Meet Cosworth, a bulldog which at first glance looks fighting fit. Actually he’s glassfibre (you can buy them on the internet from a lady in the USA – any breed) and this picture shows him sitting on the aft deck of the J Class yacht Endeavour, currently in Auckland (see previous story).

Cosworth, for want of a better description, is a war prize, pinched from the crew of the big ketch Rebecca in retaliation for Endeavour’s magnificent steering wheel being ‘stolen’ and then put up for sale on EBay. We understand the wheel was never sold but when it went missing it was replaced by one of those tiny little, tugboat-syle, spoked numbers?not quite J Class style.

Cosworth has been with Endeavour ever since and has crossed the Pacific, been to Japan and was due to stay with Endeavour in Auckland.

But there’s a poignant end to this story and Cosworth’s black arm band is the sad giveaway. His original master, Kevan Paul ‘Fitz’ Fitzgerald, Rebecca’s one time skipper and more recently in charge of Hetairos, died recently. His premature death came as a mighty shock to the yachting community as he was a highly respected and much loved man.

Cosworth was so christened due to Fitz’s love of motor racing, derived from an earlier career in motor sport.

When we met Cosworth he was about to be boxed up and posted home to pay his respects to his one time owner. We wish him well and send our condolences along with him?