Weymouth to Airlie Beach

by Rob Kothe on 13 Aug 2012 40 hours after walking out of the Olympic venue in Weymouth, I am on the ferry to Airlie Beach, via Heathrow, Hong Kong, Sydney and Hamilton Island.

A bit less wind here today than there was during that epic and heartbreaking Womens Match Racing final on Saturday afternoon on the Nothe course. But the last four or so days in Weymouth were just as warm and blue as it is today as we cross the Cumberland Passage.

We will have much more to report to you on the best ever Australian Sailing Team Olympic campaign in the days ahead.
Last Friday night, the Cove Hotel overlooking Chesil Beach on Portland was going off.

As AOC board member and past Yachting Australia President Andrew Plympton said ‘This is as good as it gets.’

But to help us all keep our feet on the deck, in our next Olympic newsletter we will republish the final report Bob Ross filed from the 2004 Athens Games, for Sail-World. Remember that was the Games at which Australia won no sailing medals at all, it’s titled ‘Sob’

Now back to the Northern circuit, Telcoinabox Airlie Beach Race Week is going from strength to strength, it’s the Lay Day today and in this 23rd ABRW year PRO Jim Hayes, the Whitsunday Sailing Club (WSC) veteran reports that it’s been so far, a very steady breeze and very easy on his Race management team.

Clearly the move of the hospitality venue to the WSC has proven to be a great success.

Audi Hamilton Island Race Week ramps up from Friday and SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week follows that.

We will continue to report in detail, as always. It is hard, the sacrifices we make for our readers.

But right now time for my favourite Aussie Beer, a Coopers Red, it’s an angel crying on your tongue….

Quite a contrast to the pints of a local Dorset beer called Piddle(I kid you not) in the Ferry Bridge Hotel in Weymouth over the last few weeks.