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SQUADRON Quarterly Volume 32 Issue 2 - Winter 2018

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ROYAL SA YACHT SQUADRON PATRON AND MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE Patron Commodore Vice Commodore Rear Commodore Treasurer Committee Members

General Manager

His Excellency the Honourable Hieu Van Le AC Bruce Roach Antares Peter Kelly Home James Ken Case Stardust Jude Kennedy Rival Peter Boyd Dux Nuts Scott Mutton 3 Cool Cats Phil Stump Erica Robbie Standaloft

SERVICE DIRECTORY

SQUADRON QUARTERLY TEAM

161 Oliver Rogers Road, Outer Harbor, SA 5018 PO Box 1066, North Haven, SA 5018 Ph (08) 8341 8600 Fax (08) 8248 4933 Email: rsays@rsays.com.au Web: www.rsays.com.au

Editor: Sally Metzer Production: Roger Oaten Regular Contributors: Commodore, General Manager, Treasurer, RSAYS Ltd Chair, Foundation Chair, Hospitality & Events Manager, Committee Chairs, Trailer Sailers, Women Racers, Dis-Able Sailing Writers and Proof Readers: Barry Allison, Anne Arnold, Gill Baker, Fay Duncan, Rae Eldridge, Peter Hansen, Dinah Harcus, Gill Hogarth, Marion Holden, Steve Kennedy, Jacques Metzer Lynda Walsh.

Office Hours 9.00am - 5.00pm Monday - Friday 9.00am - 6.00pm Wednesday during Twilight Race Season 9.00am - 4.00pm Saturday and Sunday Closed public Holidays and Easter Weekend Between Christmas Eve and including the first week of the New Year the Squadron Office will be open only for short shifts. Dates and times will be advertised in a December eBulletin.

RSAYS Foundation House and Social Committee Racing Committee Sailing Coordinator Etchells Fleet Captain Cruising Committee Trailer Sailers Juniors Committee Seaweed Gardening Group

Chris Mandalov 0417 847 836 Sue Buckley 0417 081 327 Chris Mandalov 0417 847 836 Annette Turk 8341 8600 Andrew Waterman 0408 856 012 Michael Rossiter 0414 379 460 Steve Lewis 0418 275 710 Mitch Mead 0447 333 001 Robert Henshall 8332 0889

Finance Manager Accounts Administrator Member Services

Carly Clough 8341 8600 TBA Alexandra Freeman 8341 8600ß

Hospitality & Events Manager Chef

Kevin Grant Brett Coldwell

8341 8600 8341 8600

Slip Master

Julian Murray

0414 365 294

Opening Times Dining Room, Jimmy’s Bar & Quarterdeck: The dining facilities are positioned beautifully, overlooking the majestic view of the marina from all locations. The attractive setting provides a warm and relaxing feeling all year round

Opening Hours: Lunch from 1200: Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays when advised.

Dinner from 1800: Wednesday (Twilights), Friday, Saturday (and Sunday on long weekends).

Sunday lunch Special - Seafood Platter (pre-order required) Page 2

SQ Winter 2018

Squadron Quarterly Deadline for the Spring Issue is Sunday 12 August 2018 Advertisements, editorial and photographs can be sent to • • • •

Sally Metzer, Editor (sallymetzer@hotmail.com) or member.services@rsays.com.au left at the Squadron Office. e-Bulletin material can be forwarded to the Office at any time.

Notes for Contributors • Articles submitted should be typed as a Word or plain text document.1500 words and four to six photos will cover two pages, 750 words and two or three photos will cover one page.

• Photos should be (a) in focus, (b) JPEG format at high resolution (300 dpi) and (c) sent separately and not embedded in a Word or text document.

• Articles and photos can be submitted to the Office for distribution to the Committee if contributors do not have computer access.

Disclaimer With exception of statements made by duly authorised officers and the editor and members of The Squadron Quarterly Committee, all other statements and opinions in this publication are those of contributors and advertisers. The Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron, its Management and Members accept no responsibility for statements by non-authorised personnel.

Front Cover Mark Sinclair on board Coconut in the Squadron Pool.

Winter 2018 Vol 32 Issue 2 Published Quarterly ISSN 1037-1133 Print Post Publication No. PP532154/00016

CONTENTS REPORTS

REGULAR ARTICLES

From the Commodore ����������������������������������������������������������������4 From the General Manager ����������������������������������������������������������6 Development Assessment Panel Report ����������������������������������������7 Sesquicentenary Update ��������������������������������������������������������������7 RSAYS LTD Report ������������������������������������������������������������������������8 Functions Report ��������������������������������������������������������������������������9 House and Social Events ������������������������������������������������������������10 Racing Report From the Sailing Coordinator ������������������������������������������������12 Women’s Series ��������������������������������������������������������������������13 Protocols Relating to Submitting a Protest ����������������������������13 Cruising Report ��������������������������������������������������������������������������16 Juniors Report ����������������������������������������������������������������������������18 Member Advisory Panel ������������������������������������������������������������26

Coconut’s Golden Globe Race Preparations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Dis-Able Sailing Pip Murray - Two years it has taken me. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Kathryn Crisell - How I got to this … . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Easter sailing: faith, friendship and inspiration . . . . . . . . 15 Sail Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Our Boat - Hukuna Matata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 New Member profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Senior Member - John Deniet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Squadron Snippets Old charts, notes, sketches and photographs . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Easter wedding went wonderfully! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Kevin takes time out in Sri Lanka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Someday I will … . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 In Tranquil Waters Roy Wooding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Gerald (Ged) Leslie Ross . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Berths for Sale & Rent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Events Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

FEATURES 20 Year Members Dinner ������������������������������������������������������������8 Local Seagrass Makes Good ������������������������������������������������������19 Bringing Sentient Back ��������������������������������������������������������������20 Presentation Night ��������������������������������������������������������������������24 Port Victoria Memories ��������������������������������������������������������������28 Buying a Boat Overseas ��������������������������������������������������������������29 Summer Cruising in Tassie ����������������������������������������������������������30 Cruising the Cornwall Coast ������������������������������������������������������34 History of FE Bucknall & Estcourt House ������������������������������������36 Boat Maintenance ����������������������������������������������������������������������38 Vision of Islands ������������������������������������������������������������������������39 Chicken the Happy Sailing Cat ��������������������������������������������������40

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ADVERTISERS Haese Marine �������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 5 Kaleidoscopic Travel ���������������������������������������������������������������������� 7 International Communication Systems ���������������������������������������� 26 Flinders Ports ������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 39 Solar Depot ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 46 Port River Marine ������������������������������������������������������������������������ 47 Main North Renault �������������������������������������������������������������������� 48

EDITORIAL OURAGE. Determination. Resilience. Drive. These are just some of the qualities

that the members featured in this edition all seem to share. Strong, positive people who take on life’s challenges, and make the most of any situation they find themselves in.

Whether it’s Mark Sinclair setting off on his grueling solo around-the-world race; Faye and Mike sailing their new boat all the way back down the eastern coast; Pip and Kathryn coping with major physical adversity, with their minds set on achieving their goals; Ian with Di, taking on Tasmania when others have reefed their last sail; Trevor and Lorraine who dare to cruise where other trailer sailors rarely go; Clive and Anne adventuring in America, coping with whatever Huey throws at them; John, skipping his holidays and offering his surgeon skills to help others; Rachael who doesn’t let her Sally Metzer sight impairment darken her desire to sing. And there are more – admirable people who won’t let anything get in the way of them living their lives to the fullest.

As bleak, grey rainy days are upon us, reflect upon these peoples’ attitudes and be inspired to follow in their wake … even if your greatest challenge this winter is to set sail and go out for a brisk sail around the bay! Wishing you inspiring reading ... Sally

Rachael Leahcar and Ella

SQ Winter 2018

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FROM THE COMMODORE increase their panel numbers, so if you have the time to meet once a month please contact Ken Case. I also attended the Skippers and Crews meeting on Friday 27 April where these issues were further discussed. I shall report back to you in due course.

I attended the Cruising Committee dinner and cruise up the Port River at the Portobello Restaurant on 3 March, together with about 100 guests. It was a great success, with free marinas for the yachts that made the trip up the River. Sitting outside in the balmy evening conditions watching the blue moon rise over the Port made it a perfect evening.

Well done to all concerned.

Bruce Roach

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REETINGS again! Now that we

are well into a winter mode I feel that climate change is with us and we have to deal with the changes thrown at us. It’s a bit like sailing isn’t it? You just have to go out there, experience the elements and cope with whatever comes your way.

The year seems to be flying along with Squadron activities. At the time of our last SQ we were yet to finalize the appointment of our new General Manager. I would therefore like to welcome Robbie Standaloft and his son Mitch. Robbie has moved down from Darwin where he managed the Cullen Bay Precinct. He has extensive experience with boating and marinas, and his professionalism will be a great asset to our Club. We are also pleased to have Jude Kennedy as our new Treasurer.

Welcome to both Jude and Robbie.

The Twilight Races were enjoyed by all with only a small dip in the number of yachts. There are changes to the formal signing on process being discussed by the Management Committee owing to changes being enforced by Australian Sailing. They are insisting that participants in the Twilight races comply with their membership requirements and safety issues so that they know who is out on the water.

We are currently looking into a way of making the membership for casual crews as easy as possible. A small sub-committee has been formed to recommend a way forward, while still complying with the provisions of the Constitution. Australian Sailing Organisation requirement is for participants to become members of an affiliated club (RSAYS) after three initial races. The Member Advisory Panel has met to review the issues associated with the Twilight casual crews, Come and Try sailing day and how we can attract more members and keep them. They are also wanting to

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The Lanes Wine tasting on 16 March was organised by House and Social Committee and was an excellent night, with good quality wines available for purchase at discounted prices. Food and Beverage provided delicious finger food.

Approximately 20 members came along to taste the wines and stayed on for dinner.

The annual Easter Regatta was held from 30 March to 2 April and saw the weather gods smile on us for the weekend.

Congratulations to Tony Foster for taking out two of the coveted trophies, winning the overall regatta racing and the ‘rock’ competition against the other 47.7 Benateaus. Also, well done to Stuart Shimeld from Rival who won the PFL Hussey Memorial Trophy and David Henshall from Aria for winning the Harrold Dicker Memorial Trophy.

Easter Saturday night was the highlight of the weekend – a fantastic evening of camaraderie between RSAYS, CYC and Port Adelaide club members in the marquee. A huge thank you to all our volunteers, especially Bill May who was responsible for the RSAYS banner which he installed prior to our arrival. This can be used for future events.

Unfortunately, the weather gods were not so kind to us on the weekend of the Inkster Memorial Race and Kaesler Cups on Saturday 14 April. The two races were abandoned owing to winds of 30 kts plus.

However the House & Social Committee’s ‘Groove on the Quarterdeck’ event on the Sunday was still held despite the weather.

Thanks to the staff who quickly relocated the event into the Dinghy Shed.

A combined RSAYS Ltd and Inc Dinner on Friday 20 April was held to welcome Robbie Standaloft to the Squadron, and to thank Don Will for his guidance and involvement with our Club for his sixmonth tenure. It is very pleasing to report that the Management Committee and the Limited Board are working well together on prioritizing work that requires funding with a cost benefit. This includes the slipway.

The Anzac Day service on the Quarterdeck was well attended with Bob Hogarth leading the Commemorative Ceremony.

Ian Moncrieff read out the ode and Ken Case recited two moving poems. I believe this inaugural event should be held in future years. It was followed by a farewell lunch to wish Mark Sinclair well on his journey competing in the re-enactment of the 50th anniversary of the 1968 Golden Globe Around the World Yacht race in his vessel Coconut. With just days before his departure to England, Mark gave us an insight into his outlook of the re-enactment and answered guests’ questions for an hour.

We wish him all the best in the race which starts on 1 July.

The Junior Development Committee’s Sail Past and Presentation Evening was held on the 28 April. The event was well attended with four Pacers going out in extremely light wind, and some crews only just getting over the line to provide a cheer for the RSAYS and the Commodore.

The summer season of Juniors’ training is over for another year and I would like to thank Mitch Mead for his 14 years of service to the Juniors. He is now retiring and moving on to other areas. Also, a big thank you to the instructors – Mitch, Albert, Vicky and Stuart – and Keith Teagle who spoke well and gave Mitch a good send-off. Peter Cooling and Ted Sandison, who have been involved with our Juniors for a long time, provided some interesting, unprintable facts about Mitch!

The Trophy Polishing Night, held on wet and windy Thursday 3 May was well attended by 12 volunteers led by Annette, Nives and Dinah. Well done to all those who helped, and as a result we got through the polishing in about an hour which I believe is a record!

The evening was also enhanced by Peter Kelly setting up the sound system for the Prize Night with some music.

Jill and I enjoyed the CYC Prize Night held on Friday 4 May and would like to compliment the CYC on a great evening.

There was the usual banter about ‘the Club from over the sand hills’, but that was to be expected. It was a good opportunity for networking and I was able to introduce our new General Manager to Craig Evans, CEO of the CYC, and also to David Royle, the CYC Race Officer.

The RSAYS Prize Night on Saturday 5 May saw a turnout of approximately 160 members, guests and VIP sponsors.

The evening was well organised by Chris Mandalov, Annette and Peter Kelly. The highlight of the night was the recognition of Jimmy Howell for his extensive and illustrious career in offshore racing. Chris provided a PowerPoint display of the races

Finally, congratulations to the owners of Aikin, Caillin Howard and David Oliver, who scooped the pool of the silverware and took away a massive number of trophies for their Offshore racing, as well as for their ‘Around the Cans’ wins.

The Quarterly Members’ meeting held on 22 March was well attended, and I would like to congratulate Phil Stump for his excellent financial report which shows that the external functions (such as weddings) are making money for the Club. There was also discussion on the fact that the current Management Committee has found that the Club has incorrectly claimed a Fuel Tax Rebate over the last few years. There will be more on this issue in the coming months as more information becomes available.

I trust that those who attended the Mothers’ Day Function in the Squadron Dining Room enjoyed themselves.

Mark Sinclair was presented with a Squadron Burgee at his farewell lunch. that Jimmy had competed in, while Peter Kelly read out an impressive list of those races on the various yachts that Jimmy has owned including, more recently, Sunburst and Vulcan. Jimmy received a standing ovation from all present and I was humbled to present a plaque featuring Vulcan’s image frozen within a glass frame.

The skippers and crews were challenged during the evening with Peter Kelly asking them for their best ‘minty moments’ from the year’s sailing adventures. The winner was David Eldridge who described what happened on his boat after a few drinks.

Thanks to Peter Kelly for making the evening so entertaining.

A winter recess now looms, and we will bunker down and look to some land-based activities for our entertainment. Looking at the Squadron Year Book, the House & Social Committee has planned plenty of social activities to choose from. See you there!

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FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER is very sad however, to see that we do not currently have that continuing tradition, as there is a distinctive lack of members under 30 in our Club today. This poses an interesting challenge for us all; how to find ways to encourage this age group, not only to participate in our Club activities, but also to develop a lifelong love for sailing and seamanship as so many of our more senior members have done. It would be fantastic to get a reserve of younger crew willing to jump on board our boats on race days, as we have plenty of vessels and skippers who are very capable of participating in offshore and inshore races, but simply don’t have access to crew to allow them to do so. If we can overcome this, we can get more of our fleet off the berths and out into the water on race and cruising days.

Robbie Standaloft and son Mitchell

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ELCOME from the General

Manager’s Chair, and might I say that it is a pleasure to finally be on board. While my first day was only six weeks ago at the time of writing this, with so much going on it definitely feels a lot longer ago than that, when my son Mitchell and I said goodbye to the warm Darwin Dry Season, and made our way south to our new home just down the road in Largs North. It has been a great experience getting to know many of our members and become familiar with the many activities in which the Squadron partakes, with a lot of interesting challenges being unveiled to me that should keep us busy well into the future. Don Will, the acting GM, has been a great help to me getting my head around a very involved handover, with me now starting to get a handle on some of the immediate issues at hand, getting my teeth into being able to position the Squadron back to where it so rightly deserves to be.

I have already had the pleasure of meeting many members face to face by attending as many meetings and events that I possibly can.

It has been very much appreciated having people take the time to go out of their way to have a chat and welcome my son and I to the Squadron. We do some sensational events, and it is great to see members attending and getting involved. When you look back and see that in the past six weeks I have been part of the Anzac Day Celebrations, a dance afternoon in the Dinghy Shed, the 20 year Membership Dinner, Presentation Night, the Biggest Morning Tea, and the list goes on! It is easy to see why members so much

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enjoy the camaraderie that the Squadron has to offer. It was also great to be part of the Juniors’ Sail Past where Mitch hitched a ride in one of the boats with the rest of the Juniors, reminding me later that he was the first onto the water in South Australia. Also on the nautical side of things it was good to see the Combined Winter Series races kick off in midMay, and while the first race of the Series only had fairly small numbers, we are confident this will grow as the Series progresses.

As you probably already know, I was previously responsible for the day to day operations of the Cullen Bay Precinct in Darwin, a suburb that not only encompassed residential and commercial interests including Offices, Restaurants, open public areas, slipways, but also 300 berths and a lock system controlling the whole area. While the activities and responsibilities of the Squadron are a lot more contained within our boundary fences, there are a lot of similarities in the marinas, presenting interesting challenges in front of us, with our emphasis having to be however on our waterside assets, as well as concentrating on member participation in our aquatic and social events.

The potential for the Squadron is huge, and we really need to cement our place back into the boating community’s minds and be recognised as the premier keel boat Club of South Australia. We have a fascinating history as a Squadron, and I think the 150 year celebrations planned for next year will be a very significant milestone for the Squadron indeed. I am very much looking forward to being part of the festivities. When meeting some of our long term members, they continually tell me stories of how they have been here in the Club since their teens when their parents were active members. It

On the administration side of the Squadron you will start to see a few changes in and around our office in the very near future.

Our new Finance and Administration Manager Carly Clough started with us early this month, filling a void that has been left with the departure of Joann Galios early in the year. We have had an excellent ‘temp’, Linda Jury, who has been looking after things for us in the interim, but it is great to have Carly permanently in the seat.

Carly has huge experience looking after the finances and admin for clubs, having been Finance and Administration Manager for the Glenelg Golf Club for the past 14 years. Being a qualified CPA, I am sure she will also undoubtedly be a very valuable contributor to our organization. It was sad, however, that after almost ten years in her role, we said good bye to Kathy Bernhardt as she had decided to have a change in her employment. We sincerely thank her for her contribution to the Squadron and wish her all the best in her new endeavors. The next few months will see us concentrating on streamlining our back office procedures in readiness for the summer. With a new team on board comes a new lease of enthusiasm and I am very confident that we will be able to overcome any challenges that are going to be thrown at us. I would like to personally thank our Management Committee for allowing me to suggest possible improvements and being very receptive to change. I am sure that the Squadron will continue to grow and be a Club that all of its members will be proud to be associated with, well into the future.

Safe Sailing.

DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT PANEL REPORT

By Geoff Wallbridge

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HE Development Assessment Panel (DAP), comprising Mal Mead, Robert Henshall, Lloyd Cushway, Bruce Roach (Commodore) and Geoff Wallbridge (Chair), has held its first meeting with the new General Manager Robbie Standaloft in attendance. We are looking forward to working closely with him in the future. The role of DAP has been somewhat reduced recently due to budget constraints. However, a number of projects have either been finished or are currently being undertaken. These include:

Projects Completed: • The new pontoon in the middle of the boat ramp pontoon is finished and is now in use.

Investigations Under Consideration: • Overview role of the planned replacement marina berths for the new, larger Flinders Ports Pilot Boats including new pontoon fingers, new piles and the sleeving of some of the existing piles affected by concrete cancer.

• Preliminary design and estimate for an extension of the pontoon at the sheet pile wall and a new ramp leading down to it.

• Replacement of badly worn rails to the large and small traverse cradles.

• Planning for re-paint, (plus any necessary repairs), for the floating wave breaker, to take place next summer.

• Investigation of possible modifications to several cradles, including the Cat Cradle.

Investigations Underway: • Preliminary design and estimate for the replacement/ refurbishment of the Etchells slipway - to assist RSAYS Inc. and RSAYS Ltd. in decision making.

• Investigation, in conjunction with Flinders Ports, of a possible new, larger Fuel Tank.

SESQUICENTENARY UPDATE Planning is continuing for the RSAYS Sesquicentenary Celebrations

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ADLY after two years at the helm, Colin Doudy recently stepped down as Chair of the sub-committee. We thank Colin and his partner Lindy for their tremendous efforts and the many hours they have put into planning and organizing our 150 Year celebrations. Subsequently I was elected as the new Chair, with Bruce Roach, Peter Kelly, Helen Moody, Sally Metzer, Sue Buckley, Robbie Standaloft and myself now forming the sub-committee.

By Ken Case

A dinner celebrating the work of past Commodores and life members, with a special guest speaker and a historical theme, is also being planned.

Finally, as we approach this historic 150th year let’s also consider our vision for the Squadron’s next 25 years. Please contact any subcommittee member with ideas of what stamp we might put on the future during our momentous year of celebrations. Your thoughts please.

With an operating budget approved, the program is slowly taking shape. Activities are planned for most months during the celebratory year (mid 2019 – mid 2020). We are now seeking support from Squadron members to assist in planning specific events. In addition to our usual calendar events, a number of other activities are being proposed including: The Squadron’s involvement in next year’s Saltwater Classic at Port Vincent and the possibility of a combined event at Easter 2019 are being explored.

A group, comprising of some ‘history buff’ members, is assisting in planning a series of events to enable the Squadron’s participation in History Month, May next year. The SA Maritime Museum has expressed interest in assisting with our celebrations, which link in with the museum’s work.

It is envisaged the 2019-2020 Year Book will have a commemorative theme, possibly featuring a sepia cover and yachts of yesteryear.

Kaleidoscopic Travel

The possible involvement of the Squadron in the South Australian Living Artists Festival held in August next year is being pursued. We are keen to become both an exhibition venue with artists producing work focusing on the Squadron and its Sesquicentenary.

Research for a Sesquicentenary book is progressing. Peter Kelly and his group have authors to manage the writing of chapters and the planned book launch is May 2020.

Commodore Bruce Roach has negotiated for the Squadron to host the 2020 Royal Presidents Dinner involving the many Royal clubs and associations around South Australia.

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RSAYS LTD REPORT improvements, will ensure we keep upto-date with the changing expectations of members. The fact is that the sector of the population we are appealing to, across all grades of membership, is far more mobile than in the past and we, as an organisation, must recognise and respond to this.

Richard Smith, Chair RSAYS Ltd.

A

WARM welcome to Robbie

Standaloft, our new General Manager. I am sure he will bring the ‘can do’ attitude of the Northern Territory to the wide range of tasks and responsibilities of his new role with the Squadron. The Commodore, the Board and the Management Committee and their respective partners had the pleasure of meeting and welcoming Robbie soon after his arrival at a dinner in the Clubhouse on Friday 20 April. It was a very successful evening, with all present confident that Robbie will be a great asset to the Squadron.

His experience as Manager of the Cullen Bay Marina and its property assets, his involvement with Territory Tourism, and his welcoming personality will serve us well in dealing with day-to-day issues, as well as helping us plan for the future. I am sure his participation in our organisation, as we plan for and implement operational and physical

So where is Ltd heading? Certainly not to interfere with the responsibilities of Inc, the Commodore, the Flag Officers, the Management Committee, nor the General Manager. They are responsible for running the day-to-day activities of the Club. Ltd needs to be able to provide corporate guidance and resources to ensure the long-term aspirations of the Squadron can be achieved, in the same way as in any successful business. With the cooperation of the Commodore we have seen a transition from a lack of an effective separation of the Ltd Board and the Management Committee to two entities which are more productive. Together we have made a huge effort to tidy up a number of administrative and procedural issues which had in some instances wavered from good practice.

Ltd is determined to ensure that the long-term financial viability is assured by making appropriate provisions and ensuring that long-term planning is thorough and achievable. In the past the Squadron has undertaken a number of planning exercises, some of which have led to wellplanned change in an environment where change has not been universally accepted by members. Unfortunately the lack of continuity and current lack of an adopted Master Plan has led to compromises, lack of action and some redundant effort which would not usually be accepted in business.

A key problem of the past has been the lack of carry-through of the best ideas and plans

20 YEAR MEMBERS DINNER Members and their guests in attendance at the recent 20 Year Members Dinner Page 8

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that were developed, which were then replaced by fresh ideas from new people without adequate consideration of the outcomes of previous studies.

Ltd is determined to see that corporate knowledge, including planning records, is maintained. To address this, recent planning exercises will be reviewed and given due consideration while new proposals appropriate for our current and anticipated future needs are developed. When complete, the plans have to be matched with a workable and achievable Financial Plan. Members need to endorse both the Master Plan and the matching Financial Plan. These Plans need to be reviewed annually to ensure that inevitable change is accommodated.

Future projects and major maintenance upgrades need to respect these Plans to ensure that priorities and the ability to pay for them are provided for without drama to the Members.

We must avoid proceeding down a path of spending to address short-term problems with solutions that are inconsistent with the agreed long-term plans. In particular we must avoid publicly committing to a project then abandoning it, as this wastes professional and volunteer resources, frustrates members’ expectations and reflects poorly on the Squadron.

The Inc Management Committee and the Ltd Board have each nominated two representatives to form a Joint Working Group on the important masterplanning exercise. This should be the catalyst for a member endorsed Master Plan and matching Financial Plan. Together with Colin Doudy, I look forward to being part of the Joint Working Group.

FUNCTIONS REPORT On ANZAC Day 25 April we held a special luncheon in the Dining Room. It was attended by a large number of members following a special commemorative ceremony on the Quarterdeck. We hope this will now become a regular event.

Kevin Grant Hospitality and Events Manager

T

HE closing of the summer season of racing was celebrated with the traditional sailing presentations.

The Twilight Awards Presentation Dinner on Wednesday 16 March was well attended with over 160 meals served.

Congratulations to all the award winners The Racing Presentations Dinner on Saturday 7 May was another big night, with Peter Kelly acting as the Master of Ceremonies.

Thank you to members for their excellent feedback on the food and service given.

It is very much appreciated by the team.

A lot of hard work before this big event goes on behind the scenes with trophy polishing, awards schedules and audio visual presentations. Thanks to the Club’s quiet achievers for their part in ensuring the success of the event. Excellent work.

Our Wine Tastings continue to be popular.

Friday 11 May was a great social night, showcasing Coriole wines. It was once again arranged by the House and Social Committee.

Those attending enjoyed the company of their friends while tasting wine and nibbles at a cost of only $8.00 per person, which was waived for those who stayed on for dinner. Guests had the opportunity to purchase wines at a discounted price, and many took up this offer.

Saturday Lunch Club

Our Mother’s Day luncheon is getting bigger and better every year! This year’s celebration on Sunday 8 April saw the Dining Room full with many happy mothers and their family members. Despite the forecast of rain, it did not eventuate and our guests were able to spill out onto the balcony. We will continue with this winning format next year and suggest it would be better for members to book early so they don’t miss out.

Tom and Claire Wallbridge held their wedding ceremony and reception at the Club on 31 March. The weather was perfect for their outdoor ceremony on the Quarterdeck. The reception was held in the Dinghy Shed, which looked amazing. It was a really enjoyable wedding. The bride and groom were a pleasure to work with and we wish them both the best. *See Squadron Snippets report The RSAYS once again hosted the Cancer Council Biggest Morning Tea on Thursday 24 May. This is the fourth year that the Club has supported this happy event, which gets bigger and better every year! Well done to Sally and her team of supporters. The live entertainment from Will Metzer of Jazz it Up with Rachael

Anzac Day Commemoration on the Quarter Deck Leahcar on vocals was excellent. (I love Will’s version of Billy Field’s hit Bad Habits – it’s brilliant!) The club received excellent media coverage with Channel 9 filming four crossovers during the statewide weather segments the night before, showing everyone getting ready for the event.

The 20 Year Members dinner on Saturday 26 May was another success with 110 members and their partners celebrating many members’ long years of membership and service to the Club. Peter Kelly’s ‘slide show’ on Squadron boats from the past caused much comment and interest.

New Menu With the change of seasons a new Dining Room menu is now in place. Head Chef Brett Coldwell has included a range of new, exciting and warming dishes that are being received warmly by our guests. Come and try them for yourself soon!

Tom and Claire Wallbridge’s wedding reception held in the Dinghy Shed

W

My thanks to Andrew Simes who held the fort while I was on holidays in beautiful Sri Lanka for two weeks in April.

HY not gather a group of your friends

together and meet regularly at the Squadron for a weekend luncheon? This happy group of diners has been doing just that in the Dining Room every Saturday for over 50 years come rain or shine! Book a table soon. Bon appétit!

L-R. Standing: Jenny Last, Helen White, Peter White, Sandy Semmens.

Seated: Dr Peter Last, David Borg, Lorraine Borg, Marg King

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HOUSE AND SOCIAL EVENTS singing along all afternoon. Unfortunately the April event was on one of the few weekends of bad weather, with scudding rain showers and a cold southerly, so we had to move into the Dinghy Shed. The less than optimum weather outside didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of either the band or the crowd. With lots of positive feedback from attendees, we plan to run a few more of these events in the Dinghy Shed during the winter months, so keep your eye on the e-bulletins for information.

Sue Buckley

A

FTER a tumultuous start to the

year, the Committee has settled in and organised a few well- attended events. We thank Don Will for his efforts as Acting General Manager, and welcome our new General Manager, Robbie Standaloft. Robbie has not only got his feet under the desk, but has also been to our most recent meeting. The Committee is looking forward to working with Robbie to ensure our upcoming events run smoothly and profitably.

Since my last report we have run two Groove on the Deck events. The one held in February was on a lovely warm afternoon perfect for the Quarterdeck, and was well attended. As usual Groove Brothers and Soul Sister had the crowd bopping and

Easter was a cracker again this year. With perfect weather for both socialising and racing, the weekend just flew by. The marina was full with some of the larger boats on E row, and the racing trophies hotly contested. Again there was much rivalry among the 47.7s which raced against each other for their Rock trophy. Much fun was had by all who attended. This year we missed Roger Oaten’s involvement in the racing but thank Nives Vincent who stepped in at the last minute when Roger was ill and unable to attend. It is important to remind members that, while the House & Social Committee takes a lead role in the Easter Regatta, this is actually a combined event with involvement by the Racing and Cruising Committees as well. Since WWII the event has had its history firmly in racing for beautiful trophies donated to the Squadron by local Peninsula families.

Each year Colin Germein goes out on Miss Robyn to watch the racing and present the prize for the Germein Trophy race. Maggie

Stockman, representing the Correll family, also comes to present the prize for the Correll Trophy race.

This year’s 20 Year Members’ Dinner was held on 26 May. Every two years we hold this formal dinner to recognise those members who have achieved 20 years or more of continuous membership. Badges were presented to those members who qualified, and also to those who had reached another decade. This year 25 members reached 20 years, 11 reached 30 years, 15 made it to 40 years, 12 made 50 years and 6 achieved an amazing 60 years.

Peter McBride has been a member for almost 75 years, while Robert Stevens and Peter Dermott have both been members for over 70 years. John Powell, Richard Gower, Bruce Dinham, Peter Last, Jimmy Howell and Chook Wall-Smith have all served for over 60 years.

This is an amazing achievement that speaks of the passion we all share for our wonderful Club and the sport of sailing.

When you read this magazine Kingsley and I will be in the UK to farewell another intrepid Club member on his epic solo non-stop circumnavigation. We are looking forward to ensuring Mark Sinclair gets away safely and has a small dedicated Squadron contingent there to wave him off!

See you at a Club event soon!

Our 4th Biggest Morning Tea bigger than ever!

By Sally Metzer, Cancer Council Ambassador Thanks to Anne, Carol, Dinah, Helen, Jill, Peta, and Shelley for working hard to make it a success. Channel 9 came and filmed us the night before preparing during four ‘weather crossovers’ giving the Squadron statewide publicity. Thanks to those ‘extras’ who came and played their part.

Guests made a donation on arrival and received a Cancer Council mug in which to have their ‘cuppa for a cause’. A long table was decked with their home-made cakes, pastries and savoury treats.

There were raffles, a silent auction, Cancer Council and RSAYS clothing and Glam Gallery fashions for sale. The Cake Decorating Competition attracted edible entries, with baker Phil Donnelly of Mayfair Bakery and Patisserie, judging the winner. The ‘Happy Hat’ fashion parade was hilarious, and the photo booth was fun.

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HE Cancer Council’s 25th Biggest Morning Tea was celebrated Australia-wide on Thursday 24 May. About 120 people, some in ‘happy hats’, gathered at the Squadron on the day to assist this charity, which is one of two that the Club has chosen to support.

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Cancer patient Julia Nicholls spoke of her cancer issues, while singer Rachael Leahcar sang Little Lady, a song she composed for her cousin Suzanna just before she died of brain cancer at 19 years of age. Rachael and her guide dog Ella appeared on the cover on the Portside Messenger that week, adding to the Squadron’s exposure.

Will Metzer of Jazz It Up played us music, and from the feedback, everyone had a great time. Around $3,594.65 was made on the day.

COCONUT’S GOLDEN GLOBE RACE PREPARATIONS Coconut’s final preparations

By Mark Sinclair

Intrepid Golden Globe Race Competitor and RSAYS Member

O

N 8 March she arrived in London

after a journey by sea on MSC Luisa from Adelaide via Perth, Singapore, Colombo, Saudi Arabia and Valencia. Coconut then travelled by road and arrived without a scratch at Plymouth Yacht Haven in Turnchapel, Devon on 14 March.

I continued working at Fugro in Adelaide and send-offs included a fantastic luncheon with the Commodore and members at RSAYS on Anzac Day. I then flew over to the UK and arrived in Devon by train on Monday 30 April, two months before the start of the race in Les Sables d’Olonne. As I write this at the end of May, four weeks have gone by, and in two weeks Coconut will sail to Falmouth for the 50th Anniversary celebrations of Sir Robin Knox Johnston’s departure in Suhaili on 14 June 1968.

How the time has flown by. I was kindly lent a car by a work colleague which has been essential to get around Plymouth between the chandlery, supermarket and cash and carry. The first week on site was preparing Coconut for launching. The Aries vane gear was refurbished in the factory in The Netherlands and reinstalled on the transom.

The life raft was sent in for servicing and bilge pumps were securely mounted in the forepeak and main saloon. The forepeak arrangements were tested with a controlled flood of the compartment and it all worked as planned. Signage previously prepared

by Kevin at Viking Yacht Charters was carefully applied to the hull and transom.

Coconut was launched on Friday 5 May. Coconut’s mast had been previously rebuilt

by Ken Banwell in his driveway in Modbury, and Ken was now holidaying in the UK; he kindly travelled down to Devon and we reassembled the headsail and staysail foils. The mast was stepped on 9 May by Hemisphere Rigging Services.

Coconut arriving at Plymouth Yacht Haven I have been extremely well looked after in Plymouth. Plymouth Yacht Haven has supported me with hard standing, launching and a berth in the marina in Turnchapel. I initially stayed in the Boringdon Arms hotel but then moved aboard Coconut after she was launched.

I have had great help from Rob Dixon, a fellow sailor and work colleague at Fugro Academy in Turnchapel. I have also been helped by other sailors who have just turned up offering support, and then later arrived with arms full of such things as extra warps, netting for guardrails and rolls of reflective tape.

I have received my hardcopy charts from Sea Chest in Plymouth; I am carrying a total of about 35 charts including larger scale charts of: Plymouth, Falmouth and Les Sables d’Olonne; Canary Islands; Capetown and Port Elizabeth; Storm Bay; Foveaux Strait and the approaches to Port Stanley. There are mandatory race gates at Canaries and Hobart where 35mm and Super8 film can be dropped off, and I have also arranged additional rendezvous off South Africa, New Zealand and the Falkland Islands.

The safety equipment requirements for the Golden Globe Race are rigorous and can be found in the Notice of Race on the Golden Globe Race website. I have had to purchase and install numerous items. Satellite tracking using the Iridium network has also been enabled and Coconut’s position is visible at http://goldengloberace.com/livetracker/ Numerous trips have been made to purchase provisions including but not limited to 300 tins of fish, 300 boxes of juice, 150 tins of baked beans, 1200 tea bags, 120 sachets of muesli and 6 kg of oats. Treats include pickled eggs, gherkins, pickled onion and baby beetroot. I have been unable to find canned cheese but I figure parmesan should keep well without refrigeration. The list goes on.

I have also fitted in some test sails out to the Eddystone Light which is just over 10nm offshore. However, these have not been as frequent as I would like due to the sheer volume of jobs that still need to be done in the time remaining. Interestingly, poor visibility is something we do not experience as frequently in Australia. On Sunday 20 June I sailed out to the Eddystone which was not visible until it emerged from the haze at a distance of one nautical mile. This was quite challenging, also given the strong tidal streams in the vicinity and sailing without modern technology.

Well, time is ticking and I must get back to my endless list of jobs. I remain very grateful for the support and interest from the members of RSAYS. I understand some members have travelled to the UK and I look forward to meeting up with them in Falmouth and Les Sables d’Olonne.

Stepping the mast

Sea Trials - rounding Eddystone Light SQ Winter 2018

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RACING REPORT From the Sailing Coordinator Our sponsors Michael McMichael Motors, Kaesler Wines, and Bethany Wines also generously provide race prizes each season and Nautilus Marine Insurance supports the Women’s Racing Series.

As the finale of the summer season the annual Presentation Night was held on Saturday 5 May 2018. There were many winners especially Aikin, Enchantress and Taniwha who between them collected the bulk of the trophies.

Also skippers and crew from Aquitane, Audacious, Blue Diamond, Four Seventy, Horopito, Kaesler, Liesl, Nerana II, Rimfire II, Take 5, Trieste, The White Pearl and Vulcan were in attendance for the gala night of celebrations and the presentation of club silverware to the winners of each category.

A special award was made to Jimmy Howell acknowledging his achievement and contribution to sailing through Seamanship & Fellowship. Jimmy was given a standing ovation and a resounding three cheers.

At 95, Jimmy has been an active skipper for most of his life and even though this is his last season of offshore racing, he has finished this season on a high note by winning two trophies for inshore races. We wish him the best of luck for next summer’s season, but ‘luck’ really won’t be a factor with his racing skills.

Annette Turk

A

FTER a summer season of races

that were ‘hit or miss’ thanks to unpredictable weather, we say “goodbye summer” and “hello winter”, which has hit suddenly with a cold snap and howling winds.

Presentation Night was a fun filled evening of good food, fun yachty tales and happy faces especially for those who won trophies. To continue the festivities, we had a DJ who provided a wide selection of dance music that kept the party atmosphere going late into the night.

The winter sailing season has started with the first race being held on Sunday 20 May. We look forward to as many boats as possible forming a strong fleet through the winter months.

It was disappointing to cancel the Inkster Memorial Race, the last race of the season, as it was to be a double race to include the re-scheduled Kaesler Cup. The weather was so bad even the End of Season Party, which would normally follow the last race of the day, had to be cancelled.

Despite the crazy weather, we had some good sailing and competitive racing between the skippers and crew who jostled for position to win the weekly wine prizes.

The Twilight racing finished with the end of daylight saving. We had a good season with Ladies Helm Night fell on Valentine’s Day with love hearts and roses a plenty for those who stayed on for dinner after the race. We celebrated the end of the Twilight Racing season on the Quarterdeck with miniature trophies and medallions being part of the themed night to show that everyone was a winner for participating over the summer.

I wish to give my personal thanks to all of the volunteers who help run the racing and the technical support to process the race results - Roger Oaten, Chris Mandalov, Nives Vincent, Bill Bybee, Neil Dell, Peter Hansen, Peter Boyd, Ric Ottaway, Bill Strangways, George Wrobel, Robin Smith, Stuart Ross, Barry Allison & Langdon Hamlyn.

Also my thanks go to the Racing Committee for their support in my role as the Sailing Coordinator.

We would not be able to run our races without the start boats Miss Robyn and Wilbur. We appreciate the generosity of their owners Mario Minuzzo for the use of Miss Robyn and Brian Sutherland for the use of Wilbur.

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Jimmy Howell on receipt of a special award for his contribution to the sport of sailing.

Women’s Series

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HIS year’s Womens’ Series involved

five boats taking part in eight races.

The Winners were: • 1st Janet Thornley on Balancing Act II • 2nd Mary Ann Harvey on Schools Out • 3rd Robyn Riedel on Blue Diamond,

• followed by Barb Parker on Taniwha and Janice Watson on Freedom.

Congratulations to everyone taking part.

Photo (l to r) Barb Parker, Mary Ann Harvey, Janet Thornley, Tracey Dauginis, Janice Watson

Protocols Relating to Submitting a Protest

Now what’s involved with the paper work?

Starting at the top you enter the following: Event: Twilight Race Organizing Authority: RSAYS Date: (insert) Type of Hearing: This is a ‘boat on boat incident’ so mark that box ‘X’.

t Por

er

k Tac

Incident: This is the important bit. Where did the incident occur? At what time?

Which rule or rules do you think have been broken? If you don’t have a rule book, (though you should have one on board) you might be able to borrow the copy from the Race Office. Or you can download a copy from the Australian Sailing website for free and get it printed in A5 format, in black and white, for less than $15.00 at Officeworks.

Informing the Protestee: Cross the necessary boxes.

Description of the Incident: Give a description of the lead-up to the collision, eg. ‘The wind was from the SE at 18 kts.

We tacked to starboard near the northern breakwater and had been on this course for 30 seconds or more in the middle of the channel when we saw a boat coming towards us on port tack. We called out “Starboard!” several times and thought they had seen us. When they were 1.5 boat lengths away, and not changing course, we swung the helm hard over and luffed the boat. They did the same in the other direction. Both boats glanced off each other but a large mark was left on our port amidships. None of our crew were hurt.’

Fill out a diagram of the incident and try using the squares to represent one boat length. This will assist the Protest Panel to judge the distance between the boats.

Also try to place each boat at roughly the right distance apart, possibly using dotted lines to show the courses of each boat.

Northern

Breakwa ter

r

Now the fun begins. You ask your rule-savvy crew member what to do now and will guide you on a journey many competitive sailors take. After docking the boat and inspecting the damage, you should quickly find the other boat and inform them that you will be protesting. Get their details, skipper’s name, boat’s name and sail number. Don’t worry – these details can be filled in either before or at the hearing.

Boat You’re Protesting Against: Fill out the other boat’s details including the skipper’s name and contact details.

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Luckily one of your crew is conversant with the rules of sailing and calls out “Protest!” to the other boat, and immediately raises a red flag. This action is important and will be the first thing you will be asked about in the Protest Room, thus determining whether the protest can be heard. It may be difficult at the time of the incident, but refrain from bad language as this won’t resolve the problem and could end up worse for you.

Call out “Protest!” and inform your crew that you will be protesting. They may be your best witnesses. Check around you and see if there are other boats that may have witnessed the incident.

Boat Protesting: Fill in your boat’s details.

Don’t forget to add your name and contact details.

d Ta oar

O you, as skipper, have decided to race in a Wednesday Twilight Race.

A few minutes after the start you are sailing out of the channel on starboard tack and have to luff up to avoid a port tack boat that didn’t see you until the last minute, but still the boats collide causing damage to the port side of your boat.

rb Sta

S

By Andrew Waterman

Don’t forget to include any other boat that you are calling as a witness. This helps the Committee piece together the lead up to the collision and, who was where at the time of impact. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, make sure you submit the finished form to the Race Office staff. It has to be in their hands and signed off no later than 120 mins after the last boat finished.

Make sure they register at the top of the form the time it was received by them.

This is vital as it will assist the Protest Panel in validating the protest. A few days later you should receive an email asking you to attend a hearing at the Club some time reasonably soon after the event. If it’s a Twilight race we like to have it sorted before the next Wednesday race.

So now you’re probably wanting to know what’s going to happen once you turn up to the hearing. Well, you’ll have to wait until the next edition of the Squadron Quarterly for that!

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DIS-ABLE SAILING Two years it has taken me

By Pip Murray

Remember Pip Murray? She’s that brave sailor who had a massive stroke when racing at Port Vincent over Easter in 2016.

(Reported in the Summer SQ 2016 edition). We thought it was about time we found out how she was going, and whether she has got back onto the water yet. Here Pip tells us of her healing journey and progress. very active life. You sail at every chance you get, love dancing, sew at night by the TV, and love your work so much you work like a navvy. Now all of a sudden, in a blink of an eye, it’s all gone. What do you do? Nursing home?

Hell, you’re only 52 years old but you can’t even go to the toilet without being lifted onto it. That was my nightmare! My real life nightmare! Now you can open your eyes, lucky you, President Sailability Australia, John Sanderson, Pip Murray, but I actually lived it!

Kathryn Crisell : Photo courtesy of Jon McGowan Every day since seeing

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my toe first move, I have kept challenging my body and brain. As soon as I could get into the water, I’ve tried to swim and exercise every day, and I mean every day! Do I get sick of it? “Yes!” Do I want to have a day off? “Yes!” Can I swim? Only sidestroke but one day I’ll be good at breaststroke. But I see improvement. It’s not every day, it might be a week or two or longer, but you see minute changes and that keeps you trying. For example I sail with Sailability SA and the other day I was able to pull myself up out of the sling seat of the Hansa by myself – by myself!

It was a mammoth move and I can’t wait to not be so reliant on anyone for anything.

HAT is two years, day in day out,

trying to improve my body and mind back to normality. To get to a state where I can feel confident to go out and be a part of your world again, back to even wanting to be a part of your world again. There was a time I just wanted to kill myself. I hated this body and nothing in this world was worth living for.

Close your eyes. Think of what you are doing today. Now imagine that suddenly your body, for no apparent reason as you have no health problems, just decides to blow a tyre in your brain. Now you can’t move half of your body, not even a finger or toe. It’s scary, really scary. You live by yourself in a home with a garden you adore, and have a

How I got to this …

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Sailabilty has saved me. I honestly gave myself two years to be fitter, and happier with my lot, and if I wasn’t by then, I was

By Kathryn Crisell

WENTY years ago I was a fit and healthy 35-year-old with a plan to go to university, having sat the adult entry exam. But, just after my son’s second birthday I was diagnosed with cervical cancer and, as it does for so many, the diagnosis blew my world apart. An operation, chemotherapy and radiotherapy saved my life, allowing me to return to being a mother and to attend my deferred university plans. I was one of the lucky ones who made it through, but it came at a cost; radiotherapy then was nowhere near as targeted as it is today and it left significant internal damage to some of my organs. At times it was a struggle to stay at work, and it also caused worry to me and my growing son as the internal damage continued to develop through the late effects of treatment.

l a

n i F

Around 2012, I walked the City to Bay for the first time – a longheld thought that had never materialised. My tired legs didn’t seem to recover though, and over the next few months they would occasionally go numb. I started to fall over for no apparent reason, and then I started limping. “It could be a disc,” I was told, although the neuro-surgeon knew that some of the symptoms were unusual.

We tried an operation anyway, but it wasn’t just a disc and my legs never recovered.

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Kathryn

going to call it a day. But I kept fighting to get better because I really wanted to get better too. I really wanted to get back on a boat and it is this drive that gets me in the water every day. I started the season doing Sailability.

Through this wonderful programme a group of volunteers (God bless them!) cranes you into a boat and takes you for a sail once a month. I was holding back the tears and the feeling of wanting to howl uncontrollably the first time I participated. I was just so happy to feel that blissful motion again under my body, see the birds flying past and gaze down to the water’s surface, watching the wind ripples. It’s such a beautiful sight and feeling. Now I’m taking people for a sail – how’s that!

So “What now?” you ask. I’ll just keep trying. I still walk like I’ve been in a car crash, but nothing like I was. I keep trying to wake up muscles that went to sleep after the aneurysm. Once awake you get them to turn on and off, then you teach them to turn on and off in sync with other muscles and before you know it, you’ll be fine – like in a few years! One day I’ll be gorgeous and agile again! I’ll have a million dollar body as it’s costing a fortune in physiotherapy, occupational therapy and my gym pool memberships and personal trainers. But it is so worth it as my goal is always in sight – to sail again totally, not be a liability to anyone and to be a great crew member, skipper and sailor.

I want to hop in a boat all by myself, sail all by myself and not need anyone nearby for help.

But until then, thank goodness for Sailability and the angels who are its volunteers.

For two or three years my life was consumed by doctor visits, rehabilitation and insurance paperwork. As my brain atrophied from lack of workplace stimulation, I spent endless hours following the trails of ants that were invading my home or watching the birds in my garden.

While I’ll always be grateful for each day that I had to raise my son, it was a period of wondering: What now? Is this my life? The problems that had been internal until then were now highly visible; radiotherapy damage had appeared in my lower spine and damaged nerves in the hips, legs and feet. Hence the need for a brace for foot drop on the right leg and the use of a stick or walker, and occasionally a wheelchair.

Once again, I was lucky. At the insistence of my son, I returned to university to study a Masters Degree online. One day when at my gym, Deirdre Schahinger overheard me telling our instructor about a Council list of activities that included Sailability. Deirdre pulled me aside, told me about Freedom and, within a few days, I was sailing with her and Bob. I haven’t looked back since then. While study has rejuvenated my brain, sailing has rejuvenated my entire life and I feel truly lucky.

My 50th with Tom

Easter sailing: faith, friendship and inspiration

Easter at Kogarah Bay

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UST prior to Easter, five of us

crammed into Bob Schahinger’s trusty and rusty 4WD headed on a 1,600 km trek to Kogarah, New South Wales, for the Combined Australian Hansa Class Championships.

Bob and Kenneth Hibbert drove while Pip Murray, Deirdre Schahinger and I had little choice but to sit bolt upright in the uncomfortable back seat. We knew we were a sad sight as we unfolded our aching bodies and limped toward rest rooms and cafes at each comfort stop. Despite that, our twoday journey was a nutty mix of sailing and personal stories, laughter and snoozing, and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

At the Kogarah Bay Sailing Club, the members made us very welcome when we arrived early Thursday morning to help prepare for competition. Kogarah Bay is a pretty spot near where the Georges River joins Botany Bay. The shore opposite the Club is testament to the universal appeal of water: lined with multi-million dollar homes, and with luxury cruisers moored nearby that would dwarf our pretty little Hansa keel boats.

Thursday through to Friday lunch was spent in the boat shed with Bob and Kenneth, recording details as they measured and weighed the 50 registered boats, keels and masts, and the occasional sailor. Deirdre and Pip measured and recorded every set of sails. It was a lot of work for everyone involved but provided opportunity to meet

By Kathryn Crisell

the sailors, supporters and volunteers from across Australia, NZ and Japan, a diverse and wonderful group of people. It was humbling to be among so many people of such varying physical and intellectual abilities and ages, and to meet the hard-working volunteer army that made the competition a possibility for us. Pip and I agree that, while relatively new to disability, we have never felt so included and ‘normal’ (for want of a better word).

There are certain young people who remain firmly in my mind. Ryan may be on the autism spectrum but his incredible focus pays off in his knowledge of name genealogy, balloon-animal making and juggling. When not sailing he entertained us all and performed spectacularly at the official dinner. Bradley, also on the spectrum, is in another world completely and always on the move. He marched around the Club all day – occasionally pinching a stray soft drink – and at one point was caught climbing a wall to get to a neighbouring pool. However, he happily stays within the confines of a Hansa 303 for race after race as he sails with his father.

Sarah is blind but it doesn’t impede her sailing while Jet, her friendly black Labrador, with his harness off enjoys the company of strangers. Lachlan, crippled by cerebral palsy, deaf and for the most part mute can sail a Liberty solo and compete with the best, yet he found time to give us a thumbs-up as he passed. At the Sailability AGM he painstakingly picked at the keys of his laptop to share an idea to improve his boat. Stymied by a dying battery there was no mistaking his natural reaction “****”!

He relied on Bob’s interpretation to get his message across about the boat, as well as his desire to sail across Bass Strait to Tasmania. ‘Inspiring’ is the only word to describe these sailors.

For Pip and me Friday afternoon’s practice race was the first time we sailed the Hansa 303 together. Our planned training day at the Squadron had been blown off course by blustery conditions a few days prior to the trip. We faced a huge learning curve – with me on the sheets and Pip on the steering – and we struggled to work out what we were doing. At one point Deirdre, on the start boat, yelled at us to “cross the finish line inside the blue buoy” that we somehow were oblivious to; she quickly disowned us when we both yelled, “What buoy?”.

The following three days gave us valuable experience together and taught us how to navigate within a large fleet of boats. At times it was bedlam on the water; we made mistakes as did some of the other sailors, but it was a pretty forgiving environment.

We were blessed with sunny days and kind winds, bar one morning that becalmed us all, resulting in a time-killing raft-up of 17 boats and their chatty occupants. Our final race finished in the most impressive storm that we had all seen.

Perhaps Pip and I bonded over our ‘issues’, perhaps we are long lost sisters; whatever it is we gelled and we laughed a lot.

With partners in crime, Deirdre, Bob and Kenneth, the South Aussies were branded as ‘naughty’ at the official dinner. This led to the ‘naughty table’ being relegated last to eat at the official dinner. We offered apologies to the innocents involved. Bob and Deirdre already have a reputation for being among the last to leave any event – work or play – and we helped them live up to it. The South Aussies, and Robert who had driven alone from WA, had to be kicked out of venues every night.

This trip gave Pip and me immeasurable joy and laughter as well as renewed faith in the kindness of people, new friendships with wonderful and inspiring people, and sailing skills that we will hone over time. Our aim now is to find funds to join an anticipated 50 other Australian sailors later this year at the Hansa Worlds in Hiroshima Japan.

SQ Winter 2018

Page 15

CRUISING REPORT

By Michael Rossiter Since my last report there has been a most successful evening cruise terminating at the Portobello Restaurant in Port Adelaide.

The weather was described as “divine”, and the whole evening was a great ‘blue moon’ success. The Port Adelaide and Cruising Yacht Clubs were invited and a combined total of 94 people attended, all sitting at one very long table! Nine yachts took advantage of the pre-allocated berths organized by Steve Kennedy, who was the coordinator for the evening. Many Squadron members who rarely attend social events were there.

T

HE Cruising Committee has been putting in a lot of effort into promoting the previously rather confusingly called ‘Youth Trophy’ in the hope of encouraging more entries for the award this year. To avoid the past misconception that this was a competition for young people only, the competition has now been titled as the ‘The Yacht Youth Cruising Trophy’.

Entry forms have been sent to every South Australian Yacht Club, and we trust that this activity will attract more participants in 2018.

Another attempt at a Brighton and Seacliff Cruise was again defeated by the weather, with strong onshore winds making anchoring hazardous. No yachts took part, but some members drove to the Brighton and Seacliff Yacht Club where I gave a short talk about the Yacht Youth Cruising Trophy.

This year the annual cruise to Black Point was accompanied by blustery weather.

This classic in the Squadron’s calendar certainly suffered a little from the adverse weather. Six yachts sailed over and more people drove round or berthed in the Port Vincent Marina. Whereas 25 members and guests attended, the crew of one boat

Members celebrating sundown on board Tardis at Black Point

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SQ Winter 2018

decided not to attempt the journey ashore because of engine problems with their rubber ducky. Another boat returned to Adelaide for safety reasons, having elected not to use the ‘non-Squadron ‘mooring available due to its lack of servicing and the prevailing weather conditions. In the spirit of their renowned hospitality, Patrick and Jane had laid on a feast of crabs prior to the BBQ, while Jane had again baked her always appreciated lemon sponge cake for the occasion, to be enjoyed by all at the conclusion of the BBQ. For those attending it was, as usual, the epitome of ‘seamanship and fellowship’.

Peter Wickam, our new Cruising Committee member, made his maiden cruise to Black Point, along with his sailing partner Peter Tamblyn, on Tardis. It was good to see a relatively new addition to the Squadron pool joining some of the more regular cruising fleet. Well done Tardis and we look forward to seeing you again!

Trusting you all keep well through these cold winter months and experience warm ‘fuggy’ occasions in the Clubhouse through the indoor winter season Cruising Committee programme.

SAIL DRIVE

By Trevor Hamlyn

Cruising between Smoky Bay and Ceduna a chat with the locals. Poor holding in clear patches of sandstone, not sand, between weed, meant that this anchorage was only marginal for the predicted wind strength and direction. The locals warned us over dinner. We were not there for good protection though – we were there to vote in the 17 March State Election. A quick tick on our ballot papers the next morning, then up anchor and a very pleasant sail back to St Peter Island.

Ready to launch at Smoky Bay

L

ORRAINE and I have sailed in and

around the Coffin Bay area many times and indeed those waters were the subject of an article in a previous SQ. Having already planned to return there in March this year, an opportunity to travel further west to sail from Smoky Bay to Ceduna and return seemed like a natural extension to our holiday. The thought of whiting with a girth greater than that of a wrestler’s forearm was definitely enticing, as was the chance to explore waters that were new to us.

With Grey Nurse back on the trailer the drive from Coffin Bay to Smoky Bay was a pleasant one on good roads. An overnight stop in the shadow of the wheat silos at the Elliston caravan park with Squadron members Anne and Steve Lewis in Odette, set us up for the remaining run into Smoky Bay the following day.

We joined two more Squadron members at the Smoky Bay boat ramp, namely Hugh Browell, who was a crew member on another boat for this trip, and Roy Martin who was single handing in Dazzas Heaven.

We were all members of the Trailer Sailer Association of SA, in a well-organised cruise group of ten boats.

Half of our fleet decided to set sail the following day to Laura Bay some 10 nm to the north- west with a 25 kt SE wind behind them. The rest of us waited for the

Steve, Lorraine and Anne at Venus Bay

wind to moderate then joined them the next day for a 19 nm run to a pleasant overnight anchorage on the northern side of St Peter Island.

This is South Australia’s second largest island, approximately 13 km long and supports populations of Short Tailed Shearwaters, or Mutton birds as they are commonly known, along with White Faced Petrels and Pied Oystercatchers. The island is shaped like an electric guitar in plan, with the frets oriented in a NE-SW direction, thus giving good protection from a summer SE wind.

From there we sailed south to Goat Island before heading north towards Pointe Continentale and then into Davenport Creek for two nights.

Our anchorage in Davenport Creek against the sand hills was protected from all directions, providing deep water access all the way in and suitable for keel boats and trailables alike. Roy then led our small subfleet of inflatables into a maze of smaller creeks surrounded by a tangle of ancient gnarled mangroves. I wonder how old some of those trees were? Undoubtedly many of them would go back hundreds of years.

All was good until we disturbed the resting place of a squadron of mosquitoes hiding amongst some low hanging vegetation, so we quickly returned to our anchorage.

This time we had an unpleasant night, and although the holding was good, the 35 kt off-shore SW wind held us at an uncomfortable angle to the high-tide slop coming over our protective sand bar.

We enjoyed two more very pleasant day sails in perfect conditions, back to Smoky Bay, stopping at Laura Bay overnight. Most readers will know that Smoky Bay is a very busy port, used by commercial oyster farmers. They use the public boat ramp to launch and retrieve their work vessels and needless to say don’t like to wait for any other boaties who use ‘their’ facility. It’s therefore best to stand by for a quiet period when it’s not busy, if possible.

I would recommend the area for cruising, subject to being able to find suitable overnight protection. It’s easy for trailer sailers to find a creek or shallow water for a good night at anchor, but the possibilities are obviously reduced for fixed keel yachts that venture into these waters.

Wire weed was also a constant problem, frequently fouling our props such that it often had to be cut off with a knife.

What about the big whiting that we dreamed of? Well we caught only three, all of which had to be returned to their mothers and one legal snook for the pan.

Others in our group were more successful.

Maybe we’ll do better next time – having a line in the water helps!

Another good sail in lighter winds this time took us into Ceduna where we anchored in front of the Yacht Club for a meal and

Our group at St Peter Island

Odette in Davenport Creek SQ Winter 2018

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JUNIORS REPORT

By Stuart Davis should also have this longer race on the program. This fun event, involving coaches, parents and juniors was held in a solid breeze and some challenging conditions with Mitch and Albert Mead leading the juniors out and back before a close finish Lachlan Mann retained the Crustry Cup trophy after dominating the racing series with Alistair Teagle in second and Michael Jansen in third place. If there was an award for seemingly having the most fun, it would have been won by Joel Catlett and his crew who appeared to be having a blast, although not featuring in the top section of the results. Not to worry, Joel. Next season?

T

HE 2017/18 Junior Sailing Season concluded with the usual fun, excitement and healthy competition.

The March long weekend camp, arguably the highlight for all, was held at Clayton Bay for the second year in a row. Many thanks to the Clayton Bay Boat Club that hosted us for the weekend and generously provided access to their ramp, marina and clubhouse. A large number of junior sailors and their families attended, staying at the adjoining caravan park. This year we also had a number of new families trying Junior Sailing for the first time and all seemed to have a great time. A highlight this year included the addition of the Junior Sailing Rat Island long race. The Clayton Bay Boat Club holds a Rat Island race and it only seemed fitting that the RSAYS Juniors

The Juniors’ camp involves much more than just sailing. It is a fantastic experience for former members, potential members, friends and family to visit and join in the fun. Mark the next camp on the March long weekend in your diary and come along. Juniors enjoy the camping, tube rides, games, swimming and sailing. I’d like to commend the way the Junior sailors conduct themselves. They look out for each other, race hard and most importantly, have heaps of fun.

After extremely strong winds preventing the running of the Grelka Cup last year, this year the race to the beach at North Haven was conducted in almost perfect conditions, as you can see from the photos. For the Sail Past on Presentation Day the Junior sailors handled themselves and their boats well, despite the breeze dropping out and making it a little challenging, just as they were sailing past the committee.

Thanks to our dedicated instructors, committee members, volunteers and families who make the Junior Sailing Program possible. Special thanks to Mitch Mead who, over the last 14 years, has progressed from a cheeky, enthusiastic Junior Sailing participant to coach, committee member and Juniors’ Chairperson. Mitch has led the Juniors Program with dedication and enthusiasm, and has the respect of the students and their parents for his commitment to training the next wave of sailors. Mitch is stepping aside from some of these commitments.

Hopefully some of the current Junior sailors will follow his example and pursue their own sailing ambitions. You never know, they may also soon be sailing in Sydney - Hobart races in the future! Mitch, sincere thanks from all involved for all your efforts over such a long period. It is worth mentioning that the exceptional trophies handed out this year were handcrafted by Mitch, a talented man.

The Squadron has a fleet of Pacers, Yachting Australia accredited coaches, sheltered waters, rescue boats, safety gear and many supporters so if you know any girls or boys aged 8 to 18 who would like to learn to sail, just get in contact with the Squadron Office. Then come along and try Junior Sailing!

Juniors Award Recipients Trophy Recipients Alistair Teagle - 1st Club Championship, 2nd Grelka Cup, 2nd Crusty Cup Nick Baker - 2nd Club Championship, 3rd Grelka Cup Joel Catlett - 1st Grelka Cup, 3rd Club Championship, 3rd Crusty Cup Lachlan Mann - 1st Crusty Cup Paris Jansen - Racing Encouragement Award Sienna Davis - Instructor Award

Juniors Camp - Crusty Cup winners

Certificate Recipients: Lachlan Mann Alistair Teagle Joel Catlett Nick Baker Paris Jansen Sienna Davis Michael Jansen Grelka Cup Race Page 18

SQ Winter 2018

Certificate presentation

Ashley Darwood

LOCAL SEAGRASS MAKES GOOD Catherine McMahon. Estuary Care Foundation

I

F seen as a soft green blur at the water’s edge, at low tide in the Port River, then our local seagrass Zostera may not be readily identifiable. Nor may its significance be apparent.

However, its appearance, perhaps reappearance, is a tangible sign of the healing of the River with benefits for fish, shorelines, water quality and us.

Seagrasses form a complex ecosystem which support a wide range of algae, sponges, invertebrates and fish. They are important breeding areas for fish and crustaceans. Some fish can be found in seagrasses throughout the year, while other fish remain in seagrass beds during certain life stages.

Seagrasses are very important in stabilising sediments in the River shorelines, maintaining water quality and mitigating the effects of wave action. Seagrasses also store carbon, and while the extent of carbon uptake isn’t as great for Zostera as for more deeply rooted seagrass, it’s another of the many benefits it brings.

While Zostera was understood to exist at the northern ends of the Port River and Barker Inlet, qualitative observations by Dr Jason Tanner, of the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) in early 2017 indicated that Zostera is returning to some areas along the south-western shore of Torrens Island. Informal monitoring in the Barker Inlet is revealing extensive healthy beds of Zostera.

Ted Wojthoniski (Defence Shed), Emma Daly (Team Coordinator) and Catherine McMahon (ECF) The Estuary Care Foundation has recruited a ten-person volunteer team to undertake a monitoring program for Zostera along the western side of Torrens Island and in the Barker Inlet. Kayak training, a briefing about seagrasses and a reconnoitre took place for the monitoring program in early May. To trial seagrass restoration, the Foundation has secured some small grants from Adelaide & Mt Lofty Natural Resources Management Board, the Coast Protection Board and City of Port Adelaide Enfield. In the trial, clean recycled bagged shell will be deployed with translocated seagrass, along the shoreline north of Snowden’s Beach, at Largs North on the Port River.

Zostera at channel edge near Mutton Cove Improving water quality of course is important to seagrass restoration and in the Port River it has been linked in part to the closure of the Penrice Soda Products site at Osborne in early 2014.

High levels of nutrients (ie nitrogen and phosphorus) promote the excessive growth of seaweeds and planktonic algae on the blades of seagrasses smothering them.

Our local seagrasses aren’t on an easy path to recovery because there are sources of pollution in the River including storm water, competition from the seaweed Caulerpa, more severe storms and stronger wave action. More recently, there are proposals for dredging both the Port River and Barker Inlet by Flinders Ports and Origin Energy Power.

Both Flinders Port and Origin have applied to the State Commission Assessment Panel for approval to dredge and neither has been finalised when this article was written. The EPA advises that when Flinders Ports previously dredged in 2005 and 2006, the turbidity from dredging contributed to the loss of about 1,600 hectares of seagrass. Alternative dredging proposals are being considered and the EPA indicates that it is seeking to reduce the predicted seagrass loss to less than 250 hectares for both summer and winter dredge scenarios.

The project will use bagged shell in a similar way to Ocean Watch in Sydney Harbour, guided by coastal engineering expertise from the Water Research Laboratory at the University of New South Wales.

Along a length of approximately 120-130 m, we anticipate there will be five to ten independent replicates of bagged shell, each consisting of multiple bags placed end-to-end over a distance of 3-5 m. These bags will provide a settlement substrate for natural shellfish recruitment, as well as forming a mini breakwater which will protect the area inshore from wave action, especially that produced by regular boat movements.

To ensure that they are regularly covered by water, the bags and the seagrasses need to be in the intertidal zone, so neither too close to the shore, nor in the channel. The trial is planned in two stages, to see how seasonal conditions affect shellfish colonisation of the bags and the seagrasses taking hold.

Look for the signs of the trial and the bags if you’re sailing at low tide later this year.

Given Zostera is showing some signs of recovery in the Port River, and dredging is proposed, it’s important to get some baseline data about the distribution and health of the Zostera. If the dredging does occur, what is the extent of the loss, does the Zostera recover and what time does that take?

The EPA advises that the seagrass loss will occur in areas of Zostera seagrass ‘which does tend to grow back rather than the original dredge proposal areas of impact, dominated by Posidonia seagrass, which do not tend to grow back’.

Bagged shell from Ocean Watch SQ Winter 2018

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BRINGING SENTIENT BACK

By Faye and Mike Harman

Highlights from our Brisbane to Adelaide delivery trip.

With the mainsail clew renewed, Refuge Bay in Cowan Creek

O

N 21 April this year, Mike and I berthed our new yacht in our Squadron marina

berth. We had done it! We were proud of ourselves and very happy to be home with the boat we loved. What’s more, we had cruised back with only the two of us.

We had taken 10 weeks to do so, three weeks longer than planned. This was partly due to weather, but also to our physical abilities. We found that we needed longer recovery times than anticipated, and that overnight sails were more strenuous and stressful now.

The highlights of our trip were the places we didn’t intend to visit – places we had rejected as being too industrial and dowdy, or too difficult to enter. But breakdowns and weather patterns necessitated changes.

The first of these was Newcastle. We had bypassed this industrial city on all of our previous trips, but we had torn the clew from our in-mast furling mainsail, and so we needed a sailmaker. The next place one was available was at the marina in Newcastle. We reluctantly left rural Port Stephens for the industrial city and its marina.

To our surprise and delight the Newcastle wharf precinct has been attractively modernised.

There are now tree-lined walkways and bikeways. The marina itself is secure, has many ‘learn to sail’ activities, a laundry, showers and toilets, and a restaurant where both the food and view are good and it is open every day. The bus stops at the front door, so shopping is easy by bus or even on foot. Coles, Anaconda, Dan Murphys, Macpac and pharmacies are nearby. Whitworths is a bit more of a bus adventure.

rocks and in some swell. Reprovisioning is difficult as the shopping centre is up a steep hill and fuel is not easily obtained from the wharf. Most yachties prefer to cart jerry cans from the garage at the top of the hill. The town water at the wharf is said to be potable but is unfortunately tan-coloured, and the chandlery was limited and expensive.

East Boyd Bay is the recommended anchorage. It has a long white beach, clean water, and is overlooked by a prestigious remote resort, a Navy wharf, a gigantic woodchip pile and a woodchip loading wharf. It is, however, exposed to northerly winds and easterly swells – both of which we experienced while there.

Altogether, Newcastle exceeded our expectations in every way, except for the main reason for calling in. Our mainsail could not be unfurled to re-stitch the clew. As a marina berth was only available to us for three nights, Michael was instructed on how to re-sew by hand and was sold the materials needed to fix it.

He did this successfully at Refuge Bay in Cowan Creek: an anchorage that was just as beautiful, well protected and as easily accessed as we remembered, despite the fact that it is so close to Sydney and the madding crowds.

Weather conditions were ideal when we left and we sailed non-stop to Eden. This took two nights at sea, but we were confident that, once in Eden, we could rest and relax. Not so!

Snug Cove, the town anchorage, was full of private moorings and access to one of the wharves was unavailable due to construction work. Visiting yachts have very restricted anchoring/mooring options.

We anchored uncomfortably at the edge of the bay, close to the Page 20

SQ Winter 2018

Marina at Lakes Entrance

Luckily, in East Boyd Bay we met Twilight Express, an ex-Squadron boat. The new owners had extensively refitted her in Paynesville, Lakes Entrance, and highly recommended it as a cruising destination.

Talking with them allayed most of our concerns about the notorious bar entrance. Gippsland Ports has an accessible and informative website dedicated to the waterways and marine facilities. This includes two real-time videos of the bar from different locations.

Armed with all this, plus the knowledge that our alternator was no longer charging our house battery, a stopover at Lakes Entrance became very attractive. It was our next highlight.

The bar crossing was easily made, the leads were clear, and we were lucky to find a marina berth in Cunninghams Channel. It was private, secure, had power and water, and was a short walk to Woolies, BWS, etc. The owner recommended an excellent marine electrician so that, having arrived on Saturday, by Monday we had an alternator that charged both sets of batteries. We could now confidently continue. However the lure of security, after the stress of storms at Eden, a night at sea, and the dodgy alternator, was too tempting, so we let the next weather window pass while we shopped for warm clothes and bedding. The days were getting shorter and colder, and we had intended to be home by now. We also reprovisioned at a leisurely pace and visited the laundromat, second-hand book shops, bought books, DVDs and puzzles, and fresh hot chips from the local takeaway (these had replaced icecream in our fantasies as the temperature cooled).

As the weather was still unfavourable, we began exploring the lakes. We spent a relaxing Easter at Duck Arm, an inlet near Paynesville. We read in sunshine in the cockpit, explored the waterways, watched waterbirds through binoculars and generally enjoyed the pleasure of being on our boat in an anchorage free from waves. We remembered, as you do, before setting off in the dinghy, to check on the Victorian rules and Regulations to ensure we were compliant (Life Jackets? Torch? Anchor? Paddles? etc).

We also began planning for a longer term stay by investigating a berth at the Council marina in Paynesville and land trips home. The Tuesday after Easter we planned to visit the marina and make a

final decision on the berth. Like all such plans, this changed when we checked the latest weather forecast. It was ideal for travelling further west long enough for us to reach Portland. We couldn’t pass the opportunity. So we motored past the marina we had been allocated and on towards Cunninghams Inlet and the bar.

As you can see from our map, we continued on to Refuge Cove on Wilsons Promontory, then Apollo Bay, Portland and home. That part of our story will be told at a later date.

Home at RSAYS SQ Winter 2018

Page 21

OUR BOAT - HUKUNA MATATA Our short and longer-term cruising ambitions are varied and continue to be quite fluid. We have been inspired by John Willoughby with his volunteer medical work in the South Pacific. We may sail HM up to the islands to either support John and his team, or do our own professional work in the Pacific.

As both Pete and I are originally from New Zealand, we remain ambivalent as to where we want to spend our future years. With friends and family in New Zealand and all those beautiful cruising opportunities, we are planning to eventually base HM in NZ.

Hukuna Matata - Our Retirement Dream

By Peter and Fiona Hawker

But before we head too far afield – or offshore, we are being tempted with accounts of the special cruising around the islands off the west coast in South Australia, and then of course around and up the east coast and to Queensland again – maybe a New Years in Sydney. We are very fortunate to have the opportunity and the support of an amazing group of talented trades people and sailors, who are helping us realise this adventurous, albeit expensive, dream.

Peter:

Fiona:

P

ETE has been dreaming of living on a cruising catamaran for most of our married life and I have always been resistive. When we moved to North Haven in 2008 and I remained hesitant about my commitment to sailing, he consequently opted for a racing trimaran (initially Hawkeye and later Carbon Credit). Then as time progressed and I enjoyed being on the water – relaxing with good company that is, his cruising dream became potentially closer and he spent hours, months and years even, scouring the internet for possibilities. When he saw Hukuna Matata (HM), a larger motor sailing catamaran, it ticked all the boxes and as its price dropped we decided to take a look.

Our trip to Sanctuary Cove, where she was berthed, fitted in well with a planned visit with friends, sailing with them on their 50ft Schionning cat, in early August 2017. Following inspection and sea trials of Hukuna Matata, we set sail with our friends up the coast for an idyllic 10 days. That was when I finally relented and agreed to this major life changing purchase.

Hukuna Matata is one of three Crowther 582 Grande catamarans (Crowther design #294 for Catana Catamarans) built in Fremantle by Bakercraft. There is some confusion of when she was launched. It may have been in 1998 or in 2000 as she was advertised in 2016-17. She reportedly had been sailed several times between Perth and Cairns, before being sold to a talented but disenchanted American NBA player, Bison Dele, who in 1999 walked away from a multimillion dollar contract with the Detroit Pistons. Instead he decided to visit the Australian outback, learn to sail and then cruise the Pacific. However he, his girlfriend and their French captain disappeared in early September 2002 and have never been found, presumed murdered by his older brother somewhere between Tahiti and Hawaii. HM was found in late September 2002 under a false name in Tahiti. Apparently his brother later confessed to his girlfriend - he suicided with an insulin overdose soon after.

W

E wisely decided on obtaining the services of a professional mariner, Mark Feilberg, to skipper the delivery of HM to SA in November 2017. We added another professional sailor as engineer and two of our sailing friends from SA as well as me made up the crew. It was just as well I opted for an experienced, professional skipper for it was quickly discovered that, despite attempting due diligence prior to our purchase, we were to experience significant mechanical challenges on the trip.

We had undertaken the mandatory sea trial and this turned up a few issues that needed prompt attention. The bank of house batteries and the four conventional starter batteries were all replaced before leaving the berth. A near shipboard fire

HM resurfaced, was listed for sale in New Zealand in early 2004 and was eventually purchased in 2005 by Peter Gow (former president of the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and father of Elle McPherson), who apparently undertook a lot of work on Hukuna Matata in NZ, before sailing her in NZ waters and into the South Pacific. However for many years she had been berthed outside his apartment in Sydney. Judging by the built-in racks for champagne glasses and the extensive stereo and audio-visual equipment, for much of her life HM has been largely a party boat!

So after an early and eventful life, with multiple celebrity connections, HM has come to more modest ownership here for a time in SA, currently berthed at the Crown Marina where her refit continues.

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SQ Winter 2018

Peter Boyd, Tim Ninnes, Peter Hawker, Peter Buckley, Mark Feilberg

Since her arrival in SA, we have retained Mark’s services, as it quickly became evident that there was a lot to learn about this gracious 20 year old boat and that a significant refit would be necessary. He has been living on board while he has been working with us, overseeing and coordinating various works while we postpone retirement for now and continue to work to help meet the inherent costs.

Hukuna Matata moored on the north bank maintenance berth RSAYS was avoided by the barest margin when a portable starter battery, which was being recharged in the galley, started smoking. We were heading off for a meal on the marina when a wisp of smoke was observed, prompting immediate action – the charger was hastily lashed to a line and was drowned just as it burst into flames, continuing to boil the surrounding water for several minutes. If our timing had been 10 seconds later, we would have had a major catastrophe on our hands.

We departed Sanctuary cove with expectations of a six - seven day ETA. Much of the trip down the upper east coast was in light conditions, unsuitable for sailing and there was a surprising lack of shipping activity.

A short stop into Sydney was needed to top up the water tanks and we took the opportunity to also top up the fuel tanks.

Water was to cause us significant angst through the middle of the trip when we began to have issues with the starboard engine and generator. As the previous owner had generously filled up the fuel tanks as a parting gift, the problem didn’t manifest until we began to use fuel from the middle tank. This tank was heavily contaminated with water and some solids and necessitated frequent replacement

of the filters. We ended up spending several hours draining fuel out of that tank into the bilge to then transferring it into plastic containers. We have no doubt that someone, prior to our purchase of HM, had accidentally put a water hose into the mid tank fuel inlet.

By this stage our problems were compounded by the loss of function of the port engine. We had turned it off to tighten fan belts, but were then unable to restart her. It was an electrical issue that we were unable to rectify at sea.

We were able to decontaminate the residual fuel at Blairgowrie Yacht Club and sort out the port engine. During another maintenance stop to tension fanbelts, the fuel feed on the port engine was accidentally fractured away so we were back to a single engine. However at sub 2200 revs we were still able to average 8.5 kts.

We were blessed with very fair weather over our entire 11 day voyage and only fully sailed HM below Eden in a 25 kts breeze and following sea.

Many thanks to Tim Ninnes, Pete Boyd and the professional skills of Pete Buckley (Bucko) and skipper Mark Feilberg.

• The engines have now been brought up to scratch through the services of Brendon of Webb Marine and testing has confirmed the 1870 HP Yanmar engines are in excellent running order.

• Andy Shipp (Shipptek) is installing a new electronics package throughout, including new radar and HF radio, a challenging task in light of the voluminous wiring that pre-existed. We have so far removed two wheelbarrow loads of superfluous wires, and I suspect another will follow as we reconfigure the helm station and new engine looms are added.

• Peter Harwood of TFA solar is managing the transition to a new Lithium battery and inverter set up and establishing proper integration of the existing 625 KW of solar panels.

• Gerry Valk (Crosshair) has CAD/CAM designed and manufactured all our new display modules and consoles.

• Mark Johns has overseen the 240 volt modifications and galvanic protection upgrades. As HM had been owned by a US citizen, she possessed a 110-220 transformer and she had 36 x 240v power points, all of which have been replaced promptly as they were noncompliant. Much of the other wiring through HM that had been added over the years is best described as rudimentary and potentially hazardous.

• Darren Gow has replaced clears, and manufactured new window covers and assisted with upholstery needs.

Still to come • HM is currently slipped at MG engineering for rudder and prop bearings, replacement of some through the hull fittings, and new antifoul.

• Although the standing rigging is new, we are going to modify some of the running rigging to facilitate management from the all weather helm station.

• Recommission the desalinator that is currently pickled but seems in good order.

• Ultimately we need to renew the very tired and inefficient, heavy mainsail.

So a work in progress, and the afore mentioned team that is working diligently to rejuvenate our new home are to be thanked for their professionalism and quality of their skills, and for educating me along the way!

Hukuna Matata in the Port River near the fuel berth SQ Winter 2018

Page 23

Presentat Season 20

tion Night 017 - 2018

MEMBER ADVISORY PANEL

By Ken Case, MAP Chair Our panel is simply a group of members who are passionate about supporting membership growth in numbers and engagement. We meet monthly to review and evaluate all ideas from all members that are put to us for consideration. Your thoughts and constructive ideas are warmly welcomed and appreciated.

At our meetings we attempt to mix longterm strategic planning with advising on interim measures designed to keep us moving forward.

A

WARM welcome to all the new members who have joined us at the Squadron recently. It’s great to have you on board! We wish you many happy times sailing and enjoying the camaraderie that is a hallmark of the Squadron.

As an example, Australian Sailing has recently eliminated a clause allowing discretion in recording crew names in club races. This is, in part, as a result of a Coroner’s inquest in WA where two deaths occurred in a club race, where one person was not a member. Many clubs are introducing a Day Pass to overcome this.

We have coupled this issue with comments from members about different membership categories evident in clubs around Australia.

A discussion paper is currently being prepared for consideration.

So far, there has been plenty of consideration given to what’s needed to build the Squadron. National Volunteer Week and the many recent events, from the Portobello dinner to ANZAC Day, Mark Sinclair setting off to take part in the Golden Globe re-enactment, our members racing interstate, Presentation Nights, Mothers’ Day lunch and the Cancer Council Biggest Morning Tea all remind us that our members are our greatest asset, and our ambassadors. We will continue to develop an environment where members want to talk about the opportunities provided by being a part of the most prestigious Yacht Club in South Australia.

We are committed to building a sense of community in the Squadron, and looking to other members to support these efforts.

We all have a responsibility to promote the Squadron and to contribute to our growth. Sometimes it can be as simple as telling others how we enjoy our Club, and suggesting they come along and see for themselves how great we are!

Welcome to New Members Family

David Blake (Misa) Alison Blake Simon Shepherd (Splashdance) Susan Shepherd Daniel Shepherd Jeremy Shepherd Susan Teagle (Delinquent)

Senior

Nigel Cooper Mark Lee (Moby) Mark Maitland Michelle Provatidis (Amari) Adrian Winsor (Therapy)

Associate

Andrew McMahon

Crew

Stephen Bone Craig Brownlie Mary Carr Kathryn Crisell Paul Dixon Adrienne Lea Sandra Shoesmith Steve Smyth Wally White Amanda Wilsch

Junior

Marcus Ottaway Martha Ottaway

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International Communication Systems

NEW MEMBER PROFILES Why we joined the Squadron

By Peter Wickham and Peter Tamblyn

Long-time friends Peter Wickham and Peter Tamblyn are two retired surgeons who attended Adelaide Medical School in the same year. Between them these newly-joined RSAYS members have 17 grandchildren. They say this is the main reason they bought their boat Tardis and ultimately decided to join our Club. What’s the connection between having a large family and becoming Squadron members? Peter Wickham explains.

It was possibly as bad for the three crew below, who were being tossed everywhere with the hatches closed. The beacon light was seen before dawn in calmer conditions and we made it to Bimini Island around midday. The next two weeks of cruising were absolute bliss.

When living in Whyalla from 1979 to 1984, I had a similar size keelboat called Selika which had been built in Port Lincoln.

She sailed in many Tripoli races and won line honors in two Jacks Classics, the midwinter race from Port Augusta to the ‘Steel City’ of Whyalla.

Peter Wickham at the helm with Peter Tamblyn sitting at the stern of Tardis

I

HAVE six grandchildren and my co-

owner Pete Tamblyn has eleven. My wife and I have had difficulty getting a spot to sleep in our beach house at Normanville during recent festive seasons when all the family gathers.

When I obtained a quote for an extra bedroom to be built the cost was exorbitant. The idea gradually emerged that a yacht moored at Wirrina was a better idea for increased sleeping accommodation rather than spending more on our beach house. My long-time bike riding buddy, Peter Tamblyn, told me that he had always wanted a bigger yacht and that we might do better combining and beginning another adventure!

kind proposers over a lunch in the Dining Room, we joined the Club and arranged a mooring for Tardis.

I learned the basics of sailing in 1974 on the Great Lakes in Canada. The learning curve became much steeper after four of us left Miami heading for the Bahamas at the end of the year on my first day of blue water sailing. An electrical storm began as night approached and our 30 ft long C&C headed into the infamous Bermuda Triangle. The next nine hours were terrifying, with me lashed onto the yacht holding the tiller.

We have discovered that Tardis requires a different skill-set from smaller yachts.

Mooring in wind is a particular challenge, but we continue to improve. A couple of weeks learning to handle our new purchase proved useful as we gathered our geriatric, rather than experienced, crew for the passage to Port Adelaide. The trip was a great adventure, and we made good decisions on when to go and when to wait a few days for better weather. The effects of cyclone Debbie subsided and the GPS plotter made navigation easy compared with earlier times with a map and compass.

We arrived at RSAYS just over 12 months ago and have been welcomed by all members that we have encountered. Our particular thanks go to the many who have advised us on the art of yacht maintenance.

After trawling through the online adverts, it seemed that many more boats were on offer in New South Wales and Queensland.

After looking at more than a dozen yachts in Sydney and the Pittwater we found Tardis, a beautiful 2006 Bavaria 46 with plenty of space and sleeping accommodation. The survey was OK but rudder bearing replacement was recommended. The deal was soon done and we decided to sail home.

We made the decision to join the RSAYS after we pedaled our bikes into the Club on a Saturday to look around and, despite being decked out in our lycra, we were made most welcome. After finding some How do we get to Adelaide?

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PORT VICTORIA MEMORIES The next moment, our family and hers were being ferried out to the Passat, to stand in awe on decks beneath the towering masts and spars, to sniff the salty ‘romance‘ ... and to sniff the abominable odours emanating from the galleys and bilges below. Wonderful. Or even awesome, as young dudes would put it today. My father and his faithful Box Brownie camera were there to record it all.

Box Brownie photo of the Passat at anchor off Port Victoria.

Memories of Port Victoria and ships long-gone ...

By Roger Holden

B

ACK in those post-war years after they had helped to put Hitler and Hirohito

to the sword, real Australian men still had cobbers and mates. Yep, real dinkidi cobbers and mates. Not a pal, dude‚ or buddy‚ in sight.

And so it was in the late 1940s my parents would round up Dad’s wartime cobber Uncle, Bert and his family and whisk us off in the Vanguard to various parts of South Australia for our holidays. We went to Robe before the ‘trendies‘ placed extreme dollar values on its quaintness and history. We travelled to Coffin Bay before the half-cabin crowds netted the whiting and garfish almost to extinction along the immediate foreshore. We discovered Corny Point where shacks discreetly dotted the sand hills before the look-at-me crowd sent in the builders. We marvelled at Port Victoria, where the windjammers lined up offshore to race informally to Europe with fortunes of grain bulging in their bellies while acres of canvas billowed above ...

Aaah, Port Victoria! Marion and I and Marionette IV almost sailed into there this summer past. Almost. A very gutsy and gusty westerly change the day we left Wallaroo made Wardang Island a much more acceptable place to be for a couple of days while the wind and waves lathered the town beaches to leeward of us.

As a family, we went to Port Victoria with Bert and co in 1949. The four-masted barque Passat (115 m) was anchored well out where Wardang provided some sort of protection.

So too was the barque Pamir, not a sister ship in the true sense of the word, but one of a family of several very similar German steel Flying P-liners that dominated the wheat trade from Australia. Ketches busied back and forth from the town jetty carrying the grain to fill and feed the enormous holds and then on to feed the people of Europe. For an eight-yearold, this was sheer magic.

I can’t remember Bert’s wife’s name but I do remember she was a short, rounded, curlyheaded dynamo with a blunt, up-front attitude. “Do you realise these children will probably never have the chance to see one of these sailing ships again?” my Aunt told this sailor fellow she’d shirt-fronted on the jetty. “What are you going to do about it?”

A couple of days later, we watched from the shore as the Pamir set sail for Europe. Shortly after, on 1 June 1949, the Passat headed out after her, the last sailing grain windjammer to leave Australia’s shores. The grain-runs were over and so too were Port Victoria’s days as a worldwide port of any distinction.

Passat overtook Pamir somewhere on the way to Cape Horn, thus leaving Pamir as the last commercial windjammer to round the Cape. The days of international merchant sail trade were all but over.

In 1957, the Pamir was caught in the tail end of a hurricane off the Azores in the Atlantic and went down with its complement of 86, including 52 young German naval cadets. There were just six survivors, two of them cadets. It was a story that saddened the world and certainly resonated here in South Australia where her past and ours were so entwined. The Passat was caught in the same storm but survived.

She was restored and established as a wonderful floating maritime museum in Lubeck, Germany. One day, I must go there to see her. One day ...

FOOTNOTE: My Aunt‚ was partly wrong. As it turned out, I have since seen many wonderful Tall Ships around the world, and was lucky enough to sail from Adelaide to Melbourne aboard the Polish sail training ship Dar Mlodziezy (Gift of Youth) for the Bi-centennial celebrations in 1989. I have witnessed their magnificence at anchor in Southhampton Water in the UK, ghostly silhouettes in the dawn fog with all yards manned in salute after their North Sea race.

When I first went to work in the UK in 1965, a friend took me to a pub on Stanmore Hill.

There in the foyer I was entranced to find a glorious painting of the Passat running under full sail. A few days later I mentioned this to a barman I knew near work on Fleet Street.

“That’s an interesting coincidence,” he said. “I never saw her myself, but my older brother was a crew aboard the Passat and was almost certainly aboard her on her final (grain) run ...”

Passat as a museum today in Lubeck, Germany.

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View from the deck of Passat.

BUYING A BOAT OVERSEAS Buying a Yacht Overseas – It’s never easy!

By Jeanne and Colin Harrison

H

AVING just purchased our fourth yacht overseas, we can only confess that it is never as easy as it seems. Hopefully we can share some helpful tips for others who might be thinking about this exercise.

Foremost in consideration is the purpose for the purchase. We have always purchased sailing vessels in order to enjoy cruising for a few years overseas, then cruised back to Australia where we could sell the yacht.

Others might consider cruising overseas and selling the boat there, or cruising for a few years and shipping the boat back.

We have looked for sailing vessels with trade-wind ocean-going capabilities, which have been lightly used, are easy to sail twohanded, have comforts for cruising, and ultimately have resale potential in Australia.

Therefore we have chosen: a 38’ Catalina (USA), a 40’ Catalina (USA), a 42’ Bavaria (St Lucia), and a 40’ Jeanneau (Wales).

We have often joked that we like to find a yacht ‘up a fast flowing river and beyond a bridge’ as they have rarely been taken out of the marina berth by previous owners.

Our new boat is located in fresh water inside a locked marina within locked Cardiff Harbour and has only 615 engine hours.

liens on the boat, we were ‘held hostage’

by Customs authorities in St Lucia because the seller had signed a Customs Declaration that the yacht would not be ‘offered for sale, or sold’ while in St Lucia. It took a lot of persuasion and cool-headed negotiations to free us from the country and to not have our yacht confiscated.

With any overseas purchase, the exchange rates are a major consideration. Our first two yachts were purchased when the AUS/ US rate was very favourable. In fact, we were told that the exchange rate quoted by the bank was only good for 20 minutes!

With a sense of urgency we shot the full purchase price to the US about a week before settlement, only to then learn that the broker had gone into liquidation.

There was a strange shadow of silence on the long flight from Adelaide to Boston.

Fortunately, the funds were held in trust, so all was right with the world.

In our recent purchase we used one of the on-line non-bank money exchange facilities (Transferwise) and found a more favourable rate than banks could offer, plus a quicker transfer to the UK. We then also used this service to pay the surveyor and rigger.

Unfortunately contract problems can happen anywhere. Even when we purchased an Australian registered yacht through a reliable Australian broker with a statutory declaration that there were no

This introduces the issue of surveys, repairs and provisioning. We have been fortunate on three occasions to find yachts near to where we had personal contacts. This greatly expedited our efforts at sourcing materials and provisions. Until we asked a friend to look at our second Catalina, we were unaware that the yacht was less than 50 m from where we had bought the first Catalina. Great! We knew where to find everything plus the Yacht Club staff and several members knew us, which made everything all that much easier. The Yacht Club also included a full service boat yard which allowed owners to work on their yachts.

New Address II a Catalina 38

Manali a Bavaria 42

We prefer to deal with reputable brokers who speak English, in countries where contractual obligations are similar to Australia, and where we clearly understand what is included in the sale. Once when looking at yachts in Italy, we found a myriad of contingencies to the contract with nebulous ownership and transferable charter commitments and liens. Back we went to English contracts.

Negotiating the paperwork for Australian Ship Registration can take months.

Technically, the yacht cannot be moved until the registration is completed. This is a headache, as both the US and UK can take 4-6 weeks just to delist the yacht. In the US we hired a customs broker and it still took three weeks. In the UK the Ship Registry Office sent the Delisting Certificate to a previous address of the sellers, meaning that the paperwork was lost in the post for weeks. We have always applied and paid for the Australian Registration shortly after purchase, which has locked in the boat name and added ‘pending’ to the official Ships Register List until the Delisting Certificate has been provided.

The Australian Customs Service now requires that an authorized Customs Agent clear imported yachts into Australia and arrange for payment of GST and Duty might not be payable if the yacht is 100% made in a country with a trade agreement (proof might be required). But if Duty is payable, then GST is added onto that as well. GST is determined to be 10% of the purchase price plus delivery expenses (a nebulous term) if the yacht ownership is less than 12 months. Duty is another 5%. When we have owned the yacht for more than twelve months, we have been required to have it valued by an approved Customs valuer to determine the 10% GST and 5% Duty.

Australian standards for gas and electricity will also have to be met. Different states may have different gas compliance requirements. We found that New South Wales would not recognise the Queensland Compliance Certificate.

There is no limit to the research, enquiries and planning which one might undertake before an overseas yacht purchase.

Just expect that there will be a ‘gotcha’ somewhere due to circumstances outside of your control. It’s never easy!

Dakota a Jeanneau 40 SQ Winter 2018

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SUMMER CRUISING IN TASSIE Cruising Freycinet and Tasman Peninsulas

By Di Moncrieff

Di and Ian Moncrieff cruise Pied Piper 11 in south eastern Tasmania each summer and autumn. They chose moderate March to sail the Tasman and Freycinet Peninsulas. Di encourages you to read on and plan for a sojourn south to these charming cruising grounds.

Nord, (so named by the French), became Frederick Henry Bay. Tasman’s Frederick Henry Bay, for a reason one could only speculate upon, was renamed Blackman Bay. A century or so later Governor Denison had a convenient canal dug to connect the two. This has saved many a lengthy, hairy sail around Tasman Island, Cape Raoul, et al.

We were left to ponder the French, Dutch, English and occasional Aboriginal names that scatter the area.

Short cut via Denison Canal

The author, Di Moncrieff

C

RUISING in south east Tasmania took a different twist last summer.

Sailing in company with three other cruisers, we spent a month north of the Derwent Estuary. If the area interests you, open your device of choice, fire up Navionics and have a look!

We left the D’Entrecasteux Channel and headed east across Storm Bay into Frederick Henry Bay. Abel Tasman named a bay after this Prince of Orange in the mid 1600s.

But apparently not the bay we were approaching, but rather a one little to the north, across a small isthmus now cut by the Denison Canal. Navigation not being what it is today, and there being a lot of bays around, chaps like Furneaux and later Matt Flinders got muddled as to which bay was which. Great store was put in Matt’s maps and everyone believed him. So the Baie du

Later that day our little fleet sailed into Norfolk Bay and a beaut anchorage in King George Sound to await a slack water high tide to transit Denison Canal on the morrow. That worked well, and after entering Blackman Bay we gathered for Sundowners in the anchorage just north of the Canal. Unexpected wind change!

Reverse! Not one to sail to windward, the fleet retransited the Canal in the morning.

Narry a comment or raised eyebrow from the polite lockmaster as he stopped the morning commuters on the Tasman Highway and turned the bridge 90° to allow the fleet to return south. He understood.

We needed the tide and wind. Neither harried mothers on school runs nor city office workers had to negotiate via tide and shallows! Not a complaining ‘toot’ from the Highway. Civility indeed.

Thus our destiny was set. The fleet would circle the Tasman Peninsula anticlockwise.

First stop, Eaglehawk Neck and the dogs.

This was the second of four isthmuses we were to visit. The Neck is a narrow piece of land created by a long skinny bay, perfect for digging the pick into about 5 m over sand. Fierce dogs deterred convicts escaping from the former penal hell of Port Arthur.

We visited old guards’ buildings (real), snarling mastiffs (bronze) and the glorious surf beach of Pirates Bay on the other side (real); horror and beauty.

The skipper, Ian Moncrieff More circling next day. (Now you really do have to consult the chart). Port Arthur is a three quarter circle of about 25nm circumference away from Nubeena. Sail south west, south east, north east and then north to the delightful Stewart Bay barely a mile on from the former convict penitentiary in Mason Cove. The coastline was spectacular. Headlands and gulches puckered the cliffs deeply. Sculpted and piled stones formed ‘organ pipes’ to tower above us as we approached and rounded the wondrous Cape Raoul. The wind was moderate but ever so calming to enter the protection of the passage into Port Arthur, and bliss to drop anchor in flat water.

Not in the mood to revisit cruelty and death, the flotilla’s crews dawdled around the bay and gathered for fish and chips at the Port Arthur general store.

Circular sailing

Tasman Highway traffic stops to allow the little cruising fleet to transit Denison Canal.

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We sailed the best part of a circle the next day, northish, westish, south and finally east to slip past the fish farms that line the passage into Nubeena. This all weather anchorage and it’s tiny village offered flat water and rain. Progress was made with reading, boat jobs and knitting.

Pied Piper 11 leaves Port Arthur for Tasman Island

A lively southerly enticed us to go north to Schouten Island about 25 nm north of Maria. We were to pass convict settlements and this day was no different. Firstly a row of brick isolation cells on a barren hill, then the remains of the Darlington settlement with well constructed and maintained stone buildings, brick works and so on. Ah, oncebrutal Tasmania.

Schouten and Freycinet Anchorages

The cruise fleet anchored in a gem of an anchorage, Fortescue Bay. As left over chips got cold, discussion turned to ‘through or around’? Having never been through the gap between Tasman Island and Cape Pillar, my skipper had reservations. Me too. But going around Tasman would be no joke either, shorthanded and creaky of bone as we are. Weather and sea predictions were favourable enough, and our mates had been through before. They certainly were taking the short cut and so we decided to follow, as did the others.

lower unable to support the upper? Imagine a giant, at the entrance to Fortescue Bay. She was a very big giant playing that same game but with red hot lava that makes big, knobbly towers shaped like your little sand ones. She dribbled many knobbly towers, that giant. Some high, some lower. Several are spectacular, stand alone peaks. Others are in series. The lava turned to stone, and now water almost surrounds the citadel. She named them The Lanterns.

Out in the open sea, heading towards the gap, the wind built and faded, built and faded, but it was the swell that tossed Pied Piper 11 around, bouncing back off the cliffs as we got nearer the gap. The depth very quickly went from 40 m to under 10 m.

I would have been happy to stay tucked in behind the wreck for days, but the fleet was moving on to Maria Island. We would almost complete a circumnavigation of the Tasman Peninsula that day as we poked our bow into North Bay where a carpenter of Abel Tasman’s had swum ashore to plant the Dutch flag nearly four centuries before. Swells into North Bay prevented us from launching a dinghy and going ashore too. We peered through shrubbery with the binoculars to see the little monument marking his 1642 visit. No luck, so we peeled off north to anchor in Chinamans Bay in the lee of Maria Island. We had warm, dry and balmy days and slow, colourful, sunsets. Breezes were moderate.

Seas were flat with a shallow swimming beach where we anchored and a surf beach across the isthmus dunes. Our third isthmus.

Ah, beautiful Tasmania.

Through the Tasman gap As we approached the Cape Pillar /Tasman Island gap, friends ahead warned of wind eddies ‘inside’. Wary of the potential for short-handed sail changes in the gap, we dropped sail and motored through.

It was pretty blooming exciting I can tell you. Very jiggly, but with cliffs towering within 50m either side, confused water rising and falling with the swell and huge roars all around, it was awesome. Those hardy experienced readers who have done it many times before, even raced through, may be yawning with my little story by now.

But for me it was a thrill, for the skipper too I think. One, to do it. Two, to know that we can still be thrilled by a little adventure.

In another hour, with reduced wind but not seas, we were approaching a destination I have lusted for during nine seasons.

Fortescue Bay anchorage is tucked away behind a wreck, in excellent protection.

Ringed with Tassie rainforest, with only a bush walking track circling the bay, it is very beautiful. We stayed for two nights and I was happy, very happy; to be there, to be a sailor, to have my loyal skipper, to be alive.

Did you ever, as a kid, dribble wet beach sand vertically to make knobbly towers, no two shapes the same, until they tumbled, the

On to Maria Island

Staying clear of a field of cray pots and their boats, we rounded the north shore of the island to a passage of the same name. Moreys Bay gave us another perfect anchorage.

Schouten Passage is well known by small boat seafarers here, for one side protects from south winds, and the other from the north.

There has been many a quick skip across the passage with a wind change.

We explored the beach, creek and rocks, sand scrubbed the ship’s BBQ ashore, and eye balled our mates as they scaled the steep granite bluff overlooking the bay. We met some young rock climbing sailors who were heading north for a warm winter.

Their Tassie-built old timber H28, engineless and headless, was in good nick and their enthusiasm and confidence was a joy to see. A couple of days later we sailed north to the fourth and final isthmus at the base of Mt Freycinet and The Hazards on Freycinet Peninsula.

Anchoring in the gradual, sand slope of Promise Bay it was an easy walk to Wineglass Bay on the other side. I walked in the early morning before the bush had been disturbed by day trippers arriving by tinnie from Coles Bay. It was magical to be in the still bush alone with just the birds, active, calling and going about their morning rituals.

By the time I reached the sweep of pristine sand at Wineglass Bay, mooney young lovers were emerging from bush camps and a little later families with kids arrived, all full of joy and surprise at the black dolphin display in the sparkling shallows.

The feed must have been plentiful for the dolphins stayed a long time and were very active. The hard sand gradually filled with footprints as the magic of early morning matured into a warm settled day. Only early risers got the special nature treats.

Promise Bay was the furthest north we went, though a couple of the fleet did an afternoon sortie into popular Coles Bay, beating to get back and bemoaning the clog of moorings off the settlement.After being away a month, the fleet returned south and transited Denison Canal for the third time. Fleet vessels crossed Storm Bay then scattered to their various home destinations. We headed Pied Piper 11 for the Huon River.

Pied Piper 11 approaches Cape Raoul on the Tasman Peninsula with Tasman Island and Cape Pillar in the distance. A day’s anchorage in Port Arthur lies in between.

Don’t hesitate if you’ve not sailed Tassie.

Plan a passage now to get down there. It is a cruiser’s treasure.

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SENIOR MEMBER - JOHN DENIET This is the next in a series of articles by Barry Allison which records some of the experiences and adventures of our many prominent Senior Members of the Squadron – this time we review John Deniet, who joined the Squadron on 25 June 1986 and has had many wide experiences not only in yachting, but also in the building of many fine yachts.

John Deniet

J

OHN was born in the coastal town

of Scheveningen in Holland and became very familiar with the inland lakes and canals on small fishing boats in his early teen years. He began to learn the fishing skills with his cousin on the North Sea, catching herring and shrimps with gill nets. He was born into a family of four generations of fishermen and merchant sailors, although John’s grandfather was an exception in being employed on the Holland/America line of merchant ships. It is common knowledge that John has never been a smoker, and this is attributed to his early years on the fishing boats, where as part of the crew he had to roll and light up cigarettes for the experienced crew who were too busy gutting and filleting the fresh catch of fish. After the tough times in Europe following the Second World War, the Deniet family decided to emigrate to Australia in 1958 and settled in Adelaide. John undertook studies in the construction industry and later formed his own building company, John Deniet—General Builder and Building Consultant.

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John’s love of the sea continued in Adelaide and it was not long before he purchased a Gwen 12 dinghy which he sailed on the Patawalonga. Later in the 1970s he bought an Arafura Cadet catamaran and sailed her off the Brighton and Seacliff beaches.

John and Pam married in 1967 and John began to work seven days a week over the next many years to raise their family and to plan for the next boat. At this time Wayne Rosenweig, who worked at Bill Porter’s boat yard on the Port Inner Basin, had just launched his new boat Exodus, and John crewed with Wayne for the next seven years.

He joined the Port Adelaide Sailing Club in 1973 and continued to sail with Wayne on many Gulf races and cruises to Kangaroo Island. At this time, John had become interested in building his first boat and set his sights on a Peter Dowding Sparta design – a 30 foot hard-chined plywood boat. She was built at North Brighton and launched in 1977 at No 1 Dock at Port Adelaide and christened Aquarius. Because of her lightweight construction, John could only mount a lightweight English 12 hp Dolphin petrol engine, which was more than adequate over the next nine years. These years provided plenty of sailing experience for their growing children, Scott and Anne, and provided valuable knowledge in their later years.

John’s next boat was a Lexcen 9.6 which was also built at North Brighton over three years and launched at Blue Sky Marine in 1986 and christened Maybe. She competed

Maybe

in many Gulf races, including an Adelaide to Port Lincoln race, and in many cruising and fishing adventures. His crew in those days included his brother Jerry Deniet, Greg Pickford and Neil Dell. Over many voyages it was decided that a yacht with more room down below would be a bonus, and so the New Zealand designed Whiting 11 was chosen – mainly attributed to a West Australian company which was making the Whiting 11 moulds and had just become bankrupt. John was instrumental in purchasing the moulds with Neil Dell and Graham Morris and these were transported from a paddock in Port Arlington, near Geelong, where the hull and deck moulds had been lying for a number of years.

Once the moulds had been transported to Adelaide, they were set up at Beswick’s yard on the Port River and polished.

Meanwhile, John decided to improve his skills in fibre-glassing and laminating, and took on a course at the Marleston TAFE with Ray Cauchi as his lecturer. Three hulls and decks came out of the mould, with one complete hull being transported back to John and Pam’s home at Warradale where John spent the next four years fitting out the hull to become It’s Magic. Over the next 12 years she was raced and cruised around both Gulfs, including the lesser visited anchorages of Spencer Gulf. John’s crew in these times included Jerry Deniet, David Rawnsley, John Wickham, Paul Mills and many newcomers on the Twilight races, who later joined the Squadron.

Fairy, where a Jazz Festival was underway.

Geoff Keynes, the third crew member, needed to leave the boat at Port Fairy due to prior commitments.

The crossing of the notorious Bass Strait to King Island was comparatively quiet and they moored in the safe harbour of Naracoopa on the east side of the Island. After a short stay, they left in the evening and motor sailed towards Stanley on the north coast of Tasmania where, once moored, they encountered 50 to 55 kt sou-westerlies.

Some damage was experienced here with broken mooring lines and a bent pulpit.

From Stanley they sailed across to Devonport and the Devonport Yacht Club and enjoyed a three-day spell. Then across the short hop to Beauty Point in the River Tamar for another three-day stopover before setting off across the top of Tasmania and around Fosters Inlet to Triabunna, where they went aground for a short time. The navigation through the Dunalley Canal to Hobart provided some challenging moments but they eventually tied up at a Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania marina berth where they were looked after by the local yachtsmen. Cruising around the waters of Hobart provided a very rewarding time, cruising to Kettering and Oyster Cove as well as the areas of the Huon River. They were able to meet up with Richard and Tracey Colebatch on Aqua Lass who had left Adelaide in 2017, and later Ian and Di Moncrieff on Pied Piper II, who are regular visitors with their yacht moored in Kettering.

It’s Magic While working at a Lonsdale factory, where he was building some internal offices, John experienced some chest pains and went to the medical clinic to see a doctor. The doctor then ordered an ambulance and John was admitted to the Flinders Medical Centre with a suspected heart attack. This happened on a Wednesday and he was concerned that he might not be able to sail in the Twilight race. He rang Pam to say that he was at the FMC having a couple of tests and everything was OK. Pam was rather concerned and went to the FMC where she was told that he was having an angiogram.

Pam needed John’s car keys and asked the nurse to ask John as to the location of the keys. So having his priorities in order, John first sent a message to Pam to urgently ring John Wickham to take his boat out to maintain the fleet number and then gave the location of his car keys.

In September 2008, while working on the decking at the RSAYS, John became quite ill and was again hospitalised and went through a very serious and traumatic period of his life. He was in an induced coma for 11 days and then in intensive care for a further three weeks. He was in hospital for a month and at one point nearly died. His wife Pam claimed that only a stubborn and arrogant Dutchman could survive this ordeal!

After some lengthy recovery, John decided to buy another yacht and selected the German Vision design built by Bavaria Yachts which was imported into Sydney in 2010. She was transported across to Blue Sky Marine at North Haven, and after some frustrating teething problems, was launched as More Magic in February 2010. She had a Volvo 55 hp diesel engine with a sail drive and a three-blade folding propeller. John and his crew, including his brother Jerry, David Rawnsley, Mary Carpenter, Pat Catley, Paul Mills and others sailed More Magic in many races and cruises from the Squadron and he is one of the few yachties who have cruised extensively around the small anchorages in Spencer Gulf.

Many longer cruises were taken to Port Lincoln and Kangaroo Island as a precursor to an even longer planned cruise to Tasmania. So in February this year, John and his crew of Tony Hooper and Geoff Keynes sailed out of the Squadron, and approaching Kangaroo Island were hit with 30 to 35 kt sou-westerlies which held them in Christmas Cove for the next two days. The next port was Robe, where they refuelled and managed to organise an exchange of a large 3 kg crayfish for a carton of beer. The local cray fishermen were also able to provide co-ordinates of craypots on the way to their next stop Port

The return voyage back to South Australia was via Triabunna and Port Fairy, where this time a Folk Festival was well underway.

John and Tony sailed More Magic back to the Squadron after calling into Robe, again hoping for another feed of crayfish. The watch system adopted for the short-handed part of the cruise was two hours on/two hours off with a regular check on the AIS system, and this worked very well. Tony had previously owned Warlord (built by Squadron member Ian Scott) and has had plenty of experience in navigating and crewing on ocean waters. When John and Tony were sailing into Kettering, they saw Warlord, and also Sunburst (Jim Howell’s previous craft) and they both became very excited.

John’s family have been involved in the sea over the years, with his son Scott now owning a Bavaria 40 which is moored on Lake Macquarie. His two boys, Josh and Sam, are keen on the sea. John’s daughter and son-in-law, Anne and Mathew Cook and their two children, Spencer and Eloise (now living in Brisbane), have spent many a holiday and weekend on the boats over the years. Pam is a very patient wife and enjoys the shorter cruises and the social activities at the Squadron.

John and Pam are no longer working and we wish them well in their retirement and their future travels.

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CRUISING THE CORNWALL COAST

By Jeanne and Colin Harrison A call for help to the Coast Guard brought the Ilfracombe Royal Lifeboat to our rescue.

They were well experienced with this type of rescue call. After successfully cutting the line to the pot, they towed us into quaint Ilfracombe Harbour, assisted us with a safe tie-off to the harbour wall, and left us to watch the harbour water disappear below us. By 0100 hrs Colin could walk under Dakota to cut off the tightly wound ropes from around the shaft and prop. An added advantage was a quick check of the anodes and the bottom paint. By morning we were on our way at high tide, with a huge thanks to the RNLI.

Iffracombe

Isles of Scilly

S

PRING cruising this year along the Cornwall coast in the UK offered many

highs and lows for us. Having bought Dakota, a Jeanneau 40, near Cardiff, Wales, we had high expectations for an enjoyable time cruising from there to the Isles of Scilly and back along the southern Cornish coast to Plymouth during May. The key factor in cruising this area was getting used to the high tidal ranges. The Bristol Channel is second highest in the world to the Bay of Fundy as far as extreme tidal ranges, with spring tides over 10m. Due to such high tide variances, Dakota was lying inside a marina which was accessed by a lock. The marina was in Cardiff Bay, which also had locked access. Every passage we made required planning to coincide with the fast-flowing currents, and often had to coincide with limited access to tidal basins where a deep keel boat could float as the main harbour totally dried out. For example, we reached the Penzance Tidal Basin on the far southwest of Cornwall just as the gate was scheduled to close one hour after high tide. We were lucky the harbourmaster held the gate for us and allocated Dakota the last available berth inside. After a long day sail from the Isles of Scilly, we were very lucky to be comfortably afloat alongside the quay wall, with easy access to facilities and restaurants, while the main harbour outside completely dried at low tide. Of course, this meant that we were locked in until two hours before high tide the next day.

Fast-flowing currents led to another challenge. With the popularity of crab fishing in this area, there were thousands of crab pots along the coastline. At peak ebb and flood, the pot markers were dragged below the water surface. With any sort of a chop on the seas, they were a challenge to spot. The pot float which we missed seeing was attached to several pots with thick line that embraced our shaft and propeller. We came to a complete stop and were literally anchored to crab pots only a mile from our destination anchorage, but still in the open Bristol Channel.

Dakota floating in Penzance tidal basin Page 34

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Carrying on from Ilfracombe, we were headed to the Isles of Scilly, a remote clump of rocky isles set in the jaws of the North Atlantic wind and swells. At over 50o north latitude, the passage could be merciless. Thinking that a gentle northeast breeze would be ideal, we headed out for an overnight run from Padstow to New Grimsby Sound, Tresco Island. Gentle it was, until we hit the brunt of the southwest ocean swell, the pea soup fog and the Traffic Separation Zones for large ships.

Ships passed within a mile of us throughout the night without us ever catching a glimpse of them through thick fog, as unseen fishing boats seemed to teasingly play dodgem cars with us on the radar and chart plotter. Meanwhile the temperature dropped below 50C as we wondered if we were seriously crazy to be out there.

The fog did not lift until, just on the final approach to New Grimsby Sound, the sun broke through onto Cromwell’s Castle ruins and the anchorage beyond. With great relief we tied off to one of the visitor moorings for the next week.

There was much to keep us occupied at the Scilly Isles. We were still working out glitches related to new boat ownership,

Penzance Main Harbour at low tide

RNLI Iffracombe to the rescue

St Mary’s Isles of Scilly

plus there was much to see and do on the islands. We spoilt ourselves with a bit of a boat tour by taking the island ferry to Hugh Town, St. Mary’s for sightseeing, lunch and propane refill. In between gales from the northwest and south we managed to get ashore to hike around Tresco Island to the Abbey Gardens which, in addition to flora, housed the Valhalla Museum which had a very interesting collection of locally-shipwrecked figureheads. It was amazing to us that our side of Tresco was bleak and rocky, yet set in the opposite southeast valley the Abbey Garden was a little Garden of Eden with tropical vegetation and special sections of plants from the southern hemisphere. This was hard to imagine as the day time temperatures were still only around 100C. Long days were now extending from 0500 hrs to 2100 hrs, but rarely equated to a similar amount of sunshine.

wending its way up the narrow channel, apparently on towards cheap large ship moorings further up the Fal-Truro River. Later we watched classic yachts zipping about and various ferries running tourists in and out of St. Mawes as the weather warmed.

From the Scillies we made a dash past Land’s End to Penzance.

Once we left Penzance we felt that we were back in cruising mode.

A gentle breeze, combined with favourable sea state and current, gave us close up views of St. Michael’s Mount, the Lizard Light, the Manacles and the entrance to Helford River. Finally, Happy hour was spent serenely at anchor with lovely, lush, patchwork green rolling hills dotted with historic structures ashore on the Helford River.

Next we thoroughly enjoyed a week of cruising the Falmouth/ Truro waterways. One scenic anchorage, called Channals Creek, looked over manicured lawns to hillside Trelissick House, a National Trust estate. While there we were surprised to see a huge tanker

The all-tide downtown Falmouth Marine Haven provided a nice stop for provisioning, fueling and watering as we battled a problem with the hot water relief valve which kept releasing precious fresh water into our now very clean bilge. We enjoyed some shore time, including a luncheon at the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club to watch the Royal Wedding in good company.

Leaving the classic settings of fictional naval adventurers Hornblower and Aubrey behind us, Dakota gently meandered east to Fowey, Sea Rat’s little, grey sea town of Wind in the Willows fame. A week in Fowey flew past as we watched classic yachts and dinghies racing, shipping activity, and general harbour traffic. Happy hour coincided with the daily maneuvering of new yachts onto the visitor moorings which had no pickups or pendants.

Visits ashore through the narrow, winding, ancient pathways found us provisioning, sightseeing, learning more about the town’s notable authors (Kenneth Grahame, Daphne du Maurier, Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, and Leo Walmsley), lunching at the Royal Fowey Yacht Club with new friends met in the Scillies.

Notably, prices rose as we moved westward in Cornwall with showers up to £1 for two and a half minutes at RFYC as opposed to the same price for eight minutes at Penzance.

Spring time gradually gave way to hints of summer as June approached. Higher temperatures allowed us to doff foul weather gear and thermals, but it also meant that the number of sailboats on the water multiplied significantly. One big advantage of cruising in low season had been the lack of competition for anchoring spots, moorings, and marina berths; plus less of a worry about yachts dragging towards Dakota in the middle of the night, as had happened in St. Mawes just after high tide with the reversing strong ebb.

At last, we made our way towards Plymouth to rendezvous with RSAYS guests Sue Buckley, Kingsley Haskett, and Michael Rossiter who were arriving to see off Mark Sinclair on Coconut.

Thankful to have weathered the high tides, high winds, high traffic lanes, high seas, high number of crab pots, low temperatures, low water, and low visibility we now cherish our memories of experiencing this historic coastline up close and personal.

Low tide at Falmouth SQ Winter 2018

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HISTORY OF FE BUCKNALL & ESTCOURT HOUSE Frederick Estcourt Bucknall (of Estcourt House fame) Our founder, his expulsion and his folly

By RSAYS Historian, Dr Peter Last Sir James Fergusson, (a keen yachtsman, whose big yacht Ethel was built in the Government yard at Glanville), to ask him to be patron, as he and all his successors became. Bucknall said that he was trained in yachting from his youth and that his father was sometime Commodore of the Royal Thames Yacht Club. The Club has no record of anybody called Bucknall.

in 1886, and Bucknall quickly became a bankrupt. He fled to England and, to avoid being sued, to Rome. When the crisis had settled down, he returned to South Australia and took on the trade of an auctioneer. He died on 4 June, 1896. Two years before he died, the James Brown Trust bought Estcourt House as an institution for disabled people, especially those who were blind.

Bucknall’s life took a great change for the better. In 1874, at the age of 39, he married a widow with eight children, Mrs Rosa Haussen, whose late husband had established the Hindmarsh Brewery.

Bucknall’s expulsion from the SAYC arose in 1870, when some unpleasant developments took place in the newly formed Club. The difficulty is that those involved all knew the background, but they didn’t write anything down,so we can only speculate.

With his wife’s resources behind him, Bucknall began to think big thoughts and plan grand plans and in partnership with Mr Arthur Harvey devised ambitious schemes.

FE Bucknall, our founder, publican, yachtsman, property developer and bankrupt.

T

HE Bucknalls and Estcourts constituted a confusing, longestablished family in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, with frequent changes of surname according to inheritances.

Major-General James Bucknall Bucknall [sic] Estcourt (1803-1855) was AdjutantGeneral in the dismal campaign in the Crimea, where he died of cholera just before he was due to be knighted.

A scion of the family was Frederick Estcourt Bucknall (1838-1896), who came to Adelaide in about 1860. He was much involved in water sports, especially rowing, for which he established a factory to construct shells, mostly for sculling.

One of his ventures was a small drinking house nearby called the South Australian Clubhouse Hotel, beside a bridge giving access across the Port River to The Semaphore. It was the most southerly pub in the Port and was derisively known as ‘the sardine tin’.

Here on 5 November 1869, Bucknall convened a meeting to establish the South Australian Yacht Club (SAYC). The little group of enthusiasts was soon very busy, devising rules, recruiting members and arranging the first race in the Port River on 1 January 1870 ‘above the bridge’. The frustratingly brief entries in the minute book record Bucknall’s active participation.

He was one of a delegation of two who waited on the South Australian Governor, Page 36

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They saw a wonderful future in the swamps (the reed beds) beyond the bridge beside the South Australian Club House Hotel.

Here there would be the docks of a greatly expanded port, communicating directly to the sea by a canal to be cut through the coastal dune. The old port and its pubs would be left to the mosquito fleet. In 1878 Bucknall and Harvey floated the Wharf and Land Company of Port Adelaide, in which many notables invested. They anticipated people would flock to live nearby and bought seaside land when Charles Sturt’s holding was subdivided in 1876. They built a bridge over the Grange Creek to open up their new subdivisions of Henley and Grange, where they erected the first jetties in 1878 and 1882. Bucknall became Mayor of Hindmarsh, and he was elected to Parliament in 1881.

Bucknall was very involved in the new SAYC and attended nearly every meeting. The balance sheet for the first year showed that subscriptions of 34 members brought in £17/17/- of a total income of £23/7/2.

On 12 August 1870 came the first hint of what was to follow. ‘Mr Bucknall objected to a meeting being held, as the previous meeting had no power to adjourn, there not being a quorum at said meeting’ which had been attended by five Members, one being Bucknall. On 12 August there were seven present, but I don’t know what number constituted a quorum at that time.

Two grand buildings have stood ever since as a reminder of what became known as ’Bucknall’s Folly’. The Marine Residences at the foot of Grange jetty, terraces each of ten rooms, were said to have been built of stone imported as ballast on sailing ships.

They cost the huge sum of £20,000. For a long time the only one occupied was the residence of Bucknall’s partner, Arthur Harvey. He must have been pretty lonely.

Bucknall wanted to look down on his empire. At a cost of £6,000, in 1882 he built a mansion of 17 rooms which he named Estcourt House after his distinguished connections in Wiltshire. It was placed beside the proposed canal but, sad to say, he didn’t enjoy it for long.

The inevitable bust came with the collapse of the Commercial Bank of South Australia

William Russell, a pillar of Orcadian rectitude. Refused flag rank and life membership.

who was a rising barrister, subsequently a long-serving Commodore and the first Life Member of SAYC. He became an MP, a Supreme Court judge, and was knighted late in life. At this crucial meeting, he was one of only six gentlemen present.

‘Mr Christie moved that Mr FE Bucknall’s resignation be not accepted, but that he be expelled from the Club, stating at the same time several reasons for his doing so.

William Christie, second life member, Russell’s brother-in-law On 2 September 1870, Bucknall was elected Honorary Treasurer. It was proposed by a Mr Christie and seconded by a Mr Russell, ‘that the thanks of the Club be accorded to Mr Bucknall for the use of a room for Club purposes.’ The first event of what became Opening Day, a procession of yachts, was planned for 2 October 1870.

With all this happening, there must have been some dismay when on 30 September came the first recorded resignations. Some were accepted there and then, but a motion was passed of others ‘that same be allowed to stand over’.

Again, quoting from the minutes, ‘The Secretary read a letter from Mr Bucknall tendering his resignation from the Club. Mr Russell proposed and Mr Playfair seconded that same stand over.’ A motion was passed that the Sailing Committee find another place for holding Club meetings.

The meeting of 9 December 1870 and those which followed were held at the Ship Inn. ‘Mr Christie gave notice that he will move at the next meeting, “that the resignation of Mr FE Bucknall be not accepted, but that he be expelled from the Club.” Resolved that the Secretary send Mr Bucknall notice of Mr Christie’s motion.’ This was the same Mr Christie who only a couple of months previously moved that the Club formally thank Bucknall for use of the room at the South Australian Club House Hotel.

Something grave had obviously arisen, but we do not know what it might have been. Club money is unlikely to have been involved. Bucknall was the Treasurer and the balance sheet for the second year of 1870–71 showed a total of £22/1/-, which was £2/6/2 less than the first year, but there had been those resignations. The only hint was a motion successfully proposed by Vice-Commodore Bundey a year later at a Special Meeting on 16 December 1871, ‘that no member of the Club shall be allowed to race his boat against any other member for money, except public prizes and money prizes offered by the Club.’ Perhaps Bucknall was involved in issues of bets won and lost, but that is tenuous speculation.

No less than six months passed after the notice of Christie’s motion before there was another meeting, which was on 6 June 1871. This is the first recorded attendance of the inaugural Vice-Commodore, WH Bundey,

‘A letter from Mr Bucknall was then read, after which Mr Jacobsen moved that Mr Bucknall’s resignation be accepted and the present letter not be taken further notice of.

This motion, however, not being seconded, fell to the ground. The ballot was then proceeded with, which resulted in the expulsion of Mr FE Bucknall. Several new members were then proposed.’ The name of Bucknall does not again appear in the minutes.

It’s a strange thing that the man who convened the first meeting of what became the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron, and who worked so energetically for it in its early days, was expelled at the instigation of a member who had only recently spontaneously praised him, and this took place at a meeting at which only six members were present. As far as I know, this was the only formal expulsion in the Squadron’s long history. In 1918 a potential expulsion was avoided by passage of a motion that the member concerned ‘be invited not to renew his subscription’.

When Bucknall was at the height of his success, he bought from Sir Thomas Elder the celebrated 28 ton yacht Enchantress.

He sailed her for some time before selling her to Mr Cunningham, who was then Rear

Commodore of the SAYC. Bucknall was for a time the Honorary Secretary of the Glenelg Dingey [sic] and Aquatic Club, and it is likely that he was also a member of the Holdfast Bay Yacht Club. Whatever may have been his problems in 1870, they seem not to have impeded his relationships in a small yachting community.

If there was a whiff of scandal behind his expulsion, it didn’t affect his rise. His wealthy widow and career as a prominent developer/bankrupt still lay ahead, when there would have been plenty of people wanting to find something bad about him if they could. No record of anything unsavoury has yet been found.

His accuser, William Christie, remained very active in the SAYC. He was frequently starter and judge in races and was Honorary Treasurer from 1871 to 1877. On 4 October 1888 he was elected the second Life Member, an honour rarely conferred.

Frederick Bucknall seems to have been typical of his type - a man with grandiose ambitions and lavish personal expenditure, but lacking the resources fully to sustain either. Over the years we have seen many men like that in this State and elsewhere in the country. His ‘folly’ was a grandiose scheme beyond the capacity of the Colony at that time, and the wonder is that so many gullible people put money into it. It was a good example of how a climate of expectation of easy wealth can arise, only to be extinguished by the chill winds of financial reality.

Estcourt House back in the news….

By Gill Baker

E

STCOURT House, which was built by Frederick Estcourt Bucknall in the 1880s, has recently been the subject of an article in the ‘Westside Messenger’ newspaper.

Bucknall was one of the founders of the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron.

Estcourt House, after being the Bucknall family home, became an institution for disabled people and eventually fell into disrepair and was vandalised. It was bought by a businessman and renovated 18 years ago. The current owner wishes to demolish the building and build retirement units on the site. The City of Charles Sturt recently refused the application.

As part of the campaign to save the historic building from demolition, Bucknall’s greatstepson Richard Begg was pictured in the article holding a treasured family heirloom.

It is a silver coffee pot won by Bucknall when he beat Sir Thomas Elder and RSAYS Commodore Richard Honey in a race run by the Glenelg Yacht Club in 1880. Bucknall’s yacht was Enchantress, which he had previously purchased from Sir Thomas Elder.

A wonderful legacy which commemorates the sailing community in Adelaide all those years ago.

SQ Winter 2018

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BOAT MAINTENANCE Galvanic Electrolysis in Boats

By Barry Allison with John Hanson

T

HIS is a preliminary article on the effects of corrosion

caused by electrolysis in our watery environment. John Hanson is the owner of Solomon Ophir, a charter yacht based at the Squadron. He is keen to offer our members an insight of the effects of corrosion which is happening continually on our hulls and equipment.

The effects of electrolysis can affect all hull materials. The most commonly used material for hull construction today is GRP (or fibreglass). Electrolysis can accelerate osmosis when water gets into the glass. In the case of many wooden hulls, especially quite old hulls, electrolysis will create severe wood rot below the water line which is often not visible. The cause of detectable wood rot can understandably be mistaken for excessive moisture or lack of ventilation, but in fact is probably caused by electrolysis.

Obviously steel and aluminium hulls are those most affected by stray electrical currents which can cause hull deterioration. Often the complete breakdown between welded plates has rather disastrous results. The question then arises as to how many of our boat owners own multi-meters. I would say most of you do, but it is unreliable to measure stray current with a multi-meter when there are other meters that can readily perform this operation more accurately There are two sources of these electrical currents. The first is from the 240 volt power supply from the shore which is the easier to fix. The other source is from the batteries on your boat which are the most common cause of trouble because the negative lead is connected to steel components such as motors, legs, drive shafts, hulls, stays, rudder posts, and so on. The way to eliminate the

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problem is to have a floating system, which means that the current which goes to the equipment returns back to the battery by a cable, and not via the metal parts.

This is not an easy fix because most boat motors have a negative grounding to the motor. However, the problem can be solved in many ways. Those who say that they have not had a problem can consider themselves very lucky.

It is a very complicated subject and much has been written on the topic over the years. John has studied and applied very successful applications to his own yacht. Solomon Ophir is a sixteen year old steel hull and does not show any signs of corrosion throughout, due to John’s diligence and thorough understanding of the subject. He is a qualified Fitter and Turner and Toolmaker, and has also studied hydraulics and electronics. Indeed he has lectured on hydraulics at TAFE Colleges and was Chief Engineer at the Woodroofe’s Sheet Metal plant.

Rather than expand further with complicated diagrams and technical jargon in this magazine, it is proposed that John Hanson conduct a session on this topic through the Squadron Cruising Committee as an information evening later in the year. Keep your eyes open for the date.

VISION OF ISLANDS Visions of Islands - bringing back sight to our neighbours

By John Willoughby

A recent invitation from the Minister of Health in Tuvalu to come and help his island’s clients more often made Gawler-based eye surgeon and RSAYS racer of Enchantress, John Muirhead think twice. He explains what went through his mind …

John Willoughby

I

’VE been offering eye surgery to many Pacific islanders for the last 21 years now, as part of the Vision of Islands initiative.

However, this particular humanitarian project started in 2016 and provides eye team visits to the Pacific Islands, with emphasis on remoter areas with greater needs. Local medical staff are involved in its activities and are trained in the needed skills to eventually become self sufficient.

I’ve been doing yearly visits to Tonga from 1997 to 2007, and then to Tuvalu from 2012 to 2017. Last year we were asked if we would come three times per year. We are all volunteers giving up our holiday time and, as we all have full time jobs, I replied that it would be hard. But then I reflected that I used up six weeks every time I’ve competed in a Sydney to Hobart race, and instantly decided to transfer my efforts to helping the blind people in the Islands. This year we will go to Tonga from June 30 to July 7, onto Tuvalu from July 30 to August 9, and then straight back to Tonga for a further week. There may be a third trip later in the year.

Our team comprises an eye surgeon, a trainee medico, two theatre nurses, an optometrist, an eye clinic nurse and one technician. We will travel by air carrying 14 suitcases of equipment and that’s always a battle! We perform cataract surgery by phacoemulsification and provide retinal laser treatment for diabetic retinopathy. We also provide presbyopic reading glasses and sunglasses for pterygium prevention.

We also have also donated lasers to Tuvalu, Tonga and Micronesia Ophthalmologists.

We support their staff and invite industry and trainees to become involved. It is our ultimate aim to move between islands by catamaran because of the increasing restrictions of air freight. Thanks to fellow Squadron member Peter Hawker, who’ll next year be providing his catamaran Hukuna Matata as our packhorse, the seaborne version of Vision of Islands will commence. *See SQ Story Pages 22 & 23 Cataract surgery - before and after

Flinders Ports

John with his team and patients SQ Winter 2018

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CHICKEN THE HAPPY SAILING CAT Melbourne to Lakes Entrance

By Janet Thornley and Alan Dowler Two RSAYS members, Alan Dowler and Janet Thornley, left our shores in February 2016 in their 40 ft Van de Stadt Caribbean Blue Dog. They had just finished crewing in the King of the Gulf Regatta and were headed in an easterly direction for a lengthy adventure. They sailed up as far as Yorkeys Knob north of Cairns, returning via Recherche Bay on the southern tip of Tasmania, before heading back to Adelaide via Port Vincent, just in time to crew once again in the King of the Gulf Regatta exactly a year later.

The sardonic observations of this philosophical feline caused much mirth when the first instalment of her blog appeared in our Autumn edition. Chicken’s nautical adventures (and those of her tolerant owners!) continue …

DAY 15

W

it came on again. The slaves said this was the ‘Queenscliff rip’, a strange zone where things go up and down, rather than along.

E’VE quietly slipped away from

the Melbourne world and, apart from a few anxious moments under a bridge, even the male slave has behaved himself so far. I could have told him the floating house was going to fit under the bridge if he’d only bothered to ask. But no! He’s checking tides and books. Humans have no grasp of the scale of these things. We cats just know how high things are.

Today, it pains me to say, is actually nice, even for a cat, considering the floating house is on the move again. The sun is out and the wind is blowing us along so smoothly that a cat can have a drink without slipping over. My toilet isn’t sliding around the floor. Nothing is crashing about and the engine hasn’t been on for hours.

Maybe the slaves are learning to use the house better? Nah, they don’t seem to learn, but I don’t see why they can’t make it nice like this for a cat more of the time. We seem to be slowing down and coming into a very strange new world this time.

There are dozens of giant coloured birds flying up and down the beach with strings attached, pulling humans along on surfboards. Perhaps they’ve brought their humans out for some sun and activity. There are little painted houses along the beach that humans go into with towels while the giant birds are resting on the beach, and hundreds of little floating houses bobbing up and down with no humans on them at all. Some infidel dogs are patrolling the beaches, but not a single cat to be seen so far. This is Sorrento world.

There are big houses for the humans on the land here. One human’s house was so big it had a flying house helicopter parked on the lawn in front of his private beach. The male slave decided to stop our floating house in front of his private view for the night to ‘just to piss him off’! Mmm, I don’t understand. We’re here for the night. The slaves are watching TV and I’ve had a heap of lap time and scratches from my female human. When the challenged and utterly juvenile male slave gets tired of ‘pissing off’ the human with the flying house, I guess we’ll be moving again. Goodnight from me.

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The slaves are quiet today. They don’t like the up and down side of travelling in their floating house. The male one goes green and then white and just groans, and the female one stays outside, even though she badly needs to pee. It is said she has a world record bladder capacity. It’s dark now and they think they’ve found a safe place called Cleland Bite, so they have stopped and gone straight to bed. No scratches or laps for me tonight. They didn’t even shut their door, so I’ll sneak in later and extract some warmth out of one or the other of them when they’re asleep. Goodnight!

DAY 19

Guarding the house in Melbourne

DAY 17 Strange day. Slaves slept in. I scratched on their door and asked them to get up, but nothing doing. So I’m watching the local kangaroos who work for the Queenscliff Yacht Club doing the mowing and laundry, it seems. Eventually the female one rolled herself out of bed and fed me, but then abandoned me completely to go off and do some reading on the land. The male slave rolled out of bed even later. There is something called a ‘tide’ that they are talking about that is halting their progress for now.

But it won’t be for long because they are tying things down and putting on their wet weather suits. And yes, here goes the engine and we’re off again. Back to my hidey hole for goodness knows how long this time. I said it was a strange day, and it was.

I couldn’t work it out at first with all the water crashing around outside, but it seems that today the earth’s gravity must have gone off – well off and on a lot. No sooner was I comfortable than I was floating in the air or hitting the roof, and then the gravity would come back on and I would hit the floor again. Lots of other things were floating in the air when the gravity turned off, only to crash back down when

OK, so they’ve had their day off. I was right. The male slave is up early, very early, and it’s still dark. Oh dear, I fear it’s going to be a long one if they’re up this early.

We are leaving Cleland Bite and heading south into Bass Strait to go around Wilson’s Promontory – if my slaves can even find Wilson before nightfall!

The wind all went away so the slaves have started their engine again, although this time I think there’s something wrong because I can see some smoke. The slaves can’t see it but it’s not so healthy for a cat down here. The noise from the engine is getting louder and the male slave has come

Skull Island, Wilson’s Promontory

The female slave at Refuge Cove down to look at it. At last, now he can see the smoke and he’s opened my hatch and all the other windows. He is muttering something about a cracked exhaust pipe and there is no place to stop and fix it. So meanwhile we are still using the engine slowly and heading for Refuge Cove.

The wind has completely gone away because, says the male slave, “Mr Murphy is hanging around and wanting to mate with us.” There are lots of islands, but one scary one in particular called Skull Island that we passed very slowly.

We have made it to Refuge Cove at last.

Very pretty I must say, a bit like my hills at home. The slaves are so happy they have started drinking from the bottles again before the sun has even gone down. I’m hiding from the male one because the colored water makes him tease me. They broke out the chocolate too. They can’t use their phones or the floating house’s radio and I can’t use my lap top. Nobody knows we are here but the slaves don’t seem to care. They are whooping and smiling. I think they will have to stay here tomorrow because they’ve had a lot of the coloured water from the bottles tonight. Damn!

I suppose I’ll be starving in the morning before they’ll think about getting up.

Lakes Entrance channel, not for the faint-hearted.

The male slave was particularly happy because he found and brought back with him a bundle of cat teasing grass. It’s a cat’s nemesis. Cats are powerless to overcome the urge to chase the stupid long fronds of this menacing grass as the ruthless humans wave it back and forth in front them. The male slave has exhausted me, waving it in front of me and stupidly laughing his infantile laugh while I can’t help myself trying to catch the piece of long grass.

where the slaves were, to remind them of this fact and to score some lap time from the female. The male one just laughed and told me to get back inside. As if I’d do that and let him know I understand humans. No, the female slave seems freaked that I might jump overboard. Me! Unlikely, but I can milk her fear to get laps and scratches and bits of ham from her sandwich lunch. Now I’ve been locked in! Confined to quarters, so I’ll just wait here till the house stops again.

The other humans are helpful to my slaves here with their repairs to the floating house, so my slaves gave them a bottle of the coloured water. Everyone was so happy, except for the ship’s fish-deprived cat that nobody seems to be paying attention to at the moment. They are looking at their maps again and have filled up all their tanks with water and diesel. Mmm, it’s looking like a long one tomorrow.

We have come into Lakes Entrance and I can tell straight away there is conflict. I smell fish, but they only smell pizza and coffee and burgers’n’chips and cheesecake.

As soon as they tied up the floating house, off they went in the direction of the food, leaving me to guard this place again.

Too many white fluffy dogs for my liking here. There are other humans on another floating house with a brown fluffy dog who apparently is such a drama queen that she has to have little doggy Valium tablets when they are moving their floating house. That dog wasn’t any problem at all next to my floating house. The coloured water is out again. The dopey male slave is tormenting me with stupid cat grass, but he won’t stay awake much longer. If he leaves his door open, I’ll sneak in and hair up his blankets in the night. Muahaha ….

DAY 22 This is turning out to be a long day as I dreaded. Something to do with the tides I think, but the slaves started off at a disgusting 0400 hours, and they forgot to feed me! They’re sitting up there in the sun while the house moves along, and here I am starving in the front cabin! When I couldn’t take it anymore I went up into the cockpit,

DAY 21 We’ve left the Refuge Cove world with the broken exhaust sort of fixed. The male slave shattered the tranquility of the wilderness down there with welding flashes and angle grinding. The humans on the other floating houses must have wondered what was happening.

Only a short day today. We are in Port Welshpool and I’m hoping for fish again. All the other floating houses smell like fish, the jetty smells like fish and lots of humans are trying to catch fish all day and all night. So do you think my useless slaves turned up with any fish? Seriously, they went off on their bikes riding through the forest trail supposedly to buy food, but I think they ate more than they bought because they smelt like hamburgers and cream cakes – and no fish!

Moored at Lakes Entrance SQ Winter 2018

Page 41

SQUADRON SNIPPETS Old charts, notes, sketches and photographs

T

HE waters of our two Gulfs and Kangaroo Island offer South Australian yachtsmen and women some of the very best cruising grounds in Australia. We can well and truly exercise our motto ‘Seamanship and Fellowship’.

From the early days of the Squadron, members have cruised and raced in a great variety of craft, from the extravagant Adele,145 ft overall and 22 ft beam, who sailed from Scotland under her own steam for owner Henry Dutton, to the little Nyroca, 27 ft overall and 7 ft beam, who was sailed to Melbourne and back by the Rymill brothers by following their own navigation advice, “Leave Australia on your left hand going and your right hand returning.”

By Lynda Walsh

part of the Squadron’s rich heritage. It is envisioned that a special section in the Tom Hardy Library should be set aside for them. If you have any materials which you think may be of interest, please leave them at the Squadron Office to be forwarded to the Cruising Committee. They will then be appraised and accessioned by the Squadron Historian Dr Peter Last.

Members helped each other, sharing knowledge and experience – and even fish, for in those days of no refrigeration on yachts, noone wanted to waste fish. The Squadron itself offered facilities to foster cruising of course. Members could meet, hear talks, discuss best anchoring techniques, make notes, and share experiences etc.

And this still happens today.

When Colin Haselgrove’s talks were printed and bound, blank pages were left between the pages of text so that members could add their own notes and sketches.

It is possible that some families today have annotated charts, sketches, notes and photographs put together by family members years ago, and they may be wondering what to do with them. The Cruising Committee is keen to keep safe these materials which are

Easter wedding went wonderfully!

Dr Peter Last explains the historical significance of the cannon to Lynda Walsh

T

OM Wallbridge, son of RSAYS members Jill and Geoff,

and his bride Claire Middleton married at the Squadron on Easter Saturday. The couple especially wanted to hold the reception in the Boat Shed because of its bright and colourful nautical character. They say that the staff were very helpful during the planning stage and went out of their way to accommodate their requests.

The ceremony was held on the flower bedecked Quarterdeck at 1630 hrs in beautiful sunshine. “The weather was just perfect,” says Jill.

Photographs of the bridal party were taken in many locations around the Squadron after the ceremony, before they and all their guests moved into the Boat Shed for a three course dinner.

According to Jill, the food was excellent. “Many people commented on it and the friendly service was exceptional,” she says.

Dancing to the music of popular band Jazz It Up followed the dinner until midnight “It was a very successful occasion and thanks go to all the Squadron staff who worked very hard on the day and did an excellent job,” says Jill.

Page 42

SQ Winter 2018

Kevin takes time out in Sri Lanka Kevin Grant, Hospitality & Events Manager

M

Y wife and I recently had a wonderful holiday in Sri

Lanka. We flew into the capital Colombo late at night with a plan to catch from there the train to Kandy for the world famous train trip through the mountains to Ella, past picturesque tea plantations and rainforests. This proved to be our most memorable and unforgettable experience.

We enjoyed the mountain walks, the tea factory tour and a safari which was sensational. The water was so warm we were in the pools and on the beautiful beaches every day, and spent time eating and drinking at the resorts. We met some lovely people and would recommend Sri Lanka for a holiday. But one tip: if you are travelling by train, the doorway is the best spot for the view, and fresh air!

We booked first-class tickets to Kandy which cost around $10 for a three-and-a-half hour trip. The first-class section on the train was pretty basic. We had about a two hour wait for the train so we hired a car to give us a guided tour around Colombo. This capital city is normally very busy, but it was virtually empty as it was a Public Holiday, so we enjoyed relaxed and easy sightseeing.

When we arrived in Kandy we were unable to buy first- or secondclass return tickets in advance as they were reserved for the public servants returning home, so we had to line up an hour before.

When the train arrived I looked at the number of people on the platform and thought we should get a seat. However, only about six people got off, so when everyone piled on to the train it was standing room only for a seven-hour train trip. When the train stopped at the next station more people came on, and you would not have thought it was possible to get one more person on the train. It was not as bad as in India where people travel on the roof!

The passengers were polite and friendly and made the most of it, and we did manage to get a seat for the last hour.

Someday I will …

By Anne Arnold

A

FTER arriving in Florida in the middle of February, we

arranged the purchase of our boat. Someday is a Mainship 390 trawler, with a single Yanmar engine, an ideal boat for America’s Great Loop as she draws under 4 feet and has an air draft of less than 18 feet. The paperwork was completed in record quick time and we left the Florida Keys in mid-March. So far, we have travelled up the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the Chesapeake and Delaware canal and bays, the New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway and are currently in New York, having gone through nine states. Our knowledge of geography is certainly improving, as is our history as we have visited many maritime and history museums.

Of the states, Florida was flat, and full of huge houses and boats, the gardens were pristine and even the mangroves were trimmed.

Georgia was marshy, and also flat, but very pretty. The Carolinas were still flat and we were surprised how easy it was to find anchorages along this stretch. After the Carolinas was the Dismal Swamp Canal, which belied its name and was easy to navigate.

Next was Virginia, where we attended a ‘Looper’ rendezvous.

Clive and Anne Arnold We learnt a lot about the trip, and met many other Loopers.

Unsurprisingly, we won the prize for furthest distance travelled.

From Virginia, the weather deteriorated with rain, fog and numerous thunderstorms, so we saw very little of the Chesapeake or Delaware Bays. Our boat is registered in Fairwinds, Delaware, although we never got off the boat in the state of Delaware.

We have not yet run aground--- apparently this is a feat to be proud of! The New Jersey ICW was particularly shallow, narrow, and twisty, but interesting and varied in scenery. For most of the way, if we had 6 feet of water, it seemed really deep. As well as the tide heights, we had strong currents to contend with.

Currently we are on the Hudson River, upstream of New York, with Fay and Alan Duncan who have joined us for about three weeks.

Today was very exciting: we motored past the Statue of Liberty. We had arranged for another boat to go past at the same time so we could have photos!

Someday in front of the Statue of Liberty

From here, we continue up the Hudson and into the Erie Canal.

SQ Winter 2018

Page 43

IN TRANQUIL WATERS Hill, script writer for 5AD’s long-running and immensely popular Radio Canteen. Roy played the character Royston Ramsbottom with a broad re-learned Yorkshire accent.

This provided 11 years of steady work and led to appearances across Australia on radio and in the fledgling television industry.

Roy Wooding 5 May 1932 - 28 November 2017

W

HEN he was 17 Roy and his family emigrated to Australia from the Yorkshire Moors where he had won a scholarship to a Grammar School. Roy’s ambition was to be an Australian cowboy so he bought a horse to keep on the empty paddock next to his family’s house in Ferryden Park, plus cowboy hat, chaps and of course a guitar. The guitar proved life-changing. He taught himself to play and then immersed himself in Adelaide’s vibrant music scene.

He appeared in Australia’s Amateur Hour on 5AD in 1950 which was the start of a long career. In 1956 he was spotted by Merv

With his rich, smooth voice he was the perfect crooner in jazz and popular entertainment. He pioneered bands and shows, was the lead guitarist with the ABC band, and a regular performer on Channel 9’s Adelaide Tonight and Graham Kennedy’s In Melbourne Tonight.

Roy worked and performed with the famous, such as Nat King Cole, Bob Hope, Henry Mancini, the Ink Spots and Johnny Ray, as well as Australian stars such as Chips Rafferty, Johnny O’Keefe, Gladys Moncrief, Bob Dyer, Jack Davey, Julie Anthony, Rolf Harris and Johnny Farnham.

In the late 1960s he led two Channel 7 entertainment tours to Vietnam as a producer and musician, both times coming under fire. He proudly marched each ANZAC Day wearing his Vietnam Veteran’s medal.

After becoming Music Director at Channel 7, he followed his interest in filming and editing, forming his own television production studio KSPSTV in 1975.

Ged was a Squadron Member for nearly 16 years. He loved his Pion 30 Tiki, which he bought in January 2002 and kept on a chain mooring in the basin. He participated in the Adelaide to Port Lincoln Race, winning his division. He was on Tiki when he suffered his first seizure on 6 May 2002, only four months after purchasing her. He kept Tiki for as long as he could and it nearly broke his heart when he had to sell her.

Ged with mother Marie

Gerald (Ged) Leslie Ross 9 March 1961 – 20 December 2017

G

ED was a great sailor and sailed

competitively at an early age.

In 1974 he represented Australia in Portugal and came in fourth position racing International Cadets. Many family members, including his parents and younger brother, went with him and it was decided that while they were all there his Auntie Chris would marry her partner, RSAYS member Allen Gill. They were living in London at that time.

Page 44

SQ Winter 2018

Ged held an economics degree from Flinders University and on graduating in 1987 he procured work at the Commonwealth Department of Treasury in Canberra in the days of Paul Keating, his political hero.

A year later he became a junior stockbroker but the stock market crashed soon after. He moved his interests to the Sydney property market, working for Heron Todd White.

While there he had a couple of articles on the Sydney property market published. He then moved to Woods Bagot and returned to Adelaide in 1994 to study a TAFE building diploma. He had another couple of very successful years in Sydney with a development company called Summit Australia. He loved that job, and they greatly appreciated him, but he returned to Adelaide when his father became ill.

For more than 22 years Roy was a television and film producer, editor and director for national and international clients, producing films and documentaries. He was the official cameraman for the SA Film Corporation during two Royal tours.

Roy had a passion for racing cars and was a founding member of the Racing Car Club.

He joined the RSAYS in 1962 and built, owned and sailed yachts. He was married to Jan for a long time, and passed on his love of sailing to both his children, Bryndan and Tracy. Bryndan skippered the former America’s Cup challenger, Gretel, for a time in the Whitsundays and Tracy also worked with the water police in the same area.

In later years he spent much of his time living on board his boat Nara at the Squadron.

Lastly he became a freelance cameraman working with Jenny Loftes out of her ABC studios, Studio J Production, although by that time he mainly followed his passion for sailing around SA’s coasts. Throughout his membership he could always be persuaded to entertain at Squadron, and Vietnam Veterans’ functions.

Roy was a talented, gentle man, who lived for music and sailing, but who never realised how good he really was.

Vale Roy, RIP

By Jenny Loftes

Ged held various management positions in Kinsmen and oversaw the development of Holdfast Shores, the Adelaide Sailing Club relocation, and the Barossa Novotel development and construction. After 2002 he did some smaller projects working under the name of Hud Ross Developments, but was unable to give the 110% he preferred to the bigger projects.

Ged first became ill 16 years ago and battled ill health for the rest of his life. He was supported and cared for by his loving mother Marie over the last ten years. He was a very popular person and had many long term friends. Ged is survived by his daughter Harper and twin sons Kai and Beacher. At his funeral in the dinghy shed just before Christmas all his friends arrived dressed in brightly coloured Hawaiian shirts that Ged had always favoured.

To use the words of one of his good mates at the funeral, “Ged has battled head winds for a very long time. It’s now time to bear away and enjoy some downwind sailing.”

By Allen Gill in consultation with Ged’s family

BERTHS FOR SALE & RENT Berths for Sale - May 2018 Length (metres)

Berth Type

8.2

Hard Stands

Price From

Price To

$3,000.00

Best Deal - HS10 or HS12

$7,000.00 $3,000.00

10

Marina

$30,000.00

Best Deal - I24 (Double)

$80,000.00 $30,000.00

11

Marina

$35,000.00

Best Deal - C14 (Single)

$55,000.00 $35,000.00

12

Marina

$39,000.00

Best Deal - C06 (Double)

$67,000.00 $39,000.00 Neg

13

Marina

$25,000.00

Best Deal - E04 (Double)

$95,000.00 $25,000.00 Neg

14

Marina

$60,000.00

Best Deal - A06 (Single)

$100,000.00 $79,000.00 Neg

15

Marina

$50,000.00 $145,000.00 $50,000.00 All offers considered $55,000.00 $195,000.00 $55,000.00 Reduced. All offers considered $110,000.00 $175,000.00 $110,000.00 All offers considered $130,000.00 $130,000 Neg $160,000.00 $220,000.00 $160,000.00 Reduced. All offers considered $120,000.00 $120,000.00 $370,000.00 $370,000.00 $320,000.00 $320,000.00

Best Deal - F08 (Single) 16

Marina Best Deal - G05 (Single)

18

Marina Best Deal - SI14 (Double)

20

Marina Best Deal - H01 (Cat)

22

Marina Best Deal - SI11 (Single Super)

25

Marina Best Deal - SI07 (Single Super)

27

Marina Best Deal - I27 (T-Head)

30

Marina Best Deal - SI06 (Single Super)

For further information please contact the General Manager Email general.manager@rsays.com.au or Phone 8341 8600 Price & availability are subject to change without notice. All Berth Sales are subject to Terms and Conditions

Berths for Rent - May 2018 Length (metres)

Pen

Berth Type

Berth No

$ Per Week

Notes

8.2

Single

HARDSTANDS

VARIOUS

$24.92

AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY

11

Single

MARINA

D16

$97.31

AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY

11

Single

MARINA

C13

$97.31

AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY

12

Double

MARINA

A03

$106.15

AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY

12

Double

MARINA

B02

$106.15

AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY

12

Double

MARINA

B08

$106.15

AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY

12

Double

MARINA

C06

$106.15

AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY

12

Double

MARINA

C07

$106.15

AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY

12

Double

MARINA

D08

$106.15

AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY

12

Single

MARINA

D12

$106.15

AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY

13

Single

MARINA

E02

$115.00

AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY

13

Single

MARINA

E03

$115.00

AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY

13

Single

MARINA

E11

$115.00

14

Double

MARINA

A06

$123.85

AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY

15

Single

MARINA

F07

$132.69

AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY

15

Single

MARINA

F08

$132.69

AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY

22

Single

MARINA

SI08

$368.92

AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY

22

Single

MARINA

SI09

$368.92

AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY

27

T-Head

MARINA

I27-T

$452.77

AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY

For further information please contact Email marina.services@rsays.com.au or Phone 8341 8600 Price & availability are subject to change without notice. All berth rentals are subject to terms & conditions TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR PERMANENT RENTAL OF BERTHS, ALL VESSEL OWNERS MUST BE CURRENT SENIOR MEMBERS OF RSAYS

SQ Winter 2018

Page 45

EVENTS CALENDAR August 2018

July 2018 Sun 1

Racing Special Events

Tue 3

Meetings

Fri 6 Sat 7 Sun 8

Social Racing Racing

Tue 10

Meetings

Sat 14 Sun 15 Tue 17 Thu 19

Tue 24

Social Racing Meetings Meetings Cruising Racing Meetings

Sun 29

Racing

Sat 21

Combined Winter Series - W/L Volunteer Thankyou Event RSAYS Ltd Board Meeting Juniors Committee Meeting; House & Social Committee Meeting Wine Tasting Shorthanded Series - Destination Race Shorthanded Series - Destination Race RSAYS Inc Committee Meeting; Racing Committee Meeting Christmas in July Combined Winter Series - W/L Combined Committee Chairs Meeting RSAYS Inc Annual General Meeting Youth Trophy Presentation Shorthanded Series Cruising Committee Meeting Combined Winter Series - Fixed Mark Presentations at RSAYS

Dining Room Fridays: Saturdays: Sundays:

Lunch Menu and Happy Hours 12pm to 2pm Lunch Menu from 12pm; Dinner from 6pm Lunch Menu from 12pm; Seafood Sundays: Seafood Platter Special for 2; Dinner on Long Weekends

SQ Winter 2018

Racing

Tue 7

Meetings

Sat 11

Special Events

Sun 12

Special Events Racing

Tue 14

Meetings

Fri 17 Thu 23

Special Events Meetings Cruising Racing Meetings

Sat 18 Tue 28

Shorthanded Series RSAYS Ltd Board Meeting Juniors Committee Meeting; House & Social Committee Meeting Dinner Dance Squadron Quarterly Spring Edition - Deadline for articles Regatta - non RSAYS Event - Port Line Cup RSAYS Inc Committee Meeting Racing Committee Meeting RSAYS FermentFest RSAYS Ltd Annual General Meeting Cruising Night Shorthanded Series Cruising Committee Meeting

Restaurant Opening Hours Jimmy’s Bar and Quarterdeck

Solar Depot

Page 46

Sat 4

Fridays: Menu Specials and Happy Hours 5pm to 7pm Wednesdays: Dinner during Twilight Racing season

Port River Marine

Main North Renault

Book a test drive today!

MAIN NORTH RENAULT 75 Main North Rd, Nailsworth / (08) 8309 5055 mainnorthrenault.com.au †5 years unlimited km warranty applies to all new Renault passenger vehicles. Demonstrator vehicles receive balance of new vehicle warranty. Roadside Assistance terms and conditions apply. Call our Customer Service Team on 1800 009 008 or view the Terms and Conditions statement at www.renault.com.au/drivingpeaceofmind for details. ^First 3 scheduled maintenance services capped at $299 per service on new and demonstrator Passenger models, based on standard scheduled servicing from new and on normal operating conditions.

Scheduled maintenance services required every twelve (12) months or up to 30,000km (whichever occurs first) and are also subject to adaptive servicing requirements, as determined by the Oil Condition Sensor. If vehicle is not presented within three (3) months of when the scheduled service is required, right to that capped-price service under the program is forfeited.