2019 Term 1 Roundup and look ahead

Hi all And welcome to our 2019 first term news.  Term 1 roundup Its been a pretty exciting term 1 culminating in a brilliant Cutty Sark Regatta for the small contingent that made it up their this year. Sunday Sailing Practice Many of you made an attempt at some time during the term to attend a sailing practice, some of you on a regular basis and this showed at regattas and at Thursday evening programme events when we went sailing.  Confidence grew and many scouts who had never sailed much before this summer were helming cutters and sunbursts with skill. Founders Day Mud Slide Mud and slide should be synonymous with children of scouting age.  A short write up and a few photos are on the blog site here. Great Onepoto Raft Race 2019 This one had a fair bit of build up with Thursday evenings of lashings and practice rafts being built.  There was also an unprepared lesson on when it is good to review if it is safe to go out. A short blog with lots of pictures is available here. Land Rafts Following the raft race it was decided to try making land rafts.  The results were mixed but lots of fun.  A short video of one of the Land Rafts is on Facebook here Plimmerton Regatta (by Kate) Sunday dawned bright and very very calm… after Ciara, Lauree, Adam and Hamish and their families with Grant's help got sorted bright and early, there was a looong delay on glassy water waiting for enough wind to start the first race. After a slow first race in the very light winds, which had its real challenges for both starting and finishing, Ciara and Lauree were happy to call it a day. Adam and Hamish had a fabulous start for race 2 and sailed the now-shortened course before also retiring. No places were achieved but plenty of good experience, including how to navigate into the ramp when the wind is both light and right on the nose. Well done to the scouts for signing up for this extra regatta and taking on these challenges. A huge thanks to Grant for getting the boats and gear sorted in the morning, and all parents for their help over the day and to pack up boats and gear and get it back to the den. We hope you all enjoyed the rest of the lovely last summer afternoon after the exertions! Individual achievements Investitures This term we invested a few new scouts.  The following scouts all took the promise and received our scarf and woggle to wear with pride, whenever in the company of other scouts: Daniel Woodside Calvin Dunnett Marcus Chapman-Walsh Bronze Silver and Gold Awards Some of you scouts have completed Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards over the last term.  They are: Gabriella Clements - Bronze Max Calvert - Bronze Alfie Gater - Bronze Will Scott - Bronze The Bronze award is a requirement to attend Jamboree and the leaders will make every attempt to help scouts achieve this, but you need to be aware and motivated to achieve it to. Sandford "Young Leaders" and Cossgrove "Practical Skills" courses The Cossgrove course in March was for our group a personal triumph.  When the course opened up our scouts responded so quickly that we took nearly a third of the spaces on the course.  The following scouts have successfully achieved their Cossgrove Basic Award: Alfie Gater Max Calvert Rosie Bell Calvin Dunnett Bronson Martin Will Scott Seth McGregor Daniel Woodside Xavier Braga Ohara Mundell I will send out invites to the next Sandford course as soon as I know the dates. Chief Scout Awards Congratulations to Ellen for achieving her Cheif Scout award.  We all look forward to the presentation so that we can congratulate her in person. Well done to you all. Looking ahead Swim Sports - 18th May This is the last event in the regatta season and we should give it a go to get as much from it as we can.  The event will be at Canons Creek pool on the Saturday afternoon.  Invitations will go out soon. Scout Camp - 25 & 26th May Invitations for this have already gone out and you should know that this is going to be a short but action packed weekend. Prize giving - 5th June This year the prize giving for the years events will take place in our own den.  It would be really good if as many as possible could attend to cheer and accept any prizes we may get this year. 3rd Term planned events Hike to Atiwhakatu This was the hike that was cancelled in term 1 and it will go ahead either early in Term 3 (or if we get our act together late in term 2) Group Camp - 27 to 29th September This years theme is planned to be "Wild Wild West" and will be held at Brookfield again. Contact If you have any questions of queries, feel free to contact me on 021 0292 8345, or at derrickbell@gmail.com. Yours in scouting Derrick

2019 Onepoto Raft Race

The 2019 Onepoto Great Raft Race got off to a cracker, being won in truely magnificent style by a group who have been perfecting their style of raft for a few years now.  The research and development finally paid off with a win of almost half the time of the second participant.

However, the story all starts with a group of troops with groups of scouts in crews who made bunches of rafts.

• Paekakiriki Scouts brought a crew
• Paekakiriki Venturers brought 2 crews
• St Marys Scouts (all the way from Levin - WOW what an effort) brought 2 crews
• Whitby Scouts brought a crew
• Brittania Sea Scouts brought a crew
• Titahi Bay Scouts brought a crew
• Raumatis Scouts brought 2 crews
• & Ngati Toa Scouts brought 4 crews

As you can see from the list, a great turn out.

So to the building, the briefing started things off at 9am and rafts were built at a rapid rate from then.  However the designs all differed greatly. 

Most of Ngati Toa opting to go with a standard two+two inner tube approach firmed up with spars

St Marys opting for a four in a line configuration

Whitby & Raumati doing the "lets just lash some inner tubes together" thing! This is a tried and tested technique for getting to the finish line and this design provided last years winner.

Titahi Bay put together a nice frame that looked like it would go the distance

Paekakariki putting together a superstructure of green bamboo poles that looked like it might be the raft to beat

Britannias effort looking like you could ride this ship and never get wet!

And last but not least the Paekakariki Venturers all out to build out a design 3 years in development

Yes, those are bath tubs!

AND ON TO THE START!

This unruly bunch would not make a straight line making it hard for judges and umpires to be fair about it but we came close and took this picture to indemnify ourselves against any accusations.

Once underway, it became very quickly clear whose rafts were quick and whose were happy to travel on the wind and tide alone!  There was a lot of swimming being done and some genuine fun be had!

Britannia off to a shaky start

The Paekakariki Express (the train of bath tubs) showing it's style

"Whitby Wolves" howling along!

There were plenty of leaders and parents in support

Eventually the inlet began to take its toll.  Rafts started coming apart, as did crews!

Some crews however found it easier simply to combine their rafts

Eventually, everyone made it to shore and hot chocolate was drunk and sausages were consumed.  All the equipment made it back to shore with only one or two pieces being retrieved from the water by safety boats.

Congratulations to Paekakariki Venturers for spending so long perfecting your design.  You took honours in brilliant style.

Thanks to all the parents and leaders who brought troops down to attend this event and make it what it is.  And a big thank you to the crew from Ngati Toa for providing the safety boats, changing tents, hot chocolate and sausages (You know who you are).

Mud Slide 2019

Three scouts (that I am aware of) attended the Mud Slide 2019 at Pukera Bay den on Saturday.  The grins were huge on all the faces I saw.  Seth, Rosie and Calvin all had a fantastic time.  Below are a few pictures of them (I missed Seth, so there aren't any of him).

Thursday night rowing challenge

Last Thursday evening we had an introduction to the Jamboree Fund raising efforts for all the scout parents and while we were all being regalled with ideas on how to fund raise enough for the scouts to go, they were out doing what sea scouts do best, playing on the water!

The challenge that was laid down for them was this:

• Row across to the other side of the harbour mouth in a normal rowing formation
• Once there, using the oars, a few other poles and lashings the scouts had to raise themselves out of the cutters.
• Then, provided with paddles they had to make their way back to the den - WITHOUT touching the cutter they were paddling

Below are a few pictures of their efforts at rowing.  Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me when they came back to the beach so missed the final efforts.  The good news is they all held up.

Enjoy!

2018 Term 4 roundup and looking ahead into 2019

Hi all And welcome to our 2018 wrap up and news of what's to come this year.  I hope everyone had a great break from the routine and the mundane and looking forward to new experiences and new challenges in 2019 will bring. Important OSM Updates Please could you update all the details for Derrick . These details will not be shared with anyone who does not need to see them, but do contain important information that we, as leaders need to know, in the event that we have an issue: https://osm.scouts.org.nz/login.php?g=d4e5fa38-2b1f-434f-97c0-284eb623fb8b-1549676000 The first section of contact details is for you as scouts.  Please complete this so that you can be involved in these email conversations.  At the very least, please add your email addresses into this section. Please review this even if you have completed it recently.  It needs to be up to date. Badges You as a scout can also track your progress in awards and badges using the following link to OSM: https://osm.scouts.org.nz/login.php?g=57b31447-843e-4137-a140-35f6992753e4-1549676000 Term 4 roundup Unlike Term 3 where a wide variety of activities were experienced and shared, Term 4 was all about Sea Scouting - Rowing, Seamanship, Kayaking and of course Sailing! Of course not all of it was just boring learning.  We had visits from a couple of other troops during the term. Waikanae Troop - who we took rowing out in the Pauahatanui arm of the inlet.  It was all rather adventurous with the seniors taking the cutter almost around into the next bay Titahi Bay Troop - in return for our visit to them in Term 3 we invited Titahi Bay Scouts to come sailing and kayaking with us which they did. Some time was spent learning sailing basics, rigging and weather (thanks to our very able Venturer volunteer Alastair), some time practicing them and then putting them into practice at regattas. We fitted in an expedition rowing trip almost around to Browns Bay, a very impressive effort given that we normally only get an hour and fifteen or twenty minutes on the water on a Thursday evening. Onepoto Regatta The Onepoto Regatta is our home regatta and was fantastic as always.  I won't redo everything I have done previously as there is a blog on the site here: https://ngatitoaseascouts.blogspot.com/2018/10/onepoto-regatta.html which tells it all. Many thanks to Neil for doing an extraordinary job again this year as Shore Officer and Rachel and her team for laying on the magnificent spread for dinner.  All the leaders and parents who came along to help and support, my thanks to you too. Levin Regatta This was a first for me and I think most of the scouts.  Lake Horowhenua has always been a little sketchy with algal blooms and pollution always being a risk.  This year, it was decided to try and get a regatta in on the lake early in the summer to beat the algy and pollution.  The work the council up there have put in over the last few years have also made a big difference and we look forward to better years up there in the future. The new venue presented it's own challenges around where to base ourselves and where to do briefings and where to launch the boats.  For future reference, the boats launched quite easily when we walked them to the end of the little spit.  The lake would have been excellent for sailing had the wind not been so enthusiastic, but we still got some rowing races in which we faired reasonably well in (I think we get the prize for the most second places).   Unfortunately, I have no photographs of this regatta.  We also managed to write off one of our cutter sails. Kapiti Regatta (by Neil) There was a good breeze in the morning that was due to die out so we swapped the order and set out for Aeroplane Island in the morning sun. The race over to the island soon became well spread out with Ngati Toa firmly in the middle of the pack and sailing well. All our boats managed to avoid the dead patch of air on the leeward side of the island while some others drifted forlornly in to it and stayed there for some time. The race back to shore was a fight against the tide that saw many boats, including the Ngati Toa fleet, drift a long way south before heading up the shoreline to the finish.  After a brief break for lunch we started the inshore race just as the wind died out. This meant a very slow race for most boats with several not making it over the finish line in favour of getting home before darkness fell. Overall it was a good regatta with a good turn out from the Scouts and Venturers and much fun had by all. Ward Island Picnic (by Grant) We have some great photos to share with you of the sailing to Ward island on Sunday. Well done to St James for hosting this fun event. It turned out to be some of the best sailing conditions we have had on the harbour for a long time, and we had a blast. https://photos.app.goo.gl/37t9sMmtx9Lu3u2z6 This short video is particularly good - I like to call it "Wake Up Will" We ended up with 14 Scouts and 1 Venturer (Alistair, who quickly partnered up with St James) so we took 3 cutters and 1 patrol boat. Special thanks to Roy McGuinness, Kate and Neil Calvert for towing there and back. Kate and Neil also stayed for the day and got to sail with the scouts (a special sort of torture). Both Kate Scott and myself would really like to say just how proud we were of our Scouts on Sunday. Their enthusiasm and complete confidence to take charge of those boats and sail them across Wellington harbour is, quite frankly, awe inspiring. A great way to round out the year. Individual Achivements Investitures This term we invested a lot of new scouts.  The following scouts all took the promise and received our scarf and woggle to wear with pride, whenever in the company of other scouts: Connor Tyacke Thomas Duncan Rosie Bell Bronson Martin Seth McGregor Jesse Barnes Xavier Braga Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards Some of you scouts have completed Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards over the last term.  They are: Ellen has achieved her Gold Award and is well on her way to her Chief Scout.  Only her Zone Leader interview stands between her and achieving the pinnacle of scouting. Hamish and Harry have both achieved their Bronze Awards The Bronze award is a requirement to attend Jamboree and the leaders will make every attempt to help scouts achieve this, but you need to be aware and motivated to achieve it to. Sandford "Young Leaders" and Cossgrove "Practical Skills" courses This year I hope get a large number of you onto these two courses.  They are both great fun and very challenging, and will definitely put you outside your comfort zone for a weekend.  I have the dates for two Sandford courses and will be sending out invites closer to the time.  The first is 5-7 April and the second is 17-19 May. A Cossgrove course is also planned but the dates are not finalised yet. Term 1 Programme A programme has yet to be finalised for Term 1 2019.  Needless to say it will contain a lot of sailing, rowing, kayaking and fun. We are planning to organise a camp during the term as well. Term 1 Events One planned event we do know about is the Kapiti Zone Mud Slide When: Saturday 23rd February Where: Pukera Bay Scout Den, Greenmeadows Park 2019 Regatta Schedule Please remember that as Sea Scouts we need to attend as many of these events as possible, so put them in your calendar now so you won't forget. 2019 - Sailing Calendar Hickson Regatta When: Sunday 24 February 9:30am Where:Evans Bay Zone Raft Race When: Sunday 03 March 10:00am Where:Onepoto / Titahi Bay BC Harbour Race When: Sunday 24 March 9:30am Where:Evans Bay Worser Bay Regatta When: Sunday 07 April 9:30am Where:Worser Bay Cutty Sark Regatta When: Sat-Sun 20-21 April 9:30am Where:Napier @ Westshore Charge Course(Certification for Parents and Leaders who wish to help run Safety Boats, instruct Scouts and operate a shore base) When: Monday 22 April 9:30am Where:Napier @ Westshore Swimming Sports When: Saturday 18 May 3:00pm Where:Cannon's Creek Pool, Porirua LNI Prizegiving When: Wednesday 05 June 7:30pm Where:Ngati Toa Scout Den Contact us If you have any questions of queries, feel free to contact me on 021 0292 8345, or at NgatiToa.SeaScouts@gmail.com. Yours in scouting Derrick