Eternal Summer in the Bay of Islands

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While the rest of the country has to contend with gale-force winds and heavy flooding, up here in the Bay of Islands it seems like an eternal summer. The sun has been shining consistently for the last 6 weeks with beautiful breezes to match. Perfect sailing conditions every day, and everyone has been enjoying the weather, scenery, and of course the amazing wildlife, particularly the bottlenose dolphins.
So, with the risk of being a bit repetitive, we’re posting our latest dolphin photos to share with you.

Evening in the Bay – November 2011		Freewind and dolphins heading for Moturua Island
Photo action on Freewind’s deck		The dolphins just didn’t want to leave

Spaces are filling up for our holiday season sailing trips, both day tours and overnight trips. We’d love to have you on board too – see trip details on www.sailbayofislands.com. Feel free to contact us with any queries you have about our sailing trips or your stay in the Bay of Islands.

See you on the water,
Ron and the crew

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Quote of the day

It's not the towering sail, but the unseen wind that moves the ship ~ Proverb

Bays, Breezes, and Ball Games

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While New Zealand is in the midst of Rugby World Cup frenzy, Freewind is making the most of the good weather up here in the Bay of Islands. A good south-westerly breeze accompanied us during last Thursday-Friday’s trip, as well as the friendly bottlenose dolphins.
 


Thank you Tracey for the kind feedback on our Facebook page:

“Thanks for a great little trip around the Bay of Islands Ron. We all enjoyed ourselves doing as much or as little as we liked. A very pretty part of the world seen from a very special vessel. I think that you have left a huge impression on the boys. Thanks again, the Polson clan.”

Whether it’s celebrating the rugby, or someone’s birthday (we’ve celebrated 2 birthdays on board this month), it’s been a pleasure having everyone on board. With guests from Sweden and South Africa, Ireland and Hong Kong, it’s been great sharing your company and your appreciation of this special part of New Zealand.

Cabins on our January trips are starting to fill up, so if you are interested in joining us during late December - January, please contact us soon for dates and details. Plenty of space still available on Freewind's sailing trips in October - November.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Ron and the crew

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Quote of the day:

I know who you are, but you'll have to wipe your feet.

-Capt. Richard Brown of the schooner America to Prince Albert of England, 1851

Freewind back in the Bay of Islands

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The northerly gale this week in the Bay of Islands brought Freewind back to Russell after a 7-day passage from New Caledonia. It was not one of those perfect trips with nice breezes and clear blue skies. The first few days was sailing to windward, a little off course but making good speed. Once Freewind reached the northerly winds from the storm to the south it was all go towards New Zealand, with 30-35 knot winds the whole way. A rough, but speedy progress.

The boat is now safely on her mooring in Mathauwhi Bay in Russell and Ron is getting his “land legs” after all those months on board. Not for long, though – on Friday, Freewind will be out again with our first charter of the season, and another, overnight trip on Sat-Sun this weekend. For details, see September Specials on www.sailbayofislands.com .

Freewind, on her mooring in Savusavu before her passage to New Caledonia and New Zealand		Bar-tailed Godwits with their long, upturned beaks, back on NZ shores after their long passage from Alaska

The timing for returning to New Zealand must be perfect – we heard that those amazing voyagers - the Godwits - are also starting to arrive back in New Zealand, and their voyage is much more impressive than Freewind’s: after flying 10 days non-stop 11,000 km all the way from Alaska (!!) the Bar-tailed Godwits have also started to arrive in their wintering grounds (our gorgeous NZ summer) here in NZ.
They spend the southern summer on the Christchurch coastline and every year the City Council organises a spring celebration to mark the arrival of the first Godwit migrants. The Christchurch Cathedral bells ring for 30 minutes when the first birds are seen on the Avon-Heathcote Estuary. This year the cathedral's bells are out of action due to the earthquake, so the bells of St Paul's Anglican Church in Papanui will ring out at 12.30 for the birds today, Wednesday Sept 14th.

Welcome back Freewind, welcome back Godwits!

Ron has posted photos from Savusavu and New Caledonia on http://captainronsblognz.blogspot.com/ .

Details on our Bay of Islands sailing trips and schedules on www.sailbayofislands.com .

Single-handed across the ocean

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Freewind is on her way again; she set sail from Noumea (New Caledonia) on Tuesday, heading for Opua (New Zealand).   Mid-September marks the start of the summer charter season*, so Ron will be swapping his “cruiser's hat” for his “charter boat skipper’s hat” as soon as he gets back.
		Last sight of land – the lighthouse on the reef leaving New Caledonia

On this ocean passage, Ron is ‘single handing’, that is – sailing alone, just him, the boat, and the big ocean. A great way to get away from the hectic life ashore and be ‘at one with the sea’.   Many people ask how one manages to get any sleep at sea; do you stop the boat? how do you avoid running into other ships? etc. The answer is: no, the boat keeps sailing on her course, steered by the electronic automatic pilot that is attached to the boat’s steering gear. There is also an electronic lookout device which detects vessels within a certain range and sounds an alarm.    Of course, there is no automatic system that trims the sails when the wind changes, so the single-hander never really has a good sound sleep, her/his ears are always tuned to the sound of the wind through the sails and the waves against the hull.

On a more humorous/philosophical note, a quote from Roz Savage’s blog, which she is currently writing as she rows (yes, that’s correct!) across the Indian Ocean. This is the third ocean she is attempting to cross, after successfully rowing across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Roz Savage is an inspiration to any single-handed sailor and her daily lively blog entries, written from the middle of the ocean in a 35-ft boat are always a treat to her readers. Roz talks about a book called How to Avoid Huge Ships by Captain Trimmer, and one of her favourite reviews (see the full blog page here) of the book is this:

“This book really is one of the best huge ship avoidance references I’ve come across, not just for the effective methods it teaches as to avoiding huge ships, but also for exploding some of the huge ship avoidance myths that
many of us take for granted. For example:
- Do not charge the huge ship at full speed in an attempt to scare it off.
This may work with coyotes, but it is less effective with huge ships.
- Similarly, do not roll your boat over and play dead. Unless the huge ship
is captained by a grizzly bear, this will not work.
- Do not attempt to go under the huge ship. This is typically not
successful.
- Do not attempt to jump over the huge ship.
Captain Trimmer presents a rather novel technique for avoiding huge ships - move your boat out of the path of the huge ship. I know what you’re thinking, this goes against conventional wisdom, but Trimmer presents significant empirical evidence to support his theory. Indeed, over the long run, moving out of the way will dramatically decrease the number of huge ship collisions you will have to endure in your daily life.”

Roz is currently on her 126th day at sea alone, so compared to that, the 6-day, 900 nautical mile sail from New Caledonia to New Zealand should be a breeze.

  Follow Freewind on her trip across the Pacific on: www.skipr.net and click Freewind.

* See our Season Opening Specials on http://www.sailbayofislands.com/september-specials

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  Today’s quote comes from one of the world’s most admired single-handers, Bernard Moitessier:

"I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth. A nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and without borders, where life is lived in the present. In this limitless nation, this nation of wind, light, and peace, there is no other ruler besides the sea."

--    B. Moitessier                                             

Laser racing in the South Pacific Games

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 Freewind is in Nouméa and Ron is enjoying the great hospitality of the New Caledonians. The South Pacific Games 2011 organising committee have done a fantastic job of preparing the venues and making sure all participants and supporters are well looked after and enjoying the games. Ron is part of the support team for the Fijian sailors, who are represented by the Savusavu Junior Sailing Club.

Coté Blanche - the venue for the boat racing in Nouméa, New Caledonia	The teams preparing their boats for the race	Laisa of Savusavu – representing Fiji Women’s Laser sailing
Robert and Mikey from Savusavu – representing Fiji in men’s Lasers	The boys set sail for the race	The racing was superb – good breezes and strong performances

We wish all the teams and participants all the best – reach for the sky and enjoy the games!

South-west to Noumea

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After a very enjoyable stay in Savusavu, it’s time to move on. The young sailors at the Savusavu Junior Sailing Club, sponsored by the Copra Shed Marina, have been training hard for this year’s big sporting event of the Pacific – the South Pacific Games, hosted by New Caledonia. Four top Savusavu sailors and their coach Geoff will be flying to Nouméa later this week for the start of the games, and Freewind, with Ron, Tim and Finn on board, will meet them up there. With the brisk easterly winds at the moment, forecast to continue throughout the week, it’s not certain who will arrive there first.
		Freewind leaving Savusavu

The first day of Laser racing will be August 29th, held at Nouméa’s beautiful Côte Blanche. The Savusavu team will be representing Fiji and we wish them all the best.
		The South Pacific Games 2011 opening this week on Nouméa, New Caledonia

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To follow Freewind’s course to New Caledonia, check the cruising website www.skipr.net and click on Freewind.
From Noumea, Freewind will be departing for the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, with the first charter trip  from Paihia scheduled for mid-September.

The Bay of Islands during the Rugby World Cup

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If you are planning to visit New Zealand during Sept-October, there’s even more reason to come up to the Bay of Islands, only 3-hr drive north of Auckland. The Bay of Islands will be hosting a variety of events leading to and during the Rugby World Cup, so even if you’re not a rugby fan, you’re welcome to join in the fun.
We’ve highlighted some of the events here, for a full list and more details, see: Northland events during Rugby World Cup 2011.

Games played at the Northland Events Centre, Whangarei:
Tonga vs. Canada: Wed, Sep 14,                           Tonga vs. Japan: Wed, Sept 21.

The Bay of Islands will be hosting the Canadian Rugby team during Sept 2 – Sept 11, 2011, and the Tongan and Japanese teams during Sept 15 - 20.

Paihia in the Bay of Islands will be the scene of festivals, family fun events and cultural showcasing during the Rugby World Cup, September – October, 2011.

Russell, the “Hellhole of the Pacific”
When: Friday 7 October to Sunday 23 October, 10am to 4pm.  Where: Russell waterfront and village centre
Russell-Kororareka is recreating its most infamous days when Kororareka was known as the Hell-hole of the Pacific and a favourite stopping place for whalers and sailors of 19th century sailing ships. During October 7-23, the streets of this now charming village will once again see the likes of whalers, warriors, loose women, missionaries and townsfolk of 1830-1847. Re-creation of historical scenes on the streets and in heritage buildings will liven up visitors’ experience of Russell on top of the normal attraction of the town, which includes the oldest NZ tannery-printhouse, the Russell museum, a great selection of restaurants on the waterfront and the Trader’s Mall, Nature Reserve walks, and two excellent beaches.

The Russell wharf is where Freewind will pick you up for the real Bay of Islands experience – a day sail or overnight trip in the Bay.

Russell will also be hosting the Oyster Festival on Sept 17 at the Russell waterfront: oysters and much more….

Paihia: From Sept 9 to Sept 22, Paihia will host a multitude of events, including showcasing Maori culture (Kapa Haka festival, traditional Maori crafts, etc.), beach activities (sandcastle competition, beach sports) and food events.  On Sept 20 and 22 the Seafood festival in Paihia will give you an opportunity to catch or just enjoy the taste of locally caught seafood, plus lots of fun activities for the whole family (including the “pie-hia” eating competition) on the Paihia village green.

Whangarei, on the way to the Bay of Islands, will also be hosting art events and family activities during this time, and if you are a rugby fan, the “Rugby, Racing, and Beer” exhibition at the Matakohe Museum on the way up north (State Highway 1), would be an interesting stop.

This will be a busy time for tourist operators in the Bay of Islands and we are all looking forward to sharing our wonderful bit of paradise with all our guests. Please make your bookings on Freewind early – we will be offering day sails and overnight trips, plus private tailor-made charters with our usual focus on everyone having an enjoyable and relaxing time, experiencing the natural beauty of the Bay and its islands, good food and comfortable accommodation, and expert seamanship and local knowledge from Ron, Freewind’s experienced skipper. Details on www.sailbayofislands.com .

Looking forward to hearing from you -- fair winds and following seas,

Ron and the crew on Freewind.

Freewind in Savusavu, plus: Fiji – historic notes

                                                                                     www.sailbayofislands.com

And there's that one particular harbour
Sheltered from the wind
Where the children play on the shore each day
And all are safe within

                                                                                --  Jimmy Buffett

Bula from Savusavu, Fiji!
Freewind is still enjoying the tropical island harbour of Savusavu, like the many yachts that have stopped here this year. The bunch of bananas hanging in the cockpit is ripening faster than they are consumed, and the pineapples will be ripening soon. The town was busy last week when the cruise ship the Pacific Pearl stopped in Savusavu, and later the National Library Week festivities attracted many people to the town center.
Saturdays are still dedicated to Junior Sailing Club coaching, and sailing the Optimists and Lasers. The senior kids are training hard for the Oceania Games in New Caledonia next month and fundraising for the trip has been going very well – a big thank you to everyone who has contributed, both locals and overseas yachties. Ron has caught up with most of the repair and maintenance work on the Junior Sailing fleet of boats; it’s really good to see the kids putting so much into their sailing and showing results in the Saturday racing.

Home-grown bananas and pineapple from Savusavu	Savusavu Junior Sailors racing Optimists

Did you know?
The first to survey and extensively chart the Fiji Islands was Lt. Charles Wilkes, leader of the US Exploration Expedition in 1840. Many of the expedition’s charts were still used by the US Navy in the 1920s, and during WW II when planning the invasion of the Micronesian islands of Tarawa, the only available chart of the islands was the one drawn by Wilkes more than 100 years before.
Wilkes’ first port of call in Fiji was Levuka, in Ovalau, where a number of American and European sailors and whalers had settled, taking local wives. Wilkes’ guide and translator was David Whippy, who had been living in Fiji for 18 years and had gained a reputation as a reliable ally to foreign ship captains. Whippy introduced Wilkes to Chief Tanoa, one of the most powerful chiefs in Fiji at the time. Whippy, with another mariner named William Simpson later bought land in Wainunu and in Savusavu on the island of Vanua Levu and nowadays, one seems to run into their descendents everywhere not only in Vanua Levu, but scattered all over Fiji as well as in Australia and New Zealand. The Whippys were well known, and still are, for their exceptional boatbuilding skills.

Chart of Fiji drawn by Charles Wilkes, US Exploration Expedition, 1840	Drawing of Chief Tanoa’s drua (canoe) in Ovalau, from Wiles’ narrative of the voyage.

Apart from the surveying work all around the Pacific, many thousands of scientific specimens and over 4,000 artifacts were collected by the expedition’s scientific team. Most of them are now housed in the Smithsonian Institute, Washington D.C.
Here are some of the pieces collected in Fiji, available for view online at: http://www.sil.si.edu/digitalcollections/usexex

Fijian Tapa Cloth	Iutavatava (throwing club) and Tokokia  (war club)	KiniKini, priest’s war club

Sali - war club	Liku – pandanas skirt

Wooden drum	Shell necklace

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Quote of the Day

At sea, I learned how little a person needs, not how much.

- Robin Lee Graham, Dove

A lovely day in the Bay of Islands

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While Ron and Freewind bask in the Fiji sunshine, the rest of the crew who stayed on watch in the Bay of Islands over the winter are enjoying a few lovely sunny days while a high pressure system lies over New Zealand.
This morning, once the sun warmed the cool morning air, we went to stretch our legs and get some exercise walking to the top of Flagstaff Hill in Russell. We took these photos to share those magical winter moments with you.

View of Russell and Matauwhi Bay from Flagstaff Hill	View over the Bay of Islands from Flagstaff Hill, Russell

The winter solstice is behind us, the days are getting longer, which means summer is on its way. We are all looking forward to the coming sailing season in the Bay of Islands. This year is expected to be an exciting year for tourism in New Zealand, with the Rugby World Cup being held in September-October and a host of special events and attractions planned for the spring and summer throughout the country. If you are planning to travel in New Zealand during September to November, be sure to make your reservation early as there will be an influx of sports fans and their families everywhere. Freewind is already starting to fill up cabins for the beginning of the season and we’d love to hear from you if you would like to find out more about our trips and itineraries (email freewind[at]sailbayofislands.com).

Until then, we’ll keep you posted on Freewind’s whereabouts in the South Pacific and her return trip to New Zealand.

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Quote of the day:

The cure for anything is saltwater – sweat, tears, or the sea.
                                                                                                                                                     - Isak Dinesen

Updates from Fiji and New Zealand

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Savusavu Junior Sailing Club hosts the Island Cruising Association regatta

Bula from Savusavu!
It’s all quite again in Savusavu, after all the activity and excitement in June when the Island Cruising Association regatta stopped over for their annual visit. The ICA boats have been stopping in Savusavu for many years now and everyone always looks forward to their arrival. The Savusavu Yacht Club always organizes a few activities to give the yachties and townspeople a chance to mingle and get to know each other, and this is also an opportunity for the Junior Sailors to do a bit of fundraising for their club. This year, apart form the traditional Optimist races between the kids and the yachties, a lovo was organized. This is the traditional Fijian cooking which is done in a pit dug in the ground and fired up with wood all morning. By lunch time, there’s plenty of embers for baking all the good food which is wrapped in banana leaves and lowered in the hot “lovo”, then covered and baked until ready. The picnic guests – locals and visiting yachties – took the 15-minute bus ride to the beach location on a coconut plantation just out of town, and enjoyed the scenery and great Fijian hospitality. Although the weather wasn’t perfect, the food was outstanding, courtesy of the Hot Springs Hotel crew, everyone had a great time, and the Junior Sailing Club got a few dollars for their Oceania Championship fund.

	photo: Trevina Gray
The Islands Cruising Association regatta boats tied up at the Copra Shed Marina, Savusavu	Carving up the pig at the Junior Sailing Club’s fundraising picnic. Yachties and locals alike enjoyed the great lovo.

…and meanwhile, back in New Zealand

Creating sanctuaries for our native birds in the Bay of Islands

While Freewind is enjoying the warm weather of the tropics, the shore crew in Russell, the Bay of Islands, has been taking part in some conservation work in the Bay. The Guardians of the Bay, an organization dedicated to preserving the native wildlife in the Bay of Islands, organized its annual planting at Waewaetoria Island. This project of native bush re-planting has been going on for a few years now and every year another patch of newly-planted native trees is added to the already existing regenerating forest. Native birds are already returning to this beautiful island which was used for grazing sheep and cattle in the past, but is now a nature reserve. It is hoped that as trees grow and mature, more birds will discover this bit of paradise, and that with the ongoing pest control, the Department of Conservation will be able to introduce endangered species such as Kiwi and saddlebacks into the forest.

The island reserve of Waewaetoria in the Bay of Islands is a popular anchorage for yachts. Freewind stops there often to enjoy the beautiful sandy beach.	Volunteers from the Guardians of the Bay planting native trees on Waewatoria Island, to encourage endangered birds.

For more details on the project, and nature conservation in the Bay of Islands, please see:

http://www.conservation.net.nz/getting-involved/volunteer-join-or-start-a-project/volunteer/volunteer-programme-by-region/northland/waewaetorea-island-planting/
http://www.doc.govt.nz/getting-involved/volunteer-join-or-start-a-project/join-a-group/northland/guardians-of-the-bay-of-islands/

Freewind is back in Fiji’s hidden paradise

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All photographs: Scott Willis

Bula to all our friends,

Freewind, with Ron and Scott on board, left Tonga on Wednesday with light easterly winds, heading E-NE to Vanua Levu. The 3-day trip to Fiji was uneventful, apart for the ‘mystery island’ which appeared on the horizon on the first day. After studying the British Admiralty chart (the “sailor’s bible”) and finding no trace of this small island, we thought we might have discovered a newly-erupted island; however, our hopes/dreams of naming a new island were quickly shattered when on inspection of the US naval chart of the same area, we found it had already been discovered, many years ago.

Loading the dinghy on deck before leaving Nuku’alofa, on the island of Tongatapu	Freewind sailing into the setting sun, heading for Vanua Levu, Fiji

Sailing into Savusavu Bay was like coming home for Freewind and Ron. The weather was perfect and the friendly smiles and greetings of “Bula!” soon made Scott feel at home too, despite the tropical heat.

Sailing into Savusavu Bay	Arriving in Savusavu and the Copra Shed Marina

Anyone who arrives in the islands of the South Pacific soon switches to “island time” and adopts the local easy-going attitude. Although Scott had only a few days to soak in the “Bula” state of mind before catching his flight back to cold New Zealand, he got a chance to meet Ron’s friends and relax on the mooring and the Savusavu waterfront.
Ron is already busy with the never-ending maintenance on Freewind as well as the Junior Sailing Club’s boats which again need work to keep them in good shape. Saturday saw the usual crowd of enthusiastic kids sailing the Lasers and Optimists, and everyone is looking forward to next Saturday, where the plan is for the kids to sail the fleet of small boats across the bay for a picnic on the beach, in company of Freewind and Talanoa (Geoff’s new boat). More on that next time.
Until then – Lolomas, from Fiji.

Peaceful dawn scene at the Savusavu boat mooring area	Ron relaxing with friends in Savusavu, overlooking the boat harbour

Freewind in the Kingdom of Tonga

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Mālō ē lelei and Hello from Nuku’alofa, Tonga!

Freewind is now safely anchored near the small boat harbour overlooking the waterfront of Nuku’alofa, the capital of Tonga.

Boat harbour in Nuku’alofa, Tonga	The Royal Palace, Nuku’alofa, Tonga

After an 8-day passage it was nice to see land again and drop anchor in relatively calm waters off the island of Tongatapu, and get a good night’s sleep. The trip was a mix of ‘too much wind’, ‘not enough wind’, and a bit of ‘just right wind’. At the beginning and the end of the trip the winds blew up to 25 knots and gusting even higher at times, so the sails were reefed. This means folding, or rolling part of the sail, so that only a small part of the sail is actually exposed to the wind, which keeps the boat speed and motion under control. On Tuesday and again on Saturday the wind died to about 5 knots so we started the diesel engine and motored along until the breeze was strong enough to raise the sails again.
As we approached Tongan waters the northerly wind was not making it any easier to keep sailing north, and we decided to stop in Tongatapu, which is the largest island of the Tonga group, and the first island you encounter when sailing from the southern Pacific Ocean. Nuku’alofa is the port of entry, where you clear customs and is also the capital of Tonga. One of the big attractions of the town is the lovely Royal Palace, which stands close to the waterfront. It is not open to the public, but you can get a good view of it from just outside the compound.
The wind has been blowing strongly for a few days now, with some rain accompanying it, but at least it is warm – a nice change from the cold New Zealand weather we left behind. Scott, our third crew member joined Freewind on Monday night and will be sailing with us to Savusavu, Fiji. Unfortunately, as he is on a tight schedule and has to fly back to NZ next week, we won’t have time to stop in Vava’u as planned, but will be going straight to Fiji. The weather forecast looks good – moderate easterly winds, which should make the passage to Fiji a comfortable one. We’ll be stocking up on fresh fruit and vegetables from the local market in Nuku’alofa before clearing customs and setting off on yet another ocean passage to yet another tropical island.

Nofu ā ē, goodbye, Tonga!

Fresh produce in the market at Nuku’alofa	Tongans wear a finely woven mat around their waist as part of their formal dress

To follow Freewind’s position on the passage, please check www.skipr.net and click on ‘Freewind’.