ORCV adoption of the Australian Sailing Membership Protection Policy (and appointment of the ORCV MPIO)

The ORCV General Committee voted to adopt the Australian Sailing Membership Protection Policy (MPP) for its members and participants. This policy is consistent with the ORCV rules. This document clarifies how the ORCV has implemented the Australian Sailing MPP for the ORCV.

Since all ORCV members and all ORCV race participants (a requirement of an ORCV Notice of Race) are members of an Australian Sailing affiliated club, the Australian Sailing MPP was considered relevant and fit for purpose. It includes a code of behaviour, which all participants are expected to abide by. It seeks to “prevent all forms of harassment, discrimination, and abuse and to promote positive behaviour and values.”

Critical aspects of the ORCV’s implementation of the MPP are noted below:

• The MPP extends to all participants in ORCV events, not just ORCV Members. This includes staff, volunteers, sponsors, race and training participants, guests, and supporters.
• The General Committee appoints the ORCV Membership Protection Information Officer.  The General Committee has been appointed to this role, Tim Fowler. If there is no MPIO appointed, the ORCV Commodore fulfills that role.
• The MPIO may appoint an investigation working group, ideally gender-balanced in sexual misconduct or gender-based harassment. The working group will investigate, find facts where it can, determine whether the complaint is substantiated, and recommend actions arising.
• All complaint matters will be kept confidential (between the MPIO and the investigation working group) throughout the investigation process and will remain confidential unless found substantiated.
• The Investigation report will be provided to the ORCV Commodore for process oversight and approval of recommendations. 
• The working group may request from Australian Sailing an advisor, typically their MPIO. In such cases, they may receive some details of the complaint, which will remain confidential. The Australian Sailing MPIO will also determine whether escalation to the Australian Sailing CEO is necessary.
• Recommendations of a general nature, for example, process improvements, will be provided to the ORCV General Committee and/or Australian Sailing.

To discuss an issue you may have or to make a complaint, please get in touch with our MPIO, Tim Fowler, via 0432 033 314

1st March Members and Guests BBQ

We are excited to advise that all systems are go for our next Members and Guests BBQ, next Friday evening, 1^st March 2019, at the beautiful lakeside venue of the State Sailing Centre, at 3 Aquatic Drive, Albert Park, commencing from 5:30pm.

As with our December BBQ, we will again be providing a range of meats (chicken, porterhouse steak, burgers sausages and salmon fillets) salads, breads and desserts, all you can eat, for $20.00 per person.

With the 2019 Melbourne to King Island Race scheduled for the following week, which will host another bumper fleet of 30 yachts and more than 280 competitors, and our 2019 Training program gearing up to be one of the biggest years ever, including the highly successful Beyond The Bay program, our Members and Guests BBQ is a great opportunity to meet with our General Committee, instructors and volunteers in a relaxed and friendly environment and hear all about what the ORCV has planned for the 2019 Racing, Training and Sailing year.

All ORCV Members, guests and friends are invited to join us.

To assist with catering, we request that you register your interest to attend by clicking on the Register Now button on our Members BBQ Home Page HERE.

As a new dawn awakens in 2019, the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria would like to give a huge thank you to all its members, all those who race with us, our invaluable team of volunteers, hard working committee members, and loyal staff, who make this club what it is.

Here’s to an epic ORCV racing year!

Tasmanian boat Oskana claimed line honours in the early hours of the morning after skipper Michael Pritchard and crew overcame wild weather and technical problems on their Cookson 50 to reach Hobart in 2 days 12 hours 52 minutes and 04 seconds. But despite rudder problems that started on the remote west coast of Tasmania, Oskana came home in style, reaching speeds of 28.7 knots at times according to the ORCV race tracker. 

“To finish first you must first finish, is a term we embrace on the boat,” Orthopaedic surgeon Pritchard had told ORCV media before the race and despite problems that is how it turned out after 435 miles of often exhilarating sailing.

Joining Oskana on the Tasmanian dominated podium, according to provisional results, is David Aplin's Mdb 36 Whistler which had shared the top of the AMS handicap leader board at times with Justin Brenan's Lidgard 36 Alien as they surfed down the windy west coast. However Whistler with acknowledged handicap specialist Aplin at the helm has made a clean sweep of handicap honours with top spots in IRC, PHS and AMS to complete the Tasmanian domination of the West Coaster. 

Still at sea as we go to press are the majority of the fleet who are entering the Derwent River led by Soiree Bleu(Douglas Lithgow) who has made big gains during the night ahead of Jaffa(Terry Posma), Alien(Justin Brenan) and Addiction(Richard McGarvie). Further back, the early winner in the battle of the short-handed boats is currently Maverick(Rod Smallman and crewman Thomas Vaughan) who is a few miles ahead of Red Jacket's female crew skippered by Annette Hesselmans and includes her 20 year-old daughter Sophie Snijders.

Backmarkers Fast Forward(Matt Fahey) and Escapade(Robert Bradley) are just rounding South East Cape and will be hoping to make Hobart before the pubs close and all the scallop pies are scoffed so we wish them well, because finishing what is arguably Australia's toughest offshore race is a win in itself. On that note, commiserations to Christine(Paul Bunn) who retired to Devonport but will hopefully try again next year.

But the story of the day goes to Oskana. Oskana's dramas began with a grumbling noise on the back of the boat said Pritchard and the steering wheels felt loose off Strahan. “So we dropped the sails to check it out and found that the top rudder bearing had started to collapse.” Fortunately it was the bearing at the top of the shaft rather than the through-hull one which could have been catastrophic for the Cookson 50. “Our navigator, did put a plan together in case we needed a port of refuge and from then on we played it pretty cautiously and didn't put a kite up again until in the lee of Bruny Island,” said Pritchard. As conditions worsened on the west coast Oskana was down to only a small jib at times with no mainsail but still flying in 49 knots of wind. As conditions eased up the east coast the weary crew found themselves fighting for every zephyr of pressure in 1-2 knots on the Derwent River after midnight.

“But really pleased with the boat and so happy to win this really prestigious race,” added Pritchard. Having done two Sydney to Hobarts and now the West Coaster, he could really appreciate the immense challenge of this iconic race, he said. In fact Tasmania has the trifecta this year with Duncan Hine's local boat Alive just declared as handicap winner of the Rolex Sydney-Hobart; the first local boat to do so.

ORCV Commodore, Martin Vaughan, congratulated all competitors on a fantastic race and thanked sponsor Engine Property Group. Engine Property Group is an experienced, recognised and award winning industry leader in the management of large multi-level owners corporations and estates and is structured accordingly.

ORCV Melbourne to Hobart leaders approach South East Cape

Race leader Oskana continues to set the pace, maximising the big southwesterlies by staying further out to sea than the rest of the fleet as she gybed her way around South West Cape and is now passing Australia's most southerly lighthouse on Maatsuyker Island, with the bow of this Cookson 50 firmly pointed at South East Cape and the relatively calmer waters of Tasmania's east coast.

BoM Meteye wind predictions give her pressure all the way up to the Derwent River, or as sailors disdainfully call it, 'the ditch'; a waterway that can make or break hearts. Here the westerly breeze is forecast to be fickle during the night so skipper Michael Pritchard is making haste right now, pushing the boat at 14 knots according to the Blue Water  tracker.

But Oskana is not having it all her own way as second boat Tevake II(Angus Fletcher) has gained nearly four miles since the morning by taking the more inshore route around the tall sentinel of South West Cape which puts her firmly on top of the handicap leader board, nearly an hour ahead of rival Whistler on corrected time. However under IRC handicap Tasmanian boat Whistler(David Aplin) is in a strong position, ahead of Alien(Justin Brenan) and Maverick(Rod Smallman).

The back of the fleet are still riding the big winds down the west coast and having their own private tussles, with the short-handed boats Red Jacket and Maverick keeping in contact as they surf towards High Rocky Point, mid-way down the west coast. Red Jacket, the Radford 12.2 is skippered by Annette Hesselmans and three female crew including 20 year-old daughter Sophie Snijders who are using the autopilot to help sail their course when the crew require rest or conditions are mild. Alongside them are the double-handers Rod Smallman and crewman Thomas Vaughan who have texted some images of them having dinner and generally enjoying the race on their Jeanneau Sunfast 3600.

But it will be a long night for the backmarkers Fast Forward and Escape that are only passing Strahan. However Matt Fahey's Fast Forward is one of the tough Sydney 38s so will be taking the windy conditions in her stride while she watches the sail of Robert Bradley's Farr 38IMS Escape just ahead.

Meantime at the front, Oskana will be aiming to reach Hobart around midnight or even before if she maximises the breeze and successfully stems the outgoing tide on the Derwent River to claim line honours and a home victory for a Tasmanian yacht.

Follow the yachts Blue Water Race Tracker: https://race.bluewatertracks.com/2018-melbourne-to-hobart-yacht-race