Groundswell August 2013

A U GU ST

I

2013

A r e g u l a r n e w S l e t t e r f r o m t h e C r u i s i n g Y ac h t C l u b o f S o u t h A u s t r a l i a

inside

> an unforgettable weekend > CYCSA art exhibition > commodore’s dinner > batteries ‘n’ boats > women on the water > up the murray

Cruisi ng

> riviera Tuna Classic

Club of Sou ht th ac

lia stra Au

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> cruise with no wind

celebratin

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197 3 – 2013

Andrew Saies President

Board of Management President Treasurer

Andrew Saies Chris Wood Wayne Coonan Peter Hall David Hughes David Murray Graham Meyers Sam Tolley

Flag Officers Commodore Vice Commodore Rear Commodore

Geoff Catt Rowland Richardson David Knights

Administration Chief Executive Officer Craig Evans Administration and Operations Manager Jenny Krogdahl Finance Manager Marina Segodina Communications and Membership Services Laura Cowley Leasing Coordinator Mellissa Vahoumis Receptionist Angela Christofis Marine Academy Coord Matthew Young Racing Manager Jess Hargreaves Food & Bev Manager Mario Cataldi Head Chef Dorian Molga Facility Supervisor Robert Gray Port Vincent Marina Rob Marner Association Chairpersons Cruising Richard Lea Fishing Glenn Spear Racing Traci Ayris Social Activities Pam Humeniuk Life Members Arthur F Carolan Richard H Fidock AO Graeme L Footer John Gerard James A Henry (Dec’d) Malcolm A Kinnaird AC Peter J Page Editors of Groundswell Gay Footer, Laura Cowley, Rob Perrin, Owen Mace Contributions to reception@cycsa.com.au Advertising in Groundswell Laura Cowley: Telephone 08 8248 4222 Groundswell is the official journal of the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia Inc. Lady Gowrie Drive, North Haven PO Box 1020 North Haven SA 5018 Telephone: 08 8248 4222 Facsimile: 08 8248 5888 Email: reception@cycsa.com.au Web: www.cycsa.com.au Phone Port Vincent: 0414 611 110 Registered by Australia Post Publication No PP565001/00184 ISSN 1039-4230 Graphic design by Trevor Paynter Printed by Reflex Printing

From the President

M

uch of what I have to report this edition is included in the 2012/2013 CYCSA Annual Report and I refer members to that publication.

Over the winter months the Club has remained active with Associations conducting a number of events and functions. Hospitality staff have also been innovative in trying different approaches to Sunday meals, all aimed at bringing more people into the Club over the traditionally quieter months. It is worth reporting that hospitality revenues for the last few months of the financial year which ended in May were a big improvement on the first half of the year, a reflection of both the efforts of Mario, Dorian and staff, and the quality of our food and beverage offering.

Also thanks to members and guests who attend the Club for dining and functions, your ongoing patronage is appreciated.

The Board has asked management to keep working on finding better ways to meet individual member, Association and external function hospitality requirements at prices below commercial venues but still making an acceptable return to the Club. In fact and as an aside this pricing principle is applied across a range of products and services available at the Club.

Given the current physical layout of the bar and restaurant areas this inevitably presents ongoing challenges. Meeting everyone’s requirements on all occasions is not possible but staff do their very best. Again I point out to members that revenues from external functions are an integral part of the Club’s finances.

The Council rates issue on marina and hardstand berths drags on without any change from Port Adelaide Enfield Council’s current position to transition to the full minimum rate in six years.

The Council rates issue on marina and hardstand berths drags on without any change from Port Adelaide Enfield Council’s current position to transition to the full minimum rate in six years. An amendment to the Local Government Act to fix this rating anomaly and also the unfair rating impost that our Port Vincent berth owners are already subjected to is yet to go before parliament. The amendment was meant to be voted on in March, however it continues to meet with opposition from the LGA who represent the interests of all councils.

I can assure members that Craig Evans and the Board have done all we can outside of mounting a Supreme Court challenge to fight this unfair tax and we may yet end up there.

Detailed plans and specifications for the Marina West inner breakwater have been finalised but a shock decision by Minister Tom Koutsantonis in early July to overrule SABFAC’s revised recommendation to now agree to 50 percent fund this project on terms and conditions acceptable to the Club, has left the Board bewildered and will require further strategic consideration before any decision or announcement can be made.

Can I take this opportunity to invite members to complete the member Volunteering Survey - available on the Club website and on the Groundswell mailer - aimed at finding out more about your skills and interest in volunteering to assist the Club. It is sometimes easy to forget that we are a not-for-profit sporting and boating club that depends on volunteers for the quality and enjoyment of our membership and the future success of the Club.

Andrew Saies, President

Cover Photo: Clients look at berths while riding a Club buggy along the Marina West main finger.

Photograph by Trevor Paynter

3

Craig Evans Chief Executive Officer

At the Helm CLUB NEWS

S

aturday 26 October is the date of the CYCSA Opening Day this year. Please mark it in your diary and start inviting family and friends to come and help celebrate on this special day. Our members from Port Vincent are particularly welcome to attend and the Club will make sure that you receive a berth for the day. We also encourage our hardstand boat owners to put your boats into the water and participate in the official sail pass that will once again be held within the confines of the North Haven marina.

During some very tough financial times it is pleasing that the hospitality area of the Club is achieving good results at the moment. Our Food and Beverage Manager, Mario and Head Chef Dorian, have been working tirelessly to make sure that customer expectations are being met and have introduced various initiatives to attract more customers and retain the regulars.

The introduction of the ‘Sunday Brunch’ has been a great success over the winter period.

Service times have been extended to also include lunchtime dining on Thursdays.

Some housekeeping matters At the time of writing this article we have had several days of extremely strong wind conditions in South Australia. CYCSA staff have been busy securing boats in all marina basins and even in the hardstand area. The number of boats that have inadequate mooring lines and which have not been tied correctly is alarming. Boats in the hardstand area that do not have adequate wheel chocks also shifted in the strong winds creating a dangerous situation. The resultant damage to both boats and Club facilities can easily be avoided if mooring lines and chocks are maintained and used correctly.

An excerpt from the 1994 Groundswell as next year the Club celebrates the CYCSA Marine Academy’s 20th year.

NEW MEMBERS

O

ver the last three months the following people have joined the Club. Please make them welcome.

Frank Borg Tony De Maaijer Greg Hackett Di Hamill Debbie Kassebaum Gerry Leaver Matthew Richards Bill Warnes

In preparation for strong weather events and to assist members to protect their boats we recently invested in some emergency mooring ropes of various sizes. These ropes were stored in a locked cupboard; however, all were recently stolen following someone breaking in to the cupboard. The following week someone also stole the hoses off of the emergency bilge pump.

This is not only expensive and frustrating, but potentially very dangerous. If anyone has any ideas about who the culprits are please let me know.

Several other housekeeping matters need to also be mentioned in this report due to recent events. The Club has policies relating to both spray painting and the use of the slipway’s high pressure water blaster. These rules are noted in the Club’s By-Laws which are available on the website. Please familiarise yourself with these rules if you intend to use either. Also in the By-Laws are rules relating to the storage or parking of trailers and caravans in the car parking and hardstand areas of the Club grounds. It is not allowed. Please do not get annoyed with staff if they are asking you to comply with the rules of the Club.

With the daylight hours getting longer and hopefully the temperature starting to warm up again soon, I look forward to seeing more people back down at the Club.

Safe boating.

Craig Evans, Chief Executive Officer

Services to Yachting Order of Australia Medal awarded to David Binks CYCSA member David Binks was recently awarded the Order of Australia Medal (General Division) during the 2013 Queen’s Birthday Honours, for his services to yachting.

David was Founder and Director of Binks Yachts (renamed Binks Marine). He has been prominent in the area of building and designing racing and cruising yachts for over 50 years, and pioneered the use of fibreglass in the construction of many of the classes of yachts raced in Australia in the 1960s, including 505s, Fireballs, Flying Dutchmen and OK Dinghies. David became a Life Member of the Boating Industry Association of SA in 1988 and was a Board member for 40 continuous years.

David’s contribution to the yachting industry has been enormous. He is a worthy recipient of the Order of Australia Medal and we congratulate David on this outstanding achievement.

4

Geoff Catt Commodore

Commodore’s Report

T

hank you to all members who took the time to attend the Club’s Annual General Meeting this year and also to participate in the election of the Board. Senior members own the Club and it is very important that we demonstrate we have confidence in the incumbent Board to manage the Club in the best interests of all.

Planning for Opening Day on Saturday 26 October is underway – more details to follow – and I suggest that you put this date in your diary now, invite your guests and plan to have a great day at the Club and on the water.

A reminder also of our reciprocal membership agreement with the Naval Military and Air Force Club in Adelaide. Senior members are able to join the NMAFC at a very reasonable annual fee and enjoy full (nonvoting) rights at that Club. Similarly, their members are able to become casual members of the CYCSA and enjoy all that we have to offer. I believe this is excellent value for both clubs and should lead to added patronage at both venues as well as potential new members. I urge you to consider taking advantage of this arrangement and to please make welcome any NMAFC members that you may meet enjoying our facilities.

Congratulations and thank you to the new and returning Association committee members and particularly to the Chairs for volunteering once again. It’s been said often that the Associations are the lifeblood of the CYCSA and I firmly believe that is true.

Winter has once again been a busy time with a wide range of activities at the Club. A new members’ Captains Table evening, the annual Port Vincent Dash weekend, Christmas in July and the Commodore’s Dinner have all been thoroughly enjoyed, while the racers have been engaged on water in the Winter and Two-Handed Series as well as the Port Line Cup.

As our 40th Anniversary year draws to a close, I would like to thank all members and staff who have contributed to the celebrations – I really think it’s been something special..

I should also thank Vice Commodore Rowley Richardson for coordinating the 2013 Art Exhibition at the CYCSA - the gallery was open over a weekend in early July. It attracted many entrants and guests and was a great example of the diversity of interests of our membership. Well done Rowley and all who were involved.

Don’t forget that copies of the history book First Watch and bottles of the 40th Anniversary Port are still available at the office – it would be a pity to miss out!

Meanwhile another milestone has been passed - the Marine Academy has issued its first International Certificate of Competency! Many members would be unaware that our own CYCSA Marine Academy is an RYA accredited sailing school and as such is able to provide the training and assessment facilities to issue the International Certificate of Competence (ICC). The ICC is like an international drivers licence for boaters and is recognised all around the world. In many European countries it is mandatory to hold an ICC if you wish to charter a yacht.

Congratulations to everyone who has helped with this significant achievement.

Finally, by the time you read this, some lucky members of the CYCSA will have joined Geoff Boettcher on Secret Mens Business 3.5 and Andrew Saies on Two True Tarka as crew in this year’s blue water classic Rolex Fastnet Race in the United Kingdom in mid August. We all hope you’ve had a safe and enjoyable experience.

Geoff Catt, Commodore

New Hospitality Service Times Sunday Brunch

If you haven’t come down to experience it yet you are missing out! The delicious Brunch Buffet is available from 10am every Sunday. For $25 per person enjoy all you can eat from a great selection of breakfast dishes progressing through to lunch dishes from 12 noon. You’ll also receive a complimentary beverage on arrival. Stick around for a few hours and enjoy the atmosphere, or take a break after breakfast and come back for lunch, the choice is yours.

Lunch available on Thursdays

Lunch is now available on Thursdays from 12.00pm. Why not get a group of work colleagues together and enjoy a lunch on the patio overlooking the marina. Pre-orders for food and beverages are very welcome, and are a popular option to ensure you can make the most of your lunch break.

Breakfast available on Saturdays

You can now enjoy breaky at the Club from 10.00am on Saturdays. Choose from traditional eggs and bacon dishes, muffins, pancakes, frittatas, fruit and muesli etc. It’s a great time of day to relax and enjoy the Club. Bookings are essential. Please contact Reception on 8248 4222 or reception@cycsa. com.au Full menus and opening hours are available on the Club website at www.cycsa.com.au/mariners.html.

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34’

RACING ASSOCIATION

35’

Winter and ShortHanded Series 36’

37’

38’

39’

A

nother cold winter has rolled into Adelaide and only those keen enough to race in the cold were back for the CYCSA Winter Series.

The Winter Series has three different series, the Combined Winter Series (CYCSA & RSAYS), the Port River Marine Winter Series (CYCSA) and the ShortHanded Series (sailed with only two people on board).

We’ve been lucky this winter to get all races but one completed as we had scheduled. Some very cold and windy weather caused a short-handed race to be abandoned. All the other races have seen some very reasonable weather however and it has been a successful series thus far.

Jon Henschke, Race Office

Port Vincent Destination Race / Port Vincent Dash 6-7 July 2013

A

fter the success of last year’s Port Vincent Destination Race, the short-handed fleet once again braved the cold for another stand-alone race to Port Vincent. Although the conditions weren’t great for a race to Port Vincent, 14 boats left the CYCSA on the morning of 6 July at 10:00am. There were ten short-handed boats and four fully crewed boats who had decided to join in on the fun weekend, regardless of the average weather!

Race Officer John Gibson got the race started for the fleet but unfortunately couldn’t make the trip across to Port Vincent himself. This left all the racers to take their own times and to then give them to Geoff Catt who worked out the results once everyone had reached Port Vincent. Once all the results had been calculated, they were presented during the BBQ which was sponsored by Canegrass Saltbush Lamb. The boys from Peer Gynt once again provided the fleet with some oysters and the crew brought along their own salad and dessert as well.

After a great night at Port Vincent, everyone was set to race back to Adelaide but unfortunately there was no wind on the return trip so there were no finishers.

Winners of the Port Vincent Dash trophies: Fastest Multihull Aquila - 4:24:23 Fastest Monohull That’s Life - 5:04:00 PHS Handicap Aquila - 4:24:23

40’

41’

social Activities Association

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43’

BOOK CLUB LAUNCH

Friday Night, 11th October, 2013 44’

C

ome along and investigate this new initiative by the Social Activities Association. If you are an avid reader or just an occasional reader this may be for you. All readers welcomed, young, old, male, female, well read and just browsing.

See page 15 for details

We will welcome you with champagne and an outline of how this group will work. You just need to bring along a book you have read and enjoyed. This book stays as part of the Book Club and all of these books will form the basis of our club. Once we have our first get together we will jointly decide how often to meet and the format of the group. We imagine we will only meet for an hour or so for the first time and then those who have other commitments can go on, or else can stay to enjoy dinner at the Club. Hope to see you.

45’

46’

Contact Pam Humeniuk (pamhum@bigpond.com) if you want to discuss further.

47’

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NEW BOATS ’43

This is another in the series of articles aimed at providing you with a little insight into a few of the ‘new’ boats to the Club over recent months. While not all are newly built, most are relatively new to the Club and others have moved to new owners within the Club.

We warmly welcome all these ‘new’ boats and owners.

’53

’63

’73

’83

FREE FALLIN’ Free Fallin’ (formerly GnT) is the first yacht for Carolyn and Steve Harrington and their two girls and was the result of a long-delayed dream to sail up the east coast. A 2010 Beneteau Oceanis 43, she was located in Melbourne and presented in very good condition with less than 200 hours on the engine. She was sailed back to Adelaide with the help of a delivery crew and arrived at the CYCSA in mid January 2013. In preparation for their planned voyage, Carolyn and Steve made small trips to Kangaroo Island, Yorke Peninsula, and Wirrina with over-night stays. Club members also helped by sharing their valuable knowledge and experience.

TENDER

In May this year, Steve, with the help of two friends, sailed the yacht from Adelaide to Southport, with visits to Wirrina, Port Fairy, Eden, Sydney, and Yamba. The weather for most of the trip consisted of heavy rain, storms, and gusty winds. A very uncomfortable night was spent tied up to the Eden jetty between two fishing trawlers, and a 30 minute delay was encountered at Yaamba waiting for the tide to rise and lift the yacht off a sand bar (oops!). The sail into Sydney Harbour through the heads occurred in the early hours of a Sunday morning in 30 knots plus wind and rolling waves. Exhausted, they tied up at the CYCA next to the famous Brindabella.

Tender to Antipodes Australis You might have seen a curious sight recently in the marina basin. It is a new tender to the 58 ft Beneteau Antipodes Australis. Its design is based on an American Whitehall, one of the most refined rowboats of the 19th century.

Whitehalls were first made in early New York at the foot of Whitehall Street and were used as taxis to ferry goods and sailors to awaiting vessels.

Over four weeks during late June and July the family sailed from Southport to Mackay. Highlights included successfully navigating the Broadwater Passage between the mainland and North and South Stradbroke Islands; holding over for five days in Mooloolaba during storms and rain; and a white knuckle crossing over the Wide Bay Bar to enter the Great Sandy Strait! Other highlights were passing Orcas and Humpback whales; exploring Fraser Island (via a rented 4x4); and spending time at Scawfell Island as their first anchorage off Mackay.

They are designed to handle harbour chop and to row straight in the water with a distinctive wine glass transom and a full skeg.

Construction is in carbon fibre with a birds eye huon pine transom, trim and sliding seat.

Incorporated is a fast furl (3 second) and fast de-rig (3 second) hobie rig. The vertical battens in the sail ensure that a powerful shape is maintained while reefed.

It is a curious mixture of new and old and is a dream to row or sail.

Carolyn and Steve will resume their journey in the Whitsunday Islands in the October school holidays and have already booked a marina berth at the CYCA to see in the New Year on route back to Adelaide. With favourable weather, Free Fallin’ will be back at CYCSA Marina West in late January 2014. Next year they are looking forward to joining in with the CYCSA twilight sailing fleet and exploring KI and Port Lincoln.

Editors’ Note If you would like your boat featured in this section of Groundswell, please write around 180-200 words and provide a high resolution pdigital photo (or ask Gay Footer or Laura to take a photo for you) and submit your contribution to reception.

They are very pleased with Free Fallin’ for carrying them safely all the way to Mackay where she will remain in the marina until October.

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’93

’04

’14

’24

’34

’44

’54

’64

’74

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Christm

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8

Recreational an

d Sports Boating

Winter has blown in but will go fast like last summer!

The CYCSA Marine Academy has programmed some great courses this coming summer so you can plan to be somewhere warmer on a yacht next winter! With over 115 courses scheduled there is something on offer for every boating enthusiast.

RYA Practical Courses

The CYCSA Marine Academy is now able to deliver Royal Yachting Association (RYA) training courses including Competent Crew, Day Skipper and the International Certificate of Competence.

We are South Australia’s first club and training centre to offer internationally accredited training courses. RYA courses are renowned worldwide for their appropriate course content and relevance to acquiring boating skills to enjoy the water.

This new accreditation allows us to provide people with courses to become competent and confident on the water. All our RYA practical courses are matched with RYA shore based courses so you spend more time on the water being successful and enjoying the sailing. All practical courses take place on Academy 1 but can also be arranged on your own vessel with a Marine Academy instructor.

Start Yachting

This is our entry level course which is held over one weekend.

Learn the basics of sailing a cruising yacht. Boasting the status of South Australia’s only internationally accredited sailing school, there is nowhere better to start the journey and learn!

Competent Crew

This is the next step after Start Yachting, or for people with some prior boating experience. All our Competent Crew courses are Live Aboard, meaning you will stay on the boat overnight either at a safe anchor or in a marina berth. The course can be completed as a Three Day Live Aboard after having completed a Start Yachting course, however if you have some prior experience you may like to complete it as a Five Day Live Aboard instead. The Competent Crew course is a fantastic way to experience sail cruising and reach some fantastic harbours and coastlines.

Day Skipper

Day Skipper is an intermediate course where you practice the skills of day sailing from port to port.You’ll become confident with planning a trip, navigation, and managing the boat through the journey. Like Competent Crew, Day Skipper is a Live Aboard course; however it can be completed as a Two + Three Day Live Aboard or as a Five Day Live Aboard. It’s highly recommend for people who want more confidence in utilising their boat or those who are planning a holiday charter, since you can apply for your International Certificate of Competence on completion of this course.

International Certificate of Competence

If you are planning to charter a yacht overseas then this UN document is a must. The International Certificate of Competence (ICC) is an internationally-recognised document that is increasingly being called for by charter companies as evidence of yachting competence, and it is widely accepted in Europe.

Look out for the Marine Academy course guide in this edition of Groundswell Intended for yachtsman of significant experience such as a majority of our members, you can undertake an assessment to obtain the certificate. The assessment involves both theory and practical boat handling, and will take between two to four hours to complete.

The ICC will allow you to charter sailing yachts up to 24 metres in length and power vessels up to 10 metres in length. To charter a vessel and operate on European inland waters, a CEVNI (Code Européen des Voies de la Navigation Intérieure) endorsement is needed on your ICC certificate. This assessment can be done at the same time as your ICC test.

The ICC is issued from the United Kingdom. A time of approximately 4-6 weeks from application to receipt should be allowed. The certificate will be valid for 5 years. It should be noted that to be eligible there are various requirements. For further information please contact the Marine Academy.

Safety Sunday and SSSC

We have planned our Safety and Sea Survival Certificate course to run 2-3 November this year. If you are planning to compete in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, I recommend booking now because this course always fills up fast. If you hold a SSSC that has almost expired we can also run an update course over one day. Safety Sundays will be held on 22 September 2013 and 9 February 2014, so please let your friends and crew know. There have been every large numbers of participants at Safety Sundays in the past; however this year there will be a maximum number of 60 participants per course, so you’ll need to get in early or miss the boat! I recommend you book now!

So many more courses on offer...

The CYCSA Marine Academy currently provides our members and the public with 22 courses from a variety of Australian and international affiliations. All these courses are now detailed in one handy and easy to understand Course Guide. It gives us great pleasure to provide our members with the first copy of our Course Guide in this edition of Groundswell. We believe it is a great step forward in assisting members and the public to be aware of the Marine Academy’s program of activities, and is also a great step towards our long term goal of establishing the CYCSA Marine Academy as the place to go boating.

Matt Young, Principal CYCSA Marine Academy 9

The Cruise with No Wind Twixt Equinox and Solstice Cruise, May 2013

A

huge blocking high pressure system centered over Yorke Peninsula meant there was little wind forecast for the weekend of the cruise, but those who made it to Port Vincent had a great weekend! We ended up with 14 yachts in the marina on Saturday night. It was great to have so many along and there were even five or six apologies from boats that really wanted to come but had other commitments. Sadly, Rob Perrin (Sugar ‘n’ Spice) pulled out with an electrical problem only a few miles out from Adelaide. Another yacht, Noah, was preparing to leave the CYCSA, but had a last minute change of plans.

The following yachts participated in the cruise: Sahara - Richard and Adrienne Lea; School’s Out - Adrian Wotton; Force Majeure - Don and Judy Guy; From Russia With Love - Mike and Angela Holmes; Alpha Centauri - Roger Flint; Setanta - Gerard and Susan Hughes; Grand Akt - Jack Didyk and Joanna Kulikowski; Adria Claude and Val Marchesi; Brigadoon - Geoff and Louise Wiggins; Bogebada - John and Vicki Bolt; Baloo - John and Margaret Grevins; Twelfth Night - Peter and Wendy Lucas; Far Star - Royce and Delene Nicholls; Amazing Grace - John and Janet Den Dryver.

A few headed over on Friday hoping to catch a puff of wind, while the majority motored over on the Saturday after an hour or two of sailing when the wind briefly got to 10 knots. Adrian Wotton (School’s Out), in an impressive show of his racing credentials, even managed to briefly fly his kite despite sailing short-handed with Adrienne Lea as his sole crew member. However, as the wind started from the east, then swung around to the northwest and then the southwest, it was almost a relief when it dropped out and the iron headsails could be put back into action.

Fishing was successful, with several snook and heaps of tommy roughs caught on the way over. John and Vicky Bolt aboard Bogebada caught 21 squid just south of Port Vincent! Some of the cruising members need a fishing lesson from the Bolts!

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The inaugural Port Vincent Cruise ‘Cookie Competition’ was a close contest won by Wendy Lucas (Twelfth Night), with runners up Kath Lea (Sahara) and Roger Flint (Alpha Centauri). Afterwards we all headed up to the Ventnor Hotel for a great feed. The Ventnor’s free bus service was appreciated on what was a cold night! Fishing and sailing tales tuned into epic yarns as the bottles emptied and the evening progressed. Back at the marina, Jack Didyk (Grand Akt) provided entertainment when he cranked up ABBA in his floating disco. Eventually though we all managed to get off to sleep.

Sunday brought another lovely sunny day. Don Guy (Force Majeure) fired up his smoker and provided everyone with a taste of delicious smoked tommies. Most boats headed back fairly early under motor while the seas were flat as the day started with barely a puff of wind. We on Sahara rafted up with Roger Flint (Alpha Centauri) and tried our hands at fishing just inside the tip of the spit at Port Vincent. There was great excitement for Luke Cannata who caught his first two squid ever! Unfortunately in the end that was all the two boats managed to catch! The highlight of the morning was watching a group of seals frolicking on the disused fish farm structure a short distance from our anchorage. When Roger decided he had done enough fishing he cast off from Sahara, but the wind was so light that despite being under full sail it took 15 minutes to move 100 meters away!

Still, the lack of wind meant the seas were calm and we finally motored off across the gulf in the early afternoon under a clear sunny sky. The wind started to pick up just on sunset and we were lucky enough to sail from the outer beacons all the way home to North Haven in a steady 13 knot southwesterly. A spectacular moon rose as we sailed into the pitch black night. The huge golden orb slowly appeared over the Adelaide Hills, with a beautiful reflection on the relatively calm sea.

Richard Lea, Cruise Captain, Sahara

a n u T a r e i Riv 3 1 0 2 c i s s Cla

I

t was a very still calm Saturday morning when we untied from the wharf at Port Lincoln at 7am. There were four of us aboard Glenn Spear’s 52’ Riviera Lifestyle III.

Glenn was at the helm as we headed for Memory Cove, while his crew, Peter, Dean and I were milling around the deck with excitement. There were approximately 25 boats in the 2013 Riviera Tuna Classic. The call came from the starter boat at 9am and we were off! It was a crazy time; boats took off in every direction to their secret spots.

Within an hour we spotted a flock of birds dive-bombing.

The lines were cast and lures fed out in a very haphazard way. Luckily no-one fell into the water with all the excitement!

Our wait was short–lived; very soon all three rods were on.

We each grabbed a rod and started the fight! We struggled to control the rods; having all three lines on, the possibility of a tangle/bust off was playing on our minds. Then ping!

My line snapped... not happy! Oh well.

I soon became the support crew and we quickly landed two fish on deck - it was good! It was catch and release so we quickly unhooked and returned the fish to the water. Being only 10am we knew we were in for a good time.

We repeated the process many a time throughout the day, keeping an eye on Jim Smyth’s boat Gladiator on our starboard side. Jim seemed to be doing much better than us (old sea dog). By the end of the day we had 24 tuna in total, keeping only one to enjoy on the table plus an 80cm snook caught on the tuna lure. It was a good unexpected catch and both made a great meal for the night. We were very happy with our catch and a radio call at the end of the day by the starter boat revealed that most boats had a fantastic day, with catches ranging from five to 99 tuna.

Yep 99 on the lead boat Cworld!

The competition continued on Sunday, but we decided to head back towards Adelaide to do some fishing as we went, stopping at a couple of ports over night, and catching fresh snapper and sweep for dinner.

It was an enjoyable three nights on the sea and many praises went out to our captain, Glenn Spear and also to the organisers of the 2013 Riviera Tuna Classic.

John Colella

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An Unforgetta

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t the CYCSA Opening Day last year a herd of cows won the Unforgettable Challenge prize! Mark and Lee-Anne Flanagan of Unforgettable Houseboats generously donated a three day weekend on one of their houseboats based at Mannum for which we thank them profusely.

After many attempts it was discovered that most could attend on the weekend of 12-14 July. So it came to pass that from early afternoon to early evening on the Friday, the herd of cows (in everyday clothes) gathered at Mannum to board Unforgettable 3.

The attendees were Vlad and Pam Humeniuk, Ross McGown and Denise Gow, Paul and Debbie Kassebaum, Karen Humeniuk, Vern Schulz and Polli and I. There was some commentary that the provisions prepared were more appropriate to a seven day Pacific cruise with 2000 passengers, and some concern that the liquid refreshments might not be sufficient. This later proved to be true!

Pam did a great job ensuring that we didn’t starve and everyone brought their favourite tipple. It looked like one of my pubs as we loaded up.

After all boarded we moved down river a small distance for our first night which proved to be the indicator of things to come.

Boats and friends are great reasons why we all belong to the Club, and as our crew has sailed together for so long we just fit together.

12

It also makes it easier when you know what everyone wants to drink! This overnight tie up was adjacent to the new Mannum marina development where Mark is in the process of shifting his houseboat operation as he has outgrown his current site.

Pam had written a roster (of course) for who was cooking what and when so the only discussion was who was washing up. Friday’s curries were fantastic and just what was needed to warm us up at the end of the week. As the night wore on, various people retired to their cabins and we were all introduced to the concept of an on-top electric blanket. We needed it as it was a bit chilly.

Saturday morning after a champagne breakfast we moved up river back past Mannum and Mark delivered the paper by dinghy as he saw us pass. You don’t get service like that everywhere. After successfully negotiating the ferry crossing, discussing how many horn blasts were required, and all looking intently for the “green flash” we moved on. About six or seven miles up the river we found an appropriate stretch of riverbank where we could tie up. It was now time to do what we had come to do. Nothing!

Books were read, jokes were told, quizzes were done, sodukos were attempted, music was played, river life was discussed, ducks were fed and there were a few drinks consumed. Some even had a Kindy Nap. There was communal use of the spa and modesty

able Weekend

prevents me from providing photographs, however they do exist. Dinner was served, more easy conversation flowed and more drinks were consumed. The roast was to die for and it went extremely well with some great red wines. A fire on the bank under a clear night sky topped off a perfect day.

Sunday was nearly as busy! I don’t quite know what it is about this sort of weekend but everyone seems to have untapped capacity for big breakfasts, lunches and dinners. I even learnt about a drink that I hadn’t run across in over forty years in the hospitality industry.

A “Beroccatini” was the starter of choice for one of the crew and their fortitude and commitment deserves recognition; however everyone else declined to join them.

In the early afternoon we moved back down to Mannum to facilitate early returns to Adelaide on Monday morning, which was when we discovered that we might not have enough Cab Sauv for the steak dinner planned for that night. Paul and I went up to the bustling metropolis and purchased two of the Pretoria’s finest bottles and the papers for those who were news starved. A significant portion of cow from “Adelaide’s Worst Vegetarian Restaurant” was dealt with on the BBQ and we started lamenting the fact that it was all nearly over.

Monday morning and all that was left to do was pack up and divide the three tonnes of food that was left between all attendees. There wasn’t much booze left, just some white and a few beers.

Again a big thank you to the Flanagans for their prize and my fellow crew members for another great set of memories.

Peter Holden 13

Again a big thank you to the Flanagans for their prize and my fellow crew members for another great set of memories.

est.1988

14

TALL

SHIPS

An invitation to participate in the visit of the Dutch tall ships to Adelaide

A

delaide is in for a treat with the stopover of the Dutch tall ships Europa, Tecla and Oosterschelde from Wednesday 28 August to Sunday 1 September. The ships are on their way to Sydney where they will join in the Royal Australian Navy’s 100th Anniversary celebrations.

The visit to Adelaide has been organised by Kevin Jones, Director of the SA Maritime Museum, who said this will be the biggest gathering of tall ships in Adelaide for 25 years.

Vessels from the Cruising Yacht Club of SA, the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron, the Garden Island Yacht Club and the Port Adelaide Sailing Club have been invited to welcome and farewell the ships. The Fire tug Gallantry has been asked to lead the flotilla in, with vessels from the SA Water Police, Flinders Ports, Australian Volunteer Coast Guard and South Australian Sea Rescue Squadron contributing.

The ships are expected off Glenelg at around 4.00pm* on Wednesday 28 August and will sail along the coast and up the Port River to berth at McLaren Wharf.

On Saturday 31 August members are invited to join the public event by entering the Inner Harbor at 10.00am, 3.00pm or 4.00pm* and spending the night in the Inner Harbor berthed at the pontoons in Dock One and Queens Wharf and at the dock outside the Fisheries Academy. The public will be invited to visits the ships, SA Maritime Museum and events on McLaren Wharf.

On Sunday 1 September boats will dress ship and farewell the Dutch vessels by escorting them out of the Inner Harbor at 10.00am*. The One & All and ST Yelta will lead the fleet with the Yelta farewelling the sailing ships off Semaphore and the One & All and Dutch ships sailing in company to Cape Jervis.

As Sunday is Father’s Day why not join in this celebration of sail then book in for the Father’s Day Steak and Seafood Buffet in the Horizon’s Function Room. *Check the Club website for updated times.

15

2013 Members, Partners arly July saw the Horizons Function Room converted into a gallery to display the many and varied artworks of members, their partners and friends. Over three mostly grey days the exhibition was a bright spot attracting a good crowd of members and visitors to the Club. Following on from last year, the exhibition attracted more artists displaying 58 works in total, all of which were for sale. Pam Humeniuk and the Social Activities Association committee did a great job of making the visiting artists and their friends very welcome. Once again the committee watched over the exhibition welcoming visitors, managing sales and selling raffle tickets for the framed giclee print by artist Jenny Riddle. Colin Burgin, Director of Art Images Gallery, launched the exhibition and drew the raffle that was won by a delighted Andrew Saies. In his opening address, Colin drew the attention of the crowd to some of Adelaide’s art icons including the public art in Rundle Mall and significant pieces in the Art Gallery of South Australia, and spoke of the enjoyment that these pieces bring to a wide audience. He went on to congratulate and thank the artists for their participation and encouraged all to enjoy the work on display and to support the artists.

A big thank you goes to all members who exhibited and encouraged friends to participate, for without them there would be no exhibition. Displaying one’s artistic endeavours takes courage, for you never know how your work will look alongside that of other exhibitors. Nevertheless it is a valuable experience for artists.

Thanks also to the exhibition sponsors; Colin Burgin of Art Images Gallery for donating the framed print for the raffle and supplying the hanging system for the exhibition, and Tamara Holmes of Treasury Estate Wines for her generous donation of Yellow Glen wine for the launch.

Like all Club events the exhibition relied upon the time of volunteers and the support of staff. On behalf of all the participants I would like to acknowledge Trevor Paynter, Gareth Thomas and Gerry Colella for the very considerable effort they put in and to staff members Angela Christofis, Mellissa Vahoumis, Laura Cowley and Marina Segodina for their support.

Although the sale of work was disappointingly low the Sunday launch was very successful with coffee, wine and delicious canapés prepared by the kitchen staff. It was great to see many members and visitors staying on for the afternoon, enjoying lunch in the restaurant or on the patio and taking pleasure in the camaraderie and friendship that makes our Club so great.

Club of Sou ht th ac

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Rowland Richardson, Vice Commodore

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social Activities Association

16

and Friends Art Exhibition

1

2 1. Chair of the Social Activities Association Pam Humeniuk with Colin Burgin, Art Images Gallery Director, Club member and sponsor of the Art Show at the Sunday morning function 2. Colin draws the winning ticket for the raffle prize, won by Andrew Saies 3. Members and friends enjoy drinks donated by Treasury Estate Wines for the occasion

3

4 Photos by Gerry Colella

17

4. The Jenny Riddle artwork donated for the raffle by Art Images Gallery

Archer and Holland Jewellers

Commodore’s Di W

hen the Social Activities Association was searching for a theme for this year’s Commodore’s Dinner, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald seemed like a great idea. Imagine our delight when the new movie was released and this style of partying again became ‘the thing’.

With help from Laura a poster promoting this idea was sent to members and the fun began. The chance to “dress to impress” and “make the era work for you” captured members’ sense of fun and so the scene was set for a spectacular evening.

Guests were greeted at the door with a “Pansie” (which was one of the code words for an alcoholic drink during prohibition). A Gin Ricky was the drink of choice for Gatsby and Daisy and in the book we are told they “drank it down in long greedy swallows”. Of course, we presented it in a tea cup just in case we were raided!

Once the blackened out doors were opened we entered a wonderland of peacock feathers, glittering lights and large topiary balls. The table settings were very sophisticated and we acknowledge the generous help and support the committee received from Hanna Grant from Party on Wheels. The tables glowed and were enhanced by the wonderful menus designed and produced by Karen Johns.

We thank Karen for the hours of effort in designing and making these wonderful menus, featuring a birdcage and peacock feather in theme on the cover.

We were very fortunate to have a wonderful team of hospitality professionals led by Mario and our chef Dorian. The food was five star, and of course because of prohibition the alcohol was hidden in all the sauces. Well done Dorian and the kitchen team.

Guests embraced the fun of the night and danced to the great music provided by the Adelaide Jazz Trio with Jazzbird on vocals. The wonderful Sapphire Snow entertained us with flapper-style dancing and pearls and feathers in two wonderful cameos.

The Queens of Clean made an early appearance and cajoled guests in song to donate generously to our chosen charity this year which was ‘Youth Opportunities’. Those who donated were in the running to win the boys and girls of the Queens of Clean to clean their boat on a chosen day for 2 hours. Brian Degenhardt (Ain’t Misbehavin) won the raffle prize, and afterwards we discovered he sold this honour on to Lifestyle III. This was certainly a surprise for the Queens of Clean, and something we will take into consideration next year.

We were delighted that Archer and Holland Jewellers came on board as our sponsor for this evening. Meredith Whiting, one of the owners of Archer and Holland, and two of her top designers, Jess and Julie, represented their firm and donated a beautiful pearl and diamond necklace with matching earrings to be our major raffle prize. This beautiful piece of jewellery was on display all evening, and tickets in the raffle were keenly sought. The Social Activities Association would like to thank Meredith and her team for this generous sponsorship. We know they had a fun night and hope to be back again soon. Look for them at the Club during summer sailing season.

I would like to thank the wonderful Social Activities Association committee. The boys and girls work so well together and have such fun in bringing events like this to life. Their support is constant and they are to be cheered for their dedication and great sense of fun.

Jay Gatsby and his cohorts would have been very impressed by the dancing and partying that saw all guests enjoying this great night of fun and friendship.

Pamela Humeniuk, Chair Social Activities Association

Photos by Sarah Lawrie and Gerry Colella

18

inner Commodore Geoff Catt and Mavis with the Club Flags and partners

Guests enjoyed a bright, stylish and creative setting in the Horizons Room

Queens of Clean in full voice

19

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20

R.I.P.

Commodore’s Dinner

Sponsor’s Archer and Holland raffle prize

Queens of Clean Boat Cleaning lottery prize winner Brian Degenharht

Laura Cowley and Mavis Catt welcome Meredith Whiting and her design team Jess and Julie

Sapphire Snow

21

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Vale

W

e acknowledge the important role our Foundation Members had in assisting with the establishment of the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia and note the recent passing of Foundation Members Lance Le Cornu and Warwick Lumbers.

On behalf of the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia, the Board, Flag Officers, members and staff, we offer our sincere and heartfelt condolences to the Le Cornu family and the Lumbers family on the passing of these Foundation Members of the Club.

Lance Le Cornu

Lance Le Cornu, Foundation Member Number 198 of the CYCSA, passed away in June 2013 at the age of 94. He was a devoted family man, being a father of six children, 21 grandchildren and nine greatgrandchildren.

Foundation Member Lance Le Cornu and yacht Lauriana

When berths at the marina were first constructed, Lance negotiated with the Club to construct a larger berth (24m) at the end of C/D row for his vessel, Lauriana.

Fellow Foundation Member, Dick Fidock, remembers that Lance’s boat was a relay vessel for the Sydney to Hobart for a number of years and that Lance provided a wonderful service to people on the VHF radio by assisting if they were in distress or just looking for guidance.

We understand that official guests who attended the Inaugural Regatta of the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia on 6 March 1977 watched from the deck of Lance’s vessel, which was anchored off North Haven for the day.

A well-known South Australian businessman, for 58 years Lance was at the helm of furniture business Le Cornu and helped it grow from a small family firm to a company with stores in South Australia and Darwin.

Warwick John Lumbers

Born on 28 January 1937, Warwick passed away in June 2013 after a full and varied life. A keen businessman, Warwick was founder of Gliderol in 1980. In his private life, he was a larger-than-life character with a great affection for the sea. Warwick was Foundation Member Number 294 of the CYCSA and purchased a berth at Port Vincent which he was always willing to make available to members.

A convivial host, Warwick was renowned for his constant generosity and goodwill to those around him. Club Member Chris Newton remembers the good times had together on Warwick’s various and sometimes eccentric boats, commenting while guests wouldn’t often get home by the promised time, they always had a lot of fun.

Foundation Member No. 294 Warwick Lumbers, second from right

Warwick will be remembered for his kindness, generosity and friendship which meant so much to so many people.

23

Have you completed the Members Volunteering Survey yet?

If not we want to hear from you!

The Club is currently looking to better match member interests in volunteering with roles, functions and activities.

Through this survey we seek to indicate to members the areas where you could be involved, and to develop a clear understanding of the volunteering resource that may be available.

This survey can be conveniently completed online at the Club website – www.cycsa.com.au/events/volunteering-survey – or fill out the back of the mailer sheet accompanying this edition of Groundswell and return to Club Reception.

We recently received a thank you letter from renowned yachtsman Sir James Hardy who received a signed copy of the Club’s History Book, ‘First Watch’.

It appears from his response that Sir James enjoyed the read.

Ed.

CYCSA History Book a great read!

To order your History Book, contact the Club Reception on 8248 4222 or email reception@cycsa.com.au Or call in to the Club reception office to pick up a copy or two. The cost is $49.95 per book.

Members can use your Club account and non-members can provide credit card details or send a cheque. Books can be posted to a nominated address at a flat cost of $10.

24

Five top ways to remove stains from your boat Karen and Jeffrey Siegel run a website called ActiveCaptain.

They have also been cruising for many years with two dogs, Dyna and Dylan, and know a thing or two about some of the practical aspects of cruising. Below are reproduced some useful tips about cleaning stains on a boat.

2. Water Jet Power Washer: This one we learned about at a Krogen Rendezvous session. It’s one of those As Seen On TV items. We picked ours up at a hardware store for about $20. The standard hose fitting connects to our saltwater wash-down giving us a powerful stream of water for cleaning the anchor and chain as it comes up.

5. OxiClean: This stuff has many uses. Soak a stained piece of clothing, sheets, or towels overnight, wash and the stains are gone. But it also works great as a scrub to clean your decks or a soak and scrub for the sticky grime that accumulates on power cords.

1. Lemon Juice: Our all time favorite tip is one that works amazingly well, is really inexpensive yet is environmentally and personally safe.

We had used a variety of noxious chemicals over the years to clean the brown stains off the hulls of the boat and dinghy. While wearing heavy gloves to protect ourselves, we were always uncomfortable about what the chemicals were putting into the environment. Then we received an email from Captain Intentional Drifter about his experience with lemon juice. Spray it on, wait 10 minutes, and rinse with plain water.

The stains are gone, the environment is safer and you’ve only spent a couple of dollars.

4. MagicEraser: We discovered this one when we couldn’t get the stains off our white fenders no matter what we tried. A sample MagicEaser had come in the mail so we gave it a whirl.

The fenders looked new. We now keep several onboard and use them everywhere. There are now less expensive generic brands that work equally well.

3. Vinegar and Soap: A couple of years ago we were on a dock that had several charter fishing boats on one end. While near them we became overrun with tiny fruit flies.

The boat next to us, Summer Slopes, recommended setting out a small shallow dish with some vinegar and a drop of dish soap. The vinegar attracts the flies and the soap grabs them. It really works.

While trying to select just five we were constantly lured by the many other great ideas - you might want to check them all out at this link: https://activecaptain.com/articles/misc/productsTips.php And if you want some dog tips try this link: www.takingpaws.com/2012/06/all-that-dog-gear.html Article courtesy of Karen and Jeffrey Siegel Active Captain If you have some practical maintenance tips learnt from experience or fellow cruisers, let us know. Ed.

Youth Sail Training at the Club with the CYCSA Marine Academy

T

he CYCSA Marine Academy continues to pursue opportunities to engage youth and this year offered sail training for students in the Ocean View College Sailing Team in their dinghies located at the Club. The team placed equal 4th overall out of 20 boats at the State Team Sailing Championships in Port Lincoln in April 2013.

Ocean View College Sailing Team

25

Technology Update

Batteries ‘n’

By Owen Mace

O

h no, not another article on batteries!

They’ve been done to death; surely not another one. Well, let’s see if we can do something a little different, something a little more interesting and useful.

Something that might help on board and at home.

Electricity

Electricity is such useful stuff. It operates a whole host of useful things. Not only that, it generally does so pretty efficiently with not a great deal of wasted energy. (Lighting, as we saw in a previous Groundswell, can be an exception.)

So we really don’t want to do away with electricity either on board or at home. We are stuck with electricity and, on board, batteries to store it.

Let’s talk about house batteries which need to have lots of capacity to run pumps, radios, lights, autopilots, AIS, laptops, iPads, toasters, coffee makers, microwave ovens (the important things).

approximately, to deliver one horsepower. Let’s guess that on cruise, the engine delivers 10 horsepower, so that’s 63 × 10 = 630 amps. So, our yacht’s 400 amp. hours of useful battery capacity can turn the propeller for only around 40 minutes.

And yet, there is probably enough fuel for many hours of motoring.

Conclusion: diesel and petrol are much, much more effective ways of storing energy when compared with batteries. That’s an important conclusion because using high powered electrical devices on board can flatten batteries quickly. It’s good to have a feeling for which devices are the heavy users of electricity.

It seems to me that there are three possible answers to the issue of providing electrical power on board. The first and most obvious is what we have done for a long time: install old fashioned, heavy, poorly performing, polluting and expensive lead-acid batteries. Recent years have seen some improvements, such as glass mat (AGM) and sealed (well, semi-sealed really) batteries, but they are still pretty boring.

Are there alternatives? Yes, or rather, maybe.

Puny Batteries

The first thing I would like to show is how puny batteries are.

Let’s take the case of a boat with a large battery bank, say 1,000 amp hours of conventional, lead-acid batteries, which is a large capacity for a yacht. Let’s see what we can do with those amp hours.

In theory, we could draw one amp from the batteries for 1,000 hours, or two amps for 500 hours, etc. That is, the current multiplied by the discharging time equals 1,000 amp. hours. However, if we draw more than about 50% from the battery, its useful life will be reduced. Further, you will not fully charge the battery unless you run the charger fully through the three charging stages. Also, usage will reduce the storage capacity of your battery. So there is only, say, 400 amp. hours of useful storage capacity in the 1,000 amp. hour lead acid battery; some battery nazis say less.

OK, so our yacht has about 400 amp. hours of useable electrical capacity. What does this mean? Well, think of the motor on your boat; let’s say it is a 50 horsepower diesel engine. The electrical equivalent of one horsepower is about 750 watts. (Recall from a previous article that watts are amps × volts.) The 12 volt house batteries on our yacht therefore have to supply 750 watts divided by 12 volts = 63 amps, 26

Portable Generator

Of course, the larger boats have generators but for smaller boats, a generator is not out of the question. Honda makes a range of portable generators, including a 1.6 kilowatt 240 VAC generator (reference 1 and image opposite) that also puts out 12 volts, 10 amps. For less than $2,000 it will fit in a lazarette, isn’t so noisy that it cannot be run at an anchorage, and uses unleaded petrol. Trouble is, it uses four stroke fuel, not a two stroke mix like your old outboard. There are cheaper versions around with similar specifications, so a generator is certainly worth considering.

Lithium Batteries

What about lithium batteries? They have some distinct advantages: much higher storage capacity for the same weight as lead-acid and something like 70% of their capacity is usable, so that a lithium battery will do the same job as a lead acid battery of twice the amp. hour capacity or so. A set of lithium house batteries will be much lighter and typically about the same price for the same useable capacity. Have a look at the Cruising Helmsman article (reference 2), which is a very good description of how one person went about selecting and installing lithium batteries into his boat.

Boats Honda 1,600 watt generator.

Image kindly supplied by Haughton Honda, Adelaide.

A range of methanol fuel cells. Image kindly supplied

by Sefca Australia.

We should realise that there are many different types of lithium batteries, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.

Lithium-Iron-Phosphate batteries were chosen for the Cruising Helmsman article for their safety – a wise choice. Also, this type of battery has a very low self-discharge rate so they can stand for a very long time without losing much charge.

But (there’s always a “but”), lithium batteries can nevertheless be very dangerous. Fortunately, these days lithium batteries typically have safety features built into them, such as permanently disabling the battery if the terminal voltage exceeds upper or lower limits. This is why the Cruising Helmsman article author put in an undervoltage device in his system and carefully set up his battery charger, wind generator and solar cell regulator.

Like lead-acid batteries, lithium batteries can deliver very large electric currents that can start fires, so the usual precautions are strongly recommended.

Disposal seems not to be an issue. The lithium is not freely available from the battery and the electrolyte is a volatile organic liquid so environmental damage should be minimal. No doubt as lithium batteries become popular, arrangements will be made to recycle them, as there are for lead acid batteries. In any event, hopefully you won’t have to get rid of any for quite a few years!

Worth considering? Yes, especially if lightness concerns you. But ensure that all the safety features are installed as well.

The Perfect Solution

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was a lightweight, inexpensive, efficient, perfectly safe, small and cheap box that pumped out 12 or 24 volt electrical power when you pumped in fuel? Such a thing exists – fuel cells. (The wiki article, reference 3, suggests that the cost in quantity of US$45 per kilowatt is very low, much less in fact, than

the cost of a conventional coal fired power station so I am skeptical.)

These are pretty high-tech things that convert a fuel directly to electrical energy. The space shuttle used fuel cells to provide large amounts of electrical energy on board.

How do they work? I don’t know, other than to say that there is a high tech material on which chemical reactions take place and where chemical energy is converted to electrical energy. The space shuttle fuel cells are complex things that use hydrogen and oxygen as fuel and oxidiser, and produce water as the waste product (reference 4). Not very useful for a recreational boat. And, no doubt, ridiculously expensive.

A more useful type of fuel cell uses methanol as fuel and air as the oxidiser. They are available (reference 5) but they require yet another fuel to be carried on board and the special methanol fuel is not widely obtainable. In the USA, methanol fuel cells are available for RVs but at around $5,000 for a 200 amp. hour unit and nearly $180 for 28 litres of fuel, it is an expensive option.

Fuel Cell Today (reference 6) is an English company that reviews the state of fuel cell technology around the world. The organisation publishes data on the state of the industry in their “Industry Review 2012” that is freely available from their web site. It “anticipates tens of thousands of unit shipments of portable fuel cell chargers in 2012” although much of this will be large scale, industrial power systems. Fuel Cell Today expects to see this sector flourish in the next few years, but there have been limited sales in Australia thus far.

Methanol fuel cells (reference 7 and image above ) are available in Australia and there used to be an Adelaide based company working on an LPG fuel cell but it seems to have got lost. My impression is that it is too early in the research and development of fuel cells to be useful on recreational vessels at the present.

Wouldn’t a diesel or LPG powered fuel cell be ideal? Yes it would and they are being developed. But again, don’t get your wallet out for a while yet. ...continues on page 34 27

W

Women on ho doesn’t have fun during each racing season when the Twilight Series has a ladies helm night? These races give any aspiring female skippers a chance to get their hands on the wheel and experience the thrills and spills of keelboat racing. Female crew who don’t normally participate in racing come out of the woodwork and join in the excitement on the water. There is also a noticeable lack of testosterone and the atmosphere is certainly more relaxed.

There are other opportunities for keen women sailors to skipper or simply become more involved in the crewing aspects of keelboats. A few of these avenues are discussed below.

Combined Women’s Series

The 2012/2013 summer racing season saw the running of another successful Combined Women’s Series. Consisting of seven races, the series is held on a number of Sundays between October and March each year. With four boats from the Squadron (Luna Blue, New Morning III, Freedom and Taniwha) and one from the CYCSA (School’s Out), the races provided a unique opportunity for women to develop skills and confidence by sailing in a competitive but very friendly environment. The crew can be mixed gender but the rules stipulate that a woman must be on the helm at all times during the race.

After each race, the crews proceed back to the Quarterdeck to have a few drinks; relate tales of bravery, great skill and the occasional boo-boo; and keenly await the presentations. The boat crews mix freely and generally join tables together for a few laughs about the day out on the water.

This season saw some exciting racing held in variable weather conditions. Without doubt, this added to the fun and excitement of the series. The first race was held in rough seas and strong winds gusting up to 28 knots, testing all boats and crews. Taniwha (with an all female crew this year) recovered from an interesting race start (on the wrong side of the line) but soon made ground up on the fleet. Luna Blue crossed the line first, with Taniwha winning on corrected time. In a race of attrition, School’s Out finished without damage but the rest of the fleet struggled with gear failure in the very strong winds.

The second race saw a complete reversal of weather conditions with very light winds. Luna Blue crossed the finish line first while some great downwind work saw Taniwha take their second win in succession. Freedom and School’s Out eventually finished in dying winds of three to five knots. The winds strengthened for the next race and enabled Taniwha to win a third straight race with School’s Out coming second.

In the fourth race, with a good start and some steady helming, School’s Out finally broke Taniwha’s series dominance by recording a narrow win on corrected time. The fifth race saw School’s Out and Taniwha battle it out again in absolutely glorious sailing conditions, with Taniwha recording her fourth win.

With one race being abandoned, the sixth and final race was held in the river and became perhaps the most exciting race of the series.

Due to some ever-changing wind directions and a strong outgoing tide, all the boats stayed close throughout the race. Some excellent spinnaker work in the close confines of the river saw School’s Out take line honours and the win on corrected time. Freedom had a good second place with New Morning III taking out third position over Taniwha.

28

The final podium places for the series were: 1st - Taniwha 2nd - School’s Out 3rd - Freedom As well as a positive ratio of women crewing in the five boats, the respective skippers were as follows: Luna Blue - Christine Henshall New Morning III - Nives Vincent Freedom - Deirdre Schahinger Taniwha - Therese Gordon, Barbara Parker School’s Out - Mary Ann Harvey, Mary Carr This year’s series certainly lived up to expectations and was a lot of fun for all involved.

Australian Woman’s Keelboat Regatta

Another opportunity for women to enjoy the excitement of racing was at the recently held Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta. The regatta is held each June long weekend and for the fifth year running South Australia entered a competitive team of high-spirited women.

The regatta was held at the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron with a total of 17 all-women teams competing from around Australia.

The fiercely contested regatta was held on the waters of Port Phillip Bay and consisted of six races over three days. The SA team sailed on Mrs Overnewton, a locally borrowed Bavaria Match 38. They finished in a creditable 7th place on AMS and it all came together for the last race, achieving a great third place out of 17 boats on PHS. But the fun wasn’t just on the water as there were some great social events held after each day’s sailing culminating in a fantastic presentation dinner and dancing on Monday night in the Squadron clubrooms at St Kilda.

The team consisted of Helen Willmer (Skipper), Di Schwerdt, Melissa Barclay, Nives Vincent, Barbara Parker, Helen Kearney, Tess Gordon, Janet Thornley and Sarah Buckley.

You can check out the results on the regatta website at: www.awkr.com.au

An Invitation for Women Sailors and all Boat Owners

First, to aspiring female racers, come out and give the series a try.

Whether it is for one race or many you will be made welcome by a great bunch of fellow participants. It also gives you an opportunity to learn new skills and try out different crew positions.

And secondly, to all boat owners – why not consider entering your boat for the series or perhaps a one-off race or two? The series is open to all divisions and a good time is guaranteed. One boat owner was heard to say after one of the races, “What a great opportunity for me to let go of the helm and to experience what the crew has to go through. The Woman’s Series has made me a better skipper, whilst having a lot of fun at the same time.”

Should you wish to know more about the series, or find crew or a boat, please contact the CYCSA Racing Manager on 8248 4222; Heidi Pfeiffer, Sailing Coordinator at the Squadron on 8341 8600; or myself on 0411 101 875.

Adrian Wotton

the Water

Photo above: The Women’s Series skippers Photo left: The crew of School’s Out Photo below: After race drinks

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Bill Lunn writes.... have lost count of the number of people we have met from all around Australia, young and not so young, who have assured us that they would love to “Do the Murray” one day. It seems like an important “Bucket List” adventure for many Australians no matter where they live. Some intrepid explorers paddle its entire length in kayaks, canoes and dinghies, some luxuriate in five star houseboats, others join annual rallies, while others travel in basic tinnies, fast ski boats or classic old cruisers. What you do it in doesn’t seem to matter. “Doing it” is the key.

Our mode of transport was a classic comfortable plywood Hartley 26, built in 1979, which we had bought from Hindmarsh Island in 2010 with the intention of “Doing the Murray” during the Christmas holidays. The floods of that year and the following year put paid to that plan. The original Mercruiser engine and stern-drive had been removed and replaced with two four stoke 15hp Hondas. With a cruising speed of around five knots, great economy, plenty of room for two and enough mod cons to make her comfortable, she was our ideal boat and March 2013 was the ideal time to get on the river.

We decided to begin our journey at the river mouth and travel upstream as far as we could go depending on water, money and time. Conveniently, our departure time coincided with the Goolwa Wooden Boat Festival so we joined the hundreds of wooden boats who gathered in ...continued over page

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Up the Murray – in no Hurry

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Up the Murray – in no Hurry Goolwa over the weekend. It seemed like at least half of the thousands of visitors to the show had owned a Hartley, built a Hartley or had a friend or family member who had owned one! We unexpectedly became a popular show exhibit. With a boat called Jandals and a Kiwi flag flying we attracted many people with all sorts of stories to tell.

After crossing Lake Alexandrina into the river, what became immediately apparent to us was the incredible health of the river.

Everyone we spoke to who had any experience or knowledge of the river told us that they had never seen it looking so good. The water was clear, there was an abundance of bird and fish life and the vegetation along the banks was lush and prosperous. We had chosen a great time to “Do the Murray”.

What struck us most was the huge number of river gums that flanked the river that appeared to have “come back to life”. Trees that had been standing seemingly dead for many years, in some cases decades, were now full of new growth. Thousands of eucalyptus trees now looked like the magical Truffula trees of Dr Seuss fame, pompoms of green sprouting out of seemingly dead branches. It made a beautiful spectacle.

Travelling about three to four hours each day had us upstream of Walker Flat some ten days into the trip. There was a particular spot that we were keen to stay at because it held special significance for us. For ten years since 1997 I had built timber and canvas kayaks with Year 7 students at an Adelaide college. When the students completed their kayaks each year, one of the first trips we did was a trip of 12 kms from Wongulla to Walker Flat. When I left the college, past and present students presented me with a beautiful Ken Duncan Panograph taken at the very spot we stopped for morning tea in the kayaks each year. A beautiful spot on the river; it held so many happy memories and Ken Duncan had photographed it! It is a scene of a small smooth sandy beach, with the majestic towering red cliffs across the river bathed in evening sunlight and a huge river red gum, dead for the 10 years that we beached the kayaks underneath it and dead in Ken Duncan’s beautiful photograph.

would we do it again?

You bet!

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We now have a beautiful panoramic photograph of our little riverboat in that same spot and taken as close to the Ken Duncan photograph as I could. The only major difference is that the river red gum is a mass of green foliage. It had been merely waiting for the right conditions to begin its life once again. What a strange epiphany!

Leaving very early in the morning as the mist was still on the water, the incredible reflections of trees and sky added a special magic to our trip. The bird life was prolific all along the river. Herons, cormorants, pelicans, wedge tailed eagles, ibis, gulls and egrets were everywhere, clearly enjoying a rejuvenated river.

Five of our grandchildren gave us one of their toys to take with us on the trip and every few days we wrote them a blog in which the toys told of their new adventures. Our youngest grandson was most upset that his monkey was having all this fun and he wasn’t there with him!

In our six weeks on the river we had beautiful weather. Surprisingly we only came across a handful of other cruisers travelling the river, either up or downstream. We expected to see more, but like all cruisers the world over, those we met were quick to make their acquaintance and share their joy of “Doing the Murray”, as we were.

In six wonderful weeks we covered 900 km and reached our final destination of Mildura. Beyond this point the river levels were too low to navigate, even though we only drew less than 600 mm.

Therefore, we still have 1000km of navigable river left, so “Doing the Murray” isn’t really off our Bucket List yet!

Would we recommend it? Absolutely. Would we do it again? You bet!

Bill Lunn

CYCSA Boats for Sale Hold On!

Sydney 38 2002 11.735 metres Composite Sail Reduced to $115,000 Contact Luke Page 0419 806 736 lukep@peterpageholden.com.au Berth J07

Matador

Cole 35 Pawtucket 1987 10.5 metres Fibreglass Sail $90,000 Contact Morag Draper 0400 254 542 cybersteel9@hotmail.com Berth A10

Knot Too Shabby Catalina 30 1985 9.14 metres Fibreglass Sail $69,000 Contact Bernie Kasza 0422 001 899 Berth A31

Phantom

Tal Serle 1994 52 feet Steel Sail $199,800 Contact Ken Amos 0411 181 054 kenamos@adam.com.au Berth B26

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JJF

J24 1979 7.32 metres GRP Sail $12,500 Contact Doug Watson 0415 677 886 dougie.watson@me.com Berth HS25

Berths for sale or lease

FOR SALE

FOR LEASE

Marina East 8m twin: F01, F02 from $60,000 10m single: A02, A03, A08 from $85,000 10m twin: A09, A10, A27, A34, A35, A36, A39, A40, F04, from $43,000 11m twin: A41 $55,000 12m single: D08, D12, D18, D21, E04, E05, E06, E10, E11, E20 from $90,000 12m twin: D38, E13 from $80,000 12m twin: D35 reduced to $69,500 12m twins suitable for catamaran: E30 & E31 each $110,000 12m single: D08, D18, D21, D23, E04, E05, E06, E10, E11 from $87,000 12m single: E20 reduced to $85,000 13m twin: C22 and C23 suitable for catamaran:

each $95,000 or both $180,000 14m single: A46, C30 from $160,000 15m single: A47, B26, B31, B35, B36, C34, C37 from $150,000 15m single: B25 all offers considered 16m single: B15, B21 from $180,000 16m single: B14 ono $150,000 20m single: A49 $290,000 20m T Head: E34 ono $325,000 Marina West (all single berths) 11m single: M04 reduced to $75,000 11m single: M03 suitable for catamaran $80,000 14m single: M07 $140,000 15m single: M08 $155,000 17m single: J05, J13, J19, J20 from $150,000 17m single: J18 reduced to $129,000 18m single: M10 $250,000 20msingle: K05, K06, L02 from $230,000 20m single: M14 $290,000 Hardstand 9m: 7, 13, 14, 15, 17, 25, 37, 39, 52, 54, 57, 70, 81, 89 100 from $2,000 10m: 103, 110, 136, 140, 144, 146, 147, 148, 150 from $5,000 12m: 114, 117 from $8,000 Port Vincent 10m twin: A18, A23 from $37,000 10m twin: A14 reduced to $30,000 12m twin: B29, B33, B34, B37, C60 from $35,000 12m single: B45, C45, C48, C51, C68 from $45,000 12m single: C48, C68 reduced to $47,500 14ms: D70, D71, D73, D77, D78 from $45,000 15ms: D83, D85, D86, D87, D89 from $50,000 20ms: A12, B35 $200,000

Notes on Purchasing/Selling Berths For Existing Berth Owners Considering Selling As per Marina Berth Agreement, a 10% commission is payable by the vendor on all berth sales.

Marina East 8m twin: C03 10m twin: A31, A40*,F14 (available until end of September), F16, F16, F23 12m twin: E13* 12m single: E11, E21, E33 ($385/m) 13m twin: A43, A44, 15m single: A47*, C34 16m single: B21 18m single: B01 20m single: E34* Marina West (all single berths) 15m: M08* 17m: J13*, J14 (available til Jan2014), J18, J19* 18m: M10 ($400/m) 20m: K01, K02, K05*, K06*, K07, K08 22m: K15, K18 25m: M14* 30m: K16

For information on all CYCSA membership fees and charges please refer to www.cycsa.com.au

contacts Berth Sales Jenny Krogdahl t: 8248 4222 e: jenny@cycsa.com.au Berth Leasing Mellissa Vahoumis t: 8248 4222 e: mellissa@cycsa.com.au Port Vincent Rob Marner (PV Marina Manager) 0414 611 110

Hardstand 9m: 24, 25, 50, 52*, 56, 57*, 62, 63, 100 10m: 34, 35, 130, 132, 133, 137, 140*, 147*, 148*, 150* 12m: 113

Average Leasing Rates Marina Berths (per month) 8ms $310 14ms 8mt $290 15ms 10ms $350 16ms 10mt $330 17ms 11mt $350 18ms 12ms $465 22ms 12mt $410 23ms 13ms $475 24ms 13mt $475 30ms

Hardstands (per month) $510 9m $175 $560 10m $195 $660 12m $220 $710 POA POA POA POA POA

All prices include GST * Denotes berth for sale and lease

As of 22 October 2007 Board Meeting If you are selling your berth and buying a berth of equal or greater value then your berth sale may be subject to a 5% commission payable to the Club (in lieu of 10%). The sale and purchase must be effected on the same day. This will be at the discretion of Management.

Batteries ‘n’ Boats

...continued from page 27

Summary

So what’s the go for an electrical power source on board? Conventional lead-acid batteries are the safe option with all their problems. Lithiums can certainly be considered. The appropriate safety features are mandatory, irrespective of the type of battery you choose. A portable generator is a consideration these days to run 240 VAC appliances, including a battery charger.

However in my opinion, fuel cells remain a researcher’s dream for recreational vessels at the moment. Perhaps they will be practical in time for your next battery change. Or maybe the one after that.

References 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

http://powerequipment.honda.com.au/Super_Quiet/EU20i Cruising helmsman article on installing lithium batteries, August 2012 http://www.campertrailers.org/lithium_batteries.htm http://www.lithiumbatteriesaustralia.com.au/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_cell http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/fuelcells/fc_types.html http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/reference/shutref/orbiter/eps/pwrplants.html http://www.powerstream.com/methanol-fuel-cell.htm http://www.fuelcelltoday.com/ http://www.cfcl.com.au http://www.sefca.com.au/index.html 34

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