Welcome to this edition of Southern Cross Yachting ENews.

I always find the television news most entertaining over the holiday season. Not so much for the news content, but more for the news presenters. During this period all the big name news readers are on leave – no doubt relaxing at their Noosa penthouses or their wineries in the Barossa Valley, recharging their batteries after a long year of working about 25 hours a week. This gives the ‘cub’ reporters their 15 minutes of fame and these earnest young men and women grasp their big chance to impress with both manicured hands. Now I suspect that most of these people are hired, not so much for their keen investigating skills and bull dog tenacity to hunt the truth out, but for their perfect white teeth and hair extensions. One young lass I found particularly amusing and she will remain nameless (as I can’t recall her name) but for the sake of simplicity we shall call her ‘Britney’ (no relation!). It seems appropriate. Last week she was given the task of reporting on the rainfall ‘event’ in the southeast of the state.

Most new newsreaders suffer from ‘nodding head syndrome’ where they bob their heads up and down and from side to side, believing that this adds to the sincerity of the delivery. If you turn the sound off it looks like they are suffering from some terrible convulsive disorder. But not our Britney, she favoured the hair flick approach, resulting in her blond bangs falling seductively across one eye. With the sound off she appears to be starring in a commercial selling a new brand of shampoo designed for serious people, but minus the shower scene. She favours a very solemn facial expression, helping to highlight the gravity of the catastrophic ‘event’ befalling the greater Brisbane area. With the wind blowing her locks to one side and her designer rain jacket dotted with a few strategically placed drops from the downpour, she told of the ‘heavy rainfall event’ bringing back memories of last year’s ‘flood event’ and subsequent ‘evacuation events’.
I think you can see where I am going with this. What is this obsession with the ‘event’ word? For Gods sake, why does heavy rain and flood need to have ‘event’ added to it? Does she think we don’t understand that this rain was heavier than normal or that the flood was something that doesn’t happen each week? Britney I know that few of us have had the life experience that you have garnished from your 19 years on this earth, but if you just say ‘heavy rain’ or ‘flood’ we will probably get your drift. She saved her best for last and I quote ‘Police and SES are on alert for this afternoon’s ‘HIGH TIDE EVENT’!!!!
This actually caused me to snort coffee out of my nose.

Stupid, stupid girl! How can something that occurs twice virtually every day be an ‘event’?
Now in my mind the word event conjures up images of marquees and open bars, with people getting dressed up to attend and air kissing each other. Sporting contests can be described as events. So can concerts, car shows and fashion parades. The 15th annual Muswellbrook Hog tossing championships are an event. But Britney, my coiffed little friend, a high tide is not! Committee meetings at the yacht club are events. (In fact yacht club committee meetings are events where the minutes are kept, but the hours are wasted, but I digress).
Many, many things are events, but the gravitational pull on the surface of the ocean by the moon and sun are not! But, as with facebook, twitter and the remote control of our new TV, many things in the modern world remain a mystery to me.

Perhaps Britney is right, and as people now feel the need to share the most trivial part of their lives with hundreds of ‘friends’ they have never met – the definition of what constitutes an ‘event’ may have changed. So I am about to go to the bakery for a ‘shopping event’, followed by an ‘eating event’ and possibly an ‘indigestion event’. But I doubt that I will be able to sneak home for an ‘afternoon nap event.’

As you can see below we are back in full swing here at Southern Cross Yachting with many sail training and shorebased theory ‘events’ scheduled and if you have a group that wants to get out on the water we can put together a outing to suit your needs. Or should that be an ‘event?’

That’s all for this week until next time may your sailing be ‘Uneventful’!

Cheers

Mike Job

Navigation courses
Our intensive courses and night classes are commencing shortly :

Essential Navigation & Seamanship theory - Available on-line - click here for a taste of the online course. - 2 day (10 & 11 March 2012) or 5 night (Wednesday evenings -dates on application) - $410.

Day Skipper theory - NEXT WEEK - 6 - 10/2/12 (5 day) or 14 week commencing 7 Feb 2012 - $795

Coastal Skipper/ Yachtmaster theory - 16 - 18 & 24 - 25 March 2012 (2 weekends) or 20 - 24/2/12 (5 day Mon - Fri) - $795

One day courses
Ideal for beginners or those who would like more time on the water or bareboat charter preparation.

$220/person includes lunch and refreshments – 9am to 4pm.

Places available:

More dates available by arrangement

Boat Handling course
Our next intensive one day course on berthing & parking will be held Wednesday 21 March 2012 - $220/person - 4 places available.


Own Boat Tuition
Receive tuition on your own yacht or power vessel for $370/day or $70/hour during the week or $430/day weekends - great for fine tuning your parking or maximising sail trim.

Wednesday WAGS
An afternoon of racing in the WAGS competition is always great for team building and a fun afternoon on the water - the Sydney 41 and X-382 rack up well against each other if you prefer your own private race.

Gift Vouchers
Our gift vouchers take all the hassle out of shopping and can be ordered over the phone (07 3396 4100) or by email for a one day course ($220), weekend course ($495) or 5-day course ($1295), any of our popular theory courses or to any value that can be spent as the person pleases.

Always a popular present and ideal for those who have everything.

Southern Cross Yachting Caps, Shirts and Fleecies
Caps now in stock in royal blue or gold from our office at East Coast Marina. Pre-order before your course and the order will be ready for you when you arrive. Caps $15

Limited stock in some sizes also still available for:
Polo Shirts $30
Harken Performance Sailing Gloves $37.00
Fleecies - long sleeve $40, sleeveless $35

Weekend Sailing
A fantastic opportunity to explore the Bay, enjoy night sailing and work towards RYA certificates. Complete 3 weekends and gain RYA certificates such as the Competent Crew or Day Skipper

• 4 & 5 February 2012 - 1 place available
• 11& 12 February 2012 - 1 place available
• 18 & 19 February 2012 - 1 place available
• 25 & 26 February 2012 - 2 places available
• 3 & 4 March 2012 - 5 places available
• 10 & 11 March 2012 - 3 places available
• 17 & 18 March 2012 - 2 places available

$495/person includes meals and accommodation on board or book and pay for 3 weekends for special price of $1295.

Long Weekend Sailing Courses
We have a 5-day course available at Easter and 3-day courses for the May Day and Queens Birthday Long Weekends. Our 3 day courses will combine with a 2-day weekend course to complete RYA certificates such as the Competent Crew or Day Skipper.

• 5 - 9 April 2012 (Easter) - $1295/person
• 5 - 7 May 2012 (May Day Long Weekend) - $710/person
• 9 - 11 June 2012 (Queen's Birthday Long Weekend) - $710/person
• 29 September - 1 October 2012 (Queen's Birthday Long Weekend) - $710/person

Ladies Sailing Courses
The perfect opportunity to try sailing or enhance your skills with other women keen to get out and enjoy the water. We have half day and weekend ladies sailing courses run as part of the Brisbane City Council Real Adventure Women’s (RAW) programme. fantastic opportunity to explore the Bay, enjoy night sailing and work towards RYA certificates.

• Half day courses – $75/person
  Sunday 4 March 2011 - 8 – 12 or 1 - 5pm


• Weekend course - $390/person
  25 & 26 February 2012 – FULL
  26 & 27 May 2012 - 5 places