Kia ora friends and members of the good ship R Tucker Thompson!
The last voyage of the season brought us from Opua to Whangarei, and what a voyage it was! So many amazing and life changing experiences.
Monday 2nd of August we have arrived at port Nikau in Whangarei. Our crew who consisted of Wayne, Eloise, Abbey, Chyna, disembarked with the trainees and Rangi and Steve took over the ship. They brought the Tucker safely to her new home for the next few weeks, Whangarei Repair Marine centre.
Using slings, they pulled the 60 ton steel vessel out of the water for some necessary maintenance. We started by water-blasting and scraping all the barnacles off the hull. Sanding was our nest big task and that took us 2 days. Finally, we gave her three fresh new coat of anti-foul, a specialised paint that inhibits sea life growth. Meanwhile the bilge pumps systems has been serviced .
The highlight was certainly the BBQ we shared with our friends, the crew from the spirit of New Zealand as we all enjoyed catching up and sharing stories of adventures at sea.
This was only a third of our maintenance plan with the haul , and it is time to bring the ship back home for the rigging and both mast to be pulled out.
Fair winds,
Ness
