Sailutions New Premises
Sailutions have been one of Crew.org.nz’s strongest supporters for over three years now. So I used their recent move to new premises at Unit C 65 VIEW ROAD, WAIRAU VALLEY as a good excuse to pay them a visit, check the new shop and eat some delicious pastries (thanks guys).
The first thing you notice is the shop is much easier to visit than the old one with plenty of off street parking
The second thing you notice is that the business is owned and operated by real sailors who know what they are talking about.
Sailutions are the local agent for Selden Masts (largest by volume in the world), Anderson Winches, and Rutgerson hardware. And of course Selden own Furlex.
Yes there is a strong Swedish connection, and when I said these people were sailors – that’s how they got here.
Eddie, Kjell (just say it “Shell”, he won’t be offended) and Ingela invite sailors to come visit their new workshop and showroom, and compare prices and weights, particularly the new deck hardware, you will be surprised.
And if you do they can offer you the cheapest deal on a new Windex in the country.
NORDIC MARKETING / SAILUTIONS has a NEW ADDRESS:
Unit C 65 VIEW ROAD, WAIRAU VALLEY, NORTH SHORE
OUR NEW PHONE NUMBER 09 441 33 41
As I am always working in the best interests of my readers, I was obliged recently to attend a social function put on by our generous sponsors Mount Gay Rum in honour of a visit by Mr Chesterfield Browne from Barbados, the International Brand Ambassador (what a job – he goes swanning around the globe drinking rum!). Well, despite my natural antipathy towards “cocktail parties”, this was a most enjoyable evening. Mr Browne taught me things I never knew about rum (after all those years), plus, as well as sampling a variety of rum cocktails, we had a sampling of some Mount Gay products I wasn’t even aware of. Besides the good old Mount Gay Eclipse we all enjoy, there is Mount Gay Eclipse Silver some of which we gave away at the last End of Year Rum Race, the best white rum I’ve tasted. But then we were asked to sample Mount Gay Extra Old, and if that weren’t enough last on the list was Mount Gay 1703 Old Cask Selection. Now this stuff retails just a bit below $200 per bottle, and I can honestly say that such ambrosia has never passed this poor scribe’s lips before. At that price I won’t be stocking the shelves before Christmas, but what a great idea as a gift for an important client or customer, or just someone really special. I promise you anyone who tries this will simply change their mind about rum. One more useless fact, the last one to stick in my brain before my beloved had to drive me home. As Mount Gay is aged in the tropics the process happens faster, so if you see “aged 10 years”, that is the equivalent of 30 years in a place like Scotland. Oh the lengths I go to to inform my readers. 
Breaking News
BoI Wrap Up
28 January 2012
Saturday January 28, 2012
Perfect timing – a few showers graced our shores at 1700 hrs Friday evening January 27,2012; boats were safely back in harbour at the end of four days of on-the-water rivalry in the Bay of Islands. The final race day was just about perfect with 12-15 knot winds gusting 20 or more.
As ‘Bicky’ from North Sails commented “Getting all nine races completed over the four days is fantastic; even arranging a perfect weather pattern with the Beach Party at Roberton Island on Thursday when the wind dropped off. That’s what I call organisation”.
There were nine protests overall, but perhaps that shows the intensity of competition on the water. Peter Montgomery, our presenter at Prize giving made this point when he said “The Bay of Islands Sailing Week is special to New Zealand yachting. Where else can you sail to a tropical island for a Beach Party during a race week; where else can the some of the ‘biggest and best boats” competing in the same regatta as such a variety of yachts in C,D and E Divisions, the Sports Boats, Cruising boats, Young 88, Elliott 5.9s , need I say more.”
Generous Spot prizes were donated: A Cotton Blossom Cruise – Great Escape Charters x 3 – Tanoa Hotel Paihia accommodation at the luxury Russell Cottages – and a pack of goodies from Burnsco. Not to forget the Westpac spinnaker won by Bandit (Elliott 5.9).
And so it’s time to pack up; take down the tents on the Opua Marina, return the race huts to store at Carters; toilets, trash pickups all organised, dismantle the bar and the stage. Fold away sponsor banners - and it’s time for the committee and volunteers to go home. First Committee Meeting is in June 2012 to prepare for Bay of Islands Sailing Week 2013 – see you there.
All results – photos (still being loaded Saturday) – video link etc on the website: www.bayofislandssailingweek.org.nz
BoI Sailing Week
27 January 2012
Here's Des
26 January 2012
BoI Sailing Week
26 January 2012
Patience pays off at Bay Regatta Race Day 3
Beach Party at Roberton Island
There was zero wind at the scheduled start of 1030 hrs. Little puffs frustrated the boats as they watched for an expected notice of delay. Gerry Martin (Race Officer) waited patiently (about one and a half hours), when sure enough the local sea breeeze kicked in. A Division started with a N.E. of 5-8 knots, a bit patchy, but the breeze picked up to 10 knots by the top mark. The course for all boats on ‘Beach Party at Roberton Island Race Day’ was finally set - with a 2 mile beat to the top mark – then 1.5 mile reach to Long Island - 1 mile to the finish just off from Roberton. Gerry was proud of his patience and his course “This could have been a disaster; the boat skippers were getting pretty edgy. But we’ve given them a ‘bxxxxy good race finishing at their party on time”.
Pre-race fun and games: V5 took out one of their floor boards and crew members water skiied – at a fast pace. Diving from high places took place all over the bay. Some boats took the time to ‘canter and clean’. It was a busy place.
Roberton Island Beach Party was a hoot. The Wind Warriors provided lots of shore-side entertainment. Food and refreshments were offered from the barge – while the Furious Three played their hearts out with lively music to satisfy the mass.
Friday’s weather looks to be a bit livelier. Maybe not so good for the photographers but the boats are here to race – so ‘bring it on’. And don’t forget to check out YouTube…..
So Long Bob
26 January 2012
After 40 years Bob McDavitt is retiring from Metservice.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/videos/6316862/Bob-McDavitt-retires
Here's hoping he really enjpoys many long years of retirement.
Port Expansion Plans
26 January 2012
Here's an idea of what tehy are suggesting for Auckland Harbour. Lots more plus discussion here.
Auckland Tauranga Race
26 January 2012
BoI Sailing week
25 January 2012
WEDNESDAY 25:
Another beautiful day in paradise. All divisions got their first races away before noon with winds fluctuating between 4 and 9 knots SSW. Racing yachties always want more wind and the breeze did pick up in the afternoon.
Each year we look out for our youngest competitor. This year Tony and Nina Kiff’s boat ‘Wetherley’ is the winner with their apprentice tactician pictured below – In this shot he’s not happy with the foredeck work and is making it known……
BoI Sailing Week
25 January 2012
Another beautiful day in paradise. All divisions got their first races away before noon with winds fluctuating between 4 and 9 knots SSW.
Passage Divisions had some tight racing around the 9-Pin Rock – footage of this is on our YouTube link where you can see for yourselves the very clever ‘inside manoeuvre pulled off by Charles St Clair Brown on Antaeus – he’ll tuck that one away for future story-telling. Results for the day are also on the website along with photos – the day’s racing photos viewable from the link to Ocean Photography. www.bayofislandssailingweek.org.nz .
David Nathan on V5 is thoroughly enjoying the regatta - today winning their share of line honours. Interviews with Skippers on today’s racing will take place in the North Sails Tent – and forwarded later this evening.
Takapuna readies for another World Championship
25 January 2012
Takapuna Boating Club is about to host their fourteenth world championship event: The 2012 470 Junior World Championships kick off on 26th January 2012. With the Pre-worlds event now done and dusted, this popular sailing club on Auckland’s North Shore is ready for the main event to start.
Photo by Christine Hansen
“We’re quite accustomed to running large scale world championship events, but this one has been during a more difficult funding environment than most due to the Rugby World Cup.” Takapuna Boating Club’s commodore Evelyn Johnson is satisfied that now everything has now fallen into place before the event begins.
“We’ve been very fortunate to gain some sponsorship and this event wouldn’t be happening without the support of our volunteers, the Auckland Council, SPARC, Victoria Cruising Club Trust and Lion Foundation in particular.”
The 470 Class Junior World Championships begin for more than thirty boats from thirteen countries on Friday 27 January, including three NZL women’s entries and six NZL open entries. Full racing commences Saturday 28th January and continues through until the medal races on Friday 3rd February, 2012.
As at any world championship event, the competition is predicted to be fierce. Many of the teams entered for this event have just finished the ISAF World Sailing Championships in the 470 class (all ages) in Perth.Several of the New Zealand entrants have previously represented New Zealand at the ISAF Youth Worlds, including James Turner, Ben Goodwin, Sarah Berry, Emma Berry, Vicki Francis, Erica Dawson and Bianca Barbarich-Bacher.
Sarah and Emma Berry, sisters from Wellington’s Worser Bay Boating Club have been quiet on the local scene lately, but have medalled at a World Championship in the 420 class off Takapuna Beach in 2007.
“I love sailing at Takapuna, it’s one of my favourite places and there’s always a great breeze”. Emma Berry is looking forward to getting back into the 470 class for this event with her sailing partner and sister Sarah. “We’ve both been concentrating on University lately... I am going into third year of Law and Sarah is going into second year of design.”
These two young women have a long record of sailing together both within New Zealand and internationally and much of their success is due to the strength of their relationship. Emma explained: “It’s really good sailing with my sister. In 2007 at the Takapuna 420 World Championships we sailed our best because we got on ridiculously well and we’re getting along quite well at the moment too.”
There is another team of siblings to look out for at this event, Australian juniors Matthew and Robert Crawford were the winners of the pre-worlds event which ended on January 22nd. The Crawford brothers were closely followed by New Zealand’s two selected Olympic 470 teams, Paul Snow Hansen with Jason Saunders, and Jo Aleh with Olivia Powrie.
Both of these high performance teams from the NZL Sailing Team are older than the age allowance for this event. To be eligible to compete in the 470 Junior Championships, athletes shall not have attained his or her 22 birthday before the end of the year of the Championship.
New Zealanders Luke Stevenson (Tauranga) and Sam Bullock (Takapuna) are another one of the NZ crews to watch, having gained one of the top junior results at the 2011 470 Class World Championships at Perth in December, and a fifth place finish at the Takapuna pre-worlds event despite some gear breakage. Gareth Moore (Christchurch) and Ben Goodwin (Napier) are in a similar situation coming back from Perth, and straight into a fourth place finish at the regatta this past weekend. A new combination of James Turner (Auckland), who also competed in Perth, has teamed up with 420 World Championship Class Silver medallist Finn Drummond (Auckland) will also be a team who could make an impression as the regatta progresses.
Planning for this event has been approximately 18 months in the build up, and could not be possible without the support of numerous sponsors and volunteers. There will be a team of approximately 80 volunteers assisting on and off the water led by Principal Race Officer Ian Clouston and Race Secretary Janet Watkins.
“This event simply could not exist without the support of Auckland Council, SPARC, YNZ, Oceanbridge, Harken, OKI and the Lion Foundation.” Takapuna’s Commodore Evelyn concluded “ We also wish to thank Murrays Bay Sailing Club and Torbay Sailing Club for the use of their RIB’s for Race Officers, and also to Sailutions, Harken and The Water Shed for their contributions toward prizes for the competitors”.
Schedule of events:
27 January: Practice Race 3:00pm
27 January: Opening Ceremony 7:00pm
28 January- 2 February: Racing commences, 11:00am daily
3 February: Medal Race
3 February: Closing Ceremony 5:00pm
Head down to Takapuna beach and enjoy the atmosphere or watch the action 27th Jan – 3rd Feb 2012! Or follow the action live online the 2012 470 Junior World Championships Facebook Page.