And we’re in!

The lead-up and follow-up to our long-awaited launch

Wining with Mel

Dear friends,

It’s been a loooooong week. After not launching last Friday, we took the opportunity to take our time with other projects. Which of course meant that Sunday night we were still running around like crazy people getting everything ready.

This included prepping the mast (which is removed from the boat at haulout) to ensure that all the various lines (aka ropes) were still properly attached and all the electrical wires that run through the mast were still funcional. This was made more complicated by the fact that we had to replace nearly all our mast lights as well as our radar. Running electrical wires inside a 50+ft mast is always quite a feat! Sunday was also the windiest day we’d seen in weeks, so David had a hell of a time trying to solder the steaming light lines at the mast. It ended up happening Monday morning. Another task was getting some engine work done. We had to fix a leaky raw water pump and repair our alternator and heat exchanger. This was, of course, done late Sunday night. We are procrastination pros. While David worked on these tasks Mel ran around the boat yard trying to gather all our things. We had managed to spread out quite a bit in the past 3 weeks.

When D-Day arrived we woke up at 6 a.m. to clear off the deck and ensure everything was secure inside the boat so nothing went flying when the boat was moved. A few last minute jobs at the mast, and we were ready to launch by 9. Once the boat was out of her hurricane chocks, Mel suited up to anti-foul the bits of the hull that had been covered by the posts. Once the hull was a uniform blue, the boat was ready to go in the water!
Our “splash” was luckily uneventful. David checked all the through hulls to make sure there were no leaks. Check! Then the mast went on and the mast-supporting stays were attached at the deck. We were in!
Ar Sgrail finally in the water!
The engine started up right away (yay) but the newly repaired raw water pump totally failed and was spewing water everywhere (boo). We weren’t going anywhere until that was fixed. That and the fact that Sunday we had decided to take out some very stinky bathroom plumbing that was badly calcified, so our head was off limits. Until these issues were fixed, we would be in the yard’s marina.
As with most boat-related tasks, everything took three times longer than expected. David re-sealed the raw water pump and Wednesday morning our engines were up and running again! The plumbing was just one problem after another. One of the replacement hoses we’d bought was defective, so that meant going back to the store, which isn’t as easy as it sounds when your only mode of tranportation is your dinghy. Wednesday night after David put everything back together and we thought we were finally done, we realized that the Y-valve, which switches the toilet flow between the waste tank and overboard, was leaking beyond repair. So Thursday morning, back to the store he went for a new one.
Thursday ended up being the day we left the dock. We got the new y valve in the morning and had it installed by lunch. Our first guests of the season arrived that afternoon (we got to the mooring ball as we watched their plane land), and we were finally out on the water to really get the season started!!
Now we just need to put our sails on and go for a sail!

Shot of our crew from up the mast
Let the sailing season begin!

Lagoon view from up the mast

11 thoughts on “And we’re in!”

  1. Seems like there was much to do, but it is done and you will have a wonderful season of smooth sailing. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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  5. Wishing you both a very Merry Christmas and so jealous of all that beautiful sunshine!! Thinking of you both. So happy to read about those handy plumbing skills put to good use. Lol Bon Voyage. Xo

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