Escape from Boat Projects!

Flying the Parasailor the kids named Big Red!

The weather over this past weekend was a perfect excuse to escape the marina and boat projects. We left Friday afternoon, after speaking at a local elementary school (sharing what life is like aboard our boat and a little of our California school's STEM and ROV programs).

We pointed our nose towards Aegina, an island about a 2 hour sail away. We were right away in the high traffic zone of the Piraeus Port, but it was smooth sailing all the way across. We anchored in a bay on the southern end of Aegina and settled in for a calm and peaceful night.

Sailing towards Aegina from Piraeus.

At anchor off the southern coast of Aegina.

Sunny is a pro at getting in and out of the dinghy.

All tucked in                                        Tavernas and shops along the quay

The next morning, we pulled anchor
and headed to the island of Poros, about 3 hours away. Once we arrived, we found a nice spot to moor up to the quay lined with tavernas. Once RoundAbout was tucked in for the evening, the crew set about to explore ashore.

Exploring Poros

After a lovely weekend, we had to sail back to Piraeus for some final boat projects: installing our electric winch, water outlet at the front of the boat (so we can rinse the anchor and wash down the deck), and some other small items. We will then be finished (for now) and be able to set sail for Crete later on this week!

Boat Projects

We do try and find time for some fun amidst boat projects! 

We sort of knew what we were getting into after RoundAbout's survey. However, as most boat owners know, it isn't until after you move aboard that you truly find out all the things that need attention. So far we have done the following (photos of some of these below):


Repairs:
*genoa sail repair (about a foot needed repair)
*starboard engine
*port side holding tank sewer hose (added all new hose just to make sure we don't have to do this again)
*fresh water pump (pressure switch went bad)
*joker valves on all heads
*rub rails (cleaned up with acetone and made some small repairs)
*gelcoat repairs
*re-sealing joints (dug out all old caulking, cleaned, and replaced with new)
*the above solved the leak we had above the port side aft cabin, near the electrical panel
*torn hatch screens and clips replaced
*serviced life raft and fire extinguishers
*added adhesive felt under the floorboards to eliminate squeaking
*replaced burned out halogen head light (replaced all head lights with LED instead of halogen)
*replaced broken wind index
*helm hard-top supports were cracking, so we repaired those and added extra supports.
*fridge was only freezing, so we discovered someone had bypassed the compressor. We fixed that and then realized that the temp knob was not really working that well. Repair in process.
*heating/air con unit (wasn't putting out heat and making a loud noise)



Upgrades:
*adding more solar for a total of 1200 watts
*water-maker, Osmosea
*washing machine, Candy 7kg (also ran power to the 'laundry room' so we have an extra outlet and cord is hidden away).
*radar
*AIS
*new chart plotter
*wifi booster (the Wirie)
*mantus 85lb anchor (we will use the old anchor as our secondary)
*new dinghy and outboard (12 foot hypalon dinghy with Yamaha F25 outboard).
*new batteries
*new running rigging (it was time to replace anyway)
*added a swing for the kids (it qualified as an upgrade as far as all of us are concerned--its a lot of fun!)
*low flow shower heads (to help conserve water and make our hot showers last just a little longer)
*privacy shades in salon/galley area
*lifeline netting (more of a safety item than upgrade, but well worth it for peace of mind).
*converted front forward cabin into storage to hang extra lines/sheets.
*Installed a 'passerelle' instead of the plank of wood we were using (again, more of a safety thing, as the wooden plank caused Stef to visit the hospital).
*built up a store of spares on board, as well as organized a tool area (we use hanging nets and had storage areas inserted into lockers)
*new propane tanks
*gas grill (Magma) and new gas connection valve


I will add to these lists as we go along.

Here is some of what we have been up to these past few weeks:

Meet RoundAbout 2.0!

What you all have been waiting for, meet our new home RoundAbout (2.0)! Believe me, this moment could not have come fast enough for us! =)

RoundAbout2.0 is a 2012 Leopard 46 catamaran. She is the 4-cabin 4 head version (she actually has a 2 additional crew cabins, but we use those for storage). (Our first RoundAbout was the 2010 model).

Stats:
Length: 46' 4"
Beam: 24' 10"
Draft: 4.5" (we can get into some pretty shallow spots)

More details here.


We are working every day to get her repaired and adding upgrades such as solar, radar, AIS, new chart plotter, a washing machine, new running rigging, and a water-maker. The boat project list is long but we are slowly checking off those items. We've also got to have our de-naming and re-naming ceremonies! However, that is all for another post. ;)

Our AIS works!

Checking out our new 'family car'

Boat Cards and our Ship's Stamp

I finally got around to designing and ordering our boat cards and stamp for RoundAbout. Boat cards are a cruiser's way of staying in touch and are very handy to have on hand to pass around. Think of it in the same way people on land use business cards. I ordered these via Vistaprint and for less than $20, we had 250 cards printed. They often run promotions, so google around for those promo-codes. You can also print your own cards at home or use a local print shop.

What goes on a boat card?

This all depends on your preference, however, most boat cards we have seen include the boat's name, owner's names (or family name), contact info (email and blog url), and a photo or illustration of the vessel.

For more information, you can check out The Boat Galley's post on boat cards (she has some great info in her post on what to include, as well as what NOT to include on your cards).

A boat stamp is often recognized as the official method to signing customs paperwork. We have not yet needed one, however, we have read that it makes the customs process a bit easier, as to the agents, we are more 'official'. We have our boat's logo, name, USCG registration number, hailing port, and owner's names on our stamp. There are many variations out there, so it really is a matter of personal preference.
As quoted from Noonsite: "A ship's stamp is is greatly appreciated in many countries, where, for some strange reason, a rubber stamp has a certain authority". Other sailors we've spoken with mentioned the stamp came in handy with both receiving shipped goods and processing through customs.

It was a pretty easy and inexpensive to order a custom stamp. I used rubberstamps.net and for a little less than $25, I received our ship's stamp and an ink pad.