Boat upgrades – Round 1

When we purchased Sabática a year ago, she was relatively new and in great condition. We took everyone’s advice and sailed her for a full season to get to know her and then decide if she would need any fixes or upgrades. 

Now that it’s our first off-season, we’ve got a fairly decent list of fixes and upgrades we would like to make that pretty much support our following goals:

1. Anchor out more (as opposed to dock at marinas)
2. Sail more (as opposed to relying so much on motors)
3. Improve general safety, comfort or convenience

I can hear some people asking – Why? Goals B and C are probably self-explanatory, but why do we want to anchor out more and what does that even mean? Last summer, we essentially spent the majority of our nights docked at various marinas. We were newbies, liked the security and convenience of amenities, and had a plethora of family and friends to collect and drop off. Another option, though, is to literally drop your anchor a little ways out from shore (but not much) if there is a protected space. “Protected” meaning it’s sheltered from wind (from various directions) and swell. It is still close enough to shore that you can easily break out the dinghy (go, UberDing!) and ride it up to shore.

So why anchor out more? The first reason is cost. Dropping an anchor is way less expensive than paying marina fees. Cruisers pride themselves on being able to drop anchor all along their journey and generally prefer it to being tied to land. Some places, like in Croatia, will still charge to anchor in their waters, but it is much less expensive than docking. The second reason has to do with heat. We can’t personally speak to this one much yet, but we do know that being sandwiched in among lots of other boats in a marina during hot summer months can be stifling. There’s no air flow. So, if you are a ways out with space around you, a breeze is supposed to be more likely and keep you a bit cooler on the boat. Plus, you can easily just jump right in the water for a swim! Finally, a nice thing about anchoring out relates to tranquility. Again, by not being sandwiched in between other boats, you simply have your own peaceful space. You can swim during the day and marvel at the endless stars at night.

So, what will enable us to anchor out more? Upgrades that offer Conor peace of mind and provide us with more independence.

Conor spent all of January researching like crazy and doing procurement. I’m now happy to report on our first round of fixes / upgrades that Conor has completed in the last couple of weeks: 

#1: A new anchor. If you read my last post, you know we recently celebrated our 25th silver wedding anniversary. What could be more appropriate to purchase than a super shiny silver anchor?! 🙂 The biggest part of meeting Goal A was to replace our standard Delta anchor with a different one that provides newer technology. Most importantly, this new anchor’s shape, weight and strength will allow it to dig in deep and reset more easily if needed. We purchased an Ultra stainless steel beauty. We haven’t had the opportunity to test her out yet, but she is installed. The idea is that Skippy will be able to sleep WAY better with a more solid grounding. He uses an app on his phone where he can set the dropped anchor position and set a radius. If his phone goes beyond the radius, it will alarm. We are aiming for no alarms this summer!

#2: A washing machine. If you read my posts from last summer, you will begin to know how excited I am that we now have our own little washing machine onboard! This obviously falls into the convenience category, but also independence. We purchased a Daewoo Wall Mounted Mini Washer, and she’s so cute! I call her Minnie. She can hold up to 3 kg (about 6 pounds) of laundry. Conor installed her in our large forward anchor locker as she needed a strong wall. He built in extra strong bracing behind the wall, and we’ve given her a first test run. Worked great! While she does have a dry feature, don’t know how effective it will be. Also, we’d still just hang everything out to dry to save on energy. Still to complete – Conor needs to configure permanent plumbing and electrical wires to reach her, but our temporary test worked great. Very exciting! 🙂

#3: Safer propane use. This was definitely just a safety feature. So, we have a gas stovetop and oven in the kitchen (galley). A large propane tank sits out in the forward anchor locker. (It’s a really big locker.) In an ideal world, the tank is switched off whenever it’s not in use to reduce the chance of gas leaks. However, that involves going outside and climbing down into the locker (which is simply less pleasant in the winter and wasn’t often done). To improve the ease of this process, Conor installed a solenoid on the tank – basically an electromagnetic device that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. It’s all wired up so we now have a cute little switch inside near the galley. When we switch it on, the solenoid opens the propane tank. When we switch it off, the propane tank gets closed. One of the last things you want on a boat is a gas leak (and potential fire hazard), so this really was an important safety feature to set up.

#4: Two new outdoor tables. Purely for comfort. We had one small table before that allowed a couple of people to set out plates and drinks and eat with ease. However, the base had corroded. We replaced that table and also put in a second one. Now more people can eat up front with a platform. 🙂 

#5: A new cooktop cover. This was just a simple fix that Conor wanted to make (assign it to Goal C). Our gas cooktop originally came with a tempered glass lid that you’d lift up in order to use the stove. Last summer, we neglected to point out to a guest (who shall remain anonymous) that the glass lid needed to be lifted before using the cooktop. 😉 We experienced an impressive explosion of glass a day or two after the cooktop was used with the cover on top. Literally tiny square bit of glass found their way into every room of the boat. It was impressive. #boatlife. Fortunately, no one was in the way when it happened. Conor fashioned a new lid made of polycarbonate plastic – it’s very lightweight, durable, and can resist high temperatures. Its main purpose is to really provide more counter space and look nice. 🙂

That’s it for now. Surely you’re asking yourself “there must be more?” to meet those goals. And, the answer is yes! There are several more much bigger projects coming up. We’re just awaiting all the gear. We’ll keep you in suspense for now, so stay tuned…!