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ANNA MERCHANT
ANNA MERCHANT
The underdog. She's gutsy, accurate, and quick thinking, and a lot stronger than she looks!
The underdog. She's gutsy, accurate, and quick thinking, and a lot stronger than she looks!
Anna is bloody gutsy, self-motivated, and hands on - the perfect team mate for offshore yachting. With good awareness and a killer memory, set-ups are a breeze for Anna, which means we can keep the hammer down!
Thanks to her father’s love of sailing, she’s had a huge amount of experience with keelboats from a young age too which means she is right at home out on the water. A plus when you're hundreds of miles offshore drenched and cold that's for sure!
AARON HUME-MERRY
AARON HUME-MERRY
The dreamer powered by Energizer, the worlds longest lasting battery, this guy never seems to run out of juice! A real team player, Aaron brings a wealth of dinghy experience to the duo.
The dreamer powered by Energizer, the worlds longest lasting battery, this guy never seems to run out of juice! A real team player, Aaron brings a wealth of dinghy experience to the duo.
Nothing seems to be too hard for Aaron and his positive outlook is infectious in any team. Gifted with a sixth sense for the wind, strategy and positioning are his thing and you'll often catch him perched up like a meerkat, curating the perfectly executed plan!
Our Vision
Our Vision
To become the best two-handed sailors we can be - and kick back for the adventure!
To become the best two-handed sailors we can be - and kick back for the adventure!
Anna and Aaron have a fair bit in common. A love for the ocean, adventures, protecting the environment, pushing themselves and, naturally, sending it! But it's their differences in particular that set them up to be the perfect two handed sailing duo.
Aaron has come from a dinghy background, having spent considerable amount of time in the 49er, laser and more recently graduating from the RNZYS PP. It's this experience and his appreciation for performance that give him an edge on bigger boats. Anna's keelboat knowledge on the other hand stems back to when she sailed on a Stewart 34 with her father as a kid and she has complimented this over the years paving her own pathway. Graduating from the RNZYS YTP helped provide Anna with invaluable experience and opportunities on keelers and since then she's been part of several successful racing teams.
Both Anna and Aaron are also a part of the Clockwork Racing Team (currently BBW 37, soon to be Melges 40) Anna as trimmer and Aaron as midbow/grinder. Being a part of this team has opened both up to offshore racing and tightly contested 40ft fleet racing in Auckland. The pair are constantly learning and developing their skills with input from the amazing Clockwork team.
"Aaron and I are after a challenge. An opportunity to put our knowledge and skills to the test while we continue to develop our combined experience of and love for the ocean. Together we carry a wealth of experience and the more we sail with one another, the more we want to keep sharing these epic adventures. Thanks for your interest in our journey!"
"Aaron and I are after a challenge. An opportunity to put our knowledge and skills to the test while we continue to develop our combined experience of and love for the ocean. Together we carry a wealth of experience and the more we sail with one another, the more we want to keep sharing these epic adventures. Thanks for your interest in our journey!"
The Boat
The Boat
At 30 years old, back in 1983, Ian Franklin (Frankie as he’s better known) completed the build of Southern Fun at his boat-building yard in Christchurch, NZ. Designed by legendary designer Laurie Davidson, the mastermind behind the America’s Cup classes of the 90’s, Southern Fun was conceptualised as a 37 foot ‘Wednesday night racer’ with 6 feet of headroom downstairs that would be capable of taking both line and handicap honours. Governed by the old IOR rules of the time, a highly capable GRP inshore/offshore racer was born.
Southern Fun has had an illustrious racing history under the watchful eye of owner/builder Frankie, and in Ferrari red, turns heads wherever she goes despite her modest size. Fractionally rigged with in-line spreaders that offer greater control over mast bend and sail shape, Southern Fun was further enhanced after Black Magic’s 1995 America’s cup win, to improve performance. With an extra 3ft added to the stern by way of a scoop, an updated raked keel with bulb, and new carbon race rudder, Southern Fun proved she still had plenty left in the tank!
Keeping the iconic boat in the family, Frankie sold Southern Fun to new owner Aaron Hume-Merry and parents’ Lynette and Noel who also purchased a share in the yacht. Aaron now campaigns Southern Fun with his girlfriend Anna mostly two handed due to their other racing commitments, but given its versatility, you’ll catch the good red ship out and about with family or friends, cruising and partying through the holiday periods!
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