Thanks to all our sailors and volunteers last week. Congratulations to the students from Narooma -  Angus, Chelsea, Tristan, Sophie, Caleb, Giovanna, Charlie, Lockie and we were also very pleased to see Ben and Peter back on the water with us.  Hecand (our support boat)  was very competently driven by Geoff (now the proud possessor of his Power boat licence) assisted by Greg.

The wind was variable: we did not get the stronger gusts as forecast and the day was pleasantly cool. Good time had by all, with preparation and packing up all made so much easier by the proximity of our shed to the water

Sunday, 17th March saw two of our sailors, Tish and Janet, competing against one another in the two races organised at Lake Coila by the dinghy section of Batemans Bay Sailing Club. Janet, who had not sailed a Hansa 303 dinghy before, won both races by very close margins in each. Well done, Janet.  Tish, who had warned Janet about some mistakes easily made when sailing the Hansa dinghies, then proceeded to demonstrate both whilst on the water (letting the outhaul slip on the mainsail and catching the jib sheet in the boom claw) - not good if you are trying to be competitive! Both ladies felt justifiably proud of their efforts, to rig the boats and be on the water as both  have had health issues and are of a more advanced age(70+). Never too old etc etc!

The next Sailing Day is Monday, March 25th at the Town Jetty at Moruya. Look forward to seeing you all there

Tish Ennis

The Hansa dinghies from Sailability again made a colourful contribution to the beauty of Moruya River last week. Welcome to Maja and Martin, new volunteers - we look forward to seeing you next time. Thanks to our skippers, Jane, Tony, Michael, Ray and Bob, we watched as the boats efficiently used wind power to navigate the broad stretches of water -upstream and down Congratulations to our team of volunteers who worked cheerfully andefficiently to have four Hansa dinghies rigged and ready in the water beside our support boat Hecand in less than an hour. Thank you to Peter, who gave Hecand some TLC with his grease gun and the boat'sperformance on the water was definitely improved. We did witness a warning earlier in the day, with an unexpected swim by one of our members - reminding us that these boats are unstable until the keel is properly lowered in the centreboard case. Fortunately, the water was warm and no harm was done. My impression was thatthe benefit of laughter outweighed the loss of dignity!!! Please, please ensure that due care is taken when preparing the boats for sailing.

Welcome back to our sailors from Narooma High School. The group take full benefit of the sailing experience, as well as the fun on shore in the adjacent play area and space to picnic on the grass.

As one of our members noted early in our decision to sail at Moruya, the proximity of coffee shops was a definite positive. Thank you, Dana, for organising our coffee delivery after sailing. We all enjoy the relaxing time catching up socially. Even our resident small water dragon came out from his hiding place nearby, to share small piecesof a ham sandwich!

Our next Sailing Day is Monday 11th March,10am onwards at theTown Wharf, Moruya. I look forward to seeing you then.

Best wishes,

Tish Ennis

A group of noisy seagulls, perched on the roof of our shed at Moruya Town Wharf, greeted us as we arrived to launch our boats for another enjoyable sailing day. Later, we noticed a small water dragon watching us curiously from behind the tree – I reflected how fortunate we are to enjoy such beautiful surroundings. Welcome to Peter, Greg and Cathy, Graham and Jacqui who all tried the Hansa 303 for the first time. Lachlan (Al’s son) was able to tuck up his long legs and appeared to enjoy his experience. The rain held off and the sun broke through the clouds. Despite a strong runout tide, there was enough wind to enable effective sailing upriver as well as downstream. Some of our less experienced sailors had good practice dealing with the changing conditions. Michael, Jane and Tony all sailed solo, showing their skill.

There were four Hansa boats on the water with Hecand, the support boat manned by Peter and Geoff. Hecand was initially reluctant to start (had not been used for a couple of months) but thanks to Peter’s forethought, a jump starter was readily available. We shared the pontoon with fishermen and several large motor boats but everyone was happy to facilitate different needs. We also shared the water space with the seaplane which gave added interest to our experience

After our sailing and pack up, we were able to relax on the river bank enjoying late lunches, coffee and chat. Tish reminded us that we are part of a much bigger group that extends worldwide and that Hansa sailing can be a relaxing experience or have the adrenaline of fierce competition at regattas. Middle Harbour Yacht Club in Sydney is hosting an Inclusive Regatta from 29th March to 1st April, and will include the 2024 NSW Hansa Class Championships, the 2024 NSW 2.4mR Class Championships and the 2024 NSW Para Sailing Championships. If you are interested in participating in this event, please contact Tish (mob 0403 987 666) Local competitive sailing can be experienced on Lake Coila with the dinghy section of Batemans Bay Sailing Club.

Thank you to all of our volunteers and sailors. Next sailing day is Monday 26th February. See you then!

Tish Ennis,