Fri, 15 June 2001
The wingers are in Auckland, New Zealand, for a short, but busy holiday. We flew here last Friday night and immediately Saturday morning reported to the boat for duty. Not Wings, she is safely back in Sydney, but Icon, Dick Robbins' new 65 foot flyer. We are helping captain Jim Roser and Robin get the boat finished. Well, maybe "helping get it ready" is a bit of an overstatement, we are watching a whole bunch of professionals work and we went for a sail. We are also visiting friends here in Auckland, particularly the Edwards, who's two boys Judy cared for when we were living here. We just had to see them again. In fact, When Fred goes back to Sydney on Sunday, Judy stays another week just to have more time with the boys!
Weve been staying at Princes' Wharf right at the viaduct basin, and hiking around it to the boat (Jim rented America True's old base) each morning brings back lots of memories from the America's Cup days, including how heavy this damn Nikon is. But Icon is a neat boat, luxurious and fast, a great cruiser, and being here has been a learning experience. The sailing has been exciting. We shot some photos too, and are doing a story on the boat for Sail, so keep an eye out for it.
Soon though, we are back to work in Sydney, and off on another boat project. Wings will start a major refit late this month when we pull the mast, keel, and rudder for maintenance. Once these are back on we will engage some of Australia's finest to refurbish the interior. This will be a first for us, hiring others to work on our boat, but we really can't work full time and make much progress ourselves, and we need to work to pay for it, so we will take this approach. Unless out plans change.
In the meantime we have moved into an apartment in Sydney, overlooking downtown and the harbor, which is another first for us. Six months off the boat will be strange. I guess we'll make the best of it.
Our plans for later in the year include another holiday in August to sail in the Hamilton Island Race week, in the Whitsunday Islands, inside Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Maybe some cruising after that, and in December Fred will sail with Icon in the Sydney Hobart Race. Stay tuned for this.
We will keep you updated on all of these, and we are thinking of all of you allways.
Fred & Judy