© Ivor Wilkins

Lots of running around in New Zealand getting started on winter projects. We are going to replace the Bomar hatches, have a full set of canvas made including a full awning for the tropics, and it’s time for new anti foul coating on the bottom. Also we are shopping for a flat screen TV to mount on the wall and also our own windsurfer. The catch with the windsurfer is that we have to be able to stow it in the forepeak and not all models fit.

Anouk haas left for a 3-month vacation back to Holland with a stopover in Thailand where she plans to take Thai cooking lessons in a village and go on an elephant trek! Rod’s 1-month vacation will start two days after Mike and I return to New Zealand next January to play around on Raven by ourselves for a month or so. Rod has considered kayaking down the Amazon, going to India, and hitchhiking New Zealand. No idea what he will ultimately decide!