The 2021 Time Trialling season is half way through. The competition between current 400‘s Club Champions Amazon, skippered by Steve Wall and 2020 Coffee Point Marine Champions, 399.99999, or 403,  Thanet skippered by PC Guy Skinner, is hotting up. This is unlike the weather on Saturday which was just wet, wet, wet!

Both teams lost just 4 points, with Thanet winning the State Heat 4 on a countback, scoring more zero’s. Congratulations Ann McCluskey for doing a stirling job again, filling in for regular navigator, Richard Evans, I’m pleased to report, is on the mend and celebrating a birthday today.

SoPYC boats filled 4 of the top 5 places in the fleet of 38 boats, again showing our dominance, however our total fleet numbers are disturbingly low. The State Heats are not to be feared, no special skill or expertise is required. For those new or hesitant to join in, think of the heats as the same as club events, just with a mid river start and finish. Most of the marks you’ll know from our club courses. Even better, the next State Heat on this Saturday, is combined with our TiTu Trophy so starts and finishes at our usual start box.

Photo credit: Lindsay Preece Ironbark Photos. 

Nominations for the TiTu event are required and a reminder that the Winter Wonderland Kindred Clubs after party is a free event open to all members and their guests. It’s not too late to book with Maree at reception to join in the fun. Do you have your Christmas or snow bunny outfit ready?

 

A shout out of thanks to our volunteers ….

This funny report was received from a check-point crew

“Drizzle gave way to a really heavy shower as the second boat approached our position and although it eased a little at times, continued steadily until just after the last boat passed us by. Although we had a couple of brollies and ocean racing wet weather gear, all three of us were soaked from the waist down (worse still, I was sitting in a camp chair which held water in the seat – yeah I know that’s not a pretty picture). My wife was not impressed when I stripped my soaked jeans off in the Applecross jetty car park and drove home in jocks.

At the height of the downpour, it was difficult to even see the boats and impossible to read any numbers.  Rain drops kept fouling the binoculars and if held to the eye too long, the inner lens would fog up. We looked at some of the big comfortable competitors with their enclosed, air conditioned flybridges and turned green with envy (in between shivers).”