Well, only a few weeks to go to the Brisbane to Gladstone yacht race, entries are over 60 now I think plus the multis on top of that.
We're entered, I am doing the paperwork thing, sorting out crew lists, organising a few training sessions and sorting out a new Sat Phone after the last one went walkabout 
.
I'm playing with the idea of a marlin breaker for the loose luffed spinnakers tack line at the moment. Currently, when we do a spinnaker drop, we have to blow the whole tack line (which comes all the way back to the cockpit), and it can, and has, got caught/stood on and fouls the drop, it just seems a messy way to do it. So, I want to rig a short strop that connects to the firing pin on the clew shackle and clip it to the bow, so when the tack line is eased say a couple of feet off the bowsprit, the strop tensions and automatically fires the clew shackle. Keep it simple stupid is the thought I suppose.
The start is going to be streamed live again this year, and Gladstone council look like they're making a big effort for the party at the far end, it should be a good way to spend the Easter weekend.
Any other Seabreezers doing the race? Or coming out to watch the start?
Early brekkie at the Belvedere then down to the Shornie pier to give you a wave. Good luck
Hi SB,
We usually commence our Easter break with a run up from Cleveland to watch the start.
Currently planning to be there cheering you on. Keep us all posted on your tack line solution. Love the KISS solution search.
Good luck.
Raced on a boat that used a quick release shackle on fixed strop and it worked really well. Tried it on ours but it kept getting caught and releasing on Nav lights, bowsprit and seemingly everything. Even going back to the tiny little lanyard, it still occasionally gets caught and releases.
Select to expand quoteshaggybaxter said..
I'm playing with the idea of a marlin breaker for the loose luffed spinnakers tack line at the moment. Currently, when we do a spinnaker drop, we have to blow the whole tack line (which comes all the way back to the cockpit), and it can, and has, got caught/stood on and fouls the drop, it just seems a messy way to do it. So, I want to rig a short strop that connects to the firing pin on the clew shackle and clip it to the bow, so when the tack line is eased say a couple of feet off the bowsprit, the strop tensions and automatically fires the clew shackle. Keep it simple stupid is the thought I suppose.
Much bigger ease on the halyard and the sheet (unless your doing a letterbox- then just a BIG ease on the halyard). You will have to run very deep to blow the whole tack line and there is a high likelihood of clusterf'ck with it ballooning. Have you got s retriever line from the centre of the kite or bowman pulling it down manually or letterbox?
Select to expand quotedralyagmas said..shaggybaxter said..
I'm playing with the idea of a marlin breaker for the loose luffed spinnakers tack line at the moment. Currently, when we do a spinnaker drop, we have to blow the whole tack line (which comes all the way back to the cockpit), and it can, and has, got caught/stood on and fouls the drop, it just seems a messy way to do it. So, I want to rig a short strop that connects to the firing pin on the clew shackle and clip it to the bow, so when the tack line is eased say a couple of feet off the bowsprit, the strop tensions and automatically fires the clew shackle. Keep it simple stupid is the thought I suppose.
Much bigger ease on the halyard and the sheet (unless your doing a letterbox- then just a BIG ease on the halyard). You will have to run very deep to blow the whole tack line and there is a high likelihood of clusterf'ck with it ballooning. Have you got s retriever line from the centre of the kite or bowman pulling it down manually or letterbox?
Gday Dralya,
Yep, standard drop is to furl out headsail, run deep to about 150-160 before the tackline gets blown. With the headsail out, the kite vacuums into the boat, with the headsail furled away it's not as clean. Crew are to leeward at the shrouds hauling like mad, the wide beam helps a lot here, and straight down the companionway as the halyard is fed to them. No, no centre retreiving line mate.
If I don't run deep enough and blanket and suck the kite in, its a cluster all right.Select to expand quoteFreeRadical said..
Raced on a boat that used a quick release shackle on fixed strop and it worked really well. Tried it on ours but it kept getting caught and releasing on Nav lights, bowsprit and seemingly everything. Even going back to the tiny little lanyard, it still occasionally gets caught and releases.
Thanks FR, that's what I'm looking at. I want to run the strop from the shackle to a dyneema lashing on the bowsprit just aft of the low friction ring for the tackline.
I need to actually make it up and go out and try it, as how to rig it without it fouling everything will be the key thing, as you mentioned!
Select to expand quoteSailMark said..
Hi SB,
We usually commence our Easter break with a run up from Cleveland to watch the start.
Currently planning to be there cheering you on. Keep us all posted on your tack line solution. Love the KISS solution search.
Good luck.
Gday Sailmark,
We'll keep an eye out for you!
I bought a few large plastic ducks with the plan to tie them onto my boat and a couple of mates that are competing. (I was playing to an idea from years ago where a few boats had them on at the start line)
However, the two that we were using for the other boats, we rigged sea anchors underneath them 
.
I tested it out last week as a trial. Sadly, the ducks with the drogues attached promptly disappeared underwater as soon as there was any speed through the water.
Curses!
Back to the drawing board.....
Select to expand quoteBananabender said..
Early brekkie at the Belvedere then down to the Shornie pier to give you a wave. Good luck
BB, A few friends did this last year and were watching the live stream, said it helped work out who was who in the melee.
I must admit I'm so focused trying not to hit anyone let alone positioning for a good start, ducking and weaving through this many boats means the spectators probably have a better idea than me as to what's going on!
I love the fact that the course takes the boats past the pier, it looks pretty cool from the water with the crowds on the pier and up the hill.
see you on the start line shaggy but i would say that will be it till we see you in the bar we will be the boat with bagpippers on board coming down the creek
are you coming out for the kingfisher this saturday night
Select to expand quoteboty said..
see you on the start line shaggy but i would say that will be it till we see you in the bar we will be the boat with bagpippers on board coming down the creek
are you coming out for the kingfisher this saturday night
Gday Boty,
yes indeedy, weather looks pretty light but we'll be there. Is pagan going out?
Select to expand quoteandy59 said..
Good luck SB and everyone else sailing
Thx Andy,
We can't convince you to enter that gorgeous girl of yours? That would be a dream offshore methinks!
We've been tinkering with the tackline shackle for the loose luffed kites, how best to rig it so it blows when under tension consistently. Same as what Free Radical had shown earlier with a different release.
Now we just have to work out how to lay it up from the bow/pole/tack so it's consistent and doesn't foul on anything. This Saturday night race will be a good time to test it live, I think we might need a few goes to get it sorted properly. Still have a month to Gladstone, so we've got time at least.
Select to expand quoteshaggybaxter said..andy59 said..
Good luck SB and everyone else sailing
Thx Andy,
We can't convince you to enter that gorgeous girl of yours? That would be a dream offshore methinks
Would love to go but it's just a bit early for me, still trying to build up a store of brownie points on the home front after the last little adventure.
But we have plan to do a few passage races later in the year, hopefully will see you then
Select to expand quoteshaggybaxter said..boty said..
see you on the start line shaggy but i would say that will be it till we see you in the bar we will be the boat with bagpippers on board coming down the creek
are you coming out for the kingfisher this saturday night
Gday Boty,
yes indeedy, weather looks pretty light but we'll be there. Is pagan going out?
yes will see you out there were doing pretty well on irc at the moment but the drifter conditions for saturday night probably not ideal for us
we have had pagan out of the water for three weeks with the mast out revarnishing cabin and mast and rob new cast us anew ally bronze mast step as the old gal steel one which was 60 years old was starting to look a bit ordinary , so first test sail this arvo 
picture from the last night race eating chocolate slice in the rain pretty much the definition of passage racing
There was a good fleet of 20 odd yachts out for the Kingfisher night race series last night, with a few Seabreezers in attendance. Winds were stronger than expected, 15knots'ish from the N to NNE, with a course predominantly East - West out and back to the sandhills at Moreton Island.
It looked like most boast were using it as a shakedown to sort out crew positions and gear for the B2G.
A bit of a hairy start and finish, poor old Black Dog ended up with a kite in the water, which I can empathise with after doing exactly the same thing in the Fairway Challenge last week 
.
Two more outings hopefully before the Gladstone, the new crew are dialling in nicely.
Good fun, great tight racing, and no breakages, thanks to all competitors and the race committee!
SB
G'day Donk,
Yep, that makes perfect sense, but how do you reach out to the end of the pole?
Btw, how is the boat going?
Cheers,
SB
Edit: I love Wichard gear, can't help browsing their site and drooling uncontrollably.
Select to expand quoteboty said..
That is classic boty!!
The gnarled hand on the tiller and the desperate munching on the instant energy hit. Sign of a true yachtsman.
Go to Aldi and get the $4.50 tub of Salted Caramel Fudge Ice Cream. It will blow your mind.
Select to expand quoteshaggybaxter said..
Edit: I love Wichard gear, can't help browsing their site and drooling uncontrollably.
Well the Frogs do some pretty good stuff don't they such as the Pogo Yachts. 
Select to expand quoteRcisco said..boty said..
That is classic boty!!
The gnarled hand on the tiller and the desperate munching on the instant energy hit. Sign of a true yachtsman.
Go to Aldi and get the $4.50 tub of Salted Caramel Fudge Ice Cream. It will blow your mind.
You should see Pagan on the water Cisco, she looks beaut.
The entry list is hovering around 62, with 14 of these in the vintage and veteran class. I have to remind myself not to get sidetracked just ogling all the other boats and pay attention to driving!
At the pointy end you have BlackJack waving the 100' flag (do NOT be to leeward of that monster at the start) and then a big jump down to Ichi Ban (Botin 52') and Envy (TP52) . The 40' fleet is incredibly strong in SE Qld at the moment, I put that down to being a length that is short enough to be manageable/ affordable and yet long enough to offshore race respectably.
An interesting note: QCYC are noticeably focussed on safety more than ever this year. Nothing wrong with that at all, and I welcome it, it is an offshore race after all.
We have 2 of our 8 crew that are inexperienced, the other 6 are really solid. This is because I believe strongly in introducing new sailors into our sport, and giving them a go. I remember when I was at that point how hard it was to get a ride, and they're so keen, it's great to see the enthusiasm.
So QCYC have emailed me to quietly ensure we are doing the appropriate training for the new crew, ie: MOB, liferaft drills, flares, emergency distress signals , to which the answer is yes.
I also have had them out doing night races as a mandatory requirement, gybing kites on a dark night makes daytime gybes feel like a breeze!
Its a marked change in safety from years ago, where the skipper filled out the forms and was hence responsible. If your crew we're all inexperienced, had no personal safety gear, and had a beer in their hands for lunch, what happened on the boat stayed on the boat.
After the recent unfortunate events involving Finistere, it's both understandable and welcome to have the yacht club probing down to the level of detail they are on safety. It's a balance, they're trying to make it affordable (cat3+ down from cat2) but it's still a serious business, so the owners need to do their part, which is more than just "passing" the min requirements . Finistere was lost on a 170nm coastal race, half the length of the Gladstone, 11nm offshore and two died.
Sobering thoughts in the prep stage leading up to the race...
Any weather gurus out there? I've never seen this before, Localised hot air updraft?
We're in a high pressure zone at the moment, wind was zero at the time of the photo (am Sunday) , it appeared to be a few mile across, so not small.
I think you will find that it is a lenticular cloud that is either still forming or is starting to decay.
Select to expand quoteLooseChange said..
I think you will find that it is a lenticular cloud that is either still forming or is starting to decay.
Thanks Loose, I had to google it. Pretty cool formations!
Select to expand quoteshaggybaxter said..
You should see Pagan on the water Cisco, she looks beaut.
I am sure she does. I would expect nothing less from the Reverend Boty!!
I am looking forward to seeing the result of the job he does on Defiance.
great fun Saturday night shaggy has done very well with all the reaching an awesome result we did ok finishing 15 behind sassy bad habits and tybo spent all day Sunday doing saftey compliance checks 
but good to see it done just a final coat of varnish and a 600 wet and dry of the bottom and we are ready to go
i have never had all my pre race prep done so early
Boty,
I'm the same this year regards prep, we seem to be ahead of the curve thankfully.
I had my last sat phone go walkabout (grrr) so today I got my latest toy, another boat dollar down.
I went for the hotspot version this time instead of the handset. I found the handset was awkward to use last race, balancing in the companionway staying out of the breeze trying to align the antenna...meh. This option seems a bit easier, the wifi link means I can comfortably sit at the chart table out of the breeze!
Another passage race this weekend as a shakedown, then a dedicated day for safety training. We're going to be practising MOB drills under kite as well as upwind, flares, liferaft, DSC, Epirb, fire training..the crew's going to be more worn out than in the actual race.
