Alan Moore
Bill Simpson
Keith Ingram
Archive - SPRING 1999
SPIRIT OF
NEW ZEALAND - PROFESSIONALISM PERSONIFIED - JOHN LISTER
MARITIME TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION - LIFE
MEMBERS ELECTED
A WOMAN'S VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE - DEE PIGNEGUY
MARITIME
MUSEUM SETS NEW COURSE - DEE PIGNEGUY
SPIRIT
OF NEW ZEALAND - PROFESSIONALISM PERSONIFIED - JOHN LISTER
Twenty-six
years on and 30,000 young trainees later, The Spirit of Adventure Trust remains
very proud of its professionalism and its world-renowned training programme,
coupled with its 100 percent safety record.
But
these characteristics don't just happen by chance or by reputation. We work hard
to ensure that our standards at sea and ashore remain credible and correct.
Considerable effort and a hell of a lot of energy goes into updating data and
upskilling our crews so that we provide, and are seen to provide, a safe and
worthwhile programme to very demanding 15 to 19 year old New Zealanders.
The
trust operates the Spirit of New Zealand, a 37.8m long three-masted barquentine
carrying 686.5sq m of sail, which was commissioned in 1986. She is beamier
(9.1m), heavier (220 tonnes) and in every way more ambitious than the trust's
first vessel, the Spirit of Adventure, which was like a yacht to sail, compared
with Spirit of New Zealand, which is a proper ship.
She
was designed by the naval architect Captain Ted Ewbank and Don Brooke, son of
John Brooke, who designed the Spirit of Adventure.
The
teenagers hardly know anyone when they come on board the Spirit, and most of
them aren't even sure why they're there. It
takes them a while to understand themselves and the importance of teamwork, but
at the end of the 10 days they can virtually sail the ship themselves.
Staff
have the Programme Manual, a 39-page guide, to help them steer the trainees
through the voyage from the time they leave the home port to the time they
finish. It covers everything from the daily programme, physical training, the
night watch brief and environmental awareness to safety lectures, navigation and
seamanship, leadership issues and shore parties.
The
crew are always watching trainees to make sure they are safe. They know what to
look for, but teenagers will always stretch the rules to the limit. Terms like
'a three point landing' help the trainees remember they're safe unless they
start clowning around. On board discipline like the added exercise of twenty
press ups is often enough to pull them into line.
The
cook is usually the first to see any negative reactions from the trainees. But
we never under-estimate the ability of teenagers to sort out their own problems
among themselves.
If
something on board is stolen, for instance, which is a foolish thing to do
because there's no escaping the ship, the trainees decide whether the culprit
should stay on board or not. In
those circumstances we act as facilitators. Having said that, only 16 youths
have ever been thrown off.
We
currently sail 29 10-day Youth Development Voyages per year, carrying 40
trainees per voyage, and our annual schedule is extremely demanding on both the
ship and her crew. In addition to our core business of Youth Voyages, The Spirit
of Adventure Trust also sails special voyages for the disabled, cancer kids, New
Zealand Correspondence Schools and a new programme, The Spirit Trophy, for
fourth formers.
This
year, to help celebrate The International Year of the Older Person, we carried
4000 grandparents to sea for three hours. We saw this as a way of saying thank
you to many of those who have helped their grandchildren on board the Spirit.
Many of these special sailings are part of our fundraising activities, and when
added together they leave approximately 13 days a year when the ship is not in
use.
The
trust has a permanent sea-going crew of 10. They sail 10 days on and 10 days
off, and consist of a Master, two mates, an engineer and a cook. There are also
seven other volunteers who make up the total crew of 12, and these dedicated
people make the Youth Development Programme work.
Masters
must have a Foreign Going Certificate, while the mates must have a CLM ticket.
They should have sailing experience, but very few know how to sail a tall ship.
They also need to know how to handle teenagers and have good communication
skills, so it's an unusual combination of abilities. There is no school for
people to learn how to sail a tall ship. Most of the knowledge comes from the
old hands. We have had a female master, but we could certainly do with more
female mates.
Volunteer
crew members must undergo a medical to MSA standards to ensure they are fit and
well, then undergo a weekend watch officer and leadership course, plus follow up
courses.
We
pick volunteers on the basis of their background and skills. They must also have
a clean police record. Volunteers sign an employment contract - they're not
paid, of course, but they receive full board and keep. We have a pool of about
2000 volunteers, and call on about 1000 each year.
Our
shore crew volunteers are also very important. It is their professional
responsibility to make sure that each trainee is safe from the time they leave
home to when they arrive ship side at any one of 27 ports around the coast, then
returned home again. That means 80 sets of travel arrangements every 10 days.
Without
the volunteers, who are rostered from all over New Zealand, the real cost to
produce a voyage would become prohibitive to many New Zealand families.
With
so many new hands on each voyage sailing a tall ship, we must ensure
professionalism in all our crews, and The Spirit of Adventure Trust commits
resources to our training programmes so as to maintain levels of seamanship, and
continually work to upskill and improve our information systems for both our
permanent and volunteer crews. While our basic programme may not have changed
much in 26 years, we continue to monitor and review its content.
Today
the programme and a chance to sail on the Spirit of New Zealand is still very
popular.
There
are 413 participating schools. Each school is allocated four places and they are
responsible for picking which four children will take part.
For
those who are chosen it is an event that could change their life, and certainly
will give them the opportunity to meet many new friends and develop their own
self esteem and abilities. Eighty percent of the berths are allocated by
schools, and 20 percent come to the trust directly.
In
order to hold the fee to a very reasonable price of $850 per 10-day voyage, the
trust must constantly fund-raise, luckily by direct use of the vessel, and in
1999/2000 we have some wonderful opportunities to maximise these events.
These
promotional and weekend tours are usually done by volunteer masters and mates,
to give the permanent crew a break. The trust needs to raise $10,000 every week,
so fundraising never stops. We have no government support and no major sponsor.
We are often asked 'Why don't you fly a sail with a Coca Cola or similar logo?'
But it is not commercially viable as we cannot guarantee television exposure
unless we hit some rocks!
We
have been able to schedule around our youth voyages commercial sailings on all
of the America's Cup races and the Louis Vuitton final. The millennium
celebrations in Gisborne also give us the opportunity to raise significant
additional funds to assist us in maintaining our subsidy and shipÕs
maintenance.
To
do so we have offered real value for money, so that those who have chosen the
Spirit of New Zealand as their vessel to view and be part of these events will
be directly assisting the youth of New Zealand by their donation. Spirit of New
Zealand will play a major role in both events, as a wing mark for the America's
Cup match series and as a New Zealand symbol in the Gisborne dawn celebrations,
when she will sail out of the sun to celebrate the 21st century and be viewed by
a world-wide television audience.
To
provide these very special services, the trust has approached all the events
professionally in both their planning and execution so the organisation, its
vessel and our reputation will be enhanced by our participation.
Along
with our special sailings, we are pleased to make our own pontoon on Princes
Wharf available to the charter boat industry and the many others who may wish to
pick up and drop off passengers involved in the events on Auckland Harbour over
the next six months. The Spirit of Adventure Trust has also been granted
management rights to the Ports of Auckland pontoons and steps at the bottom of
Quay Street.
The
berthing cost to use either of these facilities are reasonable and we intend to
professionally manage both facilities so those who use them will be able to do
so within strict time limits so that some certainty is available for vessel
masters and their passengers. Terms of use and rates are available from the
trust office or by ringing the berthing supervisor on 025 233 5091.
Your
support of these facilities will be a direct donation by you to the youth of New
Zealand and will continue to assist the wonderful work The Spirit of Adventure
Trust does for our young people.
MARITIME TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION - LIFE MEMBERS ELECTED
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Congratulations to the three new Life Members of the NZ Maritime Transport
Association - Past President, Alan Moore; Past National Secretary, Bill Simpson;
Past President and continuing
advocate for the industry, Keith Ingram.
All three awards were given unanimously for long and meritorious service to the association and the Restricted Limits shipping industry.
A WOMAN'S VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE - DEE PIGNEGUY
Correspondent Dee Pigneguy has a conversation with Catherine Swan, a third officer with P&O Shipping.
Catherine,
what childhood influences led you to a career at sea?
My
Dad, Roy, now a teacher at the New Zealand Maritime School, had a profound
influence on me as a young child. He'd been at sea, and I can remember going
aboard the heritage tug William C Daldy, and the picnic days on the Spirit of
Adventure.
I
joined the Young Mariners, started by Ron Bird, when I was 10 years old. I felt
it wasn't as structured as some of the other organisations and it encouraged a
lot of independence. The members were all girls, and they encouraged you to try
things and take a few risks. It was brilliant.
Was
it the Young Mariners which encouraged you to consider what has been
traditionally a male domain?
My
involvement with the Spirit, Young Mariners and the William C Daldy really
hooked me into waterborne activities. When I was 14, I became a stoker on the
Daldy. There was already another woman stoker and I really looked up to her. She
could do the job just as well as the men, so of course I had to have a try down
in the hold, shovelling coal into the boilers. I continued to volunteer on the
weekends. At 15 I became a trainee on the Spirit, which was an exciting time.
How
about your schooling?
I
wasn't really academic at school, but I had a lot of fun! The things that caught
my attention were those activities that I was involved in on the water. Our
family didn't have a boat, but through friends I always managed to be sailing.
Did
you ever consider what it would be like to be at sea, away from home?
When
I was 16, I volunteered as a deckhand for two weeks on the R Tucker Thompson,
which for me was a new experience being with people I didn't know. I learned
quite a lot about getting on with people and taking responsibility for a job.
While aboard I heard about a 17-day sailing trip to Nelson aboard the Breeze. It
was one huge adventure sailing aboard a brigantine around the top of New Zealand
and down the West Coast with a wide-ranging age group aboard.
I
put my hand to everything involved with sailing, especially climbing the mast to
stow the sails. I learned lots of rope work, knots and splices, and even things
like having to get up in the night and sail the boat. A vivid memory is swimming
in the ocean out of sight of land. Wow! We were becalmed, and when we stopped
the engine to get the weather forecast, everyone jumped over the side for a
swim.
I
came back from Nelson really fired up to do something at sea. It was my sixth
form year but I didn't do well. I had originally planned to go back to school
and repeat the year. But over the summer I spent a lot of time on the water with
a young man whose father owned a gaff schooner. As sixth form loomed again, I
realised school couldn't really help me with my sea-going plans.
Tell
me about your career path from school leaver to cadetship?
I
didn't have any official sea time to study for the Commercial Launch Master
Certificate, but I just started on the course to learn some of the theory that
would help me to get a job on the water. While on that course I heard that the
Spirit of Adventure Trust was thinking about setting up a cadet scheme.
Fortunately
I managed to be one of the first two cadets the Trust took on. It was based on a
traditional foreign-going cadetship that Paul Leppington had adapted from his
training as a cadet. We had to complete a printed record book of tasks done and
milestones reached while working on a sailing ship. During this cadetship I did
the Coastal Yacht Masters course by correspondence, performing a lot of
maintenance tasks aboard and working with trainees. I learned many aspects of
sailing and navigating while clocking up just over a year's sea time.
What
made you consider big ships?
My
'summer' boyfriend had a job on a 30,000 ton container ship, and with the
goodwill of his captain and the Spirit I was able to go aboard as a visiting
cadet on the New Zealand coast for 10 days.
That
gave me an insight into the cargo work required and a feel for standing watch on
the bridge. I met the third mate, Rachel Mills, who was good at her job, well
treated and respected for her ability. I began to picture myself at sea working
aboard a container ship.
My
Scottish cousin, a cadet aboard a P&O container ship, was on the New Zealand
coast. He invited me aboard, showed me over the ship and recounted his tales
about life as a P&O cadet. He alerted me to a career path I felt I too could
take.
While
waiting, you did your CLM course?
To
obtain power boat experience for my CLM, I got a job aboard the Department of
Conservation vessel Hauturu which serviced the conservation islands of the
Hauraki Gulf.
Finally
I had enough sea time, and attended the Maritime School to study for my
Commercial Launch Masters Certificate. Having achieved this ticket, I never used
it, although I enjoyed working around Auckland Harbour. I realised a career,
some stability and a pay check would depend on my ability to get a Foreign Going
Certificate, which I had secretly always wanted to get.
Foreign
Going Masters requires some pretty good arithmetic, doesn't it?
Planning
my own strategy led me to decide to go to polytechnic and study for the maths
and physics necessary for a Second Mates Certificate. It was a three-month
course which I passed with no trouble. I realised that when I really wanted a
result, the study and work involved was easy.
I
had already done a fire fighting and a lifeboat course, basically all the
courses that would get me started on the path towards a Second Mate's
Certificate without actually having the sea time. During this time I was
applying to shipping companies left, right and centre. I didn't get any joy from
my letters and resumes, as few companies were taking on cadets.
In
the meantime I managed to get a place as a visitor for the trip to the Chatham
Islands on the Ngamaru III, a little coastal ship travelling around the Pacific
Islands. For the first time aboard a little ship I was on watch in a supervised
capacity.
The
most terrifying experience was seeing three ships on the radar screen and not
knowing what to do. But I learned many new things that I'd never experienced
aboard sailing vessels, including how cargo ships work, practical seamanship and
how to lash cargo.
Back
home again, off sailing and having fun, My Brilliant Seagoing Career was
developing. Awaiting me at home was a letter from P&O, to whom I'd
previously written, saying they were going to take on an additional two cadets
and to please re-apply. I did, and was accepted as a P&O cadet. At last I
had a job.
What
did a cadetship entail?
At
the end of the summer I sailed out of Auckland on the New Zealand Pacific. My
cousin was now the third mate, the summer boyfriend had got his ticket and was
aboard, and the other cadet was a friend from the Spirit. So although I was the
only girl aboard on my first trip to sea, familiar friends made my introduction
to big ships easy.
A
cadetship means the company pays you a salary and takes responsibility for your
training. The training course involved 16½ months of sea time and 18 months
study time at college in England, and the subsequent exams.
On
arriving in the United Kingdom, I attended the Warsash Maritime Centre in
Southampton for a four-week induction course. Getting up for the early morning
runs, being treated like a proper cadet and having to wear a uniform and a tie
were all things I wasn't used to at the nautical college in New Zealand, which
is a lot more relaxed.
The
course involved a really basic introduction to ships and shipping and a little
navigation. Then I was posted on to the container ship Peninsula Bay, running up
to Asia. The chief mate gave the cadets a lot of time off while in port so we
could go ashore and look around. He recognised that once you got your ticket
while in port, you're tied to your watch.
What
were your main duties at this time?
Work
at sea for the first trip tended to be day work, and if we were around a busy
coast, cadets were on bridge watch. In port we did cargo watch. As time passed
we spent more time on the bridge. Back then, when we still had British crew, the
bosun took the cadets under his wing. He taught us basically what is expected of
you on a ship, the social things, and how to deal with people on board.
We
learned a lot of seamanship, how to splice wire and lots of practical things.
And every day we had to go up to the mate and recite a Rule of the Road to him.
After
a short break I went back to college for seven months of study, including
mathematics and physics, navigation, celestial navigation, stability and ship
construction. A great deal of learning took place while we were in dry dock. I
was crawling into all sorts of spaces gaining a real insight into how a ship
works.
Finally,
in December 1998, I was at the end of all the studying and going to sea. I'd
passed all my exams and now the orals awaited me. I put on my suit and went down
to the Maritime Safety Authority building, where the MSA examiner grilled me on
everything I'd learnt over the past four years. I passed, and I received a Second Mates Foreign Going
Certificate, which allows me to sail as a watchkeeping officer on any size ship
anywhere in the world.
A
real job at sea. What did you do?
I
sailed on the P&O Nedlloyd Kobe, a six-month old, 80,000 gross ton container
ship, 300m long, with the most powerful diesel engine in the world at that time.
On
my first time on watch, I found myself coming down the Dover Straits with a
radar full of ships - fast ferries, shipping and yachts. Fortunately the captain
was supervising. I didn't hit anything, which was great for confidence building.
I found on that trip I was constantly thinking 'Well, I won't do that again.' By
the end of the trip I felt really confident of my ability to handle the job.
As
third mate aboard I am on the 8 to 12 watch, and on top of that I have to
maintain safety, fire fighting and lifesaving equipment. So I spend some
off-watch time on that. We have a video library on board and plenty of books,
and the bar of course is the social focus. On my last trip there was a female
engineer aboard and that was really good, but most of the time I'm the only
girl.
Where
do you see yourself in the future?
Having
come this far, I would really like to continue and get my Masters ticket. So I
will continue to sail as third mate until I get the sea time to study for my
First Mates Foreign Going, and then go back to sea for more sea time until I can
study for Masters.
I
don't know if I'll still be at sea in 20 year's time. At the moment I'm just
enjoying the lifestyle and the buzz of getting my ticket and having a real job
for a change.
In
the future I'd like to have a family, and hope this career won't preclude that
desire, though once I get my Masters ticket there are many options available
that don't necessarily demand being away at sea.
I'm
surprised how well you have managed to stay on your career path considering all
the jobs you have had.
For
me, I felt I was in training during the time between leaving school and securing
the P&O cadetship. People gave me jobs for what I could potentially do in
the future, whereas now I'm employed for my skills and what I can actually do.
I
feel I've done the longest cadetship in history. Ever since I left school in
1992 I've always been a cadet of one sort or another. The P&O cadetship
didn't take into account anything I'd done. I started from the beginning,
learning to do things their way, which gave me a thorough grounding. I was quite
a bit older than my classmates at Warsash.
Cadetships
are available in England, so you'll get a lot of 19-year-olds at 'nav school',
but in New Zealand it seems nobody was taking any cadets on. Here we struggled
to get sea time in all sorts of ways in order to get into a position to study
for a ticket. Luckily in New Zealand we have the opportunity to do lots of
sailing.
Do
you find any major challenges being the only girl?
Being
a woman at sea has never really been an issue. Perhaps the women who went to sea
10 to 15 years ago have made it so acceptable today. I think in the past perhaps
the women had to be super-women at their jobs,
absolutely the best, to prove they were good enough to be at sea and in a
man's world. Now that women at sea have become more common, you can just do your
job.
Does
not having to continually prove your right to be there make the job more
relaxing?
I can now do my job to the best of
my ability. I don't have to be out there proving I have the right to be on the
ship. I no longer feel like I'm letting down anyone if I let a guy carry
something heavy for me. I don't feel a need to prove my physical strength. And
on a container ship, where computerisation and automation on deck makes the work
easier, you don't really have to go out and grunt for it.
Your
thoughts on the New Zealand Womens' Maritime Association?
The
NZWMA is a great way to keep in touch with other women at sea. It's nice to
share experiences and have the support network provided by so many women in
various sea-going roles.
Of
the future?
I
really like the lifestyle. One of the drawbacks is that it can be a bit boring
when there's no traffic around and you're standing on watch for eight hours a
day looking at nothing out of the bridge window. But I had plenty of practice
doing that at school, anyway!
MARITIME
MUSEUM SETS NEW COURSE - DEE PIGNEGUY
Commander Larry Robbins recently took up his new position of
Chief Executive Officer of the NZ National Maritime Museum in Auckland. Dee
Pigneguy spoke with him about his thoughts for the future.
'The
greatest thing in the world, not so much where we stand, as in what direction we
are moving. . . We must sail sometimes with the wind, and sometimes against it,
but we sail and not drift, nor live at anchor.' Oliver Wendell Holmes
On
behalf of our readers, welcome, Larry. With your experience as Navy
Hydrographer, I am sure you will recognise shoals when you see them and apply
your skills to navigate a safe passage through. How will you work to realise the
boast of being a national maritime museum?
I
actually think an excellent start has been made on interpreting this nation's
maritime history. In terms of the exhibits, we have some work to do on
completing the displays. Of course the displays are only a part of what the
Maritime Museum does.
I
believe there is a national focus here. Two years ago the museum
conducted a symposium about waka, the voyaging canoes, and the proceedings have
just been published. Our new Entry gallery shows the time line from the time of
the waka.
We
held a well-attended maritime history symposium, recently, and we plan to
develop the hall of yachting and add to the Navigation Hall set up by the Todd
Foundation.
What
is the current status of the library?
The
work of the library has been carried on over the past couple of years by
volunteers who undertake research. There has been a steady stream of letters
coming in about old ships, and our library volunteers have provided the
information requested. The Auckland Harbour Board archives are now in the care
of the museum and are being catalogued.
Members
of the public can apply to us to do their own research. It depends on what is
required. First of all we'd tell you what resources we have, and if we think we
could assist you we'd invite you in. We have guidelines for researchers and a
small charge. With the aid of trust funds we have recruited an archivist who
starts in November.
How
do you intend to manage volunteers?
There
are about 100 active volunteers, including the library volunteers, the Ted Ashby
crew, the guides, and around 20 hosts, who facilitate the visitor experience.
And that's quite exciting. I am aware that there have been some problems in the
relationships between the volunteers and the museum. My door is always open to
anyone who wishes to talk to me, and volunteers would be welcomed with open
arms. I see them as the lifeblood of a successful museum.
I
used to volunteer myself at the Museum of Transport and Technology (as a bus
driver) and I'm aware of both sides of the equation. I know the problems
fragmentation can cause, and I am aware of what can be achieved with cohesion
and integration.
There
is a responsibility both ways. Volunteers need to get in behind the museum and
work with us as well. We have a paid, part-time volunteer coordinator, Barbara
Williams, who is responsible for rosters, checking qualifications, liaison and
organisation.
The
Friends of the Museum are also essential to our future success. Unfortunately we
have had some administrative problems, so we don't have an accurate database at
the moment. You might say the 'Friends' ran aground, but we're afloat again and
getting underway soon with the help of Barbara and the managers.
There
is a public perception out there that this is really an America's Cup museum. I
know you like to have people singing from the same hymn book, but if these books
are supplied by corporate sponsors with set song pieces, how do you tell stories
relevant to a pioneer nation of seafaring people?
I
think the public perception is a bigger problem than the reality. That doesn't
deny the past, and if that is the public perception then we have to work on
that.
We
are already working on networking with the community. We have displays that tell
the national story from the waka through to Cook and Tasman, local ferries and
Sanford fishing. I have a vision that sees these displays finished and updated,
and in addition I want to get in visiting or temporary displays. And of course
the income from the Louis Vuitton Centre will help us set up new displays which
will bring in new people.
Our
next 'character' will be a Sir Thomas Lipton to talk about the history of the
America's Cup.
I
know you are interested in photographic exhibitions, and in the future I would
hope there will be some. Space is our biggest problem, and some of the spaces
we've got are quite light and bright and unsuitable for photographs, or anything
that is perishable. But there have to be other ways.
Maritime
museums usually have heritage vessels. What are your future plans for the
marina?
The
scow, 'Ted Ashby', built to traditional methods, is the centrepiece of our active
school programme. There is the brigantine Breeze, and we're investigating what
to do with her to get her into survey. Historic boats, sailing ship-type boats,
have tremendous overheads. I will do what I can with the constraints that occur.
I'm
very sympathetic to heritage vessels. We're putting Puke back in the water.
She's almost a pure cost, but the volunteers love her as I do, and she makes a
great presence. We're sponsoring the Classic Boats Festival in November with the
Spirit of Adventure Trust and the New Zealand Herald, and there will be all
sorts of activities.
This
is my first week, and I'm doing training courses over the next few weeks
involving employment-related legislation, Occupational Safety and Health, a
first aid course, some training in driving the scow, and visiting some of the
other maritime museums which I hope to work closer with in the future.
In
closing, let me say the things I want to achieve are to rebuild the bridges with
the maritime community, to act as the go-between there, to work with the
volunteers and the Friends of the Museum to keep the interest up, and to work
with other maritime museums. In every case it's a two-way flow.
I
have been overwhelmed with positive statements of support. The Board has been
very supportive of my appointment. Of course I have an affinity with old ships.
You can't have been involved with the New Zealand Navy over the past 26 years and not
have! I like ships and I like people. What a great job.