So we are back in Tas after a busy but enjoyable Christmas back in Alice. A lot of time was spent doing maintainance work on the house, and prepping the unit for its new tenant. Most evenings were spent with the girls and their partners, games nights and good food. It was hard to say goodby. We have made the 2500k trip to Melbourne many times in the past two decades so it is second nature to us now.

Prior to boarding the Bass Strait ferry, we took a detour to Hastings to inspect Chris Guthrie’s Sarah, Outback Dreamer. Chris and his partner Michelle built her over five years, on their farm 350k from the coast, and had her trucked to Docklands for launching last year. Chris generously gave up his morning for us. She is a beautiful boat and a credit to them both. We were pleased to be able to reciprocate his generosity by taking a small herd of show rabbits back to Tas, for Michelle who is a breeder.

Up until now, we had never seen a grown up Sarah, so in a way it was rather surreal, but also very reassuring. The main saloon is bright and airy. The sleeping accommodation generous, and although we were unable to join stay long enough to join Chris and some friends for an afternoon sail, we know that the Sarah design performs well under sail. One aspect that had previously concerned me was visibility. The helm station is situated in the cockpit requiring the helmsman to peer through the saloon windows. I was pleased and relieved that visibilty was not an issue. In fact,  Chris told me he has no problems maneuvering into the yacht club jetty without using the overhead helmsman’s hatch.

After a quick lunch we went to Melbourne Docklands to visit Gary Groenewald’s (modified) Sarah build. He is just about to begin fitting her out, and is doing it to a very high standard. It was a busy Sunday afternoon for him, with many visitors and one wonders how he will complete her, as he is building her part-time. Nevertheless he gave us a precious couple of hours to show us his build.

Every Easy builder we have interacted with, has been generous and happy to share their experience, ideas and time with us. I inspires us to be the same, and visitors are welcome to our site. We feel blessed to be given the opportunity to fulfill a lifetime dream.

Since returning we have completed the Port hull, ready for fibreglassing. Next week will be a big week.