s/y Windy
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During the years 1974 to
1982 Hallberg Rassy Wharf built 904 Monsun 31:s.
Our pride and joy “Windy” was built in 1978 and
has number 438.
More facts:
Designer: Olle Enderlein
Length overall: 9,36 m
Beam maximum: 2,87m
Draught maximum: 1,40 m
Length waterline: 7,50 m
Sail area m2 : 48 m2
Displacement tons: 4,7
Engine: Volvo Penta MD11C 23HP
Speed under power: 7 knots
As you can see in the
picture the boat is white with a blue stripe.
The boat seemed to be rigged for long distance
sailing when we bought it, e.g. it has steps up
the mast to make climbing easier and a bow sprit
with an anchor. We also found courtesy flags
from several different countries in the
Mediterranean. Perfect for our intentions!
Since we purchased the
boat in the Autumn of 2003 we have renewed and
adapted it to our requirements.
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Galley
A new gas stove with an oven. One large
and one small burner. This summer (2007) we have changed
the gas pipes connected to a PC10 gas bottle situated in the
aft cockpit locker. This way we reduced the amount of
connections from 9 to 4, which makes it a lot safer. It also
feels safer to have the gas bottle outside of the living
area. We have kept the coolbox as it is after a thorough
service.
The one thing that I have missed in the
galley has been a work surface for preparing food, etc. To
solve this problem we purchased another footplate for our
Lagun table. This plate we fixed to the side of the bunk in
the cabin and “hey presto!” we had a new worktop at our
disposal. Very practical!
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Engine
We experienced a lovely season 2004 without any problems
with the engine. 2005 started with problems straight
away as soon as we had launched the boat. The engine
wouldn´t start. We discovered problems with the fuel
pump and blocked pipes connected to it. This problem
was fixed and the engine worked nicely – until July. The
oil consumption increased at an alarming rate and the
engine stopped every so often. We didn´t get a boating
season in 2005. All our time was spent on finding out
what the problem with the engine was. We ended up with a
total overhaul of the engine as it had overheated. We
reinstalled it after a lot of work – as good as new.
Now we were really looking forward
to the boating season of 2006! The summer of 2006 was
lovely with a lot of sunshine and a little wind. This
meant that we used the engine quite a lot. We spent our
holiday in Danish waters and on our way to Skagen we saw
that the oil light came on. We topped up with oil – the
oil light went out again – and we got to Skagen all
right. The day after there was a nice southwesterly wind
that took us all the way back to our home port of
Stenungsund. A nice day of sailing.
Yet again we started to investigate
what the problem could be and this work resulted in the
engine being lifted out again! This time we hade been
extremely unlucky. Dirt had got into the water cooling
system with the result that the engine had
overheated. This time the damage was not as bad as the
previous year. Now the engine is back in place again,
but this time we have also installed warning alarms for
oil pressure and temperature. Should anything happen now
the boat would sound like the church bells at Christmas
time!
To prevent something like this
happening again we have also installed a water filter
before the water reaches the fresh water cooler. Now we
feel that we have done everything we can to avoid
mishaps, but….we keep our fingers crossed anyway!
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Equipment
Wind rudder
After reading several descriptions
about how heavy and exhausting it can be to steer by
holding the tiller yourself, we decided to get a wind
rudder. The question we asked ourselves was, what kind
were we going to buy? We visited several boat shows and
read about different models and decided that we should
get a Monitor. When we were at the London Boat Show we
met representatives from Monitor and ordered one. Now it
is installed and ready for action. It is going to be
very exciting to see if it works!
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Equipment for navigation
We have thought a lot about safety
when planning how to navigate and the boat is equipped
accordingly.
We have also bought a new sextant,
which we are taking with us. This we are going to use a lot
to keep our knowledge up to date. It feels good to have it
with us – should all the electronic equipment fail for any
reason.
The human factor: Yes, we are going to
do everything in our power to make sure that we function
properly, i.e. eat and sleep properly. Also make sure that
we do not get injured unnecessarily (says she who´s slipped
and hurt herself umpteen times!) First and foremost we have
to take things easy and not stress. Well, our intentions
are good
anyway…
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Power source
We
have two batteries. One is
solely for the
engine and the other is for
navigation, the cool box and
lighting. On our engine we
have two generators.
We have also purchased a
battery charger that can be
connected all the time we
are in any port. We have
also bought a solar panel as
a further charger for the
batteries.
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Life raft
When it came to choosing a life
raft we looked at several alternatives. We chose a
Viking life raft (4 persons), because it seems very
sturdy and has a “step” on the side, which makes it
easier to get in to. After taking part in an exercise
through the Swedish Yachting Association in the swimming
baths in Borås, we experienced how difficult it is to
get in to a life raft when you are in the water. A very
useful exercise. Now we hope that we never get to use
this equipment!
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Sails
We have checked our sails to make
sure that they are all right and we have also bought
some extra ones. We now have the following:
- 2
main sails
-2 furling genoas
-1 jib
-1 storm sail
-1 spanker
It feels good to know that all the sails are in good
order. |
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