Is this the finishing line I see before me?
'Sarf & West mate, Sarf & West'
Pete Bernfeld
Thu 5 Jan 2012 05:02
On the slightly negative side Martin the Mechanic who had said he'd 'tested the anchor windlass and it's OK' now seems to be saying something different. Anyway, I've retrieved the windlass (after badgering him since just before Christmas) and it's, as far as I know, with 'Arun the Electric' who will no doubt tell me the good or bad news. Slightly less negative is the fact that IMEL, the shipyard where John the GRP is getting the stainless rods for the rudders are 'out of stock', but more has been ordered and is 'on the way'. I haven't heard from my contact at Raymarine yet. I ordered the necessary spares that we'd discussed when I was back in the UK and given card details. Later on tonight I'll send a follow-up email. Raymarine didn't return to work until the 3rd Jan so 'the lady in question' probably has a pile of emails to work through.
OK, that's the negative. I had a conference with John the GRP and we've decided to attack the new fridge whilst waiting for the ss rods. We had a good head scratching session and have finalised what we're going to do. I'm going to work with him, so on Monday morning idleness ends! Then there's the new gas bottle holders to fabricate and the gas hob to reserect.
The engine spares have been ordered and came to a grand total of £1475, shipping costs are £125 so a little under budget. I'm forgoing the fully electric ignition system, which I never liked, and we're going back to keys, oil pressure guauges and rpm guauges. I can always re-convert later, but as the all-electric system could shut the engines down if the 'system' detected a fault it's better to keep it simple. Martin has never seen the latest Volvo system before, so a bit unfair to expect him to know how to set it up.
The rudder skegs have been bonded in place. The keels have almost been converted back into holding tanks, just the plumbing to connect up.
John has straightened up the port bow deck seat and is ready to weld an attachment point for the lifelines, so that's well in hand.
Getting closer is giving the sails to de canvass man. I need a new furling line, new inner halyard, new reefing line for the main and I think possibly a new main halyard. Locally, the appropriate 'bits of string' are F$11 per metre. I think I can get cheaper elsewhere, but since at a rough guess I'll need about 100 metres all told it's a bit pricy. I also need new winch handles, keep forgetting about those! And of course anti-fouling. And work on the hulls/topsides to get the worst of the scratching out, but cosmetic work is at the bottom of the list. Oh and new masthead nav lights, which aren't cosmetic!
Still Mac-less, chasing that up tomorrow. All in all, looking reasonable for getting back in the water around March. Next week I'll acquire the paperwork for a multi-entry Australian visa. I'm beginning to think that maybe it'll be 'a bucket of prawns' in Sydney Harbour next Xmas/New Year. Let's get afloat first, then plan!
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