The Cook Strait can be an absolute prick of a place. Every now and then though Tangaroa and Huey relent, and lay on a stunner. Turns out I was one of the lucky few who got to experience just such a stunning Cook Strait on Saturday, March 12th 2011 in the RPNYC The Brothers race. Our approximate track can be seen here, with the outbound leg in red and the return in blue.
My alarm went off at the obscene hour of 6.30am. That's a pretty obscene hour at the best times, but it was particularly galling this time as we'd had a "small" (40 or 50 people) bbq at shed 44b the night before to celebrate the last Rum Race of the season. As a result of the ensuing festivities I had not made it to bed until well into Saturday morning. Fortunately my sleep had been an undisturbed, deep, full-body-too-many-rumbos induced coma, so although lacking in quantity, the few hours of sleep I did get were certainly quality.
I crawled into the shower, got dressed, fed the mini-panther and grabbed my kit, 2 large orange juices and a banana before staggering out the door. I swapped a couple of txts with Vesna explaining that while Mr. Stomach was proving slightly rebellious and uncooperative, I should, hopefully, be fine come the scheduled start at 9am.
Driving to the yacht club I stopped for an emergency bacon and egg McMuffin and a hot chocolate and as I drove back out onto Cable Street I passed Jamie Knob-Shiner literally running into the BP Connect yelling "Coffffeeeeeee!!!!". There was a triathlon scheduled to start off the end of the Overseas Passenger Terminal, so I had to talk my way through no less than three check-points to get my car onto the wharf. Despite feeling pretty average, I must have still been functioning okay, as 20 minutes later Jamie Knob-Shiner came down C pier and said:
"How did you get to park on the wharf? I was just behind you but they wouldn't let me in so I had to go back and park miles away..."
Paul PH was waiting at the gate to C pier and Banana-Boy, Tony & Vesna, Little Mark and Joerg joined us shortly after. Loading Clear Vision is usually a contest of wills (or Wells) as Vesna tries to sneak more safety equipment on board when Tony is not looking, and Tony tries to sneak things off again when Vesna is not looking. This dynamic was slightly askew this time. Having just circumnavigated the North Island the boat was fully Cat. 2'ed, so the debate was actually centred on how much stuff we could take off the boat, with all opinions pulling in roughly the same direction. A central theme however was that despite the kind forecast, it would be rather embarrassing to get caught in a Cook Strait storm having removed the Storm Kite, or some other bit of gear seldom needed only to actually need it.
I was feeling very average, and largely failed to participate in the setting up of the sheets etc., but after starting the consumption of my lunch-pack early things improved. I could feel the life flowing back into my limbs as I downed a Fresh Up, and shortly afterwards we headed out of Chaffers Marina into Lambton Harbour.
There was a southerly blowing, and the conventional wisdom is that gennakers and spinnakers are a tempting trap for young players across Oriental Bay in a Southerly. As we motored down to see what the wind angle in Evans Bay was Huey tried desperately to draw us into temptation. Talk ranged from perhaps we should consider the almost brand new Linton Sails jib-top, to the gennaker and even the Spinnaker with the wind being completely square at times talk. However once into Evans Bay we were reassured that it was a typical Lambton-Harbour-Southerly-Trap-For-Young-Players and that we would start with a jib and full main... the almost brand new Linton Sails jib-top being discounted due to the need for a head sail change at Kau Bay for the beat out of the harbour.
The next step was to completely fail to replicate our near perfect execution on of pre-start strategy from the Cook Strait Classic. This time we managed to be a long way from the line, with almost no boat speed, not in clear air, and not quite where we wanted to be on the line either. Morale was somewhat lower than expected. Tony was therefore relieved of helming duties and Vesna took over in a dire situation: Clear Vision was well back... behind Montego Bay III, CU Later, Gucci Prime Mover and even Illusions.
Revs on the reach out of Lambton Harbour was one of the boats to go for a gennaker...
I was trimming the main, Banana-Boy the head sail while Tony was downstairs forming a lasting relationship with Expedition that was to become more and more intense as the day wore on.
Joerg and Paul were nominally on the foredeck, but they had clearly plotted a revolution, and Joerg was already working his way subtly back along the rail. As we got to Point Halswell we caught Gucci and managed to fake them into going a little too close into Kau Bay we they slowed in the deep mire of becalmedness that lurked there ready to swallow the unwary. As we passed Scorching, Karaka and Worser Bays Tony was predicting we would not make it up to Steeple Light, and that with the incomming tide Expedition was recommending we stay on starboard tack all the way across to the Pencarrow side and then hug that coast for tide relief as there should be a significant left hand shift there that would allow us to lay Moaning Minnie.
and was lured into the "seek tide relief on the western side of the channel" faction leaving Clear Vision all alone heading for the rocks on the Pencarrow side.
The Rock Monitor warning system that Vesna has installed inside her gradually progressed from Dark Green, through Light Green, and into Yellow. At this point she began enquiring as to whether Tony thought we should tack. Expedition was urging Tony to tack only when the depth of water below the keel got to around 2 metres, but the rock monitor software in Vesna's head was now at Amber, and this triggers repeated and ever increasingly anxious enquiries about whether we should tack. Tony told her to concentrate on steering the boat. Vesna hardly missed a beat pointing out she was a woman, and therefore could, and currently was multi-tasking and as the Rock Monitor reading was now approaching Dark Orange with maybe even hints of Red, she was now announcing her intentions, and her intentions were to tack to avoid a gas rig. Tony looked up out of the companion way and calmly said "No, let's go a little bit further." He came very close to being firmly over-ruled, and ultimately we split the difference tacked. Rock Monitor status returned to Amber, and then Yellow, at which point Tony and Expedition urged we tack back in for more tide relief. The above discussion was then repeated, much to the hilarity of all on board.
Revs at Pencarrow...
However when we tacked again we had indeed hooked into a significant left hand shift as predicted by Expedition, and the terms "Smashed 'Em Bro!" and "Who is Prime Mover?" were bandied around. Morale was high.
We were fourth around Moaning Mini,
behind Andiamo (Davidson 55), Revs (Ross 40) and Nedax Racing (Thompson 30),
having put a lot of time on all the boats who went right. I took over the helm from Vesna and we sailed with slightly cracked sheets across Lyall Bay.
The breeze was lightening off and consequently Prime Mover, CU Later and Montego Bay III were clawing back some of the ground we had gained approaching Moaning Mini.
Looking ahead it was clear that the wind was heading the other boats, so we put height in the bank at the expense of speed as we approached Sinclair Head. We were down to just 7 knots TWS and 3 or 4 knots of boat speed. Morale was becoming lower. A head sail change was required from the medium airs to the light airs jib. This, combined with our height in the bank strategy paid handsome dividends as Prime Mover and Montego Bay III sailed into almost no breeze at all just East of Sinclair.
In fact when Montego Bay III tacked out Banana-Boy noted it looked like Bob and the team were heading back to Wellington. It was just a VERY wide tacking angle, however.
Clear Vision then went on a wildlife safari. Firstly, just before Sinclair Head we passed within 10 metres of a large shark. Only minutes after the conversation had run it's course of " This one time, at band camp, we saw a massive hammer-head shark..." type stories Vesna cried from the windward rail "OH LOOK! A whale!". And it was...
an Orca was frolicking - perhaps trying to get into a cray pot, and many minutes passed as we watched it's tail flap and flop and it leap out of the water and broach. [or maybe stunning fish by slapping it's tail --TW]
And morale was high. Giggles of joy were even heard.
From Sinclair Head to Cape Terawhiti the spectacular scenery was augmented by some eerie cloud formations...
The revolution by the foredeck union was then sprung. Tony and Little Mark were dispatched to the foredeck to set up the mast head kite,
while Joerg and Paul somehow inveigled their way all the way to the back of the cockpit and set up as kite trimmer and kite grinder respectively.
Joerg began asking if it was time for a rum. Many of you who have spent some time sailing will have read "mast head kite" and, having spent some time pondering and calculating, will possibly have formed a picture of a spinnaker that is flown from the head of the mast. I too had a similar vision in my head. Tony it seems, perhaps in a subtle counter-revolutionary power play of his own, set the mast head kite up on the fractional halyard. Later in the race Joerg was to be somewhat snide about this miscalculation by the New Foredeck Department, but it must be noted that he not only trimmed said mast head kite quite happily for over an hour,
but also was heard to comment what a nice shape it was. It was only much later past Cape Terawhiti when we went to peel to the gennaker that Vesna announced she was confused as to why she only had 3 metres of mast head halyard tail to release and yet the mast head kite was aloft.
Said peel was, unfortunately, another salutary lesson for Banana-Boy in just how not to raise and lower downwind sails in offshore races. Due to our strong desire to use as many sails as possible during the race, we had been sailing along nicely under full main, mast head-fractional kite, the almost brand new Linton Sails jib-top and the lovely Linton Sails Stays'il.
The almost brand new Linton Sails jib-top was on the gennaker sheets, which meant we dropped the mast head-fractional kite, transferred the kite sheets to the gennaker and then went for a rehoist. Joerg gave the New Foredeck Department an 'F' for this rehoist, as they had the sheets inside the lifelines and the lazy sheets twisted on the tack line. The gennaker came back down, some macrame ensued, and then the gennaker went back up. Complete with a very intricately stemmed wineglass. The halyard was lowered part way, luffs were pulled, instructions were given from, and to, the foredeck, some of them quite pointed.
The actual Foredeck Union had needed no encouragement to join the Cockpit Union and shout advice and criticism to the New Foredeck Department. In fact they seemed to be naturals at cockpit-advise-giving.
"No no, you're doing it wrong!"
"Have you checked the Kanuter Valve?"
"Perhaps you should put the sheets on the head of the sail to really stuff it up?"
Eventually the gennaker was rehoisted 'successfully' and we were off to The Brothers on the horizon. Joerg asked if it was time for a rum. We diverged from the rest of the fleet during this part of the race.
Local wisdom is the best route to The Brothers is to head across the Strait as fast as possible and then ride the tidal stream up the western side of the Strait to The Brothers. Today however Expedition wanted us to hug the coast near Terawhiti
which gave great views of the Makara Wind farm...
and ride a tidal back eddy that was running at 4 knots northwards, and then hook into a westerly flowing tidal stream that should deposit us right at the southern tip of The Brothers. And so it was. The almost brand new Linton Sails jib-top was lowered and the angle was 'mama-bear' (juuuuust right) for the Gennaker and lovely Linton Sails Stays'il and with the seas slight Clear Vision began purring.
Vesna's glad bag lunch packs emerged containing filled rolls, nectarines, an individual serving sized bag of potato chips, a Fresh Up (for everyone except me who had needed Freshening-Up before we left the marina) and an individually packaged piece of fudge! Mmmmm - JUST what was needed. Morale soared... and Joerg asked if anyone thought we should have a rum. We captured a couple of good shots of Andiamo
and Revs (with Kapiti Island in the background)
already heading back to Wellington, and the rest of the fleet pursuing us as we closed in on The Brothers.
Rounding The Brothers on an Augie Auer 'Blue Dome Day' in 10 knots of breeze was spine-tinglingly beautiful.
The water was crystal clear, the landscape breath taking and the sun on our faces made everyone smile.
We gybed around the back of The Brothers...
It was good to be alive, and even better to sailing on a sparkling Cook Strait with seas slight. It was even distracting enough for the Rock Monitor to remain in nothing above the Yellow zone despite the 50 metre proximity of the kelp-laden rocks.
Morale was extremely high and at this point Joerg, having just asked if it was time for a rum, completed the revolution by taking the helm at The Brothers while Banana-Boy graduated from head sail to main trim for the slightly cracked sheets return trip across the Strait. Cu Later, then Prime Mover and Montego Bay III were 5th, 6th and 7th respectively around The Brothers...
and then the wildlife safari continued with large numbers of [url=]Mollymawk Albatrosses sighted
with their 6 to 7 foot wing span helping them glide effortlessly across the tips of the waves.
The joys of the Cook Strait Tidal pattern were foremost in our mind here. It seemed like we could lay Terawhiti if we sailed high on starboard tack. However the main tidal flow was northwards, carrying us sideways to leeward, making it unlikely that we would lay the cape. Expedition wanted us to ease sheets and reach off at maximum speed to cross the tide as quickly as possible and was promising a significant favourable southerly flowing back eddy in the last two miles off the North Island coast. It seems so counter intuitive to not point high when you can angle the bow 20 degrees above the cape you are trying to lay, but doing so meant we'd be pushing strong adverse tide for a longer time. So, with the rest of the fleet in hot pursuit...
...we cracked off, Joerg suggested we should have a rum, and once we got over to the Northern side of the Strait we picked up a 3 to 4 knot southerly tidal boost. Despite having to tack and sail a couple of miles to make Cape Terawhiti this tidal conveyor belt made all the surrendered windward ground worthwhile. Paul fitted the snap-block to the rail for outboard sheeting
Banana-Boy relished trimming the main and was constantly talking with Joerg about the load on the helm and the heel of the boat and all the theory he's been absorbing since June last year really started to click. Good times.
I took over the helm from Joerg at Cape Terawhiti, and speaking of counter-intuitive... as we tacked up the coast for Karori Light
we had the crew looking for the roughest bit of water. Normally on an upwind leg this would be so you could avoid the chop... however with this strong current running against the wind we actually were trying to stay in the roughest part of the water. As we tacked the wind continued to swing East, with our port tack heading going from 148 to 82 over the course of a couple of hours. This helped us stay in favourable tide all the way to Sinclair Head where the wind almost crapped out entirely. In fact our boat speed was down to a sub-optimal 0.00 knots during our change back to the light number 1 head sail and the true wind was down to 2 or 3 knots. Morale dipped as Prime mover could be seen getting larger. Joerg decided it was definitely time for a rum, and when one emerged from the galley he dryly noted: "You don't have to ask many times at all, do you?" This proved to be a wise call, because it caused the wind to kick back in up to 18 and 19 knots as we took off for the entrance to the harbour.
At Moaning Mini we rehoisted the mast head kite, on the mast head halyard too, which was a bonus, and enjoyed a nice flat run into the harbour, past Steeple Rock Light (whose intentions seemed to be to stay put) and on to Kau Bay. Here we briefly deployed the Mast Head kite as a sea anchor, but then were off for the finish of RPNYC as the blinding sun eased it's way down over the city. It was a spectacular way to end a spectacular day on the water. As we were finishing Prime Mover could be seen having just rounded Point Halswell, a little too close for our liking, once again having put in a very good performance. Once finished we pulled into Chaffers marina and tied up, tidied up and then began to dent the rum supply. We retired to the club and indications were that a 'big one' might have been on the cards. However I cannot report on any of the after match festivities as I was falling asleep, and retreated home to bed for a deep deeeeep sleep.
Of 12 boats we ended up 4th on line and 4th on PHRF
Photos and videos by Mark Holmes, Tony Wells and Banana-Boy
There are rumours of additional video compilations in the pipeline too...
