22/01/2025
Wow, what a weekend!
A whole heap of firsts for "The Kids":
First full family crew to win the VX One nationals.
First female crew member to win the VX One nationals.
First youth skipper to win the VX One nationals.
First full youth crew to win the VX One nationals.
First in races 3 & 4, out of 4 races.
Having stood aside having issues with getting cold, I made the decision to keep my boat on the water, but with a full youth crew.
Hayden had been my right hand man for 4 years pulling ropes and hiking like a crazy person, so I know that he would look after the boat whilst getting the most out of it. Jordan and Ayla had both been guest crew members over the years and had just finished an experiment of sailing a 29er together so Jordan was keen to get on the boat.
Jordan steered the Melbourne nationals with Libby in the middle and Hayden up front. When the boys mentioned bringing Ayla along for the ride I was all for it, I was wondering though if they'd rip each other apart (I sailed with my brother when I was younger which didn't end well 😀). Happy to say it seems they get along very well out on the water.
First regatta together had Hayden steering and Jordan up the front, but Hayden quickly swapped out Jordan for himself on the bow because he reckons he does it better, I think Jordan may have pulled a swifty to get to the back of the bus. All the while Ayla is in the middle pushing the boys the whole way around the track and egging them on to go faster.
Lots of club racing and practice days got the crew work razor sharp, plus many hours talking about and tweaking the rig tune to get the most out of the boat. The willingness to improve is outstanding and watching the improvement from the sidelines has been extremely pleasing. They also have an uncanny knack of knowing where the camera boat is at all times.
Astrid and I are super happy with how the kids are representing our boat, courteous and polite always, whilst also pushing hard on the race course. We congratulate them for their achievement and we look forward to the next hit out, I hear they may have painted a target on their backs..
Mick.
📸 Dinghy Fever Photography