ASBA News

Rumble In the Reach!

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 07:30:11 +1100

The East Fremantle Yacht Club is very excited to be part of the growing Sports Boat community in Western Australia. We share their mantra that 'life is too short to sail slow boats'!

As such in 2011 EFYC launched the Rumble in the Reach Sports Boat Challenge, an event which showcases the class to spectators and the broader public.

With racing in close confines and in easy view of our Club House; spectators can share in the excitement that comes with sailing in this class.

An action packed afternoon of festivities will commence with the first of two heats at 2:00pm. The top finishers in each heat will battle in the final to be crowned the '2012 Sports Boat Challenge Champion'. Following racing sailors are invited back to the Clubhouse for the Presentation and some celebratory food and drinks.

To enter this event, please complete the official entry form available here and return it to the East Fremantle Yacht Club Office by fax 9339 2424 or by return email to activities(at)efyc.com.au. Please RSVP by 9:00am Monday 9 January, any entry not received by the deadline may be ineligible to compete.

We look forward to you taking part in this unique event.

ASBA Constitution and SMS Rules

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:16:21 +1100

ASBA Constitution and SMS Rules

This is an open letter to the entire Sports Boat fleet, members and non-members and relates to the rules/conditions under which we race and which your SMS Rating is based on. I would also like to touch on where ASBA is heading and where it came from.

There seems to be a lot of discussion with regard to motors, safety, resistance to capsize and the requirements/conditions in being measured for SMS.

Firstly everyone needs to be aware of the different rules and governing bodies that your boat must comply with to not only race in an ASBA sanctioned event but within the rules of the SMS rating system. Your boat must also comply with Yachting Australia Safety Category which the racing is being conducted.

ASBA has its own Constitution which is the basis for what defines a Sports Boat. The Constitution outlines what ASBA’s objectives are, (section 2) and what ASBA defines as the criteria to race under the Constitution (section 4). Section 4.1.10 refers to the requirement for all boats to carry a motor of at least 3hp and then refers to the YA Safety Category for the event.

Yachting Australia outlines and continually updates its requirements for the Safety Categories under which events within Australia can be run. All of our racing is done in Cat 5, 6 or 7 configuration. Category 6 & 7 are very similar but do not mandate that a motor is carried.

Yachting Victoria administers the rating system that ASBA has chosen (see ASBA constitution section 15) and there are set conditions listed in their rules on how the boat is measured, what is measured and the trim that the boat is in when measured. These can all be found on their web site or in the year book that each SMS Certificate holder is sent. When measuring for SMS the boats need to have Cat 6 safety gear on board, set of sheets, no sails and a motor. (The ASBA Measurement Guide is also on the ASBA web site as a further reference point).

AMS2/SMS Rule 3.3.2: Outboard motors must also be weighed separately and must be carried on the transom or in a designated location ready for immediate deployment. An Inboard engine is to be fully installed.

So, in summary:

ASBA says you have to carry a motor but doesn’t insist it’s in an operating position.
 
YA says you only need one for cat 5, and that it has to be in its operating position.
 
YV/SMS says that you need one in its operating position at the time of measurement (rule 2.12.2) and then in a designated location ready for deployment when racing.

Currently, the only way to race in compliance with your SMS certificate is to have a motor on board when sailing.
Doing this satisfies the requirements of ASBA, YA and YV/SMS. Your boat is not rated with 14kg of ballast or chain to represent this weight – the weight is not the only issue.

The One Design boats also have to comply with their class rules if their SMS Cert specifies that the SMS is an OD rating and in some cases carry additional items that make them an OD boat.

So there is a lot to take into account when you head out for a sail. Generally though, these all overlap and it is reasonably simple to meet your requirements under all 3 authorities. What we must all do is ensure our boats meet the requirements of our rating certificate, the Association rules and safety category requirements. They need to be all read together and not taken in isolation.

From ASBA’s point of view it is important that the integrity of the rating system be maintained and that boats race as they are rated. This ensures the fleet at Royal Brighton is racing under the same conditions as the fleet at Wynnum Manly. The requirement to have a motor is foremost a safety issue. You need a trailer to sit your boat on, sails to move it, you have safety gear because the club/event needs insurance coverage to host sailing and you have a motor because the rating system/class rules require it for when something goes wrong. It is part of the expense of the sport and part of eliminating some of the risk you and your crew are exposed to when you go sailing.

ASBA is very much focussed on the fleet being self-contained and therefore able to get in and out of trouble without relying on outside assistance. This makes the fleet attractive to owners, crew and clubs as we have our own rating system, we can get to and from the race track, and we are focussed on the safety of our sailors. A Sports Boat event really just needs someone to lay the course, record the times and open the bar. I believe this is one of the reasons the fleet is in demand from clubs to host events and attend the bigger events.

With regard to Resistance to Capsize, ASBA is committed to ensuring boats meet the requirements of the YA Safety Categories. Every new class of boat to the fleet is required to provide evidence that they meet at least the ISO requirement. I don’t think it is up to ASBA to prove a boat passes one of these; it remains firmly on the owners shoulders. International classes and production boats have generally passed the ISO requirement and this noted in their class rules. Others are issuing certificates to owners when they purchase that the boat has passed. If you are in doubt about your boat, please refer the questions to the designer/builder. ASBA has collected and checked the credentials of a number of boats within the fleet over the years but we do not provide or have the skill to pass or fail a boat in this area.

ASBA has been an entity since the middle of 2007. It has been, is and hopefully will always be run by those that give their time for free and have an unstable passion for the fleet. It is a national body and experiences the difficulty of having its members and elected officers spread all around the country. Over the years it has not been perfect with regard to admin/membership collection/getting bulk information to all its members. We don’t always get it right because putting food on the table rates above the fleet, but the skeleton, heart and some skin coverage is now there.

If you are a member now, your details are recorded on a central data base. The membership year has been confirmed as the financial year. The membership fees have reduced to $50. We are able to mass email all members from this data base and therefore make every effort to keep the fleet informed. In 99% of cases our measurers do not charge for their time etc to measure your boat and in most cases ASBA picks up the bill to hire the equipment required to measure. Our web site is regularly updated with current info and news. We use Facebook and Twitter to promote events, provide results and get your feedback. The web site has a forum for questions/answers. We have a central email address which can also be used for questions and information.

There are now Perpetual Trophies floating around in 4 states for state titles along with our own national perpetual trophy. We are driving a National Championship in 2012 for not only the sports boat fleet but a combined event with the trailable yachts. We are also now part of the national trailable committee that YA runs and are working with them to have sports boat specific safety requirements etc. World domination starts next year.

We are presently talking to clubs in every state about running sports boat specific events. We are talking to event organisers such as Airlie Beach, Geelong, Geographe Bay and Sydney Harbour to iron out any issues the fleet has encountered, reduce the cost, increase the benefits and make each event better for the sports boat fleet and we are doing this with a fleet mentality.

The Association has approx. $4,500 in the bank at present and has spent monies on promotional items such as hats/stickers but the money is also used to pay for teleconferences, subsidise state titles and provide trophies for events which we organise. I would like us to focus on our events and helping those that want to travel to interstate events. With national sponsors in place, ASBA is now is a position to provide value for money to all its members who participate in ASBA sanctioned events. The entrants at the Qld Titles got a Gill shirt worth $50, Hogs Breath frequent diners cards for all crew ($50 each), $100 off accommodation with baccommodated and we handed out prizes from last to first to a total of over $4,000 over the weekend. There is no reason why this cannot be repeated at all ASBA events.

It is up to you whether your local fleet races under the ASBA constitution but if your fleet races using SMS as its rating system, all boats should conform to the requirements of that system. Your boat also needs to comply with safety category rules of your club/event. The rating system cannot be made-up or amended. If it is, it is not SMS and both ASBA and YV do not want it referred to as SMS. To put it bluntly, they and a number of us within ASBA, have put too much work into the rating system for numbers to be made up and the system barstardised. We want to encourage as many boats as possible to go racing but the rules are there for a reason and should apply to all as this is the fairest way of protecting what we have built so far.

If you don’t think ASBA is worth $50 a year and don’t think we do enough in your area, there are always choices. 1. Put your hand up and get involved or 2. Organise your racing under your own conditions and rating system. If it’s better than the current system or you have ideas to make it better, please send them through as all ASBA wants is to promote sports boat sailing. But please remember we can only change what we have control of. SMS / YV operate in their own world and while we provide info and feedback to them, the end result is completely out of our hands.

I hope you are enjoying your sports boat racing and look forward to catching up with as many members as possible at an ASBA event somewhere in the country.

Regards

Darren Spence
ASBA President

Peow Peow put their Snout in the Trough Again

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 17:09:20 +1100

From www.sail-world.com
Andrew Trigell and his crew on the Shaw 650, Peow Peow, took out the 2011 Hogs Breath Cafe Australian Sports Boat Association (ASBA) Queensland Titles for the second year in a row at RQYS Brisbane last weekend.

A fleet of 16 boats made the start line for the six race series. Line honours was dominated by Vivace (Ben Leigh-Smith) and they where also able to secure second overall on SMS.

Day one of racing saw a light and shifty northerly of about 5 knots greet the fleet. When the breeze went home early, so did the fleet with two races completed. Leading after the first day was the Thompson 7, Mister Magoo (Jason Rucket) with two wins on SMS. The other favourites within the fleet all had at least one poor result so it was going to be a big effort to chase down Mister Magoo after two of the planned six races.

Day two saw a steady breeze which built during early afternoon and enabled the race committee to complete four races. Mister Magoo started well with a fifth in the first race but it was also the first of three race wins by Peow Peow. With a sick crew member, Mister Magoo was forced to retire from the next race and unable to complete the remaining races, ruling them out of contention for a podium finish.

Blokes World (Bret Whitbread), Vivace and Peow Peow where the most consistent over the final four races and established a good points break on the rest of the fleet in the overall score. These three boats have continued their battle from the ASBA National Titles over the same course in January 2011 where Blokes World took the points from Peow Peow and Vivace.

Andrew and the crew have already planned their celebration dinner at Hogs Breath Cafe Cleveland where no doubt the planning will begin for their title defence and perhaps three Gill winners jackets in a row.

Winners of the baccommodated three nights accommodation on the Gold Coast, Stage 3 (Michael Pitt), are planning a different celebration and will heading to the home of the 2018 Commonwealth Games to enjoy the hospitality of the baccommodated group.

The next major Sports Boat event is the Festival of Sail in Geelong in late January 2012 with a fleet of over 25 expected from all over the country. The fleet then moves to Hobart for its fifth National Championships over Easter in 2012. This event is a combined Sports Boat and Trailable Yacht National Titles with a total fleet of over 50 boats expected. Discounted shipping for boats is available from Melbourne. More information can be found at www.asba.org.au.

The ASBA would like to thank its new and long term supporters, Hogs Breath Cafe, Gill Australia, baccommodated, Balgownie Estate Wines and Evolution Sails, for making the Qld Titles one of the premium Sports Boat events in the country

ASBA QLD Sport Boat Titles
More information at www.asba.org.au

The Whole Hog!

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:07:32 +1100

The Australian Sports Boat Association (ASBA) is as happy as a pig in mud to announce a new partnership with Hogs Breath Café which kicks off this weekend at the ASBA QLD Sports Boat Titles in Brisbane.

ASBA and Hogs Breath are determined to put some fun back into sailing events and will spread this message around the country over the next 12 months at events such as the Festival of Sail in Geelong, ASBA National Titles in Hobart, Geographe Bay Race Week in Busselton, Airlie Beach Race Week and state titles in most states.

Along with existing partners, Gill Australia, being accommodated on the Gold Coast and Balgownie Estate Winery in Bendigo, this partnership will ensure the Sports Boat fleet are feed, housed, watered and looking their best at every event.

The fleet for this third ever QLD Title is considered one of the hottest in the country boasting the current National Champion, Blokes World (Brett Whitbread) who won the title over the same course in January. Last year’s QLD Champion and second behind Blokes World at the National Titles, Peow Peow (Andrew Trigell), is looking for some revenge in a fleet that is expected to exceed 20 boats.

Runner-up at the last two QLD Titles, Kaito (Robert Lyon), will also be looking to go that one step better at the third attempt. Another consistent performer, Mister Magoo, (Jason Ruckert) will be a force as well going into the titles having taken out the SMS title at the recent St Helena Cup and also the last race of the Sports Boat Saturday Series run by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron (RQYS).
A number of crews are travelling from as far away as Mackay and Gladstone for the weekend event along with crews from Noosa and Southport.

The QLD Titles are one of the major lead up events to the 2012 ASBA Sports Boat and Trailable National Titles in Hobart over the Easter Weekend. Discounted shipping is on offer to help owners get their boats to this event and already nine mainland sports boats have made the commitment to cross Bass Straight, including boats from WA, QLD and NSW. Three of these boats are still being built with the interest being a testament to the growth of the Sports Boat at present.

RQYS and the Australian Sports Boat Association (ASBA) will again be using Facebook and Twitter to keep followers of the event up to date during and after the racing each day. Regatta TV was a hit at Airlie Beach Race Week and this can be found along with a direct link to the regatta website. Also there are links to the event supporter’s web sites – Hogs Breath Café, Gill Clothing Australia, Balgownie Estate Winery, Evolution Sails and baccommodated on the Gold Coast.

ASBA VIC State NOR

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 07:54:24 +1000

Dear all,

NOR is now available for the VIC ASBA states HERE

Entry will be available via RBYC site in a few days, and I will post a link as soon as is available.

To get a pot you will need to re-validate or hold a current SMS certificate.

You will also need to be current with ASBA, available via the web site

Regards

Chris Bland
ASBA Tech Committee