Steve Pope

Wet n forget works well, Wheels explained a year or 3 ago that the active ingredients (I can't remember which ones they are) are safe to use on sail covers and dodgers etc. Whereas some of the others ones are more aggressive. Maybe wheels will see this post and respond.

The classic statement is that "A boat is a hole in the Ocean through which you pour money" it quite true. That being said there are many worse ways to spend (waste) your income, Golf? booze" (excluding Rum) gambling, big ship ocean cruises, racing cars etc. ( Motorbikes are OK!) The pleasure that you can get from just being on the water as "master" of your yacht gives you access to an amazing coastal waterway (Tauranga north) Remember 70% of the worlds surface is water, with experience, it is yours to explore, enjoy and occasionally be terrified by. And if you choose to live aboard eliminates

Ah Whakapirau! I'll be sitting on board watching, weather permitting? no yacht racing though, we tried many years ago with a fleet of dinghy's, but they never caught on.

I was stopped in the Kaipara, while doing a channel edge cruise, seeing and marking just where any off shoot channels were for future use. A flash (a state of the art, every bell and whistle fitted) $$$$ ?? fizz boat headed my way, they had to come alongside as my ears don't work so well when i'm sailing by myself. It was a fisheries patrol. 2 guys and a woman, they were surprised to see a yacht in the Kaipara, they didn't think there were any! I wasn't of interest to them as I wasn't fishing. Very tidy, uniforms etc. Nice and friendly, but I could imagine that could change rapidly if you had

Was that around the Kaiwaka area? If it was "Tern" she has been taken in hand and is now being restored.

I'm running a mild steel one, (kubota D1105) 10 years so far, SS has plusses and minus's one is that it work hardens and with heat changes this is accelerated. Lack of oxygen is also an accelerator. Schedule 40 Mild steel minimum thickness. Thicker schedule 80 probably overkill.

The bay just under the island at North Cape is small but well sited if you have to wait for the east to west current, it is protected from anything coming from the East, North, West etc. A daylight crossing starting early is my recommendation, Night is ok with a full moon, but then it is best to keep well offshore and leave the Pandora bank to port with reasonable clearance. If you wish to stay inshore of the Pandora bank be prepared for considerable turbulence and over falls from north East of the light until you are sufficiently clear to the South. There are at least 2 fishing boats that hav

It is a possibility that you could use the worn ones as a pattern (cleaned up and modified to eliminate any wear marks) and have replacements cast, alloy or bronze. I did that successfully with some alloy parts from a buggered french anchor windlass. If you did decide to go down that road, with thee future in mind get 2 sets cast.

Well Gwalarn was in there 6 or 7 years ago for about 4 to 5 months (memory) even over the Pahi regatta. and I live at Marohemo (MGTO) reason for arrival. Yes Whangape entrance can be / could be exciting. I draw 1m with both boards up, it is relatively narrow, right hand side going and left coming out. Great place once you are inside you have to anchor in the channel of Whangape road. though we have motored up several miles and anchored at a mates bottom paddock, but it does dry out up that far. I've been accross it 4 times now, twice when I thought I was in a mill pond and twice when it was a

Yes a very interesting trip, Urquharts bay, Toot, BoI, Whangaroa, North cape, Ahipara / Whangape, Whakapirau / Pahi in the Kaipara.

No, "Trismus 37" alloy centreboard cutter 37', 30' waterline 28hp kubota, No useful wind on the west coast so motor ran most of the way.

Made it around the top, Whangarei to the Kaipara with a weather stop in Whangape and to pick up crew for the run down to the cross the Kaipara bar.

looks like just another "lovely" Northland day! we don't have a summer, just a permanent (warm or cool) Autumn. I was in Whangarain yesterday, only rained a little.

There is little actual understanding (by the Regional councils) of the reality (impossibility) of what they are trying to do. I have just read about a yellow sea squirt that is apparently now in Stewart island, they realise that it can't be eliminated, but wish to "slow" its spread. "Yeah right"

I'm not sure they know what tides and currents do and that they carry things all around the world. As I've said before "Mediterranean" has to be the give away for the fanworm. But they are talking to us, rarely happened before.

I went to the NRC meeting, there were 12 of us "guinea pigs" there, Admission - I misread the meeting start time (ancient brain) and wandered around Whangarei until nearer what I thought was the start time (7pm) it was actually 5-30pm with nibbles etc. So arriving early ( I thought) (6-40pm) I only had 20 minutes to get a feel for what their goal was. It appeared to be, for them to to get an understanding of what we would be prepared to do and pay for (or not) to assist with their aim of stopping foreign marine organisms establishing themselves in NZ waters and on our boats. The 3 peopl

I'm not sure how much actually comes from the NRC (Northland) ratepayers, I have it good authority that it is funded by MPI. The question is if MPI stopped the funding would NRC stop inspecting yachts bums?

This meeting is being instigated by NRC, it is possible, and hopefully probable that other Regional councils will do likewise, but of course that ain't necessarily so!

I found the info on the WCC Scuttlebut news letter, asking for anyone interested to get in touch with Aless Smith Biosecurity specialist NRC . as shown below. And yes BP. I am going.

NRC's Whangarei Office 31 Water street Whangarei

NRC alongside the Cawthron institute and Scion?, will be holding a meeting with any / all interested yachties / boat owners next Monday the 7th of November at 7pm, at their Whangarei office. I understand it is to try develop an understanding of how both can go forward (I hope) in the best interests of Boaties and NRC Biosecurity.

I know of one in Riverton that might tick your box!

Banana's are already being grown commercially (farmers market) in Northland and the small ones have been around for much longer than I've lived up here. I get at least 1 bunch of the small ones every year.

It is a simple fact of life, and the way we are living it, since the 1970's we have developed the consumer society, of course to do that we had to have shipping from every part of the world to every other part, think ballast water, commercial hulls that are cleaned and painted only every 5 years. The dumbing down of anti-foul paint, etc.etc. what could ever go wrong!! the law of unintended consequences or perhaps just plain old fashioned greed?

Given that Auckland gave up on Med Fanworm in 2010. That Marsden Marina, Parua bay, Tutukaka? B.o.I. Etc. Etc. all have uncontrollable infestations brings to mind the story in Don Quixote about "Tilting at windmills" why would you continue to throw money at an issue that already has you beat?? Though certainly if I was one of the diving contractors I wouldn't want it stopped. Maybe it is the same M.P.I. folk who are trying to eradicate Mycoplasma Bovis, every time they tell us they are close to success, then another farm(s) is found to have it.