Plenty of colour at Port Stephens Race Week

Next Monthly gathering:

Monday 20th May 7.30 p.m

BYO BBQ from 6:30 p.m. 

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Hello fellow Cruisers,

Halfway through autumn and I hope that you all have been able to enjoy the days with sunshine even if the temperature has been falling.

At the club, we welcome Andy Forbes as our new CEO and wish him the best as he takes on this new challenge. Working together moving forward to make our club be a place for us all to hang out when not being on the water.

If you have not yet been down to the club in a while, the new membership area at the entrance is looking great and is a nice place to hang out.

As winter is approaching, most of the committee members will be heading north, either along our beautiful coast or even further north on the planet to summer. The monthly cruising meetings will still go ahead, hosted by Phil, so do come along and have a bbq and catch up will fellow cruisers.

Our Cruising AGM will be held at the August meeting and if you feel you would like to contribute and join the committee please contact one of the committee members.

A reminder that we are looking for contributions of articles to the Compass Rose, if you have anything you would like to share, and I am sure a lot of you have lots to share, please email this to cruising@mhyc.com.au and we will include them in the next Compass Rose.

And if you have nice photos to share, please send these to us too and they can be part of the Photo of the Month.

Stay safe on and off the Water.

Sanna

Captain Cruising, SV RaRa

Vegan roast pumpkin

Vegan food is often boring, and vegans can be a pain to have to cater for when you invite them to dine at your house or on your boat. It is bad enough having to look after vegetarians. Helpful hint: check before inviting and if they are vegan strike them from your list of dinner guests, but just in case any of them slip through the net try this simple, but tasty, recipe. The only issue with it being so delicious is that the pesky vegans will want a return visit.  

Find a medium size pumpkin. 

I had a rogue pumpkin plant in my garden last year. The 'vine' was about 5m long and produced a number of flowers some of which turned into pumpkins. Unfortunately, I was overseas when they matured, so missed out on eating them. I can only assume they originated from seeds in bush turkey poo, which roam, and frequently ravage anything vaguely edible in my garden. I suspect they ate the pumpkins too, which I guess is fair enough, if they did indeed plant the seeds. 

Ingredients

• Small to medium size organic pumpkin
• Jar of tahini
• Organic olive oil
• Salt
• Ground Pepper
• Smoked, or sweet paprika powder
• Red onion
• Garlic
• Dukka or Finely chopped mixed nuts (or both) 
  

Serves 4 to 6 people

Preparation

1. Slice in half, length wise.
2. Scoop out the pith and seeds and set aside.
3. Place the two halves in a baking tray.
4. Slice a few slits in the pumpkin and pour on organic olive oil.
5. Sprinkle a little salt and plenty of pepper.
6. Meanwhile, heat the oven to a temperature of 200 degrees.
   Put the pumpkin in the oven and allow to cook for 20 mins or so. The time will vary depending on the pumpkin size. 
   
   
7. Place the pith and seeds in a frying pan and douse with olive oil. Add chopped garlic and onions. Fry, until the seeds become nice and crunchy and the garlic and onions are caramelised.
8. Place in a bowl and mix in a couple of table spoons of tahini.
9. Sprinkle smoked paprika (or sweet paprika if you prefer), dukka, or a mix of chopped nuts on top.
10. Remove the pumpkin from the oven and spoon the mix into the scooped out pumpkin hollows.
11. Place back in the oven for a further 15 mins or so. You might need to prod with a knife to see whether the core has softened. 
    
    Serve with green vegetables of your choice. 
    I like steamed broccoli and carrots. 
    
    To add a boost of flavour and colour use cherry tomatoes.
    Place a dozen or two on a baking tray. Add olive oil. Pour on a liberal amount of balsamic vinegar. Just enough to leave a few globules on the bottom of the tray.
    Bake in the oven for about 15 mins.
    Delicious. 
    
    Save the leftovers for the next day. 

MHYC Cruising Events winter 2024.

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

Upcoming events May – 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

1. What predicted wind levels does the Bureau of Meteorology issue a Strong Wind Warning for?  A Gale Warning?  A Storm Warning? stand for?
   
   
2. Do these warnings give you the highest predicted wind levels?
   
   
3. We are watching our barometer, and notice that it starts to fall (ie pressure starts dropping) at an increasing rate.  Should we be worried?
   
   
4. Can we dispose of garbage overboard from ships in Australia?
   
   
5. What about sewage?  Can I dump my holding tank?
   
   
6. What about in enclosed waters – can I discharge sewage or garbage? 
   
   
7. What is a Traffic Separation Scheme?  Where do they exist?
   
   
8. If you come on a TSS (Traffic Separation area) while sailing in a yacht, what are your three options?
   
   
9. What is the term for the difference between MWHS and MLWS?
   
   
10. When do Spring Tides occur? Is it only in the spring time?Where does the name come from?

People power behind changes to anchoring in Cabbage Tree Bay 

Each person can make a difference, as proven by a recent Facebook rally by a group called VIZ – Sydney Diving Visibility Reports. They asked its followers to email Zulu Waterways and request that they amend their nautical charts covering Shelly Beach and Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve in Manly.  

According to NSW government Department of Primary Industries, “Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve is home to a huge diversity of marine life including a wide variety of marine habitats. It was declared a ‘no-take’ aquatic reserve in 2002 to protect this marine life now and for future generations. 

This aquatic reserve is one of the most popular places for snorkelling, scuba diving, swimming and underwater photography in the Sydney region. 

The small north facing Bay, with its north   and west facing beaches, is favoured due to its protected waters, ease of foreshore access, as well as the diversity of marine life. 

The aquatic reserve is located on Sydney's northern beaches at Manly. It covers an area of approximately 20 hectares, including the bay, rocky shores, and beaches from the southern end of Manly Beach to the northern end of Shelly Beach Headland.” 

Since 2009 when the free-to-all swim group Bold and Beautiful started, the amount of swimmers across the bay has been steadily increasing, and so has the awareness of the precious nature of the aquatic reserve. The swimmers and the divers noted that anchoring yachts and other vessels sometimes would anchor over protected areas of seagrass, at times resulting in scarring of the seagrass beds by the chains. 

This prompted the diving group to invite its members and the swim group to write to Zulu, who quickly responded by amending their charts to include a No-Anchoring marker close to shore to highlight the existing restrictions. Boaters using Zulu Waterways charts will see a message noting that anchorage in the bay is restricted to waters greater than eight metres to reduce impacts on seagrasses. 

By Anna Alvsdotter 

1. Strong Wind Warning:  expected to exceed 25kts; Gale Warning: expected to exceed 33Kts; Storm Force Warning: expected to exceed 48kts.
   
   
2. No – they give the expected average wind levels.  Gusts may exceed this considerably.
   
   
3. Yes – this means that a low-pressure system is approaching – probably bringing bad weather.
   
   
4. You really should not – please take it home with you.  However, the law (MARPOL Annex V valid from January 2022) is that you can dispose of food wastes no larger than 25mm size if you are more than 3 miles from the nearest land.  Discharge of larger items of food waste is permitted more than 12 miles offshore.  However, there is no discharge of garbage allowed at all within the Great Barrier Reef area.
   
   
5. In general, you are allowed to discharge sewage if you are more than 3 miles from the nearest land – special requirements apply in Queensland waters and even more stringent in the Great Barrier Reef area.  Best to check these requirements thoroughly before you go!
   
   
6. The laws in NSW are NO DISCHARGE in enclosed waters or within 3 miles of shore – not even biodegradable items such as prawn heads!  Other states have similar laws.
   
   
7. A traffic separation scheme or TSS is a maritime traffic-management route-system. It consists of two (outer) lines, two lanes, and a separation zone.  We have them for large ships in many Australian areas (there is one in Sydney Harbour around Bradleys Head) but these do not affect our sized vessels.  Mandatory ones which we must comply include one in Bass Strait (near the oil rigs).  They are more common overseas in high traffic areas such as the English Channel., around Singapore and other similar areas.
   
   
8. You can either:
   • Join the TSS (making it obvious by joining at a shallow angle and complying with the directional rules).
   • Cross it – in which case your ships heading must be at 90 degrees to the direction of flow (to make it obvious you are crossing)
   • Stay clear of the area entirely (there is usually an “inshore zone” which we can stay in).
     
     
9. Mean Spring Range
   
   
10. No – Spring Tides occur twice each lunar month (so about every 14 days) during (or just after) the new moon and the full moon.  The term I believe comes from the “springing forth of the tide”.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Trimmer

SnO finally has a new bimini. After waiting for several months andeventually being let down, LME at Cammeray Marina, came up trumps. 

I waited a month for a time slot, delivered the boat on Tuesday and by Thursday all was completed, in time to compete in the Twilight race. We are now all set with sun protection and power, via the flexible solar panels stitched into the bimini, for our annual pilgrimage to Port Stephens for Race Week. 
LME Custom Tarps 0405 849365 

The next improvement/repair is to make my own winch covers. I bought some fabric from LME and spent a couple of hours at the Seaforth Community Centre, where Boomerang bags operate from. The have sewing classes on Wednesday mornings. I am nearly half way through making my first cover. I should finish it by the end of the year so will report on progress. 

Some recommendations based on good experiences with these suppliers, by Mike McEvoy:

• Upholstery   I recently had the seats in the cockpit reupholstered by AAQT design and upholstery at 47 Wellington Street Rozelle 2039
  Tele: 9555 1700  Proprietor: Ara Arakelian, who advertised in the AFLOAT magazine    Email: aaqt@aaqtdesignandupholstery.com.au  He matched the colour very well with the  existing seats in the saloon, which are at least 19 year old.

• Trimmer    Jim Hessey at Empire Bay Marina, of J & J Boat Trimming, Bobbin Head.  Tele: 9457 7088 Mob: 0419 467 163
  This is the second time I have used Jim, His work is excellent, but it is a good idea to give him lots of notice as he is always very busy. Each time I have had the boat at hand to make measurements easier and more accurate.

• Trimmer local. Alex Robison of AR Marine Trimmers at Fergusons Boatshed at The Spit. Tele: 9968 1849   Mob: 0412 470 877 He insists on coming to your vessel to do the measuring and always does a good job.  I have used him for about 20 years.