New Zealand, specifically Whangarei, has been our home for the past 8 months. We have had an amazing time exploring this beautiful country, meeting new friends, and getting lots of much needed work done on our beloved Sugar Shack. As our Kiwi friends say, ‘sweet as’ time! “Sweet as” means “good, right, ok, excellent, great… in Kiwi”
Sugar Shack spent most of her time tied to the dock at Town Basin Marina while she got her make over. Many locals knew us by Sugar Shack as she was a constant for so long.
Lots of Work Done:
We managed to get a lot of work done on Sugar Shack. The boat was under construction and in complete chaos for nearly 6 months.
- (2) New Lithium House Batteries
- (5) New windows on the cabin
- Rebedded all of the other windows and painted protective covering
- New Dinghy and new chaps to cover her
- New Interior cushions
- New Exterior cushions
- New Cockpit enclosure
- New Main sail and Genoa (by North Sails)
- New Stack pack
- New Stainless Steel countertops
- New Ceiling panels and new interior lights
- New artwork and pillow covers
She looks like a new boat….almost. Just a few more things to do when we come back. Sweet as! You are probably thinking…what “come back?” Yep, we decided to come back to New Zealand next season (which is just a few short months away).
Next Season
New Zealand has the expertise and resources to work on Sugar Shack. So, we decided to come back to replace our bottom paint with copper coat. This requires highly skilled workers to apply the copper coat properly. We are also considering a wrap around Sugar Shack to make the side of the hulls look better. Still in the researching and contemplating stages on the wrap.
Hopefully, we will come back, haul out for a few weeks, then spend the rest of our time sailing around New Zealand as opposed to sitting at the dock.
But with a nightly view as sweet as this…who can complain?
Our blogs run 10-12 weeks behind actual events. We left New Zealand in early July.