Join us on Saturday 18 February 2012 in the Port Phillip Room for a Hawker Market themed menu.

All welcome!

Please complete the booking form and return to Tevany in the office.
Please email tevany.patten@syc.com.au or call 03 9599 0926.

Bookings close on Tuesday 14 February 2012 – no further alterations to bookings can be made after this date.
Please click here for the Club Events Reservations and Cancellations Policy.

Click image below for the event poster.

Please call 03 9599 0999 to make your reservation.

The Recreational Boating Power and Sail Committee present Guest Speaker Evenings bi-monthly, in the Training Auditorium at SYC at 7.30pm.

The Ups and Downs of ‘Boat People’ coming to Australia.

Join in and be enthralled by hearing fellow SYC members Hugh and Val Pilsworth as they recount the experiences of their 07/08 18 month voyage on “Blueflyer” sailing from Dublin, Ireland to Melbourne.

All welcome

• TIME: 7:30pm
• WHERE: Training Auditorium
• DATE: Wednesday 8 February

Before the meeting come and enjoy a meal … 

Meals available in the Harbour View Restaurant from 6pm, bookings can be made by calling the Clubhouse reception on 9599 0999; alternatively take advantage of our New food and beverage offers available in the Members’ Bar from 6pm.

Join us for party pies and sausage rolls, a guest speaker and cash bar in the Port Phillip Room.

Bookings close Monday 30 January 2012.

Please RSVP to indicate the number of adults and children to Tevany on 03 9599 0926 or tevany.patten@syc.com.au

Sm573 Public Bar taking 1.36, and 43 seconds later Sm6 Wicked (If you were not on or in The Bar you would have seen her passing by.)  3^rd, taking 1.52.18 was Sm6161 Ganggajang.

Halfway Winner:  Sm 280 Tresor at 18^th taking 1.57.05.  She was the last yacht to finish under 2 hours.

A Big Boat Race? I think we need a greater vocabulary for describing courses and races.  I only hear about two terms.  It was a ‘big boat race’ or it was ‘a soldier’s course’  (meaning a small boat race).  These terms tend to diminish the amount of planning and careful selection of courses by handicappers. I always like to check the results to see if the comment is just a throwaway line or has some element of fact.

In Race 14 the term Big Boat race is an accurate description. The later starters took most of the top 11 places, starting at 30,36,28,34,31,33,32,26,24,35. Two yachts upset this being a perfect set of numbers – Sm6161 Ganggajang starting 15th and finishing 3^rd, and Sm3540 Chequemate starting 5^th and finishing 12^th, both excellent achievements.

In the first 5 mins 9 boats finished, in the next 10mins 18 boats crossed the line. 15mins after the first boat finished the bulk of the early starters completed the course  2,3,6,7,8,1,10,4, with the last yacht crossing the line at 23.14mins later.

It is long beat out to No 5, but not all yachts sailed it in the same amount of wind. The following wind strengths are from Fawkner @13.40 -7knts, @14.00-9knts, @14.30- 12knts, @15.00- 15knts. The top gust of the day was @ 16.55 –27knts.

The change in wind strength during a race presents a difficult problem for a handicapper.

A new starting sequence machine however solves this problem.  Instead of the start times being controlled by a linear time frame, the starting sequence machine has a wind factor adjustment built into it. If the wind strength increases after the first yachts have started an adjustment is made to put back the starting sequence of the yachts yet to start.  In the same manner if the wind drops the sequence of starting would be shortened.

It is obvious that this would make it much simpler for a handicapper.  The term ‘A big boat race’ would become redundant.

Starts of the Day  Starting times are so close this prize is becoming as hard to win as it is for the whole race. This week 12 boats were under 10 seconds. The fact that some yachts seem to win start of the day on numerous occasions means you can’t say that it is just luck. Sm4407 Musketeer won the prize on 3 seconds. One second later on 4 seconds Sm1020, Sm4, Sm354, and one more second Sm303, Sm280, Sm600.

10 races to go!  Check out the leaders in the series.  If you look closely you will note that there are not many low scoring races that can be counted.  Can these leaders maintain their positions with the bigger yachts starting to make their final run.

Current Placings: Moana 20, Pippa 21, Saltshaker 22.5, Alibi 23, Suri 27, Public Bar 32, Wicked 32, The Secretary 34, Barnstormer 35, and only 5 points to 16th place.

The answer to the last question       The SS PFALZ departed Victoria Dock in Melbourne and undertook a voyage that gained her a place in Australian History. Why did she become famous?

The SS PFALZ departed Victoria Dock in Melbourne on 5 August 1914, with pilot Captain Robinson aboard. As the ship passed Portsea it was momentarily stopped by the SS Alvina but allowed to proceed.

Just before the ship approached Port Phillip heads, the Royal Australian Garrison Artillery stationed at Fort Nepean was informed of the declaration of war with Germany, and had received an order to “stop her or sink her”. Signals were hoisted, commanding the ship to halt. As the warning had no effect, a shot was fired across the bow of the ship from one of the fort’s 6 inch Mk VII guns.

The pilot convinced the ship’s master that a second round would likely be directed at the ship itself, and the ship was turned around. The ship was taken back to Portsea where the crew was placed under arrest.

The ship was requisitioned for the RAN and used as a troop ship renamed HMT Boorara. She was used in the Aegean Sea and survived being torpedoed twice.  She finally ran aground on rocks at Vancouver Island in 1937

In 1886 Port Phillip was the most heavily fortified port in the Southern Hemisphere. It was manned as a coastal defense installation continuously from 1883 to 1946

This Week’s Question:

The Australian Guide to Sailing and Boating  has the following information:

It lists 56 classes of yachts and 32 of these are Australian origin. The comment that ‘as a nation we do not take to International classes as is the ‘thing’overseas.

The Bluebird is one of the few keel boat classes mentioned.

Cost of boats to build or buy is quoted at for an older boat £750, to £1500 for a new boat.  For a motor boat a total cost of £1071

It states the Sandringham Yacht Club as having B & C class Yachts, Gwen12’s, YW cadets, Moths, and all catamaran classes.

In what year do you think this booklet was published?

The Phantom scribbler will return next week.

Mark Windward 

Send emails  Click here

For one special day this summer we will showcase our stunning wedding venue!

The Port Phillip Room – is Sandringham Yacht Club’s flagship event space with floor to ceiling windows presenting uninterrupted horizon views of Port Phillip Bay.  An elegant, modern interior and private adjoining terrace create a truly beautiful setting for your wedding.

The Sandringham Yacht Club Wedding Showcase will be the perfect opportunity to experience our venue’s unique style and meet with our Event Managers to discuss how we can create your dream wedding.

Sandringham Yacht Club is proud to be associated with some of Melbourne’s leading event service providers who can assist to create a truly memorable and stylised event.

These services range from table centrepieces through to fully themed events and productions, entertainment, wedding cakes, photographers to name a few.  Best of all, these suppliers will be available for you to meet with and discuss your ideas on the day.

Come along and enjoy a glass of bubbles and sample some of our delicious canapés.

Bookings or expressions of interest are highly recommended.

Saturday 25 February 2012
11.00am to 3.00pm
Sandringham Yacht Club
Jetty Road, Sandringham 3191

For further information and bookings please phone 03 9599 0940
or email events@syc.com.au

• learn more about weddings at syc . . . 

• Click here for full details and entry form.
• Click here for course chart.

Results will be announced at a barbecue at the Ken King Centre following the event, meat and salads provided for skippers & navigator; other guests welcome: $10/head. Drinks at bar prices.

• DATE: Sunday 12 February 2012

If there are any minor delays,  please be patient on the road while waiting to cross.

Should you have any queries, please feel free to contact David Smith, SuperSprint Events during business hours on (03) 9595 3000 or over the weekend on 0414 806 271.

I have been fascinated by the ocean and weather systems since a young boy, surfing for many years around Australia.

I was among the Pioneers of surfing Hobie Cats both at Kirra on the Gold Coast and Torquay, Victoria, and this gave me the fascination with sailing and the power of, and ability to, control the breeze. I quite often sailed my 14′ Hobie  alone along the Bellarine Peninsula coast from Torquay between Point Lonsdale and Aireys Inlet. In 1968 I was “called up” into National Service and served two years in the Royal Australian Armoured Corps, including one tour of duty in South Vietnam in the 3rd. Cavalry Regiment.  After my discharge I travelled widely through Outback Australia, the Pacific Islands and South, Central and North America.

Finally arriving back home to Melbourne to raise my family I entered the Furniture manufacturing industry, and proceeded to build, with a partner, a very successful business, Davis Furniture. I became very involved with the Furniture Industry Association of Australia, variously serving as Chairman of that organisation and of the National Export Committee for many Years.

My association with SYC started in late 1996 when Doris and I purchased our first keelboat, a Northshore 27, and left the confines of RMYS to join the best Yacht Club in Victoria. We began seriously racing and had some early successes with “Serendipity”, so soon afterwards we purchased the now well known Sigma (Moody)35 which we named L’Attitude and raced very successfully in both Division 2 (club Champions in 2001) and Division 1 (third in 2002). In 2003 we placed 2nd in the Australian Offshore Keelboat Championships.

Both of us working hard and long hours, we found SYC was becoming our second home, often sleeping aboard our yacht after some hard partying, so in 2002 we purchased a home in Hampton and moved to Bayside permanently.

We both worked as best we could for the benefit of the Yacht Club, with Doris spending two years on General Committee and organising successful social events and the annual ball, finding sponsors and high attendance rates for years, while I served 6 years on Sail Committee as a volunteer and also made the 60-odd annual trophies, which were always well received for 6 years.

Our 3rd yacht was supposed to mark the start of our retirement by cruising off to faraway places, it was a Beneteau Oceanis 43 (which still resides at SYC) named Changing L’attitude. Unfortunately, due to a number of factors our cruising life was cancelled, and we now spend all our time around Bayside.
I recently joined SYC General Committee after a vacancy became available and intend to contribute strongly to the future direction and strength of the Club.

I am a dedicated member of 15 years I am a stakeholder in FMP2 and am committed to growing the Club, improving every aspect of the Club, and keeping it as “the best yacht club” in Victoria and one the most respected Yacht Clubs in the world.

Tim Little