Sunday 10th January 2010, day 450, 7,772 miles. 17° 00’.85 N, 061° 46’.49 W. Falmouth Harbour, Antigua
Here I am, back in the sunshine, back to our life of simplicity and pleasure. The contrast between life here and that in the UK is accentuated this time by the weather conditions – a few hours separating shivering in five layers of wool and down from basking in a bikini; a monochrome palette from one bursting with colour – but in a way they only serve to mark the even greater distinctions between two different ways of life.
The oddest thing about coming back here is that it is so different from England, and yet now feels so known. A Caribbean lifestyle is no longer exotic or alien, not something that exists only as a day dream on the walk to the tube, or a two week holiday cut off from real life. It has become, for us, a perfectly normal way of existing.
Living with heat and colour, and greeting strangers with warmth, and pacing ourselves to the heat of the day; running a rhythm of life that makes the most of the cool fresh hours of early morning and sunset; pausing to chat with someone who hails us from the side of the road. Grabbing a roti from a roadside stall, hopping on a pulsing bus, twitching our noses away from the scent of drains, heading over to the supermarket when we see a container off–loaded at the dock; all just part of everyday life. We know the vegetation well enough to recognise it cycling through the seasons, and bananaquits and frigate birds have taken the place of robins and gulls. We are not, and will never be, locals, but we can slip into the local way of living like putting on a well-worn coat.
We still carry round with us, tucked away, the knowledge of how to live in a cold, crowded country. When we return, may we not forget the way of life in a warm and spacious one.
When we first started planning this trip, it was going to be a quick jaunt, taking almost two months away from career and responsibilities, sailing across the Atlantic, and seeing a palm tree or two as a bonus. That was a pretty big adventure. Then it expanded into a year out – how exciting, how risk-taking, how brave – and having got here the urgency of a return to our previous lives has just gradually faded away …
I had supper with a school friend before coming back, and she (quite rightly, and very tactfully) wondered that anyone could find a life of such relative ease and lack of mental challenge satisfying. I agree, and two years ago would have argued the same. From her point of view, with four sparky, fun and intelligent children being guided on the path to university and beyond, with a crowd of clients who are grateful for the work she does, and a husband doing useful work in the national interest, how could she think otherwise?
By rights, I should be pacing the deck with frustration, snarling at one and all because of forced inactivity – the reality is, as you know, a long way off that, and largely suffused with contentment.
And yet, and yet …
It is not that we are bored or run out of things to do. Far from it. There is always a long list, quite apart from the routine of keeping the boat going. There new friendships to make, old friends to greet and exchange tales with, Spanish to learn, and various musical instruments to play around on, clothes to mend and make, books to read and emails to write, and, foremost and always, the islands with all their varied attractions to explore. We leave each island with regret for all the beauties we haven’t seen.
But … there are nagging and growing voices that mutter that this is all very well, and if one wants a life of pure pleasure and little responsibility, apart from the day to day boat chores, it can certainly be found. And enjoyed. However, continue the voices, is this really a life? Creating nothing, contributing nothing, is this really what you want to look back on?
Up until we left, it seemed that our choices were relatively circumscribed: of course we had to get on, achieve, make money, save money, advance in our careers. Breaking away from that way of thinking – or rather, breaking away from that way of life while still living with that way of thinking – was terrifying. Walking away from a respectable job felt like walking straight off the edge of a precipice, with just a steep drop into nothingness to come.
The complication now is that our choices have increased. Ways of living have opened up to us which were previously outside our ambit. No longer “which job in order to further my career and make as much money as possible” but “how do we want to balance off money, family, peace of mind, time, and that wonderful commodity, sunshine?”
And back we cycle to the question of what makes a truly satisfying, well-lived life. Success? Service? Achieving one’s full potential? Or is just waking up each morning, happy to be alive, enough?
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
All the really important stuff
A change of voice - this is what is top of Anthony's mind as we drift through turquoise waters.
TOMIA her systems and her maintenance
Part 1 – Electrics and engine
I thought it might be interesting for some of our blog readers to understand a little more about TOMIA and of the systems and equipment that we have on board to enable us to live relatively comfortably afloat. There is the vast difference in maintenance requirements between a boat kept afloat, most of the time swinging on a mooring, for the average season of 6 or 7 months in northern Europe, and one cruising full time in warmer climates.
Admittedly TOMIA is a very different yacht from BOOTLEGGER, our previous boat, and here size does matter because there is just so much more boat to maintain, topsides to polish, sails to look after, larger engine to service. In addition she is much more complex especially when looking at the electrical systems, battery bank, outlet pumps, battery monitoring system, and battery charger. Then, of course we went and fitted all the extra equipment that we decided we needed, such as watermaker, generator and Duogen, which was mainly to give us as much independence as possible. We know that much of this kit is now standard on many modern yachts but it was not on BOOTLEGGER!
I have totted up the number of nights we’ve spent in marinas since we left, and the total comes to 85, out of the total days since we left England of 465. That sounds quite a lot, but in fact, only 24 of those have been this side of the Atlantic, and of those, 21 were spent in Grenada while we replaced the teak in the cockpit and the aft coachroof. In Europe there are many places where it is impossible to anchor so a marina is the only option.
In other words we love the freedom of being at anchor apart from any financial considerations! When we want to go ashore we jump in the dinghy which is a 3 meter inflatable with an inflated V shaped floor and with the 8hp Honda outboard enables us to travel at about 15 knots. Because it is totally deflatable we can stow it in quite a small space for long sea passages.
Celia, in our blog, has kept you all up to date with vivid stories of some of the problems that we have encountered and which we have mainly been able to deal with ourselves. These could arise at any time on any boat, they may just be unforeseen breakages or be a lack of basic maintenance but that is one thing we cannot ignore.
The main engine is a 60 hp Perkins Prima M60 diesel which is the same engine block used by Volvo Penta for their 55hp unit. It is an excellent workhorse, has a heat exchanger so is internally cooled by fresh water which in its turn is cooled by saltwater. I check the oil after every 20 hours use plus the header tank, both simple jobs that take a few minutes. The oil probably needs a small top up after 50 or 60 hours – all easy to get to so no need to put it off. Perkins has been around for a long time and generally spares are available in most places. We set out with all the usual spares such as filters, fan belts, impellers, water pipes, injectors etc. but have built up the kit along the way with things we should have started with such as a spare raw water pump, not just impellers, fuel pump etc. The engine was installed in 1991 when TOMIA was built with an Aquadrive which is a flexible link between the engine and propeller shaft and cuts out all vibration and having been well insulated is very quiet. We try and cruise at 1800 revs which will push her along at 5 to 5.5 knots depending on wave and wind conditions and at that will consume about 2 litres an hour. At 2500 revs she will run at about 7 to 7.5 knots but will consume about 4 litres.
While the engine is running it charges the battery banks through an alternator and an Adverc battery management system which means that it detects which bank is charged and will adjust the voltage accordingly to ensure that the bank still charging is at full voltage, and the full bank is not overcharged.
We have three other means of charging which are the generator, Duogen and shore power. As we do not do marinas except when necessary the third is little used. There was a 40 amp battery charger onboard when we bought her but we replaced that with a new more efficient 60amp unit which can take either 240 or 110 volts (for when we visit the eastern seaboard of the USA). The shore power and generator are both linked to this to enable the battery bank to be charged at 12 volts.
The generator is a Fisher Panda 3.8KW enclosed in an acoustic enclosure and installed in the aft lazarette. It has a small single cylinder diesel running at a governed speed of 3000rpm. It is however really quiet and we have no problem in running it in a crowded anchorage. It is controlled by a remote panel which also monitors the running hours so it is quite easy to keep a note of the maintenance intervals, but the three main things are oil, water pump and drive belt. We generally run the generator for between one and two hours a day.
The Duogen is both a wind and water generator, so at anchor we put on the wind vane and when underway for any distance fit the impeller and trail it behind. It is a well engineered piece of equipment and will put in between 2 and 5 amps in a 15 knot wind and about 5 amps when sailing at 6 knots. This is all very useful.
We estimated that we would be using up to about 240 amps a day when sailing with autohelm and navigational instruments on, plus the usual things such as fridge, lighting, outlet pumps etc. In fact at anchor we are probably not using more than 70 to 100 amps. The Duogen on an average day for wind may put in 30 so the rest we put in with the generator trying to keep the batteries as fully charged as possible.
The Duogen needs very little maintenance, an occasional grease and check that no screws or bolts have come loose. It is spinning rapidly in anything above 10 knots of wind and as that is the norm over here, it is working very hard.
We have a fairly standard battery monitor which tells us the battery voltage, how many amps are being drawn at that moment and a cumulative amp reading which tells us the battery state. The bank is made up of heavy duty 240 amps 6 volt units linked in parallel and series to give 480amps at 12 volts. We try to keep the battery up to within 5% of full.
Next instalment: Navigation, security and creature comforts
TOMIA her systems and her maintenance
Part 1 – Electrics and engine
I thought it might be interesting for some of our blog readers to understand a little more about TOMIA and of the systems and equipment that we have on board to enable us to live relatively comfortably afloat. There is the vast difference in maintenance requirements between a boat kept afloat, most of the time swinging on a mooring, for the average season of 6 or 7 months in northern Europe, and one cruising full time in warmer climates.
Admittedly TOMIA is a very different yacht from BOOTLEGGER, our previous boat, and here size does matter because there is just so much more boat to maintain, topsides to polish, sails to look after, larger engine to service. In addition she is much more complex especially when looking at the electrical systems, battery bank, outlet pumps, battery monitoring system, and battery charger. Then, of course we went and fitted all the extra equipment that we decided we needed, such as watermaker, generator and Duogen, which was mainly to give us as much independence as possible. We know that much of this kit is now standard on many modern yachts but it was not on BOOTLEGGER!
I have totted up the number of nights we’ve spent in marinas since we left, and the total comes to 85, out of the total days since we left England of 465. That sounds quite a lot, but in fact, only 24 of those have been this side of the Atlantic, and of those, 21 were spent in Grenada while we replaced the teak in the cockpit and the aft coachroof. In Europe there are many places where it is impossible to anchor so a marina is the only option.
In other words we love the freedom of being at anchor apart from any financial considerations! When we want to go ashore we jump in the dinghy which is a 3 meter inflatable with an inflated V shaped floor and with the 8hp Honda outboard enables us to travel at about 15 knots. Because it is totally deflatable we can stow it in quite a small space for long sea passages.
Celia, in our blog, has kept you all up to date with vivid stories of some of the problems that we have encountered and which we have mainly been able to deal with ourselves. These could arise at any time on any boat, they may just be unforeseen breakages or be a lack of basic maintenance but that is one thing we cannot ignore.
The main engine is a 60 hp Perkins Prima M60 diesel which is the same engine block used by Volvo Penta for their 55hp unit. It is an excellent workhorse, has a heat exchanger so is internally cooled by fresh water which in its turn is cooled by saltwater. I check the oil after every 20 hours use plus the header tank, both simple jobs that take a few minutes. The oil probably needs a small top up after 50 or 60 hours – all easy to get to so no need to put it off. Perkins has been around for a long time and generally spares are available in most places. We set out with all the usual spares such as filters, fan belts, impellers, water pipes, injectors etc. but have built up the kit along the way with things we should have started with such as a spare raw water pump, not just impellers, fuel pump etc. The engine was installed in 1991 when TOMIA was built with an Aquadrive which is a flexible link between the engine and propeller shaft and cuts out all vibration and having been well insulated is very quiet. We try and cruise at 1800 revs which will push her along at 5 to 5.5 knots depending on wave and wind conditions and at that will consume about 2 litres an hour. At 2500 revs she will run at about 7 to 7.5 knots but will consume about 4 litres.
While the engine is running it charges the battery banks through an alternator and an Adverc battery management system which means that it detects which bank is charged and will adjust the voltage accordingly to ensure that the bank still charging is at full voltage, and the full bank is not overcharged.
We have three other means of charging which are the generator, Duogen and shore power. As we do not do marinas except when necessary the third is little used. There was a 40 amp battery charger onboard when we bought her but we replaced that with a new more efficient 60amp unit which can take either 240 or 110 volts (for when we visit the eastern seaboard of the USA). The shore power and generator are both linked to this to enable the battery bank to be charged at 12 volts.
The generator is a Fisher Panda 3.8KW enclosed in an acoustic enclosure and installed in the aft lazarette. It has a small single cylinder diesel running at a governed speed of 3000rpm. It is however really quiet and we have no problem in running it in a crowded anchorage. It is controlled by a remote panel which also monitors the running hours so it is quite easy to keep a note of the maintenance intervals, but the three main things are oil, water pump and drive belt. We generally run the generator for between one and two hours a day.
The Duogen is both a wind and water generator, so at anchor we put on the wind vane and when underway for any distance fit the impeller and trail it behind. It is a well engineered piece of equipment and will put in between 2 and 5 amps in a 15 knot wind and about 5 amps when sailing at 6 knots. This is all very useful.
We estimated that we would be using up to about 240 amps a day when sailing with autohelm and navigational instruments on, plus the usual things such as fridge, lighting, outlet pumps etc. In fact at anchor we are probably not using more than 70 to 100 amps. The Duogen on an average day for wind may put in 30 so the rest we put in with the generator trying to keep the batteries as fully charged as possible.
The Duogen needs very little maintenance, an occasional grease and check that no screws or bolts have come loose. It is spinning rapidly in anything above 10 knots of wind and as that is the norm over here, it is working very hard.
We have a fairly standard battery monitor which tells us the battery voltage, how many amps are being drawn at that moment and a cumulative amp reading which tells us the battery state. The bank is made up of heavy duty 240 amps 6 volt units linked in parallel and series to give 480amps at 12 volts. We try to keep the battery up to within 5% of full.
Next instalment: Navigation, security and creature comforts
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