Yarrawonga

[Bob Vic]

What a magnificent lake. Good to see a lake in Victoria full again.

Bob

[bauchy]

those pics dont show how big it is. its a whoppa of a lake. we were down there two years ago ski racing and it was the coldest water ive ever touched. is it always cold??

the boats look great also.

brian

[bootlegger]

Just got home few from the race meet. Had a great time catching up with everyone and hearing all the stories from the old racers. Its a shame that the organisers don't share their enthusiasm and see the value of these old boats running on the water. I guess the old boats and racers will just fade away like boat racing will ultimately do.

[Bob Vic]

Thanks to everyone who dragged their boats to Yarrawonga. It was a good line up for the club and the interest shown in the boats by the public was very gratifying. Saw lots of people that I had not seen for years. And apart from the obvious sadness of the John Cross fatality, the boat racing was exceptionally good - man those guys go fast.

As for the 'organisers' - I know the sport is driven by very well meaning individuals who give up their time to do the job, but..... The Yarrawonga even was AGAIN an utter shambles. Big long periods of inactivity, no communication and it's now very obvious they don't want us on the water. In their eyes we don't rate - the proof is in the pudding. Last year nothing - and this year again nothing. The jet sprint boats had many sessions on both days - wooden boats - zip!

I will not be hauling a boat to Yarrawonga again to suppport this event. If the boat racing looks like it will be strong I'll go and sit on the bank and enjoy the racing as always, but that's it for us now. Sadly, those people who came to see us and chat to us and wanted to see the old trimers back on the water have been cheated too.

In due course I will speak privately to Grant Harrison. He's a good person who has done an incedible amount for the sport and this event in particular, and I admire him for this. It's definitely not his fault & I feel very sorry for him having to work with a group that's just not up to it.

Bob

[bootlegger]

Hey bob can you put your post up on the oz boat racers forum.
I sent an email to the organisers this morning. I won't be wasting my time again either.
I really want to run beside you. I think it would have been an awsome spectacle.

[Greg]

Well stated Bob.

While we did have a great weekend watching the races, catching up with each other and talking to the many people that were so very interested in our boats and who were really looking forward to seeing them on the water, I felt that we were again let down by the organisers. We have supported the event in good faith for two years now and (along with other shore based displays) have provided some desperately needed diversions for the crowds during the many incredibly long periods of quiet and empty water. While I do acknowledge that there were some huge challenges for the organisers during the events, it all just seems a bit of a con.

Sadly, the CAWPBA will no longer be supporting this event.

Greg

[Bob Vic]

Dave - you will have noticed that I gladly supported your post with one following. To save the grief of looking for the site, here is what I wrote.

"I am in full agreement with Dave Pagano's email. My name is Bob Carter and for the second consecutive year I have taken my restored skiff Rebound to Yarrawonga to display the boat and with the promise of some on-water time to showcase our classic boats to the public. My boat used to race on Lake Mulwala in the 1960's and 1970's at the big carnivals run by the VSBC.

In both 2009 and 2010 we have been promised on-water time and both 2009 and 2010 the organisers on the day have failed to uphold their side of the deal. This weekend we had to remain on the bank while watching hours and hours of dead time with no activity on the water. We've watched the jet sprint boats do numerous demonstrations - at no time to my knowledge did an offical from the tower come to our group and explain the situation or negotaite an appropriate time for our on-water display. No-one came to apologise to the guy who drove nine hours to get to from Foster to Yarrawonga with his boat. I really feel sorry for him - 18 hours of driving for nought!

I've been involved in powerboat racing since the late 1960's. The on water racing on Sat/Sun was as good as anyone could hope to see. Sadly the organisation of the program on the bank was dreadful, probably the worst that I have seen. I understand that well meaning volunteers are the backbone of the race committee. Having been on the VSBC committe and having run the Australian Formula 1 Powerboat GP series for 5 years I know exactly how an event operates. I don't need a lecture on how hard it is. The program that happened on the weekend, notwithstanding the John Cross accident, was a failure, in short a disgrace.

Dave Pagano and I and other members of our club are no different to the racers in that we get excited about the weekend, we prepare our boats for the event, spend money to be there .... and then the 10 or 15 minutes that we are promised don't materialise. Why would we come back in 2011? Obviously we are not wanted.

Bob

[Darren]

Obviously I didn't make it to Yarrawonga, but was astounded to read that again no water time this year.
Great comments above, to which I totally support and agree.
I suppose the points may not be a priority at this time with the tragedy and sadness of the accident, and rightly so.
The acid test for me was that the jetsprint guys got plenty of on water time - so poor organization is no excuse! The fact is clear we are not valued as part; just a useful free sideshow.
It is time to move on.
I think there are boat racing clubs that have expressed genuine interest (Glenmaggie for one) in old racers and its up to us to support them.
Darren

[Bob Vic]

Seems that the Oz Racers are very, very thin skinned. The topic on their forum started by Dave P and supported by my post and then a few others ...... has been taken down! In the western world that's called censorship. That's when someone's opinion doesn't agree with yours, and you deny them the right of speech. If nothing else the people who run Oz Racers (and I don't have any idea who that/they could be) cannot handle a point of view other than a positive one about the world of power boat racing being all-wonderful and fantastic.

Moving forward..... Darren's suggestion of supporting events like Glenmaggie is well worth following up. Let's give that a try?

Bob

[antique-boatique]

The thread has been deleted from the Oz Boat Forum overnight - cant handle negativity about about the event obviously - what the people who are defending the organisers seem to be forgetting is that as soon as they charge admission it becomes a commercial venture so professionalism and selling the product as advertised (program) is mandatory