Innehållsförteckning för August 2017 från Boating NZ

Lord of the foils? This has been a difficult issue to get over the line – not for lack of material or because of unreliable contributors – but because I’ve struggled to emerge from the afterglow of ETNZ’s magnificent performance in Bermuda. It took a lot – and I mean a LOT – of whiskey to get my heart rate back to normal. I don’t know about anyone else, but in the last few weeks my fantasies have often turned to how wonderfully this story could play out on the big screen. An against-all-odds-David-overcoming-Goliath script with all the elements of a Peter Jackson blockbuster. There’s the archetypal clash between dark and light, invention vs convention, the small underdog snapping at the heels of an overly vocal pitbull, the villains and…

The latest Ron Given-designed powercat to leave the Kerikeri yard of builder Craig Partridge is headed for warmer climes: its owner, Vatea Quesnot, lives on Moorea, across the water from the main island of Tahiti. “My previous boat was a Roger Hill-designed Arrowcat 30. I prefer catamarans for their stability, space and low draft compared to the overall size of the boat, which is important where I live,” says Quesnot. He says he wasn’t planning on getting a new boat until a friend showed him a picture of Given’s own T9, which the designer had bought ‘second hand’ off its original owner in 2010. “It was in my head for six months – I was trying to figure out how to get this boat. Then I called Ron. Surprisingly, he…

After recently assisting in the Philippines on fisheries patrols, I have real concerns that the country’s fishery hangs in the balance. Many warning signs point to an imminent collapse, and little wonder when you examine the many factors affecting this crucial resource. Part of the challenge is that the problems are systemic, widespread and need concerted action on multiple fronts. What follows are some of the most pressing issues I saw, but sadly there are many more. The Duterte government must take command of the problem or the Philippines’ fishery will most certainly be destroyed. Firstly, there are now large numbers of foreign vessels, especially from Vietnam and Taiwan, pillaging waters south and west of the Philippines respectively. Thankfully, Indonesia has made progress in tackling illegal fishing – Government forces…

THE HUSBAND’S TALE It was a dark night in the middle of winter. Our yacht – SV L’escale – was anchored in Woody Bay, Rakino, one of only two boats. The other belonged to our friends. We were invited over for a mid-winter meal and a few drinks, and we gladly accepted. By the time we were ready to leave, the wind had altered slightly and increased. It was now wrapping around the point making the sea conditions a little rough. We made our farewells, got into the dinghy and headed back to our yacht – slightly, but not excessively, under the weather. Our hosts quickly returned to the warmth below as we motored back to our yacht. My wife climbed on board but I was struggling to hold the…

Exclusive to Family Boats in Auckland, Assault RIBs are manufactured in Eastern Europe with GRP hulls and topquality, seam-welded PVC tubes. They are well-priced and strongly-built. Both models featured here are new. The larger 610 Adventure is more of a sports boat, an allrounder suitable for general family boating and ideal for a seaside holiday home. The Vesta 380 is a more basic craft, supplied on a simple, easy-to-tow road trailer. It would suit inshore fishing and diving, family fun boating and tender duties. With its generous proportions and solid hull, it’s too heavy to manhandle aboard, but fine if your vessel has davits, a crane system or a suitably-sized dinghy garage. ASSAULT 610 ADVENTURE We launched both RIBs at Half Moon Bay before heading out into the inner Hauraki…

Nu Canoe offers an extensive range of proprietary accessories I’ve been playing around with an American-made Nu Canoe Pursuit fishing kayak for the last several weeks. A combination of indifferent weather and a very busy work schedule meant I haven’t used it as often as I would have liked, but the three or four occasions I took it fishing were enough to form an opinion on its pros and cons. PROS THE SEAT The alloy-framed mesh seat is comfortable and height-adjustable. Mounted on rails, it also slides fore and aft so you can achieve the best balance and paddling efficiency (not raising the seat shifts the centre of gravity forward). I prefer the seat in the down position for paddling. STABILITY Though less stable that the 12-foot Nu Canoe Frontier,…

This year, Scott Lane Boatbuilders will be showing Zagato, a New Zealand-designed and built Elite 13m Sport Sedan. Described by the builders as “a very cool little boat,” it is the fifth Elite of this design to leave Scott Lane’s yard; a sixth is currently under construction. Zagato was reviewed in the February 2017 issue of Boating New Zealand, https://boatingnz.co.nz/boat-reviews/upfoldelite- 13-5m-sports-sedan/ Another Elite on show this year is Antiquity, an 18m Elite mid-pilothouse custom-built by Lloyd Stevenson Boatbuilders to its usual high standard and launched in 2015. Unique to Antiquity is a large al fresco dinette. She is possibly the highestspec 18m to date, says designer Bill Upfold. Staying with the Elite theme, Allan Tongs Boat Builders will show Mazara, a stunning Elite 12m Sports Sedan. Allan’s personal boat, Mazara…

DISAPPEARING GUN FIRES AGAIN Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour reverberated to the sound of a 131-year old cannon in July – the ‘disappearing gun’ mounted at Maungauika/North Head Historic Reserve in Devonport. The gun – with its 8-inch bore – was built in 1886 at Britain’s Elswick Ordinance Works and mounted on North Head in the late 1800s to reprise a possible attack from the Russian Navy. Relations between expansionist Russia and Britain were a little strained at the time. But it was never fired in anger – in fact has only ever fired a handful of times – the last to celebrate the All Black’s Rugby World Cup win in 2011. This latest event was arranged for an upcoming NZ on Air-funded documentary – Heritage Rescue – a programme described as…

Like Grandma, Ian Farrier has had a lot of experience slowly perfecting a great idea. For over 40 years he’s been designing trailerable folding trimarans and in that time he has not only dominated this genre of yacht, but has single-handedly reinvented the family trailer sailer. Like most quiet geniuses Ian is little known in his native New Zealand, yet commands a cult following everywhere else in the world. His latest creation, the F22 folding trimaran, is no different to most of the boats built in his Christchurch factory – disappearing into 40-foot containers and exported to an eager international clientele. His low-key approach to marketing, backed up by his innovative and thorough eye for detail, means that there are only two F22s resident in the country. Mollymawk is the…

The plan to tackle the Canal was hatched in my native Italy. In Milan’s Navigli area – what remains of the waterways so dear to Leonardo da Vinci – when my friend Andrea suggested the voyage. I don’t remember my exact reply, but it was along lines of “Let’s go!” We were four adventurers and our vessel – Takatani – a sixmetre gaff yawl of the Eun Na Mara-type. A clinker mahogany plywood hull, she was designed by Iain Oughtred and built by the Venice-based Scottish shipwright Roland Poltock. She had belonged to a recently-deceased gentleman – Beppe De Stefano. Beppe’s son, Giacomo, was one of our four crew. Giacomo is an internationally-renowned environmentalist. He is particularly well-known for his 2012 eco-journey, when he rowed from London to Istanbul in…

Imagine the seafaring ancestors of 750 years ago sailing their ocean-going waka into the Waitemata Harbour today. The towering totara and mighty kauri which lined the harbour have been supplanted by cuboid concrete towers decked out with multinational hieroglyphics. And the moa, as tall as young coconut palms, which strutted on the foreshore, are long gone. But one thing they would have recognised is the twin red hulls and crab claw sail of the Okeanos Aotearoa waka sailing out to greet them. The design is traditional with a slender entry and forefoot to slice the waves, swelling out to a plump belly for weight-bearing buoyancy and rounded sterns to provide stability for sailors using the four metre laminated wooden Hoi (steering sweep). The ancestors would finger the dacron sail cloth…

Puzzle no.238 Across 1. Line showing water level when vessel is properly loaded (8) 6. ____ paw - light breeze forming ripples on water’s surface (4) Changed boat direction abruptly (6) 9. _____board - retractable stabiliser for sailing boat (6) 10. ____ yachtsman - self-reliant boatie! (4) 11. Repairs and renovates old boat (8) 12. _____ tack - taking opposite course from opponent in sailing race (5) 14. Strengthening timber behind lower part of boat’s stem (5) 16. NZ shore bird in photo (8) 20. Secure onto boat with cord (4) 22. Leave boat and go ashore (6) 23. Line on nautical chart indicating direction and magnitude of force such as leeway or current (6) 24. What salt in seawater can make skin do (4) 25. Inside strake bracing boat’s…

The answer lies in an open-minded approach to design, identifying the best-performing option and working to remove the obstacles to it rather than compromising. That, and having great faith in your design and simulation tools, since the budget, geography and timeline did not allow for full-size testing alongside the other challengers. Much has been said of the ‘brutal debrief’ the team went through following the defeat in San Francisco. Grant Dalton recounted that 20 or so points came out of the meeting as the highest priorities for next time. Top of that list were technology and capable people, encouraging the ‘new generation’ of sailors coming through the ranks, and giving individuals responsibility without constraints. Glen Ashby explained the direction given to the entire team was to ‘throw the ball as…

Like all of Smuggler’s proven Strata range of RIBs, the 780SS is a combination of fibreglass hulls and Hypalon tubes and these make for a spacious, stable platform in a range of configurations. A slight extension of the 750 hull, the 780SS’ new layout provides up to five additional seats in the forward area. When added to the six seats in the main cockpit, this gives the boat a remarkable 12-seat capacity. Access to the bow seating is through a split windscreen – a wide walk-through between the forward area and main cockpit. This bowrider configuration will appeal particularly to watersports enthusiasts. Wakeboard racks are fitted either side of the hardtop, and a Fusion stereo and speakers have been installed to belt out the appropriate beat. In the transom a…

BENETEAU OCEANIS 51.1 Beneteau is to reveal the first of a new generation of Oceanis sailing yachts in time to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the range. Comfortable and much faster than any of her forerunners, the Oceanis 51.1 promises to be the most customisable cruising yacht on the market. This is the first cruiser developed under the supervision of Beneteau’s marketing director, Gianguido Girotti. He says the Oceanis 51.1 “capitalises on our experiences with the First and the Figaro, which are boats more focussed on racing. We brought their values into the heart of a cruising yacht.” The new yacht maintains the high standard of sea-keeping and comfort of its predecessors in the Oceanis range, but improves on their racing performance. www.beneteau.com www.36degrees.nz INNOVATION AWARD FOR AXIOM Raymaine’s ground-breaking…

As technology and ideas spill over from the Grand Prix and Superyacht world, the way that owners of smaller yachts rig their vessels is evolving rapidly. Systems developed to make bigger, faster yachts simpler and more reliable work just as well on smaller yachts – whether cruising or racing – and they’re easier on the wallet. It’s no surprise many of the improvements have come from advancements in rope technology, but many of the hardware developments derive from a backward step in complexity. Rope technology has evolved dramatically since the days of hemp and sisal fibres. Modern materials are made in a laboratory with horrifically complicated chemical names. These new fibres have opened the door to a new level of performance with strength and stretch characteristics that are often many…

Every kid loves a shipwreck to explore – I know, because I was a kid once. One of my favourite childhood memories is of letting my imagination run wild aboard a twisted old hulk in Pelorus Sound. I knew nothing of her history – to me she was a Cape Horn windjammer, a buccaneer flagship or even a wrecked treasure ship, depending on which book I’d been reading at the time. It has only been recently, sailing into St Omer Bay from foreign waters aboard our own piratical black gaff ketch, that my wife Barbara and I have taken the time to delve into her history, whilst using the grand old hulk as the backdrop for a contemporary book to stir the imagination of a current generation of kids. It…