Watermark January #214

​Trent’s new boat
50’ Bayliner, called Romeo IV
(The editor is very envious)

January       Marian Jones, Colin Gibson, Pat McCook
February      Jennie Rennie, Lis McCook
March          Jan Probert, Rob Lorden, Michael McCook
  
Rob’s Ramblings – aka Commodore’s Report
Happy new year to you all and we hope you are getting out and about in the good weather.  Several of our members have been out and about in their boats catching up at various places in the Hauraki Gulf with the most boat being five boats at Kawau.
Summer is still here and some of us still have Barrier in our sights.  The first attempt was stymied by Cyclone Cody which saw us make alternative plans.   We were pleased to be back in our marinas when the Tongan tsunami arrived.
Some of us caught up in Coromandel with Tony and Peggy Kendall, who have a Townson 32 like ours, over a few drinks on Librium.  They are in their mid-80s and spend most of their summers sailing.  This year with a non-functional motor, they took off and managed to go to the usual places relying solely on sail power to get off their anchor.  The picture below is of them leaving Te Kouma.   There only challenge would be to get back on their marina at Bucklands Beach, but they have people they can call on to assist if necessary.   After meeting it made any problems we had with our boats seem minor.

​Our current plan is to be around the Mahurangi / Kawau area over /after anniversary weekend waiting for an opportunity for a favourable sail to Barrier.  Three of the anchorages there are off limits due to a noxious seaweed that has found its way there, but Fitzroy is still able to be used as an anchorage.
We look forward to getting out and about the country on some more land based activities during the coming year and hope that we can get on top of Covid and the Covid regulations.  As always we are looking for suggestions of what you would like to club to be doing, both on and off the water.
Take care out there on land, sea and air.

Off Water events
Nil over Xmas
But feel free to organise an impromptu event

On Water Events
Feb 4th  BBQ /dine in vineyard Rotoroa Island / MOW bay
Feb 18th  BBQ Kawau /Alt Oneroa

Club events and happenings
The new club way of getting exercise while on the water

​Jan, Wayne and Barb, all giving it ago

Jan exiting the kayak in a ladylike and dignified fashion
Both Jan and I were in hysterics, have since found out that is easier to use the boarding ladder

The crews from Manutaki, D’accord, Librium, Dazzle Annie and Arabica having a afternoon drinks followed by a bite to eat at Kawau boating club. 

An impromptu get-together of club members having a few drinks and dinner at the Northcote tavern
(Well done Eric for organizing it)

This months bad joke

On their honeymoon, the new husband told his bride, 
"I have a confession to make that I should have made before, but I was concerned that it might affect our relationship.”
"What is it?" his new bride asked lovingly. "I'm a golf fanatic," he said. "I think about golf constantly. I'll be out on the golf course every weekend, every holiday, and every chance I get. If it comes to a choice between your wishes and golf, golf will always win." 
His new bride pondered this for a moment and said, 
"I thank you for your honesty. Now in the same spirit of honesty, I should tell you that I've concealed something about my own past that you should know about. The truth is, I'm a hooker."
"No problem," said her husband, "just widen your stance a little, and overlap your grip, and that should clear it right up."

 
Nautical History

Chewing the Fat
"God made the vittles but the devil made the cook," was a popular saying used by seafaring men in the 19th century when salted beef was the staple diet aboard ship.
This tough cured beef, suitable only for long voyages when nothing else was cheap or would keep as well (remember, there was no refrigeration), required prolonged chewing to make it edible. Men often chewed one chunk for hours, just as it were chewing gum and referred to this practice as "chewing the fat."

Crow's Nest
The raven, or crow, was an essential part of the Vikings' navigation equipment. These land-lubbing birds were carried on aboard to help the ship's navigator determine where the closest land lay when weather prevented sighting the shore.
In cases of poor visibility, a crow was released and the navigator plotted a course corresponding to the bird's flight path because the crow invariably headed towards land.
The Norsemen carried the birds in a cage secured to the top of the mast. Later on, as ships grew and the lookout stood his watch in a tub located high on the main mast, the name "crow's nest" was given to this tub. While today's Navy still uses lookouts in addition to radars, etc., the crow's nest is a thing of the past. 

 
Second bad joke of the month
​
A New Zealand Army C.O. was about to start the morning briefing to all
the staff. While waiting for the coffee machine to finish its
brewing, the C.O. decided to pose a question to all assembled. He
explained that his wife had been a bit frisky the night before, and
therefore he failed to get his usual amount of sound sleep.
He posed the question; "How much of the act of sex is "work," and how
much is "pure pleasure"?
A Captain chimed in with a 75-25% in favour of 'work'.
A Lieutenant said it was probably about 50-50%.
A Warrant-Officer responded with a 25-75% in favour of 'pleasure',
depending upon his state of inebriation at the time.
There being no consensus, the C.O. turned to the Newfie Private who
was in charge of making the coffee. What was HIS opinion?
Without any hesitation, the young Newfie responded, "Sir, it has to be
100% pleasure, Sir."
The C.O. a little surprised and as you might guess, said "And why is
that soldier"?
"Well, Sir, if there was any work involved, the officers would have me
doing it for them, Sir"
The room fell silent......God Bless Newfies