Apollo Bay - ORCV

Ocean Racing Club of Victoria

Steb Fisher

ORCV Melbourne to Apollo Bay (M2AB)

On the road to Gundagai...

... was how the song went, but this one is a bit different.

I've been involved in deliveries to and from some very exotic locations, so I'm used to a few questioning looks when I say something about moving boats around. However, nothing beats to puzzled expressions as when I said to people that I was driving a boat to Alice Springs. In the end it is quite simple to explain, as is the case with so many things. Very good friends are going fishing in the SW corner of the Gulf of Carpentaria and needed a hand getting the boat up into the Northern Territory. They actually wanted me to go with them, but we have a little season finishing M2AB race to contend with, so my adventure concludes at the airport for the trip in the kerosine canary back to Melbourne and yet more driving, as we get the van down to Apollo Bay for the finish.

RichardsRig

This story qualifies as there is a boat involved. Many thanks to Admiral Richard for the excursion. What a country we live in...

LargeLake

There's even large expanses of water, albeit that this one is very shallow and oh so salty.

AyersRock

Land yachting only in this part of the red centre, however.

Now. Back to the racing. There is a lot of interest in our last event of the season, as there are places and trophies/prizes in many categories up for grabs. Perhaps this is why there is a good, strong 28 boat fleet set to march out the Heads at 0100hrs on Saturday morning. The first to get two McConaghy Melbourne Offshore Championship flags will get the wheel. Lord knows how it will be if one of the previous winners doesn't get another...

In AMS, Alien leads The Secretary and Addiction (whom I don't think are floating again presently) are there too. Extasea or Beyond Outrageous will get onto the podium I suspect. IRC has Alien in front, by more of a margin, then Extasea and The Secretary. Jazz Player and Slinky Malinky look too far out to strike, but there you have those famous last word again... In Performance, Beyond Outrageous leads, just, from Yoko and Slinky Malinky, but Alien and The Secretary are in a position to strike.

If it blows as usual from the SW, then Extasea, Ninety Seven and The Secretary will come into calculations well. Beyond Outrageous and Chikara Outlaw will be praying to get a bag up and they can take Peter Blake's old record with Kaos, if that ends up being the case. Joanne Harpur is back with Spirit of Freya and another MLS competitor and now skipper is Kathryn de Garis, who'll be bringing Allegresse out for a spin.

The Dark Horse would have to be the Welsh's with their B First 40, Wicked. Out for swing too is our current HCOTW holders, Audacious and returning after a spell are Malcolm and the gang on Caledonia. What will their job descriptions be this time???? Schuss is coming along, as too is another boat that's been all over these pages, Remedy. Joining the previous Offshore Champions, Extasea, as an entrant from Geelong is Gigi. Good to see that happening! Sentimental vote is the old Cole 43, Full Circle. On the nose and with a bit of squirt, she'll be one of the more comfortable rides, just like the Bus (aka Bacardi).

Will it be mild, will it be blowing? Who knows, but don't let it blow too much, or it will blow away the opportunity for some very tight finishing to the season with it.

Yeah, yeah. There'll be more soon. I think.

By John Curnow

Melbourne to Apollo Bay (M2AB) 15/05/10

Bananarama.

Had a hit with I heard rumour. Now so did I, just last night in fact, so I went to check it all out. Here are the facts.

As technology has moved on, the requirement for every vessel in the 2010 M2AB to have a functioning HF radio, has been removed for this race only, to see if this in turn makes ocean racing more accessible. It certainly removes around a $10k bill. Your VHF signal is now repeated all along the wonderful Surfccoast. There is also good Telstra 3G coverage for this stunning part of Victoria. Optus 3G have certain coverage there and then the other carriers fade away. You can hire a satphone too!

So if you're thinking about going and sticking your nose in it (Bass Strait that is), then this has to be for you. The 2010 M2AB race is now just Cat3, not Cat3+, as per previous years. The boat will need an EPIRB, but you don't need PLBs. Prudent Skippers will partake in the next Rip Tour on April 18, as there has been a few changes to lights etc., in recent times.

You'll also need to read the Blue Book and ensure you are Cat3 compliant. BTW, that means no liferaft is required, either, which is yet another saving. You can get assistance from experienced and qualified persons like Simon Dryden, call 0418 145 909 to sort that one out. We may even be able to find a mentor who will travel with you, to make it that much easier again. Of course, Sally and Dennis in the ORCV office will also be really glad to help you out, too.

Tell everyone please... This would be a classic starter ocean race for my perennial go-to boat, Crackerjack. Go get 'em organised Wally. David may be able to get a few motivated from HBYC too! I'm sure Chris will talk it up, as well.

2009 m2abapollo-bay-picturesque

The beach at Apollo Bay is lovely, so too is the seafood.

KaosS2H_LR

The boat pictured here is Peter Blake's Kaos, which is now Matrix. She still holds the M2AB record at five hours and 24 minutes from 1999!!! Come out and break it. Not quite so long ago as dear old Bananarama, but long enough. I heard a rumour was released in 1987! Yikes!!!!!

KaosWinterSeries

Bananarama

Forget the Seppo spelling, how's the outfits????

Click HERE for the Rip Tour of April 18, 2010

Click HERE soon to go and get the NOR, which will be available shortly.

By John Curnow

M2ABicon ORCV_IconLR KaosS2H_LR

Melbourne to Apollo Bay (M2AB) and

Melbourne Offshore Championship (MOC)

Done! Dusted!...

...engraving goes on the trophy.

They've worked hard all year - well done 'Extasea'. Pic courtesy of Terri Dodds.

So then, in the process of officially cancelling the Melbourne to Apollo Bay (M2AB), the Melbourne Offshore Championship (MOC) was also decided. The Ocean Racing Club of Victoria's Race Director, Simon Dryden explained, "We just could not find a suitable weekend to run this race. There's the ORCV Melbourne Latitude Series (MLS), the Women's Keelboat Regatta and of course, the ever-popular Melbourne Winter Series (MWS) starts on July 5 with the annual flare firing. This is where the ORCV has arranged with the necessary authorities for sailors to learn and reacquaint themselves with the use of both parachute and hand-held flares. It certainly is a bit of a spectacle."

"Sure there were a couple of boats that might have been able to have a red-hot go at AMS and PHC, including my boat 'The Secretary', but then that's weather and that's ocean racing. Just ensure you have your entries in for both the MLS and MWS, because you never know what prizes we may have on offer", ORCV Commodore, George Shaw, added.

In the end, the 2008/2009 MOC standings are:

IRC
1. 'Extasea' - Paul Buchholz
2. 'Ninety Seven' - Alan Saunders
3. 'Spirit of Downunder' - Laurie For

AMS
1. 'Extasea' - Paul Buchholz
2. 'Addiction' - Richard McGarvie
3. 'Spirit of Downunder' - Laurie Ford

'Addiction' was one of the boats aiming to do well in M2AB
and thereby improve their Championship aspirations.

and PHC
1. 'Mirrabooka' - David Bingham
2. 'Spirit of Downunder' - Laurie Ford
3. 'Chikara Outlaw' - Bill Trueman and Jo Norbury

David Bingham will accept another trophy soon for the PHC
Division of the MOC to add to this one earned at M2PF

No surprises then, that Paul Buchholz and the very accomplished crew of 'Extasea' win the 2008/2009 MOC and in doing so get their name on the cabinet that holds the magnificent etched glass vase, that is the trophy for this revered Championship for the second year in a row.

One of the best pieces of news is that the fantastic Donaghys rope prizes, the two reels of 8mm Dyneema core, will just have to be held over for another event. The new MOC season starts with the Melbourne to Flinders jaunt in September.

By John Curnow

extasea_in_shyr

Melbourne to Apollo Bay (M2AB)

It's good to be right.

This article is all about thanking the Senior Duty Forecaster at the Bureau of Meteorology for his efforts in relation to the 2009 M2AB race. It was his due consideration and appreciation of the issues, that allowed the ORCV's Race Director, Simon Dryden, to postpone the race on the sea state, not wind state, late on Friday afternoon.

10 metres - right on the money (just glad I did not have to be out in it right).

These graphs are from today (16/5/09), from the wave buoy at Point Nepean, which is the Eastern landmass at the Heads of Melbourne's Port Phillip. Correctly, it showed the swell lumping in from SSW at as near as 10m and building, with no chance of returning to anything approaching normal until Sunday at best.

It's still very cold here and the wind has been at least 30 knots during the day, so it really would have been the cold shower for a very prolonged period and about the only way to get into Apollo Bay if you had have gone, would have been a little like ‘Supertramp' all those years ago..

Sideways is for Drifting like in cars!


The PoM wave buoy location	It does NOT look like this today!!!

By John Curnow

SupertrampAB_LR

Melbourne to Apollo Bay (M2AB)

Yank that pin!

The 2009 Melbourne to Apollo Bay has been postponed until further notice.

So imagine what it would be like in a little boat then... This is akin to what the 'Spirit of Tasmnia' will be doing tonight.

The 2009 Melbourne to Apollo Bay has been postponed until further notice. Given that the ORCV has a safety first policy, the exceptionally high sea state in Bass Strait presently has been deemed unacceptable for a Cat3 race.

The ORCV Sailing Committee will endeavour to find an alternative time to conduct this race, so please stay tuned for further information in relation to that.

"In consultation with the senior forecaster at the BOM, I have decided to cancel the 2009 M2AB. The wind has not been the main consideration here, as it is still forecasted to be between 20 and 30 knots from the SW in our area of operation. The deciding factor has been the sea state however, with 6-7m swells and a 3m sea on top of it, subsiding to a 1.5 to 2m sea, but still on the 6-7m swell, as the day progresses. They are predicting significant beach erosion and this size of sea has been enough for me to postpone the race for now. All the while remembering of course that the BOM doctrine indicates ‘maximum waves may be up to twice the height', as listed in the forecast", Simon Dryden, the Race Director commented.

"At any rate if you got there and the Harbour Master had closed the port it would have been a bit devastating having to turn around and go home. We looked at delaying the start and the wind was definitely going to abate, but the swells are expected to stay well into Sunday", he went on to add.

The fantastic Donaghys rope prizes will be held over pending getting a race in and we'll all just have to wait for the results in the all important Melbourne Offshore Championship (MOC).

There would have been a lot of this going on from Saturday morning.

By John Curnow

bigboat

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