We are admittedly fairly anal management consultants and constant risk managers. As such we surround ourselves with excel spreadsheets detailing "to do" lists including completion tracking, priority and even accountability. Those project managers out there will know what we are talking about. Whilst this may seem a little….over the top, we like to think of it as a way to keep our bread and butter skills honed (we may be lying to ourselves).
Many of the items on the "to do" were running repairs. These included repairs to our bow anchor roller which got a little bent out of shape when I chastised it in the San Blas. I also had the thin plate stainless reinforced. The previous owner is probably reading this thinking, "I had the boat 12 or so years and never had that happen". Other Tartan owners probably think I am a bit of prick...
Our varnished companion way stairs have a tendency to become a little "slippery when wet" and as we did not have a sign that we could put up to avoid health and safety related lawsuits, we decided to add thick sticky backed grey grips to the stairs. Now Sally can clamber down them even when mildly inebriated. One of Sally's very important tasks was to download as many free ebooks (from Amazon) to the Kindle as possible. Most of these I notice are Mills and Boon equivalents and will probably never be sampled by myself unless I run out of even technical manuals to read.
Our substitute skipper, the good ole Monitor wind vane, needed to be in tip top condition. As such I replaced the flange bearing and strengthened the paddle to ensure it would laugh at even the heaviest of seas. After many months with a limited propane supply, I found a guy to fix the valve on our little 8lbs bottle and so now we carry 28lbs of propane. Should last us a wee while, even with Pillsburry Sally on board baking up a storm (she promised me fresh bread every second day - I am holding her to it - regardless of seasickness or other ailments).
We were not all that close to our next 100 engine hours, but as we may have a bit of motoring to do between Las Perlas and the Galapagos, I decided to do an oil change. It was more messy than I remember, but then again I also let the sump drain overnight to really empty it completely.
Fuel and water runs were also a lot of fun. Having a permanent distrust of any fuel source, I ever so slowly filter all my fuel through cheese cloth before it goes in the tank. I probably lose as much to evaporation as I put in the tank…but at least it is (relatively) particle free (does not help if there is water though…).
West Marine is a great company and many parts can be sourced from them quickly and easily. One thing I doubt they are industry leaders in, is cheek blocks. Our sub skipper (Monitor), was not very impressed with it and as such reduced it to a number of component parts when 24 hours away from the San Blas. Fortunately Dylan the uber skipper had a spare (but he only got around to replacing in Panama).
We tend to rely more and more on electronic charts. Not out of preference might I add, but rather convenience and cost. A good quality chart, copied, costs about $12. So we decided to only carry passage charts and ones for key areas. Where some volcanic islands are steep to, we tend not to rely on charts, but make sure we have decent guides. Which brings me on to the next topic. We also wish we had a iPad or equivalent (with a waterproof cover) to use in the cockpit when doing reef navigation. Electronic guides are a lot lighter than paper but we prefer having something in hand as we approach rather than a laptop down below! Bit late for Father Christmas to deliver us one...
We love our dinghy and try to look after her as best we can. It is after all our car! Ever since we removed the cover we can notice how sun damaged the pontoons are and as such decided to spoil her with a brand spanking new cover. After a mild heart attack at the cost of sunbrella material, we acquired some and had a mega cover made by a funny little fellow with a gold toothed smile named Foo Foo. She now looks as good as new (the dinghy that is!)
We bought a few parts from the US (as Panama does not stock 5616-0001-P Jabsco impellers apparently). Mildly annoying to be sure. These arrived earlier today (along with spinnaker repair tape and copper foil to aid my SSB transmissions).
Sally (and I on the odd occasion) have made multiple trips to many different shops to stock up on goods which are almost certain to be more expensive in the South Pacific. She will craft a post all about what to get where regarding culinary delights but needless to say, stocking up was one of the more time consuming and costly exercises of the 'to do' list.
With most of the chores done, we think we are ready to rock and roll. After 2 months in Panama, it is time to leave. We are looking forward to what may be one of the greatest challenges of our lives.
Take a look at what tasks we have completed here in Panama:
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