At every regatta you go to, regardless of the type of sailing it is or the location or prestige of the event, there is always a team, a boat, a competitor, a volunteer, an official, or just someone around the event, that everyone seems to get along with and enjoy — and for the sole reason that their focus is to enjoy themselves.
At this year’s Teakle Classic Lincoln Week Regatta, that team was Tanqueray.
The Northshore 38, owned and skippered by Paul “Snert” Richards, has made the trip down to Port Lincoln from “the cross roads of Australia”, Port Augusta, for a number of years now, and although they get around in division two only racing on the PHS system, they always have a good time regardless of the results.
Today I went for a sail with Snert and his team, which included Tooly, Brasso, Bruno, Trevor and Pip, and had an absolute ball for the last two races of the regatta — it didn’t matter how we were going or that we “never did any good in light weather”, what mattered was we had a ripping time just being able to go for a sail and be around our mates.
It’s fair to say a few mid-race refreshments were enjoyed, but hey, why shouldn’t we have a beer or two and soak up the idyllic serenity of Boston Bay — it’s probably a bit nicer to look at than Port Augusta (haha just kidding Snert).
We didn’t sail very well today, but yesterday the team won the race to Megga’s BBQ on PHS, and regardless of the result of either race, the attitudes and the enjoyment was always the same.
Here’s proof that the Tanqueray team really make the most of the Lincoln Week season — as this year Snert decided to take about two months getting the boat from Port Augusta to Adelaide for the race, which included a cruise through Spencer Gulf, a visit to Port Lincoln and surrounding areas, and another cruise over to Adelaide with a number of stops in between — all with significant (yet responsibly consumed) amounts of beer in between.
These guys are always the last at the bar, but the first to the boat, and never fail to enjoy themselves regardless of the results — and personally I think that’s what sailing is all about.
