The Muster- Craig Robinson

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Craig Robinson, how are you this afternoon?

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Great?

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Thank you, that's good.

Speaker 3 (00:05):
Now, Craig, you tell us a little bit about yourself
and where you're based.

Speaker 1 (00:09):
At the moment.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Are we're farming just out of Clyde up by Kerry
Carey Villy and we lease and own about seventy hea
tears and just doing threatening beef at the moment.

Speaker 1 (00:24):
Nice. And how's the beef cows gown at as you
go into winter?

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Really good? Yeah, it's been obviously quite mild, not much
in the way of snow on the hills, so yeah,
it's been pretty crazy so far. A bit of a.

Speaker 3 (00:38):
Change for you. You've come from a much bigger operation
in the.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
Past, haven't you.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yes, yes, well used to they have about twelve hundred
hectares and up at Walden Knew we sold that two
marches ago and moved up the sway for a change.

Speaker 3 (00:56):
Now, why I've got you on today as we've been
talking about Men's Health Week this week as well, and
one of those things about keeping well is also being
able to get off farm and I know a lot
of a targo Southland farmers are part of the sport
that you are part of, and that is jet boat
marathon river racing?

Speaker 1 (01:17):
So I thought it.

Speaker 3 (01:17):
Would just be good to have a catch up and
understand what it's all about and what all the fuss
is about really as well.

Speaker 1 (01:25):
So tell us what is jetboat marathon racing?

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Yes, well, it's basically racing the rivers that we have
in New Zealand, mostly in the South Island at the moment,
so there's not a lot of boats, but there's been
a growing number again for the sports starting to look

(01:50):
recently good. And you know, we just start at a
point like Winton and make our way up to the
Dipton or Lumston sort of thing, and then as you
turn around and come back and on the.

Speaker 4 (02:10):
Short legs like that, you will repeat.

Speaker 2 (02:12):
It in the afternoon and on the bigger rivers in
Canterbury you'll race one way in the morning and back
in the afternoon.

Speaker 3 (02:20):
Yeah, so you're racing against the clock and like how
does that work?

Speaker 2 (02:26):
Or generally on the tighter rivers, which most ones we race,
they will start us off at minute intervals and they
normally try and seed us what they perceive.

Speaker 4 (02:39):
To be the fastest boat first of the slowest boke
last and hopefully if all goes, well, you should have
the river to yourself, but obviously.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
Sometimes they get it wrong or you make mistakes, and
there's a need to pass boats, which is never easy.

Speaker 4 (02:57):
With the brewster tails.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
That we have out the back of water, you can't
see a lot behind you, so it can be interesting
at times, but generally they try and keep us apart.

Speaker 3 (03:09):
So for someone who is not a jetboat connoisseur like myself,
tell us a little bit about the.

Speaker 1 (03:16):
Boats and what you actually need.

Speaker 3 (03:18):
Is it just your standard jetboat that farmers have in
the back shed or is there something special about these
boats at racing.

Speaker 2 (03:27):
And well, it started off as a standard boat in
the shed, but obviously as time moved on it became
more specialized. So most of us are running what they
call a tunnel hle, which allows the air to get
underneath the boat and lift it up to make it
more efficient. And they range a wee bit in length

(03:49):
from nineteen foot for the smaller classes right up to
twenty three twenty four for the unlimited turbine boats.

Speaker 3 (04:01):
I was always told that if you wanted to have
a feel of what jetboating was like, stand in a.

Speaker 1 (04:06):
Cold shower and chuck money around what they say.

Speaker 3 (04:12):
Is it an expensive sport or is it just like
anything else.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
What you put in is what you get out.

Speaker 2 (04:19):
Yeah, probably it is a bit of both.

Speaker 4 (04:21):
I guess. They have started a class which they call
fx EVO, which is a speed restricted.

Speaker 2 (04:28):
Class, and it can be quite a cheap way of
getting into the sport, right up to the unlimited turbine boats,
which is in some of the A class boats that
are running these days had more expensive to set up

(04:49):
and run.

Speaker 3 (04:51):
And when is the season run from and tool? So
are you racing at the moment or is it the
off season? What's usually I presume when it's fishing season,
you're not taking fishermen.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
How does it work?

Speaker 2 (05:02):
Yeah, it's sort of kind of an all year round
type thing. It's not a lot of races. We've been
trying to stay out of the winter months in recent
years because obviously it gets quite cold, so if you
end up in the water, it's not too good for
the health, and also fog can be quite an issue

(05:25):
in the morning. So they've been trying to sort of
race warmer months. But then you get into the March
months and you can end up with rivers for three
little water in them. So it's sort of a bit
of a compromise between the two. So we raced in
Canterbury about three weeks ago over two rivers, the recurring

(05:46):
Wymack and then annex races in the South and at
the end of September, and then following race after that
will be across New Zealand four day race and that's
in November, and then we normally start again and sort
of end of March.

Speaker 3 (06:05):
And in those off months I'm sure there's maintenance and
things to do to make sure that boat's going.

Speaker 1 (06:09):
To be the fastest. Say is what do you get
or what do you enjoy the most about it?

Speaker 2 (06:13):
Craig Oh, I guess it's the same and a lot
of motor sports.

Speaker 4 (06:18):
It's sort of the.

Speaker 2 (06:19):
Adrenaline are going fast and competing against other people. Yeah,
it's probably and we sort.

Speaker 4 (06:27):
Of enjoy.

Speaker 2 (06:29):
Being in the rivers and looking at the countries there
or when the South Island, mostly the different places it takes.

Speaker 1 (06:38):
Yeah, I can imagine you'll see some great scenery along
the way.

Speaker 3 (06:40):
If people want to find out more about jetboat manson
river racing, how do they go about it?

Speaker 2 (06:46):
Well, mostly through the local organization and New Gell jet
Boat Association. It's usually the easiest.

Speaker 4 (06:54):
Way to start with the.

Speaker 2 (06:57):
Jet boating and then once ye're sort of in the game, yes, yes,
your meat up with people at race. But it's a
New Zealand River Racing association as it's all organization that
looks after us cool.

Speaker 1 (07:15):
Well do you go, folks. If you're looking for something.

Speaker 3 (07:17):
New to add to the hobbylist, maybe Jetboat Meraton.

Speaker 1 (07:21):
River Racing is for you. Thank you so much Craig
for catching up with for a chat.

Speaker 2 (07:26):
Thank you very much.