Sunday 8 December- Race 2 Oborn’s Nautical Series

Another pleasant day with a 10-18 knots Norwester, which was much more gentle than forecast. Course 27 was selected which was from the start to Green Point (Mark 9), twice around windward/leeward legs between Tikao (Mark 6), and Onuku (Mark 8) before a beat to Mark 9 and the Finish.

There was a little confusion in the prestart as bees had made a nest in the starters horn which prevented it from working! However, the lights still worked, and Peter Roberts, the race starter, gave some help on the VHF. It was a reaching start down to Mark 9 with Snatch bolting out of the gates first followed by One Way and Meltdown. Hyperactive started down the line. Meltdown sailed over One Way while Hyperactive came smoking along underneath to get around the mark second behind Snatch. Then it was up to Tikao with Transition doing well sailing low and fast.

The Bone Brothers looking to upgrade?- photo courtesy of Chris Mangels

The fleet rounded Tikao with Snatch first, Transition and Meltdown neck and neck for second followed by One Way, Hyperactive, Lightly Oiled and Armalite who were doing some mine sweeping at the rear. We all had a nice run down to Onuku although there was not quite enough breeze for Snatch to really hit her full potential.

Transition heading down to Onuku- photo courtesy of Kevin Kerr

The order of the boats rounding Onuku was Snatch, Transition, Meltdown, One Way, Hyperactive, Armalite, and Lightly Oiled. This stayed the same for the remainder of the race with the exception of Lightly Oiled picking up a place after hoisting a kite for the second run.  A lovely day out sailing, and it was great to see Lightly Oiled joining the fleet again.

The finishing order over the line was Snatch, Transition, Meltdown, One Way, Hyperactive, Lightly Oiled, and Armalite. The corrected time results were very close with only 8 minutes separating the fleet.

The overall positions after 2 races are One Way and Meltdown tied for first, and Snatch is third.

 

 

Sunday 15 December- Peraki Race- First Race in Grand Hotel Coastal Series
This Sunday is the Peraki Race Coastal Race  starting at 1200hrs. It will be necessary for all entrants to register at the startbox with complete list of crew names and a CAT4 safety declaration. Race instructions including GPS coordinates for the virtual mark at Peraki will be emailed later in the week

 

 

Newsletter December 1 2019

Saturday November 30- Saunders Robinson Brown Lawyers – Two-handed series Race1

A hardened bunch of sailors turned out for a wild and gusty first race with most participants heading to Club Med to hoist the sails which can be challenging with only two on board. The blustery NorEasterly saw only a couple of yachts make a decent start. First  mark was Children’s Bay with a quick run down to Green Point with everyone erring on the side of caution and no kites were flown. After rounding the mark first the fleet was split with some boats hugging the coast uptowards Lushingtons while the others chose a more middle harbour path up to Robinson’s Bay. There were some interesting easterly wind shifts out of Takamatua, while a more northerly channel persisted down Onawe Peninsula with Snatch weaving its way through the shifting winds. This made for some chopping and changing in positions. Having rounded the top mark it was down to Lushingtons with everyone except Snatch playing safe and not flying their kites. Then it was back up to Robinson’s Bay where there was no change to the interesting wind patterns. There was a meeting of the winds which culminated in a calm patch right at the top mark. On the run for home Snatch Astruso and One Way raised their kites and made good gains down the harbour towards Green Point. After rounding Green Point it was a quick and easy leg home.    

Handicap finishing order was Snatch 66 Harry/Dean  One Way 88 Tim/Jacqui  Astruso  Ross M/Brent C Afterglow Jonathan G / Craig P  Hyperactive 5881 Brian B /Mark W, Regardless Jonny/Jane

 

 There are 5 races in this series. so don’t be shy – find a friend to race the next one with on 18th Jan (and there is to be a discard at the end of the series).

Sunday 1 December- Race 1 Oborn’s Nautical Series
It was another glorious sailing day on Akaroa Harbour this week. Warm temperatures and for a change this season, lots of wind although it was gusty &  swinging between North &  North-east.

Seven boats crossed the start line although in gusty conditions  several  boats changed headsails immediately prior to the start and were late getting started.  Once again it was Snatch who got to the first  mark in the lead followed by Regardless.  By  the third mark (Lushingtons)  the lead had changed with Regardless showing her strength in the stronger winds. In the middle of the fleet Meltdown and Gabriella were bow to bow approaching the top mark before an infringement and a penalty turn by Gabriella gave Meltdown a chance to break free.

A long run to Wainui & a beat back to Lushingtons followed with Snatch & Regardless battling for the lead. Towards the  back of the fleet One Way picked up   some extra breeze on the Akaroa side of the harbour and made big  gains on the rest of the fleet.
 
Gabriella and Afterglow heading to Wainui- photo courtesy of Chris Mangels taken from One Way

Over the Line it was Regardless first, followed by Snatch and then Meltdown. On handicap Regardless took out a well-deserved double  with One Way second & Meltdown third.

Sunday 8 December- Race 2 Oborn’s Nautical Series
This Sunday is the second race  of the Oborn’s Series with a harbour course starting at 1400hrs.

Christmas Social
A reminder that the Christmas social is being held at the Clubrooms from 6pm on Saturday 7th December.
There will be a charge of $5 per head to cover a BBQ and finger food

Newsletter Sunday November 24th- Race No 5, 6 and 7 Black Cat Cruises Series

This week was the final day  of racing in the Black Cat Cruises Series and 3  races were planned.  A  strong southerly change forecast   for mid-afternoon would have the final say in that however!

Race 1 on the day started in light to moderate breeze with the wind oscillating between North  & North-west. Setting a course in the Nor –west is always tricky and for a change we had a down wind start with eight boats lined up. The boats quick to get their spinnakers up were rewarded with Snatch, Transition & Meltdown round the first  mark in that order. Snatch stretched out a lead over the next upwind leg from Green Point to Lushingtons.  Astruso  moved into second followed by  Meltdown.

Asturso enjoying the sail to Lushingtons- photos by Kev Kerr

The next leg had the fleet both reaching &  running out to the Kaik as the wind continued to swing &  then die away.  Snatch managed to  round the mark at the Kaik & head for home, while Meltdown & Astruso watched the rest of the fleet catch up from behind & then pass them.

Mark Walker on Transition

On the final beat to the finish line it was Afterglow who were the star performers coming from  well back in the fleet to a handicap winning position by picking a course towards the centre of the harbour. Meanwhile Snatch kept their winning record of  line honours finishes followed by Regardless then Gabriella. But the fun wasn’t over! Before the rest  of the fleet could finish the southerly change with 30-40 knot winds struck. Afterglow, Meltdown & Astruso went on the finish in exciting conditions, with Transition & One Way electing to  withdraw from the race.

On handicap a great result for Afterglow coming in first, followed by Gabriella and then Snatch.
Overall in the Black Cat Cruises series Snatch were convincing winners with Meltdown second & Gabriella third. Full results below.
Special thanks to our sponsors  for this series, Black Cat Cruises.

Sailing Sunday 1 December- Race 1 Oborn’s Nautical Series
This Sunday is the first day of the Oborn’s Series with a harbour race starting at 1400hrs.

Christmas Social
The Christmas social is being held at the Clubrooms from 6pm on Saturday 7th December.
There will be a charge of $5 per head to cover a BBQ and finger food

Juniors Sailing Day
The juniors sailing day will be on the Friday 27th December commencing at 1400hrs. The junior sailors will be spread around the boats as space allows so that each boat has a mixture of junior and experienced crew. This has become a very popular event with both the juniors and the yacht crews, and is a great way to extend the juniors involvement in sailing. It is proposed to set some short races, which will keep interest up throughout the afternoon.
It would be helpful if boat owners can confirm their likely availability to allow planning of numbers.

Message from the Secretary
Subscriptions
Thank you to all who have paid their 2019/2020 subscription.  Don’t forget to collect your membership card and sailing programme book from the Club rooms.
A reminder subscriptions are due and you have up until 30 November 2019 to take advantage of the early payment discount.
Subscriptions paid after 30 November 2019 will cost you more i.e. another $25.00.
If you have not received a subscription invoice or require another one to be sent please contact me:  secretary@akaroayachtclub.com

 

Newsletter Sunday November 17th- Race No4 Black Cat Cruises Series
Bright sun, a steady breeze and mild temperatures greeted this weeks fleet of 6 boats.
A  long harbour race was scheduled so we sailed a course up to Lushingtons, then out the harbour and back to Wainui twice before returning to Childrens Bay & the finish line.

Photo of Snatch taken on a windier day

Snatch has been the consistent performer of the fleet so far this season & once again they got a  great start and rounded the first mark in the lead, followed by Astruso and then Gabriella.
The boats stayed in that order round the next upwind mark, followed by Meltdown , Transition & One Way.

The Black Cat Cruises series this year has had its share of drama and then fickle winds but this week the sailing was about enjoying some beautiful weather on Akaroa harbour. There were very few dramas to report  and over the line the fleet came home in the same order they rounded the first mark with Snatch in the lead, followed by Astruso & then Gabriella.

Handicap times were close and again this week Snatch took out the double with Meltdown second and Gabriella third.

Sailing Sunday 24November- Races 5,6 and 7 Blackcat Series
This Sunday is the final day of the Blackcat Series with 3 sprint races starting at 1300hrs.
The scoring allows for a discard of the worst result after 6 races, which means that Sunday’s results will determine the final standings.

Race Photos
We are always looking for photos to add some colour to the weekly newsletter. Timmy Richardson often provides these but it would be great if other boats contributed as well to get a different perspective.
Photos can be emailed to secretary@akaroayachtclub.com. There is also the chance to win the Richard Macauley Trophy which is awarded annually for the AYC photo of the year

 

Newsletter Sunday November 10th- Race No3 Black Cat Cruises Series

After a challenging start  to our racing so far this season Race 3   finally gave us  some better  conditions and a keen  race fleet of seven  boats. The race started in 5-8 knots of southerly with a coarse round Green Point, Lushingtons, Wainui &  Lushingtons again.

Gabriella got a jump  on the fleet at the start but unfortunately they also had a jump on the start  line and they were called back. The rest of the fleet were left with the familiar sight of Snatch taking a lead round the first  mark  before a spinnaker run to Lushingtons.  Astruso & Transition were in  close pursuit.  Before long the Southerly died and a Nor-West replaced it so we ended up sailing a reaching leg out the harbour to Wainui.

Meltdown heading to Wainui

Regardless & Transition lost the   wind near the Wainui side of the harbour , letting Meltdown , One Way  & Gabriella catch up down the centre of the harbour. Yet another wind change saw a Nor –easter spring up as Snatch,  Astruso ,Regardless & Meltdown led the fleet back to mark 9 (Green Point)

One Way sailing to Mark9
It  was a day of big wind changes and the southerly returned for the final short run from mark 9 to the finish.
For the second week in a row it was Snatch  who  crossed the line  first ,  followed by Astruso. In a race within a race Meltdown & Regardless had a close final tussle for the line under spinnaker before Meltdown edged ahead. Further back in the fleet Gabriella , One Way & Transition all crossed the line within 15 seconds of each other.

Photo of Transition taken from One Way nearing the finish line- courtesy Tim Richardson

Snatch again took out the double with handicap honours as well this week, followed by Meltdown , with One Way third. Full &  overall results listed below.

Sailing Sunday 17 November
The fourth race in the Blackcat Series is scheduled for this weekend with a 1300hr scheduled start and a long harbour race.

Bar Duty Roster
The bar duty roster for the first part of the 2019-2020 season is below. If you are unable to undertake your duty on the day selected please arrange with another boat to swop days

YACHT                                                           DUTY OFFICER
OCT 27^th Committee                                     Committee
NOV 3^rd Melt Down                                      Gil Smith
NOV 10^th Transition                                      Patsy Little
NOV 17^th Regardless                                     David Maloney
NOV 24^th One Way                                        Tim Anderson
NOV 30^th Afterglow                                       Bill McSweeney
DEC 1^st Future One                                        Keith Molloy
DEC 7^th Committee (Xmas Party)                Committee
DEC 8^th Hyper Active                                     Charl Chaney
Dec 15^th Armalite                                           Peter Gluyas
DEC 22^ND Penzance                                        Alex Aitken
DEC 27^th Gabriella                                          Stephen Horton
JAN 1^st Astruso                                                John Macdonald
JAN 4^th Snatch                                                 Phil Narbey
JAN 5^th Lightly Oiled                                        Ali Chaney
JAN 12^th Transition                                          Brian Little
JAN 18^th Regardless                                         Peter Zwart
Jan 19^th Melt Down                                         Gil Smith

Subscriptions
Thank you to all who have paid their 2019/2020 subscription.  Don’t forget to collect your membership card and sailing programme book from the Club rooms.
A reminder subscriptions are due and you have up until 30 November 2019 to take advantage of the early payment discount.
Subscriptions paid after 30 November 2019 will cost you more i.e. another $25.00.
If you have not received a subscription invoice or require another one to be sent please contact me:  secretary@akaroayachtclub.com

Newsletter Sunday November 3rd

– Race No2 Black Cat Cruises Series

Summer arrived in Akaroa this weekend. Blue skies, warm temperatures, lots of sun…..and very little wind!  The fleet of 8 boats sat round at the start line in the heat for well over an hour waiting for the wind to arrive. We   got puffs from the Nor-east, from the south and from the Nor-west but nothing steady.

One Way with Shore Crew prior to race

Racing finally got under way later in the afternoon with a light breeze from the south.  A short course took the boats to Green Point, Lushingtons, back to Green Point and then home. Snatch pulled away to be at the top mark first, followed by Astruso and then Gabriella. By the next mark the wind was up its old tricks with a 180 degree swing to the Nor-east. Snatch managed to stay in the breeze and build a commanding lead. The rest of the fleet were left drifting between breezes and testing the patience of all the sailors on the water.

Snatch were the star performers of the day finishing almost an hour ahead of Regardless who were second over the line with One Way and Gabriella recording the same time about a minute further back. Race rules state that boats must finish in a time within 150% of the winners time and on a day of fickle and frustrating wind no one managed this.
So both Line and handicaps honours go to the crew of Snatch.
Full results listed below.

We will all be hoping for something better from the weather gods next weekend.

Sailing Sunday 10 November
The third race in the Blackcat Series is scheduled for this weekend with a 1400hr scheduled start and a harbour race.

AYC 2019-2020 Season Opening Saturday 26th October The opening function on Saturday night was well attended and enjoyed by all. Thanks are due to Ali Chaney and the club members who helped with the catering which was enjoyed by all. The mood of the evening rapidly fell away later as the WRC Semi-final disaster unfolded. Opening Day Race A good fleet of 9 boats were entered but with the wind swinging from NE to NW and between 5 and 20kts sailing conditions were not ideal for the opening Day Race, nor even the Commodore’s sailpast. The first short leg was to mark2 in Childrens Bay followed by a reach to Green Point mark9. The wind was moderate for these legs, and the front runners included Racing Car, Astruso, Gabriella, Regardless and Penzance with a gap back to Meltdown, Transition, One Way and Armalite. The next leg was a beat to Mark3 in Lushingtons Bay with the wind strength now climbing to gust over 30kts, and conditions became testing. Boats such as One Way, which had selected smaller headsails, started to gain. However, halfway to Mark3 a major collision occurred between Racing Car and Gabriella which resulted in Racing Car rapidly sinking and the crew jumping clear. Racing Car resting on the seabed Racing was immediately abandoned and Racing Car’s crew were pulled onto the nearest boats. Most importantly all crew were picked up quickly and without injury. We offer our condolences to Sam Cowdy on Racing Car’s sinking and hope that a successful salvage is possible . Health and Safety Peter Zwart has provided the following report Health and Safety Report 27 October 2019 Incident Report The incident on 27 October 2019 that resulted in the sinking of Racing Car has provided a timely opportunity for us to review AYC procedures and deal with any perceived weaknesses.  This will take a while and any proposed changes will need to go through the full committee. In the meantime we will adopt the following changes in racing procedures on a temporary basis: 1.  Skippers signing in on all races, will need to provide the total number of crew on Board (including Skipper), at the time of signing in. Any subsequent changes should be radioed in to the Starters. In addition for coastal races all crew names are to be listed on the entry form. 2. In any serious incident, including loss of a boat, the Racing Officer of the day will be responsible for communication of the incident back to the Clubhouse. The Clubhouse/Starters will communicate where necessary with emergency services. 3.  All school aged children on boats during races must be wearing an appropriate fitting life jacket. As above these are temporary changes which will take effect immediately and continue to apply until we can review all the findings from this incident. Thanks Peter Zwart H & S Officer Sailing Sunday 3 November The second race in the Blackcat Series is scheduled for this weekend with a 1400hr scheduled start and a harbour race.

 

2019-2020 Season Opening
It’s only 3 weeks until Labour weekend and the AYC opening. I wont mention winter boat maintenance, which will now be all but complete.

Social Function
26^th October -the opening function will be held at the clubrooms commencing 1800hrs. This will include a BBQ meal organised by Ali Chaney who has taken over as social convenor. All AYC members are most welcome to join in a celebration of the new season
Annual Sailpast
27^th October- 1300hrs sail-past- once again our Commodore, Charl Chaney, will be on station at the end of the AYC jetty ready to salute the fleet and receive ‘greetings’ from the yacht crews. Non racing yachts, dinghies and launches are welcome to join in the fun.
Opening Day Race
27^th October- The opening day race start is scheduled for 1400hrs. This will be a harbour course and is also the first race in the Blackcat series.

Handbook 2019-2020
The new seasons handbook will be available at the AYC during the weekend (providing subs are paid)
There are a number of changes in the Handbook including revised courses and sailing instructions so the 2019-2020 version is a must have on board during races.
A change to the start-line has been made to allow that a substitute mark1a can be placed on the day in order to decrease the bias that occurs with the existing startline in northerly winds. This is described in detail in SI 10.0

Sailing Programme
The racing programme for this season is below.
Changes include increased numbers of 2-Handed Races, and a Mark Foy invitation series of 2 races that will be held over the weekends when the Young88 and Canterbury Keelboat Championships are being held in Lyttelton

Handicaps
PHRF has been retained as the handicap system for the coming season, and it will be necessary to have a current PHRF certificate to get a result. Renewal of the PHRF certificate is a straightforward process online at the following link https://www.yachtingnz.org.nz/shop/phrf.

Safety
As a reminder all boats are required to comply with the YNZ safety regulations Category 5 for Harbour Races and Category 4 for Coastal Races. Entry in a race confirms acceptance by the Skipper of responsibility for safety compliance.
Peter Zwart has been appointed Health and Safety Officer for 2019-2020 and should be approached with any queries.

Finally best wishes from the Race Committee for an enjoyable, and successful 2019-2020 sailing  season