Groundswell May 2016

A r e g u l a r J O UR N A L f r o m t h e C r u i s i n g Y ac h t C l u b o f So u t h A u s t r a l i a

groundswell M Ay 2016

Board of Management President Treasurer

Andrew Saies Chris Wood Wayne Coonan Peter Hall David Murray Glenn Spear Sam Tolley

Flag Officers Commodore Vice Commodore Rear Commodore

Geoff Boettcher Rowland Richardson Jacqueline Heffernan

Staff Chief Executive Officer Craig Evans Admin & Ops Manager Jenny Krogdahl Finance Manager Marina Segodina Comms & Member Services Mellissa Vahoumis Leasing Coordinator Kirsty Winstone Receptionist Andrea Boylon Marine Academy Coord Matthew Young Racing Manager Michael Tozer Food & Bev Manager Mario Cataldi Head Chef Matt Semba Port Vincent Marina Rob Marner Association Chairpersons Cruising Adrian Wotton Fishing Trevor Paynter Racing Rob Sellick Social Pam Humeniuk Life Members Arthur F Carolan Geoffrey R Catt Richard H Fidock AO Graeme L Footer John D Gerard James A Henry (Dec’d) Malcolm A Kinnaird AC (Dec’d) Peter J Page

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CONTENTS 4 club management

CEO Craig Evans keeps us up to date with Club news.

5 the Board

Club President Andrew Saies tells of the recent CEO review and the proposed patio redevelopment.

18 16 come fishing

Fishing Association members and friends get together for fishing and a BBQ lunch.

18 Tassie Team Sail Around Tasmania Club yachties use their retirement time for an exciting journey.

Editors of Groundswell Gay Footer, Mellissa Vahoumis, Owen Mace, Terry Lockwood, Trevor Paynter Contributions to reception@cycsa.com.au

6 from the flags

Commodore Geoff Boettcher shares the love amongst members and their Club activities.

21 new boats to the club

Advertising in Groundswell Mellissa Vahoumis: Telephone 08 8248 4222

7 marine academy

23 First Aid on Board

Groundswell is the official journal of the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia Inc. Lady Gowrie Drive, North Haven PO Box 1020 North Haven SA 5018 Telephone: 08 8248 4222 Facsimile: 08 8248 5888 Email: reception@cycsa.com.au Web: www.cycsa.com.au Phone Port Vincent: 0414 611 110 Registered by Australia Post Publication No PP565001/00184 ISSN 1039-4230 Graphic design by Trevor Paynter Printed by Newstyle Printing

Matt Young looks to the coming winter season.

8 club management

Craig Evans provides a look at the completed and planned refurbishment of Marina East.

10 racing roundup

Michael Tozer presents his report and a look at recent Regattas and Championships.

13 Easter Cruising

Our boats head out for local waters and acknowledge the Charlesworth Nuts’ sponsorship of the CA.

15 fishing for tuna Cover Photo: Port Lincoln Regatta Week racing Photo courtesy of Fran Solly

Take 2 Photography Fran’s other race photos appear on pages 28-33.

Adriano Cisternino finally had luck smiling upon him as he “strikes gold”.

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Sea Pay, Cool Change and Strange Brew.

Owen Mace makes good sense about safety on board our boats.

24 Crabbing Day

Good weather, lots of crabs and a great day for members and friends.

26 Adelaide to Coffin Bay

Alan Noble goes west “where the wind took us”.

28 Adelaide to Lincoln Race

A highlight of the racing calendar year for SA yachties culminating in Port Lincoln Regatta Week.

34 APC king of the Gulf Regatta

Thirty yachts join in a series of races.

also in this issue

35 Berth sales and leasing.

35 Club Sponsors.

Work on site is scheduled to commence in June and completion expected prior to the busy boating season. During the construction phase it will be ‘business as usual’ with the restaurant and function room operating as normal, albeit with a temporary bar set-up. The Club’s BBQ area will be utilised as our ‘patio’ operation over the building program and again be serviced with a temporary bar when required. At times when we are trading in the BBQ area the usual ability to BYO alcohol will not be permitted during service hours.

At the Helm

The CYCSA recently had a video created to promote the Club’s hospitality area for functions and corporate events. We are very pleased with the final product which can be viewed on our website and Facebook page. The ad is also being shown at local cinemas and television is being considered. Our recent Facebook promotion resulted in a reach of over 22,000 people in its first week and resulted in a number of enquiries.

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he summer boating season for 2015/ 2016 was very busy with great racing fleet sizes and plenty of activity with power boats and cruising yachts. The racing season was capped off with an outstanding Premier’s Cup event. This year the event was expanded to include ‘off the beach’ (OTB) classes racing from the Largs Bay Sailing Club. The combined event named the Premier Adelaide Regatta also included the State Youth Championships and the presentation back at the CYCSA saw several hundred competitors, family and friends attending and it was encouraging to see so many junior sailors present. Many of the juniors got the opportunity to see large yachts close up for the first time thanks to several skippers who provided access. Next year will be the 40th anniversary of the first Premier’s Cup event, an event that was the CYCSA’s inaugural regatta that bought together keelboats and OTB classes from around the state. This year we started to bring some of the original ‘buzz’ back and plans are underway to make the 40th anniversary an event to be remembered.

Work continues with the refurbishment and replacement of pontoons in Marina East. Progress is steady and a full update on work completed to date and proposed for the balance of the calendar year is featured in an article in this edition of Groundswell.

In the first week of May 2016 I attended the Australian Yacht and Motor Boat Club Managers Forum held in Melbourne. The Group that I helped establish along with Sandringham Yacht Club CEO Richard Hewitt around five years ago has grown and we now have approximately 60 yacht clubs involved from around Australia and also New Zealand, Papua, Hong Kong and Canada. The Forum, held bi-annually, provides an opportunity for yacht club managers to exchange ideas, discuss issues relating to our industry and network. It provides us with information to make sure that the CYCSA remains one of the premier yacht clubs in the country. Guest speakers present various topics on marina management, yachting, sports management, IT, marketing, benchmarking and other important areas associated with our operations.

As a Club we acknowledge that we do not have our own junior and youth fleet racing. It has been considered many times however our aim is to assist OTB clubs where we can rather than directly compete. The CYCSA has forged a great relationship with the Largs Bay Sailing Club and together we will host the Opti Nationals this coming summer. This event will be huge and involve over 300 boats. The CYCSA is also a strong supporter of SA Secondary Schools Inter-School Sailing and we assist the local team from Ocean View College that recently competed in the State Inter-School Championships in Ceduna. The CYCSA is now the new home of the Adelaide University Sailing Club (AUSC) and a ‘memorandum of understanding’ between our clubs has been signed. The AUSC invites university students from UniSA and Flinders to join their club and we hope to see many of these sailors integrating with life at the CYCSA and also competing on our boats as they prepare for interuniversity championships.

Our Marine Academy has had a solid year of operation with many new students undertaking courses and the effort to convert students into members has been positive. Over the past year a great deal of effort has been made to improve assets and also our number and depth of instructors to address some of the previous problems the Academy has suffered. The lack of qualified instructors in SA has been both limiting and frustrating for both the Club and students from time to time. Several of our instructors have been busy preparing for their Royal Yachting Association accreditation as Cruising and Yachtmaster Instructors and they will be tested within the next month by interstate examiners. If successful we will have more qualified instructors which will allow us to offer more courses that will hopefully get more people into boating and improve our bottom line and membership numbers.

There have been a number of changes and improvements recently made in the Club’s hospitality area and members are supporting our new trading days and hours. The kitchen is now open for lunch and dinner from Thursday through to Sunday and breakfast both Saturday and Sunday morning. This increases our meal service by adding new new dining sessions. A number of specials are currently being offered to establish these times so please support the Club and come and dine. Our kitchen team has grown with with the addition of an Apprentice, Adriana Murray, joining Head Chef Matt Semba and Second Chef Kim Tran. We welcome Adriana and wish her luck with the apprenticeship.

Craig Evans, Chief Executive Officer Commodore of the Adelaide University Sailing Club, Crispin Paintner (centre) together with AUSC Committee Member Tom Grantham presenting their new club burgee to CYCSA CEO, Craig Evans.

The Bar and Patio Upgrade project is well underway although there does not appear to be much action on site as yet. Final documentation is being completed by the architect and engineers.

New Opening Hours Breakfast Saturday and Sunday from 9am-11am

Lunch Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 12 noon | Public Holiday Mondays from 11.00am with all day Bar Menu

Dinner Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 6.00pm | Sundays from 5pm 4

From the President

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t is hard to believe we are just a few weeks off the end of another Club financial year which also marks the beginning of the winter months and quieter times at the Club.

The Racing Association held its annual Presentation Night in early May and it was good to see some new skippers, crews and yachts featuring in the major series results. A recent informal meeting of skippers from both Clubs who currently race IRC or who intend to do so was held and some good ideas put forward around programming and conduct of an IRC State Championship series for next year. It is important that our Club supports IRC as it is the international handicap system and the one used in all major regattas and offshore events in this country. AMS, while simpler to measure and less expensive to revalidate, should be seen mainly as the entry level to IRC competition and should not of itself become the handicap system of choice in our Club or State. Our Racing Association will take all this on board and I am sure they will come up with a good IRC program next season.

The Premiers Cup, held in April at the Club, was also used as a venue for YSA youth sailing championships and off the beach class regattas from the Largs Bay Sailing Club. Presentation at the CYCSA on the Sunday saw around three hundred sailors, crews and families all in attendance and gave a real atmosphere of importance to the competitors and greater value exposure to the sponsors. The Board acknowledges the efforts and initiative of Rob Sellick and the Racing Association in bringing these events into the Club for the Premiers Cup. It was great for sailing, great for food and beverage sales and great PR with our sailing neighbours and YSA administrators. Well done. The challenge for all associations is to continue to find innovative activities that are well supported by and which give value to members.

The Board has undertaken the following since my last Groundswell report:

CEO performance Review This was last undertaken about two and a half years ago and best practice is to conduct these routine reviews every two to three years. My experience has been that volunteer Boards tend to put off these reviews as they require time and effort to do well and to ensure delivery of meaningful outcomes for all parties. The Review Committee put in considerable time and effort to conduct this process. The survey framework of the previous review was again used, this time undertaken by HR firm Henders, and the review has been satisfactorily completed and accepted by the Board.

Some valuable and constructive insights into Club operations have been delivered and the Review Committee of myself, Glenn Spear and Chris Wood, along with Craig, have developed a suite of performance indicators which will deliver increased scrutiny and improved financial performance in some of our areas of operation and in others will further improve on our service to members.

Ensuring sufficient funds and cash flows for the new bar and patio upgrade has been and remains a priority. As we are about to launch into a significant upgrade of our bar and patio dining areas all parties recognise that the highest standards of food and service delivered consistently week in and week out must be achieved to match the quality of the new renovation and the expectation of members. The Board, along with Craig, will continue to work through other aspects of the Henders review which provides suggestions aimed at both reducing costs and improving financial performance.

Southern Land and Ramp Asset A small Board appointed committee of myself, Craig Evans, members David Johnson, Jo Walker and Andrew Marshall, have met to develop some very broad concepts as to how the Club might use or facilitate development of this land remembering that the long term Board strategic goal was to purchase this land as a future fund and to realise this value when and if needed to undertake other major developments such as marina or clubhouse replacement.

With the Government and the DPTI very interested and concerned about our ramp remaining open and accessible to the public, it is important the Board, on behalf of members, has an understanding of what that land might be worth under any number of possible development scenarios.

I wish to acknowledge the time and effort put in by this group so far. We are being guided by planning consultant Matt Clemow in our ongoing discussions with the Government.

Patio and Bar Redevelopment Members should be truly indebted to the time and effort being put in by this committee headed by David Murray. It represents the very best partnership between the voluntary time being put in by members who are professional experts and all work in design construction and project management and our paid contractors and consultants. Craig has also played a significant role in assisting and guiding this project. The committee has come up with an affordable, exciting and functional redevelopment and it is expected contracts will be let and signed very soon with work commencing shortly thereafter.

Sam Tolley, Geoff Boettcher and myself, with Board approval, have developed the concept of an Admirals Club. This club will be launched at a special luncheon on 3 June at the Majestic Hotel in Adelaide. Member John Culshaw has very generously donated his hotel venue and the lunch. The guest speaker is Paul Clitheroe, winner of the Rolex 2015 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race and nationally acclaimed financial advisor. All members have received invites and information about this event. For those who cannot make the lunch but would like to support the fundraising effort for the redevelopment, you can still become a member of the Admirals Club. Please contact the office for details. I ask members to give serious thought to becoming a financial member or contacting the office to discuss any other way which you may be able to assist the project. This support will really help finish off this much needed Club development.

I look forward to catching up with members at the various social events held during winter, a time of the year when most of us yachties are happy to switch a wet cold day on the water for a pleasant lunch under cover at the Club or a more formal evening at the Commodore’s Dinner.

Andrew Saies, President

NEW MEMBERS Over the last three months the following people have joined the Club.

Please make them welcome.

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Malcolm Ames Ian Sargent David Toy Marion Toy Jordan White Jack Woods Mark Hickman Craig Anderson Scott Biddle Kieran Blair

Jim Cahoon Emma Dawes Nick Ford Carolyn Harrington John Hill Edward Johnstone Leigh Peckham David Polain Anne Marie Wallage Denver Ward Dylan Flavel

Commodore’s Report

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s our sailing season has once again drawn to a close and with winter upon us I would like again to remind members to prepare their boat for harsher weather conditions. Please ensure mooring ropes are adequate, canopies, boom covers, and furled jibs are all secure and external halyards removed from masts to prevent ‘slapping’ thereby damaging your rig and annoying neighbours.

Our Combined Winter Series with RSAYS starts in May and this six race series has proved popular with 17 starters last year in AMS and PHS Divisions for most races. Let’s trust the weather offers another great series.

Our race season at the Club was very successful with close racing across all divisions. Premier’s Cup IRC Division 1 winner was Andrew Saies’ Two True, with Secret Mens Business second and Aikin third. Premier’s Cup Division 2 AMS handicap winner was Julia skippered by Richard Harries with Witch’s Thimble second and Young Einstein third. The presentation on the Sunday afternoon was enhanced by the attendance of crew and families from the YSA Youth Sailing Championships. The series was sailed out of Largs Bay Sailing Club and our Club hosted the presentation of trophies to our younger generation of champions. A great sight to see at our Club.

Our other fiercely competitive racing included the SA State Championships. Division 1 IRC winner was Secret Mens Business with Concubine second and Two True third. Division 2 AMS winner was Julia with Young Einstein second and Blue Diamond third. CYCSA boats took the first three places in IRC Division 1 and the first two positions in Division 2 AMS against the RSAYS fleet.

CYCSA yachts also took home most of the silverware in the Adelaide to Port Lincoln Race and Lincoln Week Regatta. Secret Mens Business, Marnico, Julia and Free Fallin all took out divisional wins.

The real action seems to be on the Wednesday Night Twilights. This is where the PHS fleet battle it out for ‘sheep stations’. In the pre-Christmas Series One, on most nights, saw up to 29 yachts on the water. The overall winner was Astrid skippered by John Sibly. Series Two saw up to 26 yachts in the event and the overall winner was Steve Power’s Sea Snake II. The Club twilights have become very popular with corporate guests and member’s friends being exposed to yacht racing on a casual and fun race course. The BBQ dinner has also become a highlight at the Club and it promotes a great Club atmosphere.

A reminder that the 2015 IRC rating year concludes on 31 May 2016.

Boats that were rated in 2015 and those that haven’t revalidated since 2014 can re-apply for a 2016 IRC Certificate. Read the IRC Rules before completing the online form, in particular the summary of changes from the Yearbook.

The Social Committee will be busy over the next few months with the Boat Hop, Progressive Dinner, and Quizmas in July.

Pam and the committee are an intricate part of the Club and I look forward to what they have planned for this year’s Commodore’s Dinner organised for Saturday 10 September.

Cruising boats from the Club have ventured far and wide over the summer with three yachts, Astrid, Far Star and Equanimity going to Tasmania (read their informative article on page 18 of this edition of Groundswell). Chris and Gina Wood sailed their yacht Epiphany to the Far West Coast joining up with the Rosewarne’s in Playtime. A great place for the King George Whiting and crabs with excellent shopping available from the Ceduna Foodland Supermarket. Alan Noble also sailed across to Coffin Bay in his catamaran Arriba and his article also features on page 26 of this edition of Groundswell.

Do try and join the Fishing Association’s ‘Come Fishing’ days for a great on water fishing experience followed by a Club BBQ event scheduled for July. If you haven’t access to a boat join other members on CYC1 leaving from the Eastern Marina.

A Sunday date will be advised and all details and registration forms are on the Club web site under Fishing Association.

I have been fortunate to be part of the CYCSA’s Patio Development Group consisting of David Murray, Ken Amos, Graeme Footer and Craig Evans. Again I thank these members who have given their valuable time and effort to advance this new development to an exciting stage that will see tradesmen on site in the very near future. Ashley Halliday, a Club Member, and his team of architects have designed a modern functional Patio replacement to cater for our ongoing needs. I am sure we will all be proud of the Club’s achievement when the new work is unveiled. Also a thank you to Caillin Howard and his staff from architects, Hames Sharley, for their initial innovative concept drawings.

I endorse the Board’s decision to re adopt the tax deductable voluntary donation to our Marine Academy. Details will be on your membership renewal invoice or available at our office.

The Marine Academy gained momentum from the generous donations previously received and contributions are used to ensure equipment for safety and boat training are kept current and of high standard. With the ongoing success of the Academy the reintroduction will enable our courses, including our International Certificate of Competence, to maintain their high standard. This is a voluntary donation and is the decision of the individual member to participate. Similar initiatives are used successfully interstate for the same purpose.

Geoff Boettcher, Commodore

A True Pleasure

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ebruary was a month of building relationships, where reciprocal arrangements with probably the newest yacht club in the world, The West Indies Yacht Club, Est 2015 and the oldest yacht club in the world, Royal Cork Yacht Club, Est 1720 were established.

West Indies Yacht Club Commodore Sir Thierry Waterford-Mandeville said that “it was a true pleasure to enter in a reciprocal agreement with the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia and I do hope that this friendship will flourish over the years, both on and off the water”. Sir Thierry hopes to be in Adelaide later in the year and looks forward to visiting the CYCSA and we look forward to welcoming him to our Club.

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Royal Cork Yacht Club

West Indies Yacht Club

Recreational an

d Sports Boatin

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Looking to Winter

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ith the summer season now at a close the Marine Academy is looking forward to a productive winter. The summer courses were good with many regularly running at capacity. A great amount of effort has been made to convert our students into continuing members through the initiatives of the Marine Academy Advisory Committee and some extra supportive members getting Academy 1 cruising to Port Lincoln with a group of students. More opportunities such as this are planned for our winter program to get students involved at the Club.

Academy 1 Team 2016 Back: Naomi Ebert Smith, Rob Moore. Katrina Hartman, Rob Sellick.

Front: Jean Holderness, Hugh Longbottom, Prue Hall.

Women sailors join forces to sail Club Marine/Lexus Adelaide to Port Lincoln Yacht Race and Regatta

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or the first time Academy 1 competed in the Club Marine/Lexus Adelaide to Port Lincoln Yacht Race and Regatta Week. The crew consisted mainly of women new to sailing and was a great opportunity for them to experience their first offshore race and regatta.

The women were all inspired by the recent win of the first female boat owner to win the Sydney to Hobart, Kristy Hinze-Clark on Comanche. When Kristy won the Sydney to Hobart she said it was the best thing she has ever done.

Courses are ready for winter with regular Discover Sailing, Start Yachting and Start Powerboat courses open for the public to get involved with Club activity. For members preparing for overseas charters and requiring their International Certificate of Competence (ICC) we have been particularly busy. There will also be a group of shore based theory courses soon available like Marine Radio and Day Skipper.

Standing tall and alone, implementing yacht training to South Australia continues to provide great challenges as we move forward and developing and strengthening an instructor base has been a priority for some time.

During the month of May three Marine Academy Yachtmasters will be attending a Royal Yachting Association Cruising Instructor Training course.

It will be the first time this course is held is South Australia and we hope it provides the Marine Academy with greater depth of instructors and again improves our already unrivalled dominance in providing yacht training.

Keep an eye out around the Club and on our website for upcoming courses and hopefully we will see you on the water!

Matt Young

The Adelaide crew, Naomi Ebert Smith and Katrina Hartman, were joined by female sailors Danielle Godden and Prue Hall from the Port Lincoln Yacht Club, Jean Holderness from the Lake Bonney Sailing Club. Sam Sutton and Ash Bartle from Hobson’s Bay Yacht Club in Victoria joined the team after their yacht had to turn back before reaching Cape Ottway.

Rob Sellick and Rob Moore from the CYCSA were great mentors during the race and the team would also like to thank Rod Hunter and Bill Lunn for their input prior to the race.

Sailing in the Cruising Division on the way over Academy 1 achieved a very handy second place over the line narrowly being beaten by School’s Out. During the regatta in Division Two the team managed a very creditable third place overall.

The team had huge support from the Marine Academy.

Musto Australia sponsored the team and we sincerely thank David Oliver from Musto (Adelaide) and James Meggison, Manager of Musto Australia, for their huge support. Both James and David were very excited to be aligned with the CYCSA Marine Academy and their initiative to get more women into sailing.

The success of this year’s program has ensured an ongoing commitment to provide a great experience to new members, in particular women, over the coming years.

Hugh Longbottom 7

Marina East Refurbishment

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or over a decade there have been discussions about the declining condition of Marina East and the need for its replacement. Various committees have considered the cost and staging of replacement while trying to repair and maintain the existing deteriorating marina structure. Costs to replace the entire marina with new have made that solution prohibitive and an alternative solution was required.

An extensive survey of the marina was carried out looking at all the individual berth fingers and main walkways. The survey considered the condition of all the components including the piles, pontoons, timber whalings and fixings. After some experimentation it was decided that some areas of the marina could be refurbished and new life given to the structure that would extend its life considerably. Around 18 months ago the decision was made to address the issue with a program that involves a combination of pontoon replacement and refurbishment. The planned refurbishment of Marina East is now well underway.

How do you eat an elephant? - One bite at a time. This pretty much sums up the task in front of the dedicated CYCSA property staff team assigned to this major project. Understanding the reasons why the pontoon fingers between berths are twisted and why the main walkways are uneven and move underfoot requires a good understanding of the original product that we were supplied with and an understanding of the variations in the construction and fixing methods that were used at the time. Our marina is over 30 years old and its total installation program spanned a couple of years as demand for berths warranted more being built.

We are fortunate the piles that hold the marina in place are in such good condition. The steel reinforced concrete piles have no concrete cancer but apart from that the rest of the structure has not aged well and is structurally in need of help. Surprisingly the concrete pontoons are not the main problem with the entire structure. It is the timber whalings and fixings that hold the structure together that are the main cause of the problems. Both of these components have deteriorated badly in the harsh marine environment. The timbers have rotted over the years and many are riddled with white ants and the metal fixings are rusted and unable to be easily tightened. There are two main types of metal fixings, one is a through-bolt that is a threaded rod that goes the entire way through the pontoon and the other is an inserted nylon feral and a metal bolt.

This series of photos show the process of delivery and installation of new pontoons in Marina East over the past few months.

Photos by Craig Evans

Pontoons with through-bolts are considerably easier to repair than the alternative inserted feral. The selection of which pontoons are replaced and which ones are refurbished is often determined by this factor however it is not the only consideration. Many pontoons have lost considerable amounts of concrete and regardless of the amount of work on new timber whalings or fixings it is not possible to adequately straighten these pontoons or lower them due to the increased buoyancy from the loss of concrete weight.

We have purchased specialised equipment for this project including a diamond tipped drill able to make 20mm holes through a concrete pontoon up to 1800mm wide. Floats have been constructed to secure pontoons to hold them from rolling over during refurbishment and while towing them into place with powerboats. We have invested in machinery and a dedicated workshop also and hold stock to carry out the required refurbishment. New pontoons are ordered either in lots of three or four depending on their length as the trucks transporting them from Brisbane where they are manufactured are limited to loads of around 23 ton. We have looked at having pontoons manufactured locally however the advantages do not stack up with the low manufacturing runs and the initial set-up costs.

Progress meetings are held every fortnight, short meetings on the marina occur daily and plans like the one shown in this article are produced monthly. The plan shows work completed to date and future work that is planned. The plan identifies pontoons that have been refurbished and replaced. Replaced pontoons (some may have been installed some years ago or installed as a new finger to transform double marina berths into singles) are identified with a rectangle drawn around the berth number denoting that it is a second generation pontoon.

You will note on the plan that the main linking walkway at the base of the main gangway has been completely refurbished from berth A1 through to berth F1 and the pontoon at the base of the crane wharf will be refurbished in coming months. Not shown on the plan is the work taking place along the main row walkways. Every time a new finger is installed or one refurbished the timbers and metal fixings are also replaced. When the opposing finger on the opposite side of the main walkway is refurbished or replaced that section of the main walkway will also be completed.

The attached plan shows the ‘likely’ work we are targeting to have completed by the end of 2016 however this is subject to change depending on a number of factors. Priorities have often changed throughout the program due to structural concerns that were either not previously identified or deteriorated at a greater rate than expected. We are one year into an estimated six year program and at the conclusion of the work we expect the life expectancy of the marina will be significantly increased.

Should you note any issues on the marina you think we should know about please record them in the reporting log in Reception.

Craig Evans, Chief Executive Officer

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Marina East Refurbishment/Replacement Plan - work to date and for remainder of 2016

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O

ur 2015-16 Racing Season came to an anticlimactic conclusion on 9 April with our final Coaster Series race being abandoned half-way through due to a dying breeze.

With scores tight heading into the final race, a few boats were ‘let off the hook’, having defended a determined fleet hard, before the race, and series, finally came to an end.

Twilight competitors were given the ultimate send-off to Series Two by mother nature being blessed with one last incredible sunset on an enjoyable 10 knot evening. Good performances in the final race sealed the deal for our series winners, Sea Snake II in Division Two and G-Wizz in Division One, who held off a field of consistent evening performers.

Several series’ concluded in conjunction with our season’s biggest event the Sportsmed.SA Premier’s Cup Regatta on 1-2 April. Aside from regatta points these three races also counted for the Club Inshore Series and the IRC and AMS State Championship Series.

Club Inshore Series Division One PHS came down to a count back with Doctor Feelgood and Alliance, while in Division Two PHS Young Einstein were one point victors over Witch’s Thimble. White Knight in Division One and Young Einstein in Division Two held comfortable leads over their opponents to win on AMS. White Knight also came away with the IRC win over Shining Sea who made a late charge at the title. Winning the J24 One-Design Division was Andrew Townsend.

The 2015-16 season was fair to all with mixed conditions levelling out the playing field for all boats allowing consistent performers to benefit from their ongoing participation.

We were joined by Nick Bice, Volvo Ocean Race and America’s Cup sailor, on Friday 1 April as part of the Premier’s Cup Regatta. Nick has previously been involved with the CYCSA before going on to succeeding in our sport at its most elite levels. Ninety guests enjoyed a meal and one hour presentation by Nick taking us through his career from his beginnings in Holdfast Trainers to the exciting Volvo 65 yachts – and everything else in between.

His presentation, of course, included some of his fondest memories of sailing with current and former CYCSA members. The night was well attended with guests being left in a sense of awe at, not only Nick’s achievements, but his friendly demeanour around the bar.

For those real sailors out there our winter season kicks off on 14 May starting with a Short-Handed Series race before going into our first Combined Winter Series race on15 May with a fixed mark race. Winter not only provides some of our best sailing days but is also a brilliant training ground… there’s no better training for keeping the leeward gunwale out of the water than the risk of getting a cold, wet bum!

On behalf of the CYCSA and the Racing Executive it’s been a pleasure having you all compete this season and we look forward to your participation again in winter and season 2016-17! If you have any feedback on the season past please feel welcome to send it to racing.manager@cycsa. com.au for review.

TWO TRUE POUNCES ON PREMIER’S CUP VICTORY Two True pounced on victory in this year’s Sportsmed.SA Premier’s Cup Regatta to earn Andrew Saies his fourth Premier’s Cup, joining Geoff Boettcher as being just one win away from Richard Fidock’s record five regatta wins.

Consistency was key in the victory with Two True taking out back-to-back thirds on day one and sealing the deal on day two with a second. Regatta leaders after day one, Secret Mens Business and Shining Sea, failed to put their feet down on day two, allowing Two True to opportunistically slip into first with a two point lead. Secret Mens Business held onto second place after achieving a first and a second on day one.

Third place went right down to the wire with the remaining podium position coming down to a count back between three boats. Beating Concubine and White Knight for third place was last year’s winner Aikin, sailed by Caillin Howard and David Oliver.

The defending champions also claimed a hard earned Division One AMS win for their efforts.

Two True and Secret Mens Business also claimed first and second place respectively on PHS with Shining Sea benefitting from a strong day one to end up in third overall, pipping Doctor Feelgood on count back.

Free Fallin proved dominant in their first major regatta taking out all three races on PHS to clean up Division Two and claim Steve Harrington’s first regatta win. The Division Two fleet was hotly contested with consistency hard to find, however Sea Snake II navigated the carnage well to finish in second place on 14 points. Third place again went down to the wire with Witch’s Thimble (Robin Townsend) beating brother Andrew (No Eye Deer) on count back.

Results continued to go down to the wire in Division One AMS with Aikin beating Two True by one point followed by White Knight in third. The same could be said for Division Two AMS which was won by Julia on seven points ahead of Witch’s Thimble who beat Young Einstein on count back. El Fideldo was unlucky not to earn a place falling just three points behind Julia who scored two firsts on their way to victory.

It was a Townsend sweep in the J24 One-Design division, with No Eye Deer (Andrew Townsend) claiming a two point victory over Robin (Witch’s Thimble) with El Fideldo in third place.

For the first time in several years the Multihull division was once again part of the Premier’s Cup, achieving five entries. Carbon Credit (David Ryder) won two of the three races to win overall, ahead of Crosshair (Gerald Valk) and Dux Nutts (Peter Boyd) on the OMR rating system.

This year’s regatta marked the 39th anniversary of the Premier’s Cup and for the first time in several years the outcome was not subject to protests. The CYCSA and competitors alike are now gearing up for the 40th anniversary celebrations for next season which will again include dinghy racing hosted by Largs Bay Sailing Club.

Michael Tozer, Racing Manager 10

RACING ASSOCIATION • 2015/2016

HARD EARNED VICTORIES FOR KEELBOAT CHAMPIONS

N

o victory comes easy in yachting but this was especially the case for those vying for a win in the IRC and AMS State Championships this season.

This year’s championships boasted a highly competitive field which included two Sydney to Hobart winners in Secret Mens Business and Two True, last year’s defending IRC champion Shining Sea, the ever reliable Aikin and, of course, team Concubine in their brand new Mills 45. Division Two was headlined by proven winners on the AMS rating system in Julia and Young Einstein.

Our State Championship season got off to an anti-climactic start with an abandoned Race One leaving competitors little time to prepare for their first test in back-to-back races held as part of the Great Southern Regatta. Winds made sure only those who had their crews well-tuned came away with points throwing up 20-25 knot breezes with gusts of 28 knots reported. Secret Mens Business came away with the first IRC win holding off Jason Ward in Concubine by a mere four seconds on corrected time. It was Concubine however who had the last laugh of the day swapping places with Secret Mens Business to claim the Mills 45’s first ever win in the second race of the day. Concubine managed a first and second on AMS being beaten only by Aikin while managing to hold off several contenders.

Moderate conditions worked against the bigger boats in Race Four, also held as part of the Great Southern Regatta, allowing White Knight their first AMS win and Two True to take honours on IRC.

The Great Southern Regatta also saw the beginnings of a tight battle between Division Two boats Julia, Young Einstein and Blue Diamond with Julia claiming all three wins but by narrow margins.

From there the theme was set for a tight ten race series across both IRC and AMS and Division One and Division Two, with varying conditions and courses allowing only the best to shine through overall.

All divisions went down to the wire heading into the final three races of the season in conjunction with the Premier’s Cup. It didn’t take long however for Geoff Boettcher’s Secret Mens Business to secure the IRC State Championship after kicking off the regatta with a first and second. A final race come back by eventual Premier’s Cup winners Two True put them hot on the heels of Concubine who managed to hold onto second by just one point.

AMS Division One remained tight throughout the season but the fleet began to split towards the end with Aikin also securing a win during the Premier’s Cup ahead of White Knight and Two True.

Julia used consistency to their advantage and managed to control a competitive Division Two bunch on AMS to win by three points over Young Einstein followed by Blue Diamond in third.

Photos by Traci Ayris, Neil Pentecost and Harry Fisher 11

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RACING ASSOCIATION • 2015/2016

J24 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Cronulla got off to a hot start claiming Race Four with No Eye Deer continuing their late form coming in second place again. Witch’s Thimble found more luck navigating the tight fleet to come in third place ahead of Kicking.

N

ine J24s competed in the Kilikanoon J24 State Championship over the weekend of 12-13 March. Four boats made the trip from interstate, two from Victoria and two from NSW, to make for a tightly competed regatta.

Another race win for Cronulla in Race Five began to surface hope of a regatta robbery – could three time race winner Kicking be knocked off the throne in the last race? The scene was certainly set for a tight finish. No Eye Deer came second again to put themselves into the running for a solid result. Gun Boat, Wildfire and Witch’s Thimble all but buried Kicking down the results to force the podium into a do or die situation in Race Six.

Day One consisted of three races back-to-back starting off in eight knots of breeze. Kicking from Sandringham began what would go on to become a hat trick of wins to get away to a dream start. Cronulla (NSW) and Wildfire (Vic) followed closely with Witch’s Thimble being the first placed South Australian boat. On the other end of the spectrum was No Eye Deer who got off to a nightmare start having been disqualified after a Rule 11 protest.

With the breeze now up at 10 knots the pressure fell onto the regatta leaders who were all in with a chance to win the regatta.

Kicking improved to third for their best result of the day with No Eye Deer finding consistency in second place. But it was a fairy tale finish for Cronulla who claimed all three races for the ultimate comeback victory! The stuff dreams are made of.

Race Two became a copy of Race One despite several lead changes throughout the race. Kicking, Cronulla and Wildfire eventually settled to claim the podium again with Witch’s Thimble leading the way for SA.

Cronulla won the regatta finishing on seven points with Kicking on ten and No Eye Deer rounding off the podium with 15.

With the sea breeze now in at 15 knots the game began to change.

No Eye Deer improved throughout the day and finished Race Three with a solid second place behind Kicking but ahead of Victoria’s Gun Boat. Wildfire and Cronulla were again up there ahead of Witch’s Thimble who in sixth place was less than one minute off the pace for a podium position.

Good Company and AU Foolish made significant improvements to their performances throughout the regatta allowing them to take first and second place respectively on PHS. Cookie Monster came third on PHS providing them with an honourable result for a tough weekend.

Day Three got off to a great start… if you’re a fisherman. An onshore postponement delayed the start of another three back-to-back races before Race Officer Ray Evans made the call to go ahead in a building four knot gradient breeze.

The CYCSA and J24 Association of SA would like to thank the interstate competitors for making the journey to compete thus allowing a highly competitive one-design regatta.

Easter Cruising

O

ver the Easter break CYCSA cruising boats set sail to various local waters. Port Vincent marina had a great vibe with cruising and racing boats from the CYCSA, RSAYS and PASC. Our Club was represented by School’s Out, Jenny Anna, Sugar ‘n’ Spice, Tiff-I-Know, That’s Life, Grand AKT, Aquila, Brigadoon, Geordie Bay, Selkie, and Mult-E-Biz. Through the excellent sponsorship of the CYCSA Cruising Association by Charlesworth Nuts, a fantastic shade cloth has been constructed over the BBQ area. The structure was officially opened

by Mark and Lisa Charlesworth and dedicated to Mark’s father, Chappie Charlesworth, a great cruiser and Foundation member of the CYCSA. The Squadron also held a number of social events and welcomed CYCSA members to participate.

Two CYCSA boats, School’s Out and That’s Life, put away the wine and cheese, converted themselves into race mode and competed very successfully in the RSAYS Easter Regatta.

Adrian Wotton, Chairman Cruising Association

13

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FISHING FOR

TUNA

L

uck was finally smiling on us – it seemed we were going to be able to make the tuna trip down to Sanders that we had been planning since late December. All the planets aligned, or almost all, and we locked in Friday 12 February to be the day. I had never chased tuna in my boat as I generally fish the north west coast of Kangaroo Island from Adelaide but I have also done a fair few trips south of Cape Hurt so I was keen to venture 80 nautical miles away from North Haven in search of some tuna blood that my baby had never tasted!

As I had no idea where to go I looked at the forums here for a few weeks in the hope of some reports and information but found very little. I also subscribed on Facebook to a Cape Jervis weigh-in page to see reports but nothing has been posted there since late December/ early January. We decided once clear of Cape Jervis to head down towards Threshold and from there continue to Sanders. I knew that overnight the south easterly winds were going to be puffing to 20 knots until morning so wasn’t in a rush to get to Cape Jervis at first light. We left around 5:30am from North Haven and although I have enough range to do the trip without stopping, having had a bit of southerly on the nose and then south easterlies all the way down, once we reached Wirrina I decided to top up the fuel tanks again so we could further extend our range and stay out longer if required.

After all, the weather forecast was predicting calm seas for the afternoon and right into the evening, with winds increasing again on the following day.

Fortunately the guy at the fuel station at Wirrina was already there at 8am and we were able to get going very quickly and cleared the Cape at 8:15am or so. Fairly soon into Backstairs Passage the conditions were not very inviting and we had a fairly decent chop right on the nose but hoping that the Weather Bureau had got it right, we continued on. As soon as we cleared Willoughby we started to see bird activity and decided to start trolling. Eventually we were able to see they were tuna but they were very small, probably around five kilos, and we were not able to raise any strike so we decided to keep trolling towards Threshold hoping to run into schools of bigger fish.

We considered trying some jigging but decided that in the end we were there for the tuna and wanted to give them our best shot. As we had not seen any activity on Sanders we decided to head back towards Threshold and in spite of not seeing any bird activity we had our third strike roughly in the same area as we had the first. This time we had the fish on one of the smaller rod/reels and eventually we lost the fish under the boat when it cut the line on a run under and into the props! I don’t need to comment too much on the swearing and disappointment, however we established that this is tuna fishing and decided that after all the idea to use smaller gear might have been more appropriate after we had at least got our boat limit for a bit of catch and release fun! As it turned out we did not get any more strikes and did not see any more bird activity until we got back close to Willoughby where we again found the smaller tuna jumping all over but not taking any of our lures. By now it was 6pm so we decided to start heading home after a stopover dinner in the calm shallow waters before Rapid Head.

We did not see much activity until Threshold so decided to continue heading for Sanders. Soon after leaving Threshold behind we spotted some more bird activity and decided to turn for it and we finally got our first strike. Fortunately a fish grabbed one of the lures on the poppers on a larger reel and within a few minutes he was gaffed and on board. At approximately 20kg it wasn’t a bad start. While we were trying to clear the deck and put it on ice we noticed similar sized fish breaking the water just behind us so we quickly tried turning around and dropping the spread but nothing we tried worked so we soldiered on towards Sanders.

All in all it was a fantastic trip and by the time we got the boat back on the trailer, cleaned up and headed home, we were all very satisfied and tired. Twenty-two hours after having woken up to go fishing I was back in by bed ready to fall asleep again!

By now the weather had started to cooperate and the seas were finally starting to improve. On Sanders we got another strike but unfortunately the fish pulled the hook after a few minutes as we were trying to close on him on a smaller rod. We then decided to proceed towards Carter Knoll and kept going in that direction when we saw a large professional operation made up of many boats, spotter plane, towing pens etc so we stayed around for a while but there was nothing. By now it was early afternoon, the seas were flat calm and conditions were perfect! We decided to head back towards Sanders and ran into what I suspect was a charter boat fishing on Sanders, it seemed to be a Clayton boat and they were drifting and hooked onto a few fish.

I hope this helps others with a better understanding of what is happening out there. Overall I feel that there is tuna out there but it was quite hard to get them to take our lures. We tried a bit of everything in terms of lures, speed, etc. We did not try casting at them but I am sure we will soon be back there once the planets are back in perfect alignment!

The catch: 100cm, 25kg Adriano Cisternino 15

come fishing

16

Photos by Geoff Rohrsheim and Trevor Paynter

D

uring a Fishing Association Committee meeting last year we resolved to try to resurrect the previously organised fishing days that had been part of FA activities some years back. The reason they lapsed then was they attracted few boats. It seemed that our Club fisherfolk preferred to do their own thing or the issue of suitable weather made decisions to fish a last minute thing. Yet those people who did participate always said it was great to get together.

So this year we organised a Come Fishing Day for late February. Most will remember we had a period of really good weather for boating and particularly fishing – on occasion the waters from North Haven to Semaphore and further south were blanketed with boats fishing and crabbing.

Possibly the perfect weather for our Come Fishing Day was the last minute catalyst for members to register online and with the Club office to participate. The whole weekend’s weather was looking ideal and so it turned out to be. Fifteen people including two children on three boats went out locally to the Semaphore Reef and the Wreck Buoy. Plenty of garfish and any number of crabs were caught over a few hours before returning for a simple sausage sizzle in the BBQ area. The aim of the day was to fish in good company and possibly meet a few new people in our Club – and that did occur with everyone enjoying themselves regardless of not a whiting being caught.

Tom Tymons, a past FA Committee member and long time supporter of the FA, generously provided his 40’ Riviera Champ as the ‘flagship’ and as an alternative, given the numbers, to taking out CYC1. Five people fished with Tom in considerable comfort and within conversational distance from Geoff Rohrsheim and Luke Shearer in Geoff’s beautifully set up Boston Whaler @C. John Daniels, with his family aboard Jigsaw, fished closer in with good success.

The concept of getting together to fish is still a worthwhile one given the success of our February event and in particular when boat owners like Tom offer other Club members an opportunity to come out fishing in company and get together after at lunch. Registering for Fishing Association events online via our Club website has been a new innovation set up by our office stalwart Mellissa and this convenient system will be used more often.

Those who attended unanimously suggested we find other dates to repeat this enjoyable event, even hold them regularly like the Cruising Association people do with their Saturday night barbecues. Weather will always play a big part in deciding to go out fishing.

Sitting around the table at lunch, ideas on how we might have a future fishing overnighter at Port Vincent were discussed and strongly endorsed. The FA Committee would welcome ideas and will work towards that event and keep FA members advised.

Trevor Paynter, Chair Fishing Association

The fortunate Fisherman

W

hile out fishing in February with five aboard Tom Tymons’ Champ we had a accident with a line flicking back and embedding a well-used and baited hook into the forearm of one of our group.

The hook’s barb was well and truly under the skin needing the point to be worked through the flesh and out to free the barb.

On this occasion we had a few things going for us – we had an eminent medical practitioner aboard and the boat had a good first aid kit and tools. Also it was a calm morning and the large Riviera was a steady platform.

With little regard for the patient’s tolerance to pain our surgeon, aided by fine nose pliers, worked the hook’s shank into the arm to force the point and barb out. Once out, that part of the hook was snipped off and the remaining shank and eye withdrawn, leaving two bloody holes and a swollen area needing to be attended to.

The point (excuse the pun) of this story is if you’re an unfortunate fisherman be prepared – while it isn’t always possible to fish with a surgeon aboard, having a well stocked appropriate first aid kit is just common sense. An important addition to any kit is a bottle of hydrogen peroxide*.

Having removed the hook, hydrogen peroxide was immediately administered once only to the open wound, the result being that it was disinfected and the bleeding stopped.

Note: Our 1 May event, with four boats and 17 people registered, was posponed due to strong winds and will be rescheduled for July.

Further information will follow.

The swollen traumatised area was left open and by afternoon was pain free with no sign of infection. If asked for an opinion the patient would probably suggest that Tom’s first aid kit include a spray-on pain reliever and preferably administered prior to forcing a jagged hook through delicate flesh.

A pair of quality small nosed wire snips capable of cutting through at least a snapper hook should be always be aboard a fishing boat. And always use sharp and preferably new hooks in case it’s your flesh next time.

Trevor Paynter Chair Fishing Association *Note: Hydrogen peroxide should only be used as a diluted solution such as those found in the ‘household’ and pharmacy range of products. Be sure to read the instructions.

17

ur journey to circumnavigate Tasmania began on 16 January 2016.

CYCSA members John and Fran Sibly together with Kevin and Mary Mann on Astrid, a Hanse 41, Royce and Delene Nicholls together with John Jeffery (until Strahan) on Far Star, a Beneteau 41 and Len and Libby Stephens on Equanimity, a Bavaria 34, made up the contingent.

We had made a commitment for at least three months, after all, we were on retirement time!

We spotted the lighthouse, the GPS confirmed our position, the sails down, barge boards deployed and we motored peacefully down the Moyne River. Port Fairy was alive for Australia Day celebrations, market stalls, musicians, coffees and pizzas. 5.00pm sundowners become the tradition every day for the group to have ‘quality’ time together and to review the all-important weather forecasts.

Our first stop was Eastern Cove on Kangaroo Island. Waking up on a calm beautiful KI scene and doing a bit of beach walking was idyllic and relaxing prior to our night sail to Robe. In the morning we set off playing dodgem during the night with a group of trawlers to the south of KI. We also had a container ship come up behind us following our course at 3.00am (AIS is great) and it changed its course to avoid three yachts! A heavy fog at dawn was eerie and made spotting cray pots more challenging.

The days slipped by but soon it was time to cross the legendary Bass Strait. Grassy Harbour on King Island was about 135 nautical miles away. But plans can change! About 30 nm out from Port Fairy the forecast deteriorated and we decided to head for Apollo Bay, arriving in a light misty rain at about 9.00pm. Whilst the GPS was reassuring, this is a narrow entrance and it was difficult to see the fairlead lights in the huge background of street, house and car lights. The Port Manager was there to greet us and guide us to our positions on the wharf. We enjoyed Apollo Bay, sampling the local fish and chips, sashimi and scallop pies. More weather watching until it was time to finally get across the big ditch. In the end that went

Robe was great. John knew a local who invited us to a crayfish supper.

That’s the way to start a trip! But soon it was time to head for Port Fairy requiring an overnighter of about 28 hours. Initially the motor was required but soon we were enjoying good sailing under a full moon.

The hours passed. Dolphins torpedoed in for a brief thrill surfing our bow wave. Seals lolled about sleepily. Lady Julia Percy Island slid astern and soon we were at the haven of Port Fairy.

TASSIE TEAM

A bottle of red traded for four crays.... a good deal!

Kevin hooks a 20kg Bluefin tuna

18

smoothly. Some sailing, some motoring, night watches and a beautiful dawn. Eventually Grassy Harbour on King Island, our first real piece of Tasmania, emerged. We had made it!

Royce drove us around in a hired mini bus to explore the island. We visited the main town, Currie, (great seafood pies), a petrified forest (interesting), some art galleries (a bit strange), a world ranked golf course (really good), and the incomparable King Island Cheese Factory.

Here we had an excellent cheese tasting and bought enough cheese to last a lifetime (so we thought). Some of us were also witnesses to the shivering survivors of a yacht which sank outside Grassy Harbour in the early hours of the morning.

After Grassy we set off down the Tassie West Coast. First Cuvier Bay on Hunter Island (50 nm) and then on to Sandy Cape (60 nm), passing many sandy beaches, rocky capes and mist covered mountains. The fires burning in north western Tassie added a haze that surrounded parts of the trip with a mystical quality. Motoring along for much of the way we

saw hundreds of dolphins come to play, albatrosses glide by and huge flocks of seabirds swirl around as we press southward. Coming into Sandy Cape we were approached by a cray-boat which offered to swap a bottle of red wine for four cray. What a deal, so we all enjoyed fresh cray on the barbeque that night.

We timed our arrival at Hell’s Gates at the entrance to Macquarie Harbour for the turn of the tide and the skippers expertly threaded their way down the narrow channel then across the magnificent harbour (37 miles long and nine wide) to Strahan. We enjoyed this delightful town, restocking, pub nights, walks and a chance to see the oldest continuously performed play in Australia called, “The Ship That Never Was”, about the building and hijacking of a ship by convicts in 1834.

With a gale heading our way we headed back across the harbour to shelter in the Gordon River. Our yachts can navigate 18 nm up river to Warner’s Landing, compared with 5 nm on the tourist boats. We enjoyed stunning scene after stunning scene - blue skies above, cliffs and gorges on both sides, with heritage forest to the waterline. The reflections in the water would make the least talented want to become an artist. We ....continued over page

SAIL AROUND TASMANIA

by Mary and Kevin Mann

Sailing past The Nut with a strong tide

Team Tassie

19 15

TASSIE TEAM SAIL AROUND TASMANIA ....continued from page 19 took the dinghies and explored further up the river until we reached the spot where the Franklin River flows into the Gordon. It is really remote country. Deep water rapids tested the dinghy motors as tannin stained water gushed downstream. Sir John Falls could be heard in the quiet of this pristine environment. We all felt very privileged to be part of this experience and only have gently falling rain to remind us of the gale! We were also sad to farewell John Jeffrey who had to return to Adelaide.

It was ‘big sea’ country with swells that seemed to swallow the boats so that at times only a few metres of the top of the masts were visible. Jagged cliffs and soaring ramparts were everywhere. Shoal after shoal of baitfish chopped the water and the sea was alive with dolphins. The skippers concentrated on steering the course, everyone else concentrated on taking photos and enjoying the moment stunning.

After stocking up at Triabunna we used a four day weather window to make it to the top of Tassie. First through Schouten Passage to Wineglass Bay where we headed off in the dinghies for a beach walk on this iconic Tassie beach. John decided on an icy plunge to get us started!

Port Davey beckoned and we motor-sailed about 80 nm further south. This is wild and remote country. About half way, off Low Rocky Point, there was a bit of excitement as Kevin hooked into a 20 kg Bluefin Tuna. After a 45 minute fight, and some great gaff work by John, the prize was ours. What a magnificent fish! A dark almost black back, iridescent blue flash along its length, fins that nested aerodynamically into the sides and a fat streamlined shape designed to move through oceans at high speed. Sashimi for everyone!

After a long day with a big following sea in gloomy conditions and lots of hand steering (at least on Astrid), we arrived at Binalong Bay hoping for a restful night but we all endured the worst rolly conditions of the trip as the swell set in. We were glad to up anchor early the next day.

Hidden behind the Breaksea Islands is an inlet surrounded by misty craggy mountains and bluffs. Our yachts anchored in spectacular Bramble Cove, Port Davey for a calm night. Next day we explored huge, breathtaking Bathurst Harbour and Melaleuca Inlet and then moved to Spain Bay to anchor for the night and enjoy another ‘moonrise’ assisted by some good wine and fresh tuna. Words cannot do this coastline justice. Huge oily swells, massive cliffs that plunge into the sea, misty mountain tops, treacherous looking reefs and inlets, huge rocky islands dotting the coastline and surging seas - nature on a grand scale. We celebrated rounding South West Cape and Maatsuyker Island slipped by then South East Cape was in view. After a night in Recherche Bay we entered the D’Entrecasteaux Channel and sailed around Dover, Cygnet, Bruny Island and Kettering with some good sailing conditions. Here we were able to catch up with Craig and Margie Westlake and enjoyed a great dinner at the Oyster Cove Inn.

We reached another milestone, the north east corner of Tasmania, as we ran with the tide making great speed (Astrid made over 10 knots at one point), into Fosters Inlet. With further assistance from the tide and expert handling we headed to Georgetown in the Tamar River.

This area is very tidal making it critical to enter the river at the right time. While in the York Cove Marina, Craig Westlake, Rod Hunter and Bob Sabels arrived in Force Majeure which they were sailing from the CYCSA in Adelaide to its new home in Kettering. Their trip from King Island had been wet and difficult so it was good to see them arrive safely. In Georgetown we visited a Bass and Flinders museum which features a replica of the 25 tonne sloop ‘Norfolk’ used to explore and map Tasmania. It made us appreciate the toughness and temerity of those early explorers.

Heading westward along the north coast we reached Devonport for a brief overnight stay. Our next stop, Stanley, was the last on mainland Tasmania and was a delightful surprise. The Nut, a 143 metre volcanic plug, overshadows the harbour. The three metre tide was challenging and required careful mooring. You could step from your deck to the wharf in the morning but have a long climb down later in the day.

Even more interesting was the climb to the top of the Nut and the sampling by some members of the Tasmanian single malts.

Our sail into the Royal Tasmanian Yacht Club in Hobart proved to be very interesting. The Derwent lives up to its reputation for unpredictability. The high sided hills produce ‘bullet’ of wind that make sailing challenging. One moment we had no wind and were thinking about starting the engine, the next we had 25-30 knots belting across the bay. The water was flat, the boats heeled over, and the boys were having fun. White water foamed along the side rails and sails were stretched tight as the girls considered the event an opportunity to practise self-control. Lots of fun, a bit stressful, but good sailing.

Finally, our last stop in Tasmania was at Three Hummocks Island.

Our last taste of the remoteness and amazing landscapes that we so enjoyed in Tasmania. We enjoyed some fresh snook and hand caught crayfish before setting sail directly for Port Fairy across Bass Strait. We then retraced our outward path via Port Fairy, Robe and Kangaroo Island.

In Hobart it was off to the Salamanca Markets, arranging for sails to be fixed and other boatie tasks. Equanimity had a rope tangled around the prop in the RTYC so they got a complimentary slip check. We enjoyed walking and relaxing in cafes, pubs, restaurants, visiting the tourist spots around the harbour and hiring a car to tour Mount Wellington and the surrounding areas. Len and Libby got to spend time with family.

Our three month odyssey was simply a trip of a lifetime. Every day was an adventure! We travelled safely and comfortably and saw sights that few are able to experience and the memory of this time will stay with us forever. Most importantly we have formed lasting friendships that were the real highlight of our journey. Everyone worked together to make the trip a success.

Ten days slipped by and we are at sea again, rounding Cape Raoul with big swells behind us, heading into Port Arthur. After exploring the area we headed for Maria Island via the famous Tasman Island.

The yachts were mere dots in this huge landscape as they slipped through the 400 metre gap between the island and the mainland.

We would very much like to thank John and Fran for their organisation of the trip. Cruising is not just about getting there, it is about the things you can enjoy on the way. We have been very privileged to have had this experience.

Contact Matt Swanson on 0411 756 493 or email matt@websafety.com.au 20

NEW BOATS This is another in the series of articles by Terry Lockwood aimed at providing you with an insight into a few of the ‘new’ boats to the Club over recent months.

SEA PAY

strange brew

Paul Normandale joined our club about a year ago after moving from Mount Barker to Exeter to be closer to his work at Techport with the Air Warfare Destroyer Alliance.

Tony Vonthoff joined the CYCSA in December 2015 bringing with him a Bar Crusher 6.7 aluminium plate boat which was built in Victoria and is powered by a 150hp Honda outboard.

After 20 years in the RAN and a succession of small tinnies in New South Wales, Paul decided he needed a boat to go fishing in and decided on a Surtees 6.1 Gamefisher Hardtop.

The boat is well set up with radar, outriggers etc to suit Tony’s interest in fishing. In fact, Tony says he is strictly a fisherman targeting snapper, whiting and flathead in the gulf.

The boat was built in New Zealand and Paul, being a single man, was able to spend some time with the builder to ensure that he got what he wanted and they were very supportive. As Paul fishes a lot on his own he says it was reassuring to know the boats capabilities.

Tony has three sons aged 18, 15 and 12 whose interest in fishing is directly commensurate with their ages. That is, the oldest one is very keen and has just successfully sat for his boat operators license while the youngest one is still worried that a shark may jump in the boat - I’m sure that will change.

She has all the factory standard inclusions plus no less than twenty options at Pauls request. They include things like a deck wash pump, a lighting package, GME Entertainment system and much, much more.

The convenience of being able to jump on the boat and go fishing thereby avoiding ramp hassles and the delay that goes with it on a busy day, is one of the main reasons that Tony enjoys the Club. He says he may upgrade to a larger boat someday but has no plans to do so at this stage.

Sea Pay, named after the proceeds of six submarine sea trials activities, is powered by twin Yamaha F 70 EFI four cylinder four strokes fitted with stainless steel props and Yamaha digital LAN gauges. Along with the Rocket aluminium tandem trailer equipped with electric/hydraulic brakes, it is a very efficient towing option.

Interestingly, this must be about the fourth or fifth Bar Crusher that has come to the Club recently. Obviously they are a very competent sea boat and without exception, they all certainly look the part.

Paul has a house at Port Victoria and plans to decrease his working hours and increase his fishing hours over the next year leading to retirement. He certainly has the boat to go fishing in.

A clue as to the name of the boat - Tony is a keen blues guitarist and Cream/Eric Clapton fans will know where the name originates.

Thank you for your input Tony and we hope you enjoy many happy days with your family on your boat.

Thank you for time in the middle of a hectic period for you Paul and all the very best of days with Sea Pay.

cool change David Baker has been fishing for as long as he can remember. Luckily for David ,his wife Cass and children Alexandra and Nicholas, share his love of the water to the extent that they have had many holidays in the Pacific Islands, Asia and North Queensland on boats.

Every year for the past 16, David and a mate have spent a week in Coffin Bay with a group from the CYCSA and Largs Bay Sailing Club. The group includes some of the usual suspects who shall remain unnamed (Rick Hausler, Peter Thompson, David Donovan) and has been an annual event for a long time, a week that is David’s favourite fishing trip of the year.

To date David has used his Whittley SL 26 but this year he was able to use his new boat. As such he was able to fish a wider area than usual and they visited Kangaroo Island, fished the Cabbage Patch for the first time, Coffin Bay and the outer area to Sir Isaacs and to Greenly Island. With good fishing, pristine water and no crowds it is easy to see why David thinks “this is as good as it gets”.

Oh yes, to the boat - she is a Riviera 40 Flybridge, built in Queensland and is powered by twin Cat C7s rated at 450 hp. As you can see from the photo, she is a beautiful vessel and I am sure David and his family will have plenty of wonderful times with her.

Incidentally, if anybody is interested in a lovely Whittley 26, David still owns it and it would relieve quite some pressure off him (from Cass) if someone would buy it.

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First Aid On Board

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couple of accidents on boats recently prompted me to write about first aid on board our boats. What would I do if there was an accident on board Esprit and what supplies do I have to deal with the accident? On your boat? How should we prepare for accidents?

The answers obviously depend on a great many factors. An ocean crossing is far different from a day sail or a local fishing trip where help is just a telephone or VHF radio call away so I believe it’s worthwhile thinking about the risks in the way we use our boats and then let’s prepare for any realistic accidents that may occur. Of course, the old proverb, “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure” applies.

Power Boats

An Ounce of Prevention

Years ago in Darwin a colleague went barra fishing by himself. An hour’s drive from home, launch the tinny and half an hour to his favourite spot. A big barra threw the hook and somehow it ended up embedded in his arm. Yes, the point stuck in a bone, so back to the ramp, tinny on the trailer, drive to the Darwin hospital – with only one usable arm. Double ouch!

What are the particular accident risks on our boats? Certainly there are all the usual cuts and abrasions that we deal with in our landbased life and so you should be prepared to deal with those sort of accidents and needs at least. You may need to call for help so your VHF radio and mobile phone are minimums.

Fire is probably the most scary thing that can happen on board so fire extinguishers are vital. See Reference 1 for the safety equipment required in South Australia.

What if this happens to you? (See breakout box on page 17). If the barb is below the skin do not try to pull it out ‘backwards’ against the barb. The point has to be pushed forward and out through the skin where it can be cut off using pliers or side-cutters.

It goes without saying that boats are not the stable surface that the land provides so falls are more likely sometimes resulting in sprains, broken bones or even a swim. And, of course, sea sickness - let’s deal with that first.

Problems can occur when mains voltages are present on a boat because water can conduct electricity to unusual places – even to humans. Residual current devices are supposed to detect faults so don’t ignore circuit breakers that trip unexpectedly. Get a sparky to investigate.

Sea Sickness Have a look at Reference 2 for the causes of sea sickness. There are quite a number of over-the-counter remedies. Reference 3 has an overview of remedies and particularly the side effects such as drowsiness – not good for the skipper or crew.

First Aid Kits and Courses The first thing to think about is having your immunisations up to date, especially tetanus.

Kwells, also known as scopolamine (Reference 4) and Travacalm are readily available. Ginger has a calming effect and you can buy Travacalm with ginger. Phenergan and Stugeron are anti-histamines that can make you drowsy. You will have to ask Mr Google to find Stugeron for you. Avomine (pharmacist only) is a longer term drug which is taken the night before a sea voyage and can be repeated daily. Obviously, heed the warnings on the packaging of these products.

Despite apparently not being required to carry even the most basic kit (Reference 1), common sense dictates that you should have a first aid kit on board. Be sure that it contains the usual array of bandaids, bandages, plasters, pain killers, antiseptics, antidotes for the runs, peroxide, any special medications and so on that you have at home. In addition, sea sickness tablets and oooh – don’t forget the sunscreen!

Australia’s requirements, spelled out in their Blue Book, is a good place to look for information. There there are plenty of suppliers of marine first aid kits including Whitworth’s and Reference 5 for example.

Some people swear by remedies such as copper bracelets, bracelets with pressure points and garlic tablets. Try them to see if they work for you. Some well known precautions are to have a good night’s sleep before sailing, stay sober and don’t eat fatty foods. I advise my guests if they begin to feel queasy to stay on deck, look into the wind and focus on the horizon. I ask them to let me know and we return to the marina immediately.

The value of a first aid kit is diminished if you don’t know what to do in an emergency – if you haven’t done a course, enroll in one before next season! Yachting Australia requires skippers to have done one such as St John or Red Cross.

Sailing Boats

Finally, have a safe trip and remember that prevention is better than cure.

There are particular dangers of sail boats and the most prevalent of these are associated with unexpected movements of the boom(s).

I know of concussion, bad injuries, broken bones and even death, from booms slamming into people. Yes, death from an uncontrolled gybe. “Ready to Gybe.” “Gybe ho!” And so on.

References 1 https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/transport-travel-and-motoring/ boating-and-marine/boat-and-marine-safety/marine-safetyequipment/carrying-suitable-safety-equipment

With sloping decks and floors falls are an ever present risk. I’ve had a crew member unbalanced as a lee sheet tightened during a tack and he very nearly went overboard. He was my boss at the time – not a good career move!

2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasickness 3 http://www.mydr.com.au/pharmacy-care/travel-sickness-self-care 4 http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/a6973/kwells-hyoscinehydrobromide/

Another danger area on sailboats are winches, especially self tailing electric winches. A finger caught under a sheet is very quickly trapped and bones can be crushed (or worse) before the winch is reversed. Clothing and long hair can easily get caught also.

5 https://www.firstaidkits.com.au/first-aid-kits/marine-boating Owen Mace 23

Photos by Trevor Paynter and Gerry Colella

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crabbing day T

he crabs were prolific this season and it was not uncommon to pull up double headers or even three feisty blueys in the net. This summer, on many of our calm and beautiful days, the waters off North Haven have seen large numbers of boats bagging out and then sticking around for the numerous garfish hanging back in the berley slick.

This augured well for our annual Club Crabbing Day in February.

However on Sunday 14 February the weather conditions were not ideal. Chop and wind caused some boats to return early with a few queasy guests. Still we were told the crabs were everywhere swimming with the tide in three to six metres of water.

This day wouldn’t happen without someone bringing back the catch to generously share with us all. A bit of wind didn’t stop our intrepid fisher folk and by lunchtime 15 boats had returned with over 600 crabs. 160 members and guests enjoyed a day that has for many years been a highlight on our Club calendar.

But we need the home-makers as well as hunter/gatherers. This year we had the benefit of three experienced seafood chefs (well, competent cooks actually) who volunteered to cook the crabs for us. John Colella and Ken Woof worked over those big gas-fired boiling pots from beginning to end and Gerry Colella prepared his sublime chilli crabs using his mother’s secret Italian recipe. We showed our appreciation to them later by offering a plate of wellcooked crabs and by buying them each a beer.

As the batches of crabs were cooked other volunteers undertook to clean them. This job is not a popular one and it was pleasing to see both adults and children putting in a bit of time at the cleaning trough, entering into the spirit of the day and sharing the effort.

Congratulations to the winners of the Crabbing Day Awards, in particular to John Daniels (Jigsaw) who blitzed the field for the

Biggest Crab trophy and prize. Rob Ferguson caught the most crabs (his boat bagged out at 60 crabs like three other boats but was awarded the prize on a biggest crab ‘count-back’). The Junior prize was taken home by Keith Finch aboard Rapid 1.

Our FA committee member Leica Theodore organised the day’s raffle which was well supported raising $624 towards the Club’s patio redevelopment program. The Commodore’s wife Sue Boettcher was invited to draw the winning raffle ticket and promptly drew her husband’s ticket from the bowl. She didn’t even need to confer as Geoff generously donated the prize back for a redraw.

By the way, this annual event isn’t sponsored now. Cummins Marine used to be a naming sponsor some years back but with a tightening economy we now go it alone. Should anyone know of a suitable partner please put them in touch with us. We’re very conscious of keeping costs down.

Thanks go to the crab catchers, the cookers, the crab cleaners, the raffle sellers and the members who help set up on the day before and clean up afterwards – members who do the little and the big things because that’s what belonging to a Club like ours is about. While the event is organised by the small Fishing Association Committee, this day has always been a collaboration between Club members and the staff, who work behind the scenes for all of us. This year Mario and the kitchen staff, in the office Mellissa, Andrea and Jenny and outside the tireless Vinny and the boys all made our roles so much easier with their willingness and cooperation.

Everybody said this year was a great success so Crabbing Day will most likely prevail again next year. With calm waters, plentiful crabs again and lots of boats involved we’ll get to enjoy another perfect day with friends and family down at the Club.

Trevor Paynter, Chair Fishing Association

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A

Saturday 18 June 2016 - 6pm

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Under light winds we motor sailed down the Adelaide metro coastline as far south as Grange before picking up a 15 knot SE wind. Turning out to sea, we now set our bearing for the SE corner of Yorke Peninsula, to a waypoint east of Marion Reef (35°9.3’S 137°49.73’E). Late afternoon we had a ‘situation’ when the gennaker sheet suddenly came off the winch, backwinding the sail and punching a hole in it. Oops!

Down came the gennaker and up went the jib. We would later patch the gennaker using the sail repair tape I keep on board for such emergencies.

....the fishing rod reel starting spinning furiously.

Join us for a festive dinner & fun night out!

• • • •

t 12:07 on Saturday February 20th, Arriba with four crew (Andrew, Liam, Byron and myself), set sail for Coffin Bay on South Australia’s West Coast. The most direct route is 225 nautical miles, but we would go where the wind took us over the next days days. Our plan was to sail through the night as far west as we could with the aim of being anchored the following (Sunday) afternoon. The forecast SE winds would be ideal.

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The most direct route is 225 nautical miles, but we would go where the wind took us over the next seven days.

Adelaide to Coffin Bay Cruising notes

We passed Marion Reef at 18:45 and the wind picked up nicely to 20-22 knots. At 00:55 we passed south of Althorpe Island.

At 04:30 we jibed north to avoid some fishing boats and I took over from Byron and Liam. We were now about half way across Spencer Gulf and we faced a choice. Continue on this course towards Thistle Island or Memory Cove, or jibe again and keep well to south? We chose the latter, partly because the wind was so good that we wanted to make the most of it, and partly to avoid the lobster pots that abound in southern Spencer Gulf waters. We jibed back onto our original course.

Avoid Bay is a popular anchorage roughly halfway between Port Lincoln and Coffin Bay. The name derives from the nearby Point Avoid which is surrounded by rocks. The bay itself is a safe place to anchor, providing shelter from winds N through E to S. When coming from the east the safest access is by sailing around the western side of Price Island (34°42.4S 135°17.3’E), although the inside (eastern side) is possible by hugging the shore of the island.

We were now within an easy sail of Coffin Bay, so the next morning we treated ourselves to a leisurely 09:00 start. After passing Whidbey Point (34°35.29’S 135°6.56’E), the SW point of the Coffin Bay Peninsula, we jibed north. We were now west of Coffin Bay in the Great Australian Bight.

A half hour later I decided to turn downwind further to detour via the South Neptune Islands. After all, one does not sail through these southern waters every day and I was curious to see these remote islands. The Neptune’s are a conservation park famous for seals and great white sharks and is the home of shark cage diving in South Australia. They consist of two island groups, North and South, the latter 22 nautical miles offshore. I took Arriba in close to the northern islet of the South group then down the western side, just as the sun rose.

At 12:40 we stopped for lunch and a swim at Boarding House Bay (34°32.48’S 135°7.79’E), without a hint of a boarding house or any other structure for that matter. This is a fine anchorage with SE winds providing the prevailing SW swell is slight.

After lunch we set sail for Point Sir Isaac, the NW tip of Coffin Bay Peninsula, which we passed about 90 minutes later. We were now sailing the waters of outer Coffin Bay. Next stop, Gallipoli Beach.

I then bore away for Cape Carnot. Later that morning, as we approached Liguanea Island, the wind started to swing behind so the crew went forward to prepare the spinnaker. Suddenly, with me at the helm and everyone else up front, the fishing rod reel starting spinning furiously. I let the autopilot take over and I grabbed the rod. For the next 30 minutes I struggled to pull in a whopper of a tuna, a full one metre (39”) long. All the while Arriba continued along at seven knots as, unlike a motor boat, we did not have the option of coming to a halt by simply turning off the engines!

Alan Noble

After pulling the tuna on board we sailed between Liguanea Island and Cape Carnot. We then raised the spinnaker and sailed in a NW direction towards Perforated Island.

At 34°46.62’S 135°16.4’E we jibed north towards Price Island.

We passed south of the island then headed towards a point (34°39.5’S 135°19.73’E) well north of Point Avoid to clear the shoals. At 17:55, we were snugly anchored at Avoid Bay (34°40.11’S 135°20.07’E). We’d travelled 207 nautical miles in just under 30 hours.

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CLUB MARINE/LEXUS ADELAIDE Main boat photos courtesy of Fran Solly, Take 2 Photography

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he weather report said it all, it was going to be a fast Adelaide to Lincoln Race with the possibility of the record being broken. There was great excitement and anticipation at the Race Briefing held at the Squadron the night before the big race and the Weather Bureau confirmed the weather predictions for the event - 20-25 knots for most of the time mainly from the south-east – conditions couldn’t be more perfect.

Well, the record wasn’t broken but SMB got very close, and most of the fleet enjoyed brisk sailing as they made their way to Port Lincoln. The CYCSA took off with most of the silverware taking out first place in all divisions.

The winners, Geoff Boettcher from SMB, Richard Harries from Julia, Graeme Footer from Marnico and Steve Harrington from Free Fallin, each give a brief report of their race and Adrian Wotton from School’s Out, Line Honours winner in the Cruising Division, also reports.

Another Great Lincoln Regatta for SMB Secret Mens Business (SMB) proved her competitive days are far from over by winning IRC and AMS Division on the Adelaide to Lincoln Race and Lincoln Week Regatta.

The crew wanted to have a good crack at taking the Adelaide to Port Lincoln race record from the Victorian yacht Scarlet Runner but the attempt was foiled when the winds went directly behind and faded in the early hours of Saturday morning. The record was missed by some four minutes. The race took SMB 12 hours 7 min 37 seconds. Winning on IRC is what this race is all about and SMB had some excellent competition from Concubine and the Victorian yacht Simply Fun. The win is a credit to the determination and good crew work by the boys on SMB. Lincoln Race Week had a good mix of weather conditions that tested the fleet. The six race regatta had a little of everything to throw at the competitors. The long race was marred by light flukey conditions and the last two races supplied plenty of wind that saw several yachts retire. SMB enjoyed an exceptional regatta winning all but one race on IRC. The loss of Race Five was due to a spinnaker blowing out and although the crew performed an incredible retrieval and launching of another, first on IRC in this race eluded SMB by 23 seconds.

SMB was successful in AMS as well as IRC but the Lincoln Regatta is all about winning in the Premier Handicap Division of IRC. The winning margin for IRC was a convincing five points clear of Concubine and 16 clear of IRC third placegetter, White Knight. In AMS SMB had a clear six point advantage on Concubine and an 11 point lead on White Knight, again in third place. The CYCSA is producing some very competitive yachts and crews that are gaining experience interstate or getting the good results locally.

This year’s Adelaide to Lincoln Race saw good numbers of yachts in both the Adelaide to Port Lincoln and the Lincoln Regatta. This premier event attracts good competition from interstate yachts who indicated a preference towards this race over their own local events. A credit to the Port Lincoln Yacht Club organisers.

Geoff Boettcher

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SMB wins the IRC and AMS Divisions

E TO PORT LINCOLN YACHT RACE WINNER OF PHS OVERALL AND DIVISION TWO PHS – JULIA Julia and her crew were very surprised and very pleased with their results in the 2016 Club Marine/Lexus Adelaide to Port Lincoln Race as we won overall on PHS handicap and as well as first in Division Two PHS. We were also fourth overall in the AMS division behind SMB and Concubine from our Club and Simply Fun from the Sandringham Yacht Club, consequently winning Division Two AMS. Julia’s crew was made up of Rod Hunter, Mike McGlinchey, Brett Brown, Ian Metcalf, Ian Thomson and Jason Antill from North Sails.

This crew have competed in just four Lincoln races and consider themself very fortunate to have won the race. In our first Lincoln we were stone cold last, followed by a 20th and then a 16th on handicap. This year we wondered if we could be in the top ten. The race obviously went well and all our tactical decisions worked to our advantage.

Julia had a great start on a port tack at the pin end which was a refreshing change as the two previous years she had suffered collisions with other boats despite being the right of way boat on each occasion. Starting with a Number One Genoa and a single reef and with slightly cracked sheets we kept up well with the big boys down to Marion Reef after which they started to pull away.

We didn’t put the kite up until daylight at which point we were just past Emmes Reef. We decided to keep well west of the rhumb line turning north toward Dangerous Reef as late as we could as we hoped the south easterly would swing east allowing us to come up to Dangerous Reef on a hotter angle than boats that elected to go north early and then run east of the rhumb line. This is exactly what happened and we flew up and past Dangerous Reef getting there before many boats that had passed us along the foot of the peninsular. Then a kite run to the finish and a short wait for the very pleasing result.

Thank you to the organisers of the race and a special mention to the ten Victorian boats that made the effort to come over and compete.

Julia went on to win the AMS (Division Two) handicap in the regatta that followed. A special mention should be made of the strong support given to the regatta by members of the Goolwa Yacht Club and to little Misty who, as sole entrant in the Cruising Division, was forced up into the Division Two PHS racing Division and went on to win the division. Well done to Free Fallin for winning the Cruising Division in the Lincoln race and to Academy 1 for advertising the Club and getting a third in Division Two PHS in the regatta. The Lincoln race and regatta are great fun and you don’t have to be a Division One boat to have success so I hope to see more of you out there competing next year.

Richard Harries

Julia crew with the Verco Trophy 29

CLUB MARINE/LEXUS ADELAIDE Main boat photos courtesy of Fran Solly, Take 2 Photography

MARNICO TAKES OUT PHS DIVISION ONE

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he weather forecast for the race couldn’t have been better for Marnico – consistent wind all the way up to 25 knots – just what the doctor ordered.

We had a terrific run down the gulf rounding Marion Light in good company. Several of the quicker and lighter race boats passed us along the foot of Yorke Peninsula. Fortunately however the breeze held in direction and strength and we were able to carry our spinnaker all the way to the finish line as we had damaged our only headsail at Cape Spencer.

It was gratifying to score well under PHS handicapping and congratulations to Julia for taking out PHS Overall.

We will be back next year, maybe with an IRC Certificate.

Graeme Footer

Marnico takes out PHS Division

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E TO PORT LINCOLN YACHT RACE FREE FALLIN – WINNER ON PHS OF THE CRUISING DIVISION

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he 2016 Adelaide to Port Lincoln Race was the first for Free Fallin and four of our five crew. Preparing Free Fallin for Category Three Offshore Racing would not have been possible without the help of Wayne Grant and the crew from Wind Weaver, Rod Hunter, and Steve Power off Sea Snake, thank you.

Free Fallin competed in twilight racing in recent years but this was to be our first offshore race. Several of our crew had helped to move Free Fallin up to Airlie Beach and back in 2014 and this was great preparation for the race.

During the eight weeks prior to the race start we unloaded almost 1000kg of water, fuel and cruising equipment. A folding propeller was fitted and special attention given to trimming the sails and setting the cars for different weather patterns. Our crew’s confidence started to improve as Free Fallin positioned better in several recent twilight races.

Race day approached with favourable strong winds forecast to move our Beneteau Oceanis 43. The wind was lighter than desirable for the initial five hours of the race requiring a tack to round Marion Reef but we had a tremendous run along the bottom of Yorke Peninsula. Free Fallin sat in the water beautifully and thanks to constant trimming rarely rounded up despite a full main deployed. Passing Emmes Reef we attached a boom break to run downwind and unknown to us we skipped through a line of cray pots and did not hear the securite radio calls to stay clear of the area. At 1.30am Saturday morning we had a mishap with the boat rounding up and heaving to with the pole out on the jib and the boom preventer in place.

Needless to say a big tangle of sheets followed but after 20 minutes we were underway again.

The finish was a fantastic experience for all of us and with the sun coming up we sailed into Port Lincoln and across the finish line. As a crew we have agreed to race again next year and in the meantime will practise using our gennaker and compete in a few more offshore races.

Steve Harrington

Free Fallin wins the PHS Cruising Division

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CLUB MARINE/LEXUS ADELAIDE Main boat photos courtesy of Fran Solly, Take 2 Photography

Adelaide to Port Lincoln Performance Cruising Division

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he Performance Cruising Division (despite the name, spinnakers are permitted), consisting of seven boats, had the early start time of 1000. As is usual for this time of the year the division experienced light winds for the first few hours but the breeze soon picked up as they made their way across the Gulf of St Vincent.

Although six boats of the fleet remained within sight of each other throughout the race it was Steve Power’s Sea Snake, Steve Perkins’ Veloce and Wayne Grant’s Wind Weaver who took the early lead, sailing beautifully along the lay line towards Marion Reef. In the other group, Hugh Longbottom with Academy 1, Adrian Wotton with School’s Out and Steve Harrington with Free Fallin, risked their races on a major wind shift moving from SW to SE later in the afternoon by sailing way below course but making good progress as the wind speed increased above 20 knots. Free Fallin made the bold decision to maintain full sail area and whilst everyone else was reefed, made their way slowly ahead of the fleet. The winds finally shifted to the SE late in the afternoon and saw the order of rounding at Marion Reef as Free Fallin, Academy 1, School’s Out, Veloce, Sea Snake, Wind Weaver, and training yacht Guava (Colin Howard-Jones).

Along the foot of Yorke Peninsula the swell and winds increased in intensity and the entire fleet continued to achieve excellent boat speeds. At 1900 Secret Mens Business sailed effortlessly past and was a fantastic sight for the division. A brilliant sunset around 2000 saw no abatement of the fantastic competition that was taking place. For many skippers the sight of Haystack Island in the distance before night fall was definitely a first. This was proving to be a very fast race.

School’s Out takes out Line Honours in the Cruising Division

A good rounding of Cape Spencer at 2200 saw Academy 1 take the lead closely followed by Veloce and School’s Out. This did provide a few challenges for the first scheduled radio call at 2300 because now most of the division were out of range of VHF80. The Yellow Brick Yacht Tracking System confirmed that they were afloat however so perhaps race control weren’t too worried! After a challenging time in strong breezes, School’s Out managed to hoist their spinnaker and fly it during the night across Spencer Gulf in confronting conditions. This proved pivotal as they passed Veloce and later in the evening, Academy 1. Winds were gusting up to 25 knots and swells were three to four metres. Passing Cape Donnington and moving towards Boston Bay the swell abated but the winds stayed strong making a quick passage to the finish.

School’s Out’s crossed the line in total darkness just before sunrise at 0642 on Saturday morning - an elapsed race time of 20 hours and 42 minutes.

Academy 1, with a training crew, did brilliantly to finish only four minutes later followed closely by Veloce. The remainder of the division wasn’t far behind and did well on corrected time.

The final results were: Line Honours: School’s Out On PHS Handicap: 1st – Free Fallin, 2nd – Veloce, 3rd – School’s Out Adrian Wotton 32

E TO PORT LINCOLN YACHT RACE PORT LINCOLN REGATTA WEEK Geoff Vercoe with his yacht The Gnome was hoping for a good result in the Regatta Week and this is his story of the event.

A

t the briefing on the Monday morning the Principal Race Officer (Jock Ross) indicated that the weather was going to lighten off considerably during the week with possibly no wind on the Wednesday.

The first day’s racing was in a good north westerly 14 knot breeze with two windward/leeward races back to back. The breeze took a while to settle and fill in therefore the start was delayed about 30 minutes and as the race wore on it continued to strengthen to above 18 knots by the end of the race. The second race had a shorter windward leg because by that stage the wind was over 20 knots.

The Gnome had a bad first race because we chose the wrong side of the course on the first windward leg and playing catch-up is never a good look. The second race was much better as we went the right way and finished up second on PHS and ninth on AMS. On the Tuesday there was almost no wind but Jock got the long race to Sibsey Island and return through the northern shipping channel off on time. The Gnome had a great start and we were the second boat to SMB out of the harbour. The rest of the fleet was stuck in a windless patch near Boston Island. We were the fourth boat around Sibsey after Concubine and Fresh passed us near the island using Code Zero headsails. Next year a Code Zero will be on The Gnome! We opted for a rhumbline course back from Sibsey and fell into a hole. Only one other boat, Hartbreaker, passed us and we were fifth over the line and fourth on AMS handicap.

The next day the weather was a shocker, torrential rain and not a lot of breeze. Megga’s BBQ on the beach in Spalding Cove was moved to the yacht club and the morning’s race finished in front of the club to accommodate this. The heavens opened up and it rained for the whole race and about two hours into Megga’s BBQ. The start line was so biased towards the pin end because of a late wind shift that most boats couldn’t get over the line and one by one they tacked to port. We crossed the whole fleet except for Asylum on starboard and got a really good start at the pin end in clear air. The buoy at the second turning mark became really congested with three boats going around the mark at the same time and putting up spinnakers. At this stage The Gnome lost out to Aikin and they kept in front and beat us on AMS by 15 seconds.

The PRO had arranged the finish as a yacht racing spectacular. All the Division One, Two and Trailer Sailers seemed to be at the finishing line together and most left their final gybe to the last few metres which added to the confusion. I was amazed that no boats hit each other. I think for the first time a Bocchi competition was held during Megga’s BBQ and all the crews competed and had to put some money up. It was good fun and the competition was tight and fierce.

The next day dawned with a significant 25 knot south westerly breeze and the day’s program was two back to back windward/leeward races.

The carnage started early with a trailer sailer losing its mast. The Gnome was a retiree as in a space of about ten minutes the main halyard casing slipped off the spreader rope then the headsail halyard casing did the same. The two sails were held up by the coach house winches and we couldn’t put up a spinnaker. It was a case of poor maintenance on my behalf and before we sailed back to Adelaide all the halyards and sheets were replaced.

Until the final day The Gnome was doing quite well in the regatta. We were in front of Three Cool Cats, a sister ship to The Gnome, but in the end they beat us by one place on AMS. Congratulations to Geoff Boettcher and the crew of SMB for winning most of the hardware and Jason Ward and the crew on Concubine were up there as well. The modern go-fast yachts are certainly hard to beat on IRC and AMS handicap but certainly David Knights and his crew on White Knight gave them a good run for their money.

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2016 APC King of the Gulf Regatta

T

he 2016 APC King of the Gulf was another fantastic success with the fleet doubling to thirty yachts from our first event last year. It was fantastic to see a big increase in the monohull fleet along with several interstate multihulls. The Regatta Committee were excited to once again attract the extremely fast multihull APC Mad Max from Queensland.

The series started with a passage race from North Haven to Port Vincent; the racing multihulls sailing 50nm, the racing monohulls 40nm and the cruising boats 30nm. A welcome addition to the event was the large motor yacht King Jo Jo which accompanied the fleet across the gulf with Dave Brooksby at the helm. Fortunately Dave and his boat were not required as everybody arrived at Port Vincent without incident but it was a reassuring comfort to have such support for the race.

The Presentation Dinner at the Ventnor Hotel had the hotel dining room at capacity and the fast moving evening featured an entertaining presentation by Quantum Sails Ben Kelly who talked about Sean Langman’s record setting sail from Sydney to Auckland. As crew, Ben’s experience of 40 knot speeds in the night with an average speed of 25 knots across the ditch, was exciting to say the least.

Nives Vincent and her team on Miss Robyn, the KOG committee and the generous sponsors were acknowledged by the MYASA president Iain MacDougall for their outstanding contribution to the event. The day sponsor, Quantum Sails, presented random nomination winner Kangaroo with a $500 sails voucher with Sundog taking home the $300 voucher.

Before the fleet returned home they had to visit Mario Minuzzo on his boat Miss Robyn as he had generously bottled a pack of four bottles of superb ‘King of the Gulf’ wine in a Beneteau bag for each and every boat. John Hardy of H&L had donated the King of the Gulf wine bottle labels.

An exciting finish saw the cruising Corsair trimaran Eldo just beating racing APC Mad Max into Vincent with the fast monohulls G-Wizz and Outrageous just behind. A big Port Vincent crowd was on hand to see the King of the Gulf fleet finish in front of the marina. Averaging a speed of 17.7 knots in the passage race, some multihull geeks computed that a passage time from Adelaide to Port Vincent for APC Mad Max would be around one hour and 40 minutes - now that is quick!

The fleet then gathered on the marina lawns for a welcome dinner which was provided by the day sponsor, the Ventnor Hotel. Multihull racing trophies went to APC Mad Max skippered by George Owen on OMR and Goldfinger skippered by Iain MacDougall on PHS. Monohull racing, sailing the 40 nautical mile course, went to G-Wizz skippered by Greg Patten and in the cruising division Peter Hastwell took the honours in Witchcraft.

The Port Vincent regatta was held in generally light to moderate winds with the usual Vincent flat seas. The feature of the series was the incredibly close racing in all divisions. One of the regatta highlights was the Canegrass Saltbush Lamb Dinner cooked by the Canegrass company chef in a huge outdoor roasting machine on Saturday night. A big thank you to Greg Patten and his company.

Sunday saw the cruising fleet take off to Stansbury but they did not get close with the race having to be abandoned with absolutely zero wind. The racing fleets morning race was also abandoned but the PRO, Nevis Vincent, managed to get the fleet away for a windward leeward race once the sea breeze kicked in. The second race for the day was held in 7-10 knots with spinnaker handling being the deciding factor in the race.

After the race finished the faster multihulls took a number of the Port Vincent junior sailors for a ‘burn around the bay’. The sailing juniors were returned safely to the beach with many of them telling tales of the 17.5 knots of speed reached in eight knots of wind on these speed machines. The fleet was then hosted by the Port Vincent Yacht Club for a Sunday roast and the presentations were made by Lee Randall of Spirit Marine, the day sponsor.

The long coastal race on the Monday was everybody’s favourite. The cruising boats started 30 minutes before the racing boats so they could see the racing elite speed passed them on the way to Orontes. Although the majority of the fleet had great winds to Orontes the faster boats were going so quickly that they kept sailing out of the wind band thus allowing the rest of the fleet to catch up. Once around Orontes, the fast racing boats led by APC Mad Max, Crosshair and G-Wizz, who were now all in good 12 knot winds, just flew home.

Kings of the Gulf

RESULTS

Multihull – King of the Gulf APC Mad Max George Owen Qld Monohull – King of the Gulf Quarante-Deux Lloyd Cushway RSAYS Multihull Racing - OMR First APC Mad Max George Owen Second Fifty Fifty Geoff Floyd Third Crosshair Gerald Valk

Qld Victoria RSAYS

Monohull Racing - PHS First Quarante–Deux Lloyd Cushway RSAYS Second Renegade Robert Francis RSAYS Third G-Wizz Greg Patten CYCSA Cruising Division - PHS First Aquitaine David Eldridge RSAYS Second Circe Colin Dowdy RSAYS Third New Morning 3 Peter Vincent RSAYS Multihull Racing - PHS First Medosa Brian Smith Second Crosshair Gerald Valk Third Fifty Fifty Geoff Floyd

CYCSA RSAYS Victoria

The King of the Gulf Committee would like to thank the following sponsors: Event Sponsor: APC Logistics Day Sponsors: Ventnor Hotel

Canegrass Saltbush Lamb

Spirit Marine Sponsors: EJ Milde (Axis Marine Products)

Mario Minuzzo

Easy Fuel Discount vouchers

H & L and also Miss Robyn for acting as the Committee Boat.

David Eldridge Multihull Yacht Association of South Australia 34

Berths for sale or lease

Please support our Club Sponsors

FOR SALE

Marina East 8m twin: C04 - Reduced to $27,000 F01, F02 - from $55,000 10m twin: A09, A10, A14, A28, A29, A34, A40, F04, F15 - from $40,000 A16, A27, A35, A38, F16 - All offers considered 10m single: A01, A02, A03, A04, A12, A25 - from $73,000 F07 - All offers considered 11m twin: A41 - All offers considered 12m twin: D35, D38, E09, E13, E14, E16, E25 - from $35,000 12m single: D08, D17, D18, D21, D23, E10 - from $85,000 E01, E04, E06 - All offers considered 13m twin: C23 - $75,000 13m single: C19, D40 - from $99.000 14m single: A46 - $160,000 C30 - All offers considered 15m single: A47, B31, B36, C34, C37 - from $150,000 B25, B35, C41 - All offers considered 16m single: B11, B15 - from $120,000 B21 - All reasonable offers considered 20m single: A49 - $290,000 20m T Head: E34 - $325,000 ono

Platinum

Gold

FOR SALE

Marina West (all single berths) 11m single: M03 – suitable for a catamaran - $80,000 M01: - All offers considered 14m: M07 - All offers considered 15m: M08, N03 - from $150,000 17m: J13, J19, J20 - from $80,000 J08, J12 - All offers considered 18m: M10 - $250,000 20m: K01, K07, F08, K10, L02 - All reasonable offers considered K06 - $135,000 25m: M14 - $290,000 30m: K16 $475,000 Hardstand 9m: 26, 52, 88,100 - from $4,000 10m: 131,140,143,144,146,147 - from $5,000 12m: 114, 124 - from $7,000

Silver

Port Vincent 10m twin: A07, A09, A21 - from $24,000 A14, A18 - All offers considered 12m twin: B33, B34, B36, B37, B39, C60 - from $16,500 B29 - All offers considered 12m single: B45, B46, C48, C51, C65, C68 - from $25,000 14m single: D70, D77, D78 - from $45,000 D72- All offers considered 15m single: D85, D86, D87, D89 - from $50,000 D83 - All reasonable offers considered 20m single: A12 - $200,000

FOR LEASE

Marina East 8m twin: C04*, F02* 10m single: F08 10m twin: A16*, A28*, A30, F16*, F17, F19 ($300 p/m) F23, F31 11m twin: A42 12m single: D05 12m twin: E13*, E14*($350p/m), E19 13m twin: A43 15m single: A47* 20m single: E34* 22m T Head: C42

Corporate

Marina West (all single berths) 11m: M03* 15m: M08* 17m: J06, J07, J10, J13*, J20* 20m: K02, K04, K06*, K07*, K08*, K15 25m: M14* 30m: K16* Hardstand 10m: 132, 146* 12m: 4*, 113

contacts Berth Sales Jenny Krogdahl t: 8248 4222 e: jenny@cycsa.com.au Berth Leasing Kirsty Winstone t: 8248 4222 e: kirsty@cycsa.com.au Port Vincent Rob Marner PV Marina Manager 0414 611 110

Club Supporters

Notes on Purchasing/Selling Berths

As per Marina Berth Agreement, a 10% commission is payable by the vendor on all berth sales.

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

All prices include GST

* Denotes berth for sale and lease

35

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