Thanks very much Bill. Absolutely under stand the pressure he will be under Best

Many thanks for setting this up Bill and also to Tilo for putting it on UTube. Wonder if at some point Jimmy might do a chapter from Panama into the Pacific and beyond to the west Best John Hayes Nga

Y es Mike I’ve used the bonfiglioli agent in Auckland found the excellent New gearboxes were not very expensive so brought new If you need to overhaul the worm drive in your headsail furler comeback t

Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you come this way Patrick Best

Been virus free for 20 days We are lucky down here in the roaring 40s to be protected by a large moat. But there is a growing economic price we are all going to pay Stay well all John Hayes Nga Waka s

Hi Nick There is a very competent and highly regarded boat builder / surveyor Rob Carpenter living near Picton in Waikawa Bay at the top of the South Island. He is not an Amel specialist and I think h

My Santorin is turning clockwise........ if you believe the direction of the prop alternator John Hayes Ngawaka sn 41

Mike we run them only when the motor is running And have put in a seperate switch to turn them on and off Currently we heading south to bluff before the entrails of the cyclone gets there and then wil

Hi Mike I have 2 new 12 volt fans in my Santorin purchased in Wellington last year they were about nz$ 30 each and a common industrial type and performed well during 4 months in the pacific and are go

Duane We had 2 problems in our Raymarine auto helm Which we sorted in the mid pacific 1 the springs holding the carbon brushes on the armature needed tightening to apply more pressure 2 when we pulled

Hi Jarek My Santorin looks the same but I don’t think it’s either structural or weight bearing if you follow the forestay to its lower point of anchor. That said I noticed some one recently with a mad

That is my experience too ie I do it myself. I follow the instructions carefully and it outlasts ablative antifouling Best John

No we regularly get 50 plus knots in cook strait that are easier to deal with from a northerly direction than from the south. (Nothing between us and the Antarctic ). which means the wind cold and mor

Gidday Orion I’ve done pretty much what your considering So I began looking for a cruising ketch with centre cockpit and confined my choice to a Contest, Harley rassie (sp?) or an Amel and ended up wi

Hi from Noumea We made replacements using wet suit material So far worked perfectly across a couple of thousand miles of the pacific John Hayes NGA Waka

Hi Ann-Sofie Be very grateful if you could buy 2 or 3 and post to me in NZ. let me know price and a bank account number and Ill reimburse you Grateful thanks John Hayes Johnhayes862gmail.com +64 21546

Snap If anyone can find a source I’d like to buy a couple Eric they are rubber mushrooms screwed into the inside back wall of a Santorin into which the toilet door clicks and can be held open. John Ha

Thanks to those who responded with sensible advice With time on our hands we bit the bullet first pulling the motor apart and discovered that the small springs holding the brushes in place needed a tw

Thanks Craig I took over the boat with a dead auto helm as you describe Along side that the newer Raymarine st6002 unit (now failed) had been installed It is a linear drive and might be repairable Wha