Beyond Outrageous Yacht Racing

It has been an interesting week for those ashore as we watched the tracker and tried to work out why the boats went in the direction they went and what has happened when one seems to be going nowhere while others are flying along.

This photo explains a lot of why Kiss has been going slower than we expected her to. Last night the boys pulled into Coffs harbour to effect some repairs. This tear occurred on the first day when they slammed into a wave and the spinnaker pole came off the mast (taking the track with it) and punched through the bottom of the Main. Fortunately it was below the line of the first reef and the rest of the sail was protected by keeping the reef in until now.

Tony had been puzzled as to why Kiss had reacted in an almost pitch pole manner when they went into the back of the wave and the mystery was solved when they checked the new forward watertight bulkhead. It was watertight alright! However it was full of water! Obviously with all the “on the nose” weather the bowsprit was the culprit.

Of course that was not the only problems they had but the auto helm was sorted out with some ingenuity on Tony’s part and I believe the cutting board in the galley is now missing a piece.

Andy does not say much so I don’t want you to think that he is being ignored, he has had to deal with a torn bear suit right from the first day and I hope he has sewn it up or used some sticky back maybe to ensure waterproofing. Andy is required to send the emails as Tony’s dyslexia makes it very difficult for him to write long and involved missives. Andy has to work out the Chart Plotter when it goes haywire which it has a couple of times. New technology is not one of Tony’s favourite things. They have changed the log en route, that seems to have fixed many of their intermittent network problems. I am sure they still have the grins they had on day one.

For those who are on face book Like this page: http://www.facebook.com/Kg2msYachtRacing
I update several times daily posting pictures of the tracker from my iphone.

Stay tuned…

A FEW WORDS FROM THE BOYS!

Within the space of 2 hours after the start we tore a fractional spinniker in half, laid the boat over , broke the HF aerial, lost the depth, temp and speed. I (Andy) managed to get that back. Found out that the autopilot is set up only for a a power boat so we ended up doing big S’s. It has a sailing function on it trying to figure out how it works, tore my (Andy) brand new bear suit, we are at the ass end of the fleet, smashed the pole traveller for the spinnaker clean off resulting in the pole going through the lower section of the main, are now sailing with  with one reef in in 4knts. Oh! and to top it off we ran on the back of a wave so hard we went from 14 knots to 4 knots in about 1 second. it hurt. Tony and I are ok, might have to go into Sydney to get the some bits and pieces. Hopefully  not. Oh! but the internet works. f**k me!

Editors note. With only some spelling and grammar corrections this is the state of the boat and the boys. Nothing that cannot be fixed. They don’t appear to have lost any more ground on the rest of the fleet so things seem to be relatively equal and news from the other boats has shown that problems were fleet wide, an unexpected squall that the Bass Strait is famous for is responsible for what we can hope is the worst they will face. With luck the boys will fix the main as I am sure Tony will not like sailing with a reef in for the rest of the race.

Stay tuned…

After a good nights sleep Tony was doing laps in the Blairgowrie Marina waiting for Andy to hand up his jacket as it was looking a little rough outside the breakwater.

After what looked like some trouble with the Furler, the decision was made to put up the #5 and get to the start line. 

All the yachts were away and and the crowd dispersed. I drove around to the Back Beach and waited to see them come through the heads and see Tony be the first to put up a kite. KGTMS looked to be in the middle of the fleet but that may be deceptive as the tracker shows a different story.

As the sun set over the Bay a scene was played out on the roof of the St Kilda Seabaths.

Our Fundraising event had started out well and people were coming up the stairs. The band, Titanics were testing their equipment. Those already present were milling around talking and enjoying the general ambiance of the evening. Melissa Fahey took the microphone and called everybody to attention and made the announcement. 

Tony Warren was about to marry his long time Partner Shelley Ornsby. The surprise was complete. Both Tony’s and Shelley’s mothers were taken completely unawares as were the entire audience. The ceremony was short and on Facebook before it was over. Thank you Amber Stewart for announcing our Nuptials, that made a few people race to be at the party.

Thank you to all that were present to share in our moment. The night was a great success and was enjoyed by all. Door prizes were given out and the raffle was drawn. Those that won the PFDs please contact Shelley to arrange collection. 0439933746.

Many thanks to the girls on the door also responsible for the fantastic decorations, and to the boys on the BBQ, The Titanics and Grouse House were fantastic and only 3 complaints were reported from the wowsers in the neighborhood. The businesses that donated the door prizes were: Pbenthai Traditional Thai Therapy, Gado Hair and Beauty, Blue Fig Restaurant. Other donated items were from Beachcombers Cafe the use of the roof, the Hutchwilco PFD’s came from Kiss Goodbye to MS’s prize cache. The bands donated their music, a special thanks for the rendition of Billy Idol’s “Nice Day for a White Wedding”. The BBQ was donated by the South Melbourne Football Club, the liferaft was donated by JJ Armstrong, the computer has been donated by Smart Solutions.

Funds raised on the night are paying for the Satphone ($3000) and servicing of the liferaft ($1200). Thank you to all the individual sponsors, your time and efforts are most appreciated. Looking forward to seeing all the photos thank you Nick McGuigan. Over 200 guests enjoyed the music and entertainment and danced until the plug was pulled at midnight.

Due to popularity we have moved the event 200 meters up the beach to Beachcombers Cafe. Join us as we enjoy the sounds of the The Titanics and Grouse House. More door prizes so make sure you book your ticket in advance at http://www.trybooking.com.au/40614

I know I am slow learning how to manouvre around this website but I am getting better. Tony will probably be back in the pen by the time I finish this post. He is keeping a close eye on his new partner and they are in good spirits as they come back through the heads in good time after completing the required 400nm to qualify Andy for his first big adventure that will no doubt be the beginning of great things to come. Remember March 1st go to www.trybooking.com/40614 to book your ticket.