Brisbane to Gladstone 2023

[Jono]

The B2G starts Easter Good Friday. The first one started 1949. It is 308 nm, normally in a good trade wind reach or run. There's a bit to get out of Moreton Bay, you need to go round the top of Fraser Island, and then a finish up the river in Gladstone. The multis have a race at the same time but started by a different club.
Line is looking like Celestial (yes that one) is favourite. IRC handicap will be determined by the breeze, with a few contenders. A number of smaller and older boats are entered to commemorate the anniversary race. Not sighted is the legendary Saltash - my personal favourite.
I'm heading over from NZ and looking forward to it. It's cold in Auckland this week so looking forward to the Queensland temperatures.

 

[Bill E Goat]

The B2G starts Easter Good Friday. The first one started 1949. It is 308 nm, normally in a good trade wind reach or run. There's a bit to get out of Moreton Bay, you need to go round the top of Fraser Island, and then a finish up the river in Gladstone. The multis have a race at the same time but started by a different club.
Line is looking like Celestial (yes that one) is favourite. IRC handicap will be determined by the breeze, with a few contenders. A number of smaller and older boats are entered to commemorate the anniversary race. Not sighted is the legendary Saltash - my personal favourite.
I'm heading over from NZ and looking forward to it. It's cold in Auckland this week so looking forward to the Queensland temperatures.

You should drop into the RQYS and visit your Kiwi 12ft skiff mates

 

[SCANAS]

Good fleet, get amongst it!

 

[Livia]

Good fleet, get amongst it!

Are you serious!
It is a joke fleet for an anniversary race (75th)
Poor old race organisers have been royally fucked by pointless rules where a whole bunch of owners who otherwise support the race have said fuck off you want me to spend how much for a 30 hour race
Race will not exist in 5 years

 

[The Dark Knight]

Are you serious!
It is a joke fleet for an anniversary race (75th)
Poor old race organisers have been royally fucked by pointless rules where a whole bunch of owners who otherwise support the race have said fuck off you want me to spend how much for a 30 hour race
Race will not exist in 5 years

Which rules ? Keel inspection? New harness rules or other?

 

[The Dark Knight]

Good fleet, get amongst it!

You going?

 

[Livia]

Which rules ? Keel inspection? New harness rules or other?

Keep going it is a long list
The cost cannot be justified for an overnight race
End of race

 

[Livia]

Not going btw

 

[spiggie]

Hi livia
Guess your a sad person who doesn’t want to encourage new people to the sport
I believe your a stink boat owner and past ocean racer from what I gather a big chip on your shoulder with yacht clubs.
Think off others some who haven’t done an ocean race or new owners this is their first ocean race ,or better still a young person from Gladstone about to embark on their first ocean race .
The first B2G I competed in 1978 ,that was my stepping stone to more ocean racing multiple ocean races world wide and still now
,fathers sons and grandchildren have used B2G as a stepping stone .
B2G is brilliant as it combines a small city yacht club Vs city B2G boys think of what Wistari / restless has achieved
Guess you are typical city slicker with narrow glasses frothing on your soya lattes

 

[Livia]

Get your popcorn everyone!
Hey Spriggie, simple question and you can tell everyone here.
How much in after tax dollars are you personally spending to do the race?
Ocean racing is dying, rose coloured glasses is not going to save it.
There has never been so much investment by people buying keelboats, but none of that translates into growth in ocean racing.
So something is very wrong.
This race should have well over 100 entries for a milestone race.
You say I have a chip on my shoulders about yacht clubs.
Next question, how much have you personally donated (or even offered to donate) to sailing clubs from your personal income in the last 12 months. (and I don't mean annual fees or subscriptions).
So stop drinking the Koolaid.

 

[Livia]

As to new owners a quick look at the entry list and it looks like new owners (defined as started ocean racing in the last 5 years (let alone 1 year so generous definition) you get maybe 3.
So you get a dying old white man sport.
Maybe it should die out and be replaced by something else.

 

[SCANAS]

You going?

Are you serious!
It is a joke fleet for an anniversary race (75th)
Poor old race organisers have been royally fucked by pointless rules where a whole bunch of owners who otherwise support the race have said fuck off you want me to spend how much for a 30 hour race
Race will not exist in 5 years

About half the fleet of last years Hobart & 50 more boats than last years B2K.

Not going this year, too much pressure at work as sales have fallen off a cliff.

 

[Livia]

B2 K is a very low bar
It is just a club race and did they have one last year

 

[Livia]

Just looked at the weather for Sunday morning as we are thinking of going deep dropping. (Fishing over the edge of continental shelf)
Climate change is a now a real thing apparently.
NNW at 25 knots at Breaksea Spit so upwind in a shitty sea state.
This will be a new experience for a few people In this part of the world.
Might steam north and salvage the odd boat.

And before anyone says I am down on the race, that is not so but a response to authorities that say you cannot sail keelboats in the dark or in over 20 knots anymore. bit hard to people to get good experience.

 

[Rantifarian]

That looks like a long, sloppy beat. Kind glad we won't be ready for this year's race, hopefully the breeze has sorted itself out be the Keppel race

 

[Capt Araldite]

That looks like a long, sloppy beat. Kind glad we won't be ready for this year's race, hopefully the breeze has sorted itself out be the Keppel race

I wonder how many boats have had last minute “optimisation” done for an upwind race 🤣🤣

 

[Livia]

It is Qld, last minute optimisation means just putting the extra oversize unmeasured kites onboard on Thursday night after the safety inspection.

 

[TUBBY]

Or in this case, taking them off again!

 

[Capt Araldite]

It is Qld, last minute optimisation means just putting the extra oversize unmeasured kites onboard on Thursday night after the safety inspection.

I know it’s QLD but what has safety inspections got to do with sail selections 🤣🤣🤣

 

[bushsailor]

I agree re safety docs destroying the sport. It is frustrating and annoying to get these documents completed, hire life rafts, sat phones etc. Anyone can get on any yacht and sail it to Gladstone but to enter a race requires a large expense and a lot of time. Still 45 plus yachts is pretty good. Some of the stuff is very pedantic as well. One crew for example has 4 doctors on board but they had to get another crew member on board to cover the first aid certificate requirement.
Old school may be in the running for the win. dks fly upwind in breeze.