S/Y RAPTOR

January 2019 | MONTH IN REVIEW

2019-01-31T22:57:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick summary of what we were up to this month.

Hello 2019!

Hope you like our photo of the month! As some of you may know, Alex flew in from Trinidad to join me in Singapore last December where he could rejuvenate from the harsh life in Trinidad 😅, feast on good food, catch up with some friends and family before heading back together.

Of course, as you might've guessed, our plans never quite go as planned.. After realizing that there's still a lot more work to be done on Raptor, and that it'd be unlikely that we would be able to set sail within a month or two... We decided that it'd be better for me to continue working while he flies back to Trinidad to complete the never ending list of to-do's on the boat.

It was a busy month! Running around, searching for boat stuff, making last minute flight changes, etc, etc. I am grateful for my job extension albeit a bit disappointed that our travel plans were delayed yet again.

Alex's sister and niece came for a short visit. It was nice to have them here as we hadn't seen them since our stay with them back in 2016. I was not able to join them during the day, but it looked like they had a great family bonding time at Universal Studios 😃

So even though I did not get to fly to New York & Trinidad as planned, I did however get to go to Japan! {yay!} My last holiday was back in April 2018 where I went to Korea with my mum for our 2nd M&D (mother & daughter) trip.

Alex and I flew to Tokyo on 14th January, took a train to Kanazawa and stayed for 2 nights, then spent another 5 nights in Kyoto where we made day trips to Nara and Himeji before heading back to Tokyo for the remaining nights.

We had an amazing time! People there are courteous, toilets are always clean, trains are on time, food was fantastic. We took lots of photos, walked among macaque monkeys & sika deers, visited temples & shrines, went to Disney Sea and even got lost in the huge subway stations. The weather was a little cold at times, but nothing compared to the winter we experienced in New York in February 2015, when we only had layered boat clothes to keep us warm.

Will try to write and share photos of our trip in another post.

No boat project updates this month.

Thank you for reading!

TV | Movie Guide 2018

2019-01-01T05:12:00.000-08:00

If you don't already know, we started this list back in 2016 to keep track of what we've been watching.. So, here's a consolidated list of our TV series & movies watched in 2018!

January
3rd Rock From The Sun (Season 1-3)
Boys Over Flowers (Korean)
The Greatest Showman (2018)
Hell on Wheels (Season 1-5)

February
3rd Rock From The Sun (Season 4-6)
The Heirs (2013 Korean)
Doctors (Korean)
The X-Files (Season 1-5)

March
Emergency Couple (Korean)
Black Panther (2018)
The X-Files (Season 6-11)
Strong Woman Do Bong Soon (Korean)

April
Goblin (Korean)
Flower Boy Ramen Shop (Korean)
The Gifted (Season 1)
Star Trek Discovery (Season 1)
Lost in Space (Season 1)
Humans (Season 1-2)
Lore (Season 1)
Avengers: Infinity Wars (2018)

May
The Package (Korean)
Marry Him If You Dare (Korean)
The Shannara Chronicles (Season 1-2)
The Terror (Season 1)
The Orville (Season 1)
The Strain (Complete series)
American Horror Story (Season 1-3)
The Alienist (Season 1)
The Man in the High Castle (Season 1-2)
The Killjoys (Season 1-3)
BIG (Korean)

June
Altered Carbon (Season 1)
Hannibal (Complete series)
Banshee (Season 1-3)
Black Knight: The Man Who Guards Me (Korean)
Birth of a Beauty (Korean)

July
Constantine (Complete series)
Siren (Season 1)
Are You Human? (2018 Korean)
Running Man (Korean)

August
Krypton (Season 1)
Troll Hunters (Complete series)
Oh My Venus (2015 Korean)
Uncontrollably Fond (Korean)
Cheese In The Trap (Korean)

September
Outcast (Season 1 & 2)
The Newsroom (Complete series)
Secret Garden (Korean)

October
Penny Dreadful (Complete series)
Godless (Complete series)
I Am Not A Robot (2017 Korean)
Running Man (2016)

November
The Sopranos (Season 1)
The Flintstones (Season 1)
Fox Bride Star (Korean)
The Third Charm (Korean)
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

December
Terius Behind Me (2018 Korean)
W: Two Worlds (2016 Korean)
Mortal Engines (2018)
Aquaman (2018)
Bumblebee (2018)
Mary Poppins (2018)

This concludes our year! Till next year's list 😃 Apologies for this sloppy post. As you can see, this is the consequence of being back in the rat race!

Happy New Year to all and thanks for reading!

Check out our TV | Movie Guide 2017

September 2018 | MONTH IN REVIEW

2018-09-30T23:10:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick summary of what we were up to this month.

3 more months till the end of my extended contract in Singapore and I'll be back in Trinidad next January. Will Raptor be ready by then?

Alex still has a long list of boat projects to go.. here are just some still on the list:

Make bimini windshield
Make new engine leg cover
Sand and paint deck lockers
Sand and paint interior
Fit new smart regulator for alternator
Repair bar fridge
Re-bed the starboard stanchions
Reinforce deck with ribs from inside

To my surprise, he stripped our head - toilet, basin, laminate countertop, shelves and paint removed. I'm excited to see the new head soon!

He also epoxied the wall over the diesel tank in the queen cabin. In case you missed the post on why we had to remove the wall in the queen cabin, you can read it here on The Fuel Tank Project (Part I).

The deck lockers are slowly but surely getting there. Just a few more rounds of sanding before the paint gets on.

Unfortunately, when he was repairing the bar fridge, he noticed that the plywood it was sitting on had buckled about 1 cm. So, it's one more item on the list, new supports for the fridge are underway.

As you and I know very well... boat projects never end! We try our best to keep our spirits up and finish as much as we can (in this case, as much as he can). Fingers crossed, let's see how much there is left to do when I get back.

Thank you for following our progress and we hope to start sharing more stories of our travels (and not so much boat projects) sometime soon. :)

August 2018 | MONTH IN REVIEW >>

August 2018 | MONTH IN REVIEW

2018-08-31T06:59:00.002-07:00

Here's a quick summary of what we were up to this month.

Alex continued working on the deck lockers. It's been several months now, and he's still working on them.. 😓

On 21st August, a magnitude of 7.3 earthquake struck off the northern coast of Venezuela, west of Trinidad. This is said to be the strongest earthquake within the last 50 years, as the last 7.0 earthquake recorded by the UWI Seismic Centre was in 1968. So strong that the wall and road in front of Dockside Mart cracked and some small power boats fell.

I am reminded of the 6.1 magnitude earthquake we felt back in December 2016. It felt as if we were in a toy boat on a giant's shaky hand. It may have been only for a few seconds, but my legs turned into jelly and it took me a while to recover. Alex was not affected by that earthquake but admitted he was a little shaken with this one. Thankfully he is safe and no visible damage on Raptor (fingers crossed). Thoughts and 🙏🏻 to all affected.

Back in Singapore, I had the opportunity to experience my first river clean up cum meditation on a kayak in Marina Bay River. I got to learn more about the impact of litter to wildlife and our environment, and of course, the meditation was an added bonus. I am guilty of using single-use plastics and am now striving to refuse and reuse as much as possible. It's easier said than done though, but awareness is the first step.

On the entertainment front, I watched Oh My Venus (Korean), Uncontrollably Fond (Korean) and Cheese In The Trap (Korean).

July 2018 | MONTH IN REVIEW >>

September 2018 | MONTH IN REVIEW <<

Crack on the ground near Dock Side Mart from the Earthquake

Crack on the wall of Dock Side Mart

Marina Bay River, Singapore

My first paint by numbers with my niece ;)

A Short Story | Adapting To Something New

2018-08-03T18:57:00.001-07:00

Written by
Mabel Wong

     Mindy was wide awake, past her bedtime. Her parents’ bedroom lights were still on. Mindy’s curiosity got the best of her. She silently creaked open her door and walked out being so cautious not to make any noise. She placed an ear onto the door and listened. “Wow! Thank you, I’ll be there!” said Mindy’s mum and hung up the phone. “What did she mean by I’ll be there?” whispered Mindy under her voice. She heard her mother’s footsteps approaching and hurried back into her room. She laid in her bed thinking about what she just overheard. Suddenly, her door opened and in walked Mindy’s mum. Mindy quickly closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. Mindy’s mum sat on her bed and brushed her bangs off her forehead. She kissed Mindy on her cheek and walked out of her room. The last thing Mindy wanted to do that night was sleep. Eventually she became tired of the many questions in her head and so little answers that she fell asleep.

     The next morning Mindy woke up so tired that she forgot about last night. She lazed around in her bed for a bit and decided to wake up. It was a beautiful day outside, the rays of sunshine shone from her windowsill. The birds were chirping on the tree branches, it was just like the type of mornings in the movies. Mindy got dressed and brushed her teeth. She made her way to the table, halfway there she could already smell the aroma of blueberry pancakes. “Now that, is a breakfast to look forward to!” exclaimed Mindy. On the table were blueberry pancakes piled on a plate, a glass of milk and finally, a platter of fruits. “Morning Sweetie!” greeted Mindy’s mum. “Morning mum” replied Mindy. They both took a seat at the table. Mindy got started on breakfast as soon as she sat. When she finished with a nice glass of milk, her mum’s expression changed to being serious. “Yesterday, my boss called and he said that I got the promotion, sadly it’s in San Francisco. I told him that I needed some time to think about it." explained Mindy’s mum. Mindy gulped hard. “So, what your trying to say is that WE’RE MOVING?” asked Mindy. “Precisely.” Said Mindy’s mum. They spent some time talking about it and Mindy finally gave in.

     It was hard to take in that they were moving. Mindy did not get a wink of sleep that night, it was sad that Mindy had to leave her only home. It took an entire day to box everything up. When they were done, it looked like their house was made of cardboard and boxes. Slowly but surely, it was time to leave. It took a while to say goodbye to their home but the time eventually came. They took a taxi to the airport. Mindy always liked the airport, seeing the planes take off and land really satisfied her. They arrived at the terminal and unloaded their baggage from the back. Checking in was not very hard for them as Mindy’s mum was always prepared. They hanged around for a bit and finally boarded the plane. It took a few hours to reach San Francisco as Chicago was not very near. The plane finally landed. “Mum, where will we be staying here in San Francisco?” Mindy asked. “Well, we’re going to have to stay in an apartment for now until we can find a house.” Said Mindy’s mum. “Oh, ok.” Mindy Said with an unsure look on her face but trying her best to hide it.

     Mindy’s mum waved for a taxi, and soon, they were on their way to the apartment. Mindy looked out of the window most of the time during the car ride. The scenery was beautiful, with beautiful houses, rolling hills and lakes. They arrived at their apartment. It was not very big, but it was an apartment nonetheless. Within a week, they slowly begin settling in. Mindy’s first night in her new bedroom was not that bad. She was still in the same bed her dad had built for her when she was a little girl. Her bedroom still had some of the same furniture, except a smaller space.

     The next day at breakfast, Mindy and her mum were discussing about Mindy’s new school. It was San Francisco Sunrise Middle School. They called it SFSMD for short. Mindy needed a school uniform too, which hadn’t really been liked from Mindy as she liked to wear her own clothes.

     The days went by fast, slowly approaching the first day of Mindy’s new school. She was in the same school since kindergarten, so she did not know the feeling of being new the day finally came, Mindy woke up to her alarm clock. She did not want to be late, especially on her first day. She got dressed into her uniform, brushed her teeth and washed her face. She went to the breakfast table and saw her mum already there dressed for work. On the table was just a bowl of cereal and some fruits. “Eat up sweetie, we’ll have to leave soon.” Reminded Mindy’s mum. “Ok”, said Mindy.

     Soon, they were on their way to her new school. “Remember, you are walking home, ok?” said Mindy’s mum. “Yeah, got it.” Replied Mindy. They arrived at SFSMS. Students were coming from all directions. Some were walking, some were taking the bus and others were getting dropped off by their parents. The school looked so big. There was a football field to the right of the school and a tennis court to its left. This was a really big upgrade from Mindy’s old school. The doors were made of glass and you could see a sign inside that read office inside the school. “Here we are! Try to make some friends.” Said Mindy’s mum. Mindy nodded and headed out of the car. As soon as she thought she had not made a mistake yet, Mindy realized that everyone around her was wearing a different uniform. “Oh no.” said Mindy under her breath. She headed to the front glass doors and realized that there was a sensor at the door. She headed straight to the office and avoided all eye contact although she could feel many eyes staring at her with a puzzled face.

     The office was huge, but she managed to find the main counter. There was a lady there wearing a dress and a light sweater. She was a bit plump as far as Mindy could tell. She was already talking to another girl who looked just about Mindy’s age. ‘She must be new too!’ thought Mindy in her head. Mindy walked to the counter, “Hi, I’m a new student in the 6th grade.” Explained Mindy. “Oh, Hi Mindy, I’m Miss Miller, Sarah here is also a new student in the 6th grade too. Said Miss Miller pointing to the other girl. You two must be here for your class schedules I take it?” asked Miss Miller. “Yes.” Said Sarah. Miss Miller looked at Mindy and she nodded. Miss Miller begin typing into her computer. Two sheets of papers came out of the printer. “Here you are.” Said Miss Miller and handed the papers to both Mindy and Sarah. “And if you girls have any questions, you can always come to the office and we’ll provide you with answers.” Said Miss Miller with a warm smile. Both girls nodded. “And one more thing Mindy, you might want to switch out of that uniform.” Said Miss Miller with a playful laugh. Mindy chuckled.

     When they were out of the office, Sarah asked “Hey, do you want to have lunch with me?” Sarah asked. “Yeah, sure.” Said Mindy. And with that said, they left for their classes. “1st period, math.” Mindy said to herself. She went to a nearby student and asked, “Do you know where Miss Hayley’s Homeroom is?” “Yeah, just down the hall and to your right.” She directed. “Thanks.” said Mindy. She headed down the hall and to her right just as the girl instructed.

     ‘Miss Hayley’ read the sign on the door. She opened it and saw almost all the seats filled up. She quickly took the seat almost to the back of the classroom. There was a table in the front of the classroom, and the nametag read Miss Hayley. There was a nice lady there with glasses, she wore a sunflower dress and a sweater. “Good morning class! Who is ready to learn?” said Miss Hayley with an enthusiastic tone in her voice. “Me!” said a kid in the front row with his hand raised up high. He wore glasses and a plait collar shirt. “Okay?” said Miss Hayley and moved on. Even if Mindy did not say anything, she always had a passion for math and was excited to learn. “We’re learning about variables and expressions today.” Instructed Miss Hayley. The kid in the front row was very actively asking questions, maybe even too active. He was scribbling down notes while his other hand was raised up high. Mindy also took down some notes and had her hand raised up only when she really needed too. Others were busy whispering to each other and passing notes. Others were also listening but not really taking down any notes. So really, only Mindy and a few others were making use of their teacher’s time and knowledge. The lesson went past really fast, Miss Hayley handed out their homework at the end of class. Mindy was happy to receive hers. The bell rang, people started leaving the classroom. Mindy was the only one who took the initiative to thank the teacher for the lesson. “Thank you for your lesson Miss Hayley, I really learnt something from it.” Said Mindy. “Why thank you, although some students make my lesson fall on deaf ears.” Said Miss Hayley and smiled. “And you are…” “Mindy.” Said Mindy finishing her sentence. “you should go, don’t want to be late for your next class.” Reminded Miss Hayley. Mindy nodded and left.

     Mindy looked down at her watch and realized she was only a minute late from her next English period. “Oh no the time! Ok, Mrs. Rooney next period.” Said Mindy to herself. She didn’t mind asking anybody for directions, she ran as fast as her feet could. She raced past classes and eventually reached Mrs. Rooney’s classroom. She took a seat right in the nick of time. This time, an older lady appeared behind the teacher’s desk. Her face was pale and wrinkled. She wore glasses that looked way too big for her eyes. “Good morning students.” Said Mrs. Rooney in a less enthusiastic tone than Miss Hayley. We’re going to learn about on-demand writing today.” Explained Mrs. Rooney. Not surprisingly, Mindy was also taking notes. This seemed longer this time but it was still learning. At the end of the lesson, they received their assignment. They had to write a two-page essay on on-demand writing.

     The bell rang, and this time for lunch. Mindy remembered that she was having lunch with Sarah. She headed to the cafeteria and lined up for the food. She got a tray of mashed potatoes and baked beans served with some bottled water. She took a seat at one of the tables and waited for Sarah. As she waited people were still staring at her for wearing the wrong uniform. She felt like a hole would open up from the ground and swallow her into the earth and at the same time, she felt like telling those people to mind their own business. Finally, Sarah showed up. “Hi Mindy.” Sarah said with a warm smile. “Wait, why are those people staring at you?” Sarah asked. Mindy pointed to her uniform to answer her question. “So, how were your two periods?” Sarah asked to break the tension in the cafeteria. “Oh, yeah.” Said Mindy finally saying something since she felt everyone staring at her like she was an alien. “I really liked math first period, it was always really fun for me.” said Mindy. “No way! I really like math too, it’s my favorite subject.” Explained Sarah. The two girls spent the whole lunch talking. They found out they had a lot in common too. The bell rang again, that was their que to depart. “Do you want to meet up after school?” Mindy asked. “I would really like that!” replied Sarah. With that, they headed off.

     Mindy made use of every other lesson she had. At the end of the school day, her backpack was filled with homework. From math, to social studies, to science… Mindy never had this much homework in her life. But, she decided that this was what she had to get used to from now on.

     The bell rang, Mindy waited outside the office drinking fountain waiting for Sarah. She arrived right after Mindy did. “I was thinking of going to a park nearby that my mum took me to once.” Suggested Mindy. “Sounds like a plan.” Agreed Sarah. The girls headed to the nearby park. It was a beautiful and sunny day. They found a nice shady tree and decided to do their homework there. They concentrated and in the end, they only took an hour and a half to get it done. Although when you’re in homework land, it feels like an entire week. They talked for a bit until they went home. Turns out, Sarah lived really close to Mindy’s apartment, well, a little small vacation site while they were trying to find a house, is what Mindy’s mum likes to call it.

     When Mindy reached home, her mum was already started on dinner. “Oh, there you are! I want to hear all about your day.” Said Mindy’s mum. They had pasta that night. Mindy told her mum about her day, from her wrong uniform to almost being late for her English lesson to Sarah in the cafeteria and finally ending with homework in the park. “That was some day.” Said Mindy’s mum. “Talk about it.” Replied Mindy. “You made a friend!” exclaimed Mindy’s mum. Mindy shrugged her shoulders. “OH, we have to get you a different uniform sweetie.” Said Mindy’s mum with a little bit of a concerned look. They finished dinner and Mindy did the dishes. Soon, it was time to go to bed.

     The week passed, slowly getting more and more normal. And Miss Hayley secretly being Mindy’s favorite teacher. As the year passed, Mindy and Sarah became best friends. The two inseparable girls made more friends and soon, they became an inseparable group. Mindy and her mum eventually moved to a house. San Francisco was becoming their new home now.

Mindy learnt that not all change was bad, some change was good, especially this one.

To be continued…

- So proud of my 10 year old niece 😘💓 -
If you enjoyed what you read, feel free to leave some words of encouragement for more of these stories

July 2018 | MONTH IN REVIEW

2018-07-31T07:19:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick summary of what we were up to this month.

Great news! We hit 16,000 page views! Thank you for reading our blog :)

This month, Alex made the door where it accesses the fuel tank filter in the queen cabin, made a gadget to hold sandpaper in place to sand narrow areas, fibreglassed the slight dip that ran along the right edge of the locker floor where the water always sat, made 2 new chainplates for the inner jib stay, made and attached 2 extra fiberglass steps that the new chainplates will sit on as well as fiberglassed both ends of the port locker where the plywood was exposed.

He also made his own cover over the deck lockers. The things we do when it rains a lot and you need to work on the deck!

In short, he made a lot of things this month, in case I didn't emphasize it enough.. 😆

As for me, I switched roles and extended my contract till early January next year. This means, Alex will have a bit more time to complete the boat projects while I work a little longer to save up for our travels. I am truly grateful for the opportunity. Thank you!

On the entertainment front, I binge-watched Are You Human Too? Another Korean TV series {of course!}.

Check out our other posts:

May 2018 | MONTH IN REVIEW >>

August 2018 | MONTH IN REVIEW <<

The gadget to hold sandpaper in place to sand narrow areas

The two new chainplates for the inner jib stays

Fiberglass step

Close up

Attached two extra fiberglass steps that the new chainplates will sit on

The cover

Thanks for reading!

May 2018 | MONTH IN REVIEW

2018-05-31T21:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick summary of what we were up to this month.

So end of last month, Alex hired a guy to spray the deck with gelcoat. We normally try to do everything ourselves, as labour cost is expensive and we normally do a better job than hired help (of course, by "we", I mean he). But since we don't own a spray gun ourselves, we didn't have much choice... check out the post to see the outcome of the job!

Alex also worked on the locker lids. And yes, it's not top priority on the boat projects list, but since we had a bit of gelcoat left.. we didn't want it to go to waste. No waste here, no sir!

Happy birthday to my Captain! Sorry you had to celebrate it alone. Promise we'll celebrate it soon! A Japanese feast perhaps? 😀

On the entertainment front, Alex watched a lot of TV this month - The Shannara Chronicles (Season 1-2), The Terror (Season 1), The Orville (Season 1), The Strain (Complete series), American Horror Story (Season 1-3), The Alienist (Season 1), The Man in the High Castle (Season 1-2) and The Killjoys (Season 1-3). Makes me wonder if he's really working on the boat!? {just kidding, I'm sure he is..}. As for me, I watched more Korean series - The Package, Marry Him If You Dare and BIG.

Check out our other posts:

Spray Painting Our Deck

Boat Locker Lids

April 2018 | MONTH IN REVIEW >>

July 2018 | MONTH IN REVIEW <<

Boat Locker Lids

2018-05-23T03:30:00.000-07:00

Our boat locker lids. Probably the least of our worries, but since we had a bit of gelcoat left. Alex decided to fix em' up!

We have 4 large and 2 small ones on the front deck, 3 in the cockpit and another 2 on the lazarettes.

Larger ones on the deck. Before - this one actually doesn't look too bad

Removing the foam strip - leaves a very stubborn sticky residue

After cleaning the sticky stuff off

After sanding

The two smaller deck locker lids

Fiberglass cut out

Polyester resin applied (Alex hates using polyester resin normally, but if he uses epoxy, the Gelcoat may have adherence issues unless he uses an expensive primer)

After 1st coat of gelcoat

Fiberglass on, Gelcoat on

Drying under the boat

The battery compartment lid

The 2 cockpit locker lids

All done and ready to be returned to active duty... that is, once he buys & applies some more foam for the lip seal - not an easy task here in Trinidad!

Spray Painting Our Deck

2018-05-02T07:53:00.000-07:00

Finally getting the smooth sections of our deck (those without non-skid on them) spray painted with gelcoat. The gelcoat on the entire boat is still the original from when the boat as built 20 years ago, and we had a lot of sections on the deck where the gelcoat had worn off so badly that the fiberglass was exposed.

With all the repairs that Alex completed such as the jib sail track, the steps, the bow and the forestay chain plate area in the last few months, it made sense to finally get the deck spray painted with a fresh coat of gelcoat.

We'd normally do the job ourselves, but because we don't own a spray gun, Alex hired a local guy to do the job. 💸 We also considered other means of applying the gelcoat (paintbrush or roller), but previous experiences suggest that it never looks very good when brushed or rolled on... unless you're prepared to do LOTS of sanding afterwards (and of course, we weren't).

Since I'm not there to witness what went down, I'm handing this post over to

...

Alex: Would love to do the entire deck (including the non-skid areas which actually constitute most of the deck anyway), but have yet to find a way of properly preparing a non-skid surface for re-spray ... as far as I'm aware its pretty much impossible without completely removing the old non-skid completely and starting from scratch - something I'm definitely not looking at doing! So for the time being we put up with chalky gelcoat that leaves your feet white when you walk on it.

The preparation:

The original area of gelcoat (where it had simply worn off) were sanded with 80grit, then 120grit sandpaper. Lots of small (pinhole sized) cavities & voids in the fiberglass were filled with a polyester based filler & also sanded. Finally the areas not to be painted were masked off with plastic & masking tape.

The areas (such as the step, the jib track, the forestay chainplate area & the front of the boat) that I had repaired with epoxy (I do all my repairs in epoxy as I don't like polyester), were challenging as there's a lot of controversy as to whether gelcoat will adhere properly (long term) to epoxy. In the end I decided not to risk applying the gelcoat directly to the epoxy repairs, but to spray on a gelcoat primer 1st. Only time will tell if this was the right move?

After spraying the white primer, small holes/voids became more apparent & these too were filled (with the same polyester filler paste) & sanded carefully (so as not to sand the primer off), before the final gelcoat application.

We used Duratec (also referred to as High-Gloss) in the final layer of gelcoat - it was pushed heavily on us to use, but in hindsight, I would not use it again unless I was re-spraying the whole boat. It does make the gelcoat come out glossier, and has other benefits ... but for small repair areas it does not make sense - especially when the rest of the surrounding gelcoat is 20 yrs old. Besides, its costs almost 4 times what the gelcoat costs!

The deck covered in plastic to protect the areas that are not supposed to be painted

You can see the areas that need to be repainted

The job:

Spraying the jib sail track with primer

Spraying the forestay chainplate area with primer

Spraying the step with primer

Spraying the front of the boat with primer

After spraying the primer & filling the now-visible holes/voids, the surface had to be sanded down before applying the gelcoat

The step gets gelcoat

The forestay chainplate area with gelcoat

The front gets sprayed with gelcoat

The outcome:

What we used: Locally available Gelcoat, Duratec, Hot Shot polyester filler, lots of Acetone, lots of 1" & 1.5" masking tape, plastic, 80, 120, 220 grit dry sandpaper, 220 & 320 grit wet/dry sandpaper, rags, MEKP & Tack Free (to ensure the gelcoat dries hard & does not remain "sticky". [Duratec does this also, so you either use one or the other - not both]

Time taken: 7 working days - with most of the time taken up by preparation (of course). Actual spraying of all areas took less than a full day.

Lessons Learnt: Agree on EVERYTHING up front with the local tradespeople. Seems everyone (no matter how bad their work) will come recommended by someone. Don't believe what you hear! Definitely don't believe what the trades-person tells you ... they all claim to be experts & know exactly what they are doing - in reality, this is almost never the case. Supervise everything that they do as they will cut corners you didn't even imagine existed. 😀

Now what to do about our non-skid deck? Probably a good scrub!

April 2018 | MONTH IN REVIEW

2018-04-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick summary of what we were up to this month.

Alex was busy with more boat projects as usual. It doesn't seem to end, does it? But he found some time to make me a surprise gift! 💗

This month he attached a wooden strip onto the saloon roof, where he plans to attach the new bimini windscreen. The old screen was made of soft vinyl, but always had problems with the zips, or the snaps where it connected to the roof ... or the vinyl itself getting hard in the sun & becoming less & less transparent. The plan is to make the new windscreen out of clear 5mm acrylic (perspex) ... but this will be a challenge as the windscreen needs to be able to be opened & closed (depending on the weather), and its a curved screen - trickier to do with perspex than with vinyl ... lets see how it turns out?

Also, we're finally getting the smooth section of our deck spray painted with gelcoat. You might've noticed in some of our photos where the gelcoat had worn off so badly that the fiberglass was exposed. Check out our 'Spray Painting Our Deck' post.

Back in Asia, I surprised my mum with tickets to Seoul for her 68th birthday! ;) It was our second mother & daughter trip, and her first time in Korea. We had 4 wonderful days - 2 of which were warm and sunny, while the other 2 were cold and rainy. Check the blog later for a short post of our trip.

On the 29th, I attended my first Rugby Sevens in Singapore! Thank you Ennie for the invite! :) The final game between Fiji & Australia was exhilarating. 21-22 (Fiji-Aus) with less than 0:34 secs remaining, it all happened so quickly, tackle here, tackle there, run, run, run.. Fiji scores a try and wins the game! Sensational! Nothing is impossible... Nothing is over until the final whistle. 👏

On the entertainment front, I completed two korean tv series Goblin and Flower Boy Ramen Shop, while Alex watched The Gifted (Season 1), Star Trek Discovery (Season 1), Lost in Space (Season 1), Humans (Season 1-2) and Lore (Season 1).

Check out our posts this month:

Side Project: A Present For Me!

March 2018 | MONTH IN REVIEW >>

May 2018 | MONTH IN REVIEW <<

>> Check it out! <<

Here's the wooden strip on the saloon roof

Getting spray painted

Changdeokgung Palace

Haha!

Final game between Fiji & Australia

Till next month. Thank you for reading! :)

Side Project: A Present For Me!

2018-04-10T07:23:00.000-07:00

Sometime in April, I received a text.

A surprise he said, that left me perplexed.

Oh my, oh my, a present for me!

Can you guess, what it could be?

It folds and holds, and never grows old.

But if you leave it alone, it may grow mold.

How lovely it is, and made of teak.

So strong and sturdy, it is not weak.

Useful indoors and outdoors as well.

Can you believe, my name it does spell!

Rain or shine, it will never feel blue.

What could this be, do you have a clue?

Yup! You guessed it! It's a foldable stool!

Thank you so much for making this surprise gift for me! 💗 ;)

March 2018 | MONTH IN REVIEW

2018-03-31T23:59:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick summary of what we were up to this month.

3 years ago, on March 2nd, Raptor was hauled out in Power Boats, a boatyard in Trinidad of Trinidad & Tobago. She's been sitting at that very same spot since then. Click here to see us on google maps!

Of course a lot has happened in the last 1,095 days (read our past posts); loads of boat projects (repairs/maintenance/upgrades) completed and some still underway.

The light at the end of the tunnel does seem a little closer and maybe even slightly brighter, but of course we were very hopeful to get her ship-shape several Caribbean seasons ago..

Our blog has, as a result, been more about boat repairs than travel. Guess it's all part of our journey.. How many more months to go?

Well, at least four more till my contract ends in August, and there's no chance of launching before that! Unless Alex finishes all the boat projects and finds some friendly neighbours in the boatyard or crew to launch? :)

This month, Alex worked on the step at the front deck. It turned out to be the cause of a mysterious leak in the port cabins. He removed it and re-enforced it with wooden ribs and fiberglass and properly re-sealed the edges. Let's hope there'll be no more leaks.

He also attended Donald Stollmeyer's farewell dinner. After 37 years of being the Managing Director at Power Boats, Don is finally going to set off on his own sailing adventure (later this year we're told). Very happy for him. Read his story here.

On the entertainment front, I continued my k-drama fever with Emergency Couple and Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, while Alex watched 6 seasons of X-Files (Season 6-11)!

February 2018 | MONTH IN REVIEW >>

April 2018 | MONTH IN REVIEW <<

Before

Step removed by carefully cutting around the edge with an oscillating cutter (which operates a little like hair clippers, but with just 1 vibrating blade)

Added ribs to re-enforce the step

The sides properly sealed with more foam & epoxy, and several layers of fiberglass on the wood at the back also

The old & fragile step - not 100% sure, but suspect the water was leaking right through the step itself, via cracks in the gelcoat (the whole step flexed a lot when it was stepped on)

Re-enforced with plywood & a layer of fiberglass on either side of it

The new and very strong step ... the rib was added after laminating on the plywood to help keep its shape, as we found the step's wall was a little bowed inwards at the centre of the step - possibly due to the laminating he did, or just because it had bowed when it was thin & fragile & adding fiberglass just fixed it in that bowed position. Either way, the rib helped to force-straighten it back up.

Re-sealed the step with epoxy bog & another 2 layers of fiberglass all around

Held down with lots of C-clamps till it set ... Alex was hoping its weight alone would hold it down, but he was wrong!

Close up of the C-clamps over long strips of wood both top & bottom

All sanded and ready to be painted

Thank you for reading! :-)

February 2018 | MONTH IN REVIEW

2018-02-28T22:26:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick summary of what we were up to this month.

I'm still playing catch up with our posts! {two months behind} 😀. It's kinda hard to write a blog with a full time job. The last thing I feel like doing at the end of the day is.. sit in front of the computer again. So I try to work on it on weekends but it's funny how weekends fly by so quickly.. four weekends go by and {poof} it's a(nother) month!

Chinese New Year fell on the 16th, just 2 days after Valentine's day! We bid farewell to the year of the Rooster 🐔, and welcomed the year of the Dog 🐶!

Grateful to be home this year. One of the things I enjoy most about Chinese New Year other than the family getting together, is the cooking and eating of Chai, a vegetarian dish made with napa/chinese cabbage, beancurd, ginko nuts, black fungus, different types of mushrooms, etc. We make this every year! My grandma's recipe is the BEST! It's really delicious and very healthy too!

On the other side of the world, Alex has been busy with more boat projects.

He re-sealed the hatches in the saloon, sanded and grinded more of the bow, repaired the section where the trampoline meets the deck and worked on the hawse pipe. Scroll down to see photos below.

On the entertainment front, while Alex was watching The X-Files (Season 1-5), I was busy watching 3rd Rock from the Sun (Season 4-6), The Heirs (Korean TV series) and Doctors (another Korean TV series). I figured, now that I'm back in Asia, I might as well jump onto the Korean drama bandwagon! 😄

Check out our posts this month:

Re-sealing the Saloon Hatches

January 2018 | MONTH IN REVIEW >>

March 2018 | MONTH IN REVIEW <<

Re-sealed the hatches in the saloon

After sanding the 2 access holes, Alex applied epoxy bog - read our January post

Sanded, grinded and repaired the section where the trampoline meets the deck

Repairs on the hawse pipe

Mum's famous mouth-watering crispy crackling pork belly

Yee Sang/Yusheng - only available during Chinese New Year, another favourite of mine

And of course here are the ingredients for the Chai dish I love 😋

Till next month. Thank you for reading!

Re-sealing the Saloon Hatches

2018-02-20T02:31:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos when Alex re-sealed the hatches in the saloon.

The hatch removed (view from inside)

The hatch removed (view from outside)

Balsa core

About a centimeter of balse core removed all around

Plastic container taped to the ceiling to catch the balsa core

Sanded and filled the cavity with epoxy bog - to prevent water from leaking into the balsa core
He also epoxied a 3mm PVC board so that the hatch is raised and thus less likely for water to seep in

A close up of epoxy bog fill & PVC board

All sanded and ready for sikaflex

Old sikaflex cleaned from the hatch

The hatch is sikaflexed in

All done!

Note: Alex re-sealed the hatch on the port side in February and the one on the starboard side in May! Bit by bit.. we'll get there! 😎

January 2018 | MONTH IN REVIEW

2018-01-31T01:45:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick summary on what we were up to this month.

Happy New Year! Wishing you and your loved ones a blessed and wonderful 2018! 🎉 {in reality this post is a couple of months late}

It's been a busy month for us. While I have been busy juggling between my new job and sorting out some personal stuff; Alex has been busy working on the long list of boat projects and has made a lot more progress than he did last month! {yay}

He finally replaced the cracked mixing elbow on the engine. Unfortunately, the one we got from US was not the right one, even though we checked with the salesperson prior to purchasing it. Nothing new, as a result, we purchased a couple of new hoses because the inlet on the mixing elbow did not align to the outlet on the heat exchange. Things we do to make it work.

Several months ago, after we re-bedded the shroud chain plates & re-attached the shrouds, we noticed, as we were tightening the shrouds, that the middle port shroud would not tension whatsoever above the spreader. For some reason, it seemed to have slipped up through the spreader clamp on the end of the spreader when we loosened the shrouds, but then got jammed & refused to slip back into place. Check out our 'Spreader Maintenance' post to see more photos!

Last September, Alex started the Fuel Tank Project. The one where we had to remove an entire wall in the main port cabin to gain access to it and added an inspection port to clean the sludge out. The project was put on hold for a while as he needed parts for his fuel polishing system which he finally picked up in the US last December. Take a look at some of the connectors below. Apparently it's not as easy as it looks!

He also sanded the bow, where we made two access holes to get access to the forestay chain plate area we had to repair & reinforce in Richard's Bay, South Africa 5 years ago. The access holes were sealed up of course, but left visible... just in case we had to open them up & revisit the repair done on the wood supporting the chain plate. Many years later, the repair still looks very strong 🙏, so he finally decided it was time to seal the whole area permanently. More updates on this later.

It's good to see the progress on Raptor. Although still far from being ready to launch.

As for me, getting back into the the rat race after two years is rather challenging. I am trying my very best to keep my head above the water and doing my best to stay positive. If you see me frown, turn me upside down! 😆

Oh, and on 23rd January, after almost 3 years on the hard in PowerBoats, we had all the stands for the boat replaced (in 2 hours). The blocks of wood we were on had too much moisture (beginning to rot a little) and had lots of ants. So we got them replaced to be safe! Scroll down below to see our new stands.

Check out our posts this month:

Spreader Maintenance

December 2017 | MONTH IN REVIEW >>

February 2018 | MONTH IN REVIEW <<

A much longer hose needed as the inlet on the mixing elbow did not align to the outlet on the heat exchanger

Yikes

2 ladders attached

The cause of many sleepless nights

Sanded - the two access holes we made in Richard's Bay, South Africa

Raptor is raised by the trailer to replace the stands

Our new stands!

Thanks for reading. Till next month!

Photo credits: Alex

Spreader Maintenance

2018-01-28T04:11:00.000-08:00

If you read our previous posts, you might be aware that after we resealed our shroud chain plates & replaced all the bolts securing them, the middle shroud on the port side was no longer taut above the spreader. It appeared to be stuck in the the spreader clamp on the end of the spreader. Alex goes up to investigate and do some maintenance work.

Alex up on the mast

Investigating..

His idea to attach 2 ladders together to reach the spreader

Does not look very secure to me

Look at the base! What do you think?

A rope tied around the shrouds to keep them from slipping off the end of the spreader

A close up of the spreader clamp which was removed for cleaning

The top spreader (before cleaning)
I feel slightly nauseous just looking at the photo. It's a good thing Alex has no fear of heights

Before and After photos of the spreader end

The top spreader (after cleaning)

Good work! Which do you think is scarier, working at this height over land or water?

December 2017 | MONTH IN REVIEW

2017-12-31T01:18:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick summary of what we were up to this month.

Alex flew back to Trinidad on 7th December via New York where he picked up more stuff for the boat.

Not much to report on the progress of our boat projects though, as he spent the month recovering from a bad cough & cold. He also spent a lot of time re-arranging the tools.. {cleaning up the mess or so he says..} 😀

This Christmas was extra special because I got to spend it with my family. 💗

Happy one year anniversary to sailraptor.blogspot.com! ;) Can't believe it's been a year since we started this blog; it's definitely come a long way {if I do say so myself}, with over 120 published posts and forty more in draft. Will get it up-to-date someday. 😅

It takes a lot of effort to maintain a blog but very fulfilling. Sorry for being a little slow with the posts. Been busy adapting back to life in the rat race.

Just want to say thank you for your support by following our blog, reading our posts and/or shopping through our links. Every little bit means a lot to us. Thank you so very much.

It's New Years Eve and it's been raining all day and night here in Singapore. Here's wishing all a happy & sunny New Year!

Check out our posts this month:

TV | Movie Guide 2017

November 2017 | MONTH IN REVIEW >>

January 2018 | MONTH IN REVIEW <<

A typical cruisers travel bag - no clothes, just boat stuff

Most importantly, chocolates the size of his backpack!

Got Alex to send me some photos of New York

Christmas lights

"Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus right down Santa Claus Lane"

His breakfast!?! :O

Till next month!

TV | Movie Guide 2017

2017-12-30T07:45:00.000-08:00

We've been posting our monthly entertainment in our Month in Review posts. Here's the consolidated list of movies and TV series we watched in 2017! :)

January

11.22.63 (Season 1)
The OA (Season 1 & 2)
Orphan Black (Season 4)

February

Fargo (Season 1)
Jericho (Season 1)

March

Black Sails (Season 1)
Jericho (Season 2)
Taboo (Season 1)
Moana 💓 (2016)

April

13 Reasons Why (Season 1)

Fargo (Season 2)

The Expanse (Season 1)

The Last Kingdom (Season 1 & 2)

True Blood (Season 1-7)

May

Black Sails (Season 2)

Friends (Season 4-6)

Arrested Development (Season 1-4) <- wouldn't watch this again

June

Friends (Season 7-10)
Legion (Season 1)
American Gods (Season 1)
Wonder Woman (2017)
The Great Wall (2016)
The Lost City of Z (2016)

July
Breaking Bad (Season 1-3)
Everybody Loves Raymond (Season 1 & 2)
The Mummy (2017)
Okja - Korean (2017)
Iron Fist (Season 1) <- not good

August
Breaking Bad (Season 4-5)
Better Call Saul (Season 1-3) <- prequel to Breaking Bad
Guardians of The Galaxy 2 (2017)
Into the Badlands (Season 1 & 2)
Vikings (Season 1-4)
The Defenders (Season 1)
Daredevil (Season 1 & 2)
Orphan Black (Season 5)
Everybody Loves Raymond (Season 3 & 4)

September
Everybody Loves Raymond (Season 5 & 6)
Game Of Thrones (Season 7)
Dark Matter (Season 3)
Killjoys (Season 3)
Hitman's Bodyguard (2017)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
The Fate of the Furious (2017)
Lieutenant Ottoman (2016)
Miss Peregrin and Peculiar Children (2016)
Lion (2016)
Arrow (Season 5)
The Flash (Season 3)
Supergirl (Season 1 & 2)

October
No details - home for holidays

November
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Justice League (2017)

December
I didn't have time to watch any, but I believe Alex was busy watching his favorite genre.. horror TV series. Most likely.. The Walking Dead 😀

What did you watch in 2017? We'd love to know what was your favourite movie or TV series this year. Any recommendations?

November 2017 | MONTH IN REVIEW

2017-11-30T06:47:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick summary of what we were up to this month.

As some of you may already know I flew back to Malaysia to visit my family last month while Alex flew in to join me on the 10th of this month.

The plan was to fly back to Trinidad in December, complete our long list of boat projects and hopefully set sail again by end January 2018.

Of course, things never go as planned... a couple of days in of my arrival back home, I had an opportunity to work again in my former company! (a contract role) :D

Needless to say, I was a little conflicted at first, the thought of having to miss out on yet another season in the Caribbean was a little woeful (have not sailed since we arrived in 2015 - miss visiting new places, not so much the sailing/repairs 😀). I can't help but wonder if the universe is persistently trying to tell me something.

You see, we arrived in Trinidad late February 2015, what was meant to be a quick haul out to re-anti foul our hulls (and some minor repairs & maintenance), turned out to be a much longer stay after Alex injured his back while lifting our 50kg outboard engine from the ground to the transom at 1 m high.

2 months later with his back still out, we decided to return home so that he could fully recover. We were very fortunate to find work and both ended up working back in Singapore and Australia respectively for 6 months.

Due to some unforeseen circumstances, our return to Trinidad in December 2015 was delayed by another 9 months. Thus missing another season in 2016.

We finally returned to Trinidad late September last year in hopes of completing our list of boat projects and sail the Caribbean in 2017. Unfortunately, the list of boat projects only seemed to grow and everything took a lot longer than expected. Read our past posts.

We missed the sailing season again in 2017, as we spent a whole year (2 visa extensions & a visa run) working on the boat and we still have much to do!

Sorry I digress.

No prize for guessing I took the job! ;) I'm utterly grateful for this opportunity. Thank you! Thank you! (to my boss and colleagues, please be patient with me as I'm a little rusty!)

I guess I'll see you (the Caribbean) in 2019, maybe?

October 2017 | MONTH IN REVIEW >>

December 2017 | MONTH IN REVIEW <<

Gardens By The Bay

Marina Bay Sands

Did you know? The orchid is the national flower of Singapore

Alex's favorite Japanese joint in Singapore

Sushi Tei at Vivocity, Singapore

Gyuniku Roll

One of my favorites ;9 Sliced Pork Rice

Till next month! :)

October 2017 | MONTH IN REVIEW

2017-10-31T07:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick summary of what we were up to this month.

Some of you may know, I flew back to Malaysia via New York & Hong Kong on October 6th, leaving Alex on his own on Raptor to continue working on our never ending list of boat projects.

It took a total of approximately 24 hours of flight time, 8 hours of transit time, 1/2 an hours train ride and an hours car ride to get from Port of Spain, Trinidad to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I finally arrived home on October 8th (after ~34 hours of travel time!)

Haven't been posting much as I've been quite busy with family activities and duties. My first order of business when I got home was to send my dear niece to her swimming, music and ballet classes the next morning. I was also tasked to cook dinner on weekdays!

On one of the nights, I made them my "famous" chicken rice! Unfortunately the chicken we had was.. well, kinda hairy {yikes}. My mum and I tried our best to pluck as much as we could, but my nephews found a couple of strays and they were horrified! I guess my famous chicken rice is now infamous! ;(

I celebrated my birthday again at my favorite all-you-can-eat Japanese Steamboat at Sukiya in Paradigm Mall, had a delicious chocolate cake and also received lots of lovely birthday presents! Thank you family! ♥

Time really flies by when you're busy {or having fun}. Much like being on the boat, the days just go by so quickly..

While I've been busy with family stuff back in Malaysia, Alex has been working hard to make as much progress as he possibly can on Raptor before he joins me next month.

He's been pretty good at taking photos of his hard work and sending them to me.

He made quite a bit of progress on the Jib Sail Track project despite the rainy weather. Finally filled the cavity with fiberglass and foam, and of course, lots of sanding! See photos below. Stay tuned for a separate post.

He also painted the fuel tank. I guess that's about as much as he can do on the Fuel Tank project for now. Till we get the parts i.e. fuel filters (Racor 500FG & 10" stainless steel Shelco), pump (Walbro FRB-22) & variety of connection fittings from the US.

Check out our posts this month:

Hurricanes 2017

Jib Sail Track Project (Part I)

Jib Sail Track Project (Part II)

September 2017 | MONTH IN REVIEW >>

November 2017 | MONTH IN REVIEW <<

Flight home (Goodbye Trinidad!)

My famous/infamous chicken rice!

Made my favourite burrito bowl for my favourite family

Met up with Daniela's good friend Nicole from Switzerland in Sunway Pyramid

Cut-out pieces of foam to be filled into the deck (part of the Jib Sail Track project)

After many days of layering fiberglass, foam & epoxy and of course lots of unpleasant sanding!

And finally, the painted fuel tank

Lovely photo of the Lighthouse in Chaguaramas (unedited)

Goodbye for now Chaguaramas!

That's all for now.. till next month! :)

Jib Sail Track Project (Part II)

2017-10-25T01:11:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Part II of our Jib Sail Track Project. If you haven't read Part I of this project, click here.

After several weeks of trying to dry out the jib sail track (really hard to do during the wet season), Alex had to fill it with fiberglass and foam. Here's what he did.. (Fair warning: lots of photos)

Measuring the size in order to cut the fiberglass sheets

Once the fiberglass sheets were cut, he applies a layer of epoxy

Then sprinkles loose fiberglass to even out the base

Time consuming work but necessary

Next, he applies the cut out fiberglass sheet

And wets it out fully with epoxy

And the process is repeated

For 2 layers of fiberglass

Looks pretty good actually - the secret is having everything prepared in advance

This was then left to cure completely for a couple of days before sanding.

With a nice, flat reinforced base. Alex had to measure and cut out the foam to fill the cavity. We decided to make it slightly raised from the deck, so that water will not sit under the actual jib track once its back in place.

Look at that

Carefully measured, cut and marked for each of the 4 sections the repair was divided into

Foam pieces for each section

He even made a contraption to allow the foam to be sanded to an even height

The foam epoxied into place

Letting it dry

Filled in the gaps between the sections

Built a little dam around the edges with sikaflex & scrap foam, so that the epoxy will not run onto the rest of the deck when we added 3 more layers of fiberglass to the top

Shit happens when..

Something you can't control ruins your work (Alex was not happy! and neither was this guy)

Sanded and ready to be repainted

There you have it. The jib sail track surface ready for gelcoat.

Check out our post on Spray Painting Our Deck

Jib Sail Track Project (Part I)

2017-10-03T00:56:00.000-07:00

Finally posting our Jib Sail Track Project (Part I)! We first started this project back in August 2017 after we re-bedded all the cleats on deck with backing plates which made them a lot stronger than the small washers we had before.

Of course, Alex wanted to do the same for the jib sail track (which makes total sense). If you've read our previous posts, you might've seen all the rotted wood we dug out from our deck core while re-bedding the other deck fittings. I knew it's something we had to do.. but did I want to do this too? Hell, no. And did that stop us? Hell, no..

First thing he did before working on it was to build a temporary dam with wood and plastic sheets to keep the water away {it rains every day in Trinidad during the wet season!}.

Here we go..

Removing the screws from the jib sail track

One of many corroded fasteners

The underside of the jib sail track (in the cabin)

Marking up the borders of where to cut through the deck

That's the fuel tank inlet just below the jib track

It's an orange kind of day..

Alex carefully cuts the deck with a hand saw

Gently peeling off the top layer of the deck (at this point we still thought we might re-use the fiberglass ... we didn't!)

The stains look pretty nasty

Alex using a chisel and hammer to remove the balsa core

Close up of the wood

Rotted balsa sections

Some parts were worse than others

Nicely chiselled and wood removed

What's this? A ninja star?

Alex made this to efficiently and evenly remove (about 20mm of) the balsa core - quite clever wouldn't you say?

Fits onto the end of the drill

It worked very well! Watch the video below

Volia!

✓ Removed the jib sail track
✓ Cut out strips on our deck
✓ Dug out the rotted wood

Next, we'd have to dry it out as much as we can (on sunny days) before we fill it with foam and fiberglass, making it slightly raised from the deck before re-bedding the sail track and adding a backing plate as well.

Hop on over to our next post on Jib Sail Track Project (Part II).

Hurricanes 2017

2017-10-01T08:42:00.000-07:00

It's been a tough September. We are thankful to be in Trinidad (out of the hurricane belt), but it's truly heartbreaking to see all the islands, boats & homes destroyed and lives lost. Haven't felt this strongly about hurricanes before.

Perhaps it's because we are closer than ever before (geographically). Perhaps we know how much we put into making the boat our home and seeing so many of them destroyed is gut wrenching. And perhaps it's because a lot of the islands we've been looking forward to visit are now wiped out or in complete chaos.

Countries affected by the hurricanes this season include Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, St. Barts, Cuba, St. Martin, St. Maarten, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Guadaloupe, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Florida and many more..

Courtesy of Worldatlas.com

With all this happening, I couldn't help but realise how little I knew about hurricanes and wanted to learn more about them i.e. how they are formed, categorised, and even named. If you're interested (like me), read on.

Disclaimer: The following information is obtained from various sources i.e. NASA, National Hurricane Center, The Weather Network, Wikipedia.

Hurricanes do not just appear overnight; it starts off over warm ocean waters within 8º and 15º north and south of the equator where surface sea temperatures reach 27ºC. The air above the warm sea is heated and rises. This causes low pressure. As the air rises it cools then condenses, forming rain clouds.

It begins as a tropical disturbance which is a mass of thunderstorms with light wind circulation. Depending on the wind speed, it grows into a tropical depression, then into a tropical storm and becomes a hurricane when wind reaches 119 kmph or higher (more on this below).

So, what's a Hurricane?

Hurricanes are large, swirling storms. They produce winds of 119 kmph (74 mph) or higher. That's faster than a cheetah, the fastest animal on land. Winds from a hurricane can damage buildings and trees {obviously}.

A hurricane is a tropical storm that occurs in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and northeastern Pacific Ocean, a typhoon occurs in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, and a cyclone occurs in the south Pacific or Indian Ocean. These all form over warm ocean waters and they are the same weather phenomenon - just different names for different places.

Image source: http://blog.grandincentives.com

How does it become a Hurricane?

As we already know:

Tropical Disturbance ➜ Tropical Depression ➜ Tropical Storm ➜ Hurricane

A tropical disturbance is a mass of thunderstorms with slight wind circulation, sometimes grows into a tropical depression if its winds reach 37 kmph (23 mph).

A tropical depression becomes a tropical storm if its winds reach 63 kmph (39 mph).

A tropical storm becomes a hurricane if its winds reach 119 kmph (74 mph).

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is used to rate hurricane intensity in the Atlantic Basin. There 5 categories of hurricane and they are based on wind speed.

Category 1: Winds 119-153 kmph (74-95 mph) - faster than a cheetah

Category 2: Winds 154-177 kmph (96-110 mph) - as fast or faster than a baseball pitcher's fastball

Category 3: Winds 178-208 kmph (111-129 mph) - similar, or close, to the serving speed of many professional tennis players

Category 4: Winds 209-251 kmph (130-156 mph) - faster than the world's fastest rollercoaster

Category 5: Winds more than 252 kmph (157 mph) - similar, or close, to the speed of some high-speed trains

Below are some facts (from various sources) and key messages issued by hurricanes.gov during Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Jose and Maria:

Hurricane Harvey

Formed August 17th and dissipated on September 3rd.

Developed from a tropical wave to the east of the Lesser Antilles, reaching tropical storm status on August 17th.

On August 26th, Harvey rapidly intensified from a tropical storm to a hurricane and made landfall at peak intensity at Rockport, Texas, USA with winds of 215 kmph (130 mph).

Moved over the Copano Bay (northwestern extension of Aransas Bay, west of Rockport, Texas) and made a second landfall as a Category 3 hurricane just north of Holiday Beach, Texas.

Harvey stayed inland for a couple of days dropping very heavy rainfall causing widespread flash flooding.

Produced 1.31 m (51.88 inches) of rain at Cedar Bayou, Texas – the most ever recorded in the mainland US and breaking the old record of 1.22 m (48 inches) set in Texas by Tropical Storm Claudette in 1979. Apparently it was still raining when the gauge broke, so the number may be higher than even Hawaii’s record of 1.32 m (52 inches).

On August 30th, Harvey made its final landfall just west of Cameron, Louisiana with winds of 75 kmph (45 mph), and weakened to a tropical depression over central Louisiana later that day.

The costliest hurricane on record at $198.63 billion in damage, also making it the costliest natural disaster ever in the United States.

Hurricane Irma

Is the most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane recorded in history. Irma generated more Accumulated Cyclone Energy than any Atlantic tropical cyclone on record, and more than the first eight named storms of the season (including Harvey) combined.

Formed August 30th and dissipated on September 16th.

Developed on August 30th, 2017 near the Cape Verde Islands, Irma rapidly intensified shortly after formation, becoming a Category 2 hurricane within 24 hours and Category 3 shortly afterward.

On September 6th, Irma reached a maximum wind speed of 298 km/h (185 mph) – tied with the Florida Keys Hurricane of 1935, Gilbert (1988), and Wilma (2005) for the second strongest max winds of all time in an Atlantic hurricane. The record is held by Hurricane Allen (1980), which reached 305 km/h (190 mph).

Maintained 298 kmph (185 mph) for 37 hours, the previous record time anywhere on the globe for a storm of that intensity was Typhoon Haiyan, which was at peak intensity for 24 hours.

Was a Category 5 for 3.25 days, tied with the Cuba Hurricane of 1932 as the longest time at Category 5 strength.

Was the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in Cuba since 1924, and the first major hurricane (Category 3 or greater) to make landfall in Florida since Wilma (2005).

The storm caused catastrophic damage in Barbuda, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Anguilla, and the Virgin Islands as a Category 5 hurricane.

Hurricane Jose

A powerful and erratic tropical storm which was the longest-lived Atlantic hurricane since Hurricane Nadine in 2012.

Formed September 5th and dissipated on September 26th.

Is the 5th hurricane of the season. It's maximum sustained wind speed is 209 kmph (130 mph).

Developed into a tropical storm on September 5th from a tropical wave that left the west coast of Africa.

Rapidly intensified on September 6th and on September 8th, Jose reached its peak intensity as a high-end Category 4 hurricane.

Fortunately, Jose did not make any landfall. Having said that, Jose still brought tropical storm force winds to Barbuda and Saint Martin as well as heavy rain, swells, and rough surf to the East Coast of the United States, causing beach erosion and some flooding.

Hurricane Maria

The third major hurricane in a row to threaten the Leeward Islands with a direct strike or major impacts within two weeks, after Hurricane Irma caused catastrophic damage there.

Formed September 16th and dissipated on October 3rd.

Developed on September 16, east of the Lesser Antilles.

Developed into a Category 5 strength on September 18th just before making landfall on Dominica, becoming the first Category 5 hurricane on record to strike the island, causing catastrophic damage.

On September 20th, Maria hit Puerto Rico as a Category 4 with winds of 225 kmph (140 mph), making it the strongest storm to hit the island in 80 years.

Maria also hit the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Turks and Caicos, causing widespread flooding.

Moving slowly to the north, Maria gradually degraded and weakened to a tropical storm on September 28th.

How Are Hurricanes Named?

As you know, there can be more than one hurricane at a time. Names make it easier to keep track of and talk about storms.

A storm is given a name only if it becomes a tropical storm i.e. winds reach 63 kmph (39 mph). That name stays with the storm if it goes on to become a hurricane. (Tropical disturbances and depressions don't have names).

Each year, tropical storms are named in alphabetical order. The names come from a list of names for that year. There are six lists of names. Lists are reused every six years.

If a storm does a lot of damage, its name is sometimes taken off the list. It is then replaced by a new name that starts with the same letter. This is carried out annually by an international committee of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

You can see the six list of names here:

Hope you found this somewhat interesting/informative. This post serves as a reminder that we need to look after our mother earth. Global warming/climate change is real. As our ocean waters get warmer, the hurricanes become more frequent and stronger.

Good to know:
What is Global Warming
35 Easy Ways to Stop Global Warming

Updated: "The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season was a hyperactive, deadly, and extremely destructive season, featuring 17 named storms, ranking alongside 1936 as the fifth-most active season since records began in 1851, and the most active since 2012.

The season also featured both the highest total accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) and the highest number of major hurricanes since 2005. All ten of the season's hurricanes occurred in a row, the greatest number of consecutive hurricanes in the satellite era.

In addition, it was by far the costliest season on record, with a preliminary total of over $368.66 billion (USD) in damages, which is nearly three times the cost of 2005’s total, and essentially all of which was due to three of the season's major hurricanes — Harvey, Irma, and Maria.

This season is also one of only six years on record to feature multiple Category 5 hurricanes, and only the second to feature two hurricanes making landfall at that intensity. This season is the only season on record in which three hurricanes each had an ACE of over 40: Irma, Jose, and Maria." - Wikipedia

September 2017 | MONTH IN REVIEW

2017-09-30T11:39:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick summary of what we were up to this month.

We finally re-bedded the aluminium rail and stanchions on the port side! If you read our 'August 2017 | Month In Review' post, you'd know that this was our second attempt. If we had a dollar for every time we had to re-do a job because the epoxy, sikaflex or silicone set too fast or didn't set at all. We'd have a sizeable nest egg!

We made little progress with the Sail Jib Track project. The weather has not been co-operative. It's not called the rainy/hurricane season for nothing.

Speaking of hurricanes, it's been a tough month for those affected by the hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Jose and Maria. Very heart breaking to see all the islands, boats, homes destroyed and lives lost. Mother nature is not happy. It's a harsh call to remind us that climate change is real and we need to look after our planet {bring our own bags, say no to straws}.

A couple of months ago, we re-bedded the cleats on the deck. We are now in the process of re-bedding the other remaining deck fittings. Yes, it never ends! So many deck fittings... and all installed without first protecting the balsa core with epoxy (seems ALL boat builders cut corners), resulting in areas of rotted core where water had leaked in. :(

The Fuel Tank project is finally underway. Read our 'Fuel Tank Project (Part I)' post.

We co-hired a car from Econo Car Rentals with S/Y Katarina. The price increased from $125 TTD/day to $150 TTD/day. A little dearer but still cheaper to hire a car than to take a taxi to the airport. Fortunately, we had a free upgrade and so the car was not as shitty as the last one. Unfortunately, on the last day, while Alex and Tony were shopping for some boat parts, the car was towed for "illegal parking" which cost $500 TTD to release even though there were no signs anywhere on the street to indicate "No Parking"! After our car was towed, 3 other cars parked on that same stretch and nothing happened. What luck!

I celebrated my birthday on board at the boatyard. I had a day off from boat work. No cleaning, handing Alex tools, cooking or washing {yay!}. Special thanks to Alex for making me a special brunch and dinner that day and preparing breakfast all week! :) I was also very happy to receive lovely birthday greetings from my family & friends.

We had another busy month on the entertainment front, we watched Game of Thrones (Season 7), Dark Matter (Season 3), Killjoys (Season 3), Arrow (Season 5), The Flash (Season 3) and Supergirl (Season 1 & 2). If you like musicals, try to watch The Flash's Season 3 Episode 17: 'Duet', it's pretty awesome! We also watched several movies -- Lion (2016), Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016), The Ottoman Lieutenant (2017) and Pirate's of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017).

We met another Aussie sailor, Dave from Sydney on S/Y Syreni.

Check out our posts this month:

Forepeak Repairs

FAQ | Costs of Cruising

The Rain in Port of Spain

The Fuel Tank Project (Part I)

August 2017 | MONTH IN REVIEW >>

October 2017 | MONTH IN REVIEW <<

Re-bedding the aluminium rail on the port side with life seal

Re-bedding the port stanchions with life seal

Jib Sail Track Project - Sanded 4cm around the edges

There's Rambutan in Trini!! But at $87.99/kg (~$12.57 USD/kg)??! :O
Needless to say we did not get any..

My special brunch and dinner! {tastes better than it looks} Thanks for helping me make the Chocolate Fridge Cake.. and by help I mean pouring it into the mould! ;)

Every now and then I find a grasshopper on board (usually on my clothes). Cute ey? :)

Till next month, thanks for following our journey!

The Fuel Tank Project (Part I)

2017-09-20T08:31:00.000-07:00

The Fuel Tank Project - wish we didn't have to do this, but.. Alex was very determined and after much deliberation, the project is now underway. After all the hard work we put into cleaning & repairing the engine, we did not want to risk dirty diesel spoiling it.

The fuel tank is 20 years old and has never been cleaned. What's the objective of this project? To add an inspection port, clean the inside and install a fuel polishing system, comprised of a fuel pump & 2 filters, to keep it clean thereafter.

Of course like a lot of things on board, the tank was installed in such a way that it was never intended to be accessed post install {go figure}.. So Alex had to cut an access hole in the wall of the queen sized cabin.

The initial access hole

Unfortunately, as you know, nothing is ever quite that simple, easy or straightforward on a boat. After spending several hours unsuccessfully attempting to take it out, he ended up having to remove the entire wall!

Could not, would not come out! until..

The entire wall was removed

We carried the tank out and placed it under the boat so we could work on it with ease. Of course this did not go as smoothly as planned; even though we drained as much diesel as we could, some residual diesel still spilled out onto our luggages in the cabin as we were carrying the tank out 😖 {diesel really smells bad!}.

Fuel tank under the boat

We cleaned the outside of the tank with a scour and rust remover. The tank looks pretty good, except for the bottom which has some deep pitting (probably from standing on a wet base for a long time).

Alex then made the inspection port backing plate & cover from two (12" x 9") 3mm stainless steel plates. Drilling the holes in the stainless steel plates was a pain. We had to drill 14 holes on each plate. Oh and by "we" I mean Alex, while I helped to clamp the drill guide tool and hold down the table {hard work!}.

Each hole started off with a 1/8" drill bit (until both broke and we finished the job with a 3mm drill bit), then a 3/16" drill bit and finally a 6mm drill bit. That's 3 times per hole x 14 holes x 2 plates! Making it a total of 84 times of aligning the drill guide to the hole, clamping it down, changing the drill bits, placing it on the bench vice, and of course the actual drilling!

Update: Alex later enlarged the 6mm holes on the cover plate to 7mm to allow for thermal expansion of the cover plate.

14 holes per plate

In case you were wondering, the drill guide tool is that vertical piece with holes (made from nickel-alloyed steel that is heat treated for durability)

Cutting out the middle with an angle grinder to make the backing plate

Fortunately, we bought the 'drill guide tool' in June. It helps to keep the drill bit perpendicular to whatever you are drilling -- like a portable (poor man's) drill press for precision alignment. It works well. Having said that, we still broke a couple of drill bits but that was due to placing the clamps a little too close to the drill hole and when the drill chuck "hit" the clamp, it snapped the drill bit.

Next, we tried our best to flush out the residual diesel in the tank with soap and water. As a safety precaution, we filled up the tank with water before Alex cut out the inspection port hole with an angle grinder. Very glad all went well -- no explosion.

Marked, drilled some holes and cut out the hole with a grinder

Alex used the backing plate to mark the holes on the tank and smoothed the edges with a file.

With the access hole, we were able to stick our arms in to scoop out the sludge and clean the inside of the tank with a scour and detergent. For the bottom of the tank, where we could not reach, we used de-greaser and a Karcher K2 pressure washer which we borrowed from our friend Tony. We loved the pressure washer! Very compact and powerful. It's definitely on our "to buy" list, whenever we can find a 240V version!

Cleaning the inside of the tank with pressure washer

The tank is now clean inside and out!

Top left & right: The sludge from inside the tank {yuck}
Bottom left & right: Before and after using de-greaser & pressure washer

Next steps: To get the bolts welded onto the backing plate, paint the bottom of the tank (maybe?), and order the fuel filters (Racor 500FG & 10" stainless steel Shelco), pump (Walbro FRB-22) & variety of connection fittings from the US.

Till our next update!