May 14, 2022
We’ve been back at the Marina for a couple of and have been taking advantage of that time to tackle some projects and get a couple of upgrades for the boat.
Mark has been working on installing an autopilot for the boat. It’s taken a fair amount of folding like a pretzel to fit into the back lazarette to do the fibreglassing. The project turned into a test in patience when Mark realized he initially didn’t calculate for the arc that the arm makes and had to redo a big portion. Eventually he prevailed and we should be able to test out the autopilot on our next sail.
Meanwhile, I took advantage of the sunny days to spread out fabric all over the dock to start work on the new sail cover. I’ve planned to get most of the sewing done while we’re still on the dock so the finished cover will be ready when the new sail arrives. I made some good headway on the project, but will need to finish it another time.
We’ve been trying to come up with a way to get around when we’re out cruising and we came up with the idea that e-scooters would do the job. In theory they’ll fold down small enough to fit onboard and go in the dinghy. They should also have jut enough power so we can zip around and get things done without wasting all our time walking. Either way, the scooters arrived and we’ve been scooting all over town every chance we can.
In other boat toys, we broke down and bought a new outboard. We settled on a 9.9 horsepower to replace our 6 hp one because it just wasn’t powerful enough. After flying up and down the river a couple of times, it’s safe to say this motor is going to work for us. Realistically we’ll probably use the electric one most of the time for going back and forth to shore and keep the gas one for adventures further afield.
We’re planning on heading out again shortly for a much longer trip next Friday, so we’re just getting the last of the land chores – laundry and groceries – done before that.
NM Sailed: None. Miles scooted: tons
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