Welcome to the first edition of Southern Cross Yachting ENews for 2012.
This year we celebrate our 15th year in business and this achievement is thanks completely to you, our loyal customers for your support over the years. One of the most rewarding aspects of the sail training industry is hearing of your ex-student’s exploits and knowing that you may have played a small part in them achieving their goals in sailing. However when I say we ‘played a part’, if you run aground or run into another boat, we played no part in that!
We have just completed the 2012 Australian Optimist championships at Royal Queensland. We had 170 kids competing from far away as Hong Kong, Noumea, New Zealand, WA and Tassie. And of course ‘the King’ who, at about 500 meters, travelled the least distance to compete. Like many of the local parents I was press ganged into service and spent the week yanking flags on the start boat, inches away from the action. This gave me a grandstand view of proceedings and witnessed first hand the friendliness, enthusiasm and talent that these kids demonstrated. What a great bunch of kids and if the future of the sport is up to them it is in safe hands. I think we on the committee boats had as much fun as the kids.
Back on shore you took your life in your hands walking through the carpark with skateboards, pushbikes and scooters whizzing everywhere. The lost property mountain continued to grow throughout the week, with ‘the King’s’ personal tally for the Regatta being 4 hats, a glove and about 35 water bottles ‘misplaced’.
A huge thank you to all involved in putting on this great event and we are all off to the chillier waters of Tasmania for next year’s national title.
We had many students competing in the Sydney to Hobart race over the Christmas break and a special mention to the crew of Sweetheart that sailed brilliantly in their first crack at the great race.
Here at Southern Cross we have another huge year ahead and our next navigation theory courses are about to begin. We have the 14 week RYA Day Skipper theory night class’s starting 7th February 6.30pm each Tuesday night and the 5 day intensive version of the same course commencing on Monday the 6th February 2012.
The intensive RYA Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster theory commences Monday the 20th February 2012 and we are running this same course over two weekends the 16 – 18 and 24 & 25 March 2012.
Plenty more on as you will see below and I look forward to seeing you all again this year.
Cheers
Mike Job.