Hi Windsurfers

Summary of information in paragraphs below

-The windsurfer nationals are planned to be on at paynesville at Easter

-people are continuing to swim, kitesurf and windsurf there

-the water looks a little brown rather than sandy colored

-a lot of work has gone into the decision as to whether to run the event or not,

as safety and well-being of the windsurfers is of the utmost importance

-based on much consultation, it was decided that it was appropriate to still run the event

-if conditions radically alter, then it would have to be reassessed, however all indications are that the water will improve further

- as requested in other items written on behalf of the organisers and Vic windsurfers, would anyone with any queries please contact us if they have any queries or need extra information, this would also help in identifying further information people might require

Regards,  Kerry.  (On behalf of the organising committee as Tim Forster is away briefly.) 

 

 

Hi Windsurfers,

Written in the interests of the Windsurfer Nationals and it wouldn't be the same without Stephen Barton -

 

 

1. Please read information posted last week in file on this site.

2. As many of you would be aware, in the organisation of an event, a lot of work will be going on 'behind the scenes' that other people would not necessarily be aware of. This was the case before and at the last nationals and is certainly so with this event;**

3. Some persons were/are working flat out on this event. As with any event, detail of every decision, etc is not conveyed to everyone. It was simply not possible to physically do any more than what has been done, it is all done voluntarily. 

Also in regard to the matter of communication, if more information could physically have been provided, it would have been. If people wanted more information, they could have asked about it further. We have requested to be contacted with any queries. this also helps identify what others might want to know. If a query isn't answered fully enough, please ask again, etc 

4. Vic sailors considered this matter in consultation with Yachting Vic, Gippsland Lakes Yacht Club, local councils, Bureau of Meteorology, and on behalf of the rest of the windsurfer one design sailors across several states

5. A decision was made after consultation with a lot of people that it was appropriate to still run the event 

6. This decision was not made lightly;

to reassure anyone on this point,

- it is a lot easier to simply have the event run in another state, therefore we could have decided, (at that point it would have been in consultation with appropriate representation from other states) to be extremely conservative and a) postpone the event or b) run a less formal regatta elsewhere eg in NSW;

- there were a lot of 'sleepless nights' as all of this was considered, it would have been a lot easier to have gone for an option above;

however, as it was considered appropriate to run the event as planned, preparations proceeded; 

- just imagine for a moment what it's like to have to help organise an event and on top of that have to liaise about a whole extra set of parameters to do with algae; 

7. so please be assured that we hold our fellow sailors health and well-being of the highest importance, rather than whether the event is run at a particular location and if after consultation with: Yachting Victoria, our peak body, including Rod Austin, Manager of Sail Melbourne which included events in the Gippsland Lakes in january, when the algae was more prevalent, and Sam Watson, Media Liaison, Officer; Colin Lamble and committee members of the GLYC; council; BOM; a scientist in Canberra who researched algal blooms, and others, it was decided that it was appropriate to proceed, then it has been the appropriate decision at the time;

-hindsight is a great thing and maybe if we had known that an infrequent algal bloom would occur in december or january this year, then last year at the nationals we could have chosen a different location;

- if the whole lake system becomes a solid plane of blue then we will also need to have brilliant people like Steven there to refine board sledding or such as a new discipline or all take our boards across a sand dune to the sea and sail there. - however it appears that the algae is lessening 

- people have continued to kitesurf there nearly daily and windsurf several times a week, over the past months without effects

 

Please ring with any queries, the numbers are in the file. 

 

 

And for those of you who have got this far, -

a story about someone who sailed at the last nationals, in the pristine waters of Batemans Bay 

 

'Having contracted severe cellulitis in both legs whilst competing in the 2007 windsurfing nationals, at Batemans Bay, from being in the water there and having been advised not to travel, to avoid the poison spreading through my body and causing complete septicaemia and being very sick and delirious the first few days and being 1000kms from home, (although Ron, or is it Steve, knows this person really lives at Narrabeen), having had to stay in Sydney for a week after the last nationals (thankyou especially to Karen for her help and to Roger) and take intensive antibiotic treatment and receive daily treatment on my legs with ointment used to treat severe burns, after having chunks of tissue ripped off my legs each day and then having huge bandages on my legs and being threatened with hospitalization if I went anywhere and consequently having gained a susceptibility to this condition and therefore having to treat any cuts immediately to avoid it all happening again, I feel that I have some extra insight into being aware of sailing conditions and I feel that, for myself, it is okay to sail at gippsland lakes.'