The Big Sort Out

Weekend 8^th Feb AM

 

The Big Sort Out

 

 

 Pieces of boat have been making their way from Ebay through our letter box for several years.  Most had made it to the boat in their protective postal envelopes and then squirreled away until needed.  The Big Sort involved finding all said items, removing them from their protective sleeves and re-uniting them with their friends.  And so it was that a large Tupper ware container now holds ‘Stainless Steel’, another ‘Shackles’, another ‘Bungs’, another ‘Tape and Glue’.  A large Tool box now contains Tools of the same variety, a large compartmented tool box contains Electrical items (eg. Terminals, enough for the Queen Mary),  the top of the cupboard under the chart table has been designated as the place to put the Microwave and therefore will be seldom moved,  the cupboard under the chart table now holds items which are vital but seldom used (Spares).   A drawer now holds electrical items, chargers etc.  A cupboard will contain Electrical items in constant use, ipads, kindles etc. 

The operation took 7 hours over an afternoon and a morning.  Everything has been sorted, logged and its location noted.  2 bins bags of mostly packaging have been removed.  Some ruthless sorting and soul searching parted with a small number of unwanted/old items.

Spare/Visitor bedding has been returned home to be replaced by 2 x sleeping bags.  We are not unsociable but we will need the space.

Jolly good therapeutic process, which yielded a whole under-seat locker and enough room in the outside locker for an additional diesel tank.

The dinghy storage is up for debate.  Regular usage may require relocation.

A world of future bartering and trading ‘Useful’ items has been revealed and therefore these items are deemed useful, but maybe not by us!

The Plan 2014 - ?

The Plan AM

Mick has been sailing for more than 30 years.  He started with Wayfarers on a reservoir.  Over the years the boats have slowly increased in size.   Starting with a Sea-wych, trailer sailer, to a Swift 23, Jeanau 26, Jeaneau 32 and for the past 7 years a Jeaneau Sun Odyssey 35.

Mick has completed many sailing courses over the years and has a Yachtmaster Coastal qualification.  He is a practical person and as a professional engineer has always been a hands-on DIY sailor.  He regularly reads and occasionally contributes to the PBO forum.

I completed my Dayskipper Practical and Yachtmaster theory several years ago.  I am the food and subsistence end of the partnership.  I have a wanderlust and am looking forward to seeing many new places.  I am self appointed ‘Tourism Officer’ and look forward to wandering around new towns and cities and any tourist attraction (preferable free) that comes onto my radar.

During the summer months we go sailing as often as work allows.  Most weekends are spent sailing or caravanning on the boat.

We made a conscious decision when we became a couple to live in a small house and have the best boat we could afford, with the long term dream of sailing off someday.

We have seen friends retire and go sailing their boats, some more successfully than others.  We came to the conclusion that sailing is a physically demanding pastime and if we were to do it for an extended period we should try to go as soon (or as young) as possible.  We all have friends who have sadly passed away or become less capable and these events have propelled us towards this decision.

Mick’s daughter has graduated from University and is now living happily in Ireland.  Our parents have all passed away and we have served our time as carers and companions.  So the coast is clear.  We have numerous friends who we will miss whilst away, including my W.I. and craft club friends and close family.  However, technology is on our side.  We have grown up in a technological whirlwind and so keeping in touch has never been easier, with the help of good and often free WiFi.

The time feels right to live our dream.  We have both been granted a sabbatical from work for 1 year and so off we go.

I still won’t quite believe it until we actually leave.

Preparation So Far….

The voyage should be sponsored by Ebay.  Mick has been accumulating stuff, important stuff, for a number of years now.  We need very little, except food.

Mick is partial to a computer or two.  We currently have 4 computers capable of navigation.  There have been many rounds of new software, upgrades and updates.  We have several GPS devices but have chosen currently to forgo Radar, though we do have AIS (Automatic Identification System, which beeps if large registered ships get within range).  I would like to be able to silence the AIS from the cockpit but this is a work in progress and good exercise.

The Radio and CD player now automatically cut out when a maritime information broadcast is active.

Mick has been accumulating Maps, Charts, Cruising Guides and has spent many hours planning the route.  Although this is difficult until we know exactly when, and then the weather interferes.   The boat has a full suite of Raymarine instruments although Mick prefers to use Open CPN (laptop software) as the primary navigational system, although for those in the know, the laptop is fully integrated to both the Sea-Talk Network and the AIS receiver.

We have both lost some weight, with the added bonus that the boat feels bigger.  (By the 5:2 fasting diet method, if you are interested).

There has been experimentation with Wind power, but we have currently decided against taking the windmill.

A microwave has been acquired and will be installed this weekend (8/2/14), somewhere…  The theory being that electric in a marina is free whereas Gas costs money.  Have I mentioned we are quite frugal, tight, scrimpers who love to save a penny or two when possible.

We have been clearing the boat of all the miscellaneous junk we have filled it with over the past few years.  We have enough glasses, cups and crockery for a decent sized party.  There will mostly be 2 of us, though we have kept some extra glasses and cups, just to be sociable.

We have had some cards made to hand out if we meet people en-route and for people back home to keep in touch with the new phone numbers, email and blogspot.

Dental and Sight checks have been made.  One tooth removed.  It had always been a nuisance.

Boat Preparation…..

Mick carries out all the boat servicing other than sail and canvas repairs.  The boat has a lifting keel and a Volvo MD2030 engine.  Annual servicing has always included filters, oils, anodes, and keel mechanism lubrication but in the last year Mick has also changed the exhaust elbow, drained and cleaned the heat exchanger, replaced the batteries, installed a water filtration system, serviced the furling main sail mechanism, winches, electric windlass and outboard motor, de-coked the eberspacer, changed the toilet valve, and upgraded the lights to LEDs.

We will be taking the boat out of the water for Anti-fouling in Feb/March and Mick is going to change the cutlass bearing and prop shaft seal and replaced all the running rigging.  Mick went up the mast last summer using the mast-climber to check the standing rigging and replace an allen screw in the Genoa furling foil. 

We like her to look good so we will give her a good polish too.  I just hope the weather is good enough so that the polish goes off OK.  We have had a previous bad experience where the polish just would not budge and we ended up looking at unsightly streaks all year.

Boat Insurance – You think you can just set sail and go with the wind.  Wrong.  The boat insurance has caviats starting when you can and can’t go to particular places.  The one affecting us is the Bay of Biscay which cannot be crossed after September with only the two of us.  I think this is a good idea, but it may have some bearing on our course and how long we linger in places.  I would like to get passed the Bay of Biscay this year and aim south for Winter.  Mick thinks we may not get so far.

The other big unknown is how often we may return home.  Mick is going to do 3 days work a month and so may need to travel a little.  Neither of us has been away from home for so long before so we don’t really know how we will react to homesickness.  We do have the added advantage of working together for many years, so we are only parted due to work commitments.  We are used to being together which most couples are not.

People keep asking how long will it take to get to places but we just do not know.  The weather is the main decision maker.  It did not sunshine until July last year, but previous years we have sailed from March to November.  All part of the adventure.

I joined the W.I. a few years ago which re-ignited my interest in sewing and has lead to all sorts of new crafts and activities I would never of thought of.  I would highly recommend joining whatever your age.  During the last few years I have been accumulating skills in small scale craft projects which I can take afloat.  My main activity is making teddy bears, and they too have become smaller to accommodate the trip.  I have enjoyed patchwork and quilting, crochet, felting and painting so I think I will be able to keep myself occupied during the long hours waiting in marina for the weather to change.  I am also looking forward to getting truly lost in a book.  I think the domestic duties will take longer too.  Washing and drying are the things I am most uncertain about.  On every other long trip we have taken in the boat the washing has been taken home at the end.  It should be easier when we get further south and the weather gets better.

Mick has made a backup of all the music CDs in our collection for us to use on the trip.  Again technology is on our side. 

About The Boat

The Boat - MB

Our previous boat was called ‘Fleur’ after Ann-Marie’s childhood teddy bear which had been named after the lady in the ‘Forsyth Saga’.

As the boat is Part 1 registered we needed a unique name so ‘Fleur of Pendle’ was chosen as we are both proud Lancastrians.

Fleur of Pendle is a 2005 Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 35 with a lifting keel and twin rudders.  She has a Volvo Penta MD2030 engine with standard shaft drive and P bracket.  We bought her when she was 1 year old on Windermere.  She was the unwanted purchase of a Motor boat owner who thought he would become a sailor following the introduction of the speed limit.  One year on he bought another motor boat.  Our good fortune was his purchase of many extras such as In-mast furling, holding tank, electric windlass, full cockpit awning, Eberspacer with remote dialling feature and extra batteries.

She is the owner’s version which means she has one very large double aft cabin which currently has a regular King sized memory foam mattress and a large locker accessed through the large heads (toilet) and shower compartment.

Additions since purchase include life-raft, dingy and engine, auto-helm, AIS ,Navtex, Rocna 15 anchor, rope cutter, dan-buoy, life sling, 2 PLBs

 

 

Being a lifting keel with 2 rudders there is no prop wash and slow speed manoeuvring especially in reverse is painful but with judicious use of the throttle and an understanding of the wind and tide can be overcome
We are regularly an entertainment feature as we would rather abort and retry than crack on and crash.

The furling main sail concept has both fans and detractors if you visit any forum but as a short-handed crew we find that providing we reef early and maintains correctly it provides benefits which so far outweigh any shortcomings in performance.

Navigation - Fleur is equipped with a Raymarine C70 chart plotter, with navionics charts, connected to an S60 graphic repeater and the autopilot a Raymarine SPX5 in the cockpit.  A laptop with Open CPN and charts by ‘visitmyharbour’ is also connected to the Raymarine network and AIS, this is my preferred method of passage planning and navigation.

I should at this time give acknowledgement and thanks to Jim Dew, the owner of ‘Full-Circle’ a similar SO 35 who has provided invaluable information and resource to me on the construction, engineering issues and solutions to this design of craft.  He has single-handedly stripped down, re-built and enhanced his own vessel over the years and shared his experiences.

Future modifications - If and when we get to the sunshine power will be an issue.  I have experimented with a Rutland 503 wind generator and found it to be inadequate and noisy.  Reading other peoples experiences I think we will utilise solar panels but will leave the purchase of these until required.   We have a small 4 stroke petrol generator which can be used when required where noise permits to provide both 12 and 240 Volts.  This has not on any of our previous trips needed to be deployed.

A Bimini (sun shade) will be required in warmer climes and we hope to modify the cockpit canopy frame to accomplish this.
 

Fleur is definitely an AWB (Average White Boat) this is the description given by purist to a mass produced, usually French, cruising boat.  As such whilst similar boats have crossed oceans Fleur will be used for what she was designed for which is cruising, sometimes off-shore in predominantly good weather whilst providing a comfortable base in port.

In the next 12 months we will spend more days on shore than at sea, and as such Fleur is a good choice for the mission in hand.  We have no desire to be heroes braving the worst and whilst not having all the time in the world will have more time than we have ever had before.