind slowly building. After the sail, Jamie commented that when he arrived he thought we were brave to have the No1 rig up. It wasn't brave. It was what I had been using. So off we set, to find a gentle 18 - 20 knots. Then, only a short time after launching, we were hit by some serious pressure. Although we don't have exact data from that part of the harbour, it is safe to say we were out there with the No1 rig up in somewhere between 22-25 knots of breeze. 2 swims later and I decided that discretion was the better part of valor. The forecast was for a rising wind and I could see no reason to lose the rig. Rather pleasingly, our big wind bear away went really very well, obviously benefiting from the earlier practice.

Once ashore, our decision look .........wrong, as the wind died rather than built but the damage was already done. A broken jib batten, torn kite and hole in the main meant a swift trip to our sailmaker the following morning.

The last time we sailed in that much breeze, we had the No2 rig up and made more of a mess of it. Hopefully, this is a sign of further improvements and that the 12-14 knots we expect on Sunday should be a "walk in the park".

Progress

Another weekend, another skiff race and this time, some real progress. Having looked that the forecast, I made the decision not to sail the Moth on the Saturday as it was "fresh to frightening". It turned out to be a rather good move with 18-25 knots playing havoc with the Moths at Balmoral. I think I saw 3 blown out sails and more stacks than at a demolition derby!

However, the next day conditions had settled and the 18's sailed in 11-14 knots, sunshine and a very crowded harbour. We did a couple of runs before the race being followed by a coach boat with Craig Ferris looking at us and we gained a lot of confidence in our new rig settings. However, the first start was abandoned about 12 seconds before the gun, maybe for a cruiser that had sailed into the start area, maybe for the big ship about to steam through the course or maybe because it seemed like the whole fleet was already over!

On the second start, we managed to work a nice hole for ourselves, although just above one of the form boats, Fiat. However, our inability to pull the trigger saw us second row of the grid and looking for a tack. This felt a bit too familiar, but once we had cleared our wind and were heading back to the right side of the course, we found we weren't as stuffed as we had grown to expect. The leg was actually exciting, as we were sailing (and racing) with other boats and at times showing good speed. We also had found the height we had been missing so far this year.

A nice little shift near the top mark saw us round towards the back of the pack, but no longer in a position of being spat a long way out the back. Down the offwind legs, we gained and gained, helped by more than a few swims near Shark Island and as we approached the bottom mark, our practicing seemed to be paying as a good drop got us into a great position. We were probably 14th or 15th in a fleet of 25 and loving it.

Coming away from the bottom mark, we even sailed up from under another boat and simply pulled ahead, just on good pointing and boatspeed (well, maybe a little skill!). We found some of the chopped up harbour difficult to keep speed through and need to practice this but still arrived at the top mark in good shape, although with the to and fro nature of racing we had probably dropped a place overall. Rounding the mark, the group ahead managed to pick up a good gust that we were just too late for and we got a bit too much separation. However, we kept at it and seemed to close a little until Jamie called what turned out to be a great gybe angle. Coming into the bottom mark with pace, we even managed a perfect gybe drop that gained us 100 metres on the group ahead and we were back in the game.

The next beat was fairly uneventful. Unfortunately, we got a little left behind and ended up losing all of the 100 metres we had gained but went around the top mark in 17th. With a good gap behind and unlikely to catch those ahead, all we needed was a safe downwind section but it wasn't to be. This time it was our turn to be 3 stringing near Shark Island when the wind turned off and the boat came in on top of us. Although we got sorted quickly, we lost 3 boats and had another close behind. We charged for the line, trying to soak down inside the boat ahead but it was clear we would both have to gybe. All the time, another boat was below us coming up at speed. Could we put in 2 gybes without being caught? Could we pressure the boat ahead? Well, the answer to both was YES! The guys ahead swam on gybing, we just managed to keep clear and beat the next boat by 9 seconds.

It might have only been 19th place out of 25 boats, but for the first time we could see that we belonged in the fleet. We showed we could compete against decent crews but the most encouraging thing was that we know just how much we need to improve and now feel we can. However, we are still learning the hard way and the capsize is a case in mind, After the race we were told how to save those situations, with the assurance that now we no how, we won't capsize to windward again. I am going to put that guarantee in the bank and use it, if needed!

And now the biggest problem. We want to get straight back out there racing against other boats, but that will have to wait until Sunday. Hopefully, we will get a training session in during the week but the forecast is a bit full on, so who knows.

People's Foiler hits the big Two Oh!

Having managed to clear the decks of all the daily detritus, I finally got to go for a midweek sail in the Moth when the Nor'easter was pumping. Having owned my boat for nearly 3 months, I had yet to sail it in more than about 12 knots of wind. This meant that my heavy weather sail was still brand spanking new so, with a good 16-18 knots blowing, I couldn't resist the chance to give it a go.

And I was duly rewarded for my patience. The Moth sailors in the UK have a little "speed table", membership of which is open to anybody who breaks the 20 knot barrier. before today, there were 25 members - now there are 26.

Since my last post about the Moth, it has been officially named. In honour of that great "ambassador" of the foiling movement, Doug Lord, the boat has been named "People's Foiler". Now it was time for her to prove her worth.

It was clear from the moment I sheeted in that it was going to be a fast day. Setting off on port close hauled, I sailed about 600 metres to the other end of the beach in what seemed like a matter of moments. It was hard to keep speeds below 12-13 knots, even though I was playing with the sail controls to see how the new sail responded. A quick tack and bear away and the GPS went crazy, but only a little more than the bombardment on every sense in my body. The acceleration, the speed, the sensitivity of the steering, the shear exhilaration. Instantly the GPS showed over 20 knots and just seemed to stay there. Before I had time to digest what was going on, I was deep into the moored boats near the club and looking to slow and get away.

Flushed with the knowledge that the 20 knot barrier was history, I pressed on. I found a comfortable 14 knots upwind mode and then it happened. Nothing changed except the GPS readout suddenly jumped to 20 and straight back down again. A clear spike and with it the doubt. A GPS spike is pretty common. Many claims of high speed in dinghies are no more than spikes, which most proud sailors refuse to accept. This has lead to claims of bathtubs sailing faster than skiffs and I don't want to add to the catalogue of false claims. So, was my membership of the 20+ club no more than a spike.

The rest of the sail went at speed but as usual, there was never going to be enough time. So, within half an hour of coming off the water, I was downloading the data to my laptop and checking the data for spike. Sure enough, there were a few of which my favorite was the one that showed I went from 12 knots to 21 in 2 metres. I don't think my Porsche could do that, never mind a boat.

However, the top speed of 21.8 knots (25.01 MPH) was genuine, which moves me into joint 13th on the table. I am well pleased and here is the evidence.

ISAF celebrate 100 years by showing their true colours

It would be remiss of me not to join the growing outcry over the ISAF council decision of the events for the 2012 Olympics in Weymouth, England. While many cat sailors remain in their insular little world, feeling the whole world is against them (no cat event in 2012), the big picture is that high performance sailing in general was treated to a loud 2 fingered salute. If ever ISAF showed how self centred and out of touch many of the council members are, this was the time. This isn't democracy at work, this is cronyism and self interest of the worst order and has to arte as the most shameful action I know of by ISAF.

Great way to celebrate 100 years of serving the sailing community!

The Wild Boys are Back.......................

Before getting into the happenings of the last week, lets get one thing into the open. Most people would be delighted at having a picture of them and their 18 in a national paper in an article entitled "The Wild Boys are Back".

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22741971-5001023,00.html

However, when the picture is the one below, maybe some might understand why this isn't my idea of the ideal picture to please the sponsors. However, at least we got the sponsors name into the article............

What seems a little harsh is that 5 boats capsized on Sunday, 4 during the race and the print the photo of the one who swam before the race. Yes! At last. A race with no swim. Even better we weren't last and we learnt a lot.

We had about 11-14 knots of breeze that was shifty as anything, making it really tough. A busy harbour kicked up an inconsistant chop, so getting settled was difficult. Worst still, the first leg the triangle downwind had a really difficult area on the entrance to Rose Bay with big wind shadows, gusts and shifts of 30+ degrees. If you tried to gybe away, things got too tight to get back to the mark and Shark Island got in the way. So, noty the easiest day in the office.

However, after a poor start (must pull the trigger earlier) we trudged up the beat trying to find a good lane. Eventually, after nearly losing touch with the fleet, we found a lane that got us back to the fleet in time to see how we could compete downwind. And compete we did. We actually overtook a few boats, some with speed, others by handling Rose Bay well. However, this only led to exposing our real weakness. We couldn't point if our life depended on it. Getting on the inside of a few lifts hid this for a while, but there is no hiding from the fact. Added to this, we managed to rig our downhaul wrong, leading to the downhaul strap ripping off. In the bar afterwards I lost count of the number of people who said "we have all done that!"

After the race we were also able to ask last year's skipper, Herman, about the pointing. It seemed we were using a fraction of the vang that we should have been, so hopefully that is another lesson learnt. What is a bit of a shame is that I actually felt we were sailing the boat OK but with no upwind speed, it is hard to be sure.

Anyway, the team are a bit more fired up so those of you on the harbour should see us outr training a bit more. First session is on Thursday, when high on the agenda is learning how to pull the vang........hard!

As we seem to be going back in time (newspaper on Monday, 18 racing on Sunday), i guess a little update on the Moth sailing is in order. On Saturday we had one of the top boys from St. Georges sailing with us at Balmoral and he made us look silly. I won the start comfortably, only to see Dave traveling at speed behind, going lower and far quicker. A quick pull away later and the speed was matched. Even better, Dave tacked away to the side that never pays! A couple of minutes later I look over to the other side of the course and he is dead and buried! Then the wind softens, angles change and one boat foils the whole of the beat while the rest of us wallow. From there, whenever I saw dave, he was foiling and I wasn't.

On reflection, I don't yhink it is a boat difference but an experience one. Dave was sailing angles I haven't seen before and it is clear I need a rethink. I need to do some serious training with the GPS in VMG mode.

A weekend of contrasts, Part 2

I guess I should have known better. It was tempting fate, setting the scene for a 2 part report, with part 1 being the 13th post on this blog! However, I am not superstitious so I didn't give it a second thought. Anyway, I was right about one thing, though. It was a weekend of contrasts and the contrast began at about 4.00am on Sunday morning when I first woke up knowing something was wrong. The feeling in my stomach was either butterflies ahead of the days 18 sailing or something a little more serious. Regrettably, within minutes, I discovered it was the later.

While the nausea had subsided by the time I should have been heading down to Double Bay, there was no way I was in a fit state to sail. In fact, the only thing I was capable of getting on board of was either the bed or the sofa, where I spent the day. I still have no idea whether it was something I ate or a bug, but the net effect is that the efforts I was making to put on weight for the 18 are back to square one.

So, the comparison between the toys will have to wait another week. The long range forecast suggests that next weekend will be 15-20 knots both days which should give lots of opportunities for more swimming practice. While we probably won't get a midweek training session in the 18 this week, I hope to get some practice sessions with the Moth, as Saturday is the first Interclub (open meeting) of the season. With a forecast for fresh winds all week, it could prove to be "educational"! However, if it stays like today, I won't be going near a boat.

I have been sat at my desk watching the Canadian and Russian Laser sailors practicing in the big seas between the Heads. The wind has been 20-30 knots and they have all been swimming. More impressive than the wind is the size of some of the waves. We are half way up the hill and I can only just see the tops of the masts in the troughs. I have seen some of the Lasers going hard "down the mine". I guess it beats working!

A weekend of contrasts, Part 1

People keep asking me about the differences between my 2 toys. Well, this weekend should help highlight them as it is Moth racing on Saturday, 18 on Sunday. So, let the show begin...........

Finally, after about 4 weeks, I have the Moth back with all its parts and my racing season can get under way. The first thing I noticed is how easy it is to rig and launch. It certainly passes the "if you can't lift it, don't sail it" test! For the first time in weeks, I didn't risk a hernia or back injury. In fact, for the first time in weeks, I actually sailed a whole race without injury. Lets hope that doesn't prove to be one of the differences between today and tomorrow.

We had a very present southerly breeze, ranging from 6-7 knots up to...........well, we thought 12-13 knots but Seabreeze.com.au said it was gusting 15-16 knots. 7 Moths started, 6 finished. I got a good start and foiled off to the wrong side of the beat rounding the windward mark 3rd. The best thing was that the 2 boats that had sailed the right way were lowriders! Just goes to show that boatspeed just gets you to the wrong place faster.

By the end of the first reach, I had broken through into the lead and the closer to the gybe mark we got, the more the wind came on. This caught me by surprise and the gybe was more than just wobbly, it was wet. This allowed the second place through but by the end of the next leg, I was leading again and extending. Another lap and half with a big lead and I was feeling more and more happy about life!

I don't know whether it was sailing in a bit less pressure or a loss of concentration but suddenly I was battling for the lead and next thing I know, a good lead was gone and I was battling to stay in second. In fact, at the last gybe, I even lost that place, but only for a short time as the superior speed of the Bladrider worked its magic and ensured I finished 2nd. Not bad for the first proper race of the year. I now know what I need to work on (gybes and tack) plus a few tweaks to the boat.

Landing and packing away was also quick and easy, a nice contrast to the 18.

So, what have I learnt that is of use for tomorrow? Not a lot! The boats and the racing are so different, which is what is so good about owning the 2 of them. However, it did remind me that I actually do know how to get off a start line and race. All I need to do is take that to the track tomorrow.

The appliances online.com.au team are pretty fired up for tomorrow, although we have a guest appearance at sheethand as Jamie is in NZ. I will present Part 2 as soon as possible, with some real observations about the differences between the 2 best boats you could ever want to sail.

Amateur Hour......

I was taught a long time ago that one of the things that separates the best sailors from the also rans is the ability to take responsibility for for what they do and not to make excuses. Well, on that basis, what follows should prove I am one of the sailing greats!

Another Sunday, Another 18 race in perfect conditions and another opportunity to make big steps forward in our campaign, all wasted. There is no getting away from it, we were useless. For 3 guys who can sail, we really managed to do a very good impression of a team auditioning for Amateur Hour.

It all started well enough. Arriving in the boat park early, we found a good slot close to the launching. But then the problems started. The forecasts were split between, on one hand, 20-30 knots NE and on the other, 11-14 knots NE. At least they agreed on direction! It was immediately clear that half the fleet had set aside their No 1 rigs, while the other had their No 2 ready to go. At 12.00 pm, the wind was probably no more than 8 knots and the debate went on, and on, and on....................... The one conclusion I came to is that if the fleet really was split, we would get it wrong! In the end, everybody went for No 1, so our life was made easy.

Decisions were made late and we rushed to get the boat rigged. And there lies the first problem. As newcomers who have rigged their boat less than everybody, instead of being in a position to launch early, as was the plan, but we ended up rushing and when you rush, mistakes happen.

So, finally, we launched, making the observation that the boat was getting easier to carry. Either we were getting stronger or we were learning to keep the bow into the wind so as to prevent extra load coming on. Progress.

As we sailed to the start, our confidence first grew as we sailed past another boat capsized and we felt there was no problem. then we tacked, only to find the control for setting the jib track was around the wrong side of the wing and the car couldn't go out even to the most inboard position we use..........and the knots in the rope were "challenging"! So our "settle down" time was spent undoing knots and rerouting string. No time to sail the course and check the boat out but so what, we were experienced skiff sailors!

We made the decision not to be aggressive at the start; find a good gap down from the pin and all the action and keep our nose clean. And for the first time, we managed to work our perfect hole, lined up where we wanted and at the time we wanted. All that was left to do was pull the trigger. A few seconds shouldn't make a big difference in a 1-2 hour race but at the start, it is the difference between glamour and eating dirt. And we managed to pull the trigger a few short seconds too late and all of a sudden, we were 3rd row of the grid, a grid of only 3 rows.

A tack to clear our wind and a tack back to sail to the favoured side went better than I would have hoped and we were up and running. Things were looking up. We were in the same bit of the harbour as the fleet and there were boats behind and we were quick. 2/3rds of the way up the first leg and we were probably back of the second row, rather than deep in the cheap seats and we rounded the first mark with some very respectable teams (who had sailed a bad leg), thanks to a lucky but perfect layline call that was worth a good 50 metres.

At last, we had a chance to show what should be our strong point, downhill speed. We are light and the conditions should have been perfect to show what we could do...............until the kite was hoisted. I am not sure which rigging method we were trying to copy, but it wasn't one that should be used on an 18. At least the kite wasn't upside down but with the sheet under something it should have been over and in front of something that it should have been behind, the end result was not pretty. Initially, there was no option other than drop the kite and reroute some string.

Unfortunately, we only partly sorted the problem but well enough to continue, if not with a perfect setting kite. However, we weren't last and we were travelling at speed. We called another near perfect layline and 2 gybes later we were close strapped, heading for the bottom mark. It was then that we realised that the routing of the sheet meant we couldn't play the sheet at the angle we were sailing. No option but to drop, sort it again and sail the leg with no kite. So, having sailed the 2 legs downwind with a kite for less than 40%, we rounded the bottom mark second from last, thanks to another team swimming and we were only 30 metres behind the next boat.

Rounding up, we then found our latest go fast modification, an automatic vang uncleating device, another bi-product of running strings the wrong side of each other when rigging. Worst still, the elastic take away was now the wrong side of the cleat. Not fast and not clever. Another chunk of ground lost but we were back up to speed and sailing well as a team, DFL ( dead f***ing last). We thought we gained a little upwind and rounded the top mark ready to push it down the run. It wasn't the perfect set but eventually we were up, running and gaining.

Until the gybe. Maybe we were getting tired, maybe it was the good lump of pressure we were in or maybe we simply haven't got our routines sorted, but at a time we shouldn't have, we hit the tide. Another opportunity to sort out a big mess and fall even further behind. It was all over. By this time the breeze was up and we were about a lap down. The forecast was for a rapidly increasing breeze and the team decided that to be caught out in 25 knots with No 1 rig was not something we wanted. Another wrong judgement call, as no sooner than we were ashore and the wind was back down.

Coming ashore gave the final opportunity to completely screw up and we managed that. Carrying the boat up the beach, the boat suddenly got a bit of load on and I was forced to my knees, trapped under the boat with a big weight on my back. I still don't really know what I did but it hurt, hurt enough to make walking difficult. Thanks to everybody who came to our aid. Monday at the phsio, a few hard pushes and pulls later and I feel like new. Our boat has a unique feature that makes carrying it more difficult than other boats so one priority is to change things. After all, in the words of Scott Babbage, if you can’t lift it, you can’t sail it.

In the bar, somebody asked if we broke anything and I could only reply, with truth, that the only thing broken was pride and ego. Even now, 48 hours later, I cannot quite believe how amateur we were. We did some good stuff, but managed to snatch embarrassment from the jaws of respectability. We debriefed and agreed some serious training was in order. Because of work pressures, that cannot begin for a couple of weeks so we are in damage limitation mode.

I sit here typing this feeling rather deflated, trying to remember when I last felt this. It was after a day racing 49ers, with Adam May and although only 4 boats out of 20 launched, we swam so much and I felt so bad in the boat I was ready to quit. Adam kicked my butt, got us back in the game and about 4 weeks later, all thanks to him, we won a race at Hyeres, the first category 1 event for 49ers. That was one of the proud moments in my sailing career. However, there is no Adam here so I need to kick my own butt and make it happen. I know the problem. We shouldn't be racing. We should be practicing. 2 hours of practice would be worth 3 or 4 races. In the mean time, it seems to be a full time job to keep myself fit enough. It seems that I also need sponsorship from my Physio!

And a quick word about our sponsor........

The skiff sailors of Sydney do not know how lucky they are. Not only do they sail in one of the great places to race, complete with it's own very special atmosphere and sights (such as the Manley Ferry bearing down on you!), but in many cases the boats are paid for by generous sponsors. The 18's are particularly fortunate and have some great sponsors and we are fortunate enough to be be sponsored by Appliances Online.com. As I have mentioned before, they have a great business but what might not be so well known is their commitment to our sport. Have a look at

http://www.appliancesonline.com.au/sailing-team.html

Of course, this does put the pressure on! A great sponsor deserves great results and we will be doing all we can to live up to the high standards set by other team members.

Time to step up to the plate!!!

Another week, another 18 footer race, another set of bruises! This time, we were greeted by a nice 20 knot Nor'easter, although reports from the Squaddie committee boat say they recorded 30 knots. Unfortunately, Jamie (sheet hand) was ill but we found a good stand in so we hit the water. And the tide...........often! I got a bit bashed up and in the interests of not damaging crew and boat further, we took an early shower. Strange thing is, for some unknown reason, we were recorded as "did not start" and while it is the same points as "did not finish", it seems a little harsh. We certainly crossed the line, although I am not sure which way up we were or from what direction!

However, every week we learn a little more. This week's big lesson is that at speed, we are OK. No issues beating, tacking, getting the kite up etc. However, not for the first time, our slow speed sailing let us down. Things load up so quickly. At pace, this doesn't matter but without that pace, it is pretty messy.

From here on, things get a bit more serious as the next race is the first in the Club Championship and, more importantly, the first qualifier for the "JJ". The J.J. Giltinan Trophy is the World Championships of 18' skiff sailing and to many, the ultimate skiff event. It is to be held in mid February, on the harbour and will attract top skiff sailors from around the world. So, for us, we need to step up to the plate and start banging in the results.

Still in training mode.

Finally, on Sunday, the 18 footers had the first race of the season. Considering this is really "just" club racing, we felt significantly under prepared, although at least we knew the boat worked and how to get it back up after a capsize.

In the first "race", we performed reasonably well. It is really important to get a good spot in the boat park as it reduces the distance you need to carry your ship to the water. Carrying a skiff with a rig as big as a cruiser can get a bit full on, with a slight wind shift loading up one side or another. However, an early enough arrival saw us gain a decent spot in the park, so all was well. Looking around the park, I couldn't help but note that 5 of the helms had competed in 49ers at the first worlds in Perth, back in January '98. Add to that more than a sprinkling of Brits amongst the sailors and the 18's already feel like home. It's a great fleet of friendly, like minded sailors and I am seriously excited about the season.

First race was about perfect in terms of conditions. A warm Nor'easter, 12-15 knots with a few puffs above that. Being light, we were at the top end of our No1 rig for some of the time and it was the first real test of our ability as a crew. We knew before the start that we were going to struggle in terms of the race due to a handicap system which saw the fleet split into 3 with each group sailing to a different windward mark. The top boats sailed a significantly longer course than the next and the "bottom" third of the fleet sailed a shorter one. Due to the performance of our boat last year, we were seeded as one of the top boats. I don't know the exact distances involved, but I suspect that we sailed at least a mile further than some.

To cut a long story short, we were a long way back, although not last and there were 5 non finishers. We had 2 swims, the first of which was messy and not our fault. A 49er passed across our stern, misjudged how far our tiller extension was and "collected" it as they passed. This ripped the extension out of my hand and made us bear away fast, 3 up with kite. There was only one way it would end and it was messy!

However, the real success of the day was making it round with no damage and gaining a lot of experience. On occasions, we saw how fast the boat is, lending even more credibility to us having "all the gear, no idea!" The day felt like a training outing rather than a race and hopefully, over the next few weeks, we will be able to shift gear and start to race properly.

However, whether it was racing, training or simply getting round the course, it was a great day on the water and the whole fleet had smiles on their faces. Bring it on!

How to make yourself popular in Australia!

ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND!!!

For those of you who live in a complete vacuum, England have reached the finals of the Rugby Union World Cup, where they have the chance to defend their title. Put simply, the Australians didn't!

ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND!!!

(just hope the smile isn't totally wiped off my face next week. Luckily, I don't know any South Africans!!)

Getting it right

This weekend was all about getting it right and somehow, I seem to have managed it on the 3 key elements of the weekend.

First off, a decision was made on Friday not to practice in the 18 on Saturday. The forecast looked like boat breaking weather, or should that be ego breaking weather. We had done enough of that the previous Sunday. So, for most of Saturday morning, I was cursing as the conditions looked perfect. However, the forecast was for a change and who knows when it might have come. Certainly, the Hystericals (Historical) 18's sailing out of the Squaddie didn't know when the change was coming and they set out for their usual Saturday gaunt around the harbour.

Having disposed of the kids for the day, Ginette and I wandered up to the Village for lunch. During lunch, it was clear conditions were changing so after we were done, we drove down to Taronga Wharf to admire the sight on the harbour and so that I could convince myself that we shouldn't be sailing. And sure enough, it looked "fresh to frightening"! We parked up so as to take a better look and as we got to the railings, from where we could get a view of the harbour, we saw 2 of the Historicals washed up on the beach. A quick dash later and I found myself waist deep in the harbour helping Woody and crew, including Scott Babbage, to get their fine vessel bailed out and ready to sail off. While getting sorted, we did notice the news helicopters overhead and thought little of it and about 20 minutes later, while others were being towed back, Woody and crew set off under full sail in order to get home.

An Historical 18' skiff on a better day

We jumped back into the car and drove round to the Squaddie to be greeted by the most extraordinary sight. 4 ambulances, 3 police cars and 2 news crews had descended on the club as if some major disaster had taken place. In the words of of a rather amused Woody, "somebody must have pressed the panic button!" The fleet had set out in lightish condition and been hit by a 35-40 knot squall, flattening all of them but all were home safely. One unlucky chap had cracked his head open and was stretchered off to hospital with his head bandaged in a way that my kids would have been proud of when playing at nurses but it really was a drama made out of nothing. It did, however, make the evening news and the papers the following day - a slow news day I would guess.

So, the first "getting it right" of the weekend was not to sail. A modern 18 in 35-40 knots would have been costly and with little rescue services, an "interesting" experience.

The next "right" was being a POM late on Saturday night/Sunday morning. 12 points to 10, all from the boot of St Jonny. There are days when being a POM in Australia is really great and we really enjoyed all the sledging we received. Go on England!

And finally, we got it right with the 18. Admittedly, it would have been hard to get it that wrong on Sunday afternoon with about 8 knots in the harbour but at least we proved to ourselves that we could sail the boat, tack and gybe plus begin to consider how we can sail it faster. It felt good to be out with the guys and we seem to be coming together as a team. It will take time, but at least we are now in the game. First race is next Sunday, so if weather permits, we should get one more practice on Saturday.

However, the most worrying thing is that it has been noted that we are losing the most important race. Now, the Rag and Famish team have been sailing 18's rather a long time but when it came to derigging, we were a long way off the pace. In their words, the race isn't over until the boat is packed away!

You should have been here last week........

Monday - finally, after 18 months of planning and high expectation, it was time to sail the 18. So where was that perfect 10-12 knot NorEaster? well, after many weeks of perfect conditions for the others who were training, the weather decided to welcome us to Double Bay in style - 28 degree heatwave and a thumping westerly. For those who don't know, you really don't want a westerly!

I arrived to be greeted by the ever helpful Dan, bowman on ActiveAir and all round good guy. His attitude seems to sum up what I have found so far. Everybody is extremely helpful to the newbie in the class. I wonder if it is a sense of self preservation - getting them up to speed fast helps reduce the chances of them being wildly out of control on the start line and wiping out the fleet!

I was shortly joined by Scott, our Aussie bowman and Jamie, another Pom, who is on sheet. Introductions made and all gung ho, we begin to rig. The most "helpful" comment from Dan came from using his experience to pronounce "Big Rig Day"! Now, I don't know a lot about this game yet but it seemed a punchy call to me. However, not wanting to appear the wimp on day one, we grabbed the No1 mast and begin laying it out. Fortunately, we hadn't got very far before others in the park showed us just how breezy it was, white caps on the harbour to be followed by reports of 25 knots. A quick re thing saw the No2 lying on the grass and the No1 mast back where it belonged, on the trailer.

We were first rigged but were still a bit unsure of the conditions. The wind was swirling around Double Bay, shifting 180 degrees with little warning and with the forecast calling for the wind to soften, the decision was made to wait an hour or so. Mat and the Active Air boys were first on the water and seemed to get away without too much of an issue. The sail out of the bay looked a bit flukey, but it was sailable so it was time to go. The launch went well, no sudden shift as we carried the boat into the water but it began to swing through 180 degrees once we were trying to get the rudder on. Finally, it was time to go and I think we actually got away more elegantly that ActiveAir. Confidence was high!

The sail out to the line of breeze was "educational" - regular 90 degree shifts and anywhere from 2 to 20 knots! At least it gave us practice in running from side to side and the chance to test the non slip. It's good!

Once past the first headland, we were into the breeze proper. It all felt pretty full on yet in other ways, very manageable. But, as quick as you could say "we're settled" and it was time to tack. Getting the timing wasn't what I would call easy and our first couple of tacks were messy but we were still upright. Then the inevitable happened. At the time, it was a case of WTF happened but on reflection, we tacked, the wind lulled and then came back freeing a lot. From having a wing in the water we suddenly had full pressure on and there was only one way to go.........

To my surprise, 18's are easier to handle capsized than I expected . Yes, there was a problem of the mast being upwind and therefor a flip was the only solution but we got her up second time. However, the tiller extension had managed to get through the shrouds and wrapped around the jib sheet and as the load came on, there was a crack. Half an extension is not a lot of good and that was our day done.

The sail in was uneventful but fast only to find, on arrival, that the board wouldn't come out. Boat on its side, three people and 5 minutes later, we were able to get the whole thing ashore. I have to admit to being rather deflated. It was as if somebody had taken my Christmas presents. Months of build up and expectation ripped up in a moment! The mood changed when the others got back. The reports were of the most difficult sail they had experienced in recent months. ActiveAir had swum 5 times and although I don't believe that Noakes Youth swam, there was general agreement that it wasn't a day for a new team.

At least we tried! It would have been too easy to stay ashore and we did learn something, not least we are behind the curve and need to play catch up. Conditions permitting, it will be training on Saturday and Sunday next weekend ahead of the season beginning the following weekend.

Any Given Sunday......

In the USA, everybody would immediately think "NFL". For many long time sailing fans in Sydney, it means 18' Skiff sailing! And now, for me, it's how I will be spending my Sunday's for the next 6 months.

Yesterday, I collected the boat I have been allocated for the season. I have been very fortunate to get a top boat in my first season and I am delighted to be sailing Appliances Online.Com.au. The boat sponsor is the leading online vendor of whitegoods in Australia and this particularly pleases me, having spent a significant part of my career since business school consulting to online businesses. Since I have been in Oz, whenever people have mentioned on-line shopping, I have mentioned Appliances Online. Little did I know how they would become part of my life!

The boat seems to be really glam, with all the little "Gucci" bits already done. In fact, I have more work to do on the trailer than on the boat! So, yet another example of having "All the gear, no idea". In fact, in "big rig" conditions, I have no excuses as the boat has a reputation for being fast in those conditions.

For those who don't know, an 18 Footer has 2 rigs, with the smaller one consisting of a shorter mast and reduced sail area. The crossover point is around 14-15 knots so understanding weather conditions is important on marginal days. Get caught out in too much wind with the big rig and you struggle to get around the course while using the small rig when others can handle the big one leaves you short on power (and speed). Hopefully, there won't be too many marginal days in the early part of the season.

The first challenge is to get a crew together. Finding people with the right skill level who are committed to a season isn't easy in Sydney. If I was in the UK, there would be a line of people around the block! However, on Monday I will be out for a try out sail with 2 keen guys so I will be hoping for a perfect 10-12 knots, blue sky and some heat in the sun.

Rohan Veal - Rolex World Sailor of the Year?

A few weeks ago, Rohan and I spent a great day playing with cars. We share a passion for Porsches. However, even on a day away from sailing, it was hard to avoid the obvious subject. Rohan also let me into a little secret which is now public. For the second time, he has been nominated for Rolex World Sailor of the Year. And I can tell you that the boy is pretty blown away about this.

For those of you who don't know, Rohan is known as Mr Foiler, being the sailor who has done most to promote foiling Moths and who is, without doubt, the man who sets the standard. He took that standard even higher earlier this year by winning the Moth Worlds , counting straight firsts. Not only that, he gave a masterclass in how to sail in heavy weather that made everybody else look ordinary when in fact, the others included Olympians and World class sailors.

Rohan's domination should, in itself be enough but the icing on the cake is the way he has been an ambassador for his branch of the sport and for the sport in general. Sure, it is his job but Rohan attracts crowds wherever he goes, be it the small little dinghy club or Alinghi's base the day before the last race of the AC. You know that something special is happening when the whole Alinghi squad down tools to watch. In addition, Rohan has fired the imagination of the powers behind the sport, the ISAF Executive.

So, this year, based on who has been nominated, Rohan is my World Sailor of the Year. However, this is where politics takes over and who knows what will happen.

Is an Englishman's home is his Castle?

This week I continue my assimilation into Aussie life by furthering my "education" of the construction industry. First stop was a 4 hour meeting with our architects, to begin to flesh out some of the interior design ideas for the house renovation. The layout and exterior is now pretty well fixed, having sent all the drawings in to council and if they give us permission, the house should end up looking like this.

I am still reeling at how much all the plans, reports and application fees have cost. Some years ago in the UK, we developed a golf driving range and 9 hole golf course, a project worth 10 times our house refurbishment and the total fees to get DA (planning permission) were half of what we have paid here in Oz. Ouch!!

The next shock came when we received the quotes for a small job at my Mother-in-Law's apartment. I have a pretty good idea of how much the job would cost in the UK and the quotes are at least 30% higher. I had already got this sort of warning. Architects had advised us that for our renovations, we should budget $4500 per square metre. In the UK, you can build a house to the highest standards for $3750 per square metre. Ouch!!

While I already knew I needed to get an owner/builder license, I have learnt that you can only get one every 5 years! I find it bad enough that I need a license to work on my own house, but to limit me to only once every 5 years seems unfair. There are better ways of stopping developers using owner/builder licenses as a loophole. How about a primary residence rule?

I nearly became a law breaker with my plans to do some rewiring. In the UK anybody can do any work on their own house. Not only have I rewired houses, I have done plumbing as well as gas plumbing. My Aussie friends look at me in surprise, citing the dangers of electricity and the chances of fire or electrocution. Well, in the UK we don't have any issues with this - houses aren't burning down due to DIY and people aren't dropping dead while sorting the electrics of their houses. I suspect and hope that Aussies are no more stupid than the Brits, or does the government know something I don't!

I think the construction industry licensing scheme seems to offer good consumer protection against cowboy builders and tradesmen but at a price. However, to stop me working on my own house without a license is, in my opinion, a government intrusion too far. Or do I have to accept that an Englishman's home is no longer his castle but a bottomless pit just waiting for the Tradies to discover it!

Learning apparent wind sailing on dry land.

There are times when a day on the beach is worth more than a day on the water. The Balmoral race team cancelled racing early and a decision to stay ashore was easy to make. 15 to 25 knot bullets rolling off the beach, straight through the moorings was never going to be my idea of fun. However, there is a small section of the Balmoral Moth fleet that is hell bent on destruction testing..................."I bet my main won't last past the first gybe........." So I head home for a better view of the action.

The view from 30 metres above the water is very educational. Yes, I have watched the sailing from the house before but this time it was different. The gusts were very clearly defined and I now know why Robbie Greenhagh will be spending so much time up Origin's mast. Sure, you can see the wind on the water from inside the boat but up high, you get a real sense of what is happening. And in this case, it was "3...2...1....WIPEOUT". These were bullets that not even Neo could dodge!

However, the really educational bit was observing the relationship between boatspeed and the speed at which gusts moved. Now, we all know the theory and have experienced the effects in practice, but I can highly recommend a day observing from above to sharpen your feel for where the wind is coming from when sailing faster than the wind.

So, am I going to use this? By placing large sums of money on Adam Beashel to win in the 18's whenever it gets puffy! After all, he has spent a lot of time up high and he will be the only one not tempted to stick his finger in the air to see where the breeze is coming from! As for myself? I suspect I will be able to tell the crew exactly when it's going to go pear shaped ........."3....2....1....WIPEOUT!"

not really the beginning.......

So, finally, a blog. having been in Oz for 8 months I thought it was about time I got with the programme. Or maybe it has taken this long to ensure that I have enough worth writing about.

So, what can you expect to see? I guess its a little late for the ski season so I am now getting revved up for sailing. This season is going to be busy. I have a Bladerider foiling Moth sitting in the boat shed at Balmoral which I will be sailing on Saturdays and, if possible, during the week as well. Then, for Sundays, I have lined up an 18' skiff out of the League.

For me, this is the realisation of an ambition as I consider these 2 classes to be the ultimate sailing. It's also a bit daunting, taking on probably the most challenging boats out there. It's not like I haven't been there before, having sailed Moths 25 years ago and campaigned 49ers for some time, but in both cases I was able to train away from the public eye while this time, my learning curve will be witnessed by rather too many people.

Another activity you should see mentioned regularly is Bootcamp http://www.hooyah.com.au/ which I attend at Balmoral beach 3 times a week, starting at 6.00 am. It suits my whole attitude to sport - harder, faster etc. "Sarge" Scott Anderson sees it as his job to break me as often as he can, insisting it is for my own good. We have a great bunch of "recruits" ranging in age from "young enough to be my daughter" all the way up to.......me! Yes, I am the oldest but so what. It is certainly getting me into shape for the summer.

I should add at this point that I couldn't go as hard as I do if it weren't for the Pilates classes http://www.springpilates.com.au/ I attend twice a week. It might be the most boring fitness activity I do but the benefits are essential - core stability, better muscle balance, better flexibility etc. I used to laugh at Pilates, but now understand why so many sports stars and teams have it as part of their regular training regime.

I find it hard to imagine that there will be no mention of my obsession with cars and in particular, my 1992 Porsche 911 Carrera RS

It is one of 70 right hand drive cars built and there are only 3 or 4 in Australia. It is basically a road legal race car that was designed to be driven from the showroom, via public roads, to the racetrack, compete and then driven home. I try to compete in the Porsche Club of NSW Super sprint series, although sailing will probably get in the way in the summer. However, I do use it as a daily drive and carry out some of the maintenance myself.

I will also be sharing the joys of the house renovation we are hoping to undertake, having just submitted a DA (development application). At the moment I am planning to become an owner/builder which should lead to lots of stories of frustration and pain!

Finally, last but not least is my family. I have followed my wife Ginette half way around the world to Oz as she wanted to come home after 19 years in the UK. I don't actually remember "love, honour and emigrate" being part of the marriage vows, but I am here anyway. Our 2 daughters are Zara, aged 9 and Sasha, aged 5, who have settled in Australia better than we could have hoped for, as have our 2 dogs and the cat.