Adrianp

We recently stayed there and they offer water to their guests at $5/100L

Keeping the alternator cool makes a huge difference for these small frame Balmar alternators. We have 2x 175a Balmar XTs and they very quickly overheat (our 614 is programed to not let them get hotter than 90c) and they very quickly reach that point, then cut their output to about half. To keep them running with a decent output, I have to have an bilge blower sucking the hot air right off the alternator. If that fan stops, the alternator will throttle itself back within a minute or two.

It such a busy calendar it hard to find a free day for our race. We tried really hard to avoid any clashes this year and we were the first event in the AYBA and YNZ calendar but looks like the Gulf Classic have had that date for a while and we just didn't know. We (NZ Multihull Yacht Club) want to work with the other clubs to grow this event into something huge, so please let us know your feedback and ideas.

I got the HDI Marine ones but only the elbows. They seem good but haven't actually pulled one apart yet so who really knows! We also make sure we run the engines a bit harder than we used too to stop any soot build up.

We have 600ah of Lithium on 12v with a 3000w Victron inverter, 1.2kw of solar & 175A Balmar alternator. We've been cooking on a cheap single benchtop induction hob for about 3 years now and also recently added an air fryer. We haven't turn the gas bottle on for about a year now and are about to rip it out as I'm expecting the insurance company to ask us to get it certified. Yes we sometimes pull 200+ amps out of the batteries but that's what they are designed for. 2 x 50mm2 cables for both positive and negative side of the inverter cables. Our setup gives us about 3 days

I have just booked a night in the Viaduct so I asked them about the visitors berth and this was their reply: "The visitor berth is available for a maximum of 2 hours at a time and is free to use. We don’t take bookings for this; you just need to radio VHF73 on your arrival to the marina and they can advise if it is vacant. Our visitor berth is located next to the tidal steps underneath the Wynyard Crossing lifting bridge on your right-hand side. You’re welcome to use it "

We at the NZ Multihull Yacht Club are monitoring the situation and are planning for an alternative start line near Narrow Neck if needed, but the PIC Coastal Classic will be going ahead on the 20th of October.

Great Video. The Racing is much closer than I expected for very precious 100yr old boats! Those gybes look slightly terrifying!

Can we please book in 20kts Southwester for Friday 20th October?

NRC are seeking contractors to trial suction dredging in Omakiwi Cove. This was on GETS today. At least they are trying to do something! Suction+Dredging+RFP+August+2023.pdf

And so the restrictions on our cruising begins. Rahui now in place for anchoring within 1nm of the Waiheke finding of Caulerpa. I think this is a good idea if they plan to get rid of it but I'm worried if it's just a wait and see approach. https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/auckland-top-stories/300957729/waiheke-iwi-declares-rhui-over-increasing-caulerpa-spread https://www.ngatipaoaiwi.co.nz/media-release-2.html This map is my guess at what that 1nm area covers.

That's definitely one for the Pool Room!

The NEWS tab is not where I tend to look for important navigation information. I think it just shows how useless the Biosecurity framework we have is.

MPI website is remarkably quiet on this issue. Nothing on the front page and I gave up looking after I was 7 pages deep into the Biosecurity part of the website. You wouldn't think there is any issue based on their website. https://www.mpi.govt.nz/

Jeez, there is always something new each year to make running this race a challenge! Last year is was Dolphins, Covid the year before..... Looks like the ban is just for fishing, diving and anchoring in these areas, so you can still sail through. If the anchoring ban spreads to Russell, we might need to organise the use of all the empty moorings in the bay. https://www.mpi.govt.nz/news/media-releases/biosecurity-rules-in-place-to-stop-northland-spread-of-invasive-seaweed/