2015 Geelong and Women Skippers and Navigators Race

Entries Closing soon.

The popular Geelong passage race is not far away so time for you to ENTER if you have not already done so!
The final race for the ORCV Winter Series and a stand alone event in its own right- enter for Racing, Cruising or Multihull divisions.
And don't forget to ener the return Women Skippers and Navigators Race on Sunday 13th September- the only way to return to Melbourne!
Come and enjoy the wonderful hospitality of the Royal Geelong Yacht Club with celebrations and presentations after racing on Saturday.

Notices of Race and Online entry HERE.

Looking forward to conducting my first ever role as a Race Director this weekend it is like crossing the line from the footballer to the umpire it feels a little bit weird but also quite exciting to be getting involved from the other side of the fence.

My first race is a great one to get involved in as it is the ideal race to end the winter series and to remind us of what is to come after the short spring break and we lead into summer.

There are a number of challengers that are unique in the Geelong Passage Race that add to all the different situations that can occur throughout a day on the water. The conditions will vary across the day ending perhaps with the bullets of breeze that can happen in Corio Bay but it prepares us for what to expect when we get to Geelong in January for the Festival of Sails.

The sailing down the passage into inner harbour has to be experienced to be appreciated and in the ideal conditions makes for a magnificent sight.

The hospitality in Geelong is fantastic and it is a great venue for the presentation of the winter series trophies and to have reminisced about the season that was and the season to come. It is really the first occasion of the whole series that we are able to all come together as a group of keen competitors and catch-up at the end of a hard fought season.

It is the final race of the winter series for the keel boats in all classes and the first race of a three race series for the multihulls. It also gets all of the boats down to Geelong to have a race back to Melbourne for the Women Skippers and Navigator’s Race.

The conditions for Saturday are looking like an absolute perfect spring day with the temperature in the early to mid-twenties with a light to moderate North westerly turning easterly in the afternoon.

I have always liked this race from a competitor point of view it has a variety of challenges if you get on the wrong side of the course especially in the outer harbour when the change comes through you could be looking at a fantastic race so far, turning a bit sour or then again if you are lucky enough as we were in 2011 you come screaming home. We took out line honours on Alibi and all three handicaps that year and we made sure we suffered the next day for all that victory.

If you haven’t already entered I encourage you to make the effort and get to Geelong it is well worth it and a great opportunity to have a pleasant day on the water followed by a great social gathering with friends.

See you on the course Peter Watt

Looking forward to conducting my first ever role as a Race Director this weekend it is like crossing the line from the footballer to the umpire it feels a little bit weird but also quite exciting to be getting involved from the other side of the fence.

My first race is a great one to get involved in as it is the ideal race to end the winter series and to remind us of what is to come after the short spring break and we lead into summer.

There are a number of challengers that are unique in the Geelong Passage Race that add to all the different situations that can occur throughout a day on the water. The conditions will vary across the day ending perhaps with the bullets of breeze that can happen in Corio Bay but it prepares us for what to expect when we get to Geelong in January for the Festival of Sails.

The sailing down the passage into inner harbour has to be experienced to be appreciated and in the ideal conditions makes for a magnificent sight.

The hospitality in Geelong is fantastic and it is a great venue for the presentation of the winter series trophies and to have reminisced about the season that was and the season to come. It is really the first occasion of the whole series that we are able to all come together as a group of keen competitors and catch-up at the end of a hard fought season.

It is the final race of the winter series for the keel boats in all classes and the first race of a three race series for the multihulls. It also gets all of the boats down to Geelong to have a race back to Melbourne for the Women Skippers and Navigator’s Race.

The conditions for Saturday are looking like an absolute perfect spring day with the temperature in the early to mid-twenties with a light to moderate North westerly turning easterly in the afternoon.

I have always liked this race from a competitor point of view it has a variety of challenges if you get on the wrong side of the course especially in the outer harbour when the change comes through you could be looking at a fantastic race so far, turning a bit sour or then again if you are lucky enough as we were in 2011 you come screaming home. We took out line honours on Alibi and all three handicaps that year and we made sure we suffered the next day for all that victory.

If you haven’t already entered I encourage you to make the effort and get to Geelong it is well worth it and a great opportunity to have a pleasant day on the water followed by a great social gathering with friends.

ORCV Winter Sailing Geelong Race - Diary of Newbies

Nicole had talked me into completing a couple of learn to sail courses at Sandringham earlier this year. After that had been lucky to get aboard Don Frasers Dry White for a couple of twilight sails and then joined them for the ORCV Winter Series.

As newbies to the sport, our vocabulary has expanded to include new meanings for sheets, braces and winches. We know that yachts have smart pigs, at least two different words to describe the one thing and I don't think either one of us will complain again about putting a doona into its cover after running tapes and packing away spinnakers.

Saturday - the race to Geelong.

Armed with our wet weather gear, some salad sandwiches, a few bags of lollies and a bucket load of enthusiasm we headed to Sandringham yacht club to meet up with the crew at 07:00.

The crew for the Saturday race was Don, Simon, Niesje, Dee, Neil, Barbara, Tina, Paula, Mark, Nicole and myself. At a rough count the ratio was about one experienced crew to 2 not so experienced. We hadn't gone far before bets were being laid as to when Simon would lose his voice from issuing instructions quite loudly.

The trip to Geelong saw the weather change from cold to wet and colder. Nicole and I were positioned at the back in charge of the back stay. This allowed us to watch the mechanics of racing while remaining out of harms way, sitting on the rails and finding our feet when tacking.

After 8 hours of sailing and conversations with the generous crew about what and why things were done we finally reached Geelong. As soon as the boat had been packed away for the night we headed into the club house for a bite to eat, a celebratory drink (ok maybe more than one) and to re-live the funny moments of the day.

Nicole and I may have caught Dee at a weak moment or maybe it was that we had been in the club house for about 5 hours, but for some unknown reason we thought it would be a great idea to join the women's race the next day. Did I mention that we are enthusiastic?

Finally we hit the sack. It had been a fantastic day. A few bruises (worn with pride), a few tales to tell and a whole heap of laughs with a great bunch of people.

Sunday - Women's race back

We were to be on the boat by 08:30 with some breakfast rations, coffee and panadol.

The three of us were going to sail Dry White home, Dee taking charge as skipper with Nicole and I trimming and on the brace. Mark and Andy were up the front and providing support to Nicole and I and Simon was with Dee. Don ensured we had a flow of coffee, water and food.

This time the sun was shining and the wind around 5 knots. The next 5 hours Nicole and I got to do some hands on sailing with Dee, Simon, Don, Mark and Andy patiently providing support and advice. As newbies this was an amazing opportunity and a big thank you to them all. The conditions were calm (to the point we all voted to abandon the race and motor home) but Nicole and I learnt so much. Even motoring home it was great to be part of the team tidying up ropes, packing away sails and even helping to make some running repairs.

We arrived home after leaving Geelong some 8 or so hours earlier. We worked hard, gained some great experience and had a ball.

P.S. Simon didn't ever lose his voice!