SOUTHERN CHAPTER SYDNEY 38 ASSOCIATION
2012 /2013 SEASON REPORT

The Victorian Chapter of the Sydney 38 Association enjoyed a very successful 2012 / 2013 season. The fleet of 10 was very active and the addition of Pheonix (ex London Tavern ) at the end of the season was a bonus. The One Design calendar provided a winter series, a pre season weekend regatta at Geelong, a season long Summer Sprint Series, a second weekend regatta at Geelong, a State Championship and a winter series to wrap up a very busy year.
2012 /2013 Highlights
1 Victorian Championships
The 2013 Quantum Sails Victorian Championship was hosted by Sandringham Yacht Club on the weekend of 20th and 21st of April. Whilst the final points suggested an easy win for Lou Abraham’s Challenge team, this was far from the truth. Two races were won by 2 seconds and a 6th place opened the door for a close series. Bruce Taylor’s Chutzpah38 finished second with Ian Murray’s Cinquante 3rd. The Corinthian division was won by Clockwork (Gordon Mathers and Frank McDermott). Audacious (Greg Clinnick and Paul Holden) was second. Conditions ranged from 5 to 20 knots in strength, variable in direction. The nine competitors enjoyed close racing in a no drops series. The Saturday night social and presentation was also well supported.
2 Morris Finance 2013 Pre Season Regatta
The Morris Finance Regatta was held at Royal Geelong Yacht Club over the weekend of 15th and 16th September. The Series was won by “Cinquante” skippered by the local and sponsor Ian Murray. Second place was the new boat on the block “Pheonix”, owned by Brenton and Jen Carnell which also sails out of the RGYC. These locals are well placed to be successful in the next Nationals to be hosted at their home club. “Challenge” was the best of the visitors finishing third. Interestingly, both “Cinquante” and “Phoenix” were sailing in the Corinthian division. “Playground” owned by Andrew and Gayle Robinson, was third in the Corinthians and is improving each regatta. The seven race series was sailed in predominately light and testing conditions. The regatta was well supported by 10 boats and the social activities enjoyed by all crews. If the event was any indication of what lies ahead for the Nationals, we have a lot to look forward to in January, 2014.
3 2013 Winter Series
The 2013 Winter Series was won by “Phoenix” from ‘Clockwork” and “Audacious”. This was a terrific result for the “Phoenix” team in their first series in a Sydney 38 and reward for their effort ferrying their boat back and forward from Geelong to Sandringham, often in inclement weather.
4 2012 / 2013 SUMMER SERIES
The UK Sailmakers Summer Series made up of 20 races spread over a number of Sunday mornings and events during the summer was won by “Challenge” from “Clockwork” and “Sierra Chainsaw’.
The racing on Sunday mornings allows crews more time on the weekends for other weekend activities and is very popular with a high turnout of Sydney 38’s.
5 Club Marine Series
Whilst not a scratch event, it is interesting to note that Sydney 38’s did well on IRC in the interclub series. Whilst the well rated Beneteau 45 won the series, Sydney 38’s affectionately referred to as “the Colts” enjoyed good racing, with “Audacious”, “Chutzpah38” and “38 Degrees South” (John Chatham) all having won a heat. This series is the feature event of the IRC summer calendar in Victoria and the results reflect the competitiveness of the class.
6 2014 NATIONALS
Planning is well under way for this regatta scheduled between 23rd to the 26th of January 2014 as part of the “Geelong Festival of Sails”. With all 12 local Sydney 38’s expected to enter the series, negotiations are being finalized to offer a $500 cash incentive for early bird entries interstate entries. RGYC has been a terrific supporter of Sydney 38’s and run a great regatta. A social event has also been organized for Friday evening for crews to get together. Again, Ian Murray, owner of “Cinquante” and recently appointed Commodore of the RGYC has generously agreed to sponsor the event through his company “Morris Finance”. The Southern Chapter very much appreciates his ongoing commitment to the class.
SUMMARY
The Sydney 38 fleet in Melbourne is very healthy, participation levels are high and the standard of racing has improved. The addition of “Pheonix” and the potential of another new owner, no doubt places the class in a strong position. The Chapter also plans to promote the class with an open day “Pro Am” event in March 2014 where interested crews and buyers will be given the opportunity to race first hand on a Sydney 38. The slogan “One Design One Passion” will be used to promote the event. The class is very well supported by the Royal Geelong and Sandringham Yacht Clubs which host events at a reasonable cost by relying on volunteers. We are grateful for this support as it encourages participation and keeps the cost affordable.

Rowan Simpson,
Secretary,
Southern Chapter.

Dear Sydney 38 owner, welcome to all the latest news of what is happening within the class.

Housekeeping: Please note that our email address has changed. If you wish to email the Association, contact Jo on [email protected] . Our old email of [email protected] is no more.

Rules review: Periodically the Technical Committee reviews our Class Rules to ensure they adequately meet our needs and are clear and consistent. A few members have raised some areas of the rules for clarification and items such as undersized blocks on the main sheet and jib sheets being longer than necessary have been kicking around for years. So John Chatham, our tireless Class Measurer, has offered to put together some suggested rule modifications for consideration at the next AGM. So here is your chance to let John know on [email protected] if anything in the rules needs to be reviewed or modified. All changes will require a 2/3 majority vote to pass at the AGM and some notes will be circulated for your consideration prior to the AGM. Please contact John by the 11th of August if you have a suggestion.

AGM: This year for the first time we plan to hold our AGM via a conference call to allow interstate members to participate. The AGM will be held on Tuesday the 15th of October at 7.30pm. Three venues in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide will be identified to allow owners to meet up, share a cold drink and have their say in the running of the Association. If you have the urge to get more involved, why not consider nominating to join the Committee or taking on a task such as helping organize a regatta? Contact one of the current Committee members to find out more.

Spare rudder: The Association has purchased a spare rudder for emergency use by Association members. As some of you have experienced, getting a new rudder made (especially over the Christmas period) can take many weeks. This can be very inconvenient if you are stranded somewhere between Sydney and Hobart. The rudder is being stored at BoatMate at RPAYC in Pittwater NSW. Our contact is Peter Gregg (02) 9997 1144 or mobile 0400018297. Contact should also be made with a Committee member (our contact details are on our web site) who will then authorize Peter to make the rudder available. We hope you never need it!

National Championships: The Victorian Chapter are keen to host a cracking good National regatta next January in Geelong. Rowan Simpson and our long-time supporter and sponsor Ian Murray have been working behind the scenes and there is an information flyer attached to this email containing further information. We are anticipating a fleet of around 15 boats with a number of NSW and S.A. boats expressing interest. The Geelong Festival of Sail is one of the largest regattas in the world and a must for anyone who loves to race and have fun!

NSW States: Dates for the NSW State Championships have been confirmed as the 7th and 8th of December at RPAYC. Contact Mark Griffith for further details.

Association Web page: www.sydney38class.com There is plenty of information on our web page including recent news and stories from recent regattas. If you have a story or a photo to put on the web page, email [email protected] We have a “For Sale” section so why not list those second hand sails, etc on the site. It’s free!

Association membership: Recently you will have received your subscription invoice for FY14. We need your support to keep the Association moving forward, so don’t wait too long to pay! For those who have already paid, many thanks.

Class flags: All members are entitled to receive a Sydney 38 class flag, supplied by the Association that runs up the forestay and identifies your boat as a member of the Class Association. We would encourage all boats to fly this flag whenever you have the chance. If you have joined the Association recently and don’t have a class flag please contact me.

Good sailing:

Greg Clinnick [email protected]
Treasurer

Information Sheet for the 2014 Sydney 38 National Championships
The Sydney 38 Australian Championship will be held at Royal Geelong Yacht Club from the 23rd – 26th January 2014 as part of the Festival of Sails Regatta. Racing begins on Friday 24th January, but competitors are expected to present their boats for compliance inspections and their crews for a weigh in on Thursday. A social function is also scheduled for Friday night. Details to be confirmed in the NOR.
Melbourne Airport is a major international airport which services many international and domestic airlines. Hire cars are easily available from here. The Ring Road from Melbourne International Airport at Tullmarine makes the journey to Geelong a breeze and should take approximately an hour. Visit www.melbourneairport.com.au for more information.
Alternatively, for those travelling from interstate, Geelong has it’s own domestic airport at Avalon, which is just under half an hour away from the city centre. Avalon airport services Jetstar and Tiger Airways flights to and from most major Australian cities. Hire cars and shuttle services are also available from this point.
Marina Berths
Marina Berths will be extremely tight so in order to book a berth please contact the following:
Marina Manger
Mobile: 0418 524 867
Accommodation:
Geelong has a wide variety of accommodation, and if you book early you will find many options very close to the Royal Geelong Yacht Club – even within walking distance. The place to start is www.visitgeelongbellarine.com.au which provides a comprehensive search covering Geelong, all surrounding districts including the Great Ocean Road, our famous surf beaches like Torquay (20km), Barwon Heads (28km), Ocean Grove (26km), Point Lonsdale (30km) and bay side resorts like Portarlington (26km). As a snapshot, below is a summary of hotels and serviced apartments close to the Royal Geelong Yacht Club.
• Four Points by Sheraton (200m from RGYC) – www.starwoodhotels.com/fourpoints/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1302
• Geelong Bay Escapes (a number of serviced apartment properties scattered along the Geelong Waterfront, between 100m and 500m from RGYC) – www.geelongbayescapes.com.au
• Mercure Geelong (1.6km from RGYC) – www.mercuregeelong.com.au
• Vue Apartments (200m from RGYC) – www.vueapartments.com.au
• Alternatively, there are a number of houses and additional serviced apartments listed at www.stayz.com.au
Geelong is extremely busy over this period, and as such we encourage you book your accommodation early.
Sailmakers
Bull Sails
33 Easter Beach Road
Geelong Victoria 3220
Phone: 03 5222 2930

Chandlery
Power Drive Marine
11 Yarra Street
Geelong Vic 3220
Phone: 5229 4632

For further information please contact:
Major Regatta Administrator:
Contact: Tim Wagland
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 03 52793705

Please address any email queries to the Association on [email protected]

Final Draft Sydney 38 Southern Chapter Calendar For 2013/14

Sunday 30th June SYC WINTER SPRINT SERIES SYC 10.30 am start
Sunday 28th July SYC WINTER SPRINT SERIES SYC 10.30 am start
Sunday 11th August SYC WINTER SPRINT SERIES SYC 10.30 am start

Saturday 14th September Geelong pre-season regatta
Sunday 15th September Geelong pre-season regatta

Sunday 20th October UK Sailmakers Summer Sprint Series Day 1RBYC 10.00am start

Saturday 23rd November UK SailmakersSummer Sprint Series Day 2 (Included as part of Lipton Regatta RYCV)

Sunday 1st December . UK Sailmakers Summer Sprint Series Day 3 SYC 10.00am start
Saturday 18th January 2014 UK Sailmakers Summer Sprint Series Day 4 (Separate Start Multiple Races)

Friday 24th January 2014 SYDNEY 38 NATIONALS AT RGYC (Grade 1)
Saturday 25th January 2014 SYDNEY 38 NATIONALS AT RGYC (Grade 1)
Sunday 26th January 2014 SYDNEY 38 NATIONALS AT RGYC (Grade 1)
Monday 28th January 2014 SYDNEY 38 NATIONALS AT RGYC (Grade 1)

Sunday 23rd February UK Sailmakers Summer Sprint Series Day 5 SYC 10.00am start
Sunday 23rd March UK Sailmakers Summer Sprint Series Day 6 SYC 10.00am start
Saturday 5th April “UK Sailmakers Summer Sprint Series Day 7 (Separate racing in AM,
join fleet (seperate start) in PM”

Saturday 12th April Vic State Titles @ SYC (Grade 1)
Sunday 13th April Vic State Titles @ SYC (Grade 1)

Saturday 26th April “SYC Centenary Cup Regatta (Separate Start, Multiple races)
(to be confirmed with SYC if interest)”

* Club Marine Series Dates hosted by various clubs on Centre Course Race Area are
October 26, November 9, November 30, February 8, February 22, March 15, March 29
* All events apart from Nationals and States are Grade 2 Events

Sydney 38 Nationals once again show one design racing at its best
By Bruce Ferguson
The Sydney 38 Nationals kicked off at the Middle Harbour Yacht Club on March, 8, with at least four boats in with a chance to win.
‘Old School’, sailed by Mark Griffith from the RPAYC was the ‘boat to beat’, having come off the NSW State Championship the winner. Mark was assisted by Steve McConaghy as tactician with most of his largely RPAYC regular crew on board.
In the running was ‘The Goat’ driven by Bruce Foye, the first boat in the fleet to have a new 3DI main and jib suite. Bruce was supported by a strong crew, with tactical support from Bob Wilmot.
‘Zen’ was also in contention, although chartering Next, due to damage to the original Zen. Gordon Ketelbey was definitely on a charge with his crew and ready to sail.
Whisper, Bruce Fergusons’ boat from the RPAYC, was also in contention, with a strong crew from Trax Gordons’ training program at the RPYAC, including Murray Gordon and Billy Sykes from North’s.
Thirlmere was to become a contender as well, as Sally Warnerfords’ team demonstrated spectacular improvement in the boats performance, and was a challenge throughout the series.
Stalwart Conspiracy and Rush also were to show promise. A number of boats were not able to make the regatta due to weddings and injuries (you know who you are).
Day 1
The first day of the championship was sailed inside Sydney Harbour, with four races scheduled. Initially the race was run from off Middle head towards Manly in relatively light and shifty E-NE winds.
As the wind built, it sifted more easterly, and the headland created substantial challenges for the tacticians, until the course was moved further south, allowing the top mark to be in the harbour entry in cleaner wind.
At the end of the first day, consistency paid off for Whisper, who never won a race but was always in the top three. Old Schools was three points behind, with the Goat one point further back. The tight racing that the 38’s are known for was demonstrated in race three, when the top three boats finished within six seconds of each other.
Day 2
Middle Harbour Yacht Club’s Sydney 38 One-Design Nationals Regatta started day two when overcast skies cleared and the predicted ‘sickly easterly’ turned into a perfect breeze of up to 15 knots on the Harbour and offshore courses
By the end of day two, Bruce Ferguson’s Whisper (RPAYC) was proving too good for fellow club member and ‘the boat to beat’, Mark Griffith’s Old School, three points separating the two after some extremely close racing.
Despite the help of multiple 18 foot skiff JJ Giltinan champion, Steve Jarvin, Bruce Foye’s The Goat was third, a further point behind after two days racing. Foye was to be minus Jarvin the following day, when he returned to his Gotta Love It 7 skiff.
Day 3
The final day of racing forecast northerly winds at 10-15 knots, tending north-easterly later in the afternoon and up to 20 knots, meaning a possible change up in results and more action sailing than that of previous days lighter airs.
The final day was going to be the decider, with three points between Whisper in the lead and Old School, with The Goat only one point further back.
Coming into the final race, Whisper led Old School by three points with The Goat only one point further back. To win Whisper just needed to finish in the top three, while Old School needed to win with Whisper fourth to win on a count back.
The fleet was tightly packed on the first windward, with Zen leading narrowly, Old School coming in on port was able to just clear Whisper to round second with The Goat on Whispers tail. Down the run Old School closed on Zen while Whisper fought off the Goat. The second windward saw Old School pass Zen for the lead and a chance at the title, The Goat hadn’t given in and a tense gybing battle to the finish saw Whisper hold The Goat out at the pin to claim third by two seconds and take the title.
The 10-race Sydney 38 National title started out in the hands of Bruce Ferguson’s Whisper, and finished up there as well, nothing Mark Griffith and his much touted Old School crew could do changed the end result, the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club pair fighting it out to the finish to end with just a point separating them. Conspiracy also from RPAYC, was first in the corintian division.
The race results for the Sydney 38 Nationals shows how close the racing was.

1 Whisper 3849 Bruce Ferguson RPAYC 22 3.0 3.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 3.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 2.0
2 Old School 3865 Mark Griffith RPAYC 23 1.0 4.0 1.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 2.0 4.0
3 The Goat 3861 The Goat Syndicate CYCA 27 4.0 2.0 3.0 1.0 4.0 4.0 3.0 1.0 4.0 1.0
4 Zen 3822 Gordon Ketelbey MHYC 39 2.0 1.0 5.0 5.0 3.0 8.0Q 5.0 4.0 1.0 5.0
5 Thirlmere 3857 S. Warneford/L Jamie MHYC / CYC 43 5.0 5.0 4.0 4.0 5.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 5.0 3.0
6 Conspiracy 3829 David Hudson RPAYC 60 6.0 6.0 7.0 6.0 7.0 5.0 6.0 5.0 6.0 6.0
7 Rush 3819 Neil Sutton RPAYC 67 7.0 7.0 6.0 7.0 6.0 6.0 7.0 7.0 7.0 7.0