Farewell to the 2019 Clipper Round the World Fleet
First of all, I'd better thank Tony Pugh and Jen Richards who took me out on Sunday morning to get some photos of the fleet as they departed. I was warned that it was going to be a wet ride so we were kitted up appropriately and the cameras wrapped in layers of water proofing.
However once we had made it into the Fremantle Sailing Club and the berthing area we were greeted by good sized crowds on the rocks and the jetties around the berthing area and a lot of noise coming from the PA as each boat was let off their mooring. We had some fun and farewelled each boat appropriately with lots of comments to the crew of Go to Bermuda with whom we had been out on the h20 earlier on the week. ( We do expect a good performance from them , by the way.)
The sail parade in the harbour wasn't as well attended as I'd hoped, but the boats formed up and given that it was a stonking sou wester, they motored up the harbour. They then headed off out to sea where they were to perform their Man over Board practise and they did so somewhere to the south east of Fairway mark and then having completed that, they began to make their way to the startline off the North Mole.
Again it was a fair way off and despite a 300 mill lens the images are clear but you cant crop into them with any hope of definition of individual faces. (over a km away) So I'll leave that part to the boats who were a little closer. But the whole event has given me a glimpse of the adventure these people are beginning/continuing on and I respect their efforts to make it onto these boats.
The crowds on North Mole were noisy and in one particular case, well primed on a glass of wine and a few cheese and bickies. Though I'm surprised the biscuits stayed on the plates given the 20 odd knots in play.
The boats left the start line with the sails bellied in a broad reach and it was a splendid sight to see. I and everyone else wish them all a safe and speedy journey to Queensland on the other side of the coast.
Enjoy the images.
First of all, I'd better thank Tony Pugh and Jen Richards who took me out on Sunday morning to get some photos of the fleet as they departed. I was warned that it was going to be a wet ride so we were kitted up appropriately and the cameras wrapped in layers of water proofing.
However once we had made it into the Fremantle Sailing Club and the berthing area we were greeted by good sized crowds on the rocks and the jetties around the berthing area and a lot of noise coming from the PA as each boat was let off their mooring. We had some fun and farewelled each boat appropriately with lots of comments to the crew of Go to Bermuda with whom we had been out on the h20 earlier on the week. ( We do expect a good performance from them , by the way.)
The sail parade in the harbour wasn't as well attended as I'd hoped, but the boats formed up and given that it was a stonking sou wester, they motored up the harbour. They then headed off out to sea where they were to perform their Man over Board practise and they did so somewhere to the south east of Fairway mark and then having completed that, they began to make their way to the startline off the North Mole.
Again it was a fair way off and despite a 300 mill lens the images are clear but you cant crop into them with any hope of definition of individual faces. (over a km away) So I'll leave that part to the boats who were a little closer. But the whole event has given me a glimpse of the adventure these people are beginning/continuing on and I respect their efforts to make it onto these boats.
The crowds on North Mole were noisy and in one particular case, well primed on a glass of wine and a few cheese and bickies. Though I'm surprised the biscuits stayed on the plates given the 20 odd knots in play.
The boats left the start line with the sails bellied in a broad reach and it was a splendid sight to see. I and everyone else wish them all a safe and speedy journey to Queensland on the other side of the coast.
Enjoy the images.
Riding on a Clipper.
It's not very often that it rains in Perth, particularly considering the weather we've had recently. A week in the 40's and the rest of Australia now beginning to complain about the hot weather they are having.
However it was with great delight I took up the offer of a media ride on one of the Clippers. Sarah Lacey ( a Senior communications officer ) had been in contact and about a dozen of us were sent off on a jaunt off Fremantle. The walk down to the slips where the clippers were parked up was about a km and we spent the time getting to know a bit more about each other.
We were looking at the grey skies above us and the fact that the fronts were due shortly didn't seem to phase the crew and skipper (David Immelmann aka Wavey) so we went through with the safety briefing and had ourselves fitted with the latest PFD's and onshore jackets to ward off the promised rain.
Out we went and sure enough, as soon as we hit the harbour mouth, down it came. As did the westerly that by now was beginning to pump a little. A brief crew meeting at the back of the boat and up went the main, albeit with a decent reef in, and the inner foresail was thrown up as well. Plenty of power! Wet and more wet with the clipper (Go to Bermuda ) sailing gracefully through the sou westerly swell with the odd beam sea slapping the hull and throwing a little spray around.
By this time, any thought of pulling out a DSLR was out the door so I resorted to an Olympus TG5 , built to handle wet weather of any sort and then trying to keep the lens dry was my next problem. Fine if you drop it under water, does really well in the dry, but I was constantly having to clear the lens.
The run up and down the coast gave a few of us a chance to take the helm and we had the slightly exhilarating experience of driving a seventy foot yacht on a fresh day. Awesome! Nothing compared to the big seas of the Pacific, Atlantic or Indian Oceans, but enough to grasp a faint comprehension of the task.
The weather decided to ease a little and by this time skipper David had us heading back to the port, but there was still the task of lowering the main and flaking it. Hard work and one or two of us were roped into holding bits of canvas while the crew stowed the sails neatly. And then the sun came out. The rest of the day was nothing but a dolly trip back into the pens, though I will admit that parking a 70 foot boat, backwards and with a cross breeze was a task I'd rather have not done, but was handled efficiently and without fuss. I guess that's why they call him the skipper.
My thanks to Clipper Round the World and our boat Go to Bermuda. And to all the media faces who went out with us on the day. Great stuff.
Enjoy the photos
However it was with great delight I took up the offer of a media ride on one of the Clippers. Sarah Lacey ( a Senior communications officer ) had been in contact and about a dozen of us were sent off on a jaunt off Fremantle. The walk down to the slips where the clippers were parked up was about a km and we spent the time getting to know a bit more about each other.
We were looking at the grey skies above us and the fact that the fronts were due shortly didn't seem to phase the crew and skipper (David Immelmann aka Wavey) so we went through with the safety briefing and had ourselves fitted with the latest PFD's and onshore jackets to ward off the promised rain.
Out we went and sure enough, as soon as we hit the harbour mouth, down it came. As did the westerly that by now was beginning to pump a little. A brief crew meeting at the back of the boat and up went the main, albeit with a decent reef in, and the inner foresail was thrown up as well. Plenty of power! Wet and more wet with the clipper (Go to Bermuda ) sailing gracefully through the sou westerly swell with the odd beam sea slapping the hull and throwing a little spray around.
By this time, any thought of pulling out a DSLR was out the door so I resorted to an Olympus TG5 , built to handle wet weather of any sort and then trying to keep the lens dry was my next problem. Fine if you drop it under water, does really well in the dry, but I was constantly having to clear the lens.
The run up and down the coast gave a few of us a chance to take the helm and we had the slightly exhilarating experience of driving a seventy foot yacht on a fresh day. Awesome! Nothing compared to the big seas of the Pacific, Atlantic or Indian Oceans, but enough to grasp a faint comprehension of the task.
The weather decided to ease a little and by this time skipper David had us heading back to the port, but there was still the task of lowering the main and flaking it. Hard work and one or two of us were roped into holding bits of canvas while the crew stowed the sails neatly. And then the sun came out. The rest of the day was nothing but a dolly trip back into the pens, though I will admit that parking a 70 foot boat, backwards and with a cross breeze was a task I'd rather have not done, but was handled efficiently and without fuss. I guess that's why they call him the skipper.
My thanks to Clipper Round the World and our boat Go to Bermuda. And to all the media faces who went out with us on the day. Great stuff.
Enjoy the photos
The 2019 Clipper Race
& their time in Freo.
Just a look at the Clippers and their arrival in Fremantle this December.
The bar in the club was doing a brisk trade with the latest boat settled in for a few cold beers and something other than mac and cheese which was the popular (not) choice for the cooks when their turn to present a meal came up. I had the pleasure of walking up to the pens with a fellow just off on of the yachts and he was slowly wheeling back one of the trolleys that are used to cart gear around with. Its a big club he said, so I'd like to know what club he came from. He's on a trip around the world, the full gig, so I have a certain amount of admiration for him and he freely admitted to having some moments out there on the first three legs. "Its just how you deal with them," he said.
I have been invited to take a run on one of the Clippers this year and without doubt, its going to be one of my fun days. It's not every time that you are asked, so along with another 30 or 40 media types ( probably all with cameras and what not) we are going for a morning on the water. I'm hoping for 20 knots, but I'll take whatever Hughie offers. Most of them are sailing types so it will be interesting if we are offered a chance on the grinders. Just hope my back stands up.
Here's a few images of WTC Logistics coming in this afternoon, clearly I missed the one coming in around 0300 hrs this morning but I do like my sleep at that time of the day. And my thanks to the young lady who stood in front of me getting her photos on her camera phone. I should have asked her to lift one leg!
The bar in the club was doing a brisk trade with the latest boat settled in for a few cold beers and something other than mac and cheese which was the popular (not) choice for the cooks when their turn to present a meal came up. I had the pleasure of walking up to the pens with a fellow just off on of the yachts and he was slowly wheeling back one of the trolleys that are used to cart gear around with. Its a big club he said, so I'd like to know what club he came from. He's on a trip around the world, the full gig, so I have a certain amount of admiration for him and he freely admitted to having some moments out there on the first three legs. "Its just how you deal with them," he said.
I have been invited to take a run on one of the Clippers this year and without doubt, its going to be one of my fun days. It's not every time that you are asked, so along with another 30 or 40 media types ( probably all with cameras and what not) we are going for a morning on the water. I'm hoping for 20 knots, but I'll take whatever Hughie offers. Most of them are sailing types so it will be interesting if we are offered a chance on the grinders. Just hope my back stands up.
Here's a few images of WTC Logistics coming in this afternoon, clearly I missed the one coming in around 0300 hrs this morning but I do like my sleep at that time of the day. And my thanks to the young lady who stood in front of me getting her photos on her camera phone. I should have asked her to lift one leg!