Junior Sailing Report 25th July Despite a chilly and very foggy start to the day, the Junior sailors were undeterred, and turned up in force to another fun couple of hours sailing out from Hobsonville Point. Gary Matthews kindly got all the boats ready in plenty of time for the 12.30 start. It was great to see three new faces on the scene, with Leo bringing a friend and the Wills family bringing their two cousins.......Welcome to sailing! The fleet consisted of a Sunburst to help the total beginners, and three Optimists for those with a little more experience. The sun broke through the mist about midday, followed by some wind to dispell the glassy calm. The wind was ideal with a fairly steady 5-10 knots of breeze, so there were no dramas. The Optis did some follow my leader training with plenty of tacking practice, followed by some gybing too. Only one person got hit on the head by the boom, and that was in the Sunburst. Niall did an excellent job instructing and in the land based debrief commended Harrison as best sailor of the day. The newly tidied and organized boat shed, which has been allocated for the sole use of the Junior Sailing Fleet, is a wonderful resource. Many thanks to Niall and Gary for cleaning and sorting it, as well as Denise for acquiring bags for all the Optis sails and masts. It makes storage and care of all the valuable equipment recently purchased so much easier. The next Junior Sailing is on 8th August at 12.30, so look forward to seeing you then. If anyone has photos from this Saturday please forward them to Samantha atadmin@hycnz.org.nz Many thanks, Gill Moore Dinghy Sailing Coordinator |