waterline magazine march 2016

The Bay of Plenty & Coromandel’s own watersports news. Phone 07 578 0030 MARCH 2016

Inside this issue

Invisibility mode

02 WATERLINE

TIDES

Tauranga tide heights in metres. Bowentown: subtract 5 minutes from Tauranga (both HW and LW) Katikati (Kauri Point): add 30 minutes to Tauranga (both HW and LW) Whitianga: High Water subtract 2 minutes from Tauranga HW tide; Low Water add 2 minutes to Tauranga Low Water. Every effort has been made to ensure that these times and tides are correct, no responsibility will be accepted for any

inaccuracies, omissions, or misuse or misinterpretation of the values for tides and times published. Times used in the tide predictions are in New Zealand Standard Time (NZST1). Daylight savings add one hour.

Date Time / Height Time / Height Time / Height Time / Height Date Time / Height Time / Height Time / Height Time / Height Date Time / Height Time / Height Time / Height Time / Height

MARCH 20151 Tu 1:02 1.7 7:04 0.5 13:17 1.7 19:28 0.52 We 1:47 1.7 7:49 0.5 14:00 1.7 20:13 0.53 Th 2:35 1.6 8:38 0.6 14:48 1.7 21:03 0.54 Fr 3:28 1.6 9:31 0.6 15:41 1.7 21:57 0.55 Sa 4:25 1.7 10:28 0.5 16:39 1.7 22:54 0.46 Su 5:23 1.7 11:27 0.5 17:39 1.7 23:52 0.47 Mo 6:20 1.8 12:24 0.4 18:38 1.8 8 Tu 0:48 0.3 7:14 1.9 13:20 0.3 19:35 1.99 We 1:43 0.2 8:07 2 14:14 0.2 20:29 1.910 Th 2:35 0.2 8:59 2 15:06 0.1 21:22 211 Fr 3:27 0.1 9:50 2.1 15:57 0.1 22:14 2.112 Sa 4:19 0.1 10:41 2.1 16:48 0.1 23:06 2.113 Su 5:10 0.1 11:32 2.1 17:39 0.1 23:59 214 Mo 6:03 0.2 12:25 2 18:31 0.1 15 Tu 0:53 2 6:58 0.2 13:18 2 19:24 0.216 We 1:49 1.9 7:54 0.3 14:14 1.9 20:19 0.317 Th 2:47 1.9 8:53 0.4 15:11 1.8 21:17 0.318 Fr 3:47 1.8 9:53 0.4 16:11 1.8 22:17 0.419 Sa 4:47 1.8 10:53 0.5 17:10 1.7 23:16 0.420 Su 5:44 1.8 11:51 0.5 18:08 1.7 21 Mo 0:13 0.4 6:37 1.8 12:45 0.4 19:01 1.722 Tu 1:05 0.4 7:26 1.8 13:35 0.4 19:50 1.823 We 1:52 0.4 8:11 1.8 14:20 0.4 20:34 1.824 Th 2:36 0.4 8:53 1.8 15:02 0.4 21:16 1.825 Fr 3:17 0.4 9:33 1.8 15:42 0.4 21:56 1.826 Sa 3:57 0.4 10:12 1.8 16:20 0.4 22:35 1.827 Su 4:35 0.4 10:50 1.8 16:57 0.4 23:13 1.828 Mo 5:14 0.4 11:27 1.8 17:34 0.4 23:52 1.829 Tu 5:54 0.5 12:05 1.8 18:13 0.4 30 We 0:32 1.7 6:35 0.5 12:45 1.7 18:54 0.431 Th 1:15 1.7 7:20 0.5 13:29 1.7 19:39 0.5

APRIL 20151 Fr 2:02 1.7 8:09 0.5 14:17 1.7 20:29 0.52 Sa 2:54 1.7 9:02 0.5 15:10 1.7 21:24 0.53 Su 2:50 1.7 8:58 0.5 15:09 1.7 21:22 0.44 Mo 3:49 1.8 9:57 0.4 16:10 1.8 22:22 0.45 Tu 4:47 1.8 10:56 0.4 17:12 1.8 23:21 0.36 We 5:44 1.9 11:53 0.3 18:11 1.9 7 Th 0:18 0.2 6:39 2 12:48 0.2 19:07 28 Fr 1:13 0.2 7:33 2.1 13:42 0.1 20:02 2.19 Sa 2:06 0.1 8:27 2.1 14:35 0 20:55 2.110 Su 3:00 0.1 9:19 2.1 15:26 0 21:48 2.111 Mo 3:53 0.1 10:12 2.1 16:18 0.1 22:41 2.112 Tu 4:46 0.2 11:05 2 17:10 0.1 23:35 213 We 5:41 0.2 11:59 1.9 18:02 0.2 14 Th 0:30 2 6:37 0.3 12:55 1.9 18:57 0.315 Fr 1:27 1.9 7:34 0.4 13:51 1.8 19:54 0.416 Sa 2:24 1.8 8:32 0.4 14:49 1.7 20:52 0.417 Su 3:20 1.8 9:30 0.5 15:47 1.7 21:50 0.518 Mo 4:15 1.8 10:25 0.5 16:42 1.7 22:45 0.519 Tu 5:06 1.8 11:17 0.5 17:34 1.7 23:37 0.520 We 5:53 1.8 12:05 0.4 18:22 1.8 21 Th 0:24 0.5 6:38 1.8 12:49 0.4 19:06 1.822 Fr 1:07 0.4 7:20 1.8 13:31 0.4 19:48 1.823 Sa 1:48 0.4 8:01 1.8 14:10 0.4 20:28 1.824 Su 2:28 0.4 8:40 1.8 14:48 0.4 21:08 1.825 Mo 3:08 0.4 9:19 1.8 15:26 0.4 21:46 1.826 Tu 3:47 0.4 9:58 1.8 16:04 0.4 22:26 1.827 We 4:28 0.5 10:38 1.8 16:44 0.4 23:06 1.828 Th 5:11 0.5 11:19 1.7 17:26 0.4 23:49 1.829 Fr 5:56 0.5 12:03 1.7 18:11 0.4 30 Sa 0:36 1.8 6:45 0.5 12:52 1.7 19:02 0.4

MAY 20151 Su 1:27 1.8 7:37 0.5 13:46 1.7 19:56 0.42 Mo 2:22 1.8 8:33 0.4 14:45 1.7 20:55 0.43 Tu 3:19 1.8 9:31 0.4 15:47 1.8 21:56 0.44 We 4:18 1.9 10:30 0.3 16:49 1.9 22:56 0.35 Th 5:16 1.9 11:28 0.2 17:49 1.9 23:54 0.36 Fr 6:13 2 12:25 0.1 18:46 2 7 Sa 0:51 0.2 7:09 2 13:19 0.1 19:42 2.18 Su 1:46 0.2 8:04 2.1 14:12 0 20:36 2.19 Mo 2:41 0.1 8:58 2.1 15:05 0 21:29 2.110 Tu 3:35 0.2 9:52 2 15:56 0.1 22:22 2.111 We 4:28 0.2 10:45 2 16:48 0.1 23:15 212 Th 5:22 0.3 11:38 1.9 17:39 0.2 13 Fr 0:08 2 6:16 0.3 12:32 1.8 18:32 0.314 Sa 1:01 1.9 7:10 0.4 13:27 1.8 19:27 0.415 Su 1:55 1.8 8:05 0.4 14:22 1.7 20:22 0.516 Mo 2:48 1.8 9:00 0.5 15:17 1.7 21:18 0.517 Tu 3:39 1.7 9:52 0.5 16:11 1.7 22:12 0.518 We 4:29 1.7 10:43 0.5 17:02 1.7 23:03 0.519 Th 5:16 1.7 11:30 0.5 17:50 1.7 23:50 0.520 Fr 6:01 1.7 12:15 0.4 18:35 1.8 21 Sa 0:35 0.5 6:45 1.7 12:57 0.4 19:18 1.822 Su 1:18 0.5 7:28 1.8 13:37 0.4 20:00 1.823 Mo 1:59 0.5 8:09 1.8 14:17 0.4 20:40 1.824 Tu 2:40 0.4 8:50 1.8 14:56 0.3 21:21 1.825 We 3:22 0.4 9:31 1.8 15:36 0.3 22:02 1.826 Th 4:04 0.4 10:13 1.8 16:18 0.3 22:43 1.827 Fr 4:48 0.4 10:56 1.8 17:02 0.4 23:27 1.828 Sa 5:35 0.4 11:42 1.7 17:48 0.4 29 Su 0:14 1.8 6:23 0.4 12:32 1.7 18:39 0.430 Mo 1:04 1.8 7:15 0.4 13:26 1.8 19:34 0.431 Tu 1:58 1.8 8:11 0.3 14:25 1.8 20:32 0.4

Edition Deadline

June 2016 29 May 2016Sept 2016 28 August 2015Dec 2016 27 Nov 2016March 2017 20 Feb 2017

Waterline advertising & editorial deadlines

The Bay of Plenty’s own boating, fishing, diving, yachting and watersports news.

For advertising, call tasha on 07 578 0030 email [email protected]

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email: [email protected]

MARCH 2016

WATERLINE 03MARCH 2016

Your local watersports magazine has just reached a special waypoint – Waterline has logged over 20 years

of publication.

For many years Waterline has been a well-entrenched part of the boating, fishing, sailing and diving scene in the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel.

It started in the Rogers garage on the estuary at Te Puna, two decades ago and the first edi-tion sailed out the door in the summer of ’95. Yep, that’s last century!!

Back in those days, before the advent of reliable internet and email, Waterline was the lifeblood for communication and promo-tion for local boating clubs, plus a treasured information source for boaties all around the region.

That first edition was also distributed up and down the coast on a special promotional voyage, aboard our 23ft trailer yacht. The publication soon morphed into the much-loved local boating mag that it is today.

A lot has changed over those two decades, with the electronic technology age since over-taking some of the original roles of Waterline Magazine.

However the mag is still going strong as a quarterly print publication, while embracing

the internet age with its own website.Part of the Rogers’ publishing business, the

little backyard project was a pivotal part of the establishment of Sun Media, now the region’s biggest and most successful news organisation; publishing the largest circulating newspaper in the Bay, The Weekend Sun; the region’s rural newspaper Coast & Country; plus the best read local news service, SunLive.

Based at No.1 The Strand in Tauranga with 35 staff and others dotted around the Bay and Coromandel, Sun Media really all started with a little boating magazine in the garage.

We’d like to thank all our loyal readers, advertisers and clubs who have supported and enjoyed Waterline over the last 20 years. We invite you to further enjoy the benefits of the new technology and check out Waterline Online, (www.waterline.co.nz) plus our other publications and titles which run in tandem with Waterline, such as the massive, million-hits-a-week, www.sunlive.co.nz

And keep your stories, memories and photos coming… all contributions welcomed, that’s what makes Waterline such a diverse and interesting little read.

And here’s to the next decade of boating in the Bay!

Over the next few issues, we’ll dive back into the archives for a cruise down Memory Lane, or should that be Memory Isles, a blast from the past as we celebrate those decades of boating in the bay. First up in this edition is a great article from Geoff Collins, on the history of trailer sailing in the region. It includes some classic photos from the Waterline files of some notable trailer yachts and personalities from the last two decades.

Thanks, sea you out there. Waterline clear and standing by! [email protected]

Two decades of boating in the Bay

WL Sept 2000.indd1

The Bay of Plenty’s own Boating, Fishing, Diving, Yachting & watersports news. PH 07 57 800 30

email: [email protected]

The official magazine of:

Tauranga Yacht

& Power Boat Club

Omokoroa Boat Club

Mt Maunganui Yacht Club

Tauranga Water Ski Club

Tauranga Jet Sport Assn

Supporting Coastguard

One of the oldest covers we could find in the electronic archives -

Issue 49 from September 2000.

04 WATERLINE MARCH 2016

I know this sounds like a far-fetched schoolboy holiday story. But in my recent holiday I became

invisible. Well at least the nearest thing to it.

Thanks to the guys at Tauranga Dive, this intrepid explorer set forth into the great outdoors with the latest hi-tech invis-ibility suit. They are not paying me to write this… I was just so impressed with the invisibility suit that I needed to enthuse to you independently about it.

I’d like to show you a picture of it, but being invisible, doesn’t photograph very well.

Not only did Gwyn Brown and Jared Ross make me invis-ible for my holidays but Gwyn also stepped in to write my Sun newspaper column during my spectacular disappearance. Now that’s service!

The suit itself is the latest camo free dive wetsuit from Omer. It features actual photo-graphics on the neoprene that makes a diver, even one of say, portly proportions, seem to merge with the background.

The fit and feel is amazing, the open cell neoprene slips on easy once you’ve mastered the technique, with a bit of soapy water. Once on, these things are just so warm, the five millimetre is almost too much for the height of summer. In water of 22-24 degrees you almost don’t need a wetsuit, but I was determined to merge, so wore it anyway. The Omer will be the perfect choice in autumn, when the temperature drops a few of degrees, and I’m looking forward to diving this suit right through winter.

It’s light and soft and feels amazing in the water, much more flexible than the old school suits we learnt to dive in, and even better than the suits of even a few years ago.

While it’s designed as a freedive suit, I chucked the scuba gear on for a couple of scallop dives, and it worked well with tank.

Out of the water, between dives, the Omer suit is a lot warmer too, and seems to combat wind chill much better than its prede-cessors.

It’s the sort of quality suit that you can climb into in the morn-ing, and basically stay in it all day. If you’re like me and have been putting up with ancient gear, it’s time to shout yourself and update to the benefits of new technology! You’ve done the hard yards, now see what modern gains have been made in the last 40 years…

I was simply stunned how much closer I could get to marine life in this suit, compared to previous wetsuits.

First up was a very puzzled shag, who came waddling along on the surface and played a sort of fishy peekaboo, us taking turns to pop heads above and below the water, face to face, while the befuddled bird tried to figure out why the ungainly piece of kelp had eyeballs and a speargun.

Next came a succession of carefully selected fish dinners, including snapper, porae, kings, butterfish and squid. No waste, only selecting what we needed at the time. I’ve never been so close to snapper, and with careful approach they seemed almost oblivious to my presence… for some, it was too late!

And this summer I’ve enjoyed a whole lot of nature study along the way. That’s the appeal of freediving for me. It’s like super-market shopping, only with a float instead of a trolley, and the view is better.

I even managed to sneak up on a couple of unsuspecting beers at the end of the dive.

Boy, they didn’t see me coming.The real kings of invisibility however are the squid. I spent far

too much of my hunter-gatherer time playing hide and seek with these amazing little creatures, who are capable of fronting their threat, and projecting toward it the same colour and patterns of their backgrounds.

What I did in my holidays


So the predator, (Brian in a rubber suit with visions of sea-soned calamari rings, a dash of aioli and a squeeze of lemon) suddenly sees only the sandy sea floor or the wafting kelp beds.

How cool to be able to switch your body colour to match your background. I must talk to Gwyn and the Omers about this idea.

If you want the latest in comfort, warmth and stealth, pop into Tauranga Dive at Sulphur Point and see the guys for a fit-ting, even try it in their indoor pool.

Tell them Waterline recommended it!

Talking ’bout your generationNot merging well with their natural surroundings, I discov-

ered again on holiday, was a species that seems to do its best to stand out and make a big noise. The Generation Generation.

Time and again we’d pull into a peaceful calm and stunningly beautiful bay, only to have the natural silence droned away by a large plastic gin palace with a generator.

What is the point of burning all that fuel, making all that bow wave, wake and fumes to get to a secluded and pristine piece of hidden NZ, only to desecrate it with noise vibra-tion and fossil fuel toxins all day and half the night?

Have they not heard of solar panels... Or heaven forbid, going without?

One of the most stunning but tragic cases was the arrival in a quiet bay of the blunderbuss of all Not Invisible vessels, the massive Vvs1 which is the not-so-humble ship of Michael Hill, Jeweller.

Missing the pointAs I lay under my painted plywood shell, watch-

ing the stars through the hatch and buzzy critters rebounding off the tatty old mosquito net, I felt a bit sorry for the filthy rich and their OTT lifestyle choices which really seem to miss the point. Flaunting the biggest, boldest and noisiest contraptions, rather than seeking to blend and be invisible, like the squid.

While they are busy making a statement and making latte and powering up an airconditioned shield against mosquitos and warm summer nights, they’re miss-ing what I think is the real kiwi boating experience: Camping afloat, not luxury apartments on the sea.

Some may find this sounds like sour grapes, because like most of us, our boating budget wouldn’t even run Michael Hill’s tender. But as the days rolled on, we became more and more resolute to tread lightly and quietly around the ocean, rather than set out to bust it.

Leafblowers of the oceanGensets are the leafblowers of the ocean.

Just like your neighbourhood fanatic who hasn’t ever heard of a broom and rake, chooses to inflict motorised torture on the people around them.

After a couple of weeks afloat we felt connected and proud of our lovely older glass-over-ply

vessel, complete with her quirks, flaky bits and basic systems. As we tootled around the coast, using the free and invisible wind when we could, and the free and invisible sun when it came out... And collected rainwater in the tarp to boost our meagre supplies, there was a growing sense of satisfaction .

I know that many operators of rip snorting, gas guzzling, tsunami-wake makers have no idea what I’m on about. Maybe if they switched off the genset and listened, it might be obvious!

In the meantime, we’re aiming to keep a low profile and doing our best to merge with nature, not put a monument on it.

See you. Or maybe not! - Brian Rogers

Invisibility 101: How to slip into stealth mode

06 WATERLINE

KEEP THEM OUT OF BAY OF PLENTYDon’t let marine pests hitch-hike on your fouling fuzz:

• Keep your boat bottom clean – no more than light slime, all the time

• Antifoul regularly

• Haul out to clean heavy hull fouling

• Check and clean your hull before you travel somewhere new

JOIN THE PEST PATROLKeep watch, call it in.

Please report any marine pests or heavily fouled boats you see in Bay of Plenty waters. Call Bay of Plenty Regional Council, phone 0800 STOP PESTS (0800 786 773) or email [email protected]

Find out more at www.boprc.govt.nz/

marinepests

STOP THE SPREAD OF MARINE PESTS

Clubbed tunicate sea squirt

Mediterranean fanworm

Australian tunicate sea squirt

Asian paddle

crabAsian paddle

crab

Photos courtesy of G.Read, S.Wilkens & Northland Regional Council

Tauranga marinas have new hull hygiene rules for visiting vessels. Contact Tauranga Bridge Marina ph 07 575 8264 or Tauranga Marina ph 07 578 8747 for details.

Marine pests are a threat to great boating, diving and seafood supply. They’re easily spread through ballast water and hull fouling.

These marine invaders have become established in parts of Auckland or Northland, but not the Bay of Plenty.

GD

154336

MARCH 2016


There’s a certain irony in a Dunedin boat being named after a ship’s galley chimney, especially when the current

owner puts warmer climate at the head of the list for reasons to move north.

Charlie Noble was the sailors’ name for the galley chimney, which drew the heat from the galley stove and carried it safely above decks and into the passing ocean breeze. Sparks and hot embers coughed through the decking from Charlie’s mouth represented an extreme hazard to old wooden sailing ships, and it was the responsibility of the cook to keep Charlie clean and free of soot and tar. Thus, every cook had a periodic routine established for firing a pistol up the pipe to loosen the soot. That practice was known to all as “shooting Charlie Noble.”

Charlie had to be cleaned out occasionally, for the lives of all on board depended on it. But so it was true for all fixtures aboard the ships. In a manner of speaking, even the helmsman, navigator and mate gathered soot as their days on the sea wore on, learning bad habits, or taking dangerous shortcuts, or becoming lax in their duties. And somewhere along the way, someone had to shoot their Charlie Nobles to get them back on track. For just as Charlie Noble’s soot represented a hazard to the ship and crew, so did the soot of disregard and inef-ficiency on the part of the crew place the ship at risk.

Charlie Noble as recently arrived at Tauranga Bridge Marina is a ketch rigged, turquoise blue 12.5m dory hull with aluminium superstructure.

The dory was built over a 12 year period in Dunedin by somebody who works near the engine yard, says current owner Pete Hammond. It was launched about 2001.

“I like boats with interiors, don’t like being out in the cold,” says Pete. “This one had the interior, everything internal, and two fire places.”

What it didn’t have was an auto pilot, so someone had to steer, all the way from Dunedin.

There’s a wood burning stove and a diesel heater side by side midships starboard. The chimney is a stainless steel Charlie Noble.

“The guy who built this boat was a stainless steel fabrica-tor,” says Pete. “So everyone would come to him and ask him to make their chimneys, because everyone’s got them in Dunedin. So he became known in Dunedin as Charlie Noble.

“So when he wanted a name for the boat he called it Charlie Noble.”

Wanting to get out of Dunedin ‘as soon as he could’ Pete and crew Brent Foster set out on December 17 and pushed along by a good south-easterly, made Akaroa that night.

The second night they reached Kaikoura, and waited there for a storm to blow though before catching another south easterly that took them to Gisborne where they took time out for Christmas and New Year.

“Then we got another break in the weather and we got up to here in three weeks,” says Pete.

They are heading for the Bay of Islands, but Pete used to live in the Mount and he’s happy to stay while he works on the auto pilot which he has yet to get working.

The dory hull form as we now know it originates from the eastern Canada and the north eastern US.

Narrow flat bottomed with high ends, they were used as fishing boats on the open sea and gained a reputation for seaworthiness.

The basic hull has been played with over the years with several designers producing larger style boats. The original banks dories were about 4-5m length; the later designed St Piere Dory a bit over eight metres. The moderately famous Badger was a junk rigged dory of 10 metres, making Charlie Noble a larger sized dory.

A quirk of the dory world is that the size of the dory originally referred to the bottom plank. A 4.5m dory might well be 5.7m long overall. This measuring is not universally used by new designers.

A dory from Dunedin

Charlie Noble.

oat being named when the current d of the list for

lley chimney, which it safely above decks

hot embers coughed resented an extremethe responsibility oot and tar. Thus, for firing a pistol was known to all as

for the lives of ue for all fixtures ven the helmsman, ys on the sea wore shortcuts, or

re along the way, to get them back presented a hazard egard and inef-ff

hip at risk.anga Bridge 2.5m dory hull

d in Dunedin by d, says current bout 2001.ing out in the or, everything

so someone had

There’s a wood burningside midships starboard.Charlie Noble.

“The guy who built thitor,” says Pete. “So everyhim to make their chimnin Dunedin. So he becamNoble.

“So when he wanted a nNoble.”

Wanting to get out of Dand crew Brent Foster setalong by a good south-ea

The second night they for a storm to blow thougeasterly that took them tofor Christmas and New Y

“Then we got another bhere in three weeks,” says

They are heading for thin the Mount and he’s hapilot which he has yet to

The dory hull form as weastern Canada and the n

Narrow flat bottomed wboats on the open sea and

The basic hull has been designers producing largewere about 4-5m length;eight metres. The moderadory of 10 metres, makin

A quirk of the dory worreferred to the bottom plaoverall. This measuring is

Andrew Campbell


This is a stunning Pelin Challenger first launched in 1987, Bateleur has

been lovingly cared for by only three owners.

A rare hardtop version, she has been con-tinually updated along the way. In 2009, new Volvo D4 diesels on shafts were installed and only have 480 hours of use.

Her roomy interior with plenty of room for the whole family, and the downstairs helm sta-tion keeps the skipper close to all the action!

Internal Features: • Large island double in forepeak• Generous shower & toilet area• Large full length bunks, and room for

others• Two fridges and a large cockpit freezer• New salon upholstery, complemented by

new roman blinds• Two new salon sliding windows• Impressive flybridge

Like all Challengers she has easy walk around decks, with the addition of new

improved heavier full length bow rail, for extra safety, plus the bonus of a Dinghy Davit that makes retrieval easy. Bateleur offers comfort-able cruising at around 17 knots, with max up to 23 knots.

These larger Pelin Challengers are still highly respected, and particularly those that have this high level of presentation, and she will not disappoint you, do not miss this opportunity to view.

Bateleur is currently offered for sale exclu-sively by Tauranga Boat Sales, and can be viewed at the Tauranga Bridge Marina.

Family Fun!

Listing broker Brett Eaton would be keen to show you all of her fantastic features. Brett can be reached at 0274 592 982 or 07 575 0512

10 WATERLINE

CLUB NEWS

MARCH 2016

January belongs to the P Class with the Tanner and Tauranga Cups in 2016 in

Paihia at the Bay of Islands Yacht Club.

The Tanner Cup pits the regional representa-tives against each other in a seven race regatta over two days. The Bay of Plenty representative was Lachlan Dillon sailing X Rated a well-known Tauranga P Class with a great history. Lachlan started well with a handful of top ten finishes but wasn’t quite able to hold on the last day, suffering an OCS but still finishing 7th overall out of 11 in his first Tanner Cup. The Tanner Cup was won by Robbie McCutcheon (Wanganui) sailing P55, Persuasion with three race wins and a nett total of 14 points over the 7 races.

Next up was the Tauranga Cup which is the P Class nationals and there was a lot of interest in the event with 37 entries from all over the country. TYPBC’s team of five sailors had to cope with some very light conditions and lots of tide on day 1. It was disheartening to see some of the fleet stuck at the top mark while the front group was crossing the finish line. Lachlan Dillon was steady, Max Scott excelled with a 5th in race 3 where even the big guns got it wrong and were found at the back of the fleet. Day 2 saw a steadier breeze and the race area chosen was not quite so prone to the tidal effect. Lachlan Dillon remained the best placed competitor from Tauranga but James Barnett had a better day with an 11th. Day three was long and hot. When we got out to the race area the wind disappeared and the sun came out, hot and strong. There was a two hour delay while we waited for the breeze to arrive and with it came a huge swell up and down which the P Classes were disappearing and reappear-ing. Campbell Stanton must have been hiding in a swell as he stole the start with a beautiful pin end start and easily port tacked the fleet. It was tight at the top of the leader board with only one point separating second, third and fourth going in to the last races and there was some really tight racing. Robbie McCutch-eon was once again dominant and managed to clearly win to take the double Tanner and Tauranga Cups.

Starling championshipsNo rest for the wicked BOI Yacht Club who

had to do it all again the next day with the running of the Starling North Island Cham-pionship. The first day was very hot and the starlings were a little delayed onshore before streaming out to the race area, making a beauti-ful sight for those sightseeing at the Waitangi

Treaty Grounds. Tauranga had a good group of starling sailors

competing in the somewhat light conditions. Jason Hewitt of Hamilton had a very good first day counting a 3rd, a win and a second. Tom Maidment was also well placed and Jon Barnett scored a 5th in the opening race. Once again, a long tiring hot day for all. Day two, the final day looked to bringing some bigger breeze. Jason continued his good form to take out second place overall and first Youth. Gareth Moore a past Starling National Champion jumped back in a borrowed starling and showed the younger sailors his expertise with a total of four wins from six races. Tom Maid-ment had a consistent last day with scores of 4, 5 and 5 to finish 4th overall and second youth.

Laser Nationals For some it was a case of arrive home and

go away again the next day with a different boat for the Laser Nationals at Muritai, in Eastbourne, Wellington. The forecast looked dire, even for the more experienced sailors with a week of winds in excess of 25 knots. It all came true and the first day was postponed and then cancelled due to too much breeze. The following days brought unrelenting steady breeze which while sailable by most was pretty soul destroying for some of the younger, lighter skippers. Nevertheless they got on with it and were generally in good heart despite the pound-ing they were getting going upwind. Dylan Mckinlay sailing Laser Radial in the Open divi-sion was enjoying the breeze and finished 8th overall and 3rd Open category. Jason Hewitt fin finished 6th Youth and 11th overall. The Laser Radial was won overall by George Gautrey sailing at his home club of Muritai and fresh off a Silver medal at the Youth Worlds. Richard Wright finished 22nd, Jonathon Barnett 27 and Elly Warren 32nd.

Optimist sailorsMeanwhile back at TYPBC coach Maria

was making the most of the huge swells to get our optimist sailors out through the entrance and surfing some big, big waves. They had a lot of fun even if their tummies were feeling a bit queasy at times. It was time to get back into Optis after a stint in the P Class for those off to the next Optimist ranking regatta – the Auckland Champs at Maraetai Beach.

This was the first time that Maraetai had hosted the optimist Auckland Champs and they did a fabulous job. Mind you, they are blessed with a beautiful beach, a huge reserve and an amazing club house which sits out over the water.

TYPBC had a good contingent of Optis: James Barnett, Braedyn Denney, Teaghan Denney, Lachlan Dillon, Joel Kennedy, Max Scott, Blair Mellsop and Anya Pearce (who was competing for the first time in the Open Fleet).

Not much wind at MaraetaiDay one at Maraetai was forecast to be very

light and that turned out to be the case. Race Officer Gerald took the kids out before lunch but the breeze just would not appear. In every-one went again for lunch on the beach before launching again a couple of hours later. Things looked hopeful for a while as the Yellow fleet of Optis managed to get a start but then the wind died, did an about turn and all sorts of weird things were happening. Campbell Stanton had a huge lead over his flight but with chaos behind him the RO abandoned the race. So no races completed on Day one and everyone went home to rest and try again the next day.

Day 2 saw the fleets get away after a short delay and the aim was to complete four races after which the fleet would be split into Gold and Silver for three finals races the next day. The first two races were shifty and light, but the forecast thunderstorm looked to be heading our way as black clouds gathered and brought a heavy downpour followed by some breezier conditions for the third race. Lachlan Dillon had his first race win in the Opti in race 3, woohoo! James Barnett had a good day as well with a 7 and two 5ths but capsized in race 4 and lost his rudder. Joel Kennedy had a steady day with four good races all in the top 15 and a 7th as his best. Braedyn Denney also scored a top ten with a 6th in race 2.

Finals day saw five of our group in the Gold fleet and three in Silver. Day 3 was also fairly light winds and there were some interesting wind shifts throughout the day which had the fleet reaching to the finish line in one race. James managed to start well with a close fought 3rd in the first finals race, got caught out in the

P class double to Whanganui


middle race having to carry a 47th, but came back strongly to finish with a 5th. Lachlan had two 13ths and then a 26th. Joel kept improving through the day, finishing on a 7th in race 3. In Silver fleet, Blair popped out a 2nd and an 8th to finish 6th overall in Silver. Anya had a couple of better results in the Silver fleet as did Teaghan who came 13th in finals race 1. All in all it was a tough regatta with only 7 races and one drop and difficult shifty conditions.

So a brief stop at home so that everyone can go to school for a day or two before head-ing back to Auckland to attend Junior Sail Auckland/Optimist Pre Nationals and the NZ Optimist National Teams Racing Champion-ship.

Sail AucklandThe TYPBC opti group of Max Scott, Joel

Kennedy, Lachlan Dillon and James Barnett made the pilgrimage with Coach Maria. The day before had seen torrential rain in Auck-land and on arrival at Kohi the rain was at the persistent drizzle stage where you get wet and stay wet. Not much fun rigging sails and slog-ging through heavy sand but after a small delay racing got underway with the Open Optimists split into two fleets. James Barnett got off to a dream start with a 2,4,1,1 score line to end the day leading the regatta (first time ever). Joel Kennedy also took out a win in race 4 in the Blue Fleet. Lachlan Dillon also had a good

day with three top ten results. Maria was one very happy coach! Day 2 was finals day and the lighter, shifty conditions of the previous day had gone and there was much more wind and waves on the course. Enough wind that some of the less experienced double handed boats stayed ashore. In the heavier conditions James couldn’t quite hold onto his overnight lead, relinquishing the win to Robbie McCutcheon and finishing 4th overall. Joel Kennedy was 16th, Lachlan Dillon29th and Max Scott 60th.

The team was joined by Braedyn Denney on day 3 for the National Optimist Teams Racing Championship. They had a dream run on the day and went through to the semi-finals only losing to the team from Korea and beating top ranked Murrays Bay. Overall TYPBC were placed third kiwis in the championship which was won by Kohimarama.

TaurangaNext up was Tauranga’s own Regatta the

Steve’s Marine Supplies Tauranga regatta which attracted around seventy boats, had perfect conditions of sun and wind which made for typically wonderful Tauranga sailing conditions! It was good to see a healthy number of Opti Green Fleet sailors getting out competing.

Queen Charlotte Yacht ClubAnd if that wasn’t enough the Optis (and

one Starling) were off again a couple of days

later to compete at the Interislander Challenge, Picton – the last ranking regatta for Optis prior to Nationals. This year saw a huge number of entries with 107 boats in the Open Optimist and around 50 in the Green fleet. There were certainly some very challenging conditions for the sailors with big wind shifts and particularly strong winds on the first day of racing. Joel Kennedy, Lachlan Dillon and James Barnett had made the journey down together with starling sailor Samantha Kennedy. Picton is a beautiful setting for a regatta and the road trip plus the ferry and the fact that nearly every-one has come from far away makes for a great atmosphere. The first day was a tiring one on the water with lots of hiking and James was pleased to get three top ten results in yellow fleet. Joel sailing in blue fleet had a 7th in race 2. Day 2 was a bit lighter in the wind depart-ment but also very shifty and it could be costly if you got a bad start. Lachlan Dillon wasn’t fazed and took out a 4, 8 and 2nd. Samantha read the conditions well in the starling fleet and had a 7th and 4th. Day three saw the fleet split into gold and silver and if anything the wind shifts seemed to have become more extreme. Picton certainly teaches you to be very alert! James had a much better day to finish strongly with a 4th and take 12th place overall. Lachlan finished 16th and Joel 31st. Samantha contin-ued her good form to be tenth.

Tauranga Yacht & Power Boat Club

Pauline Barnett

12 WATERLINE

CLUB NEWS

MARCH 2016

During the last term of 2015 we’ve started a Learn to Windsurf

programme with six children giving boardsailing a go on BoPSAT gear.

One or two have already progressed onto bigger sails with steady improvements throughout the group. Perhaps by the end of the summer they’ll be able to enjoy blasting around the Tauranga harbour. Our coach this season is Ethan Butler who makes the trip all the way from Rotorua just to teach our kids. Ethan is a seasoned boardsailor thoroughly enjoying the challenges the harbour has to offer his group and looking forward to their progression onto faster gear. At the moment we are organising a Learn to Windsurf 2 pro-gramme as a follow up. If you also would like to learn to windsurf please contact Pauline at [email protected].

Sir Peter Blake and South Island Champs

It has been a busy last three months for boardsailors at TYPBC with a couple of regattas around the country. Dolf ten Have, Max van der Zalm, Veerle ten Have and Olly Maidment competed at the Sir Peter Blake Regatta at Torbay in Auckland during the first weekend of December 2015. Challeng-ing windy conditions together with some

gear problems made the regatta an interesting one and lots of new individual goals were set. Veerle finished as runner up in the fleet of nine Techno sailors despite equal amount of points with number one. Finishing second in the last race withheld her from first place unfortunately. Max took the third place in his first ever RS:X regatta with Dolf finishing fourth. Olly did a wonderful job by finishing seventh in 3 out of 6 races.

In January Dolf, Veerle and Max travelled to Lyttelton for the South Island Techno and RS:X Championships. A great week of windsurfing as a four day’s camp was organ-

ised during the week before the regatta. The combination of great coaches together with the company of 18 other young techno/RS:X and slalom windsurfers proved to be superb. The conditions during the regatta were again challenging with summer far away as tem-peratures were around 14 degrees. TYPBC did very well with Max finishing first overall in the Techno fleet, Veerle finishing first in the Techno girls U17 and Dolf taking first place in the youth RS:X.

Advanced GroupBack at the club experienced windsurfer

Alex Hart has started coaching Olly, Dolf, Veerle and Max on a weekly basis. Every Friday afternoon they get out from 4pm till dark to get challenged by Alex. Board han-dling, pumping, downwind sailing, rigging advice and racing tactics. All great learning and the four are lucky to have Alex for the next couple of months. Olly has recently stepped up in sail size and sailing now with a 5.7 sail. He is already proving the others to be someone to watch as he is the only one who can plane in these light winds! It will be great to see how these four have improved at the next two regattas: North Island Cham-pionships in Rotorua during Easter and the Nationals at Murrays Bay in Auckland end of April. By Christine Heady and

Pauline ten Have

Learn to Windsurf at TYPBC

Tauranga Yacht & Power Boat Club

WATERLINE 13

CLUB NEWS

MARCH 2016

With just a few more races to go at the time of writing, I think it’s safe

to say that WOW has been a success again this season.

The weather has generally been kind to us, and when there has been no wind, or too much wind in most cases, the WOW crew put on another activity in the club rooms. A great example was race 7 which was cancelled due to howling winds and the sideways rain that signalled a pretty miserable sail! In its place, WOW arranged a presentation about some of the most important sailing rules given by Gary Smith, a current sail-ing New Zealand judge for rules. Gary spoke about three of the most common rules in the rules book and how they might apply when two boats are tacking and / or on overlaps.

After Gary’s presentation, the sailorettes enjoyed some refresh-ments and dinner (at a bargain $16) which gave me the opportu-nity to ask a few people exactly why they love WOW.

Bruce and Fiona Harrison own a Farr 9.2 yacht which they kindly take a group of WOW ladies on each race. Fiona started WOW back in 2003 when she moved to Tauranga from Gisborne and saw the ad in the paper. She had always wanted to learn to sail and thought she would give it a go. Her inspiration was 17 year old Laura Dekker who sailed around the world on her own. Fiona thought “If she can do it, so can I!” She tried WOW and really enjoyed it and she and husband Bruce started sailing on a family yacht too. They were hooked and after about five years, decided to buy their own. They entered it into the WOW fleet straight away.

Letting a newbie help sail your nice new boat is pretty generous so I was keen to find

out why. Fiona explains that she enjoyed WOW so much herself and wanted to give others the same opportunity. “It’s hard to start sailing without knowing someone with a sail boat. It’s also another chance for us to get the boat out on the water.” Fiona says she feels it’s important for wives going out sailing with their husbands to be competent sailors too. If something happens out at sea and the husband is unable to sail, then you are able to get the boat back yourself. She has

had a few ladies who have sailed with their husbands but not known how to manage the boat themselves – she likes to help teach them how to.

Fiona and Bruce also take part in the Tauranga Yacht Club Wednesday night racing and have done the Pacific Rim twice and plan to do it again in Russia this year! Fiona explains that WOW gave her confidence to get into sailing and take part in races.

Angela Saunders is in her third season of WOW. She sails on ‘Whatever’ in the racing division.

Angela has always loved the sea. She has no family involvement with the ocean and didn’t

really have any chance to get out to sea before but she just loves the sea. She saw WOW in the local paper in the year before she started and made sure she knew when it was starting the following season.

When the season came around, Angela was both excited and a bit nervous – both of being out on the water and of feeling seasick. But she took seasickness tables, stocked up on ginger biscuits and found she loved it she as much as she hoped she would! “I was

hooked. I had no seasickness – per-haps because we sail in the harbour – and I couldn’t wait to get back for the next race,” says Angela. “I can relax on the boat in a way I can’t on land. After a sail, I sleep like I never have before – it’s my therapy!” Angela isn’t a strong swimmer and was a little nervous about that. “I just wear a little life jacket and we sail in a safe harbour – I figure if I did fall over-board, someone will see me before I’m out of the harbour!”

As well as Thursday night WOW sailing, Angela has taken part in some of the extra activities they organise including the dinghy sailing of which Angela says she has never laughed so much, and the Lake Rotoiti sail

which she tried last year “It’s good to take opportunities and it’s a good price and great fun.”

Angela is very grateful to the skippers who volunteer their boats saying, “They are all gems. There are no raised voices on the boats I’ve been on – they are all so calm and in control – it makes me feel very safe.” The boat she sails on, ‘Whatever’, is owned by a syndicate and she is very thankful to them all. She is also thankful to the organisers and to show it, she joined the WOW committee after her first season to ensure the opportu-nity WOW provides continues.

Greetings fellow water enthusiasts,Mother nature has been a little fickle on

delivering summer, however there is still lots of time to enjoy the water.

Please do not be complacent that your trailer will get you from A to B safely. I witnessed a lovely launch trailer suspension collapse, pushing the wheel into the hull on the Lake Okataina Road. The message is simple and clear, ALL trailers require regular

inspection of suspension and maintenance of the trailer, regardless of lake or salt water usage.

My observations are that the Trail Sailing yachts are increasing in popularity, both in our TYPBC club racing fleet and the cruising divisions.

We welcome all enquiries regarding Trailer Yachts, there is always a club member who has the experience and wisdom to help.

Don’t forget, the evenings are getting darker a lot quicker, now would be a great time to check your trailer lights and connec-tions are working BEFORE you need to use them.

Wishing all boaties a safe and happy experi-ence on the water.

By Graham Vincent, Chairman, Division 4, TYPBC

Trailer maintenance warning

By Sophie Headley – proud WOW sailorette and committee member

A roaring success again

Angela explains different winches at the basic skills night.

TYPBC Women on Water

14 WATERLINE

CLUB NEWS

MARCH 2016

Tg Yacht Club

Four new boats recently added to the Bay of Plenty Sailing Academy Trust 420 fleet are named after local sailors who at one time all sailed in the school sailing fleet before moving on to the international arenas.

“Our older boats are all numbered, but we decided to name the new ones after four members of the NZL Sailing team who did team sailing here,” says Bopsat chairman Stuart Pedersen.

“Peter Burling is our patron and we didn’t include him among the names. So now we will have Jason Saunders, Tom Saunders, Sam Meech and Molly Meech hitting the harbour again every week, even when their namesakes are off at international regattas.”

Tom Saunders and Sam Meech both of whom did school sailing using the BopSAT fleet, were special guests at the launch. The new boats bring the 420 fleet to 12.

Grants were approved by the Lion Foundation and the Tauranga Energy Consumers Trust in spring 2015, and the boats were ordered. They have arrived in time for term one training on the Tauranga harbour.

Team sailing is the sailing equivalent of rugby sevens. It sees two teams of three boats racing over a very short stadium-type course in a rapid-fire round robin series. Sam and Tom said that it was some of the best sailing fun they have had, and taught them a lot which they have been able to use in their racing since.

Four local high schools will be using the boats starting next week, with a number of local coaches including the yacht club profession-als. Meanwhile some of the older boats will be given a spruce up in anticipation of getting team sailing started at Rotorua, where coach Sue

New 420s for fleetPaula Hudson from Tauranga Energy

Consumer Trust, Tom Saunders, Sam Meech and Stuart Pedersen inspect

one of the new 420s.

Davy is hoping to get a team together this term. “Some of our boats are twelve years old and have had a hard life” says

Stuart. “This makes maintenance increasingly expensive, and leads to

frequent disruptions in training due to gear failures. It was time to upgrade our 420 fleet and we applied for funds in May last year. We maintain the boats with a team of volunteers, but we are reliant on funding bodies to keep our fleet up to date, and we really appreciate it when they are able to help us.” By Andrew Cambell


A brisk sou-wester kicks up an awkward chop against an incoming tide just off the Tamaki yacht club.

A young lad sticks close to his dad as they step carefully amongst the light, timber racing yachts and their flamboyant skippers who seem to constantly jest each other in such a way that the lad can’t decipher if they’re seri-ous or not. As another gust darkens the water along the shoreline, the yachts twist and rock in their cradles, and the skippers grab at the rigging to try to prevent premature launch-ings.

“Are they called a drip class?” the young lad asks his dad as he inspects the insignia near the top of the fully-battened cotton sail. “I think they’re known as Zephyr yachts,” the father replied. The boy decided “Drip class” seemed easier to remember, just like the “Heart” class yachts that were also rigging up, further along the beach.

They stopped and rubbed their hands over a particularly pristine smooth varnished deck of an unattended Zephyr. The young lad looked up at the sail and saw the sail number 32. He decided that would be his favourite number from that day on. All kids had a favourite number. The owner materialised with a big grin....” Bit of hard yakka gone into that deck. First Kahikatea hull you know. She’s a good one!” he pronounced. He introduced himself to the father as Alan Gibbs, and they small-talked about the boat and the coming racing that afternoon. The young lad looked at the yacht, and the man, and sensed an enthusiasm he had never seen before.

A few years earlier, a lean,

young boat builder got up particularly early one day, and went straight to the garage, and opened the door to let some light in on his lofting work. He knelt on the floor and cast his eye along the sheerline. That was it....just needed a bit more sweep. He sprung his favourite spruce batten through, and re-drew the line. Des stood up and placed his hands on his hips. He was finally pleased. Des built Zephyr #1, and attracted substantial interest from Auckland’s sailing fraternity. Soon the order books were full, and Des Townson set up a produc-tion line of hand-made, cold-moulded pine racing yachts complete with Oregon spars and kauri rudders and centreboards.

After #31 he altered hull construction to kahikatea as it was more forgiving to work, and a little lighter. Des con-sidered that the average race yacht of the day probably had an effective life of 10 years.

Des used crushed seashells from a nearby beach to thicken the resorcinol glue in order

to help fill any gaps in workmanship, and utilised electric blankets to speed up the glue cure in hull construction. He went on to build over a couple of hundred wooden Zephyrs, and subsequent assigned builders have brought fleet numbers up to about 400 boats.

Recent developments have seen a female mould constructed in order to produce fibreglass hulls. In time, fibreglass deck-and-cockpit mould-ings will secure the class’s position as one of the most enduring centreboard classes ever. Beyond that point, carbon spars are also under discussion, and importantly, weights and mechani-cal characteristics of these modern materials are being configured to ensure that a Zephyr of any vintage, is equally competitive. Afterall, this is the nearest New Zealand has to master-class centreboard racing. The fleet ownership reads like a who’s who of NZ small boat sailing. In saying

that, at club level, there is great racing to be had involving multiple skill levels.

A brisk sou-wester pushes the Tauranga harbour into the familiar step chop against the incoming tide. The boats rock in their cradles as the skippers lock the halyards into the masthead cleats.

Shoreside banter between the sailors could convince a bystander that these sailors are incapable of swapping any serious words, ever. Each yacht is the same, but different.

Adjustments are laid out differently, centreboards vary slightly, as do rudders. The skippers all seem to have nicknames....Captain Spud, Two Bob, Iron Watson, Knowlsey, Capt Jack, Crafty Old Bastard, the notorious Smythe brothers, etc. The yachts are lined up by the launch-ing ramp and the skippers

squirm into wetsuits that probably fitted them quite well 25 years ago. But nevermind, they’re still doing it and having as much fun with their clothes still on as they can still imagine, or remember.

The start gun sounds and the sailors are no longer friends. They lean hard as the fully-battened sails generate probably too much torque for the Crafty Old Bastard and a couple of other lightweights in the fleet. Each puff sees the heffalumps grinning, each lull sees the featherweights moving up through the fleet.

No-one can remember when a protest was last lodged in a zephyr race. Some maturity in sailing seems to take the edge off the cut-and-thrust of younger years. Besides, it’s all about the banter and beer at the end of the race.

A not-so-young lad drops the sail on zephyr #32 after the race, and rubs his hand over the varnished deck and smiles. She’s 58 years old now. and I remember her from that day on the Auckland waterfront. Alan Gibbs went on to become a NZ rich-lister with a well-known sculpture farm North of Auckland. She’s being looked after Alan, and yep, she’s done more than 10 years. A lot more.

By Geoff Collins

Strange addictions and affiliations

Mark Thomas of Tauranga sailing a zephyr.


A bottle of Waitemata sparkling wielded by the builder’s wife doused

the bow fitting, and the new 16 foot Blue Peter trailer yacht slipped

into the water in front of the interested gathering.

With a rakish bow, double chine, and light-weight ply-on-stringers on sawn frames this was a pretty design, and probably a dozen were built, heralding a new era in New Zealand sailing.

A young designer Richard Hartley was quick to rec-ognise the potential in this concept. His time was well divided as he tried to satisfy the demand for the ferro cement fervour that he had created in NZ and Australia. With a nod to the Blue Peter design and construction, Dick Hartley drew the plans for a range of cabin trailer yachts starting from 12 foot long through to 21 feet. Mr. Hartley was a good marketing guru, and by the 1960s, there were dozens of Hartley 16s and 18s being built in garages all over New Zealand and Australia. His plans were user-friendly, the

boats were roomy with a healthy

sail area, and performed well, and looked good. You could race or cruise them, and float them in just over a foot of water. Perfect for New Zealand’s bountiful tidal harbours. Typical of many yachts of the day, there was no buoyancy and a marginal ballast ratio, so a hand was always needed ready at the main-sheet to spill some air if the yachts became over-powered. Capsize was not an option.

Richard Hartley had certainly fuelled a fire. By the mid 70s, other designers stepped in, and added to an increasing array of plans available to the home builder. Frank Pelin drew up a range of roomy lightweight yachts, and took over the mantle of marketing guru, with interesting diversions into cold-moulded and foam construction. The time was ripe as Kiwis couldn’t get enough of trailerable cruiser-racers. The late 70s saw a tumultu-ous time for little old New Zealand....Britain had joined the EEC and we were on our own. Vulnerable to the world markets for the first time ever, the volatile Muldoon govern-ment announced a fuel crisis and introduced carless days, as well as CNG and LPG gas options to run our cars. This briefly played into the hands of trailer yacht boat-builders as pleasure boaters shifted their thinking from outboard power to sail power, and production-line construction boomed. But Muldoon was too clever for his own good. In 1979 he introduced a 20% tax on boat and caravan construction overnight in order to fill the coffers, and literally killed an entire industry. Countless boat builders scuttled off

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hey-daysto Australia in order to survive, and the Muldoon government lost in a snap election soon afterwards.

However, during the boom years, fibreglass production gained a foothold, and countless designs flooded the Australasian market. Up-and-coming whizz kid Bruce Farr designed a range, as did Laurie Davidson and several others. Steve Marten took Noel Honey’s much loved, high performance Noelex 22 and produced a glass version, and went on to produce the popular Noelex 25. Not to be outdone, Murray Ross introduced his more radical, light-and-long thinking and launched the prolific Ross 780. What’s more, you could stand up inside the 780, cruise for a couple of weeks, and it would plane on a broad-reach with ease. Alan Wright stepped in once again as “every-mans’ designer”, and drew up a fleet of wholesome production and home-build boats to satisfy all tastes. Lateral-thinking Jim Young introduced his popular range of water-ballasted plywood yachts.

The aftermath of Muldoon’s destructive regime saw a shuffling around of the many moulds as budding builders tried to re-spark history. Quite a few moulds were even sent to Australia. Eventually the “fuel crisis” was forgotten, but by this time, New Zealand had a large fleet of, nearly new, home-grown trailer yachts. Regular National champs for the various classes attracted many name sailors, and were fought out tenaciously. A minor home build revival saw the innovative Trailer-Trima-rans from Ian Farrier create an entire career for him, whilst Greg Elliott, a disciple of Jim Young, not to be put off by the volatility of the industry, broke new ground with the super-fast 5.9, 6.5 and 7m designs.

A feature event was the Hauraki Gulf 100 miler. Attract-ing up to 100 trailer yachts, this glamour event highlighted the hey-day of trailer-yachting. Starting at Kawakawa Bay, the massive fleet raced across to Coromandel then anti-clockwise up and around Rangitoto, and down through the night to the finish near Kawakawa again. New Zealand’s very best Trailer yachties attended this event, and it was won on the line three years in succession by Tauranga yachts Xtsea, Maverick and El Capone.

By the 2000’s, New Zealand had gone through yet another metamorphosis. Rounding up a crew for weekend contests was becoming difficult, and fleet numbers at national contests was becoming diminished. And by this time, most of our production fleet was 20 something years old. As we enter 2016, our fleet is now mostly around 35 years old. Economics have dictated, and very few new trailer yachts have been produced for over 20 years now. Exist-ing yachts often need new sails, new trailers, new rigging, re-paints, re-furbished drop-keels, up-graded interiors, etc. Fibreglass construc-tion seems to have stood the test of time, with hulls and decks being basically sound, but in need of re-finishing, (if not already done). The good news is that older trailer sailers can be purchased for nix. Lot of boat for the money if you’re a practical type. And still the best gunk-holing concept for our tidal harbours and Gulf islands that money can buy.

It was fantastic to be part of the hey-days of NZ trailer-yachting. To win a Hauraki 100 miler, or a Noelex 22 nationals, or a Ross 780 nationals was of considerable mana. Take a bow Tauranga sailor Ross Currie. You did all three. And you won the spot prizes each time, eh Ross! By Geoff Collins


Brazilian Coastguard/Lifeguard Service’s Lt Rodrigo Fiorentini recently spent two weeks with the Maketu Coastguard, to see how local services operate.

In Brazil Rodrigo’s unit plus one other cover a massive 600km of coastline. Admittedly his unit alone has 14 vessels which is high compared to the majority of New Zealand units that have only two main vessels.

Rodrigo was particularly keen during his visit to see the wide

range of vessels in use here. Which was why he was sta-tioned with Maketu Coastguard Volunteer unit which operates the Eastpak Rescue jet boat, Gibby Rescue, Jet Skis, IRB and a Teryx 4X4 specifically used for on shore search and rescue.

Rodrigo says of all the vessels he has seen Eastpak Rescue was his favourite.

“I really enjoyed driving East-pak with its twin jet engines it is very fast and manoeuvrable,” he says. Compared with their 33m

vessel in Brazil which has two fire pumps and a maximum speed of 10 knots, driving such a quick and nimble vessel was great, says Rodrigo.

“Having the opportunity to see how the NZ Coastguard volunteers operate has been good. In Brazil we are all paid staff and it is wonderful to see the time, skill and dedication the volunteer crews put into the service here.”

He also had the chance to learn

about how Coastguard units work closely with other emergency services such as police, Surf rescue and the TECT helicopter, during time spent with the Tauranga unit.

Rodrigo’s final training day with Maketu Coastguard finished with a search and rescue training exercise with Rodrigo at the helm.

Brazilian coastguard visits the Bay

Rodrigo (second from right) at Maketu with

the crew.

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The next phase of the Rena decision was under way even before the official announce-ment on February 26 of the Rena Commission’s decision granting the resource consent allowing the owners and insurers to leave the remainder of the wreckage on Astrolabe Reef.

Nga Hapu o Motiti is asking the Government to continue the exclusion zone around the reef as it has been since Rena ran aground there on October 5, 2011. They refer to a three nautical mile zone.

The current exclusion zone is only two nautical miles, and is expected to be lifted once New Zealand Diving & Salvage complete the final stage of the debris clean-up operation this month – depending on weather and marine conditions.

The zone was imposed as a safety measure during salvage operations and is expected to be lifted by harbourmaster Peter Buell when the reason for its existence goes.

Meanwhile Rena owners and insurers have

been consulting with the former reef users, the dive clubs and fishers about a reef access plan and how the initial rush will be managed.

As Waterline went to press it wasn’t known if there were any substantial objections to the Commission’s decision which underpins the ability for the reef ’s future management.

“We do not have jurisdiction to order the wreck to be removed,” says the commissioners in the decision. “Those that have sought its removal have not given to us any procedural or statutory means as to how this could be achieved. No one has proffered a reasonable or tenable pathway to achieve complete wreck removal.”

A decision refusing the consents would not address the management of the wreckage and debris and wold place the whole matter in limbo – and the only legal control would be by the council or the Maritime Transport Act.

Because the limitation provisions of the MTA are beyond the council’s jurisdiction, legal strug-

gles could go on and on, say the commissioners.Granting the consents allows emplacement of

an enforceable statutory regime for at least 20 years after the granting of any consent.

“In our view the proposed conditions would put in place a framework under the control of the Council that would ensure that the reef would be managed in as sustainable way as is possible,” says the decision.

“The conditions have been extensively consid-ered, particularly by the Council, the Applicant and the Crown, and their expert witnesses. They have gone through many iterative stages and been subject to expert caucusing sessions.”

The management will be at the cost of the consent holder, Daina Shipping Company and The Swedish Club.

“It is this certainty of a managed programme, designed to prevent further damage to the reef and to monitor the expected long-term recovery of the reef that weighs importantly in the exer-cise of our judgement,” says the decision.

Rena implications and ramifications


BATTERYWAREHOUSE

For Sale

For Rent

Trades and Services

Wanted

BATTERIES Battery Direct Nz www.batterydirect.co.nz [email protected] 0800 267 468BOAT MAINTENANCE Matamata Motor Trimmers & Upholstery Boat clear, canvas work, upholstery Ph: 07 571 4421 CNR Mirrielees & Cross Roads, TaurangaFINANCE AFB Accept Finance Brokers Ph: 07 574 0002 / 027 4435524 7 Days

CLA S S I F I E D SC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LL A SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SAA SS IS IS IS IS IS IS ISS ISSS I FF IF IF IF IF IF IF IFFF IFF I E DEDEDEDEDEDEDDEDEDEDEE SSSSSSSSSSSSSC L A S S I F I E D S

16M MARINA BERTH – for rent at Bridge Marina $600 per month. Ph 027 492 4988MOORING FOR RENT - Waikaraeo Estuary. Phone 07 843 4392 or 027 620 9712MOORING TO RENT – Whangamata. Good spot, close to Marina channel. $25 p/w Ph 022 132 3671

H28 Yacht can be viewed Sulphur Point Marina, Pier A2. British registered. Engine serviced, new windows, upholstery lining and bridge stove. $14,500 Ph 027 270 6565VOLVO MTR 200 HP x2 $14,500 each. 140 HP $8500 or to be run in. FORD 250 HP $6500. May trade. Ph 07 843 4392 or 027 620 9712Farr 600 T4049 – Firlex jib Bimini, Yahama 8hp. Reid trailor (excellent condition) Offers. Phone: 543-1755.12ft Aluminium dingy plus trailer. Trailor needs some repairs. $1,200. Phone 07 576 6443. Deep water mooring for sale in Whakatane. Located in good part of the Channel. Phone Steve or Karmann on 07-3089058

LAUNCH - Steel launch 30ft to 10ft. Little use View B46 Tauranga Marina. $34,500. Ph 07 843 4392 or 027 620 9712

WANTED Volvo 200HP or 230HP Phone 07 843 4392 or 027 620 9712.

Yakityyak Kayak ClubSunday 6 March Hahei Rock GardeningPaddling from Hot Water Beach, heading north along the coastline, taking time to explore the caves. Land at Hahei beach for lunch & for those keen, paddle out to Mahurangi Island to explore.

Off the water by 4.30pm. Ph Estelle 022 091 8605 or email: [email protected] if you want a lift in the van.Thursday 24 March Nelson Region Explorer – BOP10 days paddling the sea, lakes & rivers in the South Island. A jam packed trip with additional adventures too. Limited space, register your interest now. Ph 574 7415 or [email protected]

Surf Life Saving NZThursday 17 March New Zealand Surf Lifesaving ChampsWhakatane Surf Lifesaving Club, Pohutukawa Ave, Ohope March 17 – 20. The NZ Masters Championships will commence March 17 paving the way for the Open Championships from March 18-20. Ph Prue Younger 021 276 5484.

Saturday 2 April BOP Surf Fescue ChampionshipsPapamoa Surf Life Saving Club, 561 Papamoa Beach Rd April 2-3.

Rowing NZFriday 15 April U23 National Selection TrialApril 15-20 at Lake Karapiro, High Performance Centre 9am – 5pm.Sunday 17 AprilApril 17-23 at Lake Karapiro, High Performance Centre 5pm.Friday 29 April U21 TrialApri 29 – May 1 at Lake Karapiro, High Performance Centre 9am – 5pm.

The Hutchwilco Boat ShowMay 12-15 at ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane, Auckland. http://boatshow.co.nz/buy-tickets/

To list your water sports event please email: [email protected] with Water Sports in the subject heading.


Valhalla is designed and built by John Gladden boat builder of Milford in

Auckland and launched in May 1964.

Valhalla was built as a game fishing launch for Mr Tony Bullock of Ti Point. Valhalla is constructed of single skin kauri and solid teak coamings, measuring 12.2m in length, 3.8m beam and 1m draft. Valhalla is powered by a 130hp Ford diesel and has three stations.

Game rigged, with a game chair, live bait tanks. There’s auto anchoring and a chain counter, an inflatable and outboard engine, a toilet, shower, fridge/freezer, gas stove/oven, and leather upholstery.

Valhalla sleeps seven in three single berths and two doubles. There’s a walk through tran-som, side opening doors, walk round decks, and she’s ex SSM surveyed.

Valhalla is well equipped with electronics;

two VHF, radar, two GPS/plotters, auto pilot, two fishfinders, one depth sounder, stereo, CD player, and a new switchboard.

Valhalla has had several upgrades over the years and has been well maintained and pre-sents in pristine condition.

She’s a beautiful classic with great fishing history.

Contact Brian Worthington at Gulf Group Marine Brokers for more details.

Beautiful classic on marketBeautiful classic on market

waterline magazine march 2016

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