Southern View: June 15, 2023

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6 Thursday June 15 2023 Model yacht club sail-ebrating One of world’s oldest model yacht clubs celebrates its 125th anniversary this weekend. Nick Tolerton reports THE CHRISTCHURCH Model Yacht Club, part of the Hagley Park scene for 125 years, has battled plenty of obstacles to stay afloat. Issues with water weed, competition from Canada geese, and especially the February 22, 2011, earthquake, which drained Lake Victoria like bathwater going down a plughole, are among the difficulties the club has overcome. However, at 125 the club will have much to celebrate at its jubilee on Saturday. With nearly 100 sailors, the membership is the highest it has ever been since a group of enthusiasts established the club during a meeting at Warner’s Hotel on June 17, 1898. It is the second oldest model yacht club in the world, after a London club in Kensington Gardens, founded in 1876. It’s a small miracle, though, that the Christchurch club got on its feet again after the earthquake. The big shake ruptured an unknown tile drain under the lake bed, the CHAMPION: Graham Parratt, a former national trailer yacht champion, has been the skipper to beat at Lake Victoria for several years. PHOTOS: RODNEY FORD water disappeared, and the lake became a wilderness of mud, puddles, weed, and rubbish. Mayor Phil Mauger gets the credit for putting it on its feet again – and can probably be sure of votes from club members. The contracting firm he had at the time was engaged to re-establish the lake, which had to be reexcavated, lined with bentonite clay half a metre thick, topped with a coating of ground glass, and to repair the wells which supplied its water. Before the quake, the club’s big issue for many decades had been weed, which sometimes grew so thickly it made the lake unusable. The weed returned after the quake, along with some algae in mid-summer, but in about 2015 the lake stabilised and it no longer even requires spraying for weed. As for the Canada geese (and ducks and ducklings), the yachties have to compromise and share the lake. A flock of geese taking off when winds are light literally takes the wind out of their sails. The biggest change in the club’s history came in the 1960s with the introduction of radiocontrolled yachts, allowing the operator to steer the yacht and adjust the mainsail and jib, which are on the same winch. Previously skippers used vane steering, which meant frantic sprints around the lake to reset the sails and vane when the yacht reached the opposite shore. Many of the club’s members have been among Canterbury’s top yachties in a variety of ‘proper’ sailing classes. The late Graham Mander, a Canterbury sailing great and winner of more than a dozen New Zealand titles in classes including the P class, R class, X class, and trailer yachts, adapted with ease to the challenge of the radio-controlled boats and was • The Christchurch Model Yacht Club anniversary celebration will be at Lake Victoria on Saturday, 10am to 4pm • Mass sail past, class by class – 11am Club patron Mayor Phil Mauger to unveils memorial plaque – 12.30pm • Races – 1.30pm • Visitors can try out sailing a radio-controlled yacht all day the top competitor for many years. More recently the No 1 competitor has been Graham Parratt, winner of multiple national trailer yacht titles. Other past or present club members who have been prominent in sailing and won many Canterbury, South Island, or national titles include Brent Cowan (trailer yachts), Bob Auton (trailer yachts), Laurie Wales (Z class, Javelins, and FDs), Dayele Hobson (OK dinghies), Glen Church (NZ Moths and trailer yachts), Pete Bradley (Javelins), Keith May (Javelins), Hugh Hobden (International Moths), Noel Vincent (Shearwaters and OKs), Stan Price (Sunbursts), Bruce Lang (keelers), and Tony Beasley (Lasers and Noelexs).
Thursday June 15 2023 7 125th anniversary PHOTO: NEWSLINE SUCCESS: Some of the J class skippers line up. The class was developed at the Christchurch club and is now raced around the world. Graham Luxon, the father of National Party leader Chris Luxon, well-known photographer Euan Sarginson, and Steve Mander, son of Olympic sailing champion Peter Mander, are also members. While the club has many ancient mariners, women have also made an impact. Sue Bowie was the first female member as a 13-year-old in the 1970s and finished third in a national junior championship. Thysje Arthur has had a long involvement, and the question of who cooked dinner that night was resolved on race days when she and husband Tom crossed tacks. Anzan Zhang, who raced big boats in China, spotted the model yachts while walking in Hagley Park, was offered the chance to sail one, and is now a keen member. A wide variety of classes have been sailed at the club, but there is special affection for the J class, which is now raced in other centres and even at some overseas clubs. Designed by Dave Heanly based on the lines of the famous America’s Cup yacht, Ranger, it has a long sweeping keel that enables it to glide through the weed which fouled yachts with deeper keels. Very handily, it also fits fully rigged in the back of a car. So far, at least, 365 J class have been built, fibreglass hulls from the same mould, and one club member, Graeme Raxworthy, has built or restored more than 40 J class. At one time in the 1960s, participant numbers at the club dropped to only six or seven boats, and the club looked set to go the same way as penny farthing cycle racing which used to be held around Lake Victoria when it was just a swamp. How things have changed – now the club, which runs races on Wednesdays and Saturdays, looks set to flourish for many years yet – a unique sports institution in the heart of the city. Team effort to wipe out graffiti •From page 1 Said Findlater: “We not only want to encourage people to help keep our city graffiti-free, but we also want to thank them. “Without people taking notice and taking action we would not be able to be as effective or as efficient. It truly is a team effort.” The graffiti team has also completed recent beautification projects as part of its What’s Cool About Your School initiative. Findlater said the project offers the chance for schools to “adopt” a cabinet and showcase their schools with a mural on it to increase pride and ownership in their community. They have also begun working with Restorative Justice Services on some community art and mentoring projects. “We have already had a couple of inquiries from parents who want their young people to have other avenues to explore other than tagging. “We are always open to new ideas so if you want to have chat about creating a mural, removing graffiti, project ideas or to attend an event, please contact the team. “Together, we can make a difference.” PARKER Now open at the Gallery Free entry AUTOMOTIVE All Automotive Repairs and Servicing including 4WD Suspension Brakes & Cambelts WOF, Tyres, Batteries 23B Birmingham Drive, Middleton Ph 03 982 4268 Mobile: 027 331 0382 Email: parkerauto89@outlook.com A partnership project between Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū and Canterbury Museum George Henry The Black Hat 1904. Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, presented by the Canterbury Society of Arts, 1932. Maker unknown Bilas, ceremonial headdress. Papua New Guinea. Collection of Canterbury Museum
Page 1 and 2: IN ASSOCIATION WITH H CHRISTCHURCH
Page 3 and 4: Thursday June 15 2023 3 Plan to com
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Page 9 and 10: Thursday June 15 2023 9 MOVING MADE
Page 11 and 12: Thursday June 15 2023 11 HOME & HEA
Page 13 and 14: Thursday June 15 2023 13 NISSAN NV3
Page 15 and 16: Thursday June 15 2023 15 Classified

Southern View: June 15, 2023

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