DrWatson

Exceptionally quick in the light. We held off a pogo44 (yellow spi) for most of this race after passing them on the long upwind leg - 6-9kts breeze.

Me and everyone I see in Brittany. Also day shapes for motor sailing. Cool compliance is very high here abouts.

Getting back into summer over here.

Commentator is like a machine gun - barely stops talking to draw breath.

"French Embassy Breaks Silence..." is a bit of a misleading headline. But of course the Herald (and most papers) trying to spin something into something it's not. How about "French Embassy highlights how unobservant Aucklanders are"

I highly doubt that a ship of and size could approach the NZ coast without being detected. Customs/Border control know if a vessel is approaching. They will know if you sail in to BOI in the wee hours of the morning after being 100miles out the night before; and you're not on a 4000 tonne Frigate. For a warship to enter the territory of another nation in peace it does require a bit more clearance and notification than sailing a merchant ship in. The respective NZ authorities would have been well aware of the presence of the FR vessel in our waters. As is usual, the purpose of the visit o

They are NATO and a close security partner - invoking any parallel to RBW is misplaced and counterproductive. The rbw incident was wildly unpopular in France and toppled a government. They are the only nuclear armed eu country and their nuclear deterrent is not only a part of what keeps Western Europe from the expansionist revisionist aspirations of Putler, but also a significant deterrent across large swathes of the South Pacific - the area that I’m sure you would all like to see remain under the liberal democratic governance that allows and guarantees the freedoms we all take for g

Sarca EXCEL on all chain and a back up Alu fortress with rode and chain separate from anchor, ready to go.

What's a Diver actually cost these days?

Something you need to consider is what is your cashflow going to be? Scaling down to a trailer sailer will definitely free up income for living and paying for other things, but running a bus will chew through a lot of that and more. Heavy vehicles are $$$. A decent size campervan is going to set you back +50k. An actual bus, in running order might be had for as little as 10K, but there are no guarantees regarding the condition. The one I linked would swallow at least another 20k turning it into something you might live in. Do you have a heavy vehicle license? Any experience driving large ve

The OP is relocating to NZ, and although originally from NZ (we assume a Kiwi) after such a long time, 17y, he might qualify to bring his ship import duty free. You can lurk around EU for 10y without paying VAT, but you have to leave EU at least every 18M.

Don’t buy your boat while you’re here for only 3 months. Wait until you get back permanently.

A mooring in Northland is going to set you back around half your budget. You will also be required to service the mooring every 3 years so there’s at least 1k/3y. There will be semi regular inspections of your hull by NRC for invasive bio fouling. If found you have to haul and clean at an approved facility of which there are very few. if you live on your mooring you will attract additional attention from NRC w.r.t. treatment and disposal of black water. You might need to furnish a plan and be able to prove compliance with the plan. As an example, AFAIR, there’s a local rule preventin

Don’t give yourself a time limit. As you near on the deadline you will feel more and more under pressure to buy and the odds of buying a lemon are massively increased.

Saab with strange imperial fastener??? Haven't Sweden been metric since, well, 1889?