Subic Preps catch up

3Di, Yummm

[Our preps for the Rolex China Sea Race]
We're getting a new J2 -- North's new 3Di technology(*).  I'm looking forward to deploying the beast...
Paperwork in hand, pre-scrutineering check being done Friday, then the full Scrute next week sometime. I see five entries so far in our division, including Sunshine, the Swan 55 (1.123), which has dropped three pips, while we have gone up four (1.219), since we last met. Other old foes are there too, Aussie Maid and Moonblue 2.

Bits and pieces of hassle are: water heater has blown its gasket (again), so we have to order gasket from the manufacturers in Italy.
If you're thinking: "what the hell, I'm a tough offshore sailor, let's just do without hot water"; well, no, because the engine doesn't work without the water heater running fresh water through it: it has to do that to get to be cold water at the inlet. (I'm looking at a work-around for that, as this is second time gasket has blown -- remind me to tell you the story of the Kiwi and the Eskimo Inuit...).

Earlier: the jib track cracked on the way back from Phuket, after days of 35+ knot winds and high seas, so we've had to replace that.

And the hatches have worn with UV, and are leaking -- just normal Simon at the Boatyard tells me, for the distance we've done -- but still, all need to be re-waterproofed...  Noel's working on those.

Here's a simple lesson to all would-be yacht owners from all this: all the stuff that's gone wrong, mostly is peripheral stuff: A/C, inverter, water heater, genset, electric toilets, autopilot.... The fewer of these you have on your boat the better. If you're buying a sail boat, buy a sail boat. Don't buy a boat with all the gear.  I'd happily toss most of the extra gear we bought -- most, if not all of it, from European manufacturers -- over the side and be done with it...

I know, I know --  people told me that before we got all the gear.... It seems you have to go through it before you realise.

I yearns for a simple boat, a boat with sails and a tiller...

OK: now we're going to have to have a day out on the water to do our safety stuff, MOB, etc.  I'll write separately in email about this...

*************

(*) Re 3Di technology: Steve Manning owner of Walawala 2, says after winning Singapore Straits: "... a combination of not only the boat, but also North Sails 3Di's.They are so stable and keep tremendous power in them. There's no power lost in the gust when the fabric stretches. All the gust gets converted to forward energy.' [story here)