grantmc

A baby whale was rescued from a tangle of cray pots and buoy lines at the entrance to Wellington Harbour yesterday. Some fishermen spotted the whale and recognised it was having difficulties about 9am. Police were called. Police in turn called DOC for help. DOC sent a specialist whale rescue team from Kaikoura. The rescue arrived at Wellington early afternoon and the maritime police took them out on the Lady Elizabeth IV. The crew set out on the police launch's small tender to get closer to the stuck whale. Constable Kyle Smith said "It was entangled in the cray pots and the bu

Brief summary of the facts: An ex Wellingtonian bloke, living aboard in Queensland, decided to watch the footy. So plugged a telly in to a petrol generator in the engine bay of his boat. Found dead the next day from carbon monoxide poisoning. So sad fro his family. But does it warrant a darwin award? Link to an article on stuff.

Took my slow little cruiser in a race a couple of Sundays ago. A gorgeous Wellington day; clear blue sky, 10 knot northerly, chilly. But through the Winter not too many days when it's such a nice day to sail. But I am always surprised that most people, once they cross the line, immediately drop all rag and head straight into the marina. This when it's usually not even 3 o'clock. Why do so few not take the opportunity to go for a bit of a stress free sail after they've finished the last race?

A for sale sign appeared on the bost about 3 weeks ago, price $120. And now the entire site is completely clear, no boat, no building, no fencing. Maybe someone bought it for the trailer. The Hartley itself was rotten throughout.

I pay $120 pa for a Wellington City Council dinghy locker right on the water's edge in Oriental Bay. The lockers are inside a locked boat shed.

I realise that this 'news' is a tad old, but just to complete the post about this season's whale counting. Newborn whale calf spotted in Cook Strait A tiny newborn humpback whale calf has been spotted during the annual Department of Conservation whale survey in the Cook Strait. It is the second time a calf had been seen in New Zealand waters following the only other sighting in July 2010.

This yacht might appear to be rapidly sinking, but is In fact an object of art entitled Love Love, and has been crafted for appearance. It’s in effect a floating sculpture. Originally a real 6.5 mtr sail boat, the artist sliced and diced, and also added a new keel. The position of the keel causes the boat to remain upright in its ‘sinking’ position. And yes, the boat is fully functioning and the inboard facilitates being under way under its own power. I’m guessing that sailing to windward isn’t too flash. The boat has been on display at various harbours in the UK and France. The Fr

Hoping some of you smart people might know whether money would be better spent, (and safety improved) with a tracker beacon like a De Lorme or Spot on the boat, rather than say an EPIRB. It strikes me that the tracker beacons do much the same thing and one can also include a message. And would someone please explain what the difference is between an EPIRB and a PLB anyway? Does any difference matter or are the acronyms effectively just synonyms caused by branding? Are all EPIRBs made equal, or are there unique product features and benefits?

The date for the Wineworks sponsored Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc Yacht Race has been set for 6 November. This will be thirteenth year for the race across Cook Strait. Starting at the entrance to the Tory Channel in the Marlborough Sounds, skippers must be the first to deliver the new vintage of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc wine to Wellington. Last year 24 yachts sailed in 25 knot winds and 4 mtr sea to safely transport a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from one of thirty Marlborough wineries. The event has become a highlight on the New Zealand offshore yacht race calendar and the organi

Hats off too for the crew of the little fishing boat Bonny Kay. They took them under tow into Palliser Bay until the Lady Liz arrived and could take over the tow.

Yep Raven 26 called Footprints. No smell and I don't recall any seepage either. They're mostly the size of a 20 cent piece.They seem to be more lumps than anything. I've had her for 12 years now and I don't think they're any worse, in either number or size than when I bought her. I've never worried about them but I have of course seen a number of people spend weeks/months getting rid of them on Ravens and other boats.

After 32 years, 52,000 crossings and almost 5 million k's on the clock, the 1983 Arahura is being retired from the Inter Islander fleet. Wednesday 29th July, 2015 Last sailing from Wellington at 2.45pm and Last sailing from Picton (her very last passenger voyage) at 6.45pm.

I had no idea that that there are different types of blisters, although I guess somewhat obvious. I have a questions. My boat was NZ built 73 or 74. When I lift her out within a few hours apparent blisters show up, and as the day or days goes on more and more appear to do so. They're generally in patches together in an area mostly at the bow end Are they actually always there but there's some sort of optical illusion going on that makes them more visible? Certainly they become very obvious with a hose down. So I sort of wondered if most appear because there's no water pressure. And I gues

guarantee: "a formal assurance that certain conditions will be fulfilled, especially that a product will be of a specified quality" warranty: "a written guarantee promising to repair or replace an article if necessary within a specified period." ... A warranty is a type of guarantee; in the case of a product guarantee/product warranty, it's basically the same thing - the company undertakes to repair or replace your goods if they go wrong. Guarantee can also be used to express: "I promise, this plane will fly." "I guarantee you, this plane will fly." warrantee: “someone to whom a warran

No wonder there have been no sightings of the Loch Ness Monster for such a long time. It moved to Opua. Cool!

Just reading the advert, in reality it is really only a 2 year warranty: Advert extract: "...the 379 hits its marks perfectly regarding safety, size, style, speed, accommodation and equipment. Add to that Jeanneau’s commendable 2-year “bumper to bumper” warranty and a five-year osmosis guarantee". On first reading that seems to me to be a very poor warranty indeed for a new boat costing $310K. But the advert doesn't say if the vessel is new or used. If it is new then they obviously don't have much faith in their product. Here's a couple of examples of warranties of commonly used

There's a facility on the Centre Port web site called Centric that provides a very easy display of shipping arrivals and departures. In my view, always worth checking out before a Cook Strait crossing. Note that this facility doesn't include the Cook Strait ferries.

You'll find a reasonable level of information for the trip here: http://www.cruiserswiki.org/wiki/New_Zealand It's fairly basic stuff, charts to carry, ports you can visit, services available etc. I have to confess to being the person who has done much of the material for the East Coast, North Island, so any suggestions for improvement very welcome. It's a terrific trip and lots of fun. Especially if you're not in a hurry. The scenery is awesome. Worthwhile going ashore at a bay or two on East Coast proper. By the time you get to Gisborne you might need a shower. The pub at the tiny marin

Somewhat old news. Check this Yachting Monthly test on video out. They used Odeo flares form the UK.

I've always known that the Wellington area is an amazing place to sail. It's cold and windy and it can be bloody horrible. But every now and again one has an amazing experience. First time I ever crossed Cook Strait in my own boat it was an awful night. I'd only owned her about 6 weeks and the trip was after a bad southerly storm (old salts recommend this the best time to cross). No wind at all, just this horrible blobby chop. We motored out of Wellington harbour about 1am (tides are important in Cook Strait) in a fleet of 15 or so yachts. It was an organised cruise of the Lowry Bay YC. Th

Here's a link to a great little 3 minute video of racing in Evans Bay last Saturday. Several different classes are seen, but primarily intended to see the start/finish line of their cruising division fleet. https://youtu.be/4VvVDPx03xA

The sand is still there, but all work has stopped. When at my boat I shall enjoy my lattes with holey reverence from now on. Seriously. It is awful to hear that that has been the case Tim. Never had any idea and I doubt many people do.

Five years ago a mate's boat came adrift in similar circumstances at Lowry Bay. A wooden yacht called Siesta, she was stuck on the rocks like that pictured above for several hours. Assumed she'd be toast. Anyway we got on board to find she was full of water, no surprise. And I mean full, you could swim in the f**king cabin. We managed to get the bilge working and it didn't take too long to get the water down. By then the Lady Liz had turned up (no idea who called them), and they helped us. They launched a rib that towed us off. Obviously we didn't know how seriously she was holed or even w

I've had my boat moored in Clyde Quay harbour (in front of Port Nich Boat Club) for the last 12 months and so am there a great deal. You're certainly correct MoD about the crowds, and the beach and pavement being incredibly popular, even on crap days. But I have a different view to you. I've really enjoyed being at Oriental Bay. It's busy and vibrant and colourful. I could never afford to live there but I can still have a little boat parked there. There are several nice cafes within a 3 minute walk of my boat (and they're not any more expensive than other Welly cafes). Coens, the new c

So if I click the facebook 'like' button, does this mean I am enjoying the discomfort that some other bugger is experiencing as they drive round Evans Bay watching their lovely little sail boat bouncing about on the beach, and that it's their boat not mine?