Well after looking at small 2nd hand fibreglass yachts on Gumtree I chatted about the boat to Kez. Her suggestion which combines a short cruise is to haul out at Boatworks again for a fortnight and just get it all done. I could pull the mast and give it half a dozen or so coats of two pack as well. AND just maybe we will finally get to Moreton Bay......
......the downside is possibly no NZ trip in January.

While exploring the limits of the rot in the port bow topside I discovered an extensive area of soft ply. It's an area that David Webb did warn me about.

Doing the arithmetic you should just about be finished come the Tall Ships - assuming that 'within twelve weeks' is sooner, rather than later!

Imagine the extra joy of seeing everything with 'new eyes'!

Gary Pick wrote:

New passport next week. I’m thinking of coming over for a week so can anyone give some exact dates on when it all starts and stops?

Gary: the Russell Boating Club Tall Ships Regatta is on the first weekend of January, unless that weekend includes New Year's Day.  As for the junket - well this year it started about two weeks before and carried on for a month after!!

Annie Hill wrote: I like the new avatar :-)

We plan to be at the AGM in April... though she will not have been converted yet. That should however have been done by the time for the Tall Ships rolls round.

Okay next step is a valid passport.