Searching for a Cyclone The ORCV Race Management Team for the 2018 Melbourne to Osaka Double-Handed Yacht Race includes 6 Duty Race Directors and 2 Fleet Weather Officers - Robin Hewitt & Andrew Roberts.   Robin and Andrew are on a Daily Roster and maintain a constant watch on weather conditions for the fleet. They prepare detailed analysis of weather outlook at least twice daily (m [ ... ]

THE NEW ORCV WINTER SERIES FORMAT EXPLAINED
THE DATES The dates for the 2018 Winter Series are as follows: Race One - Sunday 3nd June, 2018. Format: 20 – 30nm Passage Race. Race Two – Saturday 7th July, 2018. Format: Blairgowrie Passage Race. Race Three – Saturday 4th August, 2018. Format: 20 – 30nm Passage Race. Race Four – Saturday 1st September, 2018. Format: Geelong Passage [ ... ]

Why sail 2 handed ?? Ask this question in the bar and you will probably get a light hearted answers like “nobody steals my bunk”. Get people to seriously think about it and there may well be a deeper set of reasons. On a personal level it is challenging and exhilarating. In the bay its just the two of you, working together trying to do the work of many. Tacking, gybing, getting a kite up a [ ... ]

Glorious Port Fairy again turned on the picture perfect weather we have begun to expect of this Easter Weekend race. The small fleet started in moderate winds with fine sailing until near Cape Otway. The wind swung and built to over 20, with some gusts to 30 knots, never extreme and then slowly died away again but still good to keep the fleet moving jauntily to its ultimate destination. It did me [ ... ]

2018 Melbourne To Port Fairy Race Simon Dryden, PRO for the Osaka race and backup Race Director for the Port Fairy race, has produced a good summary of the weather situation for us on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/V7giguic7pw As he observes, the models are coming into alignment now, with minor variations. The weather is influenced by the leading edge of an approaching high but it looks like it w [ ... ]

ORCV Announces all new format for 2018 Winter Series The Ocean Racing Club of Victoria (ORCV) is excited to announce the development of an all new format for its 2018 Winter Series, to be held on the waters of Port Phillip Bay, commencing Sunday 3rd of June, 2018.  As the proud organising club of the longest running winter series on the Bay, the ORCV conducted a review over the summer mont [ ... ]

  "Rip" Tour of Port Phillip Heads Do you want to escape the restriction of our vast Port Phillip Bay and venture outside to try out some ocean sailing in Bass Strait? For this you must first know how to safely enter and exit the bay through its very narrow opening -  affectionately called "the Rip". Find out how to get out of the bay and into Bass Strait by attending our next “Rip [ ... ]

ORCV Offshore Championship With results in for the first four races, competition for the Offshore Championship is now starting to take shape. The revised series format requires that each yacht’s score must include at least three Category 2 races and, to be eligible for the Championship, a yacht must either complete one of the Group 1 races (Osaka/Noumea/Westcoaster) or include results for bo [ ... ]

2018 King Island  Well it's been exciting from the very begining, starting earlier in the week when the Race Director Simon Dryden made the call to move the start time from 2.30am to 1.00am.  Unfortunately with such light conditions in the few hours leading up to the start, a further review of the race start was required, as light winds and current were presenting challenging conditions [ ... ]