Family and friends!
It’s been a while!
Weather’s warmer, our foulies are dried out, and, though Covid19 postponed our initial departure date, we’re preparing for the next one. The end of the pandemic is in sight!
...And, knock on teak, the end of our enormous list of renovations on De Novo is too (well, for now). We save money by doing almost all projects on our own. But as neither of us have a background in boat maintenance, the learning curve is steep!
Below are the projects we’ve completed since our last blog post. We plan to highlight the biggest or most eventful ones in future blog posts so others can learn from our mistakes and, occasionally, truimphs.
Biggest jobs:
Replaced all standing rigging with 316 stainless steel (supplied and managed by Puget Sound Rigging)
Replaced old freshwater hoses with NSF LLDPE hoses and new fittings
Replaced septic system: hoses (OdorSafe Plus), fittings, valves, and head
Replaced cracked stanchion bases and added stainless steel rods for deck jerry can storage at the beam
Installed Revere Offshore 2.0 Life Raft
Patterned and sewed new projects:
Seven jerry can covers
Two water jug covers
A lee cloth
Stern line mount cover
Electric dinghy motor cover
Electric dinghy battery liftbox
Hatch mesh sunshade
V-berth mattress pad
Dinghy cover straps
Bosun chair reinforcement
Other jobs:
Packed abandon ship bag
Wired a new tri-anchor light at the top of the mast; attached new cups for our wind instrument and upgraded to LED lights while aloft
Added a new faucet and an Acuva dual UV and micron water filter in galley
Installed radio mic extension cord in the cockpit
Replaced our main halyard
Installed three reefs for our mainsail
Spliced and whipped new lines
Installed new storage options around the cabin, including a new shelf above the macerator and airtight trash collection
Checked all deck hardware and fittings for chafe; cleaned and applied Boeshield T-9 to all outside metal; greased movable parts such as the boom gooseneck; rebed some deck hardware
Re-fiberglassed and gel-coated deck spider cracks and old hardware holes
Waxed topsides
Hot dipped our 240 ft. of galvanized chain; remarked; spliced 135 ft. of anchor line for a total of 375 ft. of anchor rode; added Dri-Dek to anchor locker to prevent future chain rust
Rebuilt new helmstep with the help of our friend Adam; varnished and added non-skid strips
Practiced emergency sail-repair with Speedy Stitcher and spare Dacron
Added a vent to the starboard water tank so it empties overfill at head sink
Tested all bilge pumps; upgraded a Rule 1500 to a Rule 2000 and a replaced a Rule 500
Cleaned handheld watermaker, added new hose, tested for bacteria and other contaminants, pickled for storage
Replaced propane tanks; moved tanks from lockers to lazarette for better venting and hose sloping
Added new berth toppers
Recertified fire extinguishers
Replaced our worn Sea Eagle inflatable kayak with a durable Advanced Elements Tandem one
Did regular engine maintenance
Did regular canvas maintenance
Replaced hull zincs
Bought and stored spares
In-progress:
Rebuilding our refrigeration system with new Isotherm compressor and evaporator plate
Adding kiwi-grip to deck non skid
Left to do:
Rebed portlights
Install our Monitor Windvane
Practice using ATN gale sail for stormy weather
Install 12v fans in cabin
We’re so close to cutting the dock lines and embarking on our next big adventure. Stay tuned!
Random pics from the last few months:
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| Liferaft installed. Hopefully we never have to use it! |
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| Jerry can covers, color-coded for can type |
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| chain before |
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| chain after |
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| removing boom |
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| Reinstalling the mast and new shrouds |
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| new water filter and faucet |
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| getting to the stanchions |
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| after |
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| before |
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| New helm step |
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| Why we needed to replace our septic system. Ew |
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| More ew |
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| So clean |
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| Dave's a splicing wizard. |
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| Cozy new marina in Olympia |
