ELANA SAILS A SOLO FIGURE 8 AROUND NEW ZEALAND TO HELP AOTEAROA’S YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE GO ON THE SPIRIT OF NEW ZEALAND TALL SHIP’S 10-DAY, LIFE-CHANGING JOURNEY!

Former foster youth, Elana Connor (AKA Peregrina Sails), is solo sailing a figure 8 voyage around Aotearoa New Zealand to raise funds for VOYCE – Whakarongo Mai, enabling the creation of a new scholarship program for youth in foster care to attend the 10-day youth development journeys aboard the Spirit of New Zealand tall ship. The scholarship will cover the full cost of $2500 for a young person in care to attend this life changing experience.

Elana has made three major solo ocean passages covering more than 10,000 nautical miles in the Pacific over the past three years. She’s not completely alone; she sails with her 4 kg rescue dog, Zia, a papillon mix. After making landfall in New Zealand in December 2019, she was determined to use her skills and 10.4 metre sailing yacht, Windfola, to make a difference for foster youth in New Zealand. 

Having gone through the transition from foster care to independence herself, Elana believes that foster youth are in need of access to experiences that will grow their self-confidence, teamwork skills, resilience, and personal aspirations. She knows firsthand how outdoor education opportunities can change the life of a teenager and help them transition into a healthy and self-actualized adulthood.

The Spirit of New Zealand’s journeys are life-changing, and Elana believes they will provide care-experienced youth with a pivotal opportunity to expand their horizon of possibility and reach greater potential. “By creating this fund, we will be expanding the horizon of possibility for foster youth, equipping and enabling them to realize their greater potential!”

Elana departed Auckland on 14 October, sailing southeast to the Bay of Plenty, around the East Cape, through the Cook Strait, down the west coast of the South Island, through the Foveaux Strait, north to Dunedin and Christchurch, through the Cook Strait to Wellington, and north to New Plymouth, around Cape Reinga and past the Bay of Islands to return to Auckland at the end of the summer. Her voyage will take approximately 21 weeks because she plans to stop in any port along the route where kiwi youth want to meet her and hear about the trip.

NEWS COVERAGE OF VOYAGE FOR VOYCE
ITINERARY

6 – 13 Oct: In Auckland
14 Oct: Depart Auckland to begin Figure 8, sail to GMI
16 – 25 Oct: Coromandel & Bay of Plenty Region
26 Oct – 15: Nov: East Cape, Gisborne, Napier
15 – 28 Nov: Transit Cook Straight & Marlborough Sounds
29 Nov – 6 Dec: Port Nelson, Abel Tasman National Park, Golden Bay
6 Dec – 4 Jan: Fiordland
5 – 21 Jan: Stewart Island / Rakiura, Dunedin & Port Chalmers
22 – 26 Jan: Oamaru & Akaroa
27 Jan – 5 Feb: Lyttleton / Christchurch
6 – 25 Feb: Wellington
26 Feb – 4 Apr: New Plymouth & AC36 in Auckland
5 – 24 Apr: Around Cape Reinga, Bay of Islands
25 Apr – 7 May: Whangarei
8 – 15 May: Kawau, Sandspit, Gulf Harbour, Waiheke
16 May: Arrive Auckland
17 May – 10 June: Auckland

STATS ON ELANA’S BOAT WINDFOLA

Designer: Roger Hewson
Built: 1985
Builder: Sabre Yachts (Maine, USA)
LOA: Approx 10.33 metres (34 feet)
Beam: Approx 3.2 metres (10.5 feet)
Draft: 1.7 metres (5.5 feet)
Hull construction: hand-laid fibreglass (GRP)
Deck and cabin: through-bolted inward flange joint fibreglass composite with balsa wood core
Hull type: fin keel with rudder on skeg
Engine: Inboard Westerbeke 27 (original)Tankage: 76 litres diesel 137 litres water


Windfola is a 34′ GRP-hulled, masthead sloop designed by Roger Hewson and Sabre Yachts in Maine, USA. Her spar was replaced by a previous owner in approximately 2002, and the cable rigging was fabricated and installed in August, 2020, by McCormick Rigging in Tauranga.

Approximately 350 watts of flexible solar panels power all of her systems, including AIS receiver and transceiver, radar, under-deck ram electric autopilot, and Raymarine instruments. Other critical additions include an ACR EPIRB, auxiliary-rudder type windvane, 4-person Viking hard-case liferaft, AirHead composting toilet, Garmin InReach, Iridium GO! satellite modem, handheld VHF, Dyneema lifelines with netting, Rocna anchor and 40 meters of 8mm chain with 80 meters of triple-strand nylon braid. She has no heating, generator, inverter, refrigeration or freezer. Elana is grateful to Mike Delamore of Waiheke Working Sail for loaning her an ACR PLB and cruising guides for her voyage through New Zealand.

THANK YOU TO THESE WONDERFUL SPONSORS

AUCKLAND
National Maritime Museum
Spirit of Adventure Trust
VOYCE — Whakarongo Mai staff
Viaduct Harbour
Mike Delamore of Waiheke Working Sail
American Magic & Terry H.
Luna Rossa Challenge
Yachting New Zealand
Jenny H.
Josh M.
Zac D.
Bianca C.
Jo L.
Chris H.
Mark S.
Toni S.
Carla B.
Craig S.

WHITIANGA
Fred
Mercury Bay Boating Club

TAURANGA
Bridge Marina Travel Lift
Hoe Aroha Whanau o Mauao waka ama
Holistic Vets
Marine Plus
OCD Coffee
Orca Wild Adventures
Port of Tauranga
Sulphur Point Marina
SMS Engineering
Tauranga Bridge Marina
Tauranga Coastguard
Tauranga Moana Outriggers Club
Team Dental

GISBORNE
Gisborne Inner Harbour Marina
Gisborne Sea Scouts
The Phillip-Barbara Family

NAPIER/AHURIRI
Napier Sailing Club
Michelle Smith of Te Matau a Māui Voyaging Trust
Flaxmere Boxing Academy
Social Workers & Teachers of Kimi Ora Primary

PICTON/WAIKAWA
Port Marlborough ❤️
Waikawa Sailing Club
The Robertson Family
Waikawa Bay School
Satellite Spy owners & crew
Captain Gerard
Tony Cooper ?

NELSON/MAPUA
Nelson Marina
Tasman Bay Cruising Club
Nelson Yacht Club
Iron Duke Sea Scouts
The Breeze Radio
The Ware Family
Shelly S.
Mapua Boat Club
Nigel
Scott
Captain Steve & family
Ropetek Rigging
Dan & Aimex Engineering
Liz H.
Gareth S.

GOLDEN BAY
Tarakohe Harbourmasters
Te Whare Mahana staff & residents

FIORDLAND
Milford Tourism
Cruise Milford
Southern Discoveries
Jucy Cruises
MV Professor Khromov / Kostya
Real Journeys Doubtful Sound

BLUFF
Peter at South Port

DUNEDIN / OAMARU
Barry and Otago Yacht Club
Peter W.
BBQ Bill / Tony
Progressive Field & Marine Services
Torpedo 7
Port Otago
Alasdair

AKAROA / LYTTLETON / CHCH
Lyttleton Port Company
Matt of Te Ana Marina
Wendy R.
Viki M.
Little Ship Club of Canterbury
Naval Point Yacht Club
Cholmondeley
Ellen
VOYCE Te Waipounamu Regional Youth Council
Georgina L.
Shane & Ed
Peter Gluyas
Tim the automotive electrician
Hilary & Fitzy
Eliza M.
Akaroa Yacht Club
Jendy H.
Sarah B.

WELLINGTON
Office of the Children’s Commisioner
Harbourmaster Grant
Chaffer’s Marina
Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club
Wellington Youth Sailing Trust
Seaview Marina
Suzanne & Duncan
Alice

TARANAKI
New Plymouth Yacht Club
Steve A.
Jilling
Wayne & Holdt Family
Peter & Fiona J.
Catherine & NPBC
Raewyn
The Green School

BAY OF ISLANDS
Bay of Islands Marina
Opua Cruising Club
SV Wild Orchid
Julie & Great Escape Sailing
SV Moonrise
Captain Anne
SV Seeker
Russell Boating Club
R. Tucker Thompson Tall Ship
SV Chanticleer
Warren
Elizabeth S.
Shelly & Glen

OTHER
Subscribers and donors to Peregrina Sails ?
French Turtle
Diana D.
Sarah B.
Tupua
Krysti
Hunia
Shane & Ed
The Kerrs
The Sobiers
The Fairbanks
TBM C-Dock Liveaboards
Grandma Betty ??
Elana’s American Friend-Family
Riaan A.
Trevor R.
And, most of all, Sonya Boe ?