April 2010 - Evans Bay Yacht & Motor Boat Club
April 2010 - Evans Bay Yacht & Motor Boat Club
April 2010 - Evans Bay Yacht & Motor Boat Club
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The Spinnaker<br />
The official magazine of the <strong>Evans</strong> <strong>Bay</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong> & <strong>Motor</strong> <strong>Boat</strong> <strong>Club</strong><br />
<strong>April</strong> <strong>2010</strong><br />
Top left & bottom right, the East-West Dash, sailed for the first time in recorded memory on its first<br />
scheduled date, brought out the competitive streak in sailors young and a little-bit-older (pg 4). Top right<br />
& bottom left, PT Internationals in Napier (pg 10) (all photos thanks to Rachel Leatham)<br />
Racing and Events Calendar<br />
Friday, <strong>April</strong>, 23 rd<br />
Quiz night<br />
Saturday, 1 st May<br />
End of season fun race<br />
Saturday, 19 th June<br />
Winter Series Race One<br />
Racing<br />
Consult the online calendar at<br />
www.ebymbc.org.nz/calendar.shtml
The Spinnaker<br />
Contact Details<br />
<strong>Club</strong> office:<br />
Telephone: 04-939-4167<br />
Fax: 04-939-4168<br />
Office open roughly:<br />
Mon-Fri 9am-5pm<br />
Sat 9am-1pm<br />
Email address:<br />
admin@ebymbc.org.nz<br />
Web Page:<br />
www.ebymbc.org.nz<br />
Postal address:<br />
PO Box 14-496,<br />
Kilbirnie,<br />
Wellington 6241<br />
Physical address:<br />
501 <strong>Evans</strong> <strong>Bay</strong> Parade,<br />
Kilbirnie,<br />
Wellington 6021<br />
Slip master / Bookings<br />
027-240-5109 or<br />
04-939-4172<br />
<strong>Club</strong>house (members) phone<br />
04-939-4170<br />
Management committee contact<br />
details are on Page 15.<br />
The Spinnaker is produced bimonthly,<br />
contributions (written<br />
and photographic) are welcome.<br />
Editor: Alison Pritchard<br />
04-385-7347<br />
kokamo39@actrix.co.nz<br />
Black & White Advertising<br />
Business card size $30<br />
Quarter page $50<br />
Half page $100<br />
Full page $150<br />
Bulk orders placed in advance:<br />
20% discount for 2 ads<br />
25% discount for 3-5 ads<br />
30% discount for annual<br />
contract<br />
Please call for colour pricing.<br />
The Spinnaker is printed by<br />
AdPrint<br />
60 Cambridge Terrace<br />
04-384-2844<br />
Next Issue June <strong>2010</strong><br />
Commodore’s Report<br />
Its Easter Friday as I write this and I am at the<br />
club once again surrounded by enthusiastic<br />
sailors – in this case competitors in the Farr 3.7<br />
national regatta. It has been a very busy<br />
summer for sailing at club culminating with<br />
four regattas in the last month. The 12ft skiffs<br />
kicked things off in fairly spectacular fashion,<br />
followed by the clubs own regatta, the Southern North Island team racing<br />
regatta and now the Farr 3.7’s. Hosting regattas is important to our club<br />
but they also take a number of volunteers working together to make it<br />
happen. On behalf of all of our members and the participants of the<br />
regattas I would like to congratulate those members who have given up<br />
their time to make these regattas happen. We couldn’t do it without you.<br />
On a similar note, we are still chasing up late payers of storage and<br />
membership invoices and I think it is timely to remind all members who<br />
store boats either in the trailer park or the black shed of their obligations.<br />
In addition to paying invoices on time, there is a participation clause in the<br />
storage agreement that says boat owners are required to participate in club<br />
activities in order to keep their park. At the moment we have a substantial<br />
waiting list of keen boaties waiting to get into the trailer park in particular.<br />
We also have a number of boats in the trailer park and storage shed that<br />
have not been used in some considerable time and their owners are very<br />
conspicuous by their absence.<br />
In order to have a vibrant yacht club, we need members to get involved. If<br />
you can’t get involved in activities on the water, then I suggest you meet<br />
the participation clause by volunteering to spend a few hours working<br />
around the club. There are jobs to fit every skill set and we are desperately<br />
in need of some new faces. I guess you can take this as a warning, we will<br />
be getting tough on the participation clause and if you don’t meet the<br />
requirements your license to occupy a park or storage space may well be<br />
cancelled. While it might appear there are enough people to keep the club<br />
running, you will see that largely they are the same faces that have been<br />
there for quite some years. The fewer people involved, the harder it is for<br />
those people and the less likely they are to keep volunteering their time to<br />
keep things running for the people that don’t. Even if you can only spare a<br />
few hours, your help would be appreciated and you might even enjoy it!<br />
As we near the end of the financial year, the Management Committee is<br />
working on budgets and work plans for next year. This year is tracking on<br />
budget for operational expenditure and we have achieved the majority of<br />
goals in the capital expenditure plan as well. I will be able to give a more<br />
detailed report in our next communication once the financial year is<br />
complete. We are also continuing to work on the strategic plan review<br />
around other activities.<br />
I hope everyone manages to get in some last minute autumn time on the<br />
water but remember that winter in Wellington can provide some brilliant<br />
clear low wind days so don’t discount it. There are also plans at foot for a<br />
quiz night and a mid-winter dinner – plenty of opportunities to participate<br />
and support the club – see you there.<br />
Nikki Johnson, Commodore<br />
- 2 -
Sailability on the water<br />
The Spinnaker<br />
Here are a few photos from our 'Have a Go' day which we held recently. We had a lovely day<br />
with many new sailors coming along and enjoying their first sail.<br />
At Sailability Wellington we have a sailing programme suitable for people regardless of the<br />
level of disability or sailing skills. Our boats are specially designed and we have a hoist and<br />
slings for wheelchair users if needed.<br />
If you know anyone that may be interested; be it in sailing, volunteering or donating,<br />
please put them in touch. For more information on our work please see<br />
www.sailability-wellington.org.nz.<br />
Kind Regards, Orla O'Regan<br />
Sailability Wellington<br />
Sometimes the facts in my head get bored and<br />
decide to take a walk in my mouth. Frequently<br />
this is a bad thing. - Scott Westerfeld,<br />
- 3 -
The Spinnaker<br />
East-West Dash 20 February <strong>2010</strong> Results<br />
24 <strong>Boat</strong>s with 109 people total entered.<br />
Race started 1346 hrs in a 25 knot NW<br />
Place <strong>Boat</strong> Name Skipper Ti<br />
DIV A: KEELERS, DIV 1 TY's 1 St Lawrence Mike O'Sullivan 26m49s<br />
2 Flying Circus Paul Davies<br />
DIV B: DIV 2 TRAILER YACHTS 1 Tarantula Warren Rankin 51m58s<br />
2 Black Mamba Daryl McGee<br />
3 Big Brumus Nikki Johnson<br />
DIV C: OPEN CENTREBOARDERS 1 Bloody Wet<br />
Amanda<br />
Hargreaves<br />
2 Feva Julian Moore<br />
3 Kipper Alex Paterson<br />
50m31s<br />
DIV E: CRUISING YACHTS 1 Wakarere Mat McCullough 52m22s<br />
2 Mystic Mike Usher<br />
3 Gaffer Bob Mawson<br />
DIV G: POWER BOATS 1<br />
Zac's<br />
Revenge Greg White 18m34s<br />
2 Logan <strong>Bay</strong> Barry Telford<br />
3 Monty John Reid<br />
SWEEPSTAKE $52 Jenny Corbett 63min<br />
N.B. Due to wind strength catamarans, small centreboards, sailability & wakas DNS<br />
SPONSORS TO THE EAST WEST DASH<br />
*DOMINION BREWERIES - EXPORT 33 to all placegetters & draught EXPORT 33 to everybody*<br />
Spot Prizes<br />
RESENE chilly bag + 2 Mugs Bridget, Sparkles, Remy<br />
chilly bag+calculator Jane<br />
Sailbag<br />
Al<br />
PLACEMAKERS cleaning kit, tarp Jonny<br />
<strong>Evans</strong> <strong>Bay</strong> 10L fuel tank, tarp <br />
20m extn lead. tarp Alex, Tim, Greg, John<br />
Funnelift wall unit<br />
Kate<br />
elec sprayer,t,T-shirt Karmen<br />
TUATARA 6 btl Tuatara Miranda, Noeline, Amanda, Daniel<br />
- 4 -
The Spinnaker<br />
6 btl Tuatara Edward, Christine, Lauren, Issac<br />
MALTHOUSE 1x bottle rum,Tshirt Nick<br />
$50 voucher James<br />
COPTHORNE<br />
SOLWAY PARK Night for Two Nikki<br />
PAK 'n SAVE 2 btl champagne Finn, Thomo, Ralph, Mandy<br />
(Petone) Mini <strong>Motor</strong> Bike Telfy<br />
(KITCHEN<br />
STAFF) 2 btl wine Yvonne, Christine, Barbara<br />
<strong>Club</strong> Personalities & Work Horses<br />
In previous club magazines, I wrote brief articles on certain club members as I believe a club’s history for future<br />
generations is accessed by documentation and club circulations. Many voluntary workers keep a low profile, and while<br />
their input is essential to a club’s progress and financial viability, their contribution is not generally acknowledged,<br />
and unless it is documented will be unknown to future members.<br />
An important service to our members is the hardstand, which is labour intensive and provides a year round cash flow<br />
for the club. At the time I joined the club, manoeuvring boats on the hardstand was heavy, difficult work. I<br />
remember well the effort and time it took to take a boat from the water until it was safely transported to a cradle<br />
using bogies on rails. The present system was the result of a small group of members wanting to improve boat<br />
handling, not only to modernise the work methods but they realised that improvements were urgently required if the<br />
yard was to be competitive with other providers.<br />
Around this time the Greta Point<br />
boat yard was being run down for<br />
closure and there was talk of the<br />
boat servicing companies moving<br />
to our club site. It is alleged that<br />
some club members were<br />
concerned that with the number<br />
of fibre glass boats being<br />
constructed, boat movements in<br />
the yard would reduce to an<br />
uneconomic level – a concern that<br />
has now proved to be unfounded.<br />
The club captain at the time was<br />
Errol Skelton and the slip was<br />
operated by Mike Usher and<br />
Derek Noble. They and a number<br />
of the hardstand regular users<br />
met to consider the speculation<br />
that the hardstand could be<br />
closed to allow for other uses,<br />
therefore disadvantaging members who relied on this asset to service and maintain their boats. The outcome of<br />
the meeting was to establish a working party to explore the upgrading of the yard and to ensure it remained an<br />
asset which continued to contribute to the financial wellbeing of the club generally (continued over).<br />
- 5 -
The Spinnaker<br />
Around about the same time, Bill McQueen, a prominent mariner, wrote an article which was very critical of the<br />
yard, and which was published in a boating magazine. This also was a factor in the establishment of the working<br />
party, made up of Errol Skelton, Mike Usher, Colin <strong>Bay</strong>lis, Brian Parker and John Duurloo. This quickly put together<br />
working party decided that the club urgently needed to look at the method of moving boats in the yard, and to this<br />
end prepared a submission to be presented at the next AGM for members’ consideration. Martin Spencer, a retired<br />
consultant engineer and club member, joined the group and he and John Duurloo both independently visited a<br />
number of clubs and boat yards for the purpose of investigating the best option for the <strong>Evans</strong> <strong>Bay</strong> <strong>Club</strong>. Martin<br />
visited yards in Australia and one in the United States. At about this time Brian Parker, who is an engineer and also<br />
an active member of the yacht club in Whitianga, stated his preference that the club should purchase a travel lift.<br />
The working party, following a lot of debate and further investigations, came to the conclusion that the travel lift<br />
was indeed by far the best option, so they prepared a proposal to put to members. This proposal involved a great<br />
deal of work as it had to include a budget indicating the project would be financially viable, and would contribute to<br />
improving the financial stability of the club. At the same time the working party had to liaise with the Wellington<br />
City Council and get their support for the project. It is a credit to this group of members that Council, based on<br />
the extensive work undertaken, agreed to support the project.<br />
Russell Third was approached to make the presentation at the 2002 AGM, and the outcome was positive, with the<br />
membership supporting the concept, though rumour has it that the vote was very close. The present efficient<br />
system was only achieved by the dedication of the working party members and their many supporters, all of whom<br />
were volunteers. Of these members, John Duurloo and Mike Usher still put hours of voluntary work into the<br />
operation of the yard. The initial considerable financial outlay has been quickly offset by the travel lift being paid<br />
off and there is now an improved financial return to the club from the more efficient operation of the yard. Past<br />
Commodores John Begg, Dave Wallace and Warren Rankin also gave their support for the upgrade which, I believe,<br />
based on results, was the right decision to make.<br />
Today the yard has been further improved by purchasing new cradles. These changes have made for a more<br />
efficient and safer operation.<br />
John Seggie, President<br />
There is an annual contest at Texas A&M University calling for the most appropriate definition of a<br />
contemporary term. This year's term was "Political Correctness." The winner wrote:<br />
"Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an<br />
unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by<br />
the clean end."<br />
Katie Underwood<br />
027 248 2061<br />
RE/MAX<br />
Above or below your RV - whats<br />
happening Has your property changed in<br />
value. Ask me for the latest sales<br />
statistics for your area.<br />
kunderwood@leaders.co.nz<br />
Licensed under REA Act 2008<br />
- 6 -
The Spinnaker<br />
WHY YOU SHOULDN'T TACK IN THE ZONE<br />
The following two-picture sequence provides<br />
visual evidence of why tacking in the zone at a<br />
windward mark is such a dangerous thing to do.<br />
In the first picture, the boat on the left is on<br />
starboard tack and the boat on the right is either<br />
on port tack or has just passed head to wind and<br />
is tacking. (Her angle of heel would indicate she's<br />
still on port tack but her genoa seems to indicate<br />
that she has reached or passed head to wind.<br />
In the second picture, the port tack boat has<br />
probably completed her tack or is just above a<br />
close hauled course and the starboard tack boat<br />
has luffed above close-hauled and the boats<br />
appear to be overlapped by a reasonable<br />
amount.<br />
Let's look at the situation rule by rule.<br />
THE RULES:<br />
If the right hand boat is on port tack, Rule 10 ON<br />
OPPOSITE TACKS applies and states that ....."a<br />
port tack boat shall keep clear of a starboard<br />
tack boat". If on the other hand, the boat on the<br />
right has passed head to wind, Rule 13 WHILE<br />
TACKING applies. It says, "After a boat passes<br />
head to wind, she shall keep clear" of other boats until she is on a close-hauled course"<br />
Right here it's worth looking at the first part of the definition of KEEP CLEAR. It says "One boat<br />
keeps clear of another if the other can sail her course with no need to take avoiding action...".<br />
Clearly, given the proximity of the boats to each other and the apparent speed of the boat on<br />
starboard tack, "avoiding action" on her part is going to be a necessity. Whichever rule applies, the<br />
right hand boat is in tough shape!<br />
So far, the presence of the mark and the fact that both boats are in the ZONE has had no impact on<br />
the situation. However, Rule 18.3 TACKING WHEN APPROACHING A MARK puts the nail in the coffin<br />
of the boat on the right.<br />
Rule 18.3 applies when:<br />
A. Two boats are approaching a mark on opposite tacks.<br />
B. One of them changes tack and is subject to Rule 13 in the ZONE.<br />
C. The other boat is fetching the mark.<br />
Since all these conditions have been met, Rule 18.3 applies here. The rule goes on the say that the<br />
boat that tacked;<br />
(a) shall not cause the other boat to sail above close-hauled to avoid her or prevent the other boat<br />
from passing the mark on the required side and<br />
(b) shall give mark-room if the other boat becomes overlapped inside her.<br />
The left hand boat appears to have overstood the mark but still had to luff above close-hauled to<br />
avoid the boat that tacked. Note that had she decided to duck under the boat that tacked (certainly<br />
a possibility), she would be entitled to mark-room.<br />
Taken in sequence, there are a string of rules that the port tack boat could be protested for<br />
breaking. In each case, even if the issue was in doubt (obviously there is no doubt here), a Protest<br />
- 7 -
The Spinnaker<br />
Committee is likely to come down in favor of the boat on starboard so this is truly a "no win"<br />
scenario.<br />
What should the port tack boat do<br />
1. Don't go to the port tack layline. It's just asking for trouble.<br />
2. If you find yourself there anyway (the wind does go left from time to time), consider bearing off<br />
and sailing fast so that your tack to round the mark will be outside the zone.<br />
3. If you're on the layline and can do it, duck the starboard boat or boats. Giving up a couple of<br />
boatlengths is better than a DSQ.<br />
4. If you're on the port layline and clearly crossing the starboard boat (s), don't tack at the mark.<br />
Continue on port tack and let the starboard boat(s) round inside you. Once again, you'll be giving up<br />
a little distance but that's better than the alternative.<br />
Another factor to consider here is Rule 14 AVOIDING CONTACT.<br />
The starboard tack boat is required to take avoiding action if he thinks the port tack boat is not<br />
keeping clear. A Protest Committee is going to listen carefully if the starboard boat says, " I altered<br />
course to avoid contact".<br />
Even if his judgment of the distance between the boats is questionable, the PC is likely to give him<br />
the benefit of the doubt because he avoided contact.<br />
Wayne Holdt<br />
Advanced Sea Survival Course<br />
Royal Port Nicholson <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>s Academy will run an Advanced Sea Survival Course over the weekend of 1 st <br />
2 nd May <strong>2010</strong>.<br />
Advanced Sea Survival is a comprehensive theoretical and practical course required by crew competing in offshore<br />
races (category 1).<br />
Modules covered include<br />
* History, statistics and legislation<br />
* Accidents and emergencies<br />
* Equipment<br />
* Safety and emergency planning<br />
* Risk assessment<br />
* Man overboard, life rafts and equipment<br />
* Distress signals and responsibilities<br />
* Wet drill<br />
* SAR systems and responsibilities<br />
* Fire precautions and fire fighting<br />
* Medical care aboard<br />
* Damage control<br />
* Weather and forecasting<br />
* Heavy weather techniques<br />
* Storm sails<br />
If you have any queries about this or other up and coming RPNYC Academy courses, please contact Matt on (04)<br />
939 6702 or via email at sailing.academy@rpnyc.org.nz<br />
Hall Hire<br />
We have some Saturday nights free where people can book for a function. We need a bit of a lead in time to<br />
apply for the special license (we are allowed 6 per year - I think we have 4 left). Full price for hire only is $450,<br />
but financial members get 30% discount, so it comes down to $315. Add on top costs such as Special License,<br />
Bar Staff, etc.<br />
Contact is Dale (939-4167 or admin@ebymbc.org.nz) for more details.<br />
- 8 -
The Spinnaker<br />
Moments from cruising div #3, by Nev<br />
This is two shorter stories. One from the winter racing season, one from the summer season and revolves<br />
around the much talked about right of way rules.<br />
The cruising division has a few rules that people talk about but arent actually written down. These need to<br />
be enacted every now and then to clarify their existence. They consist of ones like MIGHT is RIGHT and<br />
STEEL is MIGHT so get out of the way. There is also the one that allows crazy people to sail between<br />
Somes Island and Leper just because they can. Of course I dont know anybody who would do that. Yeah<br />
right!<br />
I will start with the winter series. These races are run within the confines of <strong>Evans</strong> <strong>Bay</strong>. This particular race<br />
was from the start box, down to The White Lady, back to a buoy at the south end of the bay then down to<br />
The White Lady then back to the start box for the finish.<br />
Everything began well with about 15 knots of breeze from the N/W and rising slowly. The first beat to The<br />
White Lady went well with me in Moreta hard on the stern of John Seggie in Waianau. She is about 32ft on<br />
the water line and 10 ton while Moreta is 24ft and 6ton so I was happy with the way I was going. The down<br />
wind leg saw me slightly ahead going around the south mark.<br />
The first beat back down the bay saw Moreta tack first and pass ahead of Waianau at the cross over. Well<br />
thats about where things started to go astray. At the end of the second beat I opted to hold on until almost on<br />
the light at the marina breakwater as the port tack was the one that gave me the most lift down the bay. The<br />
wind had risen to about 20 knots- gusting 25/28. At this point the toe rail was beginning to be dunked, a sign<br />
that I may need to reef. I had also made the decision to sail down the eastern side of the bay. This side has<br />
larger waves and slightly higher average winds but doesnt suffer from the down drafts and willy-waws like<br />
the western side does.<br />
Well I tacked, sheeted in and headed for the other side. Waianau was still on starboard and looked like<br />
passing over the top of me with a little space to spare. As I got closer it became clear that it was going to be<br />
closer than I thought and I may have to dip Waianau. Both of us were doing about 5 knots but under control.<br />
Then I got 30 knot gust that immediately wound Moreta up higher and heeled her over till the toe rail went<br />
under. Waianau seemed to get a small drop in wind speed that slowed her slightly. Suddenly we were on a<br />
collision course. I turned the wheel to starboard to dip Waianau but it was too late and we collided. It took<br />
longer to write this than it took to happen.<br />
Moreta hit Waianau dead in the middle just aft of the lower shrouds with a resounding bang. It was so loud<br />
that it was a wonder the noise control officer didnt turn up. My hands were over my eyes when the impact<br />
came as I thought this is going to be messy. In fact, not nearly so. Moreta slid down the handrail, missed the<br />
backstay then over the stern.<br />
My first words were Is everybody all right To which John replied Yes.<br />
John decided that hed had enough excitement for one day and flagged the rest of the race. A quick look<br />
around the deck revealed that aside from buffing the paint on the stem post and bending the lower rail on the<br />
pulpit, there was almost no damage. So I decided to finish the race. I dont remember how I did but I dont<br />
think it was great.<br />
Upon finishing the race I met John at the club for a beer and to sort out the damage. This turned out to be not<br />
so bad. A bent handrail, a bent window skirt which we later removed and a little paint damage. Well, to add<br />
insult to injury for John he then had to pay at the kangaroo court. The reason according to Spaggs was that<br />
he was so slow that it couldnt possibly be the other guys fault. Of course it was as John was on my<br />
starboard.<br />
- 9 -
The Spinnaker<br />
The second yarn comes from the summer season when the races are longer and the course extends out into<br />
the harbour.<br />
The course was from Shoal Pile to Ngauranga buoy to Steeple Rock then around Ward Island and home to<br />
the start box. This was a Mark Foy race. I like these races. I have the best handicap so I go first and<br />
everybody else chases. This seems to stress the others out something awful as they worry about getting the<br />
tactics wrong.<br />
It started off with about 12-15 knots of wind from the north. This was forecasted to slowly drop.<br />
The beat up to Ngauranga went ok with a full main and #1 jib. Rounded the buoy, let everything out then set<br />
the genoa to port on a pole. This generally involves a few fast trips across the deck as my psychic abilities<br />
have two major flaws- one, I cant read a womens mind and I cant steer the boat from the foredeck when<br />
Im sailing on my own. So, once the pole is up I am reluctant to take it down until I get to the next mark, or<br />
if it becomes too hard to maintain a reasonable course.<br />
True to forecast the wind was dropping as I entered the north end of Scorching <strong>Bay</strong>. My plan was to lay a<br />
line well to the west of Steeple Rock to give me time to get the pole and genoa down then gybe the main,<br />
then I only had to sheet in after rounding Steeple.<br />
Out to starboard of me was a gaggle of small two man boats heading in my general direction. They seemed<br />
to be heading for a mark out to port of me and carrying small kites. Most of them realized they were on a<br />
collision course and either went higher to dip me or they pumped up for more speed to pass under my bow,<br />
except for two chaps who were determined to hold the line. As they got closer it was revealed to me that the<br />
little guy down aft with the ever growing grin was in fact about 70yrs old. The young fella then began to<br />
insist that I go up to let him through. As I began to move up he promptly followed until my genoa began to<br />
luff where upon I stopped going up. He then began going on about me going up again. As the pole was on<br />
the genoa I decided that I was going no higher. Of course he began to insist again to which I asked him,<br />
Has anybody told you lately The old guy in the stern developed such a wide grin that I thought he was<br />
going to damage his face. The young fellas reply was , Told me what<br />
And my reply #!* OFF<br />
The young guy was clearly a slow learner. They just got closer and closer until the only thing left was the<br />
bang. Suddenly they were struck with enlightenment. If I was not going to shift then they would have to. So<br />
they performed a faultless 360 degree gybe and carried on their way, at the back of the fleet.<br />
A few things that have occurred to me since then.<br />
1. Just because you have the right of way, dont presume you will get it.<br />
2. When sailing on your own, leave a little more F factor, [#!* factor] you might need it.<br />
3. If you can see that somebody is shorthanded, cut them a little slack, otherwise they might just sail right<br />
over you.<br />
Nev<br />
HAVE WE GOT YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS<br />
The best way to stay informed of events, racing & general information is via<br />
our irregular emails. Often this is our only avenue for issuing last minute<br />
information, and we’d hate to think of you missing out. You can unsubscribe<br />
at any time, so to stay up with the play, drop Communications a line at<br />
eb.comms@gmail.com<br />
- 10 -
The Spinnaker<br />
Mayday and man overboard for storm-struck race fleet<br />
(Courtesy of www.yachtingnz.org.nz, photo © Chris Coad)<br />
A surprisingly ferocious storm hit Royal Port<br />
Nicholsons annual fundraising race hard.<br />
Fortunately, excellent seamanship on the part<br />
of race crews, and quick thinking from race<br />
management meant everyone got home safely.<br />
The Royal Port Nicholson <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong> held its<br />
annual Sailing Academy fundraising Business<br />
House <strong>Yacht</strong> Race on Friday 12 March. 10<br />
businesses had entered teams and were<br />
spread across 13 boats in a pursuit race with<br />
first group away at 2.30pm. The day started<br />
well with perfect starts for all boats in great<br />
conditions.<br />
The majority of the race was completed before<br />
the southerly hit. A decision to shorten the race<br />
had already been made by Race Officer Paul Davies. The southerly hit the fleet at approximately 4.30pm - late in the<br />
race with the leading boat, Montego <strong>Bay</strong> III, already around the White Lady and heading for the finish line.<br />
Sailing Academy manager, Matt Wood, witnessed and recorded the front striking several boats off Kau <strong>Bay</strong>. He and<br />
the crew on the rescue boat Te Ruru went to assist Nedax Racing, who had been knocked down.<br />
Before arriving to assist Nedax Racing, a man overboard call went up from Flying Circus and Te Ruru diverted to<br />
assist.<br />
Brandon Clarke, crewing on Flying Circus was pulling the head sail down when the squall struck, sending him<br />
overboard. He kicked the sail free, and trod water for about five minutes. Thanks to good information regarding their<br />
location being given from Flying Circus he was located within a couple of minutes and brought safely on board Te<br />
Ruru.<br />
No sooner had he been recovered than a Mayday was received from Andiamo. By this time visibility off Kau <strong>Bay</strong> had<br />
dropped to virtually zero and the search for Andiamo commenced.<br />
Over the next thirty minutes the crew on Te Ruru that consisted of Academy instructors Matt Wood and Nick<br />
Hathaway, together with Chris Coad and Kelvin Hippo Weir, plus Brandon Clarke, searched for Andiamo. During<br />
this time Te Ruru took several large waves over the bow and took on a quantity of water. Matt Wood on the helm<br />
recalls while motoring from Point Halswell towards the mussel farm we launched off a particularly big wave and<br />
came to rest in the bottom of a trough, the next wave broke over Te Ruru causing one engine to stall, while trying to<br />
re start the engine we surfed away down two or three more waves with only partial control.<br />
By the time Andiamo was located their crew had done a great job of securing the boat and passengers and despite<br />
having a sail wrapped around their propeller were making 3 or 4 knots across the wind with reasonable steerage. Te<br />
Ruru stayed in the vicinity of Andiamo until a Wellington Pilot vessel initiated a tow.<br />
Over the next hour Te Ruru transported 11 cold passengers from various boats to the shore. Nedax Racing was also<br />
towed from Kau <strong>Bay</strong> back to Lambton Harbour.<br />
A number of the fleet took shelter from the storm in Kau <strong>Bay</strong> and made their way safely back to their marina berths<br />
after the storm had passed. The largest gust recorded by the Pt Jerningham weather station was 78 knots.<br />
<strong>Club</strong> chief executive Dean Stanley said the safe return of all the boats and guests was "a fantastic testament to the<br />
seamanship of the skippers and a credit to the judgement and communication demonstrated by Race Officer Paul<br />
Davies and his team of Elizabeth Sandford and Leslie Hamilton".<br />
When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not. -Mark Twain<br />
What some people mistake for the high cost of living is really the cost of high living. -Doug Larson<br />
- 11 -
The Spinnaker<br />
Ryan Leatham reports on the Paper Tigers Adventures in Napier<br />
The week before Easter saw the Black Shed emptying out as eleven of <strong>Evans</strong> <strong>Bay</strong>s mighty Paper Tiger fleet packed<br />
up onto road trailers in preparation for the Swire Shipping <strong>2010</strong> International Paper Tiger Catamaran Championships<br />
to be contested in the waters off Napier.<br />
The fanfare and excitement all started on Wednesday 31 st March with most competitors (other than those lucky<br />
enough to still be stuck at work) travelling to Napier and the normal pre-regatta discussion beginning. Thursday<br />
morning saw an early rise for the rest of us travelling up, as official measuring began at 0900hrs. This turned into a<br />
very smoothly run process (but still with much pre-regatta discussion happening) and measuring was all but completed<br />
around lunchtime.<br />
Briefing and the official introduction of the Australian Kangaroo and New Zealand Kiwi Teams (including Peter Robins<br />
and myself) was scheduled for 1700hrs meaning that all the pomp and ceremony was completed (along with a cake<br />
and sing-along for our very own birthday girl, Lynley) and it was time to get down to business with the first start gun<br />
scheduled for 1100hrs on Friday.<br />
Friday dawned without a cloud in the sky and also not a breath of wind. This gave us our first look at the<br />
postponement flag which became a regular feature in the mornings.<br />
- 12 -<br />
Race One finally got underway in a light Easterly<br />
breeze around 1230 or 1300hrs (I think, wasnt really<br />
worried what the actual time was). I cant really give a<br />
detailed report on what occurred in each race as<br />
things have blurred into one hazy mess, much like a<br />
Friday night really. JT led the <strong>Evans</strong> <strong>Bay</strong> team home<br />
in 7 th with Pete nipping at his heels in 9 th . I seem to<br />
remember hitting one of the Australian boats in a<br />
cross which I may have cut a little too close and<br />
having to do a penalty turn. Not really what you want<br />
to be doing on the first beat of an Internationals race.<br />
Race Two was back-to-back after Race One and<br />
again was very light from the East. I had a ripper of a<br />
start to lead around the top mark, only to be<br />
completely blown away by Australian Ian Marcovitch<br />
(the eventual overall winner) on the two reaches. Realising that I was going to get passed, the plan was to try and see<br />
what Ian was doing differently, unfortunately he went passed so flaming fast I didnt see a thing!<br />
I held onto second place until the final beat when Mark Bell snuck passed leaving me in third place. Race Three was<br />
then meant to follow on from Race Two, but thankfully the Race Officer noticed the dying breeze and we all drifted off<br />
back to the beach for a well earned refreshment.<br />
The second day again saw the postponement flag at the top of the flag pole and another morning and sitting around<br />
waiting. Again Im not saw what time we actually started, I just left the beach when the Team Manager told us to.<br />
We managed to get through three races (Race numbers 3 to 5) on day two as the breeze slowly built and we finished<br />
the last race of the day in around 10-12 knots.<br />
Race Three saw myself sneak a 2 nd and JT a 4 th ;<br />
Race Four presented me with a 7 th and Pete Robins a 10 th ;<br />
Race Five had me and JT going blow for blow all around the track, but I managing to burgle a 10 th and JT came home<br />
in 13 th .<br />
Day three brought a sense of déjà vu, the postponement flag was at the top of the flagpole. After another morning of<br />
sitting around discussing the meaning of life we were sent out for two races. Again cant really remember too much<br />
from these races but Race Six was a perfect example of a race when you should never say die. Having rounded the<br />
first mark in the late 20s, I managed to sneak up to lead around the final mark in shifty conditions, only for both myself<br />
and JT to be hung out to dry up the final beat finishing in 8 th and 9 th respectively.<br />
Going up the final beat of Race Seven the breeze decided it really didnt want to party and faded significantly leaving<br />
the majority of the fleet to battle against the waves to the finish line. I again managed to sneak through for a second,<br />
but the highlight of the day was for Jane Thomassen who managed to beat five of the <strong>Evans</strong> <strong>Bay</strong> team across the line.<br />
Day four was the final day and soit decided to pour with rain!! Again, the postponement flag did its thing and we got<br />
even more time to solve the problems of the world. As the breeze began to build (as the forecast said it should) we
The Spinnaker<br />
headed out to the start line in preparation for the last race. This saw the wind (around 10-15kts) coming from the<br />
opposite direction to the swell pattern and made for some very interesting surfing going upwind. If I do say so myself, I<br />
pulled off a stunning first beat to be second around the top mark and have a fantastic three-way battle for the lead all<br />
the way around the track and pip second on the finish line by the smallest of margins. Pete Robins and Carl Syman<br />
both had solid races to finish their regatta with 4 th and 9 th respectively.<br />
So overall.<br />
· I had the regatta of my life (finally!) to finish in 4 th overall (and still partying!!), 3 rd Kiwi and 1 st <strong>Evans</strong> <strong>Bay</strong>/Wellington<br />
boat,<br />
· JT managed to continue his stellar career in the Paper Tiger class with 7 th overall (also giving Wellington sailors<br />
three of the top 10 spots),<br />
· Jane was first female overall in 35 th ,<br />
· The New Zealand Team managed to win the International Teams trophy (which may have been filled with rum a<br />
couple of times prize-giving night).<br />
Also I would like to say thanks to everyone who was involved in the regatta, especially Stuart Morris from Napier who<br />
didnt even get to sail in the end. Also thanks to the Race Officer Tim Sandall who did a fantastic job in keeping<br />
everyone happy and getting all eight races away.<br />
Final <strong>Evans</strong> <strong>Bay</strong> results were:<br />
4 th Flyer Rowdy (Ryan Leatham)<br />
7 th Crocodile Rock John Thomson<br />
13 th Skytrain Peter Robins<br />
19 th Purple Mike Hood<br />
23 rd Butterfly Rick Martin<br />
30 th Unplugged Carl Syman<br />
31 st Hairy Maclary Andy Brown<br />
33 rd Money for Nothing Sean Syman<br />
34 th Against the Grain Jocko (Murray McLauchlan)<br />
35 th Pom Puss Jane Thomassen<br />
36 th One Fish Two Fish Lynley Manning<br />
A huge thank-you to Rachel Leatham, for her many excellent photos throughout the magazine, we really are<br />
not paying this gal enough.<br />
The Southern North Island Secondary Schools Teams Racing was held at EBYMBC recently, there was a<br />
great turnout from schools, and this annual event is fast becoming an important event on school calendars.<br />
- 13 -
The Spinnaker<br />
Courtesy of www.volvooceanrace.com<br />
The final piece of the puzzle was revealed recently when Auckland was announced as a stopover port for the 2011-12 Volvo<br />
Ocean Race. It will be the eighth time the City of Sails has featured in the event.<br />
With the confirmation of Auckland, who last hosted the event in 2001-02, the route for 2011-12 is now set and includes: start<br />
port of Alicante (Spain), Cape Town (South Africa), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Sanya (China), Auckland (New Zealand), Itajaí (Brazil), Miami<br />
(US), Lisbon (Portugal), Lorient (France) and the finish port of Galway (Ireland).<br />
Volvo veteran David Endean spoke for a number of New Zealand-based Volvo sailors when he said he was “very proud” that the<br />
race was returning to Auckland.<br />
Endean, an Auckland native, has competed in three races. He was aboard Tyco in 2001-02 and was part of the winning crews on<br />
ABN AMRO ONE (2005-06) and Ericsson 4 (2008-09).<br />
In an interview with Gybe Talkin’ – the Volvo sailing podcast, immediately after today’s announcement, Endean said: “It was<br />
quite a fight for Auckland to get the stopover. There was competition from Wellington and competition from a couple of<br />
Australian ports so everyone is very excited, especially from the city side of things. Auckland is buzzing - it's got a couple of really<br />
big events over the next few years and the pinnacle of the end of those events is going to be the Volvo Ocean Race.”<br />
New Zealand has fielded many of the world's greatest sailors, including Sir Peter Blake who competed five times in The<br />
Whitbread Round the World Race, which became the Volvo Ocean Race in 2001. Blake's victory in 1989-90 on Steinlager 2<br />
included a clean sweep of all six legs. Grant Dalton, CEO of Emirates Team New Zealand, has also been a prolific competitor in<br />
the event, competing six times, being part of the winning crew onboard Flyer in 1981-82, and winning the maxi class with New<br />
Zealand Endeavour in 1993-94 whilst fellow New Zealander Ross Field won the Whitbread 60 division with Yamaha the same<br />
year.<br />
More recently, Mike Sanderson drove ABN AMRO ONE to a resounding victory in 2005-06, with Brad Jackson and Stu Bannatyne<br />
as his watch captains. They carried on their winning streak as watch captains onboard 2008-09 winner Ericsson 4 and were<br />
jointly named Sailor of the Year at the 2009 <strong>Yacht</strong>ing New Zealand Excellence Awards. Along with Mark Christensen, Jackson and<br />
Bannatyne are the only sailors to have won the race three times.<br />
NEW ZEALAND'S LINKS WITH THE WHITBREAD/VOLVO:<br />
· Auckland hosted the event seven times previously: 1977-78, 1981-82, 1985-86, 1990-90, 1993-94, 1997-09, 2001-02<br />
· Wellington hosted the event in 2005-06<br />
· New Zealand finished first and second in the 1989-90 event: Steinlager 2 (Peter Blake), Fischer & Paykel (Grant Dalton)<br />
· Grant Dalton won the maxi division with NZ Endeavour in 1993-94<br />
· Ross Field won the W60 division with Yamaha in 1993-94<br />
· Mike Sanderson won with ABN AMRO ONE in 2005-06<br />
· Mark Christensen, Brad Jackson and Stuart Bannatyne have been part of a winning crew on three occasions: Mark<br />
Christensen - EF Language (1997-98), illbruck (2001-02), ABN AMRO ONE (2005-06); Brad Jackson - NZ Endeavour (1993-<br />
94), ABN AMRO ONE (2005-06), Ericsson 4 (2008-09); Stuart Bannatyne - NZ Endeavour (1993-94), illbruck (2001-02),<br />
Ericsson 4 (2008-09)<br />
· 189 sailors from New Zealand have taken part in the event<br />
Hello from the House<br />
There has been quite a lot happening in the recently at the <strong>Club</strong>.<br />
We hosted the 12’ Skiff Nationals, and the 3.7 Nationals over separate weekends. Thank you to<br />
Commodore Nikki who kept the House operating with various assistance from various people including<br />
Steve Hazlewood, Paul Vautier, Dave Taylor, Kirsty Jennings, Dave Taylor and Mark Johnson. We have<br />
received good reports from competitors showing that <strong>Evans</strong> <strong>Bay</strong> is a good spot to host your regatta<br />
(apart from the excessive breezes that challenge the Race Committee from time to time).<br />
We also hosted the Lower North Island Secondary Schools Championships, 14 teams, 94 kids – wow.<br />
Thank you again to the helpers! Great fun and high energy (see photo on page 13).<br />
- 14 -
The Spinnaker<br />
The membership draw has been quietly creeping up – it’s at $400.00 at the time of writing this. To be<br />
eligible to be in the draw you need to be a current financial member, and be in the bar at the time of<br />
the draw on Friday evening. While you are planning to be in the clubhouse for the draw you might like<br />
to book for your Friday evening meal. Kerry Rose Catering, and Mon Ami form the mainstay of the<br />
menu selection (in our gorgeous new kitchen), with the odd Pizza/Thai/Indian evening thrown in.<br />
Details are sent out via the weekly EBYMBC email update from the Communications team, and you can<br />
book by dropping a line to eb.rearcommodore@gmail.com .<br />
By the time you are reading this hopefully you will be talking about what a great night the Quiz Night<br />
was (23 rd <strong>April</strong>). Thanks go to Kirsty for organising it all. If you missed out, please ensure you get<br />
involved in the next evening we host – they are a lot of fun!<br />
Please take some time over the next few months to think about how you might fit in in the <strong>Club</strong>. AGM<br />
time sprints around, and all committees will be needing more people to get involved. It can be a lot of<br />
fun, and you can make a difference. The more people involved, the better it is – that’s how clubs work.<br />
See you on the water and in the <strong>Club</strong>house<br />
Cheers<br />
Lynley Manning, Rear Commodore<br />
2009 - <strong>2010</strong> Management Committee Officers<br />
Commodore Nikki Johnson c/o 939-4167 Email eb.commodore@gmail.com<br />
Vice Commodore Rick Martin Ph 021 241 7363 Email richard@gaultmitchell.co.nz<br />
Rear Commodore Lynley Manning Ph 388 9522 Email lmrw@xtra.co.nz<br />
<strong>Club</strong> Captain Gordon Cooper Ph 0274 458988 Email ebymc.captain@gmail.com<br />
Sailing Academy Officer Martin White Ph 380-6110 Email whites.nz@gmail.com<br />
Communications Officer Jane Thomassen Ph 027 668 0286 Email eb.comms@gmail.com<br />
Events Officer Mike Usher Ph 027 240 5109 Email mikann@paradise.net.nz<br />
Academy update<br />
One sunny, calm Sunday in March (actually the only calm, sunny Sunday for about two months) nine boats<br />
and 40-odd people came together to celebrate good weather, the joy of boating, barbecues and witness<br />
the graduation to qualified sailor-dom of several recent Academy students (see photos back page). We<br />
were having such an amazingly good time that even the police came to join in! Huge thanks to Mike Usher<br />
for his help in organising the event, and to the following for their time and the use of their boats: Dave<br />
Taylor, Neil Currie, Roger Foley, Paul Wavish, Murray Thomas, Telfy, Warren, Graham Mantel, Graham<br />
Leslie.<br />
Around 16 Academy students participated in this year's East-West Dash on a variety of boats. Thanks to all<br />
those skippers who took students out, it is vitally important that we give them this sort of opportunity to<br />
get involved in club events, and to get to know people around the place. As always, if you are looking for<br />
crew for a season, or even just the odd race please let one of the Academy Committee members know, we<br />
can almost always find someone who is keen to get out. And if you're wanting someone with a bit of<br />
experience we can help there too, we get a steady stream of enquiries through our website from<br />
experienced sailors who have just moved to Wellington and want to find a regular crewing position.<br />
Happy Sailing...<br />
Martin White<br />
Sailing Academy Officer<br />
learntosail@ebymbc.org.nz<br />
- 15 -
The Spinnaker<br />
It was a great day in<br />
Oriental <strong>Bay</strong> for the Sailing<br />
Academy graduation<br />
barbecue. The general hoi<br />
polloi joined in and all-in-all,<br />
sailing was the winner on<br />
the day.<br />
- 16 -