I am stoked to announce that I will be departing soon on an epic FIVE MONTH SOUTH PACIFIC sailing / kiting adventure taking in French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, American and Western Samoas, and Fiji, returning to New Zealand late November.

The skipper, 3 other crew and I will be leaving Auckland on or about the 24th of June on board the 45 foot sloop 'Secret Affair'.

As I'm planning on being way for so long, I will be shutting down various aspects of my businesses. Kiteforum.co.nz will continue in its present form and I will continue to moderate / administer it when possible. I will of course post updates of our voyage as internet access allows. Some of you will hopefully take advantage of the opportunity to join a fully equipped vessel in the tropics for a kiting break. To talk about this, you can continue to contact me via Private Messaging on this site or: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

I am looking for a volunteer to moderate kiteforum.co.nz on a daily basis. Applicants should be computer literate, open minded, sensible, not politically motivated and hopefully without too many axes to grind. Please contact me if you are interested. There is no pay for this job but I can offer a free banner ad (worth $35 per month) to the right person. Duties include daily reading of bilge with occasional bursts of action. Thrasher need not apply.

For what its worth I am also renting my house out from late June 2006. This is a tidy 2 bedroom pad with woodburner / carport on a fully fenced section in Silverdale and is available for $240 pw once again to the right person/s. It can be either unfurnished or furnished by negotiation.

My car is also for sale, a 1998 Ford Falcon Forte station wagon with 270,000kms of kiting adventures on the clock. She's a great big, comfortable and reliable wagon (very economical if you happen to be an oil sheik). Full details are available at www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=57535258

Please let me know if you're vaguely keen on any of the above by calling 027 226 3203 or PM.

Hopefully I'll catch up with many of you before I go and we will have a big party to be advised about in due course.

u lucky little bastard, safe travles bro.

Our leaving party will hopefully be joined with Alex's 30th birthday bash (happy bday old girl!) which is scheduled for Friday June 23 @ Pasha on Princes Wharf.

In the unlikely event we leave before this I am truly sorry but "the cap'n always has his reasons" (i read that on a bottle of rum somewhere).

More than likely we will depart these fair shores on the following day 24 June, so here's hoping we catch up on friday night if i owe you money, or you want to declare your undying love to me, or dance the funky chicken one last time.

Till then, Bonsoir.