Vol 4 Dec

MONTHLY NEWS OF THE WAIKAWA BOATING CLUB

latitude 41 Marlborough nelson

Fishing with

Softbaits

Marine Radio It’s time to join

Are you ready?

the low down on

Bottoms No more rats

to smell at

Kaipupu

Online Magazine

Yachting NZ

Corner Vol. 04 | December 2022

Cover photo - thanks to Anna Gibbs for this different view of Tory Channel entrance

Inside this month December 2022

Welcome to our fourth edition of Latitude 41 Our aim is to bring you more insight into your club, its people and events. We welcome and encourage your contributions of photos, editorial content and suggestions and hope you enjoy this issue.

CLUB BUILDING RENOVATION We are looking for a member who may be able to help the club with draughting / engineer skills to draw the plans we need to apply to council for building consent. We have the original plans!

The idea is to close in the mezzanine floor providing more usable space with entry from the foyer, without increasing our footprint. The more difficult part will be placing the stairs into the foyer.

Achieving this will enable seperate groups to meet and introduce a members lounge complete with work stations and comfortable seating areas.

We will be applying for funding, however for us to move forward we need plans to present building estimates to our applications.

If you are able to help please call Sue on 021 287 8225. Thank you!

Welcome to our newest members Get ready for Fishing - a look at Softbaits MNMRA - JOIN NOW Christmas Raffle Kaipupu Sanctuary Rat Free Zone Yachting NZ Corner with Ian Gardiner Anodes - Do’s & Dont’s How‘s your Bottom Looking?

Join us and become a member We have two types of membership, Full and Crew.

Crew Members: Join a racing yacht and take part in all our racing events as well as other club regattas.

Enjoy members discount at our club bar.

Have fun at our club social events and Friday club nights, including entry into our weekly members jackpot draw.

Affiliation to both Yachting New Zealand and Clubs New Zealand.

Full Members - All of the above plus:

Relax while cruising and enjoy the use of 100 secure and regularly serviced moorings throughout Queen Charlotte and Pelorus Sounds as well as D’Urville Island and Port Underwood Enter your yacht in any of our 80+ races held throughout the year as well as our annual regattas.

Take part in our regular ‘on water’ cruising events.

Make use of our discounted venue hire rates.

Full voting rights.

Eligible to stand for election on the club Executive.

Click here for link to our membership application forms.

Welcome to our New Members Full members Peter Barnett Legacy 45 Michael Ruscoe Cristal Voyage Ken & Colleen Aldwin Black Pearl Terry Hart & Jain Robinson Tawaki Kim Saunders-Singer & Carole Crawford Mike Stewart Taihoa

Beneteau Searay (Launch) Roger Hill Cat(Launch) Gypsey Dawn Keeler 25ft Mummery 37

Click here for full list of our current boat register

Are you new to boating?

Check out this FREE online course from Coastguard Boating Education

MEET YOUR EXECUTIVE Rear Commodore Sailing David Grigg David has been our RC Sailing for three years now and with a strong background in sailing his knowledge and experience is invaluable to our sailing section.

“I started sailing with QCYC when my father Tony, took me out with him on his Sunburst. We had a 15 strong fleet that included the Chandler boys Phil and Vic. My most memorable day was racing around Mabel Island and back to the club for a beer and a pie. We graduated from this to crewing for the Turnbull family on their keelers: Result, Skeddlar and Global. My wife Jo and I purchased Global in 2015 and I've been racing her as frequently as possible.

We have a sheep and beef farm “Tempello” south of Renwick. Our three teenage children come along cruising and racing when they can.

I have a 5 strong team of sheep dogs and enjoy mustering and growing merino wool.

In addition to livestock we also grow grapes for Whitehaven and produce and sell 70 cases of Tempello Pinot Noir a year as a small side venture.

My role as RC involves a lot of delegation to my very capable sailing committee.

Thanks to them for their hard work.

To Clive, Mandy, Billy, Chris and Rob, you help make our yacht racing run smooth and give much enjoyment to those taking part.”

Open to all Members and members guests

Bookings for Friday evening meals make a big difference to our catering team we appreciate your support.

Tuesdays from 7.30pm Bistro style meals Members bar discount Racing prizegiving

Club Calendar December Tuesday 6 - Marlborough Sounds Spring Twilight FINAL Saturday 10 - Christmas Raft-up Tuesday 13 & 20 - Boom Town Brewing Co Summer Fun Series Thursdays - Tempello Spring Short Handed Series Thursday 22 - Bar & Restaurant open from 5.30pm (instead of Friday 23rd)

Sunday 25 - Orphans Xmas Raft-up Saturday 31 - New Years Eve Raft-up January Tuesday 3 - Boom Town Brewing Co Summer Fun Series Friday 6 - Ray White Invitation Race Saturday 7 - Giesen New Year Regatta Day 1 Sunday 8 - Giesen New Year Regatta Day 2 From Tuesday 10 - Versatile Summer Twilight Series

From the Archives Laying the Club Foundations 1988

REAR COMMODORE ROUND UP

house Car Boot Boat Bits Sale & Market day A huge thank you to all those who came to support the event. The House Committee were extremely busy serving teas, coffees and scones together with selling cakes. There were lots of stalls outside selling Boatie Bits. Ash and Martin did well on their club stall. It was wonderful to see such a diverse selection of crafts on the stalls inside.

Christmas Decorations In my absence the House Committee and friends were very busy putting up the wonderful Christmas Decorations in the ward room. Thank you to everyone.

Chairs We have been trying to complete the new covering of the ward room chairs. We wanted to get them all done before the Giesen New Year Regatta. A huge thank you to Cindy Vining and all the team involved in this project, particularly Graham and Kent for the use of their compressors. This week we completed a further 30 chairs. This has been a huge undertaking and has involved a great deal of time and commitment.

Giesen New Year Regatta The House Committee Heros will be ready, willing and able to help at the Regatta. If anyone feels they could help with the running of the outside bar on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon please contact Susie - 021 260 7361 The House Committee would like to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We look forward to seeing everyone at social events in 2023

Boat Bits Car Boot Sale and Market Day - we have some very talented people among us!!

We raised over $800 between stall fees, Devonshire tea sales and the club stall

Our amazing House Hero’s did it again!!

REAR COMMODORE ROUND UP

cruisING

Christmas Raft Up - Saturday 10th December

I am looking forward to seeing everyone out on the water and joining the Christmas Raft Up on Saturday 10th December. Please make sure you and your boat are fully lit up with Christmas decorations. I will try to send out a notice in the Club Bites on Wednesday regarding location and weather conditions. Contact Crusader on channel 63 or phone Martin on 027 225 0213

Orphan’s Christmas - 25th December Swe have a raft up for those not joining family on Christmas Day. I hope we have wonderful weather and lots of laughs on the water. Againupdates on venue TBA in Club Bites closer to the time.

Sounds in the Sounds - Music Concert - 25th March Put it in your diary. Arrangements are being made to organise a musical concert in the Sounds. Details to follow. This will be a first for us and we can’t wait to tell you more about this!

Rubber Duckie Training Anchor and Stern Line Training Training will be arranged in 2023 designed to give confidence and new skills to those who are perhaps a little nervous. Give Marty a call for more info.

REAR COMMODORE ROUND UP

SAILING

7-8 January 2022 We are delighted to partner with Giesen once again for our 63rd New Year Regatta Notice of Race is out now Entries are OPEN - Click here

Entry includes the

Ray White

Friday Invitation Race

REAR COMMODORE ROUND UP

MOORINGS

Great news!. The combined clubs have just purchased a new mooring in Torea Bay (no 3211). This will be useful for those wishing to pop over to Portage from QC Sound - the mooring is limited to a single boat max length 15m. This is a “bungy” type mooring, so is very different from our other moorings (rope and chain). Beware though, Torea Bay can also be a wind funnel in NW, W and SE, S winds. The mooring is currently named “Cerveza Charters,” this will eventually be changed to WPM. With summertime there is increased pressure on the moorings, and rafting up will be very common. Remember, you must allow other members to raft up, unless you will exceed the weight limit on the mooring, or the mooring has a restriction.

I have heard recently of a boat leaving a raft while it was quite windy, and just handing the mooring loop over without checking the person onboard was confident or strong enough on holding two boats on the end of the rope and then securing it. Please be courteous when in a rafted situation even if you don’t like rafting up. My suggestion is to always tie another rope onto the mooring loop and have that other rope secured so if you do happen to drop the mooring loop, you still have another rope to pull up when the gust drops.

There have been a number of moorings affected by the recent “Top Of The South” heavy rainfall events - in particular Staffords Bay (no 799) in Pelorus has been completely covered by a slip and Missionary Bay (no 14) has a tree in the water within the swing circle. It can be used but not advised in conditions that would push the boat to the inshore side of the swing circle.

In Queen Charlotte Sound, Bakers Bay (no 1), Double Bay South (no 6), and School House Bay (Resolution - no 1928) are in the process of having their buoys reinstated - as at 15 November they have temporary floats attached and should not be used by Members until the work has been completed - this is expected in the near future. Pickersgill Island (no 1669) has been reinstated.

REAR COMMODORE ROUND UP

MOORINGS Approximately 20 Queen Charlotte Sound moorings are scheduled to be cleaned in the next few weeks and Johnsons are in the process of establishing a specialist moorings team whose sole focus will be on mooring servicing. A number of Pelorus Sounds moorings are scheduled for service in December.

Hamilton Cove (no 1785), has been down for a while has now been reinstated and serviced.

The Combined Moorings Working Group has been researching several new sites and we are pleased to announce consent has been granted for a mooring in Te Kopi at the head of Port Ligar in Outer Pelorus Sound. Also an application has been lodged for a site in the south end of Current Basin, D’Urville Island at Two Island Point providing shelter for boats transiting toward Nelson who may strike marginal conditions coming out of Current Basin.

When reporting a mooring issue to your Club please include the mooring number as well as the location, date/time, and contact details so that we can follow up as quickly as possible.

A couple of points - when reporting a "wrong position" issue remember that the buoy can be anywhere within the swing circle which means if its sitting 40m away from the consented position it doesn’t necessarily mean there is a problem - it’s possibly just the tackle lying out to one side of the swing circle - this is far more likely than the mooring block having shifted. And if the chain is lying out into the deeper water it can make the mooring “hard to lift” - once again this is not necessarily a problem - the best way to minimise such issuses is to tow the mooring line inshore to the shallow water before dropping the mooring - this will also make it much easier for the next boat to pick up the mooring.

Happy boating for what looks like is going to be a long hot summer.

Yachting New Zealand Corner with Ian Gardiner It is hard to believe that in one months’ time Christmas will be done and dusted, with many of our members hopefully out and enjoying their recreational time on, around or in the water.

Advocacy Yachting New Zealand have a significant role in advocacy and environmental sustainability, looking out for the interests of yacht clubs and their members as well as the wider sailing and boating communities.

We have a nationwide viewpoint. When we submit, we submit with a voice of over 30,000 members for 108 clubs, 50 class associations and 40 marine organisations.

This carries significant weight on behalf of the greater boating community.

Recently Yachting New Zealand has formally been reviewing and submitted feedback where necessary around the Marlborough Environmental plan, with the aim of ensuring changes proposed do not adversely affect boaties freedom and ability to enjoy their traditional sailing and boating waters.

Other recent significant advocacy has included feedback to Council around to the proposed changes around discharge of holding tanks, marine farm consenting and local by-laws in both the Marlborough Sounds and the Bay of Islands Further information can be found at www.yachtingnz.org.nz/advocacy Yachting New Zealand also advocates on our members behalf as an active member of the Maritime NZ led Safer Boating Forum. The purpose of the forum is to work together to develop and implement a common safety recreational boating strategy for New Zealand and to support agreed boating safety policy, communications, education, compliance, and regulation.

The current four key risk factors identified and targeted by the forum are: • failure to wear lifejackets in small craft that are statistically overrepresented in fatalities (those less than 6 metres in length) • inability to communicate distress following an immersion-type accident • bad weather and sea conditions • alcohol (a significant cause of accidents and fatalities but underreported as a causal factor

Maritime New Zealand have also been conducting a review of Part 91 of the Maritime Rules covering basic navigation rules as well as carriage of personal flotation devices on board recreational craft. Yachting New Zealand has been involved in the discussion around proposed changes and the national alignment the varying local by-laws that affect the Part 91 rules.

Race Management With the Giesen New Year Regatta fast approaching a little reminder on certain rules could come i handy!

What is the difference between finishing a race (recording a finish result) and completing a race A boat finishes when, after starting, any part of her hull crosses the finishing line from the course side. However, she has not finished if after crossing the finishing line she a) takes a penalty under rule 44.2 b) corrects an error in sailing the course made at the line, or c) continues to sail the course.

A boat completes a race once she has finished and clears the finishing line and marks. She can still be subject to a protest for an incident during the race, after finishing or by the race committee.

Common Race management flags, do you know the meaning of these?

Code Flag Y

Code Flag L

Code Flag U

Remember the Race Committee are not obliged to broadcast on the VHF, but this is often done as a convenience to sailors. It is good for skippers, or at least a member of the crew familiar with the meaning, as not broadcasting or not hearing a message on VHF is not grounds for a protest or redress.

Ian Gardiner Regional Development Officer Yachting New Zealand

The rise and fall of rats in Kaipupu Sanctuary The inspiring community-led conservation project, Kaipupu Sanctuary, has achieved an important milestone this month after detecting zero rats for two years. The rat bait diphacinone was dispensed in bait stations throughout the 40ha Sanctuary two years ago. Even better, before the re-introduction program has begun, a South Island tomtit (ngirungiru) was recently spotted at Kaipupu for the first time in the Sanctuary’s 17-year history!

Biodiversity Manager Hazel Ross has led a volunteer programme to monitor rat numbers through traps and tracking tunnels. Other than the occasional rat that appears to have swum to the Sanctuary and been caught in the extensive trap network, rat numbers have remained at zero.

The Sanctuary has had a predator-proof fence separating the peninsula from Port Marlborough since 2010. While the fence is successful at keeping out stoats, cats and possums, rats had never been completely removed with the original poison operation and numbers increased to a point where trapping alone could not remove the population from the Sanctuary. Rats predate on eggs and chicks, lizards and insects, and feed on seeds and berries which inhibits forest regeneration.

“The two-year mark is an accepted period of time in which to say the poison operation was successful and we can declare ourselves predator free. We are already seeing birdlife begin to flourish and can start to plan for translocations of rarer species such as robin and Marlborough green gecko,” said Ross.

Trapping and monitoring will continue to be an ongoing activity for the volunteers.

“If rats swim to the Sanctuary and breed without detection, it won’t take long for numbers to build up again. We must be vigilant at monitoring and remove incursions as soon as they occur,” Ross said.

Visitors can access Kaipupu Sanctuary through boating to the jetty at Shakespeare Bay, or going on a commercial boat trip. There is a 2.8km loop walk around the Sanctuary.

With the cod season almost here, its timely to talk fishing. Thanks to Joshua Ponder from Henderson’s on Grove Road in Blenheim for this informative article to help you get a feed of fish this summer.

An Intro to Softbaiting With the weather and water heating up, so is the fishing. Summer is the perfect time to get out there and give softbaiting a go. Softbaiting is not only a super fun method of targeting your favorite species but also deadly effective. Everything from snapper to gurnard and cod to kingfish can be caught on softbaits along with many other species.

Softbaiting is not a new technique in New Zealand, having been around for some years now. But for some reason has never really caught on in a big way with sounds anglers. Over the past few seasons, we have been fishing softbaits more and more and they have proven themselves extremely effective.

There is no special magic to using softbaits, you will likely already have most, if not everything you need. If after reading this you would some more pointers call in to see us at Henderson’s on Grove Road. We love talking fishing and have a huge range of gear!

Let’s talk gear. Softbaiting is all about sensitivity and the gear we use reflects that.

Starting with the all important rod. Typically, the rods we are using range from 7-8ft in length (often longer if land based) and have a line rating somewhere in between 4-12kg, the most common line rating being 6-10kg. A couple of our favorites include the Okuma Tournament Concept and the Okuma X Factor Slim ranges. For value and performance, it’s hard to look past these rods, but our absolute favourite would have to be the CD Rods Extrasense. The Extrasense offers an incredible amount of sensitivity whilst still being ultralightweight and powerful. But if you have a rod that is sensitive, lightweight, and reasonably long it should do the trick.

2. As for reels, any reel round the 3000-4000 size with a smooth drag will do, spooled with braid.

Mono mainline just doesn’t cut it for softbaiting because of stretch. Softbaiting relies so heavily on sensitivity that with mono you can’t feel anything. Braids anywhere from 8-20lb will be fine, the lighter the better. A lighter braid cuts through the wind for better casting distance as well as a more direct connection to the pointy end, 10-16lb is perfect for most of the soft baiting around Marlborough. It’s still light enough for a good cast but strong enough if you need to put the brakes on a big fish. If you are fishing a lot around mussel farms or other structures, you can go slightly heavier for the extra abrasion resistance.

3. Now to the pointy end, to the braid we now connect a leader. The leader can either be mono or fluorocarbon depending on preference, most often in the 20-40lb range. If fishing around structure, a heavier leader is preferred due to its superior abrasion resistance. We connect our braid to our leader using a FG knot, a super slim and strong knot. The FG takes a bit of practice to get perfect but once you have it nailed there is no beating it. Other knots like the back-to-back Uni or Blood knots also work fine but aren’t as slim or as strong as the FG. 4. As for jigheads, there is a multitude of options out there but here is a rough guide to choosing the right one. Hook size depends a lot on individual brands, but as a general guide we use 3/0 for 4-5 inch baits, 5/0 for larger profile 5-7 inch baits, and 7/0 for 7in+. Weight depends on a lot of factors, biggest being depth and whether you are drifting or not. Most of the time we are using around a half ounce, which is perfect out to about 20m with a slow drift or anchored. From there, just adjust a bit for faster drift or deeper water etc.

5. With softbaits, sky’s the limit nowadays with loads of options to choose from. The two most popular types of softbaits are starched based baits like Berkley Gulp and Zman which are made from a super tough stretchy material they call ElaZtech. The starch style of baits (Gulps) are kept in a solution and have superior scent dispersion but aren’t quite as durable. They are great when fishing may be slower or when fishing over sand as there aren’t as many pickers such as small cod. ElaZtech baits (Zmans) are tougher and as their name suggests super stretchy. These baits are commonly scented with a gel scent rather than a liquid solution.

A wee trick to increase the appeal of you softbaits is to give them a smear of gel scent every few casts. On a slow day this can really make the difference, often sealing the deal for more finicky fish. Our favorite scents are from Pro-Cure and come in a range of flavors, some of the best being bloody tuna, pilchard and anchovy.

As for colours, we find the more natural colours are best on species like snapper while your bright colours like orange, red etc, are awesome on other species like gurnard. A couple of standouts of the season so far have been the Zman 4in Curly in Nuclear Chicken, Shiner and New Penny as well as the 4in Paddlerz in Nuked Pilchard. Along with the timeless classic the Berkely Gulp Jerkshads in Nuclear Chicken.

Now to fishing them, our best success on species like snapper and gurnard has come from fishing our softbaits slowly through a berley trail, allowing them to sink all the way to the bottom then a slow retrieve with occasional twitches and long pulls.

The key is to mix up your retrieves, try a super slow straight wind or a fast twitch, you just never know what the fish are after. Drift fishing over reefs and drop offs can reward with a variety of species. When drifting, cast well ahead of you, drift and slowly retrieve it back towards the boat.

If drifting fast, deploying a drift chute can help slow your drift to a fishable speed.

Paul with a solid Queen Charlotte panny on softbait

This is where you will see the payoff from using light, sensitive gear and braid. Every little bite, touch or grab you can feel. It’s pretty incredible what you can feel with some of the gear out there these days. Once you get a decent bite all that’s needed is a quick lift of the rod to set the hook and you are on and the fun of playing a decent fish on light gear begins.

Just remember to have the drag set so the fish can run if it needs to and keep the pressure on.

Take your time and enjoy the fight and carefully net your fish when it’s ready.

Now’s the time to get out and give softbaiting a go this summer. You will quickly see how fun and effective softbaiting is.

Give us a call or come in and see us, as I’ve mentioned we love talking fishing….

Gurnard are suckers for a softbait slowly fished over sand

38 Grove Road Blenheim Phone 03 578 9960 team@hendersons.co.nz

Keep them coming - Looking south over Cape Campbell. Check out the disturbed water to the left - A shallow reef extends well out from the cape often accompanied with rough water, even on calm days.

Thanks to Tim Williams

Did you know if you don’t own a boat capable of staying overnight on, you can join the Waikawa Social Club and join in at our social events including our Friday Club nights. Membership is just $40 for an individual or couple.

The Annual General Meeting of the Waikawa Social Club will be held at the club 4.30pm on Friday 16 December. Everyone is welcome. For more information please contact club President - Paul McFarlane

I wanted to share a few pointers with you after talking with Stuart Scaife from Boating Marlborough. These are often the overlooked little things with potential for major unplanned expense!

In the meantime $$$$$$ on anodes.

Not the first time we've seen the scenario like in the picture. Anode installed by someone not understanding what an anode does or how it works. They did a really great job of isolating this zinc anode with garden hose and plastic washers. It worked so well on this aluminium vessel, we did a roaring trade in outboard anodes for this vessel over a few years!

Any anode must have a great bond to the metal the anode is protecting. The outboard or marine engine manufacturer will provide and install anodes to protect the equipment they have made. These anodes are not to be used as a sole means of protecting a vessel by anodes. Surprisingly so many alloy boats rely on engine installed anodes to protect the whole vessel. This is wrong and may cost you another motor

You can have a chat to Stuart on 03 573 8243 or email to: boatmarl@xtra.co.nz www.boatingmarlborough.co.nz

Marlborough-Nelson Marine Radio Association provides a monitored marine communication system in the wider Marlborough Sounds, Cook Strait, Tasman and Golden Bay.

Our purpose is to provide safety to our boating members through the provision of a VHF marine radio network. The channels that form the network are privately owned by the Marlborough-Nelson Marine Radio Association. The provision of this network, and its maintenance is funded through member’s annual subscriptions and various sponsorship arrangements. Callouts to maintain our network can be expensive and can involve helicopters for access to the remote sites!

Our channels are monitored from 0700 to 2200 daily by a team of highly dedicated operators. These operators will log your trip reports, recording your vessel name, radio callsign, point of departure and destination, number of people on board and your Mt Stokes repeater ETA at your destination. If you don’t cancel your trip report Helicopter only ccess at the ETA, the operator will follow up to ensure there are no issues. Weather forecasts are also transmitted four times daily.

If you have ever tuned in to listen to the weather broadcast, or called one of the popular Lodges around the Sounds to book a mooring, on one of the MNMRA repeater channels you have been utilising the services provided by our Association.

If you are not currently a Member, please consider joining the Association, click on this link to take you to the Join Marlborough-Nelson Radio tab on our website www.marineradio.org.nz.

travel log

AITUTAKI

In September we were fortunate to visit Aitutaki for the purpose of celebrating a family member’s special ‘O’ birthday, and lucky for us she chose to have it Aitutaki!

Having stayed on Rarotonga several times and loved each visit we had always wanted to visit the outer islands. Aitutaki did not disappoint. A 50 minute flight from Rarotonga had us being welcomed by Aunty, our courtesy accomodation driver complete with beautiful fragrant leis once more.

Our accomodation was a short 6km drive actually everything on the island is only a short distance away! We were staying at the Tamanu Beach Resort, quite an upmarket place for us to stay and very comfortable. The resort is divided into two areas, family friendly and adult, with the areas seperated by private land about 75metres apart. Our group stayed in half of the 10 villas, with the pool being right next to the beach and the resort restaurant a short stroll down the beach. Most evenings whales were spotted not too far in the distance.

The resort offers complimentary bikes, paddle boards and kayaks, they hire scooters with car hire also available. Our booking included a 2 hour lagoon cruise, fully cooked breakfast each day and $100 meal and bar voucher.

After the excellent lagoon cruise taking in the thriving giant clam nursery, swimming with giant trevallys and whale watching, we wanted more and booked a 4 hour trip with Ned (ph 75720) to get us outside the reef and take in a bit more snorkelling.

We were thrilled to see whales close up again, humpbacks also visit Aitutaki to calve and breed. We jumped at the opportunity to swim with them. Ned was incredibly respectful of the whales and these ones didn’t seem to mind us in the water with them, were curious and checked us out as much as we were them.

Several times I found myself back pedalling to keep out of their way. It was a truely special trip for all of us onboard.

Interestingly the coral was not overly abundant, with Ned telling us up to the 1970’s exported bananas and pineapples were liberally sprayed with the insecticide DDT used on both the ships and crops to avoid insects reaching the final crop destinations.

After years of use, runoff into the lagoon and surrounding reef saw the coral die back.

However, it is starting to recover. As he said, they didn’t know any better back then.

There are no dogs on the island, in the early 1900’s the Chiefs daughter was mauled by dogs and the Chief ordered them all to be destroyed or removed. That order in still in place today, roosters yes, dogs no!

While not a budget holiday, the island is fantastic for a quiet break. The locals are very friendly and there is a range of accomodation options from lovely resorts to backpacker to self contained. Although the latter would be a bit challenging there are several eating out options and takeaways. Do your homework first, if you are staying at Ootu Beach you will need transport of some kind.

Sue & Ron van Velzen

If you have an interesting travel story please send it in to Sue at svheatwave@gmail.com

Tips & Tricks Looking after your Bottom

by Jon Brooks - Beach Road Marine

Antifouling A professional job includes good preparation, choosing the right product and applying it well.

Preparation After every 4-5 years the thickness of paint on the hull may have built up to the point where it will need to be stripped back to the bare hull to start from scratch.

You can see when this is due because there will be craters where layers of old paint meet, flaking where patches have peeled off and perhaps blisters where water is trapped under a bubble of paint.

The hull will need to be wet sanded.

Mask up the waterline and transducer BE CAREFUL – if you suspect osmosis, get it checked by a professional.

Product Beware - Not all products are the same, we use commercial strength antifoul.

There are several types of antifoul paint: • Hard Film – generally used by high-speed vessels which stops the increased pressure on the hull. This can be scrubbed back two or three times before it needs to be repainted.

• Ablative (or self-polishing) – a soft paint which uses the waters friction to reduce the thickness of the paint in a controlled manner, providing a longer and more consistent performance. It also helps reduce long term build-up of antifoul, and will break down over a 12-18mth period.

Tips & Tricks

Looking after your Bottom

Application Choose a calm dry day. Stir the tin well as biocides are heavy and sink to the bottom of the tin. Don’t mix old and new paints. Don’t forget your protective gear – very important, this stuff can be toxic. Touch up any bare spots with a good undercoat or primer. Apply one or two coats of antifoul with a roller or brush. You can apply an extra coat to high wear areas, along the waterline and leading edges of keels and rudders. Don’t forget the cradle pads when re-launching.

‘PropSpeed is the original and best performing release coating in the industry’ PropSpeed stops marine growth forming on propellers and shafts. An application of PropSpeed will make them more efficient.

There is a process to be followed when applying this product, so it’s best to leave it to a qualified applicator.

1. Preparation is the key, sanding with the correct product 2. An etch coat, which is brushed onto the propellor and shaft 3. A coat of silicon completes the process and should be left for at least 24hrs before relaunching the vessel

Zinc Anodes These are sacrificial metals designed to corrode away instead of the more noble metals, ie: stainless shafts or bronze propellers, copper fastenings etc.

There should be some care taken when fitting anodes because if you fit too many on a vessel it can have an adverse reaction and cause corrosion in other areas.

If you are worried, readings can be taken while the vessel is in the water to establish if the correct amount are fitted.

Looking for a venue?

Our club Wardroom is available for hire for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, funerals, meetings and training seminars.

Seating for up to 100 Catering and bar options Member only discount on hire fee Dance floor Waterfront venue and large deck

Contact the club office: 03 573 6798 email to

events@waikawaboatingclub.co.nz or click here for link to website

Kaipupu Point sea floor is much cleaner.

Thanks to the efforts of 34 persons on the water that attended the recent spring clean. Divers and helpers came from Nelson, Blenheim and Picton areas. The target area was small and concentrated just around the Kaipupu Point jetty. This is located in Picton Harbor and the jetty is the only public access point to a wild life reserve. Boat access only.

"Won't find much rubbish there" I was told. The divers found two baths, many tyres, 20Lt container full of steel pressings, spoons, cups, pipes, lawnmower, plastic sheeting, two stoves, carpet and many unrecognizable "man made" objects. Some bottles went back in as they were full of fish eggs. Many new creatures where discovered by those involved in the marine life repatriation. In the end we found ourselves removing so much stuff that we didn't dive at our other intended site. Back in Picton Marina we had a quick fruitful dive around the Breast Work area and rapidly recovered some large pieces of rubbish. These included road cones, a push trolley and more tyres.

Give us a call if you would like to learn to dive or join us on our next clean up dive trip.

We’re at the top of the hill next to Compass Charters Phone 03 573 5939

Island Cruising NZ, formerly known as the Island Cruising Association, provide resources for cruisers wanting to prepare for long coastal or offshore voyages. We also run yacht cruising rallies around New Zealand and the islands of the South Pacific; namely Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Our rallies are designed to allow sailors to cruise the islands aboard their own boats, or assist as crew on someone else's boat. Although our rallies have typically attracted owners of sailing yachts, we welcome owners of offshore capable motor boats to join us too.

We provide education for sailors to prepare their vessels for sailing offshore, suitable for both new and experienced ocean sailors, through our online cruising preparation workshops and members resources. We can provide assistance with Customs, Immigration, Health and Biosecurity in and out of each country and we hold social events at various points along the way.

VIKI MOORE: +64 21 438 977 EMAIL: info@islandcruising.nz

If you're sailing down to Lyttelton for SailGP you can also join us on the South Island Rally It costs just $190 (plus membership of Island Cruising NZ - $95) to join in the fun. here are some more details of the plans so far: Early March - sail South and meet us in Akaroa We'll help you find a mooring or give you some tips on the best place to anchor Join in the Akaroa Yacht Club Sunday racing, or come up to the club for drinks and a BBQ afterwards Visit the historic Akaroa Lighthouse Walk to see the wild animals in Children's Bay Visit the stunning Giant's House Visit the shops and restaurants on the Akaroa Waterfront Bring your costume - as we've got a Pirate Party planned!

We will then sail around the Peninsula and visit: the Penguin Colony, take a tour of the farm or a sea kayaking safari in the marine reserve Anchor in a remote bay, and take your dinghy upstream to a quirky museum Explore some of the stunning bays and inlets of Banks Peninsula Join the local yachties at the finish line of their annual peninsula race for a big party Enjoy a sumptuous High tea on the waterfront with spectacular views - $30 per person Join a foraging tour and learn which wild plants and seaweeds are edible followed by lunch $125 per person.

From there we will head to Lyttelton We'll give you the heads up on the best anchorages depending on the weather.

SailGP behind the scenes Tech Site tour - cost TBA Pre-sale access to the Premium flags - get the best anchorage on the racecourse cost TBA * pre-sale access to the shoreside fan village tickets if you wish to watch on shore. assistance with getting fuel via mini-tanker in Lyttelton if the rally group needs it.

In addition to all that, you'll get: A detailed rally guide book A printed Yacht Manual to help you get ready for the voyage A chart of the South Island Heaps of great discounts from our generous sponsors Assistance with finding crew Join our rally WhatsApp chat to keep in touch with your fellow rally participants Back up & support or answering any questions you may have.

Keen to join us? Register online here

Deanne and her team are available for all your catering needs, from morning teas and lunches to weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, funerals and business events.

Deanne will work with your specific requirements and any dietary needs.

Give Deanne a call on 021 186 8823

Do you have an idea, an article or photos of interest for our members? Let us know what you would like to see in our new monthly newsletter.

Give Sue a call on 021 287 8225 or email to events@waikawaboatingclub.co.nz

Owning it

send us your penny dropping moment so the rest of us feel better…..

On a passage back from Fiji a few years ago we were approaching Cape Jackson at night - it was a lovely calm, clear night - just what we ordered to come home to after a 9 day passage.

Ron was asleep and I was bringing us up to the Cape and became quite confused by a number of red lights in several rows. I couldn’t tell if they were nearby or in the distance. They appeared south east between us and Wellington. Were they long line float markers, a trial of some new lighting, a strange vessel with a lot of port lights showing????

We went through Cape Jackson, uneventfully, and as day broke I felt rather silly when I realised they were the lights on the wind turbines on hills of Makara…..

info@landcom.co.nz

The Benefits of Proactive Maintenance Like cars, boats today are complex machines that require regular maintenance to perform optimally. Our aim at BoatSmartHQ is to make that process easy as for boaties like yourself. If your primary interest as a boat owner is to enjoy your boat, here are three reasons you should have a chat with us:

We Stick to a Schedule

Periodic maintenance is part of the life cycle that all ship components go through. If not, parts can speed through that cycle and break unsuspectedly.

That’s why we conduct regular boat inspections to detect and avoid scenarios

where repairs will be required. This maximizes the life of your vessel, and the time that you get to use it, at minimal cost.

Industry-backed Experience BoatSmartHQ First Mates work closely alongside marine service providers to ensure your boat is well looked after in every marina in New Zealand. Our streamlined service and nationwide network is why companies such as Sports Marine NZ and Ray White Marine NZ trust us to be their warranty care providers.

Get More Boat for Your Buck Not only will proactive maintenance keep your boat in better condition at lower costs, our detailed maintenance logs will ensure you get you the best value at resale. What’s more, Nautilus Marine Insurance now offers BoatSmartHQ members some of the lowest insurance premiums in the boating industry.

Give us a call today to find out BoatSmartHQ can make boating easier for you.

Dion Brown Franchise Owner Marlborough Sounds Region Havelock, Picton & Waikawa Marinas Call: +64 (0)27 534 7686 Email: dion@boatsmarthq.com Web: www.boatsmarthq.com

Experience the beauty of the Queen Charlotte Track during your stay at Bay of Many Coves

Spend 3 nights with us and experience the natural beauty of this unique walking track: With an abundance of regenerating bush, stunning views of both the Kenepuru and Queen Charlotte Sound, and contrasting landscapes, the Queen Charlotte Track is an experience not to be missed.

Trekking through coastal forests, skyline ridges and historic bays, you will also enjoy an abundance of wildlife and understand why Captain Cook found the Marlborough Sounds so enchanting.

Your package includes: Transfer from Picton to Bay of Many Coves with The Cougarline scheduled water taxi, where you will discover the beauty of the Queen Charlotte Sound Three nights’ accommodation in one of our superbly-appointed one bedroom apartments Start your day with a delicious breakfast each morning, on the deck of the Kumatage Guest Lounge, overlooking the bay Depending on the day that suits you, we will arrange a transfer by water taxi for you to walk a section of the Queen Charlotte track, including a picnic lunch for you to enjoy along the way Enjoy our famous 5-course dinner each evening of your stay at the Foredeck Restaurant Experience a full wine-match each course with the best of our Marlborough Cellar-doors Return by water taxi to Picton, onboard a scheduled Cougarline service and take in the sights one final time.

Package rate: $6,345.00 per couple from 1st November 2022- 30th April 2023 Non staying guests are more than welcome to have lunch at our Kumatage restaurant.

Please give us a ring to make a booking.

Oraumoa / Fighting Since 2014, this bay has been officially Bay recognised by the name, Ōraumoa / Fighting Bay.

This dual name is a result of respective Treaty of Waitangi settlements between iwi from Te Tau Ihu (tribes from the top of the South Island) and the Crown.

The bay’s Māori name translates as the place of Raumoa. Raumoa was the name of an ancestor from the iwi, Rangitāne o Wairau, who lived in the Wairau Valley and travelled to the bay to gather kai moana or seafood.(1) There is some conjecture that the name Ōraumoa translates as the place of 100 moa.

(2) The bay had long been used as a tauranga waka (safe anchorage for canoes) by Māori.

The bay’s close location to settlements in Te Whanganui / Port Underwood and access to Te Moana o Raukawa / Cook Strait, meant it was regularly used as a point of transfer between the two islands.

The European name, Fighting Bay, is associated with the bay as the result of a battle that occurred in the early 1830s between the iwi, Ngāti Toa and Ngāi Tahu.

Ngāti Toa, led by the chief, Te Rauparaha, had been hunting for wild fowl at Lake Grassmere / Kapara Te Hau. Prior to returning to their stronghold on Kāpiti Island they rested at Ōraumoa / Fighting Bay. Here they were surprised by Ngāi Tahu, led by the chief Tuhawaiki, who lay in ambush with a party of 340 warriors and 6 waka.

A land and sea battle took place in the bay, both sides had muskets. Accounts state that Ngāti Toa only escaped defeat as a sea fog rose and covered the bay, enabling them to slip away.

Over the years human remains have eroded from the sand and many musket balls have been found in the area.

In 1948 a Douglas Dakota freight plane, flying between Woodbourne in Marlborough and Paraparaumu on the Kapati Coast, hit the top of the hill in the bay (537 metres).

Both the pilot, Commander R.J.H. Makgill and co-pilot M.C. MacLeod died in the crash.

The bay is the southern installation of the Cook Strait hydroelectric cable. Here electricity generated in the South Island is transferred to the North Island.

Construction to lay the cable and build the supporting infrastructure, including large electricity pylons and a steep road between Hakana Bay and Ōraumoa / Fighting Bay occurred in the 1960s.(3) 1. ‘Ōraumoa / Fighting Bay’, New Zealand Gazetteer, (Land Information New Zealand, 2019), accessed May 7, 2019, https://gazetteer.linz.govt.nz/place/54587 .

2. Roberts, W. H. Sherwood. “Maori Nomenclature: Maori Names of Places in the Provincial District of Marlborough,” Marlborough Express, Volume XXXVII, Issue 216, 12 September 1903, Supplement, accessed January 9, 2018, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MEX19030912.2.58.2 .

3. James R. Eyles, Place Names of Port Underwood - a post European History, (Picton: October Enterprises, 2002) 56.

The almost - but not quite back page quiz

1. What is a flock of gannets called?

2. Where would you find a Baggy Wrinkle 3. You are told "The rabbit comes out of the hole, around the tree and back into the hole." What does that mean 4. There are three corners and three edges to the triangle which forms the shape of most sails. Start . with the lower forwardmost corner, and go up the front edge to the top of the sail, and continue until you return at the original corner, and name each part as you go.

5. What is datum on a nautical chart?

6. On a wooden built boat, what is the “Whiskey Plank”?

7. Where does the term “above board” come from?

8. Mind your P’s and Q’s - how did this term originate?

DID YOU KNOW: Motu Ngārara / Allports Island is an island in Tōtaranui / Queen Charlotte Sound opposide Waikawa Bay, named after Thomas Allport who leased and farmed the island in the late 19th Century. Subsequent to the death of Allport, the Department of Agriculture used the island to breed Angora goats until the island became a scenic reserve in 1927. The island is covered in regenerating native bush. The Māori name means lizard island.

Penguins use the island as a breeding ground, and robins and kiwi are found on the island.

Predator control has been undertaken by DOC to reduce rats, mice and possums, however there have been problems with hunters illegally releasing pigs on the island. No moorings are available.

Answers: 1. A Plunging of Gannets 2. Baggy wrinkles are used to prevent sail chafe and are usually attached to the main shrouds, port and starboard.

They can be used on any shroud that may rub against a sail. They were traditionally made by sailors out of old lines cut to various lengths and attached to a central core to form a sleeve 3. You are being taught how to tie a bowline knot.

4. tack, luff, head, leech, clew, foot.

5. A reference point for depth soundings.

6. The last plank secured to the boat.

7. Pirates would often hide much of their crew below the deck. Ships that displayed crew openly on the deck were thought to be honest merchant ships known as “above board 8. Sailors would get credit at the taverns in port until they were paid. The barman would keep a record of their drinks on a chalkboard behind the bar. A mark was made under “P” for pint or “Q” for quart. On payday, the sailors were liable for each mark next to his name, and forced to “mind his P’s and Q’s.” Today the term means to remain well behaved

Members Classifieds Sail Numbers If you are looking to replace or add sail numbers, we can machine cut them for you. Price ranges from $6 to $8 depending on size per number/letter. Available in black, grey, blue, yellow and pink. Phone Sue - 021 287 8225

Looking for a casual berth from Dec 31st to January 12th preferably in the Waikawa Marina Contact number: 0274477010 Mike & Angie Donovan

Looking for Chrome locking winch handles in the Anderson style or similar for classic yacht.

Any size considered.

Ph: Ben 021 104 4879

Heading away from Waikawa Marina for a time in 2022?

13m yacht seeks a berth for a few months.

Contact: David, 022 505 2302 pinotd@icloud.com

Swap your Waikawa Mooring for a mooring in Whangaroa, Northland - this mooring has a 3 tonne for a 14.6m boat.

Contact John for more info - 027 231 3001.

Wanted to Buy mooring in Waikawa Bay for 14m yacht.

Contact: Liz 027 217 1564 or Dave 021 073 3612

If you have something boat related to sell/buy or swap, these ads (now with photo) are free for our members.

If you would like a full or half page ad please talk to us.

Please email to events@waikawaboatingclub.co.nz

Contacts: By phone - (03) 573 6798 Physical address - 12 Te Ara Kaimoana, Waikawa Marina Web Address - www.waikawaboatingclub.co.nz Facebook for our most up to date news and events Club Manager - Natasha Mason office@waikawaboatingclub.co.nz Assistant Manager - Julia Thomson events@waikawaboatingclub.co.nz Office Hours - Monday to Friday 9am to 3pm

Club Executive Commodore

Sue van Velzen svheatwave@gmail.com Vice Commodore - Anne Marett annemarett5@gmail.com Rear Commodore House - Susie Caley okiawbaylodge@gmail.com Rear Commodore Sailing - David Grigg tempello@xtra.co.nz Rear Commodore Moorings - Steve Dawson stevesuedawsaon@gmail.com Rear Commodore Crusing - Martin Cuthbert okiwabaylodge@gmail.com Executive Committee Graeme Riach - graeme.riach@harmans.co.nz David Nelson - davidnelson1507@gmail.com Liz Nelson - liznelson16@gmail.com Mike Gould - mikegould@xtra.co.nz