Maritime Carol

Norway's Electric Ferries... HADAROY was Fjord 1's first of three battery-electric ferries to enter service on the Sulesund-Hareid crossing.    Operating on Norway's busiest crossing, the trip takes a mere 23 minutes. With the new ferries in operation, all cars on board could be called 'electric cars' since they are transported using electrical power and batteries. Last September I was in Norway and at 3am, on board HADAROY with my cousin. At that time of the morning, the ferry was well below its 400 passenger, 120 car capacity.   As we slipped silently across the pitch black fjord, it was my adventure, more than the vessel's power source, that held my attention.    This changed while on the island of Hareidlandet where I became used to the ferries silent berthing. It was like Waiheke, Opua, Rawene or Picton, where all of a sudden there are more vehicles and people around. One of the ferry masters showed me the shore based cha...

Peacock Moth. Opua, New Zealand ©Carol Forsyth I thought I had left the dryness of Ruakaka behind me.   Apparently not.  I am now living through a drought. Geography: Opua is a locality in the Bay of Islands, in the sub-tropical Northland region of NZ.  It is notable as the first port of overseas yachts arriving in the country after crossing the Pacific Ocean. During the summer season - now - a drought tends to start slowly, often without warning, and can last for significant periods of time and cover large areas.     This is the sixth drought declared in Northland since 2009.  For our many seasonal & maritime visitors, a drought has little or no effect apart from restrictions on washing down vehicles or vessels. My water situation is good although I am mindful of using it wisely.     The garden impersonates hay - dry stalks and brown seed heads. The potatoes also deciding they can survive no longer....

SS GAIRLOCK January 2020 On a windswept beach along the Taranaki coast lies the whale like remains of the twin screw S. S. GAIRLOCK.    She went aground at night in poor visibility on 5th January 1903.     The Court of enquiry found that the vessel had no patent log in use, and her master was charged with 'negligent navigation' by estimating her speed & hugging the coast so close on a so dark a night.  SS GAIRLOCK January 1903 So thinking about this shipwreck, here's how to work smarter: 1. Know our course 2. Keep a good lookout 3. Don't become distracted 4. Listen to whats going on around us 5. Use available resources wisely; and 6. Listen to forecasts & 'see' the future. Work smarter 20/20.

Carol Forsyth - Vessel & Volunteer Manager NZMM 2008-2014 At the end of every year I like to reflect over it - both personally and professionally - the best, the worst, what I've learnt from them all and how I can make the following year amazing. Then I set my goals for the coming year. For most of us, we overestimate what we can do in a year and underestimate what we can do in a decade or two.     So as this year comes to an end, its timely to reflect on our past decade to see whats happened - and like me, there's probably a lot.  Looking back for me, in 2009 I: Had replaced the helm for a desk Was the Vessel & Volunteer Manager at the NZ Maritime Museum Wrote a regular column for Professional Skipper magazine Served on the Auckland Sailors Society as a board member. Fast forward to 2019 and I: Am self employed in the compliance sector of the maritime industry Have written and published two books Produce & sell my ...

A Hazard Register & Safe Operating Procedures need not be complex. Here's on board hazards & procedures by Noah... Hazards : 1.  Falling over the side - Hold on, keep the door shut in the back (stern). 2.  Sinking - put sticky tape or wood over the hole. 3.  Fire - Call the fire engine boat quickly. 4.  Collision - Both turn and keep looking out.   Turn any way you want. 5.  Crash into a buoy - Turn the steering wheel around. 6.  Run over a person swimming - Watch for dive flag and steer away from them. 7.  Run aground - Put the boat on the beach. 8.  Tip over - Not everybody on the same side, not too many people in the boat. 9.  Rocks - Don't go to sleep if you are the captain. Procedures : Sinking - Get your life-jacket, jump off so you don't go under water. Call Police and wave flag, put your hand up or climb on top of wood from boat sticking up. If overdue - Call the Police and police boat will say th...

In 1834 botanist John Edgerley  gathered a handful of seeds from a Norfolk Island pine tree and boarded a sailing ship bound for the Hokianga Harbour.    Those seeds became the first 'shipment' of Norfolk Pines to New Zealand. Two years later, John and Captain McDonnell  journeyed to the Bay of Islands - with a box of young Norfolk pines. Captain McDonnell took the box of seedlings to  Gilbert & Elizabeth Mair who   owned the flourishing trading post and ship repair yard at Te Wahapu Point. Elizabeth was a busy mother with five young children (one a new baby) and she planted one of the sapling trees beside her home.  Her sister-in-law Matilda  took one home to Kaitaia and planted it beside her home.  James Busby planted two by the Treaty House at Waitangi and many Northland Mission Stations - including Te Waimate, received a tree or two. The remaining saplings were destroyed by Gilbert & Elizabeth's young daughter...

Letter to the Surveyor 1825 Robin Williams Esq, Surveyor of Ships, Auckland. Dear Sir, We are in the process of building a 60ton schooner on the foreshore at Paihia in the Bay of Islands. She is being built of timber salvaged from the three masted 432ton Brampton which was wrecked two years ago on a nearby reef.     The Church Missionary Society are extremely keen to have her in the water as soon as possible as construction has been hampered by the natives who intend burning her prior to launching.   She will be the first vessel to be built in New Zealand and we are naming her HERALD . This vessel will be used for trans-Tasman crossings as well as coastal voyages. We are contacting you as we believe we may be related and look forward to hearing from you regarding your availability to assist us with our project. Yours faithfully, Rev Henry Williams, Paihia. Reply from Surveyor 2018... rev.h.williams@churchmissionarysociety.co.nz Hi Re...

Each Survey is a dedicated safety check for the vessel & its equipment. Some years a survey is more extensive than others. Here's six steps to save time and money on survey: 1. Check Certificate of Survey  expiry dates for Compass, Radio and any Exemptions. 2. Refer to Survey Plan to see what is required this time/year.     If necessary, prepare to have the shaft crack tested. 3. Check Safety Equipment List to ensure that everything named is on board, current and operational. Life-jackets: Check each one has a whistle, secure straps and then lay them out for easy inspection. Personal Flotation Devices : Check that inflatable PFD's have a current certificate. Life Buoys: Ensure the MOB light is working, reflector tape is adequate and name of vessel is clearly marked on each buoy. Emergency Steering:  Single screw vessels - locate emergency tiller/steering equipment. Flares: Make them available and get new ones if they have expired. Charts: ...

Two years... Ring fenced ticketed seafarers need a Medical Certificate TWO years after receiving their card. Here's four easy steps to getting your Medical Certificate 1.  Go to: https//www.maritimenz.govt.nz/.../certi.../forms-guidelines.asp  and print off the Medical Examination form and Certificate of Medical Fitness form. 2. Complete Section 1 Seafarer declaration, then make an appointment with your doctor. 3. Take both forms to the doctor for him/her to complete. 4. Send completed Certificate of Medical Fitness to MNZ. And there you have it - four easy steps to getting your Medical Certificate sorted. Easy :-)

The Maintenance checks are done, drills completed as they should be, crew training up to date, everyone knows what they have to do, the punters are ashore and its time to relax. Time for a bit of 'me time'. Time to charge YOUR batteries. If something happened now, everything is in order. Yes, It's a good feeling when everything's up to date.

A Search And Rescue (SAR) person is a volunteer role usually filled by a partner or family member.  They routinely take Trip Reports as the land based personnel and they're the ones who worry if you don't return when you said you would. In the event of an emergency they need the who, when, where, what and how of the situation and they need it immediately. Having this information to hand in a beautifully presented Trip Report book is the perfect way to say Thank You to your SAR person. Personalised Trip Report books are available at a cost of $NZ 25.00 (includes NZ p& p) from:  carolfour@xtra.co.nz   Please add $NZ 10.00 if you want chocolate included.

Promotion:      Social media is huge - don't let it pass you by.                                                    Social marketing is definitely worthwhile. Even a simple facebook page can promote your business. Use facebook marketing - their prices are good and you can fix your target range.  Here's another idea to make your own: Make a facebook search for your location.  (Wanaka, Paihia, Great Barrier etc)                           When you see public posts with your location consider sending the person a message like this:   'Hi, we see you're in ... ....today.    We're just along the beach/wharf and are leaving in an hour/tomorrow to go to ........   If you'd like to join us, show us this message and we'll ...

The second installment in gaining more customers and enjoying your chartering more... 2. Look at your customer...   Think customer satisfaction and how you can serve them best.  Who is our niche market?   (Think out of the square - disabled, cat lovers, farmers, rest homes, art groups, real estate agents, church groups, eco warriors etc)                                                   Consider your own/friends groups & adapt a charter to your customers interests.    What can you teach your customer?  (Fishing, local history, wildlife info, sandboarding) When you're passionate about your specific charter customers, it will show and who wants to waste their life doing mediocre charters anyway? Where will they park?  Offer parking advice - give parking voucher if possible. Nobody wants to have their...

We all know we're the best, but whats so special about our charter anyway? Customers will come from far and near if you've got something special. Here's a five suggestions to raise your profile and gain more customers: 1. Look at yourself...    Anything to be different and memorable is important.  What can we do to be the best and stand out from the crowd?  Simple things like using fresh bait rather than frozen, fresh croissants/fruit rather than muffins will make a basic charter better..  What is the customers first impression?  A dirty wharf covered in bird sh*t isn't a good look, neither is anything broken or wonky.  A wet seat in the dinghy is to be avoided too.  How you dress says a lot about your operation - Ripped and ragged clothing is not a good look for a sharp maritime operation.     When crew interact with the customer are they friendly and knowledgeable? A friendly crew member can make or break th...

He was gentle, strong and kind. Tall, dark and handsome, always singing. We'd only met each other a mere six weeks before I stayed the night on his boat. She was a classic launch berthed at the bottom of his parents garden. It was his happy-go-lucky charm that won me over. I was fed warm milk and cried myself to sleep. The engine was noisy and so were the sea planes overhead.. He never told me he loved me, but I knew he did, And even though I haven't seen him for nearly twenty years, I sometimes hear myself singing the songs he sung to me... 'Around the world, I searched for you, I traveled on, when hope was gone, to seek a rendezvous...'  - We won't be going boating or eating cake on his 93rd birthday today, But we know, and we remember - the love of a father and his four girls...

Saying goodbye to a year that has been hard is easy. If you've done well, its bring on more of the same...  Here's three questions to ask yourself before the new year kicks in: 1.Hazard Identification: a)What were my three biggest hazards or problems I dealt with in 2017? b) What were my three highlights of 2017? c) What did I learn from each of them? d) What steps can I put in place to make 2018 the best year yet? By following these simple steps 2017's hazards could become 2018's solutions...

Life throws us some challenging situations, none more so than becoming a stricken vessel ourselves. Here's some Emergency procedures in response to a personal Stricken Vessel event: 1.  Capsize - Floundering, unsure, everything has changed. Take control   Call for assistance   Retrieve what you can and move on  Avoid alcohol Set new goals. 2. Collision - Total disagreement, too hard. Tidy up the mess and retreat  Count your blessings  Ponder what to do next  Take time to play/pray - go sailing, travelling, have a swim. 3. Grounding - Unable to move. Keep watchful eye on surroundings Bide your time Shore yourself up - read a book, chill. (No condition is permanent.) 4. Sinking - Overwhelmed, its over. Leave the sinking ship* Collect floating debris Locate solid ground Have a feed Call for assistance Set new goals Start again. By following these procedures you are well on your way to surviving a str...

It's not the outside image or the seagulls that entice me into a fish and chip meal, it's the setting and queue of people.   Its also the buzz as diners weave their way between waiting customers and picnic tables. This must surely be worth the wait, and I too join the queue.  A notice in the window tells us that they need shop staff - for immediate start - and that their food is cooked in pure beef fat. The queue winds into the shop, and I glance down to see my first mutton birds - $20 for each little featherless brown body laying on top of each other.  Somehow I'd pictured them in barrels, transported on deck from outlying islands.  They don't tempt me nor do the Chatham Island Kina. The variety of fish for sale is wide & colourful.  There's Pink Salmon, Red & Blue Cod, Ling, Blue Moki and Blue Gill.   Add an extra $8 per order to chose a piece cooked for your dinner. The mussel fritters have already sold out and everyone is ...

Unknown to most historians, six local lads were responsible for stopping the Japanese invading NZ in the Second World War.    Forget the military forces, the Home Guard battalions, armed horsemen and territorial army, it was a fleet of small boats on Hellyers Creek that had the most impact.     "We patrolled our creek most weekends and were definitely responsible for stopping the Japanese invading New Zealand."  said two of the original Mosquito Fleet crew - Doug Day & Lloyd Mumme (both now deceased)  One of the Mosquito Fleet's boats was a seven foot canvas canoe known as MYSTERY.  She had been brought for fifteen shillings ($1.50) from Scratchy Taylor and came with a sail, rudder and centre board.  While anti aircraft batteries conducted constant aerial patrols around the coast, the Mosquito Fleet were on patrol on Hellyer's Creek.   Their regular patrol included Whidifod's Hill, past the lonesome dead pine and the wharf piles, ...

If you think about it, everything needs updating... even Joey & the Jet Boat. The dogs were way ahead of us as we followed the track through the willows. Purple & yellow lupins would soon flower and the Lower Shotover River's grey schist rocks were glistening in the sunlight. It was just beautiful. They had been here before - I was a visitor. "Joey will chase the jet boat soon." said my companion. "That sounds like a title of a book." I replied. Two months later, Joey & the Jet Boat was in print. And a few months later the original version was refreshed with an expanded story and sharper images.  And the difference was outstanding... It's the same as when we update everything - from our lives to our Operating Plans - they go from mediocre to outstanding. Everything needs updating... p.s. Joey never gives up & if you'd like your very own copy, please email me: carolfour@xtra.co.nz