It's the morning of Day 5 at Ocean Dynamics and Mount Gay Airlie Beach Race Week 2024 and PRO Kevin Wilson has announced an AP ashore, as the beautiful sunny morning does not include a breath of wind, forcing Regatta Director, Jenni Birdsall and Wilson to raise the AP ashore and they will reassess the situation at 10am.
Wilson said, "The forecast is showing breeze for after midday. If we get racing in, the fleet will do the Bay courses," he said of sending the fleet to race on Pioneer Bay in full view of the public. It is always a breathtaking sight, the bay full of colourful spinnakers.
I spoke to the new Regatta Director, Jenni Birdsall, to ask what her job involves. Copious people have asked over the last years, "What is involved in being a Regatta Director".
Birdsall is always busy with the day's proceedings, hard to pin down, as she oversees the Whitsunday Sailing Club's (WSC) annual event from a race management perspective, looking after 150 boats of varying shapes and sizes on the start lines each day and the volunteer force who work under her.
Birdsall explained she's also doing overseeing results here, separately to her main gig. A long day.
"Before I leave the apartment in the morning, we look at the weather forecast. I'm in the office by 7am, on occasions, earlier and meet with the Principal Race Officer, Kevin Wilson to discuss the day ahead. Then I meet with the non-sailing part of the regatta committee, set the courses for the day for the 15 divisions," Birdsall explains.
"We prepare the weather forecast for the notice board, then at 8am we have full briefing with the volunteers who help out on the water. Anything that comes out of that meeting, I deal with it. At 8.30am I SMS the intention to race to all competitors and other interested parties.
"I also deal with any problems, such as if any competitor is unable to sign on for the day via radio and deal with other issues that can crop up," she says.
"After everyone has started racing, we are monitoring the radio for any emergencies, damages etc. This is important especially on heavy weather days, such as the first three days this year. We had a few dismastings, broken rudders, people overboard, injured people (a broken arm and collarbone among them). Yesterday was simpler because the day is clear and the wind is light. Today will be tricky, constantly monitoring the weather to see if we can get racing in, which is what the competitors are here for."
What Birdsall didn't say, is that it's hard to please all the people all the time but on days like this, when hard decisions have to be made, not every skipper is happy with whatever the decision is.
"I'm also in charge of looking after safety – the buck stops with me," Birdsall says.
Birdsall, who has been involved in race management for many years, also liaises with the Club on when competitors are starting to arrive back from racing, as the fleet is moored at Coral Sea Marina and d'Albora's Port of Airlie, out of sight of the Club.
Then, Birdsall says, "This year, at least, I start processing the results and checking and posting them to the website. During that time, I'm also putting out any 'bush fires'. After that, I prepare handicap sheets ready for the handicapper for the following day."
But the day isn't done yet. She prepares the running sheet for the daily prize giving and announces the top three results in each division on the stage in the early evening and attends to everything else in in between, "Because each day is different."
Birdsall is a quietly spoken, calm person, but she does speak up if she's not happy with something.
Does she enjoy the job? "Of course I enjoy it, otherwise I wouldn't do it," she states.
One of the 45 volunteers working at ABRW is Graeme Henley. Henley, from the Yarra Valley in Victoria, has been volunteering since 2014. He has only missed two since – the COVID years when interstaters were not allowed to cross the border.
Like Birdsall, Henley is a quiet person, dedicated to whatever job he is given. Until this year, the ex-Army grandfather has been a boat driver in a variety of roles.
"The first year, I was on the general duties boat, then at some point I became the media boat driver. I've driven the pin boat (at the start of the races) and the course boat. This year I'm ashore - the radio operator in the regatta office."
Henley would rather be on the water, but has recently undergone an operation, so is shore bound.
"And the regatta director asked me to take care of radio duties. I help wherever I'm useful," he says.
Not a sailor, he nevertheless knows how to drive RIBS and power boats and is good at it.
How does a non-sailor from interstate even know about this event?
"Through Alan Campbell," Henley says. "I've known Alan since 1961 and saw him at Townsville one year. He was living at Airlie Beach and was a volunteer and suggested I should come up too. It was still called Hog's Breath Airlie Beach Race Week when I first came here," he said of the annual event now in its 36thyear. The regatta was founded by local, Don Algie, who named the event for his Hog's Breath Café.
His favourite job, the Victorian says, is, "Driving the media boat. I know what photographers want and I like getting the boat into the right positions for them. You get a bit of latitude to move around the fleet and see some racing too, which I like."
In return, the media love Henley. He is everyone's preferred driver as he has honed his skills to perfection.
"The first year I drove the media boat, we had a whale come and rub along the side the boat with her calf and that was special. Last year, with Brad (Dunn who takes the drone footage), we actually watched a whale giving birth. That was something I will probably never see again and Brad got it on his footage. I've even got shots of whales here that I took on my phone."
On volunteering, Henley says, "I love it. I get to meet people and catch up with them every year. I like the environment and it's a break from the routine at home. I'll definitely be here again next year," he ends.
Tonight, a DJ will start the night of ahead evening's main entertainment from the Tim Griffin Duo.
Ocean Dynamics and Mount Gay Airlie Beach Race Week 2024 is held from place from 8-15 August and enjoys continued support from Tourism and Events Queensland, including as a feature on the It's Live! Queensland events calendar. The event also enjoys support from Coral Sea Marina Resort and d'Albora Port of Airlie Marina.
