Report from Brasilia (20th April 2008)

The weekend here saw the Optimist sailors training for an important championship coming up some time soon. (The language created some difficulties so I did not get the details). About 20 Optimists went out in a nice warm breeze at 10.000 am on Sunday morning. Adult staff setup the Optis for the children, the children give them a quick check before taking to the water. Several inflatables accompanied them and the instructors put them through their drills.
For me and a couple of high school students we went out in Lasers. The students had 4.7’s, one very new. I had a standard rig Laser, unfortunately supporting a few defects. I noted a large crack in the gooseneck fitting before taking to the water, so decided not to strain the boom too much. After about half an hour I couldn’t keep up with the 4.7s, so I tagged along behind, getting further behind. She was not handling well and after one gybe water came well over the bow, strange I thought, it’s not that windy and the waves are only small. I concluded a short while later that the hull must have taken on water. I headed straight back to the club, the handling characteristics becoming increasing worse and some more water coming over the bow in spite of my efforts to move further back. I was most thankful to eventually make it back.
I floated the Laser onto the trailer OK but two of us couldn’t pull it more than half out of the water. Pulling out the rear bung and opening a rear hatch cover verified my suspicions, heaps of water inside, so I waited while it drained and taking her inside to de-rig. Still it was a good day, near 30 degrees, a little cloudy to start with and tomorrow Monday was to be a public holiday here.
I caught a taxi back to central Brasilia, checked the market out and a few shops and saw a little beach volleyball as teams were preparing for the “Independence Day” celebration on Monday. For me Monday was to be back on the farm with my hosts; some animal work to be done and some more urea to apply to the pasture. We had visitors too, so the day had a good social component.
To the future I am off to help buy more heifers later in the week and next week and visiting an Agricultural Show for two days in the Minias Gerais state. The sailing will have to wait.

Ross Wrenn
26-4-08

Winter has arrived. Snow on Ruapehu and it felt as if it will be sitting on Pirongia next week.
So the morning race sailed into a stiff South West. Two laps of triangle - windward-leeward produced some good racing and fast planing conditions. Resivor and Espresso tussled for club champs; a bit too close at one point when Espresso revved Resivor round a mark.
Elsewhere, a Phase II ploughed the lake bed and the Southern Comfort looked as Alex was about to take off.
The wind slackened in the afternoon but was fair enough for the two remaining Mark Foy races.
Fabulous weather; a great days sailing.

There was a bit more wind on day 2 of the Regatta ... gusting to 15 knots or so on occasion, with some spectacular spills and excellent sailing had by all.
The results published below are from the Sailwave files.
Many thanks to Alan and Joyce Singleton for timing the finishes and entering all the results and to Peter Carr as Race Officer.
Sailing went without a hitch. We hope you enjoyed yourselves and see you again next year.

Saturday 12th April, first day of the Waikato Thames Centreboard Regatta. And what a superb turn out. Forty three boats, Optimists, Fire Bugs, Starlings, ten Phase IIs, Mistrals, a Zephyr or two, Lasers, 3.7s, a PT, one P an unidentified class or two. Fantastic.





We ran three divisions: Optimists, Phase II and the rest (Division 1).
First three races were sailed in light south westerlies so picking the shifts and sailing well into the wind paid dividends. Races were 40 to 50 minutes … no dramas except for one Starling falling over before the start of race 1! The wind picked up to 8 to 10 knots in the final race, so the 3.7s managed to hang out on the wire and even the PT flew a hull for 600 metres or so.
Optimists were taken off to play roundabout a MaiMai to keep clear of the crowded Division I start. Phase II seemed to have a number of tussles and battles on the water. Lovely weather; great sailing, great company. Thanks for coming guys and check out the photographs (click the link).

The 48th Anniversary Regatta of the Iate Clube de Brasilia

I was lucky enough to be at the Iate Clube de Brasilia to celebrate their 48th year with a trailer yacht and keeler regatta in the first wekend of April. I sailed on a Delta 26 (26 foot) along with about 10 other yachts of this class in a fleet of 50 yachts in total. Really a great sight, especially in the early stages of the race when all the yachts were together. A nice 8 to 12 knot breeze propelled the yachts on a tight reach to the first mark followed by the popping of spinnakers for a long off wind leg that included a few gybes for most yachts. Around mark two positioned in front of an architecturally designed bridge over one arm of the lake and back upwind again. After a few tacks we rounded a peninsula on which is sited the presidents residence (and accompanying fortifications and markings to not to get too close) then onto a tight reach to the penultimate mark. A gybe around the mark and with the spinnaker raised then another gybe we shot through to the finish line in front of the clubhouse for a top 10 finish. The polished performance was finished by docking at the wharf without the use of the motor, just as we had begun the mornings sailing.
It might have rained a bit to start with, but at 25 plus degrees that’s nothing to worry about, the sun shone towards the end of the hour plus long race to make things dry. We packed the sails away and left the rest to the helpers at the club to put the yacht on the tractor pulled trailer and park it in it’s customary berthing spot. Drinks were then on the house, very nice and time for me to practise some Portuguese and for some locals to practice their English, I almost forgot some pasta and cheese too. I presented the Vice Commodore with a Ngaroto Sailing Club shirt and the skipper of my boat with a Ngaroto cap (this will go well with the North Sails jib, the Navman electronic equipment and the Weaver front hatch (Auckland). NZ equipment is widely used and known to sailors around the world. I talked (in Portuguese) to the skipper of another Delta 26 named “Peter Blake” (after Sir Peter’s infamous death in the Amazon River); a Brasilian consulate representative also talked (in English was much easier) sadly of the incident too. Truly the Brasilians are a very hospitable lot making the most of a great environment for the sport of yachting! Being 2000 kms from the sea has the advantage of focusing sailors to Lago do Paranoa a paradise for those living in or near Brasilia.

The Delta 26 championship regatta takes place in May in Brasilia and an invitation is in my sailing dairy!

PS. Not for the ladies. English text is in use at the club (we are truly lucky to be native speakers of this language), they have to learn the English terms (sailing rules) that prevail at international regattas; a photo is attached.
Ross Wrenn

Clearing the Raupo

There was so little wind for Races 5 and 6 for the club champs (6th April) that we abandoned race 6 at 2.30. At 2.45, the a gentle breeze set in, but by that time, team Ngaroto was pulling the out the Raupo clogging the ramps. We’ve agreed to to sail two more races in place of the Mark Foy races scheduled for April 20th.
Race 3 and 4 were sailed in 5 to 8 knot breezes; it is fairly typical late season Waikato weather, hot humid and windless.

We’ve cleared Raupo from both ramps. And in the process recovered a motor mower, various concrete lumps and other rubbish. Click on the link to see the photos!
We made space for Claire’s P hase II in the boatshed, and have begun preparations for next weeks Waikato Centreboard Regatta.