There’s bad news, and good news…
Our longstanding and hardworking start boat “Patrol” is showing signs of wear and tear to the extent that she will need a lot of money being spent on her soon. A recent haul-out showed some cracking around the keel near the prop shaft. She is slow and has a tendency to be quite unstable in the sea conditions we experience around our part of the harbour. The racing we are running these days requires us to move quickly and set courses which “Patrol” struggles with as her maximum speed is around 5 knots.
The good news is that the General Committee has been considering a replacement for some time. The replacement needs to be stable, spacious, have a toilet, a bunk for first aid, good viewing to monitor racing and be capable of speeds up to 20 knots. This got us thinking about a power catamaran. We looked at new builds but these were not cheap. We turned to the second-hand market and have found a possibility, a Roger Hill-designed power cat:
While we have some funds thanks to Legacy Gifting from a generous member, we need to raise $80,000 fairly quickly.
We will be rolling out a variety of fundraising initiatives over the coming weeks (thank you to everyone who purchased a Games Card on the Season Opening day!).
Donations of $999 or more will go in the draw to win a Family Membership plus a $1000 bar tab to Akarana Eatery and donations over $500 will be included on a plaque on the new start boat.
As soon as we have the funds, we will be getting the vessel surveyed prior to purchase. Being second-hand it does need some work, but it will be usable straight away. We can then create a list of jobs to be attended to.
With a string of major regattas coming up we believe this boat will serve the race committees well into the future.
Please click below to donate – or ask in the Akarana Eatery about supporting the fundraiser.
For donations requiring a tax-deductible receipt – please click here.
Questions or further information please email: [email protected]
