Kaniva Kruise

Re: Interest in C.Cook

John

You obviously have a great interest in Captain Cook's voyages.. is this a general feeling amoungst your fellow Kiwi sailors.. we here in OZ ,dont seem to care all that much about his exploits.

While touching on hisitory was it the " Maori" that hit the rocks just outside Wellington , in about 64 ?
BrianJ


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Re: Abel Tasman - the Puzzle of the Coastal Elevation

Just back from a business trip and catching up on posts. More excellent stuff John.

<hr width=100% size=1>There is no such thing as "fun for the whole family."
 
All v interesting - thanks very much. I actually found your anchorage on Autoroute! I know where I would rather be.

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Re: Interest in C.Cook

Brian, I think you are referring to the Wahine disaster .

Quite a few Kiwis seem to be interested in Cook's voyages. He was certainly a great navigator. Right up there with the Polynesians.

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Re: Interest in C.Cook

Brian

As Chippie says was the Wahine that hit the rocks and sunk in the entrance to Wellington Harbour - cannot recollect exactly what year but was either 1967 or 68, with loss of 51 (I recollect but correct within one or two) lives within a few hundred metres of land and houses.

Became more interested in Cook when we first started cruising around Ship Cove area about 7-8 years ago and discovered that he had spent so much time there (I had not realised that before). Also sailed, fished alot all around Gisborne and Mahia Peninsula area all through my childhood and youth so was familiar with his first landing in that area and Young Nicks Head (believed, but not known, to be the first land he sighted on his arrival in NZ).

Unfortunately, the recent PC view has been to measure him against modern values and that Cook was just another horrible coloniser doing his bit to destroy the life and snatch the lands of indigenous peoples. But even a cursory reading of his journals shows that he was in fact very aware and caring of the impact exploration and taking possession of land, diseases, etc were concerned. Perhaps more so than some of his current critics. However, the PCitis people seem to be getting the left hook treatment from recent historians pointing out that it was probably Cook's caring and not wishing to revenge acts of cannabilism (the Adventure crew) and theft (in Hawaii) which led to his murder as the natives lost respect for him as their way (upon which he did not wish to intrude) was to expect an eye for an eye.

I think most NZ sailors have at least a cursory knowledge of Cooks voyages and there was recently published a book here which charted all his voyages in great detail through the Pacific, Australia and NZ.

Perhaps in the UK he is not so well known as he does not have the glamour of a drake or Raleigh - I would be interested in any UK forumites comment on that. In return, many, many NZ'rs would be able to tell you the name of his first ship and that it sailed from Whitby.

John

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Re: Abel Tasman - the Puzzle of the Coastal Elevation

We plan on getting back to Wellington on Monday, weather permitting, and up at home on Tuesday (about 15 km North of your "fly by wire" ride (which, by the way, is still out of service after the flood).

Fishing has been terrible, weather changeable (go back with almost full tanks as refilled with rain water) and having to work at the same time!

Will post our trip back and maybe one on the fish here (or maybe the lack of them!!!)

John

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Re: Brit interest in C.Cook

Hi Ken

Yes, he was an excellent navigator and how he managed without charts to find his way around some of these places without fatally hitting rocks, etc I don't know (although he did hit a few and almost came to grief several times). Around top of South Island here, Barrier Reef in Australia, and northern North West Coast of North America all come to mind as particulalry dangerous places.

I had not realised that he was the one who finally dispelled the Great Southern Continent idea as on his voyages he sailed through most of the Southern Ocean, frequently as far as the ice. So he did a quite a bit of wild weather sailing as well, with no Australian navy to rescue him as has become more common for some of the more recent English sailors down that way /forums/images/icons/smile.gif.

Regards

John

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Re: Brit interest in C.Cook

Agree, Cook is known by many, and regarded as one of the greatest intrepid explorers. Certainly as well know as Raleigh et al.

<hr width=100% size=1>There is no such thing as "fun for the whole family."
 
Re: Abel Tasman - the Puzzle of the Coastal Elevation

Well, whatever the weather, have a great cruise back.

Shame about the fly by wire, it was a great ride, and even Jeremy Clarkson rated it, and he's had the opportunity to do just about everything!

Should I put the lack of fish down to skill, or is that being cruel /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

Keep them coming, trips from foreign climes very welcome when the forumites in the UK are largely on the hard (not me I hasten to add)

Brendan

<hr width=100% size=1>There is no such thing as "fun for the whole family."
 
Re: Abel Tasman - the Puzzle of the Coastal Elevation

Hi John

Following your trip and posts with great interest (and some envy)! Shame about the weather but if it's any consolation it's a bit abit soft up here in Auckland for the last couple of days too with tons of rain, almost monsoon-like, but still very warm (25C-ish).

Hope you get back to W'ton safely and you must be looking forward to the next leg - are you coming up our way at all (Gulf Harbour)?

Cheers
Rob

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Re: The great southern continent

Thanks Ken, I will look out for that for a read.

Don't think I have mentioned too, a friend (who has done two solo Atlantic races, in one of which he had to abandon his boat!) a year or two ago sold his larger boat and bought a 40 footer which I had not ever had a look at but I just recently discovered that it is a Holman design. It is away at the moment but is occassionally in our marina so I must make a point of visiting it next time it is there. As all his are, a very nice looking boat.

John

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Well we sailed back (er, well, motored /forums/images/icons/blush.gif) on Monday.

Last day and night were very uncomfortable, pouring rain (like real continuous downpour, I would guess at times 25mm or so an hour!) and rising wind blowing straight into the anchorage - the few other boats all took off for less boisterous inner Sounds locations but as we were planning on heading out next day we stayed lonely put for yet another rough night, even the ones on the couple of heavy permanent moorings left for shelter.

Others can have their 6 kg Spade anchors and bits of nylon thread for anchor warps but we have come to have a great deal of faith in our anchoring system - 60lb CQR style plough, weighted and from the same NZ maker as Mirabella's anchors came from, 10 mm chain, and GPS keeping anchor watch through the night), and our only concern is some catastrophic failure of some component. We have a 1 inch nylon rode with chain and another same sized anchor on board but never use it (apart from anything else, I do not fancy working out what to do with 100m of non self stowing wet nylon warp after retrieving it).

We left next morning after the weather forecast which was for a nice 25 knots behind us as the gale died through the Strait but a head wind gale the next day, so looking forward to a nice saily ride. So off we go with next to zero visibility, in heavy misty conditions, navvy gating blind around the islands and rocks until raise White Rocks at the Sound's entrance, then onwards to The Brothers, leave them astern looking out for ships in the murk until suddenly clears as we approach North Island and we are right where we think we are. I say this 'cause my wife has a great deal of mistrust in my knowing where we are going once it is all by feel, so was a pleasant surprise for both her and the ship's cat who reckoned he could just about smell home by then. Our track was pretty close to the outwards one.

As we left Ship Cove a seal appeared beside us to wave goodbye and as we entered Wellington Harbour channel entrance threading our way across the channel among 4 ships, one of which was a big 40 knot RoRo Catamaran still at cruise speed, we were welcomed by a couple of pods of dolphins.

For the navigators, I threw away my bunch of sticks tied together with grass as no stars (or much else to be seen), gave up trying to work out which was South and which was North from the swells (like often in Cook Strait they come from both directions at once which when looking at them is a bit like sitting in a train passing another and wondering which of you is going where), moved the charts onto the saloon table to soak up the spilt soup and cocoa, lost my pencil in the bilges (batteries and electronics are much more reliable than pencils), and just relied on the PC all the way (I have previously validated the route before so know I could rely on it through the dangers).

I believe that the PC, in a place of very variable tides (both from the prediction and the location and strength of the tidal currents points of view) such as Cook Strait saves us an average of at least 5-10% of the crossing time just because the over ground heading vector is constantly shown. Of course if one is keen one can manually plot that every few minutes (several times to get the average track) from the GPS but I am afraid that I am not that diligent, but a trip down the companionway to the PC every 10 minutes is fine and a course adjustment, if required, trivial.

Anyway, once we got into the Strait hardly any wind, 8 knots at most from dead behind, no 25 knots at all, so motoring we did to stay in the tide all the way to Wellington (could not sail around bottom of North Island in that wind strength once the tide turned) and to be ahead of a forecast turn to a Southerly head wind. So was an easy trip.

Has been strange weather with tropical type of weather patterns. Normally we get a regular progression of highs and lows from West to East, but in last few weeks has been highs and lows spontaneously appearing and evaporating around us and very limited eastwards movement in them. And you in the UK seem to be getting a sharpish, boisterous winter. Meant we had the two calmest crossings of Cook Strait ever.

I'll try to add a bit about fishing in another post, and hopefully that has given an idea of cruisy saily boating in middle New Zealand for those who have been interested.

Have to do a return trip to Nelson before winter for antifouling and 'cause of work commitments that will probably be all this summer/autumn. However, one of my clients is suggesting he might like me out in the Atlantic region around Juneish to help commission some new boats (power), so maybe I'll be able to look at a trip to UK (by 747!!!) if I can fit that in timewise - would be nice to meet you.

John

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Re: Abel Tasman - the Puzzle of the Coastal Elevation

Hi Rob

Nice to see you on the forum again. Have no plans that get me to Auckland yet, although I pass through the airport on my way overseas every 3 or 4 weeks. Hopefully some excuse will come up soon - meanwhile don't forget to get yourself another boat!

On the weather, here at the beach our garden is normally parched at this time of year and we have come home, after 3 weeks, to knee high grass and weeds everywhere, there has been so much rain. The ship's cat has been busy reclaiming all his territory after leaving it to the enemy for 3 weeks, and lots of cat squabbles outside - he has already had his collar pulled off, and I can see another expensive trip to the vet coming up in order to get his war wounds treated!

John

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Re: Maritime Mobile SSB Radio Experiment

Barking mad, but fun. Propagation on 2m challenge. Couldn't resist, it's a name sake after all

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/pdf/0208036.pdf>http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/pdf/0208036.pdf</A>


<hr width=100% size=1>There is no such thing as "fun for the whole family."
 
Re: Maritime Mobile SSB Radio Experiment

Just to save time

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.irts.ie/brendan.htm>http://www.irts.ie/brendan.htm</A>

<hr width=100% size=1>There is no such thing as "fun for the whole family."
 
Re: Maritime Mobile SSB Radio Experiment

I have never been active on VHF so not sure what all the distance records are now for VHF and UHF, but if I recall correctly trans Atlantic (and NZ to USA) has been regularly done on 6 m (50Mhz). I kinda think trans Atlantic would be hard on 2m but the crystal looks very attractive.

I fancy a nice trip to Eire - some years back had the opportunity to spend a few days around Limerick work wise and it was very pleasant I have to say. So a station it has to be on Carrantuohill, lots of smoked salmon, whiskey (Irish, of course) and other goodies to last out until the award is won (long may that take!).

On the SSB experiment, one forum member has corroborated my claim to have worked UK stations from the boat by kindly letting me know that he has spoken to an English radio operator who had spoken with me. Was kinda glad about that, as knowing all the doubting Thomas's around they could easily have thought I was pulling their legs!

John

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Ship\'s Cat\'s Cruise

This is Ship's Cat, just sneect in to yuse the cumputer wile my slave, er um Jon, is not hair.

Slave had to taak me to the vet today cause of all my war woonds from getting all my tearatory back after being away four so long and the scum movd in to squat in my gardin. Mi woonds were geting a bit messi. Thinc it cost him a bit, hope he can still aford my food after that. Anyway vet gave me auntybitotics which is good - I like a xcuse for a skratch and a scwabble as they tri to stuff them down my throwt. Just wayt til next week wen Jon is away were thos jumpi kangyrooz are and Litia has to do it, reel gud fun yowling and skrachin her.

I thinc slave is going to do a bit about fishing sumtime, but I thinc he is geting up curage to do so, he didnt catch much this time. I hayt fish, wet smally flapy monstas of things, but gess whot? 'Cause slave were on short fish rashons I decyded that I woold like fish just for that tyme and eet a lot- spoil sport arn't I?

Cant remeber much else of the cruse as I just go into medytation mode and dreem of astral travil all the tym and sudinly hair i am bak home again. Aniway must get back to my garfield and his slave Jon comiks before my own Jon slave gets bak and catches me hair.

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creemy wiskers to all

Ships Cat

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