(as written on January 29th)
We are being told that this one of the coldest winters on record for this region. Certainly neither of us remembers such cold temperatures in Eilat. Throughout the month of January winter raged on. By the second week, we had a light dusting of snow in the Negev desert. While at the marina, liveaboards buttoned down their hatches and turned on their heaters. Manny and I spent evenings reviewing boat projects and organizing ourselves for the work ahead. Often our thoughts turned to just how much we have accomplished already and we fell to reminiscing. As in all things in life, nothing is achieved alone. So, now it is a good time to introduce you to a few people who have helped us throughout Yofy's refit.
Renovating a sailboat takes a strong will, many hours of hard work and patience. Lots of patience. When a refit drags on for years, it can be so easy to give up and turn ones mind to other dreams. Fortunately for us, whenever we ran up against a wall of frustration, someone always showed up to encourage us and help out. Sometimes that meant actual hands on assistance and at other times help showed up through the internet.
We bought Yofy without any idea of her make or much of her history. While we could see that she was a soundly built vessel, we had nowhere to find information on her original sail plan, water storage, recommended engine size or other specifications. On her Israeli registration, somebody had listed her as a Dutch built vessel, but two things happened to make us question that. One was an article in Cruising World magazine with pictures of a Canadian made vessel that looked an awful lot like Yofy. The other was evidence of Robertson screws used prominently throughout Yofy's interior. Anybody who has ever worked with wood in Canada knows that Robertson screws are uniquely Canadian. Both these finds led us to the internet and to Don and Jean Danbert from British Columbia.
We posted a letter in Latitude 48 an online sailing magazine.
http://www.48north.com/sep_2006/anniversary_2.htm
That letter generated years of emails from present and past Fortune owners from as far away as China. Everyone eagerly shared information about the Fortune 30 design and did what they could to help us trouble shoot problems. When we heard from Don and Jean, we were about a year into the refit. They wrote to ask how they could be of help and we've stayed in touch ever since. In the seventies, Don and Jean bought a Fortune 30 hull and deck and completed "Willsway" on their own. They have been a wealth of information.
Within weeks of our first email, Don contacted Bob Fortune and subsequently sent us study plans for the Fortune 30. In the manila envelope he tucked in a couple of pictures of Willsway, including one of Jean and him in the cockpit. Since then, they have helped us by contacting other Fortune 30 owners as we try to trace Yofy's history. While they no longer own Willsway, Don keeps up with our progress and they are always the first to send encouraging words and compliments with each step we take.
Haul out is always an unpleasant but necessary part of any good refit. Back when we first bought Yofy, friends and acquaintances rushed to assure us that come haul out, they would be ready to help. I'm sure they all meant it at the time. Nevertheless the following winter when we hauled Yofy out to dry dock and began the exhausting work of an osmosis job, those folks were busy elsewhere. All of them that is, except Alex. Imagine Manny's astonishment, when he looked up from his first morning of grinding to see Alex sauntering over, clad in overalls with his own grinder in hand. And grind Alex did, for three straight days. His willingness to help was just the encouragement we needed to get that project underway.
However, Alex's real forte lies in sewing. He has an eye for design, the patience for accurate pattern making and the sewing skills required for excellent canvas work. So last winter, when Yofy was ready for a dodger and new sun awning, Alex was just the man we wanted.
This slideshow tells the story of how Alex designed our dodger:
http://s118.photobucket.com/albums/o99/Narayani_photos/Yofy/?action=view¤t=8827bc86.pbw
And this blog wouldn't be complete without a big thank you to Remco. When Remco and his wife Efrat returned from cruising they decided to sell their boat and to move back to land. Remco has generously passed on to us many spare parts, used equipment, paper charts and all of the cruising guides for the Mediterranean.
Cruising sailors will tell you that while sailing to exotic places is exciting, the real pleasure comes through the people they meet. This refit has been tremendously rewarding and Manny and I share much gratitude for the generosity of friends from near and far who readily offered their help.