Victorian
AHPC Travellers Series
CONGRATULATIONS
to John Demeo. John has won a new
mainsail donated by AHPC (Goodall Sails), which was the major draw prize for the
05/06 travellers series. Thanks to Greg and AHPC for the sponsorship.
How
and why the ‘Traveller Series’ came about - by Gordon Barrett
Direct
interaction with buyers and sellers quickly revealed that:
1)
People sailing as individuals or in small numbers
at yacht clubs were not being satisfied.
2)
Without reasonably high boat handling skills and
confidence, new owners soon became disillusioned and even intimidated.
3)
Without access to similar-minded sailors and
learning opportunities, there seemed no resolution to this down-spiralling
situation.
Even
worse these outcomes seemed to be the majority of Taipan experiences and
resulted in one of the world’s finest catamarans being left idle wasting away
in garages and club yards.
Dwindling
turnout figures supported the need for change – but what could be done – and
quickly?
Thankfully,
one of the positive aspects Taipan had in its favour was the open access and
untapped enthusiasm from the National Uni-rigged Champion and then Victorian
Association President, Dennis
Baker. Following a number of ‘brain-storming’ phone calls, emails and
meetings, a plan of action was devised and put into place.
The
result was the ‘AHPC Gold Cup Traveller Series’ where sailors of all AHPC
models were encouraged to travel to six regattas scattered around Victoria, race
together with ‘training clinics’ conducted by the country’s best.
Entry
forms asked the participants for their most desired sailing topics to raise
their skills to the next level. The most popular topics were chosen and the
clinics were ‘open class’ with all questions addressed and clearly answered.
Boat maintenance and repairs were also undertaken.
While
racing and training are important aspects of the series, an equally important
enticement is the draw for a brand new mainsail, generously supplied by Goodall
Yacht Sails. The format was not to favour the ‘gun sailors’, so, each
entrant received a ticket to the draw for each round they attended with no
reflection on performance, so the most enthusiastic sailors obtained the best
chances to sharpen their skills and win the sail.
The
draw was undertaken at the McCrae yacht club during a meeting to arrange the
next National Championships and amounted to a very worthy winner, and first year
Taipan owner John Demeo.
In
an attempt to offer the benefits to the majority of Taipan sailors and make the
series a national event, the NSW Association conducted their own series.
The
Victoria series was considered a success almost from the outset with sailors
regularly travelling from as far as Albury in the north and Portland in the
south.
But
for the future of the Taipan class, we really need more sailors to attend the
second series to secure its continuation.
Overview
of the 2005/06 series.
First
event – Victorian Catamaran Championships
Large
fleets, strong winds and flat water provided near-perfect sailing with some of
the world’s best sailors attending. After dinner, everyone attending was
privileged to an hour-long question and answer session held by Darren Bundock,
Glenn Ashby and Greg Goodall.
Round
two – Port Melbourne
The
club opened all their facilities and rescue crews for morning racing, followed
by training on rigging and usual afternoon racing. Sunday morning focused on rig
tuning and sail trimming, conducted by Greg Goodall, Dennis
Baker and Noel. Sunday afternoon consisted of private short-course races,
ideal for practicing starts with one windward and return to start.
Go
For Gold
As
the name suggests, this is a training weekend (starting on Friday) for the most
serious sailors, with Olympic coach Mike Fletcher. The focus is on the Olympic
hopefuls, but the F-18 and Taipan fleets are welcome, with the proviso of 6 or
more boats per class attending.
Unfortunately,
the Taipan sailors didn’t arrange themselves, but a good continent of
Capricorns attended the 2007 regatta. They saw very high winds, which reduced
time on the water, but important information was shared.
If
you want access to the best of coaches, prearrange a number of sailors to make
sure your fleet is accepted to attend the 2006 weekend in November.
Round
Four – Portland (Vic State Champs)
This
was the largest fleet of Uni-rigged and Sloops seen in Victoria for some years.
The wind failed in the morning, making opportunity for comparing ideas and rig
tuning and just time to spend with family and building friendships. Mid
afternoon enabled three races in light, variable winds in warm sunshine.
Dinner
at the club allowed ample time for sharing ‘bad luck stories’ and building
friendships.
Sunday
started with more light breeze and built to a strong 20-plus knots in the
afternoon. Racing throughout the weekend was tight and fast, with very close
results.
South
West Rocks (NSW State Champs)
The
drive to Kempsey was long, but the location and racing made it definitely
worthwhile. And being a long weekend in Victoria made the drive home much easier
to cope with.
The
venue is amongst the best sailing spots in the country and absolutely idyllic
with camping a short walk to the foreshore. The breeze remained light and
unpredictable for the uninitiated all weekend. Currents also played a big role
but the ‘hot-shots’ still prevailed and the calibre of racing was National
Championship level.
Camaraderie
was the expected high level making the weekend an absolutely delight and
definitely time well spent.
Round
Five – Yarrawonga (ANZAC Weekend)
The
drive from Melbourne is only 3.5 hours and the weather the whole way was great
for anything but sailing, (sunny, warm but no wind). Arrival at the club
revealed a beautiful location, with camping overlapping into the rigging area,
with rich grass right up to the water. The scheduled 1.pm start went to plan
with the breeze building to 15-plus knots. The courses were a good length and
the Taipan fleet made its presence felt by whistling in and out of the other
fleets – much to the delight of the locals, who treated us like
‘superstars’ all weekend. More than welcoming, we felt like we were part of
the Yarrawonga club.
Unfortunately
the second day was spent on the shore due to lack of wind, but the day in the
sun with great company was nothing short of glorious and relaxing.
The
third day saw an early start as we respectively left the water by 11am. This
provided ample time to un-rig, have the presentation and an early departure for
home.
In
whole, each weekend was an outstanding success with friendships and sailing
skills taken to new levels. On one Monday after a regatta, I received a call
from a sailor from another class - with the comment of “you guys were way too
much fun, where can I get a Taipan”. He had one by the end of the week.
There’s
also a number of Taipan sailors who couldn’t make the first series, but
they’re keen and will be truly welcomed this season. Do your best to be
amongst them.
Any
queries are welcome at gb@gbarrett.com.au
or 03 9561 3335.
Feedback
from the sailors:
The sailing on Saturday was very good, having both Noel and Dennis there made it feel like a state title. The tuning session on Sunday was very informative. My suggestion to you is to add the Colac Regatta and the Torquay Australia day regatta to the traveller series.
Your
new mate KEN (thanks for the beer I owe you one)
Having
just attended the Port Melbourne leg of the AHPC Gold Cup Series, I would
thoroughly recommend these regattas to any Taipan sailor who wants to improve
their racing skills.
Day
1 consisted of four short course races and the chance to mix with National and
World champions, both on and off the water. Day 2 was started with a technical
information session and the opportunity to ask specific boat setup questions.
This was followed by some informal racing and the time to test out some new
found knowledge.
I
would like to thank Dennis Baker, Noel Grellet and Greg Goodall who provided
some much needed advice and Gordon Barrett and Co. for organising this event.
See you all at the next regatta.
Warwick
Lyon
Taipan
093
I trust you have made it safely home after your weekend at Yarrawonga.
My wife and I enjoyed watching the Taipan fleet for the weekend and were very impressed how they appeared to perform. From that we have almost decided that our next boat will be a Taipan 4.9, so we are looking forward to trying one out at some stage.
Give our regards to Jenny and we look forward to seeing you all again.
Best regards,
Wendell Schilling