Aaawww Phuuuuk

"Hey Dad - what was your sail like?" asked the young fella when I got home. So how do you answer that?

I said "Well son, we had no swell, it was warm and sunny, the breeze was warm, we flew a kite for half the race. What's not to like?"

But what more it could have been.

Picked up Rude at 4.45am, went through the nogo zone into Bunbury to get the Slatherman, and set off for Freo. A bowl of fat with hair in it from a roadhouse for breakky and we were set. Even allowing for the skipper to peel off a nervous one just when we wanted to leave the pen, we were at the start line in good order. Picked up the sign on snakes, and took in the view of a glorious summer's day on the water.

Till it was time to put the drive unit to bed. A rather unsettling thud was heard when trying to pull up the leg. A bit like the sound of metal on fibreglass. Not good - and about 3 mins to the warning signal.

We decided to start so as to give ourselves a chance. Pnve well clear of the line it was time for an on-site inspections. A quick glance through the crew revealed that John Boardman was the fittest fella to send over to sort it out. He confirmed that he could not tell what was happening. So then it was the skippers turn. As was his right, he identified the problem, and so instructed John on how to fix it. Quite fantastically, John did.

Having given the fleet half an hour, we set off. At the insistence of the cook, we hoisted the A3 for the leg to the windmills. Cracker of a move - why haven't we listened to him before. 8.5kts and fetching the mark. Bar Minds Eye, no-one else attempted such a bold move. We carried the kite comfortable for nearly all the leg, just needing to peel to the Code 2 for the last half mile.

The course was complex - straight to Bunbury. The fleet went right, we went left. The SW was in earlier than was forecast, and we were fetching Coventry Reef. And all the time we were making Bunbury faster than the rest of the fleet. Halfway through Comet Bay we looked good as we looked like clearing Cape Bouvard. If we could continue on that, we would sail the shortest distance to Bunbury.

But the wind backed, and we found ourselves on course to sail into the Dawesville Cut. We took a step out, hoping to clear the Cape and reset on Starboard. But the breeze continued to back, and we were to have this routine of taking steps out to the West all the way to Bunbury. This was not the only disappointment, however. We were settled on starboard for a period when, somewhere near Preston Beach we lost the spinnaker pole. It slid down the deck and into the piss. We hastily turned the boat around and returned to where it lay in the water. We made a couple of passes to retrieve it, but unfortunately it sank before it could be saved. With the breeze from the South it looked like we may well be without a valued tool.

The remainder of the beat was just that, and we were an hour behind the competition when we rounded Bunbury. But it was hard to be unhappy then. The breeze was about 12kts and warm. And the water was flat. It was more of a summer night's cruise than a hard offshore sail.

We elected to settle onto starboard for a while. It was the rhumb line and the pressure was reasonable. We were sailing to fetch Cape Bouvard, which was a little deeper than was optimal. But it was the shortest course. However when we got closer to land the breeze dropped off. It was time to either hot up for speed, or go offshore to hunt for pressure. We did the latter, and it proved correct withing half an hour. Even in just 4nm's we were back in pressure and making good speed. But port gybe was not comfortable given the wind-wave state. Nevertheless, we hung out there for a good while just to make sure.

The breeze continued to build, and backed a little. It was above the working range for the A1 and we were going fast. But it had to happen at some time. We rounded up - not too badly, but we did lose steerage. With the gear eased, the kite flogged horribly. We were slowly getting the boat back up when the 0.5oz cloth gave away. It was time for a very hasty retrieval of sail cloth and the detached tapes.

We got the A2 up. and soon decided to gybe. We had nearly 24kts so the new heading (around 012) gave some great surfing conditions. The swell was small, but the wind waves were ok. And the new heading would put us very close to the windmalls, albeit some hours away.

In the early hours, the wind veered a little, and it became slow trying to maintain the layline. But the pressure was solid and fair progress was achieved. With the veer, another gybe was needed to get to the windmalls, before a fetch to South Mole and the finish.

Fair to say that it was a tiring race. Everyone was a little weary at the end. It was not a great race result, but it was one of the better trips south one will do. And a fun ride home.

There is always next time.

Roland Smith - Gordon Craig

So everyone arrives at the boat on saturday morning, some before others, except this time with 2 of our number less. Great start that morning saw us second around the day boy and retaining that position for the first half of the race. Couldn't hold it for ever and good reading of the conditions saw Southern Star slip past before Garden Island. Later in the race we had several of the bigger boats slip past but still managed to beat TNF across the line.

Sunday saw another great start, just a pity that the RC called us over and we had to return back before continuing on. A well executed gybe set at the day boy however saw us back in contention with everyone else having done bear aways. Being a predominately downwind race was not in our favor however consistent sailing and no errors saw us finish in such a position that allowed Jaffa to claim the regatta overall.

Main points to remember then are;

• Crew work was excellent.
• Don't stay in Rockingham.
• A bucket and elastic bands are good for tying kites.

Jaffa Crew member gero return

Hi Jaffas

After having a empty feeling after not getting to Gero I had some unfinished business.I put my hand up to do the return onboard Finistere the Davidson 50 a beautiful old boat that still gives the carbon 50 s a push.Joined crew in Gero for a 9.30 am got a great start and was 3 rd around turning can A3 popped for trip out to the beacon before turning south.Seas started to get a bit lumpy and huey thought he would have some fun with the fleet with wind on the nose and the navi saying its going to be a long tough trip well he was right.First casualty was Alfresco who pulled out and went to Dongara smart move as it was hard big seas and slamming off waves constantly would have been hell in a lightweight 36 footer.Next to go was This Way Up who got a little further down the coast and Bailed out a Jurien.By Midnight events were unfolding at the rear of the fleet with Farrago losing its stick and then fouling the prop they were left to drift awaiting a tow from sea rescue into Two Rocks one of my favorite ports on the coast.. anyway after tacking in the early hours of the morning we were in 3 rd spot with only Knee deep and OP in front of us . Well the tack into the shore awaiting the south easterly was a bad move huey strikes again and the breeze stayed south west we went from 10 miles in front of the next factor to 10 miles behind ouch.pushed hard all day Saturday and into sat night this is when the Sled had issues with the rig and pulled out.after a long tack to fairway light and over the finish at 2.10 am Sunday a couple of bundys off to bed as the sun was coming up. a tough trip physically and mentally it would have been interesting if jaffa had made the return

cheers Roody

Introspection

Just a few observations after the event.

1. Average boat speed after we rounded Rotto was 12.66knts. Average true wind speed was 28.34knts. Looks about right. Average boat speed with the large runner was 12.31 in 26.6knts breeze and 12.77knts in 29knts of breeze for the medium spinnaker.

2. Highest boat speed was 20.3knts acheived by Doug L, Con and Ben. The target boatspeed was 23.9knts. True wind speed at that time showed 39.7knts. This was 2 minutes before the fateful event. Wind speed seem right as it was a gust and wind can be up to 40% stronger in the gusts.

3. We where tracking the optimised course prepared by Roger Badham but 10 degrees high on the software calculated optimised course, but the polars are a bit enthusiastic at the higher wind ranges. This all makes sense as Badhams are based on Farr 40.

4. Rudder was impossible to steer with on the Stbd tack as the attached cord from the steering was wrapped 360 degrees around the rudder and was probably like that from the time the shackle broke.

5. Break load on the shackle was 1250kg. Steering anufacturer thinks this is more than adequate if the load is taken over the whole of the pin, which it was. Now backed up by dynex lashing as there is no simple way of replacing shackle arrangment that will not compromise the chain. Most of the maxis lash everying in the system rather than hard fixings. Can only think that the pin became loose as the thread was not damaged. Now the shackle is taped.

5. Emergency rudder manufacturer admitted the tiller wall was too light. Have fixed for free.

6. HF radio problem is intermittent and possibly the hand piece. Is going to Barrett for a check.

7. Apart from a small bit from UK all else is fine.

Coventry Reef and Harbour Race next. Looking for redemption.

Jaffar.

The Poseidon Adventure

Con remarked earlier in the week that the up gero race looked as though it would be a hollywood sail, indeed it was. We were mistaken however in thinking this would be a film with all the connotations of a tinsel town romantic as in fact we had tickets to a blockbuster double screening.

Much anticipation had gone into this race on the part of the Jaffa crew, disappointed we were then when the race was heralded with a lacklustre start that saw us completely blocked and stalled out with 30 seconds to go. It really is quite amazing how such a short period of under performance can produce consequences that potentially last for the rest of the race. Needless to say then, by the time we reached the windmills those consequences had manifested themselves in a 3.30mi deficit on Next Factor and comparable gap from Al fresco whose ability to keep up with the bigger boats was very impressive.

Rounding Rottnest therefore we all had on our minds some hard sailing to get back in the race. That is exactly what we did, starting with the A1 and then reluctantly changing down to the A2 had us surfing waves and doing reasonable numbers. At 7pm helm changed over to Doug who took it upon himself to push the envelope achieving a new Jaffa record of 19knts. Unfortunately there was little time to celebrate such an achievement as just after dark the fatal words:

I’ve lost steerage ! I have no steerage ! Everybody on deck!

Escaped his mouth, at that point I was not quite aware of the implications of such an exacerbated statement and so made my way onto the rail to fully take in the moment. Initially we bore down rapidly and dangerously close to gybing, however we actually seemed pause just at that point. Now someone said “get that spinnaker down”. Right I thought now I’ve got something to do, Cooksey and I had a remarkably calm chat about how best we should do this deciding a drop through the front hatch most suitable, going forward there was no way of grabbing the lazy sheet to help bring it in, instead I shouted to fire the halyard and used the lazy brace to pull the foot down to the boys. I had neglected to notice that presently we had no topping lift on the pole but fortunately my head prevented it from suffering any damage when fell onto the deck.

With the kite down a little civility returned to the boat and such formalities as emergency steerage, waypoints back to freo and radio checks were sorted out. Our night was however by no means over as after heading inshore for some 13 miles under storm jib and reefed main a tack was called for. This as Doug, who was again on the helm (pattern emerging) remarked, would be interesting as it would require turning the boat disconnecting the emergency and then reconnecting it on the other side. The first two steps were executed easily, the last one however was where some difficulty emerged and resulted ultimately in breaking the emergency steerage. That’s okay though because we’ve got the emergency rudder cassette right. Wrong! When the original rudder is still attached and your trying to punch into swell that little fella is inept. Desperate times called for extraordinary measures and it was at this time Terry chose to fix the primary steering and although this meant we spent close to half an hour spinning un controllably, ultimately and to much acclaim the steering was fixed. While we were still along way from home the journey back was in comparison, dull being for the most part a matter of keeping course, mitigating the slamming and staying clipped. At about 10.30 am we had finally made it back to freo but not without further the tribulations of again loosing steerage and motor several hundred meters from the harbour entrance which was only resolved by a tow in by sea rescue. I think everyone can be impressed by the way in which despite adversity no one flipped their lid and that we have an RO who can fix his boat. Indeed if such an ordeal was a film it’s reviews would read; without a dull moment this was a story, albeit a drawn out one, of adversity, ingenuity and endurance and although having moments of brilliance viewers won’t find themselves in eager anticipation of a sequel.

-Al.

What could have been

Well, someone has to start.

All the crew were at the boat nice and early. A couple of introductions for those who hadn't met, and it was time to prepare. Le chef de jour burdened the vessel with enough to feed the crews of all Div 1 boats. But in weight terms nothing compared with the 2 life rafts that had to be settled into a safe location.

Doug "Slatherman" Lawler brought a little bit of Bali with him, and wanted to know whether Musto made wet weather gear with a comfort zip for the rear passage, lest it be needed in haste. Young Alistair "why are your hands on my shoulders" Marchesi woolled the kites with Ben R. in anticipation of a bit of a puff. Wise men. The RO and his tactician managed the boat set-up before Doug C presented the crew briefing. Safety and crew work was the agenda.

Despite seemingly to have lots of time, we did not have a lot of time remaining when we left the pen. Coupled with HF issues, and we were a little unsettled by start time, resulting in a less than glamorous start. Never mind, still a few miles to go. All the boats that we would like to be with had ground on us, and even TWU rounded the day buoy ahead of us. But some real nice driving got us past them before the north mole rounding. From there is was a tight blast reach to the windmills. We put good ground on those behind us, but despite my optimism, gains on the leaders were meagre, so by the time we made west end it we had a bit to do.

With about 23kts of breeze at that stage(maybe 3.3), Doug C called for the A1. With input from the crew this was changed to the A2, but as we bore away a last minute return to the A1 was decided. Once this got up we were away.

The breeze was rock solid, so the game was where to go, and for the crew to pull the boat down as many waves as possible. The pole let us soak a little deeper which allowed us to split the courses of the leaders. TNF and AlFresco going west, others nore direct.

With the breeze getting over 25, we changed down to the A2. No apparent loss of speed, and a litlle more manageable. This mode was how it remained, with the breeze buiding to 30. It was intense with drivers seeking to run down the waves, trimmers and grinders working hard. Ever presnt was the thought at the back of the mind 'what happens if the arse of the boat gets a little kick from a wave when we soak down a wave?"

But some fun rides were had. It did not take long for the old record to be broken, with a couple of really good runners giving us readings in the 15's for extended periods.

As the sun set and darkness descended. Slatherman was given the reins. Hollywood or bast is his styule, so we got both. 19.1 on the log was cause for hollerin' and thoughts of lunch at Gero started to form. We sent one watch down for a bit of a rest, knowing that there was not going to be any rest for crew when they were up. And then it happened.

Dougy yells "No steering", as we bowl out. Assuming htis meant that the rudder had lost bite, I proceeded to grind furiously to get te kite to reset. It took a moment for everyone to realise that the steering mechanism had failed. In 30kts and th boat abeam the wing and waves, getting the kite down took some effort. But, with plenty of hands it came down without a scratch.

Then it came time to fit the emergency tiller, which, although functional, is not designed for racing mode. At least not in these conditions. So with the boat in settled mode, Terry examined the steering and resolved that it could not be repaired to enable us to continue to race.

So that was that. Out. What do you do when you are 50nms up the coast, out of the race, and in 30kts of southerly? Well we aint sailing to Gero with the emegrency tiller. So beating back to Freo is the order of the day. What fun.

If tha twasn't enough, a couple of hours later saw the emergency tiller fail. The ali tube just fatigued at the very rudder post. Nothing to be done. What's left? - just the emergency steering system. Terry had gone to some trouble fitting an emergency steering system, for which we were now grateful. No dodgy arrangement with a floorboard and the spinnakerpole, but a genuine transome hung rudder. Problem was, it had to compete for control with the real rudder which was free to pivot around randomnly. I guess it is gratifying to discover that the proper rudder works better.......

So where are we now? Steering - well twin rudders, neither working. Oh, and no comms. Not even an effective VHF. We could only wonder what anyone looking at the tracker snail trail might have been thinking!

At this point, the RO went into the confines of the stern where the steering mechanism resides. Over the course of an hour he stayed there working on a very technical and fiddly task in a sea that was not particularly benign. And then joy. How he did it we won't know, but he managed to conjure up a repair job that got the steering to 90% in his own words.

Which then left us with only about 8 hrs yachting to get back to Freo. At least the wind will abate, we were assured by the forecasts. Well it didn't. It might have backed a little, but it stayed in the mid 20's the whole time.

At midday, we pulled ourselves into the pen, having been assisted by Freoseareascue. They were very handy, and their rig is a ripper. Thanks to them.

So the Gero race is over for us for this year. And unless the RO gets the boat up there during the week, we won't be on the water fore the return next week either. Memories - well hard running is fingernail biting stuff. Exhausting and terrifying, but with great hope of swapping war stories with othe boats whan you get to Gero. Turning around mid race is a monster let down, and the return, when not racing, is a hard slog. Still, at least we didn't hit a whale...

And there is always next year.........

Well yes 2 nd on IRC is a great result for a new group and 1.39% off TNF we have room for improvment but that last 1% is very hard to find put we will give it a nudge .I have even given up the piss for Gero which for a winemaker is very scary.The sweating and shaking stopped after 4 days so there should be at least 0.3% in that.