T- Minus 17 Months..

Well it’s 2016!   And as of January 18th that leave 17 months remaining until we step on the boat and head out on this adventure.  I had a minor panic attack this week worrying about finances, incomplete projects, etc but I’m a bit better now…  Still I need to find a way to make a more concerted effort at completing all of the outstanding projects on some sort of schedule that represents the amount of time left.

The good news is I have been getting some of the things on our list checked off..

Our big purchase recently was a new Genoa.  Mobert’s sails are original (2006) and while they are in decent shape, the Genoa gets more UV than the main does and the Sunbrella UV cover was torn and flapping.   Replacing the Sunbrella cover is far more expensive than I anticipated and rather spend that much money on new UV cover for a 9-year-old sail, we opted for a new sail, with just minor stitching and glue to fix the flapping on the old sail.

We also had new Spectra clew block webbings and Sunbrella UV cover done on the mainsail and moved the leech-line cleat down to the foot of the mainsail as well so we can actually have a chance of getting to it.  It was previously on the leech and I could never really reach it when we were under sail.

The original sail is a fairly standard 140% Dacron cross-cut genoa made by the French sailmaker Technique Voile for Jeanneau.  Our new Genoa was made by Ballard Sails and it’s more advanced than the sail it replaced.

The primary difference is that its tri-radial rather than cross-cut.  This helps the sail maintain it’s shape in high winds and with age, reducing stretch.  This should provide for better upwind sailing and last us another decade.  It’s also made from Challenge Warp-Drive which is specifically designed for tri-radial sails.

Other projects we’ve knocked off the list:

• Replaced the worn out spring inside the Boom Vang to solve Mobert’s Floppy Boom Syndrome.

  

• Acquired a digital barometer with history tracking.  It’s a Weems and Plath which is apparently discontinued already but I was able to find one in-stock.  I’ve mounted it to the bulkhead with 3M Command Strips (my new favorite thing!)  It can run on batteries but I’ll run power to it later.
• Acquired and installed our ACR GlobalFix EPIRB and stowed a ResQLink+ PLB as well for use on board.

  

• Added a fuel filtering funnel and a fender inflation pump to the collection of onboard tools.
• Installed an Edson engine mount to the stern rail for the dinghy motor.  Still need a motor lift to help move the engine between the stern rail and the dinghy as needed.

  

• Acquired a spare propeller to carry on board just in case.   I’ll test fit it next time we haul the boat out of the water to make sure it’s all ready to go.

  

• Winterized the watermaker, during which I discovered that the particle filter housing contained the pickling cartridge rather than the correct pleated filter.  In the spring I’ll be spending extra time cleaning and recommissioning the watermaker.

So things are moving along I suppose, but we still have lots to do.  In the meantime we also need to make sure we get out on the water and sail..  What’s the point of having a boat if you don’t use it?!  I’m really looking forward to seeing how the new Genoa performs.