Team Kai Rani - "doing it tough" on their 1st leg north

Next Monthly gathering:

Monday 17th June 7.30 p.m

BYO BBQ from 6:30 p.m. 

Images not showing? Please click here to view the entire Compass Rose in your browser.

Hello fellow Cruisers,

This month will see most of the committee heading away from Sydney for a while.   Kai Rani and Sanctum crews are heading north along our lovely coast, while, Martyn, Niclas and myself have flown to Europe.  Phil will be keeping the monthly meetings for June and July going at the club.

Our AGM is in August. The committee needs volunteers and we would love you to join in.  If interested please send your nomination to cruising@mhyc.com.au

This next year will see some changes to our events and meetings as the club will be closed on Mondays for next season. We will endeavour to meet on Fridays from October when twilight season begins.  

Remember to put the MHYC season opening, 21st of September, in your calendar. This will be an event not to be missed. The cruisers will end the day with a barbecue on the beach.  

For Compass Rose, please send us articles to publish. It is always great to hear from fellow cruisers..tell us what you have been doing, sailing, building.

As I am enjoying the summer in Stockholm, I am looking forward to meeting up with you in August.

Stay safe on and off the Water.

Sanna

Captain Cruising, SV RaRa

MHYC Cruising Events Winter 2024

The events are updated on the cruising website. Keep an eye out there for any changes.

Upcoming events June – September 2024

To note that the AGM will be at the August meeting. If you would like to be part of the committee, please send your nomination to cruising@mhyc.com.au

Winter meetings 2024 will be a gathering hosted by Phil. Come along to meet fellow cruisers and have a nice evening at the club. 

Cartoon by Alex Comino

My Daughter Alexandra Comino lives on Kangaroo Is where she leads a team as the head Marine biologist to save the local nagasi oyster from extinction ,she took these photos last night of the southern Aurora . The first photo is marvellous as it caught the “string of Pearls” going across the aurora.

If you recall I referred to the “string of pearls” in a talk to the cruising division last year. The “string of pearls” are a line of 50 Starlink satellites as being launched from spacecraft X, before they are deployed to their fixed low earth orbits. Starlink of course is owned by Elon Musk, who has permission to put 45000 satellites Into low earth orbit over the next few years (other countries are doing the same).

The other interesting feature of the southern Aurora is its colour, predominantly red, compared to the Northern Aurora which is predominantly green. This is because these colours are at opposite ends in the spectrum.

Pity we all missed this once in a lifetime experience from Sydney due to clouds and rain and rain and more rain.

Alex Comino

Bloodhound.

1. We are looking at a weather map and note with concern a strong low pressure system approaching.  Why is this a concern?

2. What directions are the winds likely to be around a southern hemisphere low pressure system?

3. After surviving the passage of the low, we see a strong high pressure system approaching.  What weather might we expect from this and is it a concern for our passage?

4. Is a reef knot a Knot or a Bend?

5. Would I prefer to use a clove hitch or a round turn and two half hitches to secure my fenders to the rail?

6. They look very similar, so when would you prefer an Anchor Bend to a Round Turn and Two Half Hitches??

7. You notice that your engine gives a loss of power at full speed.  Also at full revs it “hunts” (revs falling and rising) and at full load black smoke appears in the exhaust.  What is the most likely problem? 

8. Which of the following decreases the stability of a yacht? A) High keel profile area; B) High angle of vanishing stability; C) Addition of in-mast furling; D) High ballast ratio

9. What is the difference between Variation and Deviation?

10. Do either of Variation and Deviation change depending on your ship’s heading?

CRUISING at MHYC 

The Cruisers at MHYC are a group of sailors, with or without boats, who enjoy meeting up, listening to interesting speakers and guide each other in the world of sailing and especially cruising.

We like getting together with others to cruise in company, for a day, a weekend or even longer passages. Our events are open,to all members of the club.

We have adventures near and far, both together and individually. Safety is an important part of cruising, and we share best practice to make sure sailors are confident in boat handling, boat maintenance and navigation.

The Cruisers meet up monthly, for a BBQ and a catch-up at the club. At times we organise presentations with speakers who share their knowledge around sailing and other interesting facts around the naval world, all from fellow cruisers who are sharing their experiences to the professionals with whom we share the harbour.

Our events are on the Cruising website: https://cruising.mhyc.com.au/events/

For information on upcoming events, updates and becoming a member, go to the website, look at the MHYC e-news or subscribe to the Compass Rose, our monthly newsletter.

The calendar below is an indication of what activities we arrange for the 2024/25 Sailing season, subject to change.

1. Strong low pressure systems are usually associated with strong winds and stormy weather.

2. Clockwise and tending inwards towards the low.

3. We would expect fine weather, and possibly light winds (depending on how close together the isobars are – the further apart they are the lighter the winds).  Only a concern if we are on a tight schedule – otherwise anchor up and enjoy the fine weather!

4. An exercise in semantics, this one.  “A bend is a knot which attaches two lines to each other, end to end” (“Knots” – Andrew Adamides)  So a reef knot is actually a bend!

5. I would prefer a round turn and two half hitches as it is less likely to release  - if a clove hitch is subject to a “jiggling” load (such as when you are subject to the wake from a passing ship) it is likely to come undone (try it!) 

6. An Anchor bend cannot be undone under load, so it is preferred whenever it is imperative that the line does not release under load (such as – for instance – when anchored).

7. Blocked air filter.

8. C – addition of in-mast furling adds more weight up high and thus decreases the stability

9. Variation is the difference between True North and Magnetic North (or any other bearing) at any one point of the earth’s surface.  Deviation is the difference between Magnetic direction and Compass direction.

10. Deviation changes depending on your heading as it is the interaction between the ship’s magnetic field and that of the earth.  There is no change in Variation with your heading.

Photo of the Month of July 2024 by Jeremy Clarke

No, it’s not a sunset, beautiful clouds lit up a storm brewing behind us.

Send your photos to Mike McEvoy to enter into the 2024 Cruising Division Competition. Each Month the best photo received will be published and, in the running, to win a new Mystery Prize at the end of 2024.

Send your best photos (as a JPG / JPEG) - Remember … to be in the running to win the prize you must be in it. Hint …. Give your favourite photo a Title and Place taken. Submit your photos to mmcevoy@bigpond.net.au

Good Shooting …!! Mike.