Welcome to the 2009 New Zealand Leadership Week 2009 update.

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in Leadership Week. We hope the discussions and activities have inspired you, challenged you and given you much to think about and act upon.

67 events across 14 regions took place this year, involving an estimated 8,000 people. This figure can be seen as a reflection of the ever-increasing importance which New Zealand places on leadership – particularly in these testing times.

Sir Peter Blake’s leadership was defined, for many, by his ability to inspire others, and so it was heartening to see so many significant leaders, including the Sir Peter Blake Emerging Leader Award alumni, and our 2008 Antarctic Youth Ambassador, giving their time to speak at events around the country to help develop leadership capability in others.

We were also encouraged by the community-wide approach to leadership development in Opotiki and the Hutt Valley and by the continuing emergence of other award ceremonies which recognise and celebrate leadership within their own school, business or local community.

While impossible to detail all of the events in this newsletter, this year saw a much greater participation by young people and we wanted to take this opportunity to share some of their events with you.

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TP 52- Audi MedCup-Cagliari
Paul Cayard
Tuesday, July 21, 2009

We had a good day on the Artemis today. Three races were held on the Gulf of Cagliari, in 12-14 knots of wind from the southeast.

Artemis scored a 2, 2, 7 to put us in third place. Team New Zealand won all three races and Matador of Argentina is one point ahead of us with a 3, 3, 4.

The races were incredibly close and there wasn’t much in it at the first windward mark of each race. We actually finished better than we rounded the first windward mark in each race, which is a good sign. Passing boats is an important trait to have. Everyone will get back in the pack at some point and the good ones will come through the fleet.

Our first two starts were ok and we had a bad one in the last race. We managed to get clear onto port early and the right was good. We almost snagged a 3rd at the top mark but could not quite get through and ended up 9th. That is how close it is. It is literally a matter of feet and inches in those final crosses at the top of the 2.2 mile windward legs.

The forecast for tomorrow is pretty much like today so it will be another long and tough day of sailing.

21 Jul 2009

Pure New Zealand in Sardinia

Emirates Team New Zealand won all three races on the first day of the Region of Sardinia Trophy for the TP52 Series.

Three wins from three starts allowed Dean Barker (NZL) and the crew of Emirates TeamNew Zealand to not only take a comfortable overall lead after the first day’s racing at the Region of Sardinia Trophy, the third event of the 2009 Audi MedCup Circuit, but also today to more than double their overall lead on the season long Circuit.

In the GP42 Series’ practice race, superstition again prevailed as the Italian entry Airis, with Vasco Vascotto (ITA) calling tactics, passed outside the finish line leaving four boats to finish behind them within eight seconds. Turismo Madrid (ESP) took the first gun.

Consistently strong starting by the Kiwi team was the passport to their hat-trick of winning guns. It was only in the third windward-leeward contest that they had to overcome another boat, the Russian Synergy, to keep their perfect score-line intact.

Competition in the TP52 fleet was always close due to the very steady sea-breeze conditions with only tiny speed differentials between the first and tenth TP52’s. After the first start skipper-helm Dean Barker and the New Zealand crew were able to ease away from current Audi MedCup champions Quantum Racing upwind in the 13 knots of breeze, and lead around the first windward mark to win, ahead of Artemis (SWE) and Matador (ARG).

The second race saw a repeat performance from the New Zealand afterguard and again they won gun-to-gun as Artemis and Matador took second and third respectively, but on the third they only managed to roll the Russians on the closing stages of the final run, while José Cusi’s Spanish boat Bríbon finished

Race 1
Racing in 12-14 knots of perfect sea breeze and flat water helm Dean Barker executed a text book start to keep their nearest rivals, the defending Audi MedCup Champions Quantum Racing (USA) in check from early in the first beat.
Whilst the current Audi MedCup Circuit leaders were able to clear the first windward mark with a comfortable early lead over the team which had gone furthest to the right upwind, Russia’s Synergy. Quantum Racing rounded tenth.
From there Emirates Team New Zealand were unchallenged to the finish, while Paul Cayard (USA) guided Torbjorn Tornqvist (SWE) to a valuable second place on Artemis (SWE), with Matador (ARG) taking third.

Race 2
Emirates Team New Zealand won the second race in much the same manner that they earned victory in Race 1 With a start which was close to perfection in terms of timing and speed build, the Kiwi team were quickly in control of the fleet on the first beat, again leading at every mark of the windward leeward course.
Cayard and Hamish Pepper (NZL) conspired to sail a strong, confident race on Artemis, profiting a little when Matador and Bribon tussled towards the top end of the second beat.

Bribon were third all the way around the course but suffered when they went too far to the right on the final downwind, dropping to a sixth place finish.

Race 3
The third race was probably the most exciting. Synergy started well and were able to profit from an early position to the right. While they were then able to hold their lead around the windward mark Bribon were forced to tuck behind starboard tack Emirates Team New Zealand to round a close third.
The leading duo were comfortably clear down the final run when Emirates Team New Zealand took the race to leaders Synergy who were not quite as slick gybing under pressure. But the Russian team fought back and were less than half a boat length behind at the finish line.

Region of Sardinia Trophy
TP52 Series
Standings after Day 1

1. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), 1 1 1= 3 points
2. Matador (ARG), 3 3 4= 10 points
3. Artemis (SWE), 2 2 7= 11 points
4. Synergy (RUS), 4 8 2= 14 points
5. Bribón (ESP), 5 6 3= 14 points
…

GP42 Series
Practice Race results
1. Turismo Madrid (ESP)
2. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP)
3. Caser Endesa (ESP)
4. Roma (ITA)
DNF Airis (ITA)

Quotes of the day:

Ray Davies (NZL), tactician Emirates Team New Zealand:

“We had a great day today, we started really well. The key there was time on distance, positioning with couple of minutes to go. That is something that we have been working on really hard. And that seems to be working really well. Mainly that is just about honing in on the on-board communication, working on where we want to be with a couple of minutes to go, and then the final execution from 45 seconds to go. That is critical and our boat is quite good at slow speeds, it grips quite well. Then the last race was a real nail-biter, Synergy sailed real well. We just managed to jump them on the gybe and roll them. It was a match race and we got strong on them, did a better gybe and rolled them, and then they got strong on us and had a very good chance of winning the race. It must have been down to a second or two.”

Vasco Vascotto (ITA) tactician Airis (ITA):
“It was good today, fun. If we can improve our skills and our handling more, in these conditions we will be good. I heard that it was not so good at the last regatta. It is a good feeling, our guys did a fantastic job and it was very close, better to all be close than far apart. I think we have speed enough to do well and now we need to be really concentrated to do like we did today.”

Paul Cayard (USA) tactician Artemis (SWE):
It was a pretty good day for us, less so in the last race. We were going well and even when we had troubles we were passing boats. In every case it’s a good sign to be passing boats. Starts were never actually that good, yesterday’s practice was better, but the first two were OK, the third one was bad. But, the good thing about the third one was that we cleared out straight away and got a good lane going right. I think we are pretty happy for the day. The guys who sail on the boat all the time are happy. Robbie (Naismith) and the guys are just saying: ‘let’s be real, that was a pretty good day.”

Francesco Mongelli (ITA) navigator Synergy (RUS)
“It was a good day for us. We made a small mistake in the end that in any other fleet would have not made much difference, it was nothing, but we are happy with the day. At the end we did a good race and all the crew must be happy with how we are going.”

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GP42 images from Max Ranchi

Caterpillar reports 41 per cent lower sales

By IBI Magazine

Caterpillar Inc today reported sales of US$7.97bn for its second quarter, a 41 per cent drop compared to the same period a year ago. Its net income of US$371m was down US$735m compared to US$1.06bn a year ago.

“Team Caterpillar is now halfway through one of the most challenging years in the company’s history,” said Jim Owens, chairman and CEO, in a statement. “Our 2009 sales have been hurt by weak end-user demand and significant reductions in dealer inventory.”

The company’s engine division, which includes marine, reported a 32 per cent decline in sales to US$2.9bn for the second quarter. The company reported that sales of engines for marine applications were down by 25 per cent in the European and Middle East region because of weak economic conditions. In the Asia/Pacific region, marine engine sales rose by 23 per cent, with demand for workboat and general cargo vessels.

“There is still a great deal of economic uncertainty in the world, but we are seeing signs of stabilization that we hope will set the foundation for an eventual recovery,” said Owens. “Credit markets have improved significantly. Fiscal policy and monetary stimulus have been introduced around the world, and we are seeing signs, particularly in China, that they are beginning to work.”

But the company said it expects the global economy to decline by more than two per cent this year. “Some economic indicators improved in the second quarter, suggesting the rapid decline in the world economy is moderating,” said the statement. “However, we expect output will fall further in the third quarter before recovering slightly in the fourth quarter.”

(21 July 2009)

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and

Volvo reports drop in Q2 sales

By IBI Magazine

Swedish transport group Volvo — which incorporates marine division Volvo Penta — has revealed that its net sales fell by 33 per cent to SEK 54bn in the second quarter of 2009, compared to SEK 80.3bn during the same time last year. The operating loss came to SEK 6.9bn compared to an operating income of SEK 7,186m.

The group’s marine division, Volvo Penta — which produces leisure marine and commercial engines — reported a 32 per cent decrease in sales to SEK 2,258m. An operating loss of SEK 165m, compared to an operating income of SEK 458m, was attributed to a decline in sales volumes, credit losses, under absorption of costs in production and costs pertaining to layoffs.

“Global demand for marine engines continued to weaken during the second quarter. In North America, demand for marine engines is at a historically low level and the industry has been hit hard by bankruptcies and financing problems,” says the company.

“One of the industry’s major US boatbuilders went into Chapter 11 during the second quarter. The situation is similar in Europe, where many boatbuilders have been forced to close their plants entirely for extended periods of time.”

Sales of leisure marine engines fell by 37 per cent to SEK 1,407m and sales of industrial engines were down 21 per cent to SEK 852m.

“Although the total market for industrial engines declined sharply in Europe, the situation is still somewhat more stable than for marine engines,” says the company. “The trend for industrial engines in Asia and certain other parts of the world, such as the Middle East, remained relatively stable.”

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MOB skipper missing in European regatta

Yesterday afternoon (20 July) an emergency was reported from the offshore regatta, the Baltic Sprint Cup. During the race’s second leg from Rønne (on the island of Bornholm, Denmark) to Vaestervik (Sweden), the female skipper of German yacht DHH Cross-Match (pictured), Sabine Juettner-Storp, went overboard.

The rescue services were called immediately, and the search is being coordinated by the Danish SAR rescue centre. Apart from a Swedish rescue helicopter and two rescue boats, 15 other yachts from the regatta fleet took part in the search, which was without success when darkness fell.

The second leg of the regatta had started in medium to fresh west-southwesterly winds. At the time of the emergency happened, the sea state to the northeast of the Danish island of Bornholm was moderate with waves of a half to a metre high.

The 12-metre long X-40 DHH Cross-Match is part of the regatta group of the Deutscher Hochseesportverband Hansa (DHH) from Gluecksburg, Germany – and the fleet’s only yacht with an all-female crew of six. The accident is reported to be the result of a tragic link of unfortunate events, when the skipper tried to clear a foresail wrapped around the forestay.

All efforts to locate Luebeck-born Sabine Juettner-Stork after her fall have failed so far. The 54-year old has many years of experience, and it was her second Baltic Sprint Cup.

“The entire race community is deeply shocked”, said event manager Henning Rocholl from Germany, and race director Alan Green from the UK.

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Search for missing sailor terminated!

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This post is tagged artemis, bribon, Caser-Endesa, Emirates Team New Zealand, francesco mongelli, Islas Canarias, Matador, max ranchi, paul cayard, ray davies, Roma, synergy, Turismo, vasco vascotto