Slowly but surely...

A little update for those of you who are following along:  4 days to splashdown !  Well, they say this April has been the coldest in recorded history.  We'd have to agree.  Shannon's been 'up on the hard' since April 1st and for the past 3 weeks (except a day here and there) we've had cold, cold winds, rain.. even sleet and hail...  Despite the weather we have made some progress and Shannon now sports two new opening port-lights; re & re & re hatches (both forward and cabin hatches were removed, repaired, reglassed and re-installed); a re-installed transom boarding ladder (moved to the side to make room for the wind-vane); a third solar panel; a polished hull; a fresh bottom paint (2 coats); a polished propeller and new zincs; an inspected and declared sound rudder (which now has an emergency steering hole strategically placed for easy access); a new heads counter top and refurbished sink and water spout; a new foot pump for the heads sink water and new water lines and filter between water tank and sink; a new 'slim-line' book case installed on the wall where the heads door used to rest when it was open (door now removed and replaced with a curtain); all remaining water lines replaced with new hose (all remnants of pressure water system now removed); wine glass rack installed in galley (very important !); PSS shaft seal inspected and declared fit; engine mounts checked and declared fit; all batteries in place and secure; remote control (well really just a 'hand-held' control) for windlass installed; holes and ugliness left over from original cabin window and curtain installations repaired and improved upon; and a few other little things I can't remember just now.  We've still lots to do and work will continue both in the shipyard and once Shannon's returned to her berth.  Our goal...  to be sailable for opening day at the Club (May 7th) and together enough to head over to Steveston for May 9th (Dad's birthday) and a few days of continued outfitting over there.  Will write later to let you know how that went...  There are some days the list just seems to grow longer instead of shorter... but reading the blogs of friends who are already doing what we aspire to do can be very uplifting and a real boost to the energy levels...  Oh yes... we also raised the water line on dear Shannon because   ...light beer... isn't...!   :-)

Carolyn

April Showers...

Well here it is April and the good ship Shannon is up on the hard at the Maple Bay Shipyard... surrounded by soppy wet mud, soaked by spring rains, and shivering in winter temperatures. Six degree temps do now entice one away from the warm fire and out into the elements...  but carry on we must. Besides scraping, sanding and repainting her bottom, our plans include repatching (with paint) her hull sides, replacing the two opening portlights, removing and repairing both cabin hatches, revarnishing all exterior wood, installing the third solar panel, finishing off the electrical work, painting and reno'ing the heads, installing a thru-hull transducer and a myriad of other jobs on the awaiting task list.  Kathy's retired now so there'll be two of us working on her full-tilt-boogey... or as much as weather and energy will permit. Despite the long list of things 'tudu'... our dear little ship does appear to finally be coming together.  No doubt we'll still have much to do when it's time to leave... but that would just make us normal... wouldn't it?

Carolyn

March 2011... and counting

We've been busy.  In November and December Shannon's mast was rebuilt and her standing rigging re-done.  As well, her new life-lines were installed. The stormy weather in January was spent planning, designing and collecting... for the many tasks to follow, and these past many weeks have been spent 'head down in the bilge' installing and re-wiring a major portion of Shannon's electrical system(s).  The new equipment includes new house batteries, a smart voltage regulator, another solar panel and controller, a Standard Horizon MATRIX (VHF & AIS), an ICOM 802 SSB radio, tuner and Pactor Modem, a Raymarine ST60+ wind speed instrument, a loud hailer, a second anchor light, a water maker, a new solenoid on the starter motor, new shift and throttle cables, and a rebuilt ignition panel.  The details of Shannon's equipment are listed on the attached Blog, available by clicking on the link to the right.

Work continues as we're not quite finished with the electrical projects.  And then it's 'full-tilt-boogey' as we get ready for our visit to the shipyard.  Shannon's going up on the hard for the month of April while we see to some of the lower, exterior projects.

The good ship Shannon has developed quite a support team over the past few months.  Many thanks to Serge and Camilla (Mainstay-Yachttech Ltd.), Rick and Wendy (McBride Sailmakers), Larry (Four Winds Marine), Earl (All Bay Marine), Richard (Steveston Hardware), Eric (Poco Marine), Ron K. (BCA), and our family and friends who have known just exactly what to do and say in support of our challenging preparations.  Some days it just seems like too much, but with a kind word or an encouraging smile... we continue... secure in the belief that, in the end, it will all be worth it and the hard days will fade into the past as we reach forward into a thrilling future.

Carolyn

Staying in touch over the winter...

Dec. 31, 2010 - Carolyn

As the 'gone sailing' part of our adventure doesn't kick off until late summer of 2011, most of our energy over the next few months will be directed towards preparing the good ship Shannon and ourselves. To that end, we've acquired many new toys and their installation, amalgamation, coordination and other such necessities will be occurring over the winter and spring months. Our goal is to have the boat basically ready by May so that we can spend as much time as possible on the water over the summer... practicing with all the new equipment and honing our skills. 

If you're interested in what we're doing and how we're doing it... and/or the exact equipment we're installing, please check out our other blog All About SV Shannon, accessible by clicking on the link over on the right side of this page.

Carolyn

2011 and beyond

Dec 3, 2010 - Carolyn

Kathy and I have firmed up our plans for some extended cruising.  She is taking early retirement at the end of March 2011 and we will be leaving around the beginning of September (2011) to sail our good ship down the coast of the US and into Mexico.  Our first leg will take us from Victoria, BC to San Francisco and the jury's still out as to which of the several options (course wise) we'll select for getting there...  We'll visit in San Francisco for a while and then mosey on down the coast, stopping at various ports of interest for several days at a time... and then, we'll hang out in San Diego for a spell, waiting for the OK (sometime after Nov. 1st) to venture into the Baja and further south.

Our plan is to turn ourselves into Snow Birders for a while... leaving Shannon in Mexico for the hot, hot summers and returning here to enjoy our spring and summer....  for a few years...  Then we'll bring Shannon home and carry on sailing here. We're not saying firmly how many years we'll do this for... we'll do it until it's time to come home.

Preparing Ourselves:

There's much to do.  We've started by losing some weight and now it's time to start some serious conditioning forthwith.  As well, we're tending to health needs like dental and vaccinations.  There's also some extra training to do... We'll be up-dating our first aid training and working on basic Spanish. We're also constantly studying...through blue-water books, attending seminars and lectures, speaking with others who have done and are doing exactly what we wish to do, and by joining the Bluewater Cruising Association Fleet of 2010/11 and studying with them.  Preparing ourselves is an ongoing and strenuous challenge... but very enjoyable as it's all leading to the realization of our dreams.

Good news !!  A good friend of ours, who is a terrific sailor and teacher and all 'round good guy, has agreed to join us for the first leg of our journey.  He will sail with us from Victoria to San Francisco and we're very happy that he's available and willing to join us.  Three is a great number for a boat our size and we're looking forward to sharing our adventure with him.

Preparing Shannon:

Now then.. this is the longer and more expensive part of the pre-adventure prep.  The good ship Shannon is indeed a little older than many other boats out there.  Thankfully she was well built in 1975 and we've got 'good bones' to work with.  We're focusing on two basic goals...  the first is safety.. and the second is comfort.

Under the comfort portfolio...
I can tell you that we're basically renovating the good ol' girl..  To that end, we have already replaced the foam in the upholstery and replaced all the heads hoses... We're in the process of installing a new cabin floor, renovating some of the storage cupboards to be more 'accomodating', re-covering the heads counter and painting the walls, replacing the cabin curtains with brighter and lighter material, making up better security for cupboard and locker doors,  cleaning and repairing the stitching of all cushions and covers (inside and out), making up lee cloths (to help us stay in our bunks when we're trying to sleep while under way), designing a bimini to help keep the sun off the helms person, putting together a system that will allow us to safely carry jugs of extra fuel and water, washing and polishing all the surfaces we can reach, doubling the number of house batteries we'll be carrying and adding another solar panel... and... we're even considering replacing a couple of the cabin portholes with the opening versions.  Can you say 'cross breeze' ??

Under the safety portfolio...
We've had the engine inspected and serviced inside and out...  several parts were completely replaced and others were rebuilt or serviced. We've just returned from having Shannon's mast pretty much rebuilt...  During the process, the base of the mast was built up and the top of the mast (the cap) was completely replaced.. with a shiny new one, including new sheaves.  This was a major happening and creates a much safer situation with respect to all the 'do-dads' that run off and through the masthead...  At the same time all this was being done, the following work was also completed:  new standing rigging (one size bigger than normal), a new VHF antenna, wind-speed instrument and anchor light were added to the mast head, a Solent Stay was installed (this is like an inner forestay upon which we will hoist a hank-on storm jib if we ever need to), and a loud-hailer (to save Kathy having to hang off the pulpet blowing the fog horn :-) and a better foredeck light were also added to the mast.  Serge Gabilondo (Mainstay-Yachttech Ltd) is our rigger and he & his team have done a fabulous job.  Still to come is the installation of the SSB antenna. Shannon's standing rigging was replaced with one size larger and her old standing rigging was still in good shape.. so, that was converted into her (now) new life-lines.  I can tell you she's looking great !  And we received (well she did) many compliments from folks at the yacht club who recognized the work that had been done while she had been away.

Our acquisition of equipment continues.  We have many new 'toys'... most which we'll probably never need... That's the catch to this kind of life... you spend most of your money and most of your time preparing for the less than 5% of time you might find yourself in stormy conditions.  The rest of the time is hopefully spent relaxing and adventuring in the sun.  We have a Galerider drogue and I'm working on finding a suitable 10-12' sea anchor.  We've already acquired most of the other off-shore equipment we will need.  

Miscellaneous...

Our challenge now is to get everything installed, inspected, and serviced as required... and still have time to go out sailing and practising with it all.  Shannon goes up on the hard for the month of April (for bottom paint, through-hull maintenance and rudder insepction and repair if needed), after which we hope to spend a couple of months sailing and training.  Between now and February we will work on those things that can be done in cold weather... saving the rest for Mar-May.... 

We're very exited... this is a huge adventure and we're 'up' for it. Thanks for checking in and for following along as we work through the many challenges and learning curves in prepartion for this 'trip of a lifetime'.

 

Carolyn