I have had a somewhat ambivalent attitude towards the boat this past year. Mainly brought about by health and financial worries. Would we still require such a large boat when it looks like the children will no longer be coming along, will we be able to afford keeping such a large boat when I retire? And due to some health concerns: would we still be able to manage such a large boat single or short-handed?

The lack of potential, cash rich buyers beating a path to our door has made it quite clear that Guapa will be our boat for many years to come. And in a strange way, I am quite relieved/pleased. We've put so much into her... I'd be heartbroken if she actually went.

So, much thought has been going towards what's required to get her ready for long distance offshore sailing. Lots of items initially deemed essential have been scrapped or been moved to the 'lottery win' list.

1. Windvane self-steering: long been on my wish-list, but now moved joint top on our to-do list. It's what we need to be able to sail beyond the goldfish bowl that is the North Sea / Channel area. A Hydrovane had always been the most obvious choice, but I was never quite sure about them. Having chatted with loads of people who have already done what we are planning I have now gone right off them. It came down to an Aries or a Monitor. The 'swing-gate' option swung it for the Monitor (pun sort of intended).
2. Electric windlass: joint top of the to-do list. Back/heart problems have meant that we haven't really anchored in five years. But I'll be damned if I'll be spending the rest of my life sailing from marina to marina. Once fitted, a new lightweight but rigid tender will be on the list too.
3. Pulpit remodelling: getting on/off the boat when moored bow to is not exactly easy. Looking to have the pulpit adapted like some of the Swedish brands (with a ladder). And at the same time I would like to have it adapted so that we can fit a removable bowsprit. We really need one to be able to set the cruising chute shorthanded. The current spit & chicken wire arrangement will only get us so far.
4. Electrics: solar panels and some sort of towed electricity generator. Plans for a generator have been shelved for practical and financial reasons.
5. A water-cooled fridge/freezer: Current unit may well have another year left in it, but not much beyond that.
6. Communications: an SSB radio (possibly with a Practor modem). As we already have a portable satphone plans for some sort of Inmarsat/Iridium internet capable terminal have also been abandoned. There is life without the internet.
7. Steps on the mast: will make getting up the mast A LOT easier. Certainly in the long term when there will be just two of us (or even singlehanded).
8. Also considering fitting an electric winch, but this is not essential. A self-tailing manual winch on the mast will do too.
9. Plans for some sort of rigid canopy to replace the sprayhood have also been shelved. Would be nice to have, but I quite can't bring myself to see it as essential. Price is an important factor too.
10. Likewise plans to fit a watergenerator. These things seem to be very fickle and more trouble than they are worth. Also a consideration: I am not the most patient kind of person when it comes to dealing with temperamental equipment.

There were, still lots to do, but the list is becoming manageable. Hope to complete items 2, 3 and 4 in 2013 and the remainder (1, 4, 6 and 7) in 2014.

Light at the end of the tunnel.

PS: just bought a second-hand boom-brake as X-Mas present for the boat. Added peace of mind when sailing downwind. Don't know why, but involuntary gybes scare the hell out of me.