6 weeks to go

[phanakapan]

After 10 years of saying 'one day we'll live aboard and then sail off (round the world/long term cruising/ take a sabbatical) I now find that it is only 6 weeks until my partner and I finish work, and can sail away on the boat we've been living on for the past year.
To be honest, I'm not sure of the 'point' of this post is- I was thinking of asking 'is there anything we ought to remember to do before we go' but then I'd only have to add things to the list of things to do , which is so long that if I were to do 1 job a day we'd still be here next year!
Ah now I know what this post is about- procrastination. Better go and actually get a job done and ticked off the list. oh does anyone know if one can renew driving licences in advance- mine seems to run out in about a years time?

From a very excited but job-befrazzled Philippa!

 

[Baggy]

Dont forget the buckets off ...

Freedom... loads and loads of loverly freedom...
and you will go to some fantastic places and meet fantastic people..


Good luck... me hearties..

 

[jonic]

As Jack Sparrow says

"Wherever we want to go, we go. That's what a ship is, you know. It's not just a keel and a hull and sails; that's what a ship needs. Not what a ship is. What the Black Pearl really is, is freedom."

Now bring me that horizon!

Fair winds and enjoy the utter privilege you are about to experience that will stay with you and grow within you for life.

Enjoy every moment.

 

[Swagman]

Just remain excited Phillipa and make sure you feel and enjoy every experience........

Sail safe and have a great time.

JOHN

 

[Pincoya]

Congratulations.

Try not to get too excited (I know it's hard) and take it one step at a time. You are entering a new world with no real rules, other than those you invent. Take time to settle in and to realise that cruising isn't a life free of problems but it is a life of freedom and entirely what you make it. Planning is an interesting exercise, which has some relevance to where you find yourself but, events are what actually matter and that whatever you feared and planned for will not be what you end up dealing with.

Well done, you are taking a big brave step that many dream of and only some manage.

Paul

 

[Kimmo]

Good luck to you and I know how you feel. We left week and a half ago to our one year cruise. It was exciting to plan and wait for the day, but after the boat left the dock, it really didn't feel that we were going anywhere far.

I just try to take a day at a time, small steps forward.

 

[chrisw91]

I take the plunge and buy a boat this Sunday although my horizons are somewhat more limited - first task is to get from Essex to Firth of Clyde - so should be a good summer.
I've just been making sure the boat has a ship's radio licence, getting my ICC and VHF licence - and just completed an online CG66. I presume this is the normal 'admin stuff' all you experienced types take for granted.

 

[Kissathecat]

Good for you - well done!

I am sooooooooooo jealous!

We are waiting for our house to sell so we can buy our dream and join the fun

 

[mandlmaunder]

Yeh
Another boaty type set free to voyage the world at your own pace and have fun everyday doing it!.

Cruising to far away destinations never gets old, buying small scale charts and pilot books for places only heard of in tall tales of daring do, these are the things of your future.

Cruising really is doing boat jobs and repairs in exotic places, but hey thats the price of having the life you have been dreaming of for years.

My best advice would be to make sure you have a camera that is up to the job as you will take thousands of sunsets and sunrises and all points in between, as you can hear we've still there still doing that and loving it 8 years into our 2 year Atlantic trip.

Have as much fun as you can stand, we are a long time dead and no ever had a tomb stone that read "should have worked harder and longer"

Mark

 

[lufc71]

The best of luck to you both!

What are the first few destinations that you are planning to visit?

 

[Kissathecat]

Once you are in the Clyde make a post - that is where we are and we may be able to point you to some good stop overs

 

[PlanB]

To answer your query about the driving licence, I'm not sure if you can renew early, but I bet the dvla website tells you. You can certainly replace a lost one online, or notify a change of address.
Good luck with your travels - it's a great life.

 

[lenseman]

Just to let you know that Phillipa and Kevin are transiting the Coral Sea in S/Y "WANDA" between New Caledonia heading Brisbane, possibly one of the trickiest passages on the Round the World circuit. I have been sending regular forecasts and this is the latest posted at 1600 today (Friday 0200EST QLD) which was obtained from the Queensland Maritime Bureau:

Tropical Cyclone 3-day forecast for Coral Sea Issued Thursday at 0030UTC.

There are no significant tropical lows in the region and none are expected to develop.


.

 

[Three kings]

The very, very best of luck to you. We have set April as our departure date, irrespective of whether we are 100% ready, however it looks like we will make it (I'm taking optimism pills).

Have you planned a route or decided to go make it up as you go?

 

[Sandyman]

The very, very best of luck to you. We have set April as our departure date, irrespective of whether we are 100% ready, however it looks like we will make it (I'm taking optimism pills).

Have you planned a route or decided to go make it up as you go?

Look at the date of the OP posting.

Dont worry about being 100% as I doubt anyone ever has been. Close but not quite.

 

[Tomahawk]

My heart is singing for you

We cast off about six weeks ago...

Yes we had teething problems with bits that haven't been used for a while throwing their toys out the pram... it totally upset our initial plan.....

So what .. we threw away the first plan and made up another as we went along... We feel that is what living aboard is all a out... We are loving it..

Or as Jack Sparrow would say....

 

[ukmctc]

All the best, we have now been living the dream for four years and each year it gets better.

 

[V1701]

It is an old post, read Lenseman's last post, they are half way round the world now & lovin' it by all accounts...

 

[Sandyman]

It is an old post, read Lenseman's last post, they are half way round the world now & lovin' it by all accounts...

....................and good for them hey what

A life on land is just wasted.

 

[KellysEye]

Good luck from me too. We planned to be away for two years, six and a half years later...

Bear in mind all boat kit except rigging and electronic kit is designed for weekend and holiday sailors. Everything else will break more than once, I used to spend two days a week doing general maintenance or fixing things. I strongly recommend you take two spares for each piece of kit, you can see what breaks in the service pack section of chandlers.If someting isn't there such as watermaker, generator, engine etc call them, tell them what you are doing and ask them what will break, we found them very helpful. Also carry all the tools and parts diagrams so you can fix things. This was our spares list.

FORECABIN PORT LOCKER
A. Under floor
Stalock fittings etc
Plumbing and pipe fittings (2 bags)
B In locker
B & D workmate bench
Electric drill
Battery charger
Buckets and sponges
Funnels
Sail bags
Paint – Dulux white gloss; Awlgrip flattening agent; Degreaser; Awlgrip blue and yellow; Nonskid particles; Yacht primer undercoat and Toplac ivory; Grey primer; Awlgrip oyster white; Danboline white; Volvo green.
Tools

FORECABIN STARBOARD LOCKER
A. Under floor
Electrical spares; wire; ventilation grills.
Alternator
Electric motor for sump and water pumps
Rivet gun and rivets

B In locker
Pipe bender and formers
Cpper water pipe
Spare coachroof window.
Spare shrouds
Wood offcuts
Cork tiles
Jump leads
Hot air gun
Electrical lead (shorepower socket to 3 pin sockets)
240v lamp
Warps and sheets
Chandlery
Sail ties
Electrical ties

FORECABIN PEAK

Bosch jigsaw
Vice
Walker log
Barbecue
Big awnings
Collapsible water bottles x 2
Wooden bungs
Spinnaker

STARBOARD HANGING LOCKER

Under floor: rudder zincs

BEHIND SEATING AFT
- old Racor filter unit, water trap unit, fuel bypass bodge.
- TWC smart regulator
- 4 Racor filters, 3 FIAAM filters, 1 Volvo fuel filter, 4 old style Racor filters and metal bowl to fit

BEHIND SEATING FORWARD
- Complete Jabsco pump and flywheel for MD 17 exhaust cooling

UNDER NAV SEAT

Autopilot
- drive belts

Winches
- 2 rebuild kits

Belts
- 2 x fit any size belt
- 1 x Jabsco pump belt (6215)
- 2 x smaller Jabsco belts (6263)
- 1 x old pump Jabsco belt
- bag of belts various sizes

Diesel header tank
- Diaphragm
- Pump handle

Domestic
- 4 thin striplights
- 1 x 60w striplight 284 mm 240v
- 1 35w striplight 300mm Philinea 125 to 130v
- 1 35w striplight Linestra 230v
Plus all nav and deck lights

Engine
- 4 impellers
- washers for engine fuel pump
- 2 x throttle cable
- 2 x Volvo oil filters
- 2 x Volvo thermostat
- Alternator
- 6 Racor diisel filters

Exhaust cooling pump (Jabsco)
- old Jabsco seals and screws
- 2 x impellers for water pump Part No 653-0001K

Gas system
- gas regulator
- plastic pipe protector

Sails
- sail repair tape
- sail slides

Toilet
- Jabsco toilet service kit

Jabsco water and sump pumps
- 1 x service kit for each pump

March May pump in heads
- Pump housing and gaskets

Galley foot pumps
- Whale spares service kit

Water maker
- 4 x water filter elements (for water maker filter in heads)
- chemicals
- pressure gauge
- end cap and O-rings
- crank case oil

Wind vane
- sail cover

Winches
- 2 x spares/service kit

Outboard
- 2 x plugs, oil seal, various gaskets

Miscellaneous
- grease tubes
- windlass rebuild kit
- smal sheet of copperl to make washers
- fire blanket
- 2 x wire strops
- battery terminals and covers
- exhaust deflector
- Bostik inflatable boat adhesive
- window rubber seal
- cable connectors (through deck, various)
- electrical wire
- electrical switch and cockpit bulb
- tin of liquid letter paint for Hypalon
- gas pipe for BBQ
- cleats and deck hardware

GENERATOR SPARES IN ENGINE ROOM
- 1 x head gasket
- 5 x Volvo MD 17 oil filters
- 1 x Lombardini oil filter
- 1 x Lombardini fuel filter
- 2 x O-rings
- 4 x very small hose clips
- service manuals and toolkit
- Spare water pump, impeller, O ring, 2 face plate gaskets, screws for face plate
- 2 x pencil anodes
- Copper hose tail

ENGINE AND (OLD) PUMP SPARES IN ENGINE ROOM
- gaskets, washers and O-rings
- 4 x impellers, seals, screws etc
- 1 x valve spring
- 2 x valves
- 2 x thermostat
- 3 x old injectors and copper washers
- 2 large washers
- pump shaft
- 2 x pump shaft seal
- washers, 6 packs various sizes
- big seal and O-ring
- 3 x small bulbs
- fuse box

OTHER ITEMS
- nuts, bolts, screws
- rivet gun and rivets
- pipe bender
- various diameter plastic hoses, exhaust hose
- various size hose clips
- sikaflex, plastic metal, jointing compound, epoxy glue
- comprehensive tool kit
- electric drill, jigsaw and sander
- extension lead
- battery charger
- small vice
- generator, engine/gearbox oil
- distilled water
- heavy duty jump leads and various size electrical wires and fuses
- rigging wire (3 sizes) and appropriate stalok fittings
- solder and soldering iron