BRISBANE BLOG 7:

Business as usual from Brisbane!

As part of the upgrade of the facilities here, the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron have built a wonderful viewing grandstand, that allows an uninterrupted view out across Moreton Bay. One only has to look around a little further to the north, to clearly see the main Container Terminal at ‘Fishermans Wharf’. From the club, as the Pelican flies, this is scarcely more than 5 miles, but for now it might as well be the dark side of the moon, as the Brit Box, the GBR container, is still awaiting the tender ministrations of AQIS, the eagle eyed Quarantine service. There is no point complaining, at least here they have a declared policy, on what can and cannot come into the country and stick to it – rigidly. The UK, take note.

The Italian, German and Victoria containers are now safely on site  - which just leaves the UK box to make an arrival. It is galling to think that it is so close yet so far - visibile almost with the naked eye, yet still to pass through the dreaded AQIS inspection (something akin to the Spanish Inquisition but with real pain!)

There is though a counter view that suggests that as long as the Container is on the dockside, the boats are safe. That may not be the case when they finally get here, for conditions out on the bay are far from welcoming. The breeze arrived Christmas Eve, freshening as the day went on. This was not a day to be test sailing a boat that was a complete unknown quantity, a fact that was reinforced when the rudder assembly parted company from the boat whilst fully ‘powered up’. Swinging in and head butting the hull is one way to get acquainted, but it does nothing for the straightness of the nose! AUS 278 (soon to be GBR???) is an interesting concept, as it is strip planked in cedar. The boat will need some serious sorting, not to mention the application of some tlc, but the hull seems super stiff and is an attractive option to the darker, diagonal planking of the Bonezzi boats.

Faced with the option of causing more damage to the boat, or using one's head as a shock absorber, 9 contender sailors out of 10 would go for the nose job. Far better to have a bent nose than a bent mast!

Since then, all the way through Christmas Day and on into Boxing Day, the weather gods have enjoying giving the area a far from festive shake up. Windy, at times very brisk indeed, often wet (Event Manager Suellen’s rain dance, in order that the grass in front of the Squadron would be green, seems to have worked with remarkable efficiency) and then at 4am this morning a storm of quite remarkable ferocity. Even Hollywood cannot make rain appear quite like that, by 5am the choices were to get blown away or washed away.

Christmas Day here had passed pleasantly enough, with a multi cultural mix of Brits, Italians and Germans proving that all tastes can be catered for on a BBQ, courtesy of Tongs Master Dick Buttner.

Tongs Master Buttner showing of the isze of the snorkers.

Italian Measurer Emilio Betta (in pink shorts) is waiting to get his tape measure out to see if this is in the Class Rules!!

The Australian Magpie showing that it has Irish DNA. Now all it has to do is pluck itself, roll up in silver foil and you have what passes for fast food, Brisbane style.

Too windy to sail, not really nice enough for lounging outside, the day progressed slowly, with only sudden bursts of activity when the marauding crows and magpies looked like they might seek out a dinner that still had a pulse. Darkness fell with one last surprise, as the late goers were met by two of the nicer locals, a pair of possums  (as in “possums Daaarling”) came to finish up the scraps.

A real local.....possums join in a late night drink with the british and Italian contender sailors.

Signs that real competition is drawing close, came in this morning’s arrival of Jono Neate, but before the serious business of racing can commence the question of measurement will have to be addressed. A casual walk around the dinghy park with a qualified Measurer showed that there will be plenty of material to exercise the minds of the organisers and sailors alike once the event gets underway.

Just one of the issues facing the Measurement Team, A faired in rudder fitting on one of the newly arrived boats. Looking around the dinghy park though, one can see many more contentious issues waiting to cast a shadow over the measurement process.

Pick up the Twitter feed from ….

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David Henshall

Bearfacemedia/ Brisbane