Flotsam & Jetsam 26.06.26
Noosa Gaff Rig Regatta
Thanks to Phil Atkins for this wrap up.
The Seventh annual Noosa Gaff Rig Regatta, was sailed on the Noosa River at the Noosa Yacht and Rowing Club early in June
For anyone not familiar with the Regatta a Gaff Rig is defined by the NYRC as “a sailing rig (configuration of sails, mast and stays) in which the sail is four-cornered, fore-and-aft rigged, controlled at its peak and, usually, its entire head by a spar (pole) called the gaff. Any yacht with a 4 corned mainsail Gaff, Lug, Gunter or otherwise is eligible to enter.” The boats can be constructed of traditional or modern materials.
Images by Ian Martin
We thank all entries in the 2026 Gaff Rig Regatta for their participation and sportsmanship as the Regatta is conducted each year to raise funds for the Noosa Yacht & Rowing Club’s charity, the Sailability program. None of this would be possible without the generous support from our major sponsors Ronstan yacht fittings, Bundaberg Rum and our volunteers.
The NYRC can arrange launching, mooring, accommodation, and any other requirements next year’s regatta which will be conducted the 5th and 6th of June 2027; this is the King's Birthday long weekend in some states.
Entree details, Sailing Instructions, and all information for 2027 will open in January on the NYRC website.
Hope you can make it next year and join in the fun in perfect Noosa sailing weather!
How I Blew My Chance To Help Save the World
This piece by Roger Long isn’t a wooden boat story, but its morbidly fascinating!
Lake Kivu, Rwanda
Lake Kivu has more than 3,000 times the volume of Lake Nyos. If it were to turn over, it would suddenly release as much CO₂ as many nations emit in a year. Not only that, but the bottom layers of the lake also contain a huge amount of methane from geological activity. Methane is 80 times more potent a greenhouse gas than CO₂.
The lake is volcanically active. Lava has flowed into it and there had been eruptions right in the bottom of the lake eons ago. Not only that, but inhabitants have deforested the steep slopes around it by cutting wood for cooking fuel, increasing the chances of a large landslide that could stir up the lake and start a self sustaining reaction.
My African contact and Google research placed the possible death toll at 3 million, potentially the largest natural disaster in human history. Not only that, the methane cloud, which would certainly ignite at some point, might create a 50 mile wide fireball that would burn all the way to the Indian Ocean.
Deaths aside, the fireball would be a good thing for the world because it would convert the methane to CO₂, which would have 1/80th of the global-warming impact, even though the massive CO₂ release all by itself might well constitute the quickest biggest single warming event ever.
And all this could still happen at any moment. Read that again!
Or read the whole story HERE
Classic Clyde Squalls Make for Thrilling Fife Regatta Finale
The final day of the Richard Mille Fife Regatta dawned with a forecast of strong westerly winds developing later in the day on the King’s Course, north of Great Cumbrae. In anticipation, the race team set a shorter course within the shelter of the Largs Channel for the smaller boats, while the larger yachts headed out towards Toward Bank buoy.
The King’s Course is based on a route first sailed by the Royal Largs Yacht Club in 1891 and was used for some of the great Clyde races contested by the “big class” yachts. Although Kaiser Wilhelm II never actually raced against a reigning King on the Clyde, he did compete against the then Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII, and Prince George aboard Britannia. Regardless, the course area offers a superb combination of flat water and open space, allowing these classic yachts to perform at their best.
© Marc Turner / PFM Pictures
Read on HERE
Browsing for Pleasure
Did you know there are 100 (mostly) Classic Boats for sale on line on the Classic Boat Magazine website?
Here’s one example that piqued our interest, partly because it’s in our current neck of the woods but also because you could pick it up for less than the price of a 2015 Toyota Corolla! Ok… It needs a little work …but whose afraid of work when there’s adventure in the air?
SIANDA is a beautiful GRP built 30’ Classic sailing yacht from the Herreshoff design studio. Owned by the same owner since 2005 and now ready for new adventures. Yacht is Lying in the glorious sunshine of Imperia Italy.
Originally built and delivered in Hong Kong by the Choy Lee shipyard in 1966, Lloyds registered, British flagged and sailed back to the UK in the late 60s. The Herreshoff Bermudan 30 was a popular model in Hawaii, America and northern Europe. A heavy GRP fiberglass hull with teak decking and teak cladded superstructure. The Ketch rig offers versatile cruising sails. Furling genoa, Vertical in-mast furling main sail and a mizzen with reefing pennants. SIANDA has a long keel with a hung rudder large attractive aft cockpit with tiller helm.
LOA 30’ / 9 Metres UK Certificate of Registry is 8.5metres.
Fitted with a rebuilt Volvo Penta MD2B diesel in board engine. The engine was installed in 2021 with new batteries and wiring and exhaust piping.
SIANDA has Traditional and comfortable accommodation offering a double V berth in the bow forward of the heads and sink then two single berths port and starboard in the main salon area. There is a galley area on the port side and a chart table on the starboard side. Access to the engine is through the off cockpit or behind the gangway stairs.
A new teak deck was professionally fitted in 2015 in St Tropez.
New Mizzen sail in 2018, New genoa in 2018. Main sail is over 20 year old now. The yacht has been in the Med for over 15 years and has cruised from Spain, the Balearics, to south France and now Italy.
Sadly since Brexit and personal relocation to the UK, SIANDA is now in poor condition given the lack of attention over the past year or two. She is out of the water in Italy in Imperia. The local shipyard would be delighted to help on the maintenance, yet this would be too expensive comparatively, hence the time to sell. SIANDA need an enthusiastic hands-on owner to take her forward and bring her back to her former glory.
Asking price is £8,500 or ONO
French Polynesia expands ocean protections to 30% of its waters
According to Mongabay ….
The government of French Polynesia announced it is expanding the extent of ocean where extractive industries like seabed mining and industrial fishing will not be allowed. With this move, 30% of French Polynesia’s waters will now be fully protected.
Last year on June 8, French Polynesia, a French overseas territory, established the Tainui Atea marine protected area. It spans nearly 5 million square kilometers (2 million square miles) of its exclusive economic zone, the area of ocean that French Polynesia has exclusive rights to conserve and manage. Some 900,000 km2 of this (about 350,000 mi2), located near the Society Islands and the Gambier Islands, are fully protected waters where no extractive fishing or mining is allowed.
I thought these comments from Angus Harvey at Fix the News were particularly pertinent.
The problem of course, is how to make this more than just lines on a map: a vast area on paper, yet potentially unpopular with residents, ignored by commercial fishing fleets, and seldom patrolled by any boats. Fortunately, French Polynesia has put in the hard yards to make sure this doesn’t happen.
The new protections are built on rāhui, the closures Polynesian communities have used for generations to manage fish stocks, now hooked up to satellite monitoring and patrols. And the process has been slow, deliberately so. Officials spent more than a decade getting fishers, scientists and elders on board before any of the maps were drawn, and easing industrial boats out of the coastal waters that local fleets depend on. By the time the plan was announced, 92% of French Polynesians supported it, and 95% in the Australs.
Then there’s the money, which is often where these things often fall apart. Something called the Te Moana Collective (a regional ocean conservation coalition) will cover the recurring costs - the boring, yet crucial stuff that makes an MPA work, things like patrols and scientific surveys and salaries.
What the government hasn’t really figured out yet is enforcement, which to be honest is the part nobody has really figured out (although a lot of people are working on it). President Moetai Brotherson has asked France for more navy boats, and there’s still a loophole that lets foreign boats lurk just past the MPA boundaries.
But enforcement is a problem you only get to have once you’ve done everything else right, and French Polynesia has done an awful lot right here. This is one of the biggest conservation victories of this decade, the momentum is real, and there’s more on the way. Take a moment to appreciate it.
John Welsford Expertise and passion of Wooden Boats
Another great talk from this year’s Auckland Wooden Boat Festival
New Zealand boat designer John Welsford shares the philosophy and experience behind his internationally known small-craft designs. Based in Rotorua, Welsford has spent decades creating practical sailing and rowing boats that can be built by amateurs yet are capable of serious cruising and coastal voyaging. His designs are now constructed by builders around the world, ranging from first-time hobbyists to experienced craftsmen. Welsford’s presentation explores the principles that guide his work: simplicity of construction, efficiency under sail and oar, seaworthiness, and the enduring appeal of traditionally styled wooden boats enhanced by modern design methods. Drawing on stories from builders and sailors who use his boats for exploration, family cruising, and long-distance adventure, Welsford reflects on how small-boat building fosters skills, independence, and community. The seminar offers both practical insights into boat design and an inspiring look at how well-designed small boats continue to open the door to meaningful experiences on the water.