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Istvan Kopar Featured in Practical Boat Owner Magazine
In Practical Boat Owner's March 2017 issue, author Peter K. Poland has published a 5-page article on the various 34-36ft cruisers that will sail in the 2018 Golden Globe Race. Captain Istvan Kopar is featured in the article speaking about his Tradewind 35, Puffin.
Puffin Refit Featured in Sailing Magazine
Hot off the press! Sailing Magazine's January 2017 issue features a 5-page article Istvan wrote about his refit of Puffin. Special thanks to Sailing Magazine. Click below to read full article. (Copyright Sailing Magazine, reprinted with permission.) The Ultimate Refit
Windpilot to Sponsor Istvan Kopar
Istvan Kopar will be using Windpilot's Pacific model windvane in the 2018 Golden Globe Race Windpilot is the latest sponsor to join Istvan Kopar’s 2018 Golden Globe Race team. Windpilot is giving Istvan one of its Pacific model windvanes to use during his nonstop solo circumnavigation, provided that he successfully reaches the starting [...]
Puffin Yacht Restoration: Part Seven
Hard to believe it, but we already got the first snow of the season a few days ago in New York, and Puffin is still not fully dressed. There has been steady progress, of course, but there are so many moving parts, and it is really difficult to make them visible. I got my first [...]
Puffin Yacht Restoration: Part Six
You might think the heavy lifting would be over once the hull has been reinforced and most of the paint job finished… Well, that is actually a misconception comparable to thinking your house would be complete once there were walls and a roof. Yes, the nature of the workload will now change, with less physical [...]
Puffin Yacht Restoration: Part Five
My biggest sponsor, my wife Eva, supervising Puffin's refit Well, summer passed by and Puffin has gotten her seaworthy boat look back. And the fall is about changing colors, right? Grey was the last color in Part 4, and it was that of the strongest primer I have ever sanded (Alexseal, of course). [...]
Puffin Yacht Restoration: Part Four
Puffin after "tacking" onto her port side in the paint shop On August 23 Puffin changed her tack in the paint shop as if under sail. The travel lift crew and I flipped the boat on her port side like a well-oiled machine. And the car tires had evidently done their job, since [...]
Puffin Yacht Restoration: Part Three
At long last, after three brutal weeks of work, Puffin got “naked” (stripped of her bottom paint, gelcoat, etc.), and headed inside to the paint shop. Puffin "naked" heading into the paint shop I have been working off of a shoestring budget, and every move in any boatyard is costly, so must be [...]
Puffin Yacht Restoration: Part Two
Our work on Puffin in July was challenging and intense and involved some serious heavy lifting. Fortunately, one of my friends from Florida, Janos Szalas, volunteered to join me in this "sport.” His dream is to sail Puffin to England with me, and he definitely needed to focus on this goal to keep himself motivated [...]