President’s Report 2011
Hi All Stewart 34 sailors,
So you voted me in to the chair, on the day before I scuttled off to
cruise Northern waters. What were you thinking?
We have had a season of new sights and experiences, including a rather
bouncy ride across the North Sea. Our motorboat is now hauled out for the
winter, in a boatyard just north of Amsterdam, and I am back, looking forward
to a bit of sailing.
First up. The Squadron Weds night series is already underway with our own Stewart
division this year, and a fleet of 8 starters for the first race. Well done.
For the past 50 years we have been represented in the Squadron summer
series. and I strongly hope that we will continue to be out there.
Next. The Hyundai championships, Monday night racing. First race 7th
November,
The Entry form, Notice of race, and Sailing Instructions are now
available on the Squadron website
www.rnzys.org.nz/sailing/ClubRacing/S34HyundaiChampionship
Please make the effort to be ready, Is your class certificate valid
for the season? Lets see 20+ boats out there again. Show our sponsors that
we appreciate their support, and Fly the Hyundai Flag.
Post race results and prize giving will be in the Squadron, 1 hour
sharp after the last finish. A change this season, A Prize Voucher system
will replace the customary cheques, an archaic system, however post race
attendance is mandatory to get your voucher.
Hyundai corporate day. November 25th- mid afternoon on.
Harbour race, then on to Swashbucklers, details later.
Thanks to the owners who have already volunteered 7 boats and their
time, We need 5 more boats please. There will be a $100 bonus per boat, (call
it cleaning fee)
Give me a call or email if you can help, boat or crewing. Charles 027
273 5775
We are stretched out that day as some mad owners are sailing off to White
Island.
Classic Yacht Association.
The Stewart34 is considered a ‘Modern Classic’ and the CYA are now keen
to have us join their events. eg Mahurangi regatta, Anniversary regatta day,
The Classic Yacht regatta. we could have our own division for these events.
Think about it, more info later.
Oh by the way, just to add spice to post race debate, the certified
empty boat weight list as of 8 /10/11 is attached. I can hear the mutterings
already.
President’s Report 2010
Hi All
Fifty years have now come and gone and my coffee table is now adorned with a sparkling copy of our class history ‘Stewart 34 Yachting-The First Fifty Years’ written by George Backhus. As I thumbed my way through it, I marvelled at the amount of names and personalities that have been involved in our history, not to mention the boats and the colourful and delightful people who have sailed them over the years. The truth
is, our 50th is now behind us and it is time for us as a class to look forward to where we hope the class to be in the next fifty years.
I believe there is something about this design, class and the people who sail them that is worth preserving. These boats are not just great all round boats, equally suited to racing or cruising; they for many of us, have played a huge role in our lives, giving us many hours of fun both and off the water.
I strongly believe in order for the class to see another fifty years, it will be even more necessary that we hold on to the following ideas:
1) Good sportsmanship on and off the water.
2) Class thinking with the idea of one design being in all our minds.
3) Good racing fleet, with people making extra effort to support our
class championship.
4) Support from all members in the organization and running of the
association.
5) Good comradeship among owners once the finish gun has sounded.
While each of these things seems easy when written down, they will only work if we all want to make them work. It will take a lot of work and it will depend on each one of us doing our part.
The year that was saw the following highlights:
Hyundai New Zealand have continued their support of us as our principle sponsor and it has been great to fly their flag and to be able to support them in their endeavour to become New Zealand’s number one in new car sales. The corporate days held were much fun and I believe Howard Spencer may have achieved his goal of taking line honours in our fun race.
This year also saw the completion of our book ‘Stewart 34 Yachting-The First Fifty Years’ written by George Backhus. Rumour has it, that his significant contribution to the history of New Zealand sailing may have helped him secure his residency. But all jokes aside, the book is a fantastic resource for us all; full of many facts and a few tall stories that need to be remembered and I am sure this book will be a valuable historical document as our class goes forward. I would like to personally thank George for his efforts that I know were purely a labour of love. You have done a great job and I am sure that all would agree.
The fiftieth anniversary celebration also took place this past year and this was a massive undertaking that did not happen without the support of a few key people. The event started on Friday night with a huge fleet of Stewarts turning out in very fresh breeze to join in on the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Friday night rum race. It was great to see so many present and past crews taking to the water to begin the festivities. Saturday I believe, saw the biggest ever group of Stewart craft together outside the floating Pavilion and it was a good opportunity for owners to catch up and
for crews to be swapped among boats for the day’s racing. Throughout the day, the racing was serious yet fun. The book was officially launched and we organized a Stewart sail past, but little did I know that Stewarts are not able to sail single file as some owners could not resist the urge to catch up and overtake the transom ahead of them. The night’s celebrations and cocktail party with guest speaker Brad Butterworth was a success and I know most people enjoyed the night. The hard core stayed on and enjoyed a night cap with Brad Butterworth and the Taylor boys on Pahi.
The Stewart Monday night championship was again hotly contended and the eventual champion for the season was Roy Dickson and crew on Playbuoy. And the non-spinnaker race was won by Wayne Boberg on Phlyer. This series was organised again by the RNZYS with Barry Davies as the P.R.O. It was an extremely well run series and it is certainly nice to be able to just turn up and race and know that Barry and his team will take care of all the hassles and ensure we all enjoy a good summer series.
Throughout the remaining nights of the week and weekends, Stewarts have been involved in most organised keel boat races, including Rum Racing, Coastal Classic, SSANZ two-handed, Saturday Series, Gold Cup, Classic Yacht Regatta, Auckland Tauranga, White Island, Bay of Islands race week and Ladies racing just to mention a few.
This year has also seen a few new boats return to our fleet and a few having a good tidy up. It is great to see Panacea back racing with us; Pahi, Patiko and Playtime, all with new paint jobs. This is encouraging to see and good for our class to see the boats not only being raced hard and used often, but also being looked after so that they will live to see another 50 years.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have contributed to the running of the association in its many forms; you all do a great job, and I hope that together we can go forward and enjoy another 50 years of the iconic Stewart 34.
As a friend of mine once said, “Without passion, it’s just wind and water”
Kurt Boyle (Pelagian)
President 2009 – 2010
President’s Report 2009
It has now been almost 50 years since Patiki took to the water in late October. Allegedly an ugly boat, that looked like a launch with no bilge, and sailed by maniacs, so I guess not much has changed then in that time.
Here we are 50 years later, largely a different group of people that have one common interest. Strong competitive one design class racing and the ability to do some low cost cruising in this beautiful play ground we call home.
As we move closer to our 50th anniversary, it will be great to see as many past and present owners and crew get together to share old stories and memories and with the odd race for good measure.
The committee has a lot planned for the day and you should not waste any time in buying your tickets for the event, as nearly half the tickets have already gone and there won’t be another opportunity to celebrate with so many of our original members and crews taking part. It has been confirmed that Brad Butterworth will be our key note speaker, and P J Montgomery will be in attendance as will Chris Dickson, not to mention a few of our own personalities and rock stars.
We are now in our second year of partnership with Hyundai New Zealand; sponsorship has long been a part of the Stewart 34’s from Citizen to Canon and now Hyundai.
Hyundai are a progressive brand and it has been great to have them on board with us, also with a few of their people now part of regular crews. The recently held Corporate Day was a success and was enjoyed by all and the after match function that followed was interesting to say the least. I believe to date we have been responsible for eight new cars being sold to our current members, and to my knowledge all are more than happy with their purchases. At our recent prize giving, Hyundai announced that their
intention was to continue their sponsorship in the coming season.
Most of you are aware that the book commemorating the last 50 years, is now finalized and is currently in print, to be available in both hard and soft cover options.
George Backhus has done a tremendous amount of research and work and from the Association I would like to officially thank him for what he has done to ensure our history is preserved. In his research he has rediscovered many many things that would have otherwise been forgotten. The book contains history on each boat and a DVD of early match racing; the sneak preview was nothing short of impressive. I can assure you that you will want one if not two copies of this publication. It is a fine document for preserving our past and allowing us to look forward to the future.
It has also been great to see boats having makeovers this year and not just being raced and raced. Grant Barker and team have just finished a major overhaul of Pahi and I suspect she looks better than the day she was originally launched.
Pioneer is still on the hard and David is making progress on refitting her, to have her ready for the 50th. Paprika is also rumoured to be nearly ready, after running aground on Grant’s front lawn a few seasons ago.
It is great for our class to have boats being restored, as it will insure good boats and close racing for many years to come.
Stewarts continue to be involved in racing nearly every night of the week and in various regattas throughout the year; Simrad two handed, Squadron winter racing, rum racing, Coastal Classic, Classic Yacht Regatta and many more. Let’s continue to get out and see these boats for what they were designed to do.
This year’s Summer Series was again a well supported series, with close racing that could have gone any way. The crown for the series in the spinnaker division belongs to Roy Dickson and his team, the non spinnaker was won by Wayne Boberg on Phlyer.
An interesting study in our class took place this year with Pavo placing very high on the podium which proves that the right sails, the right gear and a good crew means that the top spots in the championship could belong to any one.
A big thanks again goes to Barry Davies, our pro and his team from the RNZYS for a well run, well organized racing season.
Lastly, I would like to thank those committee members who did more than just attend a meeting, but put their hands up to get involved in the running of the Association, both in a general committe and a sub committee capacity. As is often the case, a minority of
people do the majority of the work for little or no thanks; you guys are the true rock stars.
Once again we look forward to the rest of the year.
Wishing you all fair winds and calm sea.
Kurt
Chairman
2008-2009