Do it yourself, you save money!
After the purchase of the Mooring 474 PC in Tortolat, all we had to do was to roll up our sleeves and perform the 2500 hours of labor required for the "facelift".
Feeling a bit weary from the weight of years, we started by soliciting two or three quotes, in order to eventually share the joys and satisfactions of refitting with a few brave craftsmen we met.
The reception of the first estimates considerably modified our vision of the project. It was quickly decided to go back to the good old method of our twenty years: to "do" a lot of the work ourselves..
And the courage returned
A ToDoList as long as the arm!
As soon as they were installed on board, a "to-do list" was drawn up.
It was already not a DIY listounette, like "close the shutters", or "change the cat box".
There was already some "heavy" stuff in there... And, we could see that it was only the beginning.
To begin with, we had to go as quickly as possible to tickle some sea spray to find out a little more about our Lady's behavior "at sea".
A first navigation of one hundred miles (Tortolat - Saint-Martin), right into the wind, in this case a brave trade wind of about twenty knots, informed us, without hesitation, on the next few lines of THE list.
The Lady, a Mickey Mouse boat?
Before leaving, an old gnarled captain, all decrepit, all worn out from the carcass, moving with difficulty and a wooden cane, having detected our project of acquiring the Lady had declared to us, in English: "You are going to buy that??!!! But it's a Mickey Mouse boat... It's only good for making out in the islands and luring naughty girls, but you can't go to sea with it...". A philosopher, of course.
This was a bit of a hasty oversight of the fact that these canoes, not content with having been studied in a renowned architectural firm, and bearing the signature of a well-known and respected architect, all came to the Caribbean by sea from their construction site in Capetown, South Africa. A short 6,000-mile crossing, all the same..
The fly is too much!
Rock'n roll: This is the word that comes to mind to describe this Tortola/St. Martin delivery trip, carried out in ordinary conditions, i.e. a trade wind of around twenty knots.
It is that, perched on the second floor, where the cockpit is, the discomfort is obvious.
Impossible to shelter from the rain in the squalls, and absolute necessity to hold on all the time not to be thrown out of the cockpit.
I already had a good aversion, before, for the "unsightly wart" side of this incongruous floor, blaming it for considerably uglifying the boat.
This navigation of only a few hours did not change my mind.
Honestly, I couldn't see myself doing night shifts in that environment.
It quickly became clear that the removal of the cancer was necessary, and as soon as possible.
This first navigation was the only one accomplished in this configuration.
Severe weight loss cure
A week later, I had dismantled all the instruments, electrical cables and hydraulic hoses, and moved the cockpit to the chart table in the saloon.
First "copious" work, from which would follow two or three changes of the same barrel..
On the roof everything landed. The cockpit after its transfer disappeared. All devices were dismantled and moved "downstairs", except for the steering wheel replaced by a pilot's wheel.
The bimini, "Lady's hat" (about 400 kg!!!) took off and landed on the roof of the neighbor's "House-boat".
And the bar?
The operation of "descent" to the first floor of the cockpit had made a "left for account": the wheel.
The Lady could now only orient herself with the help of her two engines.
The situation is quite bearable, but a bit unusual and not very recommended.
The card table before and after the move
It was decided to equip it with a second pilot, equipped with a knurled knob that controls the rudders by simple rotation. In short, a mini wheel bar of two centimeters in diameter..
The new helm station thus created quickly proved to be much better suited to our style of sailing. We are sheltered in all weathers, the movements of the boat have a lesser amplitude, and everything is within reach (we can, simultaneously, control the boat, sip a beer and caress a breast! That is to say...).
Equipped with a well-made office chair, it welcomes you for hours without fatigue.
In the next episode, the author explains how it improved the visibility of the helm station .
