Please excuse any ignorance on my part but can someone tell me what the rules are in terms of the speed bank at Burrum? From what i can tell the rule is that port tack has right of way (and hard against the bank) based on the YouTube vid's I've seen (you know the ones with FirieBob swearing away in )

Is this something that's indicated during the course briefing? I can see that the bank obviously limits options on port tack so i assume starboard gives way for safety reasons. Just thought I'd ask before commit to buying a suit of armor and lance

All good Tilldark, FirieBob has spent considerable money on getting his eyes fixed over the past 6 months. Shouldnt be an issue this year (unless he's still under the influence of his favourite tippel)!!!!

Curt You get that train moving and i'm sure we will all get out of your way. Im taking a tow line so i can keep up with you

hi guys, yes the rules.

I guess there is a short and long answer.

short answer is, it depends on the conditions and we make a call at briefing and confirm out on the course.

the long answer........

the event gets permits for a couple of the runs up at burrum. we have the main run, the northern run and the northern side of the main run. depending on conditions that gives us a fairly good selection of angles to sail.

typically what happens is we address the run and direction during briefing based on bom forecasts and current conditions. depending on which side is favoured we will run either port tack courses or starboard tack courses. we have a series of flags on the bank to indicate which direction has right of way and a flag to signal course closure/opening.

we also hold briefings on the bank as needed to deal with traffic requirements and changing conditions.

the course gets opened after we've gotten all of the support craft out on the bank and put up the flags. from there I assess the wind direction in real-time and make the final call on the course location and direction. I usually try to position the barge around the middle of the course and out of the way. depending on how the skipper is feeling and the tides we try and push the barge up into the washouts.

in a good wind direction there is 3-4km of blasting right beside the bank. now because the bank is an arc we tend to also get a short bear away at the end of the course people are starting their run from. as the start is an upwind run onto the main straight before the bearaway starts. in the past we have had a handful of people hugging the bank back upwind against the flow to try and get this small bearaway.

this year hugging the bank back to the start of the course (if the wind direction permits) will see people being clamped down on. 3 strike and you are off the course for the day. the thing to remember is that no one has ever that I am aware of posted their fastest speeds going against the flow.

so what we try to achieve is a situation where people coming down the bank have right of way close to the sand and those going back upwind provide plenty of room. this year I also intend to place a buoy at the top of the course to give those starting their run some extra space.

what is very important is that people attend briefing. otherwise they have no idea what is going on out on the water and cause frustrations for everyone. as organisers we keep well up to date with the weather and give everyone as much information as possible including a notice board at speed hq.

the notice of race will be getting posted online in the next week but as far as on the water rules go that is pretty much it. I make a concerted effort to stay out of the way of everyone sailing so other than at the bbq and at briefing and the end of the day you won't really notice my input. the management committee tries hard to shape the event for the conditions so everyone gets input into the running of the event. we often put the feelers out during the event and remain flexible with the timetable to get the most out of every day.

last year we had so much sailing that people were starting to cross fingers for a rest day.

To be fair kurt, Im sure anyone would move out of the way with you bearing down on them. Your the only guy I know that chases sharks, nutter.

ask vando and shaun about their shark chase.

I can also recall Kurt taking on and nearly climbing into a boat full of fishermen at caloundra after they started casting their lures at us. nutter

very alluring......

Thanks for explaining Gestalt

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Gestalt said..

hi guys, yes the rules.

I guess there is a short and long answer.

short answer is, it depends on the conditions and we make a call at briefing and confirm out on the course.

the long answer........

the event gets permits for a couple of the runs up at burrum. we have the main run, the northern run and the northern side of the main run. depending on conditions that gives us a fairly good selection of angles to sail.

typically what happens is we address the run and direction during briefing based on bom forecasts and current conditions. depending on which side is favoured we will run either port tack courses or starboard tack courses. we have a series of flags on the bank to indicate which direction has right of way and a flag to signal course closure/opening.

we also hold briefings on the bank as needed to deal with traffic requirements and changing conditions.

the course gets opened after we've gotten all of the support craft out on the bank and put up the flags. from there I asses the wind direction in real-time and make the final call on the course location and direction. I usually try to position the barge around the middle of the course and out of the way. depending on how the skipper is feeling and the tides we try and push the barge up into the washouts.

in a good wind direction there is 3-4km of blasting right beside the bank. now because the bank is an arc we tend to also get a short bear away at the end of the course people are starting their run from. as the start is an upwind run onto the main straight before the bearaway starts. in the past we have had a handful of people hugging the bank back upwind against the flow to try and get this small bearaway.

this year hugging the bank back to the start of the course (if the wind direction permits) will see people being clamped down on. 3 strike and you are off the course for the day. the thing to remember is that no one has ever that I am aware of posted their fastest speeds going against the flow.

so what we try to achieve is a situation where people coming down the bank have right of way close to the sand and those going back upwind provide plenty of room. this year I also intend to place a buoy at the top of the course to give those starting their run some extra space.

what is very important is that people attend briefing. otherwise they have no idea what is going on out on the water and cause frustrations for everyone. as organisers we keep well up to date with the weather and give everyone as much information as possible including a notice board at speed hq.

the notice of race will be getting posted online in the next week but as far as on the water rules go that is pretty much it. I make a concerted effort to stay out of the way of everyone sailing so other than at the bbq and at briefing and the end of the day you won't really notice my input. the management committee tries hard to shape the event for the conditions so everyone gets input into the running of the event. we often put the feelers out during the event and remain flexible with the timetable to get the most out of every day.

last year we had so much sailing that people were starting to cross fingers for a rest day.

Hey mate thanks for that , sounds really well stitched up Ha Lee I'd almost forgot about that, moving down GC has definitely softened me LOL!

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Gestalt said..

ask vando and shaun about their shark chase.

Please explain?? Sounds like an interesting story lol

everyone was mucking around in about waist deep water one morning, kids playing, people supping.

vando and (may have been chris actually)? spied a 6 foot hammerhead chasing fish in the shallows so I guess there was a lot of fin sticking up. they were only a few meters from the shore and walked on water to get out of there.

i saw my first up close %100 definite shark in 12years of qld sailing last week at the shearwater. was at least as long as my board thrashing around in knee deep water at the centre sandbank. there were lots of birds diving for fish and it was overcast and drizzling. it was about 2m away from me but fortunately wasn't interested in me

Actually it was Shane and we were supping along the foreshore.
Shane was in front of me when it pop up in front of him, Ive never seen him move that fast on the water

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Haircut said..

i saw my first up close %100 definite shark in 12years of qld sailing last week at the shearwater. was at least as long as my board thrashing around in knee deep water at the centre sandbank. there were lots of birds diving for fish and it was overcast and drizzling. it was about 2m away from me but fortunately wasn't interested in me

Followed by a new world speed record for a freestyle board on the way back to shore right? Was that on the Crab Island sandbank?

That only confirms that what I saw a week earlier wasn't my imagination either.

At first I tought dolphin , but the fin shape and behavior quite unusual - sailing long in straight line - not up and down like dolphins do.

It is time to sharpen out fins guys and cut the creature to pieces at speed.

In fact will be interesting experiment to hang video camera on the balloon / blimp say at 20 m above the ground and record water bottom whole day
by Crab Island.

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Parentalrite said..

All good Tilldark, FirieBob has spent considerable money on getting his eyes fixed over the past 6 months. Shouldnt be an issue this year (unless he's still under the influence of his favourite tippel)!!!!

Two new bionic eyes yay, now all we have to do is get the hearing fixed on some of the other guys

Tilldark there is far more laughing than old buggers swearing, it's a great get together, just go to the briefings and you'll be right

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tilldark said..

Was that on the Crab Island sandbank?

yep. i first spotted it in the shallows near me and eventually was swimming along the edge of the sandbank where it drops off to deep water, on the western side. i didn't have enough wind to plane and a slow trip back to the car, but it was preoccupied with little fish