FREDONIA II NEWSLETTER – DECEMBER 2004

Dear Friends,

That was the year, that was…or where did 2004 go? Like greased lightning, seems to be the answer!

Looking back over the year, it would appear that "Fredonia II" has not moved forward in any significant manner but closer examination shows that this is not really the case.

We have finally made a start on the video footage for the presentation DVD's and have all of the necessary video and audio hardware together – plus the programs! We are now over the preliminary apprenticeship period and moving forward, so 2005 will see finished product being made available.

In terms of further fine-tuning of the project and getting in some concrete market research, the highlight of 2004 was undoubtedly being able to attend Brest 2004 in July.

Here, Gisèle and I were wearing our press hats for "RéalisaSon" (to cover the technical facilities side of the event) and also for the NMM Friends magazine,. "Horizons". This meant that we were invited to the various receptions on board ship and these included evenings on the Dutch schooners "Oosterschelde" and "XXXXX" plus another visit of "La Recouvrance" (the 18^th. Century dispatch schooner and symbol of Brest)

These visits enabled ideas to be finalised for the slight modifications to FII's interior and these will be passed on to Sean for their incorporation into the plans. A spacious deck area and large saloon are obviously the strong points of these ships and these fall right into the appointments offered by "Fredonia II".

A bonus was being able to talk to crew members about the running of the ships and it was a pleasant surprise to find that these vessels are often fully booked the year round and that finding some time off can be a problem! The discovery of this unsung 'parallel market' is very positive for "Fredonia II", as it opens the possible portfolio even further. It was also nice to find encouragement for the project from these same crews – demand, it would seem, far outweighs the availability of suitable ships for hire.

Another interesting fact was that the ships that attend events such as Brest 2004, are invited and paid to be present, rather than the other way round. It was always assumed that the ships pay to attend but this is definitely not the case and a fair amount of horse-trading goes on between the organisers and ships' managers in order to get a full bill that will appeal to the visitors.

As an event, Brest 2004 was an unmitigated success – in spite of the typical Breton weather! – and these gatherings celebrating the days of sail seem to get more popular every time.

Looking to 2005, we have a lot of work and catching up to do but we are more confident than ever. The time looks ripe and we intend to catch the tide.

Best wishes for 2005 to you all and thank you for your continuing support.

Terry Nelson & Gisèle Clark