Latest Finn News 1/8/11 Hi Finnsters.
Heaps of sun, some keen sailors, but zero wind for the day. So
Royce, Gerrit, Peter, Smash Dirk, Jim and myself had a mast day with all
of them going on the test rig. Gerrit had his new repaired Kiwi wing
mast and Royce with his altered noddle mast. Peter is close to ordering
his new sail. Dirk just checking his C Tech, and me getting the numbers
for the Kiwi mast I purchased off Dan.
Royce was kept busy writing down all the numbers, and at times not sure if he was coming or going with all the info being thrown at him. Later he was spotted going home with his trailer light board facing forward. We had the usual Peter H feed, and an enjoyable debrief on the deck
as the sun blessed us, and some first time visitors that joined in.
Margret H was spotted knitting baby clothes, so we questioned Peter
on there destination, but he assured us that his family is complete.
Margret just smiled.
Well here's hoping next time we get to have a sail, till then,
cuondawatasn
nzl23 A.J.Dawson 9/5/11 Hi Finnsters. 5 Finns sailed the first winter series on Sunday. My boats in bits, but I enjoyed laying the course and running the boats starts with Margret and Tane Mahuta. We sailed 3 races in 8<>10 knots from the w/n/w with up and downs and a gate thrown in. Ray dominated the racing but was pushed hard by Stoney, in fact Stoney was leading race 2 at the final top mark rounding, only to be taken out on a port /starboard incident by the sssss Dirch. Stoney won race 3 form Dirch and I sailed Rays boat for a 3rd placing. Hard to compare his boat to mine, other than totally different feel up hill, but felt slippery down wind. Royce is right amounts the action, and the fine tuning approach is starting to show, with better boat speed. We measured his mast at the debrief, so maybe the carbon vibre is coming out next. Can't wait to see the "Rolls Royce" version. Peter Hull enjoyed his sail, and won first prize at the debrief. Another good feed ,thanks Pete. Our next sail is a month away, so mark it down on your must do list. The winter program is on the WYC web site. RESULTS Ray. 1 1 0. Stoney. 2 2 1. Dirch. 3 3 2 . Royce. 4 4 4. Peter. 5 5 5. Alan. 0 0 3. Hopefully The Village is ready to go next outing. cuondawatasn nzl23
18/4/11 Hi Finnsters Another season over for the WYC. The match race day had only 2 Finns front. Was a bit early, but excellent tide and wind. Geoff Letcher set the course and Peter H and NZL23 had a race in 10<>12 knots. I started the next race with Geoff sailing my boat against Peter. Then me in Peters boat and last Geoff in Peters boat against me. Confused, well here are the results. Alan nzl23 beat Pete nzl179. Geoff nzl23 beat Pete nzl179. Geoff nzl23 beat Alan nzl179. Final. Alan nzl23 beat Geoff nzl179 Sunday saw the last club Champs races run with a 10<>15 westerly. The start was crucial and nzl 23 read the 1st beat better and managed an early break on the rest. Then held on to beat the fast finishing Ray H and Stoney. Next was Gerrit , sssss Dirch, Royce, Justin and Peter. Ray gave us a sailing lesson in the next race with Geoff 2nd and Stoney 3rd. Gerrit and nzl23 4th equal with ssssss Dirch 6th then Rocye, Justin and Peter. We had a 3rd race, and what I predicted all season happened. Rocye and Justin showed the fleet a clean pair of heels and sailed away. Justin match racing him the whole way around the triangle course, but 100 meters from the finish Justin infringed and had a penalty called which gave Royce an easy win. Great to watch. Stoney will put a winter program together asap and email it out to you all. Prize giving is early next month so check the club web site. Geoff is down loading the Nat photos so we can all see them. Wow that "Ben Anslie" back big time. Be interesting to hear Dans' thoughts on the new rig set ups being used and how he feels about his progress and what the guns are up too. cuondawataindawnta nzl23
Hi Finnsters. Well, back at work after 8 months. What would I rather be doing. You guessed it, preparing for another Finn regatta. The pre medal race on day 4 will stand out as one
of my favorite Finn high lights. Watching the underdog "Peter Hull"
round the top mark first, and the support he received from the yacht
club balcony was a sight to behold. Even the class
mentor ,Dan Slater was jumping up and down screaming "go Pete" with the
rest of the medal race boys. Congratulations to the 2011 champion Dan Slater, even when a few of us tried to get him night clubbing most nights, he still put in a dominate performance in the Waiuku conditions with fluky easterlies. Dan also praised the venue and suggested the Nats should be held here again some time. I'm sure all the sailors agree we had 4 days of fun
on and off the water. The kitchen bitch, Peter Hull, and his lovely
helpers Margret, Shana, Glenys and Michelle made sure we had heaps to
eat, and the BBQ at Kevin Stones was an extra treat. Thanks Stoney. The
bar never
ran dry and we banked heaps, so thanks to those that helped to make the
whole event work. There will be a few T shirts left over 3xl $35. Now to thank the OOD Marcus Firth. What can I say. I new running the regatta at Waiuku would have its issues. We discussed them most mornings before sailing and agreed on a pre race daily briefing so our opinions could be aired and voted on to the benefit of the sailors and the class. This worked well and solved most problems so a successful and full regatta was sailed. Thanks Marcus, Alan, Kevin and all the local volunteers from Waiuku. Marcus was excited about the venue once he worked out his options, so thanks from the Finn class and hope we have the opportunity to invite you back. Wow what a prize table. To the sponsors. thanks again for supporting the Waiuku Yacht Club.Your donations made the event extra special. All prize winners were appreciative with their gifts. So, many thanks to Peter Kruse "a Finnster" Roger Hull from "Doyle sails". Jimmy Summerville "The Village Bar & Kitchen". "Dave & Maureen's Wines & Spirits" and "CRC" Products.
Now the sailors. I hope you all enjoyed the regatta. To Rob and Ben, hope the trip back to the USA was ok. You two brought real character to the regatta and sailed well. Rob was heard saying "I'll be back". Ben the boys want to know if you received a Thames passport? Let us know some time. Gerrit for wining your final race, and the look on your face when receiving a Finn class life membership. Priceless. To John Duff our outgoing secretary. Made the medal race which was his goal. A great regatta and thanks for your secretary years. Chris Wells from CH CH .Winner of the handicap prize, and takes a donated cheque home from the NZ Fin Assoc to the Sth Island Assoc of $500 to help out down there. Chris, Dave Hooganboom and Ray Hall stayed at my place. Thanks boys we had a ball. Shana enjoyed the company. The Douglas clan. John, Brad and Daniel Bush. 3
new boats join the fleet. All great sailors, and are keen to see the
fleet grow. Brad was one sailor who pushed Dan Hard at times. Good for
the class. Great to see Bushy back. And John what a awesome job of
refurbishing your Finn. Ray and Roger Hall. Ray, mister consistent, a 3rd overall and took out the summer series "Craig Monk" trophy. Roger always looked fast and saved his best for the medal race with a 3rd finish. Justin showed good speed all regatta, but will be remembered for hitting Chris over the head with a chair at prize giving, by mistake apparently. Kevin Stone with his new Dacron sail looked fast, but when it counted in the last race, just pushed tooo hard and canned down wind. this couldn’t take the smile from his face. He had a ball all 4 days. Great to see Dallas Bennett back in a Finn after 20 odd years. Man could he make that boat fly. Welcome back to your club Dallas from the Waiuku boys.(Buy a Finn) To Stu Munro, Peter Atkinson and Peter Hull what a battle you guys had. Just goes to show there are winners right though the fleet. Awesome racing boys. Brian Saunderson and the sssssss Dirch Andersen were there a bouts all regatta. Butch still has the fastest looking boat and Dirch lays down for no one. He was spotted trying to qualify for the medal race without finishing in the top ten. A ssllyy move Dirch. Royce Hawkins had some gear failure which doesn't
help for a good result ,but he is one of the keenest in the fleet and is
a valued Finnster. My pick for the big improver next season. Dave Hoogenboom and nzl23 had a right royal ding dong battle all regatta, even finishing overlapped in the medal race. Man it feels good to be back, but the honors went to Dave this time. A thanks to John Simmons, Commodore Geoff Letcher and Jim Goodare for lending their boats to Chris, Dallas and Ben. Thanks Sarah and Candice for photos and slide shows after each days sailing. Must mention the little trailer man "Tane Mahuta" for having our beach trolleys read for us and the many photos he took. Thanks my little moko. Well Finnsters whats left to say. A great nationals with heaps of camaraderie. Sailing in numbers adds up to a "bloody good time." Be involved with next years programme and let the new class secretary, Ray Hall know your thoughts. The final results are posted on the NZ Finn web site. cuondawtasnrthnltr. nzl23 Hi Finnsters. nzl23 Hi Finnsters. 22/11/10 Hi Finnsters. Waiuku waters at it best. W/S/W 20<>25 gusting 30. White water and waves for Sundays champ race. 10 Finns on the line for a boat start, 40 min races. 2 triangles an up and down to the finish. Best place to be was at the wing mark to witness all the different ways of attempting the gybe. Some of our junior sailors went out in the inflatables to watch so they could learn this skill. Very entertaining.Some good ones, up side down ones, a few grannies thrown in by some, but very entertaining. Raymond Hall was once again grinning from ear to ear with these conditions, but Dave Hoogenboom kept him pretty honest in both races.For the rest it was pretty much survival mode, as in get round the track. Dirch, Gerrit, welcome back Stoney, Justin, Duffy, Simmo and new Finnster Royce Hawkins all had their moments, some of it swimming after their boats. A good turn out considering Geoff, who watched over the junior fleet, Jimmy G, Peter H, Rex E and myself were there with out our boats. A great start to the day with bacon and eggs for breaky cooked up by the "slash" Peter Hull, still recovering from his leg laceration after his solid showing at the Nth Island camps at Thames.Then all the exhilarating sailing, and the debrief. There just happened to be a 40 once of rum with a loose top to attend to, and of course welcoming Royce to the class. He had mentioned that most of his sailing is on keel boats, so I told him that's just what the Finn feels like to sail and he would be right at home out there in the breezy conditions. Later, with both feet bleeding and bruises all over, Royce questioned my comparison over a drink, but did said "I will be back" A real "Arnie". (Same size). I can't wait to get out there with you guys and do battle, but that's a way off yet, so keep up the numbers and entertainment. Real pleasing with the turn out on Sun. This weekend we have sailing Sat <> Sun. Family BBQ on Sunday after the champs race. Always a high light. Bring your own food. Its time we used the balcony, have a few quiets, feed the family and watched the sun go down. The results will be on the board by next week, but here are the first 4 placings. Race 1 Ray H. 2 Dave H. 3 Gerrit B. 4 Dirch A. Race 2 Ray H. 2 Dave H 3 Dirch A. 4 Gerrit B. Please keep the subs rolling in as there is a cost to running our fully functional club. Cheers cuondawatasn nzl23 17/11/10 Congratulations to the 11 finnsters that made the trip to Thames. From a spectators point of few, an or-some regatta, for those that fronted and sailed the light to exhilarating conditions.
6 races with 5 different winners. Brian S, John D(Duffy), Roger H, Ray H, Roger H and Dave H.
All the boats had good speed and the sailor that stacked the hardest went the fastest. Not a lot between rigs, more fitness.
OOD Kim Ardmore and his helpers made sure the courses were will set and the program completed. Sat saw the fleet sail in light N/W breeze with lots of over taking lanes due to shifts and current, but the same for all. Brian S(Butch) controlled the first race once he had the lead and sailed well to hold out the challenges. Duffy picked the right down wind lane to take the 2nd gun and Roger, in his beautifully o/hauled boat looks the one to beat when the breeze kicked in, taking race 3. On day 2 Ray showed some off the technique he learnt from the Gold cup by powering his boat around the track with a high work rate up and down wind to take the gun. Roger took his 2nd gun after a quick sail change between races, but was chased hard by the fast improving Dave H and the return of John Douglas, who after many years away from Finn sailing, really fronted up. If not for a memory lapse I'm sure he could of won race 6 although Dave had the bit between his teeth and powered up the last beat to win going away . Gerrit was fast all regatta with his ex RH rig and sails, just needs some fitness. Dirch was always in the thick of it, and like I said when skippers stacked their boats went fast. Duffy was a bit down on power for the sun races in 15<>20 from the west, but showed more time in the boat will help. Butch never gave up, and the old Vanguard sure looked like the ex 7 Nat boat. Peter Atkins, Peter Hull and Stu Munro are just a little of the pace in the bigger winds, but the competitiveness amounts the boys was a highlight to watch. So a great weekend well run by Thames. Thanks to commodore Stu and his helpers, to Kim and the race offices and all the old faces we see each year, we will be back. To Gerrit our sponsor, and to the WYC for the use of their rescue boat, thank you. Results Roger Hall 2 (7) 1 3 1 2. Ray Hall 3 3 2 1 4 (dns). Dave Hoogenboom 4 (6) 3 4 2 1. John Douglas (11) 4 4 2 3 5. Dirch Andersen (6) 2 6 5 5 4. Brian Saunderson 1 5 5 6 6 (6). Gerrit Bearda 5 (8) 7 7 7 3. John Duff 7 1 8 8 dns (dns). Peter Hull 9 10 9 10 8 (dns) Stu Munro 10 9 10 10 8 (dns). Peter Atkinson 8 11 11 11 dns (dns). Congratulations to the 2010 Nth Island champ Roger Hall and all those that kept him honest. Like I have said before, our class secret is we do travel, and once we are there we advertise our class and personal well. A pat on the back to you all. Sailing at WYC this weekend. cuondawatasn nzl23 10/11/10 Finn Flash. Hi to all the finnsters. We had some interesting racing at WYC last weekend. On the Sat the breeze was from the S/S-W blowing 10<>15 knts. We had a boat start out by the needles which gave the sailors a strong current and a bit of a chop with wind against tide. Ray was down to set the tone and on the day picked up 3 good wins. He didn't have it all his own way and twice had to come from behind. With the others making crucial mistakes,and with John, Drich and Peter all capsizing this opened the door for Ray to get his hat trick.But as a spectator it was, great racing to watch. On Sun we had the second champs day. The breeze was light,a variable S/S-W 0<>6 knts to start with. David H boat was in for repairs so I was pleased when he asked to use nzl23 and great to see her on the water again. We started the first race in tricky conditions and Dave picked the right side of the course when the wind went to the West and won the 1st race easily. The next two races where sailed in Westerly 10<>12 two up and downs. And yes, a long time coming but Gerrit's purchase of a wing mast from Roger H has made his boat fly. An excellent win with Peter Hull, yes Peter Hull, pipping Dave H on the line for 2nd. It was pleasing to see John Simmons out in nzl228. The first time the boat been wet since the nationals and right on the pace with John, Jim and Butch. Hope this becomes a habit John and well sailed. We finished the days sailing with a sprint race With the ssss Drich holding out Dave and Duffy. All good stuff to watch. Once again thanks to Margret Hulls help on the committee boat and son Alan for manning the tower. For the 1st time in a long time the club was fully functional with the inflatables, committee boat and tower all in radio contact. Well done Alan H A great day for the club with over 20 boats out racing. That's the target to beat now. Champ results. Race 1. Dave, Dirch, Gerrit,John S, John D, Jim, Peter Race 2. Gerrit, Peter,Dave, John D, John S, Dirch, Jim Sprint race. Dirch, Dave, John D,Jim, Gerrit, John S, Peter KZ70 was for sale on T/M. I'm sure she was the plug for the mark 1 Martins. She had a KZ 228 sail, and some other good gear on board, boom, rudder, center plate,compass, inspection hatches, pussy pads stack straps and pulleys etc . A few of the boys were bidding, but a Thames person was on a mission. Reserve $100, sold for over $500. The boat needed a slight repair and a repaint, so hopefully we may see the guy at some stage .I will let him know about the Nth Islands this weekend. nzl23 27/10/10 Hi Finnsters We had the first of our champs racing on Sunday with a reasonable turn out of 6 boats which made for good racing. A light breeze out of the Nor West with 2 up and downs for the course and a boat start. 2 races Dave H looks pretty series this season and seem to have the best set up for speed in the light conditions. It looked like SSSS dog Dirchs' conditions ,but Dave never was threatened once in front. Some real close racing amongst the other boys, which made excellent watching from the committee boat. Commodore Geoff was a little off the pace and tended to sail his boat in a different mode to the others, but will be quick when the breeze kicks in. Dirch, Gerrit, Brian and Jim all had their moments, but go the wrong way and you missed out big time. So not a bad way to start the season, but not the 20 knots we wanted for some stand up down wind sailing that I know you guys have been training for. Next time. We finished the day with a sprint race won by Gerrit who pipped SSSS on the line. Well done Gerrit. Results Race 1 Dave, Dirch, Gerrit, Brian, Jim, Geoff Race 2 Dave, Brian, Dirch, Gerrit, Jim, Geoff Sprint race Gerrit, Dirch, Dave, Jim, Brian DNF, Geoff DNS. At the debrief we had venison stakes with the beer supplied by Paul Kane. Thanks Paul and your boys for the feed. It was decided not to sail Monday, but a few of the Finn boys went for a successful white baiting trip with me on the Waikato. We had a 40 once of rum to kill time which made for an enjoyable day, I had a couple of nips and thought I had sun stroke until reading the label. 80 PROOF.Woo. My mate Larry Murphy cooked up a beautiful feed of bait for Jim, Dirch and I at our batch. Spud was celebrating after getting a 20 kilo lift. $60 a kilo, an awesome day. My apologies to Ray Hall who came down to Waiuku for the invitation race advertised for Monday, but canned on Sunday. Bad communication. I have some whitebait for you Ray. North Islands coming up soon. cuondawatasn nzl23 14/10/10 Sat saw 3 Finns out in a good blow 4 the opening weekend. More Finnsters watching than sailing, I hope this is a one off. Geoff ,Justin and Stoney had a real testing day with Justin taking taking 2 guns to Stoneys one. Justin was in match racing mode and covered Stoney well to win his 2 races. Geoff was on the pace ,but struggled a bit down wind. From the shore it looked like his fang wasn't working as it should and maybe this is why he had a swim. So Justin 2 Stoney 1. On Sun we had the first up the creek race. Good to see Dave H out in his boat and looked pretty smooth on the tiller. The race took 2 hours to complete in 10<>15 knots. Dave had an early break on the fleet of 7 which he would hold on to and take the race. With a boat start it enabled me to check out the boys rigs and speed. Once again Stoney and Justin were at each other which enabled the SSSSS Dirch to control 2nd place behind Dave.We have renamed one of the creeks Letchers Bay after Geoff had his 2nd can for the weekend up this unnamed inlet. A great race and not a waste of time as some would think.So well done to those that fronted. A bit of gossip, (1) maybe Geritt has a new rig to show us. (2)I saw some pictures of a Finn sailing up north. I'm sure it was Roger Hall at the helm,but whose boat was he sailing. (3) And Ray has his gear back from the USA, so the next time we sail could be a good one with heaps of boats and stories to tell.(4) Technora sails on special. Not to far till the North Islands at Thames, the Hartleys have pulled the pin on the regatta, so we have the water to ourselves. The first chance to show everyone that Finnsters do travel. Sailing at WYC next weekend with 4.5 m tides, cant wait to see the boys on the water in good numbers. The worst thing about sailing is not sailing. cuondawatasoon nzl23 |
Finn Flash |