Ocean Racing Club of Victoria
Dave Hewison

ORCV Winter Series Flare Shoot tradition continues in 2018

The ORCV Winter Series has been conducted annually since 1971One of many ORCV traditions, the annual Flare Shoot prior an ORCV Winter Series race (including the use parachute/rocket flares), has again received approval from relevant authorities.    For our Category 1 and 2 ocean races, yachts are required to carry parachute distress flares but opportunities to gain practical experience discharging parachute flares are rare.  The ORCV Safety & Sea Survival Course includes an important practical exercise to discharge hand held flares but not parachute flares.  This is a rare opportunity to gain practical experience discharging parachute marine distress flares.

See Winter Series Race Documents page for Notice to Competitors No. 5 - Flare Shoot

WinterSeries2015 Steb Flares1 WinterSeries2015 Steb Flares2 WinterSeries2015 Steb Flares3

 

Race 2 in the 2018 ORCV Winter Series, the passage race from Melbourne to Blairgowrie was originally scheduled for Saturday 7 July, 2018 but with Gale Force winds forecast, it was re-scheduled to Saturday 21 July, 2018.

Our fleet for Race 2 currently stands at 31 yachts from all major keel boat yacht clubs in Port Phillip.

Winter is a fabulous time to sail in Melbourne - lots of nice Northerly winds and flat seas in Port Phillip Bay.  You can still enter the entire Series or individual events in the new format 2018 ORCV Winter Series. See the The new 2018 ORCV Winter Series - Format Explained article for more info on the new format.

The ORCV's 2018 Women Skippers & Navigators Race, which has previously been conducted after the Winter Series Melbourne to Geelong passage race, has been changed this year to be after the Melbourne to Blairgowrie race on Sunday 22 July, 2018.  The Women Skippers & Navigators Race is part of the Yachting Victoria Women and Girls in Sailing (WGIS) Port Phillip Women's Passage Series.

Port Phillip Bay's dolphins were also fired up on the first day of the 2015 Winter Series, as captured by Steb Fisher (no these photos are not 'photo shopped').  For more of Steb's magic, see the Album for Race 1 of the 2015 Winter Series on the ORCV's Facebook Page.

WinterSeries2015 Steb Dolphins1 WinterSeries2015 Steb Dolphins2 WinterSeries2015 Steb Flares4

 

Relevant Authorities include:
• Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) – Instrument Number: CASA.FWK.00943
• Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA)
• Port of Melbourne Corporation
• Victorian Water Police
• Coast Guard Melbourne
CASA have issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) to alert aircraft pilots of the Flare Shoot location.

orcv logo reversed

3 Aquatic Drive, Albert Park VIC 3206 Ph. 0493 102 744 E. orcv@orcv.org.au