G’day,
Its been a couple of months since my last blog so its time for an update on how the good ship Roaring Forty is tracking. As you know I had not been on the boat for 2.5 years so to say she was in need of a bath was an understatement. Black and green mold was everywhere except for the items I had wrapped securely.
So where do you start……..well you grab your Boat Book, that non-descript notebook every boat owner carries around (usually in volumes) and you review your last 3-4 weeks of job list entries. A Boat Book has everything from part numbers, prices, points of contact, measurements, tips, sketches, wiring diagrams, design concepts and of course, that never ending list of jobs to do. I use a A5 notebook and a simple day date and tick-box method. I try to do at leaks five ticks a day from a list that could be 15-20.
Why 15-20 jobs when you know you will never do them in a day? Comes down to priorities, availability of workforce, supplier delays, weather, unscheduled maintenance, re-design challenges, ergonomics related to new equipment installation and operation, not to mention time and budget. They all play a part in determining what jobs will be done on the day.
Roaring Forty’s list was long, but I am happy to say that list is now a lot shorter. Still plenty to do and as you may have gathered by my AIS position on Marine Traffic, I am still in Roompot Marina. I have been in the water about 5 weeks …… long enough in these waters for the boat to grow a nice green beard of weed.
I am very happy with my choice of Ocean Power 600W hydrogenerators. I really enjoyed working with Eckhard as we went through the concept and design stages to ensure my mounting system would maximise performance of the hydrogenerators. Another job on the list is to water test to check depth and prop specs to match performance.
My old sails are with Wittevrongel Sails in Belgium and should be ready by next week. Ian built the Millennium sails way bay in 2007 so my ‘good news’ expectation bar was not set very high. However I was surprised when the call came back that the Genoa and Solent headsails were in good condition (both foot reefing), however the mainsail was tired. Ian will get his team to patch it up and I will sail it until destruction….being carbon Kevlar, that may take a while. I suspect I may have to ‘un-retire’ and go back to work for a couple of months to fund a new main!
A big shout out to GSC partner Raymarine and their Netherlands Raymarine dealer Dien Boone from Jos Boone in Middelburg. Dien’s Raymarine network knowledge is outstanding. Fortunately in a time of global electronics supply challenges, all but one item has been delivered and I am now finalising installation and commissioning this week.
In other news, I have now installed two Type 2 Linear drives for the NKE and Raymarine pilots. I changed out my Type 1 motor for a Type 2 motor for the extra torque and responsiveness. The trade-off is they are a little hungrier for power. Also installed a Jefa neoprene gaiter over the lower rudder bearing. Comes as a kit and glue in place with special contact adhesive.
I also cleaned out the sail loft at Roompot Yacht Service where Roaring Forty had been calling home since 2017. Roaring Forty came with 18 bags of sails. You cannot imagine how painful it is to stow that many sails onboard and still try to do jobs…..oh yeah, and also live aboard. But its done.
I have delayed my departure a few times now mainly due to delays in parts and unscheduled maintenance. Being able to crawl in every nook and cranny provides you with the opportunity to know every inch of the boat, but nearly always results in additional entries in that damn Boat Book!
Breaks over, back on the tools so I can hopefully depart next week.
Kev
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