Melbourne to Devonport Rudder Cup Final Reminders
Race WhatsApp group
Rudder Cup 2024 is open to competitor to share their journey. The link to join has been SMS to competitors. All images must be taken by the person submitting. Thank you for sharing and helping us grow the community of ocean racers.
Become a member today
Without our valued members we won’t We strongly encourage you to join the ORCV today to fully leverage your membership benefits and waive crew fees.
If you have a youth member on board, please remember that if you’re doing two races, their membership covers that cost.
Skippers Briefing Video
The Skippers Briefing video is available to watch here
Notices to Mariners
There are vessels sampling the seafloor in Port Phillip Bay. Please check the location of these vessels on the map and avoid them on your way to the start line. See NTM 414
BYO Fenders
Please ensure you bring plenty of fenders for rafting up at Mersey Yacht Club.
Leave at Home document
There is a Leave at Home document available here for you to fill out and leave at home/with your emergency contact.
Radio Skeds document
There is a Sked Sheet document for you to print and use on board here
Food & Drink
SATURDAY NIGHT
- Mersey Yacht Club will be cooking BBQ (sausages and burgers) on arrival, Toasties if very late
- Menulog to arrange yourselves
SUNDAY MORNING
- Mersey Yacht Club will be cooking:
- Scrambled eggs, home-made spicy beans, bacon, toast
- Belgian Waffles and fruit
- Argosy Motel 6.30am – 9.00am - 300m away – full breakfast
DRINKS
- A complementary drink voucher each (vouchers were sent out with trackers)
- Drinks available from the bar
Mersey YC have a 12-seater bus to borrow if you need to collect takeaway food etc. Liaise together if necessary. Check at bar for key, leave photo of licence. Obey the law - .05 etc.
Presentation
Presentations will take place on Sunday at ~10:30 a.m. (to be confirmed by Race Director)
To follow the race
You can follow the race using the Blue Water Tracks link: https://race.bluewatertracks.com/2024-melbourne-devonport-rudder-cup
Race Photos/Videos and Prizes
You’re invited to share your videos with the ORCV media team. All media submitted may be used during the race and in upcoming promotions.
Please, NO ALCOHOL, and if possible, avoid sunglasses. We want to see your lovely, happy faces 😊
You can share on the Rudder Cup 2024 WhatsApp group (join here). Please feel free to share on social media and tag us: @orcv_racing (Insta) and @oceanracingclub (facebook).
We would love some short (<90sec) reels in portrait orientation of the race for our social media. We’re looking for: Your crew being sustainable, updates on how you’re progressing in the race, any celebrations (birthdays, 1st ocean race etc) and action shots. , The best action shot and the best sustainability content will win a $30 voucher each for ORCV training courses.
Race Director Contacts
The Race Director phone numbers are below (for operational needs only) during a race.
Race Director 1: 0418 396 605
Race Director 2 (Start only): 0418 396 465
Email:
Arrival and Stay at Mersey Yacht Club
Arrival into Devonport
Welcome! We’re happy you made it across Bass Strait. We will do what we can to make your stay as pleasant as possible. Just ask.
Mersey Yacht Club will be co-ordinating arrivals. We have limited volunteers but are improving efficiency by laying out this information for you to read prior to arriving tired, wet and hungry.
All our communication will be on VHF Channel 73 – Talk to us. We’ll be watching you!
We will have:
- Our committee boat the Arvor 230 (Hugi Maru III) on the water as a guide boat (2 people)
- Our Highfield 430 RIB as a gopher/backup/runabout (one person)
- A line-handling team on the docks. (2 people)
Bad News - High tide is about 23 hours after you start so it will potentially be dropping when a lot of the fleet arrive. Not all bad though. You may not have to wait out the tide very much as…..
Good News – It’s a neap tide -maximum range is just over 2m rather than the 3+ m in springs.
The accompanying diagrams show the best channel in and the shallows. At the end of the race you may be distracted. So major things to note:
- The centre of the river is an extensive shallow bank that changes after floods. It’s silt - not rock. So if you touch it’s not the end of the world.
- Ignore the green pile. It no longer marks the channel! It’s shallow north of it.
- The shallowest depth on the track into the club is between the red mark at the southern end of the commercial wharves/turning basin and the area to the north and west of the moored catamaran. Deepest water is close to the rock wall of the reclaimed land but it may seem scary close at night. (see accompanying pictures)
- We have a tidal stream here – i.e. the water you are moving through is also moving - significantly at mid tide. This is unlike marinas in sheltered locations. You will need to account for that when berthing – turn too early and you will go sideways into the boat you are trying to avoid. (see ferry glide instructions)
- Learn and understand the ferry glide principle. If you need more info – Google it. The tidal stream can be a help to berth if you understand the forces and use them. Used properly, the tidal stream will help you dock in a confined space.
- If several boats arrive at almost the same time, please mill about in the turning basin, or follow the guide boat, then mill in deep water to the south of the club. Then we can berth you one at a time. We only have one lines crew so be patient.
- Please do not just park anywhere. We need to berth boats of disparate lengths, draft, and displacement and are trying our best to place arrivals in the most suitable spot.
Boats will tie up ALONGSIDE a pontoon or berthed yacht – no pens. After discussion with the organisers we will moor yachts up to 5 deep (if you all arrive we will have 10 more boats than last year in port). Fenders essential!
There are moorings we may need to use if more than 34 yachts arrive. There is a RIB we can shuttle with at night, and another smaller one by day if needed. We will liaise and give directions.
- We have put reflective A, B, and C letters on the northern pile of each pontoon/marina.
- A will have one boat up to 5 deep. Positions A1,1-A1,5
- B will have 2 big boats alongside then up to 5 deep, so positions B1,1-B1,5 and B2,1-B2,5
- C is the longest marina and will have 5 alongside berthing positions, up to 5 deep. So C1,1-C1,5, C2,1-C2,5...through to C5,1 – C5,5.
- This should make it easier to know where to park.
- When alongside please adjust springers so that the masts are not directly aligned. A small difference please as space is tight. There will only be a couple of metres between boats so make sure springers are tight to prevent fore and aft movement.
Important Notes
We will need to be flexible on our crew roster and tasks. You are not coming at a pre-appointed time. But we’re sailors and understand the weather and what it does to schedules.
So please be patient as we get you all in and tied up – then we can get together and socialise.
If a problem arises – we’ll try and fix it. If we can’t – we’ll all have to live with it ‘as is’.
Contacts at Mersey YC
Commodore: Terry Travers 0408 188 683
Vice Commodore: Jamieson Marshall (also volunteer bar manager – be nice) 0447 007 482
Looking forward to a great race, and a great time in Devonport.
