Preparations for the 'Big Trip North' phase 2

Seaduced
John & Jane Craven
Tue 24 Apr 2012 17:50
Things are definitely moving on now, we have had the sails put back on this morning, this has taken a few days to actually do as the wind has been very tricky! As we are tied to the dock, we needed a very calm day with the wind on the nose. The test sail for the new furlers was booked for this afternoon so we started in the morning and every time we got a lull in the wind, we put another batten in. By lunchtime we had done 2 out of 5 - not great!
With a bit of help from Bobby, one of the guys at Antigua Rigging, we got the last three in, they are so difficult to do, they are also very tricky to control until you get them in the sail.
Off for the test sail - we were testing two main things, the new furlers and whether the leak at the back of the stern was fixed, oh and also whether we could remember how to sail! All went very well, she was thrown about a good bit, Seaduced didn't like that very much, she is used to a much gentler sailing life, however the furlers worked like a dream, very easy to use and very quiet, and the paper we put down in the back to catch any drops came up bone dry - fantastic!
While we have been away, we have had some new cockpit cushions made, which look great - these are just being tweaked, as there was a small issue with the poppers but they will be in place very soon, once all the people working on the boat have cleared off! I will send photos of these in my next post.
Another key part of preparing to leave has been to soak the dried fruit in preparation for the Antiguan Fruit Cake I am to make when we get to Maine. This involves a mixture of sultanas, glace cherries, mixed peel, and prunes. These are all soaked in a mixture of pear essence, brandy and cake mix wine. I wasn't sure if this was a real thing, but you can actually buy it - having tried it though, I am sure it should have a 'don't drink me' label attached, it is also quite strong at about 15.5%!

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'Cake mix wine'

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Hoisting the sails

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John hard at work sanding and varnishing the flagpole, this is a work in progress, it has taken about 3 months to start and who knows how long to finish!

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Some of the electrical work currently underway (excuse the pun!)