WHIRLWIND Xll

Ship's callin GHKL

Ship's telex 45657

Windy Ridge B

The Clone

TOTTERIDGE

LONDON NTH 20

ENGLAND

Telephone +44-101-4497281

Telex 923787 WADGE G

We had planned for many years to sail around the world. With the sale of our company, MFI, time was on our side and we were able to give ample consideration to the two factors which are so crucial to such an endeavour.

Firstly we had to choose a designer with whom we could feel comfortable and who had experience in large yachts. Ron Holland was the obvious choice. He had already designed two of our previous racing yachts and he was based in Europe.

The second decision was to locate the finest shipyard. After a fair amount of searching, we chose the Royal Huisman in Holland. A whole story could be told covering the two years during the building. Suffice to say the team of Ron Holland, Wolter Huisman, Michael (our skipper) and ourselves produced the finest yacht launched that year.

A further two years have passed and Whirlwind XII is now in Papua New Guinea. We have been sailing for six weeks at a time followed by four weeks at home in England. During this period we have come to realise that we have the near perfect cruising yacht.

We are now planning our second circumnavigation for 1989. If we were to build again there is little we would change.