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 2017
inside > admirals bar & bistro > Ballast Head Cup > Racing Roundup > Tech Talk > boating showcase > summer of sails > sydney to hobart > geelong week
Board of Management President Treasurer
Andrew Saies Chris Wood Wayne Coonan Peter Hall David Murray Hillar Puvi Glenn Spear
Flag Officers Commodore Vice Commodore Rear Commodore
Geoff Boettcher Jacqueline Heffernan Adrian Wotton
Staff Chief Executive Officer Craig Evans Admin & Ops Manager Jenny Krogdahl Finance Manager Marina Segodina Comms & Member Services Mellissa Vahoumis Leasing Coordinator Kirsty Winstone Marine Academy Coord Matthew Young Boating Administrator David Royle Head Chef Amanda Gutte Port Vincent Marina Rob Marner
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Association Chairpersons Cruising Adrian Wotton Fishing Trevor Paynter Racing Rob Sellick Social 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 (Dec’d) 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
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CONTENTS 4 At the helm
CEO Craig Evans says the face of the Club has changed with the bar and patio redevelopment project successfully concluded.
5 the Board
President Andrew believes we’ve achieved something very significant.
15 Social Association
Pam Humeniuk and committee continue to provide great events for members and families.
16 tech talk
Owen Mace is in his element with this techy topic - see how you go.
18 fLotilla for kids
6 the commodore
7 boats at the club
19 boating showcase
We hear from our Flags about what our members have been up to. T erry Lockwood chats with Chris and Geraldine Cox about their new Riviera Gerry K III.
8 Admirals Bar and Patio
Mellissa took photos at the opening event and dinner.
9 marine academy
Matt Young says “the MA is a place to begin an adventure, a dream”.
Registered by Australia Post Publication No PP565001/00184 ISSN 1039-4230
10 Ballast Head Cup
Graphic design by Trevor Paynter Printed by Newstyle Printing
11 racing roundup
David Saies reminds us this fun event has been going for 15 years!
Boating Administrator David Royle relates the 2016/17 season so far.
Cover Photo: A spectacular twilight sky in January provides a backdrop to our new Club bar and bistro. Photo by Michael Hodder.
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13 Christmas BBQ Bash
The December combined Associations event was thoroughly enjoyable and we’re sure to do it again this year. 3
Bad weather didn’t dampen the spirits of the little heroes and with 65 boats participating this year it rocked.
Fishing Association members and friends got together on boats and talked about... well, boats.
20 cruising association
Cruising - and lots of it over summer with the usual places attracting our boaties and friends.
22 news from jemmaroo
The Footers are back there again doing what most of us would love to do.
25 sa summer of sails
They came in their hundreds...
26 sydney to hobart
Two True and Shining Sea tell how it was competing in the great race.
30 geelong week
SMB, Shining Sea and Game On went east and did very well once again.
At the Helm
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We welcome new Head Chef, Amanda Gutte. Amanda comes to us with a background of working in both club and hotel environments and was most recently the Head Chef of the Stamford Plaza. Amanda has just launched new menus at the Club in both the Mariners Restaurant and Admirals Bistro. Please make Amanda welcome.
’ll commence this report by thanking the CYCSA staff for their effort and dedication to the Club during the recent construction period of the new bar and bistro. The project took around six months and certainly impacted on the amenity to members but the effort required by staff to make sure the Club remained functioning was outstanding and should be recognised. This was no more evident than in the hospitality area where, despite the demolition and building program, we did not lose a single day of hospitality trading. Maintaining a food and beverage operation and accommodating both member requirements and function demands was a very difficult and often a stressful situation for hospitality staff. In some cases the entire bar operation required complete relocation several times in a single weekend. The noise, dust, vibration, removal of asbestos, welding flashes and countless other interruptions also made life in the office difficult and administration staff also went about their work without complaint.
Maintenance dredging of the entrance and approach into North Haven Marina commenced around Christmas time and has caused little disruption to date for most boaties however there have been a couple of individual incidents which resulted in damage. Please exercise caution when passing the dredge and be aware that the dredge is also often on the move. Our latest delivery of new pontoons for Marina East has arrived. Despite the extreme weather experienced in 2016 the replacement and refurbishment program is only a little behind schedule. As mentioned in previous reports we do have a rolling schedule of programmed work identifying which pontoons will be replaced or refurbished however there is flexibility and if you notice an issue you feel should be looked at please alert the office so it can be assessed.
The Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia partnered with the Largs Bay Sailing Club over the January period to host two junior National Championships. The International Optimist Class (Optis) and the International Cadet Class saw a total of around 340 sailing boats on the water over the holiday period. The CYCSA assisted with duty boats and many of our volunteers happily put up their hand to help out on the water. Our Club was also home base to all the rescue boats, support boats, coach boats and spectator craft. Part of the reason for ensuring the new Admirals Bar and Bistro was up and running by the end of December was to enable us to accommodate the presentation nights of both of these championships. Over 700 people attended the ‘Opti’ presentations and around 430 to the International Cadets event. The bar, kitchen and staff handled the events exceptionally well and the feedback from the Largs Bay Sailing Club and visiting sailors and their families was very positive about our new facility and the service they received.
In closing I would like to encourage all members to come and check out the new bar and bistro area. It has certainly changed the face of the Club and is the perfect spot for a quick bite, your next large function or anything in between. Safe boating. Craig Evans, Chief Executive Officer
Our Food and Beverage Manager, Mario Cataldi, recently resigned from the Club. Mario has been with us in this role for around seven years and has been instrumental in the growth of the hospitality area over that time. Mario’s employment at the Club certainly extends prior to this seven year period including many years of working in the bar in a ‘casual’ capacity. Mario leaves us to hit the books and is about to start a university degree. He will also be able to spend more quality time with his wife and two young children. We wish Mario all the best for the future. Board Member David Murray, CEO Craig Evans, Ken Amos, Graeme Footer with project architect and Club member Ashley Halliday made up the Facilities Committee to undertake the Admirals Bar and Bistro.
FIRST BEERS Chris Wood personally shouts the bar as the first beers are tapped and poured from the new Admirals Bar’s lines.
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From the President
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he last few months have seen the Board follow the progress of the new bar and outdoor dining area with great interest. This is a landmark project for the benefit of the Club’s current and long standing members and represents a significant upgrade in our bar, dining and entertainment facilities. It will stand the Club in good stead for many years and replaces an ageing and increasingly difficult to manage bar service and dining area. Behind the very attractive design and build is a significant upgrade of fridges, power, plumbing, fire code and other services not touched for years. The old Members Lounge is retained but opens onto the main outdoor bistro area. It can still be used for special dinners, meetings or small private functions. The Board believes it has achieved a very significant and long overdue upgrading of this important area to all members at a very good build price along with bank finance on terms and conditions that are supported by future predicted cash flows which are generated by operational surpluses and CPI based annual increments in member and corporate fees. There is to be no call on members! The renovated area will be called the Admirals Bar and Bistro in recognition of those members and the Associations who donated to the Admirals Club fundraising campaign last year and without whose support the final quality of finishes and furnishing of the bar area may have had to be scaled back. The Fishing Association for many years ran successful events which saw considerable funds accumulate always with the intention of seeing that money put towards a project like this. I again thank all those who donated time or money to this project. By the time this article goes to print the official opening will have happened. All members were invited on the day to hear speeches from Life and Foundation Member Dick Fidock and to witness past Governor, Kevin Scarce, unveil the naming plaque. Dick reflected on the original vision of the Founding Board and paid tribute to some key names in those formative years. He noted that the current team of Commodore, President and CEO were working together to provide a Club that all members should be proud of and one that the Founding Board would say lives up to expectations.
thanks to member Traci Ayris and Mellissa, Jenny and all our staff both before and on the day. The Club was presented in a very professional way. Many remarked on how stunningly different the new bar and bistro looked with almost a feeling of being in an entirely new Club. Given the heavy patronage experience of the last few weekends can I strongly urge members to book in advance if they intend to dine at the Club. We are in the process of developing policy and procedures around mixed usage events and managing members entitlements but ultimately making a booking and keeping it is the most reliable way of ensuring you are catered for. It can be revealed that after some discussion around expectations and duties Kevin Scarce has kindly accepted a Board invitation to fill a new role of Club Patron. The Board sees considerable merit in this position with Kevin being ideally placed due to his Defence Force, Vice Regal and Government connections to articulate the recreational and lifestyle opportunities on offer at the CYCSA to the various parties and employers that will in time be involved with the Defence Force warship building program. This program will see a significant increase in the work force in the Outer Harbour area many of whom will also live here and have the means and interest to pursue membership and activity at our Club. The new Admirals Bar and Bistro is an opportunity to now really deliver on our food and beverage services and make this area a ‘must attend on a regular basis’ experience for our members and their guests. The clearer separation of the indoor and outdoor areas also means that appropriate physical separation of weddings and functions from member access to bar and dining can now be delivered. Something that many of us have been hoping to see for some time! No more bridal parties having pre reception drinks at the outdoor bar while the race results are being read out! Please enjoy the new facility and take time to reflect on the time, effort and money that many of your fellow members have donated to this project to make it happen. Andrew Saies, President
Commodore Geoff Boettcher and I spoke and oversaw the proceedings and thanked all who assisted with the project. In particular the work of architect and member Ashley Halliday and the project team of Ken Amos, Graeme Footer and Geoff Boettcher led by David Murray, along with the considerable and valuable input of Craig Evans on a daily basis, should be noted and appreciated by all members. The day was a very happy celebration of the new area and saw many members and some very old faces not seen at the Club for a long time in attendance. After champagne and canapés over 130 members and guests booked for lunch and enjoyed a very pleasant afternoon while those less inclined to a three course meal continued the party in the new bar to the background music of band Black Fedora. Many
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President Andrew Saies, Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce, Life Member Dick Fidock and Commodore Geoff Boettcher unvail the commemorative plaque.
From the Flags Sir Les showing a clear lead from Steve Harrington’s Free Fallin and Keith Finch’s Rapid 1.
Geoff Boettcher
Jacq Heffernan
Adrian Wotton
From the Commodore - Geoff Boetcher What a great response to the opening of our new Admirals Bar and Bistro complex. We were privileged to have Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce and his wife officiate the opening by unveiling the commemoratory plaque which will be mounted in our foyer to mark the occasion. Dick Fidock AO eloquently treated us a brief history of the Club from the time of inception. When I was offered the Flag Officer’s position of Commodore one of my main objectives was to assist with the creation of this new Club facility. I was privileged to join our Facilities Committee comprising David Murray, Ken Amos and Graeme Footer, whose building administration skills ensured the new venue came in on budget and just on time. On behalf of all members I would like to thank these gentlemen for their valuable time they invested in this project. Our CEO Craig Evans and Architect Ashley Halliday were both under extreme pressure to finalise completion by the required date. All Board Members took a very responsible approach to ensure the Club could afford the new facility and our members would not be penalised financially. The project not only met completion deadlines but honoured its commitment to assist the Largs Bay Sailing Club host the Opti and International Cadet National Titles. The Club hosted and catered for over 700 competitors and parents for the Opti Prize Night. Thank you to Steve Minuzzo, of Mario Minuzzo Builders, for the dedication of you and your builders to complete the project in time under initially such extreme weather conditions. The Admirals Bar and Bistro has given the Club a very desirable dining venue made evident by the positive reaction of our members and guests and the increasing number of diners. May I suggest you now make a booking on key days to save disappointment. Well done to the staff and all concerned. We still need some refinements but Sue and I totally enjoy the new dining and bar facility and look forward to attending coming attractions. The racing season is proving interesting with the IRC Offshore prize up for grabs. Jason Ward’s Concubine - although two points ahead of a tied second place with Andrew Corletto’s Shining Sea and Andrew Saie’s Two True - has been without a mast. Concubine lost its mast in moderate conditions in November which now creates a race against time to replace the mast before chances of retaining the lead diminish. The South Australian IRC State Championship has Secret Mens Business leading with Shining Sea and Two True still in the hunt. AMS State Championship Division 1 has Shining Sea two points ahead of Two True and in Division 2 Jamie Goode at this stage has a comfortable lead over Richard Harries’ Vertigo. In the pre-Christmas Twilight Series Geoff Catt’s Liberator took gold from Wayne Grant’s Wind Weaver. Series 2 has Ian Patterson’s
NEW MEMBERS Over the last three months the following people have joined the Club. Please make them welcome.
Rowan EDWARDS Angela ENGELHARDT Chloe HUCZKO Ryan HUCZKO Rachel HUCZKO Daniel MORRISON Anthony TATES Hunter MCWHINNEY
The Rolex Sydney to Hobart was not kind to the CYCSA yachts. With Concubine missing it was left to Shining Sea and Two True to represent the Club. Definitely not the weather conditions the crews needed. The race proved a downhill ‘sled’ ride and not suitable for these two Beneteau yachts. We saw a new fastest time to Hobart broken with 1 day, 13 hours, 31 minutes and 20 seconds. Perpetual Loyal would have averaged over 24.6 knots to achieve this new record. The official winner of the Rolex Sydney to Hobart is the IRC handicap winner and the winner for 2016 was Giacomo. It is a shame all the TV hype is given to the Line Honours yachts. Our boys would have been disappointed with Shining Sea crossing the line 41st to give a 32nd on IRC Handicap and Two True finishing 55th with a 37th on IRC handicap. Not the result expected from both these well sailed South Australian yachts but that’s yachting. I was fortunate enough to see for the first time the start of the race from the official CYCA spectator boat - a whole new experience for me. Vice Commodore’s Report - Jacq Heffernan Serious renovations of the patio area did not impact on activities at the Club. The temporary bar in the Horizons Room surprised many in how well it worked. The Boating Showcase in November was very well supported and it was great to be a part of it. The Children’s Christmas Party was a huge success enjoyed by all. On 26 December for the start of the Sydney to Hobart Race the Two True ‘shout’ was extremely well supported – thank you for the champers Andrew Saies! For me personally the highlight of the year was to meet so many new members to the Club. With various degrees of boating experience the one thing all had in common was how much the culture of the Club appealed. This is made possible by the many functions the Club and its associations run and it is wonderful to have such a large range of activities to be involved in. It has been lovely to see new friendships develop and camaraderie build good, strong relationships. Rear Commodore’s Report - Adrian Wotton How great to see the Club buzzing with members and their guests enjoying our wonderful new facilities! The Sunday roast is back by popular demand and the Cruising Association Second Saturday Monthly BBQs continue to thrive with attendances consistently around the 40 to 50 mark. Despite some unusually cold and windy summer days the hardy cruising community has been busy. In November a cruise in company to Port Adelaide, dinner at a local pub and an overnight stay was good fun and a surprise fireworks display, thrown in by the Port Council, was an added bonus. December, January and February were also busy months with the Combined Associations Christmas Bash; a combined CYCSA and RSAYS New Year’s Eve party at Brown’s Beach, Kangaroo Island; a number of boats taking advantage of the Port Vincent Marina over the Australia Day Long Weekend; and many of our members participating in the Flotilla for Kids. You can keep up to date with upcoming cruising events by signing on to: sa_cruisers@ googlegroups.com
Janice MCWHINNEY Joanne PILLMORE Michael ROBERTS Ross EVANS Michael JONAS Debbie LITTLE KEOGH Andre MIELKE Evelyn POLLARD 6
John RYNBOUT Sanora SHOESMITH Jared STEVENS Pamela TSE Jay Rogers Leo CRASTI Daniel MILLER David RIDDLE
Robert WINTER Matthew WOOD Jeff POYNTER Greg SMITH Daniel TURNER
BOATS at the club
This is another in the series of articles by Terry Lockwood aimed at providing you with an insight into a few new boats and other boats of interest at the Club.
gerry K III Chris Cox has been a member of the CYCSA for some 28 years and it is fantastic to see a progression like this through the Club by a long term member. Chris and his wife Geraldine have a long history with both fresh and salt water and for Geraldine this became more prominent after they married. For Chris it started as a child water skiing from his parents shack at Murray Bridge and sailing from the Glenelg Sailing Club in a sail boat he built. In 1984 Chris purchased a Pion 30 named Boardroom from which he derived a lot of pleasure sailing the gulf with many visits to Kangaroo Island, Stansbury, Edithburgh and Port Vincent to share a port or two whilst listening and sharing many boating stories with other yachties. Boardroom was sold soon after the birth of their first son Callan and weekends were spent at their new holiday home near Murray Bridge with water skiing back on the agenda for Chris and Geraldine. Shortly after the birth of their second son Carson, the lure of salt water became too strong so in 1991 the first Gerry K was purchased. She was an Offshore 37 Flybridge Cruiser named by Chris’s mum.
the 425 and the 525 and the decision was instant - the bigger boat it was - the paperwork was signed and a new 525SUV was ordered. In July they travelled to Sydney for the Boat Show and to do the final selections and took delivery of their new vessel in November 2016.
After the boys finished school and left home Chris and Geraldine formulated a five year plan to get back to the sea. In 2011 a 43’ Mustang was purchased again named by Chris’s mum Gerry K II. Over the next five years a lot of cruising and fishing was attempted and then the decision made to move up or move on.
She is a Riviera 525SUV and as you can see from the photo a stunning looking vessel. She was built in Queensland in 2016, is powered by twin Volvo 950 IPS and is named, keeping with family tradition, Gerry K III. With the lead up to Christmas only a few day trips were able to be achieved and a couple of crabbing days with some success. Her maiden voyage was for New Year’s Eve to Port Vincent and a great time was had. The family is looking forward to many trips away in 2017 including the Riviera Port Lincoln Experience. Chris and Geraldine would like to thank the boys at R Marine, especially Paul, for all their efforts and continued support in making this a dream boat and boating experience.
So when the 2016 Adelaide Boat Show came around Chris decided to go ‘to have a look’. Great move Chris - Geraldine received a phone call at work to say that she had better get down to the show with Chris saying “I think I just bought a new boat”. After Geraldine and their boys had a look at the boat a Riviera 425 was ordered. After the deal was finalised and Chris went home and ran the stats, he realised he had ordered a smaller boat than the Mustang. He quickly got on the phone to Paul at Riviera and cancelled the order. After discussing why, Paul had Chris and Geraldine down at Glenelg to show them the difference between
Thank you for your information Geraldine, I’m sure you will have another five years of cruising and enjoying.
VALE – ROBIN WOOD
VALE – PETER PAGE
Robin Wood was born on 20 September 1930 and passed away on 2 February 2017 aged 86.
Peter was born on 24 August 1940 and passed away on 29 November 2016 at the age of 76. Married to Barbara for nearly 50 years together they raised three children, Paul, Lisa and Luke who in turn produced seven grandchildren. Peter was a man of many talents, particularly sporting, riding trotters as a teenager and playing football for Central Districts plus flying, motor boating, sailing and fishing. His major business holding was Peter Page Holden which he set up in 1971 and Barbara, Paul and Luke still continue this business today. An active and strong CYCSA Club member, Peter joined the Club in 1982 and was voted on to the Board in 1996 going on to become Treasurer and then President over his nine year term. He served as Commodore from 2007 to 2009 and worked tirelessly in all his positions. Peter’s first boat at the Club was a power boat called Walkabout followed by a series of boats called Serenity, first a motor cruiser ketch followed by a 50’ Bavaria yacht and lastly a 55’ Salthouse power boat. He also had a go at racing purchasing a Sydney 38 which he called Hold On. The Club will miss Peter and his energy and our condolences go to Barbara and the family. Gay Footer 7
Robin joined the CYCSA on 31 January 1997 after having been a member of the RSAYS since the age of 13. He had a great love of the water and had numerous sailing and motor boats. The CYCSA was a very special place for Robin to spend time and keep his boats. He enjoyed cruising and fishing South Australian waters with his family and friends and was still single handed day sailing his Moody Eclipse 43 Liberty until the age of 84. Our condolences to his family and friends. Gay Footer
It’s open and it’s excellent!
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t was a great turn out for the Official Opening of our Admirals Bar and Bistro on 12 February with over 270 in attendance. With champagne and canapés aplenty the atmosphere was buzzing with live entertainment by Black Fedora Jazz and it was pleasing to see some old faces back at the Club to celebrate this momentous occasion. The CYCSA would like to thank everyone who took part in the celebration, with special thanks to Rear Admiral, The Honourable Kevin Scarce AC CSC RANR and Founding Member, Dick Fidock for assisting with the official proceedings. Once the formalities concluded over half of the crowd moved into the dining room to enjoy a delicious three course luncheon while others stayed on to mingle around the new bar and outdoor area. Mellissa Vahoumis
Photos by Mellissa Vahoumis
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Recreational an
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d Sports Boatin
he Marine Academy is far beyond just a sail training centre. It’s a place to begin an adventure, to realise a dream or, in some cases, make the impossible possible. Our focus will always be on assisting our members reach their goals and to pursue further training. Along the way the Marine Academy works hard as a Club asset on collecting new members and finding appropriate pathways into our sport and recreation for interaction on the water. This summer’s on water activities continue to advance with strong enrolments in our courses. Start Powerboat courses have been on the rise with small private groups regularly taking to the water to gain a State boat licence through practical application of skills driving a powerboat. So far this season we have had 24 students complete our Start Yachting course. With plenty of good weather to come things are looking good for the future of Marine Academy courses. Our Start Yachting course is a weekend course, two days where students get a fair go at being part of the crew and find out what sailing is all about and, most importantly, how to be safe on a boat. By the end of the course students are capable on deck and have had a great introduction to Club life. Most of them continue on as Competent Crew students during our three day live aboard courses. A three day course was successfully run over the New Year period. More three day live aboard courses are planned over the next few long weekends. Completing the wrap on practical courses, our RYA Chief Instructor, Brett Yardley, completed a crossing to Kangaroo Island during our five day live aboard in January. As expected the students were rapt with the adventure and are looking for more. Off the water has been just as busy with CYCSA members focusing toward offshore racing and completing Sea Safety and Survival Courses along with a recent Safety Sunday. This year we also added a SSSC update for those who were just updating a certificate. All the safety courses are fantastically run by our Marine Academy Instructor, Andy Shipp. Some feedback from a Safety Sunday student who has recently done a stack of courses caught my attention “It’s by far the most valuable and best value course so far. Seeing seasoned skippers doing the course, experienced crew members in the training, I realised how important it is to keep the skill up to date as well as giving the crew members the best knowledge they could have to save themselves and others if the situation is needed.” Pam. Beyond training the Marine Academy relies on the interest and goodwill of the members. This year we have seen some generous members donating their time, sails, liferafts and excess boat bits to further our cause. We are always thankful for the donations and continue to promote the Club’s activities and work hard to be seen out on the water each day. Remember to check out our course program and we are always happy to help! See you on the water! Matt Young, CYCSA Marine Academy Principal
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Peter Lucas on his yacht Twelfth Night
Members generously support the Marine Academy
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enior Member Peter Lucas, pictured here on his yacht Twelfth Night, has given back to the Club with a generous donation to the Marine Academy. Peter is supplying a brand new eight person RFD life raft with hydrostatic release and all essential equipment including its own EPIRB. He has generously repaired the RIB free of charge on several occasions and has also serviced the Club’s PFDs. Through his generosity Pacific Australia Marine Safety Pty Ltd, the company he founded, will be recognised as a Silver Sponsor. His generous donation goes a long way to ensuring Academy 1 meets the Yachting Australia and Department of Planning Transport and Infrastructure survey requirements. As sponsors support our Club we ask where possible that you return their support. Pacific Australia Marine Safety offer sales and servicing for all RFD products including life rafts, PFDs, general safety equipment, RIBs, kayaks and accessories. The purpose built facility offers the highest standard of servicing for customers in the commercial and private sectors. Peter is always ready to advise anyone about the quality and servicing needs of different equipment or if you would like a more casual conversation he can be found enjoying a meal at the Club most Sunday evenings. Two other Club members have also assisted the Marine Academy. Mark Williams from Seduction has supplied an almost new Dacron mainsail, a Number 1 headsail and a Number 2 head sail while Jim Smyth from Gladiator donated an out of survey but never been used eight person Zodiac Liferaft for training purposes. These members are sincerely thanked for their assistance to the Marine Academy and to the Club. Rowland Richardson, Chair Marine Academy
The three day live-aboard students leaving Kangaroo island 9
2017
BALLAST HEAD CUP RACE
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arly morning on New Year’s Day 2017 broke gloomy and grey as the Adelaide contingent gradually glided onto their moorings off Island Beach and probably intent upon a last minute revision of the Notice of Race, Sailing Instructions and the course map during their breakfast. Later, as the American River fleet began to arrive, a weak sun broke through and by registration and briefing time it had settled into a fine day with a gentle 15 knot breeze and flat seas which is just what we want for the Ballast Head Cup race, the first regularly programmed yacht race in the world each year. An innovation this year was the use of three inflatable marks instead of the fixed marks which have been used for all previous events and allowed the Race Officer the luxury of laying a longer windward leg which has been difficult to set previously but unfortunately, with a slight wind shift half way through the first lap with the breeze backing from the normal SW to SSW, the beat morphed into a tight reach. Never mind, better luck next year. Again two starts were used with the Ballast Fleet of lower handicapped boats starting at 1300hrs and the Rocky Fleet at 1330hrs which enables all boats to finish and crews to arrive at the beach barbeque at about the same time. A pleasing feature this year was the improvement of the starting tactics. Despite last minute radio chatter on “where is the start boat”, ”where is the start line”, “what time do we start ,“when do the flags go up/down”, “can’t see the inflatables” (they’re day-glo yellow and 1.5 metres tall - should have gone to Specsavers!), all boats crossed their respective start times within a few seconds of their signal. Once again we joined the Sydney to Hobart race by sending the fleets off with a bang with our authorised powder monkey on hand to fire the cannon for the two starts and the two finishes. The owner/skipper of the start boat was decidedly twitchy pre-start and was seen rummaging through his chart table to locate his damage insurance policy however he settled down quite noticeably after the first salvo.
Graeme Footer from Marnico
Mike Stockdale from BeMi
This regatta was one of the best ever. Flat seas, nice breeze, all boats getting around the course trouble free with 95% of the corrected times being within one and a half minutes of one another. Handicap adjustments have now been made in accordance with the Yachting Australia formula and we can expect some even closer handicap times next year. Some thanks: to Tony Riggs and crew for making Bazaar available for start/finish duties and for being gracious hosts; to Brooke McLeay for ship to shore to ship shuttle service and on-shore support; to Phil Tregenza for deploying and recovering the inflatables - some job as they would be a handful; to American River yachtie Lesley Beck for valuable start/finish identification and assistance with handicap calculations; to family friend Sam Moore for safely charging and firing off the cannon a number of times without drama and to Greg Roberts whose interesting and informative articles in the Island’s newspaper, The Islander, has promoted the Ballast Head Race over many years; to the RIG (Rebuilding Independence Group) team for once again conducting the beach barbeque and drinks; a huge vote of thanks to Graeme Footer (Marnico), Chris Wood (Epiphany) and Andrew Saies (Two True) for their contribution to the regatta by fully financing the purchase of the inflatable marks from the Kangaroo Island Yacht Club and finally, thanks to all of the yachties from American River, Kingscote, Port Lincoln, Wirrina and Adelaide who have supported this most enjoyable fun event over the past fifteen years.
Results Line Honours - Ballast Head Cup Marnico Graeme Footer
CYCSA
1st on Handicap – Ballast Head Trophy BeMi Mike Stockdale PLYC 2nd on Handicap Goshawk Ants Harris 3rd on Handicap Schools Out Adrian Wotton
American River CYCSA
First new entry on handicap other than the above winners Jamie Cowell Trophy The Bottom Line David Roper CYCSA Medals for new entrants Alpha Centauri Roger Flint The Bottom Line David Roper Crew of The Bottom Line
David Saies, Race Officer 10
CYCSA CYCSA
RACING ASSOCIATION
T
he summer racing season is now past the halfway mark with great racing and numbers on the water.
Series One of the Phil Hoffmann Travel Twilight Series was completed just before Christmas with some 27 boats nominated. Cruising Division B boats filled the top four positions with honours going to Geoff Catt’s team on Liberator, followed by Wind Weaver (Wayne Grant) and Sea Snake II (Steve Power). In Cruising Division A, Mark John’s Aquila was first followed by Asylum (Derek Morrison) and Rapid 1 (Keith Finch). The hotly contested Ladies Helm Race held in mild conditions on 7 December was taken out by Anthea Dabinett and her crew on White Knight. At the time of writing our Club Inshore series has eight races completed in varying breezes. Division 1 PHS is being led by White Knight (David Knights) with Alliance in striking distance. In Division 2 PHS Sea Snake II and Julia are only one point apart. The AMS series results have White Knight ahead of Shining Sea in Division 1 with two points between Vertigo (Jamie Goode) and No Eye Deer (Andrew Townsend) in Division 2. With four more races left in the series chances are that the final outcomes might differ from where they sit now. Light winds of no more than 12 knots greeted the 25 competitors battling in the Yalumba Great Southern Regatta over the weekend of 19–20 November 2016. This meant that consistency, with no race to discard, was of paramount importance for those wanting to claim the prizes. With racing conducted in about five knots on the Sunday the results were PHS Division 1, Two True (Andrew Saies) followed by Shining Sea (Andrew Corletto) and White Knight with Division 2 taken out by Rock On (Trevor Conyers) followed by Vostok-Europe (Ken Abbott) and Locomotion (Peter Hall). AMS results showed some differing outcomes with Two True and Shining Sea followed by Squadron yacht Taniwha sailed by Ron Parker. In Division 2 the Mumm 30 Vertigo (Jamie Goode) won convincingly from Rock On and Young Einstein (Rob Moore). The prestigious IRC Division 1 results saw a narrow one point win to Two True from Geoff Boettcher’s Secret Mens Business and Shining Sea. After winning a hard and windy Haystack Island race by 50 minutes on IRC handicap (and just over five hours across the line) our Offshore Series produced a classic sailing hard luck story for the team on Concubine. In the following Jubilee Cup Race their mast broke with repairs unable to be completed in time to make the 2016 Sydney to Hobart Race. Our other offshore yachts, Two True and Shining Sea, both made it to the Boxing Day start and completed the race with distinction. Recognition should also be given to those who represented the Club at other interstate regattas during the Christmas/New Year period. Shining Sea, Game Over (Julian Newton) and Secret Mens Business competed in the Festivals of Sails Regatta at the Royal Geelong Yacht Club whilst J24 aficionados Andrew and Robin Townsend, as well as Doug Watson, sailed in the Australian Championships at Port Hacking.
On 25 January fourteen guest from the Naval, Military and Airforce Club joined our crews in the weekly Twilight Race, enjoying a steady breeze and mild seas. Thanks go out to our members for hosting the visitors on their boats for the race.
With the Adelaide to Port Lincoln Race upon us, followed by Lincoln Week racing and perhaps a cruise home, there remains much time left to enjoy the summer season. David Royle, Racing Manager and Boating Administrator Photos courtesy of Ms Terry Lyons 11
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With a perfect temperature in the mid 20s the second annual All Associations Christmas Bash kicked off...
All Associations Christmas BBQ Bash W
ith a perfect temperature in the mid 20s the second annual (let’s start a tradition here) All Associations Christmas Bash kicked off without a hitch at 6.30pm. Morag welcomed everyone and gave warning that all gold coins would be ‘fleeced’ for raffle ticket proceeds and, speaking of raffles, we had some bumper donations this year with around six draws. Please note the Social Association takes no responsibility for the future liver conditions of our lucky winners - ha ha! With BBQ grilling underway and lovely salads and sweets on the table to share, everyone mingled and enjoyed a fantastic night of good food, good cheer and of course, good company! Getting to the informal, informative part of the evening Adrian drew the door prize and we then proceeded on to the raffles. Adrian also briefly spoke about up and coming cruises with the New Year’s Eve sail to Kangaroo Island and the Easter ‘Cruising in Company’. Photos by Trevor Paynter
The Social Association would like to thank all members who attended and also the Cruising, Racing and Fishing Committees who helped with the set up and donated lovely things for the raffles. Thanks to Trevor for the lovely photos and also Mario who is always available to us and just gets things done! A final and special thanks to all the gals and guys in the Social Association who continue to give their time and never ending energy to make our Club vibrant and fun! Please note that $300 was raised from the raffle and will go towards Linda McCarthy and her fabulous choir for ‘ Carols on the Lawn’, a free event hosted by the Social Association where members and their friends and families can come down, bring a rug, an esky, sing some Christmas carols and get into the true spirit of Christmas. (See page 15 for a report of this event.) Morag Draper, Secretary Social Association
13
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Children’s Christmas Party T he children’s parties over the last few years have had some challenges with weather. One year it poured with rain, one year it was 40 degrees and this year we had a gale warning forecasted.
Unfortunately this meant the Jumping Castle had to be cancelled but it didn’t seem to be missed as Linda Mendrin and Russell Phillipson came to the fore with an exciting obstacle course for the children to participate in. Fortunately all the kids thoroughly enjoyed getting soaked to the skin and so next time we will put a warning into the information something like “children will definitely need a change of clothes”. Thanks to Linda and Russell for a superb effort. After this fun start to the proceedings Santa was welcomed, carried in by Sundowner. Thank you David Henderson and Vicki Pearce for allowing your boat to once again be Santa’s sleigh. Santa distributed toys to all the children and mums and dads and even grandparents lined up to have extra photos taken with Santa before he was whisked away on Sundowner and the party food bought out. The children enjoyed a feast of chocolate crackles, honey joys, fairy bread, watermelon, Paddle Pops and lolly bags (very generously provided by Jim and Glenda Smyth). The weather did not live up to the promised gale and so the afternoon could be enjoyed very comfortably in the BBQ area which had as usual been decorated by the Social Association with a tree and various decorations hanging from the roof beams to make it a very friendly and Christmas feeling space. Thank you to all the Social Association Committee and their partners who assisted in making this a big day and thank you to Adrian Wilson who joined the team this year to make the kids all smile. Pamela Humeniuk, Chair Social Association
Carols on the Lawn T
his event is in its third year and 2016 proved to be exceptionally good. Linda McCarthy organised a delightful program with singers, The Colours of Faith, from St Luke’s Anglican Church in Whitmore Square. Involving a group who are supporting disadvantaged people is a great way to show true Christmas spirit. The Social Association put together a raffle and every dollar raised was given to this group so thank you everyone who purchased tickets. The evening was balmy and pleasant and members, families and guests arrived loaded with picnic baskets, picnic rugs and cushions and settled in the BBQ area for a night of fun. Especially pleasing this year was the way the young children joined in and we look forward to expanding their part in the proceedings next year. The Club has many budding singers and performers in its ranks and we hope to capitalise on that in the future. Thank you to all the young people who joined in leading the singing. As the night wore on some of the younger participants were very weary and reluctantly were led home by parents and those remaining joined in with The Colours of Faith choir and Linda to sing with gusto all the old favourites. Young and old enjoyed holding their candles high as they sang along. Again many thanks to everyone who came along to enjoy this free fun evening of carols and fellowship. Pamela Humeniuk, Chair Social Association 15
techupdate How does the motor temperature reading appear on your chart plotter screen? How does the temperature sensor communicate with the plotter? How come the true wind is displayed on a sail boat when only the apparent wind is measured?
T
he answer to these questions, and many more, is that the various electronic sensors and instruments talk to one another. Generally they communicate over what we electronics people call ‘communications buses’ or wireless systems. A really good definition is provided in Wikipaedia (Ref 1): “In computer architecture, a bus is a communication system that transfers data between components inside a computer, or between computers. This expression covers all related hardware components (wire, optical fiber, etc.) and software, including [the] communication protocol”
How Instruments
Talk
to One Another
There are many, many communications systems used on boats and some of them are: • A simple pair of wires from, for example, a temperature sender to the display gauge, • A pair of wires that snakes from instrument to instrument carrying communications between all connected instruments. Examples of this are NMEA systems (more on this soon) and ‘ethernet’, the blue (probably) cable that may connect your laptop to your ADSL modem. • Wireless communications systems, including WiFi and Bluetooth®. As a surprise to no-one, there are international standards for communications systems such as these as well as, surprise surprise, proprietary systems that people have hacked. Now let’s look at the more useful and common communications systems for our boats.
NMEA The National Marine Electronics Association (Ref 2) is a US, oops sorry, international, body that sets standards for communications for marine use. The advantage of such standards is that theoretically electronics from different manufacturers can talk to one another. Usually the communication is successful but it can be complicated by various versions of the standards and by proprietary messages that are understood only by one manufacturer.
In computer architecture, a bus is a communication system that transfers data between components inside a computer, or between computers.
Now we will look at the most common communications buses on board our boats from the slowest to the fastest.
NMEA 0183 This is a relatively slow communications system that sends data around at a rate of, typically, one group of messages per second (Ref 3). This is by no means universal but it is a typical rate. There are a wide range of defined messages that cover most information you want on board such as wind speed and direction, rudder position, your position, speed and heading, etc. There is provision for manufacturers to devise their own messages. The low speed version of NMEA 0183 is typically 4,800 bits per second and the high speed 38,400 bits per second. Compare this with a typical ADSL speed at my home of around 1 to 4 million bits per second. The bus can be plugged directly into older computers that have a RS232 port or via a USB converter dongle available for peanuts on eBay. So it’s a very handy system and its messages are easily read on any laptop, see the example in the sidebox. However, it’s fairly slow and, while useful for many, many applications on board, it is far too slow to transmit radar images, for example, in anything
16
with Owen Mace
less than the time it takes to get to Stansbury on a windless day. (I exaggerate, of course, but you get the idea). Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) typically use a ‘high speed’ version of NMEA 0183 which is still considerably slower than:
NMEA 2000 NMEA 2000 (Ref 5) is 250,000 or 500,000 bits per second, that is, about 50 or 100 times faster than the typical, low speed NMEA 0183, but still only moderate speed and is based on the CAN bus (Ref 4) used in factories and in modern cars and trucks for similar reasons. The message protocol is more complex than NMEA 0183 and so it is harder to read the messages on a computer. Furthermore the cables and connectors are more expensive than for NMEA 0183. Increasingly new boats are being delivered with NMEA 2000. The new standard specifies water-resistant connectors, the signals and the content of many messages and you won’t be surprised to learn that manufacturers of marine equipment have devised many proprietary messages that are slowly being hacked. Now I’ll explain the picture of part of a NMEA 2000 network. The main cable goes horizontally across the picture and there are seven ‘taps’ or ‘tees’ into the cable with connections dropping down to the various instruments on board. (The middle one is yellow). Each ‘tee’ is screwed to the black bulkead behind. There is another part of the network with two ‘tees’ above the main cable. Messages are transmitted to all instruments connected to the network and they recognise which messages are directed at them and where they came from. An interesting question is what happens if two instruments start talking at the same time but that’s for another time and place. Thanks Riviera for the picture.
again than NMEA 2000. However, you are stuck with that brand and so, unlike NMEA 0183 and 2000, different instrument brands probably cannot be successfully connected.
Ethernet Ethernet is an open and long established communications system for computers. It’s the blue or yellow cable connecting your computer with your modem (if you don’t use wireless). There are no message standards for marine use. It’s also the fastest one but (ain’t there always a ‘but’), the connectors were never designed for marine use nor are the messages standardised, so – yes folks, connections between instruments of different brands are, well, near impossible.
Wireless Communications Our computers’ WiFi wireless communications is a suitable means for high speed communications but, lacking a standard for the contents of messages, we are stuck with one brand. Similar comments apply to the short range Bluetooth® system. TicTack uses wireless to connect mast head instruments with display as another example.
Summary It is very feasible to connect one brand of equipment with another brand using the NMEA 0183 system in particular but, as communications speed increases, so ‘proprietariness’ increases making it harder to connect different brands together. Perhaps that doesn’t matter but it does make it easier for a manufacturer to force you to buy a whole new system if one part fails. By the way, you can buy ‘On Board Diagnostic’ (ODB) boxes that plug into your car to read the fault codes. They can be got on eBay for under $20 but just be sure you know what you are doing.
References
However, you can’t easily plug a NMEA 2000 system into a laptop. You will need a special interface thingy, such as that made by Actisense (Ref 6), and suitable software for your laptop. (I made one to read battery and mains voltages, the state of bilge pumps and water level on my boat.)
1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_%28computing%29
Proprietary Buses - Many of the manufacturers of marine instruments have devised their own proprietary communications that are faster
5 http://www.nmea.org/content/nmea_standards/nmea_2000_ ed3_00.asp
2 http://www.nmea.org/ 3 http://www.nmea.org/content/nmea_standards/nmea_0183_v_410. asp 4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAN_bus
6 http://www.actisense.com/products/nmea-2000/ngt-1/ngt-1
NMEA 0183 Messages Here are a few seconds worth of NMEA 0183 messages from a trip on the gulf: $GPGGA,14740.03,3447.5463,S,13822.5930,E,1,09,0.8,0.5,M,-0.2,M,87,*55 $GPRMC,14740.03,A,3447.5463,S,13822.5930,E,6.5,90.2,120312,0.0,E*4E $GPGGA,14741.03,3447.5462,S,13822.5952,E,1,09,0.8,0.5,M,-0.2,M,87,*51 $GPRMC,14741.03,A,3447.5462,S,13822.5952,E,6.5,89.1,120312,0.0,E*41 $GPGGA,14742.03,3447.5462,S,13822.5974,E,1,09,0.8,0.5,M,-0.2,M,87,*56 $GPRMC,14742.03,A,3447.5462,S,13822.5974,E,6.6,88.6,120312,0.0,E*43.
A Shipboard NMEA 2000 network - see explanation in the text. Thanks to R Marine Adelaide for the picture of a Riviera 525 in manufacture.
The messages beginning with $GPGGA show the latitude (34°47.5463’ south), longitude (138°22.5930’ east) and, among other things, 9 satellites (the 09 value after the E) are in view of my GPS receiver. The GPRMC messages also show boat speed (6.5 knots at 90.2° true) and the date (12 March 2012).
17
Little Heroes Brave Wet Conditions at Flotilla for Kids A fun day out raising over $20,000 for our Little Heroes Care Program
T
he Fishing Association hadn’t had a lot of luck with a few of its functions with the bad weather keeping us off the water on two of our fishing days and the Fisheries Department closing Goolwa Beach putting paid to our Cockling Day. Even the Wirrina charter set off on a chilly four degree morning.
T
But it all came together for the annual Boat Showcase party in November where three luxury powerboats rafted up along the Marina East walkway between B and C rows to provide our venue. A pleasant spring day and the south easterly breeze dropping out early evening allowed the 69 FA members and friends to mingle on the walkway and to enjoy the comforts aboard the large Riviera and Maritimo cruisers.
Meeting at the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron in the morning on Sunday 5 February our families, boat crews and staff were treated to a delicious breakfast thanks to Vili’s Bakery, Fleurieu Milk Company and Java Drive Coffee. Our new Corporate Relations Manager, Tony Modra, was as popular as ever with our guests, taking photographs and entertaining fans both young and old! At 10:00am our guests made their way to their designated boats for the flotilla to assemble in Outer Harbor before setting off on our journey up the Port River.
A variety of tasty finger food prepared by (then) Chef Liam was delivered down to the boats by our Club kitchen staff and Mario provided a good selection of beer and wines. FA committee stalwart Leica Theodore provided flans for dessert and long time supporters of the FA Jim and Glenda Smyth supplied morish bowls of sweets. With the exception of a few light beers, nothing was left to the committee to clear away at the end of the evening.
here’s not much that can dampen our spirits here at Little Heroes Foundation although the weather did try on the day of this year’s Flotilla for Kids! Despite the threat of certain rain and a potential storm, over 65 boats braved the conditions to put on a fun day out on the water for seriously ill children and their families.
Meanwhile down at Port Adelaide the wharfside markets, organised by the Wild at Hart and Sempahore Mainstreet Association, were in full swing. Little Heroes Foundation would like to thank all who braved the conditions to support not only Flotilla for Kids but also the local businesses all of whom were doing their part to raise even more funds for our cause. Our flotilla arrived at the Inner Harbour just after noon led by the One and All which was carrying some precious cargo – our ‘Little Heroes’. Once anchored the rest of the flotilla made their way down past the wharf looping back and saluting the crowd. The boats then made their way back up the river to the RSAYS arriving to a freshly cooked BBQ and drinks thanks to our good friends at the Rotary Club of West Torrens! Little Heroes Foundation Chairman Chris McDermott praised the generosity of the local community including the many yacht clubs. “It was a fantastic day for all the families and children Little Heroes Foundation support and it was great to see the public once again come out and join in the fun. The generosity and contribution from the many boating clubs and volunteers was incredible and events like this aren’t possible without them. A lot goes in to making the day run as smoothly as possible. The Foundation is continuing to work on how to make this event bigger and better again next year and we are keen for other South Australian charities to join in the fun and make it an even bigger day on the calendar.” Over $20,000 has been raised so far with thanks to the event sponsors and supporters. As always we held a few competitions for our registered boats including Best Themed, Most Colourful and Outstanding Fundraising! Our winners for 2017 Best Themed – Steve Beaufoy on Outrageous Most Colourful – Peter Cooling on Last Tango Outstanding Fundraising – Geoff Catt on Liberator A special mention to the crew on School’s Out for their dancing and singing and the ‘Where’s Wally’ team who entertained the crowd at the wharf. Little Heroes Foundation would also like to thank the many boat clubs for their generosity and to the event sponsors. Flotilla for Kids 2017 was proudly sponsored by Port Adelaide Enfield Council, RenewalSA, Channel 7, FiveAA, Nova and CMV Group. Jennifer Griffin Little Heroes Foundation
18
For the first time the FA committee chose to use the occasion to present the annual Fishing Awards to the recipients based upon their submissions during the 2016 year. It also gave the committee the opportunity to unveil the new bespoke stainless steel trophy that current and future year’s winners receive for their nominated catch. The trophy is also awarded to FA members to acknowledge outstanding fishing achievements during the year and in particular the FA Volunteer of the Year. Fishing Association members are encouraged to visit the Club website to review the simplified award guidelines and categories to ensure we have a vibrant competition in 2017. During the awards presentation thanks were warmly given to the host/owners who shared their boats so convivially with everyone. The Jim and Glenda Smyth team go way back with their long involvement and support of the association and their boat 55’ Maritimo Gladiator made the perfect ‘flagship’ for the occasion. The endearingly individual Owen Mace and FA committee member wife Delia were wonderful hosts aboard their 44’ Riviera Esprit and our ever-supportive Commodore Geoff Boettcher and wife Sue hosted their ‘alternative’ boat Tender Business, which is another of the popular 445 Rivieras. It was good to see such a healthy turnout on a night when test cricket was being played at Adelaide Oval and so many other social functions close to Christmas competed for peoples’ time. The feedback suggested that it was a good night and worth repeating next November. Trevor Paynter, Chair Fishing Association
Fred Reiter receives his FA trophy from FA Chair Trevor Paynter for the biggest snapper submitted to the 2016 Awards.
FISHING ASSOCIATION
BOATING SHOWCASE
FA Fishing Awards trophy
Rosie Gibbons, Delia Mace and Gay Footer enjoy Delia’s hospitality aboard Esprit.
Vickie Pearce, Glenda Smyth, Tracey Spear and Sue Boettcher chatting aboard Glenda and Jim’s superb Maritimo Gladiator. 19
Photos by Trevor Paynter
Cruise in Company to Port Adelaide
I
n November the Cruising Association hosted a weekend river cruise to Port Adelaide.
Our first challenge was negotiating the Port Adelaide road and rail bridges (the Plexy Bridges). This is a fairly straightforward affair as the bridges have standard opening times available online. The weekend times are 1000, 1500, 1800 and during twilight saving time at 2200. Otherwise it is a simple matter of telephoning the bridge operators at least 10 minutes prior on 1800 018 313. Most of the boats in our group chose the 1500 option so we circled the bridges like a wagon train. We became very excited when we heard loud beeping closing the traffic above. A few minutes later the bridges began their rapid opening and we made our way through the narrow channel in a conga line formation. We soon moored in the (free!) berths next to the Birkenhead Bridge and settled in for a quick drink before our short walk up to the Lighthouse Hotel for a lovely dinner. To our surprise we had arrived at the same time as the Port Adelaide Christmas Pageant and this provided a fantastic carnival atmosphere. The surprises continued with a totally unexpected fireworks display after dinner. A peaceful overnight stay, breakfast on board the next morning and a pleasant cruise home capped off a fun event. Boats attending included Time Out (Peter, our cruise captain, and Caroline), Sir Les (Ian and Leslie), Ikati (Peter and Lou), Baloo (John and Margie), Anna (Russell and Lynda), Suzanne (Don, Ben, Sarah, Poppy and Poppy) and School’s Out (Adrian, Don and Judy). Adrian Wotton, Chair Cruising Association
Australian Day Long Weekend at Port Vincent
W
ith the Australia Day holiday falling on a Thursday this year and by taking Friday off the weekend was stretched to four days. A number of CYCSA yachts took advantage of the extended break and cruised to Port Vincent. These included: Ava Skye (Matt, Janie, Logan and Geordie); Sir Les (Ian and Leslie); Epiphany (Chris and Gina); Ithaca (Alan and Bronwyn); Portofino (Tim and his mates); Play Station (Keith and Helen); and School’s Out (Adrian, Don, Judy, and Louis). Most enjoyed a good passage across the gulf with low seas and medium winds blowing from the right direction. The weather in Port Vincent was absolutely magnificent with sunny, warm days and mild nights, perfect for a walk into town, a swim from the lovely town beach or simply chilling out in the marina. There was a lot of activity in the marina with the annual Port Adelaide Sailing Club race and regatta taking place over the weekend. The biggest hit of the weekend was anchoring off the local spit and fishing for crabs with most boats reaching their 60 crab bag limit in a couple of hours. The challenge became how to cook so many crabs with limited on board cooking facilities. Portofino definitely had the best crab cooker using a cleverly modified large electric tea urn (thanks for helping out Tim!). The Cruising Association hosted dinner at the Ventnor Hotel which was buzzing on Friday night with holiday makers and a large contingent from the PASC. The complimentary mini bus to and from the hotel was certainly well patronised in the warm afternoon sun and a fun time was had by all. Adrian Wotton, Chairman Cruising Association
The biggest hit of the weekend was anchoring off the local spit and fishing for crabs with most boats reaching their 60 crab bag limit in a couple of hours.
A short walk up to the Lighthouse Hotel for dinner
Through the bridge at Port Adelaide on the return journey
New Year’s Eve gathering on Kangaroo Island 20
New Year’s Eve on Kangaroo Island
R
eally wild weather and a memorable storm in Adelaide just after Christmas Day did not deter a number of CYCSA boats cruising to Kangaroo Island for the lead up to New Year’s Eve. The fish were back this year with those making the effort catching good size tommies, whiting and even the occasional flounder. Temperatures were cooler than you would expect in December but the absence of any serious blows made the visit really enjoyable. For the second year running the CYCSA celebrated New Year’s Eve with the RSAYS at the Brown’s Beach Camping
Ground in Eastern Cove. Cruisers from both Clubs mingled and had lots of laughs seeing in the New Year. Electric BBQs were available and the Squadron generously supplied the lighting and music. As a bonus hot showers were available at the campground for $2! Kangaroo Island is one of South Australia’s special cruising destinations and shouldn’t be missed. It is a fair hike to get to the island but once there anchoring options abound. A note to any new members yet to make the journey, feel free to contact me for tips and hints on making your trip safe and enjoyable. Adrian Wotton, Chair Cruising Association
Photo courtesy of Helen Kearney
Kangaroo Island is one of South Australia’s special cruising destinations and shouldn’t be missed.
21
ell, another year gone and we are still floating around the Mediterranean however we seem to have taken up residence in the Dodocannese area of Greece and Turkey. This encompasses the eastern islands of Greece and the west coast of Turkey and is a great cruising area that we particularly enjoy however it means we are not travelling the distances we used to for which I personally am very grateful but Graeme would probably prefer to be ranging wider. We returned to Jemmaroo on the Greek island of Leros on Monday 16 May and set about readying her to go in the water and provisioning – always a large task as each year you have to start from scratch. The visa arrangements in both Greece and Turkey mean we have to spend some time in each area but Turkey is inceasingly becoming a problem with the political situation over there. The coast however seems to be less affected and we made our way across to Turkey and spent several weeks there cruising from bay to bay before making our way into Marmaris to pick up our Storm Jib and catch up with some friends. We found some lovely bays to anchor in on our way back to Greece, ones that we had not been into before, so we were in discovery mode again. We met up with some friends we have made along the way from England on a yacht called Silver Lady and spent some great days idling the time away swimming and talking and a bit more of course. It was time to exit Turkey and make our way back to Leros where we left Jemmaroo in the water at the marina while we flew home for five weeks. We arrived back on 9 August together with Jack Didyk and met up with Gloria and Alan, a couple from Tennyson, from Nick of Time which is moored at the same marina. We sailed in company with them for a time making our way across to the island of Samos and the port on the south east corner called Pithagorean where we Med-moored on the wall while waiting for some more friends to arrive from Milan. After picking up Shane and Joanne we decided to venture up the east coast of the island and found two lovely anchorages we had not been to before, Posidonian and Ormos Mourtia. On our way along this coast, which is only a short distance across to Turkey, were strewn stark reminders of the refugee problem with discarded life jackets, dinghies and other litter. We spent several days in the bays here before going back into Pithagorean for the Festival of Hraia which was the biggest festivity in ancient Samos as well as ancient Greece. The celebrations include religious ceremonies, athletic, musical and poetic contests and celebrate the birth of the goddess Hera who married Zeus and was born in Samos. It culminated in a parade down the main street of several hundred supposed virgins all dressed in white and bearing lanterns as they made their way to a stage area in the middle of the bay where a concert was held. We had the best seats in the house as we took the two dinghies into
shore and tied up next to the concert area also following the boat around the harbour – great fun. We were really into discovery mode as Jack, Joanne, Shane, Graeme and I made our way across to the island of Fournio and then Ikaria on our way to Mykonos where our three guests were leaving to wing their ways to other places and home. Both Fournio and the harbour of Agia Kirikos on Ikaria were great but I can’t say much for the weather we encountered on our way across to Mykonos when the bimini decided to part company while the wind was blowing at around 40 knots – fun – not! We finally made it into the anchorage on the south western corner of Mykonos – not one of my favourite spots as it is right in the path of the meltemi, the wind which blows from the north west down the Aegean. As we slowly said goodbye to our visitors the wind continued to blow and we spent five nights at anchor in the bay unable to do very much. Enough was enough so Graeme and I up-anchored and made our way south to the island of Paros to the capital Paroikia, a great anchorage and oh so different to Mykonos. We spent the next night at a bay the pilot book described as a beautiful sun drenched bay on the north west corner of the island but it was full of buzz boats and lots of people so we quickly made our way back to Paaroikia to sit out the rest of the meltemi in relative comfort. We toured the island by local bus over several days and really enjoyed it. The weather finally settled down so we went to the next island to the east called Naxos where we anchored behind the breakwater at the main port. At the end of the breakwater is a beautiful marble arch which was part of a temple begun in 530BC commonly called the ‘big door’. Next to it is a castle which is Venetian. Once again we explored the island by catching the local bus to different towns and thoroughly enjoyed it. More new places to visit as we made our way down to a bay on the south of the island called Ormos Kalanddo where we anchored overnight. We explored some more bays but several of them were quite untenable given the direction of the breeze and we finally moored at Mirsini on Skhinousa but although we were quite safe it was very lumpy and quite uncomfortable. Amorgos was the next island we visited and we anchored off as there was very little breeze and was very hot so it was cooler out in the bay. The forecast said there was weather coming so while all was quiet we motored north to the island of Patmos where we anchored in Ormos Grikou on its south eastern corner. Alan and Gloria had told us about a restaurant
....we are still floating around the Mediterranean however we seem to have taken up residence in the Dodocannese area of Greece and Turkey. 22
there and the rather different boatyard in the south of the bay. We dinghied over and found the yard had a rather charming restaurant and bar attached to it with very boat specific furniture. We emailed some graphics off to Geoff Boettcher and Craig Evans as possible suggestions for the furniture in the new bar and patio area but there was absolute silence from that end. We ventured further north but did not find a suitable anchorage for the conditions and after discovering the oil cap on the outboard was leaking we made our way back to the boatyard at Ormos Livadhi and took one of their moorings and Graeme rowed into shore to get the outboard fixed. The boatyard restaurant was having a big celebration that night with Greek music and dancing so we decided to stay and had a great time. Unfortunately the music continued until about 5am but we survived.
called Marathos for lunch where we picked up a red mooring which determined the restaurant we were dining at. We had not been into Lipsoi before and found it to be a lovely little town with a great sea wall. Neil and Lydia from Silver Lady had recommended a restaurant there so we made our way up the hill and had dinner for 34 Euro – salad, lamb shank and wine – pretty good value. After another two days it was time to leave but as we predicted the yacht next to us had his anchor over ours so it was a bit of fun and games convincing him to solve the problem he had created before we motored down to the bay of Pandeli on the east coast of Leros. The weather has been fairly windy for so late in the year (mid September) so we went into the marina a couple of days early so had a very leisurely time cleaning up the boat and readying it for going on the hard. All went well with this and all too soon we were winging our way back to Adelaide arriving home the day after the big storm and power failure.
To wait out the weather we moored in Skala Patmos where there were literally hundreds of Turkish boats moored so we had quite a long walk into town. When we left several days later we found our anchor was attached to the anchoring system of the pontoon on the opposite side of the bay. A bit of drama getting that off but with the help of another yachtie diving on the anchor we made it off and wandered to the east to a small island off Lipsoi
We have certainly slowed our pace down and most of 2016 was spent with just the two of us on board so we were able to amble along and enjoy some ‘new to us’ lovely anchorages. Gay Footer
NEWS FROM
JEMMAROO Creative boat spefic furniture in the Ormos Livadhi boatyard restaurant
23
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Photo by Gerry Colella
T
he CYCSA in partnership with the Largs Bay Sailing Club were extremely excited to be part of this massive sailing event in South Australia. The waters off Largs Bay were an amazing sight to see from 2-19 January covering two of the largest events on the coast with the International Optimist and International Cadet classes being hosted by Largs Bay Sailing Club. To round up the Optis over 700 people (726) were at the CYCSA for the presentation night of the International Opti National Championships. The CYCSA is proud to have been involved in the championship involving over 260 boats run by the Largs Bay Sailing Club. Commodore Geoff Boettcher welcomed the crowd before prize giving and Australian Olympian, Carrie Smith, spoke to the young sailors about her rise into the recent Rio Olympics. It was a fantastic night and a great test for the new CYCSA bar and patio area. It really was great to see so many young and enthusiastic sailors. Just ten days later it was another very busy night at the Club. The CYCSA is proud to have been involved in assisting the Largs Bay Sailing Club with the Australian International Cadet Nationals. Around 500 people filled the CYCSA on this evening for presentations following a tough week on the water with fickle wind conditions. The new facilities handled the numbers well and the hospitality staff were exceptional, well done to all involved. Craig Evans
Opti Presentation Night showcases upcoming sailors
The CYCSA in partnership with the Largs Bay Sailing Club were extremely excited to be part of this massive sailing event in South Australia. Australian Olympian Carrie Smith presenting award
25
2016 ROLEX SYDNEY TO HOBART
T
he decision to enter Two True in her fifth Rolex Sydney Hobart Race after a break of three years was made in early 2016 and preparations began in earnest in May that year. I needed some persuasion to go around again with half the likely crew doing their first Hobart and with a boat that needed some renewal to be compliant, safe and competitive. For me that also meant more time and money thrown at the campaign. It was a big task to build a boat and a team to anywhere near her pinnacle of 2009. So why do it? The race is both a draw card for experienced crew and an aspiration for those starting their offshore racing careers. As many skippers and owners would attest, keeping a top crew together and committed for local Club racing is a challenge. However the prospect of a ride to Hobart competing in the most famous offshore race in the world was sufficient enticement to keep a crew on the water back home focused and committed. So with this in mind we set the objective of getting the boat safely to Sydney and home from Hobart, getting the first timers to experience and finish the race and hopefully being competitive in our division. The journey began in May 2016 with the prospective crew locked into commitments to a range of tasks to cover all aspects of maintenance, preparation, deliveries, catering, driving and competition. Not surprisingly a number of systems on the boat needed replacement or upgrading, the autopilot, cockpit display units, VHF, batteries and internet to name a few. Andy Shipp did a great job sourcing parts for our now ‘old ‘ B & G instruments and over the year we worked with Andy on a number of electronic and radio issues. Andy was also great helping with SSSC courses and qualifications for my crew.
26
In 2015 the mast spreaders, boom vang mast attachment, goose neck and boom were all reinforced or replaced. In mid July we sailed for hours in a 30 to 40 knot westerly and hoisted our storm sails so all the crew could decide whether wet, cold and wild was really for them. No one backed down. The boat left for Sydney in early December with three of the crew, Matt Allen, Kieran Blair and Stephen Butler, doing their first major ocean passage. Under Ian Schmidt’s capable command they arrived in good time and good shape! Rob Human, veteran now of 22 Hobarts, and I spent the following weekend in Sydney race prepping the boat and completing safety checks. ...continued on page 29
Two True
All the excitement had built to this moment as we were manoeuvering on Sydney Harbour jostling for the optimum position on our start line. Three, two, one, BANG - we were off on the race south. We had an exceptional beat out the harbour and were first in our start to reach the turning mark. As we rounded mark Zulu we said goodbye to ‘The Jib’ (which was not to be seen again for days), the S3 spinnaker was deployed, and the focus shifted from the sprint out of the Heads to the long haul race that lay ahead of us. Throughout the day and into the night the breeze was oscillating between the high 20 knots and into the 30s. Having completed a few spinnaker peels it was decided the best option in a long haul race was to use the stronger S3 overnight which saw us sprinting down the New South Wales coast. As dawn broke on the 27th the crew were settled into their watches and focused solely on keeping the boat moving as fast as possible. With the wind not showing drastic signs of change it was imperative to maximise any small advantages we could take before the forecast change was due. This included staying within the East Australian Current heading down the coast and making the crucial decision of running the shortest course or positioning ourselves for what the weather may bring later in the race. ...continued on page 29
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Shining Sea
T
he 2016 Rolex Sydney to Hobart aboard the Beneteau First 45, Shining Sea, was completed with a mixed bag crew of South Australian’s and one Western Australian. The team comprised - skipper/owner, Andrew Corletto; MVP, Steve Harris; tactician/whip, Paul Eldrid; naviguesser, Craig Evans; trimmers/fiddlers, Luke Burrow, Mick Warman, Robby Last; pit, Vern Schulz; foredeck union members, Marcus Korobacz, Matt Richards, Simon Langbein, and union boss, Curtis Mitchell. This was the fourth campaign for the Shining Sea teams and this crew ranged from first timers through to seasoned veterans completing their 13th Hobart. Within this rat pack crew there was exceptionally good camaraderie, excitement and the friendly desire to beat the other South Australian boats competing in the great race south.
AN INTRODUCTION TO OUR NEW HEAD CHEF AMANDA GUTTE
I
have been working in kitchens for over 23 years and been a chef for over 17 years. I did my apprenticeship at the Navy Military and Air Force Club here in Adelaide and have mostly worked in Adelaide for my entire career. I had the pleasure of cooking at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, Le Mans Race in Adelaide and as a personal chef for a family in Adelaide and also worked at such places as The Stamford Plaza/Grand, Adelaide Sailing Club, Adelaide Convention Centre, Adelaide Casino and many other establishments in Adelaide. Recently I have become involved in some charity work with OzHarvest and as head chef of the Stamford Plaza, myself and my team contributed to the THINK.EAT.SAVE initiative held on the lawns at Adelaide University where we fed over 3000 people using rescued food. I also assist in another initiative called Cooking for a Cause, CFAC, where I teach/mentor a small group of usually corporate co-workers to prepare meals from rescued food to feed the homeless. My recent charity commitment was for the Cook Up 500 Dinner held on 16 February. I get inspiration for menus from what is trending at the time, from experimenting with different flavours and foods and from the environment and feedback from the guests I am catering for. I like to use seasonal Head Chef Amanda Gutte ingredients where possible and am a big advocate of supporting local and for making and preparing as much as possible in my kitchen for my menus.
A spectacular venue for your wedding day...
Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia 28
2016 ROLEX SYDNEY TO HOBART Two True - continued
Shining Sea - continued
The team gathered at the CYCA on Christmas night and we talked through weather and routing strategies. On board for their first Hobart were Peter Robson from the UK, who some of us had raced the Fastnet with in 2013, and Sam Gaylard. Rounding out the crew was Rob Human as navigator, Mark Hutton, Kevin Kellow, Ross Forbes and me.
The second day of the race was almost perfect downwind sailing with one exception – during a gybe in a particularly heavy gust the spinnaker pole thought this would be a great time to pack it in and give up on its duties. After a quick fix of the beak we decided to peel to the A5 so we could undertake repairs to the pole. It should be mentioned that the cool steady hands of Andrew and Robbie averted us from having much bigger problems during this transition.
Pre-race weather showed a dominance of northerlies setting the scene for a fast downwind slide to Hobart and giving the TP 52s the best chance at winning the silverware. However the effect and duration of a transition between two systems some 12 to 24 hours into the race threw some doubt on the maxis achieving a race record and made choosing our preferred track to Hobart difficult. The forecast prevailing strong NWs over Bass Strait on day two and over the 40 foot fleet never eventuated and our more easterly track, sailed in accordance with our pre race routing data, did not prove to be successful and we lost ground to the boats who went closer to Tasmania, for once the boats closing the island early at St Helens not losing the breeze in the wind shadow that is notorious in this latitude. Our main competitors, the four other First 40s in Division 3 in the race, did better being inshore and did better than Two True in the extended frustrating light and variable transition that saw us spinning in circles at times. After a great start where we were second boat in our division out of the heads our race aspirations were soon severely curtailed. In the early hours of the 27th and well before the change, following a series of spinnaker pole gear failures, we had to use a centre halyard on the pole lift and this in turn led to a bare headed change into an S4 which wrapped around the forestay while being hoisted. Two hours later and with a destroyed S4 we were racing again under an A5 but had certainly given our opposition a good head start to Hobart and, combined with our less favourable more easterly track, the three hour gap that Bravo, the eventual the winner of our division, opened up on us was not too hard to explain. Our old rival Wicked was also a good hour ahead of us when we rounded Tasman Island on our final approach to Hobart. For our first timers the spectacle of the Organ Pipes forging upwards into a cloud and mist shrouded sky was the scenic highlight of this great race. We held good pressure across Storm Bay and into the Derwent and crossed the finish line at around 1930 on the 29th, some twelve hours faster than any previous finish time for Two True. On IRC we were just better than mid division and mid fleet and one place ahead of Hollywood Boulevard whose navigator had coached us on routing and weather modelling! Not our best result in a Hobart but the successful completion of a campaign that required investment of time by a number of very new crew and considerable work on boat and boat handling. The enthusiasm and resilience of the crew in all their respective roles was a credit to them and a joy to witness as an owner and skipper and a point of great satisfaction. We also fulfilled an obligation to a good friend and sailor from the UK whose life ambition was to compete in a Sydney to Hobart race. Finally, but by no means least, the drive, commitment and ability of Rob Human to be part of this race every year is legendary and was a very important part of why we all ‘went round again’. Thanks also to all local contractors who helped us meet deadlines and of course to our long standing sponsor, Port River Marine Services. Two True out! Andrew Saies
Ol’ Huey was smiling upon us as the sun came up on the 28th. We were still downwind running and had managed to avoid a low pressure system in Bass Strait which had the potential to head us and force us to use ‘The Jib’ again. What this system left behind was a very confused sea state and easing winds. The perpetual flogging of the spinnaker proved to be a test for the trimmers who were concerned about how much torture this sail could endure before it gave way. No sooner had we peeled back to the more durable S3 when we noticed several boats in our vicinity had persevered with lighter spinnakers and were popping and tearing their kites costing them valuable time in such a tight race. As the final hours of this day were over we had crossed Bass Strait in possibly some of the best wind conditions a Sydney to Hobart race had seen. It was now a question of how far off the rhumbline were we prepared to deviate in order to receive breeze from a weather prediction now 24 hours old. As we closed in on the Tassie coast in the early hours on the 29th Tasman Island lay on the horizon looking very ominous with a thick covering of fog hiding its upper reaches. We were heading toward one of our final roundings in very shifty wind with a somewhat unusual sea state. The stretch of water from Tasman to Cape Raoul proved to be extremely testing. As Tasman Island is a convergence point for the race we were beginning to make visual contact with a number of other boats coming in from behind. To add to the frustration these boats were coming in with breeze as we had now parked. The run from Tasman to Raoul saw us peeling between different spinnakers and the Code Zero trying to keep the boats momentum up. In theory this sounds easy but after racing for several days concentration was becoming difficult. As we rounded Rauol the sea breeze began and held as we crossed to the Iron Pot where it looked as though we would have our hands full responding to the wind in the Derwent. All indications implied the beginning of the Derwent was going to be tricky and the rear guard wanted maximum options to be ready at all times. This meant the union had the following on deck and ready to fly: A1, S2, Code Zero, ‘The Jib’ and a staysail in there too for good measure. In the end we were able to hold a kite well into the Derwent but alas all good things must come to an end and we saw ‘The Jib’ finally go back up. After three days of racing with kites we thought this rather funny. As it turned out this did not last for long and we managed to get the A1 back up to cross the finish line. As always the locals and guests of Hobart welcomed us with great applause and a steady supply of scallop pies. It has been said by many that this was one of the best Hobart races to date and I would have to agree. Any long distance race where a headsail is used for a combined total of 45 minutes is a good one. Curtis Mitchell
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Secret Mens Business (SMB) and Shining Sea and Game On attended the Festival of Sails Regatta in Victoria in January this year.
festival of sails – GEELONG WEEK
F
irst held in 1844 this regatta has become the biggest keel boat event in the Southern Hemisphere and is the oldest ongoing sporting event in Australia. The event boasts a start line of up to 300 yachts ranging from high performance Grand Prix racers to trailerable cruisers.
leading the regatta overall until one mile before the last finish of the regatta a tack line on the spinnaker broke and SMB ended up finishing second overall by one point to Terra Firma in IRC Division 1. Julian Newton’s Game On was again successful in the Sports Boat Division taking a narrow win overall by one point. A fifth in Race 10 saw the South Australian team narrowly hold their lead for the regatta. In Division 2 IRC Andrew Corletto in Shining Sea had a first in Race 3 and an equal first in Race 8 but unfortunately came home with a fourth overall. Interesting to note there was no AMS handicap series run in Division 1 and there were more IRC entries in Division 2 than AMS proving that the IRC rating system in Racing Division is preferred even in the AMS home state of Victoria.
The regatta this year started on Saturday 21 January from the northern end of Port Phillip Bay and finished off the Royal Geelong Yacht Club on Corio Bay. The Cruising Yacht Club SA was represented by Shining Sea, Game On and SMB. The highlight of SMB’s regatta was passing the big 55 foot Hollywood Boulevard within 1.5 miles of the finish line. Crossing first gave SMB back to back wins from last year. Fluky winds saw the lead change many times but towards the finish Hollywood Boulevard got the drop on the fleet and in moderate conditions was well ahead. SMB gradually closed the gap and on the last beacon turn, by holding on to its Code Zero a little longer, took advantage of a fouled spinnaker drop on Hollywood Boulevard, passing to leeward and finishing first across the line. The race took 5 hours 26 minutes for SMB.
Overall the Festival of Sails Regatta is one of the most competitive in Australia and can be compared to our own Port Lincoln Regatta. I am currently working with the Royal Geelong Yacht Club to assess the feasibility of a ‘feeder’ race from Geelong to Adelaide prior to the Lincoln Race. This initiative would encourage Victorian and New South Wales yachts to participate in our event. As the IRC National Championships are in Melbourne next year there is a chance this may encourage other yachts to follow on to Adelaide for the Adelaide to Port Lincoln Race and Lincoln Regatta Week.
The regatta for Rating Division 1 was an eight race series and although there were only six starters, reducing down to four later in the series, the competition was fierce. With three similar TP52s and the 50 foot Terra Firma, racing was neck and neck around the course. SMB was
Geoff Boettcher
30
A
had the opportunity of meeting them all a couple of nights later and had a laugh together.
fter an unusually benign Hobart race that will keep the customers coming back for more (lucky lucky 13th for me!!), Shining Sea was delivered from Hobart via the West Coast and Bathurst Harbour to Geelong under the expert guidance of JD. A windy trip from Geelong back to Melbourne and all the usual logistics of crew and gear back and forth finally had us ready for the Festival of Sails which this year commenced with the passage race back to Geelong.
We were happy with placing fifth in this tightly contested race and SMB were ecstatic at pipping Hollywood Boulevard for first across the line just before the finish. JD and I couldn’t resist photobombing Geoff’s interview after the race. The Geelong regatta was as good as always with some of my favourite characters working the crowd after racing – the giant Scottie playing bagpipes and his dog with the bottomless bladder amongst them. Racing was tight and we were very happy with the crew work and sailing skills and the good competition.
I missed the usual racing in Williamstown which seems to have now been dropped altogether leaving a quiet vacuum where there was once a bustling party atmosphere at the Royal Victorian Yacht Club. There was controversy over the date of the race which has traditionally been around Australia Day and used to divide a regatta from the Royal Victorian and Geelong regatta. A cycling event in Geelong took precedence this year and the race was held on the Saturday before Australia Day which unfortunately led to some Melbourne boats returning before the regatta series in Geelong which follows due to work commitments.
On the first day of the regatta two races were held, the second of which Shining Sea won and gave an optimistic start to the series. Our near sister ship Ïkon was consistently well sailed by a crew of all family members and throughout gave us very good competition. We had two protests against one boat for incidents in each race and Aikin also lodged a protest for yet another incident this boat was involved in and it meant the skipper and some of the crew missed their post-race mood stabilisers but at least the result was in our favour.
As the Passage Race is an early start there is always conflict between the prevailing breeze (this year northerly) and the sea breeze which pushes in later in the day from the south-east. This year’s race was particularly fickle in the early stages with bets on which side of the course would pay the best dividends. Shining Sea threaded the needle successfully and having crossed the bay the wind began to free so we could manage the Code Zero (amongst other sails as the wind shifted hither and yon or failed altogether) and with this weapon strapped in as tight as could be managed, we overtook a number of vessels including one of my favourite boats of all time, Prime Example, which Mick and I sailed on together many years ago with Graham Williams.
For day three we had variable and very challenging conditions culminating in a fresh westerly and finished mid-fleet in both races and as consistency is the aim, we were still in the top three contenders overall with very little between all three. Unfortunately on the last day we failed to capitalise on some opportunities and although we redeemed ourselves with a second place in the final race, our overall result was just out of the podium with a fourth overall but only 2.5 points from a second. The last race was a real surprise event as everyone was flogged after two races and assumed that was it for the day. Boats had already started packing gear and heading back when it was announced that a resail was to start and this tested us to the limit having expended what we thought were all our remaining energies with 25 knots plus breeze. We were very happy to finish on a high and particularly with our boat skills which were by now fully honed for very fresh conditions – we avoided much of the carnage all around us!
Then began one of the highlights of the race as the wind freed and we entered the channel to Geelong. Prime Example had launched their Code Zero and being a notoriously fast reaching boat, a Davidson 52, she began to overtake and felt compelled to climb over us which we were not willing to allow so we drove ever closer to the edge of the channel as they bore down from behind like the freight train she is and JD became increasingly nervous about our proximity to the bank. Mickipedia reassured us by recalling the draft of their boat and ours (to the centimetre) and the margin in our favour but JD’s urgent “bear away now” had us veer away to return to safer water. The looks of jubilation on the faces of the Prime Example crew were replaced with consternation as seconds later they found the bottom and we waved them goodbye. They remained stuck in sand for the next hour but we
Thank you to a very hard working and happy crew and to Andrew Corletto for a very memorable regatta and I am looking forward to fully redeeming ourselves if we go back next year! Rob Last Photos courtesy of Lafoto.com.au
31
GEELONG WEEK
eam ‘Game on Yachting’ and Geelong Week are very familiar partners these days as my crew and myself really enjoy the regatta on and off the water. The boat was purchased after it won the regatta about 5-6 years ago and Game Over (the old Elliot 7.8 Express) was left over for a period and Game On, as it was to be called, towed back and given a total refit and repaint taking the hull back to the carbon and taking 100kg’s out of the keel back to 300kgs. The boat was 860kgs and felt a little heavier than Game Over so the 100kgs taken out back to 760kgs or so gave us back the flighty lightweight feel on the reach and downwind legs while taking very little from our upwind ability. I feel all of this and our commitment to maintenance, crew preparation and a general drive to win back to back Geelong regattas, drove us to the win this year. This year we even added a shore crew component to our regatta taking a couple of extra crew over with a rib (kindly donated by David Snoad) in order to make sure if, in the unfortunate circumstance anything went wrong, we had some back up and of course then there was the very important job of keeping the beer cold for the after race festivities on board and back at the Royal Geelong Yacht Club.
GAME ON
32
The regatta itself started very well with some light air racing. Game On fares very well in these conditions as a rule as our rig is almost 11 metres tall and is powered up very early in light airs. We had some very good starts and the crew made some exceptional tactical decisions up the course for some excellent early results to celebrate being back in Geelong. We won the first race being first over the line then got third in the second on the first day to be leading by three points. Day two was much of the same in terms of wind after some post first day celebrations at our sponsors bar ‘The Edge’ and with our good mate James. We were all still in good form and looking forward to backing up the previous days results and had another two firsts and a third and found ourselves hitting the top mark of the first beat in the lead more often than not ahead of Kiss (a light weight winded wonder) which had a substantially higher handicap and should have been up there ahead of us. This certainly gave us some good confidence and we built on that tactically down each run to stay ahead or be slightly behind with another upwind battle to be had. Kiss’s downwind performance was hard to beat with only 80kg in his keel as we believe and overall light weight. ...continued on page 34
Photo courtesy of Lafoto.com.au 33
GAME ON
GEELONG WEEK
...continued from page 33
Going into day three a little boat named Heat (almost a dinghy) sailed by the famous Ratcliff family was starting to show form as our closest competitor on handicap results. A nice boat with a great SMS rating made them hard to rule out particularly after a drop. Day three saw very fluky conditions and Race One was an absolute gem for us in the end gaining first and fastest by about 10 minutes as the wind swung 180 degrees across the course and we were far enough down before it swung to take advantage of a nice run home before the rest of the field, including Kiss, had to beat back down the run as we sat and watched with some delight. This was after we got dropped at the top of the first leg after a great beat up and saw Kiss roll over us in entirely different wind only 50 metres away. They then gybed into the middle of the course as we stayed to the starboard side and got the wind and we saw them sail into nothing in the middle of the course, the ultimate payback. Race Two on day three was one to forget as the opposite happened. We got an average start, tacked up the wrong side of the first beat and couldn’t get a thing right back down the beat in sheer frustration ending up with a fifth and ultimately our drop. Race Three on the third day which was Race Eight by then in the regatta was okay and we had a great few beats and one nice run through the gate, however we had used up all of our luck that morning and even though we finished second over the line, the rest of the fleet including Heat got blown home almost directly from the top mark with a wind change allowing them to take one gybe home. So far so good and still leading the regatta going into the last day but only by the slimmest margin of two points! Which I have to say made for a good but not big day with celebrations back at ‘The Edge’ and ‘Lamby’s’ that night. Conditions on day four were sent to test all of us and that they did. The forecast was for 30 knots from the south and the course was laid in an odd location as the regatta organisers struggled to keep the almost 300 boat fleet inside Corio Bay. It made for a very testing and shifty day on the course. Dave and I had spoken about our spinnaker pole earlier in the preparation stage for Geelong and made a decision to change the block at the end of the pole knowing the system was not great and in need of a system change for heavy air running. We decided to take three spare blocks and change them each day if required however given that the regatta was predominantly light airs we had not had any issues and entirely forgot to do so going into the last day. As predicted the part failed in the first race of day four on the second downwind leg and the crew were trying to get the tack out furiously without much success as the block had clearly failed on the previous downhill leg with the southerly blowing 30 knots with Game On doing around 20+ knots of boat speed on our way to the bottom gate marks. We managed to get it up finally and had some luck on the downwind leg in terms of wind strength and direction blowing us straight through the line on one gybe and a fair way ahead of Heat which was the aim of day four. We knew if we won the first race on the last day we had a really good chance but we had no opportunity to check the results. Gut feel had us mid fleet and we had a block to change in seven minutes between races while in heavy sea conditions even for Geelong’s usual flat water. We had the parts but were really battling to find the right tools to get it done (I run a tight ship in terms of weight on board and maybe this was coming home to bite me). We sent
Dave up front and he battled for five minutes in the sea conditions on the bow to get the block changed and all the while there was plenty of discussion (loud discussion) as to when we could stop bouncing away from the line on a port tack and when we would roll back onto starboard and start heading back to the start line that was getting further and further out of reach for the start of the race we figured was going to make or break our regatta against Heat and the Ratcliffs. With about two minutes left before the start gun Dave yelled out tack and head back as he ducked under the jib while still battling with bolts (dropping a few) on the block to get it changed in time so the tack line could run free in the three downwind legs we were about to encounter. We were now heading for the line with Dave still on the bow while making decisions with the rest of the crew for our start tactics that I normally relied on Dave for....finally we got to within a few seconds of the line for a superb start (somehow, some way) and Dave yelled out “done” as we hit the line with one second to go and he jumped back onto the main sheet. I have to say I was a little rattled by then, as were the crew, thinking our chances in heavy airs at 30 knots of wind speed were not going to help us even though G.O (as we call her) does tend to like both light and heavy air while struggling a little against others in the mid strength winds. So it was all against us and that new block was unlikely to last more than one run at 30 knots of wind so we strapped in for a corker and set our aim at winning the regatta any way we could. Well the block did last one run at 21 knots of boat speed and the crew hung on for all they could to keep us upright. The second beat and run was a tough one with the tack line not going up or down all that well but we managed somehow to keep it rolling and get it up and down a few more times - testament to my superb crew and their want/need to win this after the adversity of day four. We finished the race and headed into the marina with some doubts about whether we could win the regatta after the day that was. Having said this one of the crew, who happened to be an accountant, was running the numbers and throwing around some facts with the crew on the way back in that had us think maybe, just maybe, we still had a chance if we did well in the first race. We got in and I really didn’t want to know for a period until we were all settled and in a position to celebrate if we had done it. That time had come and we crowded around my phone and brought up the results from Race One that day and......we had won it! The accountant ran the numbers in his head before we looked at the second race and said we must have got it.....we needed a fifth or better but we still had a drop of anything worse which complicated things for us non accountants. I bought up the last race and it was a fifth and I then went to the overall and saw we had in fact done it! We had won by one point to Heat! The crew erupted into cheers and I went in the water as was protocol. Wow what a day and what a win for the boys and team of Game On in Geelong again for a back to back victory. I would like to thank my crew for all their efforts, both pre and during the regatta, and couldn’t hope for a better bunch of guys to sail and win this regatta with. We played hard and raced hard and that is very difficult to find in a crew. A huge thanks also to my right hand man in the boat Nick Wotton and to Dave Alexander, Adam Jenkinson, Ben Reynolds, Jason Webb and our superb shore crew in Craig Nagel and Jeremy Oaten. Thank you also to ‘The Edge’ bar in Geelong and to the Royal Geelong Yacht Club for their hospitality. One to remember lads and I look forward to many more with you all. Julian Newton
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FOR SALE
Marina East 8m twin: F01, F02 - from $35,000 10m twin: A09, A10, A14, A28, A29, A34, A40, F04, F15 - from $33,000 A16 - reduced to $20,000 A27, A35, A38 - All offers considered 10m single: A01 - reduced to $55,000 A02, A03, A12, A25 - from $73,000 A04, A11, F07 - All offers considered 11m twin: A41 - All offers considered 12m twin: D35, D38, E09, E13, E16 - from $35,000 12m single: D08, D17, D18, D21, D23, E10 - from $85,000 E01, E04, E22, E23 - All offers considered 13m twin: C23 - $75,000 13m single: C19, D40 - from $99.000 14m single: A46 - $160,000 C25, C27, C30 - All offers considered 15m single: A47, B36, C34, C37 - from $150,000 B25, B26, B31, B35, C41 - All offers considered 16m single: B17 - $160,000 B15 - All offers considered 20m single: A49 - $290,000 20m T Head: E34 - $325,000 ono
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, J09, J12 - All offers considered 18m: M10 - $250,000 20m: K06, K07, F08, L02 - from $135,000 K01, K10 - All offers considered 25m: M14 - $290,000 30m: K16 $475,000 Hardstand 9m: 26, 52 - from $3,500 75 - Reduced to $3,498 10m: 131,140,144,146,147,150 - from $5,000 133 - All offers considered 12m: 114, 124 - from $6,000 4 - All offers considered Port Vincent 10m twin: A07, A14, A21 A23 - $35,000 A09, 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
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Marina East 8m twin: F02* 10m single: A01*, F08 10m twin: A16*, A22, A28*, A30, F17*, F19, F31 12m single: D30, E05, E22* (avail 1/3/17) 12m twin: D13*, D36, D38* 13m twin: C23* 14m single: C26, C27* 20m single: E34* 22m T Head: C42
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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
Notes on Purchasing/Selling Berths
As per Marina Berth Agreement, a 10% commission is payable by the vendor on all berth sales. See Club website for further information.
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