Battleship

The question you have to ask yourself is how would I feel if the boat was sinking with friends or family aboard and the bloody thing didn't work because I wanted to save a few bucks. I can think of better areas to save money.

I ended up just ringing them, very helpful.

Both parties would have probably wanted to avoid drug and alcohol testing.

How shall I put it, they allege they were made to feel unsafe if they hung around. Two sides to that part of the story.

Just had a chat to someone I know well who works for the Harbour Masters office. The tinnie handed themselves in the next day. Both have been charged, the yacht with displaying incorrect lights and the tinnie with failing to keep a proper lookout and excessive speed for the conditions.

Certainly gnarly, but I would have a problem going into Tga harbour with those conditions and have in fact done it a few times. But wouldn't want to be doing it for the first time in that stuff and wouldn't do it on an outgoing tide.

I've left Whangerei into a 30 knot easterly before, it was certainly uncomfortable and the waves tend to stand up but it is not even close to being as bad as a river mouth or bar entrance and more comparable to Tauranga harbour entrance.

from a coastguard facebook post.

Sounds like poor visibility and not much in the way of Navigation ability, maybe issues with the electronics? Whangerei would be my choice as well from there but would be a surf in on big swells and if you got off course there are some shoal areas so could get into strife if you didn't know where to go.

Yep that's the one Lees marine, horrid piece of sh*t if you ask me, but just from my own experience. Would much prefer a more modern design. Run a 3 cylinder 3jh2 in our cruising boat lovely engine not as quiet as the 3ym in the race boat but starts first time every time and just goes and goes. Pretty common in the charter fleet just have to keep an eye on the exhaust elbow.

Personally I wouldn't touch a marinised ford with a barge pole, some people like them (affectionately known as a bus engine) but can give problems if not used properly.

Unless you were an engineer boat tinkerer, the cost of a new keel and rudder certified for offshore would quickly be close to the cost of a more modern boat.

15 years old isn't old.

Yes, I had a similar experience on the course renewal. Was told there was no refresher as the course content had changed, it hadn't and 99% was a waste of everyone's time and my money. I still think the course is a good idea and a real eye opener the first time in the wave pool, but the refresher (and there should be one not the same course again) should perhaps be a bit more advanced to be beneficial. Looking forward to Dr Dave's first aid course, last time I heard him speak he was very informative and easy to listen to.

I don't think YNZ are killing this it's more just a lack of people wanting to do it. I suspect a lot of the crews on the 50's will be compensated for their services, it is the Corinthian sailors that have disappeared pretty much. Mainly due to family commitments and other less time consuming pursuits. Don't know what the answer is but I'd bet if suddenly 5x 30-36 ft boats turned up another 5 could be convinced. Maybe we need a wealthy benefactor to buy half a dozen Figaro 30's and put crews on them. For us it was the cost of this race would be about the same as the RNZ which gi

As it is an ongoing investigation I think it make sense to wait for the findings to be released before the organisers make to many comments. Re Scallywag if you were watching the tracker you would have seen how it happened, basically everyone was well north chasing breeze and Scallywag (in last place with nothing to lose) took a punt and made a hard left which paid off big time. No massive conspiracy there. Ehman is just a sh*t stirrer of the highest order.

Also didn't help that the top speed was pretty limited so that fastest way to the bottom mark was to soak.

That's awesome ????

Well they were in last place, so maybe it was either resign themselves to last by following or do something different.

Had a Cav36 tonner for a while and pushed it pretty hard, with modern kites the death roll was all but gone. Something to be aware of is downwind with a kite the just don't go very fast and load up until the kite goes pop. Really heavy and massive loads but built like a tank and could take anything.

Looking at the tracker looks really weird, they could have just kept going east and followed Brunel into safe water but instead did a u turn and headed west surely if they were avoiding the reef the could have just kept heading east?

If your still stuck. Stu Clark is the guy has a boat down there.0274 572 243

Agree entirety JK. Can imagine the navigator was a bit nervous but thought the would just have enough water. Then got the email and thought the better of it. Bit hard to penalise if it wasn't asked for.

As for all the Launchie bashing don't take it personally. I think it's what we all agreed to. They call us wind wankers, we call them a lot of other various names, then go over to their boats and drink all their booze and eat all the fish they caught. That was the deal wasn't it?

Nice.