richmond yacht club & the auckland sailing community

Our crew would like to send our heart-felt gratitude to the Richmond Yacht Club in Auckland, New Zealand for hosting a Shipwreck Party in November to help raise Kiwi dollars for our replacement mast project.  More important than the funds is the friendship that is helping us continue on this difficult rebuild project.

Auckland is very special in our hearts for many reasons, but particularly because New Zealand is the magic spot in this world where we started a family, had our third child, and got married.  It is a place where we have forged many wonderful friendships and made life-long connections.  It is a fantastic city full of great minds and big passion for sailing.

Pulling into this world port feels like coming home for our family, and for this reason, we consider Auckland to be a true home port for us.

Thank you to all our kind friends in the sailing community for all of your support and friendship & best wishes for upcoming New Year.  We appreciate all of you and look forward to sailing home again someday to make more memories.

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Many thanks to organizers, contributors and participants of this event - we wish we could have been there!

Richmond Yacht Club
Kate - Admin
Bryon Wright - Commodore

Organising Committee
Craig McDonald - Chairperson
Josh Tucker
Andy Ball
Andrew Mikkelsen

Supporters
Burnsco Marine
Issey Evers
Jereremy Stephensen / NZ Starboard SUP

Music
Phil Hart

Anasazi Girl at the Viaduct Basin hard-stand.
Auckland - NEW ZEALAND (September 2007)

A. Girl at the dock.
Viaduct Basin, Auckland - NEW ZEALAND (November 2012)

Sky tower at sunset.
Auckland - NEW ZEALAND (July 2013)

View of city skyline from A. Girl in the Waitemata Harbour
Auckland - NEW ZEALAND (December 2012)

patagonia, inc. - summer 2014 catalog

Great memories of our kids zooming fast on wheels in the southern hemisphere city of sails.  These two wild ones terrorized all the pedestrians along the waterfront by racing each other on all the ramps they could find (including the steep three story one along the Events Center building).

Both scooters made it to the bottom of the harbour countless times during Tormentina & Raivo's on-the-docks antics.  Thanks to the Viaduct Marina for being so cool with us and to Jeri Bakker & the crew of SY Zefiro, Dan Thielmann & Chris Sadler for putting on the dive gear to retrieve the sunken treasures.

Patagonia, Inc. - Summer 2014

Viaduct Harbour, Auckland Waterfront - NEW ZEALAND (November 2013)

air time

windrush flexi c-foils

Brett Burville's Windrush Flexi C-Foils, a half-way house to full flying A-Cats, are creating some interesting
times in Auckland for this developing class.  These are a direct replacement for the regular C-boards.
Auckland Waterfront - NEW ZEALAND (February 2014)

andy kensington

Andy Kensington, Director/Engineer - PURE Design & Engineering
Orams Marine Village, Auckland - NEW ZEALAND (February 2014)

Fosters New Zealand

James and Raivo in front of Fosters Ship Chandlers, a very cool piece of Auckland's seafaring history.
Auckland CBD, NEW ZEALAND (January 2014)

transpacific marine - art of navigation

twirling girl

auckland murals

T Bird and the Tui Birds
Britomart, Auckland CBD - NEW ZEALAND (December 2013)

Pearl Bug in the newly developed green link.
Daldy Street Park, Auckland Waterfront - NEW ZEALAND (December 2013) 

evening walk with the kids

children of the sea

Wild child of the sea.
Hobson West Marina - Viaduct Harbour Auckland - NEW ZEALAND (November 2013)

Scratched, bruised, and dirty - can't help but still see him as beautiful.
Hobson West Marina - Viaduct Harbour Auckland - NEW ZEALAND (November 2013)

Team Vodafone Sailing

One of the best aspects about our time in Auckland has been the opportunity to continually see the performance optimizations that Kiwis make on their sailboats.

Last month, I got an up close look at Simon Hull's Orma 60 Team Vodafone Sailing (VPLP designed/formerly Michel Desjoyeaux's Géant).  Hull's boat had some slight performance modifications made for the new summer sailing season which included rudder winglets and a new set of North Sails 3Di.

Team Vodafone Sailing with North 3DL sails during last year's summer season.
Waitemata Harbour, Auckland - NEW ZEALAND (November 2012)

Team Vodafone Sailing looking like a meaner sailing machine with her new 3Di sails and the addition of foils.
Waitemata Harbour, Auckland - NEW ZEALAND (October 2013)

The Orma 60 was hauled out near the Silo Marina at the former Prada base for the Luna Rossa AC72.

Rudder winglets were designed by Pete Melvin.  They were built & fitted into existing rudders by New Zealander George Jakich

urban playground

sunset on the dock

Tormentina at sunset.
Hobson Wharf, Viaduct Marina Auckland - NEW ZEALAND (November 2013)

not afraid of the rain

#3 on the move

Pearl is now climbing up onto the water ballast tanks.
Auckland - NEW ZEALAND (November 2013)

There are very few spaces left on Anasazi Girl that Pearl can't get to.
Auckland - NEW ZEALAND (November 2013)

air time

My children are in the air on a daily basis.  Knowing where you are in that air is a learned skill.  Some of us are gifted with this natural ability.  To progress in a safe way, you've got to log the time.  Air time is a big part of modern extreme sports. Participate in life.  There are big rewards for the brave.

The Three B's:  be brave, be bold, be smart.

Climb to fly.
North Wharf, Waterfront Auckland - NEW ZEALAND (November 2013)

Tormentina barefoot launch.
North Wharf, Waterfront Auckland - NEW ZEALAND (November 2013)

Spiderman's big air + shooting webs.
North Wharf, Waterfront Auckland - NEW ZEALAND (November 2013)

Raivo defying gravity
North Wharf, Waterfront Auckland - NEW ZEALAND (November 2013)

Pearl, "Look Ma, no hands!"
North Wharf, Waterfront Auckland - NEW ZEALAND (November 2013)

wharf kids

Princes Wharf
Auckland - NEW ZEALAND (October 2013)

Karanga Plaza, Viaduct Harbour.
Auckland - NEW ZEALAND (October 2013) 

Te Wero Island, Viaduct Harbour
Auckland - NEW ZEALAND (October 2013)

Halsey Street Wharf
Auckland - NEW ZEALAND (October 2013)

Te Wero Island, Viaduct Harbour
Auckland - NEW ZEALAND (October 2013)