Monday 26 March
So the moment of truth has arrived. Had all the winter storage elements worked or would we face a string of problems? We went somewhat nervously from our hotel to the harbour by a little after 10:00, we are still adjusting to 2 hours time change.
Very quickly the boat was brought out, and looked magnificent on the outside. The gelcoat on the hull had been checked over and repainted with anti-fouling. There were the usual moments of tension as Equinox was lifted carefully from her trailer, and then swung gently out over the harbour and lowered in to the water. I was invited to go aboard quickly to check for any leaks from the areas that the yard has worked on over the winter, but all was in order. Below deck she looked every bit as well cared for as she was on the outside.
The next job was to lift the mast back into place, which went in much more easily than it had come out. The rigger started to attach the shrouds, forestay and backstay, and within 2 hours we had something that looked much more like our boat. The yard is busy at the moment, their preparation time has been eaten into by the recent bad weather. So there was a break then while the various workmen went off to attend to other matters and we found a cafe for lunch.
Later, the engineer came, and went though all of the work that he had done. He has been absolutely meticulous, and is, by a distance, the best of his type that I have ever come across. He knows about everything. Most engineers are focused on the engine or the electronics, or some other area, but Micke does it all. He was not shy to give his opinion about the various equipment manufacturers, but I would be happy to believe that he is correct in all his assessments, good or bad. He is a superstar.
We had to move the boat back and forth a few times today, as we were close to the fuel dock, and a couple of large vessels were coming to refuel. One was the local Search and Rescue vessel, which apparently took on 5000 litres of diesel. Once they had gone, we moved the boat back to the crane for the last big job of the day, to lift the boom back in place. This was quickly achieved, and so a highly successful relaunch day was completed. The weather has been kind to us, little wind, no rain, not too cold and actually sun at one point.
We have now started the process of going through and checking everything. The engine and generator have been run and various heating systems have been triedsuccessfully. We still have a mass to do tomorrow, but day one on board has been highly productive.
Back to the hotel tonight, we are not ready to sleep on board quite yet.
Very quickly the boat was brought out, and looked magnificent on the outside. The gelcoat on the hull had been checked over and repainted with anti-fouling. There were the usual moments of tension as Equinox was lifted carefully from her trailer, and then swung gently out over the harbour and lowered in to the water. I was invited to go aboard quickly to check for any leaks from the areas that the yard has worked on over the winter, but all was in order. Below deck she looked every bit as well cared for as she was on the outside.
The next job was to lift the mast back into place, which went in much more easily than it had come out. The rigger started to attach the shrouds, forestay and backstay, and within 2 hours we had something that looked much more like our boat. The yard is busy at the moment, their preparation time has been eaten into by the recent bad weather. So there was a break then while the various workmen went off to attend to other matters and we found a cafe for lunch.
 |
| Almost there, just the boom to go on |
We had to move the boat back and forth a few times today, as we were close to the fuel dock, and a couple of large vessels were coming to refuel. One was the local Search and Rescue vessel, which apparently took on 5000 litres of diesel. Once they had gone, we moved the boat back to the crane for the last big job of the day, to lift the boom back in place. This was quickly achieved, and so a highly successful relaunch day was completed. The weather has been kind to us, little wind, no rain, not too cold and actually sun at one point.
We have now started the process of going through and checking everything. The engine and generator have been run and various heating systems have been triedsuccessfully. We still have a mass to do tomorrow, but day one on board has been highly productive.
Back to the hotel tonight, we are not ready to sleep on board quite yet.
Distance covered today - 0 nautical miles
Total distance covered -
Steve (and Tricia)
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