Sauna Sail regatta – Report by Peter Foulsom

Sauna Sail 2009 at the Hazelwood Power Station Pondage and hosted by the Latrobe Valley Yacht Club again lived up to its reputation as a great event with 184 entries in 11 divisions competing over 3 days of the Queen’s Birthday long weekend. 22 Mozzies had pre-entered at midday on Friday 5th June. By the Saturday morning another 2 had joined the swarm and being the largest fleet of the regatta naturally had their own division. The fleet consisted of 5 spinnaker rigs, 5 sloop rigs and the rest cat rigs. Mozzies came from many different clubs including Port Phillip and Westernport Bay, Gippsland Lakes, Lake Boga, Lake Mokoan, Sugarloaf, Warrnambool and our honorary Victorian; Darryn Kopp who traveled from Adelaide for the event.

Many sailors arrived on Friday to rig yachts and set up tents. The traditional campfires were lit and maintained by the many club and class association groups including the Mozzie group. The fires were essential to keeping warm and attempting to dry out wetsuits, boots and gloves either before races, between races or after the races. Naturally there were lots of campfires throughout the camping grounds and different social visitors to campfires throughout the weekend.

The Mosquito Association held their traditional pot roast dinner on the Saturday evening and congratulations go to Di and Mick Floyd, Sandra and Phillip Warren Smith and all the other helpers for their contributions to a delicious and very successful dinner. This was also a major milestone celebration for Phillip Warren-Smith to reach his half century. The customary dining out at the “all you can eat” cafe in Morwell on Sunday evening was cut short when we arrived to find the lights out and only the pizza take away section operating. With about 30 new customers to feed they turned the lights on and we “dined in” with take away pizza, garlic bread and soft drink.

The Latrobe Valley Yacht Club set 3 courses on the pondage with the inner course for juniors, the middle course for monohulls and the outer course for catamarans and the larger skiffs. The sheer number of yachts on the pondage meant that you had to keep your wits about you with many spinnaker yachts tacking downwind calling starboard on yachts reaching in a direct line across to the bottom mark. It really didn’t matter what part of the course you were on; you just had to be forever vigilant. There was at least one major collision during the weekend. The top mark was spread over two marks to avoid extreme congestion and possible collisions.

Race 1 and 2 were run back to back on Saturday afternoon in light winds and it was very fortunate if you got out on trapeze. The wind shadow created by the island saw many yachts left in the doldrums whilst those that could gybe at the top mark and went away from the island got the most of the wind. This was also the case when tacking up to the top mark and many yachts lost places coming up to the finish line set between the club house and a marker buoy set about 100 metres offshore. Naturally there were many instances where yachts a short distance apart had totally different wind directions and strengths.

Race 3 on Sunday morning was pretty much a repeat of Saturday however race 4 on Sunday afternoon caught many by surprise when the course direction was changed from starboard to port to suit the wind direction that was more westerly. This was most possibly the coldest race with a lazy wind eating away at already cold and wet wetsuits. This was a longer course and as the wind dropped away those who were not in the leading bunch struggled to get across the finish line.

Race 5 was held on Monday morning with around 12 to 16 knots of wind and some noticeably stronger bullets. The continuous wind shifts particularly around the island at the club house end of the course kept the race interesting for many with positions changing depending on your location and the lift or knock you got. Many were caught out by the bullets and there were many capsized yachts scattered across the course; some with their masts stuck in the mud and unable to extract them !!

The overall results saw Gary Maskiell sailing his newly purchased Mozzie from Port Lincoln “Pitchfork” win with either wins or placings in all races. Gary was closely followed by Tim Shepperd on “Karma Cat” and Neil and David Joiner sailing “Immunity”. Other sailors to get into the placings were Darryn Kopp, James Pearse, Garry Johnstone, Mick Floyd and Peter Nikitin.

A special mention goes to junior skippers Mitchell Jacques (at his 2nd Sauns Sail) and new junior Mozzie skippers Mitchell Meade and Nicholas Baglioni from Gippsland Lakes Yacht Club who successfully raced their newly purchased Mosquitoes for the first time and look like they will be a force to be reckoned with when they get the feel of their new yachts. We hope to see these three follow in the footsteps of Matt Stone and James Pearse who both lead the fleet at times over the weekend (James twice missed crossing the line first by only seconds). A welcome to the swarm also goes to Ken Robinson from Lake Boga who also had his first regatta on “Touch n’ Go”.

Well done to all sailors and support crew who attended the very successful regatta.

PlaceTiesSail NoBoat NameClassSkipperCrewFromSers ScoreRace 5Race 4Race 3Race 2Race 1
1 1760PITCHFORKMosquitoGary MaskiellNobody WillsailwithmGLYC7.03.02.01.0[3.0]1.0
2 1775KARMA CATMosquitoWSpinTim ShepperdKarma CrewGLYC9.04.01.03.01.0[5.0]
3 1789IMMUNITYMosquitoNeil JoinerJessica RabbitGLYC13.51.06.04.5[8.0]2.0
4 1802TOTALLY…MosquitoMick FloydFlappy FloydBEYC18.0[10.5]3.06.05.04.0
5 1785BEAR TALKMosquitoGarry JohnstoneDrop BearLBYC21.09.04.02.0[12.0]6.0
6 1791LIGHTNINGMosquitoWSpinJames Pearse. .SSYC27.55.0[14.0]11.52.09.0
7 1808GREY MATTERMosquitoRobert LottCosta LottMYC32.010.59.04.5[14.0]8.0
8 1520AIR APPARENTMosquitoGordon HydeAgusta WindLMYC33.06.0[25.0F]7.010.010.0
9 1755PRESTISSIMOMosquitoJon GuymerOoo OooLBYC34.08.07.0[14.0]6.013.0
10 1790BEE ALERTMosquitoPeter NikitinAllways AlertLSBC38.02.025.0C[25.0C]4.07.0
11 1794MORE THAN A SPLASHMosquitoPhilip Warren-SmithBrenden Warren-SmithRYEYC43.014.05.0[25.0C]13.011.0
12 1686SERIAL THRILLERMosquitoClint BurgessAnita BreezeWYC44.013.015.09.07.0[18.0]
13 1705THE TIGERMosquitoWSpinMatt StoneMisty C. ShoreSSYC46.07.08.015.016.0[23.0C]
1410.0S1747MOGGY POWERMosquitoMitchell MeadeNicholas BaglioniGLYC49.017.010.010.0[18.0]12.0
15 1792VELOCEMosquitoAndrew NeesonNa NaBRYC49.012.011.0[25.0C]11.015.0
16 1733TOUCH N GOMosquitoKen Robinson00 00LBYC51.0[18.0]12.08.015.016.0
17 1048OUT OF THE BLUEMosquitoPeter FoulsumWinter Blues N/ASSYC59.525.0C[25.0R]11.59.014.0
18 1736ZAPPERMosquitoMitchell JacquesConscience ConsciencWPYC60.0[19.0]13.013.017.017.0
19 1805JUST A TOYMosquitoWSpinTrevor ArmstrongJake SheffieldSLSC69.016.018.016.0[20.0]19.0
20 1782BULLETMosquitoDarryn Kopp. .ASC76.025.0C25.0C[25.0C]23.0C3.0
21 1740JURASSIC KARPMosquitoWSpinMatt KirbySum PorchuntWYC78.020.016.0[25.0C]19.023.0C
22 1749PURRMosquitoNicholas BaglioniAa CcGLYC82.015.017.025.0C25.0L[25.0L]
23 1769FIRST TRYMosquitoPeter CobdenJanet CobdenCCSC93.025.0C25.0C[25.0C]23.0C20.0
24 768FAT BOMBERMosquitoWSpinBill PeppingWillem Van Der DeckeSSBC100.025.0C25.0C25.0C25.0L[25.0L]

Drought Buster regatta – 18/19 April

Another successful Droughtbuster was run by PMYC again this year. Nine Mosquitos took part along with 9 Taipan 4.9s and a Stingray, Taipan 5.7, F18 and H16. A good effort from the Mosquitoes who travelled from all over the state to take part (Garry Johnstone drove in from Swan Hill). Let’s make it more next year!

When the lake sailors come to Port Melbourne they seem to bring the lake conditions with them! Once again we had light winds, with trapezing only in the first race. The Mosquitoes did well in the light stuff taking the first 4 overall places, with Jon Guymer in 8th overall being the first standard Mozzie (no spinnaker).

Easter regatta – Lake Bullen Merri

Another Regatta at Lake Bullen Merri was held over Easter. We had 6 Mosquito’s (where was Rob Lott?), great camping, great company, good wine and a good time was had by all who attended.

With nearly 100 boats competing some of the mark roundings were interesting at times.

Division 1 was made up of Taipans & A class, while division 2 had the Mozzies and Dolphins, there were also 14 Cobras sailing their State Tiles so they had their own start for all but the 1st race.

Race 1. We had 25 boats starting in our division, just as the start gun went the wind shifted and it was a struggle to cross the line on Starboard a few of us tacked early and made a sprint for the 1st mark. Unfortunately Phillip Warren- Smith, Andrew Neeson and Gordon Hyde, missed the flags and were late starters. The wind was up and down with some trapeze work and some hoping for a little more breeze(a trend for the weekend). Results were 1st home Ross Bennett on No turbulence, 2nd Jon Guymer on Prestissimo and John Buzzo on Courageous came in 3rd.

Race 2. Ross, Andrew and Gordon started at the pin end on port. Jon and Phillip went boat end on Starboard. With 2 legs to go Ross, Andrew and Jon were close together, Gordon came around the Mark tacked went to the corner and tacked again and made up about 1/2 a leg and had hit the lead to round the last mark to the finish area, Andrew was next around the Mark closely followed by Ross and Jon, on the final leg both Gordon and Andrew let Ross through to go on to a another win. Gordon second, Andrew 3rd with Jon in 4th.

Race 3. the wind dropped out and the race abandoned.

Race 4. A predicted wind change did not happen and the start was a port start and a reach to the 1st mark. Ross lead all the way to win with Gordon second sailing Andrew Neesons boat with his own sail, Jon was pushed back to 3rd in a photo finish.

Race 5. Again a wind shift seconds from the start caused an early tack to Port. Jon and Ross managed to get away with Jon rounding the A mark first closely followed by Ross. These 2 boats sailed the next leg side by side passing a few Taipans who were heading for the wrong mark. Ross then sailed away from Jon and was never headed. Gordon was 2nd home followed by Phillip (I think).

The last Race was a Sternchaser which ran out of wind almost before it started but to Phillip’s and John Buzzo’s credit they sailed well to 1st and 2nd Mossies home which gave Phillip the trophy for the leading mosquito in that race, donated by Gary Lane who injured his elbow a few days before the event and could not sail.

It was interesting to note that although the Cobras have a similar yardstick to the Mosquito and they started 10 minutes in front. We passed most of them (read all for one of the mozzies) in nearly every race!

Ross Bennett

A day at Safety Beach….

Matt Stone and myself trailered our Mozzies across the Mornington Peninsula this morning as a shakedown for the trailers and a shakedown for the upcoming titles. Thankfully everything worked well and we arrived safely at Simon Clavin’s Mozzie base; McCrae Y.C. 11:00 am.

We used McCrae Y.C. as the rigging and launching point as we felt it would be less congested than Safety Beach and we felt that the sail across to Safety Beach would be a great exercise. The green lawns at McCrae Y.C. are just fantastic to rig up on and the wide rubber mats all the way to the water make life so very easy.

Simon, Matt and myself launched our Mozzies from Simon’s base club just after midday and had a run/broad reach to Safety Beach Y.C. We arrived on the beach at 1:10 pm, were welcomed by the one of the Safety Beach Mozzie sailors Paul Martin who gave an impromptu briefing on the sand. Alas the other Safety Beach Mozzie didn’t sail since his international flight arrival didn’t give him enough time to get to the yacht club.

We signed on and followed the rest of the fleet out to the start line for a 1:30 start.

2 triangular short course races were conducted with a 10 – 20 knot SW SSW wind which was roughly parallel to the beach. We were 2nd fleet in the start sequence with an A class fleet first away. Our fleet consisted of 3 Cat rigged Mozzies, Matt Stone’s Mozzie with spinnaker and 3 Hobie 17’s. Glenn Ashby was racing his A class cat and naturally had a clean sweep of both races.

The racing was a very interesting with lots of wind swings due to the shelter provided by Athur’s Seat. Matt used his spinnaker to great advantage and cleared away in both races.

I had a great tussle with the 3 Hobie 17’s and Paul and Simon were not far behind. Paul had a bridle mounting failure in race 1 and was lucky to make it safely back to the Yacht club beach without dismasting. Simon had trouble with his rudders in the 2nd race was forced to retire with the finish line just beyond his reach.

After the conclusion of racing we sailed back to the beach, signed off, had a brief discussion with Paul who said he would come over to Somers for some racing soon then Matt and I swapped Mozzies for the windward leg back to McCrae checking out our own and each others rigs and giving some pointers to Simon on his sail setup.

Arriving back at McCrae at 5:20 pm after 5 hours on the water we discussed the afternoon which we all thought was a great success.

Peter Foulsom

p.s. Simon didn’t need any sail set-up pointers since he will be using his brand new Ashby sail with brand new yet to be received fibre foam battens at the state titles next weekend

Masters Games – Geelong

The Royal Geelong Yacht club put on an exciting week of racing and socialising. Mosquitoes present were Garry Johnstone, Jon Guymer, Peter Nikitin and Philip Watson.

The invitation Race on Sunday afternoon produced 5 to 10 knots winds that were swinging all over the place which made it hard to pick the right side of the course at the top mark. Some interesting decisions were made. I managed to weave my way through the course to be the first mosquito over the line.

On Monday the wind was up and blowing 20 knots and gusting to 25 knots and every one was being blown around waiting for the start. I managed to capsize at the start and saw everyone disappear up the course by the time I righted my boat. So off I went after them. On the first lap and second lap I managed to make up ground going down wind. On the last lap I noticed a wind change and went to the port side of the course and managed to make up more ground. Garry was in the lead but when he saw me the shock of it all caused him to capsize and he said a few words!!!!!! I managed to be the first mosquito over the line. The second race was abandoned because the wind was up to 30knots.

On Tuesday the wind was 20knots and gusty, Garry raced very well in the conditions and saw him take line honours in the three races.

Wednesday layday & sleep.

Thursday it was looking like a light day out on the water

Race 5 started with me on port and all the other boats on starboard before anyone had noticed!

Race 6 light winds and more congested on the port tack ,Jon was keeping me away from the start by following me all over the place

Race 7 Very very light winds by now ,just keeping the boat moving.

Race 8 saw Garry on 11 Peter on 12 and Chris Parker (A-class) 13 points. So for the final race it was all up for grabs and we had a very exciting race. In the end it was Chris first, Peter second, and Garry third all finishing on 14 points.

The over all results in multi hulls was Chris first, Garry Second and Peter third.

Results age 55 to 65 Peter first, Garry second and Ian Champion third.

Peter Nikitin

Eden Regatta – Twofold Bay YC – 14/15 Feb

Sadly, this year saw the smallest cat fleet ever at Eden, with only two Paper Tigers and two Mosquitoes competing. Neil Joiner sailed sloop rigged with son David and Tim Shepperd sailed cat rigged. They were evenly matched in the two light races, and in the semi trapezing stuff the cat got away while in the more solid stuff the sloop got away – all true to form. In the end Neil was the overall winner and Neil and Tim both came away with new Ronstan start watches for prizes (Eden always has the best prizes of any regatta anywhere!).

Here is a summary of the racing from Paper Tiger sailor Tony Hastings:

This year’s regatta was contested by around 40 boats, from 18 different classes. A catamaran division consisted of Neil & David Joiner on sloop-rigged Mosquito “Immunity”, Tim Shepherd on cat-rigged Mosquito “Karma Kat”, Tony Hastings and Max Dogger on Paper Tigers “Pelikinetic” and “Why Worry?” respectively.

Race 1 began in a drifter, which increased to 5 knots and swung from SW to E. A swell rolled through with occasional 2m sets, which the wind fluctuating between peaks & troughs, so that if the sail were pulled in & out to keep flowing one would have been accused of pumping it. Winner was Immunity, who stayed with the wind to pull clear ahead on the first leg.

Race 2 was mostly 5 knots, with occasional 15 knot gusts in the last 1/2 of the race. Winner was Karma Kat, who had the best speed and stayed out in front in clear air. Flying 15s, NS14s and keel yachts maintained similar speeds to the Paper Tigers in the light airs, which made the race a fun challenge.

Race 3 began in very light winds, which dropped out completely after an hour or so, so the race was abandoned.

Race 4 was sailed in fairly steady 10 to 15 knots E, with the 2m swell continuing to provide excitement. The Mosquitos sliced through the waves, powering away to be by far the fastest boats on the course. In a close battle, Immunity maintained a lead throughout he race to claim the race win and 1st place for the Division.

Westernport Challenge – Merricks YC

The annual Westernport challenge was hosted by Merricks Yacht Club on Saturday 17th January for all Westernport yacht clubs. The Mosquitoes were well represented in the fleet of 78 yachts with 9 entries and one third of our entire division. Entrants from Somers were Jeremy Pearse & James Pearse both with spinnakers, Brian & Adam Gristwood, Ben Gristwood & Maddie Moore as sloop rigged and Malcolm Kemp & Peter Foulsum as cat rigged. There was representation from each of the other 3 major yacht clubs with Cowes Y.C. (Rod Saw), Merricks Y.C. (Ian Jeffrey) and Westernport Y.C. (Daniel Franke).

Racing was conducted with a variable 10 – 15 knots sea breeze on an incoming tide around a trapezoidal course with a 0.8 nautical mile windward leg. Our start was last in the sequence of 5 divisions so there was plenty of time to sit on the beach and watch the 1st start then head out to the start area. Our division was also the largest with 28 entries.

Typical Westernport conditions meant that you had to factor in the strong tide particularly at the windward mark. Many yachts didn’t allow enough room and had to double tack. Judgement was critical if tacking close to the top mark to leave enough room to not be carried into the mark. James Pearse had this unfortunate experience at the 1st windward mark resulting in a broken rudder and retirement from the race.

The wind strength fluctuated throughout the race with some noticeable wind shifts. There were many periods throughout the race where trapezing upwind was not required. Some yachts were caught out and there were a few capsizes throughout the race both upwind and on the reaches.

The overall winner of the challenge was a lightweight sharpie. Our division was won by an F18 with Jeremy Pearse 2nd and an A Class 3rd. The presence and performance of the Mozzie is definitely being noticed.

Final results for the Mozzies were:

  • Jeremy Pearse 3rd overall and 2nd in division
  • Brian & Adam Gristwood 9th overall and 5th in division
  • Peter Foulsum 14th overall and 7th in division
  • Malcolm Kemp 21st overall and 8th in division
  • Rod Saw 22nd overall and 9th in division
  • Ian Jeffrey 29th overall and 10th in division
  • Daniel Franke 54th overall and 18th in division
  • Ben Gristwood & Maddie Moore 59th overall and 21st in division

Six Mozzies in the top 10 of our division is a pretty good result.

A full listing of results can be viewed at the Merricks Y.C. website.

Well done to Daniel in his 1st big race. Hope to see some more of the Westernport Y.C. Mozzies at next years challenge.

Ben and Maddie would have had a better result if it weren’t for a slow leak in the port hull thanks to a small altercation with a reef during previous weeks racing. When last sighted, Maddie was still bailing out water.

Catamaran Championship – McRae

On the first day of racing the breeze was in Mick and Sarah’s favour and they sailed well to be well ahead of the fleet through most of the races. Only Peter and Gordon were able to stay close.

Day two was a light breeze that died out throughout the day. This seemed to suit Peter as he led the races by a large margin.

As you can see by the results our handicap is good in a breeze but in the light stuff were a bit behind.

Andrew sailed well getting a good start in the races on the first day and looked to be in a good position until the first race of the second day, when he decided to put the buoy between the bows of his boat and had to do a penalty turn (he didn’t sink the buoy but did get an award for this). After this his concentration may have slipped off a bit.

What happened to the rest of us – well we were beaten by the better sailors in Mick and Sarah, Peter.

Robert Lott

Victorian State Titles for Mosquitoes with spinnakers – Somers YC

Saturday dawned windy, and nine Mosquitos rigged their spinnakers for the 4th Victorian State Titles for Mosquitoes with spinnakers. The forecast did not look good but we rigged and changed ready for the 2.30pm start. After a short delay it was clear from the forecast and visible “signs” that the wind was only going to increase so all racing was abandoned for the day. Oh well, at least we got some exercise dragging the boats down to the beach and back.

Sunday also looked windy but not forecast to get worse. When we headed out for the 11am start we found absolutely perfect sailing conditions. A solid trapezing wind, and some interesting wave action. The course was four laps of an 800m long windward-leeward course with a downwind finish in front of the clubhouse.

Two races were run before lunch, and the first to make an impression was Peter Nikitin who dominated the fleet for the first lap in both races (even after missing the first start!). He was followed by Matt Stone, Neil Joiner and Tim Shepperd at the first windward mark of the day but after an exhilarating ride down to the leeward mark had trouble getting his spinnaker down. This was enough to allow Tim and Neil to break away, and open up a large gap on the rest of the fleet by the 3rd lap. Tim was looking comfortable near the end of the downwind with one lap left when an “unforced error” left him in the water hanging on to the leeward hull while still sailing under spinnaker. This is not a position that can be maintained for long and Neil consequently went on to win that race comfortably, with Tim recovering from the capsize and hanging on to 2nd just ahead of Matt S.

The second race followed a similar pattern with technical problems spoiling Peter’s race and Neil and Tim breaking away from the fleet, this time pursued by Matt Kirby, Matt Stone, Jeremy Pearse and Philip Warren-Smith. Tim stayed on the boat this time to even the score with Neil at 3 points each, while Philip pulled a tactical maneuver on the final downwind leg by leading the Matts and Jeremy beyond the layline for the leeward mark. Philip was confident that he would be able to pinch up under spinnaker better than his opposition. His gamble paid and he finished in 3rd with the other 3 all crossing the line in the next 50 seconds.

After lunch an executive decision was made to shorten the course slightly and attempt to run 3 back-to-back races. The wind and wave conditions had not changed much since the morning except an occasional light patch meant sitting on the side upwind for the heavier crews (ie. those over 70kg!).

After a lone tack to the right from the start of the 3rd race, Tim rounded the first mark well clear of the fleet with James Pearse and Matt S. and Gordon Hyde next around. Neil wasted no time and after another lap was through to 2nd while Peter and Philip came from behind the whole fleet through to 3rd and 4th, Philip finishing just 4 seconds ahead of Matt S.

With barely enough time to get a breath the 4th race started. This time James was first to the windward mark only seconds ahead of Tim, with Neil and Philip rounding together a few boatlengths behind. Tim edged past James on the downwind leg and the two stayed that way for two laps before James rolled in as Neil pressured him from behind. By the final windward leg Neil had passed Tim and had his eye on the finish line, however it wasn’t to be as he returned the (race 1) favour to Tim by rolling in on a gybe and allowing Philip and Matt through to 2nd & 3rd. This left Tim and Neil unbeatable in 1st and 2nd overall, but with Philip and Matt only a point apart in 3rd and 4th.

By now everyone was looking and feeling pretty wrecked, but the sun was shining and the wind was perfect for one more race. Tim started the race by attempting to insert his spinnaker pole up the end of Peter’s boom. Not a good start, or a good look. Neil and Philip made no mistakes and rounded the first mark in that order with Matt Kirby not far behind. Behind Matt K. it was Peter’s turn for a swim on the downwind leg. Over the next two legs Tim dug his way out of the fleet and passed Matt and Philip to 2nd place. Neil was far enough ahead and won the final race in style, but as Philip finished a few seconds behind Tim in 3rd place he secured his 3rd place overall.

Observations from the weekend:

  • Time spent using the spinnaker was shown to be a clear advantage. The more time, the more consistent the performance, especially on a course with so many hoists and drops with waves and wind.
  • Matt Kirby and Philip Warren-Smith were probably the only ones not to swim. Would this have anything to do with crew weight?
  • It was great to see some young sailors showing splashes of brilliance with very little time spent using their spinnakers before the event.
  • The Somers waves made it possible to surf downwind under spinnaker adding to the rush (and also adding to the risk of falling off the boat).
  • A longer course with fewer laps would have made the legs more tactical and would probably be preferable next time.
  • The weekend was very well run by Somers YC. The sailors were all well looked after on and off the water. Thanks.

Tim Shepperd