I caught my dad's passion for sailing from him. The [magical] physical and sensory experience of being afloat - sailing upon the water - has never left me.
Note: Click on an image to view it in a larger scale.
That's me, October 2011, at Carcoar Dam Sailing Club.
I had a c.15 year break away from sailing. Quite by chance, I heard about this little sailing club on the radio. I checked it out - and stayed for years! (2004 - 2012).
After spending years sailing on open Sydney Harbour, the huge difference of sailing on a small inland freshwater dam was satisfyingly and refreshingly different. Plus: no Manly Ferries to avoid... just drought [laffs].
The awesome sense of "Community" at this little inland sailing club was amazing... as is the sailing community anywhere. I even spent a year being the Club 'Secretary'. The hour's country drive from home (in Bathurst) was worth it every time.
Here are pics and the old webpage from my time here (2004-2012).
My single-handed sailing dinghy "Wyreema" (2004-2006)
It was a 'Solo' Class
Yes, that's me.
And no - it's an optical illusion: I am not about to run aground (laffs).
My blue Lancer car with trailer (left) and the Solo (right) on the shore at Carcoar Dam Sailing Club. (c.2006)
I even won the "Most Improved Sailor" one year
The Laser fleet at Carcoar Dam (c. 2006)
I eventually regretted selling that adorable one-man sailing dinghy in 2006. So easy to sail, and even easier to right again after a capsize!
The Laser (below) was good... but with the Solo (above), I felt much more comfortable sitting 'in' it, rather than sitting 'on' the Laser. I don't know how to express it.
I ended up driving to and from Melbourne (a 1,600km / c.1,000 mile round trip! Oh god... what was I thinking? [laffs]) to buy this Laser (below), which I renamed "Wyreema II" (2007).
I ended up selling it (together with its trailer) when I moved to Queensland in 2012. Oh well.
I loved being involved with this - taking people with a disability out sailing, and allowing them to experience something they would otherwise never know. They ran alongside the Carcoar Dam Sailing Club... I'd sail/race with the club on a Saturday, and help with Sailability on the Sunday, during the warmer months. (2006-2012)
Irony 101: now I have MS, I am unable to sail, help out, or even get out there to participate. Bugger.
Watch the video: https://youtu.be/VsUxJvg6LZ4?si=9nEuBg3U0Uzk3qKf
(Sailability Cairns News Article)
That's me in the yellow hat
Gotta love those genuine smiles: local high school students enjoying a sailing day!
My dad sailing his VJ "Wyreema" in Middle Harbour (Sydney Harbour), c.1940's
One of my dad's 16-foot skiffs in 1970 (before I was sailing).
That's me in the yellow c.1976, in dad's 16-Foot Skiff "Wyreema" sailing out of Manly, Sydney Harbour
That's me c.1980, sailing in my dad's 16 foot skiff "Wyreema" at Manly in Sydney Harbour, Australia.
I was the 'forward hand', who set the kite (ie. the big colourful sail).
I skippered a Flying 11 out of Manly for a season (1981-ish?), also called (unsurprisingly) "Wyreema". We won a few races, too.
The pics (below) aren't my boat, unfortunately. That's what a Flying 11 looks like. They were great fun, an 11-foot-long 2-man sailing dinghy.
(I will have a large hunt around to find a pic-copy of my actual boat.)
Why the name "Wyreema"?
Dad had named his sailing dinghies "Wyreema" ever since the 1940's. My brother and I always assumed it had some deeper significance.
Our great-grandfather was travelling back to Australia from New Zealand, aboard the steamship "Wyreema" (cf. image below), early in the 20th century. We thought it might have been related to that.
The Maori (ie. native New Zealand language) term 'Wyreema' means "a meeting of five waters" (ie. a delta).
We thought that might have been somehow significant.
No. In the end, we discovered there was no deeper significance to the name. DAD JUST LIKED THE NAME!
Oh yes, we had a good laugh about that.
Nowadays, during our summer sailing season, I can watch - livestreamed online - sailing races from the Club I used to sail with at Manly on Sydney Harbour!
More live sailing ! "Me VERY happy!"
I used to sail this class of boat MANY years ago, albeit the boats were a lot clunkier then (cf above).
Watching this live online, living 200 km / 125 miles inland, is just so awesome and soul-reviving for me.
Being able to watch this live is awesome. I caught my passion for sailing from my late dad. I was thinking about all these sailing vids, and how he would have loved it. I randomly burst into tears just thinking about the good memories I have with him sailing: I still miss him, even after 30 years.
Live Sailing Streamed (with races saved):
Check out:
I always watch the start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race in Sydney Harbour, every Boxing Day. It was a 'tradition' growing up for dad and me to watch it together on TV - which I happily continue. I raise a glass to my dad every year.
Even as dinghy sailors, we loved the visual spectacle - and the sheer size and speed of those things!!!
My brother and I watched it live on Sydney Harbour once - what an amazing visual experience!
Here's what a 16-foot skiff looked like when I was sailing them, late 1970's-1985.
It's great how the Manly club still have an awesome youth sailing program.
Quite a few old Manly sailors have gone on to win Olympic Gold Medals in sailing!!!
"This is not a submarine, you fools!"
I sailed this 18-foot skiff in a Sea Scout Regatta c.1980... an amazing experience. The 16's I was used to sailing were nothing like this!
16' Skiffs are an OLD class of boat
16' skiffs at The Spit c.1940's
16's (what I sailed) are the smaller version of Sydney Harbour's iconic 18' Skiffs.
From a century+ ago: 18-foot skiffs - no flotation in the boat, no ballast (except for a hugely-heavy LEAD centreboard, that took 3 men to lift it out of the boat!), a large number of heavy crew, insanely massive sail area, no trapeeze, none of the technology used today... If they capsized, they could actually sink!!!
This was HARD. CORE. SAILING!!!
100% respect.
Peas be with ewe
Mal
