Spotty making it real :)
Also key is to be aware of each other on the water. After all this is not a race but a social blast.
Maybe pairing up with someone of similar speed and skill and making sure that you have some safety gear between you.
Spotty - With a WSW that they are forecasting and the proximity to shore that we will most likely be sailing do you see this a particularly risky undertaking?
A 3PM start for me would be out of the question. Have to be somewhere at 4PM.
Spotti, I would prefer a 3.00 start as well, can't do morning. Happy to do a run just the 2 of us if thats how it ends up.
Newcomers to the start venue. If you go in the morning and I am not there please get somebody who has sailed at Ricketts North to explain the reef situation. If you have no knowledge and sail across the reef in the wrong spot your race will last 30 seconds.
CRAP 
Damn family Xmas thingies................ can someone GoPro helmet this for me......
Would like to see it go down....
CRAP.....
Exactly...... lets just see who finishes first then if you want to throw down!
Double check that mast foot of yours, we know how it pops out before long trips!
*cough* Beacon race.....
^^
Pairing up a good idea, but for those who are in it for the race against the clock should be confident enough to handle themselves. LOC use BlueChip timing, but time keeper start/finish is fine, suggest for trial run do separate short interval start for kite and windsurfers given Ricketts beach space, times can still be compared and overall placings worked out.
Do not proceed out to vicinity of shipping channels for obvious reasons, beware of other craft and regattas if operating downwind of you.
Depending on wind angle should be relatively safe. Should trouble arise paddle/drift with the wind and you should make land. Suggest do not go out any further than your prepared to paddle, or around 1-2km offshore. Give the boat harbors and cliffs/rocks a wide birth so if you do end up drifting in etc you have some leeway to drift/paddle past to land on a beach.
Know your limits and head to shore if your getting really exhausted/cramped, rather than battle on putting your self in trouble far offshore.
This is all advice only and be responsible for yourself.
The LOC is run with sweeper boats and multiple air support with air sea comms', which locates stranded competitors out to sea and picks them up. In rolling 1-2m wind swell it can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack without air support. The LOC is open ocean with marks upto 4 km offshore with inshore reef gybe marks. It deserves such safety, but for this I'd feel safe with hence the limited numbers set and some sweeper craft.
With mob or flare for a coastal bay cross onshore downwinder it should be fairly safe. Don't go out to far, and replace your ropes, harness lines etc if they look worn.
Matt??? You like to use that Slalom board of yours...... interested in coming along?
I am not sure how many people are going to be taking this seriously, but I am not one of them.
Primary objective: To get to St Kilda
Secondary objetive: Not die.
OK - so after reading Spotty's post and realising how totally unprepared I am, can anyone offer advice on where to get?:
waterproof iPhone case/pouch
personal marine flares
PFD
anyone got one of these- looks like the GPS holders I've seen, but need to source it off-line so I can get it before Sunday: http://www.gadgetsboutique.com.au/h2o-audio-amphibx-fit-waterproof-armband-large.html
We should all sail together as a pack. If there is am group then we should leave together and sail as group. It's much more enjoyable that way, plus the time will go by easier.
Don't take it as one line approach. Have some swell riding runs and some quick speed runs too.
In the old days we called it gun running. A group of us would leave for a big up wind run across multiple suburbs and then fang it back. Criss-crossing each other like the old np flicks.
I reckon El Presidente' is onto something there...
Apart from the guys who want to see how quickly they can get there, the better fun would be doing in and out broad reaches, with jibes, riding swells, not having to think about getting back upwind.
If you did this, the time taken to get there would more closely match the time you would spend in a regular sailing session, rather than a painful 30 minute blast with cramp on one side of your neck. (save that for the real event)
ie -better value for your car ride.
- also the tracks on google earth would look really cool, coming in and out of all those locations on the way.
I'm off the water for a few more weeks but might get some pics from the cliff tops.
Any thoughts as to making the trial run shorter in length, for example Green Point/ Hampton to the Zu? By the looks of it it's half the distance. Being my first down winder I know I'm a little concerned the distance might be a little too much for me. It'll also give me an idea if I could realistically finish the actual race? There's also plenty of safer beaches to come in at between Green Point and St Kilda should anything unfortunate happen. It's just a thought. I plan on making up my mind if I run or not come Sunday morning.
Also, bear in mind there's a triathlon running in the Elwood, Beach Road area on Sunday. Easy enough to avoid I would think.
Cheers
)
I just love this idea, but why start at North Ricketts? Even the locals run aground there with deep fins. How about a trial from Sandringham sailing club, then if that works well, maybe Parkdale Sailing Club? That should sort the apes from the monkeys.
You are correct Adrian. North Ricketts is not a good spot to start this , especially if expecting good numbers. There are two ways over the reef and both are narrow and you can rule out the southern gap on big gear if the tide is anywhere near low. I hit the bottom with a 25CM fin Monday night!!!!
Lots of boards and kites trying to squeeze through a 20 meter wide gap sounds like a recipee for disaster to me.
Plus the council has totally ****** up the rigging area and there is no space for more than say 10 people to rig unless you rig in the picnic area near the teahouse.
May need a rethink.
Not trying to be negative, love the idea of the event but can see pissed off people with smashed up Slalom fins in my crystal ball.
Can someone indicate on a google map where the 'north ricketts' launch point is. If you're near the Beaumaris Sailing Club is the reef still an issue there?
Yes its Beaumaris Yacht club and I can't recall anyone removing the reef in the last couple of weeks
haha, no I don't imagine they've moved the reef. Low tide is 11:15am on Sunday (not as low as some of the tides in the last few days which have been sooo low)
Half Moon Bay or does the sub get in the way?
Yeah, this is making some more sense now...... good points.
Also, not sure on numbers for the morning session?
Sandringham as a shaken down effort, then Parkdale for the real deal?
