Hi Guys. I'm getting with it slowly. Have found a Chat Room Restaurant that has free wireless connection if you spen $4. So here we go to catch up on the last few days.

Sunday 26th Oct. Finals day for Marilyn and Pink Ticket day for me. NZwon the champioships by one point from Australia. A great disappoinment for our hosts made all the more bitter a pill to swallow by reason of the victors being their arch antipodean rivals Sad to report that engalnd were beaten out ofsight and only have themselves to blame. It has been a very successful Championships and the Australians could not have done more to make us all so welcome and keep us entertained. The organisation was brilliant. They provided 6 ponies for every team and more in reserve - all transported into Sydney over vast distances. The rugby pitch was a great venue and stood up well to the pounding of the hooves. One man spent his entire days shovelling up horse sh*t as soon as it was deposited so that the field was clean at all times. 270 sat down to dinner in the eveningat the RSL club for the presentations and a knees up. the trophies were presented by 'Er indoors' in her presidential capacity. A good time was had by all and the games were declared to have been the best ever and most important of all the youngsters made many new friends from all over the world. England host the championships next year and have been set quite some challenge.

My Pink Ticket day was very different. Up at crack of sparrow fart to allow myself plenty of time to get intoSydney and catch a ferry to North Sydney Wharf to go racing. Discovered the explaination for the apparent missnomer of the Sydney Flying Squadron for a sailing club is that the founder of the club decided to name it after Sir Francis Drake's Flying Squadron - very appropriate for the speedy 18ft sciffs. Until about a couple of years ago all the sciffs in the harbour - traditional and modern - raced from the squadron but then the sponsors of the modern sciffs decided to move to another club. Consequently only the trads reeeemain with the Squadron. Quite a financial blow as it appears to be very big business here. The regatta today is at another club in the harbour so we are towed there. There are only three of us today one of which has a crew of ten -yes ten- and we have a crew of six. On arrival at the regatta we have to lie alongside a pontoon to get the sailsup. All the gear is very heavy and very basic. No modern gadgets - ever has belaying pins instead of jambing cleats. The boat with rig weighs over 700kgs. I had offered to bring some beers on board but the skipper - John Toon - said he didn't like drink onboard - safety and all that. Imagine my surprise therefore when the last crew member to join us - Fergie - arives late but laden down with six paks of beer and a bucket of ice. so much for an Oz dry boat where they never take any notice of the skipper. This is going to be fun. there is a medium breeze but a bit patchy particularly in the lee of the headlands and islands. The course is a down wind first leg followed by a beat, a run, a beat and a run to the finish. Its a persuit race and we are second to start. We put in a very good 4th windward leg and are neck and neck to take the lead at the mark but the spinnaker hoist is a shambles when Fergie drops the third section of the spinnaker pole into the ogin. (the pole needs to be so long that it is in three 8ft sections that have to be slotted together each time the spinnaker is needed. A nearby saling cruised is hailed to recover the pole but can't get it back to us quickly enough so we have to imprevise with the wisker pole (my boaty friends will know what I am talking about) The front two crew members in the boat handle the spinnaker and the jib, Doug handles the main sheet and John is the helm at the back leaving Fergie and me in the middle to do the rest - Lee clothes (the boat has so little freeboard that there are lee clothes on both sides that have to be put up and down each time the boat tacks - running back stays plus a main back stay used when the spinnaker is used, bailng and weight trimming. Talk about bobbing up and down like a whores draws. The lee clothes are critical because the boat will sink in an instant if the leward clothe is not put up as soon as the boat goes about and the windward clothe dropped to allow the crew to sit on the gunnal as the boat heals. they all get very excited and use some good old fashioned Australian phrases if it looks lke I am not going to get the clothe up in time. The sail back to the Squadron developes into another race but again we are frustrated by the flooky winds under the harbour bridge and beside the opera house where the wash from all the ferries comeing and going knock us back. Once ashore the boat has to be completely de-rigged as it is stored on a road trailer in the road outside Johnn's home. It sure is hard work racing a a traditiona 18ft sciff but a truly wonderful experience and great fun with a friendly and keen crew.