Sail Bellarine at Indented Head– BYS Aerospace on the podium
Last weekend a dedicated team from our RS Aero fleet (Paul Rogers, Paul Smart and Simon Pluim) travelled to Indented Head to compete in the Sail Bellarine Regatta, hosted by St Leonards, Portarlington and Indented Head Yacht Clubs.
We were joined by BYS talented J-70 helm, and regular Sabre specialist, Matthew Obrien, to test out the RS Aero in hand-to-hand combat.
In hindsight, Matt may have wished he never accepted our generous invitation and promises of 12-14 knot friendly sailing breezes!!
With a sell-out registration of 155 OTB dinghies, Sail Bellarine has become a ‘must do’ fun and friendly regatta with genuine country style hospitality.
And whilst our hosts delivered, by presenting a variety of great country style home cooked food, good facilities and genuine hospitality, mother nature broke her side of the deal… delivering an unpredictable nasty cold weather system filled with gale force wind blasts, often followed by minutes of breathless silence (the doldrums), accompanying torrential rain and massive wind shifts. Like… two days of it!
One minute it was survival of the fittest fighting passing storm cells with maximum vang, outhaul and down hall in an effort to depower the rig, and the next minute it was finger touch sailing with gentle movements through the boat, searching for just a hint of breeze to keep the water flowing over the foils.
But ultimately, it was BYS’s very own Paul Rogers on Saturday that would meet the weather challenges to finish on a high note on day 1 of the championship. After getting off the final start line of the day uncomfortably in bad air, Paul worked his way to the top mark first, and never looked back. He crossed the finish line in first, to sit second overall at the end of the day’s racing.
And that night whilst temperatures plummeted further amidst pouring rain, our team members of Paul Smart and Paul Rogers would find themselves in a greater challenge of survival, huddled up together in a double swag in the Indented Head Camp ground; their sailing gear and wet suits draining in a bucket.
It was indeed unfortunate that both Matt and myself could not assist, as we too sheltered in the lee of architecturally designed modern Torquay home with floor heating and an open fire, wet suits spinning in the tumble dryer on ‘delicates.’
Sunday morning in the boat park was a solemn one and I must admit there was some dissention in the BYS Aero Camp, as our team mates slid back into their wet sailing gear, whilst the heat from the dryer left remnants in ours!
We hit the water just as mother nature would greet us, with another approaching storm front! And we screamed to the start line on a broad reach saying a few hail Mary’s in respect of the King and Coronation and just a few crys of ‘I want my Mum’ as we battled to stay upright in a wind shift that turned 180 degrees to the south west gusting 25- 35 knots.
By mid-afternoon on Sunday, exhausted and soaked through, the somewhat disseminated fleet of Aeros, Optis, Sabres, Tasars, ILCAs and OK Dinghies had spent the best part of three hours on the water in an average air temperature of 7 – 9 degrees, whilst at the same time it was snowing heavily in the Victorian Alps.
Falls Creek Alpine Village on Sunday; image courtesy of Falls Creek Resort Management Board
Amidst the associated race postponements, with race officials trying to maintain some integrity in the championship, simply trying to stay warm whilst avoiding hypothermia and waiting became the order of the day. Patience was a virtue, that would be essential for those waiting, those seeking to be champions in all classes at the event.
And it was Paul Rogers from BYS in his RS Aero who would brave the elements to stand on the podium in second place at the end of the regatta, as a worthy reward for his enthusiasm and commitment to the Blairgowrie Aero sailing program over the last twelve months.
I would suggest Paul’s journeys competing at Victorian State Championships in Brighton, the Australian National Championships in Largs Bay South Australia, and at the RS Aero World Championships at the Gorge on the Colombia River in Portland Oregonian the USA, whilst routinely sailing at Blairgowrie proved there is no substitute for time on water, particularly against quality opponents.
Well done to Paul and all our team from BYS. (Simon Pluim 5th, Paul Smart 7th and Matt Obrien 9th) for representing BYS at Sail Bellarine and supporting these small and passionate sailing clubs on our sister Peninsula. And a big well done to Matt who jumped in an Aero dinghy unknown to him amidst punishing wind and weather, a class act by a talented sailor!
I guess what’s nice when travelling to these regattas is the brotherhood that exists between BYS members who are also competing in other classes. Notably it was great to be joined by some of our youth superstars, Lucas James and Angus McIntyre competing in the Ilca 6 (Lucas a creditable 10th and Angus 20th sadly having to carry a 40th place due to a broken top section).
It was also great to see Geoff Smith teaming up with Alan Riley from McCrae in a Taser on their road to the Tasar Worlds in 2024 at Sandringham who came 5th to winners of the event, Chris Dance and former BYS member Peter Hackett. Both Pete and Chris are previous World Tasar Champions, and have won several Sabre Nationals, individually in their own right.
It was great to catch up with Pete Hackett who is always appreciate of my sailing advice and coaching tips, which he takes on board with a wry grin and a ‘grain of salt!’
And finally, it was great to see our own Head of Sailing, Michelle de Blaquiere, take a well-earned break and represent her home club of Mt Martha at Sail Bellarine. Michelle’s enthusiasm for sailing isn’t dampened even when beanies and thermals are called for; a valuable member of our management team that we should respectfully not take for granted.
The Aeros will be back at Sail Bellarine in 2024, but hopefully with a red sky at night to ensure next time, a sailor’s delight.
Simon Pluim
