Sunday Sailing | 12th November ’23 - Vincentia Sailing Club

It was a glamorous day at the VSC for young and old alike. Greeted by flat water and sunshine, the contingent of nine Groms made the most of this weather to go for a spin on the Waves, Dragoons, and Getaway, initially under close watch from their parents and guidance from Coach Paddy, Spinelli, and Rene. However, the kids left their elders in the dust as their forthcoming skills proved they’d be going places in the very near future. Eddie, Lottie, Jessica, Oliver, Ava, Liana, Melanie, Isla, Andy, and Elliot all earned themselves 25 points on the Grom Squad Leaderboard, jostling to see who could spend the most amount of time on the water. Because, as is ingrained into us from day one – the only way to learn and grow is by following the three rules of sailing: time on the water, time on the water, and even more time on the water!

Whilst the kids were running amok, the usual suspects were up in the rigging area busily preparing for the second round of the Single-Handed championship for this season. Jeremy rigged up boat number 2, Andrew ditched the jib in favour of fair competition, MB took Paddy’s new (old) boat for her second run, and Bridget decided it was time for Mouse to go play once again. Adrian and Dobbo were as consistent as usual, and Commodore Jake didn’t muck about. The 16’s start line saw Hazel take the helm off Paddy, while Steph decided to show James how it’s really done.

Ever-faithful Race Officer John, joined on the boat by Helen (armed with the camera) adapted the starting sequence down to a 6-minute, and continued the trend of a course that would keep sailors on their toes due to the decision-making skills required when rounding the gate on the second lap.

The first session of the day saw a moderately consistent 5kts across the course, accompanied by gusts up to 8kts and 12-degree shifts that caused a couple of accidental jibes by the sailors who were too busy watching the dolphins to react quickly.

With the (only-slightly-bored) mariners returning to shore after two races, Clare had the BBQ on point to the delight of all. Most of the fleet returned to the race-track for a second session, where the S/SE came in at an average of 10kts. James & Steph abandoned the racing in favour of taking Elliot out for a spin, where he reportedly chattered away happily at every moment.

It was then to a relaxing few hours gossiping at the clubhouse, but not before the sunset sent everyone home to reflect on another beautiful day on the Moona Moona.