Logs
and History |
RE:
delivery voyage
of "Weypago",
early September
2002, from Tauranga
to Lyttleton.
This
was a difficult voyage mainly because a piece of well concealed
rot in the rudder stock chose to give way in the area of the
tiller socket making steering all but impossible. This incident
occurred in the vicinity of the East Cape and necessitated
a detour to Gisborn for repairs. The delay caused, some 48
hrs, meant the rest of the voyage was in less than ideal conditions
with much heavy weather from the Northwest. Heavy weather
will expose any weaknesses in a vessel and Weypago was no
exception.
Three
events occurred,
the causes of
which are now
known, which
could have had
more serious
consequences
were it not
for the prompt
action of Mat
Collicott and
his crew. 1)
The mainsail
suffered minor
damage in heavy
weather off
Cook strait.
Prompt handling
of the sail
prevented significant
damage and repair
cost was minimal.
2) Genoa blew
out in a squall
in Pegasus bay.
Failure of this
near new sail
was caused by
a manufacturing
defect, a "hook"
in the leech.
The sail was
well secured
and again damage
kept to a minimum.
3) Complete
electrical system
failure was
caused by a
manufacturing
defect, an unconnected
live cable concealed
under the freezer
condenser. With
water from the
heavy weather
the cable developed
a slow short
which drained
the battery
without blowing
the fuse.
In
spite of a difficult
and tiring voyage,
Mat and his
crew, on arriving
in Lyttleton,
presented the
vessel in tidy
order and couldn't
do enough to
help get damaged
items ashore
for repair and
generally get
the boat organized
to go on her
mooring. Mat
also provided
a detailed verbal
report on events
during the voyage
which was most
helpful.
Whilst
I would have preferred a problem free delivery, (we do live
in the roaring forties) I felt that Mat provided a professional
service and I was most impressed with his efforts to minimize
any damage and keep unexpected costs to the minimum. I really
did feel that he had the owner's best interests foremost in
his mind.
I
would have no hesitation in recommending Mat as a capable
and professional skipper and would use his services again
should the need arise.
Mike
Holibar
|
Our
Mission
YDNZ
was set up to provide new and current boat owners a peace of mind
delivery service at a reasonable price.
As
you will know, the NZ coast boasts one of the globes most treacherous
pieces of water (at times).
The
coast is not the place to learn a vessel and professional assistance
by a seasoned coastal sailor is a primary need. The coast will expose
weaknesses in any vessel and YDNZ skippers are experienced and provisioned
to deal with any problems which may arise.
YDNZ
has access to the most accurate coastal weather predictions and
all passage plans are centered around this information.
All
navigation and safety equipment is top of the line and at
all times the crew and vessels' safety is our No.1 priority.
About
Us
As
the owner and most frequently sailing skipper of YDNZ, I have been
heavily involved in the NZ commercial sailing, fishing, diving and
charter industries for 7 years.
Between all these
different ventures
I delivered small
yachts in the North
Island, which I thoroughly
enjoyed as every day
presents a new challenge,
whereas the charter
industry can be great
fun but fairly routine.
I have personally as captain logged over 50 000NM around NZ and throughout the worlds oceans.
I
understand that being a boat owner and placing your pride and joy
into someone else's hands can be slightly worrying. We have systems
in place to keep owners ashore updated in their vessels progress.
By the time the voyage is complete, I often also have a list of
possible changes to the vessel to aid new owners with avoiding having
to find out for themselves all the nasty, awkward design faults
that could easily be improved, and make future sailings unhindered
by small problems.
Mat
Collicot
Director of Sailing
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