34 Pacers and 2 Pacer Pursuits lined up for the 2011 Victorian Championships at Williamstown Sailing Club (WSC) on the Labour Day long weekend March 12-14. Thanks to the many volunteers from WSC who ran a fantastic series and catered to our every need. The weather was near perfect and the sailing fair although difficult in shifty breezes. The laughter from the kids on the water and around the club was a fair indicator that everybody had a fantastic regatta making new friends and catching up with old ones. Congratulations go to Simon Merritt and Jessica Vincent for an outstanding performance pushed all the way to the last race by the O'Brien family of Allan and Amy AKA 'under the radar' O'Brien's. 1st in B division was Stephen White & J White in Pace Maker. 1st Junior Skipper / Junior Crew was Mitchell Bird and Mackenzie Bird in Seize the day. 1st Junior Skipper / Senior Crew was Tom & Gary Davison in Manta. 1st Master Skipper was Allan 'under the radar' O'Brien in JAAS. 1st Non spinaker was Mark & Albert Smallwood in G Taylor. 1st Pacer Pursuit was Jim & David French in Pacer Pursuit. The quality of the racing on the water and the co-operative and friendly spirit at the club made this regatta one to remember. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the 2011/12 Nationals the YMCA Yacht Club Canberra and the 2012 Victorian State Titles at Black Rock YC.

Click 'Read More' for results and a summary of the boat owners meeting.

BOAT OWNERS MEETING SUNDAY 13^TH MARCH 2011

Four points were raised at the boat owners meeting:

1. A potential rule change to allow a bigger jib 400 mm longer on the luff and 100 mm longer on the foot. The points in favour were it would make the boat faster on all points of sail with no more difficulty to handle the boat. It would not be bought into the current rules for a period of 2 years. The points against were not expressed. A show of hands gave an emphatic no to the idea of a bigger jib.
2. A potential rule change to allow the gunwhale height to be raised in order to allow a more comfortable hiking position. The change of height would be fully optional and not compulsory. The points against were not expressed. A show of hands showed a nearly unanimous vote against the raised gunwhale height.
3. A potential rule change to allow a diagonal front bulkhead as optional to make the building of plywood boat much easier and stronger giving the scarf joint on the floor better support with the bulkhead intersecting the joint and giving the mast gate better diagonal support making the boat much stronger from the compression of the shroud base. Some discussion took place with an emphasis on the fact that it was not a performance enhancing modification but just a sensible improvement for the longevity of plywood hulls and additionally making the building process for plywood hulls simplified. No real negative points were expressed. A show of hands gave a small majority to the idea of a change to allow for a diagonal bulkhead. A draft rule will be developed for a vote later in the year.
4. The topic of twin spinnaker poles was discussed. A ruling from an IYRU judge was that the twin pole system under the existing rules is legal given that the rules allow for a limited pole length and one set of equipment. The rules are described as quite lose as there is no definition as to what a set of equipment is. It could be argued 2 spinnaker poles is acceptable as one set of equipment as it is in many other classes of dinghy’s such as 505’s, FD’s…. Some discussion took place in favour saying it did not necessarily improve the speed of operation but did allow smaller children to put the spinnaker up and compete in stronger winds. A view on the negative side was expressed that the use of twin poles did not help children learn how to use a conventional system like on a 470. The counter argument to this was the choice is yours which system you want to use. A show of hands showed a close finish with a slight majority in favour of the twin pole system.