Next Meeting: Monday August 20th, 7:30 pm BYO

-
No. 7 August 2012
2011
1-04
Maralyn
Miller
200911-04
VOLUME No. 32,
Editor:
Next Meeting:
Monday August 20th, 7:30 p.m.
2009
B.Y.O. BBQ 6:30 p.m.
2009
Guest Speaker:
Damon Bolton & Katelyn Edge (University of
NSW senior PhD students)
Damon and Katelyn are senior students at Evolution & Ecology Research Centre
School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences.
Cruise to Port Stephens, photo by Wolfgang Kullik
1
CRUISING DIVISION OFFICE BEARERS – 2012
Cruising Captain
Colin Pitstock
0407-669-322
Cruising Vice Captain
Phil Darling
0411-882-760
Vice-Commodore Cruising
Colin Pitstock
0407-669-322
Secretary
Glynne Attersall
0417 028 931
Treasurer
Trevor D’Alton
9960-2878
Membership
Jean Parker / Michael Mulholland-Licht
0403-007-675
Name Tags
Lena D’Alton
9960-2878
Compass Rose Coordinator Maralyn Miller
0411-156-009
Safety Coordinator
Bill Allen
9977- 0392
Waterways User Group
Mike McEvoy
9968-1777
Sailing Committee
Colin Pitstock
0407-669-322
Guest Speakers
Royce Englehardt, & Committee & Members as required
On Water Events
Coordinator
Colin Pitstock/ Michael MulhollandLicht/ Phil Darling / Glynne Attersall
On Land Events
Coordinators
Jean Parker / Hilary Gallagher / Scott Saunders/ Charo Devery
General Committee
assistance
Royce Englehardt, Scott Saunders, Trevor D’Alton, Phil Darling,
Maralyn Miller, Hilary Gallagher
Michael 0418-476-216
Phil 0411-882-760
Editor's note:
Deadline for the next edition of the Compass Rose,
is: 6th September 2012
The EDITOR for the next Compass Rose is
Maralyn Miller. Please forward contributions
c/-:
MHYC PO Box 106
SEAFORTH NSW 2092,
or
email:
[email protected]
Opinions expressed in the Compass Rose are those of the contributors, and do not
necessarily reflect opinions of either Middle Harbour Yacht Club or the Cruising Division
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MHYC Cruising Division Program 2012 – 13
Aug ‘12
Sun 12th
1-day Senior First Aid Course
Mon 20th
CD Meeting - 7:30pm at the club (BBQ 6:30pm)
Sat 18th - Sun 19th
Sugarloaf Raft-up and Pre-safety audit
Sat 25th – Sun 26th
Get Set Weekend – Special Regulations Audit at the
club
Last Friday Drinks at the club
Fri 31st
Sept ‘12
Oct ‘12
Nov ‘12
Sat 1st
Mon 17th
MHYC Sailing Season Opening and BOAT BITS - BUY,
SWAP & SELL
CD Meeting – 7:30pm at the club (BBQ 6:30pm) –
Fri 28th
Last Friday Drinks at the club
Sat 29th – Mon 1st
Thur 4th - TBC
October Long Weekend Cruise to La Perouse /
Kurnell
First Twilight Race
Mon 15th
CD Meeting – 7:30pm at the club (BBQ 6:30pm)
Oct 26th
Last Friday Drinks at the club
Tues 6th
Melbourne Cup
Sat 10th – Sun 11th
Course 090 and Pre-Xmas Beach Party
Mon 19th
CD Meeting – 7:30pm at the club (BBQ 6:30pm) –
Quiz Night
Next Meeting:
Monday August 20th, 7:30 p.m.
B.Y.O. BBQ 6:30 p.m.
Guest Speaker:
Damon Bolton & Katelyn Edge (University of
NSW senior PhD students)
Damon and Katelyn are senior students at Evolution & Ecology Research Centre
School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences. They will be presenting
aspects of their current marine research and how it affects our marine environment.
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Captain’s Column – July 2012
I'm sitting in Young, freezing, watching the 49ers sail their last race
for the Gold Medal and Tom has already won gold, tonight the 470's
are also going for gold and Saturday the girls are in the match racing,
and they are all in there with medal chances. They have all done
extremely well and they all sail from AST at MHYC, so you will see
them around the club.
Our season is about to start all over again, we kick off with our Safety Audit Raft up
weekend, so hopefully we will see lots of you all there, if you’re not sure what it may
involve and you haven’t had an audit done before, ask any of us and we will give you a
hand. We also have Opening Day coming up, which is a Green and Gold theme so
please join the cruising division in dressing your boats in green and gold to celebrate
the Olympic Sailors wins and join in the sail past, the Olympians are scheduled to be at
the club for the day as well. Also on the day is a Buy Swap and Sell, proceeds from
which will go towards a new Trophy cabinet for the club. So bring into the club your
boat bits you want to sell, and contact Jean or myself.
Talking about Trophies our Cruising Division has our own that you can win.
 Watchman Trophy. Which is for the alternate skipper and is designed to
develop good seamanship skills, look out for updates on this event, it's having a
bit of a fine tune at the moment.
 Slocum Trophy is awarded for single-handed sailing in a passage such as a sail to
Pittwater or one of our events. This year it is for the sail to Botany Bay.
 Yaffe Trophy. For a cruise of merit, the winner decided by the CD Committee.
Shazam won this last year for her cruise to Hamo. This year so far Kachina,
Bigfish, and Osprey are in the running as they are all heading north currently.
 Navigators Trophy. A trophy awarded for an outstanding feat of navigation, be
it Cruising or Racing. Eleni for the Sydney Hobart race won this last year.
 Cruising Drogue Trophy. For the boat that is always in a hurry or the fastest
sailor in the Cruising Division. Bliss won this last year.
 Cruising Division Crew Member award. Presented to a crew member deemed
to have made a special contribution to the Cruising Division.
All of us in the cruising division are capable of winning any of these trophies, so brush
up on your skills and you could be a winner like our Olympic Sailors who have just won
Gold. But if you’re not a winner just come along and have a heap of fun. As well, any
of you can put your hand up as a co-ordinator for our events, I have learnt a lot by
putting my hand up and jumping in boots and all.
Colin Pitstock, Cruising Captain and Vice-Commodore, Cruising.
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FUTURE EVENTS:
August Meeting
Guest Speakers:
Mon. 20th August, 7:30 p.m.
Damon Bolton & Katelyn Edge (University of NSW
senior PhD students)
Both Damon and Katelyn are senior students at Evolution & Ecology Research Centre
School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences. They will be presenting aspects
of their current marine research and how it affects our marine environment.
Katelyn Edge - Developing monitoring tools for the detection of stress from resuspended contaminated sediments
Sediments are a major sink for contaminants and, when re-suspended through
physical disturbance (e.g. storms, dredging), they are a significant source of
contaminants to water-column organisms. Currently, the effects of re-suspended
sediments are poorly understood and our research is aimed at developing methods to
monitor the ecological stress from re-suspended sediments.
Damon Bolton - How safe is a crack: Predation pressure in crevice communities
Predation plays a large role in determining community structure, such as large
predatory carnivores preying on herbivorous grazers or large bodied fish preying on
sea urchins. Both of these examples lead to and maintain certain dominant vegetation
which would be altered without the top down predation. Predation pressure in the
ocean is being modified through excess harvesting, habitat modification and Marine
Protected Areas (MPAs).
September Meeting
Guest Speaker:
Mon. 17th September, 7:30 p.m.
Chris Fretwell (Donaghys)
Donaghys is a rope and cordage manufacturer in Australia and New Zealand and has
established itself as a supplier of high performance yacht racing products. They cover
the full spectrum of braids including polyester, nylon, spectra, dyneema, and vectran.
October Meeting
Guest Speaker:
Mon. 15th October, 7:30 p.m.
Greg Cockle
Cruise Preparation and Watch Keeping
In 2006 Greg and Debbie took delivery of Volaré, a Catalina 42 in Long Beach
California and the two of them spent the next eighteen months sailing it back across
the Pacific to Sydney. Prior to this experience they both spent 4 years sailing their 38'
ketch from Middle Harbour Yacht Club to Hong Kong in the late 1980’s. Greg’s
knowledge of coastal and ocean cruising – from selecting the right boat, purchasing,
fitting out and provisioning, is invaluable.
5
November Meeting
Guest Speaker:
Mon. 19th October, 7:30 p.m.
Phil Darling
Seamanship and Self-Sufficiency
As well as being the Cruising Vice-Captain, Phil is also a commercial Master V and
Yachtmaster Instructor. During this last presentation before the Christmas and
summer cruising period, Phil will take you through a number of topics relating to sail
cruising seamanship and self-sufficiency for short- handed coastal cruising.
Sail Past and Opening Day – Saturday 1st September
'Green & Gold' Day
This year's Sail Past theme is 'Green & Gold' so dress your boat, your crew and
yourself and come and participate in the official opening of the 2012/13 season.
There will be activities for young and old, sailors and non-sailors. The Sail Past starts,
as per usual, at 11am with Gerald racing around trying his best to get everyone to get
into a nice tidy line and head towards the Club to salute the Flags.
After the sail past, for those who want to race, there is the Commodore's Front Up
Cup. At the Club the junior sailors will be out in their boats, there will be activities for
kids on the beach, the Boat Bits “Buy, Swap and Sell” will be up and running and
plenty more.
It will be a great day to come and enjoy the beach, catch up with other members and
just generally enjoy being a member of the Club. Hope to see you all there,
Charo Devery
Attention, Attention, Attention. Opening Day 1st of September.
We are having a “Buy, Swap and Sell” so can you please bring in your spare boat bits
for us to sell on Opening Day, the profits from the day are going to towards to a new
Trophy cabinet for the Club.
So if you want some dollars for your boat bits can you please write on the item how
much you want for it and who it's from, the Club will take 50% of the sale, but we're
hoping most people will donate their sale item to the club so we can get our new
Trophy cabinet sooner than later.
So when you bring your boat bits to the club see Pip or Scott, to take charge of them.
6
2nd Sunday Breakfast at MHYC
Breakfast in the Sandbar 9:00 a.m. Sunday 9th September
Come along and join the Cruising Division for an indulgent breakfast
and a winter warm uP
PAST EVENTS: Cruising Division Winter Long Lunch
Saturday July 14 brought to Sydney one of those most delightful sunny
days that remind us we can survive the winter and even enjoy it. We
have had more than our usual share of chilly nights this winter but the Middle
Harbour Quarterdeck was the place to be with clear blue skies and picturesque scenes
from every vantage point.
Almost two dozen CD members and guests enjoyed the special menu provided by Cala
Luna for our gastronomic pleasure. To start, we shared delicious antipasto, calamari
and bruschetta with tomato. Oatley's Craigmoor Sparkling bubbly was available from
the bar at a very special price as well as a full wine list to suit everyone's tastes.
Sitting back and dreaming of the
summer months ahead was only
slightly interrupted by the efficient
and expert service by Victoria, Lavinia,
Nick and Michel who brought out Veal
Scallopine in a mushroom cream
sauce followed by Ocean Trout with
zucchini spaghetti, roasted potatoes,
mixed beans and bread. The
conversation flowed along with the
refreshments and soon we were
swapping seats as well and tales.
Our group was quite the talk of the racers who filled the main bar area and wondered
what special event they were missing out on. Dessert did not disappoint! Tiramisu
served in clear glasses were visually unique and oh so delicious. Finally, as the sun
was sinking in the west, the happy diners started to depart....except for Michael
Mulholland-Licht's 90+ year old grandfather who was ready to rock on and put all of
us "younger" ones to shame.
Jean Parker, ‘Ballymagirl’
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Mike McEvoy switches from one lady to another, or, Jabiru’s first cruise –
by Captain and crew.
So, who is this new lady (mistress?) in Mike’s life, who
seduced him away from sail to power? Well “she” is
Jabiru, a Mariner 3400 of a few years vintage but of
excellent quality. Would Mike muck around with anyone
else? 34 feet overall, beam 12’ 8” and draft 3’ 3” with two
200HP motors to move her along at up to 21 kts. A
capacious double cabin forward, aft of that a one-up and
one-down guest cabin to starboard and opposite that a
(full size) loo with separate shower. She is beginning to sound comfortable and she is,
particularly because up a few steps past the galley to port to the saloon and you get
the full benefits of her “pilot house” design. Sit at the dinette and enjoy 360 degree
views of the world going by, or command the vessel if things are a little inclement
outside! There’s even room for a bit of a party or relax in comfortable chairs on the
stern deck.
Comfortable yes, but Mike and Sue are still explorers at heart, so as soon as
ownership was transferred at RMYC, Pittwater, in early July, a few things fixed and
familiarisation with operation complete, they were ready to explore a region, access
to which had previously been denied to them because of its low bridges and power
lines – the Hawkesbury. Glynne and Gill joined as able bodied crew and they were off!
First stop lunch at the Mooney Mooney Club. Now you may have seen the shallowness
of the channel into Mooney Mooney Creek whilst whizzing over the M3 Hawkesbury
Bridge and you may be wondering how on earth we got in there, even with tidal help.
Unknown by some of the crew was the fact that the land you can see from the road
bridge adjacent to the creek is in fact an island, which has a channel round the back of
it, culminating in a very convenient wharf outside the club. This channel is entered on
your starboard side shortly after passing under the railway bridge. Our arrival was a
little later than planned and coincided with low tide, so this channel gave us an ideal
opportunity to test the accuracy of the depth sounder and the value it carried for
“keel offset”. This was demonstrated by the mud brought to the surface by the props
plus swinging the lead (a large shackle on a bit of light line) once alongside.
Adventurous with the new boat from the start!
Dragging ourselves away from this friendly and well-appointed club, we entered the
Hawkesbury proper and enjoyed watching the scenery slip by in brilliant sunshine, as
we read about the history of the points of interest in the cruising guide. As dusk
approached and the temperature up on the fly bridge began to fall, we had reached
8
the junction of the creek up to the village of Spencer, so we tried to find somewhere
to anchor out of the main tidal current. We weren’t entirely successful at this, as
indicted by the water rushing past at one stage during the night, but it didn’t last as
anyone with knowledge of the “rule of twelves” will know. However, Glynne, with his
finely tuned awareness of his environment was up out of bed and out through the
hatch onto the forward deck to check on the boat’s position. There he discovered that
the transits taken of the boat’s mooring position the night before were useless as the
visibility in the fog was only a few metres! However, he could see a faint glow from
the three flashes of the adjacent Cardinal mark, so thought all was well until a shadow
passed in front of the boat. Was it a boat? Should he shout out a warning? He moved
to a better vantage point and the shadow followed. Then it dawned on him what it
was. The anchor light was behind him projecting his enlarged shadow onto the fog, so
he stopped giving himself a scare and went back to bed!
In the morning, the new RIB and four stroke outboard
were launched for the first time and all the crew
headed ashore to explore Spencer. That didn’t take
too long but it was interesting looking at the mixture
of permanent houses, weekenders and caravan park
and it was tiring. So we retreated to the acclaimed
“centre of the universe” the Spencer General Store
and Dunkirk Hotel for coffee and scones on the
veranda! The hotel is extensive – a table and benches under a tree on the river bank!
The tourists off the “River Postman” arrived as we left. Underway again, we enjoyed
the tranquillity of the river as the flooding tide helped us on our way past amazing
rock formations with really deep water around the outside of the bends - as in 25m at
one point! In this area of the river the cliffs and colourful rock formations are really
amazing and the intrusion of housing minimal but interesting when you spot them.
After an hour or so of this, travelling at about 6kts to avoid wake breaking on the
banks, the cliffs retreat from the river bank to be replaced by fields and then once
round the bend at Wisemans ferry to be replaced by thousands and thousands, it
seems, of caravans, cabins and camp sites. We had forgotten what a popular place this
is in summer and how many people are able to enjoy the river along this stretch for
skiing. We also realised that visiting this area in winter avoids a good bit of congestion.
In between the ski resorts were some magnificent
houses and properties, some of them with strange
ways of repelling unwanted visitors. We saw full
sized statues of lions, tigers, elephants and giraffes
guarding some gardens! We now also passed into a
more historical part of the river and looked with
interest at old churches and graveyards and the
9
remnants of a once very important agriculture industry. Cross-river cable ferries were
now a familiar hazard to us (Wisemans, Sackville x 2 and Lower Portland) and we
found the operators very cooperative as we waited for them to reach the bank and
turnoff their flashing yellow light, allowing us to proceed over their cables. Their cargo
offered an interesting variety of vehicles from cement trucks to tractors to
commuters! The life of their operators appears to be one of long hours from early to
late and long waits between customers, who demand instant response. We did hear
though, that the locals can be quite protective of their ferry operators. The advantage
of having three of us on board with a boat licence became apparent when different
things of interest appeared. Helmsmen (women) would leap to the opportunity to
steer the vessel.
Dusk saw us anchoring in the mouth of the Colo River, which Mike and Glynne
explored further upstream in the RIB. A few interesting boats were seen and maybe a
dingo in the forest, but there again, it might have been a Labrador! The cold night air
forced them back to the very cosy saloon of Jabiru, where
Sue’s very tasty Beef Bourgeon was shared with the
parents of Jono’s wife, Lucy, who live nearby at Lower
Portland. Jono (Jonathon) is Mike and Sue’s eldest son
seldom seen on previous yachts but may be seen more
often on Jabiru. After a very peaceful night, we were off
fairly early the next morning to get to Windsor via places
like Ebenezer (the site of Australia’s oldest church, Cattai and Wilberforce. This
stretch of the river gave us the most breathtaking reflections we had ever seen. It was
very difficult to pick where the scenery ended and the river began. Again the river
shared with us a tranquillity probably not enjoyed by many who visit her, but certainly
enjoyed by us. We felt privileged and we were.
One of the shallower sections of the river greeted us as we approached Windsor,
where we met up with an old friend. The paddle-wheeler, for so many years a resident
of Lane Cove National Park, was hard at work from the wharf taking a full load of
tourists for lunch. Having seen Windsor from the water, we headed back down river
looking for the “turn-of-the-tide”, from where we would have the ebb to help us on
our way. We had a fairly obvious ebb before we noticed it, but it is interesting to
imagine how the “peak” in water level travels up and
down the river flooding and ebbing as it goes. Two
hours after Port Jackson here and three hours further
up. It is a science not known to many now-a-days, but
imagine how the sailing vessels must have relied on it
and the wind to get the agricultural produce of the area
to market in Sydney.
10
Still enjoying brilliant weather, we had a very enjoyable afternoon gentle steaming
down river absorbing the atmosphere and we made it back to the Colo River before
dark. During the afternoon we took advantage of the engines running to enjoy lovely
hot showers since the hot water tank is only 20 litres. An early night for an early
morning to make it back to RMYC to drop the ladies off pick up Jono to help with the
trip back to Sydney, planned for the following day. Only problem was that when Mike
went up to the fly bridge at 0700, the fog was thick. By thick, we mean, can’t see
either bank! So Mike started to roll up the clears, but stopped when one cracked
because of the cold! At 0715 we could see one bank, so with Mike as lookout calling
the shots and Glynne on the helm, we started to make progress down-stream by just
following one bank. Within an hour the fog was lifting and the photographers came
out of the saloon to record the event.
Back at RMYC and with fuel and new crew on board, we contemplated the weather. In
their 1440 transmission, Marine Rescue announced that the weather was to
deteriorate over the next few days from the current southerly of 15-20Kts and
substantial swell. We couldn’t wait this long for it to abate, so we all agreed that now
was the time to learn how the boat handles large seas. At 1500 we had secured all
loose equipment, poked our nose out around Barrenjoey and had our first steering
experiments with such large waves. First we found that speed needed moderating,
then we found the boat was far more comfortable taking seas diagonally. We had a
few spectacular falls off waves of 2 metres, but fortunately the only damage was the
galley cutlery drawer, which burst its catch and ended on the floor in style! Still we
were making course pretty close to the wind and entered the harbour at 1800, which
we thought quite respectable for the conditions. It was a full day, having set out at
0715 from the mouth of the Colo River, we arrived abeam MHYC at 1830. It was an
excellent way to conduct a shake-down cruise, in good company.
And so ended a very enjoyable first cruise for Jabiru,
a fitting start to a cruising programme, which
continues with exploration of the upper harbour
after the safety weekend in Sugarloaf, her spiritual
home! Maybe more to follow another time if our
readers would like to read more about the
particular joys of the Hawkesbury river and what to
see and what to avoid.
Story by Glynne, added to by Mike, supported as always by Sue and Gill. By the way,
nothing like taking your son’s in-laws back to shore after a fine meal and a few wines
in the new RIB in complete darkness – PFDs a good idea! Not that they were deployed.
Have you seen the new kit that contains a torch, bailer, line and cover, very handy in a
RIB? P.S. “Mike has also changed birds. From a Sarus to a Jabiru!”
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SPECIAL DELIVERY……………..By Grahame Bear
I was volunteering the weekend of the World Access Games when by
chance I met James Gardiner, owner of “Xanthia” an X-Yacht (XC45) he
had been preparing for over a year for a circumnavigation of the
Australian “Mainland” as he puts it! Later after discussions over a
superb dinner at Orso Restaurant, James had hired me to assist him
with the safe delivery of his yacht between Sydney and Cairns.
About me.
I was so fortunate, growing up on Rose Bay, at the age of eight my father decided to
build a Heron sailing dinghy to introduce me to the sport and race from Woollahra SC.
Instantly sailing became a passion and through high school I sailed 5 days per week
being able to replace cricket as my sport of choice. Sailing on the ocean commenced in
1975 and since then I have done countless ocean races, cruises and deliveries. More
recently, I decided to make this my profession as my love of the sea merges with the
need for sustenance.
About James.
James tells me he grew up on Port Phillip Bay and sailed skiffs until the age of 18 when
he went to agricultural college and became a farmer eventually running 50,000 acres
of grazing country at Cobar – a long way from the sea. Over the last couple of years
since selling the farm and moving to the coast, James became involved with the
Batemans Bay YC and has been elected rear commodore. So the sea has become
within his grasp and the fulfilment of a long standing bucket list item has come to
fruition. All those years on the farm meant there was a lack of experience on the
ocean, general seamanship and navigation and so the request for assistance came
about.
We left on April 29th with two others. Louise had previous experience on charter
yachts in the Mediterranean, Nathan a 30 year old American traveller however had no
sailing experience but had enrolled with Sunsail at Hamilton Is to do the competent
crew course commencing May 7th. He asked me if I thought I could get him there in
time and I confidently assured him it was a definite maybe. So Nathan climbed
aboard. Having had the opportunity to start sailing as an eight year old, and forever
thankful for the joy the sport has given me, I make it a priority to offer this
opportunity to others whenever possible. So for that reason I am prepared to take on
the responsibility of a beginner on a passage of this magnitude. After a couple of days
of mild “mal de mer”, Nathan started to adapt to life on the ocean and two months
later along with James has just pulled into Darwin Harbour. In this time I have seen
him literally “learn the ropes”. He has become a competent sailor, helmsman and
navigator (albeit lacking experience!) and loving every minute of it.
12
So we did get to Hammo by the appointed date, two days early in fact. Leaving Sydney
on the end of a low, we had a very nice 25knt SE to push us up the coast fast enough
to get us to the border and into the trades which held in 24/7 all the way to Cairns, 6
½ days to Hammo where we said goodbye to Nathan and Louise (both returning to the
boat in Cairns) and 2 days more (just James and myself) to Cairns then 3 hours back to
Sydney for me as my job was done.
In my letter of confirmation to James I stated that “My role will be to use my
experience to help you safely deliver the yacht but respect the fact that you as owner
have the ultimate say in any decision.” To this end we had no conflict whatsoever and
it has been nothing but smooth sailing.
Several weeks later after James and the crew had “day sailed” to Cooktown, I received
a call asking if I could meet them at Horn Is to help them get across the Arafua Sea to
Gove. I was delighted to receive the call and begun organising flights etc. James later
changed the meeting point to Weipa having heard that customs officials on Horn were
likely to confiscate all their fresh food despite them not having left Aussie waters, so
Weipa it was. A light to average easterly on a flat sea saw us arrive into Gove harbour
49hours later, again a very pleasant uneventful voyage.
Although together James and Nathan most probably would have done the crossing
without a problem, I consider myself to be similar to an insurance policy.
Issues, a few, but all able to be sorted. The most significant being failure of both
charging systems (motor and generator) one evening resulting in no house battery
power (sorted next morning). A great thing to happen as it gave the real time
opportunity to pull out the paper charts and teach them to plot a course and navigate
“the old way” Other little niggles such as up the mast to reattach lazy jacks, down into
the stern lazarette to tighten the lock nut on the hydraulic ram which was about to let
go etc. Overall a very well prepared yacht and a joy to sail.
I look forward to the next call from James or maybe you??
Fair Winds & GREAT Sailing
Grahame Bear (mob) 0414 241 808
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TECHNICAL CORNER:
Changes to Wachman and Slocum awards
Most members are aware of two of the Division’s trophies, which were donated some
time back to encourage seamanship amongst our members. Specifically these are:
 The Wachman Trophy, donated by Stanley Wachman in 1987 to encourage the
“alternate skipper” on each boat to develop good seamanship skills, and
 The Slocum Trophy, donated by John McMahon at about the same time to
encourage the development of single handed sailing skills.
These have been proven to be important (in at least one case by Division members on
cruise) in the event of injury or sickness on board – the first to enable the “alternate”
skipper to bring the boat to safety (many of our vessels cruise with a two-person
crew), the second to enable the “usual” skipper to continue without assistance.
A major review of the Wachman was carried out in 2009 by Trevor D’Alton, resulting
in a gradated number of exercises and this was very successful, with a number of the
“alternate” skippers completing these.
This year the Cruising Committee decided to review both sets of requirements, and
appointed a sub-group comprising Trevor D’Alton, Michael Mulholland-Licht, Phil
Darling and (for some discussions) Jean Parker. This group has now made a number of
recommendations which were endorsed by the committee. The outcome of this is:
1: Achievement Awards
Two new “achievement awards” will be created:
 A Slocum Achievement Award recognising the development of single-handed
skills. This will be based on the completion of a suitable single-handed offshore
passage (eg Sydney to Pittwater), most likely as part of an official Cruising
Division event, and to the criteria previously published in the Slocum Event
notice of race.
 A Wachman Achievement Award recognising the development of skills by the
“alternate” skipper. This will be based on the skills categories developed by
Trevor in 2009, with possible revision if needed. Other modules may also be
added over time.
The awards will take the form of a certificate, based on the level of competence
achieved, and will be awarded at the annual club presentation night. Being an area of
high importance to the Division, they will also be reported on in the CD annual report
and in the Compass Rose.
2: Trophies
The actual awarding of the Slocum and Wachman Trophies to individuals, as
recognition of individual excellence, was also discussed. It has been agreed to defer
14
awarding these two trophies for several years so as not to confuse the
implementation of the achievement awards.
It was also recommended that the Cruising Manual be updated to reflect these
changes (the trophies are currently described in Chapter 1), and that the updates
describing the purpose and criteria for awarding the Wachman and Slocum
achievement awards also be handed to new members so that they have a better
understanding of the purpose and method of these awards.
Phil Darling, ‘eXpresso’
RYA Yachtmaster Quiz 20
1. You are sailing on a course of 180T. Ahead is a buoy with the light
character Q(9)15s Which way do you turn?
2. Which of the following vessels is required to give way if on collision course with
a Sailing yacht?
a) Not under command b) Fishing c) Restricted in ability to manoeuvre d) Pilot
vessel
3. You are sailing on starboard tack and notice that the starboard cap shroud bottle
screw is almost undone and likely to part. What is your first action?
4. On the NSW East coast does a sea breeze normally back or veer through the day?
5. What is the meaning of the following on a compass rose on a chart?
5 15' W 2000 (12'E)
6. Which of the following is not an internationally recognised distress signal? a)
Ensign upside down b) Continuous sounding of fog horn) Square flag over ball d)
Red parachute flare
7. In navigation what term describes the effect of the wind blowing the boat
sideways?
8. What type of ocean chart gives the following information, wind roses, currents, ice
limits and magnetic variation?
9. The range of the tide is 4 6m. Estimate the rate of the tidal stream at high water.
HW tidal streams from table – 063T 2.6|kn springs, 1 4kn neaps Mean spring
range - 6 1m Mean neap range - 3 lm
10.Who registers 406MHz EPIRBS (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons)?
The RYA Yachtmaster quiz has been reproduced with kind permission of the RYA. © RYA 2008.
Some local geographical variations have been applied.
15
Mariner Boating Holidays
The Italian Job Yacht Rally, 31 May - 15 June 2013
The scent of lemons and pizza fills the air along the colourful Amalfi Coast, and don’t get us started
on how good the gelato is!!
Join a cruise “in company” and be dazzled by the Sorrentine Peninsula and Amalfi Coast of Italy
enticing travellers with grottos, craggy cliffs and shimmering bays. Nowhere else does style the
way the Italians do - kick back amongst the beautiful people and join us for carefree cruising along
this vibrant section of the Italian coast, best experienced from the water.
The Mariner Boating Holidays Italian Job is different from our standard rallies allowing you more
individuality in your sailing itinerary, but still including the popular social element of group dinners
throughout the program.
Explore the lesser known islands in the Bay of Naples in addition to the infamous towns of
Sorrento, Amalfi, Positano and Capri. Mingle with the locals, shop in the markets or designer
galleries, dine at local restaurants and sip espresso in cafes as we make our way along the rugged
coast. We also visit the unique site of Paestum which boasts the oldest and best preserved Doric
temple in existence as well as a mozzarella farm, so you can come home and show off your new
found cheese knowledge!
To find out more about this amazing trip visit the Mariner Boating Holidays website
www.marinerboating.com.au or call on (02) 9966 1244 for further information.
16
Chef’s Corner …….with Colin Pitstock.
The winter chill has certainly been around this winter, so I
thought an easy Chicken soup. Great to warm the bones and If
you’re battling the flu, this will make you feel better, also a
little glass of something to have, to help warm those bones, a
drop of Mr Higgs Cab Sav. You can make your own stock but
you can use a good shop bought chicken stock, most of these
ingredients you will have in the pantry. So pour a glass & head to the ships stores and
get your ingredients.
Osprey Chicken noodle soup.
Ingredients:
 1.5litres (2½ pints) chicken stock
 5cm (2in) piece fresh root ginger, unpeeled and sliced
 2 cloves garlic, unpeeled and bruised
 1 red chilli, halved and deseeded
 2 large, or 4 small, pak choi
 100g (3½oz) medium egg noodles
 4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
 125g (4oz) cooked chicken, finely shredded
 Good dash of soy sauce
 2 star anise
 Handful of shredded basil leaves or chopped
coriander leaves
Method :
1. For the chicken stock: Put the chicken bones and any skin, leftover roast onion and
garlic in a large pan with an unpeeled onion cut into wedges, a large carrot, leek
tops chopped, salt, about eight peppercorns, a couple of bay leaves, a few thyme
sprigs and a handful of parsley. Add enough cold water to cover well.
2. Bring to the boil, simmer for a couple of hours, half covered. Strain into a large jug.
3. Discard all the bones and veg.
4. For the soup: Simmer the stock in a large pan and add in the star anise, ginger,
garlic and half of the chilli, for 10 mins, without boiling.
5. Meanwhile, trim the ends off the pak choi and separate the leaves. Cut the white
part into fine strips and shred the leaves.
6. Remove the flavourings from the stock with a slotted spoon and discard them. Add
the noodles to the boiling stock, stir them in and simmer for 3 mins.
7. Add the spring onion and white parts of the pak choi, bring to the boil, then add
the chicken and soy sauce. Sprinkle the pak choi leaves on top and steam for 1 min.
8. Ladle the soup into bowls and scatter with fine slivers of chilli and basil or
coriander. (Not suitable for freezing).
17
PHOTO CORNER
……………..hints from Wolfgang Kullik
Have you sent your entry to the Photo Comp
yet??
Maralyn
Needs
Your
Photos
Please get with the spirit. Send your photos to Maralyn and share them with all of
us. If you do not have a Digital Camera yet you can pick one up for as little as $48 at
Harvey Norman (per TV ads). Otherwise you could use your mobile phone to take
pictures. Here are some I took at Port Stevens on the June cruise with my Sony
Ericsson phone.
Good shooting - Keep the pictures coming for the photo comp.
Wolfgang Kullik, ‘Mateship’
18
Boat Bits:
Buy,
Swap, & Sell
For Sale: Sails - from my Bavaria 42 “Union”
2 x 3DL mainsails [with frp battens]
3 x non-overlapping jibs, light, medium & heavy
1 x carbon mainsail
1 x 150% Kevlar/mylar genoa
5 x zip up life jackets
To be sold as one lot only. View at Hood Sailmakers - 19 West St Brookvale
$3300 the lot
Contact:
Bruce Ritchie on 0419 436 151
Or 9948 1026
Wanted: MIZZEN SAIL for the Tuppenny girls.
The FOOT measures 2500mm, LUFF 6690mm, LEACH 7150mm
Please note: Measurements are approximate.
An old mainsail from a dinghy might be suitable.. we can alter.
Contact:
Gillie or Ruth on 0410 322 194
or email
[email protected]
For Sale: Cruising the NSW Coast by Alan Lucas [5th edition] in almost new
condition .. $50
Contact:
Gillie or Ruth on 0410 322 194
or email [email protected]
To Swap: Outboard for tender - 10hp 2-stroke Mercury outboard, recently
serviced by OMS for a smaller outboard - about 7hp 2-stroke.
Contact:
Greg Cockle on 0450 311 190
or email
[email protected]
For Sale: Hank on staysail from a 46' cruiser/racing yacht.
Beautiful classic type sail made by Ratsey and Lapthorn of Cowes in 1964 Barely used so in excellent condition. Dimensions on request. Offers.
Contact:
Gillie or Ruth on 0410 322 194
or email [email protected]
19
For Sale:
Jabsco and Johnson pumps are new
Balmar 90-100 alternator has been overhauled. with receipt. (Very
expensive)
Stainless steel stuff most never used
Blower. New
One GP30L Sea-brake. Suitable for boats up to 55 ft. New and unused
Contact:
or email
Peter Horscroft on 0418 636 291
[email protected]
Make an offer.
If you have any items you wish to sell, or are searching for an item, please email Jean
Parker at [email protected] for inclusion in next month’s magazine.
BOAT SWAP OPPORTUNITY in Maine, U.S.A. in 2013
The boat we own is a Pearson 30. It has roller furling, diesel engine and self-tailing
winches with tiller steering. It is called C'est La Vie. It is a great sailor, it has a tender,
a rib with an 8HP outboard and a "barbie". It lives on a mooring in Harpswell, Maine.
Maine is a state with about 250 miles of coastline as the crow flies but actually 3500
miles of actual coastline with all the inlets and islands.
We live about 25 minutes from the boat in Topsham Maine about 25 miles north of
Portland, Maine. There is very good transit from Logan airport in Boston MA to
Portland. We would love to work out a boat swap. We have an extra car available for
exploring a bit of the USA by road. We have big tides here and working lobstermen
who will sell lobsters off the boat but dodging the pot markers keeps you on your
toes.
Our best season is from July to September with a dicey month at each end. We are
about 100 miles from Bar Harbor, Maine.
Contact:
Steve Glass
on
[email protected]
20
COASTAL CRUISERS – where are they now?
Kachina has arrived in Southport and Trevor & Lena plan to be there for 5 days. Since
Trevor sent his log below, they ran out of fuel on the trip from Byron Bay and only had
5 knots of wind so they were motor sailing. Trevor had forgotten that there is about
80 litres of fuel that remains in the bottom of the tank (at least it did on their other
boat). They were afraid they would not get in to Southport during daylight. They had
motor sailed from Illuka to Byron and they caught an 808 gram, 35cm Bonito fish on
their trolling line. And it was delicious!
We have not been able to contact Jeff & Fiona on Osprey.
Big Fish is in Mackay for 3 days. Peter has come home for work and Sue has stayed in
Mackay. They have been taking it slow and easy up the coast and all is well. They are
heading for the Shagger's gathering at Monte's Resort. They plan to leave Mackey on
Saturday morning Aug 11th.
Kachina - Log Extracts to 4th August 2012.
12/7/12
Dropped the club mooring in America Bay at about 06:30hrs clad in fleeces and
beanies. It is very cold. Winds light from the N to NW. Sea temperature 15⁰!!!!
Signed on with Marine Rescue Sydney, headed for Newcastle. This is a much
smoother process now that a computer record is generated with all the data initially
collected, this is held in a central database which is available to all Marine Rescue
Stations. So far, we have only needed to confirm number of POB and ETA at
destination when signing on. It will be interesting to see what happens when we cross
into Queensland. AIS alive with vessels awaiting their turn at the coal loader, none are
under way. Arrived in Newcastle in light rain. Sign of the times, Newcastle Yacht Club
berthing fees have not changed since we were here three years ago.
13/7/12
Not being superstitious we set out for Port Stephens. Wind on the nose and against a
2m swell from the SE made for an uncomfortable trip. Stockton Bight is my least
favourite stretch of water in NSW. Sighted a couple of whales and a few dolphins but
in general we have not seen as many as on the last trip in 2009. Arrived Port Stephens
mid afternoon. Another surprise d’Albora Marina fees are DOWN! since our last visit.
Another East Coast Low is brewing. Looks like we will be here a few days.
16/7/12
Left Port Stephens headed for Forster/Tuncurry. Residual swell from the low is 2-3m
but the 10-15 knot winds are from the SE-SW so making good speeds motor sailing.
Entered Cape Hawk Harbour, which is the outlet for a couple of less known rivers and
the Wallis Lake, at 15:45 Hrs. The entrance is quite shallow so we crept up toward the
long road bridge which carries the Lakes Highway across the water and anchored in
3m taking care to stay outside the channel but away from the big sandbank. This is a
nice anchorage with plenty happening around. The town of Forster is on the south
side and Tuncurry the north.
21
17/7/12
Left Cape Hawk Harbour bound for Camden Haven. Yet another ECL is predicted so
will try to get as far north as possible while we can. Motored into light NE wind.
Joined at about 11:00 Hrs by a huge pod of dolphins, there must have been 50 or so.
They cavorted around for about 15 mins before disappearing as quickly as they
arrived.
Crossing the bar at Camden Haven was no problem even though there was a bit of
swell with the incoming tide. Minimum depth 4m. Dropped anchor in the river
opposite the public jetty behind the Laurieton United Services Club at 16:15 Hrs. The
jetty will take a couple of boats but it was already occupied. Checked the weather
forecast to find that the leading edge of the front will be with us tomorrow! As our
next stop is the open ocean anchorage of Trial Bay we will be staying put.
18/7/12
To
24/7/12
We really like Lauriton, but it seems there are more pelicans here than people.
Realising that we were going to be here at least a week,
we joined the United
Services Club, as it was very close to the jetty. Unfortunately, it has rained every day
as a result of the low, and the winds from the south have been very strong.
Our first two nights anchored in the river were the worst we have spent at anchor.
The wind channeled down the river gusting at 30 Kts and on an incoming tide Kachina
was swung broadside to the wind in the lulls and then hurled back into the wind
during the next gust. The shear forces were so violent that in the early hours of the
second night the snubbing line (18mm three strand nylon sheathed in reinforced
plastic tube) eventually snapped and for the remainder of the night the shear forces
were taken by the bow roller assembly and the 10mm chain rode. There was no way I
was going on deck to try to rig another snubber. I watched through the forward cabin
port as the 10mm S/S bow roller assembly flexed visibly as the chain took the angled
load. Thank goodness for the 20Kg Manson Supreme anchor, it held like it was set in
concrete.
25/7/12
The following day the wind dropped somewhat and moved around to the north. A
position opened up on the jetty and we moved across, glad to be attached to land at
last. Whilst tying up I noticed that under the bow roller assembly chunks of gel coat
were missing. The movement of the assembly during the blow had cracked it off another repair job when we get back.
22
26/7/12
To
2/8/12
3/8/12
I spent some of the time during our long stay in Laurieton making TWO new snubbing
lines!! The weather is improving and the local Dragon Boat crew are out practicing,
most of the paddlers are our age, or even older. We can still see waves breaking on
the bar but decided to go out and take a look. As we approached under the watchful
eye of MR Camden Haven, who had asked for a report, we noticed that there were
significant lulls in the incoming swells so decided to make a run for it. In the event we
got over the bar quite comfortably but I would not want to have tried it in a tinnie.
Noted on the BOM site this morning the approach of yet another low pressure
system.
As we head for Coffs Harbour it looks like we may be there a few days! Once we had
tied up on the T-head of C arm we set about the mundane tasks of washing off the
salt, laundry, showers, etc. The following day the southerly arrived, wind waves
started to crest the breakwater which separates the marina from the outer harbour. I
could have saved myself the job of washing off the salt. These are the occasions when
we value our big fat fenders. On our blow on berth they had a severe workout. One
morning during the blow I woke to a strange noise from the mooring lines. On
inspection the dock roller assembly which allows the finger to move up and down the
pile with the tide had detached from the finger and slid down the pile to the bottom.
Panic stations ensued as boats had to be moved to reduce the stress on the finger.
Fortunately we only needed to move to the other end of the T-head which frankly
looked as if it was in danger of following its opposite number to the bottom.
Given this front was moving slowly we decided to rent a car for a few days. This
helped with shopping and allowed us to see some of the coast and hinterland. We
drove inland to Bellingen and on to Dorrigo coming back through magnificent old
growth forest. The next day we headed south down the coast toward Nambucca
Heads. There are some quaint and interesting places here, Sawtell then Mylestom on
the Bellinger River where they were filming an advertisement with several power
boats flying up and down in formation. After that, on to Urunga for lunch then into
Nambucca via Hungry Head. The swells raised by the passing low produced some
spectacular surf along our route. We would have been very uncomfortable at sea. the
Wattle is in full bloom and looking magnificent.
Escaped from Coffs Harbour, en route to Iluka, one of Lena’s favourite anchorages.
The weather will be fine for a few days so we decided to stay two nights here and
head for Cape Byron 6/8/12 and then on to Southport 7/8/12.
Trevor & Lena D’Alton SV Kachina
Photographs courtesy of Lena D’Alton
23
RYA Yachtmaster Quiz 20 Answers
1. Starboard. It is a west cardinal buoy. The hazard is to the
East or port side
2. d
3. Tack to take the pressure off the shroud.
4. A bit complicated! Depends upon the gradient wind
strength as to resultant strength however it will veer if
original wind was NW or back if original wind was SW.
5. Magnetic variation 5 15’, west in 2000, annual change 12’
East i.e. Magnetic variation decreasing 12’ annually
6. a
7. Leeway
8. Routing or pilot chart
9. Range Is half way between springs and nears Rate is therefore 2kn
10.Australian Maritime Safety Authority's (AMSA) 1800 406 406.
https://www.beacons.amsa.gov.au/
The RYA Yachtmaster quiz has been reproduced with kind permission of the RYA. © RYA 2008.
Some local geographical variations have been applied
Members are invited to submit articles on subjects of interest, including sailing
adventures, travel experiences, book reviews, jokes, and so on. Write your article
with title, your name and boat name, and email to the editor.
The Cruising Division of MHYC meets on the 3rd Monday of each
month, and uses as its sailing pennant a flag with a white
compass rose on a red background.
MHYC Cruising Division members invite a raft-up or cruise in
company whenever they fly our pennant, which we refer to as
‘the compass rose’.
The Cruising Division newsletter is titled ‘The Compass Rose Cruising Log’ and is
published monthly. The newsletter is also available through the MHYC web-site at
www.mhyc.com.au
24