Motor
The bit I expected to be tricky has been. The rusty bolts on the coupling between gearbox and propeller shaft wouldn't undo. Angle grinder to the rescue. So far only managed to undo 1 of 4 engine mount bolts as again very rusty. Currently soaking in wd40 but
Progress
The paint has dried in the aft cabin and it is a lot more spacious without the lockers under the side decks (painted white also helps). The black insulation used to reach the bottom of the lockers so you can see how much extra height is above it now. Plus
Cooking
After a long morning working on the aft cabin we started the preparation for removing the engine. It is one of those jobs that takes ages without seeing any progress. However, we have detached all the hoses (fuel, cooling, exhaust, domestic water heating) and electronics. We have also removed the
Progress
We're got all the ply backing to the headlining down also the cupboards as they were blocking access and we couldn't insulate them to stop condensation. Managed to remove the vinyl that was stuck to the sides. Have uncovered all the bolts we need access to.
Environmental
So despite Storm Dennis we have arrived at Vida for a few days work during Jane's half term holiday. The electricity cards had run out after 16 days but clearly the heating has done a great job. Last visit we discovered the leaks from the old dorade ventilation
Progress
So we have gone all fancy with a new basin for our heads compartment. Yes it was on sale, yes it was the cheapest at B&Q. But it doesn't look it 😂
Appliances
The biggest difference is availability. With an electric motor instead of a diesel in your boat you can achieve the same/similar performance in power/speed. At the same time you can get better reliability and lower maintenance. However, the biggest difference is that you have to manage availability. With
Electric
Among sailors, diesel engines have become so ubiquitous that few seem to be able to imagine any alternative. Yet, of course, that hasn't always been the case. However, during my lifetime we have seen them steadily increasing in power and boats becoming more dependent on them, not just
Electric
Last weekend we have placed the first set of orders for what will become a complete Electric Motor system on Vida. We are going fully fossil fuel free as we just couldn't face the thought of spending money on an existing diesel system that is so against our
Cooking
No Friday working on Vida this week as I'm working. But we have been making progress spending money, some bits take quite a while to work out and source so very happy with these.
Environmental
This is worth watching. Sailors willing to turn their plans upside-down and venture into danger to support change and stand tall for responding to the Climate Emergency. Watch and cheer them on (knowing that they did succeed and Greta Thunberg was able to challenge world leaders at COP in Madrid)
Appliances
Now that we are confident that our multi-cooker is going to be part of our galley it opens some extra options. So in December we joined a group making bulk purchases from a co-operative, vegetarian wholesaler. Our best bargain was a 10kg (paper) bag of dried chickpeas. We've
