In this issue: Cruising Division AGM and Elections Cruising northern Lake Macquarie Onboard communications Correcting your Steering Compass - Lake ...
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LAKE MACQUARIE YACHT CLUB
CRUISING DIVISION
August 2020 No. 368
In this issue:
Cruising Division AGM and Elections
Cruising northern Lake Macquarie
Onboard communications
Correcting your Steering Compass
Paint your palette Blue and Red—Lake Macquarie Sunsets (Maureen Seysener)
Page 1 LAKE MACQUARIE YACHT CLUB CRUISING DIVISION
Skippers Report 2
CD Meeting Notes 3
Explore the North 7
A History of LMYC CD 8
Technical Tips - Onboard Comms 9
Technical Tips - Compass Correcting 11
CD Calendar of Events 2020-21 13-14
No book reviews this month—apparently we have all stopped reading! I
would love to hear from you with a few lines if you are reading or view-
ing something you found interesting.
Cruising Division Executive
Skipper: Committee
Tony Austin 0416266947 Geoff Edman (LMYC Rep) Gordon Butler
Secretary: Ken Archer 4946 7751 Maureen Seysener 4975 2561
Trudy Butler Cath Austin 4946 9928 Rob & Karen Black 0417215300
Treasurer: Richard Masson Greg Barnicoat
Ross Shirtley 4945 0641
Cruising Division Editor: Please address all letters for the Cruising Division to:
Any articles for the Cruiseletter can be sent to LMYC CRUISING DIVISION
Cruiseletter Editor David Baker, preferably in MS Ada Street
Word format. Belmont NSW 2280
dragonflydbl@gmail.com (0427 317109) Alternatively, letters for the Cruising Division may be left
by 25th of each month. in the ‘pigeon hole’ at the LMYC office.
Thanks!
LAKE MACQUARIE YACHT CLUB CRUISING DIVISION PAGE 2
by Tony Austin
Greetings fellow CD members,
We hope that you and your families are all well and still managing to survive the challenges of the
COVID-19 pandemic. I have to say that I am rather over it! I just wish that some people would
take it all a bit more seriously so we could all get back to normal. Human nature being what it is, I
suspect that we are in this for many more months.
Looking back at July it has been a great month for the CD. We had our first meeting since Febru-
ary with our AGM attracting 30 brave and resilient souls. The meeting went well with the new CD
Charter and governance structure being passed unanimously. This is a great outcome as we can
now move forward working much more collaboratively with the LMYC Board and management.
Secondly, we had our first formal on-water cruise with an excellent turnout as we explored the
northern reaches of Lake Mac. The fleet was careful to not anchor too close to Cockle Creek as
the toxic residues are said to strip galvanising off anchors and chains at an alarming rate!
While there have been some local COVID issues in the Port Stephens area we are looking good
to slowly get back to 'business as usual’ for CD members. Our Facebook page is already starting
to hum with some great photos from members enjoying the glorious winter weather. The less said
about the occasional East Coast Low the better!
While winter is usually the time to do all that essential maintenance on your boat, it can also be
the ideal time to brush up on your boat handling skills. I know that I get very rusty after being off
the helm for too long and those ’simple’ tasks like berthing, picking up a mooring and anchoring
in tight places become much less polished. It is always much easier to practice these skills with
fewer boats on the water (and fewer eyes watching your every mistake!). For the same reason,
the often very calm days we have at present are ideal times to practice things like flying your
MPS/spinnaker or reefing your main.
We wish you safe sailing and look forward to seeing you at our next CD activity,
Tony Austin
Skipper
Dates to look forward to
1. LMYC AGM is scheduled for Tuesday 28 July. We actively encourage CD members to at-
tend to ‘wave the flag’ for the CD.
2. The CD Skills Day activity scheduled for 15 August will use the ‘Alternate Skippers Manual’
as a guide for the day’s activities. The weekend event will start with a get-together on 14th.
3. The CD Activity for September will be the LMYC Sail Past (Official opening of the sailing
season) on Saturday 5 September. This will be followed by a CD activity (Shared Meal -
subject to COVID-19 restrictions).
Please go to the last page of this edition for more information about upcoming events.
Next month’s Cruiseletter theme will be ropes and splicing. Any articles, including stories
and examples, would be most welcome. I would love to hear from you, so don’t be shy!
Page 3 LAKE MACQUARIE YACHT CLUB CRUISING DIVISION
It has finally happened! The Cruising Division
was able to conduct our first meetings, with ap-
propriate distancing of chairs, in the LMYC mar-
quee. So, on a cold July 13 evening 30 of us
huddled under the heaters and held a general
meeting followed by an AGM.
Skipper Tony welcomed those attending, includ-
ing the club Commodore, Geoff, and acknowl-
edged the sad passing of Christine Drury of LMYC
administration staff. Geoff spoke about her invalua-
ble service to the LMYC. She will be extremely
missed.
Tony stated that the board of LMYC has been extremely cooperative and easy to work with. Special men-
tion and thanks to Mark Norden (CEO) and Geoff Edman (LMYC Board rep to CD). The LMYC Board has
accepted our CD Charter and discussions have been held regarding:
LMYC Constitution as it applies to the CD
CD Charter – which is to be voted on at the following AGM
CD Risk Management Plan – which is being updated to include COVID type contingencies.
CD Sailing Instructions – previously called “White Book”
(Special thanks to Robert Black’s hard work for this document.)
These documents will be emailed to members and will be stored in the files section of Facebook for
members to access.
Ross Shirtley provided a financial report which is available to members on request. Suffice to say that
finances are healthy and it was agreed that a donation of money or equipment be made to Marine Res-
cue Lake Macquarie to be used in their new communications centre. Gail McBurnie will investigate and
report back to the committee on the best way to do this.
There is encouraging work being done around the lake. Speers Point Jetty is now open and discussions
are being held regarding future dredging of the channel.
The Facebook page currently has 79 members but many members do not access the Technical Tips page.
Tony Austin offered to refresh the invitation to this page so members can access it if they wish.
As many of the boats in the Cruising Division are not registered on the LMYC Yacht Register, members are
encouraged to access the form at https://lmyc.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Yacht-Registration-Form.pdf
and register. It is not essential that the boat carry a sail number if not racing.
Greg Barnicoat asked about CD vessel safety certification / categories. Geoff replied (as a LMYC board
member) – CD will determine our safety certification and equipment eg like Cat 7 but not Cat 7. Geoff’s
personal expectation is that CD members will get someone else to certify their boat. Tony and Ross are
now accredited auditors. Within the CD membership we have a total of 5 auditors. This issue is a work in
progress.
PAGE 4 LAKE MACQUARIE YACHT CLUB CRUISING DIVISION
Rod Mackay asked about equipment in the cage at Marmong. Tony and Chris Cahill explained about the
scaffold and its usage, and the need for instruction in its use for OH&S reasons. There is a one off $15
fee. CD point of contacts, at the moment, are Chris Cahill and Michael Norwood.
CD Honor Boards - LMYC Board says they will be returned to be displayed in the main auditorium in a
new, compatible style. Ross has helped with making sure they are correct.
NEXT MEETING: Monday, 10th August, 2020, 7pm
Following the General Meeting, an AGM was held as follows:
LAKE MACQUARIE YACHT CLUB
CRUISING DIVISION
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING MINUTES
13th July 2020
The Annual General Meeting was held at LMYC, immediately after the General Meeting.
APOLOGIES: Mark Norden (LMYC CEO), Libby Archer, Glen Shepherd, Brian English
MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE: 30 (as per attendance book)
CONFIRMATION OF PREVIOUS MINUTES:
The minutes of the previous AGM held on the 4th March 2019, had been circulated via email.
Moved; Ken Archer, seconded: Ian Donaldson. No business arising.
SKIPPER’S ANNUAL REPORT:
Circulated by email prior to the meeting and published in LMYC’s newsletter: Tony Austin - Skipper
Moved as accepted by: Maureen Seysener Seconded by: Chris Cahill
TREASURER’S ANNUAL REPORT:
Circulated by email prior to the meeting: Ross Shirtley – Treasurer
Accounts were audited by Pacer Accountants, (formally William Chaseling) who will continue to provide
this service free of charge.
Our financial year had an extra month to align with LMYC.
Moved as accepted by: Phil Cunningham Seconded by: Ralph Asquith Carried unanimously.
GENERAL BUSINESS:
Presentation by the Skipper of the proposed governance structure for the LMYC CD. Tony provided
some background information to the proposal.
Ken Archer spoke for the motion.
Geoff Edman spoke about the previous relationship issues between the CD and the LMYC and Board.
The LMYC was originally founded to race keel yachts and also cruise them. Geoff is proud and pleased to
have played a part to move this relationship, between the CD and Board, to where it is now.
The Skipper requests that the following motion be proposed and seconded:
Motion: That the current Cruising Division Constitution be amended to become the Cruising Division
Charter and the LMYC Constitution be accepted as the Constitution of the Cruising Division.
Proposed: Ken Archer Seconded: David Baker Vote by show of hands: unanimously passed.
LAKE MACQUARIE YACHT CLUB CRUISING DIVISION PAGE 5 Presentation of the Jack Hitchcock Memorial Trophy. Tony spoke about this trophy. In 2004, after the passing of Jack Hitchcock, a valued member of the CD, his wife, Wanda, wished to recognise Jack’s involvement in the CD and set up this award. This year it is awarded to Ian and Coleen Donaldson. Tony spoke about Ian’s and Coleen’s involvement in the CD and their welcoming nature, along with Ian’s boating history. Ian and Coleen are known to “make things happen” in our CD. Ian expressed his and Coleen’s thanks on receiving the award. ELECTION OF OFFICE BEARERS: Following the completion of all General Business, the Skipper declared all Executive and Committee positions vacant. Eleanor Cunningham, CD member and Captain of LMYC, acted as the Chairperson / Returning Officer and conducted the election. Written nominations were tabled and nominations were invited from the floor. Position Elected Nominator Seconder Skipper Tony Austin M Seysener T Butler Secretary Trudi Butler R Shirtley G Butler Treasurer Ross Shirtley T Butler G Butler LMYC Board Rep Geoff Edman N/A N/A Committee Ken Archer R Masson M Seysener Committee Maureen Seysener T Austin K Archer Committee Robert Black K Black C Austin Committee Karen Black R Black C Austin Committee Cath Austin T Austin R Shirtley Committee Gordon Butler T Butler R Shirtley Committee Greg Barnicoat M Seysener T Austin Committee Richard Masson T Austin M Seysener
PAGE 6 LAKE MACQUARIE YACHT CLUB CRUISING DIVISION As there was no more than one nomination received for each executive position, no secret vote was re- quired to take place. The results are presented in the preceding table. The following positions were also filled at the meeting: Independent Auditor: Pacer Accountants Safety Officer: Tony Austin Cruiseletter Editor: David Baker Raffle organiser: Coleen Donaldson Tea/Coffee organiser: Gordon Butler Tony thanked the committee and made special mention of those who have now stepped down; Greg Har- ding – especially for his role in flagging the indemnity issues which have led to our new relationship with the LMYC and board, Trevor Smith – for his work on the hydrodynamics of the Swansea Channel, and Mi- chael Norwood – for is long term contribution to the work of the committee and the CD This new committee will be in place until the AGM in May 2020. Maureen Seysener thanked Tony for all his work, especially with respect to the new governance frame- work for the CD. Meeting closed at 8.34pm with an invitation for all members to come along to the next General Meeting. Meet (most of) your new committee:
LAKE MACQUARIE YACHT CLUB CRUISING DIVISION PAGE 7
Explore the North! By Maureen Seysener
The weather gods were benevolent for the CD’s first official outing of this COVID year, on the
weekend of 17-19th July, with the promise of fine days (albeit chilly nights!) and light breezes.
The usual Friday evening gathering did occur with three boats – KRACKT, Double Fun and
Stoked -dropping anchor at Styles Point which allowed crews time to catch up (on board) over
coffee.
Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny and as we headed north the fleet was joined by
Chandon, Windsong, Seriousleigh and Elara – destination Toronto foreshore for morning tea. Af-
ter a very pleasant hour - and delicious coffee and cake! - the fleet made its way to the rarely vis-
ited and most northern part of the lake and, with only light northerly breezes forecast overnight,
anchored off Marmong Point adjacent to the newly revamped Art Gallery – now officially known
as the Lake Macquarie Art and Culture Museum. Here we were joined by Reverie, already an-
chored in the bay, Gang and Shulan having just departed the Marina.
The gathering on-shore was enhanced with the arrival of
Derek and Leanne (Ocean Diamond 11) and Ken (Migaloo)
and lively conversation followed till cooling temperatures
and setting sun sent us heading back to the warmth of our
boats. Before going below however we were treated to the
most amazing sunset as colours rapidly changed from hues
of pink and mauve to iridescent blue and orange, eventual-
ly concluding with skies the colour of fire. Stunning!
Sunday morning was – as it should be - a lazy start to the
day with crews enjoying the chance to enjoy a leisurely
breakfast before congregating on-shore at 1000 for a visit to
the art gallery. The recent renovations, undertaken by LMCC
to upgrade this valuable facility, are impressive and the exhi-
bition, featuring works by local artists focusing on their expe-
riences during COVID lockdown, was both diverse and inter-
esting.
By the time we had all chosen our favourite works and en-
joyed the hospitality of the coffee shop staff a light breeze
was beckoning – so it was back to the boats for a sail! To
finish off a weekend outing with a sail is just the very best
thing and this didn’t disappoint with a gentle following
breeze taking us down the lake and a brisk NW making for a
lively work back to the mooring. How to cap off a pleasant
weekend on the lake, exploring areas seldom visited and
sharing the company of
good friends – enter one
dolphin! Not only did the
resident Lake Mac dolphin
delight us with his usual
antics around the bow and
stern and under the tender but he accompanied us all the way
back to our mooring – delightful!LAKE MACQUARIE YACHT CLUB CRUISING DIVISION PAGE 8 To all who joined in for our exploration of the northern most parts of our lake – thankyou! It was wonderful to be together again and sharing what we all love to do best – messing about on boats. And it was good to experience another aspect of Lake Macquarie – watching the roads and houses light up as dusk descended and enjoying the hum of traffic around the foreshore – so totally differ- ent to the hush of the quiet bays we normally inhabit! How lucky are we to live in this fabulous part of Australia! Rather than reproduce every detail of the CD History compiled by Life Member Mike Collins, for this month I thought I might hit a few of the highlights of the 1990’s. At the March 1995 AGM the CD Skipper was Jeff Latham and the fleet consisted of 58 boats. During the year a decision was made to change the CD burgee to a red flag with a white ketch. 1995 was a busy year, with offshore cruises to Redhead, Bird Island and Pittwater, but by Octo- ber the channel had become too shallow for safe navigation. Quite a few lake cruises continued, however, with moonlight cruising still a popular activity among members. At the 1996 AGM Jeff remained Skipper and there were 56 boats on the register. Lake cruising was very active during 1996 and a highlight was a cleanup at Point Wolstoncroft which would henceforth be known in the CD as Cruising Cove. It was reported that by the end of 1996 the channel showed a depth of 3 metres, allowing an end of year cruise to Bird Island. At the 1997 AGM Alan Bristow took the helm as Skipper and the fleet consisted of 62 boats. Of these, 23 were under 30 ft, 35 were between 30 and 40 ft., and 4 boats over 40 ft. The average length of boats increased in the preceding 10 years by 2.6 ft. Despite the channel silting up again in June, some offshore cruising did take place, especially the Pittwater cruise and a cruise by 8 boats to the Grafton Jacaranda festival in October. In that year, there was also an unofficial cruise to Lord Howe Island by 3 boats. At the 1998 AGM Alan remained as Skipper and the fleet had grown to 84 boats. The Pittwater Cruise took place and, in October, eight boats headed down to Eden for a 10 day cruise. Point Wolstoncroft, AKA Cruising Cove, was very popular that year, with three events there including a formal ball and the New Years Eve celebrations. Alan Bristow continued as Skipper at the 1999 AGM and there were 78 boats on the register. The channel continued to cause problems which reduced the number of vessels that could par- ticipate in offshore cruises. Nevertheless cruises to Pittwater, Laurieton and Sydney took place, with 13 boats travelling to Sydney for New Years Eve. A wide range of Lake activities also took place, many centering on Cruising Cove and Duck Hole. Of special note were sailing days taking disabled persons and also scouts out for days on the water. This brings us to the turn of the century. At the 2000 AGM Alan Bristow continued as Skipper with 89 vessels in the Cruising Division. For some reason the NPWS did not approve of the club doing regular clean-ups at Point Wolstoncroft, so Cruising Cove fell out of favour. In September the inaugural Ivan Irwin cruise took place. Sadly, Ivan had passed away and could not take part in the cruise that he had organised, hence the start of the Ivan Irwin Memorial Cruise which will be held 16 to 24 October this year.
PAGE 9 LAKE MACQUARIE YACHT CLUB CRUISING DIVISION
Back in June of this year a Facebook discussion started in Technical Tips concerning the best
ways to communicate between the person on the helm and the partner handling the anchor,
while still keeping a marriage intact. This is particularly relevant on large vessels, such as a
catamaran, where not only distance, but also screens, equipment and weather, might interfere
with voice and hand signals. Extracts from the discussion make for interesting reading.
The discussion was started by Ken Archer:
...Anchoring procedure got me thinking, communication between helmsperson and anchoring
person can sometimes be a little tense, particularly if it also involves raised voices and unclear
hand signals etc. This brought to mind John and Raewyn's solution i.e. buying some bluetooth
walkie talkies and sewing them onto a cap - effective but not a fashion item! Anyway, I reck-
oned there had to be a better way! Libby just bought a new set of earphones for her iPhone,
and I suddenly thought why not just ring her on her phone with both of us wearing the ear-
phones with built in mics, and therefore handsfree (just put the phone in your pocket)!!
We tried it and it worked like a charm!! No shouting, just easy two-way communication, and no
need for hand signals etc. The only possible downside is that this will not work where there is
no phone signal - but I found that there are a lot of phone Apps that allow you to setup
phones as walkie talkies using Bluetooth and other non-network systems. I decided to look at
one called Zello, and it seems to work OK. The only thing is that you have to press a button to
start and stop talking, but you can set it up to use the button on the earphone cable, so it
should not be a major problem. You can also use it on Android systems.
You never know, it might even save the odd marriage. If anyone else
knows of a better App, let us know. Cheers.
Tony Austin: We tried small handheld UHF CB radios but that ties up a
hand. We then tried VOX headsets
(see photo) but they really slow
comms and you end up losing words as they turn the
transmitter on and off.
At this point John Lemberg posted the creations that he
and Raewyn had created: The motorcycle intercom units
are available on eBay for a little over $100 per pair, the
fashion creation process is not difficult. For anchoring
they are great, for navigating around bommies they are
fantastic. Raewyn stands up beside the mast and we can
argue about which way to go
privately! . The application
that actually makes them indis-
pensable, is communication
when working up a mast. I lent
our set to a fellow cruiser I saw
about to ascend his mast in Tin
Can Bay recently. He has since
ordered a set for his boat.PAGE 10 LAKE MACQUARIE YACHT CLUB CRUISING DIVISION Ken and Libby Archer have also explored the idea and have come up with an easy solution simi- lar to John and Raewyn. Here's my modest contribution to the "talking hat" design industry: a 5 cm wide strip of velcro (the "eye" side) sewn across the inside of the hat with flaps of the velcro extending down on either side to attach to the velcro on the ear-phones. These attach very tightly, and are not in dan- ger of falling off. I also intend to put an under-chin ribbon on them. The main unit can be clipped onto the strap at the back of the hat. This de- sign also has the advantage that you can quickly and easily detach the unit from the hat - you can also fold the flaps up inside the cap and wear it normally if you want to. A minor alternative is to just sew velcro flaps on either side of the hat, but I thought it gave extra stability by us- ing one continuous piece. It seems that the Bluetooth motorcycle units are proving their worth, so Tony Austin has come up with a different version for those finding hearing more of a challenge than we once thought. I bought a pair of Vnetphone Wireless BT 1200m Range V6 devices from Amazon for $A107 de- livered. The notional range is 1200m. They seem to be pretty popular as there are lots of YouTube videos on how to use them. Most people seem to use a soft hat as the support system for the bluetooth transmitter/receiver, earpieces and boom mike. I would think that the advantages are: cheap, lightweight and ease of stowage. I was after something that was a bit more rigid and offered external sound attenuation for use when the motors are running and I also wanted to use my mobile phone. For this reason I have built them into a commercial pair of ear muffs. They certainly give fantastic audio and atten- uate much of the external noise, but they are bulkier and a bit heavier, albeit quite comfortable. After some use Tony found the ear muffs tended to be unstable for Cath when she bent her head forward, and obtained a Gill waterproof cap with a liner and earflaps. He found that the wiring, earpieces and mic fitted into the cap nicely and Cath found it comfortable and secure. Below: The Parts Mk1 Ear Muff Mk2 Gill Cap I will let Gordon have the last word: Nah, you are all overthinking something pretty simple. On Breathe we use hand signals, Trudi takes the helm, I go to the bow and wave my arms around. Trudi ignores me and takes Breathe to a safe spot. The anchor gets deployed. We both feel that our contribution was important so we have a cuppa and relax.
PAGE 11 LAKE MACQUARIE YACHT CLUB CRUISING DIVISION Compass Swinging by Robert Black These days you have very little use of the compass. With chart plotters and auto pilots it is sel- dom used as a navigation aid. The most common use is to see which way the wind is blowing when sitting in an anchorage. It can be handy at night when in an anchorage and the wind shifts or you start dragging anchor and you know there is reef or rocks around. After anchoring look for the way out and sight along the compass to the way out and note the angle. Then if you need to leave in a hurry you don't require to have the instruments working to know the way out – steer using the compass. To set your compass to a reasonable standard (and set a deviation card later) the following can be employed. To do this you require a non magnetic screwdriver – find a non magnetic rod the size of the ad- justment holes on the side of your compass, brass or stainless steel. Sharpen a point to act as a screwdriver and put a loop on the end to give some purchase. A steel screwdriver causes the compass to swing wildly and as such is useless to adjust the compass. With little wind and current – ideal on the Lake early morning. 1.With the vessel heading North (GPS Course over the Ground set on Magnetic heading). 2. Adjust the Compass to North. Using the N/S adjustment screw 3. Turn the Vessel to East (GPS CoG) 4. Adjust the Compass to East. Using the E/W adjustment screw 5. Turn the vessel to South (GPS CoG). 6. If there is an error adjust the Compass to half the error using the N/S adjustment. 7. Turn to West (GPS CoG) 8. If there is an error adjust Compass to half the error using the E/W adjustment. Turn the vessel and check the Compass for the half errors (using the GPS CoG) If you require a deviation chart for your Compass – how far out it is on the major cardinal points. Then turn to each of the Cardinal points using the GPS CoG and note the difference. If you desire your Compass to be “accurate” you need the services of a Professional Compass Adjuster. With the Compass showing 0 (North) under the marker (Lubber line) Turn the Vessel to the right, and the Card will move from 0 through to 90 (East) or Turn the Vessel to the left, and the Card will move from 0 back to 270 (West). Note that the heading (The numbers on the card under the Lubber Line) move in the SAME direction as the top of the WHEEL. Try holding a course using the Compass as a guide and maintain a good lookout so you won't be staring at the Compass the whole time.
PAGE 12 LAKE MACQUARIE YACHT CLUB CRUISING DIVISION
Deviation and Variation by David Baker
These two terms are often misunderstood, especially in these days when compass use and chart
plotting are not seen as the essential skills they once were.
I have lived through two periods in my life’s experience where knowing these skills became
bread and butter—marine navigation and aviation. With the advent and wide use of the GPS I
quickly realised as a pilot that a number of private pilots were getting lost because their GPS sig-
nal or their receiver failed and they had not been updating their track on a chart. For that reason,
when approaching uncontrolled airports I always flew half a nautical mile to the right of track to
avoid any private pilots flying outbound on the exact reciprocal GPS track, and was glad I did.
So knowing your compass, and keeping a charted record of your progress are important skills in
navigation.
Deviation is the apparent error in your compass reading due to local magnetic influences such
as the ship’s ferro-magnetic structure, engine, electrical equipment nearby, and so on. Some de-
viation can be dealt with by careful positioning of the steering compass. Some just can’t, and that
is where the deviation card that Rob mentioned in the previous article comes in.
Variation, otherwise known as Declination, is due to the Earth’s changing magnetic field and
varies according to your location. For example, the declination in the Lake Macquarie area is
about 12 degrees 28 minutes East, and changes at a slow rate as indicated on Admiralty charts.
There is an old saying that compares True bearings to Mag-
netic bearings—”when variation is East, the compass is
Least”. That is, the compass will read a smaller number than
the True bearing. When I taught navigation I found that stu-
dents struggled with this concept, so here is one of the dia-
grams I used to explain the idea.
So if I took an accurate compass bearing to the lighthouse,
my compass would read 056 degrees. To put this onto my
chart I add the variation and draw an intercept bearing 063
from my vessel (or the reciprocal from the lighthouse).
This is due to the change in magnetic lines across the sur-
face of the Earth. If you cruise off the West Australian coast
the Declination is West and the opposite rule applies. The
chart extract below shows the lines of variation (isogonic
lines) around Australia. Red is East, Green is Zero and Blue is West Declination.
Deviation can be addressed, and must be in aircraft and commercial vessels, by noting the differ-
ence between the reading on the compass and the correct magnetic heading of the vessel. By
plotting points for a range of headings, a line can be extrapolated for future reference.
Cards like this can be found online. Linked below is just one example.
http://www.compassadjuster.com.au/images/Deviation%20Card.jpgLAKE MACQUARIE YACHT CLUB CRUISING DIVISION PAGE 13
LMYC CD Calendar of Events – 2020 & 2021
NB: All Committee and General Meetings are held in the Bridgedeck Room at LMYC. Start times
are 4 pm for Committee and 7.00 pm for General meetings. On water activities will generally
start on the Friday and finish on the Sunday. Coffee mornings start at 10.15 am - shared be-
tween LMYC and western side of lake - check Facebook for details.
A date is now set for the 2021 Pittwater Cruise: 14 - 26 February at Pittwater.
Date Event Comment
2020
11 May General Meeting Guest Speaker: CAPT Malcom Goodfellow
15-17 May Lake Cruise & Soup Day. Lake Mac: Co-ordinator -
Rathmines Catalina Festival Next festival is 2021
25 May Coffee Morning Co-ordinator: Krackt. Location:
25 May Committee Meeting
TBC LMYC AGM
8 June General Meeting Guest Speakers:
12-14 June Newcastle Cruise
29 June Coffee Morning Co-ordinator: Krackt. Location:
29 June Committee Meeting
TBC Float Your Boat Dress up your boat on Lake Mac.
13 July General Meeting Guest Speaker:
17-19 July Explore the North Location: Lake Cruise, Co-ordinator:
27 July Coffee Morning Co-ordinator: Krackt. Location:
27July Committee Meeting
28 July LMYC AGM
10 August General Meeting Guest Speaker:
15 August Skills Day Lake Mac: Alternate Skippers Manual
31 August Coffee Morning Co-ordinator: Krackt. Location:
31 August Committee Meeting
5-6 September LMYC Sailing Season Opening All Invited to show the CD flag and shared meal later
14 September General Meeting Guest Speaker:
16-24 September Cruise – Circumnavigate Lake Co-ordinator:
Macquarie
28 September Coffee Morning Co-ordinator: Krackt. Location:
28 September Committee Meeting
12 October General Meeting Guest Speaker
16 - 24 October Ivan Irwin Cruise Locatioon: Lake Mac; Theme
26 October Coffee Morning Co-ordinator: Krackt. Location:
26 October Committee MeetingLAKE MACQUARIE YACHT CLUB CRUISING DIVISION PAGE 14 Date Event Comment 9 November General Meeting Guest Speaker: 13-15 November Cruise to Port Stephens Location: Lake. Theme: 30 November Coffee Morning Co-ordinator: Krackt. Location: 30 November Committee Meeting 14 December Christmas Party LMYC Marquee – Starts at 1800 hrs. 31 December New Years Eve Cruise Location: TBA 2021 11 January General Meeting 25 January Coffee Morning Co-ordinator: Krackt. Location: 25 January Committee Meeting 26 January Australia Day & Family Outing Co-ordinator: TBC Location: Black Jack’s Point 8 February General Meeting Guest Speaker: 12-14 February Monthly Activity Location & Co-ordinator: Seeking a Volunteer February Coffee Morning Co-ordinator: Krackt. Location: TBC February Committee Meeting 14 - 26 February Annual Pittwater Cruise NEW DATE 27 February Sydney Harbour Mini Cruise 6 March LMYC Commodore’s Charity Ball 8 March General Meeting & AGM Guest Speaker: Nil due to AGM To be confirmed Event Information August Meeting 10 August. Our guest speaker will be Mike McKiernan (Deckee.com a multi-platform app that allows safety information to be added by users). Mike is an enthusiastic speaker and this promises to be a presentation not to be missed. Alternate Skipper’s Weekend 14—16 August. The theme will be “Knowledge is Power”. Please bring along your copy of the Alternate Skipper’s Manual. If you don’t have one, get in touch with Trudi Butler or Robert Black prior to the event. We hope to meet on Friday for socially distanced Sundowners—details will be published in the Facebook page. CD members are reminded that participation in CD activities is entirely volun- tary. It is the responsibility of the skipper of the vessel to ensure that the ves- sel and crew are adequately prepared for the conditions that might occur during the activity.
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