ISAF World Cup Sailing – Melbourne 2016

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

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.

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.

Jake Lilley of Australia using all his strength to keep the boat flat and heading for the medal

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

Maneuvering at the start of the Women’s Laser Radial

The last race the Men’s laser

A tightly fought race,

with a fairy tale end.

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

Apollo Bay

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

Nestled between the Otway mountains and the sea

A quiet fishing village in the cold of 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

Cape Reinga and the Tasman Sea meeting the Pacific Ocean

Cape Rienga and the sandy dunes that span the west cost of northern New Zealand

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

Low Tide on the 90 Mile Beach at Ahipara

South of Ahipara are the ancient giant Kauri forests

Trees thousands of years old

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

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

The little chartered boat in Okahu Passage

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.