Mission Beach still going to Airlie at Easter

by Jim Hayes on 7 Apr 2006 Battered by devastating wind gusts up to 170 knots in the dangerous quadrant of cyclone Larry, members of North Queensland’s Mission Beach Sailing Club, one of the clubs most severely affected by the storm, are still repairing the damage and cleaning up the mess two weeks later.

But it takes more than a Cat 4 cyclone to keep a good sailor down. New plans are already in place to get to the North Queensland Championships and the Queensland Tasar Championships to be held at Whitsunday Sailing Club in Airlie Beach over Easter, as part of the Airlie Beach Day & Night Chemist North Queensland Easter Regatta

As Mission Beach Sailing Club member Judy Heath wrote to the Regatta organisers:

'Sorry about the delay in replying but we only got power on Friday. So much cleaning up to do still. However, we got off lightly here with only minor damages such as a bit of guttering down and a little water inside. It was the tree damage that has kept us busy. It is hard to imagine just how many trees can fit into a small suburban block. But we have been chain sawing, dragging branches and fighting green ants for 2 weeks. All of the sailing club members fared similarly.'

'We are still intending to come to Airlie but our numbers will be down.'

Sailors from all over Queensland will be heading to the Whitsundays for Easter. Racing begins on Friday afternoon and finishes on Sunday afternoon to allow travel time for the visiting competitors.

For info on the regatta, visit www.whitsundaysailingclub.com.au