A New Race Seven of the 2009 Melbourne Winter Series

9:25 PM Thu 3 Sep 2009 GMT

'One of the three possible courses that will be run on September 12. - Melbourne Winter Series' John Curnow

Victorian sailors asked for it and here it is - news of the 'new' Race Seven of the 2009 Melbourne Winter Series. From a series point of view, this is going to make it all the more interesting, as you cannot drop the Melbourne to Geelong race and there are a few boats very close to each other in all the divisions. Having a passage race also means that different sorts of boats and tactics will apply, so this is sure to add to the interest.

Right then. The short description of the new Race Seven is a start at 08:30hrs off R2 on September 12, 2009. It will be a course of some 60nm around Port Phillip, should the breeze be suitable and the finish will be off RGYC at approximately 16:30hrs. If the breeze is caught AWOL, then the finish will be before Point Henry, so the tight bit of the Channel will not cause any concerns.

Now unless you've been asleep for the last 100 years, you'll know all about how Geelong does the post-race thing and they have gone for it yet again. Here are the bullet points for all you Rip Van Winkels; -

. Your boat will be tucked in nice and comfy for the evening in its own berth, with RGYC Marina staff escorting you in, once your sails are down, so all you have do is think about chilaxing! Cool.
. You can go straight off to the numerous, 24-hour, hot showers and bathrooms.
. You'll be fed and watered. RGYC are pretty familiar by now with what yachties want when it comes to a great night out after a hard race. There will be a selection of great value food for you from when you arrive, through to dinner. The member's bar will be open for you to enjoy drinks at member's prices, which is good news for people like Doc, Smokie, Smithy et al.
. You'll be entertained. For those that want to party into the night we will have a great band playing.
. You'll be cured. Yep. There will be a full breakfast buffet for the sore heads to ensure they can cope with heading home. No doubt there will be some take-aways available as well for the truly 'in-form' athletes amongst the clan.

Or will it be just plain wet? - Melbourne Winter Series - John Curnow

Best thing is that now that it's all inside Port Phillip (and so remains as a Cat4 event), anyone can sign on to do this last race. Importantly, this means that boats like 'Crackerjack'; the Beneteau 36.7 from RBYC can have another go at the whole shebang, just six months after their inaugural effort at Geelong Week. And I am sure there are even more crews out there waiting to have another soiree too. Now if you missed going North this year and work seems all too much, then here's the solution. Delightful Spring weather has arrived in Victoria now I'm told, so go tell all your club mates about this mid-year adventure.