First Race of the Season
Posted on 15 October 2013
Last Sunday (October 13) we finally got back out on the water after a string of cancellations because of bad weather. With a mainly novice crew, we sailed a heavily reefed Gypsy in a 10 nautical mile race on Auckland Harbour where the conditions were testing to say the least. With wind gusts up to 35 knots and wind against tide, Gypsy coped very well with the challenging conditions. We didn’t win the race, but we learnt heaps about the boats ability to sail in these conditions.
Photos show the crew both before and after the race.
Gypsy: A Ceremonial Launching
Posted on 5 August 2013
The Logan design, classic yacht Gypsy, catastrophically sunk on Auckland harbour on Anniversary Day 2012, was relaunched in a simple but warm ceremony on Saturday at her new home in the Wynyard Quarter.
Designed by Arch Logan and launched at Northcote in 1939, the 34-foot Gypsy has been a familiar figure sailing in the Hauraki Gulf for over 60 years. Now, she is destined for an even longer future as a valuable Auckland community asset. Gypsy will be based in the Viaduct Basin but still carries the name plate of North Cove, Kawau Island where she has been based for several years.
Skipper John Pryor and crewmate Jill Hetherington greeted the crowd of about 100 supporters and well-wishers who gathered to admire the beautifully re-crafted yacht and to set aside memories of the tangled wreckage that was unceremoniously dredged up from the bottom of the harbour. At that time, restoration seemed virtually impossible.
However, a major push from the Auckland yachting community saw dedicated salvage efforts get underway. The Infinity Foundation provided significant funding assistance to form the backbone of the multitude of other efforts to raise the necessary money – well over $100,000 – that would enable Gypsy to anticipate another 100 years of sailing in the Hauraki Gulf. Marine product merchants from all around the region contributed materials at heavy discounts and sometimes no cost. Many volunteers gave their labour freely. John Pryor’s commitment to the project was intense and ever-vigilant to ensure that standard of work and materials would ensure that Gypsy would be returned to the water and absolutely pristine and seaworthy condition. “Probably better than new” he said.
The process from sinking to sailing took over 18 months of intense reconstruction and fundraising efforts. The rebuilding process was guided by expert hand of master wooden boat craftsman Robert Brooke, and overseen by a group of trustees spearheading the Gypsy Trust, a charitable foundation established to put Gypsy back in her rightful position as an important part of Auckland’s maritime heritage. The Classic Yacht Association was deeply supportive and advice and assistance came from many quarters.
Sir Bob Harvey, chair of the Auckland Waterfront Development Agency spoke to the relaunching ceremony gathering. He recognised the valuable place that Gypsy has within our marine heritage and expressed his appreciation that she would then be based on the Auckland Harbour waterfront and be available for community groups and interested individuals to gain classic yacht sailing experience.
Trust chairman John Street, another Auckland marine icon himself, welcomed the Gypsy supporters. He spoke of the enormous dedication and input from a wide variety of people of many differing backgrounds that had gone in to ensure that Gypsy was once again back on the water. He invited people to register their sailing interest in the future intention now is for Gypsy to once more sail proudly on the waters of the Hauraki Gulf.
Our First Race
Posted on July 2013
We had our first race on Saturday July 20 with the attached photos taken by Anthony Cook.
There was not a lot of wind and we did not do well coming a miserable 2nd to last!
We did however learn a lot about the boat and look forward to our next race on August 17.
If you would like to join us on the water sometime, send your details to: gypsy@kawau.co.nz and I will add you to our crew register. We will be having non-race outings as well as races & regattas. You can see our sailing program on this site.
Sails, Engine and Covers
Posted on 9 July 2013
Gypsy has now been back in the water for a number of weeks and is well settled into her new home at Heritage Landing.
With most final jobs now complete, we have concentrated on getting to know her new rig and learning how to get the most out of her beautiful new North Sails Sails.
It is an absolute treat to have such a superb new sail wardrobe and we are very fortunate to have had the very generous support from Norths. Many thanks to Burns and his crew.
We are also very fortunate to have received a very generous deal from the Engine Room with our brand new 25 H.P Beta engine and I have been very impressed by both the quietness and the remarkable economy of this neat little engine. I was amazed when I calculated its fuel consumption over the first 18 hours of running at just over 1 litre per hour!
Also, of great beauty and quality are the fantastic new sail cover and deck cover made for us by Bud Nalder of Nalder Sails. Thank you Bud, they are Magnificent!
We will now be concentrating on learning how to get the best out of Gypsy and winning as many races as possible.
The Gypsy Site 