It has been a while since our last blog update; the reason being that we’ve been very busy with some major projects to help us with our future sailing needs.

Firstly, we decided to update several items of our electronic navigation equipment and what started off as a small project grew when we found out that our existing kit would not talk to the new kit because the technology had moved on since it was originally installed. Pietro & Guiseppe, owners of Non Solo Nautica chandlers here in Marina di Ragusa, did a great job of installing the new kit and were able to give us the same special offer prices that we saw at the London Boat Show back in January. Now all we need to do is learn how to use it!

We decided a while ago that we needed more solar panels to meet our energy needs and so back in November, we had some panels shipped over from the UK and had to find a way to install them. Our first idea was to have a hard-top bimini made onto which we could attached the solar panels but the cost and inexperience of manufacturing this for a monohull prohibited this. So, we decided to have a stainless steel arch built over the back of the boat instead. A local company, La Rosa Metalli, came down to the marina and talked through our ideas with us. We walked them around to see examples of what we liked and didn’t like about other arches. We agreed a price and design and then Angelo and Alessandro turned up at the back of the boat with tubes of stainless steel, lots of powerful tools and a welding kit to start! With us on hand to help and talk things through, they made the arch, drilled holes through the deck and then tacked welded it in the cockpit before taking the semi-assembled arch back to the workshop for the proper welding and polishing. It all looked a bit scary as they were doing this but it all worked out just fine. Chris and I then had the fun job of passing the cables through the arch and boat which involved either being squished up in lockers trying to pass wires to one another or hanging off the frame with one hand and trying to drill with the other. There was a great sense of satisfaction when it was all finished and we connected the solar panel wiring to see them pumping in energy to keep the batteries fully charged.

Now that those items are complete, we can get on with the rest of our jobs…………