Window screens

Here's another preparation project  - window shades for our boat. The boat has large windows around the boat which gives terrific visibility and great light down below but can be hot in summer (see the red outline which is how the screens will be fitted). There is one set of windows on each side of the boat.

As we're planning a trip to the tropics, we thought window shades would be a good idea. So I bought some vinyl black (not blue as it appears in the photo) mesh fabric from Sailrite called Phifertex, which has a number of outdoor uses and provides 70% sunshade but still gives a good view.

I wanted to make them in 2 pieces only, one for each side of the boat, to make them easy to take off and on. So I made a paper pattern and sewed 3 pieces together so it could accommodate the curve of the windows towards the front of the boat. Plus the window sizing wasn't uniform which didn't help.

I ran some black vinyl tape around the edges for strength and finished the edges with black marine grade bias binding. Black snaps were added which will be attached to adhesive sockets on the boat (which means no drilling - hooray).

Front snap

Rear snap

It doesn't look too lovely right now but it will definitely do the job and I'll post a photo once they have been fitted.

Yacht docking

Completed a yacht docking course or "How to reverse park your yacht without crashing into anything"!
A great course, very useful techniques, tips and tricks - no mishaps but here's what can happen......

Up the mast

A great weekend on the yacht with friends despite the southerly winds and a terrific sail on Sunday. We took the opportunity to learn a new skills (including splicing - only for the enthusiasts I think) and replaced a deck light. So up the mast I went and here's the proof! Deck light now operational....

Prior to the sail we had a lazy Sunday morning with a breakfast of special ricotta pancakes - pre sail carbo loading! Life's good.

School "marm" cooks pancakes

Boat cockpit cushions - done!

To make the cockpit more comfy at anchor, I've finished a set of cushions for the seats. For the technically minded, they have been made from Sunbrella marine grade canvas with 'leatherette' piping and zips at the back of the cushions. The foam is dry cell foam to allow water to drain away quickly with a layer of closed cell foam for comfort. There was some wrestling required to get the foam into the covers but this give the cushions a fuller look.

All materials were sourced from Sailrite in the US, who have a amazing range of materials for canvas projects and sail work. Fulfilment and delivery is very speedy. The also have a great DVD which made this project much easier.

I must say the result is pretty good for a beginner boat cushion maker...

As we were installing cushions and other things, we watched the Wednesday Twilight Races - this is the view - very dramatic.

We ARE being stalked

Guess what we found in the kitchen..again! I'm convinced it's the same one.....

Here's some interesting information from the Australian Museum "Young blue tongues are quite nimble and can climb to places a heavy adult can't, which is how they sometimes end up in people's houses. Females usually give birth in mid-late summer, so at this time of year there are plenty of newborns wandering around....." Looks like we're not alone

Sea Safety and Survival course

Completed a sea safety and survival course on the weekend. It was invaluable for us to assess our knowledge and also our equipment. Needless to say, we now have another boat shopping list.

One highlights of the weekend was Sunday morning spent in the pool with all our clothes and wet weather gear learning how to use our inflatable PFDs, how to get in and out of a life raft, how to conserve energy and move about the water with a bunch of people. The other highlight was actually using flares - it's one think to have them but it's really useful knowing how to use them.

Glad we did this.

FInal electronics installed

The last of the electronics was finished on one of the hottest days of the year! The radar was installed and the rigger was up the mast for hours in the 40 degree heat.

Rigger installing radar bracket under "supervision"

A big thank you to a few people for helping us get to this stage:-
- our friends who joined us on endless visits to the Boat Show over the years and provided invaluable advice from their experience
- Grant from Olectric Systems for his professionalism and cheerfulness on the job. Couldn't have done it without you!
- Patrick, the rigger, for his tenacity in the shocking heat

Now all we have to do is learn how to work everything....