The Breeze, a square rigged brigantine from the New Zealand National Maritime Museum, Auckland, and a veteran of anti-nuclear protests at Mururoa Atoll stopped off at Matiatia wharf on Saturday morning to pick up members of the Waiheke Working Sail project: Andrew Watkins, Bernard Rhodes and Alex Balfour for a weekend of sail training.
Bernard is an experienced sailor but every new vessel has is own characteristics and Bernard is training to be a ‘mate’ on the Breeze. Andrew and Alex are novices and spent much of the two days literally ‘learning the ropes’. Although the weather was drizzly we had two good days sailing around the waters between Waiheke and Rangitoto, practicing raising and lowering the sails, tacking and steering. We moored overnight in Islington Bay between Rangitoto and Mototapu.
The Waiheke Working Sail project aims to design, build and operate a new topsail schooner out of Waiheke, providing sail training and transport for the island. You can read more about the project atwaihekeworkingsail.onewaiheke.org .
