Tech Update: from Col

After receiving a number of very complimentary comments to our blog, several questions of a technical nature keep arising but have remained unanswered, so time to fill in some gaps!

Firstly, and reinforcing an early comment made by Brooke in our blog that boats are just holes in the ocean you throw money into, I note there has been significant start-up expenditure, but it was pretty much all anticipated given our plans to carry a trike aircraft on the stern and to add solar power. Also to make changes to the boat that better suit an almost permanent live aboard home, as opposed to her previous, original owners who left it at a permanent berth in Croatia to drive back and forth from their home in Germany to enjoy their Lagoon 440 just as we are doing now, but for significantly shorter periods. I had plans to run an excel spread sheet recording expenditure but soon had to ask “why”? The monies had to be spent, the workmanship here is excellent and at costs about half of what we would have paid at home for dare I say, possibly inferior work. Every penny of expenditure should be an asset to your boat and unless it is mindless bling (which we see a lot of here on  European owned boats), it’s a long term investment in comfort, safety and re-sale attractiveness. 

So, the trike first. Our Australian designed and factory built Airborne XT-582 Outback trike, complete with its twin floats required a new, specialised lifting arrangement and the dinghy had to find a new home on one of the two bow trampolines. Combined with the pivoting frame for the 3 X 250W solar panels designed by fellow Australian Lagoon 440 owner Frank Maunders, the trike lifting bar was fabricated in Zagreb by our new mate Vlad. My original lifting bar design didn’t have a sufficient margin of strength so drawings were made for Revision A to the design and the second version is a significant improvement. It also has the bonus that if and when we sell our boat and the trike very likely goes, it becomes a great dinghy lifting rig. The original after-market cover for the trike did a great job, but was never designed to cop salt spray, so both the trike and the wing have new, fully water-proof covers. Getting insurance for the trike is virtually impossible but letting it deteriorate due to lack of protection and maintenance could have catastrophic results, apart from being just dumb. We use a home designed spinnaker-pole type arrangement to lift the dinghy onto the bow and into the water; and although a two person job, it is a safe, swift and physically effortless exercise.

Machinery. Our two Volvo Penta D-55 diesel engines are great units and have proven to be ever reliable, but we can’t say as much for Croatian supplied diesel! Despite having primary and secondary filters, we have experienced intermittent rev fluctuation issues on both engines, strongly suggesting a fuel cleanliness issue. We carry adequate spares and apart from treating the tanks with bug killer, not much we can do. During the wintering period in Turkey, we’ll remove and clean both main tanks and start afresh. The 11kVa Onan/ Perkins generator is also extremely reliable and is more than adequate for our needs. With the recent addition of solar panels and an Outback Flexmax 80A solar regulator, the generator is only needed to run the Bauer dive compressor and the 140lph water maker. Our house batteries and Victron 12V/220V inverter handles all other 220V needs.

Boat modifications/ improvements.  As mentioned earlier, “finally my darling” should, for at least the next 3-4 years, be our floating home for 9 months of each year. To that end, some mods have been made to better utilise the adequate but not necessarily well utilised space on almost every Lagoon. Some of our modifications have included:

• Double floor storage space added in the generator compartment. Most used tools on top, important but less frequently used tools and spares below. Removable 10mm marine ply panels wood stained and varnished, of course!

• Total removal of the dishwasher under the sink. It had hardly been used in the six year life of the boat and took up valuable space. One tall and two medium shelves installed in its place, so heaps of room now for pots, pans, pressure cooker and vegetable/fruit juicer.

• A shelf in the owner’s suite area above the existing desk for a printer/copier/scanner that came in our shipping container from Australia with the trike.

• Removal of a number of shelves in one tall cupboard to provide additional hanging space. Where does all the beautifully polished Lagoon shelving go you may ask? It becomes those other shelves like where the dishwasher once lived!

• Conversion of the starboard forward crew cabin into a combined sail, fender and rope locker. Again borrowing from Frank Maunders' earlier designs, we had Vlad in Zagreb make up rope hanging rails that are reachable simply by lifting the large access hatch to the locker, leaving lots of room for our large Jennaker and about twelve fenders.

• Improvements to layout in the area forward of the mast that normally houses the water maker and pair of 300L water tanks. Along with replacement of the water distribution manifold system, both the fresh water and deck wash pumps have been relocated and floor panels added sitting on powder coated aluminum bearers. Not only has greater use of the space been created, the poorly designed Lagoon system that had the potential for both water tanks to empty if a line between them or elsewhere in the system failed, each tank can be individually isolated.

• Installation of a magnificent stainless steel marine BBQ and covers made for both the BBQ and our new rescue life-buoy. 

General repairs and Maintenance.

• The Lagoon bimini above the helm was prone to damage on the upper central cross support, where the boom could rub the bimini sunbrella covering. While this area was being repaired, two clear viewing windows (with roll-over covers) were added in the bimini roof to monitor the main sail when the bimini is up. In case you are wondering, the main sail works well with the boom slightly raised, but the bimini has to be lowered to get best sail performance, particularly on a reach.

• Repairs to the sail bag which was starting to show its age and needed several straps and clips replaced, as well as replacing the full length zipper with a sturdier variety zip.

• Replacement of the heater element in our stainless steel 60L water heater, inconveniently located under the master bedroom! The water heater works fine from the starboard engine heat exchanger and while on shore power, but tripped the main circuit breaker when on the generator. A sure sign the element had gone down to earth and we probably got one year out of the element than is normally expected of them.

• General plumbing repairs and maintenance, particularly in the area of black water holding, pumping and associated pipelines that, if left unattended, can slowly block, non-return valves sticking and other unmentionable occurrences arise that simply cannot be put on the proverbial back-burner!

• Not to forget replacing the lacing on both of our large trampolines after Mike had a scary experience which might have seen him disappear into the drink through the starboard trampoline when the lacing lines snapped when he jumped across from one net to the other. Hidden from normal view under the small fixed posts that the edge of the net is fixed to, the lacing cord had rotted over time and decided Mike's weight was enough to make them fail. While only one snapped, investigation showed that the lacing on both nets were overdue for replacement.

   

Some Blood. Very recently, I was preparing to install a modified control panel for the water maker and to complete the installation, I needed to drill 2 X 5mm holes through an existing 4mm stainless steel angle iron frame to tap 6mm holes for the securing bolts. I was using a brand new drill bit and my Ryobi battery drill and was exerting significant pressure when the drill bit snapped and the full weight of my body propelled the broken drill bit about 12mm into the fleshy part of my left hand (the part you’d strike if doing a karate chop). My forehead also struck the dive compressor above the water maker leaving a nice egg-like bump. Blood flowed profusely from the ragged, circular puncture wound, so with my other hand stemming the flow, I extracted myself from the small compartment and headed aft for some first aid. Not having had an experience like it before, Brooke and Mike both grabbed the first aid kit but in the meantime, dear old dad did a neat fainting trick and folded, almost head first to the teak deck. When I recovered, I gave instructions regarding elevating my feet and with the claret now contained, we continued towards our next stopover at beautiful Korcula Town. The puncture wound has healed nicely with what was only a light bruise across the palm of my hand and a bit of steadily decreasing swelling and mild discomfort to show for what turned out to be a great training exercise.

The incident, albeit fairly mild, highlighted some gaps in our on-board training and we sat after dinner that night to discuss the incident and develop a plan to fill the gaps. Our plan includes:

• Going back to my work environment basics and doing at least a mini “SLAM” Stop, Look, Assess and Manage before starting a job. 

• Modifying our first aid kit into three separate kits: Kit No.1 Major Trauma. Kit No.2 Skin off, scuffs and/or abrasions. Kit No.3 Headache, minor splinters, etc. 

• We’ll also move to expand the crew’s vessel handling abilities as the incident highlighted the issue of one person having most of the seamanship and vessel handling abilities, and that person is the one that gets injured or accidentally goes overboard. 

• Remembering how vulnerable and exposed we are in the event an accident occurs on board. To overcome this, we'll ensure we continue to be current in First Aid and resuscitation skills. That will mean attending refresher courses while back at home before rejoining the boat next year.

For those who might be thinking there’s been a lot of work in three months, I agree. My great relaxation is often found tinkering at a work bench and I still find it difficult to be idle for too long. Mike and Brooke are becoming great navigators, passage/trip planners and weather forecasters. So days motoring or motor sailing will often find them running the ship, with my head occasionally bobbing up from one or another hidey hole or work space like some alerted meer cat to say “where the F… are we guys?” I’m finding cruising is a total lifestyle change as the pressures associated with suburban living seem to be distant memories. We hope you continue to enjoy or blog as much as we are enjoying sharing our experiences with you.  

NB: we'd love to share with you what interests you most - so should there be more specific technical boat questions or perhaps the logistics and ins-and-outs of life afloat, please send us your questions. Otherwise if it's scenic travel photos you prefer - rest assured there will be plenty more of that to come!  
 

Paradise found

 

My first souvenir purchase pretty well sums up our weekend romance with this captivating island located about fifty kilometres southwest off the coast of Split. Our friends Frank and Viv on Dominos had raved about Vis when we were berthed alongside them months ago. So whilst we hadn’t done much research before arriving, we knew we were in for a treat.

I clearly remember the name “Tito” from modern history high school studies. Marshal Josip Borz “Tito” was considered a benevolent dictator and leader of the Yugoslav Partisan army. Whilst an authoritarian leader, he implemented many successful polices as president and maintained a peaceful coexistence among the nations of Yugoslavia. In a position of authority up until his death in 1980, it is said in the decade that followed tensions rose and the Yugoslav republic’s relationships eventually disintegrated into a series of devastating civil wars in the Balkans. 

Incredibly during World War II, Vis was a strategic Adriatic outpost that fell under the control of Austria, France, Great Britain and then Italy. Next Vis Island served as an important military base for Tito’s army and was closed to outside visitors from the 1950s only reopening in 1989. There is an old grassy WWII airstrip, submarine bunkers, ammunition storage, sunken wrecks of battle ships and Tito’s cave hideout that was once used as his command headquarters.

After an extended hiatus from riding pillion passenger on anything with two wheels and a motor, mum bravely gave her consent that we hire scooters for the day to explore. On departure from Vis Town, first stop was the pretty fishing village of Komiza where unfortunately our trip to see the Blue Grotto was cancelled last minute as ocean swell was causing waves to hit the roof of the cave entrance. Though this allowed plenty of extra time to buzz around the empty mountainside-hugging roads with uninterrupted ocean vistas. Our 50cc scooters struggled up to the unmarked base of Tito’s original cave hideout on Hum Mountain. Yet the most memorable location find belongs to the romantic cove of Stiniva. The ‘descend at your own risk’ sign didn’t lie in what was a twenty-minute mountain goat hike/scramble path down and up. Fortunately this tricky access must also help to keep the crowds thinned in peak season. Love Croatia shared my photo of Stiniva on their Facebook fan page wall that generated over 16,500 likes and almost 2,500+ shares in just a couple of days. It was fun to watch the photo go viral in the global social media sphere – just doing our part to share the Croatia magic!

 

At our lunch stop, the sweet Belgium-born tavern owner explained there are generally only serious crowds on Vis during mid July to mid August. So for the remainder of spring and summer this ocean-bound jewel must retain its old world charm, free from packaged and mass tourism (if you can call it that anywhere in this country). And although it is already well discovered by the yachting crowd – there is the irresistible feeling you are experiencing a true taste of the original Croatian island way of life. 

With limited fridge and storage space, menu planning has become a key weekly task for Mike and I. Though in the towns where we have access to some of the freshest and most varied green markets, fish markets, butchers and bakeries – it has also become a real joy. Split’s daily farmer’s markets are exceptional – the best I have ever personally encountered. With 100+ different stalls from local farmers, every morning selling whatever is growing in their fields or gardens. Organic is not a term used here, as everything is farmed organically. Stalls are currently overflowing with strawberries, cherries, peaches, lettuce, green beans, carrots, cucumbers and zucchinis to name a few. Where else can you buy one kilogram of the freshest strawberries or cherries for A$3 or caught-this-morning fish markets with whole bream, tuna, tuna sashimi, squid, octopus, mussels, scampi and sardines. What I’d do to have access to such markets everyday for the rest of my life. Credit must also be given to my darling hubby Mike whose skills in the kitchen seem to have deepened with his tan. We’ve all never eaten better or healthier in our lives.

We are currently trying to perfect salt and pepper calamari so if anyone has a recipe or the technique dialed, please share!  

 

On our second-to-last Split visit, measurements were taken for a new, fully waterproof cover for dad’s trike aircraft. During this final visit, the cover was trial fitted and after a few adjustments by the team at One Sails, is now installed and gives far greater protection from salt spray than the original soft cover. Along with the new cover, very strong but soft webbing straps have been added to the lifting arrangement, making it far simpler to lower and raise.  Below is the multi-talented One Sails sail maker, seamstress and motor trimmer Zora Mikulic proudly showing her finished cover.   

 

We’ve since departed Split for the final time, now that all trade work and current maintenance projects are finally complete. And just when I thought this blog post had sufficient photos, we anchor the night back in Pakleni Islands off Hvar Town. Words cannot do justice to the water clarity or colour, nor the funky beach bar of Laganini. Instead I’ll let the pictures do the talking. If you ever find yourself in Hvar Town on a fine sunny day, we definitely recommend taking a water taxi ride out to this bay and beach bar. A fine way to soak up the afternoon sun and remind yourself how lucky you are to be alive. Last pics are from our very first morning swim – now that the water and air temperatures are warming up hopefully it'll become a more regular occurrence. Sure is an energizing way to start the day!

Today we’ve moved to the island of Korcula and have just read the good news that we may be receiving our next round of guests a month earlier than expected. Can’t wait to welcome the newly weds Rebecca and Joel onboard!!