A view from our Sailing Secretary Paul
Tuesday, January 28 and a surprise call from Dave Hart – last seen two years ago. Would I like to sail with him, 2 – handed, for the Wellington to Akaroa Race? A big gulp and a yes! Dave is a very experienced sailor and skipper, but this was quite a step up for me personally.
The timeframe was looking very tight, being just eight days from the start signal on Thursday February 6, Waitangi Day, and the boat not actually entered yet. After much last-minute scrambling (!) to meet the numerous requirements for the NOR and Category 2, the final inspection was completed in the nick of time, just the day before starting. Among the structural checks and the very extensive array of safety equipment and electronics required, it was of course comforting to know the expensive sealed medical kit included an emergency wound stapler.
Hansel, a Hanse 370 (37 ft), has been Dave and Jackie’s liveaboard home for many years. We were now 3-handed for the race, with Jackie joining us as we literally “sailed the house” for the 200 NM to Akaroa. As well as sailing in various parts of Australia, they have made multiple trips across the ditch with various connections in NZ, including Wellington.
By way of practice, we had a rum race and a gin series harbour race, with the boat going well and feeling good. This included practicing MOB drills and setting up the trysail and storm jib. The boat is set up for 1 or 2-handed sailing, with a self-tacking furling jib, a stack pack and reaching sheets. Some weighty items were able to be offloaded to the Gucci shed (thanks Brent!) including: a heavy-duty sewing machine, old sails, 30m of old chain “that might come in useful one day”, a dinghy, and several bins of other stuff. This all made a slight dent.
Race day, and we lined up with some of the usual suspects, including The Guarantee, Gucci, Masterpiece, and Laissez Faire, as well as Kokomea joining us from Nelson. Conditions looked reasonably good, with a light breeze from the north and spinnakers going up to get the boats out of the harbour. Hansel, with the breeze dropping and only one gennaker to play with, had some interesting moments with the Kaiarahi and Strait Feronia at the entrance. It is pleasing to note that both of these large vessels played nice and gave us lots of room.
It wasn’t too long before the southerly change kicked in and we were all in upwind mode. The leading boats pulled further away, but we were still ahead of Masterpiece. Not for long though, before those big sails on the 45-footer did their job and they too, slowly but surely, disappeared into the grey distance. There was now a big spread of boats across the rhumb line with multiple course options.
Hansel elected to stay on the same tack heading toward Kaikoura – which proved not the best option as the breeze died out. Predictable some would say, with the benefit of hindsight. Far too many hours were spent looking at Kaikoura Peninsula and flappy sails in the light of the waxing half-moon. No other racing boats were in range on AIS now, and a DFL placing looked highly likely. For some nighttime excitement there was an exchange with a boat lit up and engaged in fishing, as we naturally wanted to stay well clear of any nets or gear. With their AIS turned off, the skipper explained on Ch 16 that “we don’t like anyone to know exactly where we are”. Interesting!
The morning came and we were literally whale watching, as two humpbacks casually blew past. And of course, lots of seals cutting shapes in the sun. Still little breeze though, and still little looking at the peninsula, albeit from the south – could it be called the Stephens Island of the south?
Friday afternoon and finally the breeze filled in, and from a good direction! With the gennaker up Hansel was now making good progress down the coast, and not too far off the rhumb line. This was a really memorable section of the trip, holding the kite up most of the afternoon and into the evening almost until midnight, sailing on shifts with two up, one below. A great feeling, being in the flow, running on adrenaline – and Jackie’s cooking! This must be what real sailing is about.
We had listened to the first three boats call in to finish at civilised times, leaving them time for a proper sleep. Nice job Laissez Faire, Guarantee and Kokomea. Getting further down the coast in the early hours of Saturday morning, we could see another tailender on AIS; they were still well ahead but much closer inland. Maybe if we picked the breeze we could nose in front? We were in our own race now!
We came into some real wind off Banks Peninsula – perhaps almost up to Wellington standard – and very much as predicted. Hansel and Masterpiece sailed past Long Bay virtually neck and neck after all those hours, and it was an actual “tacking duel” for the last couple of hours. The wind whistled as we approached the beacon at Akaroa Heads, then into the northerly coming out of the harbour and looking for the finish line among all the moored boats – trying not to blow it now! At 0705 after 46 hours, we crossed just over 5 minutes ahead of Masterpiece. Time to find a mooring – and maybe even some sleep.
Akaroa turned on the sun later. This was simply a glorious place to be on a summer day, with no cruise ships to disturb the village vibe, and the bonus of a good pie shop among the many busy bars and eateries. The Akaroa Yacht club, next to the historic lighthouse, provided a terrific setting for drinks and kai, and meeting old and new friends. There was even time for some actual sleep later, after being kindly ferried out to the mooring reserved for us by AYC. Many of the boats around us had netting covers to keep the sea birds off; we had no problem with bird splatter, with my snoring no doubt keeping them at bay.
Sunday morning – and the small matter of sailing home. After getting out of Akaroa Harbour and around the corner (in daylight this time, with those beautiful, perfectly exposed, red-weathered basalt flows) the wind filled in very nicely behind us for the run back. It was really instructive to see how the autohelm could be set for the wind, helming the boat perfectly with the kite up for most of the run back, and just one of us required on watch. Plenty of time now to enjoy the escort of the dolphins into the harbour and a celebratory beer at Kau Bay. As well as the race, we reflected on five days of balmy weather and gentle seas with nary a drop of rain.
The Akaroa Race was last run in 2016, with the intention now for RPNYC to run it every two years. A huge thank you here to all the volunteers for making this a successful event, especially Geoff Herd for helping Dave and Hansel get through all the requirements, quite late in the piece. And to Akaroa Yacht Club for being awesome hosts. See you next time!
Paul Rutherford, honorary and grateful crew on Hansel