Fluenta's Christmas Letter

Family photo on the beach in Navadra, Fiji earlier in the season.

Merry Christmas from the Shaw family a.k.a. the Fluenta Crew!

It is such a pleasure as Christmas approaches to pause and contemplate the blessings of friends and family.  We have covered many miles this year - from NZ to Canada (by plane) and from NZ to Fiji and back to NZ (by sailboat).  The ups and downs of this journey are on our blog (sv-fluenta.blogspot.ca), so we will just give a few details here.

In May, during a beautiful passage from NZ to Tonga, we turned left and went upwind to Fiji instead.  The gift of that decision was two-fold: we reminded ourselves that we always have the capacity to choose a new course based on intangibles like friendship and intuition, and we spent most of the following six months in convoy with as many as six other kid-boats, giving Victoria and Johnathan the gift of the company of kids their age (not to mention a group of like-minded folks for the parents to socialize with as well!)   Together we explored the remote islands of the Lau Group, the bustle of the Fijian cities, and the beautiful anchorages of the Yasawas and Mamanucas.  We also explored the more subtle terrain of connection, trust, history and stories.

Since leaving Canada in 2012, our family has now spent more than three years with each other 24/7.  There are times that it is a tight fit aboard Fluenta, but this is outweighed by the richness of family experience.  Victoria (12) loves reading, baking and decorating cakes, camping, and sketching sailboats.  Johnathan (10) loves reading, playing with Lego, climbing trees, and climbing the rigging of sailboats.  Benjamin (2) loves reading, playing with Johnathan's Lego, helping Victoria decorate cakes, and in general investigating anything that moves, turns, beeps, or flashes on a sailboat.  Both big kids love playing Minecraft, especially when other boat-kids come over to "double".  More and more, Victoria and Johnathan are able to assist us with our daily tasks, from grinding winches, checking the radar for squalls and traffic, and steering a compass course, to electrical troubleshooting, hydraulic maintenance, and occupying their ever-busy little brother.

In this season of gift giving, I am struck by the generosity of friendships, both recent and long-cherished, nearby and far-flung. It is in sharing of ourselves, from the mundane offering of tools from one another's toolboxes and supplies from our cupboards, to the profound exchange of our hopes, fears, and dreams, that we recognize our common humanity and form community.  Throughout the year, we have enjoyed the blossoming of new relationships as well as the renewal of long-standing ones.  It is this gift of connection that prompts us to take a moment to pause and express this sentiment: from the woven mats on the floors of Fijian huts to the beautifully appointed houses of our friends and family in Canada and NZ, we have been welcomed and loved. Through our friends and family, we have been nurtured in body and soul, and we are thankful.

The miles we travel are long, but the connections that span them can be instantaneous.  We are grateful that you have been a part of our journey, and from our home to yours, we wish you the blessings of this season: Hope, Joy, Peace, and most importantly, Love.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

Love,

Max, Elizabeth, Victoria, Johnathan, and Benjamin

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At 12/23/2015 8:40 PM (utc) SV Fluenta was 35°15.72'S 174°06.83'E

Bay of Islands Cruise (Dolphins, Sharks and more) - Part 2 of 2 of Liz's Letter Home

[Here is part 2 of 2 of Liz's recent letter home]

The view from Kawau Island during our fun trip with Jamie and Caroline in their super nice launch.

Yippee, Jake and Abby are here !

With Victoria and Johnathan giving us a daily sitrep of the countdown, it wasn't very many days at all before we were preparing our boat for company: Max's sister Sarah and her family are doing a year-long round-the-world trip, and they have fitted us into their programme.  Back in August, Victoria created a chart with all the days so she could cross them off as the months went by.  Max and the big kids went to Auckland (where they had the chance to spend a day on Max & Sarah's cousin's new power boat).  It turns out that you can cover ground a lot more quickly at 18 kts than at 6 kts.  Who knew?! Everyone had a lovely visit, and they came back to Opua the following day.  Meanwhile, while the cat was a way, the mice (Benjamin and I) invited some of the ladies in the marina over to play.  My able helper and I had a busy day finding all the bunks, benches, and floors, but it was lovely to look around our company-ready boat at 7pm and have room for seven mamas in our saloon.  As ever this evening was bittersweet because we have dear friends who have gone on to other ports, but it was also nice to meet some new kindred spirits for the first time.  It was a good reminder that every close friend was at one time a stranger, and that it is worth the effort to get to know new people ...

Jake heading back from the kids' secret fort.

We found Sarah & Chris a place to stay in Paihia for a couple of days while we re-grouped and re-provisioned, then we headed out to explore the Bay of Islands for almost a week.  On our first day out of Opua, we pretty much saw all the highlights that folks come here to see: we had dolphins visit us and show off all around the boat, we caught a kingfish, we spotted little penguins playing in the waves, and we were visited by a big shark when we were filleting the fish.  Oh, and we were anchored alone in a picturesque location.  It really doesn't get much better than this!  Each of the subsequent days offered its own adventures, with a trip to the "Hole in the Rock" (with calm seas and beautiful sunshine included), camping ashore (two nights, four kids), and lovely beaches to play on and hills to hike up.  We have had mostly sunny weather, with the odd bit of chilly breeze to keep our wind generator happy and to make us appreciate the warm sunshine that much more.

The dolphins arrive on cue as requested by Abby

The girls pulled in this 30" Kingfish.

Jake getting a chance to fillet the fish for supper.

Some kingfish head for the sharky.  Fun timing as I had just finished working under the hull.

The bronze whaler shark also liked the kingfish.  Before anyone asks, there is no hook in the fishhead.  The head is just tied with string that the shark has no problem biting through.

The R Tucker Thompson sails by.

Off to "Hole in the Rock"

Never miss a chance to fish ...

You can see us in the RHIB in the "hole in the rock"

Coming back to Fluenta

Liz sailing Fluenta back and forth waiting for us as we check out the "hole in the rock"

Add caption

Sarah sailing us back to an anchorage.

The kids set up camp at Urapukapuka

Fluenta anchored at Urapukapuka

Who needs playgrounds ... we have trees ...

Trees and lines ... obviously we need to set up a zipline ...

1

Cousins !

Benjamin is, of course, not wanting to be left behind ...

We only have a couple more days with Sarah and her family, so the kids are making the most of every moment with their cousins, and are already planning ahead for our visit the Granny & Grandpa's farm in the summertime :)

That pretty much brings you up to date on the movements of Fluenta and her crew.  We'll be back on the dock on Monday, in time for Max to drive everyone back to Auckland to meet their flight to Fiji, and we will do a few more maintenance-related jobs in Opua before we head back out to anchor for the Christmas holidays (hopefully with the several other kid-boats that are in the area).

Fluenta is anchored near the "bug" south of the "Bay" in Lagoon Bay on this chart.

Fluenta anchored near where Capt Cook anchored HMS ENDEAVOUR 

Love to you and yours,
Elizabeth

Update: we spent a few days on the dock in Opua, and now we are heading out to the Bay of Islands again for the Christmas/New Year's period.  We are a fleet of four kid boats, and everyone is looking forward to relaxing and visiting. We wish you every blessing of this holiday season.

Early Days in New Zealand (Tall ships, soft shackles and more maintenance) - Part 1 of 2

[Part 1 of 2 from Liz's latest letter home]

Hello!

You can tell when we have wifi and when we don't: when we have Internet, I find myself spending so much time reading everyone else's emails and Facebook posts that I forget to save time to send out my own!!

When I last wrote, we had just arrived in Opua, with an engine that was leaking oil, an alternator that we had disconnected because we had blamed it for the engine-compartment fire that melted most of a bundle of electrical wires, an autopilot that was computing but not driving, charts of NZ that used to work, but our newly-updated chartplotter would not read, and sea water coming into the saloon through our mast, and a social schedule absolutely full with end-of-rally festivities for the "All Points Rally" hosted by the NZ-based Island Cruising Association (ICA).  A lot has happened since then!

The morning after we arrived, we got ourselves settled on a mooring, and headed ashore to hear our weather-guru Bob McDavitt speak as part of a week of workshops set up by the ICA for visiting cruisers.  With two days of great events like this remaining, we didn't exactly lie back and rest after the eight-and-a half-day passage!  

Oh, the glamour of cruising ... replace the burnt wire bundle.

Oh, the glamour of cruising ... replace the burnt wire bundle.

Benjamin helping Liz.

Eventually enough boats had left that there was room for us in the marina, which meant that we could tackle our long list of new projects:

--  The engine compartment fire was a bit of a cautionary tale - even though we had disconnected the alternator, and the smoke stopped when we killed the engine, it turned out that we were just lucky: as long as the main battery switch was ON there was a risk of fire, and to prove this, we got a puff of smoke when Max moved the bundle to start trouble-shooting.  I can't say that the bundle was in *the* most awkward place on the boat, but it was close: the wires passed under a metal framework in the engine compartment, and we had to reach in and down, working by touch as much as by sight, label both sides of each damaged wire, cut them and pull the ends back to where we could work.  We were glad that this happened in a marine center where we could get supplies and advice.  We ended up splicing in a new segment for each of the dozen or so damaged wires (some of which were duplex).  At one point, both of us were stripping and splicing, and Victoria was standing between the open door of the engine compartment and the nav table handing tools back and forth like a surgical assistant.  (It was not all bad: I have to admit that it was fun to do a job together, and I liked giving the kids a real example of both Mom & Dad doing boat jobs).  Even Benjamin "helped": he toddled off to the store with Victoria and Johnathan when we sent them to replenish our supplies :)  It is easy to write about this in one paragraph, but it was in fact about three days of wiring, testing, heat-shrinking, and protecting with a sturdy helical conduit (the space was so tight that winding this stiff piece of plastic around our ungainly new bundle ended up being one of the hardest parts of the job!).  Our friends on Honey dropped by when it was my turn to be up to my shoulders in the engine compartment installing this conduit, and since that evening's plan was to celebrate the return of our functioning propane system by (eventually) cooking a roast that I had bought when I had reprovisioned using their car ... it seemed that the obvious thing was for Jude to cook our roast and chop our vegetables while I kept going trying to enforce my will on a stubborn piece of corkscrew-shaped plastic, and then both families were able to enjoy an impromptu dinner party together. These are the cruising memories that I love :)

Victoria and I repacking the spinnaker after drying it.

-- Without the boat tossing & rolling, Max was able to remove the brushes from the Autopilot drive.  He had attempted this at sea, but somehow they were a bit stuck, and didn't want to come out.  Even though they were only a year old, the brushes were about 5mm when they were supposed to be 18mm thick.  We have new ones on order, but after cleaning them, the old ones have gone back in and are doing the job for now.  We were very relieved that our new drive was fine, as this time last year we were replacing its predecessor under warranty.

Delicate maintenance.

-- The issue with our charts turned out to be caused by the software update that we did in Fiji: once the update was done, the charts saw it as a new and unregistered machine.  The initial answer (from Simrad) was to download the charts again, but they only come with a one-year subscription, and ours had expired (and they could not extend it).  The problem seemed to be with an identification key; they sent us a text file with the proper data, but this didn't work either.  Finally, they sent us a refund, and we will try again with new charts.  Even though they weren't able to provide us a solution, we felt that they were working hard to assist us, and found a way to resolve the issue that didn't leave us out of pocket.  Max had checked our Fiji charts when he did the upgrade (and they worked without issue), but from now on, we will confirm all our charts still work, while we have internet!!  (We will also continue our practice of ensuring we have many layers of charting redundancy onboard, as any of these electronic solutions are vulnerable...)

-- Masts and decks are notorious for leaking at their joint: when the boat flexes, it is hard to keep the two surfaces together in a water-tight manner.  When we were in Mexico, we put in a triple-defence system to keep the water out of the saloon: we used Spartite, a two-part rubbery compound that starts as a liquid, is poured into place, and congeals to form a tight seal, we installed a custom-fit collar that is siliconed into place and held to the mast and the deck collar with hose-clamps, and we added a sunbrella cover (also custom-fit) to protect the whole business.  We haven't seen any water in the saloon in more than two years.  We were pretty confident in this system, but after we arrived in NZ, with water pouring down the mast, we did hear that water can sometimes seep in between the spartite and the mast as the vaseline applied to make the mast removable wears away, so Max dutifully took everything apart, noticing at each layer that it looked pretty good, only to discover that the water was actually coming in between the mast collar and the deck itself!  Our triple defence was still working, so he re-caulked and re-clamped it all (and marked that it had just been inspected) and set about re-doing the black goo that seals the mast collar to the deck.  In this location, he did find some moisture, so it seemed that we had our culprit.

-- We have a lovely story of coincidence to tell about the repair to our engine: after Max and Johnathan pumped 1L of oil out of our engine pan, he contacted the company in Whangarei who had done the work on it last year.  They wanted to put us in touch with the company to whom they had subcontracted what turned out to be the faulty hose.  Shortly after sending an email reiterating that we would only deal directly with our engine contractor, Max was walking across the marina parking lot and saw a fellow wearing the company insignia of the hose company.  He asked him if he could come and take a look so that he could confirm to our engine company that the piece was, in fact, defective.  Once he got onboard and saw the hose (which was leaking through a faulty connection), he did even better than that: he took it into his own hands to fix it himself at no cost to us.  Kudos to ENZED Opua (aka Gary, The Hose Doctor) for fantastic customer service!

The kids met the nice crew of the R Tucker Thompson and were invited to climb the rigging

Up up up ...

Johnathan up the rig on the R Tucker Thompson reluctantly using safety equipment.

That kind of sums up the reactive (ie corrective) maintenance of our first week on the dock.  With those jobs out of the way, we can focus on the usual preventative maintenance that keeps Max busy for a couple of hours every day as well as the "New Zealand" list that we have been compiling all season in Fiji ... new alternator(s), new external alternator-regulator, new rain enclosure (aka "clears") to give us access to our cockpit even when it is raining (hooray!!! this is probably the job I am most excited about), re-cut staysail so we can actually use it, and on, and on.  Eventually, once we are going to be in one place with some extended sunny weather, we will also tackle the many deck fittings that began leaking on our passage south (these need to be done regularly: we remove the bolts and goo holding them in place, clean it all up with acetone, put in new goo, and screw the whole business back together again.  Last year we could only find slot-headed screws; we are hopeful for phillips-headed ones this year...)

Victoria and Ella's display at the little trade show.  Note she was selling dyneema soft shackles as well.

Benjamin was more interested in the petting zoo.  Here Benjamin and one of the Little Explorers crew "groom" a rabbit.

While we (especially Max) were beavering away on boat jobs, Victoria and Johnathan were reconnecting with their friends on Honey, Nirvana (who arrived about a week after we did) and Field Trip.  They have spent a lot of time building a fort that is hidden from view and off-limits to parents :)  Victoria had an outing to Paihia (about 10 min away) with Julie (Nirvana) and all the other girls; Johnathan has spent many hours riding up and down the dock with Axel on Nirvana's two bicycles.  Even Benjamin has gotten in on the act, being driven around the marina in a dock cart ("Of course we're careful with him, Mom...").

While Johnathan and I were working on the boat and checking out the tall ship, Liz, Victoria and Benjamin went to a massive American Thanksgiving dinner hosted by our friends in L'il Explorers in Whangarei.  Here is a picture of some of the kids at the dinner.

More culinary adventures in Fluenta.  The kids (with Ella from Honey) prepare brunch.

Some fruit to go with crepes.

Nirvana was in the yard so obviously time for a BBQ in the yard. Sarah and Chris had just arrived and Chris is already put to work.

Warning ... Yards are great for taking your two year old brother out for a bike ride.   Our visiting medical professional was not so sure of the plan ...

Julie and Liz.

[Part 2 of 2 to follow] ...

Continued adventures in boat maintenance - a "cruising season" recap.

The cliche that cruising is "maintenance in exotic locations" has a lot of truth to it.  Boats, new or old, that are used full time in the dynamic and corrosive environment of the sea need continued maintenance - both preventative and corrective.

There are various blogs that detail their funds in and old but I though it would be interesting to the boat folks out there to see a summary of our boat maintenance activities.  If you are interested in the costs of cruising, Livia on Estrellita, ever the collector of data, has a collection of blogs that collate their costs here.  Our friends on Hotspur also keep track and publish their costs.

Below is a copy of my maintenance spreadsheet for the "cruising season" i.e. the time in the tropics from May 2015 to November 2015.  Of course, the spreadsheet does not tell the whole story.  Some of the line items are a few minutes work (check alternator belts) while others were dramas unto themselves (watermaker failure).  Also note that "passage preparation", while technically preventative maintenance, is a separate checklist in the spreadsheet

Priority/Date	Maintenance Item	Periodicity	Due	Category
28-May-15	stbd deck drain plugged
29-May-15	more turns on genoa furler
30-May-15	waterlift muffler leak - tightened hose clamps			Engine
30-May-15	corrosion control fwd port engine mount and other areas ?
30-May-15	corrosion control chartplotter plugs
30-May-15	MOM8 temp repair
31-May-15	watermaker - pump 2 output		WM	WM
31-May-15	watermaker leak onto exhaust elbow ?		WM	WM
4-Jun-15	check fuel filter bowls	Monthly	Jun-15
5-Jun-15	Prop/shaft zincs	Monthly	May-15
8-Jun-15	clean reefer water filter
8-Jun-15	Pressure water filter
8-Jun-15	solar panel support
11-Jun-15	trickle rudder repair
12-Jun-15	leak - salt water pump
17-Jun-15	replaced watermaker filter and cleaned prefilter
17-Jun-15	switched to alternator # 2, alternator #1 burnt out.
19-Jun-15	alternator x 3 and starter - check wiring	125	4614	engine
19-Jun-15	engine air filter check	125	4614	engine
19-Jun-15	Steering cable tightness - check quarterly	3 mon	Jun-15
19-Jun-15	Windlass - bimonthly	2 Mon	14-Jun-15
19-Jun-15	Engine zinc  - new zinc	60 days	15-Jun-15	Engine
19-Jun-15	mainfurl - Grease the grease nipple on the aft end of the spar.	2 Mon	15-Jun-15
19-Jun-15	Oil cooler zinc	60 days	15-Jun-15
19-Jun-15	Clark plump leaks		WM	WM
19-Jun-15	alternator 2 - tighten belt
19-Jun-15	sort fishing rigs
20-Jun-15	Autopilot - check bolt torque	3 mon	Jun-15
20-Jun-15	autopilot - rudder response failure  - 4x bolts sheared from cross bar
20-Jun-15	empty and dry lazerette
20-Jun-15	OP10 autopilot controller test
20-Jun-15	RHIB hoist point - aft
22-Jun-15	replace aft head bowl seal
22-Jun-15	replace aft head flapper valve
22-Jun-15	replace aft head joker valve
23-Jun-15	speargun repair
26-Jun-15	check fuel filter bowls	Monthly	1-Jul-15
26-Jun-15	empty and dry lockers - clean for mold- especially computer compartment
26-Jun-15	saloon table strut
27-Jun-15	Battery water - fwd - 60 days	60 days	18-Jun-15
27-Jun-15	Battery water - aft - 60 days	60 days	7-Jul-15
27-Jun-15	preventer shackle sewn-in
27-Jun-15	reroute lifeline netting  windlass switches
28-Jun-15	foreguy reroute under anchor chain
30-Jun-15	aft head leak
30-Jun-15	extend turning block for furler
30-Jun-15	fresh water manual pump - leak - bypass
30-Jun-15	pickle watermaker
30-Jun-15	replace bilge pump filter
30-Jun-15	test a/p power - v drop
30-Jun-15	test a/p solenoid connection
30-Jun-15	test alternator 1
30-Jun-15	water entering bilge
3-Jul-15	alternator troubleshoot/replace
3-Jul-15	cockpit lights 2.0
3-Jul-15	engine coolant overflow bucket - resecure
3-Jul-15	pushpit stanchion - temp rebed
4-Jul-15	chain tensioner - fix
4-Jul-15	replace whale foot pump - Whale Tip Toe Pump
5-Jul-15	reduce lines on binnacle
6-Jul-15	feedpump 1 - replace head		WM	WM
6-Jul-15	feedpump 2 - replace		WM	WM
7-Jul-15	port 36 winch - gearbox spline ?
7-Jul-15	Update Triton Display
7-Jul-15	Update Triton Pilot Controller
7-Jul-15	update Zeus Touch
8-Jul-15	speargun repair
9-Jul-15	preventer shackle - shackle seizing
9-Jul-15	saloon fan - stbd side - replace
14-Jul-15	RHIB - temp towing eye
14-Jul-15	speargun - band retainer
18-Jul-15	traveller - cotter pin sheared			rigging
19-Jul-15	anchor roller - replace sheared cotter pin
21-Jul-15	hull/Prop clean	Monthly	Jul-15
21-Jul-15	Engine zinc	30 days	19-Jul-15	Engine
21-Jul-15	Oil cooler zinc	30 days	19-Jul-15	Engine
21-Jul-15	mainfurl - Grease the grease nipple on the aft end of the spar.	2 Mon	19-Jul-15
21-Jul-15	Windlass - bimonthly	2 Mon	19-Jul-15
21-Jul-15	check fuel filter bowls	Monthly	26-Jul-15
21-Jul-15	Prop/shaft zincs	2 mon	5-Aug-15
21-Jul-15	Reefer cut-off to 250 psi
21-Jul-15	stove sparker
22-Jul-15	Oil (100 hrs) - approx 7L of Yanmar SAE30 oil	125	4755.4	engine
22-Jul-15	vang - lower clevis pin's cotter pin sheared			rigging
22-Jul-15	eye glass fix
23-Jul-15	Trimble GPS pole temp repair
24-Jul-15	anchor roller - stbd cotter pin
24-Jul-15	cockpit lights - adhesive
28-Jul-15	SUP valve o-ring
4-Aug-15	Watermaker carbon filter	6 mon	1-Aug-15	WM
4-Aug-15	Watermaker - differential pressure ?		WM	WM
4-Aug-15	water maker feedpump - new			WM
4-Aug-15	watermaker Clark pump - overhaul by Spectra			WM
4-Aug-15	salt water foot pump leak at sink
4-Aug-15	top up coolant
7-Aug-15	grey water tank - not pumping
8-Aug-15	touch up transmission paint
9-Aug-15	check alternator belt tension	monthly	4-Aug-15
9-Aug-15	RHIB - short painter with carabiner
9-Aug-15	SUP - cargo net
11-Aug-15	install GPS Babel
11-Aug-15	install SAS Planet
11-Aug-15	RHIB bridle - modify
12-Aug-15	dingy chaps - Velcro ?
12-Aug-15	dodger sewing repair
13-Aug-15	bimini - water proofing	6 mon	1-Aug-15
13-Aug-15	laptop belt
23-Aug-15	cockpit light repair
28-Aug-15	Engine zinc  - replaced engine zinc	30 days	21-Aug-15	Engine
28-Aug-15	Oil cooler zinc	30 days	21-Aug-15	Engine
28-Aug-15	check fuel filter bowls	Monthly	21-Aug-15
28-Aug-15	Battery water - aft - 60 days	60 days	27-Aug-15
28-Aug-15	Battery water - fwd - 60 days - no water required	60 days	27-Aug-15
28-Aug-15	dingy rode - retie rope to chain
6-Sep-15	add oil - 1/2 to full
8-Sep-15	cockpit lights
10-Sep-15	third fishing lure ?
11-Sep-15	waterlift muffler repair
12-Sep-15	check alternator belt tension	monthly	9-Sep-15
12-Sep-15	fiberglass repairs - cockpit stbd side		gelcoat
12-Sep-15	towing line for rhib
19-Sep-15	aft cockpit soft loop for tethers
19-Sep-15	bow anchor light
19-Sep-15	cockpit jackline
19-Sep-15	cockpit light - trim
19-Sep-15	dodger stitching
19-Sep-15	lifeline chafe guards
19-Sep-15	outboard lift rolling hitch replace
19-Sep-15	trim running back lines
19-Sep-15	trim staysail sheets
21-Sep-15	outboard fuel filter - leak
22-Sep-15	Prop/shaft zincs	2 mon	21-Sep-15
22-Sep-15	outboard 15hp - spark plugs replaced
25-Sep-15	engine zinc - new one to test size.  Old one was fine
25-Sep-15	outboard - carb cleaning
25-Sep-15	outboard - clamp feet install
25-Sep-15	outboard - impellor replacement
25-Sep-15	outboard - new fuel filter oring
25-Sep-15	outboard - will not run at higher idle
26-Sep-15	aft gps mount bolt. Lower
26-Sep-15	fan - port side aft cabin
26-Sep-15	fan - port side aft cabin
26-Sep-15	outboard - check starter cord
26-Sep-15	outboard clamp feet replacement
28-Sep-15	Lubricate steering chain	6 mon	1-Sep-15	Lazerrete
28-Sep-15	Oil cooler zinc	30 days	28-Sep-15	Engine
28-Sep-15	check fuel filter bowls	Monthly	28-Sep-15
28-Sep-15	RHIB - kill switch corrosion
28-Sep-15	stainless steel clean
29-Sep-15	compass temp repair
30-Sep-15	chart table cushion		sewing	sewing
30-Sep-15	rhib seat bag		sewing	sewing
30-Sep-15	SUP cover		sewing	sewing
1-Oct-15	mainfurl - Grease the grease nipple on the aft end of the spar.	2 Mon	21-Sep-15	Grease
1-Oct-15	Windlass - bimonthly	2 Mon	21-Sep-15	Grease
1-Oct-15	Windlass Service - preseason service - every 6 mon	6 mon	Oct-15	Grease
1-Oct-15	Outboard 15 hp greasing	6 mon	1-Oct-15
1-Oct-15	hull dent - port side near ladder
1-Oct-15	hull dent - stbd side fwd from RHIB ?
1-Oct-15	outboard fuel valve adjust
1-Oct-15	windlass - fishing line stuck ?
2-Oct-15	AIS corrosion control plugs
2-Oct-15	bimini - respray
2-Oct-15	clean dodger solar
5-Oct-15	Pressure water filter	3 mon	8-Aug-15
5-Oct-15	rhib - bridle redo		splicing	splicing
5-Oct-15	spear tip weld		ss	ss
5-Oct-15	Clean reefer filter
5-Oct-15	Defrost reefer/clean fridge
6-Oct-15	second preventer line on boom		splicing	splicing
8-Oct-15	teak seam and bung near swim ladder - discolouration and weak calking ?		CSM Berth	teak
8-Oct-15	cockpit cushions - new aft one		sewing	sewing
8-Oct-15	staysail temp repair		sewing	sewing
9-Oct-15	teak bungs - bungs - stbd fwd		CSM Berth	teak
9-Oct-15	2hp fresh water flush
9-Oct-15	engine pan clean
9-Oct-15	furler - add wraps
9-Oct-15	heat exchanger - hose fitting fwd - hint of slight leak
11-Oct-15	teak bungs - port fwd		teak	teak
12-Oct-15	teak deck clean		CSM Berth	teak
12-Oct-15	upper deck clean		CSM Berth
12-Oct-15	clean and corrosion control blocks, shackles, tracks
13-Oct-15	hull/Prop clean	Monthly	21-Aug-15
13-Oct-15	Lubricate steering cable	6 mon	1-Sep-15	Lazerrete
13-Oct-15	Autopilot - check bolt torque	3 mon	19-Sep-15	Lazerrete
13-Oct-15	Steering cable tightness - check quarterly	3 mon	19-Sep-15	Lazerrete
13-Oct-15	Battery water - aft - 60 days	60 days	28-Oct-15
13-Oct-15	check fuel filter bowls	Monthly	28-Oct-15
13-Oct-15	Battery water - start battery - 60 days	60 days	13-Dec-15
13-Oct-15	cockpit cushions - patch old one		sewing	sewing
13-Oct-15	heater troubleshoot
13-Oct-15	tighten battery connections
14-Oct-15	battery equalization - 3 hrs to 14.52V 1.255SG at 90F therefore 1.259SG +/- 0.005 variance between cells
15-Oct-15	dingy chaps - modify		sewing	sewing
16-Oct-15	CO monitor
16-Oct-15	ferrites - autopilot - cct panel and steering cabinet
17-Oct-15	Honda generator - rethread pull cord
17-Oct-15	ssb - line isolator to coax and ferrites to power and pactor assy cables
18-Oct-15	clean mast track and mcclube track
18-Oct-15	rig inspection
18-Oct-15	stbd spin halyard block - replace
19-Oct-15	redo GTO15 connection to backstay
20-Oct-15	fishing shock cord
21-Oct-15	clean speed sensor
29-Oct-15	Battery water - fwd - 60 days	60 days	28-Oct-15
29-Oct-15	check fuel filter bowls	Monthly	13-Nov-15
29-Oct-15	chartplotter plugs
30-Oct-15	check alternator belt tension	25	4696	engine
30-Oct-15	alternator x 3 and starter - check wiring	125	4734	engine
30-Oct-15	engine air filter check	125	4734	engine
30-Oct-15	Autopilot power - 8 AWG power cables to AC42.  Ground led to negative post directly.		ap	ap
30-Oct-15	replace WM filter		WM	WM
30-Oct-15	crankcase ventilation hose leak
30-Oct-15	replace hose clamp - water lift muffler
30-Oct-15	WM Flush filter - leak
31-Oct-15	genoa furler - replace 90 degree block
31-Oct-15	solar panel support - port side
31-Oct-15	top up oil
1-Nov-15	calibrate barometer at Suva
1-Nov-15	spin sock detangle
1-Nov-15	staysail - support strap
2-Nov-15	hull/prop clean - slime
2-Nov-15	polish dodger windows
4-Nov-15	sink drain failure
5-Nov-15	outboard prop
6-Nov-15	Engine zinc	30 days	25-Oct-15	Engine
6-Nov-15	engine water strainer	30 days	28-Oct-15	Engine
6-Nov-15	Oil cooler zinc	30 days	28-Oct-15	Engine
6-Nov-15	cockpit stbd side - epoxy dent
6-Nov-15	MMSI Handheld
6-Nov-15	resplice safety line for rhib
7-Nov-15	watermaker flush system - replace filter bowl
7-Nov-15	Chart table laptop belt mod

At the end of the "fixing" season in New Zealand I will publish the output from the spreadsheet at that point.  Should be a longer list but with some nice upgrades to Fluenta.

Thankfully, most of the season was not spent on maintenance !