This Sunday sees us mark a very special occasion at Rosebud Yacht Club. Yes, Australia Day is happening on Friday, and then Triple J’s Hottest 100 on Saturday, but importantly we will all be at the club for a wonderful lunch (meat pie and a jam lamington for $6! What a bargain – it’s genuine 1967 pricing!), and then we are into the first Sternchaser we have had for a long time. How does it work? Well, it’s kinda in the name, but if you need it spelled out…

The event will be held on handicap – I have enough data in the system to figure out how well (or…not so well) everyone has been sailing. The person who has been sailing the ‘slowest’ so far this season – in this instance, Ross Kilborn – will start first. He starts at 75 minutes of ‘race time’ left. Then 1 minute later, Anna Purcell will start – so there is now 74 minutes of race time left. 2 minutes after her, John Mather starts off, which is also 4 minutes since the start of the race.

Confused? I am a bit too. So I created this nifty table (attached) to show when each skipper/boat is crossing the start line.
Some important things to note:
1) The course will be THE BIGGEST TRIANGLE EVER that Kylie Balmain, our resident P.R.O., can set. This is to make things easier for her and rescue two to monitor the fleet. Long story, I won’t bore you with the details.
2) You will only be completing triangles – also, this keeps it easier so people aren’t lapping over each other too much.
3) If you are over at the start line you will have a recall flag flown. You must go around and then start again, per the norm for race instructions.
4) All boats are expected on the water for the start of ‘person 1’. This keeps the vibe nice and pumping, plus allows you to keep track of who is ahead of you for the order of racing. We will line up on the beach before the start to help you figure that.
5) If you don’t see your name on the spreadsheet, I don’t have data for you. You will be starting at your normal yardstick point.
6) There is NO FINISH LINE – you just keep on racing until the 75 minute time limit (for the first boat) expires. In lieu of a finish line, you just keep doing triangles until the time expires (the rescue boat signals with a horn). If I have everything worked out correctly, all boats SHOULD finish in a single line, at the same point. Theoretically if the race went for 10 seconds longer, the fastest boat – Wayne Thorn – would be in the lead.
7) And this one is important: Just like ‘Top Gun’ in 1986, there’s no points for second place. On Sunday you are either first, or last. All boats who do not score first will receive a DNF. No hard feelings, but on Sunday, glory reigns supreme.
8) This is an all-in race. Monohull, Catamaran, person on a wing and a prayer. We are all in the same race, and prizes will only be given for first Mono, first Cat, and first Overall.
9) In the event that somebody doesn’t sail on Sunday, your start times will remain the same. The only thing that’s different from the final column in this spreadsheet will be the amount of time between the boat ahead of you and your own start.
10) Finally, I would like to thank our sponsor for this event, OPSM Rosebud. Through their kind donation we have been able to purchase the second O’Pen Bic, and bring you this epic event.

This will all become clearer on the day. But I do very much hope to see you all there. After all, if you want me to shout you all at the bar, time’s-a-tickin’ to make me open my wallet!

Email

info.rosebudyachtclub@gmail.com