June 12 – July 4, 2023
After about 6 weeks of sailing and using the boat, and having a great time hosting both Ellie and Aaron, it was time to take care of the issues found during the pre-purchase boat survey, as well as a bunch of other things we decided to do after getting more used to the boat.
Really there were 3 main categories of things that needed to get done at the Blackline boatyard in Sidney, B.C.:
1. Things that we found during the survey that needed professionals:
Replacing a number of the old “through hulls” which are valves in the bottom of the boat that let water in or out, for example engine cooling water, sink drains, water maker intake, etc.
Repainting the bottom of the hull with an anti-fouling paint that reduces marine growth
Replacing the cutlass bearing and prop shaft seal
2. Additional things we decided to have professionals do:
Replace the standing rigging. We would have had to do this next year, but decided to just get it done now since we were out of the water anyway and then we’d feel good about all the cables holding up the mast
Repair the hydraulic pump for the vang and backstay tensioner
3. Things that we wanted to do ourselves
Engine maintenance items such as replacing the alternator belts, changing the oil and oil filter, changing the fuel filters and checking the coolant life
Recaulking some of the teak deck seams and replacing some missing “bungs” which are covers over the screw holes. This is an ongoing and continuous process.
Replacing the gear oil in the bow thruster (critical piece of equipment for getting in and out of tight marina slips)
Splicing a new waterproof network cable for our cell powered internet and installing our “person overboard” detectors on our lifevests (our friend Glenn had made us a special tool for that job)
Putting beeswax on the floorboards to stop them from squeaking (yes it really works!)
The work on the bottom of the boat and the rigging replacement requires the boat to get pulled out of the water and put on jack stands, which is called “being on the hard.” We rented an Airbnb in downtown Sidney and commuted on our bikes each day to the yard, which was a nice ride. But, we found being on the hard pretty hard, we really missed being on the water especially as the weather was really turning nice!
Fortunately, we had a couple of really nice events to look forward to and take our minds off the boat yard chores.
First, we celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary! We are really proud of this milestone, and looking back on all the fun times and adventures we’ve had together, we couldn’t help but look forward to the next 30 years of excitement! To celebrate, we took the 20 miles bike ride down to Victoria and spent two nights at the lovely Abigail’s Hotel. It turned out the annual Reggae and Ska Fest was in town, so we swung by on the first day for the free show. We had a great dinner at Café Brio (highly recommended!).
Next, we had our good friends Suzy and Brian Cavanaugh visit from Boise. Originally we hoped to host them on our boat but with us being on the hard it wasn’t possible. In typical form Brian and Suzy made the best of it, and we took the ferry over to Salt Spring Island for a fabulous hike up Mount Maxwell, and had a beautiful tour through Butchart Gardens, and had some great dinners too! It was really fun to see them and I think they enjoyed seeing the boatyard in action which is really quite amazing with the bustle of constant activity.
After 3 weeks, we relaunched Beagle Spirit looking sparkling and ready for action. See video of the launch here: https://youtube.com/shorts/jeKM1y2JvCs?feature=share
It was so great to be back on the water and out of that Airbnb apartment, our first night out we went to Russel Island then started our planning to head up to the famous Princess Louisa Inlet and on to Desolation Sound.
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