Kerkira Racing

Richmond Summer Series Race 8: High Temperature

2012-02-01T22:19:00.000+13:00

Yes, high temperatures - of the squealing thermostat kind... An interesting start to the evening for Race 8 of the Richmond Yacht Club Summer Series Wednesday Night racing - we were lucky to make it to the start. It appears there was a blockage in the cooling system, and it caused the thermostat to alarm. We pulled up alongside one of the piers and diagnosed the problem, got it sorted and continued on -

Auckland City like a battleship on the horizon. The evening was a bit cloudy, with periods of sun - and a 5-10 knot SW wind.

The Crew

John (Captain) Ian, and Dave, and new recruit SamHS - Mark had the night off.

Course 9

Down to Rough Rock Buoy (which was now in place - not like last week when it was non-existant), Orakei, Resolution and home, against a reasonably strong outgoing tide.

The Start

With our late arrival to the course, we went straight into the box. A slow ride down the line on starboard - but with the tide taking us sideways, we opted to tack back to run the other way - on port haha! All good though, and we got away in the middle of the fleet.

Progress

The course was pretty straight forward - a big loop - we had a good race, hoping to hold on back up the channel to the finish-line, but had to tack up near the bridge as the wind wavered S and SW sometimes giving us hope, and then knocking us north.

The Result

Well it was back to the clubhouse and a cold beer and hot burger - always welcomed! And also welcome was a 3rd on handicap. I must say that although our tacks were a bit rusty - the crew 'sailed' the whole race, being very attentive to the conditions - so well done.

johnhs

Always check the number - it can change

2012-01-27T11:24:00.001+13:00

We sailed with Mark, his brother-in-law Peter and his 13yr son Isaac.

It was a lovely night on the water – however there was some drama and we RAF (had to withdraw)! The course was course 8 when we went out – but because lots of the buoys have been lost over Xmas, there wasn’t a course that suited everyone – so Richmond changed our course to 7 following the start of the divn before us… so we sailed the wrong course. I had no idea that they COULD change the course like that – live and learn – needless to say, we aren’t the only ones… Next time we will be checking as we go over the line! ;-)cheers, johnhs

Richmond Summer Series 2011 Race 6: Last for 2011

2011-12-07T22:00:00.000+13:00

After last weeks long sail into oblivion (according to the scorecard) we were focussed on getting home well tonight, and well inside the 9:00PM cut-off that foiled our plans of conquest on our last run.

Here is the track for the evening - thanks to Dave and his Android.

The Crew

John (Captain) Ian, and Dave, - Mark was stuck in traffic and made it to Westhaven just before 6:00PM however we left Westhaven at 5:45PM... sorry Mark - meet the joys of Auckland traffic!

Course 7

A great course. Down the harbour to North Head, back to Orakei, back around North Head, Orakei again, Resolution and home to the finish. This is a good course because as the fleet doubles back on itself, there is plenty of interaction... and for us, lots more time sailing in the fleet.

The Start

Having left a little later than usual we made a quick visit up under the Harbour Bridge, put sails up, and headed for the start line. Timing was good, and we crossed with the fleet.

Progress

The track above tells the story - down the harbour on a starboard goose-wing until Torpedo when we gybed. The wind was steady approx 15 knots until we came to round Orakei for the second time and then the wind turned, fluttered, petered, switched and generally went round in circles. It took some time to gather itself again, leaving the slowest boat in the fleet, no wind, with the outgoing tide strengthening - nothing like a challenge!

We headed out into the middle to find some breeze and managed to hang on to the edge of it, while trying to stay off the channel (and current). Then around Resolution, across the harbour, with an extra tack to avoid a freighter (502 tonnes?? - he wasn't stopping anyway...).

With a westerly wind we tacked up the harbour and finished.

The Result

Back to the Richmond Yacht Club clubhouse for burgers and beer - as Dave said "It would be rude not to...". Dave was triumphant at the spot prize, winning some beer to cap off a great evening.

Next sailing Wednesday is January 18th 2012.

Richmond Summer Series 2011 Race 5: Long Night

2011-11-23T12:16:00.000+13:00

Looking forward to keeping all crew on-board, we headed out on quite a blustery evening on the Waitemata Harbour, in the Richmond Wednesday night Summer Series.

The Crew

John (Captain)and Ian, Mark, and introducing Dave, who got a fairly hairy start to his crewing on-board Kerkira. Welcome Dave!

Course 4

With a healthy Norwesterly breeze we headed down the harbour to Resolution, down to Leading Light Buoy, Rough Rock, Orakei, Stanley Point and then home. Along with the wind advisory was quite a decent out-going tide - so coming back up the harbour was always going to be a slog.

The Start

After heading up under the Harbour Bridge to practise out tacking and getting the new crew familiar with working together, we headed down to the start and arrived on time. With an out-going tide and strong wind in the same direction, it was always going to be straight down the middle.

Progress

We stayed pretty close to the fleet down-wind and in the reaches, but struggled coming back up the harbour against the elements. Still, we felt we were doing a reasonable job of it, maximising the gusts and trying to stay out of the tide as mush as we could.

There was the 9:00PM cut-off looming, and we had the bit between our teeth to make sure we put points on the board for the night. Sadly... we must have been seconds over, as the result shows we were DNF. Not a wasted night however, its always good to be sailing!!!

The Result

DNF... well, it happens - maybe I need a decent up-wind sail...?? ;-)

Postscript: After beers, burgers and talk, Mark managed to break off the key to his bike lock and had to taxi home.

Richmond Summer Series 2011 Race 4: MOB

2011-11-09T22:47:00.000+13:00

Another great night on the Waitemata Harbour - the wind was 15 knots from the West, and the sea was relatively flat. We were two-handed - just me and Ian - and then Ian decided to go for a swim just off North Head - leaving me single-handed and in charge of saving his skin - which was very wet...

The Crew

John (Captain)and Ian - champion bobber. Well we did the Man-Over-Board drill - but during the race.

Course 6

The wind was behind us as we headed for Northern Leading Buoy, Rough Rock Buoy, Resolution, Bayswater and home.

The Start

With just the two of us we tried our luck at going down the line on starboard, tacking around at the start-box end and getting our timing on the ease to the line. Being two-up we weren't as aggressive as we might have been, so it was a mediocre start by our recent standards.

Progress

We got the pole sorted and goose-winged our way down the harbour, staying in touch with the fleet - until at North Head we gybed - and dumped the crew in the water. Pffft... his auto life jacket inflated on cue and he bobbed there waiting for me to come get him. At this point the 830's were upon us under spinnaker - some arm waving on my part, and a few manoeuvres - I threw the main-sheet out into the water, he grabbed it, did a bit of trimming, and climbed aboard. He earned the quote of the week "Well that was a bit of an adventure" he said...

The Result

Well as the tide started to go out, and the Westerly wind died out... we fought our way into last place - but inside the closing time.

Richmond Summer Series 2011 Race 1

2011-09-28T23:10:00.002+13:00

The summer sailing season is upon us, and the first race of the Richmond Yacht Club Wednesday night racing got underway on a beatiful evening, with a light breeze from he South. Traditionally the first and last races of the summer season end in the dark, and even with the switching of daylight saving, it was dark before we got back o the club-house.

The Crew

John (Captain), Tim, Ian and Mark. Nicola was not available, but would have been excited to have pipped Blackstar on the line after chasing them up the harbour in the fading light.

Course 8

For our first race around the harbour, we were sent to Rough Rock Buoy, Been Rock Buoy, Resolution and home. And we did all the marks in that order ;-)

The Start

The favoured end was the box end so we headed down that way, and were right on the gun. Very pleased with our start we headed down the harbour with the fleet, and probably suffered a little due to the city buildings affecting our wind. We did catch and pass Capricho before heading across towards North Head and around to our first rounding.

Progress

We headed down the right side of the harbour looking for the right opportunity to get a bit of breeze and get back across the harbour. Ian got the pole out and we goose-winged towards Rough Rock Buoy, hoping to catch Blackstar - but they managed to round before us. Hard on the wind and a couple of tacks to Bean Rock Buoy and then as it started to get dark, vaguely towards Resolution. That was when we realised that two of the boats nearest us had made mistakes in their roundings. And the wind started to go light - handicappping us further as we were further down the course from the finish. Anyway, through perserverence we caught Blackstar and passed them 5 minutes from the line.

The Result

Out of the fleet of 15 we were 13. I guess our decision to go right and the easing breeze cost us. And we were unable to score at the club-house either... but what a great night - what would you rather be doing than sailing up and down the Waitemata Harbour on a lovely Wednesday night!

Richmond Summer Series: Race 12 - The Final

2011-04-02T17:27:00.000+13:00

I used to look down from the Auckland Harbour Bridge on a Wednesday night and wonder about the vast fleets of yachts racing up and down the harbour, most often thinking how nice it would be to be down there on the water either improving the sailing or perhaps just sailing up and down with some cold beer and a few friends.

Our starts and finishes are under the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

Now of course, we have completed our second year of Wednesday night sailing on Kerkira, a Lotus 9.2 with the Richmond Yacht Club.

The Crew

John (Captain), Nicola, Tim, Ian and Blair. Mark was coming but the traffic battle finally won and we had to leave the marina before he arrived - very sad indeed. With the final this week, we were all very keen to get out on the water and see what we could do to get a good series placing.

Seen: John, Blair and Tim. Unseen: Nicola taking the picture and Ian directing us through traffic on the bow.

Course 10

This was a different course, which had us going down to Resolution and then back up under the Harbour Bridge to Chelsea, back again to Bayswater and then home to the finish. A great course with lots of company as we went up and down the harbour.

The Start

We have been very aware of our starts, and have concentrated each week on improvement. This week we were nicely in the box and well timed to get to the line. We didn't count on getting in a Townson 'sandwhich' and having ourselves bullied into irons - from hero to zero - we were dead in the water. We managed to get moving again and weren't last over the line, but so slow - I should have done some shouting... you never know.

Progress

The wind was from the south, and so we were able to ride down the harbour in the outgoing tide quite nicely, and caught back up with the fleet down towards the bottom of the Ports of Auckland area and to Resolution Buoy. We had by this time also caught Blackstar, and as physics would have it, could not pass them on the leeward side, so headed up-wind - only to come very close to the larger boats coming back west. We did finally get past before the mark, and then did all the trimming and adjusting possible to get our speed up and get away cleanly back to Chelsea. The tide was running reasonably strongly now so most boats headed in close to the wharves, and into a hole... we saw it before it was too late and continued a bit further out, where the effect of the outgoing tide was set against a better angle of sailing and more wind. We pulled away.

Auckland City was pink in the evening sky.

Coming back down the harbour and into the fading light we passed Blackstar and Pott Black (the series winner) coming up. We rounded Bayswater and headed for home - there was a guy fishing, who had tied off the racing buoy. We went quite close to the buoy (as you do) and could see him clutching the sides of the dinghy rather than a fishing rod ;-)

The Result

We came 5th on the night and 4th overall in the series - a very good result - the 3rd place just alluding us. Our sailing has improved immensely and so has our enjoyment. Thanks to everyone involved - the Richmond Yacht Club race control, the handicapper (cheque is in the mail), all the skippers and crews that have taken part in our Wednesday night obsession - and of course the fantastic crew onboard Kerkira!

And not to be disappointed at the clubrooms - Ian took away a pack of beer in the spot prizes.

The bridge looking beautiful in the last rays.

Thank you Nicola for all of the fantastic images you have captured - a great gallery and record of Kerkira racing on Auckland Harbour.

JohnHS

Richmond Summer Series: Race 11 1st on Handicap

2011-03-16T23:19:00.001+13:00

Following the Route 66 outing, with sail fixed by Rick Royden, we headed out on a beautiful evening, wondering if there was going to be enough wind.

The sky stayed clear and we sailed into the sunset to a podium finish.

The Crew

John (Captain), Tim, Ian and (guest sailor) Mark.
All boy crew tonight, a little more sailor talk and a bit of giggling about going hard and Ian's pole etc...

Course 9

The course was down to Rough Rock Buoy, back to Orakei, Resolution and home. The wind was northerly with a hint of east - a good wind direction for us, as shown by the results!

The Start

We headed out a bit later than normal and headed up under the Harbour Bridge to hoist the sails. The furler is still broken, so the headsail had to be raised, not just unfurled. As we didn't have so much time to practise our tacks we headed east as far as we dared and turned back to be in the box for the start. We were a fair amount slower heading against the tide back to the starting line, and we were definitely worried that we were going to be late. However, as it happens we were spot on, on starboard and right there for the gun. Actually there wasn't a gun - we should have been watching the flag! All good though, we had some speed and we crossed with the fleet, with a couple behind.

Progress

We made the best of the tide, and tried to keep a good heading without going too high, so we kept good speed going down the harbour, and reasonable position, keeping clear of the slack wind behind North Head. Tacking and up the channel towards the next tack that would take us to Rough Rock - we over did it, learning from last week - but overdoing it a bit. It meant we had a flier across the channel towards the mark.

Flat off to Orakei, with the pole in place and crew looking for any improvements possible to move us along. We were bang on Orakei and then resumed the beam reach, which certainly suits us.

Time for a beer ;-)

We arrived at the finish, still tweaking and eking out the last speed we could.

The Result

We were 1st on handicap - !

Oh and the skippers prize from Safety At Sea - to fix Ian's inflated lifejacket and a kit for mine. Very good.

Oh and a great burger at the clubhouse too.

JohnHS

Route 66

2011-03-09T20:53:00.001+13:00

The race started under grey skies.

Each year there is a race run between the Richmond Yacht Club and the Onerahi Yacht Club called the Route 66. I guess its 66 miles from start to finish - but in a yacht ... not likely unless a very favourable wind was blowing ;-)

I had Kerkira ready with new jack-lines, flares and safety equipment, and a fridge full of beer (and some food).

The crew [Nicola, Tim and Ian] and I were looking forward to the challenge, which started at 3:00PM Friday under the Auckland Harbour Bridge and ended for us around 10:30AM Saturday at Marsden Point, with breakfast and prize giving at Marsden Cove Marina. However there was plenty of adventure on the way...

Quiet contemplation before the wind rises.

The start was busy with all contenders starting at the same time - somewhere in the vicinity of 25 boats including multi's, cruisers, racers and sports boats. The wind forecast was for 25 knots with gusts to 35 from the north (where we were going). We were hoping it would start going to the west so we could hold some sort of line towards our goal, and to be fair, we battened down, just about two-blocked the main, and settled in for the slog through the night. And slog it was. We always had company though, and that gave us something to measure our progress against, looking for our gain or loss at the cross.

As the night drew on the rain and wind didn't give up, pounding at us, and keeping us all busy. We all had a stint on the tiller with Ian doing his fair share and a great job of wrestling with the boat as we bucked and dived our way up the coast.

As we came into Bream Bay we seemed to be on top of our two closest rivals, so we were feeling tired but competitive.

...then about 3:30AM the headsail started flapping wildly, the furler had broken at the top and the headsail was sliding down the track, albeit slowly as there was a lot of pressure on it in the strong winds. I hooked myself on and went forward - I couldn't really make out what the problem was but could see that the sail had gone out of shape - I decided that if there had been a tear, a few turns on the furler might arrest the sail so we could continue. No - the gennaker halyard dfecided it was time to wrap itself around the top of the furler - no going in or out, and the sail flapping so much that I thought it would rip for sure. All the time it is dark, very windy, the boat charging down into the waves and we were largely out of control. Somehow I got the halyard free and wrapped the sail around the forestay. We were sailing on the main only, and trying to go to windward - not very successfully.

Sadly, we decided to turn on the motor.

The sky was getting lighter and the wind died down a little, and we had another 10 miles to go to Marsden Point - so we put a fishing line out. We got a Kingfish which we put back, a large kahawai, and a beautiful blue Albacore Tuna.

Hey its meant to be a sailing trip...

Marsden Cove awaited. A few waves and encouraging calls from boats heading back out, we berthed at A Pier and headed to the marquee, hoping for breakfast. Well breakfast was still on for us (lots of thanks for that) and we found we had more... the finishing pack (including the Appletons rum and girlie calendar), I had won a skippers spot prize of 1 months marina fees at Marsden Cove, and Nicola had won a bag of goodies in the crew spot prize - high adventure AND prizes!

Breakfast done we went back to fix the boat, and get on our way back to Auckland. The plan was to return to Kawau for the night and then on to Westhaven on Sunday. The furler was indeed broken at the top, but the sail faired well, with just a small tear at the top, so it was safe for our return trip. And off we went, leaving Ian behind to travel by car back to Auckland.

The salubrious Mr Field.

After 30 hours awake it was time for me to have a quick nap - its amazing as skipper just how that responsibility keeps you awake and alert. We had the wind behind us - but it was failing, and soon it was time to motor again, hoping to get to Mansion House Bay before dark - we arrived just on 9:00PM, however we put another 3 Albacore and one Bonito in the fridge before arriving - dinner was fish!
Get the slice about 10mm thick, the pan hot with a little oil and butter - and fry 12 seconds per side (count out loud for effect)- can't go wrong!!!

Nicola in her element.

We all slept VERY well Saturday night, floating around in Mansion House Bay, and as the morning became light, so the cool south-westerly wind set in noisely. Nicola did most of the helming down past the conservation island of Tiritiri Matangi, hard on the wind again. And then the wind freshened - I would guess to 40 knots by the state of the 'streaky' sea - and we couldn't reef our big headsail or replace it with a smaller one - it was pretty hairy, although a little better to handle in the light. We headed for the shelter of Motutapu Island where we stopped for lunch (mmm more tuna) and fishing. Nicola again showing her prowess by landing the biggest Kahawai I have ever seen.

We motored home around the inside of Rangitoto Island, home to Westhaven Marina, and eventually hot baths and soft beds - that were not on a lean or moving about.

Fantastic ;-)

Next years strategising has already started...

Richmond Summer Series: Race 10

2011-03-07T21:04:00.000+13:00

Putting last weeks DNF behind us was the key to this race - and the Route 66 coming up gave us an extra incentive to get ourselves in condition.

The races now are coming home in the dark, and Auckland city was looking very Blade Runner when Tim took this pic.

The Crew

John (Captain), Nicola, Tim and Ian.
With thoughts of the upcoming Route 66 firmly in our minds we had a few jobs to do and some teamwork to work out. Pointing for instance.

Course 6

The course was same as last week - down to Northern Leading Buoy... but this week a bit more wind... however the race was finished at Resolution, which was good a thing.

The Start

We started well - early into the box and then hit the line with a bit of speed. The fleet was off and then not... the westerly wind died out - meaning the spinnakers of the 88's and 830's in the next division caught us before we got to Stanley Point.

Progress

With our newly cleaned hull we 'drifted' along nicely with the fleet, only getting left behind as the wind rose. We made our way down to Northern Leading well, arriving just before Blackstar and another and yelling the 'no-overlap' call, however we couldn't hold the line pointing to Rough Rock Buoy and had to do an extra two tacks. That put us behind them. I was counting on the outgoing tide pulling us through which was reasonable but there was not quite enough and we had a boat length to make up.

The Result

We were 4th on handicap by only a couple of seconds, so that extra tack cost us dearly - and with the Route 66 looking like being on-the-nose in both directions (there and back) we had better get out pointing working a bit better!

Oh and the skippers $50 prize from Mariner Insurance was very well accepted by yours truly - breakfast for the crew at Marina Cove on Saturday morning paid for ;-)

JohnHS

Richmond Summer Series: Race 9 DNF

2011-02-27T22:28:00.000+13:00

A difficult end to a great day on the water... we didn't make it back in the alotted time - we missed the 9:00PM cut-off by 3-4 minutes.

As the night came down, we found ourselves becalmed near Stanley Point, trying to find a bit of wind to get us to the finish before cutoff. The result says all - DNF (Did Not Finish).

The Crew

John (Captain), Nicola, Tim and Ian, Blair.
The team was together and we made sure we were in the box at the start this time. The tide was turning to go out so we knew we would have a bit of a battle coming back up the harbour.

Course 6

The course was quite long, having us go down to Northern Leading Buoy.

The Start

A great start, right in the middle of the field, however with our inability to point well we were the first to tack back across the harbour. That was when we started to lose touch with the others who could hold longer. This needs to be our next effort - getting some speed, pointing high.

Progress

As noted we slipped back a bit but the killer came when we became becalmed as the evening wore on, leaving us out of time - by about 3-4 minutes.

The Result

Bugger! Bugger! Bugger!

JohnHS

Richmond Summer Series: Race 8 The Washing Machine

2011-02-08T12:38:00.000+13:00

The wind was up, against the tide, and the region around the Auckland Harbour Bridge was like a washing machine! Later on Auckland turned on a great sail back home, even producing a cruise ship - which didn't get in our way (as per usual).

You can also see the winch handle which was a Christmas present for the boat from Ian - so a handle on each side - very nice, thanks Ian.

The Crew

John (Captain), Nicola, Tim and Ian.
After a few days where the weather had been a bit grey and nasty, there started to emerge some fine stuff again - with a nice Westerly wind to match. With the wind against tide however, we had a real churning sea around the Bridge - and coupled with a good sized fleet, made the area around the start box entry rather challenging.

Course 12

The Westerly had us down the harbour to a laid buoy at Devonport to Rough Rock, up to Orakei and home. We were flat off a couple of times with the wind going a bit South giving us a better than expected ride home (although a bit wet for some on the rail - Tim).

The Start

We were up the harbour trying to get ourselves together, and ran out of time for a 'timed-run' on the line. We hit the starting box a little late, and didn't cross the line for 90 secs after the gun - terrible - but there were boats behind us. We said at the time we were being careful, but really we should have been there - as Nicola had been saying 10 minutes before.

Progress

We decided on the North side of the harbour run down to Devonport. Overall just hanging with the fleet. We had Blackstar ahead of us and we tried (in vain) to pass them - all the way back to the line.

The Result

We were 5th on handicap and if we had of started when the gun went, we would have been 2nd. No prizes in the clubhouse - but I must get the hull cleaned for the next race!

JohnHS

Richmond Summer Series: Race 7 Happy New Year

2011-01-21T21:59:00.001+13:00

Back in 2011 and looking forward to getting back for our Wednesday night fix of sailing on the Waitemata Harbour.

The Crew

John (Captain), Nicola, Tim and Blair.
With Ian still away on holiday we didn't use the poled-out genoa on the downhill run from Resolution to Rough Rock - maybe we could have made a difference there...

Course 1

With SW we headed down to Torpedo, back to Resolution, downwind to Rough Rock, up to Orakei, Bayswater and home. Except for the downhill from Resolution to Rough Rock it seemed we were going into the wind in both directions.

The Start

The wind was against the tide and that made the area under the Harbour Bridge a bit lumpy. We hit the starting box along with the E Divn fleet, and there was a fair showing of 10 boats. We crossed the line about 20secs from the gun, but so did half the boats. We then proceeded to hang on grimly down the harbour towards Torpedo Buoy. Obviously everyone feeling a bit rusty on their starting.

Progress

We did hang on to the other masthead boats, taking the Stanley side with the tide coming in. Around Torpedo we had our first test getting back up to Resolution, and pointing was not good. The downwind leg saw us fall away a bit more - maybe the goose-wing could have been helped with the pole - but with reasonable winds and Ian not there I decided not to get it out. Probably a bad decision - maybe I should have handed over the helm and done it... Anyway, we were good on Rough Rock, with some in front of us mis-timing the effect of the tide and had a very steep last gasp to get around.

As we got to Orakei, Pott Black appeared and we had a drag race up to Bayswater - they couldn't pass us - we were well pleased. However, the last leg to the finish line was so tight, we didn't make it, whereas the Townson pointed a bit higher, and eventually beat us over the line - making us last to finish. Bugger - we were so pleased with ourselves to hold them out and thought we were going to sneak over in front.

The Result

Well we weren't on the podium this week, but I did get the skippers Hull Clean prize - so we'll be very slippery next race ;-)

Happy New Year
JohnHS

Happy Kerkira New Year

2011-01-05T13:34:00.000+13:00

The Richmond Yacht Club Wednesday Night Summer Series has reached 2011. The dates for racing are:

Division E No Extras Light Blue Start 1815
=====================================
Race 1 29 September
Race 2 13 October
Race 3 27 October
Race 4 10 November
Race 5 24 November
Race 6 8 December
Race 7 19 January
Race 8 2 February
Race 9 16 Feruary
Race 10 2 March
Race 11 16 March
Race 12 30 March

See you out there.

Richmond Summer Series: Race 6 Merry Christmas

2010-12-09T12:46:00.000+13:00

We headed out onto the harbour to uphold our honour... this week there was no freshening-breeze-coupled-with-shortened-race excuses. Well we sailed our marks well, and there was a very nice breeze to go with it - just a couple of large ships thrown into the mix to make things interesting.
1st on handicap for the second race in a row - well done guys!! Our Christmas present came early this year ;-)

Another Race Win

Yes, after a run up the harbour and a couple of practice tacks-and-gybes we headed down to the starting box with high expectations, knowing that we can compete (at least on handicap) with the E division fleet.

The Crew

John (Captain),Ian, Blair and Paul who joined us specially from the UK.
We met Paul down at our last trackday at Hampton Downs where he too was hiring one of the Ridedays GSXR 600's. Nicola was away sick and Tim, although back from the US was not available.

Course 3

A new buoy on this track saw us heading down to Bean Rock Buoy, up to Rough Rock Buoy, back to Orakei and home, with a SW wind 10-15 knots. The course was intercepted by two ships - the Sun Princess a cruise ship and a large container ship - both huge slabs of dead air if you are on the wrong side of them.

The Start

We started pretty well - in the fleet and heading up to the northern track down past the naval base and Devonport Wharf. With an incoming tide and the SE wind we decided that was the best approach, even through the Western Wall was the preferred end.

Progress

Once underway we headed on a course that was pretty much on the mark (Bean Rock Buoy) although it was too far away to see. Then the Sun Princess appeard out of Princess Wharf. We passed by and decided to harden up a bit (thats what she said - Michael Scott) and go above the cruise ship so we wouldn't have to worry about the loss of wind or the fact that we needed to cross the channel to Rough Rock Buoy. All good. Then the second ship came out. We had to go deeper than we had planned with the container ship taking us down the harbour - but once passed we headed for the mark - hoping to beat Pott Black who had been diverted quite a way off their course. Rounding Rough Rock Buoy we made our run at Orakei - tacking near the Tamaki Yatch Club and just making our mark. We were making up to 8.2 knots on the way home (by GPS with tide) and were so intent on getting our time we didn't even take the top off a beer until we crossed the finish. Then it was Epic Pale Ale all round ;-) Not sure what Paul said after his first mouthful of Epic - possible he meant "by joves there's a hop or two in there - what an engaging flavour". It sounded a bit more like a drowning swimmer coming up for air... we will convert him... we will!

The Result

Numbawan. Yes again first on handicap.

Repeating last week...the result at the Clubhouse - AWESOME.

First on handicap and I also got a spot prize and took home 4 x beers.

Cheers and Merry Christmas
JohnHS

Richmond Summer Series: Race 5 Numbawan

2010-11-25T23:02:00.001+13:00

After a full-on day in the office - and only just holding onto the concept that it was Wednesday even... we headed out for our evening on the Waitemata Harbour, a crew of three, with Tim in the US and Blair doing mates duty on land.

First Podium Finish

Three crew and high expectations - we had built confidence in the last race with a good start and a solid showing - BUT THIS WEEK we really did mix it up well - with help from the conditions and the decision to shorten and finish at Orakei, we made the podium - in 1st place. Hello.

The Crew

John (Captain), Nicola (part-time helm), Ian (can I say Poleman?).

We had a couple of people down so we were very focused. I handed the tiller over to Nicola on the way down to Rough Rock Buoy and took on the headsail trimming as we tried to hang on to the fleet.

Course 9

Down to Rough Rock Buoy, Orakei, Resolution and home was the course. The race was shortened, finishing at the Orakei mark. We saw the flags up on the committee boat and after a quick look at the sailing instructions determined that the race closed between the mark and Jan Marie. We looked again... really? It seemed a strange command, but it was clear from the flags... we headed for the mark on our fastest course, instead of trying to lay through to Resolution.

The Start

We approached on starboard and sailed slowly to the mark. Timing was good and we could have accelerated a bit more - hitting the line again about mid fleet but not as up-to-speed as we would like. But, I say we could do better - it was probably our best start todate.

Progress

Down on the north side of the harbour, optimising the breeze and trying to get out of the current, we hung on well. Nicola took the tiller and I played with the headsail - there was breeze but we were still using leeward weight to keep the sails full. We also cranked up the topping lift on the boom to open up the leech on the main, and that gave us a better shape.

Rounding Rough Rock Buoy we had been passed by Blackstar and they were pointing higher and closer to the mark. We decided to tack, going up towards North Head with the tide, and have a better run at Orakei - it worked, and we reached Orakei ahead.

The Result

Numbawan. When the results were being read out Commodore Rodney announced "E Division, no extras... 1st on handicap Kerkira"... pause... I am thinking "what did he say??" "Kerkira" I looked across and he was looking at me - O.M.G. I couldn't believe it I almost staggered to get the prize - I couldn't walk. Sounds ridiculous, but the first time was quite a shock. All credit to us, eh!

The result at the Clubhouse - AWESOME.

And one of the skippers prizes to John, Kerkira (a vinyl repair kit).
We'll be wanting the hull clean ;-)

Cheers
JHS

Richmond Summer Series: Race 4: Great Result

2010-11-11T13:19:00.002+13:00

Another lovely evening on the water, a good wind and tide and great crew-work gave us our best result yet in the Richmond Summer Series 2010 - the Wednesday night races on the Waitemata harbour.

Best Result

Tonight delivered our best result on the water, and although we sailed well with no mistakes, there is still room for improvements. We finished 7th on handicap in a fleet of 16 boats, and we were all feeling very good about our performance and in the knowledge that we can be competitive - albeit with the assistance of the handicapper ;-)

The Crew

John (Captain), Nicola, Ian, Blair and Tim.

It was a good number on board and the crew-work was great, with good communication and assistance where necessary to get the job done. Ian again showed his agility in mastering 'the pole' and now it is up to me to make his life easier by shortening it to a more manageable tool for the straight-downwind sailing.

Course 7

North Head, Orakei, North Head, Orakei, Resolution, home. It was a good course with the added bonus that beacuse it doubled back on itself, we were sailing more in the fleet, rather than being left behind the quicker boats. We rounded all marks well, with Kerkira pointing reasonably well, but still way lowerer than most. We made our marks - and that is the main thing. We saw others putting in extra tacks - probably because of the tide moving over the course rather than purely the wind direction, and we were on top of that.

The Start

What can I say... WELL DONE. It was our best start yet, and we were confidently in the mix at the start, with a few extra seconds lost in the jostling of bigger faster boats - but hey - that's racing. We were all very pleased with the start and I was particularly pleased with the calling from the foredeck and the crew responsiveness when we needed to power-on.

Progress

Down the harbour, in the fleet. While we had a bit of clear air we held on well - but the larger boats to windward slowly crept down and in overtaking us stole our wind, and we slowed down a bit. Still we were going well with a nice breeze, which seemed to be affected a bit by buildings and spaces from the city skyline. Kerkira powered up well in the small gusts.

The rounding of the marks was done well, but not by all, and we saw BlackStar having trouble with the rounding of North Head. That gave the crew a lift and we managed to stay in front for the rest of the race.

The Result

Our best result - 7th out of 16 finishers. Looking through the handicap results we were in the same half minute as the 2nd place-getter. So with some small improvements across the game, we know we can start to feature more often in the 'upper' level of the results.

The result at the Clubhouse - disappointing - but the burgers were good.

Cheers
JHS

Richmond Summer Series: Race 3: Pole Dancing

2010-10-28T17:59:00.000+13:00

A beautiful Auckland summer evening on the Waitemata Harbour - great sailing, great friends... and a pretty good result.

Sailing No Extras

We made our best start tonight, not last over the line as per normal, we hung on to the bunch too... we could have done with a very large down-wind sail at one point, although we did get Ian up on the fore-deck doing a jig with the pole, getting the best out of the genoa.

The Crew

John (Captain), Nicola, Ian, and Blair (welcome!).

We had Blair along for a sail tonight, and he was very focused getting that genoa sheet in - he and Nicola making a great pairing, we went through the tacks very well. We went up and down again, doing a few tacks and gybes before the start.

Course 5

Rough Rock Buoy makes another appearance in the sailing schedule - and we timed our tack well to go around the buoy without running into problems with the incoming tide - which saw a few boats putting in some extra tacks. Then Orakei, Resolution and Bayswater to home.

The Start

Well tonight was our best start yet, keeping out of the argy-bargy with 16 boats in the starting box, in clear air and feeling confident about our position. Still a bit to go to get to t he front on starts, but way better than we have been. All credit to the crew!

Progress

Sticking close to the fleet, we headed off down the harbour with the NE meaning that we were close to the wind, but not struggling to hold course. Most others pointed a bit higher to avoid the tide, but we still held on well with slightly cracked sheets.

As noted our buoy roundings were perfectly timed. Leaving Rough Rock Buoy we had a down-wind leg, with the wind failing, so tried to get a bit of an angle to hold our position with a bit more speed. Hmmm. The wind just followed us around, while we watched the opposition drift by. Well, it was time to employ the pole to help with the goose-wing. In a previous story, you will remember that the pole had gone over the side - but we did have an extra long spinnaker pole on board - so Kiwi ingenuity time - and back in business - although now behind the second-to-last boat, shall we say...

The Result

We came back at them, but too little too late I'm afraid - pity, because if the race had of finished at Rough Rock we would have kicked handicap arse (nautical term). In the end we were 10th of 14 finishers - so we are happy.

The result at the Clubhouse - what can I say... 4 beers in my fridge to prove it.

JHS

Richmond Summer Series: Race 2: Long Way Round

2010-10-17T20:23:00.000+13:00

After the first night out ended in a disqualification, we were determined to do a lot better. The wind had been building over the past few days and we had a long course with a big fleet.

A beautiful evening to be sailing

A beautiful evening on the Waitemata harbour saw us manage the prize for the most sailing again. Because the wind died out the night was quite long and we came in to the finish in the dark, but well before the 9:00PM close out.

The Crew

John (Captain), Tim, Ian, and Nicola.

With Tim back we had an extra hand and after trialling a few tacks and gybes were quite happy with our speed out of the tack. We did a bit of a run up and down before our start to get the feel of the wind and tide.

Course 4

Yeah we know where Rough Rock Buoy is... yep... approaching from the Leading Light side it was real obvious and certainly easily spotted next to the cardinal buoy - lucky we didn't run over it last week...

Another big loop this week, with the wind dying out in the later stages and leaving us well behind the fleet.

The Start

We practised our start with a timed run to the buoy and were feeling quite confident. Then the 5 minute gun went and we headed over the the start box - however we got stuck doing a tack just uner the Harbour Bridge, and got stuck in irons... getting out of that we made a dash for the pin, but were about 1 minute off the pace - bugger.

Progress

We tried catching up to the fleet but with us pointing rather badly we couldn't make up our deficit, and trailed the fleet home.

The Result

We had a fleet of 16 boats which is our strongest showing - we came in 16th.

The result at the Clubhouse was again excellent, with Tim and Ian taking beer home.

JHS

Richmond Summer Series: Race 1: Rough Rock Buoy Protest

2010-10-01T13:30:00.003+13:00

Time to hit the water again for the 2010 Richmond Summer Series on t he Waitemata, and from the turn-out there have been quite a few looking forward to this fortnightly treat out on Auckland's harbour.

Around the ship, but not the Buoy

We had to go around this ship, and discretion being the better part of valour, we slowed and ducked around the stern - unlike some others who had a series of toots that communicated the pilots obvious concern about how close they were getting to the Wednesday night tail-enders.

One short blast “I am altering my course to starboard”
Two short blasts “I am altering my course to port”;
Three short blasts “I am operating astern propulsion”
Five short blasts "I am in doubt as to your intentions"
Twenty short blasts then, probably means "Get the yacht out of my way" or similar sailor talk.

The Crew

John (Captain), Ian, and Nicola.

The core crew, and hoping to see a few new people on the water this season. And Dave the source of our best and rudest quotes... playing hard to get. Our quote this week comes from Margaret "There is a protest against you..."

Course 8

Yeah we know where Rough Rock Buoy is... right??? At Rough Rock buoy... NO. At the buoy that has been laid called "Rough Rock Buoy" that we are using this year for racing. Most of the fleet rounded the cardinal mark and not the racing mark and so two divisions were protested. We'll see what comes of the hearing on Monday night. I am uncertain whether we went around the required buoy - I didn't notice it, but then I was concentrating on the very large ship also coming into the harbour as we were trying to cross the channel.

The racetrack was a circuit taking in two new racing buoys... Rough Rock and Bean Rock.

The Start

We went up and down the harbour to practise our gybes and tacks and were last over the start... but not by much. We were pretty much in the action.

Progress

Great wind from the north meant that everyone had a blast up to Rough Rock and back. We were doing 8 knots at one point, and still didn't spill the beer or lose the cheese from the crackers. (thanks Nicola - well done!) We made an excellent rounding of Rough Rock mark in terms of timing, wind angle and tide, and sailed well on all points.

The Result [Under Protest]

We had a fleet of 13 boats tonight, very good showing, with some regulars not out. We managed to scrape in last on the line, and 10th on handicap.

The result at the Clubhouse was excellent, with the skipper taking out a $50 spot prize - so we have started THAT part of the proceedings very well, at least.

JHS

Summer Series 2010

2010-08-24T19:36:00.004+12:00

The summer series is about to get revving again at the Richmond Yacht Club in Auckland.
We will be there!

Yep, this year I have paid for a SailPass so Kerkira will be seen out on the water a bit more often.

We had so much fun doing the Wednesday nights last year and early this year, so I am looking forward to getting the crew together again. This year summer series we will again enter the no-extras division and be flying a light blue flag. I will have to change my headed pic from green.

Calling crew, are you lurking?

Division E No Extras Light Blue Start 1815

Race 1	29 September
Race 2	13 October
Race 3	27 October
Race 4	10 November
Race 5	24 November
Race 6	8 December
Race 7	19 January
Race 8	2 February
Race 9	16 Feruary
Race 10	2 March
Race 11	16 March
Race 12	30 March

Mooring Rope nearly worn through

2010-05-03T21:41:00.001+12:00

After a beautiful day on the Waitemata Harbour sailing on Peppermint Planet in the first race of the Richmond Yacht Club Winter Series, I went down to Kerkira to check her over, run engine, clean up etc.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I checked the mooring lines. Three out of four were fine. This one on the front was nearly worn through.

Go and check your mooring lines now.

Richmond Summer Series: Race 11: Getting dark.

2010-03-17T22:56:00.001+13:00

Racing in the Louis Vuitton 2010 was threatening to disrupt our racing so a few new courses were added to the racing. In the end we didn't use the new ones anyway. And the start time seemed to be different too. Its starting to get dark at night now - in two weeks time it will be very dark at the finish.

The Crew

John (Captain), Nicola, Tim and Emma.

Tim and Emma were going out after the race, so we had the pleasure of Emma's company. In fact she had to work - no free rides ;-) Sailing really takes it out of you - my bet is she goes to sleep in the car on the way home. Sitting in the clubhouse I felt like curling up then and there.

Course 3

No new course this week, but one that keeps the boats in close contact, with a loop from North Head to Bastion to Torpedo to North Head again, to Bastion, Resolution and home.

The Start

We noticed that the start seemed to be a little different in timing... and we had ourselves in a good posi and noticed the class flag still up. We circled around and the gun went - we were quite a way back, and then the wind died a bit and left us - getting a hurry up from the 930's who were next to start.

Progress

Once underway it was a reasonably straightforward race down the harbour with a little tide coming in. We had started at the tower end and so headed straight to Torpedo, while most of the others stayed up by Stanley Point out of the tide. Considering it was a wind warning in force on the harbour, we could have done with a bit more wind, and we tried to catch hold of the patchy wind drifting down the harbour with us.

The Result

We were beaten to the line by Blackstar who we have managed to beat home up to now. Good on them, considering they did do a bit of extra sailing up towards Rough Rock that they didn't need to - kind of sportsman-like in a way.

No joy at the clubhouse later either - besides a cold beer and a burger. I must say though - sailing is great... any day!!! Even if you sail slowly ;-)

Richmond Summer Series: Race 10: They took our wind

2010-03-03T23:14:00.001+13:00

Somehow seems that this week has been sooo long coming... I was watching the clock all afternoon. It was a lovely evening again, and a nice breeze that was coming from the SW most of the time.

The Crew

John (Captain), Ian, and Tim.

I rumbled up on the Ducati and we hit the harbour, albeit a little later than usual, and in time to barely avoid the start of a race. We did stay out of the box, but of course, boats can still be in start-mode and be just around the area. We will head out further away from the start area next time..

Course 7

A big tide, with a club notice going out to boats that they could move to X-pier ensure they had water to get out of the marina. We were OK of course only needing 1.5M. Course 7 took us around Torpedo and up to Rough Rock, Resolution , Bayswater and home.

The Start

We had set ourselves the goal of being better on the start this week, and we were in the fray when the gun went. I felt good actually - we can improve still further from there.

Progress

Well we were in the fray as I said. So that meant we could have our wind stolen. It was good to mix it up a bit in the fleet, although the Ross 930's were just flying downwind under spinnaker - with the first bouy of consequence being Rough Rock there were no close calls. We did get called 'Starboard' by a boat coming up - we were going downwind on starboard - and it didn't occur to me that they were the on starboard at all - but we of course were windward, so needed to keep clear. I shouted 'Starboard' back, by reflex action and then 'windward boat' and then realised it was us.

We measured up a new pole length, so I will need to do some engineering in the weekend.

The Result

We had a fleet of 13 boats tonight, very good showing, with some regulars not out. We managed to scrape in last on the line, and 12th on handicap. Our progress was very good, with bursts to 9 knots coming home.

Ian and I went up to the clubhouse for something to eat and to pick up a prize. At least we didn't go hungry...

Need to replace the furling line - the cover os coming off the old one, and I have taken it out of service.

Can't wait till next week.

Richmond Summer Series: Race 9: Long Awaited Return

2010-02-19T22:46:00.003+13:00

What a beautiful evening on the harbour - and this time we were out there and doing it! We had a good turnout again with 11 boats in our division. Richmond have started having multi's and we saw G3 out at the start of their race... wow, can that thing move!!

Bigger

The Crew

John (Captain), Nicola, and Ian.

All work was done and the life-lines are in life-saving order. I will be putting SS plates under each stanchion in due course.

Course 5

Down to Devonport, across to Resolution, then North Head to port, Western wall, Bayswater and finish. Quite a tide running in, and the water was flat.

The Start

We were there, but not really close enough. Starts are definitely something to work on. Once underway we headed for Devonport, arriving with the Ross 930's at the mark. No dramas.

Progress

Everything felt good. Following discussion about setting up the main with Peter from their previous week, we dropped the traveller down and sheeted in tight. It felt good, with good speed (for us). Ian was a bit sad that the pole wasn't available and he was all ready to fashion a new one right there on the water.

Ian decided that we should have cheese and crackers on the way around, and wash that down with a fine ale. He was right

The Result

We were surprised to find a boat behind us, which was catching up quite fast (a Townson). We couldn't hold them off but sailed well to the next mark and crossed just 2 mins later to claim a points victory.

Back in port, tidied up, ship-shape etc, we headed up to the clubrooms at Richmond Yacht Club in Westhaven for a beer and some dinner. And victory again! We were smiled upon by the Spot-prize Gods and walked out with 2 of the spot prizes. Nicola left me with the Edge ;-)

Richmond Summer Series: Race 8: DNC

2010-02-03T22:40:00.001+13:00

Did not contest.

A beautiful evening on the harbour, we were sitting in the marina with repairs not completed.

The Crew: John (Driller), Nicola, Tim and Dave and Ian.

I did not get the plates sorted until yesterday, and I fitted them last night. All that had to be done was to mount the stanchion back on the plate and away we would go.

Never over-estimate the amount of charge in a battery drill...

We couldn't get the holes for the life line stanchion done, so we elected to drink beer instead - so all was not lost!

We cleared off and I went home and got the power drill - back and the job was done in 10 minutes and then mucking around trying to hold my nuts while I screwed from above. That didn't come out right, did it... the screws go through from the top of the deck and the nuts go on inside the ... oh never mind...

Sorry to the crew for the disappointment of missing a lovely evening on the harbour, the fun of the race and missing the possible crew or spot prize opportunity. To quote Dave's famous saying... "Thanks for coming".

Anyway, we did not contest, but we are ship-shape once again.

Richmond Summer Series: Race 7: Quite windy

2010-01-20T23:22:00.000+13:00

It was windy, it was rough, and it rained. Perfect sailing weather. I was very slow in reminding everyone, or organising other crew - this year has started with extra chaos for some reason...

Course 3

North Head - Bastion, Torpedo, around again, Resolution and home. Not a bad course but very blustery and a bit lumpy out at North Head. We were caught at the North Head Buoy first time, with a big tide ripping in, we had to abort the rounding to avoid touching the buoy. We weren't the only ones either. A nor-easter so we flew home, and with the tide coming in the water had flattened off too.

The Crew

John (Skipper), Nicola, Tim and Oscar.

The Start

So windy that the gun wasn't used. I thought the division flag drop was the 1 minute signal. Duh. We were at the wrong end to start, as I thought we had a minute to go. Not a great start then.

Progress

Off we went fighting up from the wrong end, and soon passed by the Y88's charging through. We seemed to be catching up a little, but with the aborted North Head Buoy we were definitely behind the others. Then on our next rounding of the Torpedo Buoy we were not good enough to make the tack and ended up having to tack again to get inside the mark, and again. The rest of the race was a bit lonely. We did crack 10 knots up the harbour, so going home was a bit of a buzz.

The Result

Last in, but not too late for burgers at the clubrooms.

When we got back to the dock we noticed water inside the boat. Because we had been right over we had aggravated an old injury to one of the stantions and it has punched a hole in the deck - letting in water when on a port tack. I hope I have sealed it enough to stop more water coming inside while I arrange a proper repair. I think if I just get a large wad of $20 bills and stuff them in there, the leak will stop...

Christmas Maintenance

2010-01-13T22:02:00.000+13:00

Nothing like pottering around the boat fixing things:
==================================================
Barlow winches greased and ready to go.
Sail repaired after summer cruising 'wear-and-tear' - small tear at leech of headsail.
Diesel checked, added 20l.
Radio
Flares
Lifejackets
Batteries
Oil

Still to do:
============
Tighten forestay before refitting the headsail.
Get a new bottom block for the vang.
Make up templates for traveller control lines.
Need to organise a hull clean.
Oil good - change in April.
Do anode in April.
Check water pump impeller.
Take some of the fishing rods off.
Need to run tender outboard

Richmond Summer Series: Race 6: All about the twist

2009-12-09T23:18:00.001+13:00

Another beautiful evening in the Auckland: City of Sails - or as it is better known at this time of year, the City of Sales! Not much of a breeze but enough to get 10 miles up and down the Waitemata Harbour and have a beer or two along the way.

Course 7

No wind warning tonight, with an 8 knot southerly - some of the time - a very strange wind indeed which appeared and disappeared as quickly. Course 7, same as last week was shortened with a finish between Jan Maree and Resolution. That was two flags on the committee boat - one being the S and the other Blue, meaning finish between here and the mark.

The Crew

John (Skipper), Dave, Nicola, and Tim.

The Start

We were still a bit slow to the line, I think about 1 minute back, but the fleet was a strong 12 boats and I didn't want to get too close and screw up. So we were catching up again... although, yes we did catch up, as the wind hole was between Princes Wharf and Devonport.

Progress

Our No.1 pole man was not available tonight so it was up to me to organise the pole-out of the genoa - having been going into the wind we now had it directly behind us. I'm sure at one stage we could have dropped the sails and gone faster - drifting out with the tide.

One thing we did play around with was sail twist, and it was to good effect coming down to the fleet before joining them in the hole. By bringing the traveller across and adjusting the boom vang we were able to manage the twist so that at least some of the sail was flying well. Nice trimming by Dave.

On the way back from Rough Rock we did get some breeze, probably in the 12 knots area, which dropped again to 8 to 5 knots by the time we were at Resolution. We had also been playing with the outhaul, giving a bit of shape to the mainsail once the wind had gone past the 5 knot stage. With no real advantage to flatten the sail again the draft was too far back. I tried rigging up a cunningham downhaul - trying to remember how I rigged it on the Laser. With some crazy ropework I got a 4-to-1 advantage - but still couldn't get the draft forward enough to point well with power.

The Result

Well 6th on handicap - our best result yet - and we know we can do better. That may mean me accelerating the addition of more sail controls - actually I'm looking forward to the 'inventive' engineering challenge.

No prize at the club-house this week.

This is the last Wednesday Night race for the year - back on the 20th or January, 2010.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
cheers
johnhs.

Richmond Summer Series: Race 5: Tried a few things

2009-11-25T23:18:00.002+13:00

A beautiful evening on the harbour, with a good breeze from the s-south-west, and a clear blue sky.

Course 7

Every week so far has been windy, with another wind warning in force - giving us 20-25 knots across the course. This course took us down to Rough Rock and back via Resolution and Bayswater.

The Crew

John (Skipper), Ian, Nicola, and Tim.

The Start

We got away from the marina just after 5:30, with Ian having to make a run for it :-) We really didn't doubt that he would be there on time. Tim managed to find us, and this week Dave decided that an RFP was more important than sailing - go figure. So we headed up the harbour and practiced a few tacks with the new crew arrangement. The wind was strong, but with the amount of southerly in it, going under the Auckland Harbour Bridge we were almost becalmed behind the bridge piers. That made us a bit slow to start - so playing catchup.

Progress

This was the night to try a few things, and the first thing was out-board sheeting of the genoa. That seemed to work quite well with us doing early 8's and catching the group a little. After Torpedo buoy was Rough Rock, and straight downwind, so time for the pole and the goose-winged sails. After a little altercation with the stays the pole was up and we were trucking down the channel towards the mark. The second idea was to partly furl the headsail at the mark, and thereby have a better arrangement for upwind to Resolution. That did not go well, and the sail ended up with a loose balloon of sail in the middle. We couldn't hold a decent course so opted to tack. That in itself wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as there was still a little tide running, and while the others were being taken sideways with leeway and tide, we were progressing against the tide (high+4.5hrs) and when we crossed the channel the tide effect would be minimal. That was the theory. That course had us lose touch with the others, and when we came back we had slipped a little, still rounding before the last boat, but losing out to the rest of the fleet.

Don't furl the headsail - it has no shape and causes even more problems than being 'No.1' size.

The Result

Yeah a bit disappointing, but a beautiful evening none-the-less. The skipper needed a beer on the last leg - purely for medicinal purposes you understand, and we were back in the light. All the tacking calls were good with marks hit (i.e. no extra tacks required).

And when we got back to the marina and tidied up, we were treated to pickled onions and cheese on crackers, with a cold beverage to accompany it - thank you Nicola! It was nice to have something to eat afterwards.

Final Word

UNDEFEATED! Nicola got a 4-pack of beer for the spot prize!

Richmond Summer Series: Race 4: Consolidating Position

2009-11-11T22:46:00.054+13:00

After the threat of rain the evening turned out to be really nice, with a good wind direction, if not a little gusty at times. The boat and crew performed well and we improved in terms of across the line position, coming in 8 out of 10.

Course 1

Another wind warning in force... hang on, that was what I said last week! It was a bit gusty for some, but the Lotus 9.2 took it well, with only a couple of times getting heavy on the helm.

The Crew

John (Skipper), Ian, Dave and Nicola.

The Start

Once we had sorted out the time and sync'ed up with the race control (and GPS) we were in the box in good time and across the line nicely in the mid-pack, and with good air.

Progress

We tried to stay out in the out-going tide for as long as we could down to the first mark - if we have an advantage anywhere in the division it might be 'most boat under the water'. We arrived at the first mark - Devonport Naval - with Blackstar (Atkinson 31) just in front, Takahoa (Townson 32) on the outside, and a Young 88 (I think Raging Hormones) charging down between us all under spinnaker. Across to Resolution it was a bit of a drag race, but we were very happy with our performance - keeping the Y88 honest most of the way over, and picking up a place. Takahoa pointed nicely and was able to go around us all. The run under gull-wing to Rough Rock had its moments with a spinnaker blow-out just behind us, but we lost a bit of ground with being a bit tardy getting up to speed.

We have to polish up getting the pole on quickly.

The Result

While the result is like last week with an 8/10 we improved on line to come in ahead of Crazy Legs (Farr 1020) which we were very happy about. There is still room for improvement and we know it - and our teamwork and coordination is improving.

Now that we can see where we are going, we should start tweaking a few more controls. We did play with the outhaul, and I think that worked well, and I am keen to get the traveller sorted and adjustable, even if it is by leg and not gust.

Final Word

Our prowess in the Clubhouse is UNDEFEATED! with a spot prize of 4 beers to Capt. JHS. Mind you, being given Steinlager Edge is probably the only way I would have tried it...

Kerkira joins the racetrack

2009-11-01T19:47:00.001+13:00

Yes, I got an email from Mark Mulcare regarding our entry on the racetrack, and we are now being logged there.

http://racetrack.org.nz/class.php?classid=13

...and there we are, in the middle of the pack, plenty of space to improve our rankings.

Richmond Summer Series: Race 3: Not Last

2009-10-28T22:58:00.005+13:00

It was the noisy new green flag that did it! Yes, a full crew and wind, and a 10 boat fleet as well, very good, and well up on last week. We were all at the boat in good time, and we were out on the course practicing tacks and staying out of other people's way.

Course 1

Another wind warning in force... and this time there was wind all over the course [Bean Rock peak 32, average 25, from 218]. Down to Devonport, across to Resolution, straight downwind to Rough Rock, Orakei and home before nightfall - 9.7 NM.

The Crew

John (Skipper), Ian, Dave and Nicola.

The Start

We started from up the harbour, approaching the line from upwind and not too much speed on. We did misjudge the time to the line and were a minute late, but not last over. By the first mark we were right up with Nevenka, Pot Black and Crazy Legs. So we were very happy to be mixing it up with them.

We moved the genoa cars around, starting with them quite far back, and then moving them forward a bit. Homework for Ian - if the bottom tell-tales are rising, is it forward or back for the cars?.

Progress

We stayed with the fleet all the way round, not pointing as well but not going too slowly. We could have been a little better on the line if we had got our 'second-to-last' tack right - then it would have been our last tack, and we would have made up 30 seconds - which would have changed the result. The helmsman was a bit optimistic when comparing lines with the Farr 1020.

Ian called 'Starboard" on a Y88 near the Bastion buoy - very deliberate and forceful... nice work - they got the message.

The Result

We set out not to be last, and to be home before 9:00 - we certainly did that and more. Good work guys! Based on this effort, and the experience we are gaining in crewing and boat setup, next week we will do even better.

And our record back at the clubrooms is intact with Nicola taking out the spot prize.

Richmond Summer Series: Race 2: DNF [Arrival 9:04PM]

2009-10-14T22:10:00.025+13:00

Everyone has been looking forward to week 2, and a chance to cause some havoc in the middle of the fleet.

Course 9

There was a wind warning in force... unfortunately no-one told the weather gods. The wind was north west and going north, but didn't get over 10 kots. Pity, as the course was long and the tide was 3.0M meaning lots of outgoing when we were incoming. At North Head the wind gave up completely and I wasn't sure if we were doing 1.5 knots into or out-of the harbour.

The Crew

John (Skipper), Ian. Two handed.

Don't forget to give us notice if you can't make it.

The Start

We started in the middle of the fleet, and trundled down the harbour using the Ian-pole-out technique. Later on we used the whisker-pole which was a much better idea, as while he was doing that we could not hold the main against the shrouds.

Ian had a fancy watch that did the countdown - very good - we will not be caught out again!

Progress

Down and back - how hard can it be? Well it seemed pretty good except for the bit with no wind... we felt like we performed quite well, and our picking of the course to the mark was exceptional given the tide. We were just slow.

We will use the whisker-pole for downwind from now on... it made a big difference.

The Result

We arrived at the line at 9:04PM which is outside the time allowed, and therefore we received nothing for the race - except the experience. The yacht in front of us must have missed by less than a minute. Oh the joys of sailing.

However, back at the clubrooms I managed to pick up a spot prize and collected 4x beers - so one part of our record remains untarnished.

Richmond Summer Series: Race 1: First Night Out

2009-09-30T21:41:00.038+13:00

After years of crewing I decided it was time to get more out of my boat, and that would be to go out in the Richmond Summer Series with a few friends.

Kerkira, a Lotus 9.2 Alan Wright designed cruiser has not to my knowledge been raced before - and is not really set up for fine tweaking of the rig. Having said that, it will take us a while before we come anywhere near having that hold us back. Sailing in the No Extras (Divn F). All credit to the crew on day one...

Course 2

The wind was from the south west at 15-20 knots, and quite a big tide was charging out of the harbour. Course 2 heads straight down to Northern Leading Bouy, which was with wind and tide, and then back via Rough Rock, Resolution and Stanley Point. That meant a slog home, in the rain, with an outgoing tide.

The Crew

John (Skipper), Dave, Nicola and Ian.

The Start

I didn't have my timing in order, and when we came to start, I was planning to stay behind and just follow - however, I was sure that the gun had gone, and we headed for the first mark. Then another gun and then 2 more...ooops - first start a complete shambles! I must take full responsibility for the cockup. We were, as planned, behind the fleet... only quite a bit further behind than expected!

Next week: Assign a crew member to be the official timer.

Progress

We managed to maintain our position throughout the race, although we did catch up a bit by the end. The race officially ended at 9:00PM and we had just over a minute up our sleeves - easy really... Should I mention that I was going to go to Orakei? Oh Resolution!! It took us some time to get passed the dockyards as we took 2 steps forward and 1 back all the way up the harbour - however, we got in some good tacking practice (in the dark) until the crew work was working well - to be put to the test in the next outing.

Dave dropping the sheet, Nicola tailing and Ian grinding - John getting quickly through and then coming up to wind in sync with the sail trim.

The Result

The result on the water not 'enviable' although you could say we were working on the handicap... but the result in the clubrooms afterwards was astounding! Ian picked up the crew prize of a bag of goodies, and I got the sail prize which was a hull clean from Salt Services. Not too bad a start to the season.

We just have to improve on the water now! I am really looking forward to the next one. Looks like the wind will be tending northerly at 15 knots, with the possibility of a shower, all crew have indicated they are coming back!!! [Obviously I didn't shout enough].