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[ Stories from the Past ] [ Membership Directory] [ Offshore's Logbook ] [ From the Editor ] [ Sailing with the Golden Oldies ] [ Camera Clips ] [ Bric a Brac ] [ Notice Board ]
May has been a pretty hectic month, what with the Garage Sale, the Mothers’ Day breakfast and then Prize Giving, the working bee and now the beginning of winter haulage. All in all a whole heap going on. The garage sale was a huge success, raising around $10,000 for the renovation fund. The fact it was such a success was due largely to the incredible effort put in by Mike Strong and his team. Without their efforts we would not have achieved what we did on the day. My thanks to all of you. The weather was also outstanding (it doesn’t bear thinking about what our result would have been if we had today’s weather). There is still some worthwhile material left over so another sale is planned for next year. I don’t know about you, but I really enjoyed the day, despite the fact that it was exhausting. The Mothers’ Day breakfast was also a great success. Those of us in the kitchen had a lot of fun and those that came seemed to enjoy our cooking. The whole kitchen process went a lot more smoothly than our previous effort, obviously experience helps. My thanks to Gay for her supervision and calm instructions and to Kirsty who donated her time. Prize Giving was outstanding. I had a great evening (despite my fellow Flags setting me up with the Stirrers Paddle) as did everyone else I spoke to. The comments from visitors (the Classics and Trackers were there in force) were all about how impressed they were with the spirit and warmth within the Club and how their clubs were not able to match the spirit evident at DYC. Thanks to Desiree and the Sailing Committee. I must also thank the Social Committee who made the Club look so special. I can’t shake the image of Nelson and Graham wandering around with irons, ironing the table cloths on the tables. Now that is evidence of the DYC spirit. The start of haulage signals the change of seasons at the Club. The section is starting to fill up and soon part of that special thing that makes DYC unique will be in full swing - annual winter maintenance. Before we know it spring will be here and another sailing season will be upon us. Something to look forward to. In the meantime there are Friday nights
to enjoy at DYC. Talking of Friday nights, there have been a few quiet
ones lately with an uneconomic few people in for dinner. Perhaps more
worryingly is the absence of children in recent weeks. I’m not sure
what the issue is, whether it is a function of too many other Club
activities, the weather, the economy or is it just that Friday nights in
their current format don’t do it for members anymore. If you think we
need to make changes, let one of the Flags know. This is a classic case
of use it or lose it. If we don’t have sufficient people buying the
volume of Friday night meals to make it economic for Gay, we will not be
able to sustain this. Without meals on a Friday night, DYC will lose
part of the thing that it makes it so special. So come on down and bring
your friends and family. With respect to the refurbishment
project, it’s a bit like a duck, not much appears to be happening
above the water but underneath there is a lot going on. I will give a
detailed report at the AGM. David Stone
In regards to the month of May all I will say is a very big THANK YOU to all concerned. The Rear and Treasurer together with the President of the Club had so much fun planning how to give the Commodore the Stirrers Paddle, when Plan A failed, Plan B happened so easily it was a piece of cake in putting it all together in the end. The President, John Duder summed it all up so well at Prize Giving as to the reasons why David deserved the Paddle there is nothing else that I can add to it. I have just spoken with Andrew and he once again reminded me to start reading the book on time management that he gave me one Christmas. I will; at least it is on my must do list to just finish a book so maybe I should start this one. It could even help with the stress that Kevin seems to think I give him (that is his option anyway), thinking about it, how could I stress anyone out? I must tell you that over the last few weeks I have spent some time each Monday afternoon with a young man aged 6 and the things young children say: “When I am grown up in 70 years time” and you are allow to forget things Sue “because you are over 50” I love what the young ones say but I was a bit upset when a week before my 56th birthday at McDonalds the young gentleman taking our orders asked if I had a senior card, I nicely enquired how old did one have to be to have their senior card and the answer was 65. Now the question was did I have such a bad day that I looked 65 or do I look 65 all the time. Mr 6 year old just said I only looked an old 50 and not to worry because 65 is just so old it will take me years and years to get there, I will not comment on what my beloved husband said. Well I’m going out for dinner tonight and need to get in the shower so I will wrap this up.
May has been a huge month for fund raising and social events, with a Working Bee thrown in as well. Firstly the Mayday Sale. What a fantastic successful weekend this turned out to be. The weather was kind, members turned up in droves to help and the spirit shown is what makes this Club so special. It was a massive effort from everyone and a great contribution to the building fund. I have talked to quite a few people who turned up, and they were very happy with their purchases and the way the event was run. Mike, hopefully we can talk you into organizing another one for next year. I saw Martin Foster delivering flyers into letter boxes prior to the event - so much effort goes unseen. Thank you to everyone involved. Also deserving a mention was the generosity of John Ashton from Devonport New World. Thank you John. Saturday 8th May was the Working Bee and Charlie was again well organized for this. Another good turnout, and I believe all the chores were completed. With the plates bought down by members and the Social Committee, a brilliant morning tea and lunch was provided. John Webley distributed the Haulage Manual to those attending and covered the Club’s requirements for cradles and safety. Sunday 9th May was the Mothers’ Day Brunch, another well attended event. Gay as usual was brilliant, her normal professional unflappable self and Wendy Shardlow (Dogbox) the other expert in the kitchen. They were assisted ably by the Commodore, Geoff Palmer and myself. Feedback on the food was very positive and I think everything went very well. Thank you so much Wendy as you were not feeling crash hot but battled on, we would have struggled without you. The Commodore is getting to be a dab hand in the galley; he may have to be drafted next year. Geoff controlled the food and plate distribution, an invaluable contribution. Kirsty again donated her time for the event - much appreciated. The setting of the tables was again a credit to the Social Committee, what an invaluable band of workers they are. Then last but not least was the Prize Giving night on Saturday 15th May. Once again the Clubrooms looked a picture. Graham Pettersen ran the show brilliantly. The meals were excellent, and some very happy skippers received their trophies. The highlight for me was seeing the Commodore receive the Stirrers Paddle, wonderful to see him get recognition for his great work for the Club and for his drive in getting the Clubhouse refurbishment to its current position. On a different note, last Friday the attendance was down a bit and I observed that we didn’t have many children in the Clubhouse. It may well have been that we have had such a hectic social month that people were ‘clubbed out’, or maybe the colder dark night took effect. I would welcome any feedback or suggestions that would assist in getting the numbers attending up. The weather seems to have a touch of
winter this last week. Hasn’t it been a fabulous summer?
Hi all Well racing season is over, trophies and prizes given out and time to reflect on the things we got right and what area to improve on. A big thank you to my Sailing Committee and any feedback from members for next season much appreciated. Thank you to everyone who made the season run smoothly. To the starting crew Bill Cole, Fran and Nelson Webster and Mike Habgood. Thank you so much for the hours you have waited around for the fleet to return and getting us all away on time, it’s greatly appreciated by all. To the start and finish boats thank you, hopefully we will have a few more next season. To the sponsors of the races. Thank you and I hope you all will continue to support us next season. Now to the Prize Giving. So many people to thank for such a successful night.
To Mike Cohen our guest speaker, thank you. Chris Leech for organizing place mats, tickets and menus and the slide show on the night. To Anne Leech for typing and sending out the invitations. To Mike and June Hall, Fran and Nelson Webster, Graham and Val Petterson, Richard Darke for helping polish the trophies. To Fran Nelson, Marg Ward and Sue Johnson for helping set the tables. A special thanks to Marg for ironing the napkins. To Deidre and Reg for picking up the flowers, thank you. Lastly a great thank you to Graham for
his support in coordinating the wonderful I hope we all get some winter cruising in and the winters are not too bad. Cheers Des
A great morning was enjoyed at the working bee. Thanks to all who turned up, it “was” noted that a couple who are hauling, didn’t show up. A great morning tea and lunch thanks to the Social Committee and to those who brought along a plate of food and to Trish for the toasted sandwiches. All jobs were completed and I’ve already started on the next list. Thanks
Over the coming months I will include some old naval sayings, which will intrigue all and offer an explanation as to their origin. (Reproduced with kind permission of the RNZN Museum) Rack and ruin: Round robin: Rummage sale: Rub salt into wounds: Run the gauntlet:
Regular updates of the Club’s Members’ Boat Directory and Members’ Directory will be posted in subsequent Devonport Yacht Club News issues, as required. You are invited to paste these amendments into your yearbook.
DYC MEMBERSHIP REGISTER CR Leech ED*
During the 1980s when Offshore was racing practically every weekend during the summer The crew decided to have a week to ten days away during May and cruise out to Great Barrier Island men only. We did this for several years and it was very enjoyable, Earle Young was a keen fisherman and kept us supplied with a variety of fresh fish, Ray Shaw jnr was a scuba diver and we often feasted on scallops, crayfish and the like and I would go rabbit shooting in the hills above Nagle Cove. This particular year after spending several days cruising the western side of the barrier we picked an easterly breeze and sailed across to Kawau Island. There we had a problem, we had run out of wine and Earle was out of Bourbon. It was ships policy to celebrate elevenses at six bells in the morning watch when we would all down a couple of cans of beer then at two bells in the evening watch it was happy hour and we all had our favourite tipple. Ray Shaw snr. (Stormy) drank Scotch and water with no ice, we used to put a jar of water in the top of the freezer and this became known as “Stormy’s water” Keith Douglass (720) was a dark rum drinker, I drink Bacardi Rum with lemonade and Phil Warring drank G and T. Earle always drank bourbon and coke while Raymond preferred beer. We all drank wine with dinner and had several “chateau cardboard” containers on board. The question was what could we do about it? There was no bottle store on Kawau and Mrs Mangums illicit booze parlour in Bon Accord harbour had closed for business long ago. She used to make a brew called “Purple Death” which I always reckoned was a mixture of Methylated Spirit and Kerosene and used to blow your head off. It was purple in colour which is how it got its name and the label had a skull and crossbones on it. It was a powerful brew. We decided to sail to Mahurangi Harbour the next day and on the way over I put through a Radphone call to the North Shore Aero Club and asked for John Clements the CFI of the helicopter division. Cell phones had not been invented nor had VHF but the radio station at Music Point ZLD accepted a call on the SSB radio and would connect the caller with a telephone number which was great so long as you did not mind every other station listening in to your conversation. Before I go on I need to explain that at the time I was a senior flying instructor at the club and Earle was either the club President which is equal to Commodore in a yacht club, or he was a past president. I finally got hold of John and told him
of our problem and as luck would have it he had a cross country flight
booked for that afternoon which was heading north so he offered to buy a
bottle of Bourbon and a cask of dry white wine and deliver it to us. After lunch we rowed ashore and it was not long before we heard wompf womph and up the harbour came a Robinson 22 helicopter which landed on the beach, the door opened and a smiling John Clements passed me a plastic bag with the booze in it and then wompf wompf and they were gone. As we rowed back to Offshore Earle said
that he wished that there were other boats in the bay to see us having
our booze delivered by helicopter, we were the only boat there and I
replied that I was pleased there was no one else because if any of my
customers had seen it they would have said that if I could afford to
have my booze delivered by helicopter I was charging to much for my
sails.
You may have noticed that the programmed Haulage activity for the coming weekend is now published on the front page of the web site. www.dyc.org.nz This will be updated in the latter part of each week as the schedule is likely alter due to weather and other unforeseen circumstances. The notice will show the dates the boats are coming up on which slip and the time of high tide. Most boats will be slipped on the tide and side hauled shortly thereafter. Keep an eye on what’s happening, and if you feel inclined, come on down and lend a hand.
Of the other two who joined Murray, myself and daughter Lisa on 9 May, Peter Curtis was a medical orderly fortunate enough to get off southern Crete on the last day of the evacuation, on 30th May the day the German paratroopers descended from the skies. Both he and Bill went on to other theatres to survive the rest of the war. The third member of our crew of 91 year olds, was Joe Wilson. After capture and escape he fought with Cretan partisans for 8 months before he was betrayed and recaptured, and beaten up for 2 weeks by the Gestapo for refusing to divulge the Cretans who had sheltered him and with whom he had worked. After 10 weeks’ hospitalisation under the Germans, he was packed off to a POW camp in Poland, and volunteered a personality swap with a British air crew who considered sappers had a better chance of escape. To shorten a long story, they were finally found out after 6 months. Joe was called out on “appell” (parade), and finally saluted by the German Colonel commandant for successfully fooling his men. Joe, as a sapper, could only return the salute. Undoubtedly the sole example of such an incongruous exchange of salutes between capturer and prisoner. But what moved us most while listening to Joe’s reminiscences after lunch at anchor off Chelsea, with the hideous almost obscene, noise of the power boat races as background, was the poignancy of sharing the letters from his faithful fiancée with fellow prisoners, whose news from home was very often divorce and/or pregnancy to ‘another’ – and who sometimes (I didn’t know this) received white feathers in the mail because of their “cowardice” in surrendering or capture. Notwithstanding these sobering memories, a fresh sail was enjoyed by all not least through regular libations of Grants whiskey. Their only complaint was ‘no fishing’ and so we’ll try for a return expedition after their return from celebrations and commemorations on Crete. John N. Duder
TWENTY YEARS ON Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, dream, discover - Mark Twain. Course. The direction the skipper wants to sail and from where the wind blows. Somewhere on the west coast of the south
Island. From Mike Webster MEASURE YOUR BATTERY’S CONDITION By Mike Petricevich (VAMP) This is a simple way to assess the condition of a 12 volt battery, whether it is your car battery, or your boat’s starting or house battery. First you need a digital voltmeter, capable of measuring to 0.01 volts. Accurate meters can be bought quite cheaply these days from electronic or hardware shops. You also need a 12 light bulb of around 21 watts, such as those used for car or trailer stop or indicator lights, and some connecting wire and battery clips. The battery to be tested should be reasonably well-charged, but its initial voltage (no load) should be no higher than about 12.7 volts. If it is higher, run something from it until it drops to this value. Test Procedure:
Battery Condition The battery condition, on a scale or 1 to 10 is given by this formula: Condition = Difference between voltages at 5 min and 35 min, multiplied by 100, subtracted from 10. A near new battery will be near 10, while a nearly spent battery will have a figure of perhaps 4 or less. Internal Resistance The internal resistance of a battery also gives some indication of battery condition, but is somewhat less precise. It is obtained by measuring the initial voltage drop (or rise) when a load is connected (disconnected). Readings at steps 1 & 3 and 6 & 7 are used for this measurement, and the average figure calculated. Internal resistance = Voltage drop/rise divided by the current drawn. For a 21 watt lamp, the current drawn is around 1.8 amps, but any figure near this in the formula will suffice. A new battery will have an average value of about 0.1 ohms, while a spent battery will be about 0.25 ohms or more.
SAILING THE DREAM More people have been in space than have sailed solo around the earth. It is a journey fraught with danger at every turn, with little time for sleep or pause for rest. It is the toughest challenge in the nautical world. At the age of seventeen, Mike Perham joined the select band of sailors to achieve that feat. In Sailing the Dream, Mike tells the
story of the incredible 30,000-mile voyage that made him the youngest
circumnavigator in history. As he raced across the waves in his Open 50
yacht TotallyMoney.com, the journey soon became a struggle against wild
seas, failing equipment and the loneliness of the long-distance sailor.
Despite the boat’s being knocked over and battered by the oceans and
having to put in for damage repairs that turned the trip into a
nine-month odyssey, Mike battled on, surfing down fifty-foot waves at
speeds of up to 28 knots to realize his goal.
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