Sailing on have been generously donated a Yacht to add to the fleet, for Veterans and current serving personnel to learn and enjoy the relaxing sport of sailing. The yacht is called "The Avenue" and is also moored at the South of Perth Yacht Club. As you can see from the pictures, she is significantly larger than our first yacht Shiraz, and has been set up primarily for racing. Over the next few months we will get some time on Avenue with the current skipper and crew to familiarise ourselves with this new yacht. Thanks again Joe for your generosity.

We had Shiraz out on the river on Saturday, however our jib sail mucked up and wouldn't fully unfurl. In order to ensure we didn't do more damage, we left it wrapped up and just used the main sail for the first time. Suprisingly we could still do up to 4.5kts (so Kristen takes the club record for main sail only), and we learnt how to handle the boat in a different condition.

The wind died down after a bit, so we used the opportunity to practice man overboard drills. To be honest it was nowhere near as easy as we thought, and while we successfully rescued our dummy person (a fender) it wasn't pretty. I think we need to schedule these activities in more frequently

Saturday was another perfect summer day and we had Shiraz out on the river for the afternoon. The wind was unusually unpredictable which made picking a course and staying on it a little harder than normal, however the crew rose to the challenge and we got some good practice in. We actually hit a high speed of…

Shiraz was out twice this week, once for a twilight event on Wednesday and then again on Saturday. We had planned to conduct some man overboard drills on the Saturday session to take advantage of the the lower wind conditions, but on getting out in the river the wind picked up and we ended up doing some tacking and jibing practice instead. Maybe next time for man overboard.

I have attached a couple of photos, this time a shot of Matt, Kristen, Shannon and myself, with Simon acting as photographer.

The 2023 season has kicked off, with a very enjoyable sail on Saturday. This time we went out as a fleet, with Shiraz accompanied by Jen's yacht for the first time. The river was reasonably busy, but well down on peak numbers, and this made navigating (aka avoiding collisions) nice and easy.

I have attached a couple of photos, this time a shot of Jen on her yacht, a shot of Shiraz from Jen, and the Shiraz team (Xavier, Matt and Chris).

Welcome to another week on the water.

We held an open day on Saturday morning, rather than our normal afternoon sail. The open day was held in conjunction with Comet Bay College defence families and we had about 25-30 people come down.

Welcome to another week on the water.

After an eventful sail last weekend, when Shiraz developed a mind of her own, we put her up on the lift to see what was going on. As it turned out the steering problem was just marine growth. We cleaned it all off and miraculously the problem went away.

This Saturday, the weather was ideal and we got out to check and make sure everything was good. It was actually better than good, with not only smooth and sharp steering, but an extra knot and a bit on speed. We gave Trav's record (7.1kts) a decent fright (7kts), meaning that Shannon takes second place, and Travis only just keeps his crown. With a little bit more wind, I think we have a good chance of surpassing 7.1kts before Christmas. If you want to be part of history, now is the time to come out for a sail!

Welcome to another week on the water.

We switched it up a bit this week, with a knot tying lesson from Travis. Ropes (sheets) are integral to sailing and whether it's a bowline, sheet bend, reef knot or clove hitch, when you need them it's important to be able to do them quickly. To this point there will be a pop test on them all on the next sail. My thanks to Travis. His preparation and teaching style with novices is commendable.

We still got out for a short sail, however it felt like a winter day rather than late spring. I was glad I brought my heavy jacket. I have attached a photo, this time me on the helm, with Travis and Kristen supporting.

Welcome to another week on the water.

Saturday presented a beautiful 24 degrees and 10-15kt winds, and as per the last few weeks, we spent the afternoon out on the water with all the club fleets. The river is spectacular when it's full of yachts, and Saturday was no exception. Shiraz was in her elements and we did a nice relaxing sail without being shaken around.

Welcome to another week on the water.

First up, my thanks to Kim, who did an absolutely awesome healthy BBQ. His chicken and salmon recipies are now highly sought after. My appreciation also to those who came along to participate and help out. It was a nice way to finish the day and we obtained important funding from the Dept of Veterans Affairs as a result.

We also got out sailing, with near perfect conditions. For the first time in several months we didn't have the river to ourselves, as all the clubs came out to play. There must have been a hundred yachts out on the water. That all adds to the fun as we manoeuvred through and played dodgem cars the fleets.

All was going very well until…

Welcome to another week on the water.

Shiraz was out on Saturday in what were perfect conditions. It took no effort to stay on track, the wind was steady, the sun was out and the river calm. It was also nice to see (for the first time in a while) several other yachts out on the water with us.

We had a minor drama when we came back into port when the old trusty outboard wasn't so trusty and concked out, just when we needed it. As we have come to learn, sailing is all about adapting to the situation, so we kept the main sail up and docked the old fashioned way. On inspection we found the outboard had a leaky fuel hose, and we able to fix it straight away (thanks Travis).

I have attached a photo (no video this time), with Josh on the helm for the first time (first time on a yacht too).

Welcome to another week on the water.

Saturday was yet again another fantastically sunny and wonderfully calm day. It was ideal for mowing lawns and hanging out washing. Despite that we still took Shiraz out and got a little bit of sailing in (hit 3.5kts) before it went completely still and we bobbed around with the waves. Our practice focused on manoeuvring in low wind conditions, using the tide to our advantage, and even using the wake from other vessels to assist. Outside of that we enjoyed some music and the very nice winter sun.

This week's photo shows the crew on the way back in, with Kristen on the helm. While Travis may hold the speed record, I think Kristen takes the lead for parking skills, putting Shiraz back in its pen near perfectly.

Welcome to another week on the water.

Having had storms last weekend, this weekend was the exact opposite. Sunny and calm. Perfect for everything except sailing. Despite that we got out and about on Saturday afternoon, and as luck would have it there was just enough wind to have some fun under sail. We also practiced harbour skills of geting out of and into the pen (otherwise known as crashing). We do most of our skills development out on the water, learning how to set the sails and control the tiller. The most difficult and high risk time is however at the beginning and end during berthing when we need to be ultra precise and unafraid (otherwise you end up on top of another boat). So it was good to be able to practice this in very benign conditions, and it shows that regardless of the weather (except for raging storms) we can always find something interesting and worthwile to do on Shiraz.

I have attached a photo for the crew, this time with Matt on the helm leading us into harbour for the final time on the day.

Despite the weather threatening to unleash all kinds of hayhem, on Saturday Shiraz braved the elements for a sail. As it turned out, the storm fronts all went around the river and it was benignly calm. Go figure. This however was fortunate as we had a less experienced crew (with some newer people joining) and were able to practice the basics in calmer conditions. Shiraz still got up around 4kts and reached a max of 5.5kts.

I've attached a photo of the crew taken on returning to harbour, with the storm clouds in the background. This time it's a selfie. My experience with selfies is limited (believe it or not this is the first one I have ever taken) so please excuse the quality.

Welcome to another week on the water

Despite it being winter, the weather is holding together remarkably well. Saturday's conditions (except for the first 30 minutes) were ideal for sailing and the crew had a great rythm going. While we were off the hull speed (only reaching about 5.5kts), we really nailed tacking and jibing, and it is an awesome feeling when it all comes together. I'll give a shout out to Kristen who was skipper for the day, and also led the sail management.

We did however have a few problems leaving harbour, and learnt the hard way why the propeller needs to be properly in the water. No harm done, and nobody saw it, so we can keep it a secret. We also practiced some asymmetric sailing (jib and main on opposite sides) for the first bit, as the wind conditions dipped, and after a few trys we got it working nicely.

I've attached a photo of the crew taken on returning to harbour.