Flotsam & Jetsam 24.04.26
Command at Sea and Why it is Serious
From Stuart Greenfield’s “First Beat” Substack Page. There’s some great advice here from both the old world and the new! Definitely worth a visit.
Or how being kept in the dark and fed bullshit doesn't win races.
There is a group that goes by the name The Foredeck Union. You may have encountered them online — a loose, self-appointed brotherhood of bowmen, pitmen and mastmen who share a particular world view: that the people who do the actual work on a racing yacht are a different species from the people who stand at the back talking strategy. Their memes are good. Their grievances are real. And their existence is funnier, and more historically loaded, than most of the afterguard will ever admit.
The boat goes forward. The people who make that happen are at the front.
The people who take the credit are at the back. This arrangement is very old.
How old? Try the summer of 1930, on the Solent. King George V is at the helm of his beloved racing cutter Britannia, a black-hulled, 102-foot beauty that had been his father’s yacht before it was his, and which he had personally revived for racing a decade earlier. Around him on the aft deck — the afterguard, in the language of the day — stood the gentlemen of the Royal Yacht Squadron. Forward of the mast, working the sails, the halyards, the headsails in whatever weather the Solent chose to deliver, were the professionals. Paid hands. Men who knew how to sail because sailing was their trade — fishermen in the winter, racing crew in the summer, hired for their muscle and their skill and generally not consulted about tactics. The class distinction was not metaphorical. It was architectural. There was a literal line on the boat — the mast — and the social world on either side of it was as separated as anything in Edwardian Britain. The owner and his guests steered and strategised. The crew ground winches and handled ropes and kept their opinions to themselves. They ate in the fo’c’sle. The afterguard dined in the saloon.
Britannia won 231 races during her career. When King George V died in 1936, his dying wish was that she be scuttled. On 10 July that year, stripped of her spars and fittings, she was towed out to St Catherine’s Deep off the Isle of Wight and sunk by HMS Winchester. The king’s chair went to a museum. Nobody recorded what happened to the crew.
Lord Howe Island Yachties BBQ
Alex Seja sent us an email…
I am writing to confirm that the 24th Lord Howe Island Yachties BBQ is going ahead on the 17th of November. Last year's BBQ was a big success with over 60 crew from 9 vessels attending, plus dozens of locals and tourists.
Over $6k was raise for the Lord Howe Island Central School in return for the huge spread of meat, fish, salads and deserts provided by the school community.
If you are interested in hearing more about this event, there will be a Q.L.D. at the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club (1 Green Street, Cremorne Point) on Tuesday the 19th of May at 6 pm.
The Bar will be open, and the BBQ will be on. Participants from recent years, as well as the associated Soldier's Point BBQ cruise will be there for a chat.
Regards,
Alex Seja alex@seja.com.au
Farr 1020 - Sequel
Please share this message with anyone you think might be interested.
CYANZ Autumn Rally
The last cruising event of the season. Join the Fun at the CYA 2026 Autumn Rally : 1st, 2nd & 3rd May
Ahoy Skippers. The summer is passing and before you know it you’ll have a “TO DO” list as long as your arm. So, let’s get away and have one last cruise before winter is upon us.
And to top it off the moon will be full on the Friday night. Often a sign of good weather.
Apart from the great race program organised by the Association there has to be time for some rest and recreation.
First departure from the vicinity of North Head at 1100 hours on Friday, 1stMay
If you can’t get away on the Friday, no matter, we will let you know where we are headed to on the Saturday. Please join us there.
As always, we will not be bringing the mainsheet hard aboard.
Ideally, we will be meeting on the beach on the Friday and Saturday evenings, or Plan B will be to come aboard for drinks on “Prize” (BYO drinks and nibbles).
And then sail home on the Sunday, 3rd May.
As before we will set up a “WhatsApp”group so we can effectively communicate with everyone who wants to be involved.
So, who is up for it? We are looking forward to cruising in your company.
Let us know the details of your vessel so we can hopefully match our destinations with your boat’s capabilities.
Register with Chad Thompson chad@classicyacht.co.nz 021 995 754 and we will keep in touch with you on “WhatsApp”.
Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta 2026
After four days of hard sailing, the crews set off with as much enthusiasm as on day one — though with a touch of sadness, knowing it was the final outing. And yes, I watched them depart from the Hot Spot Café (eggs Royale and espresso). The yachts sailed the Cannon Course. It’s always a favorite of the long keeled wooden boats and today was no different. The yachts headed out on a close reach through perfect trade wind conditions to Cupples, the offshore mark which was set six miles offshore. It was a romping beam reach rack back to Falmouth, near the starting line then back out to Cupples before a reach to the Shirley mark, just off the magnificent rock formation known as the Pillars below Shirley Heights. From there it was downwind to the finish line. The crews came in wet and tired but with smiles on their faces. “It was a magnificent day!” Luc De Clercq, owner of the 114 foot, Camper & Nicholson ketch Saharet of Tyre said. “We had a beautiful sail and a fantastic experience at Classics. We’ll be back again next year.”
Soon the crews will head home, but today was for celebration. The Parade of Sail was a glorious sight, each boat given its moment to shine for beauty rather than speed. Fully dressed, crews in full voice, sea shanties ringing out — it was less a procession and more a floating festival. Spectators gathered from all over, not just those involved in the regatta. This is, without question, a spectator sport.
On the water, the results reflect a week of close and often hard-fought racing. In the Vintage Class, Charm III sailed away with four first places to take top honours. It was a hard fight for second place. Seefalke II sailed very well all week and came into the final race one point in front of The Blue Peter, sailed by her full Shelter Island Yacht Club crew. The final race saw The Blue Peter take second with Seefalke II third. That gave both yachts ten points with The Blue Peter winning the tie breaker.
The Classic Class was a similar story, with Juno taking first place in all four races and Ashanti just edging out Magnolia for second and Mah Jong just a point back.
In the Traditional Class, Genesis was first with Spirit of Zemi and Arro in a tight race for second. The final race saw Spirit of Zemi finish second and Arro third. That put them in a tie with Spirit of Zemi taking the tie breaker.
In the Legacy Class, Petrana took first. Cherub and Garuda came into the final race tied for second in the series standings. Garuda sailed over the finish line 42 minutes in front of Cherub but Cherub, who is the slowest rated boat in the fleet, corrected out in front to claim second place in the series.
In Modern Classics A, Ilios took a hard fought class win followed by Freya and Lady B. In Modern Class B, Bunglebird claimed the top spot, with Katina and Tangaroa joining her on the podium. Modern Class C sees Blue Peter and her young crew taking first followed by Huey Too and High Tide.
The overall winner goes to the Classic yacht with the lowest corrected time throughout the regatta. Richard West’s Charm III came into the final race with a lead of just under four minutes over Scott DiBiaso’s Juno. Both boats sailed well in the final race but Charm III did enough to hold off Juno and claims back to back overall wins.
First in Modern Classics went to Tanner Jones’ Blue Peter, skippered by his son Carrick. Bunglebird was 12 minutes back followed closely by Huey Too.
With the racing done, attention turned to the serious business of the Rain Gutter Regatta, a benefit for Antigua and Barbuda Search and Rescue. A boisterous crowd gathered to watch the racers blow ten inch long yachts that they had constructed from a bit of pool noodle and some skewers down a water filled rain gutter. The crowd was rocking as the finals between Charm III and Cherub started. Charm got off to a quick start but it was Cherub at the finish line first as their crew sang “Hot Hot Hot”.
Reflections on a Timeless Sea
Maritime Museum Tasmania proudly presents an evening with Professor John Burgess, curator, editor and author, where he’ll talk about about the life of his father, Captain RJ (Dick) Burgess, and his insights into the history of Bass Strait seafaring and island life from the 19th to the mid-twentieth century.
Friday May 29, 2026, 5:30pm-7:30pm.
John Burgess’s Reflections on a Timeless Sea brings together the history of generations of Burgess seafarers and their ships. Dick Burgess’s account of training as a Master Mariner, and his long career working Bass Strait and visiting island communities aboard the Julie Burgess, charts a distinctly Tasmanian saga. Paired with the diaries and artwork of his wife, artist Deda Burgess, these reflections weave a tapestry of memory and maritime tradition, capturing the lives of families shaped by weather, tide, and the shared experience of those who sailed and settled the strait and its islands in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
