Australians are traditionally believed, not least by themselves, to be outdoorsy sporting types, more comfortable wrestling crocodiles, than wrestling a spreadsheet, which was generally considered best left to the less sporty studious types. A rethinking of that image was due following last Sunday’s demonstration “pursuit” event held in the eastern arm of the Hastings river on Port Macquarie Yacht Club’s river A course. · Read more

Samuel Taylor Coleridge was again on the minds of crew on the seven yachts that faced the starter in last Sunday’s “river B” event sailed on the Hastings river between the Settlement Point and Hibbard ferries. With around 2 knots of breeze, unrippled water and tidal run of about 1.5 knots, there was little prospect of starting at the scheduled time. · Read more

Last weekend the Port Macquarie Yacht Club scheduled races to Laurieton and return. After reviewing the weekend weather forecast and in view of dangerous conditions forecast for Sunday, the whole of weekend event was abandoned and replaced by a Saturday non-point score long ocean race. · Read more

After last Sunday’s Long River race results were published where river race magician Teddy Clausen’s Cool Change recorded another river race victory, many were questioning “How does he do it?”. Cool Change has five series victories in the seventeen races contested so far and only rarely fails to podium. · Read more

Spring arrived on Sunday, and as usual provided plenty of surprises. With wind strengths forecast from 5 to 10 knots generally from the north forecast, several yachts in the Port Macquarie Yacht Club fleet were contemplating setting up for the forecast light airs when from about 11 am the stiff Nor East breeze set in for last Sunday’s offshore event. When the yachts started some yachts reefed down, with wind strengths in the 15 – 18 knot range, the “Golden zone” for sailing · Read more

When James Cook sailed up the East Coast of Australia, he remarked on the smoke from campfires that were observed as the Endeavour made its way north. Skippers and crew were reminded of this while, when awaiting the start for last Sunday’s river “B” event a column of smoke rose vertically from the North Shore. · Read more

Nine yachts faced the starter in PMYC’s Charles Nicol weekend event from Port Macquarie to Laurieton and return in a race marked by extremes. Wind strengths on day one averaged from five to eight knots, and frequently less for much of that leg, while the return journey saw “golden zone sailing” with wind in the fifteen to twenty knot range. · Read more

Picture the scene, a balmy winter’s afternoon, the gentle 6 – 8 knots or so breezes barely sufficient to propel the cruising racers along · Read more

Inshore Regatta Moved to 25th Feb · Read more