Those of us that have school age children are aware of a certain spring in the steps of our kids this week. The reason for this of course is that the exam block is over and they are about to embark on what appears to the main activity of the school year – being on holidays. Now I am pretty sure that they only went back to school after the last holiday a week or so ago, but I am assured that they have had months since their last break.
The holidays bring welcome relief, not just for the students but mainly for us parents and the ecology, as we get a rest from driving about 1000 kilometers each week taking the King and his brother to training and competitions for the innumerable number of sports that they participate in. For example a good week will have several early morning dashes to school or QE2 for athletics training, a basketball game on Friday afternoon, followed by a drive to QE2 to watch a 100 meter race, then back to school the next day for a football game or two. On a good weekend you might get to visit both Southport and Toowoomba if you are lucky. But now it is sailing season and the training happens on Sundays 500 meters from where we live. School sailing is growing at a great rate, obviously aided and abetted by the heroics of our sailors at a little competition held in the UK a few weeks ago. School sailing has two disciplines – fleet and team sailing. It is pretty obvious how fleet sailing works but team sailing is another thing altogether. Each match puts two teams of 3 boats against each other sailing around a short course. There is no point in one boat winning and his or her two team mates coming last and second last. 2nd, 3rd and 4th place beats 1st, 5th and 6th place. So it becomes highly tactical and often downright nasty as boats attempt to sail others off the course to let a team mate through. Much colourful language is heard and the boats often hit each other. It is completely bewildering what is going on with ‘mark traps’ being set and boats sailing back to help a team mate in trouble. To most purists team-sailing is a side show in the sport of sailing and it appears as strange as a Jamaican Bobsledding team. But the kids absolutely love it!
Being accredited by the Royal Yachting Associations gives us a Royal connection, with Mrs Queen as the patron and her daughter Ann, the president. Here at Southern Cross we have exercised this influence and have persuaded Mgrs. Queen to move her birthday to October so we can run a long weekend course. This means that students can complete their Day Skipper Practical or Competent Crew course over this 3 day weekend and on a more normal weekend. Mgrs. Queen had no hesitation in helping us out so we must get her something nice this year. But what do you give a Queen? A tea set? A small country perhaps? Anyway we have several weeks to find something nice for her. In the meantime places are filling fast for this course so get in quick.
Liz’s Birthdays weekend is on the 29/30 of September and the 1st of October. Cost is $710 per person and as always includes all meals. We also have plenty of places on all 2 day weekend course, so give us a call and get out and enjoy this wonderful spring weather.
That’s all for this week,
Until next edition,
Fair winds
Cheers
Mike Job.