Mara Stransky wins 2022 Female Sailor of the Year - photo © Gregg Porteous
Dear Recipient Name
The finalists of the 2023 Australian Sailing Awards have been announced, with clubs, volunteers and sailing stars from around the country all in the running for recognition at the nation's peak sailing awards.
In the Female and Male Sailor of the Year categories, finalists include major regatta medallists, world champions and Olympic gold medallists. After an outstanding international season, it is a clean sweep for the Australian Sailing Team ILCA 6 squad in the Female Sailor of the Year category, with Casey Imeneo (VIC), Mara Stransky (QLD) and Zoe Thomson (WA) announced as the three finalists.
Imeneo secured a stunning Bronze at the French Olympic Week regatta in Hyeres from a world-class fleet of 94 boats and finished in the top ten at Kiel Week 2023. Reigning Australian Sailing Female Sailor of the Year Mara Stransky is back again, having accrued a remarkable string of top ten finishes at several international regattas. Zoe Thomson is the third finalist, with the Western Australian putting the world on notice when she won Silver at the Palma regatta in March.
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Marine Rescue Merimbula Unit Commander Bill Blakeman has been named a finalist in the Safety category for the 2023 Community Achievement Awards NSW and ACT. The Synaco Safety Award recognises those committed to safety in their workplace and throughout the community. Marine Rescue Merimbula Deputy Unit Commander Sonia Teston said Mr Blakeman is a worthy finalist after being awarded the NSW Maritime Medal in August for his outstanding contribution as a Training Officer, developing crew to conduct rescues and respond to incidents.
"Bill's dedication to safety and training at Marine Rescue Merimbula has directly benefited the entire boating community, our members, and the broader public. Through his tireless commitment to professional development, operational training, and emergency response preparedness, Bill ensures that we are equipped with the skills needed to carry out safe and effective rescue missions," said Deputy Unit Commander Teston.
From New Zealand, Southern Spars, leading innovator of high-performance composite yacht spars, has announced the newest addition to its leadership team. Bill Hughes, whose experience spans multiple industries, will be joining in the position of Technical Director. The move follows Nick Bice's appointment as Sales Director for Grand Prix Sales and elevates Southern Spars' experience and expertise to new heights.
"I am thrilled to announce the appointment of Bill Hughes as Technical Director. Bill will add tremendously to the already highly talented team and both Bill's and Nick's experience and professionalism will underline Southern Spars' name for innovation and excellence in the sailing world," says Mark Hauser, General Manager of Southern Spars.
Meanwhile Marine Business World's Managing Editor, Mark Jardine, interviewed Grégoire Outters, Managing Director of Raymarine, to find out more about the marine electronics company, his role, the challenges faced, and where he sees development being concentrated in the decade to come.
When asked about his day-to-day role as Managing Director, Outters responded: "I'm responsible for the Raymarine brand as well as the FLIR Thermal maritime cameras for any commercial marine applications. We also acquired ChartWorld earlier this year. ChartWorld are focusing on anything related to navigation for commercial applications, whether they are shipping vessels or cruise liners. So, it's really difficult to describe what I'm doing day to day as it changes almost every day! But the main line is, I'm in charge of the short-term and long-term strategy. That's probably the biggest impact I have really: defining where we want to go in the short term (next 12 months), but also in the next five to ten years. "
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Back in Australia, Marine Rescue NSW has taken delivery of three new custom designed multi-purpose vessels, which can be deployed quickly across NSW in the event of an emergency. The vessels form part of Marine Rescue NSW's response to recommendations from the 2022 NSW Flood Inquiry with the Service receiving $3.748 million State Government funding to build capability and capacity to support NSW SES and other agencies during significant emergencies.
Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said when the vessels are not tasked for flood response; they will be part of the Marine Rescue NSW fleet assisting boaters in need.
From South Australia, the SA Department of Primary Industries has issued an alert that the marine pest, wakame (Undaria pinnatifida) has recently been detected at the Robe and Cape Jaffa marinas in SA. Wakame is a non-native brown seaweed that can rapidly colonise and dominate disturbed areas and artificial structures (e.g. marinas and boat ramps). Wakame is listed on the Australian Priority Marine Pest List and is listed as noxious in SA under the Fisheries Management Act 2007.
Biofouling on the hulls of vessels is the main introduction pathway for wakame. Good vessel cleaning practices minimise biofouling and reduce the risk of marine pests being attached to your vessel. These include:
- Cleaning your vessel (hull and niche areas) before leaving for new destinations. By cleaning your vessel at a slipway, you reduce the risk of marine pests being transported through the buildup of vessel biofouling.
- Regularly inspecting your vessel, cleaning areas prone to biofouling and checking the hull and niche areas such as internal sea water systems, anodes, docking strips, sea chests, pipe openings, propellers, shafts and rudders.
- Drying and maintaining your marine equipment. Allow 48 hours for your cleaned equipment to fully dry before moving to another area of the state.
- Remove all entangled seaweed and other organisms from ropes, anchors, buoys and other equipment.
If you identify a suspected marine pest you are encouraged to contact FISHWATCH on 1800 065 522.
Take it easy!
Peter Rendle - peter.rendle@marinebusinessworld.com
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