Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2019 i Cruising Helmsman

THE Great Barrier Reef is a spectacular and popular place to visit and cruise, so it is important visitors know the rules to help protect its stunning network of reefs, islands and the diverse and significant species that inhabit them. Illegal fishing is still one of the highest direct risks to the World Heritage Area (Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2019); adding pressure at a time when the reef needs support. That is why knowing where you are going and what is allowed is crucial, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the area and marine parks zoning. Caught up in another magical day on the water, do not forget fishing lines trolling out the back as you drift into no-take green zones. While unintentional, fishing in these areas can have serious…

JUST over one year ago, the Lane Cove 12ft Sailing Skiff Club experienced the most devastating event in its history, when a fire tore down its major boat storage shed and decimated a number of prized boats. The Australian sailing community watched from around the country as a club had so much taken away but, to its credit, rallied in support to see them rise from the proverbial ashes and power on to a hugely important season of sailing. After the fire on September 15 2018, the club had a successful sailing season with many Lane Cove boats also doing well at a number of state and national regattas. Meanwhile in the background, the club’s rebuild committee, a sub-committee of the club’s board of management, had been working with members…

MY four year old squealed with delight, the sound muffled by his snorkel. Pointing to the majestic turtle not more than two metres away, I could sense his excitement. Holding his tiny hand, we kicked in unison through the gin-clear water, the turtle now within our reach. Gliding past effortlessly, it was completely unperturbed by our presence. Holding his tiny hand, we kicked in unison through the gin-clear water, the turtle now within our reach. Gliding past effortlessly, it was completely unperturbed by our presence. Further on, we noticed two larger turtles peacefully eating seagrass from the ocean bed. We watched from above as my two older sons moved through the water like fish. Diving down several metres, they found themselves almost face to face with the impressive creatures. With…

MASTERCARD tell us certain things are priceless and some things may well be. Uplifting experiences from the benefits of privilege seems to be the thrust of that campaign, but we are talking about boats and there is nothing priceless about them. In fact, many people are concerned about boat prices: buyers, sellers and owners who are looking at the next refit or annual cost of ownership. Throw in brokers, insurance companies, finance types and marine service providers and we have a small army of price-concerned people. So the big question is, how much is it worth? The short answer is probably too much or not enough, which will depend entirely on your position in a boating transaction. A tricky question to be picked apart. BUYERS (TYCOONS EXCLUDED, REGULAR FOLKS ONLY…

WHEN I first agreed to write this article it was going to be about the impact of 21st century technology on man overboard (MOB) prevention and recovery. However, when I sat down and mapped out the MOB process, it became clear that what has changed is not so much the technology as our knowledge of what happens. There has been a trend in safety advice towards the promotion of lifejacket wearing and the use of AIS and PLBs to improve outcomes for MOB. I include myself in the group whose thinking had been changing. However, while few would dispute the benefits of latest generation lifejackets and beacon alerts, I suggest we are perhaps shining a light in the wrong corner of the room. We need to be looking at tether…

THE north wind, the ‘Tramontana’, was blowing steadily as we left the Aeolian islands and sailed south through the Straits of Messina. We were leaving the Tyrrhenian Sea to enter the Ionian, the notorious cross-currents of the straits made the passage as uncomfortable as we had expected. But we’d already opted for caution and, with the wind from the north, we sailed under fores’ls only: jib and stays’l; to avert any possibility of having the boom crashing around if we were suddenly swung off-course by any really ugly currents. The ancient Greeks and Romans knew these waters well and wrote of whirlpools being the greatest danger in the straits. We did see some patches of ugly churning water that looked as if they might well whip-up a whirlpool, so we…

WHEN Ken and Rhonda Thackeray started the Shag Islet Cruising Yacht Club in 2009, they could never have predicted what lay ahead. In just over a decade, the story of the world’s most exclusively non-exclusive yacht club has become firmly entrenched in cruising folklore. The virtual club, named after tiny Shag Islet in the Whitsundays’ Gloucester Passage, now boasts 6,820 ‘Vice Commodores’ from 17 nations. A number of these ‘Shaggers’ as they prefer to be known, congregate in their spiritual home at the top of the Whitsundays during the last weekend of August each year. The annual SICYC Rendezvous is the ultimate party with a purpose, doubling as a major fundraiser for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA). In 11 years almost $665,000 has been raised, with $51,238 from…

THE next stage of Margate Marina’s redevelopment in Tasmania has completed with the construction of an extra 73 floating berths and a 150 metre extension of the attenuator/breakwater. The Marina now accommodates 123 new berths with more still to come. The attenuator/breakwater extension now includes a 90m section to the south and a right-angled 60m westward arm, which provides additional protection to the Marina. A safe haven for all conditions. Margate Marina is now the only marina in Tasmania providing dedicated individual 30m to 40m berths, catering for larger vessels including superyachts. It also has a dual fuel pontoon open 24 hours a day for members and visitors with competitive pricing. Margate Marina will soon be the only marina outside the Derwent River area offering pump-out facilities. The additional 73…

MARINA Village Martha Cove is now home to Victoria’s latest boat dry-stack facility, marking the completion of stage one at Boatyard Martha Cove by d’Albora. Boatyard Martha Cove’s dry-stack offers a cost-effective storage solution for boat owners, providing an enclosed, clean and secure environment. The facility offers fully enclosed storage solutions for vessels up to 10.6 metres, available all year round. The stacker joins a range of on-site marine services including: full-service maintenance management, refit and repair sheds, a 70 ton travellift, hard stand, work berths and trailer storage. The boatyard and marina are located within Marina Village Martha Cove, the only masterplanned community on the Mornington Peninsula. The boatyard forms part of Martha Cove’s Marine Enterprise Precinct, which also includes the 232 berth Marina Martha Cove, a boutique location…

THE Panama canal could be described as the world’s biggest shortcut, or the world’s shortest big cut. For circumnavigators on the popular tradewind route from east to west, fondly described as the ‘barefoot route’ or ‘coconut milk run’, it provides a path to the Pacific without having to brave the Northwest Passage, or infamous routes around South America. The downside is the fees involved, but these are likely to be nothing compared to those a trip around ‘the Horn’ might induce in boat repairs. PREPARATIONS For us, the whole procedure began prior to our arrival in Panama by contacting a canal agent. While not a necessity, we made the decision to use an agent for convenience and time efficiency, since our crew for the canal transit were to fly home…

COASTAL sailors have it easy at haul-out time. They usually get the job done at a known facility in their home port. Even the nomadic coastal cruiser will be familiar with, or have recommendations for the yard they are considering. But once we head out into unknown territory, we encounter a wide variety of boatyards, some excellent and some questionable. To assist you to a trouble free haul-out wherever you go, Petrea McCarthy spoke with cruising sailor and Marine Surveyor Anthony Gates of Andaman Maritime Services in Phuket. Anthony compiled this guide to hauling out from his extensive experience with diverse boats and yards, including more than a few avoidable disasters. PREPARATION The basic planning for a haul-out begins during the previous one. Note the details in your maintenance log:…

THE Atlantic Ocean hurricane season is upon us. Typically starting in June and ending at the end of November. The season has already encountered a sharp peak of activity from late August through September, affecting the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico. The consequences of hurricanes can be devastating; Hurricane Wilma (2005) exists as the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Atlantic basin, causing US$180.7 billion worth of damages and 3,960 deaths. Storm surges and flooding are the most dangerous and damaging aspects of hurricanes and are the cause for three-quarters of deaths within tropical cyclones in the Atlantic. There is a correlation between the year of the hurricane season and the amount of damage caused. Look at the comparison of activity between now and…

WHITSUNDAY region is again set to come alive with festivities and fun when the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race returns to the Coral Sea Marina Resort in January 2020. The Whitsundays Clipper Race Carnival will be a week long celebration of events and activities from January 11 to 18. A raft of events has been organised right across the region, including: the free community welcome event in Airlie Beach town centre; the return of the iconic ‘White on Whitehaven’ by Fish D’vine; plus the ‘Rodeo by the reef’ in Bowen. Once again the recently renamed Coral Sea Marina Resort will be the centre of activity. The yachts will be safely berthed at the marina and the nearby refurbished resort hotel will provide accommodation for anyone wishing to attend the…

EDUCATION MONTH There has been a good collection of educational stories over the past couple of months that have been of interest on the mysailing website. We had stories explaining how the fore and aft rig came into being; how the moon affects the oceans; plus the Mariner's 1-2-3 rule and how it can be of use when out on the water. The moon's effect on the oceans was of particular interest in regard to the increase in discussions about sea level rise from global warming. Everyone knows that water will always even out to a level but the effect from the moon's gravity and a combination of other factors means that not all sea levels are the same! Fascinating science! facebook.com/ CruisingHelmsman…

THE Ocean Cruising Club (OCC) is proud to acknowledge member Jeanne Socrates has successfully completed another single-handed, unassisted, nonstop circumnavigation after sailing into Victoria Harbour, British Columbia on 7th September. Jeanne set sail from Victoria on the 3 October 2018 on Nereida with the intent of becoming the oldest person to sail alone around the world. Socrates is 77 years old. Nereida had severe mainsail damage in the Cape Horn area, which took a long time to repair; she suffered a knock-down south west of New Zealand after which she had to enter Timaru Bay in New Zealand to make repairs and later lost her headsail in the North Pacific. Jeanne’s single-mindedness and determination to complete this voyage has culminated in a successful conclusion and she received a warm welcome…

SEASONED Cruising Helmsman readers may remember several articles on and around our previous boats: in 2010 about our share in Sharona, a portmanteau of ‘shared’ and ‘owna’; when we had a Beneteau 38 to skill up my Patagonian hubby for our big sailing trip; then in 2012 when the Moody 425 we bought in Greece turned into our infant and toddler’s Mediterranean playpen for the next three years. When it was time to come back to Sydney we needed a boat which was not too huge, i.e. expensive, to maintain; yet comfortable to sleep the five of us most weekends for holidays exploring Pittwater, Broken Bay and the whole wonderful deep depth and amazing remoteness of the Hawkesbury River and its tributaries (see CH April 29 ‘Sailing Broken Bay’). FINDING…

THE straits Kattegat and Skagerrak are the gates from the Baltic to the North Sea. What a hard time they give us! We had no time to waste in port, so we turned the engine on and left. Steering into the wind on the bow. There is hardly anything stable on the ship tortured by pitching, two days we are pushing against wind and waves. We are on board the 100 foot Shtandart, an 18th century frigate replica. Her square rigging does not leave us a choice of direction. Tacking would deviate us from the course too much. We are forty on board: eight deckhands per mast, officials, mechanics and a cook. I am on the foremast shift, we have our turn from midnight to four o’clock in the morning.…

YOUR boat has been holed by an errant fellow yachtie on autopilot; you’re anchored off a tropical island and you’re planning a blue water voyage home in a month’s time. What do you do? Immediate thoughts must turn to ensuring the safety of crew and vessel; but there are other factors that will cause subsequent problems. Who did it and will they admit responsibility? Who will fix it? Whose insurance is paying? Do I have to pay any insurance excess? WHO DID IT? If your boat is damaged when you are not on board, or you have been hit at night and they’ve done a runner without you being able to see them, that is a big problem. You’re basically on your own in terms of the repair cost and…