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 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. 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. | 
