ISAF World Cup Sailing – Melbourne 2016

pc112465e — Rounding the mark and heading for home in the women’s 470 final

It was a beautiful early summer day and here I was a volunteer official on the finish line of the last round – the medal round – of the ISAF World Cup.

I know a little about race officiating but was a little nervous about such a big event as we waited at St Kilda Marina to pick of the other officials. My club the Hobsons Bay Yacht Club had provided our club boat to be the set the finish line and record the results.

Maria from Valencia (oh how I loved Spain) quickly assured us that we needed to just do as she said. Press the hooter when she said now, raise the flag when she said now etc.

She was a quiet woman but chatting away after fine tuning the reach angles and waiting for starts her experience was slowly revealed an on water official at two Olympics, Principal race offer for the TP52 series in Europe.

Great I just did what I was told, enjoy the racing and take some photos.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — 470 men’s start

From the boat we had a great view of the start and the final rounding mark leading to the finish.

We were officiating 5 races all deciding the series for that class.

There was the Men’s and Women 470 class.

The Finn a hard boat to sail for big strong blokes.

The women’s laser radial and men’s laser the boats of single handed skill.

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The last race the Men’s laser

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A tightly fought race,

with a fairy tale end.

pc112517e — Thumbs up as he gets the winners signal

With Pavlos Kontides winning his first ever international series gold medal, having won an Olympic Silver Medal and many other placings in a decade of senior sailing in the laser.

A place of special serenity for me

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Apollo Bay

On the south west coast of Victoria is the little place of serenity

Nestled between the Otway mountains and the sea

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A quiet fishing village in the cold of winter

DSC_0052_1[1] — Cray pots stacked for winter

I have ridden or sailed there innumerable times

Down the Great Ocean Road or over the Otway Mountains

In the safe harbour amongst the working boats

In a tent or a cabin

I listen to the roar of the surf, the winds at the edge of the roaring 40’s

or the silence of a fishing village in winter

Apollo Bay is quiet hamlet where I can take to the surf or walk through the giant forests.

Its a place that has offered me serenity and peace since I was just a boy, travelling here and camping in the dunes under a tarpaulin strung from my uncles car.

A place of peace and regeneration.

The spiritual tip of New Zealand and the great Kauri forests

Cape Reinga

The northern tip of New Zealand

Where the Tasman Sea meets the South Pacific Ocean

Where in Maori Spirituality the spirits of the dead go to leave this earth

Descending the cliffs

The trees

back to the sea

Sandy beaches and huge dunes spread south along the west coast on Northland

The 90 mile sandy beach ending a Ahipara

A small fishing village at the southern end of the 90 Mile Beach

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South of Ahipara are the ancient giant Kauri forests

Trees thousands of years old

Kauri Pan e — Te Matua Ngahere- Father of the Forest

Te Matua Ngahere is estimated to be over 3,000 years old and is still growing – an awe inspiring living organism.

These remnant giant trees are a wonder and thankfully have been preserved.

The trip then along the Hokianga Estuary

To the Estuary’s mouth was a mixture of beautiful food and stories of both Maori and Pakeha history

panorama e — Panoramic view of the Hokianga Estuary

Waitangi

Waitangi – The Place

At the South West corner of the Bay of Islands

there it is

Waitangi

the treaty ground

There was tension in the air

It was the eve of Waitangi day

The Trans Pacific Partnership agreement (TPP) had just been signed in New Zealand

The protests that had taken place in Auckland were moving to Waitangi

The Treaty Ground.

For Waitangi Day

A major issue for the Maori is that the provisions of the TPP may over ride major aspects of the Treaty of Waitangi.

Waitangi Day – 6 February 2016

For the visiting sailor it was the calm anchorages of the Bay of Islands that called

Paradise Bay (Oneura Bay) behind Urupukapuka Island was calm and the water welcoming on this Waitangi Day

Then on to Okahu Passage to climb to the top Waewaetorea Island

And views across the Bay of Islands

And back to Paradise Bay by sunset

Waitangi – The Boat

The Waitangi is one of the most beautiful classic boats I have seen and have been lucky enough to sail on

Waitangi has a rich history which included being restored by a group of sailors in Williamstown – my home port in Victoria, Australia. As it turned out I was only a couple of degrees of separation from one of the syndicate that restored Waitangi and so had the joy of sailing on her.

She was a true restoration with no winches and only human strength to raise and trim the sails. I remember hauling on the ropes – three of four of us to set the top sail.

And now here she lies in the New Zealand Maritime Museum just under the great big red boat Steinlager 2 which won the round the world race.

These are my three aspects of significance about Waitangi emerging from a recent trip to New Zealand.

Art, Craft , Engineering – sometimes separated by a thin line

I often think of art in nature

or is that

nature and art

the beauty

lines and curves

symmetry

colour and light

I remember in Kenya

Birds

Flamingo

Such colour

In art we try and capture such things often beautifully

but art in many ways is static

so is there a place where art meets craft

is there a place in manufacturing where the elements of motion

reflect art

Sometimes a yacht can walk that line

craftsmanship in wood,

Finely shaped

Art in motion

DSC_0105[1] — Futura painted to go back in the water

I also see this practical art in manufacturing

In this pair of beautiful Laverdas