Townsville Annual Sprints and Round Magnetic Island Regatta 11 to 13 Jun 11

[NACRAJON]

Townsville Annual Sprints Regatta

Townsville Sailing Club is gearing up for its biggest event since hosting the 505 World Titles in 1996.

The annual Sprints Regatta, held over the June long weekend, will this year include the Inaugural Round Magnetic Island Marathon, the QLD Tasar State Titles and is also a round of the Nacra NQ Super Series.

Sprint races will be held on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th June and are open to all off the beach dinghies, multi-hulls and yachts. One design and mixed fleets can expect to compete in many races with close racing over short courses.

The Inaugural Around Magnetic Island Race will be held on Monday 13th June. Any off the beach boat with a VYC yardstick 108 or under and Safety Cat 5 yachts are invited to enter this 24NM one lap race of the island.

TSC is expecting a strong fleet of dinghies and catamarans including F18’s to compete and is hoping the race will rival the Round Dunk Island race held at Mission Beach annually.

It has recently been announced that the Formula 18 class will be holding its National Titles later this year in conjunction with the Magnetic Island Race Week. The NQ Sprints will serve as great practice for the fleet as well as an opportunity for all sailors to enjoy the beautiful waters and conditions of Townsville.

The Notice Of Race is posted on the club’s website at www.tsvsailingclub.com

Are you looking for a mid-winter break from the southern chill? How do 28oC days and 16oC nights with 22oC water temperature appeal to you this June?

[NACRAJON]

This Got Sent Out Last Week - Safety Gear Required For Round Maggie Race

If you are thinking of competing in our Around Maggi Island race please be aware we have set a high bar for safety for each competitor.

Each boat will be required to carry with them over and above the standard safety equipment we already sail with of -

1/ 25m tow line suitable to tow you craft to shore. Keep in mind when selecting your tow robe you may be hanging onto it for up to 2 hours on a long town from the back of maggi. So do not select a line you will not be able to hang to while being towed. The larger the diameter the easy it is to hold.

2/ A orange smoke flare that is in date. Old ones that are out of date will not be accepted.

3/ A hand held VHF radio. If it is not a marine radio it must be in a suitable water proof bag that will not tear easily. Make sure the batteries are fully charged and the radio has a stand by life of at least 6 hours.

Some have asked if they will need a Radio Operators certificate. You will not need to have this certificate to race. You will not be operating the VHF unless it becomes a emergency rescue situation. The radios if used for any other reason will be cause for disqualification from the event as per normal racing rules of communication between boats.

This is in the sailing instruction that will be posted to the web site this week. But I am as guilty as everyone else of never reading them so I have brought this important detail to everyone attention as it is a major change to any race we have done before.

[radwill]

is this going to be enforced and checked??

[TornadoSport260]

interesting that its not required to carry a PLB or EPIRB, in a real emergency it would be more useful to have a PLB or EPIRB than a VHF. The VHF certainly helps but with the 406mhz/gps PLB's/EPIRB's around these days they can locate you to within i think 100m.

[Loose Change]

"The VHF certainly helps but with the 406mhz/gps PLB's/EPIRB's around these days they can locate you to within i think 100m."

Only if GPS enabled, otherwise

Furthermore Australian Maritime Safety Regs require all vessels more than 2nm from the coast to carry a 406MHz EPIRB, PLB's do NOT meet that requirement.

[TornadoSport260]

Basically any of the EPIRB's & PLB's on the market have GPS now. There are a few models that have don't but most do.

Personally I own a 406mhz GPS enabled McMurdo FastFind PLB which is required to crew in Cat 2 or Cat 1 races.

But as per your comments all of these boats should then be carrying 406mhz EPIRB's.

[NACRAJON]

I haven't been on to check the forum recently, here are my personal thoughts - noting I am a member of TSC but not part of the race committee.

If you have a look at the map for partially smooth waters and the 2Nm limit (see link below) you will see that the race does not go into EPIRB required waters.

http://www.msq.qld.gov.au/~/media/5867ce11-5458-4f07-b474-5cb4698698d8/pdf_s8sw11townsville.pdf

I believe the reasoning for the VHF is because there will be safety boats out in the bay, however they will not have visual on each competitor so they are using VHF handhelds as a back up as they are so cheap. They can be bought for $60 if purchased in the right place.

It is my understanding that the club will enforce the requirement for the VHF handheld rule.

Going back to the link it is interesting that the choppiest part of the course (Orchard Rocks) is considered smooth waters. I’m looking forward to the race, in 10-15kts it will be fantastic and I’m doing a practice lap tomorrow on the Taipan. Forecast is 11kts, with lunch and beers at Horseshoe bay.

Jon

[TornadoSport260]

Far enough my comments on EPIRBS were based on the fact that the Island is about 3-4nm off the coast.

I didnt know there was a smooth waters area. Still I think PLB's would be a 'smart' idea for those racing.

$50 to hire aint going to break the bank and its gonna do more to save your life than a VHF.

[nacrabat]

Any reports on this event? There maybe some of us keen Ballina travelers looking at coming up next year if it is worth it.