Dear Guys,
Helen of Troy had a chequered life. She was born in Mona Vale in Sydney. We think in 1979 but we are not sure. She was christened "Salt Petra" and from what I can see under Peter Hinton she lived a life in the fast lane competing in Sydney Hobart's, Lord Howe Island races along with most of the races in the circuit during these years.
I am not sure when Peter Hinton passed away but after that I think the boat fell into disuse and was used occasionally by family for sunny Sundays. It came on the market down at Castlecrag Boatshed. I have always wanted to sail my own boat and be the master of my own destiny but dollars and a family and a business tend to stifle your dreams with reality. Lucky my business was a marine one. Well I went down to Sydney and had a good look at it up on the hard. It was a mess the inside was tragic it had a lot of water in it for a long time and the tidemark inside was high. The hull had osmosis and damage due to hits and misses from other craft and a total lack of care. There where two redeeming features a nearly new engine and what I still hope is true a good mast. Everything else was for the skip. I negotiated with Kim and we came to an agreement. I got Phil West from Sheerline a mate from my football and skiff days to drop the mast and get it ready to transport it up to Mudgeeraba my home at the back of the Gold Coast.
Truck dropping off the boat in my back yard.
One of the main problems with me buying the boat was I had not told my wife. Not a good move. When it turned up I had a few answers to come up with. I must admit not very successfully. I am very lucky she has put up with me doing some pretty irresponsible things and bring a 30 ft boat home was probably the biggest. I was lucky to have a very good neighbour in Steve who can make or build just about anything out of not much. He built a boat stand out of what had lieing around so when the boat came he helped and we had it landed in the yard. Well now it is up to me.
