Back In Southport

I really thought I would update the blog more as the Bahamas trip came together...but alas I seem to be out of practice with blogging.

In any case, the trip to the Bahamas is a go.  Due to a variety of reasons, the scheduling of the trip was pushed out to the beginning of this year. I have found crew to accompany me on this adventure.  Technically, there is still one slot available if a person or couple wants to fly to meet us in Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas and make the return trip, but otherwise the crew is set.

I made it back to the boat on January 5th after three long days of driving from Colorado. Overall, I was somewhat pleasantly surprised with the condition of the boat.  Yes, it is in need of a bath...one of the tasks that I have not managed yet...but for it having been almost two years since I was on the boat, it wasn't in too bad of condition.  Thus far there are only a couple bigger ticket items found.  The dinghy, having baked in the Carolina sun for a couple years, seems to be beyond repair.  Not a huge loss, as the slow leak and shoddy repair from the prior owner made it a bit annoying at times.  The hot water heater appears to be leaking.  Don't know if it froze or if it was just time for a replacement, but we can't be leaking our limited fresh water into the bilge.  The other question is the standing rigging.  From the deck I've noted a little discoloration in a few of the strands, so further inspection is warranted.  There have been a number of smaller things like a couple interior lights and stereo (not good) that were not working, but overall still not bad for being mostly ignored for two years and encounters with a couple hurricanes.

I've been working on getting the boat back into shape.  Cleaning, inspecting, repairing, and getting everything back into cruise condition. One of the crew will be joining me on the boat later today to help out with repairs and recommissioning.  We also have one new project to help make the trip more enjoyable while reducing our dependence on diesel.  We are adding 640 watts of solar.  The arriving crew member did a ton of research and found some exceptional deals on marine grade parts.  If it goes anywhere near plan, the whole system will cost under $1 per watt.  When I was building the hardtop and looking at solar, $1 per watt was an exceptional deal for just the panels alone...much less the controller, cabling, and hardware to install it.  Having the option of not firing up the generator in the evenings to recharge the batteries will be a welcome change.

So, that is where I am with the boat and the trip to the Bahamas.  Maybe I'll get a bit better about posts going forward...but the push will definitely be to get the boat ready and head south.