Leaving the boat with a project list

The week is over. It was a real rush. Surveying, closing the purchase, relocating, storing and preparing a sailboat within one week was a very tight schedule. Finally, everything worked out fine.

To store the boat for a couple of months in the tropic was the hardest part of the week. We had to take own the sails, taking everything off the boat we could and which could be prone to grow mold in the humid environment. I had no experience in storing a boat of this size. So we followed the recommendations we found on the Internet and which we thought they are reasonable: Pumping out all holding tanks, topping up water and fuel, removing the sails, removing all textile exempt the mattresses and cushions, paper (books, charts etc.), oiling all interior wood, drying out the bilge, leaving open all drawers, doors etc. to allow air flow throughout the interior, making sure that there is no open window or hatch allowing water to enter the boat. In addition we placed a dehumidifier in the middle of the boat (on the galley top), draining directly in to the sink. This was the only sea cock we left open. All the other sea cocks were closed and we inserted bronze wool from the outside to prevent from insects finding a new home in our boat. A couple hanging DampRid bags in the aft and forward cabin should help to trap the moisture.

Beside of a whole bunch of stuff we removed from the boat and stored in to our garage, I took away a long list of projects. Apart from the "must do" projects such as the rudder or the shaft seal, there are projects to improve the safety, improve the usability, or just satisfy the Admiral's or the Operator's need for comfort. Some points on the list are just part of the regular maintenance. We will come back in autumn 2013 and get most of these projects done.

Now it's time to fly back to Europe. Again a very special moment. You know the feeling when you bought something new such as a car or gadget - you like to use it, or spend as much time as possible with it. It's hard to say good by Tranquilizer after a couple days of hard work, without having the time to enjoy it. All what remains are pictures and a set of keys, which I carry home, remembering us that we just made a wide stride forward towards realizing our dream.