A r e g u l a r J O UR N A L f r o m t h e C r u i s i n g Y ac h t C l u b o f So u t h A u s t r a l i a
groundswell M AR C H 2016
Board of Management President Treasurer
Andrew Saies Chris Wood Wayne Coonan Peter Hall David Murray Glenn Spear Sam Tolley
Flag Officers Commodore Vice Commodore Rear Commodore
Geoff Boettcher Rowland Richardson Jacqueline Heffernan
Staff Chief Executive Officer Craig Evans Admin & Ops Manager Jenny Krogdahl Finance Manager Marina Segodina Comms & Member Services Mellissa Vahoumis Leasing Coordinator Kirsty Winstone Receptionist Andrea Boylon Marine Academy Coord Matthew Young Racing Manager Michael Tozer Food & Bev Manager Mario Cataldi Head Chef Matt Semba Port Vincent Marina Rob Marner Association Chairpersons Cruising Adrian Wotton Fishing Trevor Paynter Racing Rob Sellick Social Activities Pam Humeniuk Life Members Arthur F Carolan Geoffrey R Catt Richard H Fidock AO Graeme L Footer John D Gerard James A Henry (Dec’d) Malcolm A Kinnaird AC (Dec’d) Peter J Page Editors of Groundswell Gay Footer, Mellissa Vahoumis, Owen Mace, Terry Lockwood, Trevor Paynter Contributions to reception@cycsa.com.au Advertising in Groundswell Mellissa Vahoumis: Telephone 08 8248 4222 Groundswell is the official journal of the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia Inc. Lady Gowrie Drive, North Haven PO Box 1020 North Haven SA 5018 Telephone: 08 8248 4222 Facsimile: 08 8248 5888 Email: reception@cycsa.com.au Web: www.cycsa.com.au Phone Port Vincent: 0414 611 110 Registered by Australia Post Publication No PP565001/00184 ISSN 1039-4230 Graphic design by Trevor Paynter Printed by Reflex Printing Cover Photo: Graeme Footer’s Marnico takes Line Honours at the Ballast Head Cup Regatta. Photo courtesy of Margaret Patterson, Maggie’s Photography.
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CONTENTS 4 club management
16 cockling on Goolwa Beach
5 the Board
18 cruising over Christmas
Club President Andrew Saies on the proposed development for the Club
Kangaroo Island and Port Lincoln were very popular with our yachties
6 from the flags
19 cruise to port adelaide
Commodore Geoff Boetcher buys a ‘stink boat’!
Owen Mace shares some good info about bridges and other things...
7 club survey
21 Ballast Head Cup
A precis of members’ responses to the recent Club survey
Graeme Footer takes it out again for the seventh time!
8 personality profile
22 Christmas Bash
CEO Craig Evans keeps us informed and deals with Club ‘housekeeping’
Collecting bait was good fun with family and friends
Professional yachtsman and highly respected good bloke Tyson Lamond
All Association’s great evening BBQ
9 marine academy
Father Christmas arrives in luxury
They need a bigger boat says Matt
10 racing roundup
Racing season is in full swing
13 new boats to the club
Tender Business and Do Something
15 boating party
Fishing Association members and friends get together aboard some big boats
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23 Kid’s Chrismas Party 25 Geelong Week
Geoff Boettcher was there with SMB
26 Cruise to Kagaroo Island Alan Noble goes west from Wirrina Cove on Arriba
28 News from Jemmaroo
The Footers are in the Mediterranean with family and friends
At the Helm t has been a busy boating season at the Club this year and we have also had record usage of the Club’s North Haven Boat Ramp facility that we make available to the general boating public. Exceptionally good weather over the Christmas and New Year period saw boat usage at an all-time high with car and trailer parks overflowing on a number of occasions. Despite tough economic conditions racing fleets numbers have been strong. A number of our boats have also competed interstate with a couple of notable results for the Club coming from Game On owned by Julian Newton and Secret Mens Business owned by our Commodore Geoff Boettcher, both winning their respective divisions at the Festival of Sails in Geelong recently. A number of our ‘cruising’ members have ventured interstate in the past few months with a group heading down to Tasmania and another crossing the Tasman to explore New Zealand. Our ‘fishing’ members have also reported some good local catches this season and even the novices, like me, have managed to come back with a feed. The CYCSA Facilities Committee has been very busy looking at improvements to the Clubhouse bar and patio areas. The existing structure has served us well for many years but replacement is overdue. The new structure recently presented to members at an information night at the Club is a much more contemporary design and the proposed internal layout will assist the function of the area, particularly access to the bar from the patio, and the provision of a more acceptable alternative dining area for members when the restaurant is unavailable as a result of larger functions in the existing space. The architect’s concept drawing is shown opposite. The slipway operation at the Club is a vital facility not only for the lifting of marina based vessels for repair and maintenance but also for the launching of larger boats that are berthed on the Club’s hardstand. The facility is dependent on a well maintained and operational winch motor. The winch motor currently in place is the original and dates back to the early 1980s. It has served us well but has been identified as an aging piece of infrastructure that would be difficult to replace should it fail and not be repairable. With that in mind we have gone through a tender process and have ordered a new unit that should arrive from overseas in the coming months. Our plan is to keep the new unit on standby until such time as the existing unit requires replacement. Having the new one on standby ready for installation will reduce slipway downtime to around a week rather than four months if we were to only order the replacement on the failure of the existing winch motor. The Club’s Marina East program is coming along nicely with the main linking walkways and many of the individual fingers having already been refurbished. We are very pleased with the result of this effort and believe that life in these pontoons has been extended for many years. Unfortunately not all marina pontoons are easily repairable. Some are in very poor condition and require replacement. As part of the marina refurbishment program various fingers have been identified as needing replacement. The Club recently received the first shipment of new pontoons and these will be installed shortly (see photo this page). In the next edition of Groundswell there will be a more thorough report of progress showing what has been achieved in the first year of the refurbishment program. You may have noticed new automatic glass sliding doors to the main Clubhouse building and also the lounge over at Marina West. These doors have been installed to assist with handicap access of
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New pontoons for Marina East our facilities. The funding of these doors was assisted by an “Active Club Program Grant” made available through the Office of Recreation and Sport. We thank Leon Bignell MP, Minister of Recreation and Sport, for awarding the grant and the Hon Susan Close MP for presenting the certificate of funding to the CYCSA. A few housekeeping items: • Could all boat owners occupying marina berths please ensure that no part of your vessel is overhanging the pontoon walkway. Overhanging anchors, bowsprits, davits and the like can be extremely dangerous to people walking past. Please adjust your mooring lines to ensure that your boat is out of the way and safe for passersby. • Halyard noise from yachts remain the most common complaint the Club receives from our neighbours. Please ensure halyards are secured correctly and preferably away from the base of the mast. Halyard clips should be attached to strong points on the foredeck and lines tightened. If you need help please ask at the office. • Following several recent incidents with members’ pets on Club property I would like to remind members of their responsibilities as set out in the Club’s By-Laws. No member shall bring any animal into the Club buildings, patio, BBQ area, ceremony area or licensed areas. Guide dogs and hearing dogs are exempt from this rule. Dogs shall be kept on a lead at all times while on Club grounds or on the marina. Owners must clean up dog litter and dispose of it in waste bins. Pets should be restrained or removed from the Club grounds or marina in the event of excessive noise or disturbance. Safe boating. Craig Evans, Chief Executive Officer
From the President
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he Board has been busy over the summer. We have been progressing a number of agendas and I am pleased to report that very recently we held an information evening to update members on our mid year financial performance and how that has tracked against our long term ten year financial projections as well as advising members on how that feeds favourably into the Board’s desire and ability to fund a bar/ patio redevelopment. The financial position of the Club is tracking extremely well against budget and the Board is confident that subject to final costings being within our maximum spend the bar/patio development will proceed soon. I have previously written and spoken to the fact that for the Board to launch this upgrade it had to be comfortable that projected cash flows based on current and indexed member fees were sufficient to make both interest and capital repayments over about ten years, that the project could be delivered for a Board determined spend of around $1.2m and that the Board would seek to support the project with some voluntary fundraising from our members and supporters. In addition, projected cash flows needed to be sufficient to also fund the Marina East upgrade and all other anticipated capital expenditure. At the information evening we reported to members that these conditions had been largely met.
look for support from members in kind through donation or discount of product or services. I emphasise again this is not a call or levy on current members and project delivery is not conditional on this support but is a genuine appeal to long standing Club supporters to help us finish off this project. If you would like to help in some way don’t hesitate to contact me, Geoff Boettcher, Sam Tolley or Craig to discuss how you might be able help the Club with this project. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank David Murray and his committee for all the work they have done so far in bringing to the table an exciting modern design that will be within our budget and that has been thoroughly analysed for durability and functionality. Our recent member survey gave great positive feedback about many aspects of our Club services but as a Board our challenge is to continue to improve on everything we do and to change practices if required to meet member and market demand. The renovated bar and patio dining area once completed will provide both a challenge and a stimulus to really step up our food and beverage offering and to look at innovative ways to maximise the use and return on this hospitality space. 2016 looks set to become another important milestone year in our Club’s history and development. Andrew Saies, President Concept sketch of the new Club bar and patio area
While the Associations have already contributed through fundraising efforts over many years the Board still intends to approach supportive Senior Members in order to top up available funds by way of donations or sponsorship. These donations will enable the bar/patio project to be finished off to a greater level of style and comfort than might otherwise have been possible. We will also
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Commodore’s Report
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small group of energetic members along with our architects have shared many meetings putting together final plans for a bar/patio upgrade. I trust members will embrace with enthusiasm this new project which will help to ensure our Club will be well placed for its future. The current patio area has served us well over many years but is now unable to compete with what other Clubs and adjacent establishments have to offer. I believe members will be very pleased with what is proposed and what is about to take place in the very near future. CYCSA yachts have performed well interstate over this season. Game On and Secret Mens Business had success in Geelong winning their respective divisions with White Knight and Vertigo performing well in their divisions. It is pleasing to see that eight Victorian Yachts have entered our Adelaide to Lincoln and Lincoln Week Regatta. The experience gained from competing against these interstate boats is invaluable. The Lincoln racing is again proving popular with 49 entries for the race to Lincoln and 38 staying the week. Interstate yachting remains quite strong with all major regattas racing to the IRC Handicap Rule which has stood the test of time. It came into play in 1984 and from a 300 yacht base has grown to over 7,000 yachts from 40 countries racing to this rule. Some Clubs have gone away from IRC and adopted AMS. I believe the main reason for this being the cost for yacht owners who do not want to compete at that higher level. AMS is a cheaper alternative that perhaps fits between PHS and IRC. All our major regattas at the CYCSA are in line with premier Clubs both interstate and overseas who are running with the IRC Handicap system. I believe it to be the most accurate method of handicap yacht racing available at this time. Our Marine Academy is enjoying a successful year. Good attendance has helped boost our intake of new members after the completion of their courses. Thank you to both Vice Commodore Rowley Richardson and the training team who are responsible for making it all happen. We are also thankful to Hugh Longbottom for his time and effort in preparing our training yacht Academy 1 not only for academy courses but giving members the opportunity to compete in the Lincoln Race.
Over the last three months the following people have joined the Club. Please make them welcome.
Malcolm Ames Stephen Barlow Ned Cooper Tracy Hecker Despina Kontos Raymond Mcleod Maya Ueda Davis
Samuel Whitton Julian Kent Matty Allen David Baker Lucy Eaton Di Buck Peter Clark
the Club has had a strong presence at many events along the coast and further afield. After being an avid yachtsman since childhood I have recently ventured to the dark side of water sport by buying a power boat, commonly referred to by yachties as a ‘stink boat’. With the type of yachting I have been enjoying for many years it has not allowed Sue or myself to share time on the water cruising. Our first taste of this ‘alternate life’ happened when we took our new Tender Business with friends to Kangaroo Island. It was a new experience to enjoy the relaxing camaraderie of fellow Club members. Tender Business was taken over as the start boat for the infamous annual Ballast Head Cup Yacht Race and under the watchful eye of Race Officer David Saies my crew became proficient in flag waving. Thanks to Chris and Gina Wood I was able to escape to enjoy the race on their yacht Epiphany. The Social Committee has set Saturday 10 September for the Commodore’s Dinner. Trying not to be too biased I believe last year’s dinner was exceptional. Exotic table arrangements, good lighting and a great mix of music allowed guests to comfortably converse over dinner before enjoying a more a lively tempo as the evening progressed. Please support the Social Committee and the Club by booking early this year to avoid disappointment. We will ensure this year will even be a bigger success. Both Sue and I recently enjoyed a great Crabbing Day thanks to the efforts of the Fishing Association. Congratulations to all involved in delivering such a successful Club event.
A thank you to our Rear Commodore Jacq Heffernan for regularly putting her hand up to represent the CYCSA as a Flag Officer either at Club openings or social functions. Between Jacq and Rowley and their spouses
NEW MEMBERS
After being an avid yachtsman since childhood I have recently ventured to the dark side of water sport by buying a power boat, commonly referred to by yachties as a ‘stink boat’.
Alexander Dryden David Dunk Peter Dunk Benjamin Haar Lance Hewitt Andrew Hillier Carol Ann Hillier
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I trust all members enjoy the sailing, fishing and cruising as we draw to the last months of a successful season. Geoff Boettcher, Commodore
Vincent Monsieneur Helen White Katrina Hartman Jason Ricky Clark Naomi Ebert Smith Richard Jacka Terry Lyons
Andrew Minns Jason Powers Peter Stark Anthony Vonthoff Shaan Evans Peter Madigan Richard Watson
Members’ Survey
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23% which is not insignificant. It is interesting to note that 20% of respondents indicated their preparedness to donate. This is quite a satisfactory response in itself however the thinking behind it is not clear and it should be applied with caution.
ate last year members were asked to complete a survey to gauge members’ views on a wide range of Club services, facilities and activities. The Board has now had the opportunity to review the feedback and will use the results in its future planning decisions. It is now our pleasure to communicate the key messages taken from the survey.
Slipping
A total of 192 responses were collected, being a 29% response rate from the total recipients who were invited to participate in the survey. In comparative terms this can be considered a strong response rate. Members were asked to base their responses from their experiences over the last twelve months.
Club Administration and Communications
Overall the membership appear to be satisfied with the facilities and service (85% and 77% ‘good’ + respectively) with an eye to ensuring that price competitiveness remains an important benchmark to gauge satisfaction. 84% of respondents rated interaction with staff as ‘good’ +, 55% rated it ‘very good’ +. Isolated examples at the extremes also existed. This is a positive endorsement of how well treated our respondents felt.
General Overview • 70% to 90% of members were satisfied across all the areas surveyed. • There were a number of questions where 90% of respondents rated the response as ‘satisfied’ or ‘better’.
Club communication results were very positive with an overall average collective response of 88% rating broad Club communications to members as ‘good’ and above.
• There were comments provided across all of the questions with some questions generating up to 60 comments.
Ratings by area
Hospitality Facilities
• Marina East pontoons are considered to be problematic although there appeared to be good recognition and acceptance of the current remedy process.
Out of the total respondents who would not recommend the Club to friends or business to hold a function or small conference, 17% gave the reason being that the Club facilities are outdated.
• Sail lockers/storage facilities has room for improvement.
79% of the responses identified the importance of an upgrade of the bar, dining and patio areas as a priority. 20% of respondents are prepared to donate to the Club in order to get this project started this year.
• Port Vincent facilities need ongoing attention. • The toilet and shower facilities are tired. • Some complaints about the crane capacity were stated and the patio area was recognised to be tired and below par.
Hospitality
Associations
We have identified the main reasons for members not attending the Club for functions or to dine as follows: Location/Too far 49% Too expensive 22% Poor food quality/service 14%
On average 72% of respondents recognised the value of the various Associations to the life of the Club, rating the Associations importance as ‘fairly’ to ‘very important’. 63% of respondents wanted to hear more about the various associations’ upcoming events.
Marine Academy
The majority of respondents, (73%), were of the opinion that the Club’s food prices are ‘about right’, 38% of respondents suggested simpler, cheaper menu items. Twilight evenings were singled out as appropriate opportunities for a simple and inexpensive BBQ option.
The CYCSA Marine Academy was seen as an important element to the services we provide, with 81% of respondents rating the importance of the Marine Academy to the Club as ‘fairly’ to ‘very important’. As the only accredited Yachting Australia and Royal Yachting Association in South Australia it provides highly recognised training in our state for the benefit of our members and the wider general boating public. The Safety Sunday appears to be a popular experience.
Service standards and atmosphere rated well (78% ‘good’ +) and staff interaction was especially strong at 85% ‘good’ +. Opening times are ‘about right’ (83%). Use of the Club function facilities was well appreciated as 85% would recommend them.
Conclusions
The survey has reinforced to the Board and management that excellence of food quality and service are of critical importance to membership satisfaction and usage of the club.
Survey results should always be interpreted with care and used as an adjunct to other decision making considerations. That said the response rate is solid and the inclusion of comments enables a more insightful interpretation of members’ views. The ultimate test is membership and patronage trend direction which is quite stable in a very challenging economic environment.
Bar/Patio Upgrade An upgrade of the bar, dining and patio area was identified as a major priority for the Club, not only to add value by transforming tired and out-dated hospitality areas into inviting, modern, attractive environments that appeal to today’s guests, but to also ensure new guest/membership growth and appreciation for the Club. It was a key objective to assess members’ views as to the importance of this redevelopment.
Overall the results appear to endorse the Board’s considered approach to maintenance and renewal priorities with a desire to continually upgrade facilities to a higher level albeit with an eye to conservative financial management. Since the survey commenced in August a number of areas have already received attention demonstrating an ideology of ‘continuous improvement’.
80% of respondents rated an upgrade to be at least ‘slightly important’, however the ‘slightly important’ view accounted for
Mellissa Vahoumis and Sam Tolley 7
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y memories of Tyson go back some 15+ plus when, together with his older brother Ben, he used to come down to the Club with their father Vince Lamond who at the time owned Spirit of Downunder. Tyson was about 14 years old and had a wonderful zest and attitude towards life together with a cheeky endearing manner. Now 30 years old, Tyson returned to Adelaide to get married last December at the CYCSA as it was the Club that gave him his start in the yachting world and he considers it his home club. He commented that being able to show his sailing mates from all around the world how good his home club was meant a lot to him and he is sure they will never forget the CYCSA bar! He met his wife Chrissy while in San Francisco for the Americas Cup and she had no idea what a boat was and thought he was in the navy.
TYSON LAMOND In an article written by the former Sailing World Editor Stuart Streuli, Tyson conceded that luck has played a role in his career as the track from talented youth sailor to successful professional is vague at best.
As a teenager he crewed on several boats at the Club and David Urry asked him to help campaign his Farr 40, War Games, in the world championships which were being held in Sydney. Tyson took on the role of bowman and from the front of the boat he was soon noticed by other skippers and their crew. At 18 he had a commitment from an English Farr 40 owner for a week of sailing so he left Adelaide with some cash he’d saved up working a part-time job and the rest is history. That week turned into a full season of sailing in Europe and the season turned into a career and he achieved his dream of becoming a professional sailor. Of his time sailing with David Tyson commented “We had such a great group of people on board all from South Australia. Sailing with this group was one of the best things that ever happened to me. The results weren’t great but the work ethic that David put into his sailing is something I still think of today.” Winning the Sydney to Hobart with a group of mates from Adelaide on board Two True was also one of the best moments in his sailing and of this race he commented that “Andrew Saies is such a hands-on owner who is willing to do whatever he needs on board the yacht.” Tyson worked as a boat captain for six years with Emirates Team New Zealand for a number of their race boats including their AC45, Extreme 40 Catamaran and TP52 and gained incredible and varied experience with them. He is currently working with SoftBank Team Japan and is based in Bermuda preparing for the 2017 America’s Cup. In an article written by the former Sailing World Editor Stuart Streuli, Tyson conceded that luck has played a role in his career as the track from talented youth sailor to successful professional is vague at best. Few sailors can successfully navigate it without some help but luck will only get you so far so he asked Tyson for some advice he could give to young sailors hoping to pursue a similar career path and the comments Tyson made reflect greatly on him and his success. Points like “It’s all about being there and being willing to put the time in – get involved, get dirty. Treat every job with respect – you can’t be all about you and what you want to do – you have to think about the bigger picture. Look at everything as a stepping stone and never be short sighted. Be eager and be confident were also points as if you don’t have confidence in yourself then no-one else around you will have confidence in you.” Tyson, we all wish you and Chrissy the best in your future endeavours and perhaps when you come back home again to show Mum and Dad their grandchild, we can talk you in to talking to the Club members at a function held just for you. Gay Footer and Craig Evans
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Recreational an
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We are going to need a bigger boat! Academy 1, our Royal Yachting Association Sail Cruising vessel, is actually the perfect fit for our training purposes – racing boat speed, creature comforts (like visiting Grandma’s house) – and a real Club asset. All our RYA courses have a maximum student ratio of five students and when sailing provides crew with plenty of opportunity to be hands on and really get sailing. The boat is maintained in Commercial Survey and is lovingly kept up to scratch by one of our Club members and Marine Academy Instructor Hugh Longbottom. If you are interested to look on-board and where we are making improvements just ask Hugh and he will be pleased to show you around. With the endless summer now upon us it’s time to get sailing! We have been seeing great numbers in enrolments for RYA courses over the Christmas/New Year period with 20 Discover Sailing Students and 17 Start Yachting Students, plus a great up take for people wanting Start Powerboat courses to gain their State Boat Licence. An instructor’s perspective article from John Edwards follows a busy week in early January 2016. A highlight to end the 2015 year was two CYCSA members obtaining their RYA Yachtmaster. Congratulations Hugh Longbottom and Vern Schulz. Seen as the pinnacle of accredited yacht training around the world and now also recognised as a commercial qualification, the pathway to becoming a Yachtmaster is an arduous task and requires long hours of study along with refining practical boat handling skills. Hugh and Vern were supported by the Marine Academy instructors to develop and practise these skills. The assessment is a 12 hour independently tested exam conducted by a Yachtmaster Assessor. We are currently working towards making these Yachtmaster assessments available to and achievable by our members. Many new opportunities for our younger adult sailors to gain work in the charter industry are becoming available. We are working on developing relationship with Skippers Academy, a training provider in Melbourne. The Skippers Academy is an advanced training course designed to complement a Yachtmaster qualification. By undertaking the Skippers Academy training you can become part of their network of skippers working in the British Virgin Islands, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Sweden, Thailand and Turkey with more areas opening up all the time. Skippers Academy are keen for Marine Academy RYA trained Yachtmasters aged 20-35 years of age. We look forward to bringing you more about this opportunity. Safe and happy sailing Matt Young
An instructors review of FIVE days of training
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he Start Yachting course on 2-3 January with Lorna, Ian, David, Kieran and Cathy began so well. Light winds during the Saturday morning meant time gaining confidence with boat handling under power. If anything, the winds were a bit too light, limiting our sailing options. This was followed in the afternoon by sailing off North Haven with the sea breeze building to 20-25 knots. A short chop meant some challenging but rewarding sailing, especially downwind. We agreed to start early on the following day to either get to Glenelg or to finish before the stronger afternoon conditions we expected. Sunday saw a flat calm start but winds and waves built rapidly so we ducked into the Port River for some more sheltered sailing. We had excellent reaching through the outer reaches but as we headed further into port the wind on the nose meant the crew learnt a lot about short-tacking and working together. We didn’t quite reach Marina Adelaide and on our return trip the wind veered westerly and began to blow. Eventually, with 25 knots plus and 0.5 to one metre waves in the river, we called the Coastguard to find that conditions at the entrance to North Haven were tricky with breaking waves. We ducked into the Royal Yacht Squadron and called the CYCSA for ground transport. Academy 1 spent the night at the Squadron. Other vessels made the same decision that afternoon and Andrew Saies had a tricky return to the CYCSA without a motor. The following day was the start of a second course – a Three Day Live Aboard Competent Crew course with Mike and his three sons, Max, David and Tom. We were joined by Kieran from the previous Start Yachting group who was undeterred by the conditions on Sunday and had decided to keep sailing. We picked up Academy 1 from RSAYS and spent the morning polishing vessel handling skills. We sailed off North Haven then returned to the river, stopping for the night at Marina Adelaide. After a hearty breakfast we slipped early and were at the river mouth by 0830. Heading west all crew enjoyed the southerly giving us a reach toward Port Vincent. As the wind rose again we reefed and made great time to Port Vincent. Port Vincent Marina had a lot of weekenders who had made the passage and the crew of Academy 1 found that yachties are a friendly and welcoming bunch. Chatting to other crews, visiting other boats, exchanging stories and learning how to catch crabs filled the late afternoon. Several of us visited Hakuna Matata to see how renovations were proceeding. The day was rounded off by a fabulous dinner at the Ventnor. Our final day started with south westerlies and a fast reach to the Orontes. Reefing as the wind rose we were making eight knots toward North Haven with a beam sea. All the crew performed extremely well and Academy 1 sailed perfectly in winds that by the time we were six miles from home were gusting over 30 knots. We finished the day preparing the boat for Hugh to take a crew out for the twilight race. Mike and his boys said they were more confident sailing and Mike’s plans to buy a boat are progressing. Kieran seems to have become a sailing addict, hopping aboard Rapid 1 for that evening’s twilight race and completing membership forms to spend more time at the Club. John Edwards 9
Yalumba Great Southern Regatta 21-22 November
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wenty-seven competitors were greeted with excellent racing conditions on the weekend as the battle for the 2015 Yalumba Great Southern Regatta victory got underway. Competitors were glad to get away to an early start in the first of two windward-leeward races on Saturday as the forecasted sea breeze began kicking in. A beautiful 16 knots got Race One underway and from there the tight tussle began with everything from nudging on the start line to fighting for space at the mark roundings. Our two speedsters in Secret Mens Business and Concubine led the way around the course but it was the brand new Mills 45 Concubine in its first race that was giving the team from SMB something to worry about, hanging on their stern all the way to finish only three minutes behind the TP52. While SMB held onto an IRC win in Race One, Concubine’s close second put them well within striking distance for the regatta lead at the close of the day’s racing. Aikin sailed a good and clean race to be third over the line, enough to take a confidence boosting AMS win to start the regatta. Witch’s Thimble conquered in Division Two staying within reach of the bigger boats but their efforts were not enough to beat defending champions Julia, on AMS at least. PHS was a free-for-all in Race One with only five minutes separating the fleet on corrected time. By the time Race Two started the sea breeze had strengthened to 22 knots with reports of some boats seeing gusts as high as 27 throughout the race and, as one would imagine, carnage ensued. Four boats retired from Race Two with damage, another two made the decision not to risk it and many others reported spectacular wipe outs on their way to an honourable finish. The Beneteau’s in Two True and Shining Sea managed the conditions well to feature in results across all divisions but the sheer pace of Concubine sealed it an AMS and IRC win in Race Two. Julia was a standout performer in Division Two crossing the line in second place and holding off a strong fight from PASC’s Emma and both were giving the fleet a real run for their money.
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ur racing season for 2015-16 is now in full swing and what a ride it has been so far. We’ve had some stellar performances over the first half of the season with our competitors representing the Club exceptionally both locally and interstate.
Concubine, owned by Jason Ward and Shevaun Bruland, represented the Club in the 2015 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. As a brand new boat, they had little time to prepare and it was essentially still being tuned as they crossed the start line. They came a credible 13th over the line and placed sixth in their division which was IRC Division One. Highlights on the local scene so far include the Yalumba Great Southern Regatta, Queen of the Gulf Regatta and of course the Festival of Sails. Our twilight series was again a hit in 2015 with Series One seeing some fantastic levels of participation. The result went right down to the wire in Cruising A with Sirius winning the final race and stealing victory from White Knight on countback. Astrid secured a win in Cruising B over the scarily consistent Julia and School’s Out. Our Club Inshore Series was somewhat plagued by light winds early on in the season resulting in some tough races and one abandoned race. However, a few boats found the consistency required to hold a convincing overall victory heading into the mid-season break. With several Inshore Series races remaining the results for both divisions remain wide open. Fortunately the Coaster Series didn’t share the same despair as the Inshore Series with the first few races finding some brilliant 20+ knot sea breezes before the breezes calmed down a notch just before Christmas. This calming effect continued to trend for our long coaster and Queen of the Gulf Race in January with a fickle breeze denying slower boats a finish. Overall series scores remain tight with just two points separating the top three positions on PHS while on AMS the top three are beginning to open up a nice points gap. There is much fun left to be had in Season 2015-16 and with the business end of the season approaching we can expect teams to start go all-out in an effort to set themselves up for overall series wins. Michael Tozer, Racing Manager
After a solid night’s rest (read drinking) sailors returned to the Club on Sunday morning for Race Three’s long fixed mark race. Conditions were more favourable with a pristine 10-15 knots, a nice contrast to the previous day’s offerings. The lighter conditions made for a more even playing field with those who struggled on Day One managing some good results in Race Three. Two True, That’s Life and White Knight seemed to capitalise most on the big boats’ inability to escape to a big lead, controlling the key positions across PHS, AMS and IRC. Julia held off a good fight from Young Einstein to take out an amazing three bullets from three races on AMS but wasn’t quite strong enough to hold off Emma who continued to show fine form on PHS. Witch’s Thimble was again in the mix with School’s Out, both of which held on for respectable results in PHS and AMS in Race Three. Well that wraps up the Yalumba Great Southern Regatta for another year. Thanks to all of our competitors and special thanks to our visitors from PASC and RSAYS for making it such a great event. Thanks also to long time supporters of the CYCSA and our regatta sponsors, Yalumba. Main photo courtesy of Ms Terry Lyons, Volunteer CYC1 10
RACING ASSOCIATION • 2015/2016
Julia Team - GSR
Alliance - Queen of the Gulf
White Knight Team - GSR
That’s Life Team - GSR
Vostok Europe - Queen of the Gulf
Secret Mens Business Team - GSR
Queen of the Gulf Race • 9 January Alliance (Jim Hallion) and Vostok-Europe (Ken Abbott) have been crowned Queen of the Gulf for Season 2015-16 after taking out the long coaster race. Light to moderate conditions of 10–12 knots was enough to get just over half of the fleet around the 21 nautical mile course within the hour time limit and played into the hands of light weather experts Alliance (Division One winner) and Vostok-Europe (Division Two winner). With 40 boats from the CYCSA, PASC and RSAYS sharing a start line, getting away in a good position proved incredibly difficult with several boats being over the line early to cause a general recall. After tight tussling in the second start, the fleet finally got away cleanly and began heading to Point Malcolm where their first mark was waiting for them. Several boats were caught out by oscillating breezes close to shore causing many changes in position before the first rounding. Sailors settled in as the sea breeze began to fill on their long journey to the Number Two and Northern Silt beacons providing pristine running conditions for those with big symmetrical kites. Defending positions on the run became an arduous task for the leaders with trailing boats capitalising on the opportunity to cover their opponents on the long downwind leg. The fleet became split between the Northern Silt and Wreck Buoy when several boats risked going close to the Outer Harbour breakwater while others headed out to sea to find more breeze. Those taking the direct route through the middle reached the Wreck Buoy in better positions eventually consolidating what would be competitive times. White Knight, with fill-in skipper Cedric Conde, put his hat in the ring for the job permanently after securing IRC and AMS honours but could not find the extra time needed to win PHS and the Queen of the Gulf Regatta. Vertigo was in the hunt the whole way but couldn’t quite hold on to the bigger boats for a higher result. Alliance is becoming a Queen of the Gulf specialist after winning his third Queen of the Gulf Regatta. Rock On and Locomotion certainly gave Vostok-Europe a run for its money in Division Two but the little Melges 24 came through to beat the bigger boats by three minutes on corrected time to win back-to-back Queen of the Gulf Regattas.
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NEW BOATS
This is another in the series of articles aimed at providing you with an insight into a few of the ‘new’ boats to the Club over recent months.
Do Something After more than 35 years of fishing metropolitan waters in a variety of trailer boats, Graham and Rhys Kirkbright (father and son) felt that it was time to broaden their horizons in terms of a new boat.
Tender Business Tender Business was purchased and brought into the Club by Geoff and Sue Boettcher in late 2015.
The new boat would be primarily for the family to fish from, the occasional ‘dolphin cruise’ and passenger ferry to Port Vincent.
Apart from a small runabout it is the first ‘power boat’ Geoff and Sue have owned. With Geoff’s sailing background he always felt purchasing a power boat would be the first small step to the dark side of boating but by keeping his commitment to racing Secret Mens Business it will give the best of both worlds. Tender Business will act as a backup or tender to the yacht due to tidal problems getting SMB in and out of the marina but will also offer them a chance to enjoy the social side of boating at the Club. With the constant demands of organising 14 crew for each race, Geoff now finds it a pleasure to walk on board and take TB out without fuss.
There were other criteria such as offshore rough water capability, low maintenance, be stable at rest but with a soft ride, facilities for overnighters and the ability to be launched and docked by one person. The boat that ticked all the boxes was the Surtees 750 Gamefisher. She was optioned with a fridge, cooker, sink, shower and toilet and a vast array of electronics including auto-pilot and radar. The vessel at a glance - Surtees 7.7 metre plate aluminium with enclosed cabin. Yamaha 300 hp V6 outboard. Built in Whakatane New Zealand.
The first major trip was to Kangaroo Island for New Year’s Eve. Loaded with Andrew Saies’ starting cannon, Tender Business was utilised as a start boat for the traditional Ballast Head Cup yacht race.
Initially she was kept on the hardstand at the CYCSA but to avoid the hassle of launch and retrieve, last year Graham purchased a boat lift and Do Something now resides in Marina East. Graham says that they now have less hassle and are able to spend much more enjoyable time on the water.
Geoff and Sue are now looking forward to many fishing and crabbing days with family and friends as TB is an ideal size boat for boating with a crew of one to four and at a pinch it can accommodate six.
Do Something is now 10 months old and has met and exceeded all of their expectations. They have done many overnight excursions to Port Vincent as well as regular trips to other Yorke Peninsula destinations. Graham says that the boat has enabled them to explore, fish and enjoy much more of South Australia’s beautiful coastline and gulf waters than ever before and that they have only just scratched the surface.
Tender Business is a Riviera 445 SUV 47 foot cruiser fitted with Twin Volvo IPS 435 HP Pod Drives. This model has proven popular with 11 sold into South Australia in two and a half years with three now moored in the CYCSA Marina. The owners have found the Riviera 445 SUV model very user friendly with a well-appointed and functionally equipped layout making living on board a pure treat. The boat cruised to Kangaroo Island at 27 knots and can comfortably attain speeds in the low 30 knot range.
Graham and Rhys are both CYCSA members, Graham for about five years and he has been a member of the Fishing Association for one year. It’s a lovely boat Graham, thank you for the opportunity to write about it and all the best for your future boating and CYCSA experiences.
Geoff and Sue are looking forward to taking advantage of the good weather to enjoy some of the fine cruising grounds South Australia has to offer.
VALE - JOHN EGAR John Egar, one of our Foundation Members, died on 23 January 2016, aged 87 years. John and his wife, Marie, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary a week prior to his death. John spent many occasions at the Cruising Yacht Club on his boat Beaver, a 10 metre Hannan built timber cruiser, which he moored on berth A21. John particularly enjoyed celebrating Opening Day at the Club with Marie and friends on Beaver, having an ale or two with other Club members on the mooring and travelling to and fishing at Kangaroo Island. Beaver was subsequently sold and is still moored at the Club. Following the sale of Beaver John continued to enjoy the facilities of the Club in particular having lunch in the courtyard overlooking the marina. John and Marie attended the Club’s 40th anniversary celebrations. John’s son-in-law, Club member David Tillett AM and his wife Catherine, often accompanied John to Kangaroo Island and enjoyed the facilities of the Club with him. David Tillett 13
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Boating Showcase Party
I
t’s hard to pinpoint when a party for Fishing Association members on board rafted up powerboats on a Marina East finger became a ‘Boating Showcase’. Ten years ago the majority of the then FA committee owned big flybridge cruisers and these people fished and partied with equal intensity. Fishing for tuna south of Kangaroo Island was not uncommon. Ray Brown’s Riviera Game Dancer was commonly referred to as the ‘party boat’ and it was Ray and his FA committee cohorts who instigated the now annual activity for paid up FA members as part of their fees. Time moves on and personalities change but the idea of a bunch of people getting together near the end of the year to sit around eating and drinking on a few big luxury cruisers hosted by their FA owners is still quite appealing and so we did it again on a very pleasant Friday evening in late November. Four impressive powerboats rafted up along the east/west finger. Hosted by their owners and partners, we enjoyed the company of members and guests and tasty finger food and plentiful drinks supplied by our Club kitchen and bar. Our hosts were happy to show people over their boats making party goers at home with a
few restrictions, perhaps understandingly, concerning red wine on teak decking and leather upholstery. Members’ guests (who were also Club members) paid $20 to attend which as a bonus gave them membership to the Fishing Association and which, should they come along to Crabbing Day and a few other FA planned activities, will pay for itself. Our Commodore Geoff Boettcher left his new 44’ Riviera Tender Business for us while he attended a business function – hopefully he does it again next year as we thought, in his absence, we could all borrow it for an after-party late night squidding jaunt. In addition to Geoff and Sue’s boat, Board member Glenn Spear and wife Tracey provided their 51’ Riviera Lifestyle III, Owen and Delia Mace their new 44’ Riviera Esprit, Romeo Macolino with partner Denise his 33’ Riviera B Free and Jim and Leica Theodore with their superb Theodore 720. We thank them for their involvement and generosity. There will be other big boats rafted up on the marina finger in November and we hope you can join us then. Trevor Paynter, Chair Fishing Association
boating party 15
O
n a Sunday morning late in November after the opening of the cockle (or pipi as they are also known) season on Goolwa Beach a small but enthusiastic group from the Club met at 10.30am at the beach car park. It was a perfect day for cockling – low 20s, overcast at the time, slight southerly with calm seas (for Goolwa) and the tide was out. The car park was very busy and Bombora Café/Diner was doing a roaring trade in coffees and breakfasts. Owner and chef Olaf Bensen has become a famous local identity for his plump barbecued pipis in their shells “doused in garlic, lemon, capers, tarragon and herbs”. He guarantees them to be sand free and sourced from professionals who harvest them on the Young Husband Peninsula and treated locally. Olaf also sells fresh Goolwa pipis at $15kg – cheaper than those in a bait shop! There is only one vehicle access to the beach – a 100+ metre track from the car park through the sand hills to the beach – and that was really busy also. Clearly many others were there to stock up on cockles for eating or bait or to go on to the Murray Mouth to fish and camp. What was interesting to note was the type of vehicles people were prepared to take up and down that chewed-up sandy track. Four-by-fours with low range and diff lock were by far the preferred transport but many drivers of lightweight SUVs did not hesitate (well, some did consider it) to plough and slew down onto the beach. As testament to the ineffectivenesss of some cars to navigate the track and their owners’ bad decision making, some enterprising local with a Toyota LandCruiser has set up a thriving business at the top of the track in the car park. On the roof of his car, measuring from one side to the other, is a big sign reading simply ‘RECOVERY’. With his snatch-strap and winch he pulls
them all out at $50 a go. While down there helping some bogged punter he even uses ‘witches hats’ to keep his special spot in the often congested car park at the top of the track. Apparently over summer it’s a personal gold mine: you have to love the Aussie initiative of our country blokes. Our Prados, LandCruisers, Pajero and Jeep headed off to an arbitrary spot a few kilometres down the beach, set up a Fishing Association flagged ‘beach head’ and set to work. The Humeniuks brought children – a very wise decision as they approached the work with determination and vigour and seemingly enjoyed getting very wet in the process. Everyone used different tools according to past advice and experience but wherever people dug and filtered, or got down on their knees and scraped, there were cockles aplenty. On occasions cockles tumbled along the surface with the retreating water and we rushed to gather them before the next wavelet covered them again. It paid not to be on one’s knees at the time though! We were told to expect many undersize cockles so measuring most of them became a necessity. Very few were really large and most were just legal size so it seemed that we kept more than returned to the water and left to grow. With cockles being so prolific we all managed good numbers in a reasonably short time. Conditions on the beach were ideal and the sun burnt off the cloud cover as the day progressed to present a lovely Goolwa summer’s day. Children swam, played cricket and ran back and forth, people walked dogs and horses, blokes surf fished, seagulls hovered and hooded plovers and pied oystercatchers ran along the shallows. SA Fisheries and SA Fish Volunteers had given us measuring devices (see image) before proceeding to the beach which is
Cockling on Goolwa Bea 16
patrolled with the 3.5cm minimum size strongly enforced as is the 300 personal bag limits. Stiff fines apply which is a good thing. Some people make up their own measuring device – Olaf tells people to use fingers to squash a beer bottle top into a fan shape as that is the exact length of a legal pipi while the more practical use nails placed 3.5cms apart into a piece of wood. While our numbers were modest, it was good to go cockling in company, meet a few different Club people and share our pleasure and success. As a Fishing Association activity it was worth trying and it will certainly be on the FA calendar again. Perhaps a BBQ lunch or later start might encourage others to come down, or for some, combine it with fishing for salmon and mulloway at the Mouth seven kilometres drive down the flat beach. Importantly we learnt what to add to and leave off a good cockle catching check list and one definite addition is a dry set of pants because even on a flat day a fast little wave will sneak up behind you and soak your bum. Always be prepared to get wet. Probably we all could have bought cockles cheaper from our neighbourhood fishing tackle shop but that’s not the point – it was an enjoyable and convivial outing and we’ve got our bait stored in the FA freezer for the fish we’re now in the process of catching. Trevor Paynter, Chair Fishing Association
ach
Photos by Trevor Paynter
17
Christmas and New Year’s Cruising Adventures
T
he cruising community were out in force over the Christmas/New Year period. No formal cruises were organised but discussions along the lines of “see you in KI, or Port Lincoln, or across the Gulf” were held during preChristmas get-togethers. As our fellow cruisers departed the Club, a steady stream of boats could be seen heading out the breakwater after Christmas.
Kangaroo Island The majority of our fleet journeyed to Kangaroo Island. It does take a little effort to get there but once at the island safe anchorages abound. Some bit the bullet and headed straight there whilst others sailed or motored via Wirrina Cove, the Cutter Patch or even Port Vincent. The boats seen having fun included Jenny Anna, Kudos, Time Out, Kaos, Marnico, Grand AKT, Imago, Pineapple Poll, Geordie Bay, Golden Cowrie, Two True, Brigadoon, From Russia With Love, Epiphany, School’s Out, Tender Business and Mult-E-Biz. Most boats ventured in and an around Eastern Cove but this year the Bay of Shoals proved a popular destination with a short walk up the hill to the nearby winery or the longer walk to sample the temptations of Kingscote. Others ventured into Penneshaw and moored in the (shallow) marina or anchored off Christmas Cove. Those in Penneshaw on the first Sunday in January managed to squeeze in a visit to the lovely farmers and community markets where they found regional food (including olive oils, wines and honey) direct from the producer, together with artisan crafts, arts and bric-a-brac. Tastings, breakfast, coffee and a great village atmosphere were all on offer. This year our New Year’s Eve celebrations were held in conjunction with the Squadron at the Brown’s Beach BBQ area. This was a really fun event with members of both Clubs mixing and freely sharing stories of nautical adventures. Some queued up to use the electric BBQs whilst others dined on their anchored boats and made their way over via dinghies for fun later in the evening. With a good selection of party music, an impromptu dance floor was arranged and the CYCSA ‘movers and shakers’, Mike and Angela, did the Club proud! The party was too much for this author who developed a tooth abscess that night and was ferried off to Kingscote Emergency the next day for painkillers and antibiotics. A very big thanks to Jacq and Marty Heffernan who fortunately had the “Nanny Bus” on the island and, combined with a trip to Dudley’s Winery, may have saved my life! The weather was generally good over the period with some nice temperatures during the day and fairly cool at night. There were only one or two really windy days during which the boats took refuge in either American River, Christmas Cove or anchored off Beatrice Island while others ended their island stay a little early and sailed off to Wirrina Cove and home.
Port Lincoln Waters Rod Hunter reported that the traditional ‘Chrissie Cruise’ to Port Lincoln and surrounds found regulars Trinacria, Ithaca, Eclipse, Calista and “about time” Twelfth Night and “found you” Herman gathering over January in the pristine, remote and desolate Port Lincoln anchorages. (Remote as far as being able to make regular pilgrimages to Cafe Borno for coffee fixes from time to time in Port Lincoln.) The group all made individual passages to Spencer Gulf making use of the brisk south easterlies then meeting to BBQ in Spalding Cove and on Boston Island, all being well protected from the south easterlies that didn’t give up for days. The merry band of seafarers gathered on Ithaca hosted by Alan and Bronwyn Cotton for New Year’s Eve and anchored in the calm waters off the Port Lincoln Yacht Club. A surprise at dusk saw Alpha Centauri entering the bay under spinnaker with its crew keen to join in the evening celebrations. With a small weather change into the low 20s they had a great sail to Revesby Island anchoring in Moreton Bay with protection from the westerlies. A significant occasion was a traditional beach day with a line of ‘good old’ Moana tents lining the white sands. By mid-January they found a small window to venture east towards the CYCSA via Thistle Island and Kangaroo Island. This was achieved by utilising a few hours without the southerlies to head to Kangaroo Island’s north coast where peaceful nights were spent at King George Bay, Emu Bay and Eastern Cove for a week or so. And yes, nearing the end of January in brisk south easterlies, brisk passages were made home by most of the fleet. Adrian Wotton, President Cruising Association 18
Cruise to Port Adelaide
H
ave you ever wondered how to entertain your nonboatie friends, even the ones who are amazed that you would dare to “go out into the ocean”, meaning the gulf? Well, here’s an idea – cruise to Port Adelaide for lunch or even dinner. Esprit has done it a number of times and it can be a great adventure and a thoroughly enjoyable day for landbased friends. The Cruising Association held a very successful cruise to Portobello Restaurant in New Port in November last year. Yachts and power boats made their way to Adelaide Marina for an overnight stay and at 18.30 yachties gathered on the marina and climbed aboard Esprit which took them through the bridges to the restaurant and returned later that night. A very enjoyable evening was had with nearly 30 Cruising Association members.
Why Cruise to Port Adelaide? Well, for one reason, the river rarely gets rough enough to encourage those determined to be sea sick even at the sight of a tiny wavelet. There are a surprising number of places to go in the river. You could anchor opposite the old quarantine station in shallow water, in good holding, for lunch. How about taking them to see a cruise liner depart from Outer Harbour? Have a look at http://www. flindersports.com.au/shipping-cruise/cruise-liner-schedule/ for the latest schedule. You might spot a secret squirrel submarine but certainly will see the first Air Warfare Destroyer at ASC’s wharf and the second under construction. There are heaps of restaurants and pubs in Port Adelaide – have a look at http://www.portenf.sa.gov.au/page.aspx?u=2093 and click on the “must eat” tab. There are quite a number within easy walking distance of the free berths next to the Birkenhead Bridge. Portobello Waterfront Cafe in New Port is well worth a visit and you can use a berth there. You should telephone (8242 4444) and let them know you are coming by water. We have enjoyed the Greek food at the Argo Hellenic Cafe and I’m told the pizza restaurant next door is also excellent. We’ve even had a waiter deliver lunch platters to our boat – what a great treat for our guests! We’ve been to the Birkenhead and British pubs and there are many other great restaurants, pubs and cafes. Don’t forget to click on the “must see” and “must do” tabs on the web page. If you want to stay overnight in the Port you can use one of the free berths in the inner habour. You can also stay overnight at the Port Adelaide Marina but be sure to call ahead to book a berth. If you wish to go outside the marina fence you will need to get a key from the office for which a deposit is required. Your landbased friends could even stay overnight at the Quest Apartments in the Port once they are completed. However, there are a number of things to consider so let’s go through them.
Your Boat In order to get to Port Adelaide you will have to motor under some bridges so you have to know whether you can get under them. Generally sail boats cannot and so have to wait for the bridges to open. Larger flybridge cruisers, especially those with tall fishing poles, also cannot get under the bridges so check the web site in the reference at the end of this article.
If you can get under them then you don’t have to worry about opening times. By the way, if you can get under the Port Adelaide Expressway (Prexy) Bridge but happen to get there during the opening times when the red light is flashing, you may go under the arches to the west of the channel. Just remember that the clearance of those arches is less than the clearance of the opening so be sure you have clearance. (That’s what I was told by the Traffic Control Centre when I called.)
Opening the Bridges The timing of your cruise has everything to do with your boat and getting through the bridges. First of all, can your boat get under the bridges? If not there is the question of the opening times. There are three bridges to contend with despite the SA Government believing that there are two! (Amazing, really.) Anyway, the first two, called the Port Adelaide Expressway (Prexy) Bridge, normally operate together and so I suppose they are considered as one. The opening times are 10:00 to 10:15am, 3:00 to 3:15pm and 6:00 to 6:15pm. There is also an opening at 10:00 to 10:15pm during daylight saving. These are weekend and public holiday times ONLY. Weekday openings are 6:00 to 6:15am and 7:00 to 7:00pm, all year. BUT… You must call the bridge operator in the Traffic Control Centre at least 10 minutes before opening time to let them know you want the bridge to open otherwise it will not open. Telephone 1800 018 313 or call on VHF Channel 68 using the call sign “Prexy Bridges”. (See, they do know there are two bridges after all.) If you want it to open at other times, forget it, you need to give six month’s notice! Now for the Birkenhead Bridge which has a much lower clearance. During weekends and public holidays the times the Birkenhead will be opened are from 9:30am to 6:30pm during the winter and to 8:30pm during daylight saving. Again you can ask for the Birkenhead Bridge to be opened for you provided you call 1800 018 313 or VHF Channel 68 using the call sign “Birkenhead Bridge”. You must call at least two hours before you wish to have the Birkenhead opened. Don’t forget that it will only be opened during the specified hours. 19 15
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Cruise to Port Adelaide ....continued from page 19
Regulations
Lunch or Dinner
There is a speed limit of seven knots from channel marker 12 (at the entrance to the river) to 22 and south of marker 35 (before ASC) but reducing to four knots for 200 metres up and down stream of any vessel tied up to a wharf and in the Port itself. Also the same distance from a dredge and 100 metres from any bridge. We are not permitted to be within 30 metres of a large ship and/or to be out of the channel opposite ASC’s wharves.
Now that we have the opening times for the bridges we can decide whether to arrive for lunch or dinner. It seems to me that for tall boats weekend lunches are probably the better option but don’t rule out evenings during daylight saving. Just be sure that you call the Traffic Control Centre in time. If you can get under the bridges, like Esprit, then you have a good deal more flexibility.
Safety Gear Since you will have guests on board be sure you have enough life jackets on board for everyone. If travelling at night make sure all your lights work correctly. I often end up in the shallows heading north of the Torrens Island Power Station because there is a sighting pole that tricks me out of the channel. Make sure you head for the channel markers and watch your depth.
Finally, enjoy your land-based friends and bon appétit!
Reference The definitive information on the bridges at Port Adelaide is at https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/transport-travel-and-motoring/boatingand-marine/boat-operators-licences-and-permits/opening-the-port-riverbridges which I found by googling “Birkenhead Bridge, Port Adelaide”. Owen Mace
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Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia 20
Photo by Gerry Colella
ballast Head CUP T
he 14th Ballast Head Cup Regatta was sailed on New Year’s Day on the beautiful Eastern Cove off the shore of Island Beach, Kangaroo Island.
Race day dawned overcast with a gusty 22-25 knot wind blowing out of the SSE with temperatures predicted to hover around the 25 degree mark - a huge turnaround from the 40 degrees in the city and the mid 30’s on the Island during the week and the organisers feared that the stronger than usual breeze might deter some of the fleet. However, with just over two hours to the first start, it had moderated to 16-18 knots and seas of about 0.5m. The fierce heat leading up to the regatta quite obviously discouraged some city crews from making the journey south but despite this, fifteen boats faced the two starts with the local American River fleet outnumbering the visitors for the first time in thirteen previous regattas. Once again the fleet was split into Ballast Division (lower handicappers) and Rocky Division, with the lower handicappers starting half an hour earlier ensuring that all boats finished the race at approximately the same time allowing the crews and guests to transfer to the beach together for the customary BBQ, drinks, bad luck stories and the presentation of trophies. One pleasing aspect of the race this year was the improvement of the starting tactics by most of the boats. In previous years it was not uncommon to have boats cross the start line up to two or three minutes after the start but it was pretty well a stampede this time with all but one or two crossing within ten seconds. Events in Sydney also gave the regatta another first. In previous years the organisers have spruiked the fact that the Ballast Head Regatta and the Sydney to Hobart are the only yacht races in Australia which send their fleets off with a cannon but this year we went one better. With the official Sydney boat slowly sinking into Sydney Harbour and the official party having to transfer to another vessel, race officials had to resort to a shot-gun signal meaning that the Ballast Head Cup was the only race using a cannon this year!
start/finish marks, Sam Moore, a qualified explosive officer and friend of the Saies family, for getting the cannon to fire off fairly close to the start/finish times and Lesley Beck, a member of the American River fleet, who decided to have a spell this year and with her knowledge of the local boats without sail numbers was invaluable in calling the starters and finishers and assisting with calculating the results. Now a word about RIG - In 1803 the first ship to be built in what was to become South Australia was built at American River as a whaling sloop and named Independence (Google Independence Kangaroo Island). A couple of years ago a group of keen yachties and maritime type people decided to build a replica and formed themselves into RIG (Rebuild Independence Group) and have been working toward that aim since. With a continuing number of fundraisers and a grant from the Kangaroo Island Council it has progressed to the completion of a large purpose designed shed at American River in which to build her. It was therefore a pleasure to accept RIG’s offer to run the BBQ and drinks after the race as a fundraiser for this interesting and worthy project.
Results Ballast Head Cup Line Honours Marnico Graeme Footer CYCSA Ballast Head Trophy 1st Trim Russell Colman American River 2nd Two True Alexander Saies CYCSA 3rd Marnico Graeme Footer CYCSA Jamie Cowell Memorial Trophy Mi-Be Michael Stockdale Port Lincoln Andrew Saies and David Saies Sailing Committee Island Beach Yacht Club
Another satisfying aspect was the number of guests and casual onlookers gathered on the beach who were offered a chance to try sailing and it was estimated that the combined number of guests on board was close to eighty. Marnico (Graeme Footer) held off Two True (Alexander Saies) to take out Line Honours for the seventh time. 2009 winner Javelin (Charles Cimicky) again put in a solid effort whilst Epiphany (Chris Wood), a two time Handicap winner in two different boats, made a tactical error by inviting Geoff Boettcher on board his boat. Having two gun skippers on the same boat is a recipe for disaster. Golden Cowrie (Hillar Puvi), the 2014 Jamie Cowell Trophy winner, led the Ballast Division home but just missed out on a podium result. Ibis 11 (Barry Uren from American River) and Groshawk (Ants Harris also from American River) were again prominent. Two boats didn’t make the start line. Schools Out (Adrian Wotton) woke up with a different ache on New Year’s morning and at race start time was in the Kingscote Emergency Rooms having some work done on a very painful tooth abscess (bad timing Adrian, pack some paracetamol next year) and a local boat which shall remain nameless misjudged the tide and remained glued to the bottom for the entire race plus BBQ and drinks time. Last year’s winner Rubicon (Greg Roberts from American River) mislaid his notes on how he rigged the old girl last year so decided to pull the plug and give someone else a chance for glory. The organisers would like to take this opportunity to thank the following people - Geoff and Sue Boettcher for making their launch available as the committee boat and their guests for assisting with flags and other start/finish procedures, Maggie Patterson from the Kangaroo Island Yacht Club for providing the inflatables and taking photos, Phil Tregenza for deploying and retrieving the inflatables and
Photo right: Graeme Footer accepts the Line Honour’s trophy for a record seventh time from event organiser David Saies Photo below: part of the big crowd gathered post race on the beach for the race presentations and BBQ Photos courtesy of Maggie Patterson
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Christmas Bash E
ach of the four Club Associations - Racing, Cruising, Fishing and Social Activities - organise particular events during the course of the year for members. But last year the Social Committee had an epiphany - we’ll all get together and have a big BBQ bash in December. Each of the four committees contributed to the organisation. Over 120 people turned up to gather in the BBQ area on a perfect outdoor evening. It was a very relaxed and casual affair with lots of loud laughter, greetings and conversation. New members who attended were introduced to others and many people seemingly enjoyed just standing around talking to others with a drink at hand and food on the communal barbies. People were asked to bring along a plate of something to share and the food was placed on long tables so that everyone could taste many different things and complement their meat and fish. Many salads and wonderful sweets made this a mouth-watering sight and proved a very popular and generous contribution to the evening. The wine tasting from Dog Ridge was also very well supported and appreciated.
The indeflagible Social Activities’ Committee arranged a couple of fun activities for all to join in - a ‘best legs’ competition and a surprise ‘best Christmas hat’ (to be made on the spot), which were judged by our Flag Officers with prizes awarded to the winners. The raffles and ‘door prizes’ were well supported by Club sponsors and the lucky winners were clearly delighted. Thanks to the CYCSA Discretionary Trust, our Club boat insurers and members who generously donated wine. Monies raised have gone towards the Club’s patio renovation fund. It turned out to be a ripper of a night. The function started early and went late with everyone agreeing the evening was a great success, not only because of the perfect BBQ weather, fun activities and great food but we all got to come together to drink and talk with friends and so many others at an event that didn’t need to stretch our Christmas budgets. Let’s hope we can all plan to replicate it this year. Trevor Paynter, Chair FA for the Club Associations
Raffle and competition winners share their good luck Rear Commodore and Official Judge Jacq Heffernam examining some shapely legs.
Gerard Hughes and Terry Denham who was given a bib for Christmas
Winner of the Best Hat competition, Sienna Brown with father Brett Pauline Lunn, Mike Holmes, Russel Phillipson and Linda Mendrin
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Carl Jones and Anne Burrow
John Gibson catches up with Chris Morphett
SOCIAL ACTIVITIES Association
CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARTY
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he Children’s Party always seems to pick the best weather. Last year we had a thunderstorm and downpour and this year we had a heat wave. However, 45 children and families were about to turn out for a Christmas Party and to see Santa so nothing could stop us having a great day. Luckily the Jumping Castle was able to be turned into a Water Slide. All the parents were advised to expect a wet castle and be prepared with bathers, towels etc. This was a magical part of the day with the children having great fun being soaking wet and using their energies climbing all over the castle. Instead of our traditional Pass the Parcel we changed to a Water Balloon game organised by Linda Mendrin and Russell Phillipson and this was great fun as parents and children tried to catch balloons that had been liberally doused with soap suds. Linda tells me she has worked out an even funnier way to run this game next year – so be warned. To assist Santa in the business of keeping cool, the Kinnaird Room was turned into Santa’s Cave with the air conditioning turned up full blast, and everyone was able to enjoy Santa, receive presents and have photos taken. Santa arrived courtesy of David Henderson and Vicki Pearce in their boat Sundowner and as usual was greeted very enthusiastically by the excited children and parents. Santa is to be very gratefully thanked for coping with the conditions and once again doing a wonderful job of handing out the presents and engaging with the children. After Santa departed we had a party afternoon tea of chocolate crackles, honey crackles, fairy bread (still amazingly a favourite), watermelon and ice creams. The Jumping Castle/Water Slide continued to entertain and cool the children until very tired parents packed up and everyone went home happy with their day and gifts. Pamela Humeniuk, Chair Social Activities Association
CAROLS ON THE LAWN
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n the Sunday evening before Christmas and after a week of soaring temperatures it was time for Carols on the Lawns, which was very professionally headlined by Linda McCarthy and beautifully supported by the ‘Forever Hopeful Voices’ Choir. The choir is part of a support program run by the Salvation Army and they had practised often to present to us a wonderful varied program. Many of the singers have beautiful voices which were showcased with very lovely solos. The group is also supported by volunteers who are professional musicians and singing teachers so we had very beautiful music sensitively presented to put us all in the Christmas spirit. Involving this group was a very special way of sharing the true meaning of Christmas. The Social Activities Committee all donated items for a Christmas Basket and this was raffled off and the funds donated immediately to the Forever Hopeful Voices Choir. Thank you to everyone who purchased tickets. The number of CYCSA members attending was down on last year but we are hoping that is not because people did not think it a good idea, rather the long stretch of heat was keeping people in front of their air conditioners. However, those who attended arrived with picnic baskets, some with blankets to spread on the lawn and with groups of grandparents, parents and children making a lovely family scene. It was especially pleasing to see so many children picnicking in their family groups and really getting into the music and dancing along to all the tunes. Everyone attending received a song book and were invited to sing along with the choir and Linda when appropriate and there were a lot of would be candidates for ‘Australia’s Got Talent’. As the night drew in the crowd were invited to light up their candles and sing along holding their candles up and swaying with the music. It was a magical night helping to put all those who attended in the true spirit of Christmas. Pamela Humeniuk, Chair Social Activities Committee 23
Flotilla for Kids
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Fundraising for the event is made by sponsoring boats and Academy1, skippered by Hugh Longbottom, raised a significant amount of money thanks to the generous contributions by several of our Club members who were unable to take their own boats out.
unday 7 February – a gorgeous day heralded what could only be described as the best Flotilla for Kids ever.
For those who don’t know the origin of this fantastic event, the humble beginnings were the brain child of Annie Rogers who sadly lost a granddaughter to paediatric cancer. Since then many CYCSA members have been supportive of the event and have made a significant contribution to Camp Quality.
It was truly wonderful to be involved in a day that bought the boating fraternity from many Clubs together for a very worthy cause and for that reason I am so proud of our Club and the values it holds dear.
Last year the event was resurrected by Little Hero’s and this year the support was astounding with an overwhelming number of boats taking part.
Hopefully this wonderful event will happen again next year, if so, come and join us. Jacq Heffernan
CYC1 led part of the fleet and took their crew, consisting of a number of families with sick children, out for a day of fun and distraction. I think it worked, all I could see were huge smiles and lots of laughter.
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CYCSA Yachts successful in Geelong Regatta
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elbourne’s Festival of Sails 2016 attracted 2,200 sailors in 285 boats to the Royal Geelong Yacht Club. It is by far one of the largest regattas in the Southern Hemisphere attracting a variety of excellent racing yachts and crews.
Presented by Rex Gorell Land Rover, this five-day event saw cruising and classic yachts, multihulls and S80s, sailing across Geelong’s Corio Bay providing a great backdrop to one of Australia’s oldest sporting events. On Saturday 23 January the regatta started with a long passage race from off St Kilda in Port Phillip Bay to Geelong. Over the next three days 85 trophies were collected from a total of 124 races held between a variety of classes. The CYCSA was represented in the Sydney 38 Class by David Knight’s White Knight, Jamie Goode’s Vertigo in IRC Division 2, Julian Newton’s Game On in Sports Boats and Secret Mens Business (SMB) in IRC Division 1. Our competing CYCSA yachts did well with Game On convincingly taking the Sports Boats Overall Trophy claiming seven firsts and three seconds giving it a 16.5 point clear lead for the regatta. SMB took out the Fastest Boat to Geelong Trophy but finished third on IRC for the Passage Race. Going into the final race day SMB had tied points with the Sydney yacht Patrice. SMB beat Patrice in the final two races giving it a clear three point lead to take the IRC Division 1 Regatta Series Trophy. Game On
I believe Melbourne’s Festival of Sails offers South Australian yachts an excellent opportunity to race in a regatta that guarantees excellent competition in all classes. Delivering a boat to Melbourne is not as expensive as you may think and time away from jobs is minimised by the inclusion of a public holiday. For an allround sailing and social experience I highly recommend the Festival of Sails regatta to our members. I have no doubt by attending this great regatta our presence not only develops relationships and yachting experiences but builds support and growth for our Adelaide to Lincoln and Lincoln Week Regatta. Geoff Boettcher 25
For an all-round sailing and social experience I highly recommend the Festival of Sails regatta to our members.
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or the fourth year in a row I’ve auctioned off a four-day cruise on Arriba with all of the proceeds going to charity, matched by my employer. My crew this year were Dana, Mitch, Vanessa, Carson, Chelsea and Max. Our destination was Kangaroo Island (KI) - naturally! With everyone except me flying in from interstate, followed by the 90-minute drive down to Wirrina Cove, including a crucial last-minute stop for supplies, pies and coffees, we didn’t get underway until 11:45 (Saturday 23 January). That’s later than ideal but fortunately we were blessed with 15 knot winds from the SSE and averaged over seven knots until abeam of North Cape. At 17:15 the wind dropped off and we motor sailed the rest of the way. I’ve found that the trick to a short trip to KI is to start from Wirrina and sail as far west as possible on the first day, a plan which is well suited to southerly winds and long summer days. At 19:50, having sailed almost 52 nautical miles but with still an hour of light remaining, we stopped for our first night at Mares Tail (35°36.1’S 137°16.1’E). This is a very pretty anchorage at the base of steep cliffs which provide shelter from east, south and west winds and is a perfect spot to escape from the prevailing SW swell. The only thing it lacks is a sandy beach, however there’s a small pebbly beach. There is also a sea cave with stalactites and a small waterfall which collects in small natural basins. Finally, high above on a cliff ledge, there is a sea eagle nest. We had Mexican food for dinner, accompanied by lots of South Australian wines, mostly from the Clare Valley and McLaren Vale. Full disclosure: the wine flowed long before dinner with the Zonte’s Footstep Prosecco a popular choice for happy hour. We also discovered that Mares Tail has the most amazing echo.
The next morning we continued westwards to beautiful Western River Cove 17 nautical miles away, arriving at 10:30. There was another yacht (monohull) at anchor in deeper water on the eastern side of the cove, so I took Arriba in close on the western side and anchored in three metres (Arriba only draws 1.1m). While the crew went ashore for a strenuous hike up to the top of the western headland, I swam and tidied the boat. What had started out as a cloudy morning turned into a lovely sunny day. We spent the next six hours on the beach, in and out of the water, and in particular enjoying some excellent snorkelling. It would have been very tempting to stay at Western River but I wanted to ensure we were within a short sail of either Kingscote or American River tomorrow (for our third and final night). So, at 16:20 we weighed anchor, turned around and headed eastwards for Emu Bay. Sailing along the North Coast of KI, with a beautiful sunset behind us and music blaring; life was good! Upon leaving Western River I’d initially considered heading for Emu Bay (35°35.4’S 137°31.2’E), which we could theoretically reach before dark. However, we needed to bear away out to sea to get onto a close reach to take maximum advantage of the wind and by the time we were abeam of Emu Bay we were three nautical miles offshore. Rather than motor dead upwind, I decided to alter our course 30° degrees to starboard and head for Boxing Bay, five miles further. We needed to furl our headsail but could keep the mainsail up and motor sail. Those extra miles meant we would arrive in darkness however Boxing Bay is a wide sandy bay with limited hazards. At 21:20 we anchored over sand and seaweed in the SW corner of the bay (35°34.2’S 137°36.2’E) in 4.5 m. It was blowing 15 knots from the E/SE, and in such conditions the NE corner (35°33.9’S 137°36.9’E) would have been a calmer spot albeit closer to rocks on the shore. But when sailing at night, prudence is the better part of valour!
PS If the wind swings to the NE, move to Knob Point (35°36.5’S 137°13.9’E) 1.5 nautical miles west.
Cruise: Australia Day Long
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NB: When approaching Boxing Bay from the west, avoid the rocky reef that extends north of White Point (-35°33.8’S 137°35.5’E) for 200 m. The SW corner of the bay is the shallowest. Boxing Bay reportedly has very good fishing. We awoke to a 15 knot wind from the SE. Continuing onto Eastern Cove and American River would have meant subjecting ourselves to several hours of head winds, so instead we set course for Kingscote, only 12 nautical miles away. Trolling two paravane lures as we went, we hooked one tommy ruff and five snook. Mitch let a few big ones get away though. We anchored right in front of the Ozone Hotel at 11:25. Kingscote is a poor anchorage in a SE wind being exposed to the full fetch of Western Cove. Nevertheless, it is very convenient to pubs and shops, which was deemed our top priority. Everyone enjoyed lunch at the Ozone followed by wandering around town for an hour or so. Back at the beach we were dismayed to see that Arriba’s RIB dinghy was completely deflated on one side and further inspection revealed a long puncture to the underside. Evidently yours truly had been a bit careless coming ashore and dragged the dinghy over some sharp limestone rocks. I spent the next 40 minutes walking around Kingscote looking for a rubber puncture repair kit. Two hardware stores, one tyre store and a marine supply store later (the latter closed), I had a potential solution. The helpful folks at Mitre 10 thought that pond liner (rubber) with a flexible rubber glue called Fixall might work. They kindly gave me a couple of rubber off-cuts for free and even cut them into patches for me. I glued the patch on being careful to keep the repair area free of sand. It took 90 minutes for the glue to cure (with full strength in 24 hours), so I encouraged everyone to go wine tasting at Bay of Shoals Wines. No taxis in Kingscote meant 40 minutes on foot! All going well, I would take Arriba around to the Bay of Shoals and pick them up in about two hours. By now it was gusting to 20 knots at Kingscote; great kitesurfing conditions, but horrible conditions for boarding a bouncing yacht. I swam the 150m out to Arriba, collected the inflatable pump and then kayaked back to shore. Back on the beach I started to worry that it might be difficult towing the kayak behind the bouncing dinghy in the waves. I therefore kayaked out to Arriba, stowed the kayak and swam back to shore. All I could
g Weekend trip to KI
do now was wait until the 90 minutes was up. There was nothing for it but to take a nap on the beach. NB: Avoid the submerged rocks approaching Kingscote! Brownlow Beach 500m to the SW is less rocky. Finally, the moment of truth. I inflated the dinghy, and success - it held! I excitedly motored out to Arriba, getting absolutely soaked in the process, and then motored Arriba around to the Bay of Shoals, two nautical miles away, anchoring just west of the boat ramp in only two metres. The boat ramp has a convenient pontoon dock for small boats. While too tight for Arriba, I was able to ferry everyone back on board in two dinghy trips, heavily laden with boxes of wine. The patch, barely cured, was still holding fast after all those trips, so I’m officially impressed with FixAll by Soudal and a special shout out to the friendly folks at Kingscote Mitre 10. With more time (and energy) I would have been inclined to sail over to Red Cliffs (35°44.0’S 137°43.53’E) and get completely out of the wind, but we were all feeling tired and so I decided to stay put at the Bay of Shoals. We feasted on barbecued whole snook (marinated for an hour in olive oil, bay leaves, rosemary and lemon), marinated beef and corn on the cob. At 05:30 I awoke to a sharp thud; one of the fishing hand reels had blown off outside table and gone flying, smashing into the side of the cockpit. I tried to get back to sleep but it is was hopeless, so at 06:25 I raised the anchor. Besides, the wind was picking up and it is generally a good idea to cross Backstairs Passage as early as possible in the day. By the time we rounded Reeves Point (35°38.34’S 137°38.48’E) it was already gusting to 20+ knots! For an hour we motored into the wind until finally passing the last channel marker, raising sails and setting course for Rapid Head. We were sailing with reefed main and jib in 25 to 30+ knots winds from the SE against a NW ebb tide. Wind against tide equals a very bouncy ride! NB: If it were not for the constraint of my crew needing to be on the mainland in time for their flights home, I would have waited for the tide to turn and start flooding before sailing across Backstairs Passage. Arriba was going much slower than expected though, making barely five knots, and her bows were plunging more than usual. Then I noticed the shocking problem. The anchor had come loose and was dragging in the water! In my haste to depart earlier I’d neglected to shackle the anchor and it had wiggled loose with all the bouncing. I quickly fired up the engines and turned into the wind so I could retrieve the anchor which mercifully came up easily. The next few hours were quite an adventure for everyone, but Arriba was now riding much better. Then at last, bliss. We entered sheltered waters, the wind suddenly dropped to ten knots and the seas were flat. We immediately fired up the barbie and had a traditional Australia Day brunch of bbq’d lamb chops and sausages plus some healthy green stuff. By now everyone was ready for some calm water and a swim so we put in at Second Valley for 1½ hours. The place was packed for Australia Day (26 January), but who needs space on the beach when you have a boat? From Second Valley it was only 20 minutes back to Wirrina, arriving at 14:25. • Duration: three days five hours • Distance: 155 nautical miles • Anchorages: six • Memories: countless! Alan Noble
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emmaroo is still in the Mediterranean but we have not travelled far over the last couple of years as we have found a spot that suits us for the moment where we are taking advantage of the beautiful cruising grounds of the Dodocannese in Greece and along the Turkish coast. We wintered Jemmaroo on the hard at Leros in Greece (see map illustration below) which is very central in the main cruising area and returned in mid-May 2015 to put her back in the water and continue cruising. A friend, Christine Ragless, who wanted to go to Ireland to research her family history, joined us for the first three weeks of our time and helped with the putting together of Jemmaroo into cruising mode. The boat is now in its ninth season and it is after all a boat therefore it required a bit of TLC and maintenance with new house
batteries and anchor and bow thruster batteries as the electrician declared them “dead”. Of course they had to come from Athens (where else!) and took two days to arrive by ferry so we had a bit of time to spare. We found an Australian-Greek butcher in town and many others who had Australian passports so we had a great time talking to them and they were pleased to converse in ‘strine’. Chris and I took advantage of the extra time and went up to the ‘castle on the hill’ from the time of the Knights of St John and drove all around the island. The batteries finally arrived and were installed so we departed the marina and anchored off in the bay just to feel like we were cruising. On dinghying into shore it was the outboards turn to not like us and it gave up the ghost. Back into the marina where it was decided the fuel pump was kaput which also had to come from Athens. The mechanic put a spare fuel pump that he had in so
News from Jemmaroo Jemmaroo cruising ground 28
we could get away for a couple of days before coming back for the new one so we set off for the island of Lipsi due north of Leros. We Med moored and settled in with one other yacht anchored closer in. A few adventures later we made our way across to the island of Patmos and tied back to the town wharf and had dinner at a very nice restaurant on the waterfront. It had rained the night before and Jemmaroo was covered in what is commonly called Gadaffi dust so we organised the water truck to come so we could wash it off. Pythagorium on the island of Samos was our next stop and while anchored there we could smell diesel. We had some in the bilge but we could not find where it was coming from – why is Murphy around the place at times? We met up with English friends who we met last year, Lydia and Neil from Silver Lady, and caught up on all the gossip over dinner. A bit of weather came in so we stayed on anchor in the bay for another night before heading back to Lakki to the marina to have the diesel leak checked out. When we arrived Christo the engineer came down with his Sengalese offsider who had Assistant Engineer embroidered on his overalls. His major task
was to carry the tool box and ferry things and it was great to see that the Greeks are employing some of the refugees from Africa. It was decided that the forward reserve fuel tank was leaking and possibly one of the water tanks so we had them take out the fuel tank as we don’t need it and can survive with refuelling more often. Out came all the furniture and out came the fuel tank and in the meantime the new fuel pump arrived for the outboard so that got replaced and all was well. This was a year of many visitors and after cruising without mishap for several more days with Chris we entered the marina at Kos to pick up Dick and Helen Fidock. Neil and Lydia had suggested that if we went to Kos we go in to the marina rather than tie up in the main harbour as the refugees were creating a few problems and the marina had security. This turned out to be good advice and it was our second encounter with refugees. With Dick and Helen we covered some of the same ground that we had with Chris but to them it was all new and we had an enjoyable time. We exited Greece at Kalymnos and motored across to Turgetreis to enter Turkey approximately eight nautical miles away and Dick and Helen left us there. The weather was well and truly warming up so we enjoyed several swims in the pool at the marina and undertook running repairs to the loo, one of those lovely jobs on a boat, before we set off again. Graeme and I enjoyed two weeks by ourselves before our daughter Nicole, son-in-law Craig and grandchildren Oscar and Jemma, joined us for eight days to celebrate Graeme’s 70th birthday.
The Footer family
Murphy was at work again and while we were anchored in a beautiful bay called Kuruca Buku in the Simi Gulf I noticed that our alternator was not working. On talking to a Canadian couple they recommended a mechanic at Marmaris Yacht Marina so we called on the phone and they said they could look at it the next morning so we up-anchored and went half way and the rest of the way the next morning. At 10am the mechanic was on board and declared the alternator had seen better days and we needed a new one. While we waited for this to arrive we had a new glass put in the anchor hatch, two new rollers for the bow/anchor roller made and fitted and the lining in the engine room repaired – it really was a year of repairs! We got them to look at what we presumed was a leaking water tank and they declared that absolutely 100% sure, it was the water tanks as they had replaced them on many of the same boat as Jemmaroo. We made tentative arrangements about having them replaced on our way back past Marmaris. We finally left Marmaris on our way to Gocek where we were to pick up the family, anchoring off several times along the way. A great night was spent at Fetihye where Graeme went to the ‘berber’ (barber) to have a haircut and got the full treatment of trim, nose job, ear job, eyebrow trim, shampoo and massage all for the princely sum of 20 Turkish Lira, about $10. We decided to treat ourselves to a big night out and had a great meal right on the water’s edge at the hotel connected with the nearby marina. We filled up with fuel and then anchored off just west of Skopea Marina in Gocek and dinghied in to shore to find a doctor to check out my eye as somehow it had got infected. Some drops and ointment later and no charge and we were finished with that so did a big shop up and waited for the family to arrive. The plane was late so we waited quite a while before they eventually arrived and we all had dinner ashore. It was great to have the family on board and we made sure there were lots of swim opportunities etc for the kids as we
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News from Jemmaroo ...continued from page 29
made our way to an area called Gemiler Adasi. We Med moored between the island and the mainland and luck was on our side, the pancake couple who we have met twice before were there so we called them over and asked them to come around for breakfast the next morning. They have a fishing boat that in the tourist season they use as a mobile pancake parlour and it was great fun as they made the pancakes and passed them across to us.
the night a bit further out of the bay planning to return the next morning when new stocks of fuel would be available. This we duly did before making our way to Kuruca Buku to anchor for the night. We decided to go into Datca and on to the town wall this time – there was plenty of room but the officials insisted we slot ourselves in to this tiny little gap and it wasn’t long before the entire wall was full. We took a taxi to the Datca Winery which was quite lovely but very unsophisticated. After buying a dozen assorted wines and having a good chat to the owner we returned to the boat and had dinner at the Captain’s Table, a restaurant recommended by the winery. Bob’s ear was still bothering him so he and Liz set off for the hospital and some more drugs and after consulting the ‘bible’, we decided to anchor in a bay called Kargi Koyu for the night. We had just settled in and were having a swim when the winemaker from Datca appeared at the back of the boat so he came on board for a look and a small red. He left but anchored nearby was an Irish registered yacht with a Turkish owner who had an Irish passport so we invited him over for drinks and dinner. He proved to be a very interesting guy with incredibly strong views and we had a stimulating evening talking with him.
Kekova Roads is one of our favourite areas in Turkey as the water there is just beautiful so we spent three days there at different anchorages enjoying the water and the scenery etc. For Graeme’s actual birthday on 7 July we went in to the marina in Finike and had a slap up meal and celebration. The family left the next morning and Graeme went with them in the transport to the airport in Antalya where he dropped them off and picked up Howard and Ann Bone for our next adventure. With them we cruised north towards Antalya for a couple of days and then went back to Kekova Roads and Kas to further explore them. As a ‘Birthday Cruise’, together with Howard and Ann and our friends from New Zealand Bob and Liz, we went on a big boat cruise for Graeme’s, Ann’s and Bob’s seventieth’s, first from Copenhagen through to St Petersburgh and then up the west coast of Norway into the Norwegian Fiords for fourteen days. The highlights for us were The Hermitage in St Petersburgh and the fiords.
After a couple of delightful days of swimming and sunning ourselves it was nearly time for Bob and Liz to leave so we crossed the bay below Bodrum and anchored in a bay called Akrarlar. On our way in we passed a large Turkish patrol boat retrieving something rubbery, red and large out of the water but did not think too much about it at the time. We went into shore for dinner and found quite a dew on the boat when we returned as the nights were getting cooler. On our way around the corner to the marina at Turgetreis where Bob and Liz left from we passed a deflated small rubber dinghy in the water and wondered whether to notify the authorities but assumed they knew about it.
After the cruise Graeme and I decided to do some land content and flew from Copenhagen to Munich where we hired a car and toured through Central Europe flying out of Vienna ten days later into Antalya and back down to Jemmaroo in Finike. Club member Jack Didyk joined us there and we cruised with him for ten days before being joined by Bob and Liz in Marmaris where Jack left us. We had made arrangements for two new plastic water tanks to be made in Marmaris and these were fitted when we arrived. The boat was literally pulled apart while the old tanks were taken out and we discovered that it was not the water tanks that were leaking but the expansion tanks for the main engine and generator exhausts. We now had four water tanks but it was decided to put the new ones in on the premise that the old ones would eventually give up the ghost. It was decided to clean out the bottom of the boat as much as possible as it was a bit mouldy in parts from all the water and diesel sloshing around so this took a bit of doing and then the keel bolts had to be lacquered etc. All this took more time so it was very fortunate that the marina had a lovely pool as it was stinking hot.
We stayed in Turgetreis two nights and then Graeme and I exited Turkey and made our way across to the Greek island of Kalymnos to enter Greece. There were many refugees, mainly young single males and young couples with children, on the island and it was quite distressing to see how they were living, sleeping on odd bits of foam and cardboard and setting up camp on the steps of the police station and nearby. It was while we were here that he heard about the two young boys and their mother drowning near Bodrum off the coast of Turkey and we realised what we had probably seen – the remnants of the dinghy that went down. The island of Leros, in particular the town of Lakki and the Leros Marina where we were wintering Jemmaroo, was our next and last destination and we spent two days preparing the boat to go up on the hard. On our second night there I woke to a lot of noise and bright lights and looked out and saw a large ferry mooring at the other side of the bay. The next morning we discovered that some 3,000 refugees had been taken off the island that night to Athens for processing and transport to Germany. The island of Leros has approximately 2,500 Greek inhabitants and they were quite frightened about the number of refugees there and when we went into town the next day there were still hundreds on the streets living and sleeping there. It was very distressing and really bought the reality of the situation home to us.
We eventually got away and after a sea trial where we learnt more about our engine we dropped the mechanics back and took off. Murphy was at work again and after a lunch pick and a swim we put the large headsail up and the wind picked up also and it ripped. The wind on the furler was a bit tight and it flogged a bit but we made it into Serce Limani and Med moored there for the night. In the wind lulls in the morning we took the sail down and hanked on the small headsail and set off for Sogut Limani in the Gulf of Simi. It was great to be in a protected anchorage where we could relax and swim and wind down after our time at the marina etc. Bozburun was our next overnight anchorage and we had a great lunch pick before anchoring off the town of Bozburun. We had another swim and a sleep before dinghying into town to Osman’s for dinner where we met up with some other Aussie’s and all dined together.
With Jemmaroo safely on the hard we flew to Athens and then on to London for Graeme to attend a meeting after which we toured around Scotland for eight days before flying back to London and then home on 19 September. What will happen is a great unknown as far as the refugees are concerned in both Greece and Turkey and we will have to make some decisions about what we do when we return. Graeme has a yen to explore unchartered territory but I am quite content and we will make that decision later this year.
The market was on the next morning and we had a bit of fun there. Bob’s ear was infected so he and Liz went off in search of a doctor while Graeme and I did a spot of shopping. We left around 2pm and anchored in a beautiful bay called Dirsek, a very popular spot given the number of boats there. We motored around several of the bays in this area before going into Marti Marina to get some fuel and to empty our black water tanks. A large power boat had got there before us and exhausted the fuel supply so we anchored off for
Gay Footer 30
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FOR SALE
Marina East 8m twin: C04 - reduced to $27,000 F01, F02 - from $55,000 10m twin: A09, A10, A14, A28, A29, A34, A40, F04, F15 - from $40,000 A16, A27, A35, A38, F16 - All offers considered 10m single: A01, A02, A03, A04, A12, A25 - from $73,000 F07 - All offers considered 11m twin: A41 - All offers considered 12m twin: D35, D38, E09, E13, E14, E16, E25 - from $35,000 12m single: D08, D17, D18, D21, D23, E10 - from $85,000 E01, E04, E06 - All offers considered 13m twin: C23 - $75,000 13m single: C19, D40 - from $99.000 14m single: A46 - $160,000 C30 - All offers considered 15m single: A47, B31, B36, C34, C37 - from $150,000 B25, B35, C41 - All offers considered 16m single: B11, B15, B16 - from $120,000 B21 - All reasonable offers considered 20m single: A49 - $290,000 20m T Head: E34 - $325,000 ono
Platinum
Gold
FOR SALE
Marina West (all single berths) 11m single: M03 – suitable for a catamaran - $80,000 M01: - All offers considered 14m: M07 - All offers considered 15m: M08, N03 - from $150,000 17m: J13, J19, J20 - from $80,000 J08, J12 - All offers considered 18m: M10 - $250,000 20m: K01, K07, F08, K10, L02 - All reasonable offers considered K06 - $135,000 25m: M14 - $290,000 30m: K16, K17 - from $220,000 Hardstand 9m: 26, 52, 81,100 - from $4,000 10m: 131,140,143,144,146,147 - from $5,000 12m: 114,115,124 - from $6,500
Silver
Port Vincent 10m twin: A07, A09, A21 - from $24,000 A14, A18 - All offers considered 12m twin: B33, B34, B36, B37, B39, C60 - from $16,500 B29 - All offers considered 12m single: B45, B46, C48, C51, C65, C68 - from $25,000 14m single: D70, D77, D78 - from $45,000 D72- All offers considered 15m single: D85, D86, D87, D89 - from $50,000 D83 - All reasonable offers considered 20m single: A12 - $200,000
FOR LEASE
Marina East 8m twin: C04* 10m single: F08 10m twin: A14*, A16*, A22, A28*, A30, F16*, F17, F19 ($300 p/m) F23 12m single: D31 12m twin: D35*, E13*, E14*, E19 15m single: A47* 16m single: B16*, B21* 20m single: E34* 22m T Head: C42
Corporate
Marina West (all single berths) 11m: M03*, M04 15m: M08* 17m: J06, J07, J10, J20* 18m: M10* ($440 p/mth) 20m: K02, K04, K06*, K07*, K08*, K15 25m: M14* 30m: K16* Hardstand 10m: 132, 140*, 146* 12m: 4, 113, 115*, 125
contacts Berth Sales Jenny Krogdahl t: 8248 4222 e: jenny@cycsa.com.au Berth Leasing Kirsty Winstone t: 8248 4222 e: kirsty@cycsa.com.au Port Vincent Rob Marner PV Marina Manager 0414 611 110
Club Supporters
Notes on Purchasing/Selling Berths
As per Marina Berth Agreement, a 10% commission is payable by the vendor on all berth sales. If you are selling your berth and buying a berth of equal or greater value then your berth sale may be subject to a 5% commission payable to the Club (in lieu of 10%). The sale and purchase must be effected on the same day. This will be at the discretion of Management.
All prices include GST * Denotes berth for sale and lease
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sales@bellingham-marine.com.au 32
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