going sailing. NZ Classic Yacht Assn.Regatta

[John B]

yup, its that time again. time for the 3rd NZ Classic Yacht Assn regatta.Last years one got blown out, washed out by inclement weather and the first one in 2003 was terrific.
This one is 3 races over 3 days around the Auckland area. Race courses range between 15 to about 25 miles . We are hoping for NOT 25 knots like the last couple of races we've done this year. Getting the topsail up at least one day would be nice.
Unfortunately for us , it is run under a version of the CIM system and that means we are penalised heavily for the 1950's bottom handle winches( Murray), backstay levers and 1930's wykham martin furler we run in order to be able to cruise and sail the boat as a family. CIM is a rich mans toy kind of handicapping system IMO.
So we're pretty well there to make up the numbers and have a good time. I haven't even bothered to clean the hull. Nevermind. Its time fer a sail. :D

[ 02-10-2005, 04:58 AM: Message edited by: John B ]

[Concordia..41]

Maybe someday we'll get that green-with-envy graemlin. :(

Enjoy & take bunches of pictures for those of use who sail vicariously on Waione...

- M

[ 02-09-2005, 10:24 PM: Message edited by: Concordia..41 ]

[John B]

I will do thanks Margo.Poor old Waione... she's getting a bit of a thrashing lately. 500 + miles over christmas, tallships/classics at Russell in 25 knots and the mahurangi regatta in the same plus 5 and 10 at times. Good thing she isn't 100 yet eh.

You're going sailing for a few days too I read. good job.
:D

[ 02-09-2005, 10:31 PM: Message edited by: John B ]

[Concordia..41]

Yep - throwing a bag together as we speak/type. :D

I'm having a hard time packing WB logo stuff. The traitor instinct seems to be winning tonight, so I put the WB long sleeve T and fleece back in the closet. Don't know why this is different, anytime I head to one of the production facilities I make it a point to wear Concordia, WB and/or Kirby Paint stuff. :D

The Ocean Planet shirt made the bag though ;)

- M

[ 02-09-2005, 10:35 PM: Message edited by: Concordia..41 ]

[John B]

I'm thinking I should comb my hair forward with gel and wear my "revolting shirt" on the principle that the others will get out of the madmans way.

Or, I could just sing "she's a lady" for the same result I s'pose. That certainly worked well at christmas except they threw things at me. And It wasn't the kind of things they throw at Tom. Bottles..tomatoes, stuff like that.

[John B]

Ok, back from the briefing. Held at the old Alinghi base right next door to Team NZ. Thats where we'll be rafted up tomorrow night... looking up at the old Illsbruck and TNZ83, hula and all. Want pictures... have mask...can do.. LOL.

About 70 boats involved in the regatta all up but I think some of those are classic launches ,and there are some fine ones of those stooging about.
Races broken into divisions. Largest being the 1 st and second division bermudans, then the second division gaffs then us , first div gaffs.
Oh woe. theres only about 5 in our division and we ( Waione)have the highest handicap by miles so we'll be looking to beat a few of the bermudans for the glory I guess.
Notables: Waitangi absent because she dropped her rig 2 weeks ago. The 1892( approx) Logan snr Aorere has made the trip down from the Bay of Islands for the regatta you beauty you. Imogen! Imogen the sweet little Albert Strange yawl is going to race in 2nd div gaff. The ubiquitous Ranger 60 ft( NZ's premier yacht from 1938 to 64 or so) will take line but. BUT ,Iorangi 52 ft,has a rock star crew including Roy Dickson and Brett Bakewell-White so MAY just challenge for line!!!
Hamish Ross's Little Jim( "affiliated" to Alinghi) will be relentless in her racing against the perfect S and S Sapphire owned by TNZ Team member Doug Reid. Tawera.51ft.. fresh off an expensive and gorgeous refit... including a new mast made by Peter Brookes and Doyle sails made by Bud Nalder .Sails so detailed you need your reading glasses to look at the stitching and a kerchief to wipe the drool from the corner of your mouth so you can say " ahhhhh" without embarrassing yourself.
and Natica..35ft. the west solent one design owned now by Peter Brookes( the restorer of the class back in Ian Wright country) Natica was sucessfull at Cowes last season, was then put in a container with 1/2 inch a side of clearance, her mast cut off with a handsaw so it would fit in as well, and shipped from the UK to NZ.( also remember the 30 sqM Peter rebuilt here, I wrote numerous posts on her as that progressed).Natica went for her first sail in NZ today... this afternoon in fact and is ready to show the Kiwis how to do it tomorrow.

She .is .all .on .

[ 02-10-2005, 05:02 AM: Message edited by: John B ]

[StevenBauer]

Hey John. There is a picture of Waione in ClassicBoat #200. smile.gif

Steven

[John B]

Really? Does it say anything Steven? " look at this old croucher from NZ porpoising through a chop" something like that. :D
Nic Compton took some good ones back in 2000 and to my knowledge, we were the first NZ boat to be on a CB cover.
I'm supposed to be checking the net for the weather right now but I took a side trip to WB. :D . leaving in 1/2 an hour for the first race.

[Jase]

first Pics just in.... Waione submarine tongue.gif

hope thats not you out on the pointy end John smile.gif just some teasers at the mo... more tomorrow i'm sure....

http://www.fordrsoc.org.nz/jase/john1.jpg

http://www.fordrsoc.org.nz/jase/john2.jpg

http://www.fordrsoc.org.nz/jase/john3.jpg

[mmd]

"...her mast cut off with a handsaw so it would fit in..." - John B. Now, that piqued my interest! Whaddaya mean? Which end was hacked off? How did they repair it?

I also got quite a chuckle out of the "reading glasses and kerchief" description of sailmaking quality... :D

[Concordia..41]

I won't have the pretty boats to drool over, but the conditions look about the same.

ALTAMAHA SOUND GA TO FLAGLER BEACH FL OUT TO 20 NM- 430 AM EST FRI FEB 11 2005

...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...

.TODAY...NORTHWEST WINDS 20 KNOTS THIS MORNING DECREASING TO 15 KNOTS THIS AFTERNOON. SEAS 5 TO 7 FEET. INLAND WATERS CHOPPY. .TONIGHT...NORTHWEST WINDS INCREASING TO 20 KNOTS. SEAS 3 TO 5 FEET. INLAND WATERS A MODERATE CHOP.
What the heck, I'm going for a boat ride. :D Packing was made easier, because with the 20 degree windchill I'm wearing every layer I planned to take, and if the wind keeps up we should be there in like an hour. ;)

Cheers all!

- M

[Hwyl]

Be safe and have fun. I'm off to plough snow, so I'm jealous of all of you.

[ 02-11-2005, 05:44 AM: Message edited by: Hwyl ]

[John B]

Can't see Jase's pics for some reason. Rawene has sailed 2 terrific races and had us for breakfast. We sailed 1 good one on Friday(but not good enough) and today... lemon. Too much breeze for us to be optimum and to top it off we broke.There's this awful feeling when you're powered up in 25 to 30 hard on the wind in a nasty chop and all of a sudden the boat all goes soft and you stand up. At first I thought we'd broken our gaff but what it was ,was the peak halyard block breaking and scandalising the main. A shame.. big shame. We'd had a bad start and a forgettable downwind performance but we'd made 100's of metres of ground up on the homeward beat, and we were feeling like we just might redeem ourselves. It broke after about 20 miles in todays 25 miler .DNF :( I can't think if we've ever done that before.
Ngataringa lost his boom.
Aorere bent his gaff saddle out of shape yesterday and didn't start today( repaired now)
Spray.. a 1910 Stowe yawl lost the top off his mast and it has to come out.
Wairere broke his tiller.
While I was up the mast repairing our damage at the harbour this afternoon I looked across at the mast beside us and noticed an 18 in long vertical split between 2 mast fittings. That might have saved him his rig. So Tucana is out of the competition too after winning 2 races in her division. :(

Numerous boats pulled out or didn't start. Tiring day. Off tomorrow for the last harbour race. HOPEFULLY NOT 25 knots.

[ 02-12-2005, 01:01 PM: Message edited by: John B ]

[John B]

Ahhh... redemption.
Light weather start yesterday( sunday)of about 8 knots going through to about 18 in the gusts later in the day but topsail all the way and we had a good race finally after the first 2 disappointing ones.
Great day. The body hurts generally . They ( the crew)made me do the jib change and that hurt.
But we got the gun in our rather truncated gaff division. More importantly ,we finished 6th across the line in the classics with some notable skippers and bermudan boats behind us so we feel a lot better now. Ranger 60ft,Northener 50 ft, Iorangi 52 ft, Tawera 51 ft, Ngataringa 43 ft all bermudan ...then us.
ahhh. much better.
I'll post some pics later. Haven't uploaded any yet.

[John B]

Its a shame all the boats weren't together but here's our raft up.
From the left , Iorangi, the 52 ft 1901 logan I sometimes crew on,Tucana, an early 1900's design from Dunedin in the South island( planks added to Hull and re configured rig wise etc) Waione 1907 Bailey 41 ft and Natica 35ft , the West Solent one design from 1928? , out for the first time in NZ.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p4b8c063975d67f0be6699c6ac5df201d/f523a1c6.jpg

[ 02-13-2005, 09:37 PM: Message edited by: John B ]

[John B]

Arcturus passes us for the first time on day 1.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p85bc58b12ab5e2a2b5cc36bd7402b4ee/f523a228.jpg

Arcturus passes us for the second time on day 1. LOL
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p8d85c0f574201dcc8fa594c351b5d213/f523a214.jpg

[ 02-13-2005, 09:31 PM: Message edited by: John B ]

[John B]

Prize, the 1923 Bailey of 43ft with THAT rig
says "get out of my way, I'm going through"
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pe6f3de190d33422960dbbb007c265daf/f523a206.jpg

[John B]

Rawene, the 42 ft 1909 Logan shows us how to do it by overtaking us after we lead her for 3/4 of the race on day 1.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pb8aeed972f1bce4446ab8df31a928b86/f523a1de.jpg

[martin schulz]

Hey John.

What kind of weird Dandy-rig does Acturus have? Looks like she sails with a staysail between the masts and a classic fisherman on top of it.

I wonder if that is original.

[John B]

Staysail schooner Martin. She sets a bigger fisherman for lighter days. She's right on the money for that breeze and won her division over the 3 days. She is being sailed exceptionally well in general and sailing extremely high at times with less leeway than you'd expect.
20 knots plus she really goes.We have her in the lighter stuff though.