MONOMASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP

LAKE COOTHARABAH

DECEMBER 1^ST/2^ND 2008

Two reports from different crews for the second leg of the Doyle Sailmaker's Traveller's Series.

Four RRS&RC ns14’s travelled north for The Monomasters Championships at Boreen point, on Lake Cootharabah QLD, December 1^st/2^nd. We were told by our B&B owner that he’d actually walked across the lake, just to give you an indication of how shallow the inland waterway is. It was also pleasantly temperate over the border for December, and not stinking hot as we had expected!

Fresh from the ns14 training weekend at the RRS&RC the previous weekend, competition was fast and furious between the 9 ns14’s entered. Saturday Races 1&2 saw a SE 15 knot breeze and late afternoon squalls with gusts of up to 25 knots to close the days sailing, blowing several boats off the water and hindered with breakages. Poppy Flemming and I had had a swim at the second mark as we tried to gybe on top of #1857 Aphrodite. The mud is very nasty in your mast! The MG’s and The Sharpies and their spinnakers proving problematic for we ns14 er’s!

Sunday Races 3&4, saw a reduced SE breeze but stiff, 8-10 knots that suited #1920 Dr Who to give poppy Flemming a victory ns14 position, much to the old boy’s delight! And his crew tart! A lot of whooping could be heard at the finish line!

Division Four was for the monohulls with a yardstick of 130. The MG’s fought it out with contenders. Local MG’s took 1^st and 2^nd places, followed by a 3^rd MG and an Australian Canoe representative in fourth! The boat creamed the fleet on scratch, generally completing the course in 2/3 the time of the next boat. The ns14’s were no where near the pace. Duncan and local forward hand Chris #1783 whatever…just beat Brendan and daughter Riley # 1874 El Nino to come in first for the ns14’s but 11^th in the division (32 entries). An Asymmetric kite on a course set at angles for them is quick!

Ns14 class results were 1^st #1783 whatever Duncan and Chris  2^nd #1874 El Nino Brendan and Riley  3^rd #1920 Dr Who Graeme and Janet  4^th #1857 Aphrodite Mark and Jody  5^th #1751 Gatecrasher Nev Murray and Jess  6^th # 1997 Don’t Panic Chris and Darcy  7^th Numb nuts Bob and Jess. Nine ns14’s entered but 2 went home to Brisbane with damages! Ouch!!!!

Results can be viewed at http://results.lcsc.org.au/monomasters/series.htm.

Battered, monstrous bruises, shot knee joints and very stiff, this one happy smiling mad sailing pom headed home after a wonderful weekend of ns14 sail racing. Just lovely to catch up with old friends from the SBSC too. The only prize for the ns14’s being a brand new woman’s weekly “slender blender”, Duncan is now the proud owner!

Janet Allured Publicity Officer RRS&RC

This event is the second leg of the Travellers Series for the NS14s, and I had been greatly looking forward to getting back out on Lake Cootharaba . If our vang hangs together this time we should be able to enjoy planing across those fabulous reaches.

Arrangements had been made for the weekend away – dog organised, accommodation that isn’t the tray of the ute, pack the stick to use to operate clutch etc.   Then I get the email.

“I went thru a period of not caring last night whether I sailed or not.”

?!

?!

?!

?!

My brain stalled (and a female brain stalling creates some substantial G forces). I couldn’t even think the obvious question “You did what?!” for several nano-seconds.

Steve Fletcher not caring about going for a sail…………. …………..

I know people, I hear your confusion, it’s a mad, mad world out there.

I appreciate a good alternate reality as much as the next person and although, if forced, I am prepared to consider following my skippers direction, I was looking forward to the continuation of the reality I’ve grown accustomed to. The questions running through my mind were increasing in complexity.  Up the far end of the spectrum was the philosophical musing “Can a captain commit mutiny?”

The situation reminded me of the advert for drinking responsibly; “Becky’s not drinking tonight” and the catastrophic consequences involving NASA, mass panic and a UN Council meeting.

Luckily for world stability, Steve slept on the idea after the three suns set on the planet Ib in the universe he was inhabiting at the time. He thankfully woke up back in the universe we’re all familiar with and ‘Prism’, with its full crew, did indeed end up at Lake Cootharaba on Saturday morning.

Feeling lucky to even be here, I thought it was safest to set any expectations for the weekend fairly low. As long as most of the boat was here I was going to be happy (given that last time we were here Steve let Robyn drive off with the rudder foil still in the car).

Lakeside

I arrived around 9.30am to be confronted by white caps and sheeting rain; conditions suitable for courageous lunatics. Steve rang. He was stopped in traffic. I gave him the good news weather wise. I had managed to get the prime car park at the top of the ramp. In the worst case scenario I’d only have to crawl 15m. Deciding against getting out of the car just yet, I spotted Nev and Neil. As Neil crossed the road I took the opportunity to get a wind strength estimation from the slowly combusting wind indicator in his mouth. His cigarette was still lit when he got across the road so I had to accept that the race would not be called off. In a bit of a lull I got out of the car and retreated to the clubhouse. I passed Bob who was heading back to get the Murray crews out of bed. I wished him luck.

We were all present by the time the 11am race brief was held. The race start sequence was a complete mystery but we’d be the last start so we had time to work it out. The Murray crews were looking very despondent and were complaining about being cold and wet. Brittaney was barely containing her eagerness by turning up to the briefing in her jarmies.

By the time we got in the water the wind had eased. Race 1. A wide array of boats had turned up for the race series; little ones with little kids, bigger ones with slightly bigger kids, and big ones with wine, cheese and nibbles. We ran the line in the first race start and got pushed up in the minute before the gun. When the gun went, unsurprisingly up went the individual recall flag. We were heading for the pin and I was pretty sure it was us so we rounded it. The boat never felt like it had any raging speed so we had to settle for an ordinary performance. It was uneventful though, so we could line up again for the second race.

Race 2. Similar start. This time an MG gave us a touch up on the line. No recall flags this time and we were off. Several rain squalls were coming in from the north but missing us and heading across the western side of the lake. Before we’d left the beach I’d found a spray jacket in the vast universe which is the void behind the seats of my ute. While other, more delicate sailors, had gone out in wetsuits (or bits of wetsuits with conveniently located ventilation panels) I was counting on being kept warm by my natural insulation layer and the warm glow of the spray jacket which made me look radio active. It was fluorescent yellow and would be a beacon to all if the rain set in. Heading for the windward mark for the last time we were looking straight at a rain squall that was never going to miss us. We sped along both reaches to the leeward mark faster than we’d moved all day. The short windward work to the finish line required serious hiking. Having crossed the finish line I had no desire to stay out and be here when the rain hit. The wind was gale force and there were serious waves happening. The pressure on the rig was immense and we were really moving. Something had to give. Steve was worried about our ability to stop before we hit the beach given we’d be running with about 20-30 knots behind us. We thought we’d better get the centre board up while we were out a bit. Steve put us head to wind so I could get the board up and as we took off again the bow swung around wildly and we were swimming.  With less centre board the rudder blade had snapped.

Thanks for coming.

Behind us several more boats were the wrong way up including Neil. Rescue boats were quickly at hand. I tried to keep our mast’s carbon tip out of the mud while Steve undid the main halyard and we got the main off the mast. A few attempts were needed to right the boat and I tied up the jib on one of the subsequent capsizes. The beauty about the Lake is you can stand up and walk back in. We’d managed to get ‘Prism’ upright and keep it that way so I got in and rolled up the main. The rescue boat returned to motor us in. By the time we were on the beach the weather had passed and we were left to clean up in relative calmness. Neil had busted his mast so between ‘Obsession’ and ‘Prism’ there could be made one operational boat. Neil could have our mast or we could have his rudder assembly. He replaced out rudder assembly with his. From where I was sitting 10m away it didn’t look like a good fit. The sincerity of my thanks to him for restoring our ability to race the next day and more than likely face similar conditions was comparably only to the depth of Lake Cootharaba itself. Here’s a better idea; you take our mast, you turn up tomorrow and I’ll call from Brisbane to wish you luck. In the end both Steve and Neil decided to call it quits. Steve went to get the car, with which he returned. That’s good. Now do you want to go back and get the trailer as well?!

Despite the high probability of carnage those rides are so worth the risk. No doubt we’ll be back next year.

Back to SBSC next week and the safety of the river. Although that depends of whether the duct tape will hold - unlikely.

Anita

 rear 

(skipper's report in White, Anita's (crew) version in