August 2005 News

The following items were placed on Crew.org.nz in August 2005 and have been archived without links or photos.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


NZL 82's boat speed not enough to overcome Alinghi:
31 Aug TNZ - Emirates Team New Zealand was unable to roll Alinghi today and finished the Louis Vuitton Act 6 match racing regatta in third place overall. Once again NZL 82 demonstrated the polished crew work that has been the talk of this regatta, and once again Alinghi demonstrated that SUI 75 had that a little extra speed edge that no other syndicate has been able to match. Full story

Posted 29/08/2005


SPF 50:
29 Aug - The modified Ross 930 'No Worries' is trucking along in this photo by Ocean Photography, with a 2.1m prod and a gennaker of gigantic proportions. The 930 class has made the decision to stick with standard class keels and rig configurations, but man this looks like a lot of fun doesn't it? Comments

Posted 29/08/2005


Countdown to 50:
29 Aug - The 9m Murray Ross designed boat 'Blackout' has secured 47 bottles of Mount Gaye from the Royal NZ Yacht Squadron in the last year, and its owner and crew are hanging out for #50. The boat races in 'E' Division and has made life a little harder for Tony Smth's Fast Company, and the T850 Men at Work, which have traditionally taken home the goodies on Friday night.

Posted 28/08/2005


Four in a row for Team NZ:
29 Aug - at the end of day three Team NZ is placed first on the leaderboard in the LV Cup Act 6. Putting the I-talians in their place and going hard and fast against Shosholoza, securing four victories out of four races. Full story

Posted 28/08/2005


One of those things...:
28 Aug - New Zealand yachtsman and adventurer Graeme Kendall has been forced to abandon his attempt to become the first person to sail solo non stop around the world via the Arctic Northwest Passage. Graeme made the decision yesterday that it would be too dangerous to proceed with his journey, as ice continues to block the entrance to the famous passage. Comments

Posted 28/08/2005


Close racing in Winter finish:
27 Aug - With just one race to finish the Squadron winter series, most divisions will be facing a tight battle for handicap series prizes: only one point separates M1 and Systems Thunder in Div A, Second Nature and Fineline in B. Two points separate the top Div C boats What's News and Rock N Roll. The sports boats and Stewart 34s also have only two points in separation, however Plane Jane is a clear leader 14 points ahead of her nearest rival in Div E.

Posted 26/08/2005


Overseas overnight:
26 Aug - Team New Zealand made a strong start on the first day of Louis Vuitton Act 6 with two wins in their opening races against China and Germany. China is the only team that doesn't have a Kiwi on its crew. At the 470 Worlds, the three NZ crews qualified for the gold fleet: Andrew Brown and Jamie Hunt in 27th, Derek Scott and David Healy in 31st and the Kean brothers in 14th. The final series includes eight races over four days.

Posted 26/08/2005


Kohi first to news ticker:
25 Aug - Kohimarama Yacht Club, one of Auckland's greatest dinghy sailing clubs, is the first to make use of the free Crew.org.nz News Ticker on its website. The tickers are free and available in a variety of sizes and specifications. Check it out - www.kyc.org.nz

Posted 25/08/2005


New for women's racing:
24 Aug - The Ponsonby Cruising Club and the RNZYS have led the way with a summer programme that offers all levels of female sailors some great learning opportunities, and windward/leeward racing. PCC racing, now on Monday nights, consists of a spring and a summer series to enable crews to complete a shorter series. RNZYS offers competitive windward/leeward and harbour racing. Both clubs are looking for crew, skippers and boats, and more information will follow on Crew.org.nz.

Posted 24/08/2005


The good and the bad:
24 Aug - Force 470 had mixed feelings about the first day's racing at the 470 Worlds in San Francisco. It was a day where local knowledge won out, as there was almost as much current as breeze, with many boats missing the top mark. Force 470 commentary

Posted 24/08/2005


Etchells Worlds '05:
23 Aug - Andrew Wills (Willzy) & crew won the Etchells Pre World Champs, scoring 1,2,1,2 and are now facing up to competition from the likes of Childerly, Murray, Connor and Silvestri for the real event, the 2005 Etchells Worlds to be held in Richmond, San Francisco. Andrew has teamed up with Jud Smith, with whom he placed second overall in the 2003 Worlds. "Jud has finished second several times before but never won the worlds, we are going to give it a really good shot this year," says Andrew.

Posted 23/08/2005


Long live Lake Brunner YC:
22 Aug - Lake Brunner Yacht Club will celebrate 100 years of sailing with a centennial regatta on 11-12 Feb 06. Originally an amalgamation of the Greymouth Yacht Club, and the old Moana Regatta Club, organised sailing and skiff rowing were recorded here as early as 1903. Its annual 24 hour race is also scheduled for 21-22 Jan. Want info? Contact the Commodore

Posted 22/08/2005


Hello baby:
22 Aug - two more 18 foot skiffs imported from Australia and were christened on the Waitemata this weekend. Owned by Chris Hurst from the Magic 25 class, and current skiff sailor Chris Skinner, the class plans to introduce an opening day, Auckland champs, and NZ nationals. Skinner intends to compete at this year's World Champs. More info

Posted 22/08/2005


Alfa Romeo blitzes Maiden Race:
20 Aug - It’s going to be lonely at the front of the pack. At least that’s how it looks after Race One of the Hamilton Island Hahn Premium Race Week with Neville Crichton’s new Alfa Romeo, sailing under the NZ flag, making its blistering debut with a line honours win, a handicap win and a race record. Crichton shaved nine minutes of the previous race record for the 22 nautical mile Lindeman Island Race of 2 hours 7 minute 37 seconds, set by the Stewart Thwaites’ Konica Minolta last year, to set a new record of 1 hour, 58 minutes and 45 seconds. (From Lisa Ratcliffe)

Posted 20/08/2005


Young guys into it:
19 Aug - Force 470 are in countdown mode with three days to go until the 470 Worlds kick off in San Francisco. "It is great to have the feeling that we are ready as we can for this regatta," says Andrew Brown. In the meantime, Kiwi Match placed third in the Cowes Youth Match Racing Regatta, saying they gelled well and beat last year's victor. Cool...

Posted 19/08/2005


Tops:
19 Aug - Ant Robinson's Bullrush (pictured) finished up a very admirable eighth place in the PHS division at Airlie Beach consistently placing in the top 3 over line. Gucci, Brent Dewhurst's Wellington entry, also pulled off an eighth place in the cruising/spinnaker division. The 80 footer Intrigue was 5th in the premier cruising div and Te Manaway placed second in the cruising division. Next stop... Hamo Island. Photo A Francolini

Posted 19/08/2005


YNZ's liability reduced in Greece incident:
18 Aug - Three years ago, American boardsailer Kimberley Birkenfield was severely injured in Greece after a Yachting NZ inflatable driven by Bruce Kendall collided with her windsurfer. Birkenfeld filed a $15 million claim against Kendall and YNZ. The Auckland High Court brief dated 22 July 2005 reports that YNZ's request for a maximum claim of $400,000 (the maximum allowed under NZ's Maritime Act) be allowed, as YNZ was a passive participant in the incident. MORE

Posted 18/08/2005


RnB in the news:
18 Aug - Guess who is in the news? The NZ Herald reports that a yacht rescued a man in Waitemata Harbour last night who was trying to swim from Okahu Bay to North Head in Devonport. The crew of the Young 8.4 R&B feared the 39-year-old might cross the path of a Waiheke-bound ferry and pulled him from the water about 8.45pm. He was taken to Auckland City Hospital with moderate injuries and mild hypothermia. MORE

Posted 18/08/2005


Port Nic news:
17 Aug - RPNYC's former CEO Mike Boswel has departed NZL for bluer pastures (the blue waters of the Greek Island that is), after 12 years of faithful service. He is said to be pursuing options in New York City. Sailing instructor Bruce Hills is also cruising blue waters, but he is currently meandering home after three months of island cruising, just in time for the summer training programme. www.rpnyc.org.nz

Posted 17/08/2005


Go Dog Go!:
17 Aug - A T850 that has been tearing up the Seattle scene until recently is now in Auckland, currently awaiting the return of its owner from overseas this November. The boat is called Go Dog Go, is very similar to Men at Work III, and will be parked at - you guessed it - G Pier, Westhaven.

Posted 17/08/2005


Can it get any better?:
17 Aug - Here are some photos of Genuine Risk flying through the Molokai Channel in the last Transpac. The 90 footer was crewed by Kiwi watch captain Erle Williams and boat captain Duthie Lidgard Jnr who was second helm on Erle's watch. The boat was de-tuned for the race because of a rating cap, but hey when you are hitting 30 knots for long surfs, who cares? Thanks to John Lidgard for sending the pictures. Have a look

Posted 17/08/2005


Alaskan adventure:
17 Aug - the cruising adventures of Kiwis Kerry and Jan Mair (parents of Auckland sailor Steve Mair, Fun'n Games) can be followed online as they hop between continents and islands, from Pompei to Guam to Japan and now Alaska. The couple have been cruising for many years on their yacht 'Vision' and have kept an online journal and photo album since 2003. View their website

Posted 17/08/2005


Bullrush in Queensland:
15 Aug - Three days of racing, three completely different sets of conditions. Bullrush is enjoying the $2 rums at Airlie Beach and showing some flashes of brilliance on the racecourse. Currently placing 10th equal on handicap, the mighty Elliott's best result so far is a second placing in Race 3. Email from Janine

Posted 15/08/2005


A little plug:
15 Aug - Spread the word - at Crew.org.nz we have added a couple of free services for Clubs, Classes and Associations that we'd like to tell you about: one is a news ticker service so that any website can feature our news updates, and the second is making some of our content available for use within Club newsletters and websites. More

Posted 15/08/2005


New blood for 30 foot fleet:
15 Aug - International Marine Brokers is adding to NZ's 30-35 foot class: first the agency announced last month that it is the NZ agent for J/Boats, and plans to import a 10m and 10.9m version later this year. It is also bringing in a Bavaria 35 Match, as a training vessel to help other Bavaria owners get the most performance from their boats. IMB say that two Bavaria 42 Match boats are currently being used as training vessels by the German America's Cup team.

Posted 15/08/2005


Silver for Dan:
15 Aug - It seems to be the Kiwi way that our top sailors can jump into a new type of boat and whip the seasoned rookies at their own game. Sharon Ferris & co did it last month with a silver at the YngLing Worlds and Dan Slater achieved a silver at the Finn Euros this week, after only six months in the class. Ben Ainslie took gold (again). Official press release

Posted 15/08/2005


Force 470 contest Worlds:
15 Aug - Andrew Brown & Jamie Hunt the formidable 470 duo have launched a campaign for 2005 that commences with the Worlds in San Francisco starting 22 Aug. The pair have kept their 470 at arm's distance since representing NZ in Athens last year, but now say they are well prepped thanks to coaches Daniel Smith and Leslie Egnot, Harold Bennett and David Ambercrombie. Good on ya guys...

Posted 15/08/2005


Honorary Kiwi leads Finn Euro's:
12 Aug - Team NZ sailor Ben Ainslie might be sailing for GBR but as long as he's winning, we are going to claim him as our own. Ainslie is so far unbeaten at the Finn dinghy Europeans in Sweden, with NZL sailor Dan Slater placing second. Regarding Race 5 Dan comments "... I managed to get to the lead up the second beat. But on the downwind I was passed by Ben who was sailing really fast downwind and gave me a real lesson on pumping so am going to need some gym time." Regatta website

Posted 12/08/2005


Five Star:
11 Aug - The Stardome Observatory is putting on celestial navigation courses for boaties and ourdoors enthusiasts. The courses are two hours long and take place in the Planetarium. 11 and 12 Oct, $15 pp. To book tel. 09 624 1246. www.stardome.org.nz

Posted 11/08/2005


Kiwi Match faces up:
11 Aug - The young gun sailors from Kiwi Match - Laurie Jury, Daniel McLean, Robert Hielkema & Brad Marsh - placed 12th at a premier match racing event in France this week where they "were faced with the daunting challenge of new boats, new venue, tough regatta format and a very tough fleet of oponents". Next on their agenda is The Knickerbocker Cup in New York followed by an ISAF Grade 1 event in Poland. www.kiwimatch.com

Posted 11/08/2005


The master of Fastnet!:
11 Aug - The mighty Maximus crossed the Fastnet finish line at 2022 10 Aug NZST, not only reaping line honours but looking good for handicap victory too. Rival Skandia Wild Thing is estimating her finishing time as 1130 11 Aug NZST. In anyone's eyes this is a fantastic victory for NZ yachting. MORE

Posted 11/08/2005


Bullrush gears up for Hogs Breath:
Bullrush arrives in Airlie Beach today for Hogs Breath Regatta, with a full crew including Janine & Ant (Bullrush) Murray Soames & Chris Clark (Ultimate Warrior), Karen & Rupert King (Overdrive)Geoff Martlew (Marshall Law), Mark Jackson (Hooters) and Toni & Phil Crowther (ex Wiseguy). Last year Ants and Janine won PHS Div 1 on their Farr 38 General Jackson, narrowly beating Hydroflow. This year the handicappers have rated the 22 year old design (.98) just a fraction slower than a Volvo 60 (1.0) hmmm...

Posted 10/08/2005


Maximus rounds Fastnet in lead:
0940 NZST 10 Aug - Maximus is 6 hours ahead of Skandia Wild Thing, and 10 hours ahead on corrected time in the 2005 Rolex Fastnet Race. "Light reaching in 3 to 8 knots; many changes between the code zero and code 2. Good to keep the boys busy wooling up the Gennakers!" says Charles Brown. Photo (c) Daniel Forster / Rolex Maximus reports in

Posted 9/08/2005


SIMRAD 60 Crew report:
9 Aug - Hard Labour relives the SIMRAD 60 - As predicted the competition for line honours stepped up another couple of notches for race two of the SIMRAD series, unfortunately it also ended Hard Labour’s unbeaten run since the start of last year's series. Well I guess all good things must come to an end… read about it or look at photos

Posted 9/08/2005


August means Queensland regattas:
9 Aug - Tropical sailing season commences this week. Hog's Breath Regatta is the first biggie starting on Thursday. Then next week the Hamilton Island regatta will be the premier outing for the new Cookson 50 'Chieftain', and Neville Crichton's new Alfa Romeo. John Booth will show up in a Sydney 38, and ex Whitbread Campaigner Lion NZ will be skippered by William Goodfellow. There are also two Wellington entries, a Warwick 10.5 'Gucci' and 'Te Manawa'. We'll keep you posted.

Posted 8/08/2005


Go Maximus:
8 Aug - Fastnet is all on and Maximus has the opportunity to take line honours and set a new record. Rival boat Skandia Wild Thing (on its first outing since the failed Sydney-Hobart) was two minutes late for the start and media reports say rig damage was discovered during a routine check. Can our boys do it? They have 608 miles of racing to prove themselves but then so does Skandia. Conditions at the start were light and fickle. Fastnet news

Posted 8/08/2005


One word for the SIMRAD 60:
7 Aug - and it is awesome. The moderate north easter held out until early afternoon when it became a strong north easter, presenting exciting reaching conditions. Don't take our word for it. Check out our pics from the race course and live through every moment of the race at Crew forums. We apologise that we can't give you any pictures of broken masts this time around.

Posted 7/08/2005


Boring:
5 Aug - Crew.org.nz's computer was stolen yesterday. Any emails you have sent to Crew - emails I've had from clubs, your booking for race clinics, and other enquiries in the last few weeks are gone. If there is something you would like a response to please email zoe@due-north.co.nz again. Oh yes, if anybody sees a brown hatchback with three arrogant youths inside swear at them for me will you?

Posted 5/08/2005


Big Leap - RaceTrack Report:
4 Aug - Mark Mulcare does his monthly roundup of the ups and downs of RaceTrack. In total, he's added some 103 races, with 994 entrants from 336 boats giving us a total of 674 boats currently ranked. Sundreamer is the fastest on the circuit (surprise surprise), and there are a couple of genuine surprises in there too. Read on...

Posted 4/08/2005


Welcome to Takapuna Sailing Centre:
3 Aug - Welcome to our third official sponsor! Located in Barry’s Point Road, Takapuna Sail Centre is a haven for boat owners because of its top brand gear at great prices (including Lasers and Hobie Cats) and an extensive ‘pre-loved’ section. You might have seen they are also providing us with monthly gear reviews (all stuff you can get online through their website). www.boatbits.co.nz


Posted 3/08/2005


Spoilt for choice:
3 Aug - Royal Akarana Yacht Club has released details of its summer sailing programme: Opening Day, Thursday night informals, Sunday laid courses for dinghy classes, cat's, and small keel boats, seven performance regattas for fast high performance dinghy and cat classes and a "huge party after each regatta". For keelboats a huge cruising series, mens and womans nationals, a re-configured Gold Cup, and the Akl-Suva. www.rayc.org.nz

Posted 3/08/2005


Machinery:
3 August - Core blimey, this is the new 40 footer out of Kevin Dibley's office. The boat is designed for single handed racing, will be built in NZ and is due for launching next Autumn. The client is Bryan Cooke, uncle of Olympic sailor Simon Cooke. Bryan is going to sail the boat to France and partake in a few small short handed races like the Route de Rhum and the Transat. Wow. The keel and daggerboard lift and cant, and the mast will be winged and rotating. What a great boat.

Posted 3/08/2005


Aussie fame for old Kiwi:
2 Aug - A Stewart 34 has been named the provisional IRC winner of the 2005 Sydney-Gold Coast race. Pendragon, owned by Sydney based sailor Andrew Cochrane, was sailed by a crew of top sailors including an Olympic gold medallist, and finished the 384 mile race in 02:15:44. at an average speed of 6.0 knots. Photo (c) CYCA Race website

Posted 2/08/2005


Crew.org.nz No 2 in NZ!: Loading...
1 Aug - We received a pleasant surprise in the inbox: Hitwise says we are the second most visited site in the yachting and boating category, measured against other Kiwi sites. In the wider scheme of things, Crew.org.nz is the 449,815th most visited website in the world, up from three million and something at Christmas, and our .net.nz forum site is at 311,645. 95% of our traffic originates in NZ. Cool!


Posted 1/08/2005


From the couch:
1 Aug - we know they placed 5th on line but we're counting down to find out how the bunch of raw recruits aboard Lion NZ liked their first ocean race to Suva. The TVNZ reality TV show 'The Ultimate Challenge' starts with 48 novice sailors and whittles them down to a hardy bunch of 12 and it starts on TV1, 7.30pm next Monday TVNZ promo

Posted 1/08/2005


Chief Hot Shot:
1 Aug - a sea trial on the new Cookson 50 launched last week in Auckland was an eye opening experience for a sailor not used to so many gadgets. Read the story

Posted 1/08/2005


Turbo Boating Part II:
1 Aug - yachties always like getting something for free. Here is a free word of advice in a new 'how to turbo your boat' article by Cameron Thorpe. Read and learn

Posted 1/08/2005


Bronze effort for Wilcox at OK Worlds:
1 Aug - Three bullets - more than any other sailor at the OK Worlds - was more than good enough to see Wellington sailor Greg Wilcox win a third placing at the OK Dinghy Worlds in Denmark. Next in the Kiwi rankings were Steve McDowell at no 8, Alistair Deaves at 12, and Mark Perrow at 16. Reports

Posted 1/08/2005