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| New bottom paint |
One of the first things we had to do was paint the bottom with protective anti-foul. This keeps growth and barnacles to a minimum so the boat sails fast and true. The process took about four days in all. Cleaning, sanding, more cleaning, and painting.
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| New Battery Bank |
The next task before launch was to replace the entire battery bank. The boat requires eight, 6-Volt deep cycle batteries to power our systems when we are away from shore. We charge these batteries with solar and wind power. On cloudy, windless days we have a small gas powered generator that will run everything on the boat. The battery bank will supply our home with energy for about three days before needing a recharge.
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| On the move |
On her way to the water. A large travel lift picks all 38,000 pounds up like a toy and moves her to the launch slip, lowers her gently into the water, and away we go. Sort of.
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| Dockside |
Lot's of work to be done yet. The Perkins diesel needs outfitting. We bug bombed to be safe. Cleaned every inch inside and out. Inventoried tools and supplies, set up the kids' staterooms, tested the systems, installed new pumps and hoses (ongoing), and organized what we currently have. Pretty soon we will bring in our mobile garage (12 foot trailer) and load up everything else we need for cruising- fishing gear, lobster hunting equipment, water maker, extra anchors & line, tropical wear, washer & dryer, etc...
It will be a couple more weeks before the job is complete. When everything
is ship shape, we will depart from our friends
in North Carolina and sail offshore for Fort
Pierce, FL where we will visit the kids' other
grandma and grandpa while we continue
more upgrades to the vessel.
GL
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