NZ Coastal Classic 08 coming up....

[John B]

2 weeks to go and I'm starting to get a bit excited (as I do). Goodness knows we all need something to look forward to in these ' interesting' times eh.

120 miles total with about 100 of that a drag race North up the coast to Cape Brett , a hard left turn and another 20 through the bay of islands to Russell.

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/Waione_photos/coastal%20classic%2007/coastalcourse.jpg
The Bay of Islands
http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/Waione_photos/coastal%20classic%2007/coastalclassicBOI.jpg
It'll be interesting to see what gets thrown at us this year, In NZ here we basically could get everything or anything from 0 to 40 or so and from any direction. We looking for west/east or south in it to get us there but we've had northerly snotters the whole way before now.
What do we want in our big ole ketch.. hmm something forward of the beam to stop the planing boats planing away from us... something not right on the nose because the modern sloops will always outpoint us ... 12 to 15 knots breeze for max hull speed, but 18 or 30 on the beam would do. Get us there pronto anyway LOL.

[The Bigfella]

Enjoy!

[Jase]

doesn't look far when you see it like that :D

[John B]

Take Gloloma up there for christmas Jase....

[John B]

Hey!

Ragtime enters Coastal Classic


An unsubstantiated rumour has been heard that she is less than a week away and has entered the Coastal Classic - watch this space!


Now that would be something! Late 60's early 70's she left here as Infidel( The black box) and became the first or one of the first ULDB sleds and her new fame in the Transpac as Ragtime.

nothing on the entry watch on the official site
http://www.coastalclassic.co.nz/
191 entries now though.

[dhic001]

Its official about Ragtime, up on the website now John http://www.coastalclassic.co.nz/pressroom.asp?prID=71

Definitely a tough race, and the stories of the after match drinking are legendary. Have fun, don't drink as much as some...

Daniel

[John B]

yeah ,192 entries and the one ninety tooth is Ragtime.. is that the coolest thing or what.
Look for 'entry watch' on the home page for those who are interested in the h/caps etc.

1.150... oho, she's got to beat the guns over the line.

[bamamick]

That's cool, John.

Hmm. I wonder what 'Windward Passage' is up to these days? In a not-too-long-ago poll on SA 'Passage' was voted the favorite offshore boat of all time by the discriminating members of that august society. I know that she was MY all-time favorite. Wood is good!

I thought that I was actually going to get a chance to race this weekend, on my Finn, but a guy that I have been covering for for six months that was supposed to be back at work tonight could not get clearance to return. High blood pressure. I know how he feels.

Looking forward to the reports, John. I am glad that at least my friends get to see the water these days.

Mickey Lake

[Zane Lewis]

Infidel / Ragtime, now thats worth viewing the race to watch.
Would she qualify as NZ's first ULDB and so conterversial at the time. Still going strong after 40+ years.
Spencers work appeals to me, long, light and narrow.
Zane

[Zane Lewis]

Sorry for the drift but does anyone now much about Spencers schooner that followed Infidel. And how it sailed, specs etc.

Zane

[John B]

New World. She was built to be a 'maxi ' of the day but the rule altered as or even before she was finished . She was up against bigger boats straight away in her racing career. We've had a thread or two about her. Tad sent me scans a few years back of her Sea Spray article.

[John B]

Here you go, courtesy of Tad Roberts.;)

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/Waione_photos/Misc%20compressed%20ex%20imagest/NewWorld1.jpg

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/Waione_photos/Misc%20compressed%20ex%20imagest/NewWorld2.jpg

[Zane Lewis]

Thanks John,
An word if Ragtime will also do the Sydney Hobart while she's here.
Zane
NB For northern readers thats a race in a different league to the more equatorial races Ragtime normally does. Indead the last few have seen many of the lighter built grand prix maxi's pull out with damage or to prevent damage.

[John B]

I don't know about the sydney hobart... that would settle a grudge if she did though ,because she was prevented from entering in the 60's (because she was plywood). Bit of a joke given the career that followed eh.:rolleyes:

[John R - Kitenui]

Looks like fun weather Johnno

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/JohnRawson/rain-nzni-2008101800-144.gif

[Thad]

Wow. An what direction would that be heading?

[dhic001]

If I'm reading that correctly, looks like it'll be a hard race, virtually all on the wind stuff. At least you won't have to worry about loosing another spinnaker John!

Daniel

[John B]

25 knots Northerly,right on the nose... noice.:rolleyes:Its the 40 out in the Tasman I don't like the look of.
ah well.. early days yet, that forecast has changed every 12 hrs since friday. I looked at 4 pm and it was saying 10 knot sw, at about 10 that same night it was 10 knot NE going SW.... now look at it.

sheesh, just went and checked. look at it now .

and now for something completely different...
http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/Waione_photos/coastal%20classic%2008/rain-nz-2008101812-132.gif

Must remember to pack my suit for ducks.

[bamamick]

You are building up quite the resume, John. Maybe there could be a Sydney-Hobart in your own future?

Mickey Lake

[John R - Kitenui]

Good Luck John
Looks like on the nose til Brett then on the nose through the Bay
Stay safe

[The Bigfella]

Yep - good luck John - incidentally top gust here yesterday was 66 knots.

Happy Birthday John R

[Robbie 2]

Looking like head winds and heavy rain all the way!!!
good luck John.

[John B]

Thanks guys.

Just back from the briefing. Weather is not good.
Here's what they said ( and bearing in mind we're going 100 miles North and then 20 west)
N 10 to 15 start .
rise to 20- 25 through the day N
Maybe some NE and 30 perhaps gust 40 as the front arrives . 20mm of rain , say 3/4 inch in 2 hours. As the front goes no wind for 2 or 3 hours. N and NW building to about 25 following.

Thats problematical.:rolleyes:

[dhic001]

Have fun John, Hope the weather is far nicer to you than predicted. I'll keep an eye out for you if I manage to get some jobs out near the coast. Anyone got a pump needing fixing out Leigh way?
Daniel

[The Bigfella]

Geez mate - with weather like that, why don't you just drive up?

[John B]

Well, we have a boat, a boatload of supplies, 4 guys with a 6 day leave pass, and a desire to have a drink in a pub in Russell. Please note at this point that we've had a crewmember drop out at the last minute due to an overwhelming attack of woosification, we had 5.

Plus with this weather the roads will be a bit dangerous.

[Thad]

Have fun! Have a good race.

[John B]

Thanks Thad. Its sticky when you have this sort of wind range . Wind warning for the gulf and a gale warning for Cape Brett today ( thats the place we turn left at) but we'll start in 10:rolleyes:
Maybe it will have gone through when we get there.

[John R - Kitenui]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/JohnRawson/rain-nzni-2008102312-24.gif

[Robbie 2]

I hear on the radio news that several boats have pulled out already in the first couple of hours of the race.

[The Bigfella]

I hear that 70 boats have pulled out.

Riada made Flat Rock at 15:22

http://www.coastalclassic.co.nz/

[The Bigfella]

... and why hasn't John got an iPhone? They rounded Sail Rock at 19:04

[dhic001]

Riada is showing a DNF, yet passed Sail Rock less than an hour ago. Whats the story, am I misunderstanding the web page, or has something gone wrong?
Daniel

[seanz]

Riada was listed in the division 2 rankings about an hour ago but not anymore so I checked the DNFs and there she was.
Oh dear......
Hope all are OK.

[seanz]

Well, the good news is there is no news.
Riada hasn't been mentioned on the news sites so they should be alright.
130 of the 229 entrants withdrew with only 4 of the 24 boats from Riada's division finishing.
http://www.sail-world.com/NZ/Latest-news-from-HSBC-Coastal-Classic/50135

[PaulC]

Any news yet?

[Chip-skiff]

The NZ Herald has only 31 of the 229 boats entered finishing the race. No specifics, though.

[Milo Christensen]

Should we have heard from John by now?

[gavinpascoe]

Seems worrying but there's nothing on the NZ news sites or at http://www.coastalclassic.co.nz/ or http://www.classicyacht.org.nz/. Hopefully they've snugged up somewhere nice and dry drinking rumbos.

[Chip-skiff]

On the race website http://www.coastalclassic.co.nz/ Riada is still logged as DNF— reached Sail Rock but not Cape Brett.

So let's hope John made it to safe harbour. Good on him for giving it a go.

Sounds like a real massacre, weatherwise.

[John B]

We're fine , thanks for the concern. Yeah really disappointed at pulling out but we got pasted and after 70 miles on the nose we decided to pull the pin and turn back to Kawau for the night. The guys that went on another hour or so then lost wind and spent the rest of the night and most of the next day getting there.
25 or 30 knots on the nose doesn't sound like much but the sea condition was a bit nasty, nasty enough for the crew to be completely uninterested in carrying on and for the skip aka John to be driving the porcelain truck, ringing up Ruth on the big white telephone, and calling out for herb. Turning around and running through the last 30 miles or so we'd just bashed through was dramatic enough as a sail.. pitch black , no moon and quite a big sea, we ran down to the Kawau passage until we picked up the leading lights past maori rock as an amazing lightning storm played behind us. Pitch black to daylight for a second.
One guy got disorientated I believe and ran his boat onto the beach , a hell lee shore and surf at Mangawai... must have been terrifying for them.
Anyway , the race was a vehicle for the lads to get away for a few days, have some fun, and we've just had a fantastic cruise and recce around the Eastern side of Great barrier island to suss out a few spots for our christmas cruise. 250 miles on the log over the 5 days or so and a stop each night at somewhere interesting. Not particularly warm... sun out one day and it seemed to just carry on 20 25 or 30 or so from the west each day.

Great fun , have photos and will make a seperate thread later.

[StevenBauer]

Looking forward to it. Glad all is well.



Steven

[Thad]

Good calls!! Cheers!

[The Bigfella]

Welcome back John

[Robbie 2]

Good news that all are well.

[bamamick]

Sailing Anarchy had a story up on the front page about the race. So VERY happy to hear that the 'Riada' crew are safe and sound. Tough sledding but there's always the next time. Better to be home safe.

Mickey Lake

[John B]

Wish it was sledding Mickey;). Bash and smash is what it was. Boat was good , not too much slamming and everything held together .

Still, once we'd turned around , that sail with the lightning breaking every 10 minutes or so and the phosphorescent dolphins torpedoing in at us in the pitch black was something... just cool beyond belief.
I said leading light before but what I meant was picking up the sector light to bring us in past a really nasty piece of work called Maori rock in the middle of the Kawau channel.

[John B]

We had a chartplotter and handheld gps on it but call me old fashioned , very low vis and a lack of trust in technology plus the threatening blackout with the rainstorm on top of the pitch black anyway... I really wanted that light.;)

'We're doing it by the book,the old book'.

[Paul Fitzgerald]

I don't know about the sydney hobart... that would settle a grudge if she did though ,because she was prevented from entering in the 60's (because she was plywood). Bit of a joke given the career that followed eh.:rolleyes:

Well John, you were right.
Ragtime just showed up as a late entry in the S2H

http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/yachts.asp?key=526

[John B]

True, it'll make some big news over there I bet.
She's having a quick refit/check over here now . They're pulling the keel bolts and the chainplate bolts amongst other things to get her ready for it.