Steve Pope
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Posts posted by Steve Pope
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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 people running the meeting were not boating people and had no experience of running / maintaining a boat, or understanding how antifouling coatings worked or the fact they have been dumbed down to the point that in many cases they barely work. Or the prohibitive effect of their having removed the once upon a time numerous scrubbing poles that were used to keep hulls clean, their not allowing the cleaning of hulls in the water because some anti foul paint might be scrubbed off, their not being aware that soft antifouling paints job was to leach over time to ward off barnacles, oysters, fan worms etc.
Apparently It was a trial meeting, that may or may not be expanded nationwide.
I struggled with the fact that we were definitely not speaking the same language, One of their advisers (Not an NRC employee) realised this. I suggested they get a couple of marine / yachting folk on their team who could advise them realistically of the problems that the current approach is having. I pointed out that no yachty wants things hanging off their hull, it slows us down and costs money if you drive a stinky!! I asked how much money NRC was already taking off boat owners, mooring fees light fees etc etc. they didn't know.
BUT at least we were talking, that has to be an improvement.
I left an A4 sheet, with what I felt were reasonable questions from our (my) point of view, the woman running the meeting said she would try to give me some answers but it may take some time, I will post them when they arrive.
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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?
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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!
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39 minutes ago, Ex Machina said:
Can you provide me a link to the notification ? Cant find anything on their site
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.
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NRC's Whangarei Office 31 Water street Whangarei
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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.
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5 minutes ago, Psyche said:
I need a big steel boat😅
I know of one in Riverton that might tick your box!
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9 hours ago, aardvarkash10 said:
warmer water temperatures aid the invasion of tropical organisms as well. These new (to NZ) species are just another indicator and outcome of warming. Still, we'll be able to grow bananas in Northland!
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.
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19 hours ago, harrytom said:
how are going to combat this, Give up?
Caulerpa brachypus, which can spread rapidly and create dense mats, was found in July in Blind Bay and Tryphena Harbour
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?
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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.
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Need to be like the Poms, a nice mud berth would probably work better than legs.
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11 hours ago, CarpeDiem said:
Was Fanworm successfully eliminated from Opua?
NO
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I think "Mediteranian" should be a clue as to how successful its eradication, control will be. They stopped worrying about it in 2010 in Auckland!. I spent 3 years on the water around Greece / Turkey /Italy, never saw it and was totally unaware of it. I think we should worry more about the Kina barrens and the loss of kelp beds, sea grass etc. We are responsible for most of the imbalance in the aquatic food chain! Commercial fishing, Kahawai as fishfood for overseas salmon farms for example. Remember how terrible the arrival of the Pacific oyster was when the harbour bridge was being built, soon became a money making business and that got it a stamp of approval. At least with fanworm, NZ waters will me all that much cleaner!!
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Northland Regional Council contracted fiz boats are once again diving on (all) hulls in Northern waters in the search for and containment of the dreaded fanworm. There has even been mention of prosecuting yachties found with it, as has already happened in Fiordland. I'm not sure if that was for fanworm or some other forbiden organism.
I did find out from the NRC chairperson that the cost of the boats and diving contractors is being paid for by MPI, and not NRC as I had originally thought.
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An offshore flag will give you freedom to leave NZ at any time that suits you, no cat 1 to comply with, though it is well worth using it as a guide so you are adequately prepared if and when you go abroad.
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Thank you for the info, I hadn't given UV much of a thought until the clamp fell apart, Cheers.
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I have a couple of "plastic" clamping pieces on my Windvane SS. I machined them up from 70mm od uhmwpe solid. they have both cracked along the clamping threads and at the back of the clamp, (most stressed place) I have re-searched a little re UV resistant "plastic" and found that uhmpwe isn't all that up to it. Can anyone suggest an alternative that would be considerably more suitable and who might stock it.
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As you and I know there will not be one of us who hasn't at some stage made a call or a choice that has turned to custard. When you are on the water something that you have done many times successfully, can lead us to think that "this" time will be no different. My experience sailing says a 30 second time difference or a 50 metre difference in position may well have had them saying "hell" that was close. Bad call? maybe, but once you are out there and the conditions are far worse than you expected them to be, you would try to make your best effort to get your charterers safely to a safe bay / harbour. I'm sure he could not have foreseen the cabin being torn off and boat capsized and destroyed and doubt that anyone else would have. It was his livelihood after all. Innocent until ?? Hearsay doesn't carry any weight. I will await the official findings.
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Looks like Crew.org is going back to its bad old ways!!
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4 hours ago, khayyam said:
The actual generation mix depends quite strongly on how much rain has fallen and thus how much water is behind the dams. Right now electricity is extremely cheap, because it's been wet and there's heaps behind the hydro dams. Last year it was dry and prices were very high as they conserved the water.
In relatively recent times, since the sale of state energy assets it has been not uncommon for water to be dumped from storage lakes to keep energy prices high to the benefit of shareholders, not consumers. Also the pricing to high users (Comalco for example) is probably as close to the cost of production as they can get, as moving that power onto the general market and the infra structure costs required to achieve that are considered to high to do.
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3 hours ago, Kevin McCready said:
I don't understand the reference to 64 caterpillar. But it pays for itself over its lifetime they say.
I think all pre "sparky" tugs would pay for themselves over their lifetime, some probably several times.
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On 1/03/2019 at 9:11 AM, Adams said:
Thanks for the insight on the availability of weed! Years sailing around Pacific Islands and around New Zealand waters...never once weed fouled my prop. It's a folding prop. And it's new (but has Propspeed). Maybe one of those rope cutter attachments would help. Or maybe a good few revs in reverse or a good wetsuit are in order.
A few years back doing the same trip you are doing I picked a large lump of kelp off East cape, I blamed the slow down on an opposing current, I only found the culprit when anchored in Gisbourne.
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The Mediteranian basically has no tide, any rise or fall is related to barometric pressure. It does have currents though, usually 6 hourly + - with very little time between the changes of direction, very noticeable in restricted waters. Between the mainland and the island of Evoia (Greece) for example or the straits of Sicily, (between Sicily and the toe of Italy being 2 of the more prominent ones). I believe the water comes into the Med from the Atlantic on the Spanish side and goes out on the African side and takes 7 years for 1 complete circulation, and then is also the water coming from the Black sea also adding to the flow.
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9 minutes ago, Deep Purple said:
You know what's funny....Ports of Auckland recently commissioned a fully electric tug boat.
They have found on delivery that they do not have the electrical infrastructure to fast charge it so they have 2 yes 2 diesel generators parked on the wharf charging it
I have heard that at full "electric" power it can only run for 30 minutes???
NRC inviting yachties to their Office in Water street Whangarei
in MarineTalk
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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.