It's 2017 which means we only have a few months until we cast off on our voyage south!
We have several lists of things we need to do before we leave.
One list is equipment, mostly safety related such as lifejackets that meet offshore requirements, a lifesling, danbuoy, different types of flares and a DSC enabled handheld VHF.
We went to the Toronto International Boat Show and got much of the equipment on our list, (and more) and were pleasantly surprised (having gone out for quotes in advance) to find that the prices at Fogh Boat Supplies at the show were really competitive!
I've also got my spares list for the engine which consists mostly of regular maintenance items like filters, belts, impellers, and zincs however we've also decided on a replacement alternator since I think it is too small for the size of our battery bank meaning we'll likely be working it hard.
I've ordered a working jib from Greg Bratkiw at Evolution Sails in Toronto and am getting a third set of reef points in the main. It's probably overkill for getting to our first goal, the Bahamas, but if we like the lifestyle, we'll be prepared for going farther!
We're also going to get a Honda EU2000i generator for charging redundancy.
And, we need to get cruising guides and charts for our route.
Our second list is the last of the boat projects that includes a second 250W solar panel, AIS, cabin fans, replacing the pump and hose to the Hanse holding tank, a bumper on the stem to protect against anchor dings, a handrail on the swim platform to help with coming up the ladder and disembarking from the dinghy and running a third reefing line.
Trekker's mast is theoretically 64'4" above the water, not including, I expect, the instruments, antenna and Windex. This spring I need to measure it exactly. The ICW fixed bridges are nominally 65' but many tell us that there are a couple of 62 footers at mean high-high tide. That means we will either have to go offshore to get around them or heel the boat to get under them. There are some great Youtube videos showing boats being heeled to get under a bridge including Prestissimo owned by Joseph Huberman. Prestissimo has very similar dimensions to Trekker and Joseph reports that he has transited the ICW for years heeling the boat with a 1.5 cubic metre water bag made of nylon pack fabric. Joseph sent me a photo of his bag and a description and recommended I try making the bag out of a heavy duty polyethylene tarp. So, I have my design complete and one quote, and plan to get another, and go to production! Hanse has very kindly included the stability curve for the boat on its website. If I've interpreted it correctly, and done my sums properly, 733 kg at 5 metres from the centreline should heel us 18.2 degrees, which should reduce our height to 62 feet.
Our last list is administrative items like getting our OHIP exemption for a year, renewing our NEXUS cards, travel health insurance and getting a marine mobile radio station for the VHF that we need for international travel, and arranging for a cruising license.
It all seems a little daunting at the moment, but I'm sure we'll get most of it done.
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