Debonnaire

When Catherine and Peter arrived in Airlie Beach a few days ago, all they wanted was to relax and see some Whitsunday magic, like dolphins and whales.

We spent a day lying around the pool of the Coral Sea Resort, solving cryptic crosswords and reading books while gazing over the tropical sea in warm, sunny weather. We watched the sunsets from Debonnaire in the marina and then enjoyed dinners at nice restaurants during the balmy evenings.

We had perfect weather on Saturday for a day cruise. We had the wind in our hair as Peter “the wayfinder” applied his natural navigation skills to steer us straight and true to Stonehaven. It wasn’t long before the Whitsundays delivered some of its magic: we sighted whales cruising past the islands and a pod of playful dolphins darted around the boat.

At Stonehaven we snorkelled around the reef and saw very good coral and lots of colourful fish.

The highlight of the day was waiting for us back at Debonnaire: an inquisitive green sea turtle came to visit and swam around the boat for ages. It swam up to our boarding ladder as we climbed out of the water. It came within Catherine’s reach alongside the tender. It was perfectly happy as I swam with it around the boat.

We already had a fantastic day but we still had champagne and prawns for happy hour back at the marina! It was a truly memorable day up close to nature and we were so pleased that we could share the experience with our animal whisperers Catherine and Peter.

Today I joined the Shag Islet Cruising Yacht Club and became Vice Commodore, Picnic Point.

The SICYC has raised over $400,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia to promote prostate cancer research and awareness. What better day than Fathers’ Day during Prostate Cancer Awareness Month to become a member of this unique yacht club?

The SICYC formed in 2009 after its founder was denied entry into the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron to view some America’s Cup memorabilia. Only RNZYS members or flag officers of any other yacht club could enter. That was the motivation to create a social network of sailors interested in cruising, an egalitarian yacht club in which each member is a Vice Commodore of a nautical location (mine is Picnic Point where the Sandringham Yacht Club is situated).

SICYC has almost 5,800 members across 17 nations, reputedly making it the largest yacht club in the southern hemisphere.

Shag Islet is tiny and sits just off Cape Gloucester in the Whitsundays. We moored next to the Islet when we visited the Cape Gloucester Beach Resort last week. There is nothing on the Islet except during the annual SICYC Rendezvous when hundreds of Vice Commodores gather on the last weekend in August for a 4 day party.

Remember gentlemen, get it checked.

Catherine and I decided to stay an extra night at Hamilton Island to enjoy the resort at a more leisurely pace. On Sunday morning we checked out of our beautiful apartment and moved back on board Debonnaire in the marina. After all the fun we had, we reluctantly farewelled our crew at the airport. In the afternoon we cruised around the Island in our golf buggy and cooled off at one of the resort swimming pools. We had a delicious dinner that evening at the popular Coca Chu restaurant.

On Monday morning, we set off for Cape Gloucester north of Airlie Beach. We had arranged with Paul to rendezvous there for dinner. Carpe Diem was stopping there on its way from Hamilton Island Race Week to Magnetic Island Race Week near Townsville. We had heard it was a delightful spot popular among cruisers passing through the area. It was a no-frills, eco-style resort, quite unlike Hamilton Island. We had to get to shore by tender, and that meant we were going to get our feet wet and covered in sand. Shorts and sandals were not only the practical choice but also in keeping with the dress code for the restaurant. Despite its plain appearance, we had warm service and a delicious dinner.

On Tuesday morning, Carpe Diem continued north and we returned south to Airlie Beach.

We nearly crashed into 2 boats before we even left the marina. I wondered if this was the start of a good day or a bad day.

Saturday was the last day of Hamilton Island Race Week. It was yet another glorious, warm morning. We met down at the boat early and I was pleased that all 11 crew reported fit for duty. As soon as the boat was ready and I finished briefing the crew on the day’s race, we reversed out of our berth to head off to the start area. But then inexplicably the forward gear would not engage and we continued to drift towards 2 boats berthed behind us. The crews rushed to stop the boats colliding. Paul helped, too, dashing over from Carpe Diem with a fender. Thankfully, we managed to avoid hitting the other boats by only centimetres. We soon fixed the forward gear and drove off with only a minor scuff mark on Debonnaire’s transom and a scrape on my shin. My hope was that this going to be our only drama for the day and that we had got it out of the way early.

As it turned out, we had a terrific race. The wind was ideal at 15-20 knots, although this made the seas choppy. We had a clean start and found our groove as we settled into the race. The first half of the race was a long beat to windward from Hamilton Island to Lindeman Island. We were only about 200 metres behind Carpe Diem when we first crossed. But when we next crossed we were maybe 300 metres in front. Everyone was focussed on getting as much as we could out of Debonnaire. We were so excited to reach Lindeman Island before Carpe Diem but she was close behind and keeping the pressure on us. She eventually edged in front of us as we turned downwind back to Hamilton Island. Although the wind had eased to 10-15 knots, we launched our smaller asymmetric spinnaker expecting the stronger winds to return. Carpe Diem launched her big asymmetric spinnaker and sailed away from us. We debated changing to our symmetrical spinnaker, which was larger and would allow us to sail faster and deeper downwind. The risks were that it was not built for winds above 15 knots, the crew were not experienced in handling this more complicated sail and we would lose speed while changing sails. We still had a long way to the finish line and needed speed to stay in the race, so we decided to change the spinnaker. It wasn’t a simple task but the crew got the job done smoothly. The boat felt fast and stable once the big spinnaker was flying and we were pleased we changed. We flew the spinnaker all the way to Hamilton Island, squeezing through the narrow Dent Passage and over the finish line with pole forward and trimmed on hard.* The sailing was sensational.

Back in our marina berth, I was just finishing my debrief of the race and how much the crew had improved during the week when Catherine announced the results that had just been posted: “First – Debonnaire!” We were so excited and cheered with joy. We had improved during the regatta, finishing 13th, 14th, 10th, 8th and then 7th. After race 5, John declared we wanted a podium finish. Everyone gave it their best and achieved a fabulous result in the final race. We were 11th on aggregate for the regatta and very happy with that position, too. We celebrated not only a good regatta but also our trophy for race 6 which we collected at the daily prize-giving.

The celebrations didn’t end there, though. Saturday night was the Presentation Dinner where the winners of various divisions and other awards would be announced. We weren’t going to win any sailing trophies but we had a chance of winning the Prix d’Elegance for Best Presented Yacht and Crew. We leapt from our seats when Debonnaire was announced the winner. It was an amazing prize, not just a big, shiny trophy but also a luxurious holiday at the world-class qualia resort on Hamilton Island and an Audi to drive for a weekend. The sailing trophies paled in comparison to the Prix d’Elegance. All praise to our creative team for their excellent work: Liz, Jane, John, Richard and Catherine. I admit I was sceptical but I’m glad I trusted your talents. You have been vindicated by the judges’ decision to award Debonnaire the Prix d’Elegance. I feel like an impostor accepting the prize but don’t worry, I’m sure a couple of days of luxury therapy at qualia will help me come to terms with my anxiety.

After our drama leaving the marina in the morning, I didn’t imagine our last day would be such a highlight of our week racing at Hamilton Island. It was so much fun. Congratulations to the crew, you should be proud of your achievements.

Debonnaire crew

Andrew and Phil

Steve

Leanne and Richard

Catherine and John

Phil jr

Brigit, Colin and Karen

Debonnaire crew

Click photos to view larger images.

*Apologies for any sailing jargon. I’ve tried to avoid sailor-talk but sometimes there aren’t any regular English phrases that convey the passion adequately.

The following video is the highlights package from Race Week TV.

More daily video highlights from Hamilton Island Race Week days 6 and 7.

Day 6 has a close-up shot of Debonnaire. Look for us at about the 4 minute mark, after the footage of the yacht that ran aground on the beach.

Tonight at the Hamilton Island Race Week Presentation Dinner, Debonnaire was awarded the Prix d’Elegance for best dressed boat!

In the last race of the regatta, the crew of Debonnaire gave it their all and won first place in race 6. Congratulations! Your efforts this week have delivered continuous improvements and today they paid off.  Well done team!

Detailed report to come…

More video highlights of Thursday from Race Week TV.