Hello all,
Another Cutty Sark Regatta has wrapped up, and this one was spectacular!
Five groups were competing - us, Britannia, PBeach, Westshore and New Lynn from Auckland.
We haven't seen New Lynn for a number of years, so it was good to have a look at the group and size them up. There must be something peculiar in the water up there as I couldn't really tell where the Venturers ended and the Scouts began. Maybe next year we ought to check ID?
The weather for sailing was fabulous, with some light winds in the morning picking up toward afternoon. We made the most of it with three races on Saturday, and that was after some Ironman competitions in the morning before the wind got up. Dinner was well-earned that night!
Sunday was chockablock as well, with the rowing races, seamanship tests, another set of kayaking races and finally the centipede race. By the time all was said and done, we hit the road home at around five and I'm sure set a new land speed record in the Scout Convoy Towing Boats category. I hope Britannia and PBeach have arrived home safely and ducked the traffic.
The hospitality shown by the Westshore crew and the catering team was second-to-none. If anyone went hungry this weekend, they must have been at the wrong regatta.
Some of the events we picked up recognition for were:
Special thanks have to go out to Grant, Derrick and Phil who were our additional drivers, parent help and Scout wranglers.
Another Cutty Sark Regatta has wrapped up, and this one was spectacular!
Five groups were competing - us, Britannia, PBeach, Westshore and New Lynn from Auckland.
We haven't seen New Lynn for a number of years, so it was good to have a look at the group and size them up. There must be something peculiar in the water up there as I couldn't really tell where the Venturers ended and the Scouts began. Maybe next year we ought to check ID?
The weather for sailing was fabulous, with some light winds in the morning picking up toward afternoon. We made the most of it with three races on Saturday, and that was after some Ironman competitions in the morning before the wind got up. Dinner was well-earned that night!
Sunday was chockablock as well, with the rowing races, seamanship tests, another set of kayaking races and finally the centipede race. By the time all was said and done, we hit the road home at around five and I'm sure set a new land speed record in the Scout Convoy Towing Boats category. I hope Britannia and PBeach have arrived home safely and ducked the traffic.
The hospitality shown by the Westshore crew and the catering team was second-to-none. If anyone went hungry this weekend, they must have been at the wrong regatta.
Some of the events we picked up recognition for were:
- Scout Ironman (third)
- Scout Cutter Sailing (second)
- Venturer Seamanship (second)
- Scout Sunburst (first)
Special thanks have to go out to Grant, Derrick and Phil who were our additional drivers, parent help and Scout wranglers.
And consider this: our Venturer crew picked up second in the
seamanship even though there were only three of them, and for Sven and
Adam this was their first regatta ever! Fantastic job!
My photos have been posted to the gallery. If you have your own you'd like me to add, please email me or create a CD.
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For Scouts this week, we have Rowan's Chief Scout plan, which is to meet at 5:30pm at the Pauatahanui walk at the far end of the inlet, explore the wetland and hopefully spot some wildlife. Weather's not looking too flash for Thursday but we'll keep an eye on it.
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And finally, a personal note.
And finally, a personal note.
Scouting
for me has always had a strong family aspect. It seems like half our
troop are brothers or sisters, and the other half have siblings in Keas,
Cubs or Venturers. And when I look around at the kids on a Thursday
night, I can see that we are far more than just a group of people who
get together and mess about with boats. In uncountable ways, the entire
troop is a family.
I saw this family come together again over the
weekend, in a thousand little moments which made me smile. The
trophies and pennants we won are nice, but it's the scenes of family
which are the real taonga for me. Rowan putting the fluoro war paint on
anyone sitting still long enough. Sven playing with Jasper's little
sister Jemma at the water's edge. Kate Powell's willingness to throw
herself into anything she could. Joe fighting that crazy tidal flow to
swim for the Ironman and absolutely everyone cheering him on.
The past four years have been a gift to me,
and it is now time to pass that gift on. I am stepping down as troop
leader after the Worser Bay Regatta, and retiring from the troop.
To all past and present parents, Thank You for lending us your
kids. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to watch them grow, learn
and sail. This troop is blessed with outstanding leaders, excellent
resources, a strong future and most of all, you.
Randall
