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| Looking South |
For all of us sports fans there have been those seminal moments when a team or individual triumphed in adversity: Bob Champion on Aldanatti in the 1980 Grand National, Jimmy Connors playing in a grand slam at 40 and in 1984, a team from Oz led by Alan Bond wrestling the Americas Cup away from the USA in a boat with an unique keel called Australia 2. I was 17 at the time and sailing had taken over my life. For the next 7 years until I met Michelle I competed in every race possible and even sailed internationally in Holland.
The coverage of the Americas Cup even made its way onto the BBC which was momentous in itself: sailing was just not a spectator sport. But I was caught up in the fever of the audacious Aussies versus the arrogant Americans. The Yanks didn’t think they could possibly lose the cup but lose it they did and Australia as a sporting nation rose to salute the endeavour.
30 years later, and the first of what can only be described as life’s fateful moments comes in a conversation over dinner on our first night here. After I declared our background in dinghy sailing, the lovely lady Karen placed a phone call to an old friend. She was going to be sailing out of Perth Flying Squadron Yacht Club on Wednesday night and could get us a ride. This was not racing but a gentle meander around the Swan River sipping champers and eating some fabulous precooked food. We met Karen’s friend, Linda at the club where she introduced us to the rest of the crew, which comprised an age range from 11 – 60 and we then proceeded to head out under the watchful eye of Perth’s business district beginning to take its nightly nap. For 3 and a half hours we swapped stories and shared a bit of the good stuff. We met more naturalised Australians and learned how they made their lives here. For the whole evening Michelle and I pinched ourselves. Were we really doing this?
As we said our goodbyes, Linda said that there was a race out of the Royal Perth Yacht Club the following night and were we interested? After biting off an arm each, we met her the next evening under Australia 2’s back-up mast which sits proudly in front of the yacht club as a monument to the triumph.
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| Australia 2 Mast |
Jamie, our skipper pitched up with his family and a chap called Paul, and after establishing we had some experience of big boats and then demonstrating considerable incompetence we set sail for the start line.
Cruising up and down the starting area we established some drills to ensure slick gybing and tacking and then set our watches for the start. The wind was very light, Force 1 – 2 but we began the count down. Jamie calculated we would miss the start line by about 15 seconds after the wind dropped a touch, and sure enough we eased over the line behind many of the boats in our class in our boat called Big Diamond which was what Jamie had promised his wife, Lily, he would buy for her. She wasn’t expecting a boat!
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| Big Diamond |
Jamie asked if anyone wanted to Helm and I couldn’t resist. I was back on a boat again feeling the rush of competition; that life I thought was gone placed in my path by the kindness of others.
The sun began to set behind the clouds and the river turned pink. I have no idea where we were in our fleet but Paul informed me he thought we were last and for the first time in my life I didn’t care.
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| The Crew |
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| A boat behind us! |
This was all about the experience and more beer! It will last longer than any possession or Christmas gift. It was a day when an unexpected dream really did come true and life could place a completed circle around something that happened to a boy watching the TV in his living room 30 years ago!
Thank you Karen and Linda for making our trip here even more special and who knows maybe our lives will cross again, Linda has already invited us to sail to Bali! Life ‘eh?
SupaGolf
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| SupaGolf Swan River |
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| Where’s my ball? |
Traditionally, on our travels, Michelle, Sam and myself have played the adventure golf courses. We have taken on such behemoths as Hastings, Florida, Los Angeles, New York, Sidcup and now Perth. Without being boastful, I currently hold the British Open and US Open titles; not even the amazing Rory Mcilroy can boast such a trophy collection. The last time we held the championships was in Los Angeles a couple of years ago when I needed a hole in one on the last green to retain the title and amazingly the improbable happened with the ball slipping into the cup after leaving my putter.
So, what about the Australian Open, I hear you ask? Well, step right up folks because we have taken the competition to a whole new level with the game SupaGolf. This is an oversized version of mini-golf played on properly laid out courses where you are provided with 4 oversized clubs that look like they have come out of a children’s set from Argos: the Putta, the Big Boy, the Jigger and the Striker. You can play 9 holes or 18 and as it was around 38 degrees in the Swan Valley we opted for a small 9.
On the first tee, the crowd hushed and Michelle Devitt (45, hailing from Maidstone in Kent) stepped up to the tea. She had the Big Boy in her hand. Slowly and deliberately she drew back the club and launched her drive down the fairway and the game was on! Mike Devitt (47, also hailing from Maidstone in Kent) and the current champion soon showed some class (see Mike teeing off on the first) and led by 2 strokes heading onto the third. But Michelle, unperturbed by the watching Emus pulled a stroke back at the third with a superb birdie as she hit a majestic second into the heart of the green (a bump and run that hit three trees and bounced toward the hole).
At the next hole Mike 3 putted after almost driving the hole and when Michelle birdied the 5th, the contest was practically even. The crowd sensed the shock and Mike looked bothered, cricking his neck like Mr McKay from Porridge. He metaphorically pulled down the Visor and turned into cold steel parring the next two holes to re-establish a lead. Michelle did not give up though and fought valiantly until the last green when she had to succumb to the new Australasian champion who chipped onto the green with his second shot to seal another championship.
Afterwards, Mike spoke to Channel 9 sports.
Interviewer: “So Mike, you’ve come through a tough field again and are our new champion. How do you feel?”
Mike: “Well, I knew that Michelle had been working on her game but I didn’t expect the sledging and gamesmanship during the match. She’s obviously been learning from our Aussie cousins.”
Interviewer: “Why, what happened?”
Mike: “Well, she would cough when I made any shot or pinch my bum. At one point she began singing!”
Interviewer: “That must have been horrendous. How did you block it out?”
Mike: ” I focused like Daniel Son in the Karate Kid. Wax on, Wax off, I told myself (taking deep breaths) to shut out the squealing, have you ever heard her sing? Her father even said she was born without tune. Yep, I came through an awful lot today and I would like to thank my sponsor, One Fifty Lashes – Australian beer for all their support and tankers of brew.”
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| This years first prize! |
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