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July 2019

FROM THE QUARTERDECK A REPORT FROM THE COMMODORE GEOFF EVANS

Many of us have had a very enjoyable end to the sailing season. As reported in last month’s newsletter, Andy Mason and the Sailing and Sailing Social committee

arranged for a very successful Prize giving.

Jane and I aboard Renown were notable for our participation rather than winning performance. We won only one race, had

six second placings and five thirds culminating in second overall in the cruising points series. But the highlight was being awarded the Cannonball Trophy (see pic), reserved for those needing ritual embarrassment.

This requires some explanation. The first transgression reported was using paddle power (two of us using the SUP paddles over the side as were becalmed in the main shipping channel and needed some momentum to get out of the path of an incoming container ship. Oh, the injustice! And the other transgression was my hazy (and apparently) mistaken recollection of an exception to the racing rules allowing a starting yacht that gets swept passed the outer distance mark on an ebb tide to motor up stream to the May Street

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beacon and resume the start. So, our name is forever inscribed on the Cannonball Trophy for ritual humiliation! Coincidentally, we have Kim Admore our regional rep from Yachting New Zealand to present a talk at September’s DYC Seatalks to explain about the rules of racing. Some of us will be required to attend.

With the end of the cyclone season and the onset of winter attention for some has turned to heading offshore. Brian Schlaadt is off on a friend’s yacht up in Fiji; Grant Daniel is just back from crewing with Richard Harman on TinTin up to Tonga. He said they had a fast trip, with a couple of lazy days in Minerva Reef. Mark and Judith Clough are soon to sail their boat Sealed with a Kiss to Tonga and Fiji in the next week with Blain and Emma Cliffe as crew. And also, Jan Beydals is once again sailing single-handed again up to the islands on his trusty Temua. Jane and I are itching to go but work, club and family commitments prevent us from heading off for at least another year. However, we’ve just arrived in the UK for some time with family and friends and will get a few days sailing the Rias on the coast of Galicia, north west Spain, aboard a friend’s Nicholson 35 in July.

We now have a full muster of boats up for long-term winter haulage, and many thanks go to Paul Walter who has done an amazing job as Haulage Master while Nigel Wilson has been away on business in Romania (welcome back Nigel!). I hear the universal cradle goes back on the eastern slipway to cater for the short-term winter haulage. I’ve always thought the club looks suitably nautical and functional over the winter haulage season.

Planning is well underway for our next AGM which is 20 August. We’ve been in contact with Lady Pippa Blake and she has confirmed she’s happy to continue as Devonport Yacht Club Patron, which is a wonderful way for the club to maintain those important links with Sir Peter Blake. The current set of flag officers have all signed up for the next year, so that’s Geoff Evans as Commodore, Hugh Pollock as Vice Commodore and Blair Cliffe as Rear Commodore, and we’re hoping that Peter Strathdee will stay on as President. And, we’re also hoping the current committee will continue for another year, and we’ll discuss this at the next committee meeting 23 July. Of course, these all must be approved at the AGM, and we’re always keen to hear from members who would like to get more involved in the running of the club.

The club membership is steadily growing, and that growth is somewhat stronger for associate than for full memberships and we’re soon likely to push against the rule that no more than 45% of all memberships of the Club may be Associate Memberships. With the AGM coming up in August we would like to change this rule so that this could go to 60%. You’ll see a formal motion to this effect later in the newsletter (thanks to Rhys Cole for the wording).

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The June DYC Seatalks featured Bernard Rhodes speaking about sailing his trimaran Klis from UK to NZ in the 1960s, designing yachts in NZ, his experiences skippering a protest vessel against French nuclear testing in the Pacific as well as leading the restoration of a coastal trading cutter, the Kate, as a sail training vessel for young people in Waiheke. David Barker’s painting of the Kate was featured as part of a fund raiser for the restoration project. It was an excellent talk! See later for July DYC Seatalks.

For the next section, think about volunteering;

Nelson and Fran Webster coordinate the team that hoists and lowers of the club flags (ie the New Zealand flag and the Club burgee) daily. Because of injuries, etc. they need some volunteers to supplement the team. So far local resident and club member Rob Ferguson has joined the team, but they need a

couple more willing hands. You can contact Nelson on 021 775139.

Peter Evans has agreed to coordinate the redecoration of the clubhouse hall, and we need volunteers to help. Peter’s email address is evanspetersue@gmail.com

The existing DYC website is becoming increasingly difficult to upload to as the software used is becoming obsolete. In fact, anything we want to upload, like newsletters, Friday menus, notices, etc. is having to be emailed off the developers for them to handle. So, there is a complete revamp of the website currently underway and we’re hoping to have some evidence of this in the next couple of months. The new website will incorporate many of the features you’d expect a vibrant club like ours to have. So, while I’m writing about volunteers, I’d be very keen to hear from anyone who might be able to advise us using social media more effectively to promote the club in general and specific events in particular.

We’ve now finished the cabling so we now have the potential to stream music from our phones through the PA system and video to the projector. We’ll need to get some lessons on how to do this.

Best wishes and fair sailing!

Geoff Evans 30th June 2019

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New members Type Boat Proposer Seeconder Boyan & Aida Tomic Family Keeler ‘Explorer’,

X442 Geoff Evans Grant Daniel

Carwyn & Lauren Cadogan

Family Keeler ‘Abracadabra’ D28

Geoff Evans Stuart Smith

Karin Tuke Associate Family

CR Leech Ed Murray Forbes

Marie O’Connel Associate individual

CR Leech Ed Murray Forbes

Tamati Munroe Individual Keeler ‘Ingrid’ Woollacott 26

Sally Teesdale Paul Walter

Resignations:

Gerald Sheehy

Notice of meeting Notice is hereby given of the Annual General Meeting of the Devonport Yacht Club, Tuesday 20 August 2019 7.30 pm at the clubhouse. The agenda will be in next month’s Newsletter

Proposed change to the rules

See rule 13.2: 13.2 Alteration of Rules: No addition to, alteration, amendment or revision of these Rules may be made except at either an Annual or Special General Meeting and by a majority of three out of four of the Members present and eligible to vote at that meeting. Notice of any proposed addition to, alteration, amendment or revision of these Rules must be given to the Members in the circular or other notice convening that meeting Relevant membership rule [existing] is: 2.5 No more than 45% of all memberships of the Club may be Associate Memberships at any one time We would like to give notice of a proposed rule change so that rule 2.5 is amended to be: 2.5 No more than 60% of all memberships of the Club may be Associate Memberships at any one time

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Magnetic Swipe Cards and Clubs New Zealand

For the new subscription year, the Devonport Yacht Club is changing from the cardboard cards posted annually, to plastic magnetic strip cards hoped to last for up to five years; subscriptions will remain yearly. As formerly the new cards will be posted to members as subscriptions are paid. Each subscription year the cards will be re-validated as each member subscription is paid. The cards should be presented at the bar when making purchases when they will be swiped to confirm membership. The introduction overlaps with the current style of activities and everything will be as usual until everyone has adapted to the use of the swipe cards - the club is and will always be operated for the benefit of members.

As far as individual members are concerned the cards should not make a difference to them, however there are several advantages for the club.

The yearly administration of membership will be easier and much cheaper as the annual purchase and postage of cardboard membership cards is eliminated. Also there has been concern expressed in committee that the bar is being used by non-members and lapsed members. The concerns are that members may be crowded out, in particular on Friday evenings; most importantly that the club is in breach of its club liquor licence which only allows the sale of alcohol to club members, their signed-in visitors and affiliated club members (see ‘Clubs New Zealand’ below).

Clubs New Zealand: In the bottom right of the card is the logo ‘Clubs New Zealand’. This is an organisation in New Zealand and Australia for affiliating diverse clubs. As an experiment we are joining this group so that DYC members can benefit from the membership bar and restaurant services at the other 300 clubs, should they find themselves away from home. Membership includes various RSA clubs and others which offer very good hosting facilities. The DYC is the first yacht club to join.

The DYC offers reciprocal rights to New Zealand member clubs, however the DYC retains the full control of access, for example function attendance can be controlled as the club sees fit, and retains full autonomy for rules and rights of members.

Feedback on use of the cards is welcome – indeed necessary – comments from any member using Clubs New Zealand access when out of town.

Tim Ridge – Bar Officer for the DYC

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NB If there’s enough interest from DYC membership the Ports of Auckland people say they could put up their displays, etc. at the club. Let the editor know if you’d like this to happen. Contact newsletter@dyc.org.nz

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THE STATE OF OUR GULF - AN UPDATE Something is stirring in and around the Hauraki Gulf; -not just the Brydes [pr."Brudus'] whales with no evidence of strikes since ships agreed to slow down, nor the dolphins in their quest for depleted fish stocks, - It is heightened public awareness of the critical state of the Gulf ecosystems, not least due to the recent Herald coverage of the Gulf Forum's 2 new initiatives; 1. Moving towards at least 20% of the Gulf under some form of protection- reserves or no take areas; presently only 0.3 of 1% is in reserves e.g. Goat Island. 2 Protection of 1000 km2 of shellfish beds and reefs, destroyed by decades of plunder by dredging and trawling, or swamped by sediment

These moves should hopefully show some progress by the America's cup in 2021, says Alex Rogers, the new proactive Executive Officer of the Forum. Alex is due to address the club at the August 22 Sea Talks. That’s a few days before the Forum Annual Conference aimed at bringing together all the groups working for the Gulf., on 27 August. The various Island Trusts are doing great work; it’s what is below the surface that’s the worry , and merits the attention of all of us who use and treasure the Gulf, to at least spread the word, if not actually stop and pickup that piece of plastic debris, where-ever. The attached cartoon says it all. John Duder

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Frank Warnock has been warned (see image below, left). Thanks Frank!

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Rangitoto baches captured by “Painter of Paradise” Anyone who has sailed by Rangitoto’s colourful baches, or gone ashore to take a closer look, might like to see how “Painter of Paradise” Martin Law has captured their idiosyncratic charm in an exhibition at Devonport’s Depot Artspace. Martin calls his collection “Movement through Landscape: Architecture of Rangitoto and Motutapu”. While his paintings capture with almost photographic accuracy the textures and detailing of the weathered architecture, the buildings are set in “moving landscapes” of volcanic rock and native vegetation depicted in blended abstract cubes. Born in England, Martin was an architectural perspective artist before arriving in New Zealand in 2008 and falling in love with Aotearoa’s unique landscapes, colour, light and architecture. He has spent years conserving on canvas a collection of the grand old villas of Mt Eden and other central Auckland suburbs in case they are demolished by developers. Rangitoto is a predator-free island’ administered by the Department of Conservation. Thirty-seven baches, built between 1911 and 1937, remain on the island, Some have been restored by the Rangitoto Island Historic Conservation Trust. Whatever their long-term future may be, Martin Law has captured them for posterity. See them at Depot Artspace, 28 Clarence St, Devonport. From Saturday, July 6, to Wednesday, July 31, 2019. For opening hours, see www.depotartspace.co.nz

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Stories from the Past

Over the coming months I will include some old naval sayings, which will intrigue all and offer an explanation as to their origin.

Did You Know

Piping Hot - this expression had its orgins in the way food was collected from the ship's galley for the mess after a 'pipe' was sounded. The sooner it was collected after the 'pipe' the hotter it was.

Swinging the Lead - an expression that describes the act of wasting time. It comes from the task aboard ship of dropping a sounding weight (made of lead) over the bows to determine the depth of water. It was seen as a way to avoid the more arduous tasks involved in bringing a ship into harbour.

Bigwig - Up until the nineteenth century naval officers were expected wear a wig to emphasise their importance and their position within the Navy. The size of wig would indicate the rank of the officer hence senior officers would be called 'bigwigs' by those on the lower deck.

Flimsy - the naval connection to this term for something that is thin, weak, without substance or not up to the task comes from certificates of conduct a commander of a ship would provide for an officer who was 'turning over' or moving to another ship. This certificate was produced on a thin type of paper resembling thin film, and recorded the officer's service, rank, and comments on his conduct from the commanding officer. Hence they became known by the term flimsy.

Sheer Nasty - the old naval slang for the Medway town of Sheerness. After the Dutch navy raided the Medway in 1667 a naval dockyard was ordered to be built there. Sheerness was often called "the last place God made" and a very hasty job at that. Please note :- The series of articles “Pictures from the Past” will no longer be published as there has been no interest from the Editor for it to continue. CR Leech ED*

Past Commodore

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BOOK REVIEW

THE RISING TIDE. Among the Islands and Atolls of the Pacific Ocean. By Tom Bamforth. Softback , 262 pages. Published 2019.

Vanuatu. Marshall Islands. Fiji. The names evoke white-sand beaches, swaying palms and lazy holidays. But in reality, these idyllic places are tropical maelstroms of global realpolitik, caught between the world's superpowers, former colonial masters and tin-pot despots. Collectively the Pacific nations, which form one third of the globe's surface area, are one of the most strategically important regions in the world - for military might, for energy security and geopolitical borders. Even more importantly, these nations are at the frontline of climate change, as rising sea levels, salinity, cyclones and pollution put their very existence at stake.

Based on his extensive travels in the Pacific, Tom Bamforth shows us the people of the islands, their cultures and how they live in these remote and increasingly challenging places. From uprisings in New Caledonia to tsunamis in Tonga, this is a book about interaction, race, colonisation, climate change, nuclear testing, resistance, cultural preservation, urban life, the tastiness of well roasted pig, and the pleasures of canoeing at dusk.

This book is both an insider's and an outsider's view of life in the Pacific, rendered in vivid detail and colour.

Gripping and beautifully written, The Rising Tide masterfully weaves the stories of people at the forefront of global change around a broader narrative of political mismanagement, culture, diplomacy and identity.

$35.00