Sorry this is a bit late, but I made some notes during and after the event and then forgot about them. This is the Mozzie persective on the Brass Monkey Regatta.
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A pleasant 9 hour drive (pleasant because I didn't have to do any of the driving - thanks Gary) was followed by pizza at Michael Boyd's place. Michael very generously accommodated us for the weekend.
While rigging on Saturday morning I met Ben Cutmore. He has Mick Molloy's old Mozzie, and just needs a few more Mosquitos on Pittwater to sail against.
Saturday - Race 1
We drifted to the start. Actually it was quite pleasant to begin with - spinnaker up, hull out of the water occasionally. Then we reached the course area and NOTHING. Massive gin palaces roaring all around making the sail slap - that monofilm window giving me industrial deafness. We finally drifted up to the start boat. After a brief postponement we were off. I started on port at the port end of the line with the A-classes and crept up the course with them to start with. Most of the skiffs and Gary were over on the right (closer to shore) and pulling away in slightly more nothing than we had on the left. Gary was looking very good. Finally we start to get the breeze, the A-classes pull away from me, and what do you know - we get lifted on port tack, leaving Gary and the skiffs doing a great circle of the windward mark.
Got the spinnaker up and set about catching the A-classes. I was back with them by the next upwind leg. The next downwind leg gets tighter and tighter on the starboard gybe until eventually the spinnaker has to come down (while Gary puts his up on what was the windward leg). Now I'm going to windward with the A-classes (180 degree change) but still very little wind. Drift for two more legs and finally the breeze arrives for the last leg to the finish (to windward this time around). The best breeze is inshore to the left hand side so a large number of skiffs decide the gate is just too inconvenient and give it a miss. Event organiser Ed Blackman, with a new 12ft skiff, lost out massively by being the honest guy that he is and sailing through the gate.
The time limit ran out some time ago but who cares, we got a result!. Now for a race in some wind! No, everyone's going home. Bummer. Back at the single boat ramp we have 50 boats trying to fit in. Lucky there's hardly any wind and we all manage to scramble, swim, paddle and shove our way in to the slipway. Back ashore and it's only 2:30, and the wind on the harbour is looking just perfect.
Michael Boyd sailed over in his Brand(er) new Blade F16, using his daughter's 29er spinnaker. It looks great. Make a note - Mosquitos looking for a cheap spinnaker look out for a second-hand 29er spinnaker.
Sunday - Race 2
Very similar to Saturday. Very light South Westerly due to die and turn into a North Easterly. We wait until it dies and then the race starts. 50 boats and 3 divisions sitting on the line going nowhere. Eventually we begin a slow drift into the dying breeze. Gary out far left (with an A-class & the Super Taipan) gets the shift first & puts his spinnaker up. They start to open up a big gap, even with their sails flapping in the wake of the gin palaces and ferries. I get my spinnaker up and head out of the pack at 45 degrees to everyone else. They watch me. They keep pointing at the mark. In a few minutes I make up a lot of ground on Gary and the A-class who have now lost the breeze again. They end up rounding well in front of me though. We head back down the course - now an upwind leg again, the A & Super Taipan pull away, and the race crew shorten the course after one lap (code flag X !).
Somewhere during this race the slamming of the monofilm window finally proves too much and a small section tears out. Finally, I can get that window replaced with something quieter!
Sunday - Race 3
Very exciting as we wait for all the stragglers to finish while the wind builds. Then the committee boat heads off to what is now the downwind end of the course. We head down to the new starting area with a hull out and spray flying - this is more like it. 8 knots of breeze for the start and the A-classes are off like a ferret up a trouser leg, fully traping and going very fast.
This race (and the next) had an unusual feature. There was a gate about 50m downwind from the windward mark. So all the cats and skiffs would round the windward mark on starboard. Those with spinnakers would put them up and then they would all try to tack on to port to get through the gate before they go past it. The resulting chaos was just what you would expect, and once again many skippers decided the gate was just too much trouble to bother with. In hindsight it may have paid to leave the spinnaker down and run straight down through the gate first, then put it up.
Sunday - Race 4
Another port biased line. Every start was port biased. So much so that many boats tried and some succeeded to start on port at the pin. Well they were not going to get away with it in the last race. Two F18s and the Mozzie sailed down the line in the final seconds before the start, completely closing the gate on the port tackers and then totally stuffing themselves up as they tried to get around the pin on starboard (the line was very biased). As a result the port tackers went around the back with speed and got away first again! In this race even the Mosquito was trapezing up every windward leg. No-one could complain about a lack of wind (not even the skiffs). This was heaven. Once again the windward mark was total chaos as 20 boats tried to gybe across the front of the other 20 on port. The remainder just didn't bother and once again used the "Optional application of the gate rule" philosophy. Those that fought their way through the carnage to get through the gate were certainly left with a feeling of pride in having achieved something quite impressive - even if bloody stupid. Those that ignored the gate gained nothing more than an unmarked boat and a better result. In this breeze it was the big Taipan, an 18 an A and the F16 that broke away, revelling in the mid-range breeze.
A strange regatta (that gate must go!). A spectacular location. A lot of fun and a very friendly club running the event. Tricky launching area. With temperatures in the 20s there were definitely no brass monkeys around! Ed Blackman did an excellent job, not only organising the event and a great collection of sponsored prizes, but taking part as well - not an easy thing to do.
Final note - I helped carry Ed's 12ft skiff (rigged) after the final race and it is light! I mean light! I mean really light! It makes our 55kg minimum platform weight seem excessive!
