21 November 19, 2014 Mahurangi Matters boatingfeature

Discounts and vouchers avaliable on: -Dive Gear-Training Courses-Charters

Get your dive gear serviced now before the season starts!

Visit us at 22 Whitaker Road, Warkworth(09) 422 3599 or 021 221 3971Email: Neil@NZdiving.co.nz

• Boats • Trailers • Batteries

Your local Auto Electrical & Battery Specialist

27 Glenmore Drive, Warkworth Phone: 09 425 7969 Mobile: 027 220 7006

Email: autec@clear.net.nz

Marine Electrical Parts & Service

MON - FRI 8AM-5PM • SAT BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

ENDURANT BATTERIES

Installation & Repairs

on the water FEATURE

Record-breaker goes out with a splash

Eighteen months ago, Graeme Weller’s life nearly ended when the 2500 horsepower hydroplane he was driving flew 20 metres into the air and landed upside down.The former boat-racing champion was trying to break his own hydroplane record at the time, in the Australian-owned Warlord. It was nearly the last thing he did.“I knew the engine could beat the record, but they aren’t made to go in a straight line.”The record speeds are based on the boats average speed over one-kilometre. Graeme reached 340kph, but then it all went wrong. There was a section of shallow water at the end of the race strip, which caused the boat to fly into the air and flip one-and-a-half times.“We would have got the record, but they stopped monitoring the times when I flipped. Once it started lifting it was all over. I was just trying to hold on. As soon as it hit the water it was pitch black. My air mask had come loose and my first two breaths were

of water. When the release lever for the cockpit cover failed, I reached up and put my hands into mud. That’s when I realised I was upside down.”However, paramedics and divers were on the scene and Graeme was pulled out through a hatch in the floor of the boat.“I always insisted on having the best safety equipment and that probably saved my life. I had a lot of internal bruising and it took about a year to come right, but there was nothing serious.”These days Graeme is enjoying a slower pace of life as owner of Matakana Motels. “Modern boats go well over 300kph. At those speeds you experience the G-Forces of a fighter jet. It affects the whole body and I thought ‘this is a young person’s game’.”Graeme grew up as the ultimate water-baby, learning to water-ski before he could walk and was the NZ water-ski champion for nearly a decade.

viewonline localmatters.co.nzWatch video footage of Graeme’s 300kph crash.

He was forced to stop competing on doctors’ advice. Years of water-ski jumping had done irreparable damage to his spine so in 1994 he opted for a sport that was supposedly a little easier on the body and started racing powerboats.In his 19 years of racing, Graeme broke the water speed records for the grand prix hydroplane class (272kph) and the Pro-Com class (193kph), and is the only person to simultaneously hold all three Australasian racing titles – the EC Griffiths Cup, the AE Baker and the Masport Cup.But despite his racing days now being behind him, Graeme is still involved in the sport, passing on his tricks of the trade to his three sons who race in the J-Class and Clubman boat sections. And they appear to be following in Graeme’s wake, with his youngest already taking a NZ title at age 14.

Champion boat racer and water-skier Graeme

Weller retired from racing last year after a record-

breaking career.Graeme Weller built the engine for his hydroplane G-Force which was clocked at over 300kph.

22 Mahurangi Matters November 19, 2014 boatingfeature

Auckland Area Sea Watch

TideTimes

Sun

FishingGuide

Moon*Not for navigational purposes. www.tidewiz.com www.tidespy.com www.ofu.co.nz Graphic supplied by OceanFun Publishing Ltd.

Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu FriNov 19 Nov 20 Nov 21 Nov 22 Nov 23 Nov 24 Nov 25 Nov 26 Nov 27 Nov 28 Nov 29 Nov 30 Dec 1 Dec 2 Dec 3 Dec 4 Dec 5

5:40am 2.711:37am 1.05:51pm 2.8

12:02am 0.86:31am 2.8

12:26pm 0.96:39pm 2.9

12:48am 0.77:18am 2.91:11pm 0.87:25pm 3.0

1:33am 0.68:03am 3.11:55pm 0.78:12pm 3.0

2:17am 0.58:46am 3.22:39pm 0.68:58pm 3.1

3:01am 0.49:30am 3.33:25pm 0.59:45pm 3.2

3:46am 0.410:15am 3.34:12pm 0.5

10:33pm 3.2

4:31am 0.311:02am 3.45:00pm 0.5

11:21pm 3.2

5:19am 0.411:51am 3.45:51pm 0.5

12:12am 3.26:08am 0.4

12:42pm 3.36:44pm 0.5

1:04am 3.17:02am 0.51:37pm 3.27:40pm 0.5

2:00am 3.18:00am 0.62:34pm 3.28:38pm 0.6

2:59am 3.09:03am 0.73:33pm 3.19:38pm 0.6

4:02am 3.010:08am 0.74:33pm 3.1

10:39pm 0.6

5:05am 3.011:11am 0.75:32pm 3.1

11:37pm 0.5

6:06am 3.112:09pm 0.76:29pm 3.1

12:34am 0.57:03am 3.21:03pm 0.67:23pm 3.2

6:01am8:11pm

6:01am8:12pm

6:00am8:13pm

6:00am8:14pm

5:59am8:15pm

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5:56am8:22pm

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5:56am8:27pm

B 10:17am10:40pm

Best AtF

11:03am11:27pm

Best AtF

11:51amBest At

G 12:16am12:42pm

Best AtG 1:09am

1:36pm

Best AtB 2:04am

2:32pm

Best AtB 3:01am

3:29pm

Best AtB 3:58am

4:26pm

Best AtB 4:55am

5:22pm

Best AtB 5:50am

6:17pm

Best AtG 6:44am

7:10pm

Best AtG 7:36am

8:01pm

Best AtG 8:27am

8:52pm

Best AtG 9:18am

9:43pm

Best AtG 10:09am

10:35pm

Best AtG 11:01am

11:27pm

Best AtG 11:54am

Best At

3:52am4:48pm

RiseSet

4:26am5:46pm

RiseSet

5:02am6:46pm

RiseSet

5:43am7:47pm

RiseSet

6:28am8:47pm

NewMoon

RiseSet

7:19am9:45pm

RiseSet

8:16am10:40pm

RiseSet

9:17am11:30pm

RiseSet

10:22amRise 12:16am11:28am

SetRise

12:59am12:34pm

FirstQuarter

SetRise

1:38am1:40pm

SetRise

2:16am2:45pm

SetRise

2:53am3:50pm

SetRise

3:30am4:55pm

SetRise

4:10am5:58pm

SetRise

4:52am7:00pm

SetRise

G Good Fishing F Fair Fishing B Not So Good

Phone 09 422 7822 • Email matakanamarine@xtra.co.nz • www.matakanamarine.co.nz

For the latest wind and swell information for the Auckland area, go to: www.tidespy.com/?place=3005

MATAKANA MARINE AUTHORISED MERCURY AND VOLVO PENTA AGENTSYour one stop shop

for your marine needs!

Matakana Marine Seawatch

23 November 19, 2014 Mahurangi Matters boatingfeature

As the tears on the cheeks of NZ yachting fans finally dry, one year on from Team NZ’s heartbreaking America’s Cup defeat, the builders of Oracle’s winning boat have been inundated with business, including work for other Cup competitors.Warkworth-based company Core Builders Composites built most of Oracles hydro-foiling catamaran for Team USA’s Cup defence and is contracted to build about 90 per cent of their boat for the 2017 challenge.But Composites boat build manager Tim Smyth says the Cup victory has brought in clients ranging from mining companies and architects. The company has even produced parts for an airborne wind turbine for Google-owned US company, Makani Power.“The Cup was the ultimate showcase of our skills,” Tim says.“It showed we could produce cutting edge technology, working with materials under tremendous pressure, to a tight deadline and get results. Other companies have seen that and thought, ‘if they can do that, maybe they can do this’ and applied these technologies to their own problems.”The company, a 100 per cent owned subsidiary of Oracle, shrunk from 70 staff to 30 after the Cup, but has rebuilt to 50 staff to take on projects which have followed in the wake of last year’s success. They now have a full order list for the next three years.“Finishing the America’s Cup was a bit like falling off the end of a cliff, but the new work has meant we’ve been able to keep redundancies to a minimum.”But work towards the 2017 America’s Cup is also underway.The first of the smaller AC45 catamarans have been completed and will be raced by Cup competitors in the America’s Cup World Series next year.The AC45s are made to the same design and Composites has picked up contracts to produce the boats for UK team Ben Ainslie and the Swedish

America’s Cup victory fills sails of Core Composites

team Artemis.They will also produce a souped-up AC45 for Oracle and Artemis as a test for the full-scale America’s Cup AC62.Work on Oracle’s AC62 America’s Cup boat will begin next year and will be on the water in late 2016. Composites will build the entire boat, except for the hulls which have to be built in the US to meet the competition’s regulations.“But, for economic reasons, we will probably build the hull moulds and send them up there.”Tim says Composites might also work on the boats of other competitors as changes to the America’s Cup regulations have standardised some of the boat designs.“That will most likely be the wing-sail components. The new rules limit the amount of design work teams can do on these parts and we are very efficient at building them so we expect to win

some contracts from other teams.“The hull and sail of the boats aren’t that important anymore. The critical elements are the central system for sail manipulation, the appendages for foiling, the whole air resistant package, and how the boat is put together and sailed. We might even be producing elements for Team NZ.”Boats will also become more mechanised for the next Cup, as designers and engineers refine methods of keeping the boats out of the water and on the foils. But this won’t make mounting a challenge more expensive for NZ, he says.“The boats themselves are only 20 per cent of the total cost. One of the biggest cost is the sailors’ wages.”Tim hopes the diversification of Composites’ projects will enable it to ride the swells and troughs of “The Cup” business better in future.

But in the company’s tearoom, where an American flag hangs proudly on the wall, the employees say they are unconcerned at having their future determined by the ways of the wind, saying it’s “the nature of the business”.“Most of us have worked around the world on these kinds of projects,” Tim says. “There are countless industries where four years is a long time to have steady employment.”

The solid wing-sail for the AC45 America’s Cup boats are currently in production.

Tim Smyth with the $250,000 foil which helped Oracle snatch the Auld Mug from Team NZ.

24 Mahurangi Matters November 19, 2014 boatingfeature

Snells Beach

Autos

230 Mahurangi East Road • Snells Beach 09 425 5956 • 021 721 133 • sbautos2@xtra.co.nzLocated under Gull service Station Snells Beach

Service your tractor now in readiness for your on the water recreation!

DON’T

BREAK DOWN

ON THE BOAT

RAMP!!!

WENZ E NG

HAULING YOUR BOAT BEFORE SUMMER?

No matter how big, or small, your vessel is WenzEng has the experience to help you.

Call or drop by and see the team at WenzEng for all your Marine Engineering requirements.

We also repair and build trailers plus all other Marine and General Engineering requirements.

PH 09 425 6431 MOBILE 021 353 529UNIT 5/1 HAMATANA RD, SNELLS BEACH

www.wenzeng.co.nz

Snells Beach boat builder appreciates small things in lifeIn the past four decades, Tom Needham, of Snells Beach, has made more than 100 boats ranging in size from 40 centimetres to 40 feet.He started his boat-building career when he was around five years old, making miniatures from scratch. He went on to build models of boats belonging to the friends he met at the Te Atatu Boat Club.He built his first full-sized yacht when he was still a teenage and started his boat-building career in earnest after high school.“I’ve always loved being out on the sea and it’s always been my dream to create boats,” he says.His career has seen him work on everything from powerboats to yachts and launches.“But I enjoy building the miniatures more than the full-sized boats. It takes a long time, but it’s still faster and cheaper than building the real thing.“There’s a real sense of achievement in

creating something from nothing.”Tom has recently started a business making boat miniatures so that owners can admire their schooners on their mantelpieces.“People kept telling me I was wasting my talent not doing this fulltime so I’ve finally listened to them.”The miniature models take about six months to complete with all the parts made from raw materials using a small drill as a lathe.Tom’s boat building skills came in handy this year when the 34-foot yacht he was restoring broke from it’s anchor during a severe storm and stranded high and dry at Algies Bay.Construction of a seawall at Algies was halted while Tom grappled with getting the concrete hulled boat from its precarious perch.Two diggers and $5000 later, the boat was successfully re-floated.“That set the restoration back a bit!”

Miniature boats have been a lifelong passion for Tom Needham. Each boat can take months of concentration, not to mention a steady hand.

Two diggers re-floated Tom’s 34-foot yacht after it stranded at Algies Bay.

25 November 19, 2014 Mahurangi Matters boatingfeature

Warkworth

2 Gumfield Drive, Warkworth Phone 09 422 2162 – 0275 720 457

wwautoelec@xtra.co.nz

For your Marine Services

WarkworthBoats & Trailers • Panasonic Batteries

SERVICING NOW FOR CHRISTMAS

BOAT SHOW

Terms & Conditions: SPLASH BACK offer applies to all new retail outboard sales from 2.3HP - 250HP . Offer applies to floor stock, consignment stock and new unit purchases. This SPLASH BACK offer overrides all other promotions ie: Units purchased between the period 15th May - 30th June do not count towards the quarterly

unit rebate scheme. How does the SPLASH BACK promo work? Every outboard purchased during this period will be invoiced to Dealers at normal dealer buy excl GST LESS the SPLASH BACK amount Incl GST. Dealers discount for the customer the RRP excl GST by the SPLASH BACK amount off the outboard. Dealers need to supply

Honda Marine with a copy of customer invoice to receive a Dealer SPLASH BACK rebate on sales of existing floor stock and consignment stock. Dealers must also order a replacement engine of similar HP. This replacement unit will also receive the SPLASHBACK rebate. (Not applicable to new units sales as SPLASH BACK amount will

automatically be deducted). Advertising and Promotional material: Each Dealer will receive SPLASH BACK point of sale to display on showroom stock.

HUTCHWILCO NZ BOAT SHOW SPLASHBACK SPECIALEffective 15th May - 30th June 2014

New Zealand's largest and most popular Boat Show is on at the Auckland ASB showground’s

Thursday 15th - Sunday 18th May. Honda Marine will have a stand displaying the full range of

outboard motors and will be offering a SPLASH BACK promotion.

The SPLASH BACK promotion is a Nationwide offer on retail sales of any new Honda outboard

purchased from 15th May until 30th June 2014. Refer table on page 2 for SPLASH BACK amounts

per individual unit.

2.3HP = $200 SPLASH BACK 30HP - 60HP = $500 SPLASH BACK

5HP = $100 SPLASH BACK 80HP - 150HP = $1,000 SPLASH BACK

8HP - 15HP = $300 SPLASH BACK 175HP - 200HP = $2,000 SPLASH BACK

20HP = $400 SPLASH BACK 225HP – 250HP = $2,500 SPLASH BACK

MAHURANGI MA RINE LTD330 Mahurangi East Rd, Snells Beach

425 5806

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Fyran is proud to introduce to our � eet the brand new Fyran 550.

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before you buy this summer!In stock now. Trades considered. Finance available to approved purchasers

Marine & Campervan AccessoriesVisit us at 59 Woodcocks Rd, Warkworth

09 422 3595www.marinexpress.co.nz

Marine & Campervan Accessories

Visit us at 59 Woodcocks Rd, Warkworth

09 422 3595

www.marinexpress.co.nz

Warkworth – Snells Beach – Matakana – Omaha – Leigh

Pool / Spa ValetsOnsite Chemical TestingWater Chemical Supplier

Pool Equipment ReplacementRepairs & Maintenance

Pool Refurbishmentsimplesilver agent

(09) 422 9524021 952 338

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We’ve got the surfi ng bug and we’re keen to pass it on • Kids & adult surf lessons • Holiday surf programmes • Surfi ng tours • School & youth groups

P: 09 434 3843 | www.oneillsurfacademy.co.nz | surf@oneillsurfacademy.co.nz |

It is no secret that the waters of the Mahurangi are a boaties’ paradise, but not everyone has access to a boat to enjoy it.That’s something that the Sandspit Yacht Club is trying to address.The club is inviting anyone with an interest in sailing to ‘give it a go’ on Friday evenings or Saturdays.Sailing Committee member Phil van der Mespel says he has had people sign on who have never sailed before.“Sailing is a great sport for people of all ages,” he says. “It’s fun and, because you work as a team, it builds a lot of camaraderie. People come from all walks of life which creates an interesting mix.“One young chap who started with us is now racing in international competitions in the US and Europe, and plans to make it his career. But

there are also retired farmers and we’ve recently had a woman in her 60s who bought a 25-foot cruising boat but has become a very competitive racer.”The club’s summer racing series started last month and will run until April.Races on Friday evenings start at 6pm and usually last about an hour-an-a-half. Saturday courses are normally longer and more varied, taking in a larger sweep of the gulf. Phil says as well as crew positions, the club welcomes anyone who wants to get a bit more use out of their keeler. Centreboarders are also welcome, although they have their own racing division.The races are held off Snells Beach and Algies Bay.Info: Phil van der Mespel 425 6000 or 027 425 6000.

What better way to wind-down at the end of the week than with a sail.

Club welcomes landlubbers