Sail Life

Live Update: July 21, 2022 (Patreon)

Published:

2022-07-21 17:21:40

Imported:

2026-06

Tags:

Live Update

Content

Hi Guys,

Sorry I missed last week’s update. With all the travel, time got away from me a bit. I made it to Michigan safe and sound, and Mads is still in Plymouth with Athena.

First, I have to say Mads has been getting an incredible amount of work done on Athena. Do I have a constant gnawing feeling of guilt knowing he’s working on the boat by himself while I’m here in Michigan with my family? YES. Do I believe he secretly (or not so secretly) loves having the boat to himself to DIY and leave his tools out freely? 100% YES. He’s been teasing me, sending pictures and videos of all of his “messes,” and where he’s been leaving his tools. What can I say? DIY is his happy place :)

The first thing he did was inspect and clean the water tank. We noticed our water was tasting and smelling a little funny right before I left. Mads checked the tanks for growth, but there was none. Then, he noticed the same smell was coming out of the testing spout for the watermaker. After reading a’many forums, we realized we were not running the water maker long enough before transferring the water to our tank. Luckily, that’s all it was! Mads still cleaned the water tank with a round of Puri Sol to ensure we get that taste and odor out of the tank.

Then he moved on to fixing a leaky chainplate in the galley. We quickly noticed it was leaking with all the rain in Ireland. This is a two-person job; we wanted to get it done in Ireland but couldn’t get a break in the rain long enough. However, Mads took it on himself, and all went smooth. No more leaks!

The following job he tackled was the pressurized water pump. A few weeks back, we started hearing a pulsating noise every time we ran the water. We first thought we needed to change the pump, a common issue. However, Mads looked closer and realized it was not the pressurized water pump. The accumulator tank was leaking, and there was water in its bladder. A quick swap of the accumulator tank and all was fixed in the world of pressurized water :)

Following were smaller but time-consuming jobs. Recently our table became a bit shaky, so Mads fixed that. He also painted the doors and the new washboards he made while we were in Chichester. Then, he put up the last few trim pieces in the forward cabin. The trim was a pretty big and fiddly job, but from the pictures, I’ve seen, they really look beautiful :)

Lastly (on this list), Mads installed new lifelines. Last summer, we decided to use Dyneema for our lifelines because of price and time. However, seeing the most action, the top line had become very chafed. We could have added chafe protectors, but in the end, we decided to replace the top lifeline with a stainless steel one. Mads measured and ordered the new line from an online chandlery. However, they came in a little too big, but fortunately, the chandlery could shorten them for us. The Dyneema worked great and did its job, but I am looking forward to the strength and sturdiness of the stainless line.

Mads is cranking these jobs out despite the heatwave in the UK. I did order him one of those cooling towels that seems to have become his new best friend. That reminds me, I almost forgot Mads also installed new fans around the boat! These are going to make a massive difference in the heat!

Now he is starting to work on installing the autopilot and building the cowling for it inside the aft cockpit locker. We will both be relieved once that baby is installed and up and running again.

The month is speeding by for both of us. We are starting to figure out our plans for heading south when I get back, and I think we are both itching and looking forward to start moving again.

I’ll keep you updated on all of Mads jobs aboard Athena. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer and staying cool :)