The one month trip from the team’s base in Auckland, New Zealand has taken them via Malaysia where the yacht was transhipped onto the Maersk vessel to complete the journey to Felixstowe. Whilst in Felixstowe she will undergo preparations for the round-the-world Volvo Ocean Race, which starts on 29th October from Alicante in Spain.
David Gledhill, Chief Executive Officer for Hutchison Ports (UK) Ltd, which owns the Port of Felixstowe, commented:
“We have worked very closely with Team New Zealand on this shipment and are pleased to have been able to accommodate the yacht in Felixstowe.
With the additional flexibility gained through our newest cranes offering super heavy lifts of up to 100 tonnes we look forward to continued growth in the area of break-bulk shipments. We wish the Team the best of luck for the race.”
The yacht and mast packages were discharged separately and landed safely on the Felixstowe quayside where the yacht was placed, in its cradle, on one of the port’s trailers. Inch by inch she was moved along the quayside to a launch site where the port once again lifted the yacht and placed her into European waters for the first time.
The boat will stay in Felixstowe in a specially created berth facility until she sails for London and the start of the promotional tour on the 5th September.