Big red's in town – but not for long.
The 21m Laurie Davidson design yacht arrived at the Tauranga Bridge Marina hard standing by road from Picton on Friday to be prepared for the sea voyage to the US.

Pendragon at the bridge marina.

For a yacht that barely completed its sea trials, Pendragon has done a bit of travelling since she first left her Christchurch builder's yard in June this year.
Pendragon was shipped by sea to Auckland for sea trials with her southern spars mast and North's sails, but a problem with the keel saw her head south again.
She was taken by road to the Ian Franklin Boat Builders yard at Waikawa where modifications were made to the keel.
'Over the last 13 months I have made nine flights out here,” says skipper Mike Ishino.

'The hull was finished in Christchurch and we had it shipped to Auckland on the inter coastal for her sea trials. Due to unforeseen circumstances we had to go to Picton for modifications to the lifting keel.
'Now it is all coming together here to get her on next Friday's ship to the US.”
Ian Franklin boat builders won the builder's contract because the Southern Californian owner's existing yacht, Pendragon IV, was also built in Christchurch 10 years ago, and he was impressed.

She is a racer with basic comforts. Mike says there's a galley, head, and shower, but the interior is spartan.
'Instead of state rooms, there are pipe berths,” says Mike.