Nearly ready to go

Having completed all of the substantial works in Northney Marina, Hayling Island, Hejira has been moved to a berth in Port Solent Marina in Portsmouth Harbour. She will be based in Port Solent until our departure, heading West and South which is scheduled for the 1^st of June.

For those with a marginally technical disposition, the works included the replacement of the rudder bearings with a new design to include additional ‘O’ rings and seals. The replacement of the propeller for a rather quirky ‘Autoprop’ (take a look at ‘you tube’, it’s weird) which ‘feathers’ to reduce drag and adjusts when motor sailing to optimise efficiency. Even under engine alone, with the 500 Litre, standard diesel capacity, the cruising range should be in excess of 1000 miles in a flat sea. The instrument system has been completely replaced with the latest, all singing and dancing Raymarine equipment, the newer technology promises to steer better on auto maintaining a course to the wind, course or to a destination, time will tell. A discreet bracket has been installed on the transom which accepts an outboard motor attachment (just in case) and, more importantly, the hydrogenerator which should provide us with electrical power while sailing – all the power we need if you believe the marketing blurb! The persistent water into the bilge has finally (I sincerely hope) been rectified with the re-seating of one of the above waterline air conditioning sea cocks. An emergency (1700 gallons an hour) bilge pump has been installed, hopefully never to be used in earnest. A new Liferaft, main halyard and keel box baffles are just some of the many other upgrades and improvements. Bespoke wind scoops and ‘flopper stoppers’ have also been added to the burgeoning kit stowed on board.

The revised crew for the first leg is Bob Haywood and Dave Cooke who will both be returning to the UK from Santiago de Compostela on the 16^th of June. I will then be heading straight for the Algarve and will return to the UK on the 30^th of June, probably mooring  Hejira in Lagos until my return with the family on the 10^th of July. I hope to do more Web Diary entries on our Biscay crossing .