Big Night Out for little club

  Avalon Sailing Club in Pittwater, last month held its biggest ever fundraising auction dinner – The Big Night Out – and what a night it was!
  Held at the Royal Motor Yacht Club Newport, over 200 Avalon Sailing Club members and their guests were treated to a sensational evening of entertainment from James Morrison and his band, fine dining plus the chance to vie for an amazing array of high quality auction and raffle items.
  The aim for the night was to raise much-needed funds for a new Start/Committee boat – since the demise last year, of their 30 year old boat Retriever.
  Despite the economic doom and gloom of recent months, the evening was a stand-out success, exceeding expectations and raising an incredible $58,000.
  Over 70 auctions items were up for grabs ranging from boats and boating equipment through to jewellery, artworks, family holidays, fashion clothing and more. From as little as $50 up to $13,000, there was something for everyone and everything was sold by the end of the night.
  This included a brand new Flying 11, Yacht Charters, P&O Cruise, Airis Inflatable Kayak, Andre Rieu Concert tickets and DVDs plus a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Hunter Valley vineyard aboard a privately owned Squirrel helicopter.
  Guests were treated to truly exceptional entertainment from James Morrison on trumpet, trombone and keyboard – at times two of these at once – accompanied by the sultry sounds of beautiful chanteuse Emma Pask. 
  The evening was hosted by Murray Hartin, and auctioneer for the night was former ASC child sailor James Langford, who succeeded in emptying people’s pockets of many hundreds and often thousands of dollars.  The event was the culmination of 12 months in planning by the organising committee of Richard & Meredith Rasdall, Peter & Elizabeth Kidner, Robyn Kendall, Peter & Michelle Gale, Bella Glenny Horton, Dug Russell, Jenny Angus and Celia Craig. 
  The Club would like to thank all those members and sponsors who donated so generously with fabulous auction items, cash and their time, which together made the evening such a success.

 Richard Rasdall

Tasmanian Seafarers Memorial at Triabunna recalls 1998 tragedy

  Dozens of fishing trawlers and a few yachts and motor cruisers lined the wharves in the small fishing village of Triabunna, on the East Coast of Tasmania, in October as yacht club commodores, naval officers and civic leaders joined local residents, fishermen and tourists for a moving commemorative service on the waterfront.
  Close to the wharves is the Seafarers Memorial Wall, low brick walls built in the shape of a fish and surmounted by an anchor cross. On these walls are many plaques commemorating Tasmanians, both civilians and members of the armed services, who have lost their lives at sea, along with all seafarers – trawler and ship’s crews, yachtsmen and amateur fishermen, emigrants and convicts on early sailing ships – who have perished in Tasmanian waters.
  Among the plaques is a poignant reminder of those fateful days in December 1998 when six yachtsmen lost their lives at sea during the stormbattered Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
  Engraved on the plaque are the names of those lost in that storm.
  Recalling the fateful Sydney Hobart Race of a decade ago, CYCA Commodore Allen said: “In remembering those who died in that storm it is also important to remember others who have perished during and because of the race since 1945.
  “In 1979, the Hobart based yacht Charleston, on her way to Sydney, was lost with all five crew in a storm that I well remember as I was also in Bass Strait at the time. Nick Corkhill, present here today lost both his father and grandfather on Charleston in that storm.
  “Only about one month later Smackwater Jack was lost on her way back to New Zealand, again with all four crew on board. Paul Whiting, the skipper of the yacht was amongst the most talented yacht designers of his time.”  In 1999 the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia established the Safety of life at Sea Trust (SOLAS), a charity devoted to the assistance of search and rescue organisations throughout Australia.
  To date SOLAS has donated almost $500,000 to search and rescue organisations in every State of Australia and the ACT.

 Peter Campbell

  Martin Burke’s Riga, helmed by Ian McCrossin, regained the International Dragon NSW Championship after a weeklong battle on Sydney Harbour last month.
  Riga finished two points ahead of Richard Franklin’s Liquidity after the two Dragons raced boat for boat around the course in the eighth and final race, finishing just 15 seconds apart.  The two boats had gone into the final race with Riga just one point ahead, but McCrossin, a former World Champion in the International Flying Dutchman class, managed to keep ahead of Liquidity.
  Each boat had three wins during the championship, which began the previous week with a three heat Mini Regatta and continued throughout the week with the RSYS Spring Twilight Regatta.
  Riga finished on 14 points from placings of 2-6-1-5-2- 1-1-2 while Liquidity’s score was 16 points from OCS-1- 4-1-1-3-3-3.
  Former Olympian Carl Ryves placed third overall with Sidewinder, winning the final race to finish on 19 points from placings of 1-3-10-4-6-2-2-1.  The championship was sailed in generally moderate to fresh breezes, with Friday evening’s final race a demanding event in a 15-20 knot nor’easter gusting at times to 25 knots.
  Fortunately, the Dragons finished before the worst of the thunderstorms swept across the city and the harbour. Two boats retired from the fleet in the strong conditions.  The RSYS in January will host the prestigious Prince Philip Cup Australasian Championship, with Dragons expects from most Australian States and New Zealand.

 Peter Campbell

Milson Silver Goblets to Fifteen on countback

  An extended countback has resulted in Fifteen (David Clarke, helm; Andrew ‘Spot’ Smith, mainsheet and Sean Leonard, bow) being awarded the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron’s Milson Silver Goblets, one of the most prestigious regattas on the calendar for the International Etchells Sydney Fleet.
  Fifteen and Fathom (Rupert Henry) ended up equal points at the end of the five race Spring Twilight Regatta sailed on the Harbour last moth, each boat scoring two wins, a second, a fourth and a discard fifth place.
  The countback was then decided by which boat beat the other in the final heat, with Fifteen winning that race from Fathom by just 46 seconds to be declared the winner.  During the week, Fathom got the early results on the board with a 1-1-4 score, while Fifteen improved with a 5-4-1. Race four narrowed the contest with Fifteen placing second, Fathom fifth, and going into the final race Fathom was on 10 points, Fifteen on 11. At this stage, the discard for both boats was a fifth.
  The final race was virtually a match race between the two, with Fifteen holding on to win from Fathom, sailing in the freshest breeze of the week, a 15-20 knot nor’easter, gusting at times to 25 knots. Third place (and third in the series) in the final heat went to the Pittwater fleet boat Steampacket VI (Bruce Wookey & Rob Brown). Steampacket VI finished with 12 points followed by another Pittwater fleet entrant, Just a Dash (Julian Plante), Bald Eagle (John Dunn & Glen Nattrass), North Sydney Station (Ed & Will McCarthy & Michael Coxon) and dot (Matt Whitnall).
  Fifteen’s Milson Silver Goblets win continues an outstanding season with the Sydney Fleet, with boatspeed significantly lifted by the efforts of Bruce Hollis of Ullman Sails in Sydney.
  After nine heats to determine the 10 boats from the Sydney fleet eligible to contest the World Championship in Melbourne in March 2009, Fifteen has a commanding pointscore lead, having notched up four wins, two seconds and a third place.

 Peter Campbell

   In an historic ocean racing victory, Ian Kiernan’s classic timber yacht Sanyo Maris celebrated the 50th anniversary of her launching with an IRC handicap win in the 414 nautical mile Hempel 35th Gosford – Lord Howe Island Race.
  The 12m yawl is probably the oldest yacht to win a major long ocean race in Australian waters, certainly in modern times.
  Kiernan, the founder of Clean Up Australia and solo roundthe- world yachtsman, now has his helm set on the second part of the 50th birthday – skippering Sanyo Maris in this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
  “Maris has never been in better shape … the sponsorship of Sanyo and Veolia has allowed us to bring her right up the latest ocean racing standards,” an elated Kiernan said on Lord Howe Island.
  “We had a great trip across, although we probably encountered more breeze than most of the fleet, maintaining an average of six knots, even though at times we had three reefs in the main and a reef in the mizzen.”
  Sanyo Maris finished last in the 14 boat fleet, taking just over 70 hours to complete the crossing of the northern Tasman Sea in the race which started from Broken Bay.
  With the lowest IRC rating in the fleet, she won the IRC division by a comfortable 3 hours 17 minutes and 41 seconds from a former race winner, Warwick Sherman’s Cookson 12 Occasional Coarse Language.
  Third place went to One for the Road, a Northshore 37 owned by Kym Butler from the Newcastle Yacht Club.
  Kiernan has owned Maris for 38 years, having bought the boat from the late Jack Earl, a renowned marine artist and globegirdling yachtsman who skippered his earlier boat, Kathleen, in the inaugural Sydney Hobart Race in 1945.
  Designed by the late Alan Payne, who also designed Gretel, Australia’s first challenger for the America’s Cup, Maris is a Tasman Seabird class yacht, noted for their seakindly sailing qualities.
  Jack Earl named the yacht after his daughter Maris; and one of her daughters, Tiare Tomaszewski, is now a part-owner with her brother Ben. Tiare sailed in the race to Lord Howe Island and Ben will join the boat for Hobart. A third partner is prominent Lord Howe Island resident John Green.
  “I have to say it’s good to have the Earl family back involved after 38 years as that deal (with Jack on a windy day board Maris in Mosman Bay) back in 1970 was the start of a very strong bond between our families,” Kiernan added.
  Other members of the winning crew were John Green, Martin Farrand (“a Kiwi mate of 30 years who enjoys social climbing by crossing the Tasman”), Chris Oh from the Amateurs, David Hayes, a regular Ragamuffin crew member.
  Another veteran yacht, the 38-year-old Polaris of Belmont, skippered by Chris Dawe, a member of the organising club, Gosford Sailing Club, won the PHS division.
  On PHS corrected times, Polaris of Belmont, a Cole 43 built in Gosford in 1970, won by 2 hours 16 minutes from More Witchcraft, skippered by Cruising Yacht Club of Australia rear commodore John Cameron. Third place went to the Radford 12, Copernicus, skippered by Greg Zyner from Manly Yacht Club.

 Peter Campbell

   The sailing season at Mounts Bay Sailing Club opened with a bang in October but closed in a whimper.
  Unfortunately racing was cancelled on the day due to excessive winds so only a brave few in Cherubs and 29ers ventured out on the water for some thrilling displays of downwind speed right in front of the clubhouse at Pelican Point.
  “The first race of the 2008-09 season had to wait until the Twilight Sailing Race on the following Friday night and we got record numbers on the water,” said Kynan Wall the Sailing Administrator of Mounts Bay Sailing Club.
  “Since then Friday night Twilight Sailing has boomed and we now get around 20 boats on the water each week with great meals and live entertainment after racing. Everyone is welcome to come out for a sail. Just come to the bar at 6pm and we’ll find you a spot on a boat. It’s that easy!”
  This season the Sunday morning Learn-to-Sail training has also flourished with the addition of seven brand new Pacer dinghies allowing adults and kids to learn to sail together. This new fleet complements the existing fleet of Mudlarks, Optimists and Flying Ants that are used for introducing people to the sport.
  “If you’d like to try dinghy sailing or join a course, just come down to the Club on any Sunday morning. “It’s open to anyone from seven to 70-year-olds!” Kynan added.
  Mounts Bay’s racing fleets have also grown dramatically and they now boast the largest fleet of Olympic Class 49ers and 29ers regularly sailing at any one club in the country. The strength of these Classes and the Flying Ant Skiff Class was shown at the inaugural WA Sail Classic held right in front of the Bell Tower in late October.
  Founded in 1897, the club is run almost completely by volunteers and has maintained a real family-oriented feel.
  In January, Mounts Bay SC will host the National Championships for both the 29er and 49er Classes. This is the first time in eleven years that the Olympic 49er Class has held a major regatta in WA.

   Ericsson 4 skippered by Torben Grael (BRA) has shattered the 24- hour distance record for a monohull when the team recorded a run of 596.6 nautical miles on the first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race.
  The previous record (562.96 nm) was set by ABN Amro Two (Sebastian Josse/FRA) during leg two of the previous Volvo Ocean Race in 2006.
  The new mark, which is subject to ratification by the World Sailing Speed Record Council, translates into an incredible average speed of 24.71 knots in conditions not best suited for a record-setting run.
  Skipper Torben Grael and his crew had been pushing the boat hard all night as a much anticipated cold front hit the fleet, bringing with it gale force winds and accelerating the high-tech racing boats toward Cape Town.
  “It is a great achievement, but we were not really looking for it,” said Grael in a radio interview. “What we were looking for was a good ride on this weather system, and to stay in it as long as possible.  “We are doing 30 knots of boat speed. The wind is around 28-32 knots but the waves (around eight metres) are not very good for us. Conditions are marginal. I think we have been pretty much on the edge. Perhaps if we had a better sea state, we might be able to go faster, but it is hard to go faster with waves like this.”
  Ian Walker (GBR), skipper of thirdplaced Green Dragon had predicted that the record would fall as the winds built with the approach of a cold front.
  “This is insane. Thirty-five knots of wind, pitch black, 1,500 miles from land and we are desperately trying to squeeze more speed from a boat that feels and sounds like it is going to self destruct any second,” Walker said in an e-mail from his boat. “We have to push hard to stay ahead of the front.”
  There are 10 race legs and six inport regattas where teams can score points before crossing the finish line in St. Petersburg, Russia, in June next year.

  If the enthusiasm of crews recalling sustained, spray-laden 20 knot reaches is any measure, an opening ocean race is likely to remain part of all future Lock Crowther Memorial Multihull Regattas which was staged by the Multihull Division of the Royal Motor Yacht Club on Pittwater over three days in October.
  It wasn’t just the speed of the racing that made the ocean race a success, the closeness of the results confirmed how hard the crews worked to get the most out of their machines.
  A close tussle between Darren Drew’s sports-car red Grainger cat, Indian Chief and Doug Cuming’s immaculate Egan tri, Voodoo Spirit, saw less than 100 metres separate the two as they crossed the line with Indian Chief just ahead after 40 kilometres of spirited racing. The narrow victory was also sufficient for a win on OMR for Indian Chief.
  Steve Barton’s Grainger MTB 920 Big Bird, benefited from his regular ocean racing knowledge of the northern beaches breeze, particularly around  the Barrenjoey headland where he sneaked past Robin Ottowa’s slick F28, Summit. After a couple more position swaps on the leg down Pittwater it was Big Bird that took out third followed by Mike Finch’s Twiggy, fifth was John Power’s 12 metre Schionning, Powerzone while following up, after missing the start, was Leon Dellit’s Fusion 40, Bad Dad. Powerzone collected the silverware for handicap.
  While only six boats competed in the Friday ocean race, all crews agreed the trial was a success and would be a great permanent addition to future regattas.
  A moderate southerly was blowing for the Saturday morning race with 19 boats lined up for the start in the racing division and a further three boats in cruising division. Line honours in racing division went to Indian Chief. Handicap winner was Alan Brand’s Corsair Sprint 750 Zorro.
  The delayed afternoon race produced a great start in a solid nor’wester which unfortunately disappeared as the fleet rounded Lion Island for the long trip up the Hawkesbury against an outgoing tide. Despite the race being shortened, only seven of the 19 starters finished before the time limit expired. Line honours went to Voodoo Spirit and handicap to Big Bird. In cruising, Endless Summer was again successful.
  Unfortunately the breeze faded again just as the fleet crossed the starting line for the final race on Sunday and not surprisingly, it was the lightweight sports boats that were able to extract maximum effect from the light conditions. First was Robin Ottowa’s F28R Summit taking out the scratch and handicap double, with Powerzone crossing first in the cruising division.

New versus experienced at Sydney International Regatta

  New Olympic prospects will cross swords with experienced campaigners including many who have recently returned from the 2008 Beijing Olympics when Yachting NSW’s annual Sydney International Regatta (SIR) is held from 6-9 December on Sydney Harbour.  Hosts will be Woollahra Sailing Club, Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron and Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club.
  Held as part of the Sail Down Under series, incorporating Sail Brisbane, SIRs and Sail Melbourne, the SIR will be the first major Olympic point-scoring regatta to be held since the Beijing Games in August. As such, the event is expected to attract many new Olympic campaigners and experienced Olympians alike, all eager to score early points in the new Olympiad as they look to selection for the 2012 London Games.  Australia finished the Games with solid medal winning performances, garnering gold medals in the Men’s and Women’s 470 and silver in the Tornado. Those medal winners competed at the SIR last year; Nathan Wilmot/ Malcolm Page (470) and Darren Bundock/Glenn Ashby (Tornado), along with others including Finn gold medallist Ben Ainslie (GBR) who added to his collection of two previous gold and a silver medal across the Laser and Finn classes.  “For many Beijing Olympians, this will be their first major regatta since returning from China,” said Adrian Steer, the CEO of Yachting NSW. “Spectators will be given the rare treat of being able to watch Olympic medallists and Olympians in action on Sydney Harbour.  An ISAF Grade 1 event in the Laser, Laser Radial, Finn, 470, 49er and RS:X and Grade 2 for the Ynglings, this year’s event will include the Yngling Australian Championship.  Other classes invited to the Regatta include the 420, 29er, Laser 4.7 and the A Class Catamaran whose World Championships will be held at Belmont north of Sydney in January next year.  The exhilarating ‘foiling’ Moths will also feature at SIRs. Australians John Harris, Andrew McDougall and Mathew Belcher filled out the top three places at the 2008 Worlds in July, which were held in Weymouth, England, the site for the 2012 Games.

 Di Pearson

Larriken’s tail of woe at Geelong

  For the second week in a row, strong winds pushed the Royal Geelong YC fleet around on Saturday as the wind gusted up to 39 knots.
  The unlucky award for the week goes to Darren Pickering’s Larriken 2 who, despite rumours of wild gybes and all that sort of thing were actually dealt a major blow to their program.
  “Things didn’t quite go to plan,” Pickering said wryly.  “We had a good battle with Hocus Pocus (Kym Clarke) and Valiant (Gerry O’Brien) going upwind in the first leg. Larriken rounded the top mark ahead of this tight group and hoisted the kite to speed off downhill in about 20 knots of breeze.  “After gybing down the first run, we were approaching the bottom mark with the crew enjoying a fast kite run.
  Suddenly, without warning, the backstay broke half way up. Bec Bohling was hanging onto the backstay, and, as it fell into her hand, she knew what was to come next wasn’t going to be fun.  “I knew there was something wrong when I saw the mainsail falling forward which seemed to happen quite slowly. The end of the boom started to rise as it was dragged forward with the mast. This was followed by a shocking noise as the mast broke about six foot above the deck.
  “The boom continued to be dragged towards the bow and then snapped at the vang. I think we all knew then, that our day was done. We started to assess this horribly messy situation because the problem of being holed by our own mast became a real possibility.  “We all worked well as a team, trying to get the remnants of our mast and sails back on board. Sadly, the 12 metre long rig was not playing the game and with most of the crew trying to fend it off the hull, the rest of us had to do the unthinkable and cut it away.
  “I thought if we didn’t get this thing away from the boat, the spreaders, which were really bashing hard against the hull, might have taken the entire boat down to Davey Jones’ locker.”   

 Bob Appleton

  Victorian yacht clubs were flooded with newcomers for this year’s ‘Come ’n Try’ Go Sailing Day activities.  With a record number of 30 clubs statewide participating in this year’s annual Yachting Victoria initiative, more than 1,700 members of the public enjoyed a friendly, sunny, light breeze introduction into the joys of sailing.
  “I think it helped demonstrate that sailing clubs are more than happy to welcome new people into their clubs and that it isn’t an expensive sport and anyone can do it,” YV CEO Ross Kilborn said.  Clubs around the state offered a huge spectrum of activities on the day to complement their on water activities.
  Combined with both off the beach and keelboat sailing experiences, there were jumping castles, face painters, sailing simulators, vintage boat rides, free sausage sizzles and much more.  Many clubs signed up new members on the day and many others indicated they had plenty of interest from potential new members.  Bendigo Yacht Club, located 150km north west of Melbourne, has been drought stricken for a number of years, however now has enough water in Lake Eppalock for a few sailing activities, for the first time in two years.  “We actually had 31 people that we took out sailing and it looks like we may get about six memberships from the day including some families – you can put us down for next year,” BYC spokesman Mick Floyd said.
  Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron, located perfectly on the beach in the heart of St Kilda, took out a staggering 212 newcomers and hope to convert a good percentage of those into new members

Yacht Club Open Day Success

  As it sails towards its 150th anniversary year, when the Royal Geelong Yacht Club opened its doors for Open Day it proved to be an extremely popular venue for a steady stream of the general public.  Music was supplied by the Kym Dillon Trio while the free sausage sizzle was a major attraction. The jumping castle kept the small fry busy while parents took the opportunity to enjoy the fine cuisine of the Marina restaurant as others inspected the huge variety of sailing craft berthed in the Bay City Marina.
  International Cadet dinghies and Access dinghies attracted young sailors as their parents watched them sailing close to shore in the inner basin.  

 Bob Appleton

   The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club has reported that entries are rolling in for the 2009 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour race, the 28th running of the event.  “We’ve had quite a number of enquiries in recent days, so we’re still expecting a fleet of 70-75 yachts on the starting line,” Race Director Chris Stone said.
  A Category 2 event, the 226nm Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Ocean race gets underway on the 2nd January 2009 at 12 noon.
  Some of those entered so far include CYCA’s Matthew Short with his newly acquired TP52 Shortwave. He will be up for his third Coffs race having previously sailed the race aboard his Farr 40 Short Shipped. Since taking ownership, Matthew has raced Shortwave to a fourth in IRC Division in the Southport race and competed in CYCA’s Bluewater pointscore.
  Another CYCA contender, jeweller Julian Farren-Price and his keenly sailed Cookson 12, About Time is back after finishing a close second to Le Billet in the 2007 series and fourth overall in the race to Coffs. Julian said he “is looking forward to crossing swords again with Bill … hopefully with a different outcome.”  David Elliot, the new owner of e11even, formerly Steve Ellis’s Splash Gordon a highly competitive modified Farr 40, will represent the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron.
  Another Farr 40 contesting will be Cronulla Sailing Club’s Gavin Mead who recently acquired Shaya Moya II. Gavin last sailed the race in 2007 with his previous boat, a Mount Gay 30 named Shaya Moya.
  The first Sydney 38 entry for the race also came from the south side’s Cronulla Sailing Club with Peter ‘Eddy’ Edwards’s Preddytor set to debut. Also entered is Philip Bennett’s custom 11.5m wooden boat, built by Andrew Moncrief and Andy Hay in 1992, King Billy from the RSYS. King Billy has some creditable offshore racing experience having previously competed in the Hobart, Coffs and Mooloolaba races three times as well as the Lord Howe race. She also won the prestigious Gascoigne Cup back in 1993.
  RPAYC member Stephen Trevillion purchased his Jarkan 12.5 On Line in 2007 with the aim of racing her to Coffs.  “On Line is sailed by a crew of 10, half of whom have extensive bluewater experience with the other half enthusiastic newcomers to the sport who are all looking forward to a great race,” said Trevillion.
  A number of other RPAYC boats are expected to race including the 2007 and ’08 series winner Bill Ebsary’s Le Billet, a Beneteau 44.7 who will be aiming for a series trifecta; John McConaghy and his custom McConaghy 50 Second Time Around; Jimmy King and Bruce Staples and their ably experienced crew aboard Dark & Stormy Witch, a Murray 37 custom and a host of others including Pretty Woman, First Priority, Hansky, Next Moment, The Real Thing, Wild Oats X and Shot of Courage.
  The Pittwater & Coffs Harbour Offshore Series will be a two race series in 2009 with the Pittwater to Coffs Race then the Solitary Island race in Coffs Harbour on the 5th January.   

Historical study predicts Australia’s stormy future

  A landmark Griffith Centre for Coastal Management study has, with the cooperation of the Bureau of Meteorology, delved deep into Australia’s stormy past in an effort to predict what lies ahead for sandy coastlines.
  The study Severe storms on the east coast of Australia 1770–2008 is the result of seven years work by coastal planning researcher Dr Peter Helman and recently retired BOM extreme weather forecaster Jeff Callaghan.
  Helman said the comprehensive storm history will be an essential reference tool for planners, natural resource managers and long-range weather forecasters.
  “The documentation prior to the beginning of Bureau data in the early 1900s is fragmented and often subjective, but long histories are important for uncovering trends. By piecing it together with recent Bureau data, we are able to map clear cycles and trends in storm seasons and droughts over two centuries,” Helman said.
  While Callaghan provided a lifetime of severe weather expertise, Helman scoured archives of ships’ logs and historical documents dating from some of Australia’s earliest documented European coastal explorations.
  “The Bathurst Bay Hurricane stands out in history as the most severe storm experienced on this coast. It occurred in March 1899, so it can only be estimated as a Category 5 tropical cyclone by the complete devastation it caused; over 350 people were killed and 100 vessels destroyed.
  “A century later with extensive developments along the coast a Category 5 tropical cyclone would have enormous impact. In the last 30 years, even allowing for TC Larry (2000), there have been a relatively low number of storms. We need to be prepared for severe storms that will undoubtedly occur in the future.
  “Storms hit the coast with the energy of a nuclear explosion, moving thousands of tonnes of sand in a short period of time and affecting large areas. For example, the epic 1898 Maitland Gale that wrecked the paddle-steamer Maitland on the NSW mid-coast with the loss of many lives was the same storm that broke Stradbroke Island in two almost 1,000km away.”  

  Tony Davey had just turned 50 and was working hard to achieve his dream of owning a Riviera cruiser. He had just completed writing a Do-It-Yourself Plumbing book. Then, tragically he suddenly collapsed and died.
  For the past 28 years, Riviera has helped people achieve their boating dreams. Recently the luxury boat builder helped Tony’s fiancée, Del Mathews, and sister, Debbie Davey achieve part of his dream.
  Del’s desire was to stand on board a Riviera to scatter Tony’s ashes upon the waters at their favourite spot, Jumpinpin on the Gold Coast Broadwater.
  Ryan Hanson at Riviera Dealer R Marine Coomera heard of Del’s request and immediately offered to help her. With a crew from R Marine Coomera on board a luxury Riviera 58 Flybridge, Del and her two sons Trent and Ryan, along with Debbie Davey and her daughters, Rachael and Dannielle, made the journey to Jumpinpin.
  As she poured the ashes, Del said: “Now the tide can take him. This is where he loved to be.” As the ashes drifted away, each member of the family threw a rose on to the water saying their farewells.
  Del and Tony met 12 years ago when they worked for a plumbing company in Albury on the southern border of New South Wales.
  “He had been working there only a few weeks when he asked me out,” Del remembered. “But I wasn’t prepared and extremely shy. A year later he sent me roses for my birthday. I invited him out and fortunately he didn’t say no.”
  The couple moved to the Gold Coast in 2000 “to pursue new beginnings and opportunities,” said Del. Tony’s plumbing career flourished and Del took on an administration job.
  “He worked hard for the dream of a Riviera 43 Flybridge. He went to all the boat shows; he collected all the brochures about Rivieras which are still stored in archive boxes.
  “It has taken four years. Then one morning a few weeks ago I woke and decided it was time to release Tony’s ashes. I called Tony’s sister Debbie who agreed and thought it was a splendid idea and took it upon herself to organise the whole day.
  “Debbie is a real organizer. She said, ‘Leave it to me.’ Then the compassionate people at R Marine Coomera offered to help. It all came together so quickly. It was a wonderful day. The boat was magnificent; everything I imagined it would be out on the water. We had a perfect ceremony.”
  Del even managed to achieve part of Tony’s dream for herself. Under the supervision of skipper Alex Hayward, she took command of the Riviera and contentedly cruised back to the Riviera marina in Coomera.  “I am so grateful,” said Del. “After the journey back to Coomera, maybe I will pick up his dream. I’m sure Ryan Hanson can help me find a Riviera 43.”

   Starting more than 3,000 years ago, the world’s first blue-water mariners set out from south-east Asia in sailing canoes to explore the vast ocean that lay before them.
  Over succeeding centuries and millennia, against enormous odds, they extended the boundary of human settlement thousands of kilometres into the oceanic hemisphere.  “The Pacific islands were the most remote and difficult places on earth to reach,” says New Zealand historian Professor K.R. Howe. “With their settlement, humans finally came to the end of the habitable world.”  The story of this stunning migration is the subject of a major new exhibition at the Australian National Maritime Museum.
  Vaka Moana – Voyages of the Ancestors traces the biological and cultural trails left by the Pacific mariners, showing that the far-flung cultures of today’s Oceania have common ancestry in south-east Asia.
  The exhibition also reveals the technologies that enabled the mariners to cross vast expanses of ocean thousands of years before the Vikings, Portuguese, Spaniards and other Western seafarers made their first trans-oceanic forays.
  It traces the evolution of their vessels from the early and critically important invention of the stablising outrigger which enabled them to put to sea long before anyone else.
  A double-hulled canoe from the Cook Islands, one of the more striking artefacts in the exhibition, shows some of the traditional techniques of building and rigging.
  The Pacific Islanders developed their own means of open ocean navigation – or ‘wayfinding’ – based on the observation of sea and sky.
  The exhibition includes two Marshall Island ‘stick charts’, woven latticework frames with shells attached, on which ocean navigators plot islands, local swells and current patterns.
  This methodical recording of navigational information leads modern observers to believe the Pacific’s ancient mariners were able to navigate purposefully and deliberately over vast distances of ocean.  The exhibition shatters the myth that the Pacific’s ancient navigators discovered a succession of luxuriant tropical island paradises. In fact, most of the islands were sparse in flora and fauna – and quite incapable of sustaining a human settlement for long.  Historians agree the peopling of the Pacific Islands could have happened only in the past 10,000 years – when humans evolved from hunters and gatherers to agriculturalists. The new arrivals brought their own seedlings and domesticated animals.
  In other areas, the exhibition considers the sudden and extensive social changes that came with the arrival of Western mariners in the 17th and 18th centuries, and a recent 20th and 21st century renaissance of interest in the ancient mariners and the replication of their voyages.
  Vaka Moana (literally Ocean Canoe) was assembled by New Zealand’s Auckland Museum: Tamaki Paenga Hira which drew on its own superb Maori and Pacific collections as well as those of other New Zealand and overseas institutions for the 130 objects that tell the story of one of the world’s great human migrations.
  “It lifts the veil on many mysteries about the original settlement of the Pacific Islands and helps us to a much better understanding of the people and cultures of our region,” said Mary-Louise Williams, director of the Australian National Maritime Museum.  Vaka Moana – Voyages of the Ancestors will be on display at the ANMM, Darling Harbour, from 6 December until 15 February 2009.
  ANMM (02) 9298 3777; www.anmm.gov.au.