Richard Fiddes Captain, Michelle Fiddes 1st Mate, Holly the dog Mascot
About:
Richard and Michelle have been together for 13yrs and Thor is their second catamaran the first being a Jensen 32 Built in 1996 by Andy Jensen. [...] Richard has had extensive ocean experience having gone to sea on fishing boats at the age of 15 and fished in the crayfishing ,prawning ,tuna ,shark and fish trawling industries all over Australia and NZ . In 1980 at the age of 21 after getting his master 5 ticket he bought a 30 ft fishing boat and worked out of Geraldton and the Abrohlos Islands and later shark fishing in the south west town of Augusta.
Michelle is a very good boating wife who always remains calm and competent in conditions that sometimes would test even the best marriage ,she makes the adventure all the more worthwhile and fun,michelle has done most off her Yachtmasters cert.
including navigation ,radar ,radio shipboard safety.
Last but not least is our most loved crew member Holly ,a Maltese/Shitzu cross bundle of fur that puts a smile on everyones face who loves her cuddles , if only we could stop her from burying her bones under our matresses and attracting crocs to our back steps.
THOR was launched in August 2007 in Fremantle after a 3yr build BY contract builders. She is a slightly modified Schionning Wilderness design, the modifications included a continued roof line thru to the rear of the cockpit to give a more streamlined look and to make it easier to fit all round [...]
clears to fully enclose the cockpit and create an all weather entertainment area.We also fitted an fully enclosed wheelhouse / helm area where the boat can be sailed in all weathers and be protected from the elements ,all sheets lead up to this area, opening doors allow easy access to the deck for short handed berthing. Larger 75hp Yanmar diesels have also been fitted giving a top speed of almost 12knts but can also give a very economical speed of nearly 6knts on one engine at 2000rpm using just 2.2 lph, giving a potential range of around 2000nm.
Carbon fibre was used extensively , the radical forebeam , mast, rudders , daggerboards and steering wheel were outsourced and built by Andy Jensen in Perth to reduce build time and ensure a quality in these important areas.