Progess Update

Well, we're in full-on preparation mode now! Maunie was ashore at Baltic Wharf in Totnes again for a few days to have some rigging work done under warranty. It was also an opportunity for us to inspect the antifouling capabilities of our new 'Coppercoat' after 4 months afloat - we're glad to report that all was well, with no nasties adhering to the hull!

Whilst we had access to some technical help at the yard, we installed a 60-litre fuel tank (one of the many bits that came with the boat) in an almost-made-to-measure space in the bilges. It now serves as a reserve diesel tank (with about 15 hours worth of motoring) but has its own separate fuel filter system; this will be a great safety feature since it allows us to switch over immediately if the main fuel filter gets blocked (it can happen if you're unlucky enough to take on contaminated fuel).

Filling the new fuel tank from a jerrycan

Maunie's now back on the mooring and Richard and Fergus (crew for the ARC transatlantic crossing in November) are joining us for a weekend soon. It'll be a great opportunity for us to get some sailing in, do a few safety exercises and plan how we'll run the boat. Not that it's a democracy, of course; the captain's word is law!

Meanwhile, back at home we're in the process of packing. We're incredibly fortunate to have access to some storage units whilst we're away so have done the first delivery runs with bikes, tools and furniture. Lots more to do but we now have one completely empty bedroom to use as a place to assemble all the things we'd like to squeeze into the boat!