April 2006 News

The following news items were placed on Crew.org.nz in June 2005 and have been archived without links or photos. Please use the 'search' function on the homepage of this website to see if we have any further info on a particular topic:


15 going on 50!:
27 Apr -  John Stewart is a relatively prolific Crew forum contributor, better known to the world as 'Atom Ant'. He and Carl Smith delivered the Dibley 750 from Tauranga to Auckland a few weeks ago and had the time of their lives. Here's John's account of the wild ride >


Posted 27/04/2006


Committed young sailor makes good:
27 Apr - When it comes to big fleet racing, being a youth from the regions could arguably mean going into combat as an underdog; only three of the ten top sailors in the National Optimist Championships in Torbay came from outside of Auckland. James Turner (14) of Taupo, put the odds back in his favour when he spent a school term in Auckland, in intensive training prior to the National Optimist Championships in Torbay, and qualified for the North American Champs later in the year - the first time that NZ has been invited to this prestigious regatta. DAVID PEARCE writes >

Posted 27/04/2006


Old gals line up:
24 Apr - From Tony Kendall - Nine Townson 32’s entered for this year's Championship Regatta held off the Tamaki River entrance in conjunction with the SR26 Class and sailed into 14 to 22 knot North Easterly winds. The wind strength had the yachts sailed at maximum power for the two days giving all the crews a good workout. The Townson 32 crews were faced with decisions to lump their number one genoas or sail slightly underpowered with number two genoas. The number two genoas seemed the best overall choice in the end. Results (.xls) - Full story >

Posted 25/04/2006


Bav bash:
24 Apr - From Jane Pares - On the weekend of 28th, 29th, 30th April, International Marine Brokers will host the biggest gathering of Bavaria Yachts, indeed production yachts, ever in New Zealand. Crossing the start line at Orakei wharf on Friday 28 April, will be the largest fleet of Bavarias ever to race in NZ. Ranging from the elegant B50 down to the nifty little B30 (sailed by an all-female crew), all of the models will be represented. Nearly 40 boats will gather in Smelting House Bay at Kawau Island over the weekend. Racing will take place on Saturday round a figure of eight course that includes the various islands to the west and south of Kawau. All new Bavaria owners in the last year have gone into a prize draw to win a trip for two to Croatia


Posted 25/04/2006


Boot it:
24 Apr - Takapuna Sailing Centre and Boat Bits have signed up for another round of sponsorship of Crew.org.nz! Back in the golden days when your editor owned her own boat, it was one of her favourite chandleries and now that they have a very well stocked online store, at www.boatbits.co.nz, Crew.org.nz readers all around the country can take advantage of their great deals. Their Aigle Racer GTX seaboots are a great, light, good looking and breathable boot with plenty of room around the calf, and which is being picked up by AC sailors. Click on the ad to the left for more info >

Posted 24/04/2006


Ring any bells?:
23 Apr - Rory and Kelly Godman, Cushla Hume-Merry, Matt Coutts, Blair Lindsay, Jason Saunders, Bruce Kennedy, Susannah Pyatt, Bianca Barbarich-Bacher, Justine Sellars, and William Stevens. Do you know any of these top sailing names? If they don't yet, it's likely that you one day will; they are the young sailors awaiting selection to represent NZL in seven classes last week, after winning the big Youthsail Regatta at Lyttleton. Story >

Posted 24/04/2006


The force in france:
23 Apr - Force 470 have arrived in France safe and well, and despite encounters with cross dressers, delays at customs, and 2,500km of driving, David and Andrew are ready and training for the regatta which begins in a couple of days time. Have a nosey at Andrew's email >

Posted 23/04/2006


Nations Cup - NZ aces Oceania final:
23 Apr - From ISAF - Simon DICKEY (NZL) (pictured) upset the odds in Auckland, New Zealand today, defeating Seve JARVIN (AUS) in the ISAF Grade 2 Regional Final for Oceania to take his berth in the Grand Final of the ISAF Nations Cup. Meanwhile Jess SMYTH (NZL) completed a home clean sweep in the women’s competition. Despite being almost 150 places below JARVIN in the ISAF World Match Race Rankings, DICKEY won through 3-0 in the final, winning the opening two flights by 26 and 14 seconds, before taking the decisive victory in the third match by a single second. In the women’s final, World number 28 SMYTH was a class apart from Japan’s Ikuko SAKUDO, winning five straight matches to qualify for the ISAF Grade 1 Grand Final in Ireland this September.

Posted 23/04/2006


Playtime:
21 Apr - The North Sea Regatta starts in a month's time and the organisers have put together a fun flash-based sailing game, that'll test your skills round the buoys. Thought it might keep you busy over the long weekend. We've got 60+ people coming to our Rules Clinic at the Squadron on Wednesday, so if you haven't put your name down for that, make sure you do. And if you aren't getting our email newsletter, and you'd like to, let us know. Have a great weekend! See you back here in a few days.


Posted 21/04/2006


Opti Nats:
21 Apr - Last weekend's Optimist Nationals was a rewarding regatta for those involved, with over 230 of the little critters crowding the waters off Torbay. Marcus Hansen of Murrays Bay secured a dominant first position midway through the 15 race series, Alexandra Maloney from Keri Keri became the highest placed female in any Optimist National Regatta ever held with sixth place, and the sailors who secured the Top five positions travel to Monte Video - Uraquay in December to represent NZ, while the next five attend the Asean Continental Regatta in Taipe in July.

Posted 21/04/2006


Oceania Final:
21 Apr - The Oceania Regional Final for the ISAF Nations Cup is in full swing right now on the Waitemata, and Steve Jarvin and crew, representing Australia, have already taken an early lead. Second overall is Simon Dickey, representing NZ with Dallas Bennett and Adam Minoprio. Racing so far has been largely close, incident free, and under blue skies in between 8-10 knots of breeze. The Squadron have produced a great wrapup of day 1 that's worth a look (PDF, 700kb) >

Posted 21/04/2006


Pepper and Ashley join Olympic squad:
19 Apr - Three new names have been added to Yachting NZ's list for the Olympic squad: Tom Ashley, on the RS:X board, and Hamish Pepper with crew Carl Williams, who will aim to represent the country in the Star class. Ashley is currently in Europe, where he finished third in a major international regatta, as has former Olympian Pepper, who finished third in the Expert Olympic regatta, behind Freddy Loof, bronze medalist in the Finn 2000 and double World Champion in the Star 2002 and 2004. Carl Williams also sails with Oracle. Full story >

Posted 19/04/2006


What's up with...:
19 Apr - All has been quiet on the Maximus scene for some months after she dropped a rig in last year's Maxi World Cup. We are happy to be able to tell you that the rig was repaired and restepped in Genova a few weeks ago, and that she is currently on a ship bound for Newport, Rhode Island, where the crew are hoping to set a new record in the Newport to Bermuda race. It's going to be great to see her back in all her glory and she's also available for purchase or charter by interested parties. Check out the sales pitch (.pdf) >

Posted 19/04/2006


Sanderson aces Baltimore leg:
19 Apr - As reported on the VOR website, Mike Sanderson and ABN Amro 1 have sizzled the fleet for the fifth time in a row in the Volvo Ocean Race. "ABN AMRO ONE finished Leg 5 in Baltimore at 1857GMT and five seconds to add another seven points to her tally. ABN AMRO ONE now has 62.5 points and is getting closer to that point when skipper Mike Sanderson could just admit that he has the race in the bag." says the website. Well with sails by Norths NZ, what would you expect?

Posted 18/04/2006


Another title for up and coming duo:
18 Apr - From Ross May - Carl Evans and Peter Burling convincingly won the 420 Dinghy Nationals held in Lyttelton over the weekend. This title adds to the duo's successful season where Carl Evans won the P Class dinghy Tanner and Tauranga Cup and Peter Burling the Starling Dinghy Champs for the second year in a row. The result also gives Evans and Burling top ranking in the 420 class hoping to achieve selection for the ISAF Youth Worlds to be held in Weymouth England later this year. The regatta was sailed with consistent breeze over the last three days. For full results: www.navalpoint.co.nz

Posted 18/04/2006


X-Factor victorious, Timberwolf claims record:
14 Apr - X-Factor may have been designed and built for exactly this type of race, but a speight of bad luck has meant that until now, a major line honours victory has eluded the gigantic yellow multihull which placed first in the 21st Quantum Challenge Auckland to Tauranga race this easter. Pussy Galore was the first monohull to cross the line but it was the ultra fast Trimaran, Timberwolf, that set a new record of 11 hours, 20 minutes and 12 seconds in its division. Click the photo to find out who were the next boats in and to find out about Waka's dismasting, medivac emergencies, and more.


Posted 14/04/2006


Top youth regattta in Lyttleton:
14 Apr - From Victoria Murdoch - New Zealand’s best U19 sailors are racing in Lyttelton this Easter competing for selection for the multi class Volvo ISAF Youthsail championships which are to be held in Weymouth, England in July. Top 420 contenders Karl Evans and Peter Burling from Auckland are expected to take out the competition as well as the National 420 Championship being held this weekend. Ryan Donaldson and crew Ryan Thomson from Naval Point (Lyttelton) are a top crew competing in the Hobie 16 division. Ryan Donaldson was Naval Points Tanner P Class representative in 2005 which has been previously won by the likes of Dean Barker and Chris Dickson. A new sailing division is being raced for the first time in Canterbury the RS:X windsurf board which will add to Canterbury’s dominance of being the largest windsurf area in NZ. Past winners in this regatta have been Craig Monk, Russell Coutts, Barbara Kendall.

Posted 14/04/2006


Auckland-Tauranga coverage:
13 Apr - UPDATED: The Thompson 850 Waka has been dismasted and Hooters' spell of good luck ran out when they seriously injured a crewmember a couple of hours off the start. It's all under control but it's definitely all on out there. The biggest fleet ever embarked at 10am today from the Waitemata Harbour. 69 boats are currently travelling 126nm down the coast to Tauranga Harbour. For complete Crew.org.nz coverage of the passage, including results and photos, updated regularly between now and Saturday morning, click here >

Posted 13/04/2006


A growing phase...:
13 Apr - From Geoff Bates - Growing interest in father and son style dingy racing has seen a resurgence it the Auckland Phase 2 fleet and the first Auckland champs for several years were held at Tamaki Yacht Club last weekend. The racing proved to be very close and at the end of day one, after 3 races, only 4 points separated 1st from 4th. Sunday was pretty windy favouring the more experienced Bruce & Peter Davidson who managed to dominate the first race without making any mistakes, though, the exciting action was the tussle for second place. The Knot had overtaken Bob about 100 metres before the finish line then, feeling confident of their lead, they broke the cardinal rule and didn't cover only to find the two boats converging neck and neck for the finish. Fortunately for The Knot the finish judge called it a draw - a critical call as it turned out. Increasing wind meant that no more races could be held and the critical 2nd place meant that The Knot (Geoff & Julie Bates) drew for 1st overall with Bruce & Peter Davidson. Stephen Rolls & Peer Jenson in Bob were only 2 points behind in 3rd place.

Posted 13/04/2006


Divine editorial:
12 Apr - It's a great vote of confidence for professionals in the small stable of boating media that Rebecca Hayter won the Magazine Publishers Association award for supreme editor of the year, for her work with Boating NZ magazine. Rebecca was praised for her ability to making boating interesting to a wide variety of people. Well done Rebecca.

Posted 12/04/2006


Maximum optimism:
12 Apr - Undoubtedly the biggest one class Yachting event on the North Shore this year the Toyota Opti National Regatta starts this Thursday afternoon at Torbay sailing Club. The Toyota Opti National Regatta - which has provision for overseas entrants, will see participants, ranging in age from nine years thru to 15 arriving from all over New Zealand with the regatta officially starting this Thursday with a March Past of the 230 contestants and then a formal opening by the Mayor George Wood at 6.30pm. Racing starts in ernest at 10am Easter Friday off Waiake beach, not far from where the Americas Cup was defended. Many of New Zealands top sailing legends have their names firmly inscribed on the trophy which will be presented at the closing ceremony next Tuesday. The forecast is for light conditions, then developing towards the last day, giving the sailors fair racing for this title. From the top 10 New Zealand sailors there are opportunities to compete overseas in both the worlds and Aesean regattas.

Posted 12/04/2006


Full of praise:
12 Apr - While the Opti nationals are taking place in Torbay, the high action high speed Javelin Skiffs are represented by eight provinces in their own national event. The Javelin is a high performance, very fast, light weight 70kg, two man racing skiff. The Javelin carries a large sail area for its 14ft length and is capable of speeds in excess of 25kts. TThe Sanders Cup, and Javelin National Competitions have been won by some of New Zealand’s best sailors, with names like Murray Ross, Dave Elder and olympians like Peter Mander, Jack. The class has also attracted notable designers, such as John Spencer and Americas Cup designers Bruce Farr, Iain Murray and Ben Lexen. Additionally, we're pretty impressed with the standard of the information they've prepared for sailing media to refer to. It's amongst the best we've seen from any club or association, and Crew.org.nz is looking forward to covering the event. Check it out here (PDF) >

Posted 12/04/2006


29 sleeps till raceday:
12 Apr - From working out of two 40 foot containers this time last year, the base in Valencia is nearing completion and the shore and sailing crews in the boat shed are preparing NZL82 and NZL84 for sailing duty, report Team New Zealand as they prepare for Act 10 of the Louis Vuitton Cup, commencing on 11 May. "They will be in the water early next week and the sailing programme will start immediately. We have a lot of work to do between now and May 11 when racing in Louis Vuitton Act 10 starts. The team can look forward to long days as we shake down the yachts."

Posted 12/04/2006


Top dogs:
Feature story - Fun n Games is putting in a new rig. Formula One has ten new downwind sails this season. And Jive Talkin' is always up to scratch. Campaigning a winning club racer takes more than just spit, polish and good luck; the fleets are very competitive and each division's best skippers know what it takes to stand out. Crew.org.nz chats with a top level 50 footer, a 35 and a 30 to find out how they felt about their summer performance, what they are going to do differently in the future, and where they've set their sights this winter. Full story >

Posted 10/04/2006


All onboard?:
10 Apr - If you aren't up to much else in the end of July, Phil Chisolm is looking at putting together a crew for the Sydney-Mooloolaba/Mackay, aboard his chartered Sydney 38. If you're interested in crewing with him, drop him a line: phil@compasspointenterprises.com

Posted 10/04/2006


Aussies take matchracing title:
10 Apr - Katie Spithill and her team of Stacey Jackson and Angela Farrell representing the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club sailed extremely well in the light and shifty conditions to take the title of NZ Women's Matchracing Champ this weekend. Spithill remarked "We are really pleased because we have put some time in over the past month, training for this regatta & our upcoming regatta's. We sailed a penalty free regatta so we wish our coach was here to see it".  The RNZYS has a full and detailed report >

Posted 10/04/2006


Record fleet for Tauranga:
10 Apr - 65 entries and still counting is a top score for Tauranga Yacht Club's 'Quantum Challenge' - the annual Auckland to Tauranga race. With a number of new generation fifty footers, Vice Commodore John Knotts is confident of a record. As a bonus for loyal entrants, any boat that has competed at least twice before in the race will go in a special draw for a holiday away. "We want to support the people who are always here," says Knotts. There are 25 prizes in total. We'll be keeping you updated as the race draws near with stories and photos. We'll also have our cameras on the startline and will be doing several updates through the race, so let friends and family know to look in here for news. In the meantime, view the entry list >

Posted 9/04/2006


Fred era finishes on high:
9 Apr - Anybody want to buy a national champion? Drop Dead Fred, the recently overhauled 930 owned by a Tauranga syndicate, took out top honours in the 930 nationals this weekend, just weeks after the group invested in a Young 11 which they take ownership of this month. Out of ten races, Drop Dead Fred took a first, four seconds, two fourths and sweet victory, particularly as the yacht is now for sale. "We're looking for somebody to carry on Fred's legacy," says tactician Lisa Knapton, of the boat that boasts wins in the HSBC Coastal Classic and numerous regattas in Auckland and Tauranga. Meanstreak and Hotdogger took second and third places. Grant Jenkins, past National Champ and Hotdogger skipper, who was first equal going into day 2, says that wins were spread over several boats, so the racing was always tense. Rockweld broke a main halyard on the first day, finishing under spinnaker only and missing one race. Racing was hosted by the Ponsonby Cruising Club.

Posted 9/04/2006


Crew.org.nz Rules Clinic:
Have you signed up for the Crew.org.nz Rules Clinic, with John Rountree at the RNZYS yet? If not you'd better hurry - it's filling up quickly. Details here >

Posted 7/04/2006


Crossing the harbour:
5 Apr - Wellington sailors flocked to Lowry Bay last weekend for the region's biggest keelboat regatta. Lowry Bay's racing grounds are about an hour's motor sail from the city, and the club is known for its hospitality and great prizegiving (pictured). Racing included the Flying Dutchmen Nationals (Congrats Terminal Velocity), and the Radio Controlled boat nationals as well as Etchells and Trailer Yachts. Vice Commodore Bob Rowell says that particular congratulations go to the Young 11 Flying Boat, who raced to the maximum in Division 1, taking out both line and handicap honours. While Sunday was exceptionally light, the remaining three days made up for it and Wellington put on exceptional sailing conditions with southerly sea breezes predominating. Go to the Lowry Bay website for results and photos >

Posted 5/04/2006


Aqua Vitae tunes up for Nationals:
5 Apr - Geoff Glanville and his SR26 'Aqua Vitae' (pictured) will be defending their honour in the 2006 SR26 Nationals on 22-23 April. The favourites include Rattle n Rum, winner of the 2005 Auckland Champs, Aqua Vitae, and Space Station which came 2nd in the Auckland Champs, and 3rd in the 2005 Nationals. Dark horses include Gaucho , which sports a new rig and a new set of Kevlar racings sail, with Mercenary and Train Smash wearing updated keels new this winter. Seven races will be held by BBYC, sailed in the area off North West side of Bean Rock. Eight of the 11 regular contenders are racing.

Posted 5/04/2006


World famous:
5 Apr - Hey guys, did you see us girls on telly last night? If you missed it, click here and then select 'Yachting NZ on hunt for women' under video.  Photos and a full report are now up on Crew.org.nz too. Click on 'Articles' above, or for a direct link, click here >

Posted 5/04/2006


Chisolm completes Sydney-Goldcoast:
4 Apr - Phil Chisolm was buzzing when he rang in with his post race report following the Sydney Southport race this weekend. Phil, under the name Team Compass Point, has chartered a Sydney 38 for a number of races this year, culminating in the Sydney-Hobart on Boxing Day. With a downwind start in 40 knots of breeze, the team left Sydney Harbour under main and #4 genoa surfing at speeds of 19 knots, but the last 50 miles of the race took the better part of a day to complete, struggling against strong Queensland currents which slowed VMGs down to only 2.5 knots, blowing out a kite halyard and narrowly missing entanglement with a shark net in the last 10 miles before the finish. They finished 'where they should' in their division and some smokin' photos will follow. Race website >

Posted 4/04/2006


Young Kiwi gun in VOR:
3 Apr - What's it like being in the Volvo Ocean Race? Shortly before they headed back to sea, Scott Beavis, a 26-year old Watch Captain aboard ABN Amro 2, reflected on 15,000 miles of pre-race preparation, a steep learning curve, and anticipating the Doldrums. Read the story >

Posted 3/04/2006


Y88 Nationals:
3 Apr - A big congrats to Triple 888 (Roger Pagani), First Class (Matt Carran) and Waka Huia (Bill Dalbeith) who took out first, second and third in the line honours stakes at the Westpac Y88 National Championships this weekend. Racing on Saturday in the area north of Rangitoto Island, the fleet faced a long morning of very little breeze, but the remainder of racing was described by Y88 Association President Ross Masters as 'closely contested with pretty good sailing conditions overall' despite strong winds and limited visibility on the Sunday. Heartlight, Pink Cadillac and Abracadabra were the handicap victors.  The Young 88 is New Zealand's most successful one-design keelboat class, and each year this event attracts top professional and semi-professional crews as well as non-professionals, for one of the biggest national regattas in the country.

Posted 3/04/2006


Dixon crowned top female skipper:
3 Apr - After eight races in a variety of conditions, Karleen Dixon and her six crew took the title of the country’s top female keelboat crew this weekend. Apart from the first two races, where she was hindered by weed and wind shifts, Karleen secured six first placings in the regatta, in which Jan Dawson placed second, and Sally Garrett third. This is the second time Dixon won the title: she also won the last regatta in 2002. Every crew member of every boat received a single red rose for their efforts. The 2007 Women’s National Keelboat Championships will take place in April 2007. CrewCam race pics will be posted here shortly. RAYC website >

Posted 3/04/2006


Congestion charges on their way:
1 Apr - A proposed congestion charge for the Waitemata Harbour, initially only at weekends and public holidays, is due to come into force before the summer of 2006. The area to be tolled begins west of an imaginary north-south line from Devonport wharf to the container docks and its purpose is to reduce traffic and risk of accidents. It is reported that Fullers ferries are in favour of the proposal to cut down on weekend nuisance traffic in runabouts, although users of Westhaven Marina counter that most boat owners are very responsible. The impact of the toll is likely to drive people out of Waitemata to other marinas and launch ramps. Gulf Harbour boaties are concerned. “We don’t those stinky runabouts coming up from the ditch to pollute out tropical paradise," said one Whangaparoa resident.

Posted 31/03/2006


Crew.org.nz under threat:
1 Apr - The Internet Censorship Bureau of New Zealand warns that Crew.org.nz may be forced to close within the next month. Ours is not the only website affected: those connected with other sports and industries have also received correspondence from the Bureau advising of the closure, subject to tighter controls being placed on forums and monitoring of every post by what they call a Licensed Forum Moderator – a qualification which requires four years of full time study to obtain. The Bureau is concerned that such blatant free speech as exhibited on internet forums, may be offensive or cause harm to certain parts of our society. The bill is being voted on in Parliament this week and if passed, it will come into action this month. Thank you dear readers, it's been great knowing you but it looks like we're dust.

Posted 31/03/2006


Having said all that:
If you didn’t pick that the above two stories are only April Fool’s Jokes, our little stunt worked. None of them are true. Have a great weekend and click here to read some real sailing news >

Posted 31/03/2006