A busy weekend coming up at SLMASC with the first full weekend of racing with the Yachts racing at MPASC again this coming Saturday and the Dinghies starting back at the club on Sunday for the first weekend of the Presdents Trophy Sprint Series.

Updated Yacht start times for the MPASC race this Saturday have been posted on the Yacht page of the website along with final results from last Saturday’s race. It was an encouraging start to the season last weekend and as the weather continues to improve we hope to see some good sized combined fleets racing every week. Make sure that you check the Yacht Sailing Program each week for the host club and race format for the coming weekend.

Yacht owners should also remember to book their boat in for a Category 7 Safety check by calling Doug Wilson on 0411 372 105. The first of two prebooked inspection days is this Sunday 22nd September, and very few boats are booked in at this time. Note that Category 7 inspections need to be completed on or by Saturday 12th October, and with this being the second of the prebooked inspection days it is bound to be heavily booked. Don’t leave your audit to the last minute ,,… contact Doug to book your boat in ASAP..

Smooth Sailing

Team SLMASC

Todays racing in the Americas Cup final was about as good as it gets with an awesome battle between Emirates Team NZ and Oracle Team USA and both boats sharing the points.

Oracle showed that their continued improvement has put them right on the pace with Team NZ, and they took the first race of the day in convincing style, however Team NZ fought back in the second race to take a narrow victory after a classic battle. Who said AC72 cats couldn’t match race?

Todays win takes Team NZ, with SLMASC’s Adam Beashel aboard, within just 2 wins of completing their mission and making sailing history. It’s not over by a long shot though, and with Oracle’s significant improvement over the last few races they will be sure to throw everything at Team NZ in an effort to claw their way back into the series.

Don’t miss races 11 and 12 from 6am on Wednesday morning (Sunshine Time) with the awesome race coverage continuing on Foxtel and You Tube. If Team NZ can chalk up two more wins on Wednesday they will deservedly take out the 34th Americas Cup ….. so don’t miss any of the action.

Team SLMASC members can get right behind Adam and Team NZ by sending them your message of support as they sail for yachtings ultimate prize. You can email Adam and Team NZ directly in San Francisco at  adam.beashel@slmasc.org

Good Luck Adam and Team NZ …. from all at South Lakes.

Smooth Sailing and bring it on home!

Team SLMASC

A spectacular race 8 in the Americas Cup final today with Team NZ leading early, but after some boat modifications, Oracle Team USA found another gear to win just their second race of the final series, but only after a spectacular mishap for Team NZ.

Leading off the start line Team NZ established a comfortable lead, but then for the first time in the entire finals series Oracle Team USA began to claw their way back into the race upwind with the boats being neck and neck towards the end of the work. That was until Team NZ attempted to tack just ahead of Oracle, but while doing so they had problems tacking the large wing sail which appeared to become temporarily jammed, causing the boat into a spectacular near capsize with one hull rising high into the air before slamming back into the water. Fortunately Oracle was able to take quickly evasive action, but the incident caused Team NZ to incur a right of way penalty, and by the time they had regained control of their boat, Oracle had seized the lead and went on to win the race by a comfortable margin.

If you haven’t seen the footage of the incident yet, make a point of doing so online as it is spectacular. Also spare a thought for Adam Beashel from SLMASC, who was apparently on the hull of Team NZ that rose high into the air when the incident occurred. We hope the stains wash out Adam 😉 …. and that you and Team NZ can quickly put the incident behind you and continue on your winning ways.

The second race of the day was abandonded after the start due to strong winds (above the racing limit), however at the time of the abandonment Team NZ had again taken a lead into the windward leg showing that they had been able to quickly get things sorted.

With the apparent improved upwind performance if Oracle Team USA the racing over the coming days should be nothing short of spactacular, so make sure you tune in online or on Foxtel for all the action.

Best wishes to Adam Beashel and Team NZ who just need three more wins to lift the Americas Cup and sail straight into yachting history.

Smooth Sailing guys.

Team SLMASC