Renovating the V-Berth

Before...

The interior of our boat had suffered some water damage over the years hence we always planned to 'do her up'. Renovating a boat whilst living aboard and travelling (as we have been), is not necessarily that easy. We started off slowly, fixing exterior problems first. There's little point in correcting cosmetic issues below when the source of the problem is still there. We rebedded deck fittings and made some temporary hatch covers; doing constant detective work to determine where the water is coming in.

Our first interior project was the forward head (toilet to the landlubbers!), which we gutted and rebuilt, using original timbers where possible. No sooner was this finished than we had another job on our hands - making the v-berth (forward cabin) habitable for the baby we are now expecting.

The v-berth was previously our storage 'shed', housing Julian's tools, our sail wardrobe, canvas awnings and a fabulous front-opening 12volt Waeco fridge! The decor surrounding this paraphernalia was grotty to say the least. The forward bulkhead at the chain locker was sporting delaminated teak veneer. The vinyl headlining was more than 30 years old and definitely showing its age. The portlights were leaking and the surrounding woodwork was damaged. The upholstery was past its use-by date and given its final death-knell by our cats. With the clock ticking down to my due-date we started work.

First on the list was demolition. We ripped out the headlining, removed the timbers and veneers and dismantled the portlights. We rebedded the stanchions, pulpit and babystay fittings above deck and gave the anchor locker a clean up and fresh coat of white epoxy paint. Below is a snapshot of how the cabin looked at this point.
It was good to reach the stage where something new was ready to be fixed on. Painted plywood had previously surrounded the portlights. This was now replaced with more durable laminex as demonstrated below.
Julian re-sealed the portlight areas using epoxy and silicon.
Meanwhile the original bronze portlight frames were polished, taking them from green to gold as shown here.
Original teak timbers were stripped back and restored.
New vinyl headlining was glued in place and the full re-assembly began.

Three coats of Goldspar interior satin varnish was applied to all timbers.
Here Carlos our cat is seen 'lending a hand'.
And here is the finished result.
All we need now is the baby....

Shute Harbour - A New Home Base

View across Shute Harbour

Shute Harbour is a little oasis just south of Airlie Beach where we are currently holed up on a rented mooring. Our journey is at a temporary halt while we embark on our latest project - preparing for a family. Our new crew member is due in January 2010. When he is strong enough to set sail we will continue on our travels but for now the best place for him is inside his Mum, although he's starting to get noticed as you can see!

For the next few months the Whitsundays will be our home and right now Shute Harbour is an excellent base. Sheltered from the winds that plague the anchorage at Airlie Beach, Shute Harbour is calm and secure. Moorings are available through Whitsunday-Rent-A-Yacht, one of the longest-running charter companies around.

Other than its stunning scenery some of the great things about stopping in the Whitsundays are the opportunities here. We are currently celebrating the issue of Julian's Coxswain's licence. This allows him to work for the resident bareboat companies in the capacity of a briefer. Briefers instruct the holidaymakers who come here to charter a yacht, catamaran or power cruiser. A good briefer will talk the charterers through all the elements of sailing in the Whitsundays, with particular reference to the type of vessel they have chosen.

Lately Julian's also been doing quite a few de-briefs which involve meeting the charterers on Hamilton Island at the end of their trip and returning the boat to base. This is good fun and a great chance to try out a wide variety of boats. The boat in the photo below is a Perry 43 catamaran - an interesting ride for a die-hard monohull sailor!

I have been busy as usual with various writing and photography projects. My latest assignment is a series of articles for an on-line magazine called Suite 101. Hot off the press are travel pieces about the Whitsundays and Hamilton Island, full of information for prospective visitors on where to stay and what to do. Also just published are articles on sailing Hamilton Island Race Week, visiting Hamilton Island by boat and hiring Whitsunday charter boats and bareboats; essential reading for skippers planning on sailing these seas.