Boating NZ March 2018

I, along with millions of other Kiwis, I’m sure, cheered loudly when Team New Zealand received the Best Team gong as well as the overall top performance prize at the recent Halberg Awards. Appropriate recognition for an incredible accomplishment. I’m less ebullient about the proposed America’s Cup base at Auckland’s Wynyard quarter – which, as I write, appears to be developing into an all-out stoush between Team New Zealand, the Government and Auckland Council. It’s left me feeling increasingly uneasy – and more than a little ambivalent. While it seemed the Council and Team New Zealand had come to a tentative agreement on the latter’s preferred option – it includes an extension of the Wynyard Basin’s Halsey Wharf – yesterday’s announcement that Government wants to home the yachts where the…

There’s no better place in the world to sail. First-time entry Ammonite – representing the Royal Nomuka Yacht Club of Tonga – reigned supreme at this year’s NZ Millennium Cup in the Bay of Islands in January. The 24.72m luxury yacht was built in South Africa by Southern Wind Shipyard and delivered in 2016. She was designed by Nauta Design with Farr Yacht Design developing the naval architecture. Light airs dominated the superyacht regatta, contested this year by Silvertip, Janice of Wyoming, Tawera, Sassafras, Ammonite and Enso. “There’s no better place in the world to sail,” said Ammonite owner Marcus Blackmore at the prizegiving. “Thanks go to all the sponsors and in particular Doyle Sails New Zealand’s Mike Sanderson who helped us understand local conditions,” he continued, and added that…

Daniel Baker is a director at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado. He says the Earth’s magnetic field has weakened by some 15 per cent over the last two centuries, and this may be a precursor to a pole reversal. Earths’ geological record shows that magnetic pole-swapping is a relatively regular phenomenon – every 200,000 or 300,000 years – but mankind has never experienced one. The last flip was about 780,000 years ago. So the next one is a tad overdue, and the recent weakening in the magnetic field might herald its imminent arrival. Earth’s molten core generates its magnetic field and creates the ‘magnetosphere’ that serves as a barrier against devastating solar winds, cosmic particles and ultraviolet B rays. Results of a pole…

Unmanned electric container barges will begin operating on Dutch and Belgian waterways later this year, a move designed to curb diesel emissions. Dubbed the ‘Tesla of the canals’, the 52m barges are produced by Dutch company Port Liner. They will operate from the ports of Antwerp, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. They can carry 24 20-foot containers weighing up to 425 tonnes, and their lithium-ion batteries supply 15 hours of power. Designed to fit beneath bridges, they will transport goods around the inland waterways of Belgium and the Netherlands, and are expected to replace around 23,000 diesel-powered trucks for moving freight. Six larger barges – 110m-long and able to carry 270 containers – are in development. Eurostat statistics show that 74.9 percent of freight in the EU is transported by road, compared…

Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour is expected to attract up to half a million visitors during the 23 days of the Volvo Ocean Race stopover – when the eight Volvo 65 yachts will be here after completing the race’s fourth leg from Hong Kong to New Zealand. The vessels, crews and back-up teams are in Auckland from February 24 to March 18. The Viaduct will be transformed into a vibrant Race Village for the stopover, with the Viaduct Events Centre acting as Race HQ. Te Wero Island will be the entertainment hub with a packed programme of events on the big stage, large screens, live music, plus concept bars. Karanga Plaza will offer a range of quality stalls, public eateries and family activities. An interactive display offers unique insight into life onboard…

Coastguard volunteers assisted at 93 incidents across the northern region during the Auckland Anniversary long weekend, bringing 272 people back home to safety. Nearly 75 percent of the incidents were caused by mechanical, fuel-related or electrical issues. With the scorching weather boaties were out in droves, but there was no rest for Coastguard volunteers. Boaties made 5,418 radio calls to the Coastguard Operations Centre, including Trip Reports and calls for assistance, over the three-day long weekend. One crew spent 11 hours assisting and then towing a launch from Port Fitzroy back to Marsden Cove. Many other crews were called out multiple times in one day, with Maraetai volunteers launching four times to attend to boaties in trouble. One Coastguard rescue vessel – the Hauraki Gulf-based ASB Rescue – departed Mechanics…