After Dutch banker Cornelius (Connie) van Ritschoten won his very first Whitbread regatta on a Flyer built by Royal Huisman, he knew what he had to do to win the next race too - so he ordered a new Flyer II from the same yard. it was the right idea: at the 1981-82 race his Flyer II was first in every stage. After the WRtWR finished, a second life began for the well-deserved boat. As her owner realized, even after the Whitbread Regatta triumph, the racing boat's life was over - there was no other use for her. But contrary to the well-known wisdom of not letting you enter the same water twice, the Flyer II was sent to the parent shipyard, where she was converted into a quality cruising yacht. She received a new interior and all sails were fitted with furlers. In addition, the boat was fitted with a new, much shallower keel because she managed to snag the bottom in every harbor she visited. After this repair, Flyer II embarked on a long 16,000-mile voyage from Holland to Western Australia and back.
