Selden factory tour and rodkicker install (Patreon)

Hi guys :) 

This week we drove down to Selden's factory here in France to pick up a few new goodies for Athena. A super spiffy E40i electric winch and a new rodkicker to replace Athena'sAthena's old rigid boom vang. I installed the rodkicker yesterday. I'm installing the winch as soon as I post this on Patreon :)

We're slowly getting ready to leave Cherbourg. With our to-do list the way it is now, I think we'll stay put for another three weeks. Most of what's left on the list are convenience-related items like, for instance, strikers on all lockers, so we don't need to tape everything closed. But there are also a couple of more critical items; for example, I'd like to have a high volume electric emergency bilge pump. 

We have spent a bit of time trying to plan our summer. Ava is going back to Michigan for a month (July) for the birth of her sister's baby. So I think our plan looks like this:

May: Sail to Ireland

June: Cruise south and west coast of Ireland

July: Sail back to France. Ava flies to Michigan. I continue working on the boat (get her ready for the Atlantic crossing)

August: Ava comes back. We jump down the coast of France. Potentially buddy boating with our friend Mark from Gosport.

September: Spain and Portugal 

October: Portugal 

November: Sail to the Canary Islands

December: Cross the Atlantic

I would have liked to spend more time in Ireland, but it would be nice to be able to buddy-boat with Mark. Like I said, most of the major stuff is done, but there are still a few items on the to-do list, and I'm sure we'll add a couple more this summer. I should be able to squeeze in some projects in July and October :) 

I better get started on the winch installation! I hope you've had a fantastic weekend :) Thank you so much for your support! Stay safe :)