She was a 1950s English-built Heron class yacht and she was in a bad way.
``It was about 10 or 15 years ago. She was in a rough state - she had holes in her and needed some repair,'' he said.
But the thing that caught his eye was that she looked versatile.
So he bought her and fixed her up, making sure to preserve as many of her original parts as possible, including her sails.
He gave her a paint job, aptly called her Kotuku, and now she is one of his great loves in life.
``I think it was built in the late 1950s. I don't know the exact date, so I just say 1957 because that's the same year I was built. She's about the same age as I am.''
Kotuku was very different from modern yachts, Mr Free said.
``She's very slow, but it's a very versatile little boat. I can take the sails off fairly quickly and put an outboard motor on the back, and so I can use it for motoring around and fishing.
``Or I can take the motor off and just row it. It's small enough to row, and it's good enough for sailing and motoring - you can do all three with it.''
Kotuku was one of the oldest yachts taking part in the Port Chalmers Yacht Club 125th Anniversary Regatta at the weekend.
``Because it's old and slow, it gets a good handicap for racing, and so I've managed to get a couple of cups over the years.''
Unfortunately, he had no such luck during races at the Port Chalmers Yachting Club anniversary.
Despite not being a member of the club, Mr Free was among about 130 people who celebrated the anniversary.
Club commodore Richard Hawkins said the celebrations included a get-together on Friday night for sailors to share yarns and photos of their yachting action; a regatta on Saturday of 44 boats on Otago Harbour; a race from Port Chalmers to Landfall Tower at the heads and back on Sunday; and a dinner and dance at the Dunedin Town Hall on Sunday night.
``We were very lucky with the weather. It's been perfect for yachting,'' he said.
