BREEZE Magazine March

BREEZE

Issue No. 239 • February – March 2022

Official Publication of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron

2 Breeze Magazine

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4 Breeze Magazine

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CONTENTS

Cover: Riding the approaching Cyclone Dovi, Anarchy races back to Auckland during Squadron Weekend – Ivor Wilkins Photo EDITORIAL Please address all editorial correspondence to the Editor, Ivor Wilkins ivorw@xtra.co.nz Phone 09 425 7791 ADVERTISING inklink@xtra.co.nz Phone 09 378-1222.

DISCLAIMER The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are purely those of the authors and are not necessarily the official view of the RNZYS, nor of the publishers.

PERMISSION Reproduction rights in part or in full of the contents of this publication must be applied for from the Editor.

DEADLINES For April - May Issue Editorial - 11 April Advertising booking - 11 April Advertising material due - 18 April Magazine posted - 25 April Layout and Typesetting by Ocean Press Ltd Printed by Soar Communications Group Registered as a magazine at the GPO, Wellington. ISSN 0113-7360

From the Commodore .........................................................................................................................................................5 From the CEO ...........................................................................................................................................................................6 Cruising Division Report .....................................................................................................................................................8 Sailing Office Report ........................................................................................................................................................... 12 Big Prize at stake in CBRE RNZYS Club Championship ..............................................................................14 Slowtilla – A cruisey antidote to haste ....................................................................................................................16 RNZYS Events ........................................................................................................................................................................18 Exercising the grey matter on Quiz Night...............................................................................................................20 Accountant by trade, Sailor by passion ....................................................................................................................22 Cyclone Dovi stalks Squadron Weekend ................................................................................................................24 He’s a chef, not a baker: he does not follow recipes ......................................................................................31 A memorable RNZYS voyage to the wilds of Sub Antarcitca .................................................................. 32 Taranui 3’s southern sojourn ..........................................................................................................................................35 Bridge to Bean Race ............................................................................................................................................................40 America’s Cup venue is a contentious issue at RNZYS AGM .................................................................. 44 Two major awards for distinguished service to RNZYS ...............................................................................46 Events Manager Theresa Murphy thrives on having multiple challenges on her plate ................. 50 Offshore adventures led to Ann Hamilton’s love of sailing .........................................................................51 Taking a shot in the arm for the team .....................................................................................................................52 Performance Programme Report ............................................................................................................................... 54 Youth Programme Report ............................................................................................................................................... 55 Classic Yacht Association Journal ..................................................................................................................................56 Marine Scene ...........................................................................................................................................................................58 Directory Ads ..........................................................................................................................................................................60 FLAG OFFICERS Commodore Aaron Young 021 747 470 Vice Commodore Andrew Aitken 027 579 4194 Rear Commodore Gillian Williams 021 540 896 BREEZE MAGAZINE Editor Ivor Wilkins 09 425 7791 ivorw@xtra.co.nz Assistant Editor Debra Douglas 0211 856 846 chaucer@xtra.co.nz Advertising Debbie Whiting 09 378 1222 inklink@xtra.co.nz

MANAGEMENT TEAM Chief Executive Officer Hayden Porter 09 360 6805 Membership Manager Nikki Harkin 09 360 6804 Youth Coaching Reuben Corbett 09 360 6811 Sailing Director Laurie Jury 09 360 6809 Events Manager Theresa Murphy 09 360 6834 Members’ Bar Reservations 09 360 6800 RNZYS Office Box 46-182, Herne Bay, Auckland 1147 09 360 6800

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6 Breeze Magazine

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Breeze Magazine 7

FROM THE COMMODORE We have just completed our 36 Degrees Squadron weekend, and as with so many things at present, it too was disrupted. The team made a wise and well supported decision to race up to Kawau on the Friday night and back on the Saturday. This was followed by a smaller party at the club than the usual Kawau Island extravaganza.

The club (like all of us) has certainly faced many challenges in the past two years, but I am proud to say we have shown our agility and adaptability to do the best we can, given the situation. Our members must also be acknowledged with their ongoing support. Financially, we are frankly “doing it tough” right now, with reduced trading income, and significantly reduced events of any scale happening.

This has also been trying on our own team of staff with a lot of uncertainty and timing bringing change to a few members of the leadership group.

I would like to thank Kim Bond, who has looked after membership for many years now.

Her friendly face and helpful attitude will be missed by all.

Sarah Dance, as Commercial Manager moves on after joining us at a time when we had many oppose such a role. The reality is the club needs commercial sponsorship and events to enable us to offer member benefits

and sailing at much subsidised rates. I am proud to say Sarah has been superb for the club in this area.

The Food and Beverage team also sees further change with Cat Stanton choosing to broaden her career after many years in many roles at the club. A very big thank you and I know the club will remain close to all of your hearts.

With change, though, also comes opportunity and the General Committee with the staff leadership have reviewed structure and costs and asked ourselves what could it look like in the near future. As we now do on an annual basis, we held a strategic planning session recently.

This year we chose not to focus too much on the long term, but more on the shorter term and have come up with more of an annual workplan. The reason for this may seem fairly obvious in the current climate, but our vision to be the leading local and international yacht club remains.

In summary, membership strategy will be reviewed with priority focus on closer alignment with motorboat owners, other clubs and stakeholders; better use of technology, both in-house and on the water; and alternative revenue streams.

We squeezed in our 2021 AGM in December with a packed house, in person and online. We were in fact on track for the fastest AGM ever with the new committee voted in and a great financial result. The General Committee is elected by members and I am very thankful for their effort and time they put back into our club.

I welcome Matt Cole and Rod Marler to the new group and I am sure they will bring fresh ideas and enthusiasm to the club. Both are active members with different backgrounds, so will be great for our group.

But the 150th AGM will actually go down as

one of the longest in history due to the open discussion around the 37th America’s Cup and, in particular, venue discussion. All views were heard and Grant Dalton shared details of Team New Zealand’s proposed budget.

Whilst all may not agree, ultimately it is the team’s responsibility to run a successful event and campaign for the club they represent, as they have done for more than 25 years. Although no resolutions could be proposed at the AGM, it was a great opportunity for members to get a complete and full update enabling members to gain a far greater understanding and reality check of where things are at.

Whilst on the America’s Cup, the RNZYS is also happy to have formally accepted four challenges and remains hopeful of more. The club continues to work in harmony with our team as Trustee and legal defender. As we get further down the track, I am sure the club will also play a significant role, particularly in the Youth and Women’s America’s Cups.

Closer to home, club sailing continues with our busiest months of summer. The 36 Degrees Brokers Commodores Cup, Doyle Sails Wednesday Series, Havana Club Rum Racing, and the Three Kings Offshore race are all happening, so there is plenty of yachting on the calendar. The CBRE Auckland regatta is also just over a month away, so I encourage you to enter and get involved in the Auckland’s premier keelboat regatta.

With six months left for me at the helm of the RNZYS, be assured we will be doing all we can to ensure the club remains as a world leading yacht club. Challenges are continually being thrown at us, more than ever before, but with strong and supportive members and a great team, we will continue to flourish. Make the most of summer, see you on the water.

Aaron Young Commodore

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8 Breeze Magazine

FROM THE CEO

We have all used the phrase ‘weathering the storm’ as it relates to both the boating and commercial worlds. We are now entering a new storm called Omicron, level Red, Phase Two… There is no accurate forecast on what this may bring, but we know it is likely to be disruptive, possibly destructive, and could stop us in our tracks again with the various rules, restrictions and constant changes in conditions.

So we need your help to weather it successfully.

We have various plans in place should staff go into isolation and for our volunteer groups which keep our club activities running. We also appreciate your continued understanding while we navigate this over the next few weeks, months or however long it lasts.

We managed to dodge a very big actual storm recently with a cyclone looming down on our annual night race to Kawau and 36° Brokers Squadron Weekend. It gave us enough space, however, for a pretty good fleet to pound their way to Kawau on the Friday night and then have a nice downhill run home on the Saturday.

It was to be followed with what was to be a very unique, well planned on-water party that I assumed might also end up as a big raft-up!

But we are used to changing plans quickly now.

We usually have a two-day pack-in for this event and were ready to deliver. But, when the forecast looked too dangerous to get everyone home safely, we had to move to about Plan W and shift it all back to Westhaven HQ. Our dedicated staff and volunteers packed it all up on the Friday and Saturday and reset for what was a great night for those who attended. On cue Sunday morning the 65+

knot winds arrived and, while many people stayed onboard their yachts as planned, they were glad to be tied up safely in Westhaven.

Monday was stunning!

Kawau is a really important asset to the club and will be a continued focus over the next few years as we complete the resource consent process for the Boat Shed Training Centre, continue the native planting programme and undertake further maintenance and improvements to Lidgard House and KBC. We have had an excellent relationship with the past few committees of KBC and have recently completed the renewal process of their lease issuing a 10+10+10 lease for the premises. This is firmly on the basis it operates under the same principles, hours and services stipulated in the initial lease since 2014, so we can all continue to enjoy this club asset.

The Hauraki Gulf Forum has had its share of controversy over the years and there is a new proposal to change its governance structure.

This may affect your enjoyment of this resource at some stage, so make sure you have your say either way on the most recent proposal from Auckland Council.

Our recent Sub-Antarctic Islands cruise to celebrate our 150th was a great success and a big thanks to Colin Carran for coming up with this concept, initiating and joining the trip.

Also, thanks to Wild Earth Travel and Heritage Expeditions for delivering such a memorable experience for all those who were onboard.

As a result, we will be launching a new RNZYS travel club with more fun adventures for like-minded people – watch this space. We also thank Wild Earth Travel for the significant donation they made to the club as a result of the trip.

While the calendar year says our 150th year has finished, we still have a few things to go, the 150th Gala and the YTP Alumni Reunion being the main ones. We will deliver them no matter what the storm throws at us. We also have several other upcoming events including 36 Degrees Golf Day, PIC Ladies fishing day, CBRE City of Sails Regatta, Chef vs Chef and

the Rayglass Squadron Picnic to name a few.

All are possible under present restriction levels, so please support them. If we need to change the dates, then we will, as we are pretty used to that now!

The General Committee and Flags have a continued focus on America’s Cup 37 and, while it is very disappointing to see a few club members attacking their own club, we have been working closely with ETNZ to ensure that the most sensible decisions are made for the club, team, and event.

The new Committee and the management team also recently undertook a Strategic Plan review. While primarily focused on the shorter term, we also have some longer-term improvements to both the facilities, services and events planned when finances allow.

Lastly, I would like to acknowledge and thank a few key staff who are leaving us for new opportunities, or a slower pace, as well as welcoming their replacements. Kim Bond, our Membership Director, has done a fantastic job of engaging with our members over many years and will replaced internally by Nikki Harkin.

Commercial Manager Sarah Dance has joined the FIFA Women’s World Cup Sponsorship team after raising our commercial revenue, profile, and services to partners. I will be looking after the commercial elements – so please call or email me if you are interested in getting more involved in the club, as we have many options available (large or small).

Straight out of school Catriona Stanton worked her way up through the F&B ranks and into management of the department and has been an essential member of that team. She is heading into a larger role, and we look forward to still seeing her on the other side of the bar as an active club sailor. In her place, Cameron Lawless joins us from a similar role at the Royal Auckland Golf Club.

So, the storm is not quite over yet, but we will weather it. Thank you to all members for helping us navigate this safely.

Hayden Porter, CEO

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Antarctic islands as one of the concluding events on the busy calendar marking the 150th anniversary of the RNZYS. Their expedition included close encounters

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12 Breeze Magazine Hamish Coleman-Ross reckoned that learning after the fact that fellow RNZYS members had spent much of the summer anchored just a bay away without ever crossing paths, was a cause for frustration.

That kind of missed opportunity was the motivation for a gathering on January 1st this year in the Bay of Islands.

Seven vessels and their crews attended an informal gathering at Waiwhapuku/Army Bay Motor Island. Pictured right, members and their families enjoyed beach games, plenty of boat related conversations and a few beverages to celebrate the New Year.

Organised with the support of Sailing Director Laurie Jury, the gathering was an opportunity for members to connect in the crystal clear waters of this popular northern destination.

“My hope is that we can establish more of a network for our cruising holiday makers in years to come” said Coleman-Ross. “It’s such a great opportunity to not only have the time to meet other members but also have a look at each others’ vessels in their element.”

Hamish and Laurie hope to repeat the gathering in 2023.

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Breeze Magazine 13

14 Breeze Magazine

From the Sailing Office

Hello everyone, It is great to be back out on the water this summer. We kicked off the season with the Harken Auckland Match Racing Championships at the start of December, which is also qualifier for the Harken NZ Match Racing National Championships held at the club.The event saw eight teams racing over two days, with Robbie McCutchen’s team taking out the event.

We also managed to get some weeknight club racing in just before Christmas, and finally after the 3rd attempt of dodging lockdowns and bad weather, we got the Barfoot & Thompson Bridge to Bean Rock race away.

The Bridge to Bean Rock race was a RNZYS 150th event for sailing dinghies racing from the Harbour Bridge to Bean Rock. Originally we had 200 entries for this event, but after two reschedules we ended up with 86 of many varying designs on the startline. It turned out to be a great event with a lot of interest to re-run in the future.

In January, we managed to squeak both in the 2022 New Zealand Starling Match Racing Nationals back-to-back with the rescheduled 2021 Harken New Zealand Match Racing

Nationals. Both were great events. The highlight was an epic final series between world number three Nick Egnot-Johnson and a Mastercard Performance Programme team helmed by RNZYS Youth Training Programme Coach Reuben Corbett.

Nothing separated the teams all regatta, with two distinctive styles: Nick’s polished teamwork and boat speed against Reuben’s aggressive, dominating pre-starts and experienced boat positioning. It looked like Reuben’s team had it wrapped up in the fifth and final race of the finals, but a costly boat handling error at the finish line gave Nick’s team an opportunity that they pounced on, winning by less than half a metre.

Club racing has been ticking along well with the Doyle Sails Wednesday Night races as popular as ever. We have a MRX sprint racing series on Tuesday nights. This has seen some close one design racing with some great sailors involved. Harry Dodson is currently leading the series over Phil Douglas.

Etchells, Elliott 7 sprints, Havana Club Rum racing,Y88 sprints and the Barfoot & Thompson Ladies Series have all started now. I am racing

in the Etchells series again this season, which has seen some incredibly tight racing, especially now with Nick Egnot-Johnson joining the fleet in the RNZYS boat Bobbys Girl and Andrew Wills returning with a gun crew after missing most of the season last year.

If it’s not Covid restrictions, it has been the weather, which has seen some unseasonally strong winds coming through at the start of this season. The latest victim has been Squadron Weekend, which at the time of writing was about to start. With the forecast showing gusts of over 40 knots on Sunday morning, we changed the format to race home Saturday morning and avoid the worst of it.

We are very lucky to have Denise Bailey join the team in a volunteer capacity as the new Volunteer Coordinator. She has already proved her worth by helping us come up with a strategy around splitting the volunteers into groups to reduce the risk of all the volunteers being forced to isolate at the same time due to a Covid outbreak.

Here is to a great second half of the summer.

Laurie Jury, Sailing Director

Breeze Magazine 15

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16 Breeze Magazine

Big prize at stake in CBRE RNZYS Club Championship

Angie Crafer’s Mojo is current B Division leader in the CBRE Club champs – Billy Woodworth Photo.

For the second year the RNZYS is offering a major prize to the CBRE Club Championships winner. For the 2020/21 season, all the RNZYS club champions for the 12 different divisions were put into a draw, with Barry Martin and his team off Bizarre (B division) winning the prize of flights for himself and his crew to Rarotonga to compete in the first RSC, RNZYS challenge.

Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 this has had to be postponed to later this year.

For 2022, the plan is to have a Club Championships final. This would see the

divisional winners race off in the fleet of MRX yachts over ANZAC weekend. The wining team will take home a $10,000 travel allowance and the right to represent the RNZYS at the Seawanhaka Cup in Los Angles in June 2022.

The Seawanhaka International Challenge is raced out of Long Beach Yacht club in a fleet of Catalina 37s. These are the same boats used for the Congressional Cup. This is a friendly clubbased event, with great hospitality and would be an ideal chance for the RNZYS sailors to represented.

The Seawanhaka Cup is an historic international challenge for the purpose of promoting small yacht racing and developing the Corinthian spirit among competing yachtsmen. It is considered to be the oldest yachting trophy originated in the United States that is still in active competition.

The first challenge was sailed in Oyster Bay, New York in 1895. The Seawanhaka Cup is a match racing event open to international teams who are all regular members of the yacht club they are representing and a national of the country where the club resides.

The travel grant will come from the RNZYS International Sailing Fund. The Sailing Committee has been seeking ways to encourage more RNZYS members to compete internationally and continue to develop the club brand.

Linking this travel grant to the CBRE Club Championships ensures that the most dedicated sailors at the club have a fantastic opportunity and are suitability rewarded for their time and commitment. The rules for the Club Championships final are set so that it is an ‘owner driver’ event and the crew must be the regular crew that have raced with the yacht throughout the season.

The CBRE Club Championships is decided by a yacht’s overall position in three main RNZYS series. For most divisions this is the Doyle Sails Winter series, Doyle Sails Wednesday Night Series and the 36° Brokers Commodores Cup. For some of the divisions, these series are slightly different. The NOR that outlines the series is on the RNZYS website.

Yachts count their best two overall placings towards their final score, meaning one of the series results can be dropped.

The current leaders for each division: A Division V5 Brian Petersen B Division Mojo Angie Crafer C Division Juniper Lode Missiaen F Division Hysteria Graeme Cummings E Division Lorenz Cedric Allen S Division Enigma Chris Hirst MRX North Cert Servers Matt Bouzaid Ladies Series NZ Spars & Rigging Karleen Dixon Etchells Windward Laurie Jury

18 Breeze Magazine

Slowtilla – a cruisy antidote to haste

By Hamish Coleman-Ross Summer cruising holidays with family are fabulous experiences, arguably one of the best ways to enjoy our country while creating lifelong memories.

The logistics that go into organising these holidays are no small task. It demands time and effort to get our vessels out of the Hauraki Gulf and to the popular summer anchorages further afield.

For our family, the Bay of Islands has become that place. Despite having crewed north on several occasions, my family appealed for an alternative way to deliver our H28 yacht Bacharach north – one that didn’t require their help.

Mid 2020, I made an offer to friends to embark upon a non-stop sail from Auckland to Opua. An unexpected level of interest returned, resulting in more crew than I could accommodate. And so an idea began to take form.

The suggestion was made to offer another yacht some of our eight eager hands, which was gratefully received by the captain of a Tracker 26, Tanager. The assurance of safety in numbers and keeping pace with each other had an appeal to those of us whose vessels are more suited to cruising.

Departing the weekend before Christmas, the estimated time to our destination was 26 hours. Jokingly we declared that our founding of a would be flotilla was more of a “slowtilla” than a flotilla. The name stuck.

What occurred over those 26 hours was nothing short of magic for all involved. The crew were a mixture of experience with individuals from an array of backgrounds and professions.These included archeology, cinematography, broadcasting, publishing, government and sales.

Conditions were great for a motor-sail with many highlights including dolphins, night time phosphorescence and of course a few great yarns.

Breeze Magazine 19

Above: Duncan Wilson and shipmates aboard the Tracker 26, Tanager. Left and right: A fellow traveller silhouetted against the setting sun; and Cape Brett looms under a near full moon.

Upon arrival we checked into land-based accommodation, had a celebration dinner and disbanded the following day.

Word got out of the great time had by all and, with the commitment of a few fellow sailors, Slowtilla 2021 was staged. This time the crew increased to 16 spread across three yachts: Bacharach, a Catalina 40, Nomos, skippered by Marguerite Delbet, and Dufour Gib’Sea 37 Cupiditas, with Dmitry Pelevin at the helm.

Once again an eclectic group of folks made up the crews. The experience was no less enjoyable, the highlight being a waxing moon

lightning the passage around Cape Brett and past the hole in the rock.

Thanks to exceptional conditions, we all made it to the Bay of Islands in less than 18 hours.

The intention is to continue Slowtilla annually as an option to deliver yachts to the Bay of Islands ahead of Christmas/New Year cruises, as well as an opportunity to share the special experience of coastal sailing with new and experienced hands alike. I look forward to extending the invitation to fellow RNZYS members midyear for Slowtilla 2022.

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Breeze Magazine 21

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22 Breeze Magazine

Exercising the grey matter on Quiz Night “You have to know a lot about nothing”, was the advice from one of the contestants at a recent summer quiz night at the Squadron.

With questions supplied by Believe it or Not, New Zealand’s largest provider of weekly pub quizzes, trivia, quiz questions and quiz nights to the corporate and charity sectors, members’ and guests’ knowledge was tested in a variety of subjects including, Sport & Games, Music, TV & Cinema and, of course, Who is behind that Mask?

Teams can have a maximum of seven players, so if you are sure you will know, or can guess the answer, register your team by emailing bwoodworth@rnzys.org.nz. Prizes include a $100 RNZYS gift voucher for the winners, plus wine for second and third.

The next quiz dates are March 3rd, 17th & 31st.

Pictured keen to exercise their grey matter …

1/ Quiz master Andrew Delves.

2/ From left, Yvonne Van Dongen, Caro McCourtie and Kathy Flavell.

3/ From left, Louise Semmons, Susan Webb, Lucy Jezard and Dale Evans.

4/ From left, Jared Neumegen, Huia Hema, Nigel Ironside and Toby Ironside.

5/ From left, David Lewis, Peter Vitali, Cooper Hopman, Deb Dinerstein, Kate Livingston and Diane Dodson.

Story & pictures by Debra Douglas

1

Breeze Magazine 23

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24 Breeze Magazine

Accountant by trade, sailor by passion Story & picture by Debra Douglas Dave West is an accountant by trade, but sailing has taken over his life. Nevertheless, he isn’t at all fussed the way things have turned out.

The new Sailing Assistant at the Squadron, Dave is a skilled yachtsman, keen competitor, regatta organiser and national race officer.

He is also very familiar with the workings of yacht clubs. In his role assisting Race Manager Megan Thomson to ensure the Squadron Race Office calendar runs smoothly, he can call on his experience of sailing many classes, from dinghies to a Whitbread Round the World contender.

“I grew up in Nelson and started sailing P-class at seven years old,” said Dave. “One year I won the South Island Championships, beating some little kid called Russell Coutts. I went on to sail 470s and came up against the likes of Murray Jones and David Barnes, then went to university in Christchurch and sailed Javelins in Lyttleton Harbour.”

After qualifying as a chartered accountant,

Dave joined Digby Taylor’s team to contest the 1985-86 Whitbread on NZI Enterprise.

“My main role to start with was writing weather and course routing software. This was pretty revolutionary at the time. Then I became the cook. I enjoy cooking and some of the crew would struggle to toast bread.”

Disaster struck on the third leg, however, when NZI Enterprise lost her mast 380 nautical miles south-east of the Chatham Islands while leading and had to withdraw from the race.

During working stints in Auckland, Wellington and San Francisco Dave kept sailing in a range of boats from dinghies to keelboats, before moving to London for 11 years.

“While in England I sailed mainly keel boats out of Cowes. But after my son James was born, we returned to Auckland in 2004.

“My wife, Carol, and I were both looking for work and it was a case of whoever got a job first would work and the other would be the stay-at-home parent.

“I drew the short straw; Carol got a job and I was a full-time dad until I started at the

Squadron after lockdown last year. During that at-home period, I got into race management.

“I think I made the mistake of telling someone I was an accountant. I was on the board of the Takapuna Boating Club for almost 10 years, I’m on the general committee of the Murrays Bay Sailing Club and, through my involvement with the Northcote Birkenhead Yacht Club, where my son learned to sail, I am now Vice Commodore.”

Dave has sailed on the Young 88 Raging Hormones owned by Zane Gifford for the past four years and more recently purchased an RS Aero, which he describes as a modern, light, quick, fun version of the Laser.

Sailing for Northcote Birkenhead Yacht Club, Dave and his RS Aero took out Division B of the Squadron’s recent Barfoot & Thompson Bridge to Bean race.

Dave: “When your hobby becomes your job, that’s pretty cool. I now get to sit in an office looking out over the harbour every day, or better still, I am out on the water. It definitely beats accounting. I’m doing something I love.“

Breeze Magazine 25

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26 Breeze Magazine

Cyclone Dovi Stalks Squadron A darkly threatening sky hangs over the A Division leaders as they head away from Kawau Island on the race back to the city ...

Words and Photos by Ivor Wilkins If the difficulties of dealing with Covid were not enough to test the ingenuity of the team organising this year’s 36° Brokers Squadron Weekend at Kawau, you could re-arrange the same set of letters to spell another threat in the form of tropical Cyclone Dovi.

Covid red light restrictions forced a change to the traditional Saturday

Just Listed – 22 Marine Parade, Herne Bay

night party ashore on the lawns of Lidgard House. Instead, following the scheduled round the island race, the plan was for roadhouse-style catering with five RIBs set to ferry pre-ordered box meals and drinks out to boats in the anchorage. One-man-band Josh Leys was to be positioned like a lone piper at the end of the wharf surrounded by military grade speakers to blast his entertainment halfway to Auckland.

With that plan and all its attendant logistics in place, Cyclone Dovi

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Breeze Magazine 27

Weekend racing

began to loom on the horizon. In a staunch show-must-go-on spirit, the first steps in the preparations began on the Wednesday as planned, when the advance team of Cooper Hopman and Will Clough took Te Kouma up to Kawau laden with equipment and provisions. They were joined by CEO Hayden Porter, who crossed by RIB from Sandspit to Kawau.

Next day a second assault team comprising Kim Bond, Nikki Harkin and Billy Wordworth travelled north by road with a vanload of more

66 St Marys Rd, St Marys Bay

equipment and provisions, which were offloaded at Sandspit and transported to the island.

Meanwhile, the Sailing Office kept a close watch on Cyclone Dovi’s progress and began to hatch a revised plan of action for the race fleet.

The first question was whether the Friday night race from Auckland to Kawau could proceed.

Early in the week, various forecast models predicted quite different

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28 Breeze Magazine Brian Petersen’s V5 topped out at 26 knots on the passage to Auckland.

Right: Deeply reefed, Mike Mahoney’s superyacht Tawera heads for home.

Breeze Magazine 29

scenarios for Dovi, but as the storm approached a consensus began to form which in the end proved remarkably accurate both in terms of its force and timing.

Accordingly, a notice went out to the competing yachts that conditions on the Friday night were expected to fall under the 30-knot threshold, so the race north would proceed. Twenty-four yachts came under starters orders and were rewarded with a stiff northerly breeze, which had them tacking all the way to Kawau. All but one were safely tucked away in Bon Accord Harbour before midnight, with the final straggler crossing the finish line just after 1am.

As a precursor to the Saturday night revelry, several of the crews

LEADER OF THE PACK

tested their stamina with rum, champagne and other libations of choice long into the pre-dawn while sharing their favourite soundtracks with the neighbourhood. For two of the Division C yachts, the post-race mood would have been about regret rather than celebration when they failed to post a score having been over-eager at the start.

The next decision was about proceedings for the rest of the weekend.

But, with the Dovi forecast predicting winds over 50 knots, the only decision to make was to get the race fleet back to Auckland as quickly as possible. In heavy overcast gloom, a startline was set outside the entrance to Bon Accord Harbour with a short hitch to windward before turning south and taking the direct course back home.

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30 Breeze Magazine

With the Kawau Island hills shrouded in rain, the B Division fleet counts down to the start.

Meanwhile, the shore crew had to ferry all the provisions and equipment back onto boats and vans and scurry back to the city, ready to welcome the racers back at the clubrooms and set up for the postmatch proceedings and party.

With the homebound race fleet reduced to 20, all arrived back in Westhaven within a two-hour spread between 1230 and 1430hrs.

First home was Brian Petersen with his recently-acquired V5. Petersen – whose previous yacht, Ran Tan II, was lost two and a half years ago in mid-Pacific when the canting keel sheared off – is delighted to be back racing again.

“Even though V5 is 20 years old, it is still a fantastic yacht,” he says. “It is great to be back into the racing scene again and the messages of support have been quite humbling.

“The other great thing is that the old Ran Tan crew has come back together again on V5. For the Friday night race to Kawau, the crew was the old Sydney-Hobart Ran Tan line-up, with one other.

“The Squadron definitely made the right call to do the Friday night race and then again made the right call to sail straight back to Auckland ahead of the storm on Saturday.

“Getting back to Auckland was a blast. Once we had completed the short upwind leg after the start, we delayed our gennaker hoist

until we cleared Rabbit Island, but from then on we had a great run.

“We hit a top speed of 26 knots and were sitting at about 22-24 knots most of the time. We had quite a bit of water over the bow, with four or five gybes along the way.”

Cyclone Dovi duly hit with full force on Saturday night and through most of Sunday, packing a punch across many parts of New Zealand, with howling gales and heavy rain causing havoc, including multiple trees down, several yachts driven ashore, Auckland Harbour Bridge closed and widespread power outages across the region.

36° Brokers Squadron Weekend PHS Results: Friday Night Race – A Div: Rum Bucket (Q. Fowler), Carrera (J. Meadowcroft), Zephyrus (M. Cole); B Div: The Big Don’t Argue (G. Harden), Nirvana (N. Hendy), Akatea (M. Malpass); C Div: Bizzarre (B. Martin), Expatria (F. De Court), Juniper (L. Missiaen); Non Spinnaker: Fez (C. Bellingham), Bird on the Wing (M. Malcolm), Aeolian (M. Logan).

Saturday Race – A Div: Anarchy (A.J. Reid), Zephyrus (M. Cole), V5 (B. Petersen); B Div: Jive Talkin (H. Sherratt), Mojo (A. Crafer), The Black Pearl (T. Wallis); C Div: Juniper (L Missiaen), Hysteria (G. Cummings), War Machine (Macindoe/Leyland); Non Spinnaker: Aeolian (M. Logan), Bird on the Wing (M. Malcolm).

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Breeze Magazine 31

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Breeze Magazine 33

Franziskus Meiselbach at work in the RNZYS kitchen.

He’s a chef, not a baker: he does not follow recipes Story & picture by Debra Douglas Franziskus Meiselbach doesn’t like following recipes. That’s why he says he is a chef, not a baker. Previously leading the Members’ Bar kitchen, Franzis has now stepped up to the role of Executive Sous Chef, right-hand man to Executive Chef, Jean Brito.

Franzis, who hails from the German spa town of Bad Kreuznach, has been in New Zealand since 2014, and at the Squadron for almost two years.

“Food has always excited me. As a youngster I watched the males in my family do all the cooking, while my mother did the baking. I was always eating. I love food. There isn’t anything I don’t like eating,” said Franzis. “I was given a nickname that translates in English to ‘combine harvester’.

“Leaving school, I wanted to do something creative and hands-on and had two options – either become a stone mason, or a chef. So, I took on a three-year apprenticeship with a fine dining restaurant in our town.”

Finishing his apprenticeship, Franzis travelled and worked throughout Europe. He then went back to school and studied international business, but ‘chefing’ was always in his heart, so Franzis headed to Berlin, where he catered at big events for clients with big budgets.

“I’ve always been curious about new cultures. And food that belongs to it. I speak several languages beside German and English

– Spanish, Turkish, Chinese and French. I like to get to know a culture, but as well as the language, you must get to know the food.

“When I came to New Zealand, I fell in love with the wonderful quality of produce here.

The plan originally was to go on to Australia, but New Zealand is so beautiful and laid back and the visa situation then was easy for chefs.

I thought, ‘hey, I can make a mark here’. It was a great opportunity, so I stayed, working at Wanaka, Riverhead and Matakana.

“My passion for sailing brought me to the Squadron. When I was a teenager, I sailed in Greece and Croatia and it never let me go.”

Franzis says working at the Squadron is very rewarding because of the club’s versatility, hosting fine dining in one room, while at the same time in another room there’s a large buffet event underway.

“I do, however, prefer elevated cuisine, preparing fancy food. But at the Squadron even with fine dining, which can be an intimate experience, there is familiarity here. Things are never too stiff. It’s like being part of a family.”

Out of the kitchen, Franzis sails, spear fishes, free dives, plays basketball and rides his motorcycle to work.

“One of my dreams is to work on superyachts. I like the idea of not having to look at what you are spending and doing crazy things without a budget.

“And I love everything that is fast – even fast food. I never say no to a sneaky snack.”

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34 Breeze Magazine

A Memorable RNZYS voyage to the wilds of Sub-Antarctica

By Ivor Wilkins • Photos courtesy of Heritage Expeditions As the expedition ship Spirit of Enderby headed south bound for the Sub Antarctic islands, two things quickly became clear to the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron group aboard: they were entering a realm of conditions rightly feared and respected by seafarers down the ages; and, as quickly as sight of land receded so too did the priorities and travails of “normal” domestic and international affairs fade into insignificance.

For Colin Carran, who had initiated this journey as part of his leadership in the club’s 150th anniversary celebrations, the passage was a culmination of years of planning and adapting to a world radically changed by the Covid pandemic.

“We started the sesquicentennial year with a cruise to Great Barrier Island,” says Colin. “It seemed appropriate to end the year with a voyage to the Sub Antarctic. It struck me as something we could do with members and something completely different.”

The idea was hatched when Colin attended a presentation at the Squadron by Heritage Expeditions leader Aaron Russ. “I spoke to him after the presentation and worked with him and Sarah Porter. It was three years in the making,” says Colin.

Covid, of course, intervened and the original December 2021 departure had to be postponed. Finally, in January 2022, the Squadron group of about 40 members filed aboard the Spirit of Enderby in Bluff, unfurled the RNZYS 150th banner on the ship’s mast and their adventure began.

“All of us, including the crew and expeditions leaders, had to have Covid tests within 72 hours of departure, followed by rapid antigen tests in Invercargill before joining the ship in Bluff. We had the results of those tests before we boarded, so from then on, we were all in a safe bubble and could discard masks and mix and mingle as normal. It was very refreshing.”

Then, as the group settled into shipboard life on a high-latitude expedition, other everyday preoccupations also fell away. “To be away from the world was wonderful,” Colin recalls. “Once we were outside of normal communication, nothing mattered. Covid didn’t matter, the sharemarket didn’t matter, Vladimir Putin and Boris Johnson didn’t matter. It was very liberating.”

What did matter was paying close attention to the weather and with a forecast of gale force winds, the schedule was quickly revised. Instead of picking their way south with several stops along the way, the order was reversed and Spirit of Enderby steamed nonstop to the southernmost point of the journey at Campbell Island and then worked its way back north through the various island groups.

The tour party was an eclectic mix of members, including two Past Commodores, Peter Taylor (2000-02) and his wife, Rita, and Steve Burrett (2012-14) with his wife, Kath. General Committee member Sheryl Lanigan and her husband, Mike, were also there, along with newly-

Breeze Magazine 35

appointed Membership Manager Nikki Harkin. Life Member Colin Carran was travelling with his three sons.

“It was a great Squadron group that mixed extremely well,” says Colin.

“I am sure that had to do with our common interests and backgrounds.”

Sheryl Lanigan: “One of the things the expedition crew remarked on was that they enjoyed having people with a boating background on board. People who knew what clothes to wear, how to put on lifejackets, negotiate getting on and off Zodiacs and so on. We were familiar with how to look after ourselves on boats.”

Asked to name her highlight, Sheryl found the question difficult to

answer. “It was all amazing.” She described Campbell Island as being about the sealions, albatrosses and plants. The Auckland Islands were about the history of doomed human attempts at habitation over the years, while the Snares were all about the penguins.

Nobody is allowed ashore at the Snares, so all the viewing was from the Zodiacs. The pristine environment looked untouched since the beginning of time.

Peter Taylor described the whole expedition experience as very exciting. Perhaps an understatement given he had a closer encounter with nature than he might have liked when a sealion bull charged out of

36 Breeze Magazine

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The Sub Antarctic Islands are a nature photographer’s paradise, with an abundance of fauna and flora to ‘capture’ on film. Most of the guests clicked away and came back with wonderful records of what they saw, but the guides were also equipped with professional equipment and supplied each guest with a memory stick loaded with images. This is a small selection. 1) Southern Royal Albatross - Campbell Island; 2) Antarctic terns - Campbell Island; 3) Campbell Island shag; 4) Hooker's sealion, Enderby Island; 5) Hooker's sealion pups, Enderby Island; 6) Hooker's sealion - female and pup; 7) Pleurophyllum Speciosum (Subantarctic Daisy); 8) Granitic rocks and kelp, the Snares; 9) Acaena magellanica (Subantarctic Bidybid). the bush during one of the walks. “It was really our first exposure to the real quality of New Zealand’s fauna and flora,” he says.

“It made us quite proud of New Zealand to have such an extensive and unique range of plant and animal species. It was wonderful watching the penguins and seals and going for fantastic walks in such an unspoilt environment.”

The shore excursions were accompanied by guides, who shared expert knowledge of the wildlife and flora. “One of the guides remarked that there was more sex and violence on the beaches than you would ever see in a Tarantino movie,” chuckles Nikki Harkin.

Constant wind is an expected feature of high latitude cruising – old salts talk of the Roaring Forties, Furious Fifties and Screaming Sixties. Some remarked on the challenges of launching and retrieving Zodiacs in 40 knots, while Peter Taylor notes: “It was not uncommon to be out walking in 50 knots of wind. Everybody worked out their own level of ability and comfort and took part in activities accordingly.”

The roughest sea passage was between Campbell Island and the Auckland Islands where 70 knot winds and 6m beam seas were encountered. “It made one think of the saying

that if you have never been seasick, it is because you have never been in a small enough boat in a big enough sea,” Rita Taylor laughs. “But, if we had not experienced those conditions, we probably would have felt cheated.”

Understandably, there were occasions when the dining room population reduced dramatically, but mostly the group took conditions in their stride.

The consensus was that the experience left the group invigorated and enriched, with ongoing conversations about the creation of an RNZYS Travel Club to offer members similar opportunities in the future.

Breeze Magazine 37

Taranui 3’s Southern Sojourn

A tranquil Taranui 3 at anchor in Stewart Island

By Tony Whiting I was on watch on a moonless night sailing down the Canterbury Coast, sitting in one of my favourite spots on the windward cockpit coaming when I heard a familiar sound. It was the exhale of a dolphin riding the aft pressure wave. In the luminescence you could see their size and shape – definitely Dusky dolphins – always playful and fast as they darted in close to our transom.

They were like silver bullets in the luminescence, lighting up sparkling streaks through the bright foaming crest of the stern wake and the boil of turbulence from the propeller and rudder trailing aft.

We were on our way South to Rakiura/Stewart

Photo Credit // Cory Silken

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38 Breeze Magazine Island to join other adventurous sailors for the Island Cruising South Island Rally. This is run by the energetic and very capable Viki Moore. We had been planning this trip for some time and our decision was to sail down the East Coast from our Auckland base.

It is a matter of personal choice which way you go, but this one suited us. The first leg to Napier is about 350 miles, a two-day passage.

Napier is a great city. The yacht club and locals are very friendly. “You want to borrow a bike or a car, just sing out”. Great pubs and restaurants and bike trails.

Next leg to Lyttleton was similar, but the notorious Wairarapa coast was on our minds, so we chose a good weather window. We also covered this 350-mile leg in two days with only one strong southerly blow.

We were well out to sea and Taranui 3 handled this well; mainsail well reefed and staysail sheeted in hard. Best to be off the coastal shelf, we figured. The lovely part of this Southern Coast is that you get seriously into albatross country: at stages we were surrounded by large wandering albatross, Bullers mollymawks, grey headed, black browed.

These birds were curious about us sailing along, always giving us the eye as they soared by, never flapping, just dynamic soaring on those 3.3m wings.

Nick caught an albacore tuna off Castle Point in the warm waters as we were coming down the coast. We had sashimi and many excellent meals from this delicious fish.

Te Ana Marina in Lyttelton is new and very well set up, and also very welcoming. Lyttelton is a spectacular caldera and a walk up the bridle trail to the top of the Port Hills is well worthwhile. It’s a great view of the northern plains and the Southern Alps by the Rakaia gorge, Mt Hutt area. Also a good way to walk off too many beers and pizza from the New Year’s party the night before!

Our sail around Banks Peninsula was a reach and then a run until we got into fog off Moeraki. We had installed a new Furuno radar and chart plotter and they were invaluable, along with the Vesper AIS for motorsailing through this pea soup fog.

A number of boats were around, also keeping well out to sea, off the coastal shelf.

My father, D’Arcy, had planned a similar trip 25 years ago on our sister ship Tequila. His intention was to go “in the wake of Cook” and was attempting this passage late in the summer

From left: Tony Whiting, grandchildren Mollie and Paul Barden and Margeret Wilson at Oban. in a figure eight, going down the North Island west coast and the South Island east coast. I joined Tequila in a chilly Lyttelton in 1997 and our sail down the Canterbury bight was easy and sunny.

Just south of Moeraki, we saw cloud approaching from the south and within 15 minutes it was blowing 30 knots hard on the nose on the coastal shelf. Huge seas built up and our relaxed state meant we reefed sail late.

In the ensuing unravelling, we tore the mainsail, ripped the storm jib, the genoa furling line got wrapped around the propeller and the VHF radio didn’t work.

We were saved by the SSB radio, which enabled us to organise a tow to Port Chalmers.

This was a sad end to our New Zealand circumnavigation and nobody was more disappointed than D’Arcy, a great seaman who uncharacteristically misread the weather.

Many lessons were learned from that trip and one that we now constantly apply is to get regular weather updates to be fully prepared at all times. This is the same sailing anywhere but especially on the southern coast, where those notorious southerlies whip up very quickly. The Southern Alps are a huge deflector of south-

westerly storms from the Tasman and the Southern Ocean.

Our sail down the Catlin’s coast was lovely: many lighthouses and a few reefs, a number that had claimed ships in the early days.

Foveaux Strait was calm as we passed by Ruapuke Island, still an independent state.

The entry into Rakiura is through a series of islands known as the Mutton Bird/Titi Islands.

We could see the seasonally-used huts of the Rakiura Maori for their traditional gathering of Titi. We recognise these birds as the sooty shearwater, and they pass by our northern coast on their annual migration between these southern islands and the Aleutians up in Alaska.

New Zealand’s third largest island, Rakiura/ Stewart Island is certainly a southern paradise.

It is about 65 km long and about 40 km across at its widest point. The main village is Oban on Half Moon Bay, facing northeast. This harbour is generally very sheltered and only about 20 nautical miles across to Bluff, where most people and supplies come through.

There are a series of large inlets on the north and east coasts. The largest of these is Patterson Inlet and it feels a bit like Port Fitzroy on steroids.

Breeze Magazine 39

Paul and Mollie Barden examine a weka on the beach at Ulva Island..

There are a number of great anchorages and sheltered coves all around the inlet with the famous Ulva Island across the entrance. Visiting Ulva Island makes you feel you have stepped back into a primeval forest on Gondwana: huge totara, rimu, rata and miro trees, a floor of moss and ferns of every shade of green.

When we visited there, we saw kiwi during the day, fur seal pups, kaka, tui, bellbird, tomtit,

red crowned parakeet and robins galore. You had to be careful not to be bowled over by the kereru/wood pigeons flying by. Saddlebacks dancing around the forest floor just added to the excitement.

Rakiura has had its share of logging, whaling, mining and some farming ventures, but currently the only sustainable businesses are tourism, hiker support, fishing of blue cod and

rock lobster, salmon and mussel farming in Big Glory Bay and hunting parties trying to keep down the numbers of white tailed deer we saw bouncing around.

Due to the lack of agriculture and industry, the water in and around the inlet is really clear and the kelp forests are exceptional. We did a snorkel tour with Stewart Island Adventures and it was quite amazing, diving through the

40 Breeze Magazine kelp forest into grottos full of anemones and sponges with fish and paua all around.

The local population of about 400 people are very friendly and you quickly get into island time. “What’s the rush? I suggest you go here, look at that, shelter there and walk to that point, etc.” They are very willing, especially over a beer at the South Sea Hotel, where the food is superb.

My impression after cruising here with family and friends for nearly a month is that if you are a sailor, or have a capable motor boat, you owe it to yourself to see and experience this amazing area. I did not allow enough time; it could have been two months, but we were lucky to be here after a wild Covid lockdown year.

I would advise to prepare your boat well, including plenty of fuel, a heater and cockpit screens and to listen to the weather daily to see what is blowing up from the Tasman. The best local radio for weather and safety is Merri Leask of Bluff Fisherman’s Radio. We listened to her twice a day – fabulous service.

I also worked with Bob McDavitt for passages, but also got updates from Viki Moore for the rally participants. In addition, we were dialled into PredictWind via the Iridium system.

Most charts are good and the Mana Cruising guides for Stewart Island and Fiordland are excellent. This and some other publications form part of Island Cruising’s rally pack.

The locals and fellow sailors that you will meet will add to this. It’s always great sharing information with locals and fellow boaties.

The electronic charts on the Furuno system are very accurate and complemented our paper charts. There are some uncharted rocks, like most places, and we found one, a big lurch at five knots. I would plan on warmer clothes as you would imagine at 47° latitude; we found a diminished desire to dive over the side at 7 am with the water temperature at 16°C, although beach swimming was fine.

I was very pleased with the direction that we followed with the rally. Following the east coast of the South Island and into Rakiura gets you ready for the next step to Fiordland, rigging bug screens, provisioning, getting weather updates, and preparing yourselves and the boat for the next leg into exciting but very remote Fjords.

I will write again from Fiordland – on with the adventure!

Margaret Wilson and her grandson Paul check the anchor at Kaipipi Bay, Patterson Inlet.

A guiding presence from the shore Island Cruising has been organising yacht rallies to the Pacific since the 1980’s.

When Viki Moore took over in June last year, she was keen to do something a little different, especially when COVID made cruising to the Pacific almost impossible.

The South Island Rally attracted 22 entries from all over the country.

Some choosing to just do The Marlborough Sounds and the rest venturing further south to Banks Peninsula, Stewart Island and Fiordland.

The Rally is designed to be flexible, and people can choose their own timeframe.

For example Tony and the Taranui 3 crew decided to head south earlier than the rest of the group so they could spend more time cruising the southern end of the Island. At present the rally boats are spread from Marlborough to Stewart Island.

Everyone on the rally can keep in touch, ask questions and share ideas on the rally WhatsApp group chat, while Viki stands by ashore to give advice, or assistance should anyone need it. And they have!

There have been a number of breakages of gear, lots of trips to various chandleries, two helicopter evacuations – a broken ankle and a heart attack (both are on the mend) – two tows in to port, loss of power and a seized rudder bearing to name a few. Viki lends a hand, giving recommendations of local contractors, sourcing crew, sending parts around the country and making connections and providing support.

Viki has produced a comprehensive rally guide, giving tips on safety, weather, navigation, local contacts, fishing regulations, clean hull/biosecurity rules, and details of all her favourite anchorages, local history and interesting places to visit around the coastline.

In addition rally sponsors have provided some excellent value added benefits including fishing tackle, shampoo, wine cooler bags, oil, boat hooks, discounted haulout, discounts on Marine Medic & Sea Survival courses and much more.

The others travelling in the main group get the added benefit of having a professional weather router help pick the best dates to depart on the more challenging coastal passages.

Island Cruising is planning on running the South Island Rally again in 2022. Departing from Opua between Christmas and New Year, and returning in March.

Breeze Magazine 41

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42 Breeze Magazine

BRIDGE to BEAN RACE Third time a charm. After two Covid cancellations, the Barfoot & Thompson Bridge to Bean Dinghy Race finally took place just before Christmas and saw more than 80 entries representing 20 classes sprinting down the Waitemata Harbour.

The race formed part of the RNZYS 150th anniversary celebrations and was conceived as a means of enabling the wider sailing community of Auckland to join the party. A wide range of clubs and associations were quick to respond with a level of enthusiasm that suggests an appetite to extend this beyond a one-off event.

The entry list also revealed a broad crosssection of participation from grass roots right up to America’s Cup, Volvo Ocean Race, Olympic and grand prix sailors.

The recently revived Cherub class, in particular, caught the eye with three illustrious parent-child combinations in the form of Dean Barker and his daughter, Mia, Ray Davies and his son Hugo, and Mike Sanderson and his son Merrick.

The Davies duo, with 10-year-old Hugo on the helm, took the honours, with the Sanderson pair close behind.

Dean and Mia Barker actually crossed

the finish line first, but discovered they had inadvertently taken a short cut. Davies was sympathetic. He too had navigational issues at one point, but managed to recover. “The course was actually a bit confusing, but it was an awesome event and a great initiative by the RNZYS. It was similar to the Bridge to Bridge race in San Francisco – a fantastic idea.”

One of the most enthralling outcomes was in the Optimist class, with Royal Akarana Yacht Club’s Leo Brown and Louis Quere bow-tobow at the finish line. It was finally determined Leo had just edged in front to take line honours by a whisker.

Mike and Merrick Sanderson.

Dean and Mia Barker.

Ray and Hugo Davies.

Breeze Magazine 43

Left: The mass start at the Harbour Bridge took the competitors to the finish line (this image) at Bean Rock Light.

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The first competitor to reach the Bean Rock lighthouse – which, coincidentally, shares the Squadron’s 1871 founding date – was kiteboarder Justina Kitchen. The daughter of Olympic Tornado gold medallist Rex Sellers, Justina has Olympic selection ambitions of her own.

After the logistics of reuniting more than 80 dinghies with their trailers at various locations around the harbour, competitors crowded into the RNZYS clubrooms for the prizegiving.

Commodore Aaron Young and Barfoot & Thompson chief executive Peter Thompson conducted proceedings and acknowledged the huge support of volunteers and fellow sponsors, Doyle Sails, VMG Clothing and Ecostore.

The Bridge to Bean race brought a particular spotlight to the extraordinary rennaissance of the Cherub class.

Originally designed in the 1950s by John Spencer, who sparked a wave of plywood boats built in New Zealand backyards, Cherubs enjoyed a long period of popularity for their high-performance / low-cost appeal, but eventually faded from the scene in the 1990s.

Now it is back and growing in popularity

with new boats being built and old boats hauled out from under dusty tarpaulins and brought back to life. The impetus for this revival came when Mike Sanderson, whose America’s Cup, Volvo Ocean Race and maxi racing credentials are well essayed, went looking for a sailing project he could do with his sons Merrick and Tom. Rather than just buying into a production one-design class, Sanderson wanted something old school, which would allow for tinkering and tweaking, experimenting with new ideas and exploring the mysteries of what makes a boat go fast. It should also be fast, with a trapeze.

Trawling through on-line buy-and-sell sites, he discovered a Cherub advertised at $1,800 and so it began. News quickly began to spread – “we posted a few videos online and it went gang-busters” – and in little over two years a remarkable rebirth has occurred.

As of late last year, the rush to join the fun saw 11 new boats under construction, with a number of restorations under way.

To help foster further growth, Sanderson commissioned Dan Leech to design a CNCcut plywood kitset boat. Sanderson has had two of these professionally built and also

44 Breeze Magazine

imported a container-load of nine Cherubs from Australia to provide restoration stock.

As CEO of Doyle Sails, Sanderson offered loft support while Southern Spars and Ronstan also came to the party – as did an ice-cream sponsor!

Ray Davies set about building one of the Leech kitset boats in his garage with his son, Hugo. Davies has history in the class and campaigned Cherubs in the 1980s. Back then, his first boat was built in the family garage with his father’s help.

“In fact, four different pairs built boats out of the same moulds in our garage, one of which won the nationals,” Davies recalled. “It was great to repeat that father-son involvement with the next generation and fantastic that my dad was around while Hugo and I were building ours.”

While this revival of an historic New Zealand class and particularly its wholesome focus on family participation has been welcomed, it is not without its tensions. Inevitably, rapid growth and a high degree of publicity around prominent figures in the class brings with it different perspectives and agendas.

This emerged in the wake of the Northland championships in January (also won by the Davies father-son combination) , when Allan Roper, a longtime Spencer disciple and Cherub

Photo courtesy of Ray Davies.

Abover: Tight competition between the Davies pair (left) and the Sanderson combination.

Below: Ray and Hugo Davies building their new Cherub together at home.

Breeze Magazine 45 stalwart declared he was stepping away. Roper has designed and campaigned a number of Cherubs and his son, Tim, is actively competing at a high level in the class with a carbon and foam Cherub to his father’s design.

Initially, Roper wrote approving articles welcoming the class revival and Sanderson’s role, but he now says he does not like the direction it is taking.

This follows a Facebook post from Sanderson announcing the formation of the NZ Family Cherub Owners’ Association “to help promote, govern and organise these family oriented Cherub events just as we have been having for the last 12 months, but with some more structure and a strong forward plan.”

The thrust of Roper’s objection is not perfectly clear, but it seems to be against “pro sailors” taking over a venerable class and then just as quickly disappearing again, “leaving others to clean up the mess”.

Sanderson and Roper go back a long way.

Roper mentored Sanderson’s early sailing and would often pick him up from boarding school to drive him to regattas. Sanderson is grateful for that support, but is not backing away from

‘I am very respectful of the Cherub history in the 1960s to 80s, but I am not going to be bound by Spencer’s concept for the rest of time ...

Mike Sanderson.

his current involvement with the class.

“What we have done is very cool, but it was never about reviving the Cherub class for its own sake,” he says. “I am using Cherubs to fill a gap in parent-child sailing in New Zealand.

“Allan Roper feels a strong responsibility to the Spencer legacy and I understand that. But the fact is that when I bought an old Cherub a couple of years ago, the class had died in New Zealand and Allan has acknowledged that.

“I will always defend my vision for family sailing over the history of the class. I won’t apologise or back down from that. For me, it is about getting a wide spectrum of combinations – adults with kids, two kids, two adults, husbands and wives, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons – to do fun regattas using Cherubs as a tool.

“I am very respectful of the Cherub history in the 1960s to 80s,” Sanderson adds, “but I am

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not going to be bound by Spencer’s concept for the rest of time and I am not going to be bullied by New Zealand’s Cherub legacy.”

Invoking All Black captain Richie McCaw’s philosophy to always leave something better than when you started, Sanderson notes: “Even if we walked away right now, the Cherub would be in a far better position than when we began.

It was completely dead. We now have about 30 Cherubs sailing in New Zealand and more in build or under restoration.”

Not that Sanderson is contemplating walking away any time soon. He sees himself having another couple of years sailing with Merrick, by which time his oldest boy will be ready to step up to 29ers. Then Tom, now aged 10, will be ready for his turn.

Meanwhile, Ray Davies is confident that with a bit of diplomacy emotions can be calmed.

“Mike Sanderson is doing a fantastic job with a lot of passion. We just need to keep everybody together and talking to each other. We are only trying to keep it fun and all about the kids.

There is 99% buy-in from the owners on the direction it is taking.”

Words and Photos by Ivor Wilkins

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46 Breeze Magazine

America’s Cup venue is a contentious issue at RNZYS AGM The 2021 RNZYS AGM was overshadowed by one critical issue: where the next defence of the America’s Cup would take place. Ivor Wilkins describes the scene …

It was a study in contrasts. Up on its first-floor eyrie at the Royal NZ Yacht Squadron, the America’s Cup was a silent sentinel, serene in its bulletproof glass vault. Directly below, the Ballroom, which has played host to two America’s Cup victory parties, seethed with tension and turmoil.

This trophy, the oldest in international sport, was demonstrating once again its power to arouse high passion. Sometimes these passions unify disparate forces to achieve rare success. At other times, like this occasion on a hot December evening, they take a darker turn and inspire division, even enmity.

How many times, one wondered, over its 170-year history had this fabled trophy born witness to similar outbreaks of deeply personal in-fighting?

The strange and sad truth, as the two sides in this argument took up ever more entrenched positions against each other, was that both professed to want the same thing. Egos, strong personalities, deep mutual mistrust, if not loathing, however, ensured they would surely never work together towards that shared goal.

In one corner, Grant Dalton, a veteran campaigner with a reputation for persuading boardrooms to back his causes as a round-the-world race winner and two-time America’s Cup winner. In the other corner, entrepreneur Mark Dunphy, self-proclaimed patriot, Fay-Richwhite

acolyte and would-be America’s Cup player with a $NZ40 million war chest.

Both say their preference is to stage the 2024 America’s Cup defence in Auckland, but that is about the only thing they agree on. Much of the argument is about arithmetic. Dalton says the money on tap in Auckland falls well short of the $200 million required to fund the team and the event. Dunphy says with his $40 million it can be done.

Backed by projected slides of charts and diagrams, Dalton, who has been in this game for 20 years and has wrangled $500 million for five America’s Cup campaigns, not counting multiple round the world races, demonstrates a $50 million shortfall.

Dunphy, who was a senior executive at Fay Richwhite when the firm launched New Zealand into the America’s Cup in 1987 and backed two more campaigns in 1988 and 1992, says finding the money is no problem.

Dalton reckons at the best of times $50 million is a big problem and Covid has made everything much more difficult.

Arithmetic, however, is the least of the problems dividing these parties.

From the time Dunphy’s courtship of the America’s Cup became public in August 2021, it quickly became clear that, borrowing from Shakespeare, “the course of true love” was doomed never to “run smooth”.

Despite presenting himself as a suitor promising a handsome dowry, Dunphy’s opening gambit was hardly likely to set Emirates Team New Zealand’s heart a-flutter when it came with the demand that Dalton must quit the team he has led since 2004.

Breeze Magazine 47 Despite that unpromising start and after Dunphy grudgingly withdrew the Dalton condition, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and other parties urged the entrepreneur to meet with ETNZ. The team itself repeatedly invited Dunphy to sit down and parlay.

However, apart from a single phone call with Dalton, he resisted any formal talks and declined to present any detailed or documented proposal. Instead, he trailed his coat in the public domain, launching a Kiwi Home Defence website and commissioning the services of a Wellingtonbased lobbyist, Saunders Unsworth, which describes itself as “New Zealand’s leading government relations and public policy firm”.

A number of full page advertisements promoting Dunphy’s cause subsequently appeared in major newspapers and Dunphy gave several interviews to news outlets and national TV. He also found a strong advocate in Dr Jim Farmer QC, who is a highly successful barrister specialising in corporate and commercial law. He has acted professionally on behalf of Dunphy’s oil business. Farmer is also an honorary member of the RNZYS and has campaigned a string of yachts called Georgia in local and international events, including the Admiral’s Cup, the Kenwood Cup and the Southern Cross Cup. He served as a director of Team New Zealand from 2004 to 2013.

Farmer writes occasional blogs on his website and in that forum and in interviews has argued strongly that ETNZ and the RNZYS owe a moral obligation to the New Zealand taxpayers to conduct the 2024 America’s Cup defence in Auckland.

Much less public than his single phone conversation with Dalton – and even less likely to cement relations — was another phone call, this one between Dunphy and a member of the New York Yacht Club. The substance of the call was allegedly about filing action in the New York Supreme Court to unseat the Royal Yacht Squadron as Challenger of Record and install the NYYC in its place. (Presumably, the idea was that this would break the mutual consent arrangement allowing ETNZ to explore offshore options and force a home-waters defence.)

This followed on the heels of an email along similar lines sent by Auckland lawyer and America’s Cup specialist Hamish Ross to the NYYC Commodore with the express intent to “disrupt the venue selection”.

In the email, Ross said he was “assisting a group of prominent New Zealanders seeking to keep the next America’s Cup event in Auckland”.

Dunphy later denied Ross was acting on his behalf.

Wanting no part of this, one of the NYYC members on the Dunphy phone call alerted ETNZ about the approaches. Furious, Dalton decried Dunphy’s “underhanded and deceitful attempts to undermine the RNZYS, ETNZ and Royal Yacht Squadron with his despicable actions”.

By the time the Covid-delayed RNZYS AGM took place in December, much of this had already played out in the media. Positions were so entrenched that chances of a rapprochement appeared unlikely.

Nevertheless, Farmer, Dalton and Dunphy were invited to outline their positions.

Opening proceedings, RNZYS Commodore Aaron Young restated the club’s position that its 25-year partnership with Team New Zealand was predicated on a mutual arrangement whereby the team was left to lead, fund and deliver an America’s Cup campaign with the club indemnified against any liability, financial or otherwise. “We are a yacht club and now, more than ever, the America’s Cup is a commercial and professional undertaking well beyond a yacht club’s everyday activities.”

On the venue issue, the club preference was for AC37 to be in

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48 Breeze Magazine Auckland. But to avoid compromising its viability, ETNZ had to be allowed to consider other venues alongside Auckland.

Farmer called for a mediator to work with Dalton and Dunphy, whom he described as “two giants”, to negotiate common ground. “It could happen in a couple of hours and the mediator could go home,” he reckoned.

Dalton repeated his position that, lined up against powerful challenger teams with Formula One connections, an underfunded ETNZ had no chance of retaining the America’s Cup and would likely not survive. “We will be stripped. They want to kill us.”

Dunphy remained adamant nothing he had heard altered his belief that Auckland funding could be found. He said many motivations had been attributed to his bid to keep the Cup in Auckland: that he wanted to take over ETNZ or to steal their intellectual property; that he was acting for foreign teams, or just wanting to disrupt. “All those comments are completely untrue,” he insisted. “My motivation is purely patriotic.”

In the question and answer session that followed, much that had gone before was relitigated. Having called attention to Samuel Johnson’s quote about patriotism being the last refuge of the scoundrel, Dalton challenged Dunphy on the New York Yacht Club plot and brandished an affidavit, which, he said, contained details of the incriminating phone call.

Dunphy confirmed he had two conversations with NYYC, but insisted what had been said about those calls was incorrect.

“It is inappropriate for you to choose a forum like this to put questions to me, if you are not prepared to talk to me in private,” Dunphy added.

This was a baffling contradiction of a narrative that has persisted since

August and which Commodore Young had repeated less than a minute earlier, namely that it was Dunphy who for months had refused every effort to broker a meeting with ETNZ. Either way, with several members pleading for the parties to stop “talking past each other” and sit down together, it turned out that option was no longer on the table. Following the complete breakdown of trust over the New York affair, Dalton revealed the ETNZ board had taken a formal resolution to “permanently reject” any attempts by Kiwi Home Defence to become involved with the team and specifically would not engage in any dialogue with Jim Farmer, Mark Dunphy, Kiwi Home Defence or any of its various agents.

In an apparent stalemate, the AGM broke up in an atmosphere of frustration and regret over lost opportunities.

As the crowd dispersed into the night, up in its sanctuary overlooking the scene of recent dispute, the America’s Cup maintained its impassive vigil. There it will remain until its next chapter is written when the 2024 defence takes place at a venue to be announced by March 31.

Christmas and New Year celebrations followed in due course.

Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour sparkled in record summer temperatures.

It seemed much longer than a year since these same waters played host to New Zealand’s second successful defence of the America’s Cup amid scenes of national rejoicing and celebration.

Meanwhile, ETNZ envoys departed to inspect four potential overseas venues and continue discussions that will determine where the next America’s Cup will be sailed. In mid-February, American Magic began to dismantle their Auckland base.

Two Major Awards for Distinguished Service to the RNZYS During the 2021 RNZYS Annual General Meeting, the Commodore, Aaron Young, announced two major awards for members who had given distinguished service to the club over many years.The citations in support of the awards are as follows: Colin Carran – Life Membership Colin’s membership with the Squadron started in 1987 when he developed an interest in the Young 88 Class, purchasing a hull and decks and setting it up in the driveway. Family cruising with his wife Patricia and their three boys then took precedence.

Over the following years, First Class was campaigned continuously with the Young 88 fleet and Colin was heavily involved with the association. He had significant involvement in repurchasing the moulds and keeping them in New Zealand. His tireless efforts for the class saw him inducted as a Life Member of the Young 88 Association.

Colin enjoyed the racing and camaraderie at the Squadron and, as he believes in giving back to the community, he offered himself for the General Committee, where he served from 2002 to 2014.

Colin has chaired the House Committee, handling the major refurbishment of the Club rooms. He was also chair of the project rebuilding the main wharves and the first major refurbishment of Lidgard House at Kawau Island.

Colin was also chair of the Major Projects Committee, overseeing

Colin Carran receives his award from Commodore Aaron Young.

Breeze Magazine 49

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50 Breeze Magazine the upgrade of the Youth Programme building, overseeing the sale of the Elliott 5.9 Youth Training Programme fleet to New Caledonia and the purchase of the replacement 7m fleet.

Colin has always been a great supporter of the Youth Programme and remains a member of the Foiling Family support group. He is always an ideas man, and was instrumental in setting up the first trip to China with ATEED and travelled to Hong Kong, Shenzhen and the China Cup promoting the RNZYS youth training initiative.

Colin and Patricia’s motoryacht, Defiance, has been the RNZYS flag ship on many occasions serving as Committee Boat for the America’s Cup Regatta in 2003 and the Louis Vuitton Road to America’s Cup South Pacific and World Series Regattas in 2009 and 2011.

Defiance has always been available for official duties and more recently served as VIP vessel for club sponsors during the Mastercard International Superyacht regatta during the America’s Cup. Colin has supported the Squadron internationally in his own right, taking time out to visit offshore contacts, most notably Louis Vuitton whilst in Paris. His assistance as a General Committee Member to commodores at the Valencia and San Francisco America’s Cup regattas was also significant and very much appreciated.

More recently, Colin has been continuing to assist commodores on major projects, the most significant being the sesquicentennial year celebrations.

Planning started back in 2014 and involved a huge range of tasks including Royal visits, stamp issues, commemorative coins, balls, alumni regattas, a trip to the Sub Antarctic islands and the most significant writing of the club’s history.

We could not have achieved what we have done without Colin’s ideas, drive and love for the club.

In proposing Colin Carran’s Life Membership, fellow Life Member P. J. Montgomery said: “An outstanding and very much unheralded contribution by an outstanding member, Colin Carran has made a significant contribution to the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and New Zealand sailing.

“His influence has been significant, in many different aspects of the Squadron and we are eternally grateful.”

Seconding the nomination, Commodore Young added: “Colin shies away from the limelight, but to recognise this immense contribution we would like to award Colin the very rare Life Membership award for this contribution.”

Richard Wingfield – Service Award Richard started racing from a young age in his hometown of Christchurch and was a national contender/champion in OK Dinghies.

After a move to Sydney in 1971, Richard owned the motorboat Aotearoa and raced Mirrors together with son Simon from late 1970s to mid-1980s, when the family moved to Japan.

This inspired Simon’s sailing career, which included qualifying for his Yacht Masters certification and sailing in ocean races all over the world.

Richard then moved to Singapore in the early1990s and owned a second Aotearoa motorboat. He boated extensively through Singapore straits, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, until his move to New York in 2000.

He finally retired and returned to New Zealand in 2005 after a successful career in the global shipping and security sector. He joined RNZYS in early 2007.

Richard Wingfield receives his award from Commodore Aaron Young.

Richard owned the 36’ Beneteau, Montrachet, and regularly raced – Te Kouma and Kawau Squadron Weekends, Gulf Harbour, as well as sailing regularly with family and friends, Ian, Tony, George, and a guy mysteriously named Onetangi Two-bowls.

Richard joined the General Committee in 2012 and immediately became involved with raising sponsorship, succeeding in what had been a very difficult market. Richard also stepped up to become Acting General Manager of the RNZYS and for a considerable period kept the club operating seamlessly, refusing any recompense. He still serves on the General Committee.

He has also been on the Volvo Ocean Race Board and recently took over the chairmanship of that organisation on behalf of ATEED and the Government.

Since 2017, Richard has been our America’s Cup custodian and has overseen the care and upgrades to the trophy. He travelled to London at his own expense and liaised with Garrard’s for many months to arrange the construction and engraving of the new base and other ‘upgrades’. He has put many, many hours into this as well as being a key liaison between the club and ETNZ. He played a key role in the AC36 Course Marshal Programme.

His other sub-committee roles are on the America’s Cup Committee and Boat Management committee.

He is a regular boat driver for our racing and serves on the Race Management team. In between all of that he uses the Members’ Bar most days and enjoys a chardonnay or two.

Not many days go by without Richard contributing something in some way to the success of the Squadron. His sense of humour, humility, patience, and ability to get on with almost anyone has made him a very respected member of the club – from both members and staff alike.

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52 Breeze Magazine

Events Manager Theresa Murphy thrives on having multiple challenges on her plate

RNZYS Events Manager Theresa Murphy Story by Debra Douglas The new RNZYS Events Manager Theresa Murphy has her grandfather and member, Ian Johnson, to thank for an introduction to the hospitality experience offered at the club.

“It was the atmosphere at a Squadron family Christmas Day lunch that impressed me and sparked my interest in working here,” said Theresa. “And my grandfather speaks highly of the place and takes a lot of pride in what the Squadron stands for.”

Theresa started at the Squadron in May last year as maternity cover for the Events Co-ordinator position and then was in a secondment role for the Events Manager, before taking on her present permanent position in January.

Previously she had worked at Sweat Shop Brew Kitchen, which describes itself as a “local brew and street eats champion”, and in a sales

role for Conferenz, now called Brightstar, a company specialising in organising conferences, expos and training courses.

Theresa: “The Sweat Shop Brew Kitchen is similar to the Squadron in that it has several function areas and therefore lots of moving parts. In the sales role at Conferenz, I realised I wanted to look for something in that space again.

“Being an Event Manager involves juggling a lot of things at one time. I think you need to be a person who thrives on that and enjoys the challenge. At the Squadron there is the added element of membership, plus more function spaces than I had worked in before. It involves a whole new level of juggling.”

Theresa says she is a little disappointed that the red-light Covid restrictions on hospitality kicked in just as she started her new role, but she says the club is lucky to still have strong support from members and from companies

holding business planning meetings.

“We are still able to do a lot. And I am feeling positive and confident about the future.

We have some really cool member events coming up. Events that are not just food, not just beverage, but a whole experience.

“We are fortunate to have the team we have. Because we go through some long days and nights together, you almost feel like we are a family.”

Away from the Squadron, Theresa carries on the event management theme managing her own business, Event Flair, which provides dancers, musicians, entertainers and models for events. To relax, if you could call it that, she dances, ballroom and Latin American. Sailing is on her bucket list.

“I’ve been Rum Racing, which I thoroughly enjoyed and am waiting the be asked out again.

I am enthusiastic and willing to learn,” she says.

Breeze Magazine 53

Offshore adventures led to Ann Hamilton’s love of sailing Story & picture by Debra Douglas Twenty-five years ago, Ann Hamilton (pictured below) did a very brave thing. She jumped on a 22m yacht and sailed to Tonga as a member of the crew.

“Previously I had just watched from the shore as my young sons sailed P-class and Lasers, but that was all. I wasn’t a sailor,” said Ann. “I had always said, ‘One day, one day’, and then the opportunity came up. It was on that Tonga trip that I fell in love with sailing.

“I cruised for six weeks around Tonga, then six weeks around Fiji. I was due to come home, but the boat next door needed crew to go to Vanuatu, so I went with them.”

Learning by on-board experience, Ann finally boat-hopped her way back to Auckland from Brisbane, definitely bitten by the sailing bug.

Joining yacht cruising rallies with Island Cruising NZ and linking up with Joyce Talbot, Secretary of the Classic Yacht Association, for the Coastal Classic, classic yacht regattas and Anniversary Day Regattas led to Ann’s involvement with the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

Ann: “I loved it all. But I can’t sail anymore because I am a bit wobbly.

Being a volunteer member of the race management team is one way I can now get out on the water. No matter how I feel, once I get on that boat and head out into the harbour, I am at peace with the world.”

As a member of the team, Ann could be responsible for the flags, boat marking and time recordings. Her weeks are full, officiating at the Barfoot & Thompson Tuesday Ladies’ Series, Doyle Sails Wednesday Night Series and the Elliott 7 Sprints. She is also on the water for the Anniversary Day Regatta, 36° Brokers Commodores Cup and classic yacht regattas.

“We make sure we give the sailors a well organised race, with good courses. It can be an exciting time, too, with close boats at the start and a lot of yelling and shouting.

“The sailors can’t compete without us. So, if you are thinking of joining us, come and give it a go. The social side is good and it is a way you can give back to the sport.”

• For more information about being part of the volunteer team, contact Laurie Jury ljury@rnzys.org.nz, or Race Manager Megan Thomson mthomson@rnzys.org.nz.

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54 Breeze Magazine

Taking a shot in the arm for the team Don’t worry, it won’t hurt a bit – and it didn’t. Pharmacist Andrew Hickey, of Franklins Pharmacy, Warkworth, has had plenty of practice with a needle. He reckons he has administered at least a 1000 Covid 19 vaccines at businesses, schools and supermarkets, as well as to local walk-ins since the August 2021 lockdown.

It was his first time, however, at a yacht club when he held a session at the RNZYS for members and their families due to receive their booster shots.

“I’m very gentle and the needles are so fine,” said Andrew. “Those who are not so brave with needles – and this includes some of the toughest-looking Warkworth guys – were very apprehensive at first, then admitted they didn’t feel a thing.”

Although it is not mandatory, RNZYS members are encouraged to get their Covid-19 booster shot as soon as possible. The club is planning another clinic in March and will give details in Mainsheet.

1/ Squadron CEO Hayden Porter, was one of the first to receive his booster shot.

2/ It was “easy-as” for Georgia Hill.

3/ Hannah Port receives her booster from Andrew Hickey.

Story & pictures by Debra Douglas

Sponsored Content

Breeze Magazine 55

Spreading Investment Eggs into Diverse Baskets protection in March 2020, but have struggled in 2021 as expectations of higher interest rates have weighed.

US shares have done well in both 2020 and 2021, but will they lead us again in 2022 as the economic backdrop changes? Will the assets that benefited during interest rate cuts still perform when rates are being hiked?

The Benefits of Diversification In the past two years, we have witnessed a major market event with Covid-19, followed by some of the most extreme monetary policy (ultra-low interest rates) in history and huge fiscal stimulus (government spending).

Events and policy responses can trigger significant moves in equity, fixed income, property, and commodity markets. Many of these market moves mask even bigger moves in individual share prices. Spreading your risk and not putting all your eggs in one basket can help limit the impact of events that are beyond your control. Markets are constantly changing, and a combination of diversification and active management can help manage risk and improve returns.

Different asset classes contain different risks and react differently to certain events, performing very differently at any given time. Within share markets, companies also perform very distinctly in different environments – a healthcare company performed very differently to an airline or cruise line company when Covid-19 struck and borders closed.

Why Would I Bother?

We often hear questions such as ‘why wouldn’t I just own NZ property?’ which, to be fair, has been a decent performing asset class in recent years.

However, situations change. What if our Reserve Bank raises interest rates another eight times? What if NZ goes into a recession and we see unemployment rise, followed by defaults on mortgages, followed by mortgagee house sales?

In that hypothetical scenario you might wish you also had some of your investments exposed to international markets driven by other factors. Shares in Microsoft don’t care what’s happening in the NZ property market.

2021 Different to 2020, and 2022 Shaping up to be Different Again What worked in 2020 was not the same as 2021 and 2022 could be different again. After being a top performer in 2020, NZ shares have underperformed in 2021, due to rising interest rates and some stock specific issues. Europe and Australia have done better in 2021 than they did in 2020 as economic growth recovered. Bonds offered you some

Milford Diversification At Milford, we manage a variety of funds with varying degrees of diversification. While some are single asset class funds investing in a specific asset class or region, even these funds are diversified across many different stocks.

Our diversified funds are running allocations across multiple asset types and geographies, and are spread across many different stocks and bonds. This not only reduces the potential impact of one company underperforming, or even going out of business, but also limits the impact of you being exposed to one country that is underperforming others.

Peace of Mind Diversifying can reduce your risk of loss, give you exposure to more opportunities for return and, perhaps most importantly, can give you peace of mind and help stop you over-reacting or panic selling during periods of adverse market conditions.

Milford employs a large investment team scouring the markets for opportunities in shares and bonds to find those offering an attractive risk/reward. We also have tools and services to help you as an investor.

These include simple digital advice to match a single diversified fund to your risk tolerance and goal, and a full advice process* where one of our experienced Private Wealth Advisers will match your personal financial goals and risk considerations to a diversified portfolio of funds and help guide you through those more challenging times. * for investors with $500,000 or more.

This article is intended to provide general information only. It does not take into account your investment needs or personal circumstances. It is not intended to be viewed as investment or financial advice.

Should you require financial advice you should always speak to a Financial Adviser. If you would like to speak to a Milford Adviser please contact us on 0800 662 347, or send an email to privatewealth @milfordasset.com. For information on our financial advice services visit milfordasset.com/getting-advice. Before investing please read the Milford Investment Funds Product Disclosure Statement as issued

by Milford Funds Limited at milfordasset.com

56 Breeze Magazine

FOILING FAMILY ANDREW AITKEN ANDY ANDERSON BEACON MARINE COLIN & PATRICA CARRAN COLOURWORX ROY DICKSON DODSON JAPANESE PARTSWORLD DOYLE SAILS GRAEME EDWARDS GERALD FLYNN MATTHEW FLYNN GALBRAITH FAMILY DON GRAYSON HARKEN NZ PHILLIP HART HOPMAN FAMILY ICEFIRE LTD KZ RACE FURLERS LIGHTHOUSE MARINE EQUIPMENT LUCAS FAMILY MIKE MAHONEY STEVE MAIR MCKEOGH FAMILY MULCAHY ENGINEERING DAVID NATHAN NEW WORLD BIRKENHEAD PAGANI PORK CHOP RACING ANDREW REID SAVINGS WORKS JOHN & KATHRYN SINCLAIR SOUTHERN SPARS/ RIGPRO WASHTECH WESTHAVEN ROTARY WINDOWMAKERS HUGH L WRIGHT YACHTING DEVELOPMENTS ZHIK

SUPPORTERS

Performance Programme team in training for Youth Foiling World Cup As part of their preparations for the 2nd edition of the Youth Foiling Gold Cup, Niall Malone and his Performance Programme crew have been tapping into top-level foiling expertise including Phil Robertson, an RNZYS Youth Programme graduate, three-times world match race champion and current SailGP skipper with the Spanish crew.

The crew of Malone, Serena Woodall, Ollie Gilmour, Oliver Lloyd and manager Sam Hume were looking forward to their first hands-on experience of the Persico 69F foiling monohulls when they arrive for training days and practice racing in Miami.

“We see the 69F and the YFGC as the first step in a totally new kind of sailing, and any access will give massive opportunities in the future – there’s more owner-driven monohull foiling circuits upcoming and we’re getting on the ground level,” said Niall.

“Because of the size of these boats, they combine keelboat sailing without foiling in lower conditions” says Niall.

“If it’s too light, we have been given a few tips that we need to be able sailing the Persico 69F like a normal boat instead of foiling.”

Having a crew of four means the team can play with combinations onboard depending on the conditions, but Niall admits that without having sailed the class “there are still a lot of unknowns.

“Understanding the moding challenges and the setups for the 69F will be the biggest learning curve,” says Niall. “The Moth class is the closest foiling monohull experience I’ve had, and that is foils only, so we will need to learn the transitions between foiling and not.

We’ll also need to learn the 69F’s VMG angles, decide between using gennakers or twosailing, and adapt to the YFGC’s unconventional racecourse layouts.”

Prior to their late January departure, the

team had a busy summer of training and preparation in Auckland. “Our training on water this summer has been all about adaptation and using the resources we have – the RNZYS foiling catamarans are much different to the Persico 69F monohulls we will be sailing,”, says Niall.

“We’ve also been targeting specific workons for our crew. For example, Serena Woodall has been learning trimming the main on a foiling boat, but our team has been gelling really well – we’re stoked with the progression we’ve made and confidence is high”.

Niall, Serena, Ollie and Oliver have also been training off-water together and going to the gym as a team. Getting the team dynamic right early has been key for Niall, “as we hope to be spending 24 hours a day for the next year together” with qualification for the finals series in December being the goal for the team.

Serena has already shown great form this summer, as part of the 2021 New Zealand Women’s Match Racing Championship winning 2.0 Racing crew.

However, Malone understands they will be coming in as the fresh crew into a series where many of the teams have already had experience with the Youth Foiling Gold Cup and the Persico 69F class.

“The first few regattas will be based on learning the boats and not compromising too much in taking risks. Our goal early on is to sail well without much risk taking.”The aim of this expedition into the YFGC is to create pathways for the crew to get seats in the 37th America’s Cup Regatta, with Serena aiming for the Women’s America’s Cup and Niall, Oliver, and Ollie after seats in the Youth America’s Cup. However, the team isn’t piling the pressure on themselves and are “focusing on sailing, not results – hopefully focusing on the sailing will bring results”.

Breeze Magazine 57

MAJOR SPONSOR

MASTERCARD YOUTH TRAINING PROGRAMME SUPPORTERS The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Mastercard Youth Training Programme has extended the training schedule to run through into early 2022 in order to make up for the missed sessions due to the lockdowns last year.

Primarily, we are building towards the NZ Youth Match Race Nationals being held in Wellington over Easter.

With a five-team RNZYS contingent going, we will have a strong presence. Four Mastercard Youth Training Programme teams, helmed by Maeve White, Josh Hyde, Braedyn Denny and Brad Salthouse, will make the trip down. Robbie McCutcheon will also be taking his Performance Programme team with the expectation of dominating the event.

This event will be sailed in Elliott 6 sports boats.

Ollie Gilmour and Oliver Lloyd have taken off to Miami to race in the 69F Series with Performance Programme sailors Niall Malone, Serena Woodall and coach Sam Hume. They are in the middle of their first event at the time of writing.

What an amazing experience this trip will be for them. They have spent considerable time in the gym and sailing on the club’s foiling Phantoms in order to prepare. Right now, they are in the hunt for a final spot in act one.

Thanks to our Fleet Manager, Geoff Dawson, all the Elliott 7s have now been given a fresh coat of antifoul. While all the rigs were down, they were also given a full service. Thanks to Geoff the fleet is looking really good.

Maeve White and Josh Hyde entered teams into the NZ Match Race Nationals to race against our top Performance Programme Teams of Megan Thomson, Robbie McCutcheon and Nick Egnot Johnson. Although both missed out on the semi-finals, they will have learned a lot from this experience.

Just around the corner, we have the first lot of International Youth Match Racing events in two years looking as if they will go ahead: Noumea, Australia and our home event the

Harken Youth International Match Racing Championship.

It has certainly been a challenging time for all of our youth teams as the incentive of competing internationally has been severely blunted.

This year is shaping up to be very different.

For our ladies, we have a big goal of competing in the Women’s Match Racing World Championships, which are being run right here on our home waters later this year.

We have just opened up our applications for the 2022 Mastercard Youth Training Programme, so please, if you know of anyone who might be keen to join, get them to fill in the application form on our club website under “Training”. Applications close at the end of March. It should be a great year for it!

Reuben Corbett Training Manager

BOAT SPONSORS

www.classicyacht.org.nz

At 91, Tom Browne realises a childhood dream sailing on Waitangi

By Penelope Carroll When Tom Browne sailed on Waitangi in this year’s Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta, he realised a childhood dream.

Back in the ‘40s and ‘50s when Tom, now 91, was racing Zeddies and Idle Alongs on the Waitemata, he would marvel at the beauty and speed of the old gaffers, and the sense of history they embody. In those days, everyone watched the regatta, he says. The harbour was jam packed with yachts, with people watching from ferries and every vantage point.

Growing up in Herne Bay, he began his boating off Sentinel Beach – paddling around in a canoe constructed with help from a school friend

ISSN 1175-804X

Issue 138 – March 2022

Tom and Kate Browne beside Waitangi after the Anniversary Day Regatta.

from old corrugated iron, the ends of apple boxes, and tar collected from the road on a hot day to fill the nail holes.

“I began sailing at about 13 when a mate of mine in primary school got access to a little sailing dinghy. It was about eight or nine feet long with just one sail and we learned as we went along.

“We used to sail this dinghy all along the Fanshawe Street foreshore, where there were a number of boat builders and timber yards back then.”

A couple of years later, he bought a Z class yacht with a friend and then graduated to an Idle Along.

“We raced every week in the summer with the Ponsonby, Richmond and Victoria clubs – and once a fortnight sailed

up to Point Chev and raced there.”

Sailing took a back seat when Tom married at 23 – “and six children came fairly quickly”. Family boating adventures focused on a succession of launches. “We went all round the Hauraki Gulf, over to Barrier, up to the Bay of Islands …”

Then in 1983 he bought the hull of a Davidson 35, worked on it every weekend in a friend’s factory in Grafton and launched the following year.

“I had to learn to sail all over again,” says Tom. He raced regularly with the RNZYS and Richmond Yacht Club and cruised in the holidays. An Elliott 12 was his next yacht, followed by a Bakewell-White Z39.

Then Tom gave up sailing for a few years and went back into launches – until eight years ago he bought into the Farr 1020 he now owns with daughter Kate Browne and a friend.

They race Ambiance regularly with the RNZYS. He still owns a launch, Odyssiea, with his son Mark Browne: “I like them both, sailing and launching.”

Tom leapt at the chance to sail on Waitangi for the Anniversary Day Regatta: “I have admired the classics from when I first got into sailing. Finally sailing on one of these wonderful boats blows me away. I loved every minute of it.”

Waitemata Grande Dames make a magnificent spectacle

After a long, calm summer, our 2022 ADB CYA Regatta coincided with a tropical storm and we only managed to sail two of our four scheduled races, with 15 yachts competing.

Day One (Friday, February 11) dawned with a stiff breeze and the six gaffers had a great race. Three – Thelma, Rawhiti

and Ariki – crossed the finish line within 10 seconds of each other. Steadily strengthening winds meant only one race on Day Two and only two gaffers – Rawhiti and Ariki (pictured right) – out on the harbour.

Roger Mills, Hummingbird Photography

Launch parade at Mahurangi Although a Covid red traffic light level meant reduced entries, 17 CYA launches took part in the Parade and log rally at the Mahurangi Regatta, and 10 at Auckland’s Anniversary Day Regatta. First across the line in the Auckland regatta was Kaikoura, with Fleetwing second (first on handicap), and My Girl third.

Roger Mills, Hummingbird Photography CLASSIC YACHT ASSOCIATION CONTACTS – GENERAL ENQUIRIES: Joyce Talbot, admin@classicyacht.org.nz CLUB CAPTAIN YACHTS: Richard Cave, yachtcaptain@classicyacht.org.nz CLUB CAPTAIN LAUNCHES: Jason Prew, launchcaptain@classicyacht.org.nz

60 Breeze Magazine

Marine Scene Scen e Latest

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Flagship Elan GT6 Arrives in Auckland

Hanse 460 wins European Yacht of the Year award The Hanse 460 has been named “European Yacht of the Year 2022” by an international jury of experts. In the Family Cruiser category, the Hanse 460 was able to claim the world’s most important award in the sailboat industry. In addition, the Hanse 460 also won the readers’ vote in Europe.

The Hanse 460 designed by BerretRacoupeau, combines radically innovative design with traditional Hanse values such as fast cruising and easy sailing. The newly developed

hydrodynamic hull manages the balancing act between a narrow waterline, for better hull speed, and a wide hull above the waterline with chines fore and aft, giving the greatest possible interior space.

The Hanse 460 will be officially released in Australia for the Sanctuary Boat Show and the first Hanse 460 will be in New Zealand in December. www.teamwindcraft.com

New features in Yamaha Helm Master EX system Yamaha has announced the release of additional features on their game changing Helm Master® EX joystick boat control system, further enhancing the capabilities of this industry-leading technology across single, twin, triple and quad outboard engine applications.

Using a combination of advanced outboard digital steering, autopilot and joystick technologies, Helm Master® EX offers boaters a completely integrated boat control system that makes getting to your fishing spot easier and providesunprecedented control over your craft once you arrive.

Richard Shaw, NZ Marine Manager Yamaha Motor New Zealand: “We are now taking this technology further with a number of new

features and improvements that offer skippers more options and control over their outboard powered vessels.”

Of particular note is a new facility which allows a second joystick control without additional full steering helm and controls.

This means additional joystick controls can be added away from the helm of the boat and placed in a position convenient to the skipper’s requirements.

A wide range of other new Helm Master® EX features and upgrades, both in terms of software and hardware, have also been unveiled. www.yamaha-motor.co.nz

Elan’s award winning and widely anticipated flagship GT6 model has arrived in Auckland, sold to a repeat Elan owner by the New Zealand agent, Pinnacle Marine.

Elan Yachts’ ground-breaking 49ft flagship, is the first sailing yacht designed and styled by Studio F. A. Porsche, with an elegant silhouette and iconic good looks that will turn heads in any marina.

Key features include a next-generation ergonomic cockpit with gullwing helm pedestals and a fully flush foredeck. Designed to be easily handled by a couple, yet capable of exhilarating performance across a wide range of wind and sea conditions with a thoroughbred ‘feel’ at the helm, the GT6 is optimised for fast, mediumrange offshore passage-making.

Its hull, drawn by Humpreys Yacht Design, combines race-derived features with the ability to carry a full cruising payload. As its name implies, the GT6 is a seagoing Grand Tourer.

Pinnacle Marine recently landed an Elan Impression 50.1 into Auckland as well as a new stock Impression 40.1 model and have also confirmed the arrival of an all-new performance derived E6 due in New Zealand midyear. www.pinnaclemarine.co.nz

Breeze Magazine 61

Five Multihull Solutions models receive multihull ‘Oscar’ nominations

Island Escape Cruises heads to the wild Kimberley With its newly launched luxury zero-impact superyacht, Island Escape Cruises is taking bookings for a stunning visit to Australia’s remote Kimberley region.

Accommodating just 32 guests and 14 crew, the company offers exceptional cruising in some of the most amazing areas on its Australasia and South Pacific cruising schedule.

Noted for its incredible natural beauty, ancient rock art and pristine white beaches, with more than 2600 islands, cascading

waterfalls, reefs and crystal-clear water, the Kimberley coastline is on many bucket lists.

“Sit back and enjoy as the amazing landscape slip past from the comfort of a deck chair, get up close in one of our Zodiacs, or take a guided hike ashore.”

Island Escape’s 12-night Kimberley voyages depart from May through to September. Prices for the 12 night voyage start from $NZ14,950 per person, twin share in an Ocean Suite. islandescapecruises.com

Multihull Solutions is proud to announce that five models it represents in the Asia Pacific region are nominated in the Multihull of the Year Awards.

This is the fifth year of the awards, which were developed to showcase the best new boats in the sector. The juries from Multihulls World and Multicoques Mag (French edition) have selected the nominees and, due to the dynamism of the market in general and multihull powerboats in particular, they have settled on seven categories – compared to four in previous editions.

In the sailing category, the relevant Multihull Solutions models are the Neel 43 and Rapido 50 trimarans, while the nominated powerboats are the Fountaine Pajot MY4.S and Iliad 60 power cats and the Leen 56 power trimaran.

Multihull Solutions have also announced that, although the Fountaine Pajot shipyard has sold out on most models until 2025, they have managed to secure several production slots to ensure Asia Pacific clients don’t miss out and can get on the water sooner. “This is an extremely exciting opportunity that we expect won’t take long to sell out.”

The company has secured 2023 delivery slots (ex-factory from France) for an Isla 40, an Astrea 42, an Elba 45, a Tanna 47 and a New 51. multihullsolutions.com.au

All new Beneteau Swift Trawler 48 launched Introducing the newest member of the stylish Swift Trawler range. With over 1000 owners worldwide, this Beneteau range has proven popular with boaties across the globe. The new Swift Trawler 48 boasts an impressive design and offers a variety of comfort features that are sure to impress.

This 48ft model is comfortable and economic with a 600nm cruising range, reflecting the design’s philosophy of introspection and redundancy at sea. The slender, flared bow is designed to cut through the sea and make your passage smooth and enjoyable.

The new design delivers equally with living space. The three-cabin layout can easily sleep up to eight people, with the saloon dinette converting into a double bed with wrap-around privacy curtains. Excellent indoor-outdoor flow is delivered with a large L-shaped portside aft galley and ample deck spaces, while large bridge windows and sliding glass side doors offer enhanced visibility.

Comfortable long-range cruising has never been easier in this elegant and safe design.

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Neel 43.

62 Breeze Magazine

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Breeze Magazine 63

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64 Breeze Magazine

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Breeze Magazine 65

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66 Breeze Magazine

RNZYS Retail Instore and Online

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Breeze Magazine 67

NEVER BEFORE SEEN ON A SINGLE OUTBOARD THE NEXT GENERATION IN DIGITAL BOAT CONTROL

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68 Breeze Magazine