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Through the eagle eyes of Josh Tucker, and the audacity/idiocy of the culprit, my stolen solar panel was spotted mounted on the pushpit of a small sailing vessel further up the Weiti River a couple of weeks ago. It had been disguised by painting it grey (terribly) but was definitely the one I had made. The guy lives aboard so we stalked him, got a look in his car which had gear of mine in it, and passed the info and photos on to the police. On Monday morning, police executed a search warrant on the vessel using Deodar. He was arrested and charged with the theft of my gear, is ou

Thanks for that. Francois Vivier designed Morbic 12. I have gone with Carbothane 133LH as a topcoat over Interprotect epoxy primer and the satin finish is a welcome relief from high gloss. Other positives with Carbothane is the recoating time is indefinite and it’s bloody damned hard as😀

I've done the "just go sailing" vs the "refit" recently-ish.... We bought CT in what could be described as bloody tired but not yet dead condition. It was the biggest boat we could afford at the time (family of 5) that was structurally sound and had a good few of the expensive parts replaced. She was bloody ugly thou... but we had a boat that we could take the kids away on and make family memories. Our first trip away was 11 days over Christmas/New Year up to the BOI's and included an overnight at the Hen & Chick's where the snorkeling/ diving was epic. It may not sound like much of a

With NZ's current financial issues, it must work out cheaper to send our Navy vessels to Samoa for a complete Reefhit 🤔

Ok, further to that. Today I have made a complaint to the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board as follows. "I would like to complain about the current situation regarding LPG on Boats. To get a gas cert for the vessel is currently impossible without a complete reinstall. The issue is that despite current standard, page iii "This Standard includes a statement that its requirements do not apply retrospectively" the gas fitters are insisting on compliance with the CURRENT standards, even for an EXISTING installation. This is in direct contradiction to the current standard,

I really don't mind contributing my little bit towards that.

Yeah... this is actually quite awesome of the NZ system. When my son passed in a dirt bike accident, ACC provided a one off payment and 80% of his salary until my grand daughter, who was unborn at the time, turns 18. It was a substantial relief to discover that this even existed. She's able to get on with just raising her new born, without the stress of also being the only income earner.

Hell no! Then everyone would be out there in February and March when the weather is best and I'm out there. Leave as is so our anchorages aren't crowded. *Declaration of Self-Interest*

I don't think God intended teak trees to be steam bent but I have sinned and succeeded😀

@chrischamberlaine4160 22 hours ago The Bayesian disaster - in very simple terms for the layperson. This is a one in a million tragedy but we should examine the facts and learn from them. Bayesian boasts the second highest mast in the world at 75 metres on a length of 56m. She has a lifting keel to enable her to get into shallow areas. Fully down it gives a draft of 9.83m and raised a draft of 4m. A sailing yacht has a keel to counter the heeling moment generated by the power of her sail plan. I’m sorry to say that size matters to a superyacht owner and naval architects are seduced

Nervous moments on the router table reducing the Navy Whaler oars by 300mm in length and shaping the new handles. They are nesting nicely now and the new mainsail just arrived all 7.8 sqm of it.

I was there. We were within VHF range to hear the Mayday off one of the boats. 2 closest boats stood by (and not that it would have helped, but interesting to hear one had a defib on board). From what I understand, both sailors were experienced, not paying beginners. Awful news to hear during a race, but damn good reminder re safety. I have never done a race where I was clipped on so often. It was windy, but not more than low 40s, so not too bad. But seas got very large and at times, very confused, so could have been easy to get thrown into a Chinese or the like. We had the helm washed of

Not sure if this is marine talk or tech talk, but hey, I’m away sailing & it’s related. Starlink, bloody amazing! Total game changer for cruising, wifi calling, WhatsApp or any other net comms apps, hi speed interweb anywhere, pair it up with Predict Wind and you have tracking in realtime, over the horizon AIS, their very accurate weather routing blah blah blah. Island Time squeezed in fitting it a few days before we left, thanks Matt!

Thanks for the heads up. Hope you find your stuff, or some karma sorts out the perpetrators. The river has been trouble free for a while now, so a shame to hear it has changed. There is always a bit of ebb and flow (excuse the pun). I know of two live aboards who aren't on the river currently, one who moved off permanently, and one who is on the hard currently doing maintenance. I know the one on the hard has on occasion spotlighted and challenged delinquents in the middle of the night pocking around moored boats in borrowed dinghies. I know there is mixed views about live aboards, b

Better to let the guilty go free than lock up an innocent man something something...... Anyway the short story is don't cut the corner where steep underwater geography, strong currents and a ground swell are in play

Heading out from Havelock the other morning... turned out to be one of those crystal clear days... no wind that day but some nice but fickle drafts on other days. First time into Tennyson and Elaine... lovely areas. Tucked up into a small cove... a sunset rum then a feed and nestled up by the diesel heater all toasted... Rinse and repeat for 8 days... just the tonic. Every anchorage to ourselves with only a hand full of pleasure boats to be seen.

https://www.yachtingnz.org.nz/news/anchor-watch-rule-ynz-welcomes-sensible-new-interpretation

Centre board case exhausted my teak stock got one piece left just long enough for the all important tiller.

Spot of sanding and varnishishshshing (Sorry paint fumes from working in the tent made me sthlurr my typing) Converted the main to loose footed and filled in the old sail track recess with a new strip of oregon. And installed the recovered upholstry Red wine, tomato products, beetroot, green, red and yellow curries are now banned substances on board.

Surely posting this photo breaches the site rules? It must be contrary to the terms and conditions? Posting content that deliberately antagonises other site users, it's just blatant trolling now. I mean, here I am, stuck in Auckland on a rainy grey weekend, two bored kids in the house, a very long list of boat maintenance jobs confronting me, and Bad Kitty is posting this sort of inflammatory and controversial material...

Report any lights not working as Hazards to Navigation as per below (f we don’t report things nor working then we become part of the problem

Hopefully that sends a message to the muppets out there driving boats like they would their cars. Proper look out or pay big bucks. Crying shame the ferry skipper's a paraplegic requiring care 24/7 and ending a nice little retirement gig plus the ferry boat went to the bottom. When you consider the costs of just those two factors seems like Onopotos skipper got of pretty light.

1971 One Ton Cup in Hauraki Gulf Syd Fischer, Alan Warwick...Stormy Petrel, Young Nick etc

"The powerboat was travelling at an estimated 20.5 knots en route to Rawhiti Point around midday when an engine alarm sounded from the display unit next to the helm as the ship passed Toretore Island. Thomson was looking down at the display unit, scrolling through a list to identify the fault, for an estimated 90 seconds when he hit the ferry." If an engine alarm goes off, isn't it a normal instant reaction for virtually any skipper (let alone an experienced one) to almost instantly reduce power down to idle and select neutral while you try to figure out potential causes and quickly consi

Yes, forming a defensible legal opinion to support the conviction (or not) of a person involved (or not) in the wrongful (or not) death of 5 individuals should be a rushed thing. Speed is of the essence. There shouldn't be any need to refer to precedence or consider the wider circumstances as set out in the Sentencing Act. No need to wade back through the volumes of evidence, cross referencing and untangling the various lines of the submissions from prosecution and defence. Really that stuff is just so much toilet paper. As for the endless writing and rewriting of the findings - th

Amazing the comments from people who have no idea... The cabin top has deliberately not been installed as the boat is currently undergoing testing and sea trials and not having the cabin top makes it far easier to access parts for adjustment.

I think there is a bit of fact missing going on and a few assumptions being made, particularly that there was only one helicopter. Helicopter A was tasked at 2035, they were the most operationally ready helicopter in the area, they advised RCC they would be airborne in 30 minutes, but they took 2 hours to convert the aircraft into SAR mode and source qualified crew. Helicopter B was tasked at 2200 out of Auckland at the request of Helicopter A because they were taking longer than predicted to get ready. It's important to remember that at this point in the operation, this was a r

Another one is the Cavalier 32, with pinched stern lines, but a fin keel this time. They become completely unsteerable in following seas and broach I disagree with this. Back in 1977 I spent quite a few hours steering a Cav 32 in a southerly storm off the Wairarapa Coast, running with just a storm jib on (We were heading up from Wellington for the Auckland-Suva race). There was a lot of white water coming over the back of the boat and filling the cockpit quite regularly. The waves were often very steep and quite large. The worst of it came through during the night, so not much

About bloody time !

I think comparing non endangered Dolphins riding on the bow wave on a 6 knot S#$%box to Endangered Hectors dolphins swimming in a Protected Marine Reserve with boats with razor blades under them do 40 knots is pointless, and in Coutts' case somewhat disingenuous.

Still got to rig her but I think it’s time to go for a putter…

Final coat will going on today…

Seriously! I see a few of these something is wrong out there in interweb land

Well, if you're a cruising yachtie, pretty much zero?

I'm not gonna bite BP, don't really care. 1 thing I will throw out there is while we are constantly under attack by; Council's, (removing facilities, price increases etc.) Marina Owners (Price gouging) Fisheries (no take areas that allow commercial fishing) & everyone else that views boaties as rich pr*cks ripe for the plucking, we just make it easier by dividing up all the people who love & utilise the ocean as a playground into multiple groups. Maybe recognise our common interests, and stick together as a decent size advocacy group? Just a thought

That sounds great in theory, but in practice, it turns into a flying spaghetti monster. And it is not about cost, although that is a factor. The issue is compliance. Can you tell me where you can haul a boat out and break it down? Will Pier 21 do it? Gulf Harbour? Last I heard it was a struggle to get those places to haul a boat just to do the antifoul. If you don't have insurance, is there anywhere that will haul you out? let alone then allow you to smash the boat to bits there? Have you ever tried finding a dump truck operator to take a smashed boat to a landfill? It

You know, I have been thinking about your post LBD - and it did give me a chuckle. However.... I have been lucky enough to be born in a western nation, I have worked my butt off for 40 years, I have no children (none that I know of 😆 ), no dependents (though I do help look after my elderly parents), no wifey (not through trying but sailing dreams and landlubber Kiwi gals not a good mix!) and a couple months back I went to a funeral for a lady boss of mine for many years, who retired some years ago now. During the funeral, her husband died of a heart attack during the funeral service - he

she gone! off to Tampa, Florida, to live her best life in the Gulf of Mexico. goodbye to the hardest, coolest, fastest, weirdest project I've ever had. 💚💚💚🌲🐺 awoooo!!

Made it back to NZ. Have to admit I do like it here.

I found some of the insights in this article interesting...

"mate, you can be a rooster one day and a feather duster the next" J Spithill

Pure speculation but perhaps they had the toys out and left the bomb doors open... sounds like it went down pretty quickly.

I never knew until you posted that. And it is something I have given substantial thought to, pay moonbeams for life insurance, having two kids and an Auckland sized mortgage. In all my time investigating life insurance policies and benefits I never found out the cover from ACC for accidental death. And it is something I feel genuinely very warming to know exists. Partner knows a lady (acquaintance) who's husband committed suicide, they either had two under 5's or an under 5 and she was pregnant - absolutely guttingly heartbreaking situation. The exact situation this ACC policy is for

Someone saw 44kts in the puff, we had a little lie down after the photo was taken but nothing broke so that's an achievement https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1028390682133930&set=a.587703092869360

Dying while awaiting rescue is very common, especially in remote locations. Reading the report the rescue services did an outstanding job in adverse circumstances at a remote location. It sounds like you are simply trying to blame the rescuers, defend the skipper and smear MNZ.

The inquiry happened it's findings are documented. NZ SAR doesn't have rescue helicopters ready to go with wet winching capabilities. RCC task domestic commercial helicopters and air ambulance helicopters (naso). NASO helicopters are only available if they aren't already involved in ambulance work. The aircraft has to be reconfigured on the ground and set up for SAR, this takes a couple of hours to complete. Defense helicopters do not have wet rated winches - they also have a policy in place that requires that RCC engage commercial and NASO assets before they engage Defense as

https://archive.ph/aIEh6 there you go Given the protest at waiheke about extending an exisiting sea wall for a fully consented marina project, I can't imagine a fast track project is going to go terribly smoothly either.... The RMA does need reform, but I don't think buying taking Shane Jones to lunch is the fix we need. Very concerning that a sole minister can override the courts that are the only mechanism to keep parliament in check.

I was on Hotdogger 2-up and I can give you the scoop. We started late because we were debating going to the third reef. I think the time we spent stooging about didn't help the top batten cars in their efforts to live a long and prosperous life. We elected to start, and in the midst of sideways rain and a jib hank that had let go we didn't really look up and notice the issue. After tacking at North Head we slid under Start me up (which was fully crewed but still a fellow small boat) we set off into the washing machine. 2 reefs and a #3 were still a bit too much sail for the over

Cracking into renovating the Admirals bathroom and wonder if I should offer this feature floor tile to Wussell… (