Maritime Carol

Before I up-skilled on bar crossings today, all I knew about them was that there was three kinds of bars - dangerous, very dangerous and very very dangerous - in other words, they're ALL dangerous.   Living on the Kaipara Harbour for sixteen years and being involved with Coastguard Kaipara, I know the Kaipara Bar is dangerous.  We all do - it's not called the Graveyard without a good reason. I crossed the Raglan Bar on a good day and the swells were huge.  I can imagine how rough it would get with adverse weather & tide. With the tragedy over the weekend and not being a bar crossing expert, I checked out MNZ's National Code of Practice for Bar Crossings.   There are the procedures: stow gear low, wear life-jackets, check weather, tide & bar conditions, batten down, avoid night crossings and ebb tide...etc However, at the end of the recommendations it states: "It is ultimately the skipper's responsibility to determine whether or not to cross a bar...

Attaining and keeping your Skipper's ticket is essential for a successful maritime career.   Its also true that learning doesn't stop because we have our Skipper's ticket. Here's five lessons I learnt - on my first trip: Before I'd even sat my Skipper's ticket I was asked to take a boat out to the Barrier if the owner (also in the class) didn't pass the exam.   Sure enough, he failed and I passed. Lesson 1 - NEVER let anyone ' use your Skipper's ticket' if they don't have one. So we depart Marsden Wharf on a Friday night for a 3 day fishing charter.   The fumes were terrible and we arrived at Nagles Cove at 2am. Lesson 2  - Check the maintenance is up to date & survey current.   After a couple of days, the weather turned bad and we were hold up in Whangaparapara. Lesson 3 - Check all listed safety equipment & spare parts are on board.  The ice started melting, the fish (& men) started to stink, ...

It's easy to become out of our depth, on the hardstand or in a cage. Often working alone, we forget that there are others with the same issues.  Here's five ways to reduce feelings of isolation: 1. Call your Mother.  If she's gone, call someone who supported you forever.  2. Plan a regular escape into someone else's world. 3. Help someone, volunteer and do something active. 4. Write a vision for the future - your future - starting today. 5. Change what needs changing and don't settle for less - you are worth it.

The second world war had just finished when Dad brought a 20' narrow gutted double ended wooden launch.  Her engine was under the aft hatch and the cabin was so low that you had to crawl into it. As she had been sitting for a while, her Rugby engine was rusty and in a very sad state.   Dad nursed the engine back to life, fixing one of the holes with a saucepan repair kit. AVALON 1 was berthed at the bottom of the farm, in the mud of Hellyer's Creek, Birkdale. When Dad and Mum married they were away in the boat all the time. Sometimes they'd go up to Pine Island (Herald Island) and other times, down to Rangitoto and Waiheke Islands.     In the middle of winter, I was born. The following summer we were away in the boat, my pushchair in the dinghy.     And although the old engine let Dad down a few times, only once did he need a tow...

                On this day in 1839 (177yrs ago) the captain of the 832ton sailing barque TORY, ordered his crew to drop anchor in Ship's Cove, Queen Charlotte Sound. They had just completed a ninety six day passage from England with cargo and eight passengers on board.   TORY was the first ship dispatched by the New Zealand Company on a mission to locate and take possession of land purchased by the company in England before her departure.  Her name is forever etched into our history as the channel where the Cook Strait ferry enters the Marlborough Sounds. For the next thirty six days, they took on fresh water, food and wood, then sailing into Port Nicholson(Wellington).  Chaffers Passage in Wellington is named after her captain, Captain Edmund Mein Chaffers, a former sailing master in the Royal Navy. TORY then sailed up the west coast to Hokianga where they loaded spars.    On the 19 December...

When buying a boat, here are five things you need to ask before you get on board. 1. Why is it for sale ? This can give you an idea of the price to offer. 2. Was the boat used for fishing, offshore or pleasure and in salt water or fresh water? Depending on the previous use of the boat, it may not suit your needs. If a boat has been kept in fresh water (lakes, rivers or ponds) it is best kept in that environment. 3. Has it been surveyed or safety inspected? A marine surveyor should carry out a pre-purchase inspection before you buy the boat. They are trained to find rot, hidden damage or potential problems with the boat. For a list of MNZ recognised qualified surveyors go to:   www.maritimenz.govt.nz 4. Is the maintenance up to date and are there maintenance records? By asking this question you can judge how the boat has been cared for & what her service dates are. 5. Has the boat been involved in any maritime incidents or accidents? This is also another good w...

Tucked away in Hewlett St, Whangarei, Phoenix Boats are building another alloy barge. "This one is a 23.5m transport barge for Ponui Island and its double the size of the last barge we built." says Phoenix Boats Manager Luke Seuren. Purpose designed by Richard McBride of McBride Design Ltd, the barge will be perfect for transporting trucks, tractors and animals to and from the island. "It's a good clean design with really fast hull construction, and with the best team in the country working on it, we will have it completed by July." says Luke. "At the moment the side deck plating is open to give us light while working below." Luke has been engineering and fabricating since he left school and is proud of his full workshop " with a CNC router cutter and 100 ton brake press."     His staff of three are all skilled tradesmen including Hone Kingi (left) who is two years through his alloy boat-building apprenticeship. Marin...