The weather hasn’t been an easy obstacle to overcome but with some good timing and working a public holiday and a weekend we managed to finish the painting job on Pelagic Australis. The photo shows all the masking still in place after the final coat of grey was sprayed.

While the painters were busy on deck Gcobani and I were busy down below putting the heating system back together after a complete overhaul. I have all the below deck electronics updated and ready to go.

We now just have to fit the new satellite antenna and it’s radome for the Sailor Fleet Broadband 500 system. I have also installed an Iridium Openport system, and removed some obsolete equipment.

We have also been going through the accumulation of spare parts and things that have been kept just in case they come in useful for something one day. Some of the spares in the lockers are for obsolete systems etc., the same for the big box of instrument manuals.

One day I sorted out the odd bits of spectra and rope covers (that we use to cover working parts of ropes as chafe protection) and assorted bits of cordage, string, bungee etc.. I got rid of about half of what had accumulated. On Friday we emptied the forepeak onto the foredeck and sorted out all the odds and ends stored in there – see the photo, left – There wasn’t much in the forepeak that I could bring myself to throw away but a good selection was earmarked to be stored in our storage container in Stanley. Missing from the photo are a couple of anchors, some dive tanks, and two Bombard C4 inflatable tenders that also normally live in the forepeak.

On Wednesday I visited the Quantum sail-loft to check out the new sails for ‘Morgane’, they look very nice and were copied directly from the old ones with just a few small modifications so hopefully they’ll fit just fine – fingers crossed.

This coming week we’ll get “Pelagic Australis'” genoa (a foresail) back from the loft and by Tuesday or Wednesday should be ready for some sea trials. The weather looks pretty grey for the first few days of the week but from Wednesday on-wards looks nice and clear on the long-range forecast.