Pacific Mini Games - Sailing Team Medals

Shannon Humrich (winner of the Medal Race) and Sam Hogarth (fastest sailor to top mark),
are being presented by the Air Rarotonga representative, with their Team Silver Medals at the Pacific Mini Games held in Aitutaki, Cook Islands on the Paradise Island, Akaiami, where the sailing competition was held.

Mabelle Humrich and Olivia Hogarth, wrapping themselves in their country flag awaiting their Silver Medals presentation on the podiums set on one of the 3 famous Vaka on the paradise island of Akaiami, in Aitutaki, Cook Islands, during the medal ceremony for the Pacific Mini Games 2009, 1^st Oct 2009.

Our heartfelt thanks to all who kindly sent assistance and messages of encouragement to our sailors in preparation for the Pacific Mini Games 2009.

Kia manuia
Sam, Liv, Mabelle & Shannon

Pacific Mini Games – Cook Islands 2009 Brief

Kia Orana All,

Following a briefing from our Cook Islands Experience:

Air Pacific Flight to Rarotonga on the 18^th September 2009 was an enjoyable moment for our Team Samoa. Arriving in Raro approx 1800hrs with our immigration officer, a sweet small Rarotongan lady, welcoming us with a stamp and calling each of us “sweet” as we pass thru her lane to collect our luggage.

Our Team Samoa management awaiting us outside with buses and trucks to transport us to our home for the next 4 days at Nukutere College, just behind the township area of Avarua. After a welcoming service by the principal and students of the school, together with our blessings by the bishop of the school, we were directed to our rooms for our stay. Dinner was about a 15 minute walk from our camp, and with Telecom on the way to dinner just down the road sim cards and credits for our phones were obtained immediately.

Our first 4 days in Raro were to be idle, and hence my early attempts with the Sailing Council in Raro for leased laser boats and a hobiecat for training, we were not too lucky and decided to kyak our time for training instead. At the Sailing Club, Muri Lagoon, we enjoyed our training hours with the ukulele sounds serenading us as we rinse the salt water after the kyak sessions.

Preparing for the Opening Ceremony on Monday 21^st September was exciting and we were surprised the Team Samoa management and chef de mission requested our girls, Mabelle and Olivia to hold the banner for the Opening Parade. Team Samoa were very popular with TV cameras and crews as we were waiting behind the stadium for our turn to appear in front of the crowds.

Our flight to Aitutaki the next morning was at 0800hours. The welcoming reception by the Aitutaki community and especially our supporting school students from Araura College made us feel like kings, queens, princes, and princesses. Our home for the next 10 days was with Inano Resort with Mama Vi’ia and Papa Moeau who was our chef for our breakfast every morning at 06:30am. Our cereals of all sorts, fish/eggs/spaghetti/baked beans were specially prepared by Papa Moeau without fail. Noni juice was plentiful for those who liked it. Bananas pawpaw mangoes were also plentiful. We even had a taste of octopus at breakfast one morning.

The daily experience on the speed boats was awesome. There were numbered 1-13 speed boats available to transport all the teams to the island of Akaiami, our venue for the competition. It is another paradise on its own with turquoise coloured vast ocean. 0730 every morning was takeoff time for all the speedboats to Akaiami island. We preferred the number 11 speedboat. Not only the skipper, Ron Henry, was handsome and had the deepest blue eyes like the ocean we travelled on daily, his boat was the fastest out of the fleet. And he owned the Blue Nun night club in town. The slowest boat and took twice as long to get to Akaiami was the officials and the jury boat.

Lunch was handed out on the course island were as usual sandwich with two types of fruit with a yoghurt, but the fresh caught fish by the Fijian manager, Bruce, was the highlight of our lunches on the “motu”, barbequed with lime coconut cream and bananas and all prepared by the friendly old Aitutaki ladies that look after the island. Aunty Ruru and husband, owners of the island, went out of their way to offer the first bungalow to the Team Samoa sailors free of charge. There we left all the sailing gear equipment at the end of the sailing competition day, and saved us carrying bags backwards each day.

The popular meeting place for everyone was the Boat Shed, the Sailing Club Room, where the jury carried out their meetings every evening after dinner. And where all of us with the young sailors would go to have a drink with other team management members while the sailors play around and swinging on the hammocks by the beach end of the Club. The Menu offered at Boat Shed was most enjoyable by those who would have preferred breakfast, lunch or dinner there. The young sailors very much enjoyed their meetings with participating country sailors at the Boat Shed and became friends throughout the weeks of competition. Our dinners provided at our eating centre at Samade were even more scrumptious than the Boat Shed restaurant dinners. The choice of 8 types of salads to have with ham/lamb/fish/beef/potato salad/baked veges/pasta and soups, not to mention our desserts afterwards, were so popular that the officials complain about the desserts running out before they arrive for dinner.

Sharing the moment competing, socializing, eating together, mingling, praying together with other participating countries made the week felt short and until we heard of the earthquake/tsunami tragic in Samoa, we became sad and touched by the numerous condolences and sympathies expressed and conveyed by our fellow country members alongside us that morning. We were thankful our immediate members of families were all safe.

Our last debrief with the laser Team became exciting to find out we were just leading in fewer points and medals were looking good. I remember looking at Shannon during our debrief, and immediately I sensed a winning streak somehow. And yeees the next day, Shannon came first in the Medal Race…. Everyone was asking… why didn’t you do this last week? And more excitement when our Mabelle came second in the Medal Race… beating the New Caledonie sailor!!

To cap off the day and end of competition, it was a great pleasure to watch our laser sailors with huge smiles on their faces, they were bright stars on the podiums cladding themselves with their country flags, as they were receiving their Silver Medals. The drums of the islands kept us dancing with joy.

Our heartfelt thanks goes to all the support from each and every one of the Apia Yacht Club, the parents and sailors and members involved with fundraising towards the Team Samoa, and especially the encouraging messages from everyone for our Team Samoa for the Pacific Mini Games.

My special thank you to Raema who gave all her time available to coach our Team Samoa. Thank you also to Alex for every moment given to our Team on the water during the hot and dry times throughout the races providing water and snacks for the Teams. The Team also would like to say thank you v.much to Poleti for his assistance and rescue attendances during their training before leaving for the Cook Islands.

Last but not least, I would like to acknowledge the support and assistance from the following sponsors:-

Food On the Move, Sydney. Jon & Jocelyn Salter – Rash Shirts/Caps
Meripa Weir, Brisbane – T-Shirts
Misty Agnes Humrich – T-Shirts
Graham Hogarth – Team Insurance

Our best wishes to you all for your kind donations and may our Team Silver Medals mean something towards your very kind sponsorship.

Happy sailing to you all.
Seine Hogarth
The Team Samoa Mother
Pacific Mini Games – Cook Islands 2009

South Pacific Mini Games - Cook Islands 2009

Samoa Observer - Sailors head in the right direction

Sunday, 30 August 2009 11:36 - Samoa Observer

Sailors from the Apia Yacht Club representing Samoa at the Mini Games are heading in the right direction with the assistance of Australian Coach Joshua Chant. “We are very lucky to have him,” said club secretary, Raema von Reiche. Chant is in Samoa to assist the sailing team with their preparations for the Mini Games next month. “There is a lot of enthusiasm but we need a bit more work on minor things. There’s fine tuning and a bit more practice and later in training we will focus on some really good techniques like accurate with steering, body position on the boat so it’s efficient to make the boat go faster and boat handling,” said Chant. L-R : Olivia Hogarth, Shannon Humrich, Sam Hogarth, Mabelle Humrich,(reserve) Tafa Maiava,(reserve) Myka Stanley (reserve). Chant who started sailing at around 8 years of age became a coach for the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club in North Sydney and represented Australia in World Championships and other competitions. “Coming here is an opportunity for me to coach in a different environment but also to help a club that is developing. The other reason was to give back to the sport and maintain motivation for myself,” said Chant. Chant feels there is definitely potential in the team as long as they train hard. He also feels the team is already in the stage of encouraging each other and lift themselves up which he says is important in terms of team spirit. The team to represent Samoa at the Mini Games in the laser class consist of Olivia Hogarth, Shannon Humrich, Sam Hogarth, Mabelle Humrich,( reserve) Tafa Maiava, ( reserve) Myka Stanley (reserve) while the Hobie 16 class will be represented by Feolofani Bruun, Patisela Tali, missing Steve Brown (reserve) and Leua Leonard (reserve). For the Apia Yacht Club, it is only the team for the Mini Games that get assistance from Chant but also the club as a whole with various drills and races.

Fancy Dress Fund Raiser - Movie Character

Malo Lava and Fafetai Tele Lava to all those who supported the event by buying tickets, coming along and especially those who took time and trouble to dress up. Every one looked great and it really made it a fun family evening.

An extra special enormous THANKS to Agnes who willingly went along with the idea of this fund raiser and who did 99% of the work including asking for prizes, decoration of the club (which looked great), buying food and leading the team of Mums and helpers who did all the cooking, ticket distribution and money collector and treasurer for the event. Thanks Agnes you were brilliant as usual. Perhaps we should hire you out as an event organizer.

Very special thanks to Peter (alias Carmen the fruit bowl) and Tony for bar b cuing such delicious food and also to Seini (Miss America or was it Cat Woman and Josie (Wonder Woman) who with Agnes prepared the food.

Very special thanks to all our fantastic parents who generously contributed food and also bought tickets.

Very special thanks to Nynette who quite happily took on the role of MC with at least 1 minutes warning….maybe 30 seconds. Thanks Nyn Great stuff right to the end.

Extra special thanks to Elaine and Jennie who took allot of time to organise our quizzes…great drawings Jennie…couldn’t understand one bit of it, and, who were supposed to be my helpers selecting prize winners and distributing prizes (but due to the fact I couldn’t hear a word of the discussion over the music) took the job on board and managed to distribute everything fairly. Thanks Elaine and Jennie. You looked great Elaine and so did you Jennie whoever you were meant to be…was it Bob the Builder???

Many thanks to Donna F (who were you Donna??)and Zac who held the responsibility for the door tickets and money and who spent a good proportion of the evening outside…an unenviable job. Thank you Donna and Zac.

Thanks to all our sailors who enthusiastically helped with the food and took around plates very professionally, and especially those who prepared all the decorations and decorated the club house.

A VERY BIG Thank you to everyone and my sincere apologies if I have missed anyone out.

Youthworlds Brazil 2009 - By Eroni Leilua

Our first couple of days was spent orientating ourselves to the area, the weather, the location of the racing and meeting other sailors. The opening ceremony was carried out with a march around the town of Buzios and then the mixing of the water ceremony then the official opening ceremony in the centre of the town. I met my Brazilian Coach, Janatesh who was helping Santiago Lange (the official championship coach for the APP sailors) at dinner that night.

The first day of racing came with nerves and good weather. Meeting Santiago Lange (APP Coach) that day helped the nerves settle and he gave me some local knowledge from his experience sailing here many times. The laser race area was closer to the land than the rest of the courses meaning less waves but shiftier conditions. The first race was 15 knots with 2m swell and the second race the breeze eased off to 7 knots. There was a big wind shift towards the end of the second race making it an upwind to the bottom mark. I found the first race the most exhilarating experience being amongst so many boats from different countries. I had minor problems with my carbon tiller but I was able to fix the problem the next day.

The second day of racing was the windiest day of the regatta and was postponed for 2 hours and later on cancelled, shortening the series to 9 races. The rest of the day was more time for rest and interacting with different teams and sailors.

The third day of racing had action back on the water with 6-9 knots, slight swell and very shifty. Hard day as wind shifted more than twice every beat. I found myself learning more on how to read the shifts around the cliffs.

Day four was the lay day where there were activities organized for the sailors to get to know other sailors. I met heaps of people from different countries and got to know some of the teams really well.

Day five of racing was short of wind but didn’t stop the race committee from getting all the sailors out on the water. The first race started but the wind died off even more resulting in the races being cancelled to further reduce the number of races to 7.

Day six resulted in us having to do 3 races to catch up. Each race I felt myself gaining more confidence despite having minor problems with my traveler and tiller.

Day seven, last day, last race. Weather was perfect with 12-15 knots and 2m swell, everything went smoothly with tiller and traveler holding on. It was sad to know that it had come to an end. On the whole I was glad to see my results improved as the regatta went on. The goal I had set myself was to do the best I could within a world class fleet.

The closing ceremony was a ceremony I will never forget. I was lucky to be voted by the competitors and my fellow sailors to be awarded the ISAF Bengt Julin Trophy for “fostering international understanding and displaying the attributes that should be encouraged in international competition”. This was the highlight of my regatta.

I would once again like to express my thanks to the Samoa Sailing Association for selecting me to attend this prestigest event. I was proud to bear the Samoan Flag and thrilled to receive a trophy for Samoa.

Mini Games Trials - Laser Results

RESULTS

Boat Class: Lasers OOD: Karl Evans

11th July - Sailing Results

4th July - Sailing Results

Sailors get good wind [Samoa Observer - Front Page]

Written by Filo Taituuga [Samoa Observer]
Monday, 18 May 2009 15:33
Hobie Cat Sailors certainly got good wind to blaze round the open waters at Mulinuu yesterday. Three Hobie cat crews launched from Apia Yacht club in the afternoon, taking full advantage of ideal wind conditions.  Each crew lured gusts of wind to travel at blistering knots, manouvering across the water in fine form.

For the curious spectator watching with interest from the club house, it was certainly a spectacular sight to witness.  Judging from the faces of sailors, the freedom, enjoyment and adrenalin rush of scathing the sea at high speed, tacking up and down a blanket of blue sea was the ultimate buzz. No wonder the sport of sailing locally has aroused much interest, it has all the drama, suspense, skill, nous, excitement and thrill all couped up in one sport.

It is certainly is a sport worth giving a crack outside ones comfort zone for sure, and would no doubt knock the wind out at you, even watching from the side.

Sailing Schedule [MAY-JUN 2009]

Basic Prep Tips from the Fleet Captain

Shirts with collars save your neck from sunburn, synthetic absorbs less water than cotton, close-fitting doesn't attract bits of boat equipment up the sleeves etc.(speaking from experience)

Shorts save your modesty and from "Laser bum" (as above)

I personally find some footwear more comfortable than bare feet, others think differently. Shoes that you slip on will slip off in the water. Best are reef shoes,  lightweight trainers. Rubber sandals are OK, except the fittings seem to attract ropes.

If you want to wear a baseball cap (good idea), bring a piece of string to tie it onto your buoyancy aid.

If you need to wear glasses to see, and cannot get on with contact lenses, make sure your glasses are securely fixed onto your head with cord, they don't float, believe me. Ditto sunglasses, but usually better off without extra things to worry about.

You may also like to have: 
sun tan cream, 
change of clothes, 
drinking water & a towel. 
Best not to wear earings, jewelry, etc.

Laser Course - 6 Week Beginner

Dear Club members,
We are planning to commence a beginners sailing course this weekend - Saturday 9th May in order to attract new sailors to the club. It will run for 6 Saturdays to 13 June. Please let me know if there are any club members who wish to join this course or forward this email to non-members who may be interested.  

On this course you will learn to sail a Laser (single handed boat) and will 

also get an introduction to the Hobie Cats (double hull for 2 people). The cost of the course will be $200 Tala. Participants will be required to become a member of the AYC for the current year. Please note that this course is fairly intensive and  will need to full-time attend all the sessions to get the full benefit of the course.

 Those wishing to join the course should be able to swim. Buoyancy aids will be provided. 

Please let me know if you are interested to join this course so I can book your place and also your availability for starting on Saturday as proposed.

Nick Roberts

AYC 2009 Sailing Season Opening