It was a scorcher of a day but that didn’t stop the Sharlies from giving it their best.

 

by Charlotte Barlow, member of the Sharlies boat crew and competition co-captain.

What a day it was! Saturday’s boat carnival at Freshie was definitely a great day for all Longy crews, and for the Sharlies, it was an exciting time.

During the warmup, we could feel the wind behind us and knew we would have to push into it when coming home. In our first race, we kicked it off with a great jump in and fired away, almost neck and neck with Umina, until we turned the buoy and were caught by the wind. A slow race, and finished with a fourth.

2nd race and we were out of the wind and came home with a 1st. A lot of waiting around for the final race. We checked the scoreboard and were tieing 2nd with Umina on 18 points. The course was shortened due to the wind, but we were not complaining. Only half a race length meant that we could give it everything and that’s exactly what we did. Another great jump in and Rob’s run along the sandbank gave us a head start in front of the other crews, allowing us to turn the gate can first. Racing home, we were all knackered and came home with a 1st! Yew! The Sharlies finished the day with a second overall.”

“The Sharlies were the stars of the day…”

by Luke Joas, member of the Apples boat crew

The Apples had a strong first carnival showing at Bilgola, but struggled to coordinate diaries in the weeks following for training; it was apparent in their first few races at Freshie. They did find their signature rhythm as the day went on and were narrowly pipped for first in their 3rd round heat to miss the final.

Alas, we wouldn’t want them peaking too far ahead of the Longy carnival on the 19th! Rest assured the lads have made commitments to training (including ergs!) to ensure they do the Long Reef family proud on hallowed home water.

Speaking of which; we need some volunteers to assist with first aid, IRB, & Covid marshalling for the Long Reef Surf Boat Carnival on the 19th of December. Please let one of the boaties know if you’re available to help! Or send an e-mail to admin@longreef.com.”