C-Tech began life in 1997 as a small back yard operation in co-founder Alex Valling’s shed writes Chris Kitchen for Sailworld.com

Fast forward 20 years and C-Tech has a lot to celebrate. Their composite technicians have produced over 50,000 custom designed carbon spars, and they’ve had a successful partnership with Emirates Team New Zealand for five consecutive America’s Cup campaigns.

C-Tech and Emirates Team New Zealand first worked together during their 2003 campaign to supply sail battens. Despite radical changes in America’s Cup classes, 15 years later C-Tech continues to supply wing components, rudders, dagger board cases, dagger board tips, fairings, lifting posts, accumulator tubes, struts, prods and ‘bike components’ for their 2017 challenge. C-Tech has also supplied most of the other America’s Cup teams with their prods and a number of compression struts.

Emirates Team New Zealand’s 2017 challenge has been one of the most dramatic in their history with C-Tech.

Days before America’s cup qualifying was due to start Emirates Team New Zealand damaged a rudder. C-Tech got the call to build an emergency replacement. The C-Tech crew pulled together and rostered a 24 hour shift to get two weeks work completed in five days.

Two weeks later just hours after Emirates Team New Zealand’s capsize on the Great Sound during qualifying meant another phone call to the C-Tech team. Within hours the emergency order order of fairings and struts were being built. They were completed and shipped to Bermuda in record time.

Continue to the full article here on sailingworld.com  ||  June 24,  2017   |||

We’ve all been there, driving down a one-lane street, backed up behind a cyclist that blocks our ambition of hitting the speed limit. Seriously, bikes limp along at 10 mph and hit what—30 mph—max? Well, no. How does 90 mph sound?

That’s right. Thanks to the engineering minds of Aerovelo and its bike, Eta, cyclists could theoretically complain about passing that big bead on your high performance vehicle.

Aerovelo Cofounders Cameron Robertson and Todd Reichert lead their team of University of Toronto (U of T) engineering students and alumni to design, simulate, optimize, build and pilot this escape pod-encased bike into the history books.

After breaking its own human-powered land speed record a few times over, this little tear drop settled on an impressive 144.17 kph (89.59 mph).

“It was a culmination of years of effort,” said Robertson. “There was a lot of excitement and relief that we have taken a good path and all the choices we made showed it could be done. With Eta’s design, we showed the range of improvement. In 2000 to 2015, there wasn’t much change to the [human-powered land] speed record. It incremented 10 mph in 15 years, from 73 to 83 mph. The rate of technological change was small; it was incremental improvements. In the span of two years with Eta, however, we incremented [the record] by 6.5 mph.”

Continue to the full article published by engineersrule.com May 24,  2017   |||

 Chris Jefferies reports in Boat International that the 24.38 metre maxi racing yacht Lion New Zealand has checked into Yachting Developments for an extensive winter overhaul. The works, which began on May 15 with her haul-out, are described as a “top-to-bottom refit”.

Designed by Ron Holland and launched in 1985 for Sir Peter Blake, Lion New Zealand raced in the 1985/86 Whitbread Round The World Race. She was purchased in 2008 by the NZ Sailing Trust, which uses her to provide sailing experiences for young New Zealanders.

In the past nine years, Lion New Zealand has covered more than 200,000 nautical miles, welcoming thousands of guests on board along the way, and the trust explains that she is in need of a much-deserved refit.

Read the full article on Boat International   ||  May 31, 2017   |||

Air New Zealand and New Zealand Rugby are searching the world for two truly crazy-about-rugby All Blacks Apprentices to join the All Blacks as they take on Manu Samoa in Auckland on 16 June.

These volunteer positions are the first of their kind within the All Blacks camp. The apprentices will stay at the All Blacks’ hotel and assist the team both in preparation for the match and on game day, including:

· assisting in the setting up of the team’s Captain’s Run on the day before the game before joining the team for lunch.· attending an exclusive question and answer session with All Blacks Head Coach Steve Hansen and players.· helping to set up the All Blacks’ coaches box, sideline and bench on game day.· observing the game from their own private sideline bench.

One lucky apprentice will also be responsible for running the ball on to the field for kick-off.

Air New Zealand will provide transport to Auckland from anywhere across New Zealand or around the world for the successful applicants along with up to three friends or family members each. They will also receive accommodation and apprentices will wear special custom-made uniforms.

All Blacks Head Coach Steve Hansen says true fans of any age should apply.

“The main thing is these people need to be All Blacks supporters through and through and demonstrate a true love of the game.

“Like any position on the All Blacks team we expect these spots will be hotly contested so applicants really need to sell themselves and show us how passionate they really are.”

Air New Zealand General Manager Global Brand and Content Marketing Jodi Williams says the airline has been a proud sponsor of the All Blacks for more than 20 years.

“Together with NZR we wanted to create a truly awesome opportunity for fans to go behind the scenes with the All Blacks and do their bit to help the team prepare for the test match against Samoa.”

The apprentices will volunteer their services for 48 hours – from 8am Thursday 15 June to 8am Saturday 17 June 2017.

All Blacks supporters can apply now at www.airnz.co.nz/blackout. Fans are encouraged to provide any supporting evidence of their suitability for this position – for example video, photos, written material or artwork.

Applications close 11.59pm Monday 5 June 2017 (NZT).

| An Air New Zealand release  ||  May 22, 2017   |||

Tomorrow Liam Malone will graduate with a Bachelor of Commerce from Victoria University adding another another hard earned award to his growing list of acheivments. 

There were a few distractions on the way, not least competing in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Liam’s next step is to become the fastest person on the planet. “I’m going to be the fastest person on the planet, legs real or not. It’s important to do things that shape the future and this would be one of those things,” Liam said in a recent Victoria University press release.  

So technology around the running blades will no doubt play a role in helping Liam acheive his goals so it was interesting to have a look back at just how these blades came about and where from.

The Flex-Foot, as the blades are called, are made in the USA  by Össur an organisation whose aim is to improve peoples mobility and provide prosthetic solutions.

Here is the Flex-Foot story

President of UK Football Foundation now takes Five Questions.....

Lord Pendry is familiar in New Zealand within sporting circles. He retains too a constant guardian-angel like role over the nation, most recently when in the House of Lords he challenged the Government over the need to control the validity of labelling for Manuka honey. He was for many years the Labour Member of Parliament for Stalybridge and Hyde. In 2000, he was appointed member of the Privy Council on the recommendation of Tony Blair. After the 2001 election he was elevated to the peerage as Baron Pendry of Stalybridge. An institution within the English speaking realm’s greatest institution, the Palace of Westminster, boxing buff Lord Pendry (above) has just seen published his autobiography, Taking It On The Chin (see below).

You began your career as an engineer.  How important is a manufacturing-production base for a developed economy such as Britain’s or New Zealand’s for that matter?Although the service industries are increasingly the norm in Britain, manufacturing continues apace; the UK is currently the world's ninth largest industrial nation. I think it is important that the Government does more to support UK manufacturing industries despite fierce competition from other countries. The recent crisis with steel production in South Wales is a case in point.

As a British Member of Parliament you knew the Blair family, from Tony’s father-in-law, who lived in your constituency, and you were widely credited with opening the path to Westminster for Tony. His legacy?Yes, I introduced Tony Blair into mainstream parliamentary politics in 1982 when, following my introduction, he unsuccessfully fought a by-election before gaining a safe seat in the North East constituency of Sedgefield. In my view, Tony was an outstanding Prime Minister who achieved much, especially bringing peace to Northern Ireland, but many other good measures also—regretfully he will be remembered by many for his support of the Iraq invasion.

Your constant advocacy for sport is well-known. How important in the age of video games is organised sport for school age boys and girls?Sport within society is of great importance to both the health and morale of its people but also in its importance to the economy of countries like the UK and New Zealand. Sport is also a great leveller in terms of gender, religion and race, bringing together the best in humankind. In order to address the negative effects of children playing video games, it is important that sport facilities are provided and participation in sport is encouraged. A good example of an organisation in the UK which invests in local sport facilities is the Football Foundation, of which I am President; with funding from the Government, the FA and the Premier League, the foundation funds multiple projects across the UK which provide new and refurbished grassroots sports facilities, improving the quality and experience of playing sport at the grassroots level. Formed in 2000 they have supported projects worth more than £1.3 billion.

One sport you most definitely do not approve of is fox-hunting?Certainly I do not approve not only of fox hunting but of cruelty to animals per se. Fox hunting is now illegal in the UK but there is evidence to suggest that hunts continue to take place. The argument that fox hunting is about curbing the number of foxes in the wild—a form of pest control—does not stand up because there is strong evidence to show that foxes have been captured and bred by hunters purely to be used in hunts.

You have on several occasions registered your disapproval of hereditary ascendancy to your own House of Lords?I do not believe that because a person achieved greatness in his lifetime that should also necessarily be reflected in the shape of a family member years later, who may not be worthy of the honour himself. We have in the House of Lords many examples of such people not worthy of the honour which had been bestowed upon their ancestor. Fortunately some do make a notable contribution to the workings of Parliament. In truth, now the number of hereditary peers is limited to 92 so some progress has been made in the right direction.

Treble Cone is proud to announce that a new snowmaking system will be in place for the 2017 season. The new hardware and controls are designed to enable Treble Cone to open on schedule even in seasons – such as 2016 – with minimal natural snowfall. The newly-installed pipes, pumps and snow guns will service Easy Rider from the top of Home Basin all the way down to the base lodge, as well as providing security around snow cover for Main Street.

This will be new terrain for snow making at TC and will be a turnkey system provided by internationally renowned SMI http://www.snowmakers.com/ and will be finished and operational by the start of the season.

Jackie van der Voort, CEO of Treble Cone, commented, “This is a project many years in the making. We want to ensure that our customers are able to ski at Treble Cone from opening day, through the school holidays, and into the heart of the season. This extensive investment in new equipment should enable skiers and boarders to enjoy the mountain from top to bottom. We are looking forward to working with SMI, a leader in snowmaking, whose systems are in place at many of the world’s best-known resorts.”

Treble Cone’s Board and Management team have used the 2016/17 off-season to identify key improvements to the ski field, both on-snow and off. These improvements will improve customer experience for all levels of skiers and boarders, including beginners and young families. Treble Cone Management looks forward to issuing further updates as opening day of the 2017 season approaches.

| A Treble Cone release  |  March 21, 2017  ||

Rory McIlroy on the new rules:  "I think golf's emphasis on the rules can sometimes turn people away from it," Rory McIlroy said. "To modernize and make it simple is a good thing. With what's happened in the last couple of years, with some rulings and high-profile things that have happened at crucial stages in tournaments, people who look at that and might want to get into the game say, 'You know what? It's too complicated.'"

 Golf’s two governing bodies released a draft of modern rules Wednesday aimed at bringing common sense to what can be a complicated sport.

The Royal & Ancient Golf Club and the U.S. Golf Association spent more than five years trying to simplify the Rules of Golf without stripping the centuries-old game of its traditions and fundamentals of fair play. The result figures to be the most comprehensive overhaul since the first set of rules was published in 1744.

But in this case, the Rules of Golf actually shrunk.

The proposal, which now faces six months of public feedback, reduces the number of rules from 34 to 24.

In many cases, penalties have been rescinded. Players no longer will be assessed a one-shot penalty if their golf ball accidentally moves, if their club touches the ground while in a hazard or even if a putt strikes a flagstick that is not being tended.

Remember when Jeff Maggert’s shot from a fairway bunker caromed off the lip and hit him in the chest? That cost him a two-shot penalty in the 2003 Masters. Under the proposed rules, it wouldn’t be a penalty.

“The primary objective was, ‘How do we make the rules easier to understand and easier to apply around the world,” said Thomas Pagel, the USGA’s senior director of rules and amateur status. “I think what you’ll see is that part of this process is to evaluate all the outcomes and identify outcomes that are more reasonable and common-sense based.”

Rory McIlroy has been informed of the changes and liked what he heard.

“I think golf’s emphasis on the rules can sometimes turn people away from it,” McIlroy said. “To modernize and make it simple is a good thing. With what’s happened in the last couple of years, with some rulings and high-profile things that have happened at crucial stages in tournaments, people who look at that and might want to get into the game say, ‘You know what? It’s too complicated.’

“Making them more modern to move with the times is good.”

Depending on the six-month public comment period, the proposal would be finalized in 2018 and become effective in 2019.

One of the proposed rules would penalize caddies who stand behind their players until right before the shot, to help them with alignment. That is most prominent on the LPGA Tour. If the modern rules are adopted, caddies would have move as soon as their players take their stances.

“This is one we stepped back and said, ‘Aligning yourself is just fundamental to playing the game,'” Pagel said. “It’s not that caddies can no longer help the player. But when a player goes to set up to the ball, that challenge is the player’s.”

Another significant proposal, which got McIlroy’s attention, was how to drop. The goal was to get the ball back in play quickly. Modern rules would more easily identify where to drop, and players would only have to hold the ball above the ground without it touching anything. The recommendation is at least 1 inch above the ground or grass. Currently, players have to stand upright and hold the ball at shoulder height and arm’s length from their bodies.

Among other proposed rules:

Instead of only being allowed to repair pitch marks or old hole plugs on the greens, players now can fix just about anything, including spike marks and heel prints.

Players were disqualified if they used a club that was damaged in anger. Under the proposal, they can still use it.

Players who touched the line of their putts or the putting green in pointing out a target faced a two-shot penalty. The modern rule has no penalty, provided they are not improving the condition of the putt.

Several proposed rules were geared toward improving the pace of play, such as encouraging players to hit their shot when ready. Players would have only three minutes to search for a lost ball instead of five minutes.

“It is important that the Rules continue to evolve and remain in tune with the way the modern game is played,” said David Rickman, executive director of governance for the R&A. “But we have been careful not to change the game’s longstanding principles and character.”

While the Rules of Golf would only be 24 rules, that’s not to suggest 10 rules were simply eliminated. That indicates how the book was taken apart and put back together.

“Probably a bit more than 10 went away,” Pagel said.

|  DOUG FERGUSON, AP Golf Writer  |  March 02, 2017  ||

Emirates Team New Zealand have splashed their new AC50 in Auckland this morning and revealed another break-though.

In the 2013 America's Cup the team designed the first foiling catamaran even though that concept was not contemplated in the rules. It was widely reckoned that they revealed their secret too early and other teams were able to copy in the time available.

Instead of conventional grinding pedestals the AC50 features cycle grinding pedestals ('pedalstals') which allow the crew to use their more powerful leg muscles to grind and provide the power for the AC50 systems.

All other teams have used conventional arm driven grinding pedestals which are a lot less effective, cannot be driven for extended periods at a high heart rate, and use a much weaker muscle group. The bonus for Emirates Team New Zealand is that they have four grinding positions per side, while the other teams have two - but with two grinders on each.

The use of cycle pedestals where the crews pedal to provide the power are not new; they were tried in the 12 Metre Class in 1977 by the Swedish Challenger, Sverige. In that use, the crews were mostly below decks, which also reduced windage.

>  >  >  Read complatete article with images on Sailworld  | February 15, 2017  ||

Over 600 players and more than 3,000 fans had a new experience at one of the USA’s largest junior rugby tournaments, thanks to one of a kind portable Junior Rugby Packaposts designed by New Zealand company Packaworld International.

The Rhinos Rugby Stomp was hosted by Rhinos Rugby Club on Sunday 29 January at Great Park in the city of Irvine, California. The tournament featured Under 14 age group teams from nine clubs across California.

Junior rugby is often played without posts, particularly in the US, where many sports fields are set up for other sports.Rhinos Rugby Program Director Elvis Seveali’i, a former Manu Samoa rugby star, said the free-standing inflatable Junior Rugby Packaposts brought an extra dimension to the tournament, and had massive potential to help grow grass-roots rugby in the USA.

“These are the perfect size for children. It gives the effect that they’re playing in the real game, and this will be a major factor in attracting new players to the game of rugby.”

Mr Seveali’i said it was important for junior players to build up basic skills, create good habits and establish solid fundamentals.

The lack of posts at junior level meant kicking was not introduced to the game until around the age of 16 or 18, when senior rugby posts could be used. The portable Packaposts could be transported in a small car, did not damage artificial fields and had the potential to enable kicking and make the junior game closer to senior rugby, he said.

“These posts are going to make such a difference. I think it’s a great idea.”

Mr Seveali’i said the turnout at this year’s Rhinos Rugby Stomp had been excellent thanks to a major influx of players over the past year in the growth sport of rugby.

“A lot of the rugby community was there. The kids had a great time and it was fantastic to see so many supporters on what turned out to be a huge day for junior rugby in California.”

This year’s honours in the Under 14 division went to the Belmont Shore Under 14s team from Long Beach, with Irvine Rhinos, Belmont Shore Under 10s and Souths Rhinos from Santa Margarita victorious in the Under 12, Under 10 and Under 8 divisions respectively.