AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S KEELBOAT REGATTA WASH UP 2023
Day one was dazzling winter sunshine with 10 knot NorthNorth Westerlies on flat water. Lou cranked us through three windward/leeward races, A changed mark in Race 2 saw four yachts head the wrong way all to cop a DNC, including Jungle Juice (NSW), the overall Div.1 winner. XX Factor had a baptism of fire, drifting to shallow water, with a hull dive to clear the tangled, shredded spinnaker, eventually being forced to cut the main halyard. Race retirement took the XX Factor off the board for Race 2 and 3, but repair and backup saw Janet and crew back in the game by Race 4.
Founded by the late Gai Clough in 1991, the Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta (AWKR) is annually hosted by Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron (RMYS) and attracts the full gamut of women’s sailing experience to race on Port Phillip Bay. Every year scores of women sailors from across Australia descend upon St Kilda to race and party. Every year we are superbly hosted on and off the water by RMYS, the AWKR team and the dedicated volunteers and Boat Buoys who support this event.
The 31st AWKR was held over the June Long Weekend 2023. This year 30 boats raced in two divisions and a One Design (S80) competition. 190 competitors took part, from novice sailors and occasional club racers to Olympians and world champions. Ages ranged from 16 to 79 years, with many more, younger competitors this year, which is just fantastic. The Victorians were joined by Tasmania, Northern Territory, New South Wales, and a 27-strong South Australian contingent from the Cruising Yacht Club of SA (CYCSA) and the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron (RSAYS).
Helen Willmer (RSAYS) skippered Mrs Overnewton (RMYS), with nine crew. Janet Thornley (RSAYS) delivered her new yacht XX Factor from Adelaide to make its AWKR debut with ten crew on board. Sophie Davidson (University of Adelaide, CYCSA) and her five crew sailed to success on Vice Versa (Sandringham YC (SYC) - see following article). Three South Aussies boarded other boats; Anne-Marie Meegan on Buck, Sophie Bishop on Georgia, and Kirsty Hammet on B-O-O-T-S. Injured but determined not to miss the fun, Mary Ann Harvey parachuted in on the final day to wish us all well and spruik SA’s Women’s Keelboat Regatta (SAWKR), which will be held over the October long weekend.
Many boat owners from clubs around Port Phillip Bay make their boats available for AWKR, and the organisers match crews with boat owners and skippers from across Australia. Helen Willmer and multiple other SA women have been sailing on Les Norton’s Mrs O for the 14 years since she was made available for AWKR, and the 37’ Cavalier B-O-O-T-S (SYC) was loaned to Robyn Brooke for its first AWKR this year. Robyn put a crew together in under a month. We had never sailed together before and ranged widely in experience. It was a blast, gilded with some glory on day two.
Port Phillip Bay turned on uncharacteristic charm throughout the Regatta, with light Northerlies, flat seas, and sunny skies. Temperatures 8-10 degrees warmer than 2022 meant thermals stayed in the bag, we generally stayed dry, and Principal Race Officer Lou Hutton steered us through six races and a tight competition.
Longer day two races were held on another sunny, blue skiesday, with lighter northerly breezes and continuing even seas. With a tad more wind the final day’s racing was a nail biter –the Division 1 and Division 2 leaderboard changed after each race and the outcome came down to the wire.Claire Heenan’s Adams 10, Jungle Juice (NSW), claimed Division 1’s overall win in a competition ‘as fierce as it’s ever been – very hard’ according to Claire. Division 2 EHC winner was Vice Versa (Vic) skippered by our Sophie Davidson, vastly exceeding her expectation to ‘finish at least mid-pack’. In its first appearance at AWKR, Tasmania’s Hot Shot (Derwent Sailing Squadron) skippered by Orla Gray also in her first AWKR, led the S80 One Design Division from the outset.
Trophies were awarded for:
• Novice Helm: Kate Hyde, Liberator (Vic)
• Most Improved Over the Series: Espresso, skippered by Linda Fraser (Vic)
• Sportsmanship: Buck, skippered by Eugenia Karinikolas (Vic)
• Rohan Brownlee Leadership and Endeavour Award: Robyn Brooke (B.O.O.T.S, Vic)
• Best Performed Owner/Skipper: Cath Beaufort (Up N Go, Vic)
A late addition to the bounty was the cash prize for ‘Girls Who Want To Have Fun’ – conceived over just enough red wine at Saturday night’s dinner. $1,000 travelled back to Darwin with the spirited Mood Indigo mob.
According to Sabina Rosser, past RMYS Commodore with 29 AWKRs under her belt, the attraction of the women’s regatta lies in ‘opportunities to helm, call the shots, navigate and do other positions we like on the boats’. So true! It was just brilliant to be in the SA contingent for this event and the SAWKR team are making plans for doing it all again this Spring.
In October 2023, we are hosting SA’s own Women’s Keelboat Regatta on the Gulf St Vincent and Port River, made possible in large part by the City of Port Adelaide Enfield – our fantastic principal sponsor - and support from the Office of Recreation, Sport and Racing. Speak with Mary Ann Harvey if you want (or have) a berth and see you there!
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Kirsty Hammet
Media credit: AWKR photos courtesy of Andrea Francolini
UNIVERSITY SAILING CLUB ON THE AWKR
Since moving to the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia (CYCSA) in February of this year, we, the members of the Adelaide University Sailing Club (AUSC), have been thrilled and immensely grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this fantastic club. The warm welcome we received from the CYCSA community has made the transition seamless, and we couldn't be happier to call this place our sailing home. Every week, we look forward to our regular training sessions, where we have been honing our skills on the club’s fleet of Elliott 7s. From calm, sunny days with gentle breezes to more exhilarating and competitive races with stronger winds, we've had the chance to test our abilities in various situations, making every session a unique learning opportunity.
Beyond the sailing itself, the CYCSA community has been an incredible source of support and encouragement. We've made many new friends, both among our fellow university sailors and the seasoned members of the club. The camaraderie and the willingness to share knowledge and experiences have created a welcoming and nurturing environment for all of us.
In early June, the AUSC eagerly prepared for the highly anticipated Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta (AWKR). The chosen sailors for this year’s crew were Sophie Davidson (Skipper), Maia Hodge (Strings), Georgia North (Bow), Kanika Singla (Trimmer) and Mikaila Thomson (Trimmer). Each member brought a unique set of skills and experience to the table, making a dynamic mix of regular racers, and promising newcomers. Sophie, Maia, and Georgia were returning for a second year at the regatta, whilst Kanika and Mikaila were relatively new additions to the team, with only a few weeks of experience on the boat. Their newfound passion for the sport, and dedication to picking up the key skills quickly made them valuable assets.
In the weeks leading up to the regatta, the crew met up for several training sessions, finetuning our communication and coordination on the water with a focus on nailing the basics. The team's goal was clear – to build on our performance from last year, and to strive for a spot in the top five. Last year, we were recognized with the ‘Most Improved’ award, this year, we were determined to take our performance to the next level.
The atmosphere was electric as sailors from all over Australia gathered to compete at the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron, celebrating the skill and camaraderie of women in sailing. After collecting the boat, Vice Versa, from Sandringham Yacht Club, the crew got used to the boat on our two hour long journey to The Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron. Faced with some heavy winds, the team was quick to race for the hot showers upon arrival.
Day one of the regatta, we had planned to arrive early to give ourselves a chance to practice a kite set on the water, but due to stronger winds than expected (and the crew having not set the kite together before), we decided to give it a miss. Day
one consisted of three windward-leeward courses, a race format we were well accustomed to. Race one brought in some rougher conditions, and the team was feeling grateful that we had rigged our jib rather than the genoa. Shifty winds meant that it was important to play to the lifts and knocks, and made for some challenging tactical decisions. The team decided not to launch the kite this race, and as a result we were able to control the boat well landing us with a second place for race one after a close hour of racing. Unfortunately, during race one, we had lost our kite sheet overboard meaning that there was no chance of a kite set for the first day. Race two was equally close, and with the wind dropping, it became important to maximise our speed on the upwind to make up for the lack of spinnaker on the downwind. We came away with a drawn third in race 2, but the team was apprehensive for race three, as winds had now significantly dropped putting us at a disadvantage with our missing kite sheet. Race three was a challenging one, with a dodgy start, and a battle to keep up on the downwind, we eventually scored an eighth (which we later dropped).
By day two, we knew that we had a chance to perform well at the regatta, and were looking to hold on to our new position at second place. With the lighter winds, it would be crucial to have a neat and fast spinnaker set, and to avoid blunders on the drop. Having sourced a replacement kite sheet, the team was able to practice a few sets before the start and had some confidence going into the fourth race. Race four was another windward-leeward race, we were very happy to see our kite go up and down flawlessly after having missed out on day one. After a very close finish with several of the S80s, we were very proud to come away with a second place. At this point, the Hobart team on Hot Shot, Outlaw from the Darwin Sailing Club, and Up and Go from RYCV were our closest competitors. We were all very much looking forward to the fixed mark course in race five, with a chance to practice our fine tuning and strategic skills over a longer race. After nearly three hours of racing, the finish was close, with finishing times only minutes apart for the top four boats. The team was able to perform well in this race by keeping our concentration and leveraging the clocking winds and changing tides to our advantage. Checking the results on the way back in, we were stunned to come away with a first place. With one day left, we knew that we just had to hold onto our position in first place.
Day three certainly got the nerves going for the team, but we knew that to do our best we needed to keep our cool. With a dodgy start, we knew that we wouldn’t place in the top three for this race, so we took on more of a match racing approach, sailing just so that we were strategically placed against boats with the greatest chance of overtaking us
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ADELAIDE
on the leaderboard. This result paid off, as despite scoring a sixth place, we managed to stay ahead of those threatening to take the crown. At this stage, we were unsure whether our calculations were correct, and didn’t know how handicaps would come into play for the race. Landing on the dock, the team was quick to check our phones, eventually confirming that we had retained the first place! After a brief celebration on the dock with our boat owner, we rushed in to make the most of the last BBQ and Beers session of the regatta, and to mingle with our newfound friends from other crews.
Also from the CYCSA was Anne-Marie with her interstate crew on Buck. Anne-Marie also had a great regatta, with the team on Buck winning the Rohan Brownlee Leadership and Endeavour Perpetual Award. The SA crews performed very well overall, with Helen Willmer and her South Australian crew from RSAYS on Mrs Overnewton coming in third on EHC in Division 1, and Janet Thornley on the XX Factor also competing well.
Overall, the regatta was one of the most friendly, fun-first regattas that I have ever had the pleasure of attending. From dancing on the boat, nightly bruise competitions with all of the competitors, to the generous work of the Boat-Buoys, this was one for the books. We are incredibly grateful to the owner of Vice Versa, John Neville, for lending us his boat for the regatta, and for his support throughout the whole event. It was great to be onboard his lovely boat for a second year.
The AUSC crew is very much looking forward to the South Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta hosted over the October long-weekend at the CYCSA. We would strongly encourage all female sailors, regardless of experience to get involved with the Women’s regattas around Australia!
14 BUILDING ON WATER @bellinghammarine FOLLOW US ON bellingham-marine com CALL US TODAY Queensland New South Wales Victoria All other states New Zealand With over 65+ years of history, Bellingham Marine has collaborated with thousands of clients worldwide on a wide range of waterfront projects (07) 3376 6955 (02) 9439 9066 (03) 9646 6744 1800 655 539 (+64) 9 273 5311 MARINE STADIUM JETTY & PONTOON GOLD COAST AUSTRALIA THE ANCHORAGE CAFE NEW SOUTH WALES SHELLHARBOUR MARINA NEW SOUTH WALES
ADELAIDE UNIVERSITY SAILING CLUB ON THE AWKR
Sophie Davidson, AUSC Vice Commodore
WORLD CRUISERS: MIKE & GAY LEWIS
June’s Boating Conversation saw members and friends from the CYCSA and neighbouring clubs come together to hear Mike and Gay Lewis retelling stories about their 40+ year relationship with their 36.5 foot Ferrocement yacht, Expeditus. They started their voyaging career by building Expeditus in their backyard, as people did back in the 70s. The building program of many nights and weekends took the couple four years and nine months before the boat was launched in 1977. Mike and Gay engaged the audience with their stories from the construction of Expeditus and over 100,000nm of sailing adventures around the world.
Their travels included a 10 year circumnavigation via Cape Horn to the United Kingdom then returning to South Australia crossing the North and South Atlantic numerous times, on to Cape Town then across the Indian Ocean and home. Upon their return home to Adelaide they carried out extensive refurbishment of Expeditus for further adventures.
Launching and departing in 2010 was to be the start to another epic voyage. The next 11 years saw Mike and Gay sailing below Tasmania and New Zealand thus conquering the worlds five major Capes. Then north into the Pacific and onwards to very remote Islands and onto the Philippines which became a home-base for three years with many travels around this area. Next, onward to Borneo Malaysia then finally trapped in Sabang, Indonesia due to Covid. From there after 2000nm south to the Roaring Forties and a further 2000nm east they arrived home again to their berth at North Haven. This evening had members and friends who dream of such travels captivated by their years of ocean passaging. The evening not only provided stimulating tales of ocean travels but for many, provided a very educational perspective of safe sailing to the corners of the earth. Thank you Mike and Gay for an enjoyable and informative discussion.
Rod Hunter
CRUISING NORTHERN QUEENSLAND
July’s Boating Conversation commenced with an AED demonstration by Harvey Grantham of Cellmed highlighting the value of having a defibrillator onboard. The Club is grateful for Cellmed’s sponsorship and members receive a generous discount off the retail price. Contact Harvey to find out more. This was followed with the main presentation by members Roger Flint and Di Buck sharing their adventures exploring the Northern Queensland coast and Great Barrier Reef over the last two years on their St Francis 50 catamaran, the Spirit of Inyati. After a lifetime of assorted sailing experiences Roger and Di purchased their catamaran in Greece to explore the Mediterranean for a few years then sail the boat home. But Covid intervened before they got started so they shipped the Spirit back to Australia instead. After some maintenance and safety upgrades Roger and Di headed off in early 2021 on the Spirit to head north. A large part of the next two years was spent exploring the warm waters of Northern Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef. The first season was spent becoming familiar with the boat, establishing new cruising friendships and refining their reef navigation skills between Brisbane and Townsville. The second season they spent most of their time exploring Far North Queensland from Townsville to Lizard Island north of Cooktown; largely along the coastline when sailing north and via the outer Great Barrier Reef when they sailed south. They visited over 30 different reefs following their passion for finding remote, idyllic snorkelling spots.
They spent most of the two years living onboard the Spirit of Inyati, often cruising in company with new friends they met during their adventures. They shared many wonderful stories, spectacular underwater and drone photography, adventures on remote sandy cays and their reef navigation techniques. An overriding theme was the overwhelming camaraderie and support of the cruising community and the new friendships they developed over that time, despite being removed from their cruising roots and friendships here at the CYCSA.
Thank you Roger and Di for a brilliant presentation and fun evening.
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Gay & Mike
Roger & Di
CRUISE: LOYALTY ISLANDS, NEW CALEDONIA
The Loyalty Islands (Iles Loyauté) – the name alone is practically an invitation to visit. The islands were named by the British in recognition of the friendliness and charm of the indigenous Melanesian and Polynesian peoples who had preceded them by thousands of years. Idyllic scenes of beautiful islands and pristine coral waters offered additional allure. From the moment we started planning our New Caledonia sailing trip we knew that the Loyalties would be part of the itinerary.
Our passage to the Loyalties started from Baie Ouie on Grande Terre where we awoke to calm winds and light drizzle. I’d timed our 10:45 departure assuming we’d sail 122 nautical miles at six knots and make landfall on the island of Lifou around sunrise the following day.
Once we passed Île Ouen we picked up a 22 knot south-south easterly on our beam. Even under doubly-reefed main and jib Arriba was racing along at nine knots and it soon became apparent we would reach our destination in the middle of the night. So, rather than push on, at 15:35 we jibed and altered our course for Yaté on the south-west coast of Grande Terre which we reached at 17:00. This anchorage, while indicated on charts, is not mentioned in any of the New Caledonia cruising guides. I highly recommend it though as it is the perfect departure point when sailing from Grand Terre to Lifou. Music drifting across the bay was enticing but on this occasion the land did not tempt us. The ocean once again sustained us. Yesterday’s tuna catch combined with another we’d caught that day went into fish tacos served with a zesty Mexican redcabbage coleslaw. With tomorrow’s winds forecast in the 25 to 30 knot range we anticipated a quick ride to Lifou.
We departed at 06:04 and as soon as we cleared the river mouth we set the doubly-reefed main. Inside the barrier reef, with only 18 knot winds and messy seas, we initially eked out a modest six knots. A few hours later when the forecast 25 knot winds kicked in our boat speed jumped to nine knots and hardly abated. The three metre following seas further pushed us along adding to the exhilaration. We pulled into Marina de Wé at 18:19 docking at our pre-assigned berth (booked by the friendly folks at Port Moselle Marina). We had covered the 113 nautical miles in just over 12 hours, averaging 8.7 knots - a day-sailing record for our trip.
The following morning, a gentle “Bonjour!” floated aboard. Louis, la Capitainerie (the marina manager), had come down to the dock to greet us. Merri and I followed him ashore to do the necessary paperwork. Her French came in very handy as Louis’s command of English was largely limited to waving his Android phone while pointing at Google Translate. Then, in a repeat of our arrival in Nouméa, we all went our separate ways. Being confined to within 11 metres of your crew for multiple days tends to induce such rapid dispersals
Wé is the administrative centre of Lifou and hugs the shore of Baie Chateaubriand with the marina located at its southeastern corner. It is highly advisable to make this your first port of call in the Loyalties. French law and Kanak tribal customs co-exist in the Loyalties but it is the latter that is to be most respected. Outside of Wé it is essential to consult with local tribal leaders, preferably le chef (the chief), before anchoring for the night. There is a tradition of paying respect by offering small gifts known as coutume (custom). We’d brought fabrics from home for this purpose which we combined with a ₣1,000 note. Any thoughtful token will do though. Meeting le chef is a great opportunity to learn from the locals and at times we felt like anthropologists. Be sure to ask if there are any areas that are sacred or carry taboos. Out of respect we also swapped our French tricolor flag for the Kanak flag during the time we were in the Loyalties, a gesture that was noted and appreciated.
Wé is just like any other marina and does not require coutume. Well, not quite like any other, as I’d never seen a marina with such crystal clear water. Merri and I walked the length of the bay
taking a break at the beachside Hotel Drehu for café au lait on the way back and later going for a swim. That night we enjoyed good Thai food at Le Siam, only a block from the marina.
The next day Merri and I went shopping at the local magazine (shop). There was no fresh fruit nor any vegetables so we settled for canned chickpeas and fresh baguettes. The former is a versatile item in any boat pantry, lentils being another. We visited la Capitainerie one last time before departing at 10:30. Forty minutes later we passed Pointe de Chateaubriand and were sailing at 6.8 knots in 14 knot winds.
At 14:52 we anchored in the southerly anchorage at Baie de Jokin in 16 metres of water, the first of many stunning anchorages that we had entirely to ourselves. Merri and I took the dinghy ashore and climbed the steps hewn into cliffs up to the small clifftop village of Jokin. We had some interesting conversations asking “Où est le Chef?” (Where is the chief?). One young man replied, “C’est moi” (It’s me), before breaking into a huge grin and pointing us in the right direction. It turned out that the real chief was away but we met his lovely wife, Lonyel, who invited us back for a traditional lunch the next day. After a very rainy night the skies finally cleared around 10:00 in time to go ashore for our lunch. We snorkelled after lunch which required swimming about 100 metres to some nearby bommies in shallower water which was abundant with fish life. We spent a second night relaxing at anchor at Jokin rather than moving late in the day.
Thursday brought another cloudy morning but no rain. We weighed anchor at 06:52 and thirty minutes later we raised the main and gennaker and motor-sailed in eight knot winds. At 10:02 we anchored at Baie de Jinek to snorkel. Merri and I were the first into the water and, at my urging, we swam towards the rocky headland (Cap de Easo). Hailing from temperate waters I naturally gravitate to such rocky reefs for snorkelling. My choice of location was a mistake as we got caught in a strong current flowing around the point. With Merri paddling just to stay in place I started swimming back to the boat to fetch the dinghy. Progress was excruciatingly slow and in the end Liam, who was coming from the shore, returned to the boat and fetched the dinghy before I could. After picking up Merri and me we all went to the main snorkelling area at the head of the cove closer to shore. The snorkelling was superb and Jinek Bay’s ‘open-air aquarium’ description is very apt. When snorkelling in a new place it’s a good idea to have the dinghy ready to go. I also advise against everyone jumping in the water at the same time as tempting as it is to explore a new spot.
Next we sailed to the township of Xepenehe (pronounced sheh-peh-neh-heh). We found the grand estate of le chef and offered coutume who reciprocated in kind. We later learned that it is unusual for chiefs to reciprocate so we must have done something right. I’ll give credit to Merri who did 90% of the talking. This chief had blue eyes being the grandson of an Irishman. We mentioned to him that we were heading to the island of Ouvéa and he suggested we pay a visit to the local gendarmerie to notify them of our plans. There was strife on Ouvéa in 2019 when a tourist charter boat disrespected the locals by fishing without permission. A standoff ensued resulting in guns being fired although fortunately no-one was hurt. Since then Ouvéa has been considered off-limits to visiting yachts. The gendarmerie informed us however that there were no special restrictions and we should just exercise the usual care.
Note: We received conflicting information about whether we could enter the Loyalties and in particular Ouvéa. I recommend that visitors make their own independent enquiries before embarking on a trip.
Ouvéa is considered the heart of the Kanak pro-independence movement. In 1988 pro-independence Kanak militants attacked a police station on Ouvéa, taking the gendarmes
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hostage. Pro-independence sentiment still runs very strong but I suspect this is more of an issue for French nationals than for outsiders. We felt welcome everywhere.
Since 2020 charter boats have not been permitted to sail to any of the Loyalty Islands. As a result the islands are almost devoid of visiting yachts. We saw only one other yacht during our time there. For now it is BYOB (Bring Your Own Boat).
Some French language skills are essential and finding le chef can require perseverance. There are no signs pointing to their residence so you need to be able to ask around and understand responses.
Walking back to the boat we noticed whales breaching in the bay so at 15:56 set out to take a closer look. Once within about 200 metres we killed the engine and drifted. We had a frollicking Humpback whale and her calf all to ourselves for about twenty minutes. In the meantime Liam had spotted a nearby beach, Plage de Kiki. There was no mention of this beach as an anchorage in any of my cruising guides but reviews for the beach itself were gushing. We anchored over sand in five metres and were rewarded with one of the prettiest beaches we have ever seen anywhere.
The following day we weighed anchor at 04:55 and motored out in calm conditions. Ninety minutes later we set our course for Cap Rossel (314°T) on Ouvéa. The winds remained fickle and we continued to motor until 12:22 when we passed the cape, Ouvéa’s northernmost point. Finally 10 knot wind from the southeast kicked in and we raised the main sailing at six knots.
At 15:54 and 55.5 nautical miles later we were anchored in three metres over sand directly offshore from the hamlet of St Joseph with its distinctive, redroofed church. Merri and I went ashore in search of le chef and were warmly welcomed by a group of people mingling by the shore who were very interested in our arrival. The dual blow of a global pandemic and local strife had reduced visiting yachties to a trickle. Indeed New Caledonia as a whole had only opened up to cruising yachts two months earlier. It turned out that le chef was recently deceased but we found a female relative who gratefully accepted coutume in his place. We were also invited to attend a fête the next day.
The fête was a highlight of our time on Ouvéa. Everyone was so friendly and the kids in particular were very interested in us. We were treated to a local speciality of Ouvéan yams with sardines and lemon juice. No one wanted us to leave and in retrospect I wish we could have lingered. Nevertheless, at the urging of the skipper (moi), we got underway at 12:45 and relocated to Fayaoue, 14 nautical miles to the south. We went ashore and visited the church and the general store. I made the mistake of asking for wine at the store, only to be greeted with strange looks. No alcohol is sold on Ouvéa outside of resorts. Fayauoe did not have the pull of St Joseph so we continued on to Lekiny for the night.
We anchored directly in front of the Hôtel Paradis d'Ouvéa where we went ashore for happy hour. Wandering around the fancy resort seemed rather surreal to me and I was very happy to be back on board for dinner.
Sunday brought another fine day with few clouds. I was keen to snorkel around Île Gee which falls under the rule of le chef du Mouly. By 09:45 we were anchored offshore from the township of Mouly. The chief was at a wedding but we found his son who was very helpful. He explained that Île Gee was sacred and he requested that we not go ashore and limit our time there to two hours. By 14:18 we were anchored in 16 metres on the southwest side of Île Gee (20°40.376’S 166°22.157’E) which was as close to the coral reef as we could approach safely. We then took the dinghy the remaining 100 metres or so. Two hours of snorkelling passed very quickly. The nearby beach beckoned, bright white sand surrounded by luxurious vegetation, but we respected the wishes of the chief’s son.
At 16:15 we were underway again headed for Passe de Yaté. Our seven days in the Loyalties was really just a taste of these captivating islands and I feel sure we will return again one day.
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Alan Noble Lifou Cafe
Arriba at Wè Marina
Lunch at Jokin
St Joseph
KIMBERLEY CRUISING MAY-JUNE 2023
Richard, Megan, Malcom and Hilary began our Kimberley adventure with one of the longer legs of our cruise. We headed out from Darwin and across the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf in a perfect weather window to anchor inside Reverley Island to await the high tide to enter the Berkeley River, a passage of 220 nautical miles. This was a pleasant overnight passage but no one ever mentioned there is a massive gas platform on the direct path from Darwin to the Berkeley - hard to miss but worth knowing about.
BERKELEY RIVER
There is a tricky entrance and this means the Berkeley is a more isolated destination as many of the tourist boats do not enter the Berkeley River. We initially stopped at Casurina Creek for the night with a hike and swim in the rockpools the following day. You can be limited in the time you spend ashore by the tides falling or rising 4.6 metres leaving you high and dry or submerged.
In Casurina Creek the Berkeley River Lodge has set up a continuous loop mooring which allows you to pull your tender out into deeper water and not be limited by the tide. It is possible and very useful to do this yourself for your tender with a stern anchor (and a normal bow anchor or long painter) and set up a mobile continuous loop mooring which takes away the pressure on time spent ashore exploring. We travelled nine miles up the Berleley which is as far as you can go as beyond this it becomes shallow with a rocky bottom and poor holding. We spent time with experienced local cruisers who guided us to great hiking destinations near the Amphitheatre and updated our fishing techniques with success. There is a torturous passage with waypoints given by the Kimberly Coast Cruising Club to follow to enter the Berkeley inside Reverley Island and as long as these are followed at about one hour prior to high tide you can enter and leave safely.
KING GEORGE RIVER
We departed the Berkeley in the late afternoon to catch the high tide at the Berkeley bar and also a favourable ebbing tide which flows in a north-west direction pushing Celebrity along at a comfortable 9-10 knots motor sailing for the 45 nautical mile passage. We anchored comfortably in Koolama Bay at midnight, the only yacht in the bay, to await the high tide to enter King George River at 0600.
We awoke to see True North, True North 2, Kimberly Explorer and My True Blue all lined up to catch the high tide. We proceeded up the King George River for 7.5 miles to reach the Twin Falls. The falls are spectacular and you go in as close as you dare to shower your crew on the foredeck. We anchored close to the falls and explored over the next few days. We were guided to a few of the lesser known spots by our friends with local knowledge. King George is comparatively busy compared to the Berkeley River with a reasonably straightforward entrance but again with specific waypoints to follow. If you are lucky you can also follow True North through the entrance as they do this on a weekly basis. There are often helicopters buzzing around from the medium size vessels such as True North. The larger cruise liners cannot enter Berkeley River or George King River and send their guests into the river by tender for a brief visit.
There were strong winds over the next four days which did not allow us to leave King George as the next destination required going around Cape Londonderry which is renowned for large, confused seas if rounded in over 20 knots. When the weather settled we rounded Cape Londonderry very comfortably in perfect conditions allowing Celebrity to fly her new Blue Water Runner, a great downwind furling sail which I had seen on another Moody 45 DS.
Our next destination was Wary Bay on Bigge Island which has easily accessible Aboriginal art and is visited by several of the larger cruise ships. We stayed overnight and then left as La Ponante, the very impressive three mastered cruise ship was anchoring. If you explore and follow the Kimberley Coast Cruising Guide directions there are numerous and impressive
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Aboriginal art sites to be found and if you explore, many more which you can find yourself.
We then set a course for Sampson Inlet, a well-known cyclone anchorage which is, as expected very protected and down a narrow creek. On our way to Sampson Inlet we caught Spanish Mackerel and tuna. Along the way we passed Kuri Bay and the Paspaley Pearl Farms. When travelling in areas with pearl farms it is only to be undertaken during daylight hours for newcomers. The boundaries are marked by yellow radar buoys but the pearl farms are moved around during the season and it can be difficult to identify the extent of the farms. Celebrity and crew visited several other anchorages, among them Copper Mine Creek, Horizontal Falls and Cygnet Bay. Having sufficient fuel is often an issue in the Kimberley as you end up motoring more often than you anticipate due to wind, tide and current. We took extra jerry cans of diesel as there are very limited refuelling spots along the way and forward planning is certainly required.
I used an app, World Tides 2023, which makes tides available offline anywhere in the world and also adjusts for daylight saving time which was incredibly useful as you may visit an unexpected destination and may not have the appropriate tide tables. You are very remote and having appropriate tools and spares is required. You never know when you will need to replace an impeller, halyard or a bow roller bolt no matter how you well have planned!
There are great resources available for Kimberley cruising. The Fremantle Yacht Club provides an online free, 600-page Western Australian Cruising Guide which gives very detailed information, charts and photos from Esperance through to Darwin. The Kimberley Coast Cruising Yacht Club (a virtual Yacht Club which you join) also provides very detailed information about Kimberley cruising and anchorages. This is updated regularly every cruising season. You need to download all of this information as you may not have internet access for most of your cruising in the Kimberley region. Each day needs to be planned based on the currents and tides of the next destination.
With tides of up to 12 metres plus and currents which run at 5 to 10 knots in certain areas you start your planning from the destination and work backwards to decide when to leave your current anchorage.
WHEN TO DO IT?
Late April to November is the accepted time in which to cruise the Kimberley region. The earlier in the season the larger the waterfalls and rockpools.
Weather information as always is vital. You are often away and remote for four to six weeks and can only download weather for one week prior to leaving Darwin. I used my Iridium Go and Predict Wind successfully but many yachts are now using Starlink for remote weather and communication.
My knowledge of Predict Wind has gradually been updated on my travels around Australia. Predict Wind has now introduced new Wave Routing information including roll, vertical acceleration and slamming. This may be even more important in planning a comfortable, safe cruise than wind strength. Most of us can handle 30 knots in flat conditions but introduce a three metre confused sea and it becomes a very different proposition. I certainly now look at wave routing, wind strength, isobar maps and other information including validation when making departure plans.
HOW LONG TO SPEND THERE?
It is possible to spend months exploring the Kimberley and your itinerary will vary depending on your timing. One couple on a catamaran have spent nine months a year in the Kimberley over the past ten years exploring, fishing and discovering Aboriginal art during that time. There are hundreds of interesting anchorages and you could spend a week at any spot. We spent five weeks cruising between Darwin and Cygnet Bay which is close to Cape Leveque and managed to refuel and do a crew change at Cygnet Bay.
At Cygnet Bay Megan, Malcolm and Hillary disembarked and a new crew, Andrew Saies and Andrew Hunter embarked. Another chapter and version of this story will follow from Andrew Saies in the next edition of Groundswell.
There are a number of hazards to be very aware of in the Kimberley region which include tides, currents and crocodiles! It is important to remember rules such as taking your dinghy out of the water at night to avoid one of these hazards. A friend didn't follow this rule and as the photo above demonstrates had quite a surprise the following morning. They had to search around amongst several other yachts to find enough patches to salvage the situation.
The Kimberley region is a great cruising destination which I recommend to all.
Richard Pope Celebrity
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KIMBERLEY CRUISING
At the end of May I left Adelaide bound for Antibes, a town on the southern coast of France between Cannes and Nice. I had been invited to race on-board Cambria, a 145 foot William Fife & Sons boat built in 1928.
After arriving on the train from Nice I had been told to look out towards the ocean from the station and look for the tallest wooden mast I could see and head towards it. I wasn’t expecting to be able to find it so easily, but it stood so tall that I could even spot it from the train on the way in. As I walked down the dock, past boats that already ranked as some of the most beautiful and luxurious boats I had ever seen, I finally came to the stern of Cambria. She stood over 45 meters high, weighing 86 tonnes and stunningly beautiful. I quickly joined the rest of the crew polishing bronze and scrubbing teak in preparation for the all-crew dinner that evening. All up we had 30+ crew from more than eight different countries on-board. We spent the next day training, practising spinnaker sets and drops, changing jib tops and stay sails, and coordinating the 10 people required to pack the spinnaker. After our training day we raced for 4 days, continuing up towards Cannes and weaving in and out of the motor yachts moored off the coast. We returned to Antibes each evening for some fantastic nights on the boat. It was beautiful racing, with 8-10 knot breezes most of the time and slight jumps up to 12-14 giving us plenty to do. I spent my time as bowman #2 working alongside the boat’s Bosun, as part of a five person foredeck crew, working closely with our three person mast team. We finished off the weekend taking out the overall winner on handicap and line honours, a great start to my classic yacht racing experience.
After a few weeks visiting friends in England, Wales and Iceland, I made my way to Finland where I had two more sailing adventures to complete. A long-term sea scouting friend and I completed a three day cruise through the Finnish South Western Archipelago, visiting some islands for the night before returning back to Turku. I then joined a sea scout expedition from Turku to Åland, an autonomous island belonging to Finland. We sailed on-board a custombuilt sea scout boat called Tokka Lotta. Most sea scout groups in Finland have 40-50 foot boats built for them, most of them being donated by local boat builders. This is quite a common practice and has been for quite a long time. It is seen by many that if a boat can withstand what the sea scouts put it through, then it can go through anything! It is a point of pride for local boat builders, and also good advertising for their services. These boats are designed to accommodate large numbers of scouts, and also to be incredibly sturdy. We had berths for 14, quite a lot for a 45-foot boat. Some of the islands that the sea scouts visited don’t have docks or harbours, but are listed as natural berths which basically meant going back and forth until we didn’t hit something underneath, and then tying off to a tree on the shore.
Both of these experiences were fantastic fun and I learnt a lot from them. If it were not for the many hours of teaching I have received from a number of CYCSA membersMansel Milne and Steve Emery (Ocean Hawk), Mike Holmes (Magic), and of course the whole crew of Kinetic Energy along with lots of other individuals and crews - I would not have had the skills or confidence to take on these opportunities.
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Charlie Ryan Kane
The house was rented out, cars and motorbikes sold, and our remaining possessions were finally stowed aboard Vellamo We were set to start a cruising life.
In the past year we’d designed and built a new hard dodger, pulled the mast, replaced the standing rigging, installed an aircon/heating system, solar panels and lithium batteries. Our final fortnight was spent anti-fouling and fitting new clear side panels. We didn’t get to polish the topsides though as Matt caught COVID the day he applied the final coat of antifoul. On the afternoon of our departure he was still isolating and sadly missed out on a fabulous farewell dinner at the CYCSA with our sailing mates. At the dock they threw us our lines and waved goodbye as we headed out to the Gulf. DestinationFar North Queensland via Tasmania. Return date - unknown.
Vellamo #87 is possibly high on the list of the most-travelled Catalina 470s around. She was sailed out from the US to Australia, kitted out for Bluewater cruising and completed a circumnavigation with her previous owner. Since purchasing her in November 2020 we have since added another +10,000nm cruising the SE-E coastline of Australia.
They say “Don’t leave port on a Friday”. We didn’t but Thursday wasn’t much better. Our first night at sea didn’t augur well. Passing Kangaroo Island the sea state was worse than forecast. In our haste to leave and with Matt still recovering from COVID, a few checks were overlooked. In four metre plus sloppy seas a few last-minute additions, not stowed as well as they could have been, were thrown around and green waves on the foredeck found a tiny patch of hatch cover that had managed to compromise the seal of our forward head hatch. While crouching down to sponge up the ingress we were thrown to starboard causing a drawer full of anodes to fly out and land on my foot. Not a great start but that was the worst of it.
Pete Donovan left his boat Talay at the CYC and joined us for the 750 nautical mile trip. We’d joined Pete to help relocate his boat down the East Coast when the outbreak of COVID prevented his planned trip around the world and, while we enjoy sailing as a couple, it was great to have him aboard. Our intention was to stage the jump across Bass Strait from Portland on the southern mainland but our passage planning is always flexible. When a fast-moving low appeared in the Southern Ocean we made the decision not tackle the unforgiving west coast of Tasmania but instead sail straight
across and seek shelter among the islands in the NW of Bass Strait. We arrived at Hunter Island just as the front arrived and sheltered for three days before the quick hop along the north coast of Tasmania stopping at Stanley, Devonport and an overnight in the Tamar River. From there it was another hop around the NE corner and a delightful sail in benign conditions down Tassie’s east coast.
Matt was scheduled to fly out of Hobart on Christmas Day to join mates for the Sydney to Hobart Race so we didn’t have as much time as we would have liked to explore the east coast. Highlights were Wineglass Bay and shooting ‘The Gap’ of massive dolerite columns between Tasmania and Tasman Island. We had some fun dodging 25 knot+ bullets coming over the top of the cliffs with Peter on headsail, me ready to dump the main and Matt having some fun on the wheel. We sailed up the Derwent River to Hobart, parked Vellamo at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania and spent some glorious days relaxing and exploring.
Matt arrived safely back in Hobart on 30 December. He and his mates completed the 29th Sydney to Hobart race for legendary ocean racer Bacardi and we saw in the New Year with racing mates among the fleet at Constitution Dock. Pete flew back to Adelaide and Matt and I prepared Vellamo for our next adventures. Our mates on Sintara had her back in cruising mode for the delivery back to South Australia and together we explored the d’Entrecasteaux channel south from Hobart picking oysters off the rocks for some glorious sundowner sessions as we travelled.
WILD WEST COAST
When a rare ‘magic’ weather window opened off the West Coast, Sintara and Vellamo headed around to Port Davey/ Bathurst Harbour. Along the way we visited Maatsuyker Island, the southern-most island on the Australian Continental shelf. It’s rare to see mirror flat conditions along the west coast and we were thrilled to get the opportunity to see it with our own eyes. The Sintara crew stayed to fish and swim with the sea lions but we motored back to a quiet coastal harbour ready to dash the following day up to Port Davey.
The Port Davey marine reserve, located in the heart of Tasmania’s wilderness World Heritage area, is inaccessible by road. The only way to see it is to hike, fly or enter from the sea.
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Phone coverage is zero and boats have been known to be ‘stuck’ for weeks waiting for a suitable weather window to safely exit the bay and continue their journey south or north.
The west coast of Tasmania is compelling in its stark, austere beauty. Often grey, foggy and not always a photographer’s dream. It’s formidable, yet captivating. My thoughts turned to the sealers and whalers who plied their trades here long ago. There are very few places to run to here when the infamous weather takes a turn for the worse.
We spent a week in Bathurst Channel and Harbour climbing mountains, hiking to beaches, exploring creeks by dinghy and soaking up the sunshine. Friends who visited the area five weeks later were greeted by rain, hail and temperatures around 10°C so we certainly struck it lucky.
MACQUARIE HARBOUR
That luck continued as we cruised up the west coast to Macquarie Harbour to find ideal conditions to take on ‘Hells Gates’, one of the most dangerous harbour entrances in Australia. Two convict built rock walls guard a channel that’s just deep enough for our 2.4 metre keel. When the river systems flood the bay the current and conditions can be horrendous, but that day we were certainly lucky.
The Gordon and King River systems converge into Macquarie Harbour, the second largest natural harbour in Australia with an expanse of 322 square kilometres (122 square miles), it borders the pristine UNESCO Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage area.
We stopped to reprovision at the quaint little town of Strahan, home of woodworkers, tourist boats and (controversial) fish farms and farmers, it has a rich history dating back to the early days of Tasmanian settlement. Talking to the locals we were introduced to Trevor Norton, a tourism operator with a fascination for navigation and navigators. So much so that he’s personally sounded out much of the harbour and river systems and produced his own hand drawn charts. For the princely sum of $25 we got his beautiful charts and access to some private moorings. After filling Vellamo’s tanks and provisioning in Strahan it was time to explore.
COMPANY TOWNS AND CONVICT SETTLEMENTS
West Pillinger, once a thriving town, is slowly disappearing. Serviced by a railway line that was decommissioned in the 1920s, the resulting transport corridor now offers one of Tassie’s 60 great walks. Passing old kilns, boilers, and tumbledown brick ruins, we were struck by nature’s capacity to reclaim her territory. Tall trees jostled for sunshine as the Bird River rushed through log-obstructed cataracts. We also caught glimpses of trout swimming in whiskey-coloured water as we hiked the 15 kilometre (return) trail. Next day we visited Sarah Island, Tasmania’s oldest convict settlement with a reputation as one of the harshest penal establishments in the history of Australia. A bleak place reserved for the very worst British felons. With flogging an everyday occurrence small wonder that more than 180 escape attempts were made. It was also, for a time, the largest shipbuilding yard in the colonies. Good paths and interpretative signage offer glimpses of the convict era as you wander through remains of the shipyards, bakery, accommodation and penitentiary. With the island completely denuded of flora and fauna when the convict settlement was built it was incredible to think that every tree fern and bush we could see on the lush island was no more than 100 years old.
TERRIFIC TIMBER
The Huon Pine, a king among trees, features greatly in the history of this region. A unique tree, it grows only in Southwest Tasmania and provides one of the finest shipbuilding timbers found on the planet. An extraordinarily high oil content makes it waterproof, impervious to borers and screw worms and allows it to be bent, sculpted, and fashioned without splitting. The problem with felling Huon Pines however is that they don’t start to reproduce until they reach 600-800 years of age, grow just one millimetre each year and can live for thousands of years. Highly sought after by shipbuilders, these ancient trees were felled without thought until the 1970s when the need to protect them was finally recognised. The Gordon River Valley is home to many Huon Pines and we were hoping to see some for ourselves.
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CRUISING LIFE ABOARD VELLAMO
Dolerite Columns synonymous with Tassie South Coast
Famous Lea Tree
Vellamo in Kelly Basin
A VOYAGE UP THE GORDON
Any Australian living through the 80s would recall the FranklinGordon River protest. Conscious of this significant event we glided up the mirror flat waterway to see the renowned world heritage area for ourselves. Heavily forested to the river edge, we had three to four metres below us for most of the journey. We passed Butler’s Island where protestors once barricaded the river then tied our lines to Warner’s Landing wharf, built to receive construction equipment for the dam but long since abandoned.
The stunning Sir John Falls was a short dinghy ride across the river and we also dinghied upstream to visit the shallow junction of the Franklin River. Joined by our Sintara mates we went in search of glow-worms and kayaked into fern-lined waterfall grottos. We were also fortunate enough to obtain some co-ordinates from kayakers that saw us hiking off in search of the famous ‘Lea Tree’, a 2000+ year old Huon Pine that was chain sawed, drilled and set on fire at the height of the protest by hydro workers, when a High Court decision finally halted construction of the Dam. It wasn’t easy to find the Lea Tree but we did it and gave it a big hug, as you do.
FESTIVAL TIME!
Leaving behind the obsidian glass waters of the Gordon we expressed down the west coast back to Hobart, visiting the quaint villages of Cygnet and Kettering along the way, to catch up with CYC mates on Ebb Tide at the Wooden Boat Festival. Held every two years more than 500 wooden boats and their crews converge on Hobart for the largest celebration of wooden boats and maritime culture in the Southern Hemisphere. The four-day event is both nostalgic and inspiring. After witnessing an unforgettable opening Parade of Sail we wandered the docks inspecting boats of all shapes, sizes and purpose and marvelled at traditional skills on display in the shipwrights’ village. We were happy to sing sea shanties, drank rum and generally threw ourselves into the whole festival experience. Whether you love wooden boats, or any boats really, this is one festival worth travelling around the world to see.
TIME TO FIND THE SUN
We spent a few more weeks exploring the sheltered waters of southeastern Tasmania even working the tides to transit the daunting Denison Canal with a deep keel monohull. Eaglehawk Neck, the Tesselated Pavement, Schouten Island and Coles Bay, with its stunning backdrop of mountains, were all highlights. With autumn just around the corner the nip in the air was becoming obvious. It was time to head back to mainland Australia and continue our journey north along the New South Wales coastline to reach the tropical waters of Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef by winter. As we sailed down the wide Derwent River on a calm and beautiful February day we reflected on the fantastic cruising we’d enjoyed and all the places we didn’t manage to get to this time around.
Sure, Tassie can be chilly in winter, but some truly stunning and remote cruising grounds beckon adventurous yachties between December and February. MAST (Marine and Safety Tasmania) and local town councils provide plenty of moorings, dinghy docks and public wharves to make things easier for cruisers. There’s now a pinky promise pact in place to return with Vellamo for a complete summer season.
Traci Ayris
NOTE: Follow our @SVVellamo Facebook page for videos of our travels around Tasmania and beyond
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CRUISING ABOARD VELLAMO
Morning on the Gordon
Parade of Sail for the Wooden Boat Festival
Oyster Sundowners on Sintara
Due to the intervention of Covid it had been nearly three years since we travelled to Greece to sail our yacht Jemmaroo which was on the hard at the Greek island of Leros. We allowed ourselves ten weeks assuming we would be moving around for about eight of those and our plan was to circumnavigate the Aegean.
We arrived safely in Athens on Thursday 21 July 2022 and caught the late afternoon flight to Leros. After making our way to the town of Lakki where the marina is we checked into our accommodation then went down to the marina to check on Jemmaroo before having some dinner then crashing.
Now the real work began and Graeme was down to the marina straight after breakfast. We were very anxious about what the state of things would be on Jemmaroo and found it had been cleaned and polished and the workmen were anti-fouling her. It was very windy and we were told it had been blowing 30+ knots for over a month which didn't sound too good. The humidity and temperature were also quite high and we were still jet lagged so we called it a day around 3.30pm and had an afternoon snooze before dinner then crashing once again. They finished the antifouling but the boat was in the back row with another boat in front with some space to one side so the marinos very skilfully used a tug to manoeuvre it out before putting it in the travel lift and then into the water. As new house batteries were on order the marina put a couple of their batteries in for us to get underway with preparations so we went on board and started to check it all out.
The next day was spent cleaning out the cupboards and we threw out quite a lot but found an unopened jar of Vegemite which we deemed would be safe to keep. We had done a bit of shopping so had our first meal on board of sausages, salad and chips – very Australian.
By now it was Monday and we went to pick up our dinghy and motor to discover that they had not winterised the outboard when we left three years before so the carburettor did not want to go and a new one had to come from Japan. To appease us they offered to lend us an outboard for the duration, a 3.5hp one which Graeme was not happy about but my thoughts were that at least he couldn’t tear around and terrorise me!
We had assumed all the batteries on Jemmaroo would be no good but after charging them the bow thruster and anchor
ones worked so with the new house batteries installed we were into getting everything going. Our other main worry was that the diesel would be contaminated or too old but fortunately all was well in that regard which saved us from throwing out 600 litres and then replacing it at great cost to the management.
The upholstery needed dry cleaning as it was 15 years old so it was picked up in the morning and delivered back in the afternoon. The electrician arrived and was able to free up the cooling pump for the air conditioning and he magically got the water-maker to go – we had forgotten to turn one of the switches on and it didn’t like that when we tried to start it up. Graeme found an outside shower tap unit at the chandlery in town as the one on board was playing up so he spent many hours putting that together with great success and earned a badge for outside showers.
After only a week all was working so we did some last-minute shopping, had an ice-cream at our favourite ice-cream shop and dropped the lines at around 12.30pm and made our way around to Pandelli, one of our favourite spots and a great first night anchorage on the eastern side of the island. Nothing ever goes quite to plan as Graeme had forgotten to pick up our Cruising Log so the next morning he dinghied ashore and took a taxi to the Port Police back in Lakki, oops, forgot to take the passports and ships papers so 60 Euros later we were legal. We were well and truly getting into the swing of cruising mode with a cold, cold beer at lunch, a gin for him and a brandy for me at the cocktail hour and a bottle of wine between us for dinner – what more could you ask for!
It was now Sunday 31 July and time to get serious so we left Leros and made our way north to the southern bay at Lipsi, about a two hour passage. The wind was blowing from the north at 20+ knots and we dragged a bit so let out a whole lot more chain and all was cool.
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Monasteries and houses on the south of the Atki Peninsula
Our next anchorage was Pythagoreon, named after the mathematician Pythagoras, on the island of Samos where we have been many times. The anchorage area did not have a boat in it so we thought we should go on the town wall which was a bit messy and discovered that the anchorage was closed due to a ferry hitting an anchored boat in very strong winds. We decided to stay for three nights as the wind was still gusting at over 30 knots. Some Aussies from Queensland on a power boat came on board for drinks and we had many “did you sail all the way from Australia” questions from people on the shore.
From Pythagoreon we motored up the east coast of Samos towards the northern end and anchored in Ormos Mourita, a large bay with various anchorages and spent a pleasant evening there.
We travelled north along the eastern shores of the Aegean islands and our next passage was a 55 nautical mile trek to Khios. It was a bit lumpy at times and we seemed to be playing cat and mouse with a large, very empty grain carrier which was just stooging around. We made it to a little bay at the south eastern end of Khios called Ormos Kamari or Emborios and tied back to the northern shore. A large power boat came in and tied back to the town wharf and although it was very tight all was fine and we enjoyed a lovely swim.
At our next anchorage called Nisos Oinoussa, an island to the east of Knios, we did what we have done before, anchored off. We had been there about four hours when the Port Police came out to tell us we had to go as four very big power boats were coming in and in the high season you cannot anchor off so we went a little further north to a lovely area where there were many other craft anchored. We called a respite day and cleaned the boat, did some washing, made some water and just stooged around.
It was now Monday 8 August and although the wind was still blowing we made the passage north to the island of Lesvos and anchored in the western bay of Ormos Mersinia and the next day motored around to Mitilini, the capital of Lesvos, and booked in at the marina arriving around midday. The staff were very friendly and helpful and we decided to stay for three nights so made ourselves at home. At around 5pm we checked out some car rentals, booked one for two days and got our Cruising Permit stamped at the Port Police then walked back to the marina and had a QLD and light dinner at Luigi’s at the marina. While Graeme was picking up the car I had a big clean-up of all those little bottles and tubes of stuff that you get from the airlines and was feeling very virtuous. We did a big shop-up at a nearby supermarket, 90% fluids, and stowed it before driving to a bay called Ormos Tarti where the fish was meant to be fabulous. No Sea Bass however so we had to be content with other things for lunch. The bay was very busy which encouraged us not to use it as an anchorage. We explored the island more widely the next day by car as we needed an anchorage further north as a jumping off point. We went to a bay called Sigri on the west coast and although it didn’t look too promising we found where it was best to anchor. Petra, our next stop, was very touristy and busy and further north and east along the northern coast was Mithymna which was too far to use as an anchorage so we decided on Sigri for our stopover. We drove east and then made our way down the western coast of the island back to Mitilini along very windy, hilly and narrow roads with lots of road works happening. Up and at it, well, at 8am anyway when we washed the boat and did some laundry. The car was picked up so we paid our bill and left around 10.30am bound for a large bay called Kalloni Bay which was half way to Sigri. There are two large bays on the southern coast of Lesvos and Kalloni is the larger and further west. It was interesting going in as you had to follow channel markers and we anchored in Ormos Apothekes along with about six other boats and it is a great anchorage for all conditions. From there we went around to the west coast to Sigri which we had already checked out by car. It appeared to
be a small anchorage but by the time everyone was hunkered down there were 15 in the bay.
We left early for our passage across to the island of Limnos and anchored in Ormos Moudhrou where the British fleet was based in the First World War and where ‘Girls of Gallipoli’, a Channel Two production of several years ago was filmed. The nurses from Australia, New Zealand and Britain were based there to take the injured from Gallipoli and if you have not seen the series it is well worth a look. It was a large bay with many anchorages and we chose Kavos which had a lovely sandy beach at its head and headed into shore for a swim and an ice-cream.
We had been having trouble with the borrowed outboard with it leaking fuel and finally discovered the cause – the old fuel tank had a crack at the moulding near the top so when you tipped it over to stow the dinghy on the foredeck of Jemmaroo it leaked. After Graeme did several laps of the bay to use up some of the fuel we up-anchored and made our way to Milini, the capital of Limnos. We found a gap on the town wall and wriggled our way in around a dinghy inconsiderately tied on the side of the next boat. After walking around the town we had dinner down at the fishing wharf area and Graeme was very happy as he had his favourite, Sea Bass.
We checked in with the Port Police to find that we had not been signed out at Mitilini. Some police sign you in and out at the same time and Mitilini had not and we were told we would be up for a 500 Euro fine. They eventually suggested we had an engine problem which we readily agreed with and said we should fix the Mitilini problem and they had never seen us. We caught the Jet Ferry down to Mitilini with our Cruising Permit and the Port Police signed us out then caught the ferry back arriving at around 2am the next morning. It was a long day and cost about 200 Euros instead of 500 Euros and taught us to be more vigilant in checking the log.
We had a sleep in after our big adventure and then went in search of a car rental to check the island out. An Aussie Greek befriended us and helped but there was not a rental car available. He put us in touch with the Mercury outboard agent and we arranged for him to come the next morning to seal up the leak. We had dinner on the waterfront and I was very happy as we found one of my favourites, Zucchini Fritters. The town of Milini is lovely and very friendly and a young lady came over from the hotel opposite as she saw Adelaide on the back of the boat and, you guessed it, she came from Adelaide. We invited her on board and had a great chat and discovered that she is Dominic Rinaldi’s hairdresser – what a hoot.
25 CIRCUMNAVIGATING THE AEGEAN
At Mitilini on Lesvos with the castle in the background and fishing boats in the foreground
The mechanic arrived about 10am and took the fuel tank to his mate’s workshop to fix it up. He arrived back with it after an hour so all was good. We bumped into one of the Port Police who asked if our engine was fixed and we replied that it was, which engine was irrelevant. We said our goodbyes and left at 11.30am bound for an anchorage about 10 miles away behind a sandbar called Ormos Mourtzeflos. It was excellent and we had it all to ourselves. The water was beautiful so after a swim we made some water, had a Spritz and had scrambled eggs for a light dinner, yummy.
Thasos, the northernmost island in our trip, was our next destination and took about five hours and we anchored in a bay on the south-east corner called Aliki. Other boats in the bay were anchored fore and aft so with limited room we decided to do the same. Out came our Fortress titanium anchor to use as the aft anchor and after working out the jigsaw puzzle of how to put it together Graeme dinghied out and dropped it. The anchorage looked a bit like the French Riviera with not a spare spot on the sandy beach and the water was beautiful so we had a two swim day and relaxed. We motored around to the capital of the island, Thasos, and moored side on to the wall in the new harbour. There was no water or electricity but also no charge. During our walk around the town we met a Bulgarian family who recommended a place for dinner and it was a great choice. Graeme had Sea Bass and declared it the best he had ever had. The next morning, after picking up some supplies, we made our way around the island to the south west to find a jumping off point for the Sinthonia Peninsula. We anchored in a bay called Potos, a bit rolly but it dropped down overnight and all was good.
We had a long trip across to the Sinthonia Peninsula as you are not allowed to anchor at the closer Atki Peninsula it being a Greek Orthodox sanctuary. As we motored along the southern shore of Atki we observed some of the monasteries and hermits houses which seemed to be clinging to the cliff face. How they built them and get to them is a mystery. Porto Koufo, a lovely all weather anchorage, was our next destination and there were many others with the same idea. We passaged north up the eastern side of Sinthonia to an area called Isis Dhiporos where there were islands and bays aplenty. It was a lovely anchorage area and is well utilised by the Greeks as their holiday haven. We settled on Ormos Kourmaroudhes where the water was so clear you could see the anchor and stayed a second night as Graeme had lots of reading to catch up on so we had a lazy day with a couple of swims.
We left our peaceful anchorage to go around to the western side of the Sinthonia Peninsula when all hell broke loose in the skies. We had thunder, lightning and wind and lots of pelting rain such that we turned the AIS on as you could not see anything beyond the bow. We were sopping wet and not very happy as we battled through to a bay called Ormos Gouras with the village of Koufos at its head. The rain eventually stopped and things dried out a bit but we had gear hanging and draped everywhere. After dinner on shore we made it back to Jemmaroo around 9.30pm when the skies opened again but there was no wind in the protected bay thank goodness.
It was now Saturday 27 August and we headed towards Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece, to pick up fellow Club member Jack Didyk and an Ukranian friend of his, Mykola, and that would be all the northing we could do for the trip. At about the half-way mark we anchored at Nea Moudhania which is a working port to the south of Thessaloniki and on shore there was a beautiful church so we dinghied in and had a walk around and a light dinner. We had booked into the marina in Thessaloniki so left around 8am heading north and arrived around 1.30pm. The marina was written up positively but the reality was that it is very run down and in need of some TLC and maintenance. After settling in we did several loads of washing before going for a walk and found the service station and organised the diesel truck and a gas bottle exchange for Monday.
Jack and Mykola drove from Ukraine to Thessaloniki and arrived around 11am having got lost a couple of times. After they settled in we all went for a walk and lunch before returning to the air conditioning on board for a well-earned rest. We ventured out to do a big shop up and after lunch at a fantastic bakery we returned to Jemmaroo and stowed all the goodies. We caught the local bus into the centre of Thessaloniki (a half hour ride for 90 centimes) and found it to be a lovely city, much cleaner and greener than Athens, so we found a bar for a couple of drinks then went to a recommended fish restaurant on the waterfront for dinner which was fantastic. We caught the bus back and declared the expedition well worth it.
On Tuesday 30 August we untied our lines around 9am and headed off for what I thought was Platamonas but Graeme thought was Katerini both of which were on the eastern coast of the mainland south of Thessaloniki. We had lunch and a swim and decided to do the extra 20 miles to Platamonas as it would make the distance to the Northern Sporades much easier. After anchoring around 7.15pm we pulled out the electric BBQ and had baby kid chops, pork sausages and the works.
We had planned to anchor off Damoukhari further south but it was not viable so we carried on to Skiathos, one of the Northern Sporades, where we anchored in Ormos Koukounaries, a lovely bay with a sandy beach covered with umbrellas, fizz boats, skiers, jet skis and swimmers. It is considered to be one of the best beaches in Greece and they come across from the mainland to play. We anchored and watched the sport as we knew they would all be leaving and we would have a quiet night, after a great swim that is. The next day we up-anchored at 10.30am and moved a whole three miles further east to another bay called Ormos Platania which was a little bigger than Koukounaries for a lunch pick and a swim before heading around to the main town of Skiathos and tied up Med style to the pontoon. It was incredible as about 200 metres away was the approach to the airport runway over the bay and planes got very low. It was a lovely town and we had a great dinner on shore.
Next was the island of Skopelos and we anchored in a bay on the southern coast called Ormos Stafilos. We decided to give Skopelos town a miss and moved on to the island of Alonnisos where we anchored in a bay adjacent to the main town of Patitiri called Rousoumi. It was very peaceful and we had a couple of swims before dinghying into Patitiri to organise Mykola’s ferry ticket back to Thessaloniki to pick up his car and drive back to Ukraine. There was some weather coming so we decided to move around to Patitiri and went onto the wall directly off the main street.
The next morning Graeme decided to straighten up Jemmaroo relative to the wall so we up-anchored to find that we were under a local’s anchor chain which we picked up. The local was bouncing and screaming but we got it off and decided to go on the main wall where there was now room. We set the anchor well out and backed up and although it was fine, a roll enters the bay and you jerk and lurch which is quite uncomfortable but we were safe enough. Mykola left around 5.20pm on the ferry to go back to Ukraine. He had been on tenterhooks constantly reading reports about what was going on at home so we waved him off and had dinner on shore. The meltemi had set in so we decided to stay albeit unhappily with the motion on the wall but everyone was in the same boat. The next day Graeme, Jack and I caught the bus up to the Hora (Old Town) and had a look around. It was blowing strongly out to sea and we returned to Jemmaroo around 2pm to discover one of the mooring ropes had rubbed through with the jerking action. Someone had come on board and retied it but in the process damaged the passerole. Graeme fixed as much as he could and we retied and straightened up – all a bit of a drama.
The next morning we left the wall at Patitiri on Alonnisos with great relief around 8.15am. We were so tired of the lurching
26
CIRCUMNAVIGATING THE AEGEAN
and jerking as the roll continued. All was fine with the anchor and out we went. We put out the small headsail in 20-25 knots from the north east which was a following sea and set out for the east coast of the island of Evia to a bay with a double breakwater making an outer basin called Kimi. The passage took us just over four hours and we were very happy to be in the calmer waters of the southern basin where we anchored very securely in mud in six metres. It was still blowing strongly but we were happy and safe so had a peaceful night. The meltemi was still blowing with no respite so we stayed put for another day and, weather permitting, decided to move the following day to the island of Andros.
We motored down to Andros and anchored on the western coast at a lovely bay called Batsi. From Andros we motored across to Siros where we anchored at Finikas, a very pretty town, on the south western coast. The island of Serifos was our next port of call and we anchored in a two-headed bay in the south called Ormos Koutala. It was breathless and a swim was required followed by spag bol on board. The meltemi came in again so we stayed put for another day.
A beautiful bay on the western coast of Snifnos called Ormos Vathi was next where the swimming was great. There were soon 20+ boats in the bay and we went ashore for drinks around 5.30pm which slowly turned into dinner. By this time in our trip we were slowing down and decided to stay another day. Graeme had a long phone conference so Jack and I up anchored and set off towards Paroika on the island of Paros, a lovely town and one of our favourite spots. The breeze had finally gone around to the south but it was mild so the anchorage was fine. We had a walk around town and booked in for dinner at Dionysis, a fabulous restaurant, and as usual, it was very special. You meet all sorts of people on these adventures and we were befriended by a group of ladies from the United States who were sitting at the table next to us so we had a great natter.
The following day Jack had a yen for grilled octopus so into town we went again to fulfil his needs and on the way back passed a catamaran with a New Zealand couple and their friends on board and had a chat. Graeme was keen to see if our AIS system was working as we could see other boats but get no response when we call and yep, it’s not transmitting so there is a glitch somewhere. We organised to meet up with the Rukus crew from the catamaran for dinner and had a great time chatting to them.
There was a bit of weather coming so we left around 10am bound for Skinnousa and then Amorgos to beat the weather as much as we could. We ended up at a bay called Ormos Livadhi on Iraklia instead as it was more protected and there were several others anchored. It was great in the southwesterly and made for a peaceful night. We made our way east to Amorgos and anchored at Ormos Kalotiri in the lee of
a small island called Nisos Nikouria. It was very pleasant with the southerly blowing and we were soon joined by a small elite cruise ship. Next came Levitha or as we call it, Goat Island. Jack practised picking up and tying up to the mooring and we finally settled. We decided not to go up to the farmhouse for dinner as the walk back in the dark is quite treacherous so we just paid the mooring fee to Manoula, the seventh generation farmer whose family owns the island.
We had now definitely slowed down and set off for Kalymnos, the island to the south of Leros, to Vorio Bay and an anchorage called Emporios where you pick up a coloured buoy paired to one of the restaurants which you are expected to frequent. The bay is well protected and the moorings were soon all taken so we did the right thing and obliged. The fridge needed emptying so we stayed another night and ate on board.
The weather was not playing the game properly so we decided to go straight into Lakki to our marina and slowly put Jemmaroo to bed. We spent several days relaxing, winding down and cleaning up before she went up on the hard and did some touring around the island of Leros including visiting their excellent War Museum. Jack made his way back to Athens via Kos to connect with his flight but due to unforeseen events missed it and Graeme and I found him at the airport where he managed to organise alternative flights home. Jemmaroo is safely esconsed on the hard at Leros Marina and we told them we will be back in July 2023.
We successfully circumnavigated the Aegean visiting 23 islands and the northern coast of Greece covering some 1150 nautical miles over 54 days.
Gay Footer
27
CIRCUMNAVIGATING THE AEGEAN
Map of our trip
The Tug backing in to pick up Jemmaroo at the marina
On Saturday 19 August, the CYCSA Fishing Association, in collaboration with the Social Activities Committee, hosted the 2023 Seafood Spectacular in the new Mariners area. Following on from last year’s event we were challenged with how to make this occasion as good or better than last year’s. Our focus was therefore on how to provide guests with an even greater seafood experience using local South Australian produce.
On arrival, guests were served with a welcome glass of Prosecco before being ushered into the dining room which was modified for the occasion. The room was presented in great style with tables lined up for the length on the window facing the marina and bounded on the opposite side by a massive white sheer curtain providing a stunning atmosphere.
Following a brief welcome by FAC chairperson, Peter Schembri, the evening commenced with American seafood chowder and Kinkawooka mussels, followed by diver sea scallops with cauliflower and ginger crumb. The finale of grilled Spencer Gulf King pawns wrapped in pancetta was devoured rapidly by all. On looking back over the courses, I have to say my stand-out favourite was the sea scallops… the cauliflower and ginger crumb was fantastic.
As the food service was underway, Fishing Association member Glen Simpson hosted a ‘creatures of the sea’ identification quiz. This kept people busy for a good while, as some species pictured appeared out of this world and certainly weren’t the sort of thing you would expect to catch on any local fishing trip. As more wine was consumed, the answers became more creative which added to the fun.
Two lucky guests were the recipients of our door prizes. I would like to thank the Club for providing a hospitality voucher and Southern Fishing Charters for a full day fishing charter voucher. We then awarded prizes for the three most successful tables in the quiz.
After a delectable dessert of Venetian chocolate and hazelnut torte, Chef Camillo Crugnale was welcomed with great applause from the guests. Camillo spoke briefly about the food and how it was all sourced locally, expressing his delight in showcasing the style and quality of food that is presented at Mariners Ristorante. A special thank you is needed for the following volunteers: Vadis Rodato, Glen Simpson, Giorgi Gauci, and my wife Tina, along with staff Orlando Bagnara, Camillo Crugnale and their teams for making it a great night.
Peter Schembri CYCSA Fishing Association Chair
28
Photos by Giuseppe Silvestro
CYCSA FISHING ASSOCIATION AWARDS
Do you have a great fishing story to tell that’s not just another ‘fishing’ story? Well here is your chance to prove to all your mates that your story is a winner!
Send in a photograph with your catch and a few details such as where and when you caught your beauty, fish species and size, and you could win your name on the CYCSA Fishing Association perpetual awards board and a personalised trophy to take home and prove to your mates once and for all that you really did catch the big one!
There are four categories of awards, with the largest fish or biggest haul taking out honours each year.
• Whiting
• Snapper
• Game Fish
• Scale Fish
Entries supported with a photograph of your catch and some details as described above will put you in the running for a chance to win like these happy anglers in years gone by.
Please submit your entry to reception@cycsa.com.au or via the online submission form, by no later than 30 November 2023. Oh and you can enter as many times as you like, in fact, multiple entries are encouraged. Awards will be announced and presented at the CYCSA All Associations Christmas Bash in December. For more information: cycsa.com.au/fishing-trophy-awards/
Good luck drowning a cockle or two and tight lines!
PS. Keep an eye out in future editions of Groundswell for information regarding some great fishing charters we are organizing for 2024.
Vadis Rodato FAC Member
29 FISHING ASSOCIATION UPDATE CYCSA MARINE ACADEMY - NEW COURSE DATES OUT NOW Learn to Sail | Powerboating | Navigation | Boating Safety Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia | 08 8248 4222 F or more information: cycsa.com.au/training
This is another in the series of articles aimed at providing you with an insight into new boats and other boats of interest at the Club. Contact Patricia Catley through the Club if you are interested in having your boat featured here.
In 2010 French builder Dufour Yachts added a sparkling new 40-footer to its range of Umberto-Felci designed performance cruisers. One of the newly built yachts was delivered to Sydney for CYCSA member Richard Harries and his wife Julia.
On the arrival of the boat in Sydney Richard and his oldest son Dylan, together with the dealer Jason Antill and friend Ian Thompson, sailed her to Adelaide. The journey took eight days and was the first offshore trip for both Richard and Dylan. There were no dramatic incidents and by the time the boat arrived at North Haven, both father and son were acclimatised to their new vessel. The CYCSA was chosen as the home for Julia because Richard finds the Club full of friendly people who are happy to help out and share their experiences. He says the Club is an egalitarian place which remains one of the attractions.
Built in La Rochelle, France, the Dufour 405 has proved to be an easy vessel to handle under sail. A lot of thought has been put into the basic and essential elements of cruising under sail, so yachts like Julia rightly deserve to be popular with coastal and offshore cruisers alike. Julia, a Dufour 405GL, which means Grand Large, has a beam of 3.98m, her draft is 2.07m and LOA is 12.17m. The Dufour 405GL won European boat of the year in 2010 under the family cruising category.
Julia has a Volvo Penta D55 50HP engine with a three blade folding prop. This has been upgraded from the standard 40HP and 2 blade prop to ensure she moves easily in both light and heavy seas. Below deck is well ventilated, has standing headroom and is perfect for entertaining. There are three cabins to sleep six people and two heads. The linear galley includes a microwave, two burner gas stove and oven, a top loading two door 12v fridge freezer and a dedicated navigation station. Opposite is the saloon with seating around a table. The sloop rig on Julia has a cockpit area with teak and a wide walk on transom entry. There is a securely fixed drop-leaf table with grab handles in the cockpit to make moving around easy. Two wheels ensure the helmsman has full control and is protected from bad weather by fully enclosed cockpit covers.The adjustable backstay is split and the traveller fixed on the coach roof. There is a crash bulkhead, wide davits for the inflatable on the stern and three solar panels that provide 525 watts of power. Raymarine Axiom instruments and displays include a Quantum Doppler radar, AIS, 400 AH lithium battery, 2 KV inverter and jet thrusters.
Richard named the boat after his wife Julia and was purchased as a family cruiser. Richard admits it was his first keel boat and he didn’t really know what he was doing. But with the assistance of club members Rod Hunter, Mike McGlinchey, Peter Lucas and many more they evolved into twilight racing and then progressed into competitive racing. Over the years Julia has had successes in PHS and AMS handicaps, winning the AMS state titles in Division 2 in 2016. That same year Julia was overall Port Lincoln race winner on PHS and 4th overall in AMS. She also won other races and picked up a few trophies. Richard and wife Julia have now started cruising in gulf waters. The Yorke Peninsular, Kangaroo Island and Sir Joseph Banks group are some favourites.
Julia recently had a refit with new standing rigging, updated electronics and addition of a radar. The addition of lithium batteries, genset, removable inner forestay, a staysail, jet thrusters and crash bulkheads are all in preparation for some longer cruising, hopefully to Tasmania and the east coast. Once they have both retired, Richard and Julia will set off on some new adventures.
Before owning Julia, Richard’s sailing experience was limited to occasional recreational dinghy sailing. His parents introduced him to sailing in Scotland, enrolling him in a short sailing school course. He remembers that it was very cold! When they settled in Adelaide his parents bought a dinghy for Richard and his brother and they sailed off Snowdens Beach. Their parents felt not too much could go wrong in the river. Richard’s brother had him crew a Cherub that he’d bought, and Richard subsequently owned a 420 for a short time. However, he found capsizing less and less fun so started looking for a more stable platform leading to the purchase of Julia.
Following successes in Division 2 racing, Richard wanted to step up to Division 1 and offshore racing, so in 2018 with two Julia crew members Brett Brown and Ian Metcalf, they formed a syndicate and purchased Magic, a Mumm 36. She was out of Pittwater and had been the small boat part of the Dutch team that won an Admirals Cup in the 90s. With the help of Rob Human and an enthusiastic crew they had great fun racing her. They had some successes, winning a number of series including the SA Offshore Championship. In 2019 Magic was stage winner of the Adelaide to Port Lincoln race, coming second in the overall results to Ichi Ban. Subsequently she was awarded Boat of the Year 2019.
Following their success they sold Magic to CYCSA member Mike Holmes, and the boat continues to race. Apart from Twilight racing on Mike McGlinchey's Northshore 38 Ruffian, Richard now concentrates on cruising with Julia (his wife). Their club member friends often refer to Julia (the boat) as the Pretty French Caravan, and the more she is set up for cruising, the more the description fits.
I wish you many happy cruising days ahead Richard and Julia and hope you will share your adventures and experiences with Club members via Groundswell.
Pat Catley
30 BOATS AT THE CLUB
Synergy is a sailing vessel belonging to Mark Hutton who has been a CYCSA Board member since 2020. She is a Bavaria 40 Cruiser, built of fibreglass in the Bavaria factory in Germany and first launched in January 2009. Mark feels a person never truly owns a boat but is the custodian who loves and cares for it until the next person comes along. He has been caring for Synergy since May 2013 and still enjoys sailing her either solo or with crew.
Synergy has a beam of 3.99 metres, LOA is 12.7 metres and a draft of 1.75 metres. Down below the accommodation is well proportioned with six berths, two doubles in the quarter berths and the owner’s double in the forward V-berth. There is also a single in the saloon if a good friend needs to sleep over. The galley is linear style opposite the saloon with a navigation station to the side. One head is off the main cabin and a second in the ensuite in the owner’s quarters. A reliable Volvo D2-40hp diesel engine is insulated under the companionway stairs. Raymarine instruments give wind speed and direction, boat speed, depth and include a chart plotter. It wasn’t a surprise for Mark to discover that after 14 years new sails were needed. The originals had reached the end of their useful life so new Elvestrom sails were purchased to bring the boat back to perfect.
On deck two wheels enable easy sailing and allow room for the crew and guests to move around. The boarding platform at the stern can be lowered and raised with ease for those hot days and warm nights when a swim while at anchor is inviting. It also makes stepping aboard easier when the boat is reversed into the marina. However, she is normally berthed bow in so Joy, Mark’s wife, can read a book in the cockpit and watch the dolphins swim past. The main is on the boom with slab reefing. In the late 70s Mark worked in the North sail loft at Binks marine with Ken O’Brien but his love for the water began when he sailed with his father Mal in a Mirror dinghy that they built together when Mark was a youngster. They raced for several years at the Brighton and Seacliff Yacht Club. Mal continued sailing dinghies while Mark progressed to off-the-beach and small keel boats. As with most things in life, time spent sailing was restricted by work. In 2006 Mal bought a small keel boat named Out of Nowhere. She is a Bavaria 30 cruiser that remains at the Club and is berthed directly opposite Synergy. Mal had the 30 foot boat for several years before deciding to move to something bigger and that’s when Synergy came into their life as the family vessel.
Synergy was named by Mark’s father when he first purchased the boat at the Sydney Boat Show in 2008, arriving in Adelaide in January 2009. Mal had both shoulders reconstructed and not wanting to destroy the good work on the boat, they sourced powered hydraulic winches for the primary and mainsheet winches. These were purchased at the Boat Show from Allen Hutton who is no relation. The Hutton ARCO
company were very helpful and continue to supply parts for many older winch brands such as Barlow or Barient. When Synergy was delivered to the CYCSA Mark assisted with fitting the power winches. This enabled Mal to enjoy racing her in Division 2, both inshore and offshore, and competed in many Adelaide to Port Lincoln races.
At the time Mark was racing on other boats, predominantly on Andrew Saies’ boats True North and then Two True where Mark was the primary bowman for many years. The highlight was when Two True won the 2009 Sydney to Hobart with Mark as bowman. Andrew Saies was also named Ocean Racer of the Year and celebrations were high.
At the end of the 2012/13 season Mal was having difficulty with racing and put Synergy on the market. Mark wanted to keep the boat in the family so purchased her with the berth. He and his Dad sailed together along the Adelaide coastline whenever the opportunity arose. Sadly Mal passed away in 2019 and his ashes were scattered at the westerly windward mark at the Brighton and Seacliff Yacht Club where they had spent many frustrating Saturday afternoons battling the tide and wind to round the mark. Mark still sails down the coast to the Brighton and Seacliff Yacht Club single handed in memory of his dad. Racing is now limited to the Twilights on Wednesday afternoons during the summer months. Mark considers it a good mental activity and enjoys taking out any new potential sailors who turn up looking for an experience. A race on Synergy is a good way to introduce someone to sailing.
Joy isn’t keen on sailing but enjoys Synergy as a holiday house on the water where she can relax on deck while the boat is tied up securely whether at North Haven or Port Vincent. One Christmas and New Year Joy drove the car and ferried to Kangaroo Island while Mark and a friend sailed Synergy to Kingscote where the friend’s parents live. He disembarked and Joy joined Mark on the boat which was anchored off Island Beach. All was well until a northerly came through and the constant flapping kept them awake. He put Joy ashore to take the car to American River while Mark motored Synergy around and picked up a mooring. Mark sailed on Matador for the New Year Ballast Head Cup after which Joy returned home by car via the ferry. Mark was left to sail back to North Haven single handed in a bumpy 25-30 knots from the south. It was quite a ride, but Mark and Synergy handled it well.
Mark is a valued member at the CYCSA. As well as being on the Board he has recently gained his Yachtmaster Offshore certification and will soon be joining the Marine Academy as a Cruising Instructor. I wish you well for the adventures still to come Mark.
Pat Catley
31 BOATS AT THE CLUB
Whilst the Social Activities Association (SAC) has held quite a few very successful Italian Nights over the past few years, this year’s Italian Night held on Saturday 15 July was just phenomenal. Tension and excitement were building, ticket sales were fabulous and we were all getting a sense that the event was going to be spectacular - and it was in many ways. The event sold out early at 218 guests.
The décor in the Horizons Room was like walking into a little trattoria somewhere in Italy. The tables were beautifully decorated by the committee complete with two bottles of Koonowla wine and in typical Italian style, the ladies received Baci chocolates on arrival.
The culinary journey started with an array of very appetising antipasto entrée platters, followed by mains of lasagna, chicken and mushroom rigatoni pasta, arancini and salads, then of course Chef’s Tiramisu served with gelato. Everything was deliciously prepared by Chef Camillo and his team. Oh, and let’s not forget the Limoncello.
The highlight of the evening was a guest appearance by Henry Olonga. Perhaps most popularly known for his sporting career, Henry has taken a quantum leap from Test Cricketer to an International Opera Singer. Henry was also a contestant on the Voice in 2019. His voice certainly came through on the evening - the room came alive, cheering with a standing ovation to Henry’s Nessun Dorma. Our annual entertainers, Angelo and Vince had a crowded dance floor.
An Italian inspired ceremonial birthday cake for the Club’s Jubilee 50th Birthday was cut by Jacqueline Heffernan and Dominic Rinaldi whilst a chorus of Happy Birthday in a mixed rendition of English and Italian was sung with allegro.
Our thanks go to management and the administration staff, in particular Mellissa, Head Chef Camillo and his brigade, Orlando the Functions Manager, Haresh the Bar and Bistro Manager along with the Hospitality team.
We thank Jim Rinaldi from Stellar Solutions, for his many years of sponsorship and support of this event along with thanks to Nick George, George Family Winegrowers and Koonowla Wines.
I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the Social Activities Committee for their incredibly hardworking, caring, fun loving and dedicated time just to make it all happen.
So, what will the Social Activities Committee get up to next year for entertainment? You’ll have to come along to see.
A reminder, the Italian Night function is an event held to assist the Social Committee to raise funds for the Children’s Christmas and Easter celebrations, which are free events for members’ children and grandchildren. Italian Night was fantastic. Until next year... Ciao.
Giorgina Gauci Social Activities Chair
32 SOCIAL ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATION
As we look forward to the end of winter many of the cruising fraternity are planning adventures for Spring and beyond. The second Saturday Club BBQs have been well attended even on cold and wet evenings proving the idea to have them continue through the whole year a success. The Club BBQ is a great time to share stories and ideas about all things boating related.
Port Vincent has been a popular destination over winter and will be sure to get busier once the weather improves. Keep an eye on the CYCSA Cruising Facebook group and the North Haven Marine cruising destination whiteboard located in the BBQ area for planned events and Club specials.
Our Boating Conversations sessions have been extremely well supported by our cruising group and Roger and Di’s recent presentation was no exception. Thanks to Rod Hunter for continuing on with his great initiative.
For many years Charlesworth Nuts has been a supporter of the Cruising Association. Their generosity and good spirit has enabled many initiatives around the CYCSA and the Port Vincent Marina. The recent installation of the Port Vincent clubroom heaters is an example of their goodwill. On behalf of our Club members, thank you. Safety at sea can never be taken for granted, and we would like to thank Club sponsor Cellmed for raising awareness by demonstrating the importance of having a defibrillator onboard our boats. By having access to a defibrillator pack, the chance of survival increases significantly - a potential lifesaving benefit before help arrives, as every minute counts! Cellmed has offered Club members a defibrillator suitable for the marine environment at a heavily discounted price. Thanks Harvey.
The South Australian Marine Mooring Network committee (SAMMN) continue to lobby the State Government for a public mooring pilot project – its time! In September a submission to fund (9-15) public moorings predominately located around Kangaroo Island will be submitted to The SA Boating Facility Advisory Committee (SABFAC). This is a positive step forward initiating a safety network throughout South Australian waters.
Since 1996 blue water boats have contributed to the SA Marine Facilities Levy that has predominately funded boat ramps and jetties. South Australia is the last state not to have a government funded public mooring network. The CYCSA funds and maintains nine mooring buoys over on the Yorke Peninsula in Edithburgh, Stansbury and Black Point. Please refer to the CYCSA website for additional information.
The recent public mooring meeting held on Friday 11 August at the RSAYS was well represented. We are grateful for those in attendance which demonstrated to the Department of Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) that we as a community of blue water cruisers ask for equity and fairness in the state funding allocation. I would like to thank the SAMMN committee for their dedication - in particular Mark Hutton and Darren Harvey (CYCSA), David Eldridge (RSAYS) and Ben Knobben (GYC) who continue to advocate on our behalf.
The Cruising Association has had a positive and fun year with club events and member participation. The Cruising Association committee will be seeking members to nominate at the All Associations AGM, please let me know if you are interested. Happy and safe cruising.
Marty Heffernan Chair, Cruising Association
33 CRUISING ASSOCIATION UPDATE
MARINA EAST NORTH HAVEN
CYCSA Marina East has berthing for 240 vessels up to 22 metres and 150 hardstanding berths up to 12 metres.
(Note: ‘s’ denotes single berth, ‘tw’ denotes twin berth and ‘T’ denotes berth at T Head). All prices include GST.
BERTHS FOR SALE - MARINA EAST
8m s: C01 - reduced $25,000 ONO
8m tw: F01, F02 - from $35,000, C11 - $35,000 all offers considered
C13 - $33,000, C02 - $22,000 all offers considered
C07 - all offers considered
10m tw: A09, A10, A14, A22, A34, A40, F04 - from $30,000
A17, A18 - $20,000 each, suits catamaran, all reasonable offers considered, F14 - $30,000 all offers considered
A28, F09, F19, F28 - all offers considered, F22 - $19,750
F18 - $20,000, A20, F26 - reduced to $20,000, A29 $18,000
F34 - reduced to $12,000, F36 - reduced to $10,000
A31, A32 - $10,000 all reasonable offers considered
A27, A37 - reduced to $9,000 all offers considered
10m s: A03, A12 - from $73,000, A05 $35,000 all offers considered
A25 - all offers considered
11m tw: A41 - $35,000, A42 - $25,000 all offers considered,
C16 - $25,000
12m tw: D20, D35, D36 - from $29,000, D28 - $35,000 all offers considered, D38 - reduced, all offers considered
D37, E13 - all offers considered
E26, E27 - $35,000 all offers considered
12m s: D08, D17, E07, E10 – from $60,000
D04, D21, E03, E04, E05, E22, E23 - all offers considered
D07, D18 - reduced to $60,000 all offers considered
E01 - reduced to $55,000 all offers considered
D30 - reduced to $40,000 neg, D23 - reduced to $40,000
E32 - $30,000 all offers considered
13m tw: C23 - reduced to $40,000 all offers considered
A44 - reduced to $35,000 all offers considered
13m s: D40 - $60,000
14m s: C24 - $120,000, C27 - $95,000 ono, C25 - all offers considered
15m s: C35 - from $145,000, B32 - $125,000 all offers considered
A47 - $80,000 urgent sale, all offers considered,
B31, B36 - all offers considered, B26 - $115,000
16m s: B17 - $160,000 ono/all offers considered, B20 - $159,000
B16 - $110,000 all offers considered, B22 - $150,000 all offers considered, B18 - $120,000 all offers considered, B15 all offers considered
20m s: A49 - $120,000 urgent sale, all offers considered
HARDSTANDS FOR SALE
9m: H22, H70, H63, H55 - from $3,500, HS10$10,000
10m: H108 - $10,000, all offers considered
12m: H124 - $8000, H05 - $10,000
MARINA WEST NORTH HAVEN
It is the larger berths that make Marina West appealing to many potential buyers. Berths range from 11m to 35m, (Note: all berths in Marina West are single berths).
BERTHS FOR SALE - MARINA WEST
11m: M01 - all offers considered
M03 - reduced to $60,000 all offers considered suitable for a catamaran
14m: M07 - $120,000 all offers considered
15m: N03 - reduced to $100,000 - offers invited M08 - all offers considered
17m: J19, J20 - from $150,000, J09 - $100,000
J08, J10 - all offers considered
20m: K04, K07, K08, L02 – from $135,000
K01, K05 - all reasonable offers considered
K10 - all offers considered
25m: M14 - $290,000
27m: M16 - all offers considered
30m: K16 - $475,000
BERTHS FOR SALE AT PORT VINCENT MARINA
10m tw: A01, A02, A05, A18, A22, A23 - from $15,000
12m tw: B32 - $25,000 all offers considered
B33, C53, C63 - from $28,000, B29 $25,000
C60 Reduced to $20,000,
B34, B40, C61 all offers considered
12m s: B44, C47 - from $29,000, B25 $25,000 all offers considered, C68 $20,000 all offers considered
B46 Reduced to $15,000
14m s: D70, D78 - from $45,000, D77, D79 - offers invited
15m s: D84 $39,000, D87 all offers considered
20m T: A12, B35 - $200,000
24m T: C58 - all offers considered
All berth sales and leasing enquiries to Eryn:
Ph: (08) 8248 4222 | berthing@cycsa.com.au
Information correct at time of printing and is subject to change
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Inese Lainis Racing Administrator
Nick Bice Managing Director, AMBIDA Commodore, CYCSA
