THE MOVE
So now I have a boat! Yay! Only a few small (not really) problems remain, the biggest: I now have two boats but only room for one!
Back in the beginning of 2012 my uncle gave me his old boat, Tamar, she is an Adams designed 28 footer cutter rigged yacht, and at that time still floating. But her decks were starting to rot and she needed a lot of work, but I couldn't just let her get scraped so I sailed her home.
So there she sat for 3 years. Tamar is a nice boat but not the boat I needed, she is more of a coastal cruiser/racer. But I wanted a blue water, go anywhere boat. I should never have taken her on but I'm glad I did, because in May 2015 a month after I got Waka Irie, I found a new owner for Tamar so now she really has a chance to one day sail again.
So now I had room for Waka Irie! On the 25th of May 2015, came a big crane followed by a huge boat Haulage truck into the small yard at the Whangerei Cruising Club. They came to lift and transport Waka Irie out of the yard and to her hardstand in Totara North. All went well till they reached our place. Where they got well and truly stuck trying to back the trailer up the driveway. It had been raining that day, and the truck went off the side of the drive and got stuck in the mud.
Another truck had to be called in to tow them out. There was no way Waka Irie was going up that driveway! Once they had managed to get out they took her down to the Totara North slip and put her down on the hard there, until we could fix our driveway.
It took three big truck loads of gravel (and money) to get our driveway good enough to bring her in. So about two weeks later Waka Irie finally made it home. And in a couple weeks work will start with getting a tent built.
Svenja and I are coming to New Zealand for 4 weeks over the Christmas/new years period, it will be the first time I see Waka Irie for real! I can't wait! We won't be starting any projects then, but we will be forming a plan and a list of all things needed and work to be done for Waka Irie's restoration.
As you all know I'm not in New Zealand, I wasn't there during the move, in fact I was flying to Sardinia for 2 weeks holiday that very day! It was very nerving not knowing what was going on. My Dad was the one in control. I'm very blessed to have such an amazing dad to help me! Having this boat would have never become a reality without him! Thanks Dad!!
Peter Deverell