The New Zealand winter and having a new baby crew member meant that we weren't going to be sailing on the boat for a little while. This makes for a perfect time to haul out and do some routine maintenance as well as address any niggling issues that have popped up along our travels.

We haven't hauled out the boat since setting off in 2011 as we've done all our hull-cleaning in the water and had copper coat on the bottom which supposedly reduces the amount of hull growth. So, we took her out and cleaned her down to begin checking for any issues, both known and unknown, that could be made good whilst we're in such a well-equipped cruising country.

Our main reason for hauling is to investigate whether the osmosis has returned that we had treated in the UK before we left. It seems that the hull is riddled with new blisters so hopefully we get can this sorted once and for all. James also removed the rudder to fully investigate the corrosion in our rudder stock, first noticed when getting ready to leave Pacific Mexico in March 2014. Thankfully it proved to be only surface and some grinding and filling was all it needed to be repaired. We've even pulled out the mast and removed the rig in order to tackle the issue of some deck compression.

So the boat is in bits but it makes for some quite interesting images.