A pad eye was installed right outside the companionway so I can clip in when exiting the cabin. The long end of the double leash is just long enough to navigate the cockpit without any chance of going overboard.
Safety Pad Eye Installed in Cockpit
Running Backstays Installed
For some reason, the boat did not have running backstays. Fortunately, the hardware was in place on the mast. A 1/4″ Dyneema line was attached to the mast and terminated with a thimble. To the Dyneema line was attached a 4:1 fiddle block with 1/2″ double braid with an eye splice. the pulley was attached a 1 1/4″ T-track using a shackle (so the stay can be easily stored at the base of the shrouds).
The shackle was attached to a vintage Merriman Brothers track slide. Unfortunately, the slide on the starboard side was missing. However, I was able to find one on eBay,
Victron Inverter/Charger Installed
After three days crammed into the engine room, the first components of the new Victron system have been installed. Most challenging was the Victron MultiPlus Compact 12/2000/80-50 120V VE.Bus Inverter Charger (on the right) with a Victron VE.Bus Smart Dongle and Victron Energy 200/200 amp Digital Multi Control Panel GX. Because of the size, there were very few places it could be mounted. Eventually, I was able to shoehorn it into the location of the charger that was replaced (a 20 amp Xantrex charger). The new charger was throttled to 50 amps.
The other components of the system were mounted on a board. These components includes (from bottom to top) a Victron Energy SmartShunt 500 amp Battery Monitor, a Victron Energy Smart Battery Protect 12/24-Volt 100 amp, a Victron Energy Orion-Tr Smart 12/12-Volt 30 amp 360-Watt DC-DC Charger, and a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/50 Charge Controller. Also on the board are 60 amp Blue Sea Systems breakers that protect, the DC-DC charger and solar controller, the smart dongle and a Blue Sea Systems MEGA 300-AMP fuse and Blue Seas Systems switch that protects the inverter/charger. As of today, only the inverter/charger, shunt, and battery protectors are connected, and once connected via Bluetooth, all the components appear to work as expected.
Upper Shroud Is Slack
Whelp … enjoying a glass of Sauvignon Blanc on the bow sprit this evening and noticed the starboard upper shroud (circled in red) is slack.
Windlass Identified
I have been searching for information on the massive windlass on the boat for some months, but until now have not had any luck. However, I finally found a photograph of a the windlass on the web. it is a Monica Marine Model 1000 windlass. Unfortunately, parts are unavailable.
Starlink Installed
I have installed Starling RV on the boat. The Mexican version was purchased, which is much cheaper than in the US ($410). Service is also cheaper ($65/month). I am getting 200 Mbs in Marina San Carlos.
Cover for the Butterfly Hatch
I sewed a cover for the butterfly hatch today. An unique aspect is the one-inch PVC filled with sand that weighs down the edges, making it unnecessary to cinch down the cover.
Covers for the Dorade Boxes Sewn
On a roll today. After sewing covers for the teak handrails this morning, I sewed covers for the teak dorado boxes for the for the ventilation cowls. They were harder than they look as the deck is sloped in two directions.
New Handrail Covers Sewn
We completed new covers for the teak handrails today. Snaps were used to attach them.
New Reefing System
There was no reefing system installed. The mainsail has two reef points with grommets to tie, but no mechanism to backhaul or shape the reefed sail. The problem was addressed by adding two cheek blocks, and to cleats to the starboard side of the boom and two pad eyes to the port. Reefing lines were the run from pad yes, under the sail pack, through the reef clew, back down under the sail pack, through the block and to the cleat. The blocks and cleats were offset to avoid interfering with one another. The cleats were placed near the main halyard so they can be operated from the same position.
