Work, work, work….

From this

What a mess – anti-fouling removed and down to previously done barrier coat

And this

Rudder coverings removed completely

To this

Waxed, barrier coated, primed and anti-fouled. Almost ready for the water

Our workshop. We learnt one of the benefits of a catamaran – makes a great garage – dry, shaded and lots of space

Workshop was under the catamaran next to us until the owners returned

More work…

Yes, a large hole in the bottom of the boat. Was our old, non-functional depth transducer. One more hole in the bottom closed off. Back to the lead line.

Same hole but from the inside of the boat. At this time I have plugged it from the inside but still have to do the outside before Monday

The centreboard pin before cleaning and replacing the wire for lifting and lowering.

New wire for the centreboard

And from this

Was tempted to take with us

To this

Oh, how I love pork.

Oooops – don’t know how this slipped in but it sure ain’t boat stuff

Back to work….

From this

Installing a new solent stay chainplate

and this

Some stainless steel boats rust. The head of this bolt turned separately from the shaft. So what was supposed to be a 30 minute job turns out to be a two hour job!

To this

Ah much better. Rust stains gone and new fittings to make us feel safer at sea

Bau – what a worker. I decided doing the bottom was best left to someone younger!

Bau worked tirelessly for days both taking off and putting on our new bottom.

And from this

I tried to find a picture of our small dodger over the main entrance to Sage. It’s a small dodger that in inclement weather one has the ability to push it forward as it’s mounted with shock cord to allow one to push it forward and slip down below.  After 4 years of heavy use and lots of dirty hands pushing it around we found a place here to replace it. Below is a picture of the replacement with many improvements on the old one including an eyebrow to prevent drips into the open hatch if it’s raining and we used bolt rope to hold it down instead of snaps.  That’s so when the waves crash into the the beam under sail the water won’t find it’s way under the cover and down below.

To this

A new mini dodger which was replaced a tattered one that was not really that successful. This one looks great and corrects some problems we had with the old one

And then there is the engine. Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of our engine before Connie started work on it.  Needless to say she’s looking a little shabby before she sets to with the paint. At least now we are proud to show her off.  But does she work – stay tuned as we launch on Monday.

Connie’s hand-painted engine> Someone said we should paint the flywheel ‘pink’!

And this is where we like to spend money

Lee and Connie at Rolly Taskers sail loft

And more money…

Connie and Lee at the chandlery

Rolly Taskers is a candy store for sailors.  It has one of the largest sail lofts in the world, a rigging shop and a chandlery for all the baubles sailors like to drop thousands of dollars on.  Us? We got off lucky this time.  We only spent $100. That was for 20 metres of 4mm wire!

 From This

The old rusty chain

To This

Newly galvanized chain flaked out for measuring and loading back onboard before launching

There’s always the unexpected.  One day before launch day and we go to try the throttle cable.  It’s frozen solid. Rush around trying to figure out where can we buy one, how to install, how to get out the old one etc etc

Reeving a new throttle cable

And why am I so happy looking?  Well everything worked with out a glitch. That is unusual. We must be learning patience or something but now we have a throttle cable that smoothly runs. I still have to put it all back together but this time we won!

LAUNCH DAY

It’s pouring with rain but nothing will dampen our spirits.  Freedom is just a shot away! We are excited and keen to splash. One glitch – we launched the dinghy the day before and the engine cooling wasn’t working properly.  No time to fix so with minimum cooling water making its way thru the system we move forward.  Perhaps we won’t need the dinghy but it’s on standby in case the main engine doesn’t work.

Cleopatra rules the waves

So how did it go. Well we got Sage into the water.  She floated! Held taught with 4 lines to shore the moment came to test out the engine. Amazing, it started.  After 7 months of being idle the batteries helped make the engine roar. That was good but what didn’t work was one pulley on the belt was jammed.  The boat filled with smoke, the engine compartment was removed, the smoke billowed out, the belt snap and the order given to stop all engines!  In 15 minutes we had a new belt on, the frozen pulley unjammed and we were on our way.

I guess what is the downer in all this is when I looked at the picture of Sage coming out of the water she looked no different from going in! It’s true. All the work done was either below the waterline or inside the boat.  For us though we feel better. There are a few new or replaced items as well as maintenance items completed.  We feel we are getting closer to moving across the Indian Ocean.

But – work hasn’t stopped.  We are now at a dock, tearing apart the engine, installing mast steps, cleaning 7 months of dirt off everything, making sure the rat shit is washed off the deck (yes, lots of rats but none inside), regular maintenance on various equipment, getting my tooth fixed (gum surgery and crown) etc etc

But we’re getting close…

But why are these Thais laughing at us?

Why are all these Thais laughing at us?