Following her stranding on a South Pacific reef Gipsy Moth IV has been reattached to her lead keel, and the rudder has been refitted in a £300,000 restoration which also included repair to a large hole in the starboard side.

The final fitting and finishing work is now underway at the Emirates Team NZ base in Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour. Down below much of the original furniture has been refitted and the area has largely returned to its original layout. Launching is scheduled either for the weekend or early next week, with the departure from Auckland scheduled for 23rd June.

A fundraising Cocktail Party will be held at Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron on 22nd June with several pieces of the original keelbolts from Gipsy Moth IV being put up for auction. A large group of spectator craft are expected to greet Gipsy Moth IV when she arrives in Sydney around 8th July, subject to the weather forecast for the sail across the Tasman.

For a view of GMIV’s repairs go to www.sail-world.com