Azores or Bust

Ahead of schedule, Mischief is launched on 29th October 2018, only a month earlier than planned but hopefully I can put the time to good use. Just waiting for the hoist.

After running the Evinrude in dilute brick cleaner it seems to be cooling and running fine so plans to upgrade to an electric motor are on hold.

After a chat with the club Shoremaster he has a plan to launch Mischief tomorrow. I had a very full weekend on lat minute jobs but she is ready. 14 months of upgrades and refit , let's see if she leaks!!

I like sailing, I seem to break outboards, I only get dirty on my boats when I am working on the engine. The only useful thing about an inboard is that it can have a decent alternator. Options include; rowing, yet another outboard, sculling, an electric outboard or a mixture of these. Following a chat with another owner of an Achilles 24, Capitain Bod, I think I will go for an electric outboard and a sculling oar as a backup. He has a Torqeedo 1003 and spare battery. He hasn't had any maintenance problems, will move to solar charging and works around the output power limitations. Makes sense for my type of sailing. Only problem is that a Torqeedo will cost about the same as I paid for the boat!!

After a semi successful session assisting a friend get his engine into his boat, it was too windy for the crane but the gear box, mounts and shaft fixings were sorted out, I spent more time working on Mischief. The skeg repair was completed, stainless steel section rammed up from below and foam injected. The fibre glass and epoxy was solid and after some filling and fairing it looked OK. The rudder went back on without a hitch and the tiller is back on. The hull has been primed ready for anti fouling. Running rigging is mostly done, quick release shackles on the halyards and topping lift, main sheet reeved. A problem occurred with the genoa furling, it has been very stiff and so I opened it up. I now need to fit new ball bearings!! The rubbing strakes are now back on the boat and plugs were fitted. Chain plates were secured and bolts were cropped back in the cabin. All that has to happen before splash is anti-fouling and finishing off the rubbing strakes. I might even polish the free...

I am starting to believe that I will be back in the water before the end of the year. First weekend in October saw progress on the mast; this is back up and all new systems fitted. Hull; skeg repair is underway and keel is primed.