BREEZE
Issue No. 240 • April – May 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: Wired leads the fleet around the remote Three Kings Islands on her way to a comprehensive win. – 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 June – July Issue Editorial - 10 June Advertising booking - 10 June Advertising material due - 17 June Magazine posted - 24 June 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 Boating is part of Nikki’s DNA .....................................................................................................................................14 Rayglass RNZYS Picnic ...................................................................................................................................................... 15 Sun, Fun & Rum ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 RNZYS Events ........................................................................................................................................................................18 Lady fishers scale new heights of success ..............................................................................................................20 Favourite dish returns to Winter Menu ...................................................................................................................22 Harken Schools champs brings out the stars ......................................................................................................24 Colin Forbes Easter Rally ..................................................................................................................................................26 The Cup is Barcelona bound .........................................................................................................................................28 Wired leads wire to wire to sweep Three Kings prizes ................................................................................30 Phil Robertson: sailing’s eternal battler.......................................................................................................................36 RNZYS members enjoy a day ashore at the golf course ............................................................................40 A dream not inspired by a 1.2 litre wheezer .......................................................................................................42 Welcoming new members to RNZYS ....................................................................................................................48 Peter Cornes Library: a repository of books and treasures ........................................................................ 50 ;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
GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES THE SUPPORT OF MAJOR PARTNERS
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CORPORATE MEMBERS
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Breeze Magazine 7
FROM THE COMMODORE As we move into the cooler months, activity at the club hasn’t slowed down. In the past few weeks we have seen sailing on every weekend, increased patronage within our facility and enthusiasm for what lies ahead. The Three Kings offshore race has just been completed as part of our 150 year celebrations. Although we had to delay the initial date, which dropped entrants from 40 to 20, it can still be deemed as a success with the stories from competitors still working their way around the bar. We have also recently completed the Barfoot and Thompson Women’s Keelboat Nationals; the Harken Secondary School Nationals, and the 36 Degrees Commodores Cup series continues. We also had the final race of our Doyle Sails Wednesday night series that saw close to 100 boats throughout the season and packed series prizegiving. Havana Club Rum racing on Friday afternoons continues to be a great way to start your weekend, so for the newer members please contact the Sailing Office, so they can link you up to get involved. The RNZYS also ran the CBRE City of Sails Auckland Regatta in March that saw some very close racing across all divisions, despite the light summer conditions. It was great to see the Pied Pipers heavily involved in the weekend, not least of all at prizegiving! The future generations of sailors are the club’s future and
I’m very glad to see us supporting “grass roots” sailing as well as our professional teams. We have just sent out subscription notices for the ensuing year. Whilst we have not asked for a specific donation, we would very much appreciate those that can and are willing to assist. The club continues its sustainability programme with the reforestation and planting project at our magnificent facility on Kawau Island. Whilst on the subject of Kawau, we have a master plan (that began many years ago) of a new accommodation and training centre that will enable us to run regattas, training programmes, member accommodation and better utilise one of the jewels in the club’s crown. The General Committee has had a busy few months and I thank each and every person involved for their support. There has been much debate, opinion, and feedback offered around the venue selection for the 37th America’s Cup. Again the club has deliberately chosen not to get involved in much of the media noise. As you know, we have strict processes and structures for any significant decisions that impact the Squadron and you, our members. In this instance, the Squadron’s AC Committee has had discussions and meetings almost daily with Team New Zealand. The General Committee (your Executive) have the final decision-making role in the Club, and voted 100% in favour for AC37 to be staged in Barcelona, having carefully considered all the facts and consequences that they were privy to. See separate article in Breeze with further detail.
We appreciate the support extended to your leadership and General Committee around this decision and, while we know it has not pleased everyone, we stand by our decision that it is the right one to make for our club, our team and the America’s Cup event. We now look forward to providing members unique benefits in Barcelona in 2024, which we have already begun investigating. We are also continually looking at ideas around the Quarterdeck Restaurant and Members’ Bar with a view to having both dining options available at busier times. There is also much discussion around the Westhaven area itself with a lot of work planned and being discussed that will affect many of our members. The General Committee looks forward to a more “normal” year ahead, with a budget that looks more like a pre-Covid year, so let’s hope we see this occur. The Finance Committee with Donna Dicker and her team have put in a huge amount of work and thought into shaping the coming year into another successful period. The club has plenty of social events planned with Annual Prizegiving on May 21, our unique 150th Gala evening on July 30 and numerous speaker events over the coming months. We look forward to your continued support of your great club both on and off the water. Although we have much to be proud of, be assured we won’t stand still, and will strive to achieve our vision of the world’s leading yacht cub. Enjoy the boating before winter – see you out there. Aaron Young Commodore
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8 Breeze Magazine
FROM THE CEO
With the recent government announcements and easing of Covid restrictions, the end of summer has been painted orange for us like a gorgeous sunset on the water. It is not quite the end of what has been a challenging period for the club, but it does allow us to run our larger events with unrestricted numbers and sees a drop in the vaccine mandates. It also means our various representative teams begin to travel offshore with more ease and we get to welcome the first international sailors for over two years to visit the club and compete in our international invite regattas – the first of which is in May. Clearly the focus on competing against each other in New Zealand has still paid off as the results that are starting to come out really show the depth of sailing talent we continuously have coming through. Over the past couple of months, we have continued to deliver a huge variety of on- and off-water activities – some of these were delayed from last year’s lockdowns and some were annual events – but between plenty of sailing, picnics, fishing days, golf day and a few lunches, prizegivings and parties in between, it has been a fun summer. It has not always been easy to deliver these with the various restrictions in place, so I really must thank the dedicated team of staff we have who have gone out of their way (and often had to think outside of the box) to make sure we have delivered the calendar we promised you. With winter fast approaching and daylight
hours diminishing, we have some great activities coming up for you to enjoy. Things start with the Doyle Winter Series on Sat 30 April and a family-friendly afternoon at the club, the Annual Summer Series Prizegiving, then onto Comedy Nights, Quiz Nights returning, fabulous Bingo, Rugby Nights, our 150th Gala, a great Winter Speaker Series and more. Please check the website and Facebook page for the details of these events. Covid has not been easy on the club, so this year with annual subscriptions we are asking that you consider adding a donation to your annual subscription. If everyone does this, it will really make a huge difference to what and how we do things. We also will request that if you have regular crew joining you racing, then please ask them to become members. We are offering no joining fee for any crew joining during the winter months. Again, it all helps us deliver more and really does offer good value to participate in a sport and use of our facility. Planting at Kawau will resume in July and August this year. We will again be asking for volunteers to register to help very soon, so please keep an eye out for this. Our sustainability efforts do not end just there with solar panels set to grace our north-facing roof around July thanks to ‘Lightforce’. Our carbon
offset calculator will be live on the website in the next month where you will be able to calculate your own footprint and have options on how to offset this. It might be something you may want to think about in your own businesses with help from Carbonclick. Umbrella installation on the Dinghy Locker deck (pictured above) is virtually complete and gives us more options for outdoor spaces (especially when it rains). A huge thank you to member Markus Müller for donating these to the club for everyone to enjoy. There will be a member offer to purchase these for yourself, so check them out. Lastly, thank you for the various notes of support for the AC37 venue announcement. We are now in the process of arranging various members’ options in Barcelona and will be providing more details on this in due course. Suffice to say there seems to be a lot of interest and we will be ensuring members have a great experience. With the orange sunset well in play now, we are looking forward to seeing the ‘green flash’ on the horizon soon. We do really appreciate your patience and support of the club and look forward to a near-normal winter in 2022.
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A summer of disruption due to Covid-19 restrictions meant we were only able to complete four of six rallies this season. The weather was awkward as well, with persistent northerlies reducing our course options, and low tides hampering our gatherings ashore. This didn’t interfere with the enjoyment of meeting up with friends and discussing the day’s events. Yachts were sailed single handed, double handed, or with crew as the Omicron variant swept through Auckland. Isi Bay was favoured three times with two course options allowing for strong, or very light winds. A worsening strong forecast allowed the boats to return home before the 30-40 knots arrived on Rally Three. The highlight for Bird On The Wing crew was finding a pod of orca off Rangitoto wharf area. Conversely, the shorter course has plenty of marks to enable Race Management to shorten if necessary in drifting conditions. Fortunately, this wasn’t required as the well-sailed yachts enjoyed the challenge in pleasant 5-10 knot northerlies. The Rocky Bay destination for Rally Two saw opposing strategies as the wind went very soft in the middle of Tamaki Strait, enabling the following yachts to sail around the outside. An exciting finish with a fleet spread of only 17 minutes resulted in Warringa capturing the last puff to glide across the line just ahead of Share Delight.
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12 Breeze Magazine Far left: Gathering ashore at Islington Bay. Left: Orcas in the bay. Below: Idyllic early morning anchorage.
After completing four rallies, the Sailing Instructions indicated to drop the highest score, so consistency paid off for Elusive III having three 2nd places on line and two 1sts and a 4th, to beat Share Delight (on countback with equal points) for the handicap honour as well. Thanks to Race Management, ably executed by Frank and Barbara Young along with a grandson or two, the Race Office and PIC Insurance. Watch out for another fab Cruising Dinner date later in the year as we prepare for the next season.
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14 Breeze Magazine
From the Sailing Office
In the late afternoon glow of an autumn day, the competitors in the RNZYS Three Kings race head out on their 500-mile passage. – Ivor Wilkins photo With the 2021-22 summer season now at an end, it has been great to get in a packed summer of racing after last year’s lockdowns. We have managed to reschedule most of the RNZYS events into a tighter six months of sailing. This has put a lot of pressure on staff and volunteers, but was important for the members and sailors to get the racing in. Some of the highlights this season have been the recently finished Three Kings Race. This is the first time that the RNZYS has run this race since 1978 and it received a lot of interest. In the end, 20 boats started and five withdrew due to gear failures. Titanium sailed a fantastic race to take out the two-handed division on line and handicap, with Wired taking out the overall line and handicap win. Another new event this year is the CBRE Club Championships Final. This is where all club champions from each division get the chance to race off against each other in the MRXs, both for bragging rights and the opportunity to compete for the chance to represent the
RNZYS at the Seawanahaka Cup in California. We had some great club racing through the season and big congratulations to all the series winners. It was fantastic to see the new MRX Sprints Series so well attended – congratulations to Harry Dodson and team for convincingly taking out the series. The Harken Secondary Schools regatta was another well-attended event with 20 teams competing. Westlake Boys defended their title from last year. This is a great feeder event for the RNZYS Mastercard Youth Training Programme, which is looking at having a great 2022-23 season with more than 40 young sailors signed up for the next season. Also, really good to see Nick Egnot-Johnson and his Performance Programme team take out the RNZYS Etchells Club championships with a win in the Auckland Championships, and 2nd in the post-Christmas series. Nick was sailing the RNZYS boat Bobby’s Girl, which was donated to the club by Alex Webster. As always, we have a fantastic group of
Race Management volunteers at the RNZYS, and they have really stepped up again this year, running all the racing in a tighter time frame. I can attest to the high standard of the weeknight race management – I am really enjoying the racing in the Etchells fleet. One thing we are looking to improve on this winter is increasing the standard of the prizes for our major events. We are also looking for ways to improve the speed of results processing. One of the issues we have is boats entering late, or not entering at all. This is an issue as the boat won’t have a handicap assigned and won’t be in the Top Yacht results system, which slows the whole process for getting the results out. For the Doyle Sails Winter Series, we have kept the same entry fee as the past few years, but added in late fees to encourage boats to enter earlier for these reasons. We are looking forward to a series to come this winter! Laurie Jury, Sailing Director
Breeze Magazine 15
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16 Breeze Magazine
Boating is part of Nikki’s DNA Story & picture by Debra Douglas It is said that some things are meant to happen. And this was especially true for the Squadron’s Membership Manager, Nikki Harkin, who two years ago sent her CV to the club on the off-chance there was a vacancy in the admin area. “I have been around boats and sailing all my life,“ said Nikki, who previously worked for a building consultancy. “My parents were yachties, my father Jack Rogers was Rear Commodore of the Ponsonby Cruising Club, my husband and I progressed from a little runabout to a 32’ launch and our three children all own boats. So, when I knew the America’s Cup was coming up, I wanted to be involved.” Nikki was lucky. She was granted an interview and was soon behind the desk at Reception. At the beginning of this year, she took on her present role when Kim Bond left. “It was a natural progression to move into the more managerial role. But they were big
shoes to fill. Kim had been here for five years. “ As Membership Manager, Nikki works towards making sure all members feel valued and are receiving the benefits they expect. She is also responsible for ensuring new members want to be part of the Squadron’s culture and engage in the club’s activities off or on-water. “I’m keen that our new members know about our history and what people love about the club.” As well as coming up with events to engage members, Nikki oversees member communications, maintains the membership database and oversees the retail store’s product and display. Nikki’s 2022 events calendar filled fast. It started with the successful Squadron Picnic, New Members’ Night, then Summer Prizegiving, a Speaker Series Luncheon, the Squadron’s Gala celebration, August’s AGM and a Matakana Wine & Food appreciation evening. Nikki: “Of course with Covid, people have been reluctant to go out and socialise. We try our best to encourage people to come here, with the safety protocols we have in place. We adhere to the rules and make sure visitors feel safe. “Our events have always been organised around the numbers we are allowed. Our events team are amazing magicians, coping with member, corporate and private functions, while adapting to the circumstances Covid has imposed.” Nikki and her team – Sera Puka, Faye Hallett and of course, Concierge Terence Brady at the door for special events – are ready to allay any fears. “During lockdowns our members missed us and we missed them. Life is a lot different now and we are getting through it.” Nikki’s former role at Reception gave her little opportunity to go sailing, but now she wants to get back on the water. “Hopefully in this role I can sneak away to do a Havana Cup Rum Race. I’ve had lots of invites, but up until now no time to take them up.”
Breeze Magazine 17
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The Hauraki Gulf turned on a perfect day for the 2022 Rayglass RNZYS Annual Picnic – the tropical theme was very apt! A great turn-out by Squadron members along with Rayglass boat owners for a fun-filled, sun-filled day. The games were a hit for the families as usual – triathalon for the kids: egg & spoon races, sack jumping and a running race; a running race for ladies and gents; and then our very popular tug of war between Power and Sail. With our sponsors, it was appropriate that Power won! Thank you to Rayglass for supporting the event and providing fantastic giveaways and prizes and to all who attended to make the day a success. – Nikki Harkin / Beth McDonald Photos
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18 Breeze Magazine
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How good is it to be out doing the things we love so much about Fridays with mates, sun, fun and Havana Club Rum? It’s been a wonky old 24 months with starts and stops, but it sure feels great to be into the Friday rhythm again. For me, the most pleasing thing has been the noticeable increase in boats joining the Havana Club Rum racing to see the week out and the weekend in. Notable has been the number of new boats joining the shenanigans in B Div (over 34ft). Special mention goes out to my mates Trubi and Rusty and the resurrection of Ellisunk from the depths of the Waitemata to winning again in the ultra-competitive E Div. None of this happens without a huge effort in the background from the ‘Squaddie’, the volunteers, Havana Club Rum and the rum race committee. As a committee we are always looking for ways to improve and we welcome any feedback, apart from Extreme moving up to B Div. Some of the latest tweaks made by the committee include a commitment to $5 Havana Club Rum “happy hour” every Friday and a move to quarterly dress-up parties in an effort to make them something to behold. These coincide with series prize giving – 24th June R Party and 23rd September Cuban Party. These parties will also see the very popular meat raffles return – so get your thinking caps on and loose change at the ready. In an effort to bolster the RNZYS Rum Race Facebook page, the spot crew draw has been replaced by the best photo of the day sent into the ‘Squaddie’. We always have a cast of 1000’s on Extreme, so always have self-appointed paparazzi and encourage other crews to do the same. Talking of paparazzi, Billy Woodworth took some epic photos of the fleet Beach Boys Party back in March. Always great to get photos of our boats out doing what they love – thanks Billy. During lockdowns, I may, or may not have organised some rum races, nothing to do with the RNZYS. Of special note, over seven weeks we had more than 20 boats from a number of clubs competing. In what we
Breeze Magazine 19
are claiming as a world first, the finish for all boats was designated as 6pm sharp. With all boats crossing the line together and finishing first-equal, many a laugh was had. On a more serious note, in the name of safety we encourage all participants to have an accessible VHF tuned into channel 17 in the cockpit at all times whilst off the dock. The plan is to keep teams
informed of course numbers and other safety information. Also keep an eye out for the Y flag – if weather requires, this will signify the compulsory wearing of lifejackets. Finally, it’s great to be back! See you all out there on the rum racetrack. Moulët, Extreme Billy Woodworth Photos
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22 Breeze Magazine
Lady fishers scale new heights of success Story and pictures by Debra Douglas. On-the-water pictures: Betiana Marquez & Marie Hensley. The PIC Insurance Brokers Ladies’ Fishing Day competition was a day of firsts for Squadron team member Marie Hensley. Not only did she take up rod and reel for the first time, but she caught a couple of prizewinners – biggest kahawhai and closest to average kahawhai. “I’m hooked on fishing now; can we go out again tomorrow?” was her excited response. Not so prolific was Dinah Dolbel. Perhaps it was her choice of bait. Her candy-coloured slider lure didn’t live up to its promotional hype and snared only one fish, albeit a prize-winning one. “Sliders are best for deeper water, but my snapper obviously didn’t see the video,” said Dinah. “I caught it near Rangitoto Light. Birds led us to schooling kahawai, which led us to snapper cavorting underneath.” Dinah, whose first fishing experience as a child saw her standing on the end of Panmure Wharf with a safety pin on the end of a line, says the highlight of the day wasn’t her solo catch, but watching the shags and juvenile black-backed gulls waiting for the small fish to be thrown back. “How do they fit the fish into their mouths, then down their slender necks? Talk about biting off more than you can chew. Another highpoint was watching the two newbie fishers catching their first fish. You could see the buzz it gave them. Better than actually fishing.” Kathleen Sando went the more traditional way. Opting for pilchards as bait, her four snapper gave in to temptation off Waiheke. “It was close to Matiatia, but it could be a secret spot,“ said Kathleen. “Best ask our wonderful guide. The highlight was the whole day out on the wonderful Hauraki Gulf, with great people and a great driver.” Two Squadron teams on board Tiri, skippered by Squadron CEO Hayden Porter and Double Trouble skippered by Richard Watson and Jamie Logan, took part in a day that began with an early breakfast at the Squadron and ended late afternoon with a champagne prizegiving. The fish caught were photographed on a measure board, so the fishers were able to release more than they kept. Prizes included Shimano Sorocco rod and reel sets, PIC Insurance Brokers BLUNT umbrellas, Legasea hats and shirts and Koparepare wine. 1/ Betiana Marquez took out the ‘Largest Other’ category. 2/ Dinah Dolbel’s ‘Closest to Average Snapper’ catch-of-the day earnt her a BLUNT umbrella. 3/ From left, fishers Jo Logan, Abbey Watson and Hayley Gillespie. Jo won the ‘Largest Snapper’ category. 4/ Marie Hensley receives her prize from RNZYS CEO Hayden Porter. 5/ Celebrating a big day out. 6/ Hauraki Gulf fan Kathleen Sando.
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Members share their favourite way to cook their catch … Sizzling snapper With heaps of butter. Flour fish, then dip in egg. Don’t overcook as the fish continues to cook when you take it out of the pan. - Dinah Dolbel Kahawai Fish Cakes 400 grams of cooked flaked kahawai 400 grams of mashed potatoes 50 grams of butter Salt & pepper 2 tablespoons of cream Seasoned flour or breadcrumbs Cooking oil Put the mashed potatoes into a bowl and fold in the cooked kahawai and the butter. Mix together adding the salt and pepper. If the mixture is too thick, add cream. Shape by hand into cakes. Roll in flour or breadcrumbs and fry both sides until browned. Serve with hot sauce. – Kathleen Sando
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A favourite dish for the Winter Menu RNZYS Executive Chef Jean Brito says his duck leg confit was such a favourite with members when it was on the weekly specials menu that he has included it on the Squadron’s new Winter Menu. Jean: “It’s a delicious dish, I hope all our members enjoy it this coming season.” Pictured left: Duck leg confit, cannellini & blackeyed beans, chorizo, fennel and rainbow chard. Picture by Debra Douglas
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26 Breeze Magazine
From left, Mattias Coutts with his father, Kristin School coach Sir Russell Coutts and William Mason with his father, Matt Mason, Takapuna Grammar coach.
Harken champs bring out the stars Story & pictures by Debra Douglas “So long as they are having fun, it’s all good,“ said former America’s Cup sailor Matt Mason, the coach of his 13-yearold son William’s Takapuna Grammar Yellow Team, competing in the Harken National Secondary Schools Keelboat Championship hosted by the Squadron.
Offering advice to the next generation of competitive sailors Matt was joined by fellow America’s Cup champions, Dean Barker, whose daughter Mia was a member of a Diocesan School crew, Joey Allen and Sir Russell Coutts, who helped the Kristin School team, which included his 16-year-old son Mattias. Watching her son Sam Clarke from the
22 Marine Parade, Herne Bay
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side lines, as a member of the volunteer race management team, was Jenny Egnot, who competed for New Zealand at the 2000 Sydney Olympics in the 470 class. Sam, at 14, was the youngest member of the winning, Westlake Boys High Red Team. A record number of 20 crews competed for this year’s title and for many the qualification
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Breeze Magazine 27 day was the first time they had made the transition from single or double-handed boats into the Elliott 7s. Matt: “It is a massive learning curve and exciting for someone like William, the little nipper on board. It was the first real keel boat he had sailed on and actually had to do something. William is an Optimist sailor and for the last months has been training for the Optimist and Starling National Championships in Napier. “I get nervous watching him competing in the big fleets that the Opti attracts, but at this event I was a bit frustrated. Frustrated because the team has so much to learn. But they are only going to learn from their mistakes. “Every race they made mistakes and we tried to eliminate those mistakes in the next race. Sailing downwind was especially tricky for them, getting the right angles, the right modes. “But William loved the racing, sailing with other kids as a team. They spend so much time on their own when sailing Opti and P-classes. They did the best they could and they had fun, like teenagers should.” Jenny Egnot says watching Sam compete brings out the motherly instinct in her. “You are always wanting the best experiences for your kids. I’m lucky I ‘m not a nail-biter, or I’d have none. “It is best if Sam can learn through making his own decisions. As long as he has fun. Sailing is a sport for life. You don’t have to win every race to enjoy it. And of course, stick to the normal routines. My advice: don’t forget to drink and eat and put on sunblock!” The win for Westlake Boys made it the third keelboat championship title for the school in four years. Skipper Lucas Day, a 420 helmsman, will
Pictured with Harken’s National Sales Manager Guy Pilkington, the winning Westlake Boys Red Team are from left, Josh Hilder (bow), Levi Jenkins (trimmer), Lucas Day (helm), Robbie Wooldridge (mainsheet) and Sam Clarke (floater). represent NZ at the Sailing Youth World Championships in the Netherlands in July. Sam (Starling & 29er) was joined by Josh Hilder,
also a Starling and 29er sailor, Levi Jenkins, who crews the 29er with Josh, and Robbie Wooldridge (29er) .
Results – Gold Fleet 1st – Westlake Boys High School Red 2nd – Saint Kentigern College 3rd – Kristin School 4th – Glendowie School 5th – Nelson Combined 6th – Westlake Boys High School Green 7th – Auckland Grammar School 8th – Takapuna Grammar School Yellow 9th – Sacred Heart College 10th – Kerikeri High School Blue
Results – Silver Fleet 1st – Kings College 2nd – Whangarei Boys High School 3rd – Takapuna Grammar School Blue 4th – Diocesan School for Girls White 5th – Nelson College for Girls 6th – Otumoetai College 7th – Whangarei Girls High School 8th – Kerikeri High School Red 9th – Michael Park School 10th – Diocesan School for Girls Red.
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Colin Forbes Easter Rally
Hovering between two weather systems, Easter weekend provided a last gasp of summer as the boats sailed across the start line at Northern Leading Buoy in a pleasant SE heading for the “bottom end” of Waiheke Island on Good Friday. Included were three passing marks allowing a shortened course if necessary…and it was! Rick Menalda and Mark Roberts (aka Moulët) sailed particularly well in Enjoy the Silence to take line and corrected time at Rocky Bay. Some took longer – up to 90 minutes, and others were beaten by the light headwinds and retired. Mike Lanigan (Share Delight) and Garry Locke (Zuben) competed to the last whisper with only 30 secs separation at the finish line. Saturday’s Rally started one hour earlier to make best use of the SE breeze, which built to a whole 6 knots before crumping out in the Waiheke Channel on our way to Shark Bay. Again, the course was shortened at Sunday Rock with all boats finishing in time for a swim before meeting ashore. Sunday brunch was enjoyed with many helpers contributing to the fun and games for the families before a rising easterly blew us all homewards in a hurry. Overall results: Line & 1st on handicap: Enjoy the Silence, Rick Menalda; 2nd: Savante, Brian Watson; 3rd: Hard Labour, Cameron Thorpe By Sheryl Lanigan
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1/ Ella Scotney – Moerangi. 2/ Mollie Barden, Ella Scotney and Sienna Young watch Ben Young launch his model yacht. 3/ The Squadron one design model boat race. 4/ Overall winner Rick Menalda (Enjoy the Silence) with Sheryl Lanigan (left), Martin Farrand and Sir Ken Stevens (right). 5/ The great Easter egg toss, also won by Rick Menalda and Mark Roberts. 3
Photos by Debbie Whiting
Anthony Naulls Photo
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30 Breeze Magazine
The Cup is Barcelona Bound By Ivor Wilkins Outside of a fringe element that wishes nothing but ill for the America’s Cup and good riddance to it, the overwhelming New Zealand reaction to news that the 37th Defence will take place in Barcelona is of deep disappointment. Within that universal sense of disappointment, however, is a wide range of emotion, from unbridled fury to acceptance that no other realistic option was available. Out on the enraged edge have been threats to burn down the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and demands that the government strip Grant Dalton’s New Zealand citizenship. But behind the talkback and social media venting, are more measured reactions. Probably the greatest disappointment is for the loss of a massive opportunity that was there for the taking. All the reasons behind Spain’s investment in the event would have held true for Auckland and New Zealand. The president of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Pere Aragonés, spoke of an event that “will generate a return across many platforms over years and will leave a very important legacy for Catalonia”. Barcelona mayor, Ada Colau, noted: “This should serve to promote the city to the world after the pandemic, to benefit Barcelona’s tradition of this sport in a city by the sea and in addition, to boost the emerging sector of innovation and technology, linked to nautical activities.” Tourism, once New Zealand’s greatest export earner, is on its knees following two years of closed borders due to the Covid pandemic. If one can assume some kind of return to normality by 2024, the America’s Cup would have provided a great opportunity to put out the welcome mat to the world and showcase the country and its technological wizardry. Discounting the 2021 Auckland defence, which was severely constrained by the Covid pandemic, the Cup has more than demonstrated its economic benefit to New Zealand. Sir Ian Taylor, who heads up TV
(L to R) Roger Torrent, Minister of Business & Labour of the Government of Catalonia, Grant Dalton & Damiá Calvet, President of the Port of Barcelona. graphics company Animated Research Ltd and has been involved in every Cup regatta since 1992, noted in a recent article that “the government’s own reports” show a return of $1.3 billion on a reported investment of $657 million for the regattas from 2000 to 2021. “Who knows, perhaps all those politicians now bemoaning the decision by Team New Zealand to defend the Cup in Barcelona will finally see the vision that was always there in front of them,” he wrote. As songwriter Tom Keifer so sagely noted, “Don’t know what you got till it’s gone.” In similar vein, an opinion column in the New Zealand Herald by author and business adviser Bruce Cotterill questioned whether the disappointing loss of the America’s Cup event is a “metaphor for where we are as a country at the moment”. Lamenting an inward-looking, parochial myopia, he wrote: “For the first time in my lifetime, we seem confused about our place in the world,” later adding, “there is a sadness that the little country that once could, it seems, now can’t.” The shortfall of the government’s offer ($31 million to the event out of a $99 million package) and the Mark Dunphy saga (although no firm proposal was ever received, Dalton insists the $40 million figure touted would still have left a $50 million shortfall,) have been well essayed. Yet, the team and the RNZYS continue to face a barrage of accusations. Among them are that not enough was done to explore
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Breeze Magazine 31 funding options in New Zealand and that the Squadron abdicated its responsibilities as the Cup Trustee by leaving the decisions to ETNZ. Following the Barcelona announcement, RNZYS Commodore Aaron Young said no stone was left unturned in trying to secure an Auckland defence. “We did all we could over a long period. There is just not the money there. It is not real,” he said. In a statement to members, he added that the abdication accusation could not be further from the truth. “Your General Committee and Team New Zealand made this decision … together. It was not made by Grant Dalton on his own. “The General Committee has the final decision-making role in the Club and voted 100% in favour for AC37 to be staged in Barcelona, having carefully considered all the facts and consequences that they were privy to.” In an interview, Dalton commented: “The Squadron was in the loop from the start and understood the realities of the situation very early on. They got it.” He confirmed every effort had been made to find the funds for a home-waters defence, including two personal phone calls to Sir Michael Fay. Critics have argued that while the 2021 Cup Defence in Auckland was still in progress, ETNZ was already exploring options to take the next event offshore, making the decision a foregone conclusion. This refers to the team commissioning British-based sports marketing company Origin to invite international bids for the hosting rights. However, speaking from London, Dalton said that with a global pandemic ravaging the world, the ETNZ Board of Directors had a corporate responsibility to investigate alternatives, in case New Zealand became an impractical venue for whatever reason. If we hadn’t done that due diligence, what sort of mess would we be in now?” he said. He added that during the three-month period after the 2021 Cup, while the New Zealand government had exclusive rights to negotiate a deal for the next Defence, ETNZ provided a draft Host Venue Agreement, setting out its terms. “That draft was totally consistent with the terms we negotiated to the point of agreement with Malaga, Barcelona and Jeddah, before we made the final selection. Yet those same terms were rejected outright by the New Zealand government during their exclusive rights period, which meant the New Zealand defence was pretty much doomed at that point. “We have no issue with the New Zealand government,” he said. “They were dealing with bigger issues and we understood that. But, that forced us into looking at offshore options.”
To suggestions that the America’s Cup would never return to New Zealand, Dalton’s response was a pithy, “Bollocks! If the America’s Cup had stayed in New Zealand under the circumstances we faced this time, I can guarantee the Cup would not be coming back, because we would lose. “This at least gives us a chance to come back. To save the village, sometimes you have to burn the village. I really have that mentality over this. You cannot win the America’s Cup by papering over the cracks with a half-arsed, broke campaign. You live and die on bold decisions. “What is missed,” he added, “is that we are still in New Zealand most of the time. We pay PAYE and GST here, we build our boats here, we live here. The funds come from offshore, but 90% of the budget is spent here. That doesn’t change. It was the same with Bermuda (2017), San Francisco (2013) and Valencia (2007).” Addressing Auckland’s chances of at least hosting one of the preliminary AC40 regattas, Dalton said all the shortlisted venues (Auckland, Cork, Barcelona, Malaga, Jeddah) would be offered a regatta. “It will be up to Auckland whether it takes up the offer. Those conversations have not yet taken place.” Re-emphasising the first principle that every attempt was made to stay in Auckland, Dalton returned to his burn-a-village-to-save-a-village mentality and spoke of the team in terms of Viking raiders. “When we completed the 2021 regatta, our post-match victory review was far more brutal than when we lost in San Francisco. It needed to be, because we did not do a good job in Auckland,” he said. However, he revealed there was a second part to the retrospective review. This part cast forward to an imaginary review of a failed 2024 defence and posed the question, Why did we lose? “The answers that came out were along predictable lines of ‘did not embrace new technology’; ‘did not diversify personnel enough in terms of new skills’ and so on. “But, more important were things like, ‘complacency’; ‘eye off the ball’; ‘individualism breaking down the fabric of the team because some people think they have more value than the team itself ’; ‘home distractions’. That was very enlightening for the team. “The best campaign we ever did was Bermuda,” said Dalton. “We were young, fresh, energetic, focused, underdogs. In Auckland last year, we were fast, but we were not optimal. We were not drilled well enough.The Report Card reads, ‘Could do better’. “We want to get back to that raiding environment we did so well in Bermuda.”
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Wired leads wire to wire to the Three Kings prizes
With the northern capes of New Zealand reduced to a faint outline low on the horizon, the Three Kings Islands rise up as dark and forbidding sentinels at the turbulent confluence of the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea. Although conditions at this isolated outpost were relatively benign for the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron’s Three Kings Race in early April, the opposing NE and SW wave trains created challenging conditions and gave notice of great forces at work at this junction between two oceans. Just two weeks earlier, the fishing vessel Enchanter had encountered
massive seas in the area and floundered with the loss of five lives. And, with cyclone Fili lurking in the north, there was a powerful sense of a need to tread carefully in a place that always demands utmost respect. The Three Kings Race – last staged by the RNZYS in 1978 – was one of the signature events of the club’s 150th Anniversary celebrations. Delayed because of the Covid pandemic, the event initially drew close to 40 entries, but revised schedules and changed circumstances reduced the number of starters to 20 – 16 in the fully crewed division and four in the two-handed division.
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Capturing the Three Kings Moment
sweep
Words and Photos by Ivor Wilkins
The course took competitors from the start in front of the RNZYS to the Three Kings, rounding the entire group to starboard and then back to the finish at Westhaven, a distance of some 500 miles. Leading into the start, the forecasts changed daily, but finally promised southerly quarter winds all the way up the North Island east coast, obligingly shifting easterly around North Cape for the northwesterly slant to Three Kings and continuing round to SW for much of the passage home. In reality, it followed the script, although the winds tended to be at the
It began with a phone call to Martin Farrand, long-time Squadron member, owner of the classic Six-Metre yacht Scout and aeroplane enthusiast. “How’s it going, Martin, are you keeping out of mischief?” I enquired. “I am desperate to get into some mischief,” he replied. “Well, that’s lucky. I may have just the thing for you.” And so the mission to fly up to the remote Three Kings Islands in Martin’s 55-year-old Piper Commanche 180 to photograph the lead yachts in the RNZYS race was launched. Debbie Whiting joined the team and took on responsibilities of social media photographer, cookie provider and communications with a shore base monitoring our progress. The mission began with a flight over the late afternoon start, then north, chasing the sunset to land at Kerikeri before dark. Next morning, a hop across to the West Coast, skirting ominous rain clouds looming low over the hills, to Kaitaia where we removed the door (to allow clear pictures) and settled into a three-hour wait as we tracked the fleet progress on Yellow Brick. We had to constantly recalculate the mathematics of a 50-minute flight to Three Kings to coincide exactly with the first yacht going around, allowing an hour in the area searching for chasing boats, before returning to Kaitaia within the fuel allowance. Finally, we made the call to Scramble! The flight north took us up the 55-mile length of Ninety Mile Beach, over Cape Reinga and northwest out towards the Three Kings. Anxious moments scouring the ocean for signs of Wired. Had we miscalculated? If we were early, we would burn precious fuel waiting. If we were late, we would not get the crucial shot with boat and islands in the same frame. There was no opportunity for a second attempt. Finally, joy as we approached West Island and there was Wired preparing to make the rounding. An hour later and the key shots were in the bag. We had also managed to get pictures of Mr Kite, Emotional Rescue and Equilibrium making their run towards the landmark. Time to head back to Kaitaia. The mission involved seven hours of flying, six take-offs and six landings (important to have those numbers match!), multiple cookies for energy, and a thoroughly memorable experience. • A sobering lesson: in broad daylight with three pairs of eyes in the sky and with the yacht positions logged on the Yellow Brick tracker, it was astonishing how difficult it was to see them. From a Search and Rescue perspective, it brought home how slim the chances of recovery are in open water searches over a wide area. I resolved immediately to improve the odds by investing in an EPIRB.
34 Breeze Magazine upper end of the forecast range for much of the race, presenting brisk and occasionally challenging sailing, particularly in the far north. Wired, the much-campaigned Bakewell-White TP52 skippered by Rob Bassett, took up position at the front of the fleet inside the Waitemata Harbour and never relinquished it for the remainder of the race, commanding an extraordinary sweep of all the prizes in the fully-crewed division: 1st on line, 1st on PHS, 1st on PHRF. “We had a good race,” Bassett acknowledged with typical understatement. “We had a pre-race plan and pretty much stuck to it. We went wide early, sailed outside Tiritiri Matangi and outside the Hen and Chicks, fast reaching and hitting speeds in the high twenties. “I have done a hell of a lot of miles on the boat and we have a good idea of what it likes. We sailed to the conditions, mostly with a Code Zero and small staysail. We did not run spinnakers at all – we would have blown them to smithereens.” Following a delayed start at 4.55pm, the fleet soon found itself racing north through a dark night. “It was pitch black, with no moon and we were steering by the numbers,” noted Carl Whiting on the Davidson 55, Emotional Rescue. “Conditions were quite challenging, but we were entertained for about an hour with a pod of dolphins around us. They were jumping out of the water, so close we could feel the splash on board. They were like torpedoes through the water, with their tails lighting up the phosphorescence. You only see that sort of thing when you are doing this type of offshore racing – very special.
Emotional Rescue making fast progress towards Three Kings.
“Approaching Poor Knights, it became much windier than expected.” Running with a masthead spinnaker, Whiting said it was difficult to see the waves ahead. “We were often heeled well over as we came off waves. “It was quite a difficult night and we were not surprised to see some boats withdraw.” Five boats retired, including one of the pre-race favourites, V5, which never made it out of the Waitemata Harbour after developing engine problems. Several of the skippers remarked on the dolphins and phosphorence, including Nathan Williams on Mr Kite, a Cape 40 canting keeler, which had an excellent race, frequently clocking 20-24 knots and finishing 2nd on line behind Wired, ahead of several much larger yachts. Mr Kite was also 2nd on PHS and 3rd on PHRF, behind Hamish McLaren’s Omega. Approaching the Poor Knights Islands on the passage north, Mr Kite switched from a furling Code Zero to a gennaker. “We carried that from 10pm on the Thursday night right through to 3pm the following afternoon as we came in towards Three Kings. “We had more breeze than we were expecting, that’s for sure,” he said, “but nothing we couldn’t manage. It brought us up the coast nice and quickly, which meant we were able to go around Three Kings in daylight, which we were not expecting.” Mr Kite normally sails with five crew, but work commitments meant one had to drop out. “We sailed with four, rather than bringing on somebody that we didn’t know. We have done a lot of two-handed racing, so it was no problem. We ran a rolling watch, basically with at least two on deck all the time and somebody switching out every hour.” Another outstanding performance came from Shane Bellingham, who made a clean sweep of line and handicap victories in the two-handed division. Sailing the Thompson 38, Titanium, Bellingham and his crew, Ben Beasley, were always up with the bigger front runners; their finish time back in Auckland would have placed them 4th overall on line in the fullycrewed division. Bellingham, in fact, intended racing with a full crew, but most had to withdrawn for various reasons, leaving him with Beasley, who is an RNZYS Youth Programme graduate. “I hadn’t sailed with Ben before,” said Bellingham. “He contacted me to ask if he could join the crew for the race. When everybody else pulled out, I decided to just go with Ben. He proved very handy, good value. “The running conditions heading north suited us,” Bellingham added. “We get up planing before the bigger boats, which kept us in the game. Having said that, sailing two-handed does limit our ability to trim fast. “After North Cape, the sea state was very lumpy and confused. We tore our K2 spinnaker halfway between North Cape and Three Kings. We probably should have taken it down four or five hours earlier. We switched to a fractional kite for the rest of the way, but we had 120 miles of very fast sailing under spinnaker, which was awesome.” The highlight, of course, was the Three Kings rounding. “It was quite eerie and menacing approaching the islands,” said Carl Whiting. “We called it Jurassic Park. “We went round the West Island in the last of the daylight and left the final island in the dark.” Emotional Rescue was fourth to make the rounding, in close company with Equilibrium (Graham Matthews’ Marten 55) and behind Wired, Mr Kite and Titanium. The remainder of the fleet rounded in the night, with the backmarker clear by 4.30am. The best strategy after the Three Kings rounding was to tack immediately back towards Cape Reinga and then put in a couple of tacks
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Mr Kite had a spectacular race to finish 2nd on line ahead of many larger yachts. Photo Credit // Cory Silken
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36 Breeze Magazine to North Cape. Bellingham on Titanium pushed quite close inshore and found a significant lift in flat water. Up ahead of them, Nathan Williams had taken a similar line, but not as close to land and kept a close watch on Titanium’s gains. “They took about 15 miles out of us on that leg to North Cape,” said Williams. “Nice for them, but a bit disappointing for us.” Emotional Rescue took a different approach and paid a steep price for heading further offshore after Three Kings. “It was a tactical error,” Whiting admitted. “It was really rough, with the boat slamming hard in the dark, tough on board with everybody getting pretty tired.” After all the drama offshore, the most familiar patch of water, from Rangitoto to the Harbour Bridge, was a complete contrast – slow work upwind in very light conditions. As always, there were races within races and although the prizes go to the front-runners, there were other triumphs and moments to savour.
In the late afternoon of Sunday April 10, General Committee member Mike Malcolm texted a screen shot of the Yellow Brick tracker to friends. It showed five boats – Matewa (Charles Hollings, Xp44), Bird on the Wing (Mike Malcolm, Beneteau 50), Niksen (Marc Michel and Logan Fraser, Dehler 30), Katana (Nigel Garland, Sunfast 3600) and Kick (Brendan Sands, Elliott 1050) – sailing up the harbour together after nearly four days of racing to finish within 15 minutes of each other. For Carl Whiting, a lifelong sailor, a Star world champion and threetime America’s Cup veteran, the run from North Cape to the Three Kings was “one of the best day’s sailing in my life”. He added, “It was very special to do that in our own backyard, on my own boat and surrounded by my friends.” “It was amazing sailing really,” Nathan Williams agreed. “This type of long offshore racing is really good. Absolutely I think we should do it again. There is not enough of it.”
Homeward bound, Wired sails along the northern flank of the Three Kings, with wind bullets streaking the sea surface.
ALL PRESENT AND CORRECT: In preparation for the RNZYS Three Kings Race, Sailing Director Laurie Jury and Chairman of the Race Committee Vice Commodore Andrew Aitken initiated Category Two safety inspections of the fleet. On-Water Safety Officer, Richard Wingfield, put together a team of Stewart Heine, Neville Collett, Bryan Taylor, Charles Scoones, Cooper Hopman and himself and conducted the inspections over two days. “I was really impressed by the reception we got from the skippers,” says Wingfield. “I don’t know if I was half expecting some resistance, but the reality was quite the opposite. They were all enthusiastic, friendly, helpful and ready to show us anything we asked to see.” The method was to go through the entire Category Two checklist, with the skipper verbally confirming each item and the inspectors randomly asking to physically see up to four to six of them – anchors, flares, lifejackets, buckets etc. “It threw up one or two minor deficiencies here and there, things that could be very easily rectified,” says Wingfield. “Overall, I was impressed by the state of readiness and organisation on board.” Everybody involved felt the exercise was useful and Wingfield feels it should be carried forward to include the whole RNZYS race fleet. “I am keen to continue engaging with skippers doing our races, just to make sure they have the right gear on board and that it is all up to date. I feel it is in everybody’s interests to do so.” The Three Kings process might serve as a handy inspiration for all skippers – cruisers, racers, weekend warriors and launch-owners – to make a winter project of going through their safety equipment to ensure everything is present and correct.
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Preparing for a sail change, Equilibrium on the final approach to the Three Kings.
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On the edge of control ... Phil Robertson’s rookie crews are never dull, always pushing the limits. – Ricardo Pinto Photo
Phil Robertson: sailing’s eternal battler By Ivor Wilkins In sailing terms, Phil Robertson embodies a character treasured in New Zealand iconography as a ‘Kiwi Battler’, who refuses to admit defeat even with formidable odds stacked against them. Nothing has come easy as he has carved out a professional career at the upper levels of international sailing. Gregarious, with a sunny smile and infectious laugh, he has bounced back from setbacks and earned a reputation for pushing hard. He is always willing to throw the dice in highrisk situations, accumulating occasional scars along the way. Never dull. In the high-octane world of made-for-TV SailGP, which thrives on drama and spectacle, the commentators always keep a close watch on Robertson. They know that when the action moves into red line territory, Robertson and his crew are frequently in the thick of it. There are even rumours that SailGP founder and Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison has issued an instruction that, whatever happens, Robertson needs to be kept in the game because of his entertainment value. True or not, it is part of the persona that has developed around the 33-year-old. But a more serious appraisal suggests his true value extends beyond mere entertainment. His results show that the crash-and-burn circus clown image sells him well short. Where the other teams come to the game with handpicked, seasoned professionals, Robertson’s SailGP career has involved taking young rookie crews – first from China and then from Spain – and building them into competitive fighting units while competing against some of the world’s best sailors in technically demanding and totally unforgiving F50 foiling catamarans.
“Sometimes I think it would be nice to just jump on a boat stacked with lots of experience and be able to focus on fine tuning race strategy instead of the big stuff like how to tack and gybe and get around the course safely,” he admits. On the other hand, he has found it rewarding and satisfying to build rookie teams into competitive racing crews at such an intense level. The dual role of coach and skipper with the added complication of language and cultural barriers in such a split-second, knife-edge environment is, by any definition, a tall order. But, Robertson has been battling the odds for much of his sailing career. He is the middle son of three born into a typical Auckland family, with their father building sailing dinghies in the garage. He was still a youngster sailing dinghies when New Zealand won the America’s Cup in 1995. The sight of his heroes training and winning the 2000 Defence on his home waters lit the flame of his ambition. “I could see the future. That is what I wanted to do one day.” In some ways, the timing of Phil’s sailing journey was slightly unfortunate. He was born after the Russell Coutts, Chris Dickson, Dean Barker generation, but before the Peter Burling, Blair Tuke generation. When he graduated from Optimists, the main route forward was 420s and 470s, neither of which excited him. “I enjoy speed, but none of the fast, cool foiling boats had arrived on the scene yet,” he told an interviewer in 2020. He opted for a different route, joining the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron’s keelboat programme with its strong match racing focus. After three years with the programme, he and a bunch of fellow Youth
Breeze Magazine 39
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40 Breeze Magazine
With aggression always dialed up high, Robertson does not shy away from tangling with the big guns. – Ricardo Pinto Photo Programme graduates formed the Waka Sailing team. They sold up everything to go on the road in Europe seeking professional careers on the match race circuit. “We slept on a lot of couches and did a lot of begging to get accepted into regattas. Jimmy Spithill advised us to knock on every door, because we could sometimes pick up last-minute slots in events when the big dogs pulled out.” Robertson led crews to two match race world titles (2016 and 2019), but sailing was evolving in new directions. The match race circuit, which had been so strong through the Coutts, Dickson, Barker era, lost momentum. New, faster, more TV-attractive models were emerging around multihulls and eventually foiling boats. Determined to continue his sailing career, Robertson began his multinational pilgrimage, wearing flags of many colours. His CV includes China, Russia, Oman, Spain and next up Canada in events as diverse as the Extreme Sailing Series, GC32s, M32s, AC45s in the America’s Cup World Series and currently the F50 foiling catamarans of SailGP. Despite communication challenges and rookie crews, Robertson never gave an inch against the more seasoned and fancied teams. “There are two sides to that,” he says. “That is my personality. I definitely do not mind pushing a point. It comes from my match racing background, where you have to be aggressive. “The other side is that with an inexperienced team, you have to push harder to be competitive against the top guys. In SailGP, it is so important to get around the first reaching mark in a top-three position, so we put a
lot of emphasis on starting and getting off the line in good shape. We felt it was worth risking a penalty to put ourselves in that position.” A poll of the SailGP skippers midway through Season Two ranked Robertson the most aggressive and there were inevitable scrapes and bangs as a consequence. He does not shy away from that, although he points out there more serious incidents later in the season between other teams. When highly competitive athletes are racing at 40 knots in close quarters, every role on the boat is crucial and must be performed in a precisely choreographed sequence. None of the teams has escaped calamity of one sort or another and the loftiest reputations have suffered their embarrassments – highlighting the added pressure on any team with L-plates on the transom. “Early on, Phil was nicknamed Crash Bandicoot,” says Brad Marsh, who was in the RNZYS Youth Programme with Robertson and now heads up the technical team responsible for fixing and maintaining the fleet of SailGP F50s. “But that label never stuck. “The technical team guys understand where Phil is at and very often the mistakes are not his fault. Everybody looks at the skipper, but Phil is racing and coaching simultaneously, rather than having the world’s best sailors alongside him. He has always had to fight with one hand behind his back with inexperienced and under-resourced teams,” adds Marsh. Despite these challenges, in the circuit’s first season, Robertson led the start-up China Team to a remarkable 3rd overall. And in the recentlyconcluded second season, he brought a young Spanish team into the
Breeze Magazine 41 final event in San Francisco in 4th place overall, behind the powerhouse trio of Australia (Tom Slingsby), USA (Jimmy Spithill) and Japan (Nathan Outteridge), 1pt ahead of America’s Cup champion Peter Burling’s New Zealand crew and 2pts ahead of Ben Ainslie’s British crew However, just as hostilities were about to commence, Robertson and the Spanish team parted company, leaving Barcelona native Jordi Xammar at the helm.The US regatta was always going to be Robertson’s last event with the team, having secured a new position leading another start-up team, this time from Canada. Announcing the unscheduled leadership change, the Spanish CEO, Maria del Mar de Ros said: “The thing is that Phil, he feels he is superior in some sort of way, and that they (the crew) are kids.” Although Robertson rejects the characterisation – “anybody who knows me would know that is as far from the truth as it can be” – the rift did reveal totally different visions of the team’s position. From Robertson’s battler perspective, they were well placed. “We were knocking on the door of a top-three championship result, with some notable sailors and teams behind us on the leaderboard,” he says. All of his never-say-die instincts were to fight tooth and nail for the highest possible slot in the championship order. “Unfortunately,” he says, “the team’s decision was not to focus on this season any longer. “Instead, with the final event still to play for, they wanted to concentrate on next season.That absolutely baffled me. I don’t know how any competitive team could think like that, but that was the situation.” Accordingly, the team decided they would devote the bulk of an eight-day training block in San Francisco to focus on the next season with their new helmsman, with only a day and a half allocated for training with Robertson. “I arrived in San Francisco after the team had already been training for five days. After my first day, I sat down with the guys and said I felt rusty and needed more time. San Francisco is not a place to show up unprepared.” Unless he could have more training sessions over the next two days, Robertson felt his position as skipper would be compromised and it would be best to change the leadership there and then. “After a lot of hard work to get this team onto a competitive footing, to have it end on that note is not what you would want,” he says. (As it happened, with Robertson watching from the sidelines, the Spanish team finished last in San Francisco, sinking their overall season championship standing to second last.) However, the next chapter with Canada awaits and Robertson is raring to go. “The team owner, Fred Pye and his wife Chantal are 100% in terms of commitment. Their passion is to bring this high level of sailing
Robertson is looking forward to his next mission with Canada. back into Canada. They realise there has been a void at the top end and feel they can inspire the next generation to put Canada in a great sailing place in 10 years’ time.” Pye is a lifelong sailor himself and is described by the Toronto Globe and Mail as an investment industry entrepreneur. His company, 3iQ Corporation, was the world’s first public investment fund devoted to Bitcoin. Do their ambitions extend to the America’s Cup, where Canada has mounted several challenges in the past? “They absolutely want to bring Canada back to the highest level of the sport,” says Robertson. “That is the goal, but everybody realises it will take time. You have to start somewhere and this is the start.” Robertson’s own America’s Cup ambitions, set alight by watching his Kiwi heroes triumph on home waters 22 years ago, have never dimmed. He senses a great opportunity with this Canadian project and, as ever, is ready to commit heart and soul to its success. “Part of your heart is always where you grew up, but I am an interesting case,” he says. “I grew up in New Zealand with a Kiwi father and a British mother. I have a Swedish wife and now I represent Canada. I am international. I am happy where I am. I am content.”
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McNaughton, Bill Young, Adam Wrightson and Sarah Gair. 4/ Pernod Ricard team (L–R) Scott Taylor, Trent Orange, Paul Douglas and Nate Ratima. 5/ Yacht Collective (L-R) Andrew Delves Harry Clark, Dave Hookey and Dan Dalton. 6/ Barfoot & Thompson crew (L-R) Chris Dobbie, Bill Humphrey, Russell O’Brien and Peter Thompson. 7/ Milford Asset Management team (L-R) Arthur Caughley, Bruce O’Leary, Richard Pilley and David Holt. 8/ Teams gather for the pre-match briefing. 9/ Conrad and Sarah Gair from 36° Brokers with RNZYS CEO Hayden Porter. Photos by Debbie Whiting
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A dream not inspired by a 1.2 litre wheezer By Ivor Wilkins When Emirates Team New Zealand’s engineers were tasked with producing a vehicle to break the world wind-powered land speed record, it is a pretty safe bet that a 1.2 litre Mitsubishi Mirage GT was not a prime source of inspiration. Describing its performance, an autoguide.com review spoke of the engine’s jackhammer vibrations as it struggled for every single km/h and warned that the 225km maximum mark on the Mitsubishi speedometer was “hopelessly optimistic”. Acceleration was described as “so slow you get passed by pedestrians walking in the opposite direction”. Another online motorcar guide gives the Mitsubishi a “theoretical top speed” of 175km/h. One presumes the “GT” badge was also hopelessly optimistic, or at least wildly ironic. Why is this relevant to the land speed aspirations of ETNZ? Because, in the relevant wind range of 25-30 knots, the machine they are building for a tilt at the 202.9km/h record set 13 years ago generates an estimated 80hp. The Mitsubishi on its best day produces 78hp and would need to be going down a steep hill with a following wind to achieve the target speed. When British engineer Richard Jenkins set the record on a dry lake in California in March 2009, he talked about the challenge of achieving the goal with relatively low power. “It is an incredibly difficult record to break,” he said. “I have been trying for 10 years, every year, all day, every day.
“Any other record, more power means more speed. Here we do not have more power. More wind doesn’t mean more speed.You have to get it technically spot on,” he said of the constant battle to find the sweet spot in a web of competing forces – lift versus drag, tyre pressures, rolling resistance, weight distribution. ETNZ design chief Dan Bernasconi nods sagely. “It is quite ambitious,” he concedes, “but it is a really cool project.” Indeed, there is a buzz around this adventure that is generating much excitement inside and beyond the team. It is not only intellectually stimulating, taking the accumulated expertise of its design and engineering group into new areas of discovery – tyres, wheels and suspension are a new and major preoccupation. It also highlights that ETNZ has expanded its horizons beyond the single focus of an America’s Cup sailing team to become a technology company. Sir Stephen Tindall alluded to this back in 2020 at the launch ceremony of ETNZ’s new AC75 foiling monohull. “As an investor in about 200 technology companies, I see just what this little country is capable of,” said the entrepreneur, who was chairman of the ETNZ board at that time. “I recognise that Team New Zealand, along with Rocketlab, is right at the top in terms of innovation and incredible high-tech engineering.” Chief Operating Officer Kevin Shoebridge traces this expansion of purpose back to the Valencia America’s Cup of 2007. “Historically, America’s Cup teams came together and worked like crazy for three years on a single campaign and then split up.
Breeze Magazine 45 “Ever since Valencia, we have tried to keep running non-stop, which has never really happened before. We have tried to hang on to our people, our intellectual property and knowledge.” That continuity has not only strengthened the team as an America’s Cup fighting unit, but also built up a significant repository of high-tech skills across a range of specialist fields, including an in-house custom manufacturing facility. “A lot has changed since Valencia,” says Shoebridge. “It is a numbers game now, much more science-based than it has ever been. If you look at the size and make-up of design teams now, it is completely different. They come from all kinds of highly specialised areas. It is fascinating sitting in on some of their meetings, although,” he adds with a rueful smile, “it is also easy to get lost.” The nature of America’s Cup cycles presents peaks of intense 24/7 activity followed by valleys of relative quiet time. The challenge is to smooth the curve and pay the salary bill by outsourcing those skills and capabilities during the lulls. “We have to keep things going in between,” Shoebridge nods, “not only for financial reasons, but also to keep our people developing as well. It is good to have diversity and to be involved in a range of different projects. “It exposes us to new skills, new design tools. We don’t see these outside projects as dead time. We see it as development time. “At the same time, we are always conscious of not taking our eye off the ball and next thing we are not ready for the Cup. We are pretty
cautious. It is a softly-softly approach of taking on other projects, but never forgetting the main game.” Much of the external work the team takes on flies under the radar, but some examples include consulting on foiling passenger ferries, rowing skiffs, Olympic kayaks, custom components for race yachts and superyachts as well as foils and appendages for the fleet of one-design AC40 foiling monohulls, along with other non-marine projects. There have also been enquiries about building race yachts for external clients, which the team has not been able to accommodate to date, but Shoebridge definitely sees building TP52s and the like in future. But unquestionably the two endeavours drawing most attention are the land speed record and the hydrogen-powered chase boats mandated for adoption by all the teams in the 37th America’s Cup Protocol, both of which were expected to be trialling in April and May, Covid and supply-chain issues permitting. Externally-funded, the land speed record attempt plays into the passions of wing-trimmer and multiple sailing world champion Glenn Ashby, who spends his leisure time on hair-raising off-road motorbiking adventures. He has ridden a motorbike at more than 300km/h. Ashby has dreamed of setting a wind-powered land speed record since he was a 10-year-old boy growing up in Bendigo, Australia. At last, his chance will come when he pilots the ETNZ craft across a salt pan in the South Australian desert around the middle of the year. Team CEO Grant Dalton is also a speed freak, who has mixed it up in high-octane saloon car racing and has raced motorbikes several times
Emirates Team New Zealand demonstrates its credentials as a sophisticated technology company
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Glenn Ashby scouting South Australian locations for the ETNZ wind-powered land speed record attempt. at the notorious Isle of Man TT Race, surviving a 160km/h crash in the process. “The wind powered land speed record is something I have always been interested in,” says Dalton. “In bringing a design challenge like this into ETNZ, I knew it would be beneficial on a number of fronts to keep the technicians and the innovators of the organisation engaged during a down-time with new, complex technical issues to solve with a cool project.” Under the NALSA rules governing the attempt, the record is not a timed run over a fixed distance. It is the highest average speed measured over a 3-second period. In addressing the challenge, Bernasconi says the initial approach was to start with a clean-sheet, which examined a number of concepts and configurations. Eventually, however, the search brought them back to Richard Jenkins’ Greenbird design, which is basically a long cylindrical fuselage supporting a high aspect ratio wing and balanced by an outrigger lever arm projecting at 90° to the fuselage. In the ETNZ version, the outrigger arm carries a ton of ballast to provide righting moment. All the existing yacht design tools of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), finite element analysis (FEA), even velocity prediction programs (VPP) transferred to the land yacht project, while the high-aspect-ratio wing is a simplified version of the Cup wings used on the 2013 and 2017 catamarans. While yacht wings have to go through a wide range of shapes and cambers to transition from displacement to foiling modes, Bernasconi says a land speed yacht only has to target a single condition. “You don’t care about how long it takes to accelerate.You just have to be really efficient at one point. Glenn will only have trim tab adjustment to control the wing. It is all very mechanical and a lot more about bits of
string and levers than complex hydraulics and PLC controls.” Like the Greenbird attempt, the design is targeted at a wind range between 25 and 30 knots. “In theory, if you targeted higher windspeeds, you would achieve higher speeds, but you need to balance that against the stability of the breeze. If you went somewhere blowing at 40 knots, it is likely the wind will be very gusty, which makes management very difficult. “Ultimately what is limiting you is not the windspeed alone, but the efficiency. The things holding you back are the sources of drag: the rolling resistance of the tyres, the aerodynamic drag of the platform and the induced drag of the wing. “If you had no drag, you would go infinitely fast in 5 knots of breeze, but you can never totally eliminate those sources of drag. You can only work to be as efficient as possible by reducing drag.” Which brings us back to the limitations of the wheezing 78hp
Engineer Tim Meldrum examines a 480km/h rated tyre for the attempt.
Breeze Magazine 47 Mitsubishi Mirage GT. Except, the land yacht actually faces added complications. The Mitsubishi would be entitled to have a crack in calm conditions and steer a dead straight line. The land yacht has to counter much higher apparent winds and resist considerable sideforce. Without a dagger board and rudder, it is up to the tyres to resist leeway, which has them constantly fighting for grip, as if they are always going round corners. “You are losing energy in the process. You have to find a balance between resisting distortion while limiting rolling resistance from excessive contact area.” Specialist Goodyear tyres with a speed rating of 480km/h that are typically used by salt flat race cars and record attempts running “rock hard” at a minimum 70psi inflation will be used. Guillaume Verdier describes the land yacht project as compelling for all involved, with the increased speeds raising the complexities of the design and engineering challenge, but also providing lessons for the next generation AC75s. THE COMPLEXITIES OF producing a hydrogen-powered chase boat have
also challenged the design and engineering resources of the team. This project was introduced to the Protocol for the next America’s Cup as part of a drive to showcase and utilise clean energy. To meet the brief for a vessel capable of carrying six passengers at a top speed of 50 knots with a range between 150-180km, the team has produced a futuristic 10m foiling catamaran, displacing 5200kg fully loaded. A purely electric system was looked at, but quickly ruled out. “It would actually be easier to achieve 50 knots on batteries alone,” says Bernasconi, “but the range would be very limited. Hydrogen gives you range.” Their prototype is powered by two Toyota hydrogen fuel cells, which deliver electricity to a 400V DC system generating approximately 440kW of peak power. “This was a clean-sheet project,” says Bernasconi. “There is very little out there to draw from. The approach started with the power train, not the hull shapes. We started by looking at what components you need to pull together to achieve the target requirements. “Then it was a matter of looking at the weight you need to carry, what drag that would create, how much power you would need, how much hydrogen, the cooling systems and battery banks. These are all quite large components. Then we designed the shape of the boat around those systems.” Weight is the enemy of foiling and presented a significant challenge
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Early testing of the ETNZ hydrogen chase boat on Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour. in this project. At this stage, compressed hydrogen is the only viable option, which requires heavy pressure vessels for storage. “For every kg of compressed hydrogen, you need many, many more kgs in the weight of the storage tanks,” says Bernasconi. Once the complexities of the power source had been understood, the team moved into more familiar territory with the design of the platform and foiling system. The main foil is described as an inverted Greek letter pi (�), with vertical struts projecting down from each hull. A horizontal foil connects the two struts and projects winglets out beyond the struts. Four control flaps are arrayed along the horizontal surfaces. The electric motors are positioned inside the hulls directly above the vertical struts. They drive vertical shafts within the struts to a bevel gear at the bottom connecting a short horizontal drive shaft to the propellers, like the bottom end of an outboard motor. The main foil is balanced by an inverted T-shape foil on the single, centreline rudder, which is very similar to the setup of an AC75 rudder. Just like an AC75, the boat will foil at about 18-20 knots. The 50-knot top speed requires a combination of hydrogen and battery power, but those bursts are fairly rare and short. Most of the time cruising at 30 knots, the motors run on hydrogen power alone with reserve power being used to top up the batteries.
In terms of control, the helm is conventional with a steering wheel and throttle control. The foiling system is automatic, controlling ride height and even countering heel in turning manoeuvres. “It shouldn’t even spill the coffee in tight turns,” smiles Bernasconi. The Protocol stipulates that, once the concept has been proven in trials, all the teams must have at least two hydrogen-powered chase boats meeting the same set of specifications. “The teams are welcome to build their own hydrogen chase boats if they want to,” says Shoebridge, “but indications are that most, if not all of them, will order boats from us. “The challenger teams can be sure that we will produce these boats as cost-effectively as we can. This is not a revenue exercise for us. It is about trying to pave the way for something new and better in the sport.” Coming on top of a land speed record machine, a world-first production run of potentially 10 or more hydrogen boats, an AC40 design in addition to one new AC75 yacht, all this activity suggests ETNZ’s design, engineering and boatbuilding teams will have no difficulty justifying their salary, or overtime, bills over the next couple of years. Nor will the team have any problem justifying its credentials as a leading-edge technology company.
Breeze Magazine 49
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Welcoming New RNZYS Members An intake of new members was welcomed to the Squadron in April. The evening’s guests and their sponsors were greeted by Commodore Aaron Young, members of the General Committee, Past Commodores and Life Members. The new members, with friends and family, then watched a video presentation highlighting the things we do as a club and the events planned for the rest of the year. Among those meeting and greeting were … 1/ New member Rory Macdonald and General Committee member Mike Malcolm. 2/ New members, from left, Suzanne Histen, Norm Morgan and Dagmar Bellamy. 3/ Rebecca Gallagher and new member Hugh Gallagher. 4/ Katharine Buchanan and new member Thomas Buchanan, family members with their two sons. 5/ New member Julie Rowe and Sebastian Leuzinger. 6/ New members Belinda Illingworth and Keith Trask. Pictures by Debra Douglas
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Tracy Malcolm is pictured with librarian Chris Collins as he receives some of Ray Walker’s family collection.
The Peter Cornes Library: repository of books and treasures Story & picture by Debra Douglas “There’s always room for one more,” says Chris Collins, as he casts his eyes around the walls and bookshelves of the Squadron’s Peter Cornes Memorial Library. Peter Cornes, a Life Member of the Squadron who died in 2016, endowed a large number of books, artefacts and models to the club. He also funded the refurbishment of the library space, which was formerly the Billiards Room. Chris was recently on hand to receive a trove of silverware and memorabilia from Squadron member Tracy Malcom, who was helping her mother downsize. The items belonged to Tracy’s late father, Ray Walker. Ray was the owner of the 1971 One Ton Cup contender and 1972 One Ton Cup winner. Wai-Aniwa (pictured, right, at its launching). Ray had Wai-Aniwa specifically built for the contest. He didn’t race
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“We’ve had occasions when someone has left a banana box full of books on the Squadron’s doorstep. No idea where it has come from, but the owner was obviously downsizing and didn’t want to throw them away.“ in the series, but financed the campaign with Chris Bouzaid as skipper. Chris Collins, whose role could be described as part curator and part historian with a dash of detective tossed in, works alongside fellow custodians Bill Donovan, David Innes and Tom Coote. The library houses hundreds of books and albums, which can provide reference points for those who, for example, are interested in maritime adventures and personalities, curious about New Zealand’s sailing history, or want to know more about the boats and campaigns their relatives and friends were involved in. “Life would be so much easier, however, if we had a digital database,” said Chris. “We have a large collection of stories and memorabilia and a huge number of photograph albums. But there is nothing really catalogued, apart from an archive of verbatim stories from older members, typed up and pasted into journals. “We need a professional to come along and create a proper database. It would be a major job and unfortunately there isn’t the budget for it at the moment. So, a lot of our responses must come from members’ memories, or by poring through lots of books.” Chris reminds members the library is a ‘working’ library. Members can borrow books, there is no time limit for returns and it operates on an honesty system. It is open during the hours the Squadron is open. However, for special requests or donations, it is best to contact Chris direct for an appointment. “We get many books donated. We particularly welcome older books, no longer in print. Sometimes we get duplicates – if it’s a duplicate and is better quality, we replace the original on the shelf and store it until we can find a home for it, or perhaps it becomes part of a Squadron book sale. “We’ve had occasions when someone has left a banana box full of books on the Squadron’s doorstep. No idea where it has come from, but the owner was obviously downsizing and didn’t want to throw them away.“ Chris has done the job for two years, keeping the shelves in good order and knowing where to look when people ask: “Do you have this? Can you help?” This is where an investigative role comes in. For example, recently a student from St Cuthberts College asked if Chris could help her with an assignment – how to make a sextant work. Chris: “Members I approached remember using a sextant, but couldn’t remember how it worked. It’s one thing using it, but telling a young person how it works! “So, I found a lot of pre-1960s books referencing sextants and recommended other organisations she could contact. In the end she was able to get the info she needed from the Maritime Museum. But that’s what we are here for. We are here to help.” For special requests, or advice about donations, Chris can be contacted on ccollin@rnzys.org.nz.
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54 Breeze Magazine
Should we be concerned about global oil supply? Following the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it is devastating to think of people whose lives and livelihoods have been put at risk. I have been reflecting on the Jean Plaidy quote, ‘It is the people who have no say in making wars who suffer from the consequences of them’. There is no good social outcome from this war and financially, it’s important investment strategies actively adapt to the times. Over recent weeks, the world has responded to Russian aggression. The United States, European Union and allied countries have imposed a broad range of sanctions on Russia including: curbs on Sberbank – Russia’s largest commercial bank; cutting off a number of Russian banks from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) – making it difficult to move money internationally; freezing Russian assets held abroad; closures of the European airspace to Russian-owned planes and seizure of several Russian-owned superyachts. Sanctions were initially designed to avoid disruption of energy flows from Russia, as Russia is a major producer of oil globally, responsible for approximately 12% of global production1 and a significant exporter of oil, particularly to Europe (~2.77 million barrels per day)2 and China (1.67 million barrels per day)3. However, we have now seen United States President Biden announce a ban on all Russian oil and gas imports to America, and the United Kingdom government has announced it will phase out importing of Russian oil by the end of the year. The European Union did not follow suit as it is relatively more reliant on Russian oil compared to the United States and the United Kingdom. However, the European Union Commission did announce plans to reduce its Russian gas imports by two thirds through the course of this year. All of this uncertainty around the future supply of oil has caused prices to skyrocket and we saw the price of Brent Crude Oil hit $139 per barrel in March, the highest it has been since 2008.
could compensate for some supply shortfalls created by disruption to Russia’s oil supplies. Could the green transition come to the rescue? Not in the short term. Recent analysis released by the International Energy Agency demonstrated that global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose ~6% in 2021 to their highest ever level4. A significant transition to more sustainable energy sources is essential and it is on the horizon. For example, the European Union Green Deal has the overarching objective for the EU to become the first climate-neutral continent by 20505. Experts suggest this conflict will likely accelerate the clean energy transition, as countries look to reduce reliance on Russian energy imports. However, even an accelerated transition will take time. This means that in the near term, we now look to be facing significantly higher energy prices than we were earlier this year. Furthermore, it is important to keep in mind that both Russia and Ukraine are also producers of other commodities including wheat, several metals and corn. A sharp rise in these prices will add to the inflationary pressures that we were already seeing and will be a drag on consumers’ purchasing power. As investors, we are focused on finding companies that will be well supported in this environment. This could include commodity producers, their equipment suppliers, or a perhaps less obvious area is the global financial exchanges, which benefit from investor activity to hedge against inflation and volatility in financial markets. We’ll continue to monitor these saddening events and adjust our portfolios accordingly. Diversification and agility are as important as ever. [1] As per Capital Economics, based on 2020 share of global production. https://data. capitaleconomics.com/zmimnob/oil-market-monitor. [2] As per Capital Economics, million barrels per day in 2020. [3] As per Capital Economics, million barrels per day in 2020. [4] As per the International Energy Agency. https://www.iea.org/news/global-co2-emissionsrebounded-to-their-highest-level-in-history-in-2021 [5] As per the European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/reform-support/what-we-do/greentransition_en
Source: Bloomberg as at 11 March 2022
There are measures that can be undertaken to alleviate supply concerns. For example, the International Energy Agency released 60 million barrels of oil reserves and signalled that more could be released if needed. We have also seen volatility in the oil price around news that the United Arab Emirates is supportive of an increase in output by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which
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
Breeze Magazine 55
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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 to compete in the Congressional Cup At this issue of Breeze was going to press, the RNZYS Performance Programme KNOTS Racing team was to commence its long-awaited second shot at winning the Congressional Cup at Long Beach, California and earning the coveted Crimson Blazer. However the KNOTS team, made up of World Match Racing number three helm Nick Egnot-Johnson, Sam Barnett, Laurie Jury, Zak Merton, Bradley McLaughlin and Alastair Gifford, had a truly world-class field of seven other eager crews in their way, but felt more than ready for the challenge. Prior to heading to the US, KNOTS’ preparation was assisted by some of New Zealand’s foremost match-racers, sailing against and working with, former Congressional Cup winning skippers Dean Barker and Rod Davis, as well as ocean racing veteran Tony Rae “We are grateful for receiving an invite again this year, after the border restrictions meant we couldn’t take up our spot last year”, said Sam Barnett. “Our first Congressional Cup in 2019 was the best match race regatta we have ever done. We performed really well to finish 5th, and we have been waiting for another go ever since”. “We have really appreciated the opportunity to train with Barker, Rae and Davis – they all know what it takes to win the biggest events in yachting and really helped us by reinforcing what factors to prioritise in the pre-start.” “We had some great battles with them aboard the Etchells in training, using the Squadron rock wall as an imitation Belmont Pier and tuning up our timing, communication and lay lines with their help.” With the 2020 edition of the Congressional Cup being cancelled due to COVID-19, and KNOTS being unable to take part in 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions, the team was looking to come back stronger than ever and make the most of the extra two years’
experience since their last campaign. “Missing out last year was a big disappointment – it’s been a very hard two years at this stage of our careers to not be able to leave and return to NZ. However, we return this year fired up to regain our momentum from 2019.” The last seven Congressional Cups have been dominated by American and World Match Racing number five skipper Taylor Canfield and Englishman, World number two Ian Williams, who have shared the title since 2014. However, Barnett isn’t daunted by the class of his competitors. “To be honest, the rankings don’t mean anything anymore. They haven’t been relevant for a while and won’t affect our thinking – it is the individual match ups we are excited for”. “Taylor, Ian and Johnie’s teams were ahead of us in 2019, so we will need to have improved to reach the top. We are confident in our team and our level and won’t be satisfied with anything other than contending for the win overall.” “Taylor and Ian’s teams both have outstanding records in this event, but they are not unbeatable. We will respect them as opponents, but we are not afraid of them”. New Zealanders have historically found good fortune in Long Beach before, with Gavin Brady and Chris Dickson having also won the “Grandfather of Match Racing” along with Barker and Davis. However, the KNOTS team is keeping grounded and avoiding any thoughts of glory. “To join that list we have to win first, and that’s all we are focusing on,” says Barnett. Billy Woodworth
Breeze Magazine 57
MAJOR SPONSOR
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New intake of students tops 40, promising a ‘cracker’ season ahead The RNZYS Mastercard Youth Training Programme for the 2021 season has drawn to a close. We extended it through to the first part of 2022 when the programme has traditionally taken a break for the year, but we wanted to ensure the sailors still got plenty of time on the water. Regattas usually held in February were pushed back to late April and early May, so we now have a number of teams training in preparation for these. These include the New Zealand Youth Match Racing Nationals with four teams heading off down State Highway 1 to the Royal Port Nicolson Yacht Club in Wellington. These teams are led by Maeve White, Josh Hyde, Robbie Li Bassi and Braedyn Denney. The forecast is looking very breezy thanks to cyclone Fili tracking its way down the east coast of New Zealand so hopefully we will actually be able to get out on the water. Following the NZ Youth Match Racing Nationals, we have a team heading off to Sydney for the Hardy Cup.This team consists of Josh Hyde, Zach Fong, Robbie Li Bassi, Braedyn Denney and Nick Winter. It will be the first International match racing event in two years for the Southern Hemisphere teams. Plenty of sailors will have aged out from all clubs, so we are all looking forward to meeting the new faces. Following immediately after Hardy Cup, we have the Harken Youth International here and the Centreport event in Wellington to look forward to. Lots of great opportunities for all our sailors to make up for lost time. The new season of YTP commences on the 1st of May with orientation and with more than 40 students already enrolled, it is shaping up to be a cracker. We have capacity to accept another five applicants, so if you know anyone who might be interested, please encourage them to touch base with me.
SUPPORTERS
Graduation is just around the corner for those who have aged out, or moved on to other opportunities. We will have a celebration for all these sailors and wish them well for their future endeavours, including joining in on what this great club has to offer. Reuben Corbett Training Manager
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www.classicyacht.org.nz
ISSN 1175-804X
Issue 139 – May 2022
Mullety Melita on the road to recovery By Penelope Carroll L Class Mullet boat Melita, first launched in 1935, has temporarily swapped her Motions Creek mooring for an inner-city carpark. There she is undergoing a major refit. Owner and skipper Nick Atkinson has stripped off the paint below the waterline, removed the mast, centreboard and garboard planks and is now ready for “the big project” – laminating Alaskan yellow cedar planks and reframing the boat. Nick has owned and raced Melita (designed and built by Percy Vos) since 2010 after acquiring her from previous owners Pam Cundy and George Emtage. The saxophonist and pianist (Nick is part of the Hopetoun Brown duo and the Love Square jazz trio) had often glimpsed their Whangateau Traditional Boat Yard on his way to and from gigs at the Leigh Sawmill pub. He’d always wanted to stop and see it, he says, and finally one day he did. He was “blown away” by all the beautiful old boats Pam and George were keeping alive – including
Melita, which had been languishing under covers in a Matakana backyard when Pam and George acquired her three years earlier. “She had been taken off the water for the usual repairs and languished a bit longer than she ought to have,” says Pam. But Melita was not a total wreck requiring a complete rebuild, says Pam; and her gaff cutter rig, sails and gear were all there. Originally launched with a Bermudan rig, Melita was refitted with a gaff rig after sinking twice during early days racing on the Waitemata Harbour – on one occasion sitting on the bottom near Stanley Point for several days. At Pam and George’s Whangateau boatyard, Melita was doused with salt water before going into the boat shed, where her rotten ribs were replaced, her hull recalked with cotton, and hull and decks resealed – all fairly standard for wooden boats that have been out of the water for a while. Pam and George sailed Melita occasionally over the next three years, including
Nick Atkinson measuring progress on the Melita refit. racing her in the Mahurangi Regatta (pictured below), before Nick purchased her. Nick has sailed on and skippered many classic yachts over the years, both here and overseas. He’s become a great fan of mullet boats. “They have the grandness of a yacht, but they’re really a big sailing dinghy,” he says. “They’re very over-
canvassed, high performance and so much fun to sail. When you’re standing in the cockpit you’re just about at sea level, so you feel like you’re standing in the water; and leaning into the hipheight tiller, it’s so nice.” It will be a few months of hard work on dry land before Melita is relaunched and Nick is once more leaning into the tiller… • Nick extends an invitation to CYA members to come and see him and check out progress on Melita at the 8 Hereford Street carpark. You can contact him on 021 807 789.
Welcome Back Ethel Ethel joined the CYA fleet last year. Like most of the fleet, she has undergone many incarnations and had multiple owners. Built by the Logan brothers and launched in 1896 as a cutter with a cargo hold, she was converted to a yawl by first owner Colonel Herbert Dawson. In 1914 the cargo hold was converted to a main cabin by third owner W.J.Quelch – and then to a refrigerated fish hold sometime after 1915 by her fifth owner, Capt. F.E Willis. Ethel then appears to have languished in Henderson Creek for some years before re-emerging again as a fishing boat with her cutter rig restored, under seventh
owner George Murphy. Sometime in the final two decades of the 1900s, a mizzen mast reappeared, and then-owner John Smith also carried out extensive repairs. A major refit by tenth owner Tom Leary in the first decade of the 2000s brought Ethel up to charter standard. However, when Keith Munro and Kevin Ebbitt purchased her in 2011, she was again in a derelict state. By 2013 she was once again restored, and relaunched as a yawl – and it is as a yawl that Ethel has joined the Trust fleet. Topher Hancock has skippered Ethel over the past six months. Originally from South Africa, he arrived here
Ethel in full sail soon after her 1896 launching.
aboard Drum in the 1986 Whitbread Round the World Race – and stayed. He was soon racing Young 88s and Farr 1350s on the Waitemata every weekend. In 2015 (“when the kids left home”), he and wife Michele Lennan bought Endless Summer, a Jeanneau 40 they keep in the Mediterranean for northern summer cruising. Covid put paid to that for two years, but they have now returned to Greece and Endless Summer. Ethel was Topher’s
first experience sailing a classic and he has loved the challenge. “Without the winches, roller furling, the electronics and hydraulics, you get back to basics. It’s like dinghy sailing really, but with added complications, like flying four or five sails at the same time…” Topher will return to skippering Ethel in November, with previous skipper John at the helm over the next six months. By Penelope Carroll
Having her cake ... and eating it! Winner of the CYA Round Rangitoto Launch Race on March 12 was Nathan Herbert’s 36-foot launch Pacific, skippered by 8-yearold Eveline Dettling (all race skippers had to be female). Eveline’s crew were Pacific’s owner Nathan Herbert, her father, Darren Dettling and 6-year-old brother, Henry. “Coming off the start line, we got dangerously close to Lucinda,” says Darren. “I wanted to grab the wheel, but didn’t. Eveline really did helm all the way.” Pacific, built for Nathan’s great-great-grandfather
in 1917, has plied our local waters for 105 years – but never with such a young skipper. It was Eveline’s first experience at the helm: “It was fun, and a little bit scary. I think we were the last to start because I didn’t know the race was starting…it felt good to be the first to finish!” A youth member of the CYA along with brother Henry, Eveline also took the prize for the best presented cake, the decorations all deliciously edible – apart from the wooden model of Pacific.
Double winner Eveline Dettling at the helm of Pacific (above) and her prize cake (left).
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
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New luxury model Iliad 53S powercat unveiled
On the back of its remarkable success since the company’s launch in 2019, ILIAD Catamarans has announced its latest model, the ILIAD 53S. Signalling a departure from the flybridge design that distinguishes its current models, the ILIAD 50, 62, 74, the new 53S features a sporty sedan silhouette making it ideal for unrestricted cruising throughout the world’s waterways. The ILIAD 53S has outstanding interior
living space, including a huge forward lounge, helm station and dining for 6-8 people, with a massive owners’ stateroom and two large guest suites. The Iliad 53S is powered by 440hp Volvo or Yanmar engines delivering a top speed of 24 knots – cruising long range at low speeds will afford more than 3,000 nautical miles. multihullsolutions.com.au
Pinnacle Marine has been appointed as the New Zealand distributor for Sunreef Yachts. Founded in Poland in 2002, growth and technological innovation at this European shipyard has been extraordinary. In less than 20 years, Sunreef Yachts has become a key player for luxury multihulls. Sunreef ’s collection ranges from 15m to 46m in length. Features include generous living spaces, easy handling and great sailing capability, along with vast alfresco social and dining areas. Each yacht, whether sail, power or eco, is created and customized to its owner’s requirements. The Sunreef Eco-Yachts offer cuttingedge electric propulsion, naturally-sourced sustainable materials, smart energy and new technologies including a patent-pending solar skin produced in-house. www.Pinnaclemarine.co.nz
Chris Bowler joins Lusty & Blundell team Electrical expert Chris Bowler has joined the Lusty & Blundell team as their new Electrical and Electronics Product Manager. Highly experienced and very technically-minded, Chris has previously owned his own marine electrical business, focusing on integrating AC/ DC electrical systems and communications for both the white boat and superyacht markets.
Breeze Magazine 61
Waterbikes offer a fun new way to enjoy action on the water
Bavaria SR41 wins 2022 Motorboat Award After rigorous sea trials by a world-class team of boat testers, the Bavaria SR41 fought off strong competition from Fairline Targa 45 GT, Solaris 44 Power and the Windy SR44 Blackhawk among others, to win the coveted Motorboat of the Year Award in the Sportscruiser up to 45 feet category. The judges described the SR41 as a “fine looking boat with neat proportions” and a “rare beast which appeals to both the head and the heart”.
Developed by Marco Casali of Too Design and the Bavaria development team, the SR41 has stylish lines and a typically spacious interior with two cabins comfortable enough for a family of four. The boat offers near 40-knot top speed and can be handled with ease thanks to its twin sterndrives. “A brilliant all-rounder”. Order now for Summer 2023.
NZ Water Bikes has a vision to bring a world-class watersports experience to New Zealand. and has partnered with Schiller in the US to bring the catamaran style water bike to our shores. The water bike is a stable yet sleek design that allows you to cycle through the water to enjoy a unique and fun experience. NZ Water Bikes plans to not just sell water bikes but to create a rental service in Auckland. The company also intends creating at least 20 business partners throughout NZ, and hopes to set the groundwork for introducing waterbikes to the NZ tourism market. Imagine cycling across the Queenstown Lakes, the Nelson Tasman Bays, or Lake Taupo. We plan to make this an affordable reality. www.nzwaterbikes.com
www.busfieldmarine.co.nz
Orams unveils new facilities after major works
After an extensive development, Orams Marine’s new facilities are ready to welcome local vessels this winter. Adding international-standard refit to central Auckland, the new facilities are operated by a team which combines world-class service with local knowledge, for the benefit of New Zealand’s marine fleet. An 820 tonne marine travel lift and 600 tonne slipway can haul out large commercial vessels and yachts, supported by 85 and 75 tonne marine travel lifts to haul out smaller vessels.
The addition of new hardstand, worksheds, and over 500 metres of international standard mari-na berthage, provides ample room for work in and out of the water, and adjacent to the Hauraki Gulf for easy access to this worldclass service on our doorstep. Tailored for the local fleet, Orams Marine has winter specials to celebrate this milestone development. All boats antifouled at Orams Marine Services through the winter, go into the draw to win their money back, plus Orams has local specials available. barry@orams.co.nz
2022 Hutchwilco Boat Show draws crowds
Kiwi boaties and fishers from all around the country appear keener than ever as the 2022 Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show approaches. Sales of online tickets, which double visitors’ chances of winning the stunning $280,000 Surtees/Yamaha Grand Prize, are at record levels. With stand space sales also well above expectations the 2022 show, at the Auckland Showgrounds on May 12-15, is looking to be one of the very best. www.boatshow.co.nz
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
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/YamahaMarineNZ yamaha-motor.co.nz
*Terms and conditions apply: The finance promotion is available between 1/04/22 to 30/06/22 across new four-stroke outboards between F40 and F200 in horsepower, excludes V6 models. Available through participating authorised Yamaha outboard dealers, and warranty registered and settled on or before the 30/09 /22. Finance disclaimer: A finance rate of 1.95% p.a. is available to approved applicants of Yamaha Motor Finance New Zealand Limited (‘YMF’) across the F40, F50, F60, F70, F75, F90, F115, F130, F150, F175, F200 (excluding V6) models. Offer ends June 30, 2022 and is available on a loan term of 24 or 36 months on YMF’s Consumer contract standard terms and conditions. Credit criteria, fees, charges and conditions apply including an application fee of $395, $8.05 PPSR fee and a dealer administration fee. Offer only available to private buyers only on the specified models at participating Yamaha dealerships, while stocks last. Finance is provided by Yamaha Motor Finance New Zealand Limited. NZBN 9429036270798. FSP 9622.
68 Breeze Magazine
