Upgraded to my Spray 42, Riki Tiki. Been aboard her about 3 years now, and very happy with her.

She is a steel hull, round bilge, draws 2m, beam 4.5m LOA on paper is 13.08m but it’s closer to 14. Hydraulic steering, and a 80hp Ford Lee’s motor. Davits, and solar panels are astern.

Various bits and bobs - most exciting for me have been new halyards for Genoa and Mainsail, and some chafe patching on the bimini.

Would you believe it - as I am refitting the bimini, some stitching lets go on a zipper. Thankfully Janet (the woman who did the sewing/patching) was walking past so we are organised to check and repair any needed stitching next week.

During all this maintenance I am trying to out te boat on a diet too. Firstly trying to get weight off. But also trying to get any weight centred and low. I have some heavy tools in deck boxes - the deck boxes are just easier to get at. Anyway, will try and rationalise tools so that main items only are kept in deck boxes, and most weight is low and centred.

Hopefully will get out for Sunday sail. Need to go and collect the kids from their holiday with their mother. Once they are back maintenance will grind down to a much slower pace unfortunately. Great to have them back home aboard though ;)

Boat is hanging in lift, ready to go back afloat in the morning. Antifouling done, anode of course. Had some epoxy to do on base of keel (thus hanging in the air this weekend).

Had to open up the stern scoop, dry it, fill with epoxy, rough fairing, paint, remounted the rudder frame, did some new bolts in rudder hangers, etc. That was all rather hectic.

Various other jobs done, which don't all come to ind this late in the night.

Anyway, a weeks worth of maintenance, and boat should be better for it. Will try to post some pics later - they are on iphone and I have not put on computer yet.

Recently I had a rigging guy do an inspection, and an electric guy do a short job on the mast. It really annoyed me that I could not do this myself.
So I did some research, determined the block and line option would work for me, and started making it happen.

It worked okay. I have 50m of 12mm double braid poly line, two Harken Hexaratchet blocks (one with becket), a new bosun's chair, and a few other minor bits.
The routine is basically to haul the top block up the mast using halyards, fix the bosun's chair to the bottom block, and haul yourself up.
It is okay, and works well. There are a few tweaks I need to make, but I now do my own mast climbing.

I keep this as a dedicated kit, stored in a 20L bucket with lid (also used for holding line tidy as I climb). It cost me north of about $800, but it needed to be done.

If you need a mast climbing rig, I can commend the arrangement I describe as one to consider. It works for me, is solo (very important to me), feels really safe, and its simple.

Just be safe, be safe, be safe. It would be a long way to fall, and we don't want that happening.

So, the plan is all in train. Another aspect I have worked on is sewing. Bought a new domestic sewing machine on special, a hard case, various bits and tools, some good thread, some oxford nylon (200 denier) and started to learn to sew. Oh, and a good book.
Not very hard to learn. I've made a few small things inside, and made a rain/shade cover for the boat. Other projects are in the offing including weather cloths, some more shade, sail cover, and a few pockets of various sorts.
I can sew heavier material (e.g., WeatherMax, a Sunbrella alternative), but have to be very careful about how many layers I create.
Anyway, I found a new skill, and a very affordable way to do it. Not sure if I will get a heavier machine later, and will think about it maybe some time in the future.
One thing is for sure - if you can make a half-decent product, you can save hundreds and hundreds of dollars on canvas work.

Hi
Have not checked in for a while, but things move along. Been enjoying Knuckles with local cruising, just living aboard and learning new maintenance and boat skills.
But lets talk about, the plan - retire and go sailing effectively. Kids are now a little over 2 years and 6 years respectively from finishing high school. On general intent, that means retirement is around 5-6 years away.
I figure when I retire, the youngest can still be finishing school, so a little over lap is okay.
In terms of timing retirement, a big driver here is age. My thinking is retire too late and you will miss your mark and age too quick. Retire too early and insufficient funds result. So for me, the age of 60 looks about right to retire. If I go at 60, that should give me a solid decade (hopefully more) of long term cruising.
Why 60? Well school finishing for a starter is kind of important to me - kids need education and I am not up for home schooling. On top of that is funds but that is a lower priority issue.
Basically I intend to get a more capable but still modest boat, keep using simple systems, and operate and maintain a fairly cost effective boat (well, as cost effective as a boat can be). And given it will be just myself, I should not need a huge boat or a huge bucket of funds.
Anyway, that is the theory, and its coming together reasonably well I think.

One other thing I am doing in preparation for a sailing retirement is just getting my health in a better state and a little self defence training. I've had some significant dental done, lost around 14 kgs, have gained a little bit of fitness, and have taken a few lessons in Krav Maga.

Self defence is something I think we all need to at least consider. If your solution is simply situational awareness, that is cool - at least its addressed and your safety improves just by being aware.
For me though, I wanted a bit more.
Its a bit confronting to be honest - Krav Maga is pretty much a sophisticated form of 'quick and dirty' fighting. That was part of the attraction - its simple, reliable, somewhat intuitive, and makes no bones about what might be involved if you come across some not so nice people. But the training is thorough, includes weapons responses, and makes one think just how serious violence could be.
The big positive is that every time I attend training I walk away just a little bit more skilled and confident. Not saying I could do much, just that hopefully I could do more now than I could have before. And its not taken much of an investment in time either - I found a class I can attend on an occasional basis.
Anyway, give it some thought. Safety in all things = longer term sailing :)
p.s., wish me well in the plan - I am so itching to quit work and get going ;)