[vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces” css=”.vc_custom_1463969584219{background-image: url(https://www.pandora.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Fidelis-The-Yacht.jpg?id=698) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1455853605652{padding-top: 70px !important;}”]
Fidelis
[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner content_placement=”middle” css=”.vc_custom_1455781171363{padding-top: 70px !important;}” el_class=”text_white”][vc_column_inner offset=”vc_col-lg-8 vc_col-md-8 vc_col-xs-12″ css=”.vc_custom_1463967706742{padding-right: 100px !important;padding-left: 100px !important;}”][vc_custom_heading text=”HISTORY” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:40|text_align:center|color:%23ffffff” google_fonts=”font_family:Ubuntu%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C500%2C500italic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_separator color=”custom” el_width=”30″ accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text]
Fidelis is one of the most famous yachts launched in New Zealand. She was built in Auckland and launched in January 1964. The yacht races and cruises regularly both in and around Sydney Harbour and also offshore. In recent years she has raced in regattas in Sydney, in Auckland, and sailed offshore with voyages to the Solomons, Queensland, New Zealand and Tasmania. She has completed more than 15 voyages to Lord Howe both in the race from Gosford and in the last several years for the Lord Howe Island Classic Yacht cruise.
The half model of Fidelis hanging in the model room at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron attributes her design to Vic Speight who had the yacht built by Fred and Jim Lidgard. However the lines belonged to the legendary Knud Reimers who had drawn up the design in the mid 1930’s for the yacht Bacchant. The design was a breakthrough and Fidelis became of the of the first to show the yachting world what Kiwi magic really meant.
Her racing career started with a line honours win in the Auckland to Suva Race of 1966. She then made her way to Australia to enter that year’s Sydney to Hobart yacht race. Fidelis did more than just get the gun in her inaugural Hobart – she set a new race record margin with a time of 4 days 8 hours and 39 minutes. The next yacht was some 17 hours behind ! Her habit of breaking records whilst winning races continued the following year with the race to Noumea.
During the eighties Fidelis was altered extensively with hours of shipwright labour transforming her from a stripped out ocean greyhound into one of the fastest and most comfortable classic yacht passage makers. The additions of a roller headsail, self tailing winches and up to date navigation equipment transformed the boat. Ten years ago a further update refixed the keel, smoothed the hull and laid new teak decks.. The addition a year or so later of a carbon mast completed the transformation but not the look or feel of the yacht.
Fidelis is one of those yachts with 200,000 ocean nautical miles of sailing that still turns the heads of those who see her on the water…
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″ offset=”vc_col-lg-4 vc_col-md-12 vc_col-xs-12″ css=”.vc_custom_1459323569338{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”607″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row content_placement=”middle” css=”.vc_custom_1459139375166{padding-top: 50px !important;padding-right: 50px !important;padding-bottom: 50px !important;padding-left: 50px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”GALLERY” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_icon icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-ellipsis-h” color=”custom” size=”lg” align=”center” custom_color=”#0e8ec7″][ess_grid alias=”gallery”][/vc_column][/vc_row]