Hello everyone,
Here we go again for yet another sailing season spring prep. As if we all didn’t have enough challenges getting everything done before we splash, now the universe throws us a curve ball with COVID-19. As many of you know Tammy, Ray and myself live in NY state so travel is not possible right now. However we still have many things we can do at home to prepare us for our season. We are sorting through our many totes of gear and nautical items making decisions on what items go to each vessel and what items are just going to go or sell. We cleaned our Magna BBQ today (well…. Tammy did most of it). Next week I will service the 4HP Mercury outboard. We will be cleaning the carb and changing the fuel filter. We also sent out our 2 epirb’s and Life raft for inspection and service to LRAS in Tiverton, RI.
Lets start with Ocean Phoenix our beautiful C&C 37R. She is still for sale as of today. We have been tossing up the idea of setting her up for bare boat chartering in RI. This gives us the best of both worlds – we can keep her rather than sell her & it gives us a small income once we pay for insurance and a second mooring/dock. We have a small hit list of items to do this summer while she is on the hard to get her up to a charter state but she has proven to be a great sailing vessel and she should charter easily.
The items for this summer are a Hydraulic back stay rebuild ( rod end seal leak on last sail of 2019), lazy jack installation, new salon windows (old ones are UV damaged) and interior varnish. We also still have the new pulpit, bow roller to and the stern ladder to install. As always we will keep everyone posted on our projects.
Now onto our new vessel DRAGONFLY, a gorgeous Catana 411 Catamaran. Our splash date is June 12th. She really does not need a lot however we still have a bottom core repair, bottom paint, sail drive anodes, gel coat repairs in a few spots. We also bought 4 new 4D batteries for her to start the season off on the right foot. The previous owners have graciously offered to spend some time on board with us to go over the systems and give us an up close and personal tutorial of her. Not many people would do this and we are truly grateful for the opportunity to do so.
I am currently working on the water maker and getting it ready to install. It is an older PUR Power 35 12V dc unit. It tests well electrically however it is popping the relief valve so it may need a new membrane before we can install and put it in service. I will try and clean the membranes first before buying new ones. We hold 160 Gallons of fresh water so we do not need it to travel for now but it is nice to have.
Our surveyor, Even Keel Marine Surveys gave us a hit list of items to remedy before we launch the boat. I have highlighted them and are currently getting all the parts and pieces ready to install.
For now we are on hold like many others, unsure of when we will be free to travel and start our hit list of items on either vessel. We are hoping that the Coronavirus will get under control soon and those afflicted will get better. Until then we will follow the guidelines to keep ourselves and others safe so we can all enjoy another sailing season together.
Fair winds!
James and Tammy
PS, if you are in need of a survey email bill@evenkeelmarinesurvey.com
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