Gill is playing possum in the 18s league

2:04 AM Fri 12 Mar 2010 GMT

'Gill, plus a possum' Frank Quealey &copy /Australian 18 Footers League

There is rarely a dull moment in the 18 Footers and supporters are never surprised at what might happen, but last Sunday saw a 'first' - something even the most ardent follower would have never expected to see in an 18ft Skiff race.

It was the Australian 18 Footers League's Ferry Patrons Trophy race and involved the Gill Racing Team, led by Dave Alexander. After a slow start to the race and three capsizes in the 25-knot North east wind on the first lap of the course, Gill was further back in the pack than the team are normally accustomed.

The skiff was near Taylor Bay on the second windward beat when Dave Alexander noticed his two crew members looking into the boat. Thinking there was just a loose spinnaker, or something similar, he ignored their 'distraction' and kept sailing.

He noticed their 'distraction' continued but thought nothing more about it until crewman Ed called out 'look at your leg'. Dave says: 'I almost ---- myself when I saw this thing (a possum) the size of a cat crawling up my leg. I shook it off into the bottom of the boat and it went out the back'.

'We all started laughing and capsized again. The last time we saw the possum it was swimming towards the shore but I don't know whether it made it safely'. Dave said this was actually the third time this season they had discovered a possum in the boat - although it was the first one to make it onto the water.

Dave the possum - Frank Quealey &copy /Australian 18 Footers League

'One crawled out of the bow tube between the bow and the cockpit, then we discovered one dead in the bow tube.

This one also came out of the same hiding place so we figure it must be a top spot for possums'. Strangely, the boat is housed at a concrete car park in an industrial area. Hardly the type of location associated with possums.

Unfortunately, we didn't get a shot of Dave's face at the precise moment he saw the possum on his leg so we have taken the liberty of creating our own image of Dave - based on the concept 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'.

www.18footers.com.au

by Frank Quealey

Click on thumbnails to enlarge and find more photos:

Newsfeed supplied by

#News #Sailing #North

Sailing

Heaving To: Park the Boat in a Blow

Sailing

QLD Coast in Winter: Dry Season Tactics

Sailing

Overnight at Anchor: Setting Up Right

Sailing

Reefing: Read the Signs, Act Early

Sailing

The Beaufort Scale: How We Learned to Rank Wind

Sailing

Read the Wind: Judge Its Force Without a Gauge

Sailing

VHF Radio on the Water: Channels and Calls

Nearby
Mudgee, NSW	3 kn WSW	24°
Windiest in Australia
Gabo Island, VIC	24 kn NE	17°
Most Windless in Australia
Sydney Olympic Park, NSW	Calm	19°
Hottest in Australia
Fitzroy Crossing, WA	11 kn ESE	38°
Coldest in Australia
Mount Wellington, TAS	5 kn N	8°
Wettest in Australia
Ulladulla, NSW	18.0 mm

Gill is playing possum in the 18s league

Heave-To: Sailing's Emergency Pause Button

Reefing Early: Shorten Sail Before You Must

Reefing Early: Shorten Sail Before It's Too Late

Live Weather

Nearby

Windiest in Australia

Most Windless in Australia

Hottest in Australia

Coldest in Australia

Wettest in Australia

Sailing Articles

Buy & Sell

2026 Neil Pryde X100 430 Sdm

2021 Nobile Flying Carpet

2024 Armstrong Carbon Foil Gear

2026 SMIK Stokr Breeze 93 6'3"

Mystic Magestic

2025 Axis Axis Blast

Know before you go

Download the Seabreeze app for iOS or Android.

Weather

Activities

About

Other

Support