Been in the GTC for just 15mths and been the best thing for my sailing. Met some great people and hope to meet a lot more. Looking forward to Burrum Windfest.
The Green Is Speedweek was a highlight, bloody good holiday actually. Some wind would have helped.
Knocking over a few PB's is always exciting but changing from an Etrex to a GT31 has made getting those a bit more difficult. Still that's the challenge. Also helped some of the windsurf businesses with buying new gear and can't see it being any different this year.
Have fun everyone

Huge thanks to Hardie and Nebbs, been a bloody hectic year for both lads. Hardie off on a wind junket that proved to be more junket than wind but you get that in this game. Start of season had him nursing Binny back into gear after a prang at the famous Hardies run.
Nebbs with the big move into his new house up our way near Pinneroo, did he let is faze him and some great TOW, and putting up scores, not a bit
The fun chasing the gun teams scores each week (day) when we see there is a slight chance the buggers may have scored around Aus. Then watching the wind gods just so we could gazump them at the last minute
Bloody strong bond being forged with people you have never met, who help out with advise and tips when ever requested.
Finally to the team Pinnas, YES YOU BUGGERS, its spelt and sounded P-I-N-N-A-S, short for Pinneroo[}:)]
They have to be the best bunch of guys around and all good mates with a variaty of skills to keep the team individual scores ticking along with our new Captain Mark driving us hard

And finally to the top teams, and in particular, Perth Southsiders, who we have a great time competing against Thanks for the competition its been great and has us all driving that little bit extra to make ground on you buggers.

All the best for 2010, may the top guns forget they have their fin covers still on[}:)] and the rest of us have a great 2010
Oh and ankle is healing fast. Cast is off, Air Boot is on, thank goodness, that cast was pizzing me orf

C'arn Pinnas, now lads its PINNAS orright

beating dad several times as firebob knows...... with me beating a couple of his pbs

For me it's always humbling to read about how our little site has made a difference to people's sailing. Stories like the ones above warm the cockles of my heart, and make me realise that it's all worthwhile

Big thanks go out to both Hardie and our sponsors, who go hand in hand really (he deals with the people, I deal with computers, it works well). We're now up to well over 400 entrants, and pretty much all of them went through Hardie's fax machine... Hardie's enthusiasm for the cups knows no bounds, and now I realise that it's a real motivator for the teams that are close to the top to try that little bit harder. Good on ya mate, here's cheers to an even bigger 2010 (And maybe one day the MMob might get a sniff at one )

Ok highlights time:
* Trying to convince Hardie that we should chop the cup in half, instead of buying two cups.
* Dave's amazing 500 km day, that I was so sure was a typo when I first saw it, that caused Realspeed to split it over two days, and when the dust settled it was as real as it gets!
* The tireless enthusiasm shown by so many GTC'ers, but especially Mineral and Firiebob, you guys crack me up
* Seeing the twin masterpieces that Decrep created, when I thought we were just going to get a cup that was chopped in half.
* Rocking up to Mandurah at dawn to find two other madmen already there and rigging up... you can't say that we'd do that without the site!
* GPSSS taking us seriously for a change
* The big interest shown by some overseas teams in the last month
* Finally breaking my 2 year alpha PB! YEEEEEEHHAAAAA!!!!

I had more fun and managed to get PB's in all categories.NM and Alpha were 2yrs old.

I also learnt that Elmo is still faster than me and can even go round corners]but thats ok as i like chasing him.

Thanks to all the teams that made it so fun.
All the on shore banter is what it's all about........ Oh and trying to beat a red fury muppet

firiebob said...

Oh yeh the other downer is a certain little bugger in Tazzie who is quicker than me and rubs it in, but I'll sort that in 2010 [}:)]

Thanks mobs Nebs and Hards

firebob thought you said you were going to get them back last year at green island speed week

Bingo Herb. Ditto fo us.

As a result of spending a week with Hardie at Speedweek...we decided to enter a team, mainly to get some newbies into the concept of speed sailing.....we've now got a great crew and altho' we're not the fastest (yet), we give it a red hot go.
I'd like to thank you guys for starting this crazy thing....my lawns are three feet tall and nothing has been done around my house since The Southerly Busters were born!!!

Mick

GTC is a wonderful thing. It has made my windsurfing go from something fun to do to something utterly addictive and compelling. It has helped me meet some great people, have a heap of laughs, learn heaps (many thanks Pit crew team mates!), and encouraged me to upgrade my kit (never ending! Thanks team mates again for great second hand gear!).

Highlights:
Speed fortnight - at least the first nine days which I attended. Best fun I've had in years. Wonderful to meet so many kind and friendly people.
Big Sunday at the PiT, seeing the experts show how it is done.
Cracking 200kms in a day with Kato.
Dawn starts at the PiT, excitedly rigging up with team mates (thanks for the motivation Craig!).
Starting to pull off some planing gybes!!
Comparing results on GTC after a big day out.
Lots of new Vic competitors - welcome Southerly Busters - and friendly rivalry with Connewarre Crewmasters.

Lowlights:
Getting repeatedly flattened without even getting going on Big Sunday.
A bit of busted gear.
Having to work for a living when the sun is out and the wind is blowing.
Not having 30 knot WSW winds every weekend at the PiT. Surely not too much to ask?

Keep up the great work with the site Hardie and Nebbs! Careful not to change too much as it is hard to see how it could be better. I'm really looking forward to a great 2010 and more teams and a more international aspect should make it even more fun.

Lots of encouraging posts here.
I agree with Herb&Lynn, it's a great privilege to be a part of the challenge.
I felt especially privileged to be given the job of splitting the tied cup.

Since hardie and elmo persuaded me to join the MM it's become a big part of my life.
If not actually sailing, trying to improve my abilities in the 6 divisions, or trying to improve our team score, it's experimenting, making/modifying/repairing speed boards and fins.
Exploring with mates, trying out different locations for the different divisions.

It's also great to meet visiting GTC sailors, this social aspect would be missing without the challenge.

Managed 4 PBs in 2009, 5X10 and distance at start of year, alpha and 1hr at the end.

MM was 1st for Dec right up to the last day, when the mighty SRM did a big distance and knocked us into 2nd. That was a high and low point.

Not too many low points, apart from stepping on the inevitable cobbler!!!
That wouldn't have happened without the GTC.