Innehållsförteckning för September 2021 från Boating NZ

Tempting fate Welcome to the September 2021 issue of Boating New Zealand, my first as editor. This is my second attempt at the Editorial Comment. My first was themed around how fortunate we are to live in this country, with its relative freedom in a Covid-19 restricted world, especially in the light of what’s happening to our closest neighbours. Then, not two hours after I despatched the story to the printers, came the bombshell announcement of Covid-19 community transmission in Auckland, the first case in 169 days. It was quickly followed by a nationwide Level 4 lockdown. Had I tempted fate writing about New Zealand’s good fortune to be Covid-free? While the whole world was (and is) caught up in the Covid-19 pandemic, by some combination of good management, geographical…

Some 10 years in planning, the new Waikawa NorthWest Marina is nearing completion and will create 251 additional berths just north of the existing Waikawa Marina. Catering for vessels between 12 and 30m LOA, the marina will also include a number of purpose-built berths for multihulls. The first berths are scheduled to become available this summer, with the marina completed by mid-2022. The project – Port Marlborough’s largest capital development to date – will relieve much of the pressure on the existing marinas at Picton, Waikawa and Havelock. Picton and Waikawa have both been at near capacity for a number of years – so the new facility will be particularly appealing to visiting boaties wishing to explore the Sounds. Port Marlborough estimates around half of the new berths will be…

The D4 DPI is an upgrade on the standard 300hp model, driving through Volvo-Penta’s latest duo-prop Aquamatic sterndrive with electric steering. The Paragon 25 is also fitted with a bow thruster, making it an easy boat to handle dockside. An inboard configuration means an uncluttered cockpit enclosed by stainless steel rails and a very useful swim platform aft – an extension of the cockpit – accessible through gates both sides of the transom seat module. The platform’s equipped with a u-shaped support for the bait board, BBQ and tender, something importers Sports Marine fit to every boat. Other local additions include the stainless-steel rocket launcher and radar arch on the hardtop, additional rod holders on the cockpit rails, bow rails and dinghy support, seat cushions fore and aft and four…

YACHT COLLECTIVE SYNDICATION FLEET EXPANDS THE YACHT COLLECTIVE is introducing two more exciting models to its fleet. In spring 2021, the company will bring a brand-new Swift Trawler 41 Flybridge to New Zealand. This successful launch is known for its efficiency, seaworthiness, and cruising comfort. In summer, a new generation Gran Turismo 41 will arrive. It offers great performance, an entertainer’s layout, latest boating technology and other features. These new models will be available to view later this year with 1/6th shares on offer. www.theyachtcollective.co.nz LUSTY & BLUNDELL TO DISTRIBUTE VERATRON NEW ZEALAND SUPPLIER OF MARINE PRODUCTS Lusty & Blundell, will now distribute the range of Veratron instruments and sensors. Veratron has released a series of products that take marine instrumentation and sensors to the next level. With award-winning innovation…

Kawau has been a famous Hauraki Island cruising destination for more than a hundred years. The little port at Sandspit is kinda famous too. But not many cruising boaties have taken the jaunt up the creek to Matakana. Sandspit can be a tricky anchorage, with a strong tidal stream, and the wide expanse of Buckletons Bay, to the east of the yacht moorings, is deceptively shallow. We had found a safe guest mooring at Sandspit – kindly loaned to us for the day. There really are two sandspits at Sandspit. The main one, where the road ends at the wharf, and which has parking, a café and a Coastguard station. This sandspit runs across the estuary mouth, leaving a narrow outlet. Hence the swift tidal race. But further out, towards…

Puzzle no.286 Across 1. _____ __ Adventure – NZ trust offering sailing training for young people (6,2) 6. Platform surrounding head of lower mast of squarerigged vessel (3) 8. Primitive marine invertebrate with soft porous body (6) 9. Lets water run out of boat hull (6) 10. Provide person-power for boat (4) 11. Type of controls used to manoeuvre boat (4-4) 12. Wires or ropes used to brace masts (5) 14. The _____ – poetic way to refer to deep ocean (5) 16. Item of boat equipment in photo (8) 20. Slope for launching boat into sea (4) 22. _____ anchor – unmoors boat from seabed (6) 23. This describes vessel you know to be reliable (6) 24. Small alcoholic drink to warm you up after cold wet day on…

ENTRIES OPEN FOR SAILING WEEK ENTRIES TO NEW ZEALAND’S BIGGEST MULTI-DAY KEELBOAT REGATTA ARE NOW OPEN, AS CRC BAY OF ISLANDS SAILING WEEK ORGANISERS BEGIN THE COUNTDOWN TO THE EVENT’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION. Well over 100 boats are expected to take part in the regatta from 25 to 28 January, 2022, with entries regularly attracted from around New Zealand and overseas. CRC Bay of Islands Sailing Week, which falls in the week before Auckland and Northland Anniversary Weekend each year, enjoys broad appeal among sailors thanks to the variety of divisions and courses on offer. The Notice of Race and online entry form can be found at www.bayofislandssailingweek.org.nz …over 100 boats are expected to take part in the regatta from 25 to 28 January, 2022… MOTITI PROTECTION AREA NOW IN…

The latest launches from Riviera, Riva, Lagoon, Prestige and more will vie for attention with amphibious vessels and the latest component technology at this year’s Auckland Boat Show. Since the show’s first edition in 1998, it has become a focal point for new, innovative and industry-leading products from its position on Auckland’s waterfront. This year’s show, which will run from a new location at Jellicoe Harbour, previously the America’s Cup team bases, will have a bumper range of exciting new products when it lands on October 7. Among the impressive vessels on show with Riviera, the Riviera 5400 Sport Yacht Platinum edition boasts an entertainer’s cockpit with sunroof, barbecue and wet bar, central aft galley, spacious saloon, helm station with sports-inspired console, master stateroom, guest accommodation and maximised storage throughout,…

Fiordland is like another planet – you are really taking a trip into the mountains. In the mountains you carry appropriate equipment, stay watchful, and prepare for severe weather and Fiordland is the same, except that you can go there by boat. And if you’re determined enough, you can go there on your own boat. They are a tough but friendly lot down there. The commercial fishing boats tend to be solid units with high bows, low windage and big engines. Their skippers are capable, weather-beaten and helpful and there is a sense of ‘we all need to look out for each other down here’. All boats in the region are overseen by a daily radio sched by Meri Leask from Bluff Fisherman’s Radio, VHF channel 64 every morning and…

There is a conspicuous white church on the point as you come round to enter the inlet of Levkas’ Tranquil Bay, and to the left – just through the trees – is the villa of the 19th century German archaeologist, William Dorpfeld. Dorpfeld worked on a number of Bronze Age sites around the Mediterranean. He excavated at Hisarlik – the legendary city of Troy – and passionately advocated the historical reality of places mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey. Today, this fundamental idea is accepted and his work has been responsible for much of the renewed fascination with the culture and mythology of Ancient Greece. Dorpfeld died on Levkas in 1940, still convinced that the bay where the town of Nidri now stands, on the eastern coast of Levkas, was the historical…

Italian manufacturer Azimut is the world’s largest producer of large luxury powerboats, building a full range of motor-yachts from its seven shipyards in Italy for more than 50 years; and it has seen no let-up in demand despite the global pandemic. The company is currently taking orders for 2022–23, and it’s not just European owners getting in on the action: five Azimuts were sold to Kiwi owners last year and an additional five sales in 2021 include a second S7 to be launched here in November. “People are becoming more conscious of luxury products here – look at the cars you see on the roads these days,” says David Hawke of Azimut’s New Zealand agent Pinnacle Marine. “Many owners are demanding more style, luxury, sophistication and technology from their…

Located in Gabador Place, Mt Wellington, just five minutes off the motorway and conveniently close to Sylvia Park Mall, Tamaki Marine Park will be Auckland’s newest and most modern marine precinct once construction is completed later this year. The area already has an established marine presence, with boat builders McMullen and Wing and Chris McMullen on the site’s southern boundary and the Rayglass Boats service centre next-door to the north. Being located only five minutes off Auckland’s southern motorway, with easy access enroute to the shops at Sylvia Park Mall, it’s perfectly positioned for pre-departure provisioning or as somewhere to drop off the family while doing odd jobs on the boat. Once at Tamaki Marine Park, there is plenty of secure parking and once the lines are thrown off, Browns…

A university with its own sailing yacht, as the blurb for UTS (University of Technology) stated in its prospectus, caught my attention when I matriculated for my Masters degree. Having recently sold my yacht in southern Spain and emigrated to sunny Sydney, I was in need of boat, or at least a way to continue sailing. A fortuitous meeting at the Double Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) with Peter Russell changed my life for the next 16 lovely years. Stalwart sailor, occasional crewman on the illustrious yacht Love & War and UTS lecturer, Peter had advised the university sports union to purchase a yacht in 1999. This proved a controversial buy, with some factions citing the elitism of being the only university with its own sailing yacht, which few students could…

In Slime’s case speed is an easy 20-plus knots. “Shall we go to Kawau or Great Barrier for lunch?” is a reasonable question. John Hughes, owner and builder of Slime in all her carnations, is a living legend in the multihull world. Since her original build in 1987 from Malcolm Tennant’s design plans, Slime has transmogrified into a custom-design-and-build-carbon-rocket-ship with Hughes’ legendary innovation and ingenuity on display everywhere you look. You could say he has done for multihulls (with Slime in particular) what John Britten did for motorbikes. Peerless. Stepping from the beach onto the wide transom highlights the first impressive feature of Slime – her retractable square-tip rudders, which enable very shallow water manoeuvring. This is perfect for her Mahurangi home waters – but they also provide a perfectly…

Our family group of four were lucky to be given a perfect winter’s day for our outing – windless, clear and sunny. We joined our Red Boats Ferry at Z Pier in Westhaven and as all passengers had arrived in good time, we left slightly before our 10.45am scheduled departure. Two ferries operate this route, the Red Boats and the Riverhead Ferry, sailing times being dependent upon the tide. Riverhead was a railway starting point in the 19th century. The rail line operated from 1875 to 1881 as a link from Auckland to regions north, with Riverhead acting as the transition point from ferry to railway. With the need for accommodation at this important junction, Thomas William Deacon established the Riverhead Tavern in 1857. Now at over 160 years old,…