Hello boys and girls; it's been several busy weeks since the last update. The entire crew is now assembled -- David (Shearwater's owner), Wade, Roger and yours truly -- and we've been busy fine-tuning and testing the boat's many systems. I'm sure the crew of MV DavidEllis' 2009 North Pacific crossing will have nightmare flashbacks reading descriptions of our activities this past month.

'Professor' Berry from Skywave has been working with the SSB / Pactor to assure we have a backup source of (synoptic) weather charts and that the satellite phone is talking to the computer, which will allow us to send/receive email (via sat phone) and is our primary source of weather forecast products via the OCENS system. Berry is also putting a lot of effort into hardening our electronics from lightening -- which is a big issue in this part of the world and will continue to be, at least until we reach Hawaii.

On our end, there's lots to get squared away on deck -- securing, fine-tuning and testing gear -- and lots to do below, securing, storing and setting up for a 9000 nautical mile sea voyage.

One example is the para-vane stabilization system. All the pieces are there, and it was already given a quick test on the Pearl River in front of shipyard, but on one of runs last week we got around to actually putting the fish into the water and (to quote that great American, Gomer Pyle) "surprise, surprise, surprise"; both the steel planing fish, instead of tracking straight, each ran in towards the boat and worse, towards the rudder and prop! A little bit disconcerting. After pulling the fish out and puzzling over the situation, we swapped them port-starboard and now they run out away from the boat, although not so far as to pop clear of the water (which has happened on other DDs when first sorting out the system). Various pulleys in the up-haul and down-haul lines needed to be traded out for ones which do not swivel (and twist up the lines causing them to bind). Forestay and backstay need tensioning (but no turnbuckle was installed on the forestay to accomplish this, so those wire ropes have been removed to modify. All this entails studying the problems, photos, sketches, reference materials, discussions and sometime vigorous discussions, trips up the mast, raising and lowering the rig, shackles and blocks (pulleys) on/off, safety wire twisted on then cut off, again... But we're getting there, and in the process working together to jell as a crew.

Much of the confusing situation described above can also be said of dozens of other pieces of equipment or systems, but at the same time through the efforts of crew, friends and an occasional skilled professional, one piece after another falls into place and progress (towards to gaol of getting underway) can be seen. Maybe you're wondering "Gee, this is a brand new boat, why are there so many things needing to be done?" Boats, at least boats larger than your fishing or water-skiing runabout, have many interlocking and often competing systems. A new boat, just delivered by the manufacturer, still requires "commissioning" -- essentially checking, testing fine-tuning, adding systems, changing systems, upgrading systems, until either the boat is ready to go to the satisfaction of the owner, or he's run out of time, money, patience or any combination of all three.

And about that "going" thing. Imagine taking delivery of a new motor home which you are about to drive from your USA driveway to the tip of South America; or from Western Europe east across Siberia to the Pacific. Now add in not being able to pull over to the side of the road, no roadside services, thousands of feet of water underneath you and weather you can't get away from. Before "going" it's important to have identified as much of what might go wrong as is possible and to provide for solutions, assuring that essential systems can carry on through difficulties. One the other hand, there is a line from my Search & Rescue days about "safety and backup systems will continue to proliferate until someone finally decides to get some actual work done"... and we are approaching that place.