Getting Ready To Go

Been a while since the last post, but been spending time getting ready for the big trip.  In October, 2011, Ann and I leave for Baja where we’ll spend a couple months, then in March, 2012 we’ll leave for French Polynesia.  Don’t have a firm plan yet, just know we’re leaving and once we get there we’ll see how long we want to stay.

So, in preparation it’s been a busy Spring and Summer:

  • Put in a Spectra Watermaker (pic below)
  • Hauled and painted the bottom
  • Put in a Frigoboat refrigerator (pic of Keel Cooler, the bronze looking thing, below)
  • Bought a new boom (the old one had a permanent bend and was looking like it was getting ready to break.  Ballenger Spars made a new custom one)
  • Took the Cetol off the teak cockpit seats/floor with a heat gun.  The Cetol was waaaay too slippery when wet.  Took two days, but result was excellent.  Now I just have to bleach the wood, sand a bit and recaulk a couple seams and we’re good to go.
  • Bought a new “blue water” fishing pole and reel.  The other one was too small for the kind of fish we were hooking.

Those are the “big ones” and my wallet is lighter, but Charisma is happy.
Also got some brand new storm sails, wheels for the dinghy (to make it easier to haul up on shore) and a bunch of smaller projects to get ready to go.  We’re now in full speed ahead mode with about one month to go before we leave.

Still to come:

  • Solar panels that I will hang on the lifelines/rails
  • A water generator.  Ferris makes a unit you can tow behind the boat.  A small prop and 75 feet of torque-rope and it turns a small generator that puts out quite a lot of electricity for the batteries.  Great for tradewind sailing.

Well, that’s it for this catch-up note.  The blog’s gearing back up.  Keep in touch!

polishing-the-topsides.jpg

keelcooler.jpg   watermaker.jpg

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