Are your guys and gals up for the NORFOLK OCEAN CHALLENGE? The inaugural Outrigger Canoe Event on Norfolk Island in January 2015.Take a look at some of the details here: www.norfolkislandtravelcentre.com/noc-rego or emailmaria@travelcentre. see the attached information on the event and package prices ex
VHF Radio Use Guidelines
- Listen before talking, make sure the channel is clear.
- If there are other users consider an alternative channel. Either VHF 17 or 77 can be used for water sports events.
- Only use enough power to do the job you need. Over a short distance (about a kilometre) low power should be more than enough, and this will cause less interference with users on other parts of the harbour. This will also increase battery life.
- Think about what you want to say before you begin transmitting, keep messages short and to the point.
- Speak clearly and not too fast.
- Shelter the microphone from the wind, wind noise can make you very difficult to understand.
- Avoid inadvertently pressing the mic’ button, including when stored, as an open mic’ prevents all other transmissions.
- Use names or some sort of identification over the radio. Normal procedure is to say the name of the station you are calling and then yours, eg if calling from the shore to a rescue boat say “support boat 3 from race control”
Tunui Waka Ama Club invite you to attend the blessinbg and launching of our
new W1 and to acknowledge the contribution our our founder, Uncle Amster Reedy
Last week saw the loss of Amster Reedy to the Waka Ama whanau.
Amster Reedy was a founder of the Tu Nui a Te Ika Outrigger Canoe Club in Wellington and was instrumental in getting the sport of Waka Ama started in the Hoe Tonga region. The Waka Ama community are grateful for all that you have given and the legacy that remains.
PADDLERS PLEASE NOTE
Porirua Rowing Club would like to give all waka ama clubs in the region a heads up that they will be hosting a regional rowing regatta at Onepoto on Saturday 11 October 2014 (back-up date in case of bad weather is Sunday 12 October). The event will be based in the area around the rowing club at Onepoto (including the grass areas by the clubrooms and the car park) and the course will run along the Titahi Bay Main Road side of the harbour, starting from the south end of the harbour down by Takapuwāhia and running all the way down towards the clubrooms. The club has asked if waka ama clubs in the region could please support this event in two ways:
1) by asking their paddlers to keep well clear of the course on this date to ensure they are able to run their regatta smoothly
2) if clubs that store their waka down by the rowing club could please ensure that there is a gap/clearway by the clubrooms big enough for the visiting rowing clubs to get their boats through from the car park area and down to the water.
Please help this local club run a successful event by following these requests – your support is greatly appreciated.
Arohamai for this e-mail however we humbly seek any assistance from the wider local waka ama network.
Between Friday, 15th August 2014 and Sunday, 17th August 2014 the weekend just passed a waka ama W6 and trailer belonging to our Trust (Waikato Waka Ama Sports Foundation) was stolen from a secure and locked base at Hopuhopu yard. It’s clear this theft was planned, deliberate and taken from Tainui-Waikato premises by person/s who knew how to evade normal security i.e. cameras and knew exactly what they wanted to steal.
Whilst the Police have been formally informed and have begun their investigations it is clear from our perspective that the perpetrators will eventually seek to utilize the waka ama and as because it is of “W6 size” it will be noticed if and when it is used or attempts that might be made to sell it.
The description of the Waka W6 is translucent blue gunnels, seats and spray skirt with a white hull and is a Moana Nui W6 brand built by them in April-June 2012, the trailer was grey in colour and has a permanent chassis number, registration and license of G379S, whilst these may be amended in future there are other distinctive permanent markings.
We seek any information that may lead to the recovery of this valued community resource and ask that if you are approached about use of a waka W6 and trailer that you please confirm its ownership and if you have any doubt contact the Ngaruawahia Police, Sarah Gales or alternatively a confidential e-mail to me
I am authorized by the Waikato Waka Ama Sports Foundation to put out this e-mail and any queries can be directed to me including more detail if required, I will also be putting this out to Waka Ama NZ / Nga Kaihoe o Aotearoa.
Thank you regardless for your support and time, I sincerely hope this never ever happens to you or your club and that you are able to continue with the awesome positive waka ama activities with our whanau on the water, nga mihi…
Bill Takerei
Deputy Chairperson
Waikato Waka Ama Sports Foundation
021802163
Part 1 – Canoe, accessories, and flat water conditions
Having paddled a Nelo-made surfski before, and having seen the quality of their K1s and C1s used by a number of high performance paddlers in World Champs and the Olympics (including Lisa Carrington), I always wondered what would happen if Nelo decided to have a go at making a V1. Turns out that in the context of V1 becoming a paralympic canoe sprint discipline, Nelo decided to build a V1, and yes, New Zealand’s first Nelo V1 has just arrived in Wellington for testing.
Here are some first impressions and findings.
There is no question that the design of this V1 is a little unusual. It certainly looks quite different than most of its competitors. Word has it that its design is from Tahiti, and it has a number of design elements that expose its Tahitian heritage. For example the raised stanchions to attach the kiato and the design of the nose of both the canoe and the ama are similar to the nose of some contemporary Tahitian V6. However, it also seems that a number of design elements inspired by Nelo’s kayaking and canoeing expertise are coming through. For example, compare the Nelo V1 with their kayak and canoe range, and you will detect some similarities in terms of its lines.
Now, beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, and some of you may feel differently about it, but I think it has a great look to it. No doubt though, its design is unusual and quite distinctive.
The weight of the V1 is 14.8kg fully rigged. The version we are testing is an F model (i.e. full carbon, vacuum bagged, epoxy resin), but Nelo offers another four different build-options.
Our testing version comes with an adjustable seat and footrest. This is definitely worth mentioning because while most V1s on the market can be customised so that they fit your size, I am not aware of any version where you can adjust both seat and footrest. What’s more, for the footrest you can even adjust the angle of the heel component, for optimal placement of foot and heels. This is great news for a number of reasons:
Adjustment is really easy, the screws can be easily and quickly handled and no tools are required to adjust the seat and footrest, see photos above. (Note that a hex wrench is required to adjust the heel component of the footrest, but its not likely to be changed frequently.)
The cockpit is comfortable and offers sufficient room, especially in combination with the adjustable seat and footrest. The cockpit is slightly wider in the front so that the knees fit nicely into the cockpit.
The V1 comes with two wooden kiato. In comparison with my carbon kiato they are definitely heavier, although during water trials they did not appear to adversely affect performance – the lightness of the ama may compensate for the slightly heavier kiato. Nevertheless, replacing the wooden kiato with carbon versions could reduce weight and thus result in some additional benefits in terms of performance.
Skirts can be fitted, because the version I am testing has cockpit gunnels featuring a lip. While this could be an advantage by preventing water from entering, it is likely not needed if you are using a pump. Also, the rim protrudes slightly out from the cockpit so you have to be careful here not to whack your paddle shaft and your fingers. (Definitely worth considering ordering one without a rim or you could easily grind it off!)
Overall, workmanship and the paintjob appear very good. This is in line with their existing water craft options. The whole vaa is incredibly stiff including the ama, and this is only their base model, so quite impressive!
In terms of its performance on the water, let’s have a look at flat water conditions first. For most of that part of the testing, the distance between ama and hull is about 98.5cm in the back, and about 97cm in the front (so a slight toe-in).
Paddling in conditions with relatively little wind and wave action, the V1 holds a good line but is also responsive to steering actions. In stronger wind conditions it also holds a good line. You will notice that the part of the V1 from the cockpit forward is quite low, this appears to lower wind resistance and appears to improve handling especially in cross winds. But I will need to conduct some further testing to confirm this.
The hull feels very stable and even when the ama is lifted out of the water, it does not feel overly tippy. I find that in combination with a light J-stroke on the right, the ama can be flown relatively easily while at the same time the canoe tracks nicely.
Pick up and acceleration feels good in starts, the same goes for speed changes. Unfortunately the poor weather in the last couple of weeks has prevented testing against the clock and other V1, but Rio will be a useful and objective test, especially if conditions allow a comparison of winning times against those in previous years.
The ama appears to have a little more volume than, say, the standard ama of a Fai, but it seems to perform well in flat conditions. Again, it will be interesting to see the feedback from those competing in Rio as that will be a good test under high-performance sprint conditions.
For some long distance races, the ability for the V1 to turn quickly is important (e.g. a 180 degree turn around a buoy). Having tested this aspect a few times, I can say that in line with its good responsiveness to steering actions in flatwater, the Nelo performs excellently.
To conclude this initial review, the new Nelo V1 definitely has a number of things going for it and looks like a high quality package.
Part 2 – Open water
Unfortunately I did not have a lot of time testing it in open water and surf conditions, it was simply too flat for the time I had it, but here are some things I picked up.
One key feedback I have is the small distance between the rear kiato and the seat. That means that for rudder strokes or steering on a wave you tend to hit the kiato (with your forearm), and it limits you from reaching further back (at least on the left). The V1 has to be steered mainly from the back in surf conditions, so this is a key disadvantage I feel.
This issue also limits your ability somewhat to play around with the seat up. As a comparison, in the Fai 3x, the cockpit goes much further far back behind the seat – which gives more space for steering (this also allows for storage of a drinking system, so definitely worth considering that space).
The Nelo I tested also lacked a bulkhead in the front, in the surf it’s a must because if you get any water in its hard to bail it out because it distributes over a larger surface, plus if you put the nose down into a wave it tends to flush the water to the front – not good to control the balance of the V1.
The edge of the cockpit behind the seat is also a little high, so if you lean back (eg to shift the weight back so that you can take weight off the bow if it’s a steep wave), it can be a little uncomfortable.
Summary
For sprint paddling it’s definitely worth considering and the adjustable seat makes it a great option for clubs with many different users, but for ocean paddling and surfing it would benefit from some design changes.
By Jörn Scherzer
Thanks to Nelo NZ rep Terry Newsome, Matt Archer and Jörn Scherzer have managed to get their hands on the first demo Nelo V1 in NZ to put through its paces.
Nelo are one of the world leaders in canoe and kayak building, using state of the art technology in their design and build techniques. They are the manufacturer of choice by most of today’s World and Olympic champions including New Zealand’s very own Lisa Carrington.
To have them enter the V1 market and the sport of waka ama / vaa / outrigger canoeing is a very exciting development for the sport. This is the vaa that will be used at the current 2014 World Vaa Sprint Champs in Brazil.
A first review of this new V1 in action is available here (click to follow).
Nelo V1 (OC1) Price list as at July 2014:
| Type of construction | WWR (River) | F | G | SCS | E (Marathon) |
| V1 | $5150 | $5150 | $5790 | $6590 | $6090 |
| Hull weight | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 |
Constructions available:
Description:
Options and extras:
More information: www.ipaddle.co.nz or www.nelo.eu
Contact Terry Newsome: ipaddlenz@gmail.com; 021 074 8485.
In the meantime, if you would like a demo paddle (and you’re in the Wellington region!), feel free to contact Matt on 027 485 55 20 to arrange this.
Go to wakaama.co.nz for the interview: http://wakaama.co.nz/stories/read/1003668
Thanks to the Hoe Tonga Region for the farewell gift received after my resignation as Vice –President, Hoe Tonga Pacifika Waka ama Assoc. During the last nine years as a representative on Hoe Tonga Regional Committee I have been fortunate to met so many passionate, active and inspiring people within the sport on many levels particularly locally, regionally and nationally.
Thanks to all our Hoe Tonga Presidents during my years on the Executive Committee George Fa’alogo, Paora Howe and Joern Scherzer who have been visionary and shown great leadership in challenging times for our sport in the past and inspiration as we move to the future.
Voluntary service can be both rewarding and challenging in so many ways and I along with many others look forward to our upcoming season at Hikoikoi Waka ama. There is a lot of potential for waka ama and waka activities in Te Whanganui a Tara working alongside a supportive and enthusiastic team.
The time has come to step aside and encourage others to bring their ideas and energy to the table to make things happen in our region. It is up to all of us, the clubs, paddlers and volunteers to support them to do this effectively.
Nga mihi nui
Chris Fox
Hoe Tonga Pacifica Waka Ama Association 