It's been quite the fun ride, but we're ready to depart. My final projects were:
1. Install the Life Raft
2. Man overboard equipment upgrade
3. Get the boat ready to cast off
Dad and I did the last bits of work together. He flew in to go on the trip, and since I was out at sea on my ship beforehand, we ended up having to do about two weeks of work (so it seemed) in about three days.
1. The life raft was pretty easy. I ordered a Zodiac life raft from Defender. It was the coastal 3-4 person life raft in the soft valise case. It arrived, and we moved it on to the boat. It weighs about 50 pounds, so we kept it in the quarterberth for storage until we were ready to set sail. Before we left, we decided to move it into the cockpit (there's a convenient place on the starboard side, but it is unfortunately exposed to the elements).
2. The man overboard equipment was a complete upgrade. Normally, I keep only the Lifering and a second USCG required throwable cushion. Since we were going out to sea, I realized that we needed a way to spot victims in possibly-high sea states. I bought a 14-foot man overboard pole with integrated pop-up flag that connected to the backstay. It was held in place by a pin, so the helmsman need only pull the pin and pick it up to launch it. I connected it to a horseshoe life ring as well. For night time, I realized that a strobe was required, so I also bought and connected an ACR strobe which can be seen for up to 2 NM (at least). Finally, since I knew I was heading into the Gulf Stream, we also got and connected a small drogue to the whole assembly.
Therefore, the man overboard pole was connected to the ACR strobe and the horseshoe ring via a polypropylene line, and the horseshoe ring was connected to the drogue. The whole assembly can be disassembled when the boat is left for any period of time, but it really added the peace of mind that I was looking for.
1. Install the Life Raft
2. Man overboard equipment upgrade
3. Get the boat ready to cast off
Dad and I did the last bits of work together. He flew in to go on the trip, and since I was out at sea on my ship beforehand, we ended up having to do about two weeks of work (so it seemed) in about three days.
1. The life raft was pretty easy. I ordered a Zodiac life raft from Defender. It was the coastal 3-4 person life raft in the soft valise case. It arrived, and we moved it on to the boat. It weighs about 50 pounds, so we kept it in the quarterberth for storage until we were ready to set sail. Before we left, we decided to move it into the cockpit (there's a convenient place on the starboard side, but it is unfortunately exposed to the elements).
2. The man overboard equipment was a complete upgrade. Normally, I keep only the Lifering and a second USCG required throwable cushion. Since we were going out to sea, I realized that we needed a way to spot victims in possibly-high sea states. I bought a 14-foot man overboard pole with integrated pop-up flag that connected to the backstay. It was held in place by a pin, so the helmsman need only pull the pin and pick it up to launch it. I connected it to a horseshoe life ring as well. For night time, I realized that a strobe was required, so I also bought and connected an ACR strobe which can be seen for up to 2 NM (at least). Finally, since I knew I was heading into the Gulf Stream, we also got and connected a small drogue to the whole assembly.
Therefore, the man overboard pole was connected to the ACR strobe and the horseshoe ring via a polypropylene line, and the horseshoe ring was connected to the drogue. The whole assembly can be disassembled when the boat is left for any period of time, but it really added the peace of mind that I was looking for.
3. The rest of the work was mostly provisioning, cleaning, and oiling the teak wood. I changed the oil, tightened the alternator belts, tightened some random bolts, and did checks throughout the boat. We installed the newest medical kit (Adventure 2000). The only part I didn't get to was installing the D-rings for the safety harnesses, but I felt that the jacklines would do the trick once they were installed (they were perfect for the job) - I also didn't want to rush an install that would put holes into the boat.
Of course, despite all of the planning, we had the last minute runs to West Marine. In all, Zephyr was ready to sail. We were ready to go!
Of course, despite all of the planning, we had the last minute runs to West Marine. In all, Zephyr was ready to sail. We were ready to go!