ORCV Melbourne to Apollo Bay (M2AB)

Dr. Suess.

Green eggs and ham - I so wanted to use that line... All right, so it's just eggs and bacon, but it is good to see that our Commodore, George Shaw is being looked after with this breakfast, served just after they entered the Heads on Sunday Morning.

Bon Apetit - again.

Also making her way home on Sunday, well at any rate to Steve Cambell's Composites Constructions facility in Braeside, is one venerable Inglis with a just little keelbox damage... She had four escort vehicles to get her up and over the top road at Skenes Creek and then only the one for the rest of the journey to Melbourne.

Click HERE for the 2010 M2AB results tables.

By John Curnow

ORCV Melbourne to Apollo Bay (M2AB)

Dinner Time.

It may be out of focus, but a boat is always moving around, even in benign conditions. Despite the fuzzy edges, you cannot mistake the bones sticking out of the top of the rack of lamb or the nice half bottle to go with it, so as you sit down to your dinner tonight, there are lot of cold and frustrated sailors out in Bass Strait tonight, but at least George and Robyn onboard The Secretary cannot add hungry to that list. Thank you to the Commodore for the image.

Bon Apetit

Local Fishermen had a caught a bit.

Shark on the menu for local consumption.

This four part series is how Extasea finished ahead of Chikara Outlaw.

By John Curnow

ORCV Melbourne to Apollo Bay (M2AB)

Perfectly peachy.

As discussed, if the sun got a chance to burn the stuff off early, then there would be a nice and pleasant seabreeze with which to come home on. Such was the case from late in the morning until just after lunch, when it all disappeared. Also disappearing were lots of crews determination to make the finish and so as we speak in the middle of Saturday afternoon, there are but 12 boats still racing. There is wind out there and a lot of the boats report making around knot, which means a long day for all concerned.

Yep. Just perfectly peachy as we walked along Apollo Bay's delightful main beach.

The green, green grass of...

All of it lead to some very creative sail selections. Here, Spirit of Freya chose to fly their symmetrical kite as an asymmetrical, using the kit pole to hold the leech up. Mercifully they sent us a pic of it before they joined the ever growing list of retirees that is bigger than the list of those still going! The boats still racing, in alphabetical order are:

1. Alien
2. Audacious
3. Bacardi
4. Beyond Outrageous (who will be hoping to do a Steven Bradbury)
5. Chikara Outlaw
6. Escapade
7. Extasea
8. Magic
9. Remedy
10. Slinky Malinky
11. The Secretary
12. Yoko

Gigi are still coming to Apollo Bay, but under the cast iron mainsheet (diesel).

From Greg Clinnick on Audacious, we received the following. "It is now 2.45pm and 13 hours into the race. We have covered just shy of 40 miles at an average speed of 3 miles an hour. Kate has just shrieked from the cockpit "Hey we just hit 4 knots of boat speed! Yeah". Tracey comments that she has had more sleep today than she can remember. Paul reckons why would you want to be anywhere else. Yes it's slow, but character building all the same."

"I reckon we have done at least a dozen kite, headsail, Code zero, and Asy changes to try and keep the boat moving as best we can. A couple of VB's have helped keep up the morale and as we are close to the front runners, everyone is committed to fight it out to the bitter end!

Check out this picture of Robert aka Bucky, trimming the kite and you know this guy is having a good time."

"13.99 miles to go and all is well. 3 hours to go if the wind will just hold......."

Good luck to that idea.

By John Curnow

ORCV Melbourne to Apollo Bay (M2AB)

Of dolphins and rain...

The lead yacht, Extasea, is abeam of Split Point (approximately half way) and then there's another big group, not too far behind, with the tailenders around one and half hours off Split Point. Yoko reported SSE winds of 6 to 10knots with dolphins and rain. Very interesting.

From Greg Clinnick aboard Audacious, we have the following report and pics (thank you so much for making the effort for us all Greg). "It's 8.45am and 7 hours into the race, we are 21 miles down with just over 30 miles to go. A very light air start meant there was a few hours of ship dodging, as the fleet finally cleared the Heads a little over 2 hours into the race."

There's a bit of heel angle here, so it cannot be too bad.

"After one stage almost leading the pack, we suffered the no wind blues as the breeze went slowly around the clock and the Code Zero finally gave way to a light headsail and just cracked sheets in a steady 10 knots of breeze."

The jumbos tell a good story - for a moment.

"The breeze has just backed so I have to go and put the Code Zero back up."

The plotter shows them a little under halfway, when this image was taken.

Now given the weather, the retirees were always going to start early - and they did. Spindrift was first to go, before the first sked actually and then just after the 0905hrs sked, Slice of Heaven, Allegresse, Schuss and then pretty Woman all decided to head back to either Queenscliff or their club on the Bay. It is amazing how infectious it can get. That all means there are now 22 racers still going. In terms of positions, the following table highlights the approximate distances to go.

1. Extasea - 27nm left
2. Audacious - 28nm
3. Chikara Outlaw - 28nm
4. The Secretary - 29nm
5. Alien - 29nm
6. Bombora - 30nm
7. Myuna - 31nm
8. Remedy - 31nm
9. Slinky Malkinky - 31nm
10. Escapade - 32nm
11. Caledonia - 33nm
12. Fade to Grey - 33nm
13. Gigi - 33nm
14. Magic - 33nm
15. Ninety Seven - 33nm
16. Wicked - 33nm
17. Wild Side - 33nm
18. Yoko - 33nm
19. Bacardi - 34nm
20. Magazan - 53nm
21. Beyond Outrageous - 35nm
22. Spirit of Freya - 35nm

Golf is the other order of the day, here at Apollo Bay.

What this charming little town looks like - oh so green again...

By John Curnow