With his long held plans to circumnavigate finally coming to fruition, Brian Boniwell, the owner of Oyster 62-06, Wishanger II wanted to ensure his yacht was in the best possible shape to take on the world’s oceans.
Following a recommendation from an experienced blue water yachtsman, Fox’s Marina & Boatyard was Brian’s first choice for this critical refit. With Fox’s first-class facilities, all the skills required on one site and a wealth of blue water experience in the Fox’s project management team, Wishanger II was in capable hands.
The initial work proposed included new standing rigging, complete replacement of the running rigging, preventative epoxy treatment and application of Coppercoat. Further work included a complete strip, rebuild and repaint of mast and spars in Awlgrip and the installation of a bespoke bathing platform.
This schedule of work had to be completed within eight weeks, without fail, so that Brian and family would be able to attend a pre-arranged leaving party aboard Wishanger II in Guernsey.
As work progressed, the broad skill base and first-rate tradesmen at Fox’s gave Brian the confidence to significantly expand the scope of the refit. With an already tight schedule and no extension to the deadline, Fox’s pulled out all the stops to make it happen.
The additional work included the design and fabrication of a bespoke, stainless steel bowsprit; a welded Aluminium mast-head extension; custom Code-O sheave box fitted to the mast; installation of a Simrad 4g radar system; Yachtspot 4G Wi-Fi; refinishing of the cockpit table and the installation of Lewmar running backstay winches.
The bathing platform design was modified to accommodate a Watt & Sea generator and Monitor windvane, and bespoke dinghy chocks in stainless steel and teak were fitted to the foredeck. The Fox’s engineers were kept busy with a complete rebuild of the sterngear, including removal and servicing of the Aquadrive unit.
Despite the significant growth in the scope of the project, Brian and family departed Fox’s on schedule as planned, and Wishanger II sailed into Guernsey in time for their farewell party.