We did discover some water damage,
unfortunately. The bilge pump under the
bathroom f loor had stopped working quite some
time ago and a large section of f loor from the
bathroom to the V-berth was left irreparably
damaged; to the point where Reece put his knee
through it. So we ripped it out and replaced it.
The biggest change to the interior we made
was to replace the vinyl ceiling with white
aluminium composite panel. This simple update
has changed the whole feel of the boat’s interior.
No longer is it dingy and old, but light and
bright, especially since Reece added LED
strip lighting to either side of the galley.
When we had to replace the damaged f loor
we did so with 18 millimetre marine ply and
topped it off in adhesive vinyl planks with a
whitewashed wood look. Combined with the
new ceiling it has made such a big difference
to the interior, we are so happy with how it
turned out.
Our biggest issue, to date, was a dodgy shaft
seal on the prop, which was supposed to drip
water once per minute only when the engine
is running. But instead, it dripped constantly.
This was causing headaches because Reece
had to pump out the water by hand, which at
times was as much as 60 litres. Fortunately, our
bilge is fairly large so we were never in danger
of sinking. But, as I said, it was very annoying.
Needless to say, we got it fixed as soon as we
could but that led to us discovering another
problem: the skeg needed to be replaced. Under
motor, it vibrated so badly.It seemed to have been an issue for a while
because someone had made a temporary ‘fix’
by using what looked like poly pipe and shoving
it into the skeg around the prop shaft to act like
a sleeve. However, the skeg had corroded and
now needed to be fixed properly. Wow, was
that expensive!
Like a lot of younger sailors, we started
blogging our repairs and adventures on
YouTube, finding inspiration from channels
like SV Delos and Sailing La Vagabonde.
Unfortunately, we are not the only ones who
thought it was a great idea because YouTube
has been inundated with sailing vlogs over the
past two years. Due to the inf lux, it has made it
a bit difficult to stand out from the crowd.
We noticed, however, that most of the channels
available explore the same locations: either the
Caribbean or South Pacific. This is largely due
to the majority of them being American.
But we intend to sail around this enormous
beautiful and dangerous island of ours first
and experience all of its natural wonders and
document it for all to enjoy. ≈56
Cruising Helmsman July 2018MY BOAT
Adventurer, traveller, vlogger; jumps at the
chance to go somewhere, anywhere anytime.
Would gladly travel the world ‘til the end of her days,
exploring every nook and cranny. Has played hockey across
Europe, cruised around New Zealand on a big ship and
driven through the Somme Valley in France on a bus. The
only thing to rival the passion for travel is her love of writing.ASHLEIGH DOUGLAS
RIGHT: The new flooring
really lifts the interior.
BELOW: Rejuvenated cabin
liner made a big difference.
FAR RIGHT: Under sail,
photo taken by a drone.“IT IS A UNIQUE, QUIRKY NAME FOR A UNIQUE, QUIRKY BOAT.”