Ready to Go Back in the Water! (Patreon)

Hi guys,

Ava here :)

In this week’s video, we finally test the engines—and spoiler alert—they work! Woohoo! We also plumb the shower, align the port-side rudder, and tackle a very crappy job… unfortunately, pun intended.

In real time, we got to take the new dinghy out for a test ride and to check the depths where we’ll be splashing the catamaran. Good news: there’s plenty of water! The only thing we noticed is that the ramp is a bit long for the crane's reach, but the crew seems confident—it’s the same process Bryan used when he pulled her out.

The dinghy is great so far, but it’s a little early to give a full review. We want to take her out a few more times first. We couldn’t quite get up on a plane with three people in the boat, so more testing is needed. Mads had a blast using the Garmin Striker Cast—it's a Bluetooth sonar you tow behind the dinghy for real-time depth readings. Perfect for scouting splash spots.

In other exciting news, we’ve added a new vehicle to the Sail Life fleet! Drumroll… it’s a 1997 Dodge Ram 1500 😄 Huge thanks to our friend Dave. Mads is quickly turning into a full-on country boy. The truck needs a little TLC, but it’ll be a huge help for hauling materials—and for getting our gear up to North Carolina. Don’t worry, Mads will be sharing some of the truck work on Truck Life… ahem, I mean Sail Life ;)

As for the catamaran splash date… still no exact timeline. The trailer we need is here, but it currently has another boat on it—one that might get scrapped, or… who knows. Last week, I was hoping we’d splash this week. This week, I’m guessing we’ll need at least two more. That means I might not be able to do the trip north with Mads, which is a real bummer. I’m still holding onto hope—miracles do happen!

Thanks for coming along on the journey—we’re getting closer every day!