1971/72 - Aussie Titles - Grange Sailing Club, Adelaide.

This brings back the most memories of all my sailing adventures.

Where to start. We had just turned 19 and started to drink (alcohol)............

Horace was the only one of us with a car and it was a 50s model Land Rover. Basic was the word but it got to and from Adelaide, even if two dicks drove home from Adelaide in 4WD and wonder why the fuel economy was absolutely shit. (that was Chic and me)

On Christmas Day, I drove the Land Rover and Good Ship Venus out to Ivanhoe to pick up Chic, as the 2 of us were driving to Adelaide. Horace was with Jill Stoops and went with her.
Mum and Dad rented a house at 93 Miliary Rd, West Beach for us. Mum and Dad didn't stay with us. We ended up with heaps of guys staying here including some guy and his crew from interstate.

This was the first year that we were let loose with alcohol and boy, did some of us 'drink a tad too much'. Luckily my memory is vague, otherwise, I might name some. I do remember Greg Hewitt staying with us and tried without any success to rein us in.

The yachting was good, I think...

We won the Junior Title

We finishing 3rd in the 1st invitation race which was held at Glenelg YC with over 100 Sharpies starting.

Another race, it was a drifter and Dad got lapped before the time expired. Lucky.

Another race, check out Dad's photos below it also blew like shit. He was getting out trhrough the shore break.

The social side

At the Buck's night, (this is a guy's only event held at the Yacht Club, it was a fully blown piss up). Bob Francis (a local radio personality) was MC and when our prawns arrived, we only got empty shells. For some strange reason, our table of the 'junior' Victorian drinking team, were in full practice mode, we started stirring Bob. Until over the microphone, he suggested that they throw Frosty in the pond. Well that started it, Rest of Australia versus Victoria. Well I was dragged down stairs and the only person that I 'hit' was Ferret. (Graham Keys).
My memory is very vague from then on. It must have been something that I drank.

At another social event, I won the raffle and a lot of people suggested that Frosty should take the suitcase so he could go home.

Another memory was when Chic was that 'happy' that when we drove back to our house, you could follow us by the 'liquid that came out his mouth' the whole way home. Chic must have found a prawn from Buck's night. .05, what was that....

I was a bit of an embarassment to mum and she wanted to fly home before the Titles finished, but on Presentation night, I redeemed myself and was extremely well behaved. I think that I couldn't face another beer, so behaved myself.