Bateman's over ANZAC 2005

Five I14's headed down to Bateman's Bay over the ANZAC Long Weekend for the annual Hogs Breath ANZAC Regatta. It was great to see two 14's from Canberra, Oliver Merz with Noo Wedgie and Justin Woods with Red. Dave Castleton made the nine-hour trek down from Port Macquarie with Gulag. Also on the water were Kevin and Paul Linnett from Wollongong on Space Dude as well as Paul Carpenter and Ed Blackman on Thunderbird 1 from Sydney.

Fueled by three hours sleep, the trip down flew past for the Thunderbird Crew, or more to the point we can't remember a lot of it. We arrived on the beach at Bateman's Bay in brilliant sunshine and promptly scoffed a few sangers before embarking on the pleasures of rigging in the sand whilst catching up with the other 14 sailors.

A light sou-easterly was blowing and most of us had trouble making it to the first start on time. Finding the start was however a fairly easy task as we were joining a fleet of just over 110 dinghies, cats, skiffs and trailables.

Two races were sailed on Saturday over an Olympic triangle. We had some great racing at the front of our division with the four B14's who were of similar pace. A couple of the B14's beat us in both races that day with Space Dude and Thunderbird each getting a third and fourth and leading the fleet of 14's. Noo Wedgie was third 14 over the line in both races, Gulag took out a 4th and a 5th. Red had some gear failure during the first race but managed to get back to the start for the next one to take out 4th.

Overnight we explored the wonders of the local nightlife before returning to the beachfront caravan park to pitch our tents in the dark and under the influence. The Canberra boys had it sorted having thought ahead and booked a cabin that did not require pitching.

Sunday greeted us with yet more brilliant sunshine, surprisingly sturdy tents and glassy water. We ouched our way to the start line before a light easterly blew in and slowly swung and built to a moderate sea breeze. Noo Wedgie didn't make the start, having made the sensible decision to wait on the beach till the wind blew in. Space Dude had a great day winning both races from the top couple of B14's. Thunderbird was the second 14 over the line in each race but suffered a kite halyard failure near the end of the second race resulting in a pretty boring downwind leg to the finish and then the beach. Red took out third place in the first race and was beaten by Noo Wedgie in the final race. Gulag had a consistent day with two 4ths.

The trip home was much more memorable, but not in a good way for the Thunderbird crew. A trailer blow out resulted in the boat spending the night beside the freeway. We returned the next day with trailers and plenty of rope to rescue her, vowing never to leave home without a spare again.

Overall a fantastic regatta, Bateman's Bay Sailing club put on a great show and we all had plenty of fun. It would be great to see a few more Squaddy boats down there next year!