Steve Pope

Kaipara is worth a visit if you have the time and the swell is around 1m + - incoming tide is the go, The channel (maybe a K wide) and is around 4 miles + - to the North paralell to the beach between the outer sand bar and the beach just watch for "sweepers" on the way in, they come in 3's and are reasonably steep, turn into them and then go back on course after the 3rd one. Once you are past the initial sandy lumps at the start, they are generally breaking so they are quite visible for you to thread your way through, it is like a large river, we were doing 11 knots with the tide and wind. NZ

A pic would help.

I have used soft seal for several years, short term pretty good, medium term doesn't last that long. But if you can re-apply it every 3 months or so it works. Cheap option.

I removed the batteries from mine and replaced with a longish 12v lead and a cigarette lighter plug, still good after 8 years.

I see a Logan (Duder owned ? ) lost its bumkin and the top of its mast

Galvanised bolts and nuts are all you need and better than SS for attaching annodes. SS below the waterline is not a good idea. Sheep grease (raw lanoline) is ok for thread protection (doesn't allow the threads to seize) As Wheels says a thin membrane between the mast and the steps is the go. If using monel rivets you don't need to use protection on them as monel to all intents and purposes is inert, but if you do it may give you a little more piece of mind, belt and braces, so to speak.

When Auckland City Council (panuku in disguise perhaps) pushed through the change from "City of Sails" to what could be taken for be a stylised Pohutukawa flower. I, like a lot of people, asked myself why. I now realise that there was a hidden message to all boaties using the Waitemata that their fate had been or was being decided. The message was there I just never recognised it.

The yacht is Willpower, now the ICNZ tracking site is up again, she is showing 7 knots in 27 knots of wind

It appears that the ICNZ tracking site is currently down, but when I last looked there was a ( multihull? ) showing 18.1 knots in a 27 knot breeze, He will be home in no time at all!! Looking ahead, the wind tracks quickly to the east leaving the rest of the ex New Caledonia fleet in much lighter airs.

I too have been caught in similar wind strengths returning from the Islands, like them I was so close, the wind picking up all the time, (it peaked 12 hours ahead of the time it was forecast to arrive, and that we were trying to beat ) but the urge to get into the bay, hoping to catch the Customs before knock off meant we pushed on expecting to get relief as we closed with the shore. We were laid over for several minutes by a gust much stronger than we had anticipated, just had to let the sheets fly and even then the wind held her over, being a centreboarder we didn't have a lead mine 2 metres

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12276972

Maybe of interest as to how NRC is spending up.

Thanks BP, I was going to post it too, NRC always uses "vessels" dirty bottoms when referring to Med fan worm as the method of its spread, no mention of tides, coastal currents etc. etc. It would be interesting to see how much has been spent on "containing / eradicating the fan worm. It has to be in the millions!

I usually use meths to dilute epoxy to get a better penetration / sealing on the first coat.

Enjoyed the pics, bugger about the shop though.

Google Suva Museum, there is a picture online of the Fulagi Proa.

Is there a butterfly valve in the inlet manifold? They are generally held in place with a smallish machine screw holding them to the pivot shaft. If there is and the screw has done what it has done and is missing the next thing to travel towards the valve could be the butterfly plate.

Will do, hadn't thought of a faulty cap

I thought that the implication was that if something happened that involved insurance and the gas setup didn't comply, you might not have a happy outcome.

A similar issue, I have 4 x Trojan T105 6 volt batteries, 5 + years old, one is always wet around the caps ( and only that one) They are serviced regularly, at least once a month in the winter and often more than that. 2 solar panels keep them charged, 1 x 75w probably at least 15 + years old and 1 x 100w at 1 year old all through an Epever 20a mmpt controller. The "wet"battery doesn't show any difference between cells when checked with a hydrometer and is consistent with the "dry top ones?????? any and all suggestions welcome.

The problem with the long canoes with many warriors is that any sea of moderate size swamps them, OK in rivers, but at sea not so good. One was swamped not so many years ago at Waitangi.

You mean the critters on the bottom or the ones making the decisions, either way rec boaters loose, everyone wants a clean bum, but when cleaning grids are disappeared, effective antifouls are neutered, and the only folk who seem to be allowed to return sea grown organisms back into the sea are the mussel farmers, we (rec boaties) are the easiest target.

Don't turn it backwards!!!

And you know who will be blamed for any rubbish that is dumped around or near the water, whether true or not!!

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