Xmas = BBQ

Yes, Northern Hemisphere types, Christmas is all about the beach and BBQ's, not that cold, wet, slushy stuff you seem so fond of.

Accordingly, we have a new BBQ. The trouble was, I couldn't find anywhere to mount it that wouldn't get in the way while sailing and was otherwise practical. So I have made up a mount that screws into one of the big pad-eyes on the aft deck and braces off a stanchion; we just screw it in and drop the BBQ on top, and when we have finished the BBQ gets bagged and dropped into the lazarette. OK, I still have to sort out the bag part...

With regards my earlier comments about Xmas time, please ignore the rain-soaked deck.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Galley

I finished off the last of the trim bits in the galley the other week. I think it has come together well, and it's great having a proper oven. After we've been away these Christmas holidays I'll see if I still think it was a great idea to go for the electric oven.

UPDATE: Yes, it was a great idea going with the electric oven!

More Toys

The forestay is all back together. But now the Xmas madness descends, and trying to arrange to get out sailing is looking tougher and tougher to do. Oh bloody hell...

Anyway, left alone this weekend while the family does end-of-year school/sports/clubs/whatever stuff, I decided to upgrade the nav station.

When we first got Kamalii, I vowed I would not load her up with electronic toys and would keep her simple and to the basic requirements. Yeah, right. Having installed a chart-plotting system on the port side nav station a long time back, I had left the starboard side as it was: a nice array of vintage CRTs, comprising a non-functional radar, control panel for the now non-existent old autopilot, and a working chartplotter so old and primitive on more than one occasion while having drinks we fired it up and had a good laugh - a bit like breaking out an old Atari 2600 games console, and every bit as shit.

So I have ripped out all the old gear, made up a new fascia panel, and will be mounting a matching LCD display on it so that I have twin screens from my nav system. Why? Because I can. And short of turning the area into a storage locker there is not much else I can think of to do with the space.

Pulling out the old gear.

Removing old cables, adding new ones...

Take them to an antique dealer?

New fascia, two more coats to go...

This is the current port side nav station. I'm putting an identical screen on the other side, which can mirror this one or be operated completely independently.

A large hole in the water into which you pour money...

Sailing. That thing you dream of doing as you sit on the dock, covered in sweat and filth, ruminating on the size of the latest pile of money you have had to pour into the "love of your life"...

So I got a new forestay made. Couldn't get any 5/8" cable, so up-sized slightly to 16mm - hey, the beyond-stupidly-over-built approach has served Kamalii well all these years, so why stop now? Then, of course, it turns out all our turnbuckles are 14 threads-per-inch, and we could only get 1" studs in 12tpi, so we had to have the stud custom made. Oh, and did I mention that a forestay that size is really bloody expensive?!

24m of brand new forestay. Oooh, so shiny...

I'll admit that, disregarding the cost, it is a nice feeling knowing that my forestay is no longer of questionable provenance.

The furler needed some TLC. I had to replace one section of the foil (fortunately Kamalii came with a spare) and I replaced one of the bushes in the swivel, which has made a huge difference in how easy it travels along the foil. With the new forestay we were able to remove the extra toggle at the stem that had been inserted when the old forestay was cut short, and as a result the furler unit now sits 95mm lower which has resulted in a much better fairlead angle for the jib halyard.

Putting it all back together.

I had to machine out a seized grub screw on the lower bearing unit, sort out the top bearing retainer, etc, etc....and two weeks goes by. Anyway, on the weekend we hauled her back up, and it all looks good. I am waiting on one more part to finish off reassembling the drum unit, and then we will haul the jib and see how she goes. Fingers crossed. I really, really, really want to go sailing...