Mast stepping....tick

Mast is now back where it belongs and I will finish off the remainder of rigging this weekend along with a raft of other jobs.

My two 'Giant' 130AH AGM house batteries arrived today and I also picked up my VMax AGM 110AH dual start/deep cycle form a local supplier. The Rutland 914i Wind Generator and solar panel should keep them topped up nicely..

Splash back is scheduled for Tues high tide and then I will hole up in a marina to tune the rig and complete the prep for the shakedown from Port Stephens to Newcastle with clearance planned for 03 Mar ....weather pending.

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53 days until race start

24 days until departure for New Zealand and so far so good. Tracking to schedule so pretty happy with progress. Long days as I am back at work, but enjoyable being out in the balmy summer afternoons working on the tan lines! Only had a few rainy days so managed to kick some indoor jobs. Jobs completed so far are new winches, genoa turning blocks, 2x hatches, sat phone and antenna, mast wiring, QLED steaming/deck light, Signal mate LED Tri/anchor masthead light, RG213 VHF coax and Metz antenna, lifeline whipping cord replaced and dyform rigging clean/inspect/lube ready for stepping early morning next week.

I'm using a product I found in the US called

Bed-it (https://shop.marinehowto.com/products/bed-it-tape)

to bed in all my gear.... its a butyl -like mastic tape that remains flexible and has the grip of a 2 year old on his dads trouser leg. Great product to work with, however the trick is to not tighten up in one go, you must do over several days as the product creeps into every noon and cranny....and better still, absolutely no sticky sikaflex mess to clean up!

The excellent Slipstream SS folding prop has been serviced and bottom prepped for 2x coats of black Jotun Seaguardian antifoul. Will pop the shaft next week and replace the cutlass bearing when our removals arrive on Monday so I can access my tools that were in storage. I had anticipated having all my removals deliveries mid Jan but delays in finding a house caused some unfortunate duplication of expenditure to keep on schedule. Next buy is the three AGM batteries (ouch!). Engine service and fuel check is next and then should be back in the water late next week. Life is good

Comms / Nav upgrade

My Iridium 9555 Satphones arrived from WA last week so talking with Airtime service providers to get the best bang for buck given I require the data service for the Solo Tasman race followed by several months with no requirement and then in Aug-Dec my solo sail back from The Netherlands on Roaring Forty.

Next week when our removals is delivered, I should know if I need to update the SeaPro Routing Navigation software dongle. Also on the cards is the Lighthouse 2 software upgrade to the Raymarine systems since they have been dormant for the past three years. 

My old trusty Raymarine 101 VHF handeld lives on, however it will be relegated to dinghy duties as I have upgraded to a Standard Horizon HX870 VHF GPS/DSC floating handheld and a HX300 VHF floating handheld with USB and and 12volt charging.

My ICOM 801E HF radio is a solid, reliable and high performing piece of gear so all that is required after I drop the new batteries in is to perform a radio check with Kordia in NZ one evening to confirm operation.