March 2018

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OUTBOARD BOATING CLUB OF NORTHLAND (INC)

PO BOX 874, WHANGAREI

Phone 09 4385967 Email obcnorth@gmail.com

www.obcofnorthland.co.nz

OFFICERS 2017/18

Commodore West Hill 437 3247

Vice Commodore Robyn Chester 436 1922

Rear Commodore Frank Appleton 433 5755

Treasurer Colin Page 435 3244

Club Captain Jim Pram 434 6090

Vice Club Captain Shona Keoghan 436 2149

Property & Works Noel Klein 436 1481

Magazine Doreen Jordan 437 3291 Administrator Pauline Dainty 438 5967 Sheriffs Des Imms 021 459911

Shona Keoghan 436 2149

Steve Taylor 022 6800 117 Boat Inspectors

- Kamo Des Imms 021 459911

- Maunu Jim Pram 434 6090

- Onerahi Brian Chester 436 1922 or 027 4990804

WMHAC Representative John Torr 45904335

Committee Ted Cotterill 437 5682

Peter West-Hill 438 1392

Ian Manning 021 1793969

Mike Knowles 021 0380985

Peter Schenker 430 6993

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ADMINISTRATOR

Pauline Dainty: Contact for all items regarding Membership, Access Cards etc. (swipe card) operation & inquiries.

Email obcnorth@gmail.com Message line 438 5967

CLUB MEETINGS

Held at Whangarei Cruising Clubrooms, Kissing Point, Whangarei Second Wednesday in the month (except January) Starts at 7.30 pm

New Members welcomed to our club at each meeting. Please fill out

application forms and contact Pauline (administrator) 4385967 before attending a meeting.

COMPLAINTS COMMITTEE

Ted Cotterill, John Torr

Schedule of Fees—Including GST

Fee Amount Payable By Frequency

Joining Fee $110.00 On Joining - One Off One Off

Annual Sub $145.00 31st August Annual

Associate Sub $36.00 31st August Annually

Access Card $40.00 On Joining One Off

OBC 1.1 decals - Pair $6.00 On Joining Or when changing boat

Orange Distress Flag $25.00 On Joining Or as required

Veteran Sub $72.00 31st August After 10 years and 60 Y.O.A

Trailer club numbers -decals `$5.00 One off Or when changing boat

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COMMODORE’S REPORT

Kia Ora fellow OBC members, I trust you have had a good break over the Christmas/New Year period and are back into whatever it is you do , whether it’s work or some other activity. I hope you were able to take advantage of the good harbour fishing which started in October, picked up through November, slowed slightly through December and January, but should come on again through February and March. I had some good catches of snapper with my grandsons and friends. Admittedly there have been some bad days with not much happening but overall the fishing has been really good and the scallops have been fantastic. Our worst day was six snapper, a kahawai and forty scallops between three of us. Our best day was twentyone snapper and sixty scallops. We also got 12 crayfish on another day. It’s nice to be able to give some fish away to a neighbour or family member and to have a good feed of fresh fish. Do you know who invented the first aeroplane that didn’t fly? The wrong brothers. Talking about getting things wrong, I got into a little trouble with one of the sheriffs for having my annual sticker and membership number on the wrong side of my boat windscreen and boat trailer. I wasn’t the only one that day so it has prompted me to remind us all that the annual sticker and membership number go on the right hand (starboard) side. One annual sticker on the right side window and the other annual sticker (there are 2 of them) along with the membership number on your trailer near the front or on the winch up-stand right hand side. I also understand now that if your boat is six metres or less, everyone, including the skipper, must wear a life jacket while the boat is underway (moving) as opposed to under water. The committee has been notified that two people were observed urinating within view of members of the public and in front of other club members inside our compound on Waitangi Day, one against the security fence and one on the end of the pontoon. This type of behaviour is totally unacceptable and is classed as offensive behaviour and is very disappointing to hear, especially when the public toilets are right beside our compound and easily accessible.

Club members are responsible for the behaviour of their friends/family and any form of disciplinary action by the committee will fall back on the club member whether or not they are responsible for or aware of the offense. Please refrain from this type of behaviour or be prepared to lose the use of the facility for a period of time.

Well that’s enough from me. Take care out there. Keep an eye on the weather, keep a cool head and warm feet and you should be OK.

West HILL

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Secretary’s Report

Thank you to those members who returned the form in the last maga-zine updating their details.. There has been a good response. Please also support our sponsors who advertise in this magazine. Regards Pauline

Welcome to New Members

December 2017 to March 2018

New Members Boat Name New Members Boat Name Peter Foster Foz Craig Briden-Jones Jo Jo Graeme Miller Tintara Damien Davis Cool Change Junior Saili Rata iti Joseph Nordstrand Viking John Holden Blueberry Mark Fitzpatrick Warlock Joe Hermon Truent Dennis Williams Tiptoe Glenda Gorton Fish Whisperer Salmon Botha Umlungu Robert Cooke A2B Kevin Dean Odessa 2 Amelia Bland The Boat Allan Lowrie Alto Bevan Craig About Time Kim Powell Tao Allan Boyce Kiwi 1 Graeme Quensell The Serenity Geoff Burgess Aurora/Didadeal Rick Anderson Cloud NineKevin and Judy Burch Restless 1/Mucha

MEMBERS—Please treat the NIWA volunteers at the ramps with respect. One of the volunteers was spoken to recently in an un-acceptable manner. Unfortunately we don’t have the de-tails of that member.

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LETTER FROM OBC MEMBER, DON BARKER. On the 30th of December we returned from a few perfect days out on our boat to find our dinghy trailer damaged in the main compound. I muttered a few choice words to my dear wife that the offender had not even had the decency to leave us a note on the windscreen. Then, I thought, maybe the driver was unaware of the damage caused especially when towing a long trailer behind. I contacted our neighbour Noel Klein (who was on holiday at the time) to see if the incident could have been caught on camera. Unfortunately without details of the car or trailer registration we were unable to trace whoever may have smashed the light unit and bent the steel housing. It was one of the busiest days I remember at the OBC in over 21 years as a member, so I put the damage in the "shit sometimes happens" bin and thought no more about trying to find the unknown member. A few days later a great friend was killed in a plane crash, so my thoughts of repairing the damage were suddenly put into perspective and I filed the future fix into the "not worth bothering about in the great scheme of things" basket. However, behind the scenes the remorseful driver had actually contacted Pauline asap to say he had had a whoopsie with a trailer parked next to him and asked if any member had reported any damage over the busy period. I was duly contacted by Pauline and then the fellow member who was full of apologies and remorse for ruining our day as well as his own. He was more than anxious to make things right. The minor damage has now been sorted and I would just like to thank Bruce sincerely for being so honest, generous and friendly - and for re-newing my faith in man kind! Don Barker ("Barkingmad")

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CLUB CAPTAIN REPORT MARCH 2018 Hi Everybody, Well, we are into Autumn now and the cooler spells of weather are quite nice after the heat and humidity. I have been in touch with Ross Watter from Northland Regional Council and acting spokesperson for the Harbour Master. Ross says that they have revised some marine by laws. It is a marine by law that vessels (runabouts) at night display their navigation lights as well as having a white mast light and sterm light. Something for a number of us to do. Where fishing was permitted in channels, now it is frowned upon; WHY? Some people move too late and get rude and nasty because a ship does not stop.

The people on the ship’s bridge don’t know if a boat is drift-ing or anchored.

Remember those on boats under six metres should all wear lifejack-ets. This is “seriously” being policed. Listen to Northport Radio Channel for shipping activities and infor-mation. The latest on Port dredging—after a delegation recently went with three commissioners to look at it, there has been …no comment. There is another round of power boat racing in the harbour coming up soon. Happy boating,

Jim Pram.

Boat Inspector, Brian Chester emailed Maritime NZ for their guidance regarding the use of electronic flares. Their reply is below.

“Currently, Coastguard (as a commercial operator) do not use electronic flares as they are yet to be recognised by Maritime NZ as ‘approved devices’.

Having said that, there has been some great progress and success in the development of the devices. Various SAR agencies are working with manufacturers to get them to a point where they may be accepted by MNZ.

Until they get to a point of being ‘approved’ by the regulating bodies, Coastguard will continue to use and promote use of pyrotechnic flares.

Hopefully this provides some clarification and some information that you can pass on to your members.”

Daniel Pearce Unit Support & Operations Manager

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GJ Gardner ad

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A LEOPARD AND IT’S SPOTS Whangarei harbour is home to a wide range of wildlife – from tiny fishes to enormous whales. Dolphins are often seen feeding and occasionally we are graced with visits by orca hunting rays. In the last few months we have also had the amazing fortune to have been visited by at least three leopard seals, a species typically found in Antarctic waters. In Whangarei Harbour they have been making themselves at home on pontoons and boat ramps, spending considerable amounts of time hauled out and sleeping. Each leopard seal has a fur coat that is dappled with spots (hence the leopard part of their name). Although the leopard seals visiting us have at times been moulting, masking some of the spots, the spots are unique and are permanent, which allows us to identify them as individuals. Female leopard seals, when fully grown are slightly larger than males and can reach up to 3.8 m and 500 kg. One of the females visiting us is known as Owha (pronounced Oh-fah). She is approximately 3m long and an estimated 300 kg (although her weight fluctuates quite dramatically, we are unsure why). The other female, named Novy, is slightly smaller, whilst the male, Hatea is just over 2m long. Observations of these leopard seals in the Whangarei Harbour have given us an incredible insight into their lives outside of Antarctica. Owha has, for example, now been recorded in NZ waters for over five years and it is assumed that she hasn’t returned to Antarctica during this time. She has been photographed as far north as Tutukaka (where she spent a few weeks) and as far south as Dunedin. But she spends considerable time in the Hauraki Gulf, particularly near Auckland central, in Westhaven Marina. Novy has also been in the Hauraki Gulf but mostly on Rangitoto Island. Hatea has only been documented in Whangarei Harbour where he liked to haul out on the marina in the town basin and catch (and eat) ducks and eels. We know from collecting scat (seal poop), that Novy likes to hunt shags, whilst Owha likes to hunt the fish that live under the pontoons in the marinas. Leopard seals, like all marine mammals in NZ waters, are fully protected by the law, however that hasn’t stopped some people harassing and harming them. One man was observed hitting Hatea to make him move off a pontoon. It is also illegal to feed them. As leopard seals are curious and may approach boats we encourage fishers to remove their gear from the water for the few minutes the seal is likely to be around. The risk is real to the animals as Owha 27174 has been observed thrashing around with a hook in her mouth and for a time had another hook embedded in her flipper. If you encounter a leopard seal anywhere around New Zealand, please report it as each sighting is of immense value towards our better understanding of these unique visitors to our shores. For more information about leopard seals see www.leopardseals.org . Sightings can be reported to 0800 LEOPARD (0800 5367273) and to the leopard seal sighting facebook page (LeopardsealsightingsNZ/)

Dr Ingrid N. Visser specialises in studying orca and has been researching New Zealands’ population for the past 20 years. OBC Northland supports her work through providing access to the Parua Bay boat ramp. Recently she has been conducting research on the leopard seals around NZ and she is asking for sightings of either species to be reported to 0800 SEE ORCA (0800 733 6722).

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Update—One of the leopard seals, Owha, has been resighted by me in Auckland Harbour...she is doing really well...but has lost a lot of weight since she was up here! Dr Ingrid Visser

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From the Mudskippers

The following dates are the ramp wash dates and times.

Please note that at these times, sodium hypochlorite will be in use at the ramps. This is a hazardous substance. Only authorized persons may use this chemical or be in the vicinity of the wash down whilst in progress.

Tuesday 3 April 2018 1330 hrs

Friday 18 May 2018 1330 hrs

Friday 15 June 2018 1200 hrs

Monday 16 July 2018 1300 hrs

Tuesday 14 August 2018 1300 hrs

Wednesday 12 September 2018 1300 hrs

Wednesday 10 October 2018 1200 hrs

DON’T FORGET

Look for the hidden club number in the magazine. You will receive $50.00 to spend with one of our advertisers if you find your number. Note: To qualify, it has to be your club number. CONGRATULATIONS to Tim Baker who found his number in the De-cember 2017 Magazine.

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10% on commissions offered to Super Gold Card Holders.

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