That'll do Kit!

Time I wrestled back the blog from Kit!! Actually, I think he's a natural blogger, I might let him have another go! Well, I'm back from sauntering around in the Alps (you try sauntering with four small boys in tow)! Lots of progress made on Calypso; all the Harken winches and deck gear fitted, the Selden mast has arrived, Darglow propeller fitted. Boxes of Garmin electronics and Imtra LED lights waiting to be fitted next week by Jamie Marley (no pressure)! The Kebony hand rails are gleaming with Le Tonkinois, and Mikey is beavering away varnishing the rest of the removable woodwork in a container outside, away from any fear of dust. Mikey, a professional varnisher, who has worked on yachts like Velsheda, is a little wary of a product like Le Tonkinois, but he's loving the fact that he has a clear head after a day of varnishing. So far, he's quite impressed. Once he sees the finished product, after three coats, I think he'll be a convert!

Saturday night pulling and grinding!

Another one from Kit I'm afraid - Jess is still sauntering around the French Alps with our four little boys. Tomorrow, Jonah and Ini (7 and 9) are going paragliding which has become a bit of a Lane family obsession. I, however, have had a much more down to earth weekend! I think I have mentioned the awesome 17 " feathering prop from Darglow, well, Jeremy and I tried it on today. It is awesome, but.... Our calculations for enlarging the aperture between the rudder skeg and the rudder were a bit optimistic as became clear when we slid the prop onto the shaft. The shaft itself is also a wee bit too long. So, this evening I have been pulling the shaft out of the Aquadrive (thrust bearing flexible coupling) in order to cut an inch or so off tomorrow - followed by rather a lot of grinding (see photo taken with my mobile). As my older brother, Simon, pointed out to his daughter 'boatbuilders love grinding' and it's true that I don't feel like I've had a truly productive day on the boat unless I have put on a decent layer of dust. Tomorrow, I hope to get the shaft and prop back in and the rudder skeg built back up and faired in so it looks just right.

Fitting it all in...

Sorry, I couldn't resist another quick blog before Jess returns on Monday! Graeme (Hybrid Marine) and Jamie (Marley Marine) were here at 8 am this morning to finally decide where the 'brain' of the hybrid will go and also where to fit all the other systems - like the large inverter and displays for the three different electrical systems (240 V AC, 48 V DC and 12 V DC). So far it's looking pretty good with both the main boxes fitting into spaces that look like they have been designed for them - more luck than good judgement. One concern we have is that we are loading up the starboard side of the boat with all this extra gear, including 180 kgs of batteries, and so when we launch Calypso might have a list to starboard. Fortunately, the beautifully made Rheinstrom Y4 head we have fitted weighs in at an impressive 25 kg! And the holding tank is on the port side too - so we may need to keep that topped up!!

Graeme is hot property at the moment as more and more people the benefits of hybrid engines. His latest idea is to set a control system into the end of the tiller which will allow us to control the electric drive almost effortlessly with your thumb. Jeremy immediately saw the comic potential of bringing the boat into a tricky berth without any apparent engine assistance - having all that silent power at your fingertips will definitely open up all sorts of possibilities...

Stealth blogging...

Kit blogging again - I'm getting into the swing of this, Jess will have to wrestle back control of the blog! We are having a productive week as the yard is closed down for it's annual one week summer shut down, so Jeremy can get his head down without constant interruptions. He has taken to parking his Land Rover inside the shed and locking the side door so we can work it doesn't look like anyone is home! We have had some worthwhile visitors though - Joe McCarthy Photography or Jungle Jim as he's been known has passed by and taken some 'proper' shots of work in progress which will be posted once I've figured out how to reduce them from their gargantuan size. Today we had another legend: Mikey from Antigua who has agreed to step in and help us with some of the bright work in the last week or so before launching. Mikey is a varnishing guru who has worked on many of the worlds most beautiful yachts including Buttercup of Lymington and both Alice II and III.

We also had confirmation from Darren at Hempel paints that they are going to try out their Foul Release Coating - X3 - which works like a non-stick pan rather than containing poisons. It also has the added bonus that should be faster and lasts for at least 10 years. The tricky part is application so we have to do it under their careful supervision.

Jess will be back soon - the last I heard from her she was on a high ropes course with all four boys (including our 5 year old twins), I'm looking forward to hearing the tales...

Missing Jessie...

One month to go before the Southampton boat show - yikes! This is Kit blogging as Jess is away with the boys in the french Alps... So forgive the drop in quality! I've spent most of the last week bolting deck fittings and chainplates down onto the beautiful Kebony laid deck. Like so many jobs they always take longer than you think. Below deck we have an electrical wizard - Jamie Marley from Marley Marine helping us and Graeme Hawksley from Hybrid Marine will be here towards the end of the week to install his Hybrid engine systems. So, I'm hoping the next week will show a great leap forwards towards being Show ready. The prop has arrived from Darglow - and she's a real beauty - at 17" diameter it is well over sized but being a feathering prop it shouldn't affect our sailing speed too much and when it comes to regeneration it should perform well. Other news is the mast which has arrived from Selden and looks great - complete with LED nav lights by LOPOLIGHTS which are very cool looking and super efficient.

When Jess returns refreshed and relaxed (with four slightly wild boys I'm not so sure) after her alpine adventure I hope she will be impressed by our progress with Calypso... I can't wait!