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Selected Articles from Issue 40 ... July/August 2004
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EDITORIAL Knock
knock judges wake up!
Has the judiciary system lost its marbles? Poachers in any shape or form, including those who receive the ill-gotten gains, are just fish thieves, and should be keelhauled and hung from the yardarm as an example to others. Sure, this is no longer the 18th century and we no longer have the cat o'nine tails, in fact we no longer approve of the cane, and one wonders why discipline in our society is lost. We look to our esteemed judges for support and guidance, but they too seem to have lost the plot. No matter how you look at it, it is still an offence to take seafood, including undersized paua, or more than the daily bag limit when you do not hold quota for that species. Pretty simple, aye. And it is an offence, or was we all thought, to be in possession of or receive paua in excess of the daily bag limit or when not a licensed fish receiver from a quota holder. Straightforward so far, one would have thought. So, when you are caught in possession of 184kg of paua stowed in the freezers in your garage, one would expect to go to court and be prosecuted. Not so. The message Judge Mike Behrens is sending to the poaching fraternity is that it's all right, the courts do not take commonsense into the process. Get a smart lawyer to baffle the judge with fancy words about process and you can get away scot-free. In a recent case in Wellington, Judge Behrens threw out undersize paua charges as an 'abuse of process', and went on to dismiss the other charges on the grounds that the Ministry of Fisheries had not proved that the shellfish had been taken illegally. The judge has basically said that it is no longer an offence to be in possession of excess and undersize paua. Wrong message, judge! How can the seafood industry strive to combat the poachers and reduce the burgeoning illegal catch that is destroying the very foundations of the quota management system when you do not let commonsense prevail, and accept the creative if somewhat suss argument from your barrister. Judges have a duty to the people of New Zealand to do what's right, and commonsense must prevail. Either we are allowed to be in possession of excess and undersized seafood, or we are not. I'm confused, and would like the judiciary system to explain in layman's terms how it now appears that we, the public, are allowed to receive and possess undersized and excess seafood. Because, no matter how you look at it, 184kg of paua is a bloody big feed for a family, even for one of our extended new New Zealand families. Speaking of confusing fisheries messages to the public, the recreational sector is either all growly or silent. I am of the firm belief that the wrong people were marching on the recent hikoi. The rights of Maori, both customary and commercial, are secure in law, as are the rights of the commercial fishing industry. It is the New Zealand public's rights that face constant erosion, both in access and quantity. One of the largest threats that will impact on our future rights is loss of access through the development of a coastal network of no-take marine reserves. The Department of Conservation is failing miserably in its ability to manage the Crown estates it is already responsible for, yet it is forging ahead against public opinion to create many more ill-conceived closed areas which will end up as havens for poachers and illegal fishing activities, because no-one will be monitoring the areas. The green brigade says there are huge areas of coast where we can still fish. Not so, as much of our coast and waters out to the 200 mile limit of our Exclusive Economic Zone is just not fishable, either by commercial or amateur fishers. We need to rebuild some of the bridges that have weakened in our relationship with the Crown and other stakeholders. In effect, the amateur sector has run the risk of establishing a reputation for being an 'anti-commercial' sector, rather than contributing as a responsible fishery manager. Or representatives of the amateur sector have come across as 'government bashers', blaming MFish for all the problems perceived in fisheries without really understanding the administrative, legislative, regulatory or political priorities and influences that are brought to bear on something as uncomplicated as hanging a baited line over the edge of a boat or wharf. I know from my own experience that when 'bashed', MFish staff will close ranks to protect themselves and will be less inclined to work with their assailants. We all face the same threats - loss of access to fishable waters, marine reserves, the growing illegal catch by fish thieves and the continued degradation of our coastal waters by urban run-off. It is in these areas I believe the recreational sector should be forming strong alliances with the seafood industry, because they have access to robust scientific data and technical knowledge. If asked, the seafood industry could supply the New Zealand Recreational Fishing Council with a lot of the tools and scientific information that they, the public representatives, so sadly lack when trying to argue their case when countering DoC and its green supporters, who frequently quote flawed facts to justify their actions. Keith Ingram, Editor |
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Ageing trawler
fleet's future questioned by Keith Ingram
On wandering along the fishing section of the waterfront after a recent Anzac Day remembrance service, I recalled the words 'Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn,' and thought to myself that this unfortunately does not apply to our ageing trawler fleet. The fact that many of the trawlers still working in the 10m to 25m range are either past or approaching 30 years of age says something for the care and maintenance given by owners, engineers and crews over the years to keep these vessels in service. However, in general from the outside, these vessels are looking past their economical use-by date. The fishing industry is a close-knit community whose seafarers work hard in a harsh environment and in many cases appallingly cold, damp and dirty conditions aboard. One could say in defence that many fishermen are the authors of their own plight if they choose to live like rats. 'It's up to the crews to clean the ship up,' owners might rightfully say. I couldn't agree more, but when the ship is old, rusting and sporting the original 20 to 30-year-old interior linings and equally old interior paintwork, it's hard to instill enthusiasm or pride in our young seafarers.
How many modern long-haul transport operators do you know that are running trucks and rigs in excess of 30 years old? You do not get top drivers earning above average incomes for the industry in old rigs. Good equipment and conditions attract good operators. Good operators improve profitability. Will upgrading the fleet result overall in the rationalisation of the trawler fleet, translating into fewer vessels? Unfortunately this is most likely. However, fewer vessels need not mean that the small operator must exit the industry. There will always be a place for the small operator who fishes for a lifestyle and just scratches a reasonable living. The real problem is when this becomes the mindset for a sector of an entire industry, which is perhaps where the majority of the inshore fishing fleet and crews are heading. An aged fleet effectively results in huge losses of efficiency and increased catch mortality, which is a cost borne by the industry as a whole in terms of lost productivity, reduced TACC and increased costs. With the aged fleet comes increased maintenance costs, fuel consumption and compliance costs with a large number of inefficient vessels. The aged fleet also generally suffers from decreased engine horsepower relative to the efficiencies that are provided from modern engines, the catch rates are reduced, the net sizes able to be towed are reduced and so on. While a large number of inshore vessels are owner operated, many vessels in this category are also either owned or effectively controlled by the large fishing companies. Many of these larger companies have focused their efforts on the deep sea factory trawlers, with many experiencing the benefits by owning or leasing the new 'Norwegian style' fishing trawlers. Unfortunately, they have almost without exception allowed and even encouraged the inshore trawlers to slip to the age and condition where the inshore fishing industry is in or is almost near a crisis. The fishing companies that represent the majority of the inshore trawler fleet need to encourage owners to upgrade their vessels, which will lead to an increase in quality and efficiency. The industry will be the winner. Let's hope we do not end up where farmers did some years ago where the freezing works basically screwed them to the wall. As quota is accumulated into fewer and fewer hands, the larger fishing companies need to ensure that a fair return is paid for the effort and investment required to operate a trawler in the inshore industry. This increase in quality needs to be reflected in the prices paid to the fishermen. Sure, penalise poor quality, but pay for the good quality! Large fishing companies have principally invested in quota and then their land-based processing factories, which has enabled them to increase processing of frozen and fresh product. Yet from where I sit, very little investment appears to have been able to be made in the inshore fishing boat assets. As I write this and look around the yards, precious few new trawlers are being built or are even on the drawing boards. When talking with our black steel shipbuilding industry, most of them report no new build enquiries from the fishing industry or port companies. The question is that with so little re-investment in the catching vessels, the industry is doing itself a disservice. Will it put its long-term inshore economic catching future at risk? Re-investment requires the wholesaler (usually a large fishing company) to show a commitment, and to pay for quality, which is passed to the vessel operator. This premium is then collected by the retailer - be they local or overseas. When I look at the retail prices for fresh fish in our supermarkets and fish shops, someone is creaming it, as I cannot see how the current prices are justified when one considers the price the boat gets at the wharf. The vessel is basically a price taker, and is too often seen as the marginal pawn in the system. The price received by the wholesaler/retailer needs to be more fairly distributed so that the industry can re-invest for the long-term benefit of all players. It looks like these large fishing companies have effectively withheld funds from the vessel operators by lowering the prices paid to enable them to purchase the quota, resulting in the bigger companies simply becoming bigger and thus more powerful. The deep sea trawlers are very costly to operate, and generally require significant volumes of bulk fish to break even. With the value of the United States or New Zealand dollar we are seeing compounding problems arising. The industry was founded on the inshore fishing industry. It has lower operating costs, and is not as reliant on one or two bulk species, therefore in the current climate fishing companies would be well placed to focus a portion of their future investment back into the inshore fishery. A good vessel will go a long way to enabling the owner to attract or keep a good skipper, and a good skipper matched with a good fishing boat and a happy crew will provide good returns for all parties involved. While the skipper and crew involved in the inshore fleet can earn significant annual returns, the ageing fleet is all too often resulting in potential skippers and crew effectively choosing not to be involved, as most inshore vessels are viewed as being small, cramped and damp. They are often prone to breakdown with resulting lost time, and all for very little or limited financial return. While some skippers aspire to the large factory vessels for the perceived higher financial returns, we understand that it is a fallacy that very good returns are not possible in the inshore fishery when linked to a good boat. With the added advantages of increased flexibility and more regular time at home, we see good reason for a skipper to be involved and for owners to invest in new vessels. Modern trawlers built specifically for inshore fishing within the last 10 to 15 years are very uncommon. However, the returns available from new vessels that have entered service are significant. They generally have higher horsepower, better comparable fuel consumption, better crew accommodation and comforts, more powerful winches, better electronics and better refrigeration, including ice-makers. This results in better catches and increased profitability for owners and operators. The two most important assets to the fishing industry are your vessels and their skippers and crew, for without them you may as well close the factory. While many companies employ their own crew or pay on a share basis, by and large the majority of skippers and crew are self-employed share fishermen. They will therefore also benefit from the increased returns, earning substantially more than they could when previously working on old, inefficient vessels, while also enjoying significantly better working and living conditions. After all, when you are at sea for five days per week it is a second home. Those companies which have invested in new vessels will reap the rewards, while those who have not or at least do not invest very soon run the risk of becoming a second class sub-group of one of the most successful industries in New Zealand, the seafood industry.
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 Tsunami
storms north Queensland coast by Keith Ingram
Vaudrey Miller Yachts recently launched a unique yacht conceived and constructed to be the fastest bridgedeck tourist catamaran of her type in the world. She was commissioned by the New Zealand-based company Marine Tourism Holdings for day-sail operations within their new Cruise Whitsundays business in Queensland, Australia. MTH also own Fullers Bay of Islands in New Zealand and South Sea Cruises and Awesome Adventures in Fiji. The commissioning of Tsunami is just another chapter in the continuing success story of this award-winning New Zealand marine-based tourism company. But it has not all been plain sailing, as a quick review of the company's chequered history will testify. After Fullers Corporation, of Harry Julian fame, went into receivership in May 1988, the receiver tried to trade the company out of its problems. However, after incurring a big loss during the first year of trading, the receiver decided to sell. The Auckland operation was sold to Gulf Ferries (owned by the Hudson family), who saw value in the respected Bay of Islands brand name and traded under the name of Fullers Auckland and Fullers Group Limited. In September 1989 a partnership of Roger Dold, Chris Jacobs and Mike Simm purchased the Northland operation and traded as Fullers Cruises Northland. Simm later sold out to his partners and the company later changed the name to Fullers Bay of Islands, because the Bay of Islands was well known overseas, whereas Northland wasn't. Eighty-five percent of their business was international and about 15 percent domestic trade. So there has been a lot of confusion over the years, with many people thinking that both companies were the same entity. Northland folk were keen to dispel the confusion, and spent a lot of time telling people otherwise. The deal to purchase the Northland assets from the receiver was extremely highly geared, so the new directors had no option but to make a profit from the word go. They had precious little experience of the tourism industry, and barely knew the sharp end of a boat from the blunt end. But they seemed to make up for it by asking a lot of questions that had not been asked before. For example, they replaced the old tour coaches on the Cape Reinga and Ninety Mile Beach trip with new coaches. The interest cost versus the maintenance bill came to approximately the same figure, so they were able to charge a lot more for the trip and turn the perennial loss-making division into a profitable contributor. In building up the business, the directors concentrated on a number of areas: ¥ marketing, where
most of the budget was spent offshore promoting the Bay of Islands Fullers Northland put a computerised booking system into place many years before any of their peers in the industry. The directors say they have always firmly believed in entering business awards, as the process forces them to have a close look at the company, which means that they are able to identify and rectify shortcomings. The marketing benefits that flow on from being the best in their field are enormous, and the staff gain a huge morale boost. The year 2000 was huge for the company, as it won the Northland Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year Award and four categories of the New Zealand Tourism Awards: the Supreme Tourism Award, the Distinction Award, the best visitor activities and attractions category and the best organised group tours and touring category. They also picked up the 2003 ITOC Operator of the Year Award. One of the problems with tourism businesses over the years has been their cyclical nature, with huge peaks in summer and equally huge troughs in winter. 'So in June 1998 we looked to expand our business geographically by purchasing South Sea Cruises in Fiji, which has the opposite cycle to Fullers. Its peak season is May to October, while Fullers' busy season is from October to April,' said company director Roger Dold. 'The situation that we faced at the beginning with South Sea Cruises was not too dissimilar to what we faced with Fullers initially. The business was tired, the gear was run down and it faced a bleak future after two years of heavy losses. The key to turning the business around was the transfer of Tiger 4 (ex Taupo Cat) from Auckland, where we had been operating dinner cruises, to Fiji. She replaced a very old, tired and slow catamaran doing the run around the Mamanuca Islands and provided a greatly improved service to the island resorts. Those parts of the business that were unprofitable were shut down, and we upgraded the remaining equipment,' Dold said. 'At the same time, we put together a greatly improved range of day trips.' Business boomed for the first two years, but then George Speight cast his shadow over Fiji. The month before the coup in May 2000 the company was running 25 percent ahead of an ambitious budget. Three months later it had plummeted to 18 percent of budget. 'It was a testing time for everyone, especially for those in tourism, where the business dropped further every time the New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs opened his mouth,' said Dold. It took a full two years to get over the effects of the coup, and thankfully things are now better than pre-coup levels, he said. In 2002 they successfully introduced a new service to the Yasawa Islands which has effectively doubled the size of the Fiji business. 'With the large increase in air capacity into Fiji that is currently taking place, the future of Fijian tourism is looking very bright. ' Our ambition has always been to have a group of three or four similar operations offering day trips and ferry services spread across this part of the Pacific. So with the Bay of Islands and Fiji doing well, our sights moved to Australia. ' After two years of intensive research, we are set to start an operation in the Whitsunday Islands during June. We will be operating out of Abel Point Marina in Airlie Beach under the banner of Cruise Whitsundays, initially offering a day trip to Knuckle Reef on the Great Barrier Reef and a day sailing trip to the iconic Whitehaven Beach.' The Great Barrier Reef trip will be on board Seaflight, the 37m wavepiercer catamaran which started her life on Auckland Harbour. Fullers purchased her from Papua New Guinea, where she had had a very tough existence providing a service between Port Moresby and Rabaul. She was towed from PNG to Cairns, where she has undergone a complete refit at Cairns Slipway, starting with the bare hull, which was in very good condition. She has been repowered with Deutz V12 TBD 620 motors fitted to new ZF gearboxes, and has been rewired, replumbed and repainted. She also has new airconditioning, floor coverings, tables and seating, ceilings, lights, and an audio-visual system with six plasma screens. 'She should have many years ahead of her,' Dold says. The day trip to Whitehaven Beach will be on board Tsunami. She was spawned out of Earthling, which was contracted to American Express at the last America's Cup in Auckland. Tsunami's designer, Greg Young, says he is very pleased with her performance. The design brief called for captivating styling, thrilling sailing experiences, large passenger loads, and safe operation with a minimum of sailing crew. Marine Tourism Holdings say they selected Vaudrey Miller to realise Young's design because of their proven composite construction, custom engineering and project management skills. Construction began with only a line drawing and a conceptual overview in hand. Like Seaflight, Tsunami is expected to make a huge impact on her arrival in the Whitsundays. As intended, the catamaran attracts interest and radiates the promise of great speed, even at rest. Young's bold, contemporary design draws people in towards the curvaceous central house, arcing fore-beam, lightly loaded bows and glistening black prod. It is not just Tsunami's strong colour and 25.9m by 11.5m size that takes the eye. The prominent fore-beam, clean bows and high wing-deck are fundamental elements of Young's design philosophy. Keep the structure stiff and strong to retain rig tension and superior sail shape, and minimise weight and drag so that boat speed builds quickly and is maintained even when the bows are buried in a seaway. Tsunami gives life to these basic catamaran tenets when the wind fills in. She accelerates quickly and all aboard feel her power as the numbers on the log mimic an express lift display, moving quickly from 18 to 22 or 23 knots, then holding steady. Even in light winds Tsunami seldom sails at less than 10 knots, and in optimum trade wind conditions with a moderate number of passengers aboard, guests can expect an exciting ride to 25 knots and beyond. Thirty knots is not out of the question. Nina Heatley, an engineer with High Modulus, says Tsunami posed unique challenges in terms of weight, the length of her spans and the performance levels sought. 'We drew on established cruising catamaran data, computer modelling and elements of (the racing catamaran) PlayStation to develop the composite structure. There was some cross-over from PlayStation to Tsunami.' Mould costs and construction times were minimised by building the wingdeck and each side of both hulls in temporary female frames, a tactic that also allowed Vaudrey Miller to optimise labour distribution across many jobs. A high-density 25mm foam core was laid strip plank-fashion in the temporary frames, and the inside skin and carbon-capped stringers were completed before the two halves of each hull were joined and the outside skin applied. The exterior composite skin includes a layer of Kevlar to increase impact resistance when sailing at speed, and abrasion resistance when Tsunami is beached at beautiful Whitehaven Beach so guests can enjoy lunch, a snorkel and a swim. With the stern anchor deployed and the bows kissing the beach, guests can disembark and embark via a carbon fibre ramp that is raised and lowered using a line to the for'ard anchor windlass. When stowed for sailing, the passenger ramp aligns with the prod and locks in under the front beam. The aft and front beams were built simultaneously with the hulls and wing deck. The front beam and prod are 100 percent carbon, and have very thick walls to carry the high rig and torsion loads. Throughout construction the different components were heat cured each night so that the day shift could continue building up the carbon laminations using an epoxy resin with a long open time. Young says the carbon beams were expensive to engineer, but were crucial to achieving the light, rigid structure that underpins Tsunami's sparkling performance. With multiple components coming together, moulding accuracy was vitally important. Every piece had to fit and align perfectly to form an integrated structure capable of carrying and dissipating high loads. Once complete, the entire structure was heat cured for 36 hours at 60 degrees Celsius before fit-out began. Tsunami's open-plan layout is made for the tropics and absorbs crowds with ease. It minimises interior and exterior barriers and maximises views, while providing numerous seating areas and options. The saloon has an open area the size of a small dance floor. Chillers topped by a stainless steel bench span most of the front bulkhead, and tables and bench seats are provided at the rear. Clear plastic screens zip in and out to enclose or open up the rear of the saloon as required. The port hull carries the galley, and the starboard hull is fitted with toilets. Only lifejackets and snorkelling equipment are carried for'ard in the hulls. Each engine room is fitted with a 9kW Kohler genset to run the hydraulics, fire-fighting pumps, bilge pumps, stereo, DVD, galley equipment and chillers. In addition to hospitality services, the fit-out included specifying and engineering the failsafe hydraulic systems that allow Tsunami to be sailed with up to 100 passengers and only two sailing crew. The mainsheet and staysail sheet are hydraulically operated from either of the two helm stations using toggle switches that interface with a microprocessor and a hydraulic power pack. The hydraulics also operate the boom vang, mainsail outhaul, mast rotation, dagger boards and primary winches. The power pack has three independent pumps, and the microprocessor will not allow a hydraulic function to proceed unless it is within safe and logical parameters.
Specialised safety approved fuel and hydraulic tanks were custom built by Boss & Carr of Kumeu. Matrix Masts built the carbon fibre mast (and boom) that reaches 33.5m (110ft) above the water. The single spreader pre-bent mast rotates on a large bronze and Teflon bearing, and the degree of rotation is controlled from either helm station. Sea trials were conducted to ascertain whether running backstays and check stays were required. Unfortunately the mast was to fail in what was ideal calm seas and light 15 knot sailing conditions. Fortunately no one was hurt and the rigging was salvaged. The new, beefed up mast was also fitted with new running back stays. Tsunami was recorded sailing effortlessly under full main and staysail at 23 knots. She should now surpass 25 knots in the same conditions, broad reaching in flat water with 22 to 24 knots of wind and 15 people aboard. Tsunami has an integrated electronics package from Simrad, supplied and installed by Advance Trident in Auckland. She has a CR44 combination 2kW radar/chartplotter with second station, an IS15 with speed, depth and rudder angle indicators, and an RS87 combination VHF/loudhailer/intercom. The CR44 uses a 10in colour TFT LCD screen to display C-Map cartography and a radar image in either split or full screen, and has been fitted with Simrad's optional radar overlay to display the radar image on top of the chart screen. This can be useful for comparing radar images with the chart to see if a small echo is a vessel or a buoy, for example. The radar is a 2kW unit with a range of up to 24 miles. A very useful feature is the ability to have the radar set to split-screen with two radar images on screen, both set to different ranges. This allows the user to see close-up targets in detail with the range set to minimum, while watching the progress of a large vessel further away on a larger range. As Tsunami has a wheel in each hull, a second, fully functional station is fitted at the second wheel. The IS15 instruments display speed, depth and rudder angle at both stations. The RS87 will be used primarily for VHF communications. However, the loud hailer and intercom provide commentary to passengers, or pass instructions to crew. The listen-back facility also allows two-way communication between any of these stations. Tsunami will be sailed from Auckland to Mackay on the tropical Australian coast, a port of entry about 100 miles south of where it will be based at Airlie Beach inside the Whitsunday Islands. With the capability of logging 300-400 mile days in delivery trim, the 1900 mile Tasman crossing via Lord Howe Island may only take five to six days. We thank Roger Dold for giving us an inside view into the history and development of Marine Tourism Holdings, and Geoff Green and Chris Lewis for their supporting text and photographs. SPECIFICATIONS Length overall 26m |
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This is just a small selection of the articles in
Professional Skipper |
We
know that young sailors today will not put up with the harsh, cramped
conditions we older folk took for granted. So in encouraging young men and
women to go to sea, we have a responsibility to consider safety and
provide fair and reasonable working conditions and accommodation that will
instill pride in our young seafarers. As we move further into the century,
ship owners and the fishing industry as a whole have a responsibility to
our seagoing staff while maintaining profitability. Recognising that the
industry has increasing pressures placed on it due to the high cost of
compliance is no excuse to trim operating standards. In fact most in the
industry still make an acceptable living from their chosen occupation.
With the age of the vessels come significant compromises in the quality of
the product landed. Poor catching conditions force down the average
quality and consequently the price of product caught by inshore,
ice-carrying fresh fish trawlers. 