1. When we returned to NZ in Dec
2008 we had the opportunity to
purchase Lia Fal
Lia Fal was originally called La Ribauld. She is a 43ft steel ketch, French registered and launched
in 1984. In 1995 she was purchased by Greenpeace in Tahiti and used in the Mururoa protests
where she was seized by the French Navy. Shaun Naylor, one of the Greenpeace crew that
crewed La Ribauld after the French released the vessels ended up buying and refitting her.
Shaun is returning to the northern hemisphere and sold Lia Fal to Sailing for Sustainability. She
needs quite a lot of TLC but promises to be a strong platform for us to use as training ship while
we build the catamaran.

2. Once we knocked off the mussel reef , we
shook out her sails. Rig has been fully
overhauled and the sail wardrobe is worn
but serviceable. Her motor is an old BMC
that seems to run ok. Most offshore gear is
onboard – SSB and VHF
radios, liferaft, harnesses etc. An
enthusiastic team of volunteers is bringing
her back to life and we hope to sail her to
Solodamu in June with Hibiscus and Ratbag
in escort.