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SPI R I T OF ADVENTUR E T RU S T HARD WORK AND ITS REWARDS BY DEAN LAWRENCE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER B y the time the Professional Skipper magazine is published Spirit of New Zealand should be heading home from Whangarei, having completed a three month, $1.5 million, mid-life refit. Never before in her life has so much been stripped from the ship and subsequently reinstated to new. We have posted regular updates and photos on our Facebook page (Spirit of New Zealand) but in summary, here are the following are the major key items: ��� Masts removed and two (main and mizzen) replaced, with the foremast refurbished ��� The engine room was gutted, sandblasted and repainted ��� Two new generators were installed with a complete electrical overhaul ��� The aft cabin was also gutted, sandblasted, painted and reinstated ��� Two new cabins were created up in the forward area to accommodate additional personnel ��� The forepeak was refurbished with a new anchor chain stowing system, better access and storage, along with new anchors and chain ��� Upgraded fridge and freezer capacity ��� Refurbished bridge/wheelhouse, including new electronics ��� New tenders This was a tremendous amount of work, in a very tight timeframe. The Trust was well supported by the many contractors involved and a large and willing band of volunteers who gave up considerable time to assist. We are of course indebted to the many funders and donors who made this overall project possible ensuring the longevity of Spirit for the youth of New Zealand. We look forward to visiting the many ports of New Zealand in the New Year on our 40th anniversary tour. Our sailing schedule The crane assisting in fitting the spars The crew with refurbished spars has been posted on our website. We have scheduled in either a public sailing or open day in many of the ports and will be holding small functions when the ship is in port for past trainees and supporters of the Spirit family. Keep an eye on both our web and Facebook pages for specific details. The International Tall Ship community under the auspices of Sail Training International held their international conference in Riga, Latvia recently. Although Latvia is a long way from New Zealand the Spirit organisation is well regarded in this Tall Ship community, for the work we do. This year we were invited to provide a presentation on our work, how we do it and why it works so successfully. It was an excellent opportunity to showcase the Spirit and New Zealand, and it was well received. On return we were also able to do a similar promotion to the Irish Tall Ship community who are currently evaluating a new ship and program format for their country. Indications are, after having looked at the many options worldwide, they will look at the Spirit model for their operation. During the conference, there were also presentations from the City of Dublin, and Cadiz (Spain), on Tall Ship festivals they ran last year. Both cities had excellent success stories to share, with Dublin, which is not dissimilar in size to Auckland, bringing 1.25 million visitors to the event and generating around $13 million dollars in local spend. While Cadiz, which is smaller than Auckland, generated 1.1 million visitors and $14 million in local spend. As mentioned in previous articles, with a reasonable sized Tall Ship fleet arriving in Sydney in September/October 2013, and a number of them indicating they may well come to Auckland afterwards, the possibility of a Tall Ship festival in New Zealand, the likes of which has not been seen for many years, would be a wonderful spectacle. The Trust is not an event organiser and is in no position to manage and run such an event however we continue to promote the opportunity of a Tall Ship festival in the hope that such a rare opportunity will not be lost to New Zealand. www.spiritofadventure.org.nz SKIPPER SCHOLARSHIP In association with the Spirit of Adventure Trust, Professional Skipper magazine offers readers the opportunity to nominate young men and women for two introductory ten-day youth development voyage, that may lead to a Spirit cadetship for inshore masters qualifications. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT KEITH. Email: keith@skipper.co.nz Phone 09 5334336 or write to the editor c/- of this magazine. January/February 2013 Professional Skipper 57