Thursday, March 28, 2024

Competitive consultant keen to win

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Dairy nutritionist Trish Lewis believes many farmers are still suffering the effects of last year’s drought, because their animals are.
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She’s a self-employed consultant, offering advice aimed at delivering good animal health and improved production. On-farm visits are backed up by long-range support via computer with a focus on getting the best possible use from pasture.

“The drought was a big challenge,” she said.

“Some of my clients were autumn calving and that was very hard with practically no grass. Getting enough forage into the cows is critical – you can always buy in palm kernel and other dry supplements but you have to have a certain amount of forage for good ruminary health. If you feed a cow nothing but palm kernel, over time their health will deteriorate.”

Her role, she said, is to improve the welfare of dairy cows through correct nutrition and in doing so improve the farmer’s bottom line.

Going solo

A determined woman in both work and play, Lewis, 52, continues a solo yacht racing career that has included the 2010 Trans Tasman race from New Plymouth to Mooloolaba in Queensland, an effort that took her 12 days, five hours and 21 minutes.

This year she won the single-handed section of the annual Route 66 Auckland to Whangarei Harbour race in March and she continues to compete in race series on Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf in both single-handed and two-handed races, representing the Richmond Yacht Club.

She became a minor celebrity during the Trans Tasman race, delivering regular reports on what was happening at sea to listeners of Jim Mora’s afternoon programme on National Radio. Now she’s a public speaker who is capable of presenting on a full range of dairy nutrition and silage topics in an easily understood manner.

She married boat builder Neil Beken in 2011 and they’ve settled on Auckland’s North Shore. He also loves yachting and supports her racing passion but doesn’t share it.

“He’s keen on cruising.”

Lewis’ love of sailing started on a windsurfing board off the coast of Wales. Born in Kent, she took a job in farming there before moving to New Zealand in 1997. She’s become a citizen and is in no doubt about that decision.

“I love it here.”

Auckland’s harbour and the Hauraki Gulf and its multitude of islands and sailing conditions enticed her when she arrived here. She crewed for other members of the Richmond Yacht Club, based at Westhaven Marina near the city’s harbour bridge, then found other yachties’ knowledge and inspiration along with their enthusiasm to share helped her steep learning curve.

“I found myself getting to grips with everything from engine maintenance to pouring the best sailing cocktail,” she said.

Buying a boat

In 1999 she decided she’d learnt enough to skipper a boat and was sufficiently passionate about the sport and confident enough to buy her own boat, Wishbone, a 7.6m Reactor-class keel boat designed by Paul Whiting and launched in 1977. After honing her racing skills on the Gulf she began coastal racing and during the long nights decided she loved sailing singlehanded.

Then came the trip to Aussie.

“Initially a lot of people thought I couldn’t do it so it was determination to show I could,” she said.

And that just increased her passion for it.

“It’s a challenge, doing a good job of trimming the sails, avoiding other yachts and in the longer races just staying alert.”

The Trans Tasman experience has improved her race performance. On the run to Whangarei Harbour the wind lifted from gentle breeze to serious blow. Lewis had decided she’d drop the big spinnaker when it blew over 20 knots. She’d learned that throwing the halyard over the stern would slow the drop of the spinnaker so she could manage on her own while sail changes were made.

She and sailing partner Evelien van Vliet contested the mid-winter two-handed series in the Gulf which was still underway in early October.

“It’s easier with two but it helps if you sail with someone you know well, someone who knows what you’re doing and you know what they’re going to do,” Trish said.

“Evelien and I have sailed together for two years now and it works well.”

It’s not often now that she crews on others’ boats, but does she have any upcoming challenges such as another offshore race?

“I don’t have any immediate goals. But I’m not ruling anything out.”

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