Indholdsfortegnelse for May 2017 i Boating NZ

THE MALAYSIAN CIVIL Defence Force has ordered 23 additional Sealegs amphibious craft. Sealegs vessels have been used extensively in Malaysia across a range of government sectors for both security and first-response. The order is worth more than $3 million and all 23 Sealegs craft will be delivered over the next 12 months. “This is the largest single order in the history of Sealegs,” says CEO David McKee Wright. “It underscores our strong relationship with the Malaysian Government and the proven performance of Sealegs as first-response and emergency rescue craft.” The Sealegs application in Malaysia will be multi-faceted. The vessels’ primary purpose is flood response, but outside the monsoon season they will join the existing fleet stationed at 33 locations around the country’s coastline, providing emergency rescue services.…

COASTGUARD WAIHI BEACH officially welcomed its newest vessel, the $197,000 purpose-built AVOCO Rescue, to the fleet on March 18 with a public ceremony at its Bowentown headquarters. The vessel is a result of a partnership between AVOCO, TECT, The Lion Foundation, First Sovereign Trust, Valder Ohinemuri Trust and the Western Bay of Plenty Coastguard unit. AVOCO has pledged an annual sponsorship contribution of $20,000 for three years which will go towards Coastguard’s yearly operational costs as well as the running costs of AVOCO Rescue. The vessel is a 5.8m Naiad RHIB (rigid hull inflatable boat), powered by twin 115hp Yamaha outboards. She replaces Search Two, a 5.5m vessel, which has clocked up more than 1,000 hours on the water since commissioning in 2003. AVOCO Rescue joins Coastguard’s primary vessel, Gallagher…

JUNIOR ANGLER DYLAN WHITE landed the ‘big one’ at the Caribbean Zane Grey International game-fishing tournament in March, and walked away with the winner’s $50,000 cash prize. The 203.7kg blue marlin was landed after a 38-minute titanic battle, on 37kg tackle using a Pakula lure. The vessel was his dad’s 12m Caribbean 35 flybridge cruiser. Dad Scott owns the Caribbean agency in New Zealand. Fishing has been Dylan’s passion since he was big enough to hold a fishing rod at two-and-a-half years old. He won the Rotokauri school fishing competition in Coromandel with a 16lb snapper, and has previously caught two striped marlin, yellow fin tuna and mahi-mahi. He is the only junior ever to have entered the prestigious Zane Grey tournament and win.…

WATCH IT! ON YOUR PHONE To watch the video on your phone, install a QR-Code scanner app (Apple or Android). Many are free. Launch the app, hover it over the Q-code, and a link to the video will open automatically. “I don’t think you’ve ever reviewed this model, John,” Jason Dickey said to me as I climbed aboard a pristine Dickey Custom 800 about to be delivered to its Auckland owner. He was right. I’ve reviewed most of the Napier-based aluminium boatbuilder’s models, but never the Custom 800, almost the largest model in Dickey Boat’s trailerable range. The Custom 800 is Dickey Boats’ most popular model with 18 boats now in the hands of owners. With a number of custom layout options, the Custom 800 can be delivered in either…

The robots have been developed by Nautilus Minerals Inc, a Canadian company which plans to mine the seafloor’s massive sulphide systems, a potential source of high-grade copper, gold, zinc and silver. Using technologies adapted from the offshore oil, dredging and mining industries, the robots are similar to bulk continuous mining machines seen in coal mines. Nautilus’ first copper-gold project – Solwara 1 – is under development in the territorial waters of Papua New Guinea. The company’s been granted an Environment Permit and Mining Lease for the site. Further ahead, Nautilus plans to grow its interests in the exclusive economic zones and territorial waters of Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Zealand – as well as other areas beyond the Western Pacific. THE ROBOTS Leading the…

Finding a good time to head to Milford Sound was difficult. The bottom corner of New Zealand was under constant assault from fronts and severe low pressures – wind, rain and storms – one of the worst early summer periods on record! We waited in Abel Tasman till mid-February, enjoying the sun. Departure day arrived and we were well under a high with nothing too sinister on the horizon, a four-day weather window at last. As we left, though, a drama was unfolding in nearby Golden Bay, with the stranding of over 200 pilot whales. We had a really nice afternoon sail to Farewell Spit, but turning south at the top the southerly increased and for the first night we were close-hauled in 20 knots. By 13h00 the next day…

1. When should you switch on your navigation lights? a. Between sunrise and sunset or when visibility is restricted b. When exceeding 5 knots at night c. When other vessels are nearby at night 2. Where is the Poraha Boat Club based? 3. Who wrote: “To young men contemplating a voyage, I would say go.” 4. What is the maximum gross legal weight of an unbraked trailer? a. 750kg b. 1000kg c. 1500kg d. 2000kg 5. What is the principal duty of an observer on a ski boat? a. To monitor the speed of the boat in competitions b. To signal to the skier when rough water is ahead c. To watch the skier and report anything affecting or that may affect the skier d. To keep the driver company…

Image Boats: 6.5 Pontoon Renowned for its conventional rough water-capable designs, Invercargill boatbuilder Image Boats is now producing a Pontoon line as well. It will unveil its 6.5m Pontoon, a smaller version of 7.08m Pontoon launched late last year. Beneteau Antares 8 The new generation Beneteau Antares 8 is designed for coastal cruising and features a forward double cabin with separate bathroom and toilet, a contemporary walnut trim finish, cockpit saloon (able to be converted into sun-lounger), front sundeck and 42 litres of refrigeration. Profile Boats 800HW Designed for serious fishers, the 800HW has a fully-enclosed cabin, though the entire back wall can be opened to create a fully-open cockpit. Powered by either a single or twin outboards, the rig can comfortably accommodate overnighting with the family or host a…

$150,000 Surtees-Yamaha Grand Prize Package This year’s Grand Prize is the biggest, best and most expensive 'must be won' prize ever offered at a boat show in New Zealand. The base vessel is a 7m Surtees 700 Game Fisher powered by twin counter-rotating Yamaha 115hp four-stroke outboards, riding on an stylish double-axle, braked Epic trailer. It’s equipped with a comprehensive Garmin electronics package. Also on board is a Balex Automatic Boat Loader – enabling the two-tonne prize to be launched and retrieved at the push of a button – a Lone Star GX2 drum winch system and a boat-load of other practical extras. The prize is valued at over $150,000. Everyone who buys a ticket to the show, either online at www.boatshow.co.nz, or at the gates, is eligible to enter…

Sailor’s delight RAYMARINE’S EASY-TO-INSTALL i60 Wireless Wind transducer provides a high level of accuracy. It can be retrofitted to existing vessels. i60 Wireless Wind offers better response times and greater accuracy than conventional wired transducers and less weight aloft. Crew can view yacht and race data from anywhere on board. When combined with a Raymarine EV1 9 Axis heading sensor, i60 Wireless Wind will also provide ‘air flow corrections’, eliminating inaccuracy from the sail updraft and mast heel angle caused by pitch and yaw. The i60 Wireless Wind comes with Raymarine’s new Micro-Talk Wireless Performance Sailing Gateway. This seamlessly combines wired and wireless instrument systems (including sensors such as Raymarine wireless Mast Rotation Sensor) to deliver high performance wind monitoring. i60 Wireless Wind and Micro-Talk work seamlessly with Raymarine multifunction…

Queen vs Maxis FOUR CARBON MAXI trimarans will take on the Queen Mary 2 next month in a trans-Atlantic race between Saint-Nazaire in France and New York. The race – called The Bridge 2017 – marks 100 years of friendship between France and the USA. The flagship of the Cunard line has been specially chartered to celebrate the landing of two million American soldiers who came to fight alongside the Allies in June 1917. The ship will be escorted from Brest by the Centennial Armada, an international fleet which will fly the flag of the 12 nations involved in WW1. Among the four carbon maxi trimarans are Sobedo (skippered by Thomas Colville) and round-the-world record holder Idec (Francis Joyon). The liner is to be transformed into race HQ and passengers…

A NEAR STOCK-STANDARD 36-foot Jeanneau did the unthinkable in the recent Round North Island race, winning her Division 3 on line and on handicap, but also scooping third spot on line overall, beating every Division 2 boat (40 – 45-footers) in the 26-boat fleet. The race attracted some of New Zealand’s best offshore sailing talent. The Jeanneau – Sunfast – is sponsored by Orakei Marine. She also won IRC overall and PHRF on corrected time overall by more than four hours. Sunfast carries a standard aluminium rig. “The only modification we introduced was fitting a 600mm longer prod – and a mint sail wardrobe from North Sails,” says skipper Josh Tucker. “It just goes to show that these new production boats are actually pretty damn good. Imagine what the upgraded…

FLYING FOX TOOK both line honours and the three-handed division handicap in the inaugural Lidgard Sails Shorthanded race between Queen Charlotte Sound and Tarakohe in March. Skippered by Chris Williams with crew Geoff Dark and Ralph Rosthorn, she secured the win after 20 hours, seven mins and 34 seconds of sailing over the 85-nautical mile course. The two-handed division went to Olmari, skippered by Kerry Kirk, crewed by Ron Ives. As the second smallest yacht in the fleet and smallest to finish, she can justifiably be commended for punching well above her weight. The race fielded 18 boats.…

For the millions of America’s Cup viewers around the world, there’s nothing quite as thrilling as the high-tech, foiling catamarans duelling at high-speed. Few will consider how that footage – sublimely clean, crisp and stable – is delivered to the global TV audience. One man who knows more about it than perhaps anyone else on the planet is Auckland’s Clint Jones – a veteran of multiple America’s Cup regattas. He was responsible for developing the chase boat for the era of catamaran racing – and integrating its sophisticated video equipment. “In the years before the cats, shooting video and stills at AC events was straightforward because the monohulls travelled at relatively modest speeds. With cats the speed has nearly quadrupled. “The TV networks needed a chase boat that could not…

Designer and manufacturer Greg Sowden has been producing Takacats since 2007, and has developed three ranges: the Sport, the Explorer and now the new Lite X. These lightweight, practical little boats are portable and easy to assemble, and are used by Coastguard and other organisations, as well as by recreational boaties as tenders or fun boats for baches or campervans. Sowden grew up on Auckland’s North Shore and spent lots of time hanging out at Taka(puna) Beach with his mates – hence both the name of his invention and the location of our rendezvous. Auckland’s pouring autumn rain is giving it a rest for once and it’s a beautiful, sunny, warm afternoon. We’ve come to check out the newly-released Lite X, which has a major new feature: an open bow.…

Over his 51-year career Alan Wright’s designed more keelboats for New Zealander’s than any other designer. Several factors underpin his success – including an uncanny ability to spot gaps in the market and design boats to suit. The halcyon days of local boat production are long gone, but at 85 Wright’s still spotting gaps in the market and designing boats. This one – a powerboat with a difference – began in his Whangaparaoa home overlooking Gulf Harbour Marina, from where Wright has observed the huge wakes generated by modern planing powerboats. “Most waste a big percentage of their horsepower creating waves. That got me thinking.” For years he’s believed boats have become too expensive for the average family. Was there a way to create a modestly-priced, efficient launch? His solution…

WATCH IT! ON YOUR PHONE To watch the video on your phone, install a QR-Code scanner app (Apple or Android). Many are free. Launch the app, hover it over the QR-code, and a link to the video will open automatically. On-board battery chargers or inverter-chargers are quite usual in larger vessels, but they are now becoming increasingly common in smaller vessels too, including trailer boats. As small boats become ever more complex, the demands on the vessel’s electrical supply system increase. Boating magazine’s Haines Hunter 660 has a full complement of marine electronics, a Fusion entertainment system, LED lighting, an electric capstan and numerous pumps, all fed by a sealed lead-acid battery that also cranks over the 200hp Yamaha outboard at start up. Depending on their size, engine alternators may…

Anyone keen on upgrading fishing gear and learning new skills from some of the country’s most experienced fishing professionals will be in for a treat in The Rock Fishing Hall. Bringing together major fishing retailers, small innovative fishing businesses and everything in between, The Rock Fishing Hall is a 2,000m2 fishing superstore featuring over $2m worth of often well-priced fishing gear. It is also home to the popular Top Catch Ask the Experts fishing seminars (free). Run throughout the show, these popular seminars feature New Zealand’s leading fishing maestros, happily sharing their latest tips and techniques. This year’s presenters include: There are also free fishing talks at the Extreme Boats stand in Hall 2 with Journey of the Fisherman’s Tony Orton talking about live-baiting for marlin…

I name thee Aotearoa THE ROYAL NEW ZEALAND Navy’s (RNZN) newest and biggest ship will be named HMNZS Aotearoa. Construction of the new 24,000-tonne vessel, the largest ship ever operated by the RNZN, starts next year for delivery in January 2020. Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral John Martin says it’s a big name for a big ship. “HMNZS Aotearoa will represent us as a nation on the international stage whether conducting operational support, maritime sustainment or providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief. Aotearoa will be recognisable within the Pacific region and identifiable with all New Zealanders.” The ship has twice the displacement of HMNZS Endeavour, which is scheduled for decommissioning next year, and will carry 30 per cent more fuel. South Korean firm Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world’s biggest shipbuilder, will…

AFTER LOSING TWO friends in separate boating accidents, Nelson yachtsman Lloyd Valentine came up with the Sea Rescue Sled – a Man Overboard rescue solution he believes will save lives. “One of the biggest challenges in a rescue situation is the physical difficulty of lifting the person out of the water and back on the yacht,” Lloyd says. “Hypothermia and fatigue set in very quickly in our cold waters, so the MOBs often can’t do much to help themselves.” His product works best in conjunction with a standard Dan buoy locator system. The sled can be inflated automatically or manually. Housed in a bag tied to the yacht’s rail, it is attached to a 30m painter which will stream out of the bag when the sled is thrown into the…

MAXI-TRIMARAN IDEC SPORT has set three new intermediate records along the way to setting a new around-the-world speed record earlier this year. The World Speed Sailing Record Council has ratified the three new records by skipper Francis Joyon and his crew: The Indian Ocean record between Cape Agulhas and Tasmania, which already belonged to Joyon and his men, was shattered by more than a day between 29th December 2016 and 4th January. It now stands at 5 days, 21 hours, 7 minutes and 45 seconds. IDEC SPORT also slashed almost a day off the South Pacific record set by Bruno Peyron and the maxi catamaran, Orange in 2005 (8 days, 18 hours and 8 minutes). Joyon and his crew took just 7 days, 21 hours, 13 minutes and 31 seconds…

Puzzle no. 235 Across 1. Marine snake that is occasional visitor to NZ waters (3,5) 6. Throw fishing line out over water using rod and reel (4) 8. Passes nautical line through block (6) 9. Sailing ship with three masts (6) 10. Make boat timbers watertight (4) 11. Boat regatta officials who supervise race arrangements (8) 12. Pretty average – description of inexperienced boatie’s sailing skills? (2-2) 14. ____-off – where reef falls away steeply to ocean depths (4) 16. Veered broadside to wind and waves (8) 20. Stopper in dinghy hull (4) 21. Nautical item in photo (6) 22. Old measure equal to approximately three nautical miles (6) 23. General nautical word for knot used to join two ropes together (4) 24. Class of NZ sailing dinghy (8) Down…

The Strata 820 Cabin is a smart looker – a classy composition of white cabin and decks, the two-tone grey Hypalon pontoons, and the dark grey of the twin Yamaha F150 outboards hanging off the stern. Offsetting it all is the Tekdek on the transom and stern platforms, oversize stainless bow rail and a massive curved glass windscreen. Smuggler Marine has a reputation for superbly-finished boats, and the new 820 Strata is no exception. It’s hard to fault any aspect of the presentation. Although a completely new design, she’s essentially an upsize of the 750 Strata we reviewed almost a year ago. The extra length allows for a full hardtop cabin, a bigger boarding platform and space for additional engine options. This model has a beam of 2.8m, slightly over-width…

Two things have driven recent powerboat design. First, the fixed length of marina berths encourages boats to be built bigger through depth, beam and height, rather than length, leading to high-resistance hull shapes. Second, lighter and more powerful engines means these higher resistance hull shapes can be made to perform well with more horsepower. These factors have shaped the design of the V-bottomed flybridge planing launch, which due to its increased beam, height, windage and weight, often requires high horsepower engines. Consider this. Take a given quantity of boatbuilding material, labour and engineering, for the same price one could build either a 10m V-bottomed, flybridge, planing launch, or a 12m, low-profile, non-flybridge, semi-displacement launch. While both launches will have similar volume and accommodation, compared to the 10m planing launch, the…

Our voyage to Antarctica – in December 2013 – was aboard the 72m ex-Soviet spyship, the Akademik Shokalskiy. Although not a true spoon-bowed icebreaker, Shokalskiy is ice-strengthened and has spent many years in high latitudes. For this voyage she was chartered by a scientific party from a Sydney university. In addition to her 22 Russian crew members, she carried six staff and 46 passengers, 22 science academics and our heritage team (Barbara Tucker, Ian Godfrey and me). The balance was made up by science-minded paying passengers who were there to fund the $500,000 shortfall in the $2 million budget. Our destination was Cape Denison. With 284 days of force 9 winds or stronger – regularly exceeding 100 knots – it’s statistically the windiest location on the planet. I had visited…

Ultimate 18 Cuddy An entry-level 6m boat with a 90hp two-stroke outboard, prices start from $46,500. Like its larger sibling (the Ultimate 21), it has a 17o deadrise and fine entry for soft riding, with a 200-litre flooding keel for increased stability at rest. Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show general manager, Dave Gibbs, says the event – at Greenlane’s ASB Showgrounds in Auckland from May 18-21 – will boast a substantially larger-than-usual number of new brands and new models from existing brands. “A record number of boats are making their debut at this year’s show, and visitors will also see the first public release of a larger than usual number of new outboards, marine electronics and boating and fishing equipment.…

WATCH IT! ON YOUR PHONE To watch the video on your phone, install a QR-Code scanner app (Apple or Android). Many are free. Launch the app, hover it over the QR-code, and a link to the video will open automatically. Looking a bit like a cross between a boat and a Skidoo, the Nauti-Craft catamaran has independently articulated hulls that are connected to the main body of the vessel with an interlinked hydraulic suspension system. Designed by Western Australia’s Nauti-Craft, the cat’s independent hulls react rapidly to waves, absorbing the bumps without transmitting high forces to the deck and superstructure. This provides a superior level of ride comfort as well as improved control and stability – whether the cat’s stationary or travelling at speed. The ride can be further enhanced…

Google Short-handed Sailing and you will find many references to high-profile events such as the Vendee Globe, the Velux 5 Oceans, the Figaro and the Mini Transat – but you’ll also find SSANZ right up there on the list. Dig deeper and you find that the high-profile events are predominantly French, singlehanded and totally insane! SSANZ however, is not an event. It’s the Short-handed Sailing Association of New Zealand. There are similar associations worldwide – SORC in the UK, SSAA in Australia, SSS in San Francisco – but none apart from perhaps the SSS has anywhere the numbers of boats regularly participating in the SSANZ races. So what is SSANZ? And how does it attract 150-plus boats to the start line of its Auckland events and 40-plus entries for a…