SAILING ON 'STEINLAGER 2' (2) - Auckland Anniversary Regatta 2015

There are words that end up consigned to the language dustbin by overuse or misuse. Sports commentators are the greatest facilitators of the sad fate of perfectly good words rendered redundant by dunderheaded exclamations. "Brilliant goal!" screams the TV soccer commentator - umm, NO, "Skillful play" I say, "Albert Einstein was brilliant, the light from a high wattage light bulb is brilliant."
"Awesome batting" shouts the sports commentator down the microphone - umm, NO, "A skillfully placed shot by a talented batsman" I reply. "A volcanic eruption is awe inspiring, as would be the view of the Andromeda Galaxy close up in deep space ...... but a piece of wood hitting a round thingie? .... not bloody likely". This mangling of our perfectly wonderfully expressive English language is a veritable pain in the arse (to use a perfectly reasonable local idiom).

Well shipmates I can hear you mumbling, "Where is the silly old fool going with all of this?" Well it's this - My experience sailing on Steinlager 2 yesterday allows the word 'Awesome' to come home to the definition of its true meaning and to fly her celebration colours high, high, high on her splendid mast for the whole world to see. My experience when sailing on Steinlager 2 was Awesome - Awe Inspiring - Wonderful - I loved every minute of the sail.

The experience was enhanced by being part of the crew. All the paying guests were part of the working crew and we raced Steinlager along with the permanent crew. I worked in tandem with another grinder on the mainsail coffee grinder winch. Four women worked the remaining two winches that worked the jib and spinnaker sheets. Their two winches were linked and worked together as one. When required all three winches were linked by the flick of a switch for raising the mains'l and spinnaker.

The sun shone, the wind blew, the Waitamata harbour sparkled as only she can and aided and abetted by Steinlagers very willing crew 'Big Red' fairly flew along - it was truly ....... awesome...... and I looked, listened, thought, smelt, tasted, touched.....  willing myself to imprint this wonderful experience for the warm soft glow of remembrance.  

Having left the Viaduct Basin we motor out onto Waitamata Harbour.

Sail covers still on, we are just tooling around sight seeing as we await the start.

Up goes the mains'l .......

....... that was big enough to cover a tennis court.

Up goes the mizzen adding even more power to the huge rig.

Waiting for the start - the ten minute gun has gone - time for a quick photo.

And we are off. After a few tacks we were heading for Rangitoto Island. Being the biggest yacht on the harbour we easily cut through the fleet on the first upwind leg.

10.8 knots, slightly eased now with the wind angle 44 degrees, windspeed 21 knots. I couldn't get this speed out of Mariner sailing downhill, with a very strong tail wind and the motor going.

Heading north past 'North Head'.

To use the lingo of motorbike journalists and to show I am not a complete curmudgeon when it comes to the use of language lets just say that here we were just "Stonking along."

Approaching the northern bouy and getting ready for the spinnaker hoist.

The womens coffee grinders were linked to the spinnaker trimming sheet winch. Here they are winching like fury on the downhill leg.

 

'Big Reds' big red spinnaker pulling like a team of horses.

Now on the opposite gybe and taking in the spinnaker - fast and furious work to get it all down the hatch and below.

After several circuits of the course we are now flying down to the finish with the mizzen stays'l set and helping to give us an extra burst of speed as we take line honours in the race.

Race finished, mizzen stays'l down, time to relax and savour our win.

 

Furling the mains'l in a way that helps protect the expensive exotic cloth that the mains'l is made of is a major undertaking.

 

All sails furled and put to bed, sail covers back on, time to head back to the mooring.

 

Back through the lifting bridge and into the Viaduct Basin.

 

Back on the mooring pontoon. Such a great sail! But there are more such great sails to come! (watch this space).

There were many sights to see as we raced around Auckland harbour - More about that next blog.

SAILING ON 'STEINLAGER 2' (1) - Auckland Anniversary Regatta 2015

There she was at the Viaduct Basin all ready to go. She is impressive to look. At true proven thoroughbred. I was met, introduced to the skipper and other crew members, stowed my gear and took a look around. In the early days (The golden years?) when all this involvement in big time around the world ocean racing was new for New Zealand these big boats (Ceramco NZ, Outward Bound, Lion New Zealand, Steinlager, Fisher and Pykel ) all visited provincial cities to raise funds and show the public (who had contributed by public donations drives) the boats that took to sea our Aotearoa NZ  sailing hopes, dreams and good wishes. The 1980's - 90's were a great time for New Zealand yachting which included four gold medal sailing wins at the 1984 Olympics and great success in winning the Americas cup in 1995 in San Diego.

So, because like the rest of New Zealand I had been aboard these big boats the interior came as no surprise. They are totally functional with a Capital F. Steinlager has a central cooking area. The forward section is for sails and gear, the sides of the hull have bunks for sleeping. Because the trust now uses Steinlager for a lot of school and other group trips a much larger number of bunks have been installed.

This is a side corridor to the stern sections, complete with bunks. The overhead black steel bars with red universal joint covers are parts of the interconnecting winch axles.

 Main hatchway looking aft.  Under the white box is a 175 HP Volvo Penta engine.

 Navigation station just aft of the engine and the companion way steps.

 Behind the navigation area there is another access way directly to the steering cockpit.

Comfy navigators seat and navigation station.                                                                                        

Forward sections. Wet weather gear to port. Ropes and gear to starboard. Life jacket stowage across the forward bulkhead.

No mistaking the name - Steinlager - The flagship beer of the brewery that was the major sponsor of the boat - So it was highly amusing to everybody to be handed a bottle of Heineken beer at the end of the race - Much fun was made of this fact! - "The Heineken was on special at 'Pack and Save' supermarket" was the skippers reply to much laughter.

Here Moi doesn't get to sample the sponsors product, but after a very hot and tough days racing where I spent most of my time as a cockpit gorilla winding a coffee grinder winch I wasn't complaining - Drinking ice cold Heineken is always a bonus.

More about the race next blog.

..... and yep Shipmates, after all this marlarky I drove home to little old Whangarei with a smile on my face much, much, much bigger than Texas.

BIG RED

BIG RED is the name affectionately given to STEINLAGER 2, the 1989 - 90 Whitbread Around the World Yacht Race Winner skippered by our very own New Zealander, the late, much admired and respected Sir Peter Blake.

Click on the photos to enlarge them. I have to say that she looks pretty awesome.

She is now owned by the New Zealand Sailing Trust Board.

I am going sailing on her this Monday 26th January, which is Auckland Anniversary Regatta Day. Which means Shipmates, I get to feel the sheer power and majesty of this ocean racing thoroughbred...... and a bonus will be that I will be able to look at all the other hundreds and hundreds of yachts sailing on Waitemata Harbour - Yachtee Heaven really.  Needless to say; I can hardly wait!

ROADS

The road to Dana Monastery Tibet.

----  ROADS ----

 - Hone Tuwhare

I turn away from roads,

sign - posted hot macadams :

roads on smooth roads curving

looping under, up and yonder

going leading nowhere.

I dream of roads

but seek instead a tumble

stumble - footed course I know

will earn me sad wounds 

cutting deep to bone.

I have learned to love

too much perhaps

rough tracks hard of going

poorly lit by stars.

Night - long voyagings

have found no easy path

to the silent gate

that is the dawn -

the truth beyond

that is the banished city.

Hearing only the night - birds

booming ancient blasphemies :

moon - dark ease reflection

in the knocking stones

the river chortling.

Killing Two Birds With One Stone

Stone the crows, as the saying goes. Perhaps I should fit one of these weather forecasting stones on my boat. If I fitted the stone athwartships I could draw a table of degrees on the placard as well so that I could measure the boat angle of heel - So many great ideas, so little time.

LITTLE GIDDING

From Verse 5  From T S Eliots Poem
'LITTLE GIDDING' 
From 'THE FOUR QUARTETS'

"  ....................With the drawing of 
this love and the voice of this Calling
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Through the unknown, unremembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning;
At the source of the longest river
The voice of the hidden waterfall
And the children in the apple-tree
Not known, because not looked for
But heard, half-heard, in the stillness
Between two waves of the sea.
Quick now, here, now, always--
A condition of complete simplicity
(Costing not less than everything)
And all shall be well and
All manner of thing shall be well
When the tongues of flames are in-folded
Into the crowned knot of fire
And the fire and the rose are one."

Little Gidding is the fourth and final poem of T. S. Eliot's Four Quartets a series of poems that discuss time, perspective, humanity, and salvation. Little Gidding focuses on the unity of past, present, and future, and claims that understanding this unity is necessary for salvation. The full poem is well worth reading.
What interests me is that the ideas regarding unity are relevant in a spiritual sense be that Buddhist or Christian. Also relevant from a comparative religious point of view are these two sets of much quoted lines - 

"And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time."

 - Which is a statement regarding the spiritual quest, i.e. What we are longing for is on our doorstep, within our lives now ..... we just don't recognise it - which is very much a Buddhist concept.

And:

"And all shall be well and
All manner of thing shall be well." -

- Which are the words of Julian of Norwich an English Christian mystic which were incorporated into the poem by T. S. Eliot. Julian of Norwich preached that "sin" should be seen as a part of the learning process of life, not a malice that needed forgiveness. These words of hers are interesting because they mirror a similar Buddhist approach, that is -  The suffering of this world is required for human spiritual development. Patience, compassion, long suffering, forgiveness, reconciliation are grown within a world of suffering - The Buddhist Lotus flower blooms in stark contrast to the muddy 'Samsara' that it grows in. 'Sin' and 'Samsara' must both be transcended.

MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS

Polish OK Dingy 'Puck' sailing to windward.

Puck sailing downwind in 25 - 30 knots.

CLICK THE ICON ON THE RIGHT TO MAKE THE VIDEO FULL SIZE

These two videos take me back a few years to some good, good memories of sailing my own OK Dinghy 'Okere'. What I like about the OK Dinghy is that it is a full bodied boat with good free board and a beautiful shape. They are magic to sail to windward - quick and response on the helm  .. and they run downwind like a rocket ship.

If you watch half of this and get impatient and want it to end, then you are not my sort of sailor (And that's very OK - pardon the ironic pun). But if like me you want the video to go on forever and a day and a kind of sea fever starts to rise like a full moon tide within you, then I understand your very sailor soul.

JAM TSE DHARGYEY LING

 JAM TSE DHARGYEY LING means -
"Tibetan Buddhist Centre of Love and Compassion"

This Buddhist centre is on Mount Parikiore which is just north of Whangarei. A few days ago I took a drive up there and paid a visit. In the photograph (above) is the 'Stupa. Stupas are the focus of prayer and pilgrimage. A Stupa represents Buddha's holy mind.

Jam Tse Dhargyey is extremely fortunate to be the home of a resident spiritual teacher. The Ven Geshe Sangey Thinley (Geshe-La) is originally from Tibet, from where he escaped in 1959 to India where he assisted in the development of Sera Je Monastry in Southern India.

I am not sure what the structure to the left of the Stupa is. I thought at first that it was some sort of Pizza oven LOL as it is obviously somewhere where a fire is lit. Its probably 

an enclosed fire to be used for ceremonial purposes.

The main entrance to the Tibetan Buddhist centre.

 A view of the centre from the Stupa.

Detail on a door that is the entrance to a room within the base of the Stupa.

Entrance to the Stupa base room.

Local Acolyte Mendicant Monk.

Prayer flags.

Somewhat ambiguous main notice board.

View south and southeast over the city of Whangarei.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas and every blessing at this time. Wishing a very safe, happy and prosperous 2015 to everyone.

Designer, Builders, Sisterships.

Allen Smith and Charles Shepherd at Smiths Boatyard Riverside Drive Whangarei NZ Circa 1984 
. 

On the left in this photo is my late cousin Allen Smith the designer of the good ship 'Mariner'. On the right is Charles Shepherd the builder of 'Omega' of which 'Mariner' is a sister ship. Allen told me that he sold 12 sets of plans to the 'Omega' design.

It was 'Omega' that I saw in 1971 on a visit from Christchurch to Whangarei just before her launching. It was a design that I was encouraged to build by Allen. I cut out a lot of time and effort by simply making the molds for 'Mariner' from the lofting of the design that was already available. When the molds were completed I railed them back to Christchurch. In 1972 my parents shifted to Whangarei, which is where I eventually ended up in 1974 and the molds came north with me, much to the delight of the NZ Railways accountants.

Of the 12 sets of plans that were sold by Allen I know of only 5 boats built to the design. Their names in rough chronological order are:  Omega, Mariner, Starfire, Jasper and El Tigre.

El Tigre was the second boat built to the design by Charlie Shepherd. She was built in Airex foam and fiberglass. Charlie used most of my molds to make his second boat making 3 new molds where the stern sections had been widened by about 18 inches. El Tigre is lighter and faster than Mariner and during the time I was racing against her I never was able to finish in front. Apart from being an improvement on the original design she was always stripped out for racing where I have always carried a lot of cruising gear including 180 feet of good anchoring chain - extra weight slows yachts down when racing.

This is 'El Tigre', nicely built by Charlie Shepherd who was a great craftsman. But she never had the same ambiance as 'Omega' his first boat to this design which he built beautifully in wood.

This is 'Jasper'. She is from Auckland and I don't know much about her. From the photographs I have of her it looks like a nice job has been made of building her in wood.

This is 'Mariner' getting ideas above her station; parked in an expensive marina berth.

My cousin the late Allen Smith (1934 - 2008) , Whangarei (circa 2006) yacht designer and boat builder extraordinaire.

"Time and Tide waits for no man" shipmates. No one.

EVERYWHERE YOU GO THERE ARE METAPHORS THAT LEAP OUT AND BITE YOU ON THE ARSE OR TRY AND SINK YOUR BOAT - BUGGER

One moment you are sailing along having a whale of a time, the next minute you are having an encounter of the 40 tonne kind. Yikes !!!!!!!!!!

A KNIT IN TIME

This photograph is more forensic evidence that builds my prima facie case to prove that thoughts of my beautiful pom-pom hat is not a conspiracy theory, or the fantasy of some old retired mariner, but that it actually did exist. You can see the hat in this photo, but don't try to enlarge it otherwise it will pixalate into a blur. But you can see it there, look, yep that's it wrapped round my head like a Tea Cosy.

But wait! there is more, if you turn back a few postings you can read a comment by my good friend Kelvin to my post titled "In The Olden Days" where he categorically states that he was there in person on the very day my pom - pom hat ended up in the briny and where said hat dived to meet Davy Jones locker with all the gusto of a submarine practising an emergency dive. Evidence like this is called an "Eye witness account".

Now, "Where is all this leading?" I hear you ask. Well, "Nowhere" is my answer. It's just a story about a pom - pom hat. Nah, that's not true - I am just stalling for time. Ok. I will tell you. But you have to promise to keep it a secret.

See, because, well......

I am able to knit and once I knitted myself an adult sized jersey and when I was a child I could knit cause my mum taught me and I knitted a scarf yeah a whole big big long coloured scarf and I like knitting and my dad teased me and called me grandma and stuff but I didn't care cause I knew he was only having fun and I can do plain stitch and knit pearl and plain and stuff and cast onto the needles and do all sorts and now I am thinking really seriously of knitting myself another beautiful woolen pom-pom hat phew now you know my secret

Yep shipmates. This sailor can knit. And knit a new hat he will.... and I haven't even told you about my abilities in pom-pom making LOL LOL.

The Pleasure of Error

 
THE PLEASURE OF ERROR - Kevin Ireland

They had said it was the worst cast

they had made in their life

But it is a mistake to imagine

that there is not all the world's

possible error in the perfect cast

Some imperceptible lift

of the breeze (plus a taste in the air,

a trick of the light, the distraction

of the trajectory of a bird 

or the fall of a leaf, the pull

of the power of the river

against the lower leg,

the balance of all known possiblities

in the mind, the tilt of the planet

on its axis, and the slight edge

of adrenalin in the muscle

that tuned the action of the rod

and the aim of the bone

that was brought down

like a catapult by nerves and sinews)

entirely misled, then corrected

the manner and direction 

in which the fly was laid down

It is only from mistakes

that we see the sense of things,

for the errors of our actions

are the source of adjustments

to knowledge and intuition

and even to the gift for making

the exceptional seem natural

Goodliness is learnt through the art 

of having buggered things up

Walking The Land

WALKING THE LAND - Kevin Ireland

The hardest move on the worst journey

is the first step you place inside

an earlier footprint in the mind,

and the useless baggage you have to dump

along the way is always the burden

you thought you have left behind

The marks that you intend to leave to blaze

the route, in case you need to double back,

signal neither place nor stage:

they are simply new daubs on the old signs 

of journeys taken down the worn tracks

of some earlier age.

There is no other way but to go tapping along

with a twisted stick, stumbling on rut

and stone, as you walk the land,

with your sole guide the stars, and the map

etched in the creases of the calluses

cupped in the palms of your hands.